NEW MEDIA WAVE

PICTURE PERFECT!

2008-05-14T01:07:00.000-07:00

Photoshop is a professional software from Adobe

that allows for image -editing and graphics. It provides a diverse library of effects, filters and layers. It has become the leading digital editing application for the Internet, print and other new media forms.

The software is use by most graphic artists, visual communicators and us the regular people. Photoshop was the standard program for print industry; it is as effective and impressive in Web design.

It is likely to note that almost all photographs and pictures have been edited and created by Photoshop. It is impossible to know all the different tools present in the software as this outstanding has been around from 1982. That is an exceptional achievement of 26 years of troubleshooting!

It is the current postmodern photographer that applies intense meaning to the photographs. All photographs have stories to tell that are connected to the “bigger picture’. The increase popularity of this new media form has taken both professional and interested photographers into a world of the plentiful. The abundance of software programs creates a limitless expansion of the imagination.

In present society were everything is handed to you on a silver platter, photography is priceless as it allows for you to interpret and translate an image as you wish. Photography is a medium that is visually expressive that can catch your attention in a split second. Most people remember what they see rather than what they read.

The future of photography is interrelated to the development of digital technology. The steadfast rises in technical developments ensure the survival of photography. I salute the great forefathers of Photography who presented us the world of nostalgia, vision, interpretation, lifestyle and capturing of time.

A PICTURE IS TRULY WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS!

Apple's Piece Of The World

2008-05-13T23:52:00.000-07:00

eWorld is an innovative, informative, powerful and yet easy to use online service that was launched by Apple Computer Inc. eWorld for Macintosh is an 'online town square' which provides a global electronic mail system together with news ,information and other services. Joining the eWorld community has been described as taking a stroll to the main square of a small university town, where there are a lot of interesting people and many fascinating places to visit. Becoming part of eWorld is easy and once people have found themselves there, it proves to be friendly and compelling.

For the Macintosh owners, the eWorld community consists of a neighbourhood of buildings, each of which represent a specific area of interest. Each building contains a series of online publications from well known publishers, containing valuable information along with interactive conferences and discussion boards. If you, for example are running a small business, you could browse through the latest issues of relevant magazines or if you join in an online conversation with people with similar interests as you, you would be able to share thoughts and ideas as well as gain some useful contacts.

The Apple Customer Center contains a wealth of product information, software updates and other resources directly from Apple. Subscribers can also discuss issues and exchange opinions with other Apple users and participate in dynamic, live conferences with guests from Apple. The technical library used by Apple's own support organization is available, along with other technical information including comprehensive answers to customers' frequently-asked questions.

eWorld is one of the many new forms of new media that are contributing to the formation of a “global village”, where there seems to some sort of uniformity amongst people around the world in terms of their uses and needs for technology. eWorld offers its users to create their own online identities, where people can meet and interact with one another. eWorld is amazing as it is functions as a global community for those who are in touch with Apple and contributes to the constructions of the users identities and it contributes to the shift toward a “global village”.

