MILITAINMENT INC. - what you don't know makes us stronger

1- To accurately analyze social media interpretations of wartime situations we must look harder and deeper, through the lies and misconstrued fabrications of popular media giants.

2- All recorded video footage we see on television goes through a rigorous filtering process before it reaches us viewers.

Many major televised events in wars are staged (or organized) by the government.

Nearly 1,000,000 Iraqis have died since the start of the war.

American 'intelligence' sometimes leads to the unjustified deaths of alliance reporters.

By not showing the everyday lives of the "enemy population" we as viewers become dis-attached from the realities of the hardships that they face each and every day.

3- This piece of media stimulates both the neocortex and the limbic system in the sense that it creates (through visuals) a strong emotional connection for the viewer as well as (through intellectual processing) mental decision making spurred from difficult subject matter and morally questionable content.

4- There has been a major shift in the amount of general media coverage of wars in america. Sure, WWII was captured by media but was not displayed publicly as much as the War in Iraq. It seems as though the war is like a game, with constant updates and information about every little move.

There has also been a shift in the medium in which we receive this new, constant information. As we progress into the 2.0 and even 3.0 age we begin to receive constant information about the war on multiple levels and in many new media forms (such as blogging and internet videos).

Another shift that can be addressed is the shift from straightforward media presentation to filtered and diluted media coverage.

5- What is the best (least biased) way to receive news in a changing word?

How can we, as media viewers, accurately interpret what we are seeing in media today?

Will there be a day when media information is completely fabricated?

How can I help spread the word about false media/ biased media?

6- beautiful people (government backed movies)
questions (what will you do for your country?)
card stacking (the war on terror)
humor (various movies depicting war)
plain folks (current military ads)
bandwagon (be all you can be)

Media Meditations #1- RSS and Google Alerts

Ok, so when i first set up my RSS feed and my Google Alerts I honestly didnt know what to expect. Initially I didn't want to use the services thinking that they were just a waste of time and were going to become just another one of those online additives that i would never check. However, because I received an email each day with results from the services I actually found myself using the services a lot. Thanks to Google Alerts I have managed to find really good deals on skateboard and car parts and have also managed to find several possible internships for this summer!

It is a truly unique experience using RSS feeds and Google Alerts. I was amazed after I realized I could search and get feeds on literally ANYTHING that interested me... from funny movies to realistic career opportunities. Don't pass your chance to use these services... they may just brighten your day or help you find a new job.

I never thought I would find myself saying this, but I definitely recommend setting up some RSS feeds or (better) a Google Alerts feed.

Responses from Midterm

1- What stands out to me the most from my learning are the eight shifts in media. I have never actually considered how many changes in media actually do take place over such a short time. I find it culturally fascinating.

2- As a critical reader, I found that if i can find an entertaining piece of mass media I wont put it down for at least a week. As a writer, i have learned that i need to trust in my abilities more and share more writing insight with others. As a critical thinker, i find that reflecting on media has really helped me to open my eyes to other, more in depth ways of analyzing articles of information.

3- One thing I would do differently would be to get to know the other students in my class better through even an online medium.

4- The only thing I would have Prof. Williams do differently is not require a twitter account. I understand the practically and uses of its service but there are other forms of media tools we could use.

5- I find the blogs to be a great tool because they help me to express myself easily and keep me up to date with work. The textbook is AWESOME and my favorite tool of comprehension. Films are always a useful classroom resource as visuals help us to remember :)

NEW TATTOOS!!!

So yea, got these new tattoos about three weeks ago now AND I LOVE THEM. Big thanks to the amazing artists over at yankee tattoo.

To anyone who is curious, they are the eyes of Horus (Google Egyptian Mythology)

The Right Eye of Horus represents concrete factual information controlled by the left brain. It deals with words, letters, and numbers and those things which are describable in terms of sentences or complete thoughts. It approaches the universe in terms of male oriented ideation.


