Did you know Simon is a professionally-trained Peernest? (New Web Protocols Essay)

Hello The Badger Blogger is back with with a retry at cooking some tasty morsals! This recipe is a new and improved Web Protocols essay. 

I think he spelt 'Drum' wrong... (Star Wars Blog)

What is Star Wars

Star Wars is a futuristic, science fiction film series created by George Lucas, with the first film, titled, A New Hope. As a science fiction genre, you would expect to see lots of futuristic material within the films, as to which, there are. Through that genre, George Lucas uses intergalactic travel and warfare, where the set is consisting star ships and space cruisers travel in the void of space to other worlds, and all technology is advanced, where robots walk amongst the living, hover vehicles are the main transportation and an entire world is a city. When the platform changes, for example from film to computer game, you are in control of what you see and what to explore, where you want to go. In a sense, you control the main character(s) and you can play their storyline the way you want.

The main structure of the film series is that its story is based on the hero’s journey, where the 'hero' lives live as usual, same boring stuff, different day, until one day a robot turns up on his door step. This is where his journey begins. There are also other elements of the heroes journey, such as refusal of the quest, (where Obi-Wan offered to teach Luck Skywalker how to be a Jedi and he refused) the first battle (where Luke, Han Solo and Chewbacca go to rescue Princess Leia and end fighting off lots of Imperial Storm troopers in the process) and the final battle (where Luke joins the rebels in attempt to destroy the Death Star.) There are a few role models with in the Star Wars films, such as main protagonists (Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia), a main antagonist (Darth Vader), companions (Han Solo, Chewbacca), mentor (Obi-Wan) soldiers or guard (Storm Troopers.)

Since Star Wars has become a huge it all over the world, there are few minority groups who would often go out of their way to try and become a Star Wars character (obsessed fans dressed up as Storm troopers) or acquire collectors merchandise, such as the Han Solo and Chewbacca models (with or without purchase of films) which shows how much dedication the fans have for the films. There are typically more male fans of the Star Wars films, as there are typically more male characters within the films themselves. Typically, the male characters roles in the films are often strong and brave whereas the female characters usually play the "damsel in distress" role. Even with a huge film series like Star Wars, you will expect to have some social groups who do not like them, mainly because they see certain elements within the films they completely disagree with, like choice of characters: Throughout the whole film there were hardly any female characters, as well as there are hardly anyone with darker skin, especially people from different cultures or countries (princess Leia was the only women, Lando Calrissian was the only male with dark skin and general Tarken was the on person with a different culture outside of the USA). This may cause arguments among the people, who are the people that the film lacks, and can call it a form of racism or sexism. This could be the fact that Star Wars came out during the Great Depression and there were still problems of sexism and racism in general at the time.

Well, water always seems to work nicely (Pre-Production Essay)

I'm going to skip the Badger Blogging intro and just get on with it today.

 

What is Pre-Production?

Pre-production is the planning and designing stage, mainly for media products (film, websites, music, photography, computer games, etc.) This particular stage when creating a media product is usually very time consuming. The reason for this is because most media products tend to start with an idea or an interest and then evolve them into something that could be created. Some ideas that are based on a certain media (such as digital video) can be obtained by conducting research on other existing products and making key points about them, key points such as themes, what was good, what could be improved or made better, etc.

 
Sometimes, a pre-production may be a response to brief given to by a client.  

Before any ideas start to grow and develop in the planning and designing stage, it is ideal that these ideas reflect on a target audience. This is important, especially if a production relies on teamwork. No matter what equipment is being used, the choice of methods and the time spent on the production, it is essential that they all need to be clearly planned out and have a thoroughly planned structure when it comes down to creating a successful production. Because most productions tend to be very ambitious, they could take up a lot of time and effort to complete, so it's ideal to start early. 

In some stages of pre-production there is always the obstacle of using different elements. Elements in the pre-production are to some degree the requirements of how the production is going to be created. Here are some of the elements which are often used in pre-production:

Research

Before the development of a production can begin, it is essential to conduct research on other already existing products. This is ideal, especially if an idea (or two) is going to be used in the production, to get other ideas or inspiration from others or if the production is competing against others. Research is comprised of searching for other products and making a record of what they are about, what people like about them and what could be improved or made better.

