Yeah, I think my creepy over-analytical had a little too much fun today during my Art History Online class. The following is the transcript from that discussion...well, not the whole thing, but I assure you, I'm not taking anything out of context.
This was out assignment:
"How does Raphael’s the School of Athens exemplify the High Renaissance? Using the images from the text, what work/s do you think best represent/exemplify the High Renaissance and why?
If you were to create a Modern Day School of Athens from leaders in your fields of study whom would you include and why?
Film students may wish to include directors and actors, Marketing and Entertainment Business students can look to the most successful commercials, brands, and ad and campaigns, and Music students may wish to consider musicians, singers and producers."
Just as a note, we're also supposed to respond to another student.
My answer:
"The School of Athens clearly has a bit of a love affair with Western Philosophy, and this of course, is his love letter to it. The compositions intrigues me, since he has the groups clearly separated, and there is no actual person in the center. Yes, I know Plato is right there, but he is not on the steps, in fact there's no one else below him directly. He is further in the background compared to the people on the steps. It almost makes him unattainable in a way. This school of people look unattainable and gives them an attitude, as if they have a smarter than thou vibe about them. However, can you blame them? Without people Plato, where would we be as a people. We wouldn't have Aristotle, and we wouldn't have Raphael. Heck, we might not even have Einstein without the advances this "school" made. Even if they're wisdom seems dated now, it moved us forward.
A modern version of this in the film world (which would probably be somewhat insulting to Raphael, as he held these people in the highest esteem and film as a whole probably doesn't have the same respectability as the history behind painting, but what the hey, let's do it) would definitely have Orson Welles in the center. Citizen Kane (love it or hate it) is probably the most important movie of all time. Included in the picture would be Charlie Chaplin, Jean Luc-Goddard, Akira Kurosawa, Walt Disney, Stanley Kubrick, and Fritz Lang. And now the fun part, my personal favorites, that probably don't belong, but I would want them in there anyways. This would include, Kevin Smith, Bryan Singer, Katshurio Otomo, The Wachowski and Coen Bros, Mamoru Oshii, Christopher Nolan, Darren Aronofsky, Steven Spielberg, Francis Ford Coppola, Satoshi Kon, Quentin Tarantino, Edgar Wright, John Lasseter, Shinichiro Watanabe, and myself in the background somewhere, because why wouldn't I want to hang out with people I admire in a school."
Lord C's Answer (had nothing to do with mine...yet):
"I was truly blown away upon learning about the School of Athens. This is my first time partaking in the beauty and intellectual majesty of it. At first glance, to me it was nothing more than a very detailed and maybe the most eye-catching piece of the High Renaissance. But after realizing what the piece represented and the message that the artist (Raphael) was conveying, I then began to build a greater understanding from the knowledge and wisdom before me. I must say to me the Mona Lisa by De Vinci would be the best representation of the High Renaissance. Simply because of its popularity and how one automatically thinks Renaissance era when you see it.
In my School of Athens Michael Jackson and Jay-z would play the rolls of Plato and Aristotle. Michael would be in the roll of Plato representing the epitome of a musical artist. Michael with his arm raised to the sky, the gesture meaning through the power of music you can become more than man, much like Paul McCartney’s statement “The Beatles are bigger than Jesus”. A student of Michael’s work Jay-z is learning to become more than just an artist in a different way. With today’s mergence of business and art Jay-z is becoming less than a businessman and more of a man that is a business."
Lord C's response to my post:
"Jose,
I love how you pointed to the love affair going on here because it is that intense. Your views on the people on the stairs were very unique and your post overall is highly observent and how you say "there is no actual person in the center." proves it. along with the list of legends you put together in your recast leaves me speechless. Great post."
My response to him (oh boy...here we go.):
"In response to Lord Christopher (which, if that's your real name, it's the second coolest name ever, after Disco San Andreas) I thank you for you kind words, but sadly, I have a bone to pick with you about something you said.
