Error 404: Content Not Found

So lots of discussion across the internet regarding content.  Issues ranging from ownership of content to the general discussions of net neutrality.  You can charge people for content you can slander the content of others and any number of other content related activities but where does the true power lie?  Content is pretty much useless if no one can find what’s been posted.  Yelling in an empty room doesn’t help a message get delivered.  This is where search engines come into play. Search engines utilize mathematical algorithms to reduce the web down to content reached by terms a user inputs. The benefits of a search engine are seen in how well they return accurate results.  Google is one of the more famous as it’s PageRank system allows the search engine to efficiently retrieve relevant results based on near real time data (a more detailed look into structures of search engines here).  Search engines do a decent job of returning the data we usually look for on the internet (provided it exists).  So what’s the issue? Content.

The comic  I used to start this blog is an often used concept.  Typical dystopian ideas such as Fahrenheit 451 illustrate the power of content control.  Search engines can’t control what content is accessed or made public.  They can influence (strongly) what content is found.  Approved connections lead to “safe” content.  “safe” content leads to content and unsurprised customers while making sure the proper rewards go to the proper parties for providing the proper content.  Everyone is happy and we can all live peacefully.  So what’s the problem here?  The problem is the trading of personal freedoms (ingenuity and expression) for security against abuses.  It’s a balanced issue, trying to decide whether the loss of certain freedoms is worth the added “protection.”

Communication providers have been trying for a long time to assert control over the content placed on the internet.  Governments such as China have succeeded to an extent in doing just that.  In my opinion the greatest threat to personal content is if search engines, the powerful access relays of the internet, should suddenly decide that the money to be made from controlling returned results is too good to pass up.

Evans, John. “Autodesk Vernor Lawsuit.” from Civil to Inventor. N.p., 26 Mar. 2009. Web. 30 Oct. 2010.

Brin, Sergey, and Lawrence Page. “The Anatomy of a Large-Scale Hypertextual Web Search Engine.” . Stanford University Computer Science Department, n.d. Web. 30 Oct. 2010. <http://infolab.stanford.edu/~backrub/google.html&gt;.

Image used from http://xkcd.com under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 2.5 License

Communist Xboxes

So the internet has been rife with this story of an impressive Xbox gamer score.  In all seriousness this should be a completely unimportant accomplishment. The achievement score on Xbox live is without value. No physical rewards are given and there is no standard currency (such as additional microsoft points or extended Live time) awarded for any level gained in this system.  First a quick reference, Xbox live is the platform through which users of Microsoft’s Xbox 360 gaming platform connect together.  It’s an interesting network made to help players challenge each other and compare skills. What’s most interesting to me is how a pseudo-materialism has emerged within this network to define the “elite” through a materialistic method when no physical rewards are in place.

The materialism within digital entertainment is almost subliminal.  Perform a trick within a game and a small notice appears proclaiming that you have “achieved” or “unlocked” something.  The overall rating of the player increases for everyone to see and compare against.  It goes beyond just the achievments records within Xbox Live.  Pretty much any online gaming community contains a system for players to build up “reputation points” like some kind of bank account.  It’s a system that is meaningless and not necessarily a good way to determine someone’s level of ability.  So why is it so important?  People like to collect and they like to show off.  Meaningless trinkets with abstract values placed on them are the easiest methods to create something “incomparable.”  Through life people “collect” things of “importance.”  Fancy vehicles, jobs, families, houses, and various other articles.  These seemingly different actions are philosophically identical.  In both cases power is granted through a ranking system that should, in theory, be accurate (higher score means better at games and fancy cars means better at life).  I guess it’s “comforting” to know that if and or when we move into a digitized dystopia of life that materialism will still reign supreme over the hearts of humanity.

Silverman, Ben. “Xbox gamer passes half-million milestone.” Yahoo Games. N.p., 28 Oct. 2010. Web. 29 Oct. 2010.

Image is a promotional display for the Tyco Dino-Riders toy series.

