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Posted on February 6, 2010
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Posted on February 6, 2010
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PS – Because the Super Bowl is significant enough to cause the test to be postponed, I expect you all to consider the media-related aspects of your viewing and social behavior on Sunday. When you wake up and pull that Colts jersey over your head, you should be thinking of this class. While you’re watching the game and consuming all of the age-appropriate food and beverage, you should be thinking of this class. After the game, as you celebrate/commiserate, tally your gambling wins or losses, vote online for your favorite commercial, and ultimately fall asleep, you should be thinking of this class. If it helps you remember, write T205 on your hand, so every time you pump your arm in celebration or shake your fist in anger, every time you reach for a chip or a drink, every time you grab your cell phone to send a taunting text, you will be reminded of this class. Really, since I postponed the test…and not one of you brought in chocolate for my birthday…this is the least you can do…
dr. andrew weaver : media & societyPosted on February 5, 2010
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The Tyranny Of Sexy: Female Werewolves In Pop Culture - Werewolves - Jezebel
very commcult but its gotta start somewhere…
Posted on February 4, 2010
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“because that’s how i roll.”
-barack obama via npr
Posted on February 2, 2010
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here you are…you just finished the first semester successfully, and suddenly the classes don’t seem as daunting. your life has gotten into a decent rhythm. “hey,” you think, “i can do this!”
and you can, of course. but the challenges though softer on the surface are still there. the work still needs to get done. committee chairs, incompletes, comps, programs of study, getting a job. yikes!
so don’t lose focus and don’t forget the basics:
Sleep
Healthy food
Exercise
FriendsEdward Castronova (from an email sent to tcomm grads)Posted on February 2, 2010
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Posted on February 1, 2010
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worker bees can leave….even drones can fly away….the queen is their slave
Posted on January 29, 2010
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i just want to run around in leggings, short shorts and knee highs all day.
and my skates, cant forget the skates!
Posted on January 28, 2010
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Daybreakers (2009)
FUCK IT, LET’S HAVE A BARBECUE.
by Ed Herro
The question driving Daybreakers is fantastic: What if vampires took over the Earth? But the reality of Daybreakers is painful. The movie clocks in at 98 minutes, which is approximately 89 minutes too long. The first seven minutes of the film and the last two minutes are beautiful pieces of cinema. But more on that later.
Let’s start at the beginning.
Vampires run the world. Only a few humans remain and most of them are hooked-up, Matrix-style, and farmed for blood. The vamps have jobs, cars and mortgages. They go to Starbucks for iced, blood lattes. They have fascinating technology to deal with their sunlight allergy. And all that I just told you is shot in a stark, patient, beautiful style you rarely get out of Hollywood anymore.
Sounds great so far, right? You’ve just watched the first seven minutes, no dialogue has been spoken and you’re in love with everything.
Enter Ethan Hawke (Before Sunrise, Before Sunset, Right Around Lunchtime), world famous vampire hematologist. With the human blood supply nearing extinction, it’s his job to come up with a human blood substitute. This suits Hawke just fine as he’s expressed ethical concerns about drinking human blood and now only drinks pig blood. Very sympathetic. Definitely “hero” material.
Once the talking starts (aka “The Dark Times”) we meet Hawke’s absurdly evil villain boss, Sam Neil. In the following 89 “middle minutes” Willem Defoe appears as a former-vampire/now-crossbow-wielding-human. He needs Hawke’s help turning vampires back to humans. Hawke considers, agrees, and finds the cure. Then a big fight as Hawke discovers a way to beat the vampires and goes back to his evil boss’ lair, kills him and saves the day. Sorry. Spoiler Alert or whatever.
Made it? Great. Almost through. But they’ve got one last treat for us before we all get up and demand our money back. It’s a two minute slow-motion scene of grown men ripping each other apart with their hands and teeth.
It was one of the most graphic scenes of violence I’ve ever seen and shot so beautifully that I actually want to see it again… without the whole “movie” part before it.
What does Daybreakers teach us? That a great premise and truly remarkable cinematography do not necessarily make a watchable film. Because make no mistake, Daybreakers is one of the most unwatchable mainstream movies in years (and yes, I saw All About Steve, G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, and whatever Nicholas Cage made last year).
That being said, the twin brother directors, Michael and Peter Spierig elevate cinema just a bit with that great opening and closing scenes. It’s just too bad they had to stick their two masterpieces together with trite dialogue, obvious character backstory, and obvious plot development.
Ed Herro lives in Brooklyn and, like everyone else there, is a writer.Posted on January 28, 2010 via a bright wall in a dark room. with 12 notes
Identity is a multi-faceted brand, differentiating itself for a target demographic.
I'm interested in the interactions of mediated culture and psychological constructions of the self, obsessed with mental disorders and psychology while being painfully aware of my own inadequacies. I am a prototypical non-conformist with a vaguely leftist doctrine of beliefs. I'm guiltily self-absorbed and I quietly compete with others for brief moments of self-aggrandizing brilliance. I'm a slave to the capitalist dogma I spend every moment of my waking life bitching about. Also, I'm an up-talker?
Currently, I'm a graduate student in the Department of Telecommunications at Indiana University. My research interests encompass many areas of media studies and psychology:
- the role of the internet on everyday life
- the way increasingly mediated lifestyles change social relations
- psychosocial uses and effects of media on identity construction among adolescents and young adults
I graduated with honors from the University at Buffalo in 2006, receiving a BS in Psychology and a BA in Film Studies. I used to work as Project Director for a youth media program and as Senior Research Analyst for a couples study.
In my spare time, I can be found making all sorts of crafts and listening to music.
IUB TComm
