Hello!
I've been rather silent on the blogging front for a while, since I've been busy with coursework. Today I handed in my work for the Journalism Writing module: some news stories, that profile about classmate Aaron I mentioned before and a feature. The feature had to show off the diversity of Bristol culture so I decided to speak to some comic artists about the comic/zine community in Bristol. Many thanks to Simon Moreton and Paula Knight for speaking to me, it was a really fun piece to write!
A couple of weeks ago I got my camera back from being repaired at Black on White and made good use of it by covering a rally held by the University of Bristol Students' Union (UBU) to challenge misconceptions about rape.
Mark with a placard.
Imogen Palmer of UBU talking to a student
I took more photos at the event, as well as attending a press launch for Bristol City Council's campaign to raise awareness of the fact that victims are not to blame. I'll be putting the audio and photos I got from the day into a package for radio/online as part of an assignment, so watch this space!
Tuesday 3 December 2013
Monday 18 November 2013
News/Current Affairs Blog 3: BBC Click
Another uni coursework piece! Actually found this a pretty interesting show.
BBC News: Click
24m 5s
First broadcast 1.30am Sat 16 November 2013
Click is the BBC’s flagship technology programme, presented by Spencer Kelly. It comprises current news features, as well as a section with tech headlines and Webscape, which features websites and smartphone apps that may be useful or entertaining.
In this episode, Kelly is on location in Tokyo. He begins the show with a feature about smart taxis.
The next feature is about technology that helps the elderly in Japan, reported on by Dan Simmons. First up is a robot suit that helps older people continue with agricultural work. As well as interviewing a Professor from the Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology to provide a sense of authority, the feature includes a more human angle. A 68-year old man is filmed using the suit and at home with his wife. I think this is really helpful in connecting viewers to technology. Without the personal angle it is easy to just think of a technological feature as something from the future that doesn’t have any practical applications.
The feature continues with more tech aimed at the elderly: a self-driving trolley and a seal robot. Another Professor of Technology is interviewed, as well as a care home resident. These interviewees provide authority and a human angle, as with the robot suit segment.
The show then cuts back to Kelly, who introduces the tech news. In a huge contrast to the feature about tech aimed at Japan’s ageing population, two of the stories are about social networks, while another is on a business venture of Justin Bieber’s. This seems strange to me, as I doubt people who are interested in hearing about Justin Bieber are going to want to watch a show that primarily concentrates on the elderly.
Next up is a feature about the launch of Sony’s Playstation 4, which I would say fits better with the interests of people who are interested in news related to social networks. Mark Cieslak appears in a studio set up to look like a living room to demonstrate some of the features of the console. For people who aren’t particularly enthusiastic about searching out technology news, this seems like quite a useful segment. Even as a tech enthusiast, I hadn’t had a chance to see what was new with the PS4, so I learnt a bit about the console by watching this feature.
We’re then back to Kelly, who shows off an underground bike storage system in Tokyo, which again fits with a younger audience who primarily cycle, as they may not be able to afford to drive.
Finally, Kate Russell presents Webscape, which includes information on some travel-related apps and a job hunting site.
Overall, this show seems very targeted at younger people who encounter technology in daily life but perhaps need to know a bit more about it, without feeling alienated by arcane details. Using a human angle in the most obscure section, which is about tech for elderly people, certainly helps to connect this demographic with the tech. The rest of the show features topics that are directly relevant to an audience of young professionals.
BBC News: Click
24m 5s
First broadcast 1.30am Sat 16 November 2013
Click is the BBC’s flagship technology programme, presented by Spencer Kelly. It comprises current news features, as well as a section with tech headlines and Webscape, which features websites and smartphone apps that may be useful or entertaining.
In this episode, Kelly is on location in Tokyo. He begins the show with a feature about smart taxis.
The next feature is about technology that helps the elderly in Japan, reported on by Dan Simmons. First up is a robot suit that helps older people continue with agricultural work. As well as interviewing a Professor from the Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology to provide a sense of authority, the feature includes a more human angle. A 68-year old man is filmed using the suit and at home with his wife. I think this is really helpful in connecting viewers to technology. Without the personal angle it is easy to just think of a technological feature as something from the future that doesn’t have any practical applications.
The feature continues with more tech aimed at the elderly: a self-driving trolley and a seal robot. Another Professor of Technology is interviewed, as well as a care home resident. These interviewees provide authority and a human angle, as with the robot suit segment.
The show then cuts back to Kelly, who introduces the tech news. In a huge contrast to the feature about tech aimed at Japan’s ageing population, two of the stories are about social networks, while another is on a business venture of Justin Bieber’s. This seems strange to me, as I doubt people who are interested in hearing about Justin Bieber are going to want to watch a show that primarily concentrates on the elderly.
Next up is a feature about the launch of Sony’s Playstation 4, which I would say fits better with the interests of people who are interested in news related to social networks. Mark Cieslak appears in a studio set up to look like a living room to demonstrate some of the features of the console. For people who aren’t particularly enthusiastic about searching out technology news, this seems like quite a useful segment. Even as a tech enthusiast, I hadn’t had a chance to see what was new with the PS4, so I learnt a bit about the console by watching this feature.
We’re then back to Kelly, who shows off an underground bike storage system in Tokyo, which again fits with a younger audience who primarily cycle, as they may not be able to afford to drive.
Finally, Kate Russell presents Webscape, which includes information on some travel-related apps and a job hunting site.
Overall, this show seems very targeted at younger people who encounter technology in daily life but perhaps need to know a bit more about it, without feeling alienated by arcane details. Using a human angle in the most obscure section, which is about tech for elderly people, certainly helps to connect this demographic with the tech. The rest of the show features topics that are directly relevant to an audience of young professionals.
Labels:
bbc news,
click,
coursework,
journalism
Monday 11 November 2013
News/Current Affairs Blog 2: BBC Click
Next post for my Journalism Writing module - I don't think C4 had another First Cut on this week so I went with this instead.#
BBC News: Click
24m 43s
First broadcast 1.30am Sat 9 November 2013
Click is the BBC’s flagship technology programme, presented by Spencer Kelly. It comprises current news features, as well as a section with tech headlines and Webscape, which features websites and smartphone apps that may be useful or entertaining.
The first feature is about the rise of file-sharing site Bit Torrent, and how the company is trying to shed its reputation for being a piracy haven. The most interesting technique used here is superimposing diagrams and graphs onto footage of Kelly. This means he can use gestures to help explain how torrenting works, which makes it a lot clearer. I think it’s a great use of a visual medium.
Some interview clips of the Director of Analysis of NetNames, the creator of Breaking Bad and two actors from Game of Thrones are used to provide different views on piracy. The TV show interviewees are against backgrounds that feature a poster of their respective shows. David Price of NetNames first appears in front of a map of the world, which presumably shows piracy activity, although this is not made clear. The second time he is shown, a bright, messy background that quite frankly distracting is used. It really doesn’t add anything and just looks hideous.
The feature is concluded with a reporter interviewing Bit Torrent founder, Bram Cohen. The reporter is included in this interview, which could be for a few reasons. It seems more natural to feature this as a conversation, since it is an extended take, rather than short clips. The reporter also offers explanations in layman’s terms and adds extra context to the interview, which is important to avoid the audience feeling detached from a technical subject.
The technology news section is a voiceover with some relevant clips on the screen. The headline for each news item is displayed throughout.
Kelly then introduces a feature on Game City, a video game festival in Nottingham. It seems odd that the way he talks about it is like it is a new event, but the feature reporter says it is the 8th annual Game City event. I would guess that Click is aimed at people who don’t know much about technology, so it is reasonable to expect that they have never heard of the event before.
The feature is reported on by Mark Cieslak, who is filmed in Nottingham and at the event, as well as providing voiceover for clips of the event. Some developers are interviewed, with footage of their games appearing on screen.
Finally, the show returns to Kelly in the studio, where he introduces the Webscape segment. This is presented by Kate Russell. Clips of apps/websites are shown with a frame designed to look like a web browser. The address bar has the website/name of the app in, which is useful. Russell explains what the apps are for, and after screenshots are displayed, she is shown next to a screen in a studio. This stops the show from seeming too impersonal. I think it’s important to have the presenters and reporters on screen from time to time, to keep up engagement with the audience.
For such a short programme, they actually manage to fit a fair amount in. The Bit Torrent feature was around 10 minutes long, taking up just under half of the airtime. This seems like a reasonable amount of time to spend on a feature, especially as there was a range of interviewees included, as well as some technical information.
The Game City feature was also interesting, although as mentioned before, I take issue with the fact it was introduced as a brand new event. The tech headlines are good to include, but I feel that Webscape isn’t best suited to television. It would work a lot better online, with links to the content. However, it could be argued that showcasing features like Webscape on TV allows the BBC to reach a more diverse audience - people who watch Click aren't necessarily trying to seek out information on technology. I imagine people stumble across this show when watching BBC News and it has to be interesting and entertaining to hold their attention. This is evident from the opening, which is a visual joke in which Kelly has failed to load due to a bandwidth error.
BBC News: Click
24m 43s
First broadcast 1.30am Sat 9 November 2013
Click is the BBC’s flagship technology programme, presented by Spencer Kelly. It comprises current news features, as well as a section with tech headlines and Webscape, which features websites and smartphone apps that may be useful or entertaining.
The first feature is about the rise of file-sharing site Bit Torrent, and how the company is trying to shed its reputation for being a piracy haven. The most interesting technique used here is superimposing diagrams and graphs onto footage of Kelly. This means he can use gestures to help explain how torrenting works, which makes it a lot clearer. I think it’s a great use of a visual medium.
Some interview clips of the Director of Analysis of NetNames, the creator of Breaking Bad and two actors from Game of Thrones are used to provide different views on piracy. The TV show interviewees are against backgrounds that feature a poster of their respective shows. David Price of NetNames first appears in front of a map of the world, which presumably shows piracy activity, although this is not made clear. The second time he is shown, a bright, messy background that quite frankly distracting is used. It really doesn’t add anything and just looks hideous.
The feature is concluded with a reporter interviewing Bit Torrent founder, Bram Cohen. The reporter is included in this interview, which could be for a few reasons. It seems more natural to feature this as a conversation, since it is an extended take, rather than short clips. The reporter also offers explanations in layman’s terms and adds extra context to the interview, which is important to avoid the audience feeling detached from a technical subject.
The technology news section is a voiceover with some relevant clips on the screen. The headline for each news item is displayed throughout.
Kelly then introduces a feature on Game City, a video game festival in Nottingham. It seems odd that the way he talks about it is like it is a new event, but the feature reporter says it is the 8th annual Game City event. I would guess that Click is aimed at people who don’t know much about technology, so it is reasonable to expect that they have never heard of the event before.
The feature is reported on by Mark Cieslak, who is filmed in Nottingham and at the event, as well as providing voiceover for clips of the event. Some developers are interviewed, with footage of their games appearing on screen.
Finally, the show returns to Kelly in the studio, where he introduces the Webscape segment. This is presented by Kate Russell. Clips of apps/websites are shown with a frame designed to look like a web browser. The address bar has the website/name of the app in, which is useful. Russell explains what the apps are for, and after screenshots are displayed, she is shown next to a screen in a studio. This stops the show from seeming too impersonal. I think it’s important to have the presenters and reporters on screen from time to time, to keep up engagement with the audience.
For such a short programme, they actually manage to fit a fair amount in. The Bit Torrent feature was around 10 minutes long, taking up just under half of the airtime. This seems like a reasonable amount of time to spend on a feature, especially as there was a range of interviewees included, as well as some technical information.
The Game City feature was also interesting, although as mentioned before, I take issue with the fact it was introduced as a brand new event. The tech headlines are good to include, but I feel that Webscape isn’t best suited to television. It would work a lot better online, with links to the content. However, it could be argued that showcasing features like Webscape on TV allows the BBC to reach a more diverse audience - people who watch Click aren't necessarily trying to seek out information on technology. I imagine people stumble across this show when watching BBC News and it has to be interesting and entertaining to hold their attention. This is evident from the opening, which is a visual joke in which Kelly has failed to load due to a bandwidth error.
Labels:
bbc news,
click,
coursework,
journalism
Saturday 2 November 2013
News/Current Affairs Blog 1: C4 How to Find the Perfect Flatmate
For my Journalism Writing unit, I have to blog about a few current affairs/news programmes, so here's the first one!
Channel 4: How to Find the Perfect Flatmate
46m 29s
First broadcast 10.45pm Wed 23 October 2013
This programme comes from the First Cut strand of C4 factual programming, which aims to give new directors a visible slot on C4. The C4 commissioning advice for this strand states “At 11pm the subject, tone and title should demand to be seen and feel like a treat rather than homework to watch.” This is fairly evident within the first thirty seconds or so of the show, in which strong language is used. This sets an informal tone for the next 40 minutes.
The introduction, formed of clips from later on in the show, is narrated by an unseen reporter. This style continues throughout. The reporter is more of a narrator figure. She does not actually ask questions of the people featured; her exposition of the topic frames clips of the programme’s subjects.
The topic of this show is the rising numbers of people in their mid-20s and beyond who have to flatshare (termed ‘Generation Rent’). This has been reported on in the news recently, making it a good subject to expand upon in a feature. The show intends to give viewers advice on finding a flatmate, with the programme being broken up into sections concerning the “Rules of Finding the Perfect Flatmate”.
Filming took place in London, which is where the issue of people not being able to find somewhere to live is most common. This gives the producers plenty of fodder in terms of interviewees. The medium of television is appropriate as it allows people’s emotions and views to come across visually, engaging the audience more. Some statistics are provided sporadically throughout the programme. This means viewers aren’t overloaded with information that is difficult to digest.
There are five main people/groups of people that are featured in this programme. Only one of these is actually someone looking for a room, which may seem like the show is imbalanced, but there are plenty more interviewees included throughout. Around 20 people between the ages of 20 and 40 have been interviewed about their experiences flat-hunting. These people have been shot against a plain white background – presumably so we cannot make any judgments about them beyond their appearance. We don’t necessarily need any more context, such as their occupation, just the fact that they have experienced the issue covered by the documentary. In contrast, more details is given the main subjects of the show e.g. Naomi is filmed in the financial district of London when her search for a flatmate is introduced.
Soundbites from the unnamed interviewees are inserted into the programme, in the middle of segments about the main subjects of the show. This is a good way for the makers of the programme to inject alternative opinions into viewers’ minds. For example, comments about “weird” flatmates interject the sections about landlord Gerald. I personally feel that this seems like they are trying to cast him as a bit of an oddball, which may not be fair. This view is not explicitly expressed, but the juxtaposition of Gerald scenes and the rules for finding a flatmate definitely more than hint at painting him as the awkward landlord who is having trouble in his tenant search because of his “less professional” approach.
I quite enjoyed the show - it gave some insight into websites that help people find places to rent and the idea of speed-flatmating, as well as being fairly entertaining. However, I do feel a bit like the producers tried to select people who conformed to some sort of stereotype: Scott as the openly gay male, Gerald as an unusual loner and Max/Jay as lads on the prowl. This makes it more obvious that they have found a range of people to feature in the show, but it does make me feel somewhat uncomfortable as they may have played up these aspects of the subjects purely for some kind of entertainment purpose, by selecting clips that conform to these roles. In particular, I feel like the narrator is somewhat judgmental – not overtly offering a view, but making sardonic comments such as “wine at 11.15am” – seemingly leaving it up to the viewers to make a judgment while steering them in a particular direction.
Interestingly, the programme conclusion reveals that none of the people followed in the programme actually find a flatmate. This raises a question – if there is such a problem with people finding somewhere to live, why is it so hard for these people to fill their spare rooms?