Budget

Budget is not always a big issue but it is necessary when comes to making very ambitious project. Sometimes a production will include a sum total budget of how much a production is going to cost making it and how much producer or production manager aims to pay at maximum. Once the production has successfully been completed, the producer or production manager will charge their client (if there is one) a total amount, including working times and materials used. There may be additional costs after the production is launched.

Timeline 

The timeline is always useful when a production depends on group work, as there are different people working on different tasks. Solo projects will have an opposite effect because there is only one person working on one task at a time. With group work, time consumption is hardly a big worry as making a production would take less time because of the many tasks being covered.

Concept Designs

It is always a good idea to create concept designs before moving on to the real thing. Concept designs are very useful for creating something because they can generate ideas and allows the designer to further evolve their ideas into a final outcome. Most concept ideas are usually held onto and are stored within a pre-production.

Storyboards

Storyboards are used to create a series of draft ideas in the concept of a short storyline. Storyboards are similar to the concept designs except that they are story orientated. It is ideal for the use of storyboards as they can help generate and add more ideas as the storyline develops.

Mock ups

Mock ups are very similar to concept designs. Although the difference between the two is that mock ups don't tend to generate ideas but they can be used to predict what the final production outcome will look like once it is completed. A mock up can be a variety of sketches to a series 3d models.

Scope of Work 

A Scope of work is a document containing a variety of information that has been created by a producer or production manager. The contents of the information on the scope varies from set targets or standards that are to be met by a deadline, a project overview of what the product needs in response to a brief sent by a client, to contract agreements, which is to be signed by both the client and the producer.

Rehearsals

Rehearsals are an ideal way of preparing for films or TV programmes. A rehearsal is a particular stage in film-making where the actors and producers come a meeting and read out their lines from a script. This gives a chance for the actors to practice playing their roles to get a feel of what they need to say and how they are going to say it on set and when recording begins.

Equipment

The equipment being used to create a media product will vary depending what type of media product is being made (e.g. video cameras, boom microphone and other equipment used for filming.) No matter what equipment you use, there will be an expected fee rental or purchase but this would come under Budgeting. There is also the case of health and safety when using equipment as some equipment can injure people when not looked after properly.

Locations

If you are recording for a video of some sorts, then there will be the case of where to film. Recording outdoors can promote natural scenery whereas filming indoors can be idea for recording on an artificial set. If you are recording outdoors, you will need a filming permit. Some filming permits may cost a fee (Budgeting.)

Testing

Testing is another essential part in pre-production. All media products need to be tested to see if everything within the product is working properly. This should be a part of the task in creating the production. Once the production is finished, it is always a good idea to test it in case of bugs and/or faults. Some media products may use beta testing, which allows customers to test out a production before its release and in return, will feedback on what they think. Some feedback may say to make some adjustments or fine tuning so it suits the customers.  

With all of these elements put in place within pre-production, there is a less likely chance of messing up during the production. It is essential that some, if not, all of these elements should be taken into absolute consideration to achieve a successful production, especially to those that are in response to a brief for a client. 

Typhoon!? You're Having A Laugh! (Copyright Ethics)

Hello, the Badger Blogger is back with a new delicious banquet of Copyright Ethical Eclairs!

Lets start with a simple question:

Question 1: What is Copyright?

Copyright is the entitlement and the "hands off! That's mine!" legal rule to a created a product (or a painting, song, film, fiction, etc) and gives the creators claim their way of right that it belongs to them. They control it. Without it, people could just take the original creators work and claim it as their own!

For example, I decide to draw a picture of a face and say that "this is mine." and would sell it for a small fee (not like I'd be able to sell a stupid line-drawn face! Just making a point.) This basicallly means that I am selling my own ideas for other people to use.

Now lets say one day, a customer looks at the picture and buys it, then a few days later, the same guy who bought that picture would resell it and claim that he made it. This would mean that he is stealing other peoples work but no one would know, except for me, because I had made it in the first place and that would make me pretty livid!