2008-05-13T23:34:00.000-07:00

GunCellphone in action

At first sight it looks like a regular cell phone — same size, same shape, same overall appearance.But beneath the digital face lies a .22-caliber pistol, a phone gun capable of firing four rounds in quick succession with a touch of the otherwise standard keypad.
The US Department of Homeland Security and the FBI are aware of the device and have instructed baggage screeners to be on the lookout for suspicious mobile phones. This is especially after 9/11. European law enforcement officials — stunned by the discovery of these deadly decoys — say phone guns are changing the rules of engagement in Europe.Airport authorities across Europe are implementing systems to X-ray all cell phones
“We find it very, very alarming,” says Wolfgang Dicke of the German Police union. “It means police will have to draw their weapons whenever a person being checked reaches for their mobile phone.”
The FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, and the U.S. Customs Service say they’ve been briefed on the new weapons.“This criminal invention represents a potentially serious threat to law enforcement and the public,” said U.S. Customs Service Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly.“We received word about these guns last month. We have since alerted our field personnel to be on the lookout for ‘cell phone guns’ at U.S. ports of entry.”Guns on the MoveThese new covert guns were first discovered in October when Dutch police stumbled on a cache during a drug raid in Amsterdam.In another recent incident a Croatian gun dealer was caught attempting to smuggle a shipment through Slovenia into Western Europe.Police say both shipments are believed to have originated in Yugoslavia.Interpol sent out a warning to law enforcement agencies around the world.European border police and customs officers are at a heightened state of alert at all ports, airports and border crossings.Realistic Appearance‘If you didn’t know they were guns, you wouldn’t suspect anything,” said Ari Zandbergen, spokesman for the Amsterdam police.“Only when you have one in your hand do you realize that they are heavier,” says Birgit Heib of the German Federal Criminal Investigation Agency.The guns are loaded by twisting the phone in half. The .22-caliber rounds fit into the top of the phone under the screen. The lower half, under the keyboard, holds the firing pins. The bullets fire through the antenna by pressing the keypad from numbers five to eight.Amsterdam police says they are very sophisticated machines constructed inside gutted cell phones which do not light up or operate as real phones.“These are very difficult to make. We believe experts are involved,” says Zandbergen.U.S. authorities, including the FBI, ATF, Federal Aviation Administration and the U.S. Customs Service Authority have been supplied detailed information and pictures of these new weapons.“They’ve been given a heads up,” said Jim Crandall, ATF spokesman.To date no phone guns have been discovered either in the United States or in the process of being smuggled in, authorities say. But they know it’s only a matter of time.FAA spokeswoman Rebecca Trexler said airport security officers had been trained to deal with this new threat.“We don’t want to tell the bad guys exactly what we’re looking for,” she says, “We are trying to stay one step ahead.”Will Affect TravelersAirport authorities across Europe are implementing systems to X-ray all cell phones, those procedures will likely be followed by airports around the world.“This is just one more item that we need to pay special attention to because nowadays, of course just about every passenger carries a mobile phone,” says the spokesman for Frankfurt airport security.Customs officials in the U.S. say their safety procedure has normally been to require travelers to turn their phones on, however that may no longer be enough. Cell phone users will have to be made aware that reaching for their phones in some circumstances could be misinterpreted as a threat by authorities.

FROZEN MOMENTS…

2008-05-12T05:21:00.000-07:00

Photography as a form of communication has its own vocabulary and visual language. The pictorial language of photography is often complex. In meta-language an image can never act in isolation, it is always juxtaposed on other contributed texts and signs. We have to learn how to read images. Semiology is the uncovering of what lies beneath images photographs therefore the meaning and messages in photos is always questioned. An example would be the structured image of a street child or a wildlife photograph.

Written texts and photographs influence each other within their context. We constantly engage with new media popular culture. A photograph in newspaper may have a straightforward caption; texts accompany an image in an advertisement may be sensationalist or a photo essay may rely on object texts.

A more emotional engagement to photography is Disquieting Images. These photographs demand a response to viewer; however they are unsettling and never pleasant or comfortable. Diane Arbus and Robert Mapplethorpe have caused great debate and controversy with their art. Diane photographs were regarded “freakish” as she photographed dwarfs, homosexuals, mental patients and transvestites.

Robert focused on explicit photographs of homosexual sex and child nudity. He made self-portraits wearing horns and his death from AID’s.

Such photographers need to gain the confidence and trust of their subjects before pictures can be taken.

“In looking there is always something missing which is not seen, not because it is perceived as missing… but because it does not belong to the visible” – Victor Burgin.

2008-05-12T02:16:00.000-07:00

HTC Touch Diamond Flagship Unveiled, Challenges Apple iPhone

Taiwan-based smartphone maker HTC unveiled a new flagship phone with a touch-screen display and applications for viewing content from websites such as YouTube and Google Maps.