Channel 4: How to Find the Perfect Flatmate
46m 29s
First broadcast 10.45pm Wed 23 October 2013
This programme comes from the First Cut strand of C4 factual programming, which aims to give new directors a visible slot on C4. The C4 commissioning advice for this strand states “At 11pm the subject, tone and title should demand to be seen and feel like a treat rather than homework to watch.” This is fairly evident within the first thirty seconds or so of the show, in which strong language is used. This sets an informal tone for the next 40 minutes.
The introduction, formed of clips from later on in the show, is narrated by an unseen reporter. This style continues throughout. The reporter is more of a narrator figure. She does not actually ask questions of the people featured; her exposition of the topic frames clips of the programme’s subjects.
The topic of this show is the rising numbers of people in their mid-20s and beyond who have to flatshare (termed ‘Generation Rent’). This has been reported on in the news recently, making it a good subject to expand upon in a feature. The show intends to give viewers advice on finding a flatmate, with the programme being broken up into sections concerning the “Rules of Finding the Perfect Flatmate”.
Filming took place in London, which is where the issue of people not being able to find somewhere to live is most common. This gives the producers plenty of fodder in terms of interviewees. The medium of television is appropriate as it allows people’s emotions and views to come across visually, engaging the audience more. Some statistics are provided sporadically throughout the programme. This means viewers aren’t overloaded with information that is difficult to digest.
There are five main people/groups of people that are featured in this programme. Only one of these is actually someone looking for a room, which may seem like the show is imbalanced, but there are plenty more interviewees included throughout. Around 20 people between the ages of 20 and 40 have been interviewed about their experiences flat-hunting. These people have been shot against a plain white background – presumably so we cannot make any judgments about them beyond their appearance. We don’t necessarily need any more context, such as their occupation, just the fact that they have experienced the issue covered by the documentary. In contrast, more details is given the main subjects of the show e.g. Naomi is filmed in the financial district of London when her search for a flatmate is introduced.
Soundbites from the unnamed interviewees are inserted into the programme, in the middle of segments about the main subjects of the show. This is a good way for the makers of the programme to inject alternative opinions into viewers’ minds. For example, comments about “weird” flatmates interject the sections about landlord Gerald. I personally feel that this seems like they are trying to cast him as a bit of an oddball, which may not be fair. This view is not explicitly expressed, but the juxtaposition of Gerald scenes and the rules for finding a flatmate definitely more than hint at painting him as the awkward landlord who is having trouble in his tenant search because of his “less professional” approach.
I quite enjoyed the show - it gave some insight into websites that help people find places to rent and the idea of speed-flatmating, as well as being fairly entertaining. However, I do feel a bit like the producers tried to select people who conformed to some sort of stereotype: Scott as the openly gay male, Gerald as an unusual loner and Max/Jay as lads on the prowl. This makes it more obvious that they have found a range of people to feature in the show, but it does make me feel somewhat uncomfortable as they may have played up these aspects of the subjects purely for some kind of entertainment purpose, by selecting clips that conform to these roles. In particular, I feel like the narrator is somewhat judgmental – not overtly offering a view, but making sardonic comments such as “wine at 11.15am” – seemingly leaving it up to the viewers to make a judgment while steering them in a particular direction.
Interestingly, the programme conclusion reveals that none of the people followed in the programme actually find a flatmate. This raises a question – if there is such a problem with people finding somewhere to live, why is it so hard for these people to fill their spare rooms?
Labels:
channel 4,
coursework,
first cuts,
journalism
Monday 28 October 2013
Write Blog, Not Homework
Trying to make up a word limit is hard sometimes, especially when people you telephone are not forthcoming with information ): I keep being told to look online for answers to questions, when what I really want is a statement from a person of authority.
I've been busy busy with uni work and other things, so it's been a while since I last blogged. I also managed to sprain my ankle on Thursday - it just gave way while I was walking along the pavement, so I'm hobbling about and housebound (at least until lectures tomorrow) since stairs are very difficult to go down, and I live up three flights of them.
There was a 0 hour game jam on Sunday, because of the clocks going back an hour for Daylight Saving Time, so I thought I'd give it a go since I haven't coded anything for a while. It turns out it's not really enough time to do anything, especially given that I didn't have any idea what I was going to make when I started. I made a sort-of-but-not-really RPG, kindly hosted by Mark, who also took part in the jam. I spent far too long fiddling with pixels instead of checking everything worked as intended, so there's a fun "feature" if you try to take a particular action near the end.
It was mum's birthday last week, so I painted some leaves for her. First time I've got out the watercolours since I did the course earlier this year...
Leaves were what I really struggled with during the classes, so I might do some more practice at some point - if I get any free time! Journalism is about to get more full-on next week, as we'll be starting the project unit and doing newsdays on Fridays. I did manage to relax this weekend and play some games - I've got a 3DS XL now and Pokémon X, early Christmas present - so who knows, maybe I can sit around painting all weekend in the near future. I hope.
I've been busy busy with uni work and other things, so it's been a while since I last blogged. I also managed to sprain my ankle on Thursday - it just gave way while I was walking along the pavement, so I'm hobbling about and housebound (at least until lectures tomorrow) since stairs are very difficult to go down, and I live up three flights of them.
There was a 0 hour game jam on Sunday, because of the clocks going back an hour for Daylight Saving Time, so I thought I'd give it a go since I haven't coded anything for a while. It turns out it's not really enough time to do anything, especially given that I didn't have any idea what I was going to make when I started. I made a sort-of-but-not-really RPG, kindly hosted by Mark, who also took part in the jam. I spent far too long fiddling with pixels instead of checking everything worked as intended, so there's a fun "feature" if you try to take a particular action near the end.
