Hi + New Media Response

First of all Cindy, I'm very interested in being a part of SXSW! As for a little about me: I'm a UT graduate in gov't and in business. I used that to become a whitewater rafting guide then a ski instructor in Canon City and Winter Park, CO, respectively. I then went to film school in Austin at AustinFilmworks and graduate school at Texas State. I work at the University News Service writing for the homepage and the alumni magazine Hillviews. I've also worked quite extensively (and freelance) in both documentary and narrative filmmaking and am sadly concluding my studies here this semester. Before I leave I plan on creating documentaries on LBJ, the dwindling middle class, and Old Main. If I have the time, I might make a couple narrative shorts for film competitions, too. If anyone is an actor that would like to be involved, please let me know.

As for this class, I would like to understand the depth of new media and I feel the need to keep current on my web skills. Like Steve Carroll said, "Is it true, if you don't use it, you lose it?"

When it comes to my definition of new media, I guess it would depend on what era of history, much like Manovich pointed out in the article on the new media user's guide. What is new now certainly will be standard in a few years. Just like media, the definition would have to evolve. The articles convinced me of the ever-converging nature of all media technologies and how each is connected to one another in media evolution. Drawn pictures-photographs-moving photographs-logarithm processors-digital photographs with logarithm processors, etc.

It interested me to find out in Baron's article that writing was largely created for accounting purposes as was the archetype for the computer. In the same way pencils were difficult to produce but became easier and cheaper to make, computers are dropping in price (PCs anyways) and are becoming more efficient.

In response to Manovich's article on new media from Borges to HTML, perhaps the U.S. arts are behind the rest of the world and are primarily seen in a commercialized sense. I recall a headline in the Onion, "The Arts: what were they?" To the point that new media parallels developments in modern art and computing, I guess that would have to be true. However, with the absence of all the national award shows reserved for movie stars, it may be a little while before we know who the designers are - though we certainly recognize the CEOs and hot shots who own the computer companies.

As for Negroponte's pov on being digital, the prognosis of a user centered news service that is tailored to their interests exists in present-day RSS feeds. I also think as journalists, we need to cross-train ourselves across all disciplines because they are ALL converging. Take for example, yahoo! news. First, you design the website of yahoo! news. Then, you write a story and post a video or pictures with video that go along with the print. If there is a live or a long speech, you can include the whole thing on the site, too, with or without introductions, with or without video. All this requires skills learned in new media, radio, television and print journalism. Trust me, you'll only be asked to do more in journalism these days...