High Tech Computer (HTC) said its Touch Diamond phone would offer high-speed mobile Internet access using HSDPA and HSUPA, upgrades to existing third-generation networks that boost data transmission speeds. After years of manufacturing handsets for other companies, HTC has begun asserting its own name with high-end smartphones. First introduced in 2007, the Touch series of touch screen phones have sold more than 3 million units globally. Fourth-quarter 2007 shipments place the company fifth among smartphone manufacturers - after Nokia, Research In Motion, Motorola and Apple. "Today we mark a new era in mobile phone evolution, an era where beauty and size integrate with uncompromising innovation at broadband speeds," said Peter Chou, president and CEO, HTC Corp. "The HTC Touch Diamond will make browsing the Web and using Web-enabled applications just as practical and easy to use as making calls." The Touch Diamond, which is about the size of half a deck of playing cards, may be smaller than the iPhone, but HTC is hoping consumers will find it has big appeal. HTC wanted the design to be unique enough that "it can be recognized from across the street," says HTC's chief innovation officer, Horace Luke, and that it would be both "lovable and usable." A user should be able to operate it with one hand while walking down the street laden with bags, says Luke. That translated into a shiny black phone with a faceted back - an homage to a diamond's edges. The phone includes a circular navigation wheel to help consumers navigate its menus. And HTC has also layered its own user-friendly software over the Windows Mobile operating system from Microsoft - that means consumers can reach their work email but also see an easily navigable interface. To encourage mobile Internet browsing, the Touch Diamond offers speedy upload and download connections, Wi-Fi and a glass screen with about four times better resolution than HTC's previous Touch phones. HTC improved touch screen innovation with its new 3D touch interface called TouchFLO 3D. TouchFLO 3D provides animated access to people, messaging, email, photos, music, weather and more. Users can zoom and pan Websites with one-hand and automatically view optimized content that fits the display. Turning the device sideways automatically rotates the web page view from a portrait to landscape view. The Touch Diamond includes a customized new YouTube application for watching videos as well as Google Maps for mobile for mapping and traffic data.

Welcome To The World Of MAC

2008-05-11T22:59:00.000-07:00

The Apple Macintosh Personal Computers offers immaculate and flawless integration of hardware and software. A hand-in-glove fit is the experience that every individual who owns a Mac receives. The computer itself has all the essentials like USB and FireWire built in. Apple and Mac have has the most innovative technology with the Mac personal computers having built-in antennae for wireless networks which makes connecting to the Internet a mere task of switching the computer on.

For those who are always concerned about their computers crashing and worrying about the costs of repairing the computers – Mac has a guaranteed crash-resistant performance that is sure to attract many fans as there is the insurance offered by Mac that the owners computing experience will remain free of system crashes and compromised performance.

With applications such as iPhoto, iMovie, iDVD, GarageBand, iTunes and iWeb, Apple and its range of Macintosh personal computers offers their customers great value for their money. The personal computers are fun and suitable for all age groups. The design and outlook of the computers are eye-catching and classy and the applications as well as all the software and hardware of the computer make it well worth its price.

Through Apple and their innovative technologies, people can now create online identities, through social networks and create their own podcasts or blogs at any time and place all through the wireless networks that are offered by Apple’s Mac. Apple’s Mac computers come with great security with minimal threats of viruses from the Internet unlike other computers hence this shows just how far Apple have contributed to the developments of such diverse and extraordinary technological devices and hence to the development of a new media culture.

~CREATIVE ~ARTISTIC ~ CONSRSTRUCTIONS…

2008-05-08T23:08:00.000-07:00

The fashion photography had developed simultaneously with the fashion industry in 1920’s. Through the passing of time it became a specialized career among photographers. Fashion shots had become strongly associated with women magazines.

Thus was introduced in the domestic lifestyle and encouraged women to aspire to beauty and fashion.

Through the attractive media photographs the desire for beauty products and clothes became an
epidemic to all women. Beauty became commodified!