I must say to me the Mona Lisa by De Vinci would be the best representation of the High Renaissance. Simply because of its popularity and how one automatically thinks Renaissance era when you see it.
While the Mona Lisa is a popular painting (with good reason) that is a beautiful work of art, to call it the best representation of the Renaissance era is incredibly subjective, which to your credit, you did say "to me". Obviously, I can disagree with an opinion but can't really do anything to change it. After all, it isn't really wrong or right, it's just yours and yours alone. However, you called it the "best representation". How can one painting be the best representation of a whole era?
To relate this to an industry, I don't study, but follow closely anyways, let's try the same thing for videogames. Many of you (not me) would probably say that your favorite game of all time is probably Modern Warfare 2. A great game by it's own right, but does it really represent videogames as a whole, ignoring the whole "best" part at the moment. Well, no. I mean, there are plenty of games, great games that are nothing like Modern Warfare 2, such as Super Mario Galaxy, Fragile Dreams, Persona 4, Final Fantasy 7, Scribblenauts, Mass Effect and Metal Gear Solid. However, none of the games I mentioned just now are even in the same genre of videogames as Modern Warfare 2 (FPS or First Person Shooter, for those who are unfamiliar). Is it the best representation of it's own genre. No, there are plenty of games even in it's own genre that are nothing like it, such as, Halo, Bioshock, Fallout 3, Metroid Prime, Half-Life, and Red Steel 2 (Not Red Steel 1, that game needs to be forgotten) and they still stand on their own as great games.
Bringing this back to Renaissance art, how can the Mona Lisa be the best representation of the whole era when the painting we're discussing has pretty much nothing in common with it, not even aesthetically. The Mona Lisa is an incredibly close and dark painting compared to The School of Athens, which uses bright colors and wide spaces. There are many other works that share little in common with the Mona Lisa from the same era.
'The influence of this painting cannot be overstated. Leonardo da Vinci’s use of sfumato and his understanding of the enigmatic expression of Lisa Gioconda, wife of Francesco del Gioconda has made this painting one of, if not, the most famous portrait in the world. For those who may not be aware, this oil on wood from 1503-06, resides in the Louvre in Paris. Great choice! Interesting inclusion of Michael J. in your modern School of Athens. I ‘d have to agree about his contributions!'
Now, I also agree with this statement by our teacher, which may seem odd because she totally agrees with you while I don't. I believe that while influence can shape artists minds to take what came before them, the whole point of evolving is to use what works and what doesn't. Having an influence is not the same thing as being the best representation of an entire era of art, or that whole genre of art. It's easy to leave a stamp or marking on an art, but essentially with such of variety of ideas and arts out there, there will never be true representation of art by simply one piece. Really, the best representation of art is all of it, the good and bad (because without the bad, how would we appreciate the good?).
Well, I've rambled on, (and feel like I haven't said enough) and perhaps I'll return to this subject later. For now, I'll just leave with this. I didn't mean to destroy something subjective. If that's your viewpoint, no matter how many long winded internet posts I write, I will never change that, but hopefully I've somewhat presented some new ideas for you to take into consideration.
Plus, I really think I wanted to work in videogames into my post somehow and still have it be relevant."
I'm waiting for someone to rebuttal my statement that "Citizen Kane (love it or hate it) is probably the most important movie of all time."
Sunday, December 12, 2010
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Couldn't sleep so I decided to do this...
10:46 PM
At least it was 10:46 when I typed that. Google decided to save it at 10:47PM, using their autosave feature. How nice of them. I'm currently using the Wi-Fi at Full Sail building 3B, typing away because I couldn't sleep at home. Hell, I really can't sleep here either. But it's comfortable, and gives me something to do while I wait for my 12 hour shoot to begin at 1:00 AM.
