For this project I created illustrations and audio for a webpage dedicated to the history of media. The sections that i worked on include, Speech, Writing, Visual and Electric. For speech I went with an old man talking to a group of people in ancient Greece. Writing feature a scroll and book on top of a giant clay tablet. Visual utilized posters from the late 1800s. For electric I made three computer screens with each screen displaying a different app (Instagram, Youtube, Spotify).

I don’t really listen to podcasts however, there is one that I check up on once a month. The Cali Death Podcast is a podcast where members from various death metal bands interview other death metal bands. I think this podcast is very popular among those interested in the musical genre. To be able to hear personal stories and band members perspective of their own music is highly interesting to me. The production value is fairly low as it seems to be more of a hobby than a full time job. Regardless, the content they create is informative and keeps my attention.

I think publishing podcasts is a great way to make a living, so long as there’s an audience for your content. Many people listen to podcasts on a daily basis. Podcasts make it possible for people to enjoy media while taking care of other tasks, since your eyes and hands are free. Everyone is always busy so podcasts seem like the most convenient way to take in media.

I believe that multimedia, hyperlinks and interactivity can help create a deeper understanding of whatever topic one chooses to study. However, I can see how these could be viewed as distracting and take you out of deep attention mode. Personally, I prefer to read alone in a quiet area free of distractions. But then when it’s time to write, I prefer to have ambient background music on. I’ve also learned a lot from screen readings. Having the option to view examples from the text in an interactive way has helped me understand certain material faster than traditional reading. I think that both screen reading and traditional reading have their benefits and should be utilized in a way where both deep attention and hyper attention can exist. 

“Each cognitive mode has advantages and limitations. Deep attention is superb for solving complex problems represented in a single medium, but it comes at the price of environmental alertness and flexibility of response. Hyper attention excels at negotiating rapidly changing environments in which multiple foci compete for attention; its disadvantage is impatience with focusing for long periods on a non-interactive object” 

https://dtc-wsuv.org/crobb22/public-domain-publication.epub

Uncle Wiggily’s Story Book

By Howard R. Garis

Story 1: Uncle Wiggily’s Toothache 

https://www.gutenberg.org/files/60625/60625-h/60625-h.htm

This story follows a little boy named Sonny who is experiencing a toothache and doesn’t want anyone to interfere with it. Sonny’s mother and grandmother try convincing him to go to the dentist but Sonny denies their request. As Sonny is shouting at his Mother about the dentist, Uncle Wiggily Longears, a rabbit dressed in a suit, comes walking by their house. Uncle Wiggily hears the commotion and thinks up a plan to convince Sonny to listen to his Mother. Uncle Wiggily decides to fake a tooth pulling to show Sonny how easy it is and motivate him to go to the dentist. With the help of Dr. Possum, Uncle Wiggily faked getting his tooth pulled out and then began to dance with joy. Sonny, who had watched the whole thing, decided that he will go tot he dentist after all. 

Mother West Wind “Why” Stories 

By Thornton W. Burgess

Story 1: Why Striped Chipmunk is Proud of His Stripes

https://www.gutenberg.org/files/14958/14958-h/14958-h.htm

This story talks about Little Mr. Chipmunk and how he go his stripes. Mr. Chipmunk was always busy and kept to himself. One day he noticed his neighbor, Mr. Meadow Mouse, was being stalked by Mr. Bob Cat. Worried for his friend’s life, Mr. Chipmunk began yelling at Mr. Bobcat as a means of distracting him away from Mr. Meadow Mouse. Enraged by his name calling, Mr. Bobcat went after Mr. Chipmunk. Mr. Chipmunk quickly hid in a small hole in an old stump. The hole was too small for Mr. Bobcat to get into so you dug his claws inside to try and find him. Mr. Bobcats sharp claws tore Mr. Chipmunks coat but missed his body. Eventually Mr. Bobcat gave up and left. Later that fall, Old Mother Nature presented Mr. Chipmunk with a new coat only this time it had stripes of honor, representing the claw marks from Mr. Bobcat. And that’s how Chipmunks got their strips.  

The idea of the book and the way it has been presented has evolved drastically over the course of human history. Starting out on palm sized clay tablets, which allowed for a convenient way to transport information. The scroll came next in the books development. Scrolls could fit much more information on them and could be constructed out of a variety of materials such as animal skin and papyrus. Next came the codex, which is what most people think of when they visualize a book. Organized pages, table of contents and brief messages from the author all secured between the cover and backing, made the codex user friendly and highly valuable. Eventually we found our way into digital text, which is able to be altered in anyways we choose. Most readers accessed these digital text via computer or E-reader device. With digital text we see the desire to no longer have our ideas set in stone. Instead, we wish to interact with the ideas in the text, adding in our interpretations, correcting mistakes and sharing newly formed concepts with friends and peers. 