It was mum's birthday last week, so I painted some leaves for her. First time I've got out the watercolours since I did the course earlier this year...
Leaves were what I really struggled with during the classes, so I might do some more practice at some point - if I get any free time! Journalism is about to get more full-on next week, as we'll be starting the project unit and doing newsdays on Fridays. I did manage to relax this weekend and play some games - I've got a 3DS XL now and Pokémon X, early Christmas present - so who knows, maybe I can sit around painting all weekend in the near future. I hope.
Labels:
art,
coding,
games,
journalism
Friday 4 October 2013
Drowning in Ill
Ughhhh I have some kind of hideous cold thing that I picked up from my flatmate. How rude of him to pass it on. This is making it very difficult to concentrate on anything, since my head is feeling all stuffy and pressured. Nevetherless, I just about managed to get through today's 9 - 4 multimedia marathon.
I'll go back to the start of this week, though. Nicole and I did more vox pops on Monday, actually on the streets of Bristol. It was interesting to note that middle-aged women seemed mostly likely to totally ignore us, while male uni students were intrigued by the microphone and willing to answer our questions about the new fertility clinic for single women at Southmead Hospital. We had to follow this up with an interview, and mistakenly thought the interview had to be on the same topic as the vox pops. This led to a panicked Thursday, not helped at all by Giffgaff refusing to actually send Nicole any of my texts, in which we wrangled with an uncooperative press officer to no avail. In the end we went to the University of Bristol Students' Union (UBU) and spoke to the lovely Imogen Palmer, Vice-President of Activities, about the alternative activities UBU offered to freshers. President Rob Griffiths wrote an article about the prevalence of drinking culture, so we thought talking to Imogen would be a good follow-up. Even though we just turned up without warning, she was willing to be interviewed, so we were quite lucky!
I haven't done much else apart from uni work this week, due to wanting to hide in bed 90% of the time. Went to the first COGS social last night, but it was far too warm and noisy for my poor ill brain to cope with. Pretty good turnout of new members though, so I'm looking forward to the LAN next week.
This week, we have to produce an audio package for Friday, so I need to get thinking. We're not supposed to do assignments alone for safety reasons, so these are all in pairs (except us this week - odd number in the class so Verity will be joining Nicole and me). I've worked out that I can actually have a nice break this weekend, so I'll just do some reading. Aside from that, I'm off to the Bristol Comic and Zine Fair with Sara and Mark tomorrow, so maybe I'll pick up some cool stuff.
Oh yeah, totally forgot to mention my poor camera last time. One of the pins in the CF card slot has snapped off, so, no camera for now. Until I can sort out a repair. Cleverly left my compact in London, so all I have now is my phone and a film camera. ):
Ok my brain is too blurry to anything right now so I am going to huddle in my duvet.
I'll go back to the start of this week, though. Nicole and I did more vox pops on Monday, actually on the streets of Bristol. It was interesting to note that middle-aged women seemed mostly likely to totally ignore us, while male uni students were intrigued by the microphone and willing to answer our questions about the new fertility clinic for single women at Southmead Hospital. We had to follow this up with an interview, and mistakenly thought the interview had to be on the same topic as the vox pops. This led to a panicked Thursday, not helped at all by Giffgaff refusing to actually send Nicole any of my texts, in which we wrangled with an uncooperative press officer to no avail. In the end we went to the University of Bristol Students' Union (UBU) and spoke to the lovely Imogen Palmer, Vice-President of Activities, about the alternative activities UBU offered to freshers. President Rob Griffiths wrote an article about the prevalence of drinking culture, so we thought talking to Imogen would be a good follow-up. Even though we just turned up without warning, she was willing to be interviewed, so we were quite lucky!
I haven't done much else apart from uni work this week, due to wanting to hide in bed 90% of the time. Went to the first COGS social last night, but it was far too warm and noisy for my poor ill brain to cope with. Pretty good turnout of new members though, so I'm looking forward to the LAN next week.
This week, we have to produce an audio package for Friday, so I need to get thinking. We're not supposed to do assignments alone for safety reasons, so these are all in pairs (except us this week - odd number in the class so Verity will be joining Nicole and me). I've worked out that I can actually have a nice break this weekend, so I'll just do some reading. Aside from that, I'm off to the Bristol Comic and Zine Fair with Sara and Mark tomorrow, so maybe I'll pick up some cool stuff.
Oh yeah, totally forgot to mention my poor camera last time. One of the pins in the CF card slot has snapped off, so, no camera for now. Until I can sort out a repair. Cleverly left my compact in London, so all I have now is my phone and a film camera. ):
Ok my brain is too blurry to anything right now so I am going to huddle in my duvet.
Labels:
journalism
Saturday 28 September 2013
UWE Time
Hihi, I have finally started lectures at the University of the West of England for an MA in Journalism! We've already got stuck in and I'm currently forgoing my weekend and catching up on some homework, having ill-advisedly spent my free weekdays not doing any work.
We started with an introductory lecture on Media Law and Ethics, followed by a seminar and then a three hour Journalism Writing workshop, where we discovered the joys of "dalek chairs" (which I've just found out is actually the Node by Steelcase). After whizzing around like small children for a bit, we were paired up and set the task of interviewing our partners. With no preparation. Just like that.