I've got to be honest, I'm probably just typing this out because I remembered that it still existed and I thought I should update it. But while I'm here and I've got your attention, I'll try not to waste your time. Today was my last day on my podcast, Undefined Gamer. I said farewell to the podcast on it's 30th episode and I built that show up to where it is today, with Michael being a huge part of it by my side. He was more crazy about the show than I was, and he put probably more effort into it, which is probably why I knew I was going to leave it behind.
I feel like I've truly left a lot of things behind, like I'm finally growing up. Sure, I'm still immature, crass, and sarcastic, but even my humor doesn't feel the same. I know that sounds deep, or that I may want it to sound deep, but don't look to much into it. It's just something I've noticed a bit.
10:55 PM is when Google autosaved this entry, yet I typed this part at 10:57 PM.
You know, this is the first time I've actually written something in a while. I have a lot of ideas that I usually get on paper right away, but lately I haven't been doing that. This school's probably wearing me out. I should start drinking coffee.
Note: If I ever start drinking coffee, I want you to punch me in the gut every time you see me.
Second note: Make sure it's coffee. I get hot chocolate from Starbucks a lot.
Third note: Tricking me into drinking coffee, doesn't count.
I feel like posting this up already but I still haven't said anything. So, I'm going to keep going until I say something relevant because I promised that I wouldn't waste your time. Although, to be fair, how important is your time if you're reading this? Not to sound rude or unappreciative but I don't consider myself a great writer, and neither should you.
On second thought, that does make me sound rude, and pretty much turns you away. What I meant to say was, I'm a great writer, and you should keep reading because I am great, and I appreciate it.
Wow, that makes me sound pretentious and pompous, doesn't it? Ok, how about this? I'm a decent writer and you're a decent reader. Happy?
Just came to realization that I actually do have the same dry humor intact that I said I didn't before. So much for that.
Have you ever wanted to tell people stuff that's going on in your life, but you don't want to sound like a gossipy bitch about it? Lately, I can't seem to shut up about it. I must annoy the hell out of my friends. This actually has nothing to do with anything but it might explain my erratic blog entry. I think I want to tell people, and I think I want people to care, but I think I'll just keep it inside. For now, at least. I'm not exactly the Twitter type to always tell people what's going on, and then be shocked when someone finds out something they weren't supposed to know all because I posted it onto my wall on Facebook. Dumbasses.
My internet just crashed. Luckily I had saved everything beforehand so nothing got lost. Hurray!
Anyways, I guess I really don't have a point. I just want everyone who reads to know I haven't forgotten about this, and I will try harder to get new and cool stuff up. Hell, some of it might actually be meaningful.
At least it was 10:46 when I typed that. Google decided to save it at 10:47PM, using their autosave feature. How nice of them. I'm currently using the Wi-Fi at Full Sail building 3B, typing away because I couldn't sleep at home. Hell, I really can't sleep here either. But it's comfortable, and gives me something to do while I wait for my 12 hour shoot to begin at 1:00 AM.
I've got to be honest, I'm probably just typing this out because I remembered that it still existed and I thought I should update it. But while I'm here and I've got your attention, I'll try not to waste your time. Today was my last day on my podcast, Undefined Gamer. I said farewell to the podcast on it's 30th episode and I built that show up to where it is today, with Michael being a huge part of it by my side. He was more crazy about the show than I was, and he put probably more effort into it, which is probably why I knew I was going to leave it behind.
I feel like I've truly left a lot of things behind, like I'm finally growing up. Sure, I'm still immature, crass, and sarcastic, but even my humor doesn't feel the same. I know that sounds deep, or that I may want it to sound deep, but don't look to much into it. It's just something I've noticed a bit.
10:55 PM is when Google autosaved this entry, yet I typed this part at 10:57 PM.
You know, this is the first time I've actually written something in a while. I have a lot of ideas that I usually get on paper right away, but lately I haven't been doing that. This school's probably wearing me out. I should start drinking coffee.
Note: If I ever start drinking coffee, I want you to punch me in the gut every time you see me.
