Go Even Bloggier!

Definition: The making of happy and unexpected discoveries by accident or when looking for something else; such a discovery.

Hmm….pondering the big stuff…should I blame the sleep deprivation or the planets? Probably both. My cousin is convinced the planets are aligned and saturn is doing something quite loopy and special, but really, who can say.

If there is no God, or no such thing as fate, then why do such small decisions, random acts of kindness or cruelty end up having such huge impacts? Now I am not one to play the “what-if” game as you are bound to only lose, and do your head in, but there are so many tiny things that have literally changed my life, and opened my eyes in ways I would not have imagined, even months ago.

Oh, all the world for a crystal ball, she laments. To probably glance into a future of being found alone in my flat, listening to “suicide FM” sad radio, drinking cider and crying into my flanny PJ’s. Ah the life…

Idag var jag paa Ikea, och faatt Sverige-laengtan saa mycket att det neatan gjoerde ont. Fundera paa ordspraak “Borta aer bra men hemma aer baesta”. Ja, det maaste jag saeger, det aer sant. Men min fraagar aer, Vart aer hemma? Ibland saa kaennar mig saa vaeldigt ensam, och inte en manniska som aer en av gruppen, en av samhaellet. Alltid paa den yttre….kanske. Det finns daa naagra folk som jag kaennar mig “hemma” hos, men bara naagra. Tror jag att det aer detsamma foer alla, eller aer det bara jag?

Ireland, Sarah Bell, 2000.

This entry will attempt to ’summarise and reflect on what I have learnt in the course so far, and where I want to go from here’; according to the task sheet. (Remember those, handed out in the first week, all that time ago? )

The most important point I have learnt from the course is to be open to new ideas and new ways of thinking in general. The ways in which we learn, it seems, is just as important as what we learn. This notion bacame especially clear with my group documentary project on knowledge, and its focus on the various ways we acquire it. I have also learnt that my first reaction to blogging was in fact consistent with the way I still feel now. That is, I am not an internet person. I find it an extremely useful tool, but I just cannot become an active member of the ‘net community; there are way too many things happening in the outside world, people to interact with face to face, rather than just p-2-p. While I can appreciate the internet for its many-faceted useful applications, it is not something I wish to spend my spare time on. This has been a useful conclusion to come to, as when the course commenced I did not know whether my ‘net inactivity was just because I hadn’t had a the opportunity to spend time online. Now that Ihave, I know that it’s just not for me (She says as she types it into a blog…).

I also would like to reflect on having a keen interest or passion for things in life. I’ve realised that a clear idea of what YOU find important will be more beneficial in the long term than something you think you ’should’ be learning about.

The class dynamic really didn’t work unfortunately, and I found the self assessment class excruitiating to say the least, it seems others others found it awful too.

I am really looking forward to starting my documentary in Emerging Media 2, especially after working on the documentary proposal in this course. Being able to realise, or at least attempt to realise, my own ideas will be fantastic.

I am now looking forward to semester break, and my trip to China for three weeks. Will have to look out for 3G mobile phones while I’m over there

The ABC’s illustrious leader is now making his address live at the National Press Club in Canberra, and making some very interesting comments about the directions New media will be making. I am listening to his speech as I type. One statement was that there are now “Three screens that content can be viewed across, television screen, PC screen and mobile mobile phone screen…I think the fact that there are people who want to watch TV on their phones means that they need help.” Laughter from the audience. But then he did go on to say that the ABC was committed to providing relevant programming to audience demand, and that demand dictates which directions the New Media will take. So in basic terms, we’ll give the people what they want, as long as it’s relevant.

It is interesting that the Managing Director of the ABC, finds mobile phone issues somewhat trivial. His attitude echoed what mine was at the beginning of this course. It now has of course changed, once my research began, and once the applications of 3G mobile phones became clear. I also find the fact that mobile phones could be a way for the masses in developing countries to have their slice of the technology pie a great reason to develop mobile phone content. Eventually phones could be cheaper than a TV, and accessible to the illiterate in a way the internet can’t be.

Mr. McDonald also touched on the issue of foreign correspondents, using the tagline of the forum and partnered exhibition, “Through Australian Eyes”. He basically stated many of the same points of the Forum, emphasizing the importance of foreign based Australian journalists. He did not mention the importance of technological changes for the role of the foreign correspondent, so nothing noteworthy for my Individual Research report unfortunately. Yes, I

As an employee it was quite useful to hear what our ‘Big Boss’ thinks of the directions New Media is taking, the role and uptake of digital television, and even interactive TV was given a mention. The drama series Fat Cow Motel for example, which had an internet component, and was interactive with viewers solving puzzles posed within the narrative, and their selections impacting on the consequent narrative. I remember watching some of Fat Cow Motel and though the production values weren’t great, there was some appeal that the audience could somehow be involved in the outcome of the series. That was back in 2002 though, and nothing of that nature has been broadcast on the ABC since.

With grand schemes it’s great to hear discussion and have hopes and aspirations of something new and different in your working life, but for the meantime I will go back to pressing my flashing buttons, and switches, and hitting play and rewind and stop a lot, as we do.