This is why Copyright has been in place: to prevent others changing the identifcation of its creator.

Question 2: What are the 3 moral rights?

The 3 moral rights are
- The right of Attribution
- The right of Integrety
- False Attribution

The Right of Attribution

The Right of Attribution pretty much covers the Question 1s example: the usages of materials made by the original creator but what this means that any materials that have been purchased  from the original creator can be used by the person that bought it but can't claim illegal ownership and as such, have to give credit to the creator. For example, the song Rooftops by Lostprophets can be cover by other people but the are not allowed to say it's their song.

Rooftops (A Liberation Broadcast) [Lostprophets original]

Rooftops [Lostprophets Electric Guitar cover]

The Right of Integrity
The Right of Integrity refers to the modification side of copyright. Some materials are often changed or altered by other people. This can sometimes lead to problems as some of these people tend to claim these altered materials as their own but there are a good handful of people who will ask permission to use and may edit them for other purposes. For example, advertisers tend to use currently reseased song and may alter them so they fit the advert (with permission, of course!)  

False Attribution
False Attribution is a bit like the opposite of Right of Attribution with a mix of Right of Integrity (plus a dash of salt for taste... some recipe!): This is basically copyrighted material that may have been altered or changed and then say it belongs to the creator of the original material, which to some degree goes along the lines of fraud.

As I am a student of Interactive Media, the real question for me is...

Question 3: How might copyright affect you and your work with interactive media?

Well, we are pretty living in a world where huge companies are creating expensive materials for computers, yet there are people out there who find ways of downloading it for free and this can definatly have a huge effect on the companies that spend thousands, if not, millions of £s (I'm British, so meh!) making these materials and will eventually lead to bankruptcy (spl?) if something is not resolved.

Question 4: Do you think illegal downloading is morally right or wrong? Justify your position.

I'm not sure to be honest, I think it depends on what you decide to download. I can't say it's morally right because a lot of software is very expensive to buy (e.g. adobe programs are from £200 - £1000) and for somebody to download it for free would be wrong, but at the same time, I can't say it's morally wrong either because the World Wide Web was sort of made for that purpose once it had become a part of society. I used to download songs for free at one point but I decided to stop (only because I didn't want to risk losing the internet at home...) Given the choice I'd rather buy stuff, if it's not too expensive. 

Question 5: What does the Creative Commons do?

When Copyright was established as a legal obligation, it has become a hassel to people who want to use materials by the original creators. For example a person finds a song they really like and wants to remix it so it sounds different. He or she does this and later gets prosecuted for illegal use of material. This is where Creative Commons comes in: Creative Commons is a site that lets people create their own imagination and lets them share their creativity with other people and given on what kind of rules the original creator has set, anyone is free to reuse, remix and redesign.

Here is a video on what this means...

Question 6: Give your opinion on the way that total freedom from copyright might affect our culture. (not really a question, but hey!)

Well the only thing I can think about for my opinion on total freedom from copyright that it'd be great idea because we wouldn't have to worry about using other peoples materials but the thing that spoils it is the face that there are a lot of corrupt people out there that will abuse it. There would be people taking credit for other poeples creative work and thats one of many reasons why we need to have some form of rule to prevent this. And that's all I can say really.

Edit: This is ment to be a part of the Assignment brief so I'm gonna add it into the blog...

Ethics of Privacy

What is Privacy?

Privacy is mainly known as a form of someone wanting or need of spending some of their personal time and space on how and what way they want. Some people say that privacy is given right those who want or need it the most whereas others say that privacy must be earned through trust but all of this depends on what someone decides to do with their privacy.

There are a variety issues regarding privacy as most people (mostly those who work or have worked in the media) who completely ignore other peoples right of privacy just to find out what they are up to. Here is an example of what kind of issues privacy tends to have:

·         A Canadian funeral home obtained the names and addresses of people diagnosed with cancer, and contacted a Montreal woman on the list about buying a burial plot and pre-paid funeral services.

www.media-awareness.ca

There are also many arguments on whether rights to privacy are right or wrong. The arguments that suggest the rights of privacy are right pretty much say that it’s better to have them because some people need or like to have their own space. This could also include someones personal belongings or private space or area where they like to be. The arguments that suggest the wrongs of privacy are pretty much saying that some people don’t trust others or that they would like to know what is going on in the world, mainly about stars or celebrities. The reason for this is because some celebrities don’t like to share their personal stories with the world.