Narrative Examination

The literary piece I have chosen to analyze is the Usagi Yojimbo series of graphic novels by Stan Sakai.  The basic theme is that of a classic ronin (masterless samurai) wanderer and the adventures he finds as he travels across Japan.  Sakai uses this setting to tell multiple stories.  A lot of these stories are classic legends from Japanese history and reflections of Feudal Japanese culture.

One overarching theme from the series is that of the Samurai Code of Bushido.  Quite often the protagonist, Usagi, works his way out of situations by following the disciplines and practices of this way of life (along with common sense, wit, and intellect).  A teleological examination for this narrative would be represented in the idea that each story is going to be resolved through application of the character’s way of life.  As the narrative progresses the reader becomes accustomed to how Usagi resolves situations.  While each situation is mostly new the resolution is almost always resolved with the expected outcome. 

The story is a genre, much akin to the idea of Westerns in American culture.  A stranger shows up carrying a gun.  He’s either good or bad and by the end of the story that gun has either saved the town/people/group/person or failed to save the villain.  Likewise it’s an expected result for Usagi.  A representation of the benefits of training and self discipline reinforced by this expected result.

The story is essentially driven by purpose.  To show the combination of good and self discipline while detailing a rich history within the narrative.  This brief summary of “Fischer’s Account”  asks a simple question to illustrate the point.  Under the questions fo rexamination, number 8 states: “What clash of values lead to the conflict.”  I think that, while other concepts can help (concepts in related articles I will link at the end of this post) this is the main way to illustrate a major point within the series.

1)  How or why did the conflict arise?

2) what viewpoints surround the conflict?

3) which viewpoint proves stronger in essence or is shown to be “Naturally” right?

Additional resources for further examination:

http://ezinearticles.com/?News-or-Propaganda—Narrative-Criticism&id=397864

A simple overview of Narrative criticism: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Narrative_criticism

Narrative; Oct2010, Vol. 18 Issue 3, p347-366, 20p, by Hentea, Marius

Visual Examination

 

First look at the picture.  Now proceed with your emotional outburst(s) of anger, laughter, or both.  Now that we’ve moved from blood and yellow bile to phlegm let’s examine this billboard/poster more closely.  Chevrolet rolled out this ad as part of a celebration.  The description for the purchasable poster on Chevy’s Mall site reads as follows: “‘Remember when your cup holder sat next to you and wore a poodle skirt?’ Don’t remember what a poodle skirt looked like? The cup holder had not yet been invented, but the 1959 Impala was something special! Each August, Chevrolet commissions its ad agency Campbell Ewald to develop a series of billboards to be displayed in the Detroit area in celebration of the Woodward Dream Cruise weekend.”  The overt point for the ad is the idea of “memorable.”  This is an echo to Chevrolet’s memorable (for reference, I’m not a car person and even I know this jingle) “Baseball, hot dogs, apple pie, and Chevrolet” advertisement.  The image of a 1959 Chevrolet Impala gives the idea of the “good old days.”  The entire ad is meant to give a “hometown” feel to entice the viewer into “buying domestic.”  Everything from the classic tail fins (who’s idea was it stop making tail fins before I had a chance to buy a car with them?) to the image of a “poodle skirt” all link back to the “classic” idea of America:  The late 1950’s.  A time where America was strong and “stood together.”  President Kennedy, the moon missions, and Marty McFly almost erasing himself from history; the 1950’s are a classic period of American culture.

Unfortunately, the advertiser made a similar mistake, either purposely or deliberately, to one made by the mindset of 1950’s American (and worldwide in varying forms) culture.  The ad reminds people of the unfortunate viewpoints that society took towards social standing during the 1950s.  Obviously the ad is targeted at men a group that, while they may or may not be offended, wont’ be put off from purchasing vehicles from the company for this, ahem, “oversight.”  For the sake of a joke it places women on a lower scale — as an accessory.  Although this is a trend with the stereotypical idea of a car fanatic (provided you look at car magazines anyway).

To summarize:  The ad is targeted to men, it wants you to buy domestic, and it reminds you that they are “all classic American” which means Chevy is on your side.

Advertisement taken from Chevy Corporation