Yeah, it was kind of hard.
I'm now writing up the scribbled intro and notes, attempting to form a coherent article, yet realising I have a number of gaps that only further interviewing would be able to fill. Top it off with the fact my partner, Aaron, already known as Rowing Guy, has forbidden me from mentiong the r-word in my article.
As well as the packed day on Tuesday, we had a 9 - 4(ish) workshop yesterday on Multimedia Journalism. Again, thrown totally into the deep end by being instructed to pair up and get vox pops from people on campus about the recent controversy caused by Tesco and Asda releasing (and subsequently withdrawing) some poorly thought out Halloween costumes. We had a few minutes to prepare, but Nicole and I were pretty nervous and kept dithering near people, not knowing whether they'd react well to being approached. Listening back to all the vox pops everyone had recorded, we were told we'd clearly drawn the short straw with the rather...odd responses we received. It's ok, we'll get a further opportunity to practice on Monday, when Nicole and I are heading out to the streets of Bristol to start our homework of recording more vox pops and a short interview. Goodness knows what it's going to be on!
Right, probably time to get back to work, or else I'll be drowning in it come Tuesday.
Oh yes, on a side note, the buses in Bristol are awful. Get good, Wessex. Thanks.
We started with an introductory lecture on Media Law and Ethics, followed by a seminar and then a three hour Journalism Writing workshop, where we discovered the joys of "dalek chairs" (which I've just found out is actually the Node by Steelcase). After whizzing around like small children for a bit, we were paired up and set the task of interviewing our partners. With no preparation. Just like that.
Yeah, it was kind of hard.
I'm now writing up the scribbled intro and notes, attempting to form a coherent article, yet realising I have a number of gaps that only further interviewing would be able to fill. Top it off with the fact my partner, Aaron, already known as Rowing Guy, has forbidden me from mentiong the r-word in my article.
As well as the packed day on Tuesday, we had a 9 - 4(ish) workshop yesterday on Multimedia Journalism. Again, thrown totally into the deep end by being instructed to pair up and get vox pops from people on campus about the recent controversy caused by Tesco and Asda releasing (and subsequently withdrawing) some poorly thought out Halloween costumes. We had a few minutes to prepare, but Nicole and I were pretty nervous and kept dithering near people, not knowing whether they'd react well to being approached. Listening back to all the vox pops everyone had recorded, we were told we'd clearly drawn the short straw with the rather...odd responses we received. It's ok, we'll get a further opportunity to practice on Monday, when Nicole and I are heading out to the streets of Bristol to start our homework of recording more vox pops and a short interview. Goodness knows what it's going to be on!
Right, probably time to get back to work, or else I'll be drowning in it come Tuesday.
Oh yes, on a side note, the buses in Bristol are awful. Get good, Wessex. Thanks.
Labels:
journalism,
university,
uwe
Sunday 1 September 2013
Correct Country
Hi, Internet. I have been back in the correct country for a little while, having returned from Malaysia. I am excited to start my new course, MA Journalism, later this month, but until then I have very little to do so I've been trying to tackle my Steam backlog and get some reading done. Currently working my way through Deus Ex: Human Revolution, which is fairly enjoyable (save for the ludicrously difficult bosses). Made a trip to the library to help my younger sister find some books to read; we ended up with a large stack of books and she is getting through them far quicker than I am. Since I started university, I've not read as much as I used to and when I do read, I do so at a more leisurely pace.
I'm back in London for a few days as I went to see Franz Ferdinand play an album launch show, was good fun! It's pretty exciting to see someone live for the first time when you've listened to them for 10 years, plus their new album is rather good. I'm going to the BBC Proms tomorrow with my family and then it's back to Bristol for me, until the end of term, most likely.
Lastly, here is a drawing I did last week when my brain decided it needed a break from sneaking around corners sniping people in the head:
I'm back in London for a few days as I went to see Franz Ferdinand play an album launch show, was good fun! It's pretty exciting to see someone live for the first time when you've listened to them for 10 years, plus their new album is rather good. I'm going to the BBC Proms tomorrow with my family and then it's back to Bristol for me, until the end of term, most likely.
Lastly, here is a drawing I did last week when my brain decided it needed a break from sneaking around corners sniping people in the head:
Labels:
drawing
Monday 17 June 2013
Green Tea Panna Cotta
Adapted from a BBC Food recipe
The other day, I decided that I wanted to make something with green tea in, so I scoured the internets and found a recipe for panna cotta. I had some Vege Gel (vegetarian gelatine) left over from making jelly for a vegetarian friend, so I thought I would have a go at adapting the recipe to make it veggie-safe.
Serves 2
Ingredients:
- Half a sachet of Vege Gel (one sheet of leaf gelatine)
- 50ml milk
- 200ml double cream
- 2 heaped tablespoons sugar
- 1 green tea teabag (I used green tea with peach infusion)
- Generous sprinkling of cinnamon
Directions:
1. Grease two ramekins with sunflower oil.
2. Add milk, cream, sugar, teabag, cinnamon and Vege Gel to a saucepan and mix.
3. Heat the mixture at a low temperature and graduaally bring it to a boil, then remove it from the heat.
4. Pour into ramekins and leave to cool.
5. Chill for at least four hours in the fridge.
The other day, I decided that I wanted to make something with green tea in, so I scoured the internets and found a recipe for panna cotta. I had some Vege Gel (vegetarian gelatine) left over from making jelly for a vegetarian friend, so I thought I would have a go at adapting the recipe to make it veggie-safe.
Serves 2
Ingredients:
- Half a sachet of Vege Gel (one sheet of leaf gelatine)
- 50ml milk
- 200ml double cream
- 2 heaped tablespoons sugar
- 1 green tea teabag (I used green tea with peach infusion)
- Generous sprinkling of cinnamon
Directions:
1. Grease two ramekins with sunflower oil.
2. Add milk, cream, sugar, teabag, cinnamon and Vege Gel to a saucepan and mix.
3. Heat the mixture at a low temperature and graduaally bring it to a boil, then remove it from the heat.
4. Pour into ramekins and leave to cool.
5. Chill for at least four hours in the fridge.
Labels:
recipe
Monday 27 May 2013
Various Drawings
Don't worry, I haven't given up on the 30-day challenge yet...just struggling to find a photo to work from. In the meantime, have some other drawings:
This is a zebra. I have some calligraphy pens that I use very rarely; turns out they are good for zebra stripes.
I was discussing opticians with some friends and someone came up with Optic Ian. Two things to note from the these photos: 1) I really must work on getting limbs in proportion 2) My figures would probably look better with shadows under their feet, rather than floating in mid-air.
Here is a rolly man. He is rolling off this page and telling you to come too, because it contains disaster dragons and a lame llama.
I met up with a friend in Boston Tea Party just now and I took my sketchbook along. After the aforementioned fail page of creatures, I decided to draw something I could actually see, so this is a little teapot that had Darjeeling tea in. Drawn only in 5B pencil, because changing pencils is too much effort, or something.
Finally, a creative-technical-type friend of mine discovered an interesting website that allows you to earn skill patches for real-life skills. While some of the challenges seem restrictive, I am tempted to try out a couple so I have a starting point to work from, but I really should finish the 30-day challenge first.
Finally, a creative-technical-type friend of mine discovered an interesting website that allows you to earn skill patches for real-life skills. While some of the challenges seem restrictive, I am tempted to try out a couple so I have a starting point to work from, but I really should finish the 30-day challenge first.
Friday 10 May 2013
30-Day Art Challenge - Day #2: Draw a figure from a reference
Challenge details
After about an hour crowdsourcing ideas for who to draw (no thanks to you, BUNCS - Spongebob Squarepants is NOT a person), I settled on Gendry from Game of Thrones, but I couldn't find a suitable photo. I ended up with this but he was doing something funny with his eyes and I was sick of looking for pictures so I decided to draw Arya Stark instead.
The figure itself wasn't too difficult, aside from the heavy jacket, but it was a real challenge making the face look like Arya. First it looked like some kind of teenage version of her, so I scrapped that and redrew it. I still don't think it's quite right, but it'll have to do. I think it was just difficult to draw a face so small, since I am used to drawing portraits of people that only include the face. In addition, I usually draw men so transitioning to drawing a girl was a bit odd. Anyway, here she is:
Looking at it now, the shoulder is also a bit wonky, but her clothing pretty much covers her figure up so much that it is hard to distinguish what is going on.
After about an hour crowdsourcing ideas for who to draw (no thanks to you, BUNCS - Spongebob Squarepants is NOT a person), I settled on Gendry from Game of Thrones, but I couldn't find a suitable photo. I ended up with this but he was doing something funny with his eyes and I was sick of looking for pictures so I decided to draw Arya Stark instead.
The figure itself wasn't too difficult, aside from the heavy jacket, but it was a real challenge making the face look like Arya. First it looked like some kind of teenage version of her, so I scrapped that and redrew it. I still don't think it's quite right, but it'll have to do. I think it was just difficult to draw a face so small, since I am used to drawing portraits of people that only include the face. In addition, I usually draw men so transitioning to drawing a girl was a bit odd. Anyway, here she is:
Looking at it now, the shoulder is also a bit wonky, but her clothing pretty much covers her figure up so much that it is hard to distinguish what is going on.
Labels:
30 day art challenge,
art,
drawing,
game of thrones
Sunday 5 May 2013
Let's Get Down to Business
Business...busy-ness. Get it?
Ahem. I'll see myself out.
Back in London now to look after the small person while mum does jury service. I will resume the drawing challenge tomorrow. Yesterday was a bit hectic with packing and seeing people and today was mostly spent on trains reading Game of Thrones.
I've signed up for a couple of Coursera courses that start on Monday and the Monday after, so we'll see how those go.
Finally, I've booked my tickets to go to Belgium to see a friend who did an Erasmus year at Bristol when I was in first year, yay!
Ahem. I'll see myself out.
Back in London now to look after the small person while mum does jury service. I will resume the drawing challenge tomorrow. Yesterday was a bit hectic with packing and seeing people and today was mostly spent on trains reading Game of Thrones.
I've signed up for a couple of Coursera courses that start on Monday and the Monday after, so we'll see how those go.
Finally, I've booked my tickets to go to Belgium to see a friend who did an Erasmus year at Bristol when I was in first year, yay!
Thursday 2 May 2013
30-Day Art Challenge - Day #1: Self-portrait
Challenge details
First day, and I did this at silly am because who needs to go to bed early when you haven't got anything to get up for? I drew this from a photograph. Max is a giant cat that belongs to my cousins. I went for this mainly because I like kitties, so an actual cat in my self-portrait is perfect :D I got a bit bored after drawing the face and went scribbly, which has led to an inconsistency in detail - not the intended effect.