When it comes down to arguing on whether privacy is right or wrong, I believe that the right of privacy is right because I believe everybody should have their entitlement to privacy. Despite the arguments, peoples privacy rights shouldn’t be weighed against those who support the freedom of information because it is up to the people who decide whether or not the personal life information should be controlled.  

(Web Protocols)

Wow, it's nearly been 2 months since I logged into Blogger... Anyway, todays post is about what Web Protocols are, what types there are, what they do, how they are used, what are they used for, etc... Sounds suspiciously familiar...

Lets start with...

What are Web Protocols

A web protocol is basically a standard connection between two places over a network, enabling them to communicate with one-another. There are many different protocols in online web browsers. Here is a list of most of them:

ARP: Address Resolution Protocol
DHCP: Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol
DNS: Domain Name Service
DSN: Data Source Name
FTP: File Transfer Protocol
ICMP: Internet Control Message Protocol
IDRP: ICMP Router-Discovery Protocol
IP: Internet Protocol
IRC: Internet Relay Chat Protocol
POP3: Post Office Protocol version 3
SMTP: Simple Mail Transfer Protocol
SSL: Secure Sockets Layer
TCP: Transmission Control Protocol
UPS: Uninterruptible Power Supply
The most common of this list is the Hypertext Transfer Protocol, or HTTP for short. As you can see in the Address bar or URL bar, there is a HTTP:// just before the link of the webpage. That means it's telling the web browser to use that protocol to transfer data across to other places of the web (depending on what webpage the data is linked to.)

Thats a short summary on what Web Protocols are, now lets see...

How are they used

Lets start with the easiest: HTTP

The Hypertext Transfer Protocol is mainly used to transfer any sort of data, from an article on a news website to a visual dvice (i.e. a PC, mobile phone, laptop,etc.) at home to a simple message from one visual device to another over social networking sites (i.e. Facebook, twitter, etc.) When you type in an address in the URL browser, you are sending a request for information from the webpage address through a remote server. Once the request is sent, the server will start loading the data.

File Transfer Protocol (FTP)

FTP is a little similar to HTTP, but the main difference is that FTP allows transferance of files over the network. Files, such as PDF folders, music tracks, images, etc. can be downloaded, legally or illegally (depending on what you download), to your own visual device.

I'm gonna stop here for now but I'll add some in the future.

~BB

We paid for your Hats!! (My first Game Video Upload)

Hi everyone, the happy badger is back again! And the reason why I am happy is because I finally got my paws on a Video Capture Card today and I have recorded my first video from a game on it!

Here it is!

There's no sound on it but I'm trying to sort that out. Anyway, hope you liked it!

No Games in the LG, Please...(Flash Game Review)

Welcome my badger blogging friends! Today's post is a review on a game that has been made in Flash.

Ultimate Sonic Flash
The Ultimate Sonic Flash is a fan-made platform game based on the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise. It uses the classic platform style that the original Sonic games were rooted from.

The game uses almost all of the same elements as any other previous generation games. It looks, sounds and feels like a classic Sonic game but the actual inspiration was from the second Sonic Advance game for the GameBoy Advance.

The only downsides I can see with the game are that there is hardly any, if not, no creates within any of the levels, which means you won't find any shields or extra lives. No checkpoints so once you lose a live, you start back at the beginning, the grinding rails are just red lines and everytime you take damage, whether you accidentally fall on some spikes or the occasional robot-wasp manages to shoot you in the backside, you don't have that temporary invulnerability you have in traditional sonic games.

But to be honest, I don't care about any of those things because the guys that made may have taken a whole year just to put that all together in Adobe/Macromedia Flash. I bet that the older generation of Sonic fans are thinking "I would rather play this game than the games Sega/Sonic Team produces because thess guys knows what they're doing!"

http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/151706