"somedays, they last longer than others/ but this day by the lake, went too fast"

Today a few friends and I met at the park by the marina for a picnic. The weather was perfect! A little chilly in the shade, but just perfect in the sun. We each brought some chips and dip or fruit, and planted ourselves right next to the water. Someone brought an acoustic guitar to play when we were too full to eat anymore. There were people everywhere. Families were playing soccer, people were walking dogs, there was even a tightrope tied up.
The trees at the marina are huge a beautiful. I climbed one to get a different view. The pathway goes along the park and through many sculptures. There are benches and boats. It was the perfect place to have a perfect day with some good friends and yummy bean dip.

The Farmers Market

I went to the farmers market this morning. Now that we are in season and the snowbirds have finally all flocked to Sarasota, they market has been PACKED as of late. The beautiful weather also adds to this. I started at Whole Foods and bought a few things there. Then I made my way to the far end of the Market. On the way I saw big dogs, little dogs, children, young people, old people, poor people, rich people, and a couple of musicians on the side of the road playing for money. There are so many things to buy at the Farmer’s Market downtown; produce, plants and flowers, breads, cheese, meat, seafood, and all other kinds of products. Today I just bought my usual vegetables, but sometimes I buy local honey or banana chips. Yum! Unfortunately, none of my friends could join me like they usually do at the Farmers Market on account of homework, but I was still just as pleasant by myself. I brought along my iPod to listen to some Baroque music that I needed to learn for one of my classes. It was all very romantic.

South Florida Museum

Today I went to the South Florida Museum with my friend and classmate Casey. We had previously bought year student memberships so that we could see all the different exhibitions and planetarium shows.

When we first arrived today, the elderly woman at the front desk let us know that they were currently feeding Snooty, their resident Manatee. We walked over to the aquarium were a young man was feeding three manatees lettuce and reciting facts to the small crowd.

Did you know? Manatees are closest related to the elephant, and they are native to Florida.

We left early and made our way to the planetarium. The show we saw today was called “The Ultimate Universe.” It was amazing! The woman narrating had such a soothing voice I almost closed my eyes a few times. Most of what she was saying was very technical and went over my head, but the visuals were nothing short of astounding. The gigantic screen overhead made me feel like I was literally floating through galaxies and nebulas of brilliant color. It was only a half hour long, but I can’t wait for the next show!

Media in the future

What will media be in five years?
In five years, everyone will have, at the very least, the equivalent of the latest iPhone. Television will be interactive, and paper will be few and far between as a way of communicating. Everything will have a touch screen button, pre-recorded.


What will media be in fifteen years?
The future will allow us to fully interact with the virtual. All five senses will be able to participate in your media experience. We won't have to travel outside our homes as much, as we can do most everything we need over the internet. The world will be smaller than ever, as we can communicate easily with anyone, anywhere, faster than ever.

What will media be in fifty years?
The media will be a parallel reality for us. Media will no longer be a fantasy world. The most successful are the ones who know how to work technology the best, and those who can navigate the virtual world the quickest and most cleverly will have won. The media will be the source for everything, and it will all be virtual. Our relationships will have transformed into something else entirely, virtually.

VIDEODROME

Videodrome is an incredibly strange and almost disturbing surreal interpretation of how the media and television has an affect on its viewers. The plot follows Max Renn, the president of a Canadian television series, as he searches for programming to make his soft-porn station into something more extreme. The beginning of the movie touches on subjects of the media becoming too extreme.

While many said that station 83’s seedy content was destructive to the public, Max argued otherwise. He proposed that because viewers had his programming as an outlet, they would be less likely to act out elsewhere. Station 83, he reasoned, was doing society a favor, rather than the other way around. This case can be made still today regarding Hollywood’s compounding use of sex and violence in place of plots in new movies.

Max eventually discovers Videodrome. Thinking at first that Videodrome is just actors performing sadistic sexual acts, he soon learns that the show is actually real torture and murder. When he searches for more answers, he finds that watching Videodrome in fact gives its viewer a brain tumor, causing strange hallucinations.