The creative process of taking a photograph underwent successional advancements.
During the early years shots were carefully composed now the motorized film allow
models to move freely and become naturalistic.

The digital age allows for the editing of images.
The postproduction stage is where all the excitement happens as they
disfigure images, to sculpture bodily masterpieces.
The image now instead of the model or subject becomes a canvas for the artist.
Today the desires for perfect constructed bodies are sought out by both sexes!
Fashion photography is the ultimate constructed form.

Photographs were mostly based on the representation of sexuality, which lead to the spread of image obsession internationally.

Not forgetting that now every person has this power, with camera’s installed in all high
tech cell phones and almost every piece of office equipment.

We become both the photographer and the postproduction mastermind.

APPLE'S iTUNES - A MARVELLOUS APPLICATION

2008-05-08T02:13:00.000-07:00

This digital media application was introduced by Apple on January 9, 2001. This application allows the user to manage audio and video content on a personal computer. The iTunes application can connect to the iTunes online Store where it is possible to purchase and download digital music, music videos, television shows, iPod games, audiobooks and podcasts.

iTunes keeps track of songs by creating a virtual library and it also allows the user to filter his or her own preferences of music through the smart playlists and playlists. After the creation of the iTunes, Apple created its own Internet radio stations which cover many genres of music and talk. The synchronizing of iPods and other players can be done using the iTunes application.

iTunes offers its users to print custom-made jewel case inserts as well as song lists and album lists to compensate for the lack of a physical CD. iPods and other players can be synchronized via the iTunes as all the software that is needed to sync an iPod is available for download. For those who are concerned about music that can be downloaded illegally from other sites for no charge, with downloading from the iTunes online store, you would not have to worry about any legal issues as Apple’s Fairplay Digital Management system allows you to purchase songs that have a copyright.

In 2005, Apple collaborated with Motorola to have iTunes available on some of their cell phones but since the release of the astounding iPhone, distribution of the Motorola phones with iTunes has been stopped. Apple has received amazing success of the iTunes application with over 4Billion songs being downloaded by January 2008 since the first launch of the application. It was recently announced that the iTunes store will be offering more than 1000 movies for rental. The iTunes is a must-have application and the iTunes online store is definitely one to visit.

CHECK IT OUT!!! http://www.apple.com/itunes/store/

what phone?....iPhone ofcourse

2008-05-06T23:45:00.000-07:00

A sleek interface, brilliant display (dazzling colours, sharp graphics and fluid movements), trim profile, clean lines, top-notch music and video features and innovative design touches. . .it could only be, The One, The Only – APPLE iPHONE.

This revolutionary device, created by Apple is three devices in one. It is a cell phone, wide-screen iPod with touch controls as well as an internet communications device. Breaking the design boundaries, Apple’s new iPhone is touch screen with the only hardware control being the Home key. The features of the phone include an iPod music and video player which is the most amazing yet and is meticulously refined and beautiful, a full Safari web browser, a 2-megapixel camera where images and videos are beautifully portrayed on the iPhone’s wide screen, integrated support for Google maps, wireless support for Bluetooth connectivity and Wi-Fi, e-mail and text messaging and yes….it is a phone as well.

The phone itself is easy to use with an attractive and intuitive menu interface. The display of the iPhone is remarkable for its multitouch technology which allows you to manipulate what is on screen using your finger and moving it in a variety of different ways. Using just your fingers you are able to zoom in or magnify the text, you can delete or add in items. Providing 8 hours of talk time, 24 hours of music playback, 7 hours of video playback, 6 hours on Internet use and an extraordinary 10.4 day standby time, it is without a shadow of a doubt that this device is truly revolutionary together with Apple’s continuous devotion to transforming the technology of new media today.

