"Digital Writer" Response and Reflection

The best possible way to view your work from different angles is definitely to compare other people's works in reference to how it evolved from scratch. I'd like to think that by now I do have some sort of formula that works for written productions. However, there is always room for improvement. The 103 students' work I did review seemed very well thought out. I specifically like Paola's paper. Her narrative style of telling the story through a course of events really drew my attention. I personally grasp the idea better when I can follow the cause and effect of events. This started with a core idea, details which sparked a course of events and outline a means to an end. The end in this case being a new beginning. Written works such as these are definitely an art form. The only setback I can say that runs uniformly through out everyone's works that I've read this semester is time. I personally tryed to cut this factor out of the equation all together. I figured I can maximize my time by tending to two other necessities in a work place. These would be comfort and accessibility. Getting a hold of video editing software for my home PC was definitely the wisest move I've made this semester. Much like a written work though I started with a core idea, layed down the track work and filled in the gaps. The 103 students' works as seen through the process of production helped me see the bigger picture from the beginning. Much appreciation to both them and Dr. Smith.

Final Project Research

12.07.09 ---> I have finally completed my final project. It was tedious learning how to run through the technical aspects of chopping and re-attaching the "Matrix" film segments. In my attempt to veer away from Kung-Fu fight scenes I felt I was producing too much of a lyric to action association which in my opinion was stale. Also I felt I was not paying proper homage to the film itself by not including the signature aspects of the movie. The film itself revolutionized special effects for it's time majorly with the use of "Bullet Time". Not including these features would just be wrong. In my final review the empty time fit perfectly for cinematic effect at the end of the actual beat on the audio track. I also chose to omit the dialogues I was going to use at the end of the KRS-One track. The track itself does deal with a racial issue but unfortunately the 1 main black character in the film for the most part gets beat up in every fight scene he is in with Agent Smith. This is 1 aspect I was not trying to include. Sorry Morpheus. Although I tend to wait til the last day of presentations to show my work I have posted the video on YouTube so anyone that actually keeps up with my blog can get a sneak peek. Enjoy!


11.29.09 ---> At this point the production is at the "ugly draft" stage in terms of comparison to a written work. There are a couple of kinks I still have to figure out. This mostly consists of linking the original "Matrix" audio track to that of the song's at the beginning and end. Another set back is coming up with four and a half minutes of relevant content. Although the amazing fight scenes in the film run well over the length of the audio track I want it to consist of more than Neo's crew kicking ass with Kung-Fu. I am considering running real life riot footage in the gaps. This will partner up well with the "Matrix" footage but I must carefully select what to include as some riot footage may be too graphic for scholastic use. All in all I'd say this production is shaping up well. I just hope everyone can appreciate the message.


11.24.09 ---> Much to my own surprise I actually have something I can be proud of in the works. The clips I have already incorporated into the blend have provided me with a sort of skeleton infrastructure to work with. There will most likely also be short movie samples at the beginning and end of the audio track. Not to give too much away in details, but both samples consist of three to four line dialogues this production could just not go without. I am strongly considering sticking to the first "Matrix" film though. Since it has already been screened in class I figure it will be the easiest for everyone to relate with. I don't want to lose any viewers by basing the segment on visual content some may have not seen yet. Although in my opinion the audio track it dead-on with the comparison I am making, I don't want to put too much weight on the audience necessarily appreciating the song. After all the KRS-One track is in there because personally, I like it. At this point I think this work in progress is maturing at a steady pace. Despite the fact that I enjoy the whole creative editing process it does eventually become tedious. Now that it's coming together I don't find myself dreading the deadline as much. However, time IS of the essence.


11.17.09 ---> Well much like every other academic duty I've ever encountered I have waited damn near close to the last minute to get started. Procrastination, the story of my life. I am currently reviewing clips from the entire "Matrix" trilogy to see which best suit the context I would like to use them in. Although I was warned that taking the video modification assignment as opposed to the other four options would be difficult despite sounding the funnest I am almost certain I can produce a work that applies directly to the topic. I am doing a "Matrix" themed revision of KRS-One's classic "Sound of the Police". It meets the criteria of social relevance as well as producing an opportunity to truly tie in the subtle but apparent similarities between different characters and their real world counter parts. Agent Smith to the police and Neo's crew to that of anyone wanting real freedom for starters. Selecting clips however if anything, is the easy part. The true test of accomplishment will be working lab time in M121 into my already hectic schedule. They say "where there's a will, there's a way." We'll see.

