I read Scott McCloud's book "Understanding Comics"( because I could not make it to he talk last night; Monday 16 2007 @7 P.M.). There are a few chapters that i would like to talk about in particular, chapters 1, 2, and chapter four which was also in our text "The New Media Reader" (pages 711-735).
Scott McCloud's whole book it is all told in comic stripe form.Chapter one is the history of comics according to Scott McCloud he says that comics have been all the way back to "1049 A.D.(p.11)" which is the date on a "36-foot long brightly colored ,painted screenfold telling of the great military and political hero 8-Deer 'Tiger's-Claw'"(p.10) found by "Cortes around 1519 in Pre-Columbia"(p.10). Scott's definition of comics is: " Juxtaposed pictorial and other images in deliberate sequence, intended to convey information and/or to produce and aesthetic response in the viewer"(p. 9).
He tells us that most books about comics began around the turn of the century and many of the ancients ways of recording a story are forms of early comics like tapestry's and screens but not the Egyptian Hieroglyphics because they are too "pictorial"(p. 12). He goes on to talk about the invention of print and how it is a big deal not only for the written word but also for comics.
In chapter two he talks of the meaning of comics. he says that "in pictures ... meaning is fluid and variable according to appearance.."(p.28). Scott also talks about Icons and on page 27 he says he is "using the word 'ICON' to men any image that is used to represent a person, placed, thing, or Idea," I know that icons are symbols but really did not think about Icons being part of language or as representing philosophies, and concepts.
I really like the part of chapter two where he goes into cartooning because it helped me to understand some of my own tastes in the arts better.
In "The New Media Reader" Scott's chapter four was really good this is what I read first, before I even checked out "Understanding Comics". In this chapter Scott shows how time is displayed in the comics and how each frame is not just one moment in time but can depict a scenario of events that are relevant to the content of the comic. He also went into how motion is displayed in the comics.
Scott McCloud's whole book was really interesting and I would like to read more of his work.
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
mock-up
This Mock-up shows the relationship between its producers and readers by portraying the news of the local businesses ( the readers livelihoods) and givingthe readers a chance to comment on all of the articles, not just the ones that are about their business.
The menu allows the reader to choose the page he wishes to look at, read and comment on, therefore the reader is responding/ communicating with the producers of this article as well as the page. Which helps the producers to know what the readers are interested in, what they want to know more about and what they really are not interested in.
I think that knowing what the local communities are interested in is going to be one of the most helpful aspects of this site.
As for where we should focus efforts I would like to see a more uniform site with the bloggs articles alined from top to bottom of the second column, not all over the page.
The menu allows the reader to choose the page he wishes to look at, read and comment on, therefore the reader is responding/ communicating with the producers of this article as well as the page. Which helps the producers to know what the readers are interested in, what they want to know more about and what they really are not interested in.
I think that knowing what the local communities are interested in is going to be one of the most helpful aspects of this site.
As for where we should focus efforts I would like to see a more uniform site with the bloggs articles alined from top to bottom of the second column, not all over the page.
mock-up
This Mock-up shows the relationship between its producers and readers by portraying the news of the local businesses ( the readers livelihoods) and givingthe readers a chance to comment on all of the articles, not just the ones that are about their business.
The menu allows the reader to choose the page he wishes to look at, read and comment on, therefore the reader is responding/ communicating with the producers of this article as well as the page. Which helps the producers to know what the readers are interested in, what they want to know more about and what they really are not interested in.
I think that knowing what the local communities are interested in is going to be one of the most helpful aspects of this site.
As for where we should focus efforts I would like to see a more uniform site with the bloggs articles alined from top to bottom of the second column, not all over the page.
The menu allows the reader to choose the page he wishes to look at, read and comment on, therefore the reader is responding/ communicating with the producers of this article as well as the page. Which helps the producers to know what the readers are interested in, what they want to know more about and what they really are not interested in.
I think that knowing what the local communities are interested in is going to be one of the most helpful aspects of this site.
As for where we should focus efforts I would like to see a more uniform site with the bloggs articles alined from top to bottom of the second column, not all over the page.
Monday, March 26, 2007
A suny experience
I really liked seeing what the students at SUNY Cortland where studying. Reading their blogs was fun and I left comments on Aimee and jessica Marocco's bloggs
Monday, February 19, 2007
My part in the CityBlog.
Doc Mara, our Electronic Communication professor has us working on a CityBlog page. I hope to be in on all aspects of the process like everyone in class, but really want to work with the graphics and design parts of the blog. This is where most of my knowledge is. I have already graduated with a Certificate of Diploma for Commercial Art so the design and graphics is something I think I will be good at.
I really like working with Photoshop, Dreamweaver, RayDream, and Illustrator. I think it would be great if I could learn some new programs too.
I know that I will be able to handle the time constraints and responsibilities through Blackboard, the Wiki, class blog pages, and email with my classmates and Doc Mara. I know that Doc and my class are all there to help me if I have questions or need help with anything like I am for them.
