Books vs E-books

                Upon the creation of e-books, a bunch of readers question where hardcover and paperbacks stand. Regular printed books are considerably old news due to its deep-rooted existence, but is that a bad thing? Perhaps many people enjoy copied prints of their favorite books regardless of what new technology had to offer. E-books reached popularity in 2009. Amazon’s Kindle and Barnes & Noble’s Nook are advanced devices that allow readers to reach their favorite books electronically—fast and simple.  

            Amazon declared that its e-books sales doubled its hardcover sales in June, 2010. As we’re now in 2011, the sales will rise drastically. Does this put books in jeopardy? Could they become secondary options in reading? Nowadays, everyone relies on technology. Cellphones, iPods, laptops, and e-readers are commonly in people’s bags on their way to work. We are engulfed in digital technology whether we like to admit it or not. Every year we’re inundated by new innovative technology. In the last few years, Apple’s iPad made an impact in sales much thanks to its substantial marketing.

            Hard copied books are still active in stores, but how much longer can they be robust with steady sales? E-readers are becoming very successful because of its marketing. Whether its Internet pop-ups, television/radio commercials, or posters, customers are being lured one way or another. Once the holidays come, more customers will emerge resulting in a significant surge in sales. In 2009, e-books outdid hardcopies during Christmas season. The purchases of Kindles lead to a bulky shopping spree of e-books to load the Kindles.  It does seem expedient to have a vast amount of novels stored in a nifty portable device as opposed to carrying a plethora of books.

            “It’s been a watershed year for e-books,” says Tina Jordan of the Association of American Publishers. One of the reasons why e-books are becoming prevalent is its convenience. E-books are easily accessible by purchasing them on the Internet. They can be read on an e-reader, which is very light and portable, much to the content of individuals who fancy digital technology. More thoroughly, Amazon.com, Barnesandnoble.com, and iTunes are preferable sites and programs to purchase these e-books. Upon purchase, they are electronically downloaded into the hard drive followed by a quick synchronization with the e-reader device.

            Amazon announced that Kathryn Stockett and Janet Evanovich have hit a million in Kindle sales, which is a remarkable. Stockett’s hit novel, “The Help” is listed number 1 on USA Today’s best-selling books list.

            E-books’ potential of superseding hardcovers and paperbacks could grow exponentially depending on what else these popular brand names have to offer. What if several companies merge with the scheme of taking sales to the next level? If superb e-books are enlisted in multiple prestigious sites, more people will be intrigued and interested in shifting to the digital world of reading. Perhaps in the future, most schools will replace textbooks and novels with e-books. Perhaps in the future, even newspapers will be fully outdated. There are so many new devices that provide all sorts of information. Some people can subjectively declare that digital devices are by far more superior to print work. At least trees can be preserved.

Blog #4

I enjoyed taking Media 160. It extended my knowledge in digital media. I learned a lot of Final Cut Pro, and it was definitely beneficial to my future since I love video editing and plan on making personal projects. All of the assignments were interesting, productive, and most importantly—fun. What’s a digital class good for without enjoyment, right? The podcast assignment was a good practice for me since I plan on entering the field of journalism. I’m currently taking a couple of interviewing classes and this assignment played a good role for my major.  A lot of my classes corresponds each other including Media 160. The video assignment was great because it allowed me and my partner to use our creativity. It allowed us to work as both directors and actors. We sketched the scene prior to the shooting, and formulated the script. Last, we incorporated a soundtrack that would be fitting to the scene. Next, the Haiku assignment was a great commencement to web production. I have a history of designing websites, but HTML is still a bit blurry to me as I get baffled easily. Using Text Wrangler throughout the semester alleviated my comfort with HTML. The coding became more familiar, and I gradually accepted it to my designing repertoire. I plan on using HTML codes more when I design. Last, the animation assignment was something totally fresh to me. I always knew that Photoshop had the tools and options to create animated GIFs but I always disregarded it since I assumed that I wouldn’t be able to master it. However, I learned the features quicker than I expected, and I created a short thirty-second animation without much problem. Overall, the class was great. I’d recommend it to anyone—especially media majors. 