Second note: Make sure it's coffee. I get hot chocolate from Starbucks a lot.
Third note: Tricking me into drinking coffee, doesn't count.
I feel like posting this up already but I still haven't said anything. So, I'm going to keep going until I say something relevant because I promised that I wouldn't waste your time. Although, to be fair, how important is your time if you're reading this? Not to sound rude or unappreciative but I don't consider myself a great writer, and neither should you.
On second thought, that does make me sound rude, and pretty much turns you away. What I meant to say was, I'm a great writer, and you should keep reading because I am great, and I appreciate it.
Wow, that makes me sound pretentious and pompous, doesn't it? Ok, how about this? I'm a decent writer and you're a decent reader. Happy?
Just came to realization that I actually do have the same dry humor intact that I said I didn't before. So much for that.
Have you ever wanted to tell people stuff that's going on in your life, but you don't want to sound like a gossipy bitch about it? Lately, I can't seem to shut up about it. I must annoy the hell out of my friends. This actually has nothing to do with anything but it might explain my erratic blog entry. I think I want to tell people, and I think I want people to care, but I think I'll just keep it inside. For now, at least. I'm not exactly the Twitter type to always tell people what's going on, and then be shocked when someone finds out something they weren't supposed to know all because I posted it onto my wall on Facebook. Dumbasses.
My internet just crashed. Luckily I had saved everything beforehand so nothing got lost. Hurray!
Anyways, I guess I really don't have a point. I just want everyone who reads to know I haven't forgotten about this, and I will try harder to get new and cool stuff up. Hell, some of it might actually be meaningful.
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Just in case you haven't seen it.
Hey, this was my first time working with Final Cut Pro, and I hope you all enjoy it. Feel free to check out the rest of my videos too.
Saturday, August 28, 2010
I'd just like to point out I haven't forgotten about this.
Sorry, for the 3 people that read this and hasn't seen any new updates. I promise I'll be updating more. It's just been busy. I've got a lot of new topics and ideas that I'm fleshing out so please bear with me.
Saturday, August 7, 2010
Should I pimp my shit? Why not?
Hey everyone, I just thought I'd take the time out to start promoting some stuff. First and foremost, my youtube page!
youtube.com/foxamigo
I promise, more stuff is coming down the pipeline for that soon.
My podcast!
http://undefinedgamer.podomatic.com/
Not updated as frequently as I would like, but we're working on it.
My newest addition to shit I probably won't update as often as I'd like! AKA my photography hobby.
http://jeargumedo.deviantart.com/
My Facebook! Which I will not add you if I do not know you, but feel free to try. There's a good chance I'll ignore you.
facebook.com/joseargumedo
My Twitter!
Psych! Don't have one!
youtube.com/foxamigo
I promise, more stuff is coming down the pipeline for that soon.
My podcast!
http://undefinedgamer.podomatic.com/
Not updated as frequently as I would like, but we're working on it.
My newest addition to shit I probably won't update as often as I'd like! AKA my photography hobby.
http://jeargumedo.deviantart.com/
My Facebook! Which I will not add you if I do not know you, but feel free to try. There's a good chance I'll ignore you.
facebook.com/joseargumedo
My Twitter!
Psych! Don't have one!
Monday, August 2, 2010
How to post a sad entry without sounding emo or why are you all e-mailing me?
No one likes emo kids. Be honest, they suck, and before you defend it, they also think they suck, because if they didn't then why would they be emo. I'm all for expressing one's self but usually, when you express yourself it adds something to society. Even appearing emo guarantee's people judging you right away as a pussy. Wearing black does not make someone emo, by the way. Black is a cool color and they seem to have reclaimed it from us.
Hell, while goth people aren't exactly my favorite people to be around at least they aren't pussies. The sad part is, I think the emo style is actually quite cool looking (well...some, not all), if only it wasn't for their personalities. Any guy who wears skinny jeans, you might as well castrate yourself. Any girl who wears skinny jeans...ok you got me there, but my point still stands that emo people are annoying.