The Left Eye of Horus represents abstract aesthetic information controlled by the right brain. It deals with esoteric thoughts and feelings and is responsible for intuition. It approaches the universe in terms of female oriented ideation. We use the Left Eye, female oriented, right side of our brain for feeling and intuition.

Club Metronome March 4th

2K Deep can be best described as a coalition of gang bangin' DJs from Burlington, VT. Their crew axiom is to bring to the floor the craziest, loudest, most in-your-face bassline business one can imagine on a club system. Throwing down a mashup of genres at every show, there are no limits to what 2K Deep can play for the crowd. Ranging in styles from electro house to dubstep to drum and bass, the 2K Deep Crew’s sets are never predictable and the DJs thrive on this factor. They believe it is crucial to twist their sets together with multiple genres, mixed in seamlessly, to always keep the audience guessing, "What will come next?" If you want to rage to something fresh every time, this is the crew that delivers. Guaranteed to start as a rave, and end in a riot.

I recommend going. I know I am :P

PARTY HARD!!!!!

State of the Union

When watching President Obama's State of the Union address, my brain reacted in a few different ways. Issues that I believed to be important caused almost subconscious verbal commentary as well as an emotional connections to what was being said. I noticed that my limbic brain was being stimulated through television images and my neocortex was being stimulated because of personal opinions and bias that i have being touched upon in the address. The address caught my attention and held it for quite some time.

I also noticed that at least 4/5 of the 8 media culture shifts were touched upon in the speech. A personal/aesthetic shift can be seen through the way Obama encourage more citizens to buy products and help feed the economy while throwing in humor to lighten the deliverance of the message. There was an economic shift in the way that Obama has basically declared a complete revamp of the current economy, strongly focused on the lives and wealth of the individual private business owner. A discursive shift can also be seen in the way Obama put himself in the line of fire from Congress while saying things addressing the truth of where all of our money is going (beside for war of course) and how it shouldn't be making the rich richer, but helping the struggling family get back onto its feet.

Obama used an assortment of value messages, hitting key issues related to family needs in a time of hardship. He also used generic examples and allusions to make an emotional transfer with not only the people of the united states but also with Congress. I also noticed that there were no commercials during the speech, making it feel longer but also keeping the focus on the president and his words. It deters the viewers from missing any part of the address.

There were many persuasion techniques used during the speech. Flattery, bandwagon, simple solutions, rhetorical questions, straw man (directed toward republicans), humor, plain folks (a popular one used by many presidents), repetition, nostalgia, beautiful people (if you seem to find Obama attractive), group dynamics (Obama's favorite), strength, some card stacking, and timing were all used.

My one sentence thesis of Obama's speech would be this: We are rebuilding a stronger, more secure society focused on the lives of the everyday family.

- Massive tax cuts on all small businesses
- An increase in federal aid for students
- The removal of inactive but stationed troops in Iraq

Me and my life

Hey, my name is Brian Esola and I am from City Island (Bronx), New York.

I do work professionally as a freelance photographer and over the Christmas break I shoot some local sports events, such as high school football games and whatnot.

One thing that I like about the 21st century media culture is the ease at which I can market my skateboarding products. I own a VERY small skateboarding products company called SK8 N.Y.C. (see what I mean about ease of marketing!) which produces tee shirts, hats, and skateboard decks. The internet helps a ton with product pushing and reaching a wider audience.One thing that I do not like about 21st century media culture is corporate mass advertising (specifically the frequency of advertisements and the length of on-air commercials).

My future, if all goes as planned, should consist of the establishment of online and in-store retailers for my skateboarding products AND the creating of my new company, currently in the making. I want to be successful by my own hands, using my own original ideas and thoughts to create quality, inexpensive products for the average and everyday consumer.

^_^ (SK8 N.Y.C.)




The above video is of our team being hassled by a man and his wife at a local park. Although we were about 70 yards away from this man and his family, the park has another 12 acres for them to be in. We just needed this 40 ft by 20 ft area. Guess he didn't like that? Oh the power of stereotypes.