The climax of the movie shows Max killing his partners at the Television Station because of the affect Videodrome’s programming had on him. When he tries to kill the daughter of Brain O’Blivion, the last person standing in the way of Videodrome’s success, she in turn reprograms Max. In the end, Max’s hallucinations cause him to kill himself.

Those who programmed him determined Max’s fate. He was at first drawn in by the bizarre and outrageous content of Videodrome, but then found that he was being drawn deeper and deeper into something else entirely without even realizing it. Similar to Max’s goals being determined by those who had programmed him, TV viewers today are subject to the same thing. Many viewers may not even realize the immense amount of hidden marketing and secret agenda’s being released into their mind when watching television or movies, telling them what to want and need.

Video Games as a Narrative: Super Mario Bros.

Though I have never been a strong supporter of video games, I think everyone can agree on one game that has consistently been great for the past 27 years: the Mario Bros series. Video games have become so popular because of the combination of player interaction and a good narrative. A spinoff of the game Donkey Kong, Mario Bros began as a simple yet unique plot. Mario and his brother Luigi are two Italian plumbers who must fight creatures within the sewers of New York City.

As technology advanced, so did the plot and popularity of the Mario Brothers. Super Mario Bros. was released in 1985 with an even more creative narrative. Though the brothers are still characterized as plumbers, their mission changed into rescuing Princess Peach from the clutches of the evil Bowser. Super Mario Bros., like a novel, is composed of various unique characters and subplots.

Video games are an amplification of a Choose Your Own Adventure book. The plot and its characters are already laid out, but how the player reaches the end of the story is completely customizable. Mario Bros. games have many different players to choose from, along with secret levels and various different mini-games and spin-offs. Mario Kart has less to do with the narrative of the original games, but allows the player to better relate to the game’s characters and setting. Players can choose their character, vehicle, and racetrack.

Many popular video games are based on an already popular narrative, such as a movie or a book. Mario Bros. did just the opposite. Super Mario Bros was released as a live action film in 1993. As a result of the film’s plot being so different from that of the video game, it was not well received. The atmosphere of the film was also darker, as opposed to the upbeat and fun tone of the game. However, Super Mario Bros. was nominated for two Saturn Awards and is regarded as a cult classic among fans. Despite the film’s failure, it is still evidence to the video game’s impression on pop culture.

Cyberculture

Today’s youth is completely immersed in a new culture that was never available before- cyberculture. From videogames to social networking, our culture as a whole is being dragged deeper and deeper into a society that exists only on a computer screen.

The definition of an actual relationship is shifting. Social Networking was originally conceived as a way to keep track and communicate with peers. However, now the concepts have changed. Friends can actually meet and build their relationship completely over the Internet before even meeting face to face. Romances can bloom over without any physical activity.

Some argue the validity of this type of relationship, but nothing can possibly compare to conversing with a peer in person. Body language can never be fully conveyed over the Internet, even through the use of video chatting. Physical interaction is crucial when building a relationship, even if the relationship began virally.

From a marketing perspective, businesses and media play a heavy part in directing our society’s needs and wants. On one hand, a product may be made because the customer needs and wants it. Advertising then simply shows off the attributes of the product or service. On the other hand, the need or want for a product or service is sometimes created only after the conception of the product that is to be sold.

With the popularity of Social Networks such as Myspace or Facebook, companies have no choice but to use these as a means of advertising. Everything from gossip to an official event can be found on a Facebook page.

In a similar realm is the gaming world. A player can interact with other players in an imaginary world on the Internet or on a game console. They can make an avatar of themselves, which is just a projection of who they are or, more than not, who they want to be represented as.

Email allows us to send a message instantaneously with hardly any effort. With the advancement of “Smart Phones”, a video can be recorded, directly uploaded to the Internet, and shared with others around the world in less than a minute. We can communicate with anyone at anytime from anyplace. Our world is rapidly shrinking.