Unfortunately emo kids have totally ruined actual emotion so much that when you actually reach sadness, people tell you to stop being emo. It's almost impossible to be sad now, thanks to this subculture. They also all think they same thing about everything, it has such a clique mentality behind it. As soon as band gets somewhat popular, oh shit, they sold out. It's like as soon as the 100th person discovers them, their old news now. This is not proper underground appreciation. Just because something goes mainstream or becomes popular doesn't destroy art as we know it. The thing that made us fall in love with it in the first place is still there, we just don't like the fact that the art wanted to seen or heard by more people than just us. After all, it's not like a monogamous relationship between two people. However, I still understand how it feels sometimes when something gets popular and all of the sudden I'm less attached to it, so that even sounds hypocritical on my part, but I acknowledge it and don't quite understand why I feel this way sometimes. But I digress, my point is that as soon as you post a sad or seemingly sad entry, you've been regarded as emo...and I truly hate that word.
A couple of weeks ago, I posted about romance, and despite my explanations, it seems like people ignored that happy ending I put and seem to think that I am totally alone...at least those of you who sent me Facebook messages because you wouldn't post in the comments.
Ok, I'm about to go on a tangent again about something completely unrelated so bare with me here. Please, post comments on the blog when you want to talk to me about a blog post. It keeps me sane. Don't send me Facebook messages, or fill the e-mail inbox of my podcast with those kinds of questions. Now, back to our main story.
Yes, I am single, and have been for a long time now, but it honestly doesn't bother me as it did a few months back. I'm in school, incredibly busy with the blog...sort of...and the podcast...again, sort of...but it's mostly school that's keeping me busy. While I would still like to have a relationship...like say, now...I'm not exactly as desperate as some people like to think I am. Yes, I do obsess and complain in real life about that stuff with my friends, but it's usually in a joking manner, with a huge smile on my face. Let's face facts, as much as I pretend to be older, and even more mature and sophisticated sometimes, I'm only 21. I've got a long road of mistakes ahead of me, and I'm in no hurry to make them.
That blog post came out just simple boredom and need for an entry. I thought it was cool, and something to diversify the blog a bit, after all, this isn't a tech blog, it's just a writing blog. A place to store my thoughts in general, and not really detailed status of my well-being or emotion. You probably won't find that on the internet, you'll get that from actually talking to me.
I'm glad that I did get a somewhat large response from that, even if there are no comments...and I know all of you...but I'm glad some of you decided to share your thoughts, and even check to see if I was cutting myself (I wasn't, but thanks...I guess).
Ok...sorry, I'm about to go a random thought again. I've just noticed that used the ellipsis...about 14...15 times in this post, and they're probably...going to...become...more...frequent. In all seriousness, ADD had taken hold and I needed to type that.
My point in that post was to really point out how stupid love is...and how many stupid things we'll do to achieve it. Yet, in the end, it's worth it. I mean, seriously, do I have to be funny or playful at all times with my writing before I type something serious into the computer?
Something I think I was also trying to get out, but I personally think I failed at conveying, was a rant towards myself. Too many times I have looked at a woman and fallen miserably in love. No, I don't just lust after a woman, I find that to be barbaric and somewhat below me to solely want a woman for her body (However, that doesn't hurt her chances of me...probably never talking to her because of that) but I truly do like someone with a good head on their shoulders. Willing to explore the things I like for the first time and keeping an open mind about it, while I try my best to do the same (sadly, I'm pretty closed minded but I honestly try) and simply being able to hold a conversation on one subject for a lengthy period of time.
I can think of 3 people in my audience who reads these, have actually met the "requirements" (and I use the term loosely...also because I can't think of another term) in the last two sentences of the above paragraph and I can guarantee that I have either had a crush on them or asked them out (to save them the embarrassment, I won't say who they are) and yet now I moved on and just see them as friends. How does that happen? I mean really think about that. Essentially, the person hasn't changed but I have because of something I did of my own accord. How can I fall out of love so easily? Am I alone here? I'm starting to think that I'm the only guy who gives this any thought...and also, I'm starting to think my brains are way bigger than my balls (I went a really long time writing this blog without a dick joke, spare me.).
