Class Highlights

I made up my mind this quarter that I am against e-books. My Dad got on for christmas and I didn't think anything of it until we started talking about it. I like the smell of books and I like turning the pages. I don't like how the kindle makes my eyes feel after reading it for a while.

I found out from bowling for columbine that Charleton Heston is a cold hearted man. He just had to hold a gun rally in Colorado after columbine instead of letting the state grieve.

I learned the Public Relations can be a bunch of BS. I want to major in PR at SJSU but I don't plan on making people take pictures with a bunch of soldiers and a fake turkey.

Media Ethics

Libel
http://blogs.tampabay.com/juice/2009/01/sharon-osbourne.html
This article talks about the court case where Sharon Osbourne sued sun magazine for accusing her of "driving her frail husband Ozzy Osbourne to destruction". I think that when magazines say things like this they need to be called out and I'm very glad that the Osbournes didn't just let this slide.

Propaganda in Advertising

In this old spice commercial we see a few propaganda techniques. First is euphoria. This guy promises the customer everything they could ever want like 2 tickets to anything and a handful of diamonds. They also appeal to the common man by saying that any ordinary guy could be this suave if he only uses old spice.

Presentation Video

My powerpoint presentation was about the copycat effect. The copycat effect refers to when news reports influence others to recreate similar hideous crimes. In this video a news reporter is talking about a greusome murder and she gets a case of the giggles.

Internet

Wikipedia lists over 200 social networking sites most of which I have never heard of. I only know facebook youtube and myspace. I only use facebook because I know it is a necessity to stay in touch these days. I absolutely hate the way that facebook keeps you so well informed of everything that is going on. I feel like a slave to my facebook because people write me and I don't want to be rude and not respond. I would much rather talk in person where you can communicate much better. When I am friends with my girlfriend on facebook I always over analyze what other people are writing her and so now I just stay off of it in general. I think it starts alot of drama and passive aggression for people who don't want to deal with their feelings in real life.

Week 6: Television

Auto-Tune the News 2:09 http ://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WuYDSa4BRaw

This video shows how the internet brings the stupidest footage of kanye west and hot air balloons into the front of our attention. It also shows how little kids can become youtube celebrities. In chapter 10 we learned about how the internet has changed everything we do. With out the internet these home videos and celebrity incidents would never have gotten the recognition they received.

Quiz question: When a file is being downloaded and saved on a hard drive at the same time as it is being viewed it is called... A. a hyperlink B. buffering C. cybersquatting D. hypertext transfer protocol

Answer B. buffering

Movies

My favorite movie of 2009 was Moon with Sam Rockwell. It had everything I like in a movie. It was based on the moon, it was less than an hour and a half, it showed immoral corporations, and the main character goes crazy.
My all time favorite movie has to be The Great Escape with Steve McQueen. I love WWII movies and this one has an all star cast. It has Steve McQueen flying around on a motorcycle and it shows the ingenuity of American P.O.W.s in Germany.
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/great_escape/

Magazine Proposal

Name of magazine: Prep Star Watch
Concept: This is a magazine highlighting the best high school athlete prospects in the country. It will look into the top high schools and how they prepare their athletes for college and pro success.
Readers: High school coaches would read to scout other players. College coaches would look for recruits. High school players love reading about the top recruits.
Competition: Sports Illustrated does a little segment on prep sports but this will look much deeper into each states top athletes and their lifestyles.
Advertisments: Gatorade loves to advertise to high school athlete because there are so many of them across the country. Nike will advertise with us because they are the number one athletic gear provider. Espn is the worldwide leader in sports television. Car advertisements are always common in sport magazines. Workout supplement companies will advertise with us.
Articles: Top ten athletic schools in the country. Athlete overcomes adversity to succeed. Highly recruited siblings play on the same team. Father coaches child to success. Scandal in High School Athletic program.
Cover: The first cover would glamorize the high school athlete lifestyle depicting an athlete playing in front of thousands of fans. High school kids love the thought of being famous and getting a lot of attention.

Week 3: Books

I enjoy reading non-fiction a few nights a week. One of my favorite books is the Botany of Desire http://www.amazon.com/Botany-Desire-Plants-eye-View-World/dp/0747563004/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1265579449&sr=8-2 . I enjoyed this book because it gives a different perspective of our relationship with plants. Michael Pollan is a great writer and he kept me engaged throughout the book.

I enjoyed reading Sex Drugs and Cocoa Puffs by Chuck Closterman. http://www.amazon.com/Sex-Drugs-Cocoa-Puffs-Manifesto/dp/0743236017/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1265579769&sr=1-1 . Closterman lets everyone know his opinion on pop culture by ripping on coldplay and explaining why reality tv is so popular. Its a really fun look into the media.

Tucker Max's I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell is an example of how to be an immoral jerk. http://www.amazon.com/Hope-They-Serve-Beer-Hell/dp/B002AOUD3I/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1265580259&sr=1-5 . By reading this book I supported the worst guy in the country but his writing style is really fun and his stories are unbelievable.

Media Research

If I was to research the media's affect on people I would research how tv shows affect teenagers with eating disorders. I would survey 50 teens with diagnosed eating disorders and 50 healthy teens and find out how much tv they are watching and what channels they watch. I predict that those with eatings disorders watch alot more mtv and shows that glamorize beauty. I would test this theory by challenging teens to stop watching these harmful shows and see if they can rebuild their confidence.

Im JT this is my Blog

Welcome to my incredibly thoughtful blog. I am a Communications student at De Anza community college and this is my media autobiography. I have loved reading from an early age. The first word I ever read was the word "so" from the Norfolk Newspaper in Norfolk Nebraska. Since then I have read about 200 books, mostly non-fiction. I like to read about botany and sports. I read Sports Illustrated and Maxim to catch up on pop culture but I have no magazine subscriptions. I love Quentin Tarantino and Coen Brothers movies but I don't like dropping 11 bucks to see crummy blockbusters like Sherlock Holmes. I don't have cable TV or internet in my apartment because I'm cheap so I am constantly listening to the newest independent music albums. I don't have a particular genre that I like the most. In my cd player right now is Bibio's Ambivalence Avenue and J Dilla's Jay Stay Paid. Now that I don't have access to the internet for the first time this century I am starting to realize just how important it is to my my. I feel like the internet is my heartbeat supplying me with cool music and videos of people hurting themselves while stomping grapes. I do not think that I will ever have a profession in the media but I enjoy learning about how we are affected by its messages.