I am more of a work on your own person though I like to work in small groups also. I think that the design and graphics part of the CityBlog is more of a small group project because this is a class effort that everyone should have a say in, even if some ideas are not used they all should be considered. I would do that because many times a great idea comes from the parts of many individual ideas.
I really like working with Photoshop, Dreamweaver, RayDream, and Illustrator. I think it would be great if I could learn some new programs too.
I know that I will be able to handle the time constraints and responsibilities through Blackboard, the Wiki, class blog pages, and email with my classmates and Doc Mara. I know that Doc and my class are all there to help me if I have questions or need help with anything like I am for them.
I am more of a work on your own person though I like to work in small groups also. I think that the design and graphics part of the CityBlog is more of a small group project because this is a class effort that everyone should have a say in, even if some ideas are not used they all should be considered. I would do that because many times a great idea comes from the parts of many individual ideas.
As for the time constraints, I have a love-hate relationship with them. I love them because I know when I have to have something done, but hate having any restrictions on my time. I like that I can be a part of something like this CityBlog page. It could make a big difference for business in Fargo
Tuesday, February 6, 2007
you are Cyorg
After reading the “You Are Cyborg” I understand better what Donna Haraway was trying to say in her “Cyborg Manifesto”. It is that we as a society are reliant on technologies. That we have become so dependant on these technologies, that they are a part of us –making us cyborgs. Even though I understand what Miss Haraway was/is saying, I still have a problem with some of the things in her Cyborg Manifesto, such as when she says “…teaching modern Christian Creationism should be fought as a form of child abuse.”
I do understand that she is trying to say that in a technological and scientific world this teaching of creation does not fit.
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
Making Sense
I found Donna Haraways writing A Cyborg Manifesto made very little sense. She seems to be confused through out the work as to what she is writing about. She travels from topic to topic. Is she trying to write a serious piece on science, technology or socialist- feminism; a serious piece on politics or science fiction and fantasy. Does she want to write about sex or religion?
Her first four paragraphs are like a template for her whole piece. The first one she tries to compare politics to religion. She starts our by talking in circles about blasphemy, saying “more faithful as blasphemy is faithful (p516),” and never getting away from the subject of blasphemy. This causes confusion for the reader from the start because this first paragraph has no connection to the title of the work.
Her second paragraph she tells us that reality is fantasy/fiction, stating that the “boundary between science fiction and social reality is an optical illusion (516).” She says that a cyborg is both fiction and social reality and that “social reality… is our most important Political construction, a world –changing fiction” this whole statement is contradictory, how can reality social or political be fiction (not real). That’s like saying you hand is a figment of your imagination. Not only is this impractical it is non-sensical.
From this reality is fiction subject she jumps to the subject of sex and dreams shown by her statements “modern war is a cyborg orgy” and “modern production seems like a dream” in her third paragraph. In this paragraph she attacks heterosexualism saying, “Such nice organic prophylactics against heterosexism. (516)”
Her fourth paragraph is comparing fantasy to politics and talks about utopian traditions. Here in this paragraph she states “the late twentieth century … a mythical time, we are all chimeras, theorized and fabricated hybrids … we are cyborgs.” I see no connection between these Fantasy creatures, chimeras and cyborgs, to politics or myself. As for the utopian traditions we have none there has never been utopia so there can not be utopian traditions.
These four paragraphs give us a good snap shot of what Donna Haraways work is about in its entirety. She should have picked a single subject to seriously write about. It is hard to make sense of what she is trying to say about her topics, when she does not seem to know what she is talking about she supplies no evidence. She only compares, attacks and makes contradictory statements.
Her first four paragraphs are like a template for her whole piece. The first one she tries to compare politics to religion. She starts our by talking in circles about blasphemy, saying “more faithful as blasphemy is faithful (p516),” and never getting away from the subject of blasphemy. This causes confusion for the reader from the start because this first paragraph has no connection to the title of the work.
Her second paragraph she tells us that reality is fantasy/fiction, stating that the “boundary between science fiction and social reality is an optical illusion (516).” She says that a cyborg is both fiction and social reality and that “social reality… is our most important Political construction, a world –changing fiction” this whole statement is contradictory, how can reality social or political be fiction (not real). That’s like saying you hand is a figment of your imagination. Not only is this impractical it is non-sensical.
From this reality is fiction subject she jumps to the subject of sex and dreams shown by her statements “modern war is a cyborg orgy” and “modern production seems like a dream” in her third paragraph. In this paragraph she attacks heterosexualism saying, “Such nice organic prophylactics against heterosexism. (516)”
Her fourth paragraph is comparing fantasy to politics and talks about utopian traditions. Here in this paragraph she states “the late twentieth century … a mythical time, we are all chimeras, theorized and fabricated hybrids … we are cyborgs.” I see no connection between these Fantasy creatures, chimeras and cyborgs, to politics or myself. As for the utopian traditions we have none there has never been utopia so there can not be utopian traditions.
These four paragraphs give us a good snap shot of what Donna Haraways work is about in its entirety. She should have picked a single subject to seriously write about. It is hard to make sense of what she is trying to say about her topics, when she does not seem to know what she is talking about she supplies no evidence. She only compares, attacks and makes contradictory statements.
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