Ok, so what the fuck am I getting at? Well, first, thanks for not clicking away during all this nonsense, because I actually do have a point. My point is, make sure you understand someone's message before you confront or try to comfort the person, because then you just start making an ass out of yourself...and you probably make the person who sent the message look bad too.
I'll end this on a happy note, instead of a scolding. There is someone out there that I'm looking at, and unlike...well...I don't want to give too much away. I know she isn't reading this, and I'm also afraid of the people who know who I'm talking about posting something in the comments about it. So I'll be brief. I truly like this person and it seems odd how we met, and odd how our potential friendship/(hopefully)relationship is going to develop. Yet, I'm still optimistic about it, despite of all the potential things in my life that could get in the way. No matter what happens, I'll be hanging in there...and typing up stupid blog entries for your entertainment.
(Also, count how many times I used parenthesis in this post. I'm telling you, counting is fun!)
Hell, while goth people aren't exactly my favorite people to be around at least they aren't pussies. The sad part is, I think the emo style is actually quite cool looking (well...some, not all), if only it wasn't for their personalities. Any guy who wears skinny jeans, you might as well castrate yourself. Any girl who wears skinny jeans...ok you got me there, but my point still stands that emo people are annoying.
Unfortunately emo kids have totally ruined actual emotion so much that when you actually reach sadness, people tell you to stop being emo. It's almost impossible to be sad now, thanks to this subculture. They also all think they same thing about everything, it has such a clique mentality behind it. As soon as band gets somewhat popular, oh shit, they sold out. It's like as soon as the 100th person discovers them, their old news now. This is not proper underground appreciation. Just because something goes mainstream or becomes popular doesn't destroy art as we know it. The thing that made us fall in love with it in the first place is still there, we just don't like the fact that the art wanted to seen or heard by more people than just us. After all, it's not like a monogamous relationship between two people. However, I still understand how it feels sometimes when something gets popular and all of the sudden I'm less attached to it, so that even sounds hypocritical on my part, but I acknowledge it and don't quite understand why I feel this way sometimes. But I digress, my point is that as soon as you post a sad or seemingly sad entry, you've been regarded as emo...and I truly hate that word.
A couple of weeks ago, I posted about romance, and despite my explanations, it seems like people ignored that happy ending I put and seem to think that I am totally alone...at least those of you who sent me Facebook messages because you wouldn't post in the comments.
Ok, I'm about to go on a tangent again about something completely unrelated so bare with me here. Please, post comments on the blog when you want to talk to me about a blog post. It keeps me sane. Don't send me Facebook messages, or fill the e-mail inbox of my podcast with those kinds of questions. Now, back to our main story.
Yes, I am single, and have been for a long time now, but it honestly doesn't bother me as it did a few months back. I'm in school, incredibly busy with the blog...sort of...and the podcast...again, sort of...but it's mostly school that's keeping me busy. While I would still like to have a relationship...like say, now...I'm not exactly as desperate as some people like to think I am. Yes, I do obsess and complain in real life about that stuff with my friends, but it's usually in a joking manner, with a huge smile on my face. Let's face facts, as much as I pretend to be older, and even more mature and sophisticated sometimes, I'm only 21. I've got a long road of mistakes ahead of me, and I'm in no hurry to make them.
That blog post came out just simple boredom and need for an entry. I thought it was cool, and something to diversify the blog a bit, after all, this isn't a tech blog, it's just a writing blog. A place to store my thoughts in general, and not really detailed status of my well-being or emotion. You probably won't find that on the internet, you'll get that from actually talking to me.
