Monday 29 April 2013

Recap of the Year.



Digital Cultures has been a very educational 1st year for me where I have learnt many key facts about how, the internet was set up, how computers became to be invented in the first place and, the real definition of hackers. All these things were oblivious to my knowledge before or very vague to start with.

I am very happy to say that my blogs have been very insightful and if not interesting haha, but factual at least. When making each blog I careful took time in researching and discovering each aspect of the week and, took into consideration what I thought people would find interesting.  

The most interesting and exciting topic for me this year was when we learnt about mind uploading and also, terms and conditions of  company webpages. I really enjoyed hearing about how in the future people have already equipped the technology to upload people’s mind on to digital hardware, which will allow us to store our thoughts forever. I found the information very intriguing and, stimulating as I thought it was about technology that would never be capable of existing.

I also 

thought that the facts about how terms and conditions work to be a big revelation. As I now once you click ‘yes’ to the terms and conditions that is it. For example every picture you upload on to ‘your’ Facebook wall, belongs to Facebook. Because somewhere in the terms and condition you clicked saying it would be OK  for them to use your images or for them to have the rights of whatever they please to do with them. As much as you read it, there is nothing you can do to change it so I find it very interesting for that there is even a rule like that in the first place.

I have found this first year of digital culture very mind stimulating and factual. Everything I have learnt, I have taken into account and will not forget it any time soon.  

Thanks Lads Holy Harmonies This Thing Sounds Very Nice


Wait one second! Did I forget something?



In this blog I am going to discuss something which I think was left out of this year’s teaching of digital cultures and, would be relevant for future students.

Digital cultures 1st year is a very unique subject where you learn about virtually everything there is to know about the web and other technologies such as, mobile phones. Gavin Stewart told us about how his class from way back when, said that it would be crazy if we would all have personal computers and also, we would go to sleep with our mobile phones so close by to us. But as time has passed that’s exactly what has happen so I am very interested to see what else the future and technology has to offer us.

But what I am really interested about and think was missing from this year’s teaching was the history and the next steps for games consoles. I mean the topic was kind of covered this year in terms of talking about video games and it’s history of pong being the first ever video game. But I want to know more about Sony’s first conceptions of their PlayStation 1 and, why Xbox decided to start rivalling them when they did?

2013 is going to be an exciting year for gamers as; we are finally going to be introducing to the next generation of gaming with the 8th generation consoles being released later this year.  I am extremely excited to get my hands on the new PlayStation 4 and I would of liked to learn some in depth detail about the console history, and its likely future was heading. Also what 9th and 10th generation might be planning, when it is their turn to be unveiled?

Hopefully this content could be added to the next year’s teaching schedule and be enjoyed as much as I do.

On the gaming scene this is what is coming this year... Just imagine in 10 years time.:


Wikis Leaking?



In this week’s blog I am going to write about how wikileaks has effected in today’s world and, if the use of wikileaks is benefiting anyone?

File:Wikileaks logo.svgFirstly I’ll start off by explaining what wikileaks is. “WikiLeaks is an independent, non-profit online media organization that publishes submissions of otherwise unavailable documents from anonymous sources. The WikiLeaks website was launched in 2006 by the Sunshine Press. Within a year of its launch, the site claimed a database that had grown to more than 1.2 million documents.” Reference from: http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/WikiLeaks

Well why did wikileaks start off in the first place? What’s the reason for it?The organization’s self-stated mandate explains “Our primary interests are oppressive regimes in Asia, the former Soviet bloc, Sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East, but we also expect to be of assistance to those in the west who wish to reveal unethical behaviour in their own governments and corporations.”-Reference from: http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/WikiLeaks

Wikileaks can’t be all bad then? I mean if the website is just publishing home truths about the government and, the US government surely there must be a reason for this. Well at first I thought confident that the US government didn’t have anything to hide, I mean what secrets are there to hide? Well we all know about the war in Iraq and, Saddam Hussein, WMD, fight for oil etc. Well Wikileaks managed to find some very interesting footage about just what goes on in Iraq…



In that video is real life footage of US soldiers killing innocent Iraqis as if it were a Call of Duty™, shooting people from their aircraft. Ok people may argue and have every right to question the footage, for its authenticity.

On the Wikileaks website they claim to “We assess all news stories and test their veracity. We send a submitted document through a very detailed examination a procedure. Is it real? What elements prove it is real? Who would have the motive to fake such a document and why? We use traditional investigative journalism techniques as well as more modern rtechnology-based methods. Typically we will do a forensic analysis of the document, determine the cost of forgery, means, motive, opportunity, the claims of the apparent authoring organisation, and answer a set of other detailed questions about the document. We may also seek external verification of the document For example, for our release of the Collateral Murder video, we sent a team of journalists to Iraq to interview the victims and observers of the helicopter attack. The team obtained copies of hospital records, death certificates, eye witness statements and other corroborating evidence supporting the truth of the story. Our verification process does not mean we will never make a mistake, but so far our method has meant that WikiLeaks has correctly identified the veracity of every document it has published.
Publishing the original source material behind each of our stories is the way in which we show the public that our story is authentic. Readers don’t have to take our word for it; they can see for themselves. In this way, we also support the work of other journalism organisations, for they can view and use the original documents freely as well. Other journalists may well see an angle or detail in the document that we were not aware of in the first instance. By making the documents freely available, we hope to expand analysis and comment by all the media. Most of all, we want readers know the truth so they can make up their own minds.”- Reference: http://wikileaks.org/About.html.

To be honest it’s exactly like what the Wikileaks people say its up to the people to make their own minds up. If you choose to believe then you can if you don’t then, it is also your choice. But I think that there are millions of rumours and stories around today and barely a few questions scratch the surface, and get to be asked to the leading powers in the world today. So I say, if Wikileaks is out here giving us the truth or not let it stay up! Because the government get away with so much activities today and, leave many things unanswered so from my point of view it’s about time we questioned them for what’s really going on? And demand some answers and, Wikileaks is our best advantage of that.

For more information about the creator of Wikileaks visit: