Bollywood?!

Well, I DID know that India had its own movie industry--BUT I didn't realise it was such a big whoop-tee-doo!!! Plus I had NO IDEA that they cranked out more movies than our Hollywood until this class!!! I know this isn't much of a blog enrty, but here are some links to Bollywood that I found interesting:

http://www.bollywood.com/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bollywood

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2006/12/07/entertainment/e062359S34.DTL

http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/009200612072221.htm

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/City_Supplements/Bombay_Times/Bollywood_is_a_gaali/articleshow/738482.cms

Allan Zane

End transmission.

Consistency Theory.

Huh, that's a stretch--a theory that points out how people go after media that reflects their own views and values. Well, DUH!!! Who DOESN'T do that?!?!?! Do we really need thoeries that state things that are as plain as the noses on our faces?! NO. Give us something a little more enlightening that that. Maybe I'm just to taken by/frightened by the Spiral of Silence Theory--or maybe the Consistency Theory was created by Captain Obvious (No, I'm sorry--Leon Festinger...). Nevertheless, if you so desire a little more info on this "theory", you might be interested in these links:

http://hsc.usf.edu/~kmbrown/Cognitive_Consistency_Overview.htm
http://changingminds.org/explanations/theories/consistency_theory.htm
http://www.as.wvu.edu/~sbb/comm221/chapters/consist.htm


Allan Zane

End transmission.

The "mass communication" of music.

Well, being a "musician" (noisician perhaps?!) myself, it was inevitable that I should make a blog enrty on this particular medium. Throughout know history, we have had music present in some shape, form, or fashion. Before the advent of ancient wire recordings, music was more a "shamanic" art. Then came along wax cylindar recording devices for playback/reproduction of recordings. Then in our lifetime we had/have formats such as vinyl discs, magnetic and digital tapes (i.e.: 8-track, cassettes, reels, and DAT), compact discs, and now MP3's and M4A'a for computer technology/ipods. The internet itself is used by artists now for getting their music out there and more in the limelight--both unknown/unsigned AND known/signed artists alike! This all started with the whole illegal download/Napster scenario to the legit download options we have today (yet one can still get illegal downloads and "rip off" the artist's livelihood). Even I have been "robbed" by illegal downloads of my own work on SoulSeek!

The lines of musical styles and genres have slowly been blurring since the 1950's. The potential for diversity in music seems almost infinite now. We are merely limited by our own creative imaginations as artists! Plus now, there seems to be an interest and market for alomst ANY type of "music" you can imagine in this day and age. This strikes me as TRUE demassification! It also strikes me as a very good thing (despite the fact that certain style and genres don't appeal to me personally)! Sound and music is a fascinating medium/artform--in fact, someone once said that music is the highest connection to "the divine" (but I cannot recall where the "quote" came from)...

for anyone interested, here is a link to my own MySpace page for my music (it contains links to how to obtain my releases):

http://www.myspace.com/allanzane

Allan Zane

End transmission.

Pornography vs. Obscenity.

Here's an interesting concept--deciding what's the difference between porno and what is obscene. According to out textbook, if the answer is yes YES to ALL the following questions obscenity restrictions apply:

-Would a typical person applying local standards see the subject as appealing mainly for it's sexually arousing effect?
-Is the material without literary, political, or artistic, value?
-Is sexual activity depicted offensively (in a way that the state defines as such)?

This all seems a little relative seeing that not everyone would have the same thoughts on these matters. Plus, when it comes to "art", this makes it all even more relative. People have different ideas of what "art" can be. Some might even argue that porno could have artistic merit. This SHOULD make it hard to decide/enforce. Here is a link to what is "obscene" in state laws (Zoophilia! Personally, I CERTAINLY find THAT obscene!!! It's a Class I felony here in NC. See what it says about the other states!) :

http://www.lectlaw.com/files/sex13.htm

Allan Zane

End transmission.

Trash and Pot Holes on the Information Super Highway...

Now that my computer has been rendered useless due to a virus, I am writing this post on Matt Baker's computer. But he needs to update his virus protection as well. This being said, I'm NOT going to download any pictures or anything until he can get this done. It's just too risky...

That brings me to the subject of computers (well, PC's in this case) in general as a medium. Except for Mac's (from what I understand), computers are just too susceptable to these "outside influences". As if computers aren't expensive enough, we also have to worry about getting and keeping updates on Anti-Virus and Anti-Spy Ware software. WHEW!!! That can be a big expense every time we turn around and there is some new virus, etc. made by some asshole that has nothing better to do than wreck other people's computers. I mean, WHAT THE HELL?!?!?!?

I hear that now there are even viruses that one can get just simply by being online at all. Now it doesn't even matter if you have dubious file-sharing software or not--or even if you go to "unknown websites". I've heard that some websites (often "naughty ones" that I won't name) are renouned for having viruses lurking in there. So--it looks like to me that the "trash" on the Information Super Highway is often "septic" and can make your computer "sick". And to add insult to injury, just getting on this Highway at all might make you run the risk of infection. How does this apply to what we have learned in class?! Well, for one, it certainly "inhibits" the Uses and Gratification Model we learned about in class! I have a "paranoid theory" on the whole infection scenario, but I think I'm too "self-concious" to go into that for the time being...

Allan Zane

End transmission.

Subliminals (cont.)

Here's a strange little example of "subliminals" I found on You Tube...

Allan Zane

End transmission.

Subliminal Advertising

Here is a topic that we haven't talked about that much in class--subliminal advertising. And yes, I did a journal enrty on this as well. It is questioned exactly what (if any) REAL effects subliminals have on the psyche. Vicary's research obviously proved that there is something to subliminals in the "visual arena". I think the "jury is still out" when it comes to the "aural arena"...

Here's a couple of interesting links on the subject:

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.classroomtools.com/subad11a.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.classroomtools.com/sublimad.htm&h=268&w=200&sz=10&tbnid=C0pP35wBJFf_wM:&tbnh=113&tbnw=84&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dsubliminal%2Badvertising&start=2&sa=X&oi=images&ct=image&cd=2

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.subliminalworld.org/silk2.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.subliminalworld.org/freud.htm&h=342&w=273&sz=15&tbnid=jlr6Vp_-rndGhM:&tbnh=120&tbnw=96&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dsubliminal%2Badvertising&start=1&sa=X&oi=images&ct=image&cd=1

Allan Zane

End transmission.