I'm glad that I did get a somewhat large response from that, even if there are no comments...and I know all of you...but I'm glad some of you decided to share your thoughts, and even check to see if I was cutting myself (I wasn't, but thanks...I guess).
Ok...sorry, I'm about to go a random thought again. I've just noticed that used the ellipsis...about 14...15 times in this post, and they're probably...going to...become...more...frequent. In all seriousness, ADD had taken hold and I needed to type that.
My point in that post was to really point out how stupid love is...and how many stupid things we'll do to achieve it. Yet, in the end, it's worth it. I mean, seriously, do I have to be funny or playful at all times with my writing before I type something serious into the computer?
Something I think I was also trying to get out, but I personally think I failed at conveying, was a rant towards myself. Too many times I have looked at a woman and fallen miserably in love. No, I don't just lust after a woman, I find that to be barbaric and somewhat below me to solely want a woman for her body (However, that doesn't hurt her chances of me...probably never talking to her because of that) but I truly do like someone with a good head on their shoulders. Willing to explore the things I like for the first time and keeping an open mind about it, while I try my best to do the same (sadly, I'm pretty closed minded but I honestly try) and simply being able to hold a conversation on one subject for a lengthy period of time.
I can think of 3 people in my audience who reads these, have actually met the "requirements" (and I use the term loosely...also because I can't think of another term) in the last two sentences of the above paragraph and I can guarantee that I have either had a crush on them or asked them out (to save them the embarrassment, I won't say who they are) and yet now I moved on and just see them as friends. How does that happen? I mean really think about that. Essentially, the person hasn't changed but I have because of something I did of my own accord. How can I fall out of love so easily? Am I alone here? I'm starting to think that I'm the only guy who gives this any thought...and also, I'm starting to think my brains are way bigger than my balls (I went a really long time writing this blog without a dick joke, spare me.).
Ok, so what the fuck am I getting at? Well, first, thanks for not clicking away during all this nonsense, because I actually do have a point. My point is, make sure you understand someone's message before you confront or try to comfort the person, because then you just start making an ass out of yourself...and you probably make the person who sent the message look bad too.
I'll end this on a happy note, instead of a scolding. There is someone out there that I'm looking at, and unlike...well...I don't want to give too much away. I know she isn't reading this, and I'm also afraid of the people who know who I'm talking about posting something in the comments about it. So I'll be brief. I truly like this person and it seems odd how we met, and odd how our potential friendship/(hopefully)relationship is going to develop. Yet, I'm still optimistic about it, despite of all the potential things in my life that could get in the way. No matter what happens, I'll be hanging in there...and typing up stupid blog entries for your entertainment.
(Also, count how many times I used parenthesis in this post. I'm telling you, counting is fun!)
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Piracy, and what should be done about it?
Piracy is a tough subject to talk about with people because nobody truly cares because nobody really sees the damage being done, or they actually think they're doing the right thing. When studios or whoever, go about putting grandma's and little girls on trial over the download of the latest Britney Spears song, it doesn't put them in them best light either.
The entertainment industry as a whole is going through changes. Whether it be videogames, movies, music, anything can now be found on the internet and downloaded illegally, and I totally disapprove. People work hard on their craft, and while piracy has been cited as one of the ways to put work out there (which even helped famous bands like Metallica become popular in the early days through copied tapes) there has to be a better way of discovering new media.
Here's the dilemma though. If you want the best quality, you usually have to go with the most expensive option. For movies, that's Blu-ray. For music, that's CD's (or vinyl, DVD audio or Super Audio CD for the audiophile among us). For videogames, well, it really depends, but you get what I mean. If you want the best quality, it usually comes from a physical piece of media mastered by the studio and if you want it cheap and fast, you usually to download it off iTunes or Amazon, maybe it stream it from Netflix, or worse, download a shaky-cam version of your favorite movie.