Augmented Reality 

Todays reader has what seems to be an endless selection of how they wish to engage with the book. Some prefer the analog feel of the codex while others follow the flow of emerging technology. Utilizing highly advanced A.R. (Augmented Reality) glasses/contact lenses, readers now have the book displayed across their eyes. No longer reliant on the codex or screens, this new “reading vision” allows the user to enjoy their favorite book without the use of hands. Using only eye movements or voice commands, the reader can select any book they wish to read and even record voice annotations through a built in microphone. These annotations can then be uploaded onto a cloud where they can be accessed from anyone, depending on your privacy settings. Writer’s collaborating on a new book can share their drafts with one another and take note of any corrections or recommendations.

 “The design of such readers has gradually streamlined to minimize buttons and dials, heightening the sense that are simply interfaces for engaging with text” (Borsuk, The Book)

Virtual Reality 

Perhaps 100% hands free isn’t your preferred way of interacting with a book. In which case flawlessly integrated V.R. (Virtual Reality) would be the ideal form for you. Simply place the newly refined lenses over your eyes, attach tiny motion sensors to your palms and finger tips and you’re good to go. This fully immersive reading experience allows the user to “flip” through pages, “write” any annotations (using finger tips or V.R. pen) and share with anyone in real time. V.R. can allow you the option to pick what your virtual space looks like. For example, let’s say the book you’re currently reading takes place in deep space or even in the past. Simply allow the A.I. image generator, conveniently integrated into the lenses, to scan your readings and create that specific environment for you. You even have the capability to invite friends into your virtual space to read together and discuss ideas. Virtual book clubs have become highly popular as a result of this technology. The convince of joining close friends to share your thoughts on a book without ever having to leave the comfort of home is ideal for those with busy schedules. 

Academic Benefits 

Highly advanced virtual reality is also a great tool for schools and job training. Students are now able to experience history books, mathematical formulas and science experiments in a fully immersive digital space. This helps the student to develop a more personal interactive experience with the book, allowing for stronger retention of academic knowledge. Trade schools and job training have also utilized virtual reality by integrating their various books. This process gives the trainee the opportunity to learn hands on without wasting physical materials or fear of injury.

Authors 

Authors of this new era have a multitude of ways to write and publish their works. Some prefer to work alone while others create group efforts. Most prefer to interact with their reading audience while working on their current writings. This technique seems to be the most beneficial to both author and reader as the reader gets to express their interpretations and desires, and the author, can shape their books in a way to maintain the readers attention. Once these writings are complete, the author has the option to sell directly to their audience or have their work digitally distributed and available through monthly subscriptions.

 We’ve come a long way from the days of scrolls and pages of immutable text. The main driving force for this evolution is and was our desire to interact more personally with the book and have the ability to share our interpretations. This is not to say that the analog version is completely unusable. It simply comes down to how one personally prefers to interact with their readings.   

Work cited

Borsuk, Amaranth. “The Book“. The MIT Press, 2018.

In “Post-Artifact Book” Craig Mod discusses the evolution of the writing process. The internet brought with it a way for authors to bypass publishers and created a direct connection to the reader. With this connection, writers are now able to engage with the reader during the writing process. This can significantly affect the books direction as the author can see, in real time, what the reader is interested in and what needs to be cut out. Craig Mod also discusses the future of sharing our personal marginalia on any book with any person. “We give form to our private telepathy through marginalia — marks, highlights, notes in the margins.” This would allow for further interaction with the book, eventually resulting and in a whole new idea. When I was growing up, the internet was still a new thing. My family only had one computer, so I didn’t really use it for much other than games or stories on floppy disks. Once I entered middle school and had to do more in-depth projects for school, I would utilize the internet for research on whichever topic I was covering. Once Myspace exploded, information began to be pasted via social media. Now we can share almost anything with anyone instantly. 

The book I have selected is A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess. This 1986 reprint of the 1962 dystopian classic features new cover artwork and the original final chapter which had been removed from the first American version. I’ve had this book for about 15 years and use to read it more regularly in high school. The book’s concepts revolve around the importance of freewill and moral choice as well as criticizing the government and penal system. The first thing that catches ones attention to this book is the cover which features an image of a screaming man’s mouth with flames above it. Already we get a sense of chaos before the first page is even turned. The back contains a short overview of what the book is about as well as reviews from various critics. Once opened, the author includes an introduction detailing the importance of the newly added original last chapter. The way which the story is written is quite interesting since Burgess utilizes a made up language called Nadsat. With no explanation or translation for this language, the reader must assume the meanings based on the context in which it is being used. This allows the reader to become fully immersed in the book’s world as if they were an acquaintance of the main character Alex. I believe it is because of this books ability to completely suck the reader into its world is the main reason I’ve held onto it for so many years. Overall its a great read both entertaining and thought provoking.    

Hey everyone, my name is Chrys. Test