Essay 3.1

It is sometimes difficult to distinguish the difference between experiences that are real and unreal. The study of deciphering the two is referred to as metaphysics. This is a method of categorizing certain aspects and traits to determine if they are based in reality or merely an imaginary simulation of the senses.
There are two very important factors you must consider when reviewing the difference between real and unreal. These are the source of ontological status of whatever is in question. Ontological status refers to it's dependency on something else to exist. Source refers to what caused it to come into being. By being able to backtrack the source you should be able to better understand what it depends on for it's existence. Something that is real can function on it's own and needs no source to derive itself from. On the other hand something that is unreal can be traced to being dependent on a source to exist. Gracia and Sanford argue that "the unreal world has a weaker ontological status because it depends on things in the real world for it's existence." (p.62) A prime example is "The Matrix". It is a false reality created by machines in the real world and depends on programs and signals to operate. When you dream, although at the moment things may seem real they are only because you are relating them too things you recognize in the real world. In essence those dreams are dependant on the real world.
Knowing the source of what you encounter is key to recognizing the unreal from the real. Gracia and Sanford state "We experience various simulations in our dreams and in different types of hallucinations; we designate the entities encountered in such experiences as not being real; we are confronted with other phenomena about which we wonder whether they really are as they appear to be; and we are affected in our real lives as much by fact as by fictions". (p.65) Although a dream can seem to be real it is only because it has it's basis in reality. This however can lead us to recognize things from dreams in the real world. This does not mean the dream is the source though.
The real world is independent. Gracia and Sanford state "One way of determining ontological status is in terms of dependence." (p.61) We recognize the real world because we can not track it's source. It functions on it's own and does not need delegation from an outside source. This is why we can use it as a reference source in determining what is unreal. In order for you to recognize something in the unreal world you would have to had encountered it in reality at some point and remembered it. Everything in the real world has an effect on you and registers in the mind . This is how it is possible for you to even examine the unreal world and categorize it metaphysically. If you can brake down somethings source in essence it is unreal.

Boundaries & Networks

We all live in a day and age where we are linked by global networks and divided by invisible but very real boundaries. We rely on these to manage and in a sense be managed in our everyday lives. In essence, we are "connecting creatures who must always separate and who cannot connect without separating." (p.8, Me++) Knowing our place within these liberties and limitations can help us better understand where our lives stand.
I feel that me, myself have for the most part the same freedoms and constraints like most other people I associate with. Being human, I am a single cell in the network of humanity. I nakedly consist of flesh and bones. My dwelling provides me with creature comforts that enable me to do a majority of my interactions from home. Here I am simply clothed in a single layer of clothing that does not include shoes or any kind of hats or gloves. When venturing out of my home I must equip myself properly. I wear sneakers to ease my feet as I am on them all day either standing or roaming. If it is cold out I upgrade to boots and cover my extremities with a hat and gloves. Ontop of that single layer of clothing I must also layer up wit a hoodie and jacket.
My networks much like others consist of my daily activities and errands. When I attend class I am linked to students attending the same school and more directly to students that take the classes I do. When I run errands I am linked to my neighbors who shop at the same stores, play poker at the same parks and drink at the same bars. All of these are linked together by my common method of transportation, the "Iron Horse" or subway. In all these environments however I experience the same limitations most people. In school my instructors set the codes of conduct as the school sets the time frame I am in attendance there. When I am at a store the management sets the price I pay for items. When I am at the park the police regulate my conduct with penalties for certain actions. When i am the bar the bartender decides when I get my drinks and where I may smoke. By far the most significant of my limitations is my mode of transportation. The MTA decides when my train comes, when I arrive at my destination and how much I must pay to use it's services.

Research Narrative

The process involved in creating my midterm research paper was a tedious but refreshing experience. I do remember the actual song and dance of outlining and revising drafts but after all it has been 5 years since I have had any kind of academic duty so it's fair to say I was more then a bit rusty. Regardless, I was able to produce, in my opinion, a semi-decent paper. I did not manage to touch on all the topics I covered in my power point but I think the material I did cover was well presented. If I had to go back and do it over I probably wouldn't procrastinate as much. Time by far was the hardest factor to deal with in this assignment. Luckily the assignment counted towards 2 classes. If I had to produce 2 separate works I would've mostly likely done poorly on both. All in all I'd say it was a good way to learn how to manage assignments like this better in the future. I like to think of my writing style as a work in progress, after all that is why I am in this class.

The Truman Show

The Truman Show is a perfect lens in which to view your surroundings for what they are. This is a particularly odd scenario but none the less truly makes you reflect on the way you view your life or better yet how people view yours. The character Truman Burbank much like everyone else sees his reality and interprets it as the uncontrollable truth of the environment he lives in. Little does he know that he is actually the center of a show that is viewed worldwide. He is not aware of this because he has been limited to his hometown of Newhaven as it has been capsuled in a huge dome. His limited view of the world around him more then proves his version of reality is far from real.
Reality changes for Truman as he slowly notices the subtle but apparent evidence of the fraud that he knows as his life. Many of these inconsistencies stem from the repetition he notices in his environment. For example, once he has an inkling as to what may be going on he starts to analyze his surroundings. He notices the same people following the same routine everyday to the point where he can count the amount of times people circled his block and was able to pinpoint exactly how long it would take them to come back around. At this point he experiments his theory and attempts to leave his town of Newhaven. After noticing that he has been blocked by convenient series of events every time he nears the exits he is convinced.
At this point he is faced with a decision we all must face at some time or another in our lives. The choice to leave the nest or move out the box if you will. Although the life he lives in Newhaven is sheltered and he will never have to experience the cruel and harsh realities of real life, he knows there is more out there. There is in a sense a brave new world. A world he has not experienced, full of many outcomes and possibilities he will never know in his hometown. Despite the appreciation there should be for anyone venturing out on there own I seriously doubt he could make it in the world on his own. He is a grown man and set in his ways. For him to adapt to the outside world this late in his life would truly be a miracle.