2008-05-05T06:03:00.000-07:00

SIMable, a technology breakthrough in mobile phone unlocking
SIMable is an ultra thin chip, that when attached to a SIM card, immediately fools most mobile phones into thinking that they have been unlocked. It is compatible with the majority of mobile handsets, including all the latest 3G devices, which are becoming more and more difficult to be freed from their original Network.
Introduced to the market by Essex based company 24/7 Mobile Solutions Ltd, SIMable can be installed and working in a Network locked handset in a matter of seconds. By using a customised manufactured cutting press, which comes with each unit, a tiny hole needs to be pressed out in the SIM card. Next SIMable needs to be aligned with the SIM and inserted into the locked handset. Using the cutting press, SIMable can be used more than once by transferring to any other SIM card.
Whilst mobile phone unlocking is not illegal, it will in most cases invalidate the handset's warranty. SIMable requires no handset interference and thus the full manufacturer's guarantee remains intact.
The company are keen to stress that unlike any other similar application on the market, SIMable enables 100% functionality on all phones, including full 3G operation.
The product, available at the company's website www.SIMable.com is launched at a retail price of Euro 16.99, with a standard small delivery charge covering all destinations worldwide. Each package includes the SIMable chip and customised cutting press, which eliminates any need for messy SIM cutting with scissors.
The company is also seeking global Distributors / Resellers to market the product. SIMable can be "white labelled" meaning that it can be rebranded and sold as their own product. Suitable parties would include Travel SIM Operators, Mobile Phone Accessory Distributors and any online or retail mobile phone unlocking outlets. Although this tecnology is useful for unblocking network blocked cell phones it is also debtramental in that it allows for stolen cell phones that have been blocked to be unblocked.

Say Cheese...

2008-05-05T02:38:00.000-07:00

Photography has long been a favourite hobby of individuals globally. Many
technological inventions have lead to the increasing popularity of the hobby. Many photographers would agree hat the commercially produced cameras are the main drive that had popularized the art form. Currently digital photography and camera phones continue to include such artistic features into our lives.

The Kodak Company is the world’ foremost imaging innovator, that provides products and services to the photographic and graphic communications markets. Digital & Film Imaging System sectors combine digital and traditional photography and imaging services in all its glory; this includes consumers, professionals and motion picture.

Commercial photography is a major constituency in society and culture. It is used in all aspects including television advertising, street billboards and signage. Items used in commercial photography are bound to gain popularity and recognition. It is a fast paced and highly demanded business. It is used for both marketing products and enhancing brand names. Also contributes to developing plans and graphics for specialized institutions. One good aspect of shooting still life for commercial photography is that there is not a concern of different angles and light meter reading as the subject stays in one place. Composition is best achieved from shooting from unexpected angles to add a dramatic flare to the photo.

Magazine industries depend greatly on commercial photography for precise photo layouts, as photos are a key element of a page!

Take me drunk i'm home

2008-04-21T05:10:00.000-07:00

New Cell Can Tell If You're Drunk

They were originally designed to simply make phone calls without tying callers to one location. But today's cell phones can do so much more, from snapping digital photos to sending text messages to playing video.
You can add one more feature to the list: a sobriety test.
That's right, cell phones with built-in Breathalyzers are set to hit the U.S. market. So after a night of too much to drink, you can pull out the device to see if you're fit to get behind the wheel.
South Korean manufacturer LG will introduce the LP4100 to the U.S. market sometime in the near future -- though no date is set.
The phones were previewed at the annual Consumer Electronics Show -- CES -- in Las Vegas earlier this year.
Here's how it works: Users blow into a small spot on the phone, and if they've had too much to drink the phone issues a warning and shows a weaving car hitting traffic cones.
"So they test it and it says don't drive so they leave their car or call the taxi," explained Sung Mee Cho of Seju Engineering Inc.
The company also sells plug-in Breathalyzer adapters for some phones. None of the models tell you exactly how much you may be over or under the legal limit, but it can keep you from making other alcohol-related mistakes.
The LP4100 also allows users to set up the phone so on certain nights and after a certain time they do not call certain people in their phone book. Think ex-boyfriend or ex-girlfriend.
If you have a blood alcohol level over .08, the phone will not let you dial that person. So it not only promotes sobriety, but chastity -- and probably your dignity, as well.