Blog #3

I had a lot of fun doing the video assignment. Earlier in the days in retrospective, a couple of friends and I gathered together to make a couple of short films. It was for fun; nothing serious, really. For this assignment, my priority was to compile loads of clips that me and my partner filmed, and develop a neat three minute film. The concept was very similar to my old filmings, except this assignment has a pending grade on the line. The filming process was fair and developmental. As we created new angles, we inserted more potential scenes. It was a little bit of everything including pre-arranged written scripts and impromptu takes. There were endless possibilities but we had only so much room to cover the limited time frame. Initially we chose to film in the subway station. We alternated roles carrying the camera and filmed the train arriving and leaving. Our story was summarized as two classmates who were having a horrible day being way under the weather. We took turns filming each other missing the 6 train, and other things that would push us to the edge. There was a scene where I was acting as a furious guy on the phone with whomever. The scene concluded with me smashing my phone to the brick wall. I found it interesting and hilarious that I drew a handful of attention. People was unaware of the act and just presumed that I was just another angry new yorker carrying problems. Although our characters had problems, we didn't have any on the settings. Everything was run smoothly and we finished promptly. In our final scene, we had the privelage of having professor Lucas film us by the classroom. Overall, it was a good experience. 

Blog #2: I Will Survive

In the bar and jail scenes from the movie, The Replacements, the organizations were edited well. As the actors made direct eye contact, the frame shifted to their target smoothly allowing us, the audience to be connected to the flow. The composition portrays a wide view of the entire scene. The high jinks and shenanigans of the cast were caught fully individually as each person was being part of their own action. The camera shifted between Keanu Reeves’ character and everyone else repeatedly. In the 1:00 mark when Brett Cullen’s character and his team mocked the deaf man, the camera’s made a cut to everyone sitting opposed to them in a continuous motion. I enjoyed the editing because it gives a full perspective of all the character’s visual. The timing of each cut lasted for a mere two to three seconds.

There is a case of diegetic vs. non-diegetic sound. When Orlando Jones’ character sang “I Will Survive” by Gloria Gaynor, along with the jukebox in the beginning of the scene, there were no sound edits. Orlando’s voice was heard with the jukebox while the cameras were shooting. Later on in the jail scene, he serenaded his teammates with the same song, but non-diegetic sound was used. There was no juke box, radio, or any music device behind the bars. The editor inserted the music manually so the scene would be more energetic.

Also in the jail scene, I enjoyed the cuts of the dancing. As Orlando and the majority of his teammates took the floor to boogie, the cutting was obvious, but it was produced strongly. The frames transferred from their faces to their feet constantly; it felt like the concept of a Michael Jackson music video.

Media 160 - Blog #1

The World I Hear 
 
There are various textures of sound in New York City. Twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, Time Square has an amplified sound that is very audible from 42nd street and up. Police and fireman sirens are being rung constantly as there is usually a tumultuous scene. Also, on the corner of every street, there are comic strips promoters who are shouting in hope of attracting potential audience members. On a daily basis, the sound of, “comedy show tonight!” is heard from several intersections. Also the sounds of excited tourists are ricocheted around Time Square. These three sounds are direct clues of Time Square’s location.  
 
Manhattan in general has a common sound that signifies the city. The raucous, obnoxious sound of the yellow taxis and other vehicles honking that sounds like an augmented trumpet is a clue that people’s whereabouts are in Manhattan. However, certain neighborhoods are far diverse than others. For instance, at night time in the Upper East and Westside, the sound of the environment is less deafening than the swarming parts of Manhattan such as the three squares: Herald, Time, and Union Square.  

I enjoy the sound of the subways arriving and departing from the main streets around the city because I will know if I will have enough time to catch the very next train or wait five to eight minutes for the following one. When a subway arrives, potholes in proximity has a large proportion of steam rising and it sounds like a boiling room heating up.

MEDP150 Blog #4

I enjoyed taking this class because I learned array of producing techniques, such as filming, photography, and editing. Learning the rule of thirds gave me a clear perception of the art of photography. Prior to this class, I did not conceptualize photography as a complex profession. I enjoyed working on the in-class activities such as filming and shooting photos around the campus. It broadened my knowledge of filming and photography, especially after listening to the professor’s constructive criticism.

I always held interest for HTML, but believed that it was too obscure. During our portfolio assignments, I learned to use Text Wrangler, and finally understood the various forms of coding. Earlier on, I was clueless when it came to head and body with multiple symbols in the surrounding. I am glad that I took this course as a media studies major because it is helping me progress to the more difficult courses in media productions. I am a fan of filming and I hoped to work on more assignments pertaining to filming, but nonetheless I am content.

The readings and lectures covered a lot of material that was listed on the syllabus and were very helpful. The exams covered everything that was presented in the lectures and readings. I do feel that I am leaving this course with an expanded knowledge in film, media, and new media productions. One thing I will always remember from this course is the Photoshop concepts that I used for many years without knowing the meaning. I always saved my images as a JPEG without knowing what the acronym stood for. Now, my knowledge in Photoshop has finally met standard.