Lossless codecs are starting to become more and more mainstream but iTunes does not provide them for music, and HD codecs such as VC-1 are incredibly effective at keeping detail intact on Blu-rays but once again, Netflix streams everything in lesser quality, even when it's in HD. I get why they do this, after all, bandwidth is still restricted and limited, despite how far we've come. Besides quality, the lack of portability or allowing people to borrow media. For example, buy a Blu-ray and lend it to a friend and it'll play in his Blu-ray player. Try and give him a legally downloaded iTunes file, and good luck trying to watch it.
Apple, in particular, has this idea of a walled-garden. You can have almost anything you want within that garden, but God forbid you try and take it somewhere else, or there's something beyond the wall that you may want.
iTunes is a beautiful program, that syncs media and apps between multiple computers and other Apple branded devices...but what if you want to watch it on your TV? Buy an AppleTV and it'll sync up perfectly...but the AppleTV is a lowly product. I have a 360, a PS3, hell even my Wii can handle media better than the AppleTV, but I can't sync my iTunes library with them. I also have a couple of bits of media on my Xbox through Zune, and even more media on my PS3 that can't sync or cross borders. Every system is locked down, leaving a library of stuff dedicated to each machine. Why can't I have all my media just play on anything I want? Whether it be a computer, a DVD player, or my toaster, let me pick where I want to experience it.
Netflix is really the only place where I can watch media almost anywhere, but again, I'm limited to the material they have making ownership impossible. If more companies were to follow Netflix's example, I think we can curb piracy, and not treat the customer like second rate citizens. Hopefully, we'll have this all sorted out before physical media bites the dust eventually.
The entertainment industry as a whole is going through changes. Whether it be videogames, movies, music, anything can now be found on the internet and downloaded illegally, and I totally disapprove. People work hard on their craft, and while piracy has been cited as one of the ways to put work out there (which even helped famous bands like Metallica become popular in the early days through copied tapes) there has to be a better way of discovering new media.
Here's the dilemma though. If you want the best quality, you usually have to go with the most expensive option. For movies, that's Blu-ray. For music, that's CD's (or vinyl, DVD audio or Super Audio CD for the audiophile among us). For videogames, well, it really depends, but you get what I mean. If you want the best quality, it usually comes from a physical piece of media mastered by the studio and if you want it cheap and fast, you usually to download it off iTunes or Amazon, maybe it stream it from Netflix, or worse, download a shaky-cam version of your favorite movie.
Lossless codecs are starting to become more and more mainstream but iTunes does not provide them for music, and HD codecs such as VC-1 are incredibly effective at keeping detail intact on Blu-rays but once again, Netflix streams everything in lesser quality, even when it's in HD. I get why they do this, after all, bandwidth is still restricted and limited, despite how far we've come. Besides quality, the lack of portability or allowing people to borrow media. For example, buy a Blu-ray and lend it to a friend and it'll play in his Blu-ray player. Try and give him a legally downloaded iTunes file, and good luck trying to watch it.
Apple, in particular, has this idea of a walled-garden. You can have almost anything you want within that garden, but God forbid you try and take it somewhere else, or there's something beyond the wall that you may want.
iTunes is a beautiful program, that syncs media and apps between multiple computers and other Apple branded devices...but what if you want to watch it on your TV? Buy an AppleTV and it'll sync up perfectly...but the AppleTV is a lowly product. I have a 360, a PS3, hell even my Wii can handle media better than the AppleTV, but I can't sync my iTunes library with them. I also have a couple of bits of media on my Xbox through Zune, and even more media on my PS3 that can't sync or cross borders. Every system is locked down, leaving a library of stuff dedicated to each machine. Why can't I have all my media just play on anything I want? Whether it be a computer, a DVD player, or my toaster, let me pick where I want to experience it.
Netflix is really the only place where I can watch media almost anywhere, but again, I'm limited to the material they have making ownership impossible. If more companies were to follow Netflix's example, I think we can curb piracy, and not treat the customer like second rate citizens. Hopefully, we'll have this all sorted out before physical media bites the dust eventually.
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