Origination of Apple Corporation

2008-04-18T00:20:00.000-07:00

Apple was co-founded in 1976 by Steve Paul Jobs, the CEO of the company and Steve Wozniak. The name of the company, Apple Corporation, was based on Steve Jobs favourite fruit and the logo was chosen to play on both the company name and the word byte. Apple leads the industry in innovation with its award winning Macintosh computers, OS X operating system, and consumer and professional applications software. Apple is also leading the digital music revolution, having sold over 110million iPods and over 3billion songs from its iTunes online store. Apple has also entered the mobile phone market with its revolutionary iPhone.

Apple uses its position as a leading personal computer technology company to participate in emerging technology markets. The technology that Apple offers is advanced in terms of its applications, software and hardware hence, the company itself has contributed to the burst in new media of today. The products offered by Apple allow for effortless usage and has contributed to creating a "globalized village" in terms of the advanced standardised technology that come with their products. For example, web cams come standard with the Apple Mac computers.

The iPods allow for sharing of music and videos, as well as the downloading of music from their iTunes store. Through the products that Apple offers some unity is formed accross the globe as people of different cultures come together with the same interests which aids in creating this "globalized village". Apple has most definately contributed to the technology era of New Media.

Development of Photography

2008-04-16T23:06:00.000-07:00

Photography has an adventurous history, with early contributions from French scientists A. Fizeau, and the Russian, A. Grekov for example. The humble name comes from the French term “photographie” based on the Greek words, which interpret ‘paintbrush’ of ‘drawing’. The early beginnings of Daguerreotype period had no lasting effect, as the imaging was too expensive and very difficult to view. The development continued to Calotype method, which had more advantages.

At the end of 40’s the inventor Niepce de Saint-Victor substituted paper negative for starch and egg white layers covered glass. More interested had gathered in this phenomenon of capturing life. The reality that can be shared, gave photography the personification of life. The duplicating of photographs became possible in 1851 by Englishman S. Archer. The founder of Kodak

George Eastman began the production of celluloid film. The explosive art form took of in 1904 with the first color photography plates, produced by the Lumiere Film. Today the photographical sculpture is recognised as a science in art. The documentation, analysis, digitalization and artistic craft that interests both young and old in applied activity. Photography hybridizes the world of reality and sheer fascination. It is this interactivity, which transforms the traditional to postmodern.

Almost indistructable

2008-03-18T23:57:00.000-07:00

Ever wonder about the truth behind the outlandish marketing claims that companies make sometimes? Well, Vertu Ascent Motorsport has a limited edition cell phone that they claim “can withstand being run over by the very F1 Porsche the design was inspired from.” Well, the people at NY Times had a chance to try to call their bluff, except they drove over the $5700 phone with not the 1300-pound F1 racer, but with a run-of-the-mill 2800-pound Porsche Boxster.The uber-elite phone may not have all the funky functions you’d expect from a higher-end phone, like Internet access, e-mail ability or a built-in camera, but what makes it special is that it is inlaid with carbon fiber, automotive leather, and the incredibly strong (and patented) Liquidmetal, said to be twice as hard as stainless steel. The phone also comes with a 24-hour international concierge service with the push of a single button: perfect for when you want to impress visiting business partners with a last-second bottle of Moet. Virtu even offers a signature collection of cell phones that are priced up to $32,000. Pick one up at your local Barneys, but hurry, Vertu is only planning to manufacturer 997 of these phones, each individually numbered.Well, the NY Times drove over the nearly $6000 phone with a Boxster not once, but five times. On the fifth trial, just as the first, the sleekly-designed black-and-silver phone emerged unscathed. Not a scratch, dent or crack. Turns out, Vertu’s claim isn’t quite so outlandish after all.