MEDP299 Good & Bad Sites Assignment

GOOD SITES

BAD SITES

MEDP 299 Logo Assignment

1) George W. Bush



2) Barack Obama

3) Michael Bloomberg



Media 150 Stamp Assignment

Media 150 Blog #3

On the cover of the DVD, “Eagle Eye,” there are a couple of events taking place. On the far right side, there is a plane flying in extremely low altitude adjacent to a train. This allows the observers to instantly perceive that the plot of this movie is some-what riveting and suspenseful. The colors of the cover are mostly a moderate saturation of blue and a small amount of yellow. The main characters: Shia LaBeouf and Michelle Monaghan, are pasted on the top and bottom of the cover to emphasize the importance of their roles. Scan lines are layered over the cover, which further identifies the title of this DVD. These lines could determine that the story consists of something related to computer technology. The scan lines, color, and the font has good functionality. The small proportion of yellow could mean that something dramatic is on the verge of occurring. The light of the train is beaming strongly and the yellow light on the bottom left of the cover seems to be some sort of explosion that is making Shia’s character evade the scene.
            The beauty of this design is the color that expresses a feel to the image. The shade of blue is not very vibrant, but it tells the viewers that supernatural things will happen at some point in the movie. There is an interaction between the two characters on the cover, as they both show a glance of fear and apprehension. This cover is giving the idea that hazardous actions are inevitable. Violence and hostility are involved as the audience will be at the edge of their seat. The image was photographically taken successfully as the characters have a fair amount of look space.

Media 150 - Blog #2

            The feature length documentary that I chose is “This Is It.” This documentary is mostly behind-the-scenes footage of Michael Jackson’s illustrious career. It showed a good amount of footage of his vigorous rehearsals in arenas and stadiums. Several camera movements were used, such as panning and zooming. The cameras panned left and right following Michael’s movements, especially his signature move: the moonwalk. When Michael sang his hit song “Thriller,” the cameras zoomed in on his face in an extreme close-up to capture his emotion, which was passionate. These cameras were supported by mostly tripods in a fair distance away from the subject. Some cameras were also handheld in scenes where Michael would perform complex choreography that a cameraman was needed in a closer distance in order to capture the stage in a normal angle. With a tripod, the stage was in a low angle, which allowed the viewers to have a perspective as if they were in the crowd during a live concert.

            The director’s objective was to compile an abundant amount of clips that will allow the viewers to get a clear perspective of the environment. Of course, he wanted to emphasize on Michael, himself, giving him the primary spotlight. The mise-en-scene consisted of many lights (hard and soft), background dancers, and decorations. Therefore, the look and feeling was very professional and hectic. Also, the director longed to portray the film in high definition so the audience can obtain a clearer and more apparent observation. Of course, due to HD, there were 1080 lines of resolution. The same look and feel of the film lingered throughout the entire film staying constant, and I believe the director succeeded.

MEDP 299 Midterm

 

Media 150 blog assignment 1

     It is amazing how much media is used day in and day out. We, a society, are so accustomed to using newly technological devices for our daily needs. The question is: can we survive without media? Can we channel information manually without the assistance of media outlets that are operated professionally? The answer is no, unless our preference is to live the lives that the Amish have.
   
    Media convergence gives us a variety of options like television, newspaper, and Internet. Every morning, I turn the television on and watch the news on local channels for a couple of minutes before reading the newspaper. The stories are all related as they lie in the same field. Thus, people have multiple options of obtaining news which is very convenient in the opinion of many.
    
    In the past couple of years, smart phones such as iPhones and Blackberry’s became trendy to young adults and white collar workers. I have a Blackberry and I use this industrial device to check my e-mail, scores for previous sports games, news, etc. It is very handy for college students like me, who needs to be updated on the latest news bulletins. The massive amount of sources on the Internet targets the society as a whole – to enlighten them with useful data that will enhance their awareness of current events.
    
     Sports and entertainment are my favorite mediums. I acquire information from television, magazines, newspapers, posters, and billboards. It is amazing how I see Kanye West’s face at least five times a day from representations all around New York. Media is a necessity for me as I cannot fully reach my longings without it. How else would I know who won the Yankee game, or when the next Kanye West concert is?

MEDP299 Typography Assignment

Bad Typography

Good Typography

MEDP299 Assignment

MEDP299 silhouettes