I'm not entirely sure how to approach this challenge. I mainly draw with pencil or a fine felt-tip pen, but the styles I use for each method of working are quite different. If I want to improve, I feel that I should use the same medium for all the challenges, but but but I want to draw with a pen as well! I could do both, but I'm far too lazy for that, so I think I'll stick with pencil for now and perhaps find a different challenge to do with pen at a later date.
First day, and I did this at silly am because who needs to go to bed early when you haven't got anything to get up for? I drew this from a photograph. Max is a giant cat that belongs to my cousins. I went for this mainly because I like kitties, so an actual cat in my self-portrait is perfect :D I got a bit bored after drawing the face and went scribbly, which has led to an inconsistency in detail - not the intended effect.
I'm not entirely sure how to approach this challenge. I mainly draw with pencil or a fine felt-tip pen, but the styles I use for each method of working are quite different. If I want to improve, I feel that I should use the same medium for all the challenges, but but but I want to draw with a pen as well! I could do both, but I'm far too lazy for that, so I think I'll stick with pencil for now and perhaps find a different challenge to do with pen at a later date.
Drawing
I need more inspiration, so I've decided to do a 30-day art challenge.
Thursday 25 April 2013
Typing
Due to the cable on my gaming mouse dying, I am currently using an ambidextrous mouse that isn't nearly as comfortable. Combined with the bizarre way in which I type, I am now putting an awful lot of strain on my right index finger. While touch typing involves using all of your fingers to cover the entire keyboard, I use my right index finger to cover just over half the keyboard, leaving my left hand to add in letters that are just too far for my right hand to reach. I also type at around 80wpm, going up to 100wpm at full speed. Given that my poor finger is doing most of the work, my joints are not too happy with me at the moment.
To take some of the load off, I decided to learn to touch type properly. This is currently not working too well, as I am now typing at around 15wpm. It is also incredibly frustrating to be forced to type at a much slower speed than I am used to, so I keep finding myself reverting to my old method, but switching in my middle finger. This isn't ideal either, as I will just end up putting too much strain on a different joint. It seems that I have muscle memory in my whole right hand, enabling me to type with any one of my fingers in addition to using my left hand. I've been typing like this for over 10 years now, so this is a pretty difficult habit to break.
I am going to keep on practising touch typing and hopefully I can get up to at least half of my original typing speed by the end of next week...and then in May I will be sent a replacement for my mouse so I will have significantly reduced the stress on my finger. I am fairly sure it's the combination of using this old mouse and my unusual typing style that has led to the joint pain, so eliminating at least one of the factors will hopefully be enough. I don't really want to do myself any permanent damage, especially as I play guitar and piano, so if I can get my touch typing speed up (to speed...heh) I'll be a lot happier.
In other news, I've been quiet since I was away visiting family in NYC and Kansas. It was good fun and really great to meet some cousins closer to my age. Since I've returned to Bristol I have played many board games and I am getting through my list of tasks to do.
To take some of the load off, I decided to learn to touch type properly. This is currently not working too well, as I am now typing at around 15wpm. It is also incredibly frustrating to be forced to type at a much slower speed than I am used to, so I keep finding myself reverting to my old method, but switching in my middle finger. This isn't ideal either, as I will just end up putting too much strain on a different joint. It seems that I have muscle memory in my whole right hand, enabling me to type with any one of my fingers in addition to using my left hand. I've been typing like this for over 10 years now, so this is a pretty difficult habit to break.
I am going to keep on practising touch typing and hopefully I can get up to at least half of my original typing speed by the end of next week...and then in May I will be sent a replacement for my mouse so I will have significantly reduced the stress on my finger. I am fairly sure it's the combination of using this old mouse and my unusual typing style that has led to the joint pain, so eliminating at least one of the factors will hopefully be enough. I don't really want to do myself any permanent damage, especially as I play guitar and piano, so if I can get my touch typing speed up (to speed...heh) I'll be a lot happier.
In other news, I've been quiet since I was away visiting family in NYC and Kansas. It was good fun and really great to meet some cousins closer to my age. Since I've returned to Bristol I have played many board games and I am getting through my list of tasks to do.
Thursday 14 March 2013
Today I Learned: Walking Edition
Today I went for a walk. Not just any walk though, a "brisk walk"! Under doctor's orders, I will be doing more exercise, so after dismissing the idea of sneezing into the UBU swimming pool for an hour, I took my doctor's suggestion of going for a walk.
Now, I regularly walk around Bristol, but I was told it had to be 30 minutes of "brisk" walking to bring my heart rate up. I wondered to myself, since I already walk much faster than the average person, does that not count? I suppose not, as it doesn't make me break out into a sweat, which is what Dr G said should happen. So...I plotted a vague route, taking in the popular joggers' spot of Durdham Downs, checked the temperature outside and set off.
It was awful. Truly, truly awful. The one thing I didn't account for was wind chill. Looking at a couple of websites, three layers were recommended for walking, but I'd only gone for two, which definitely didn't help. Walking across the flat downs with gusts of wind attacking me was pretty bad, so I detoured down some residential roads. In addition to the other ailments that plague me, I have asthma triggered by cold (among other things), so that just amped up the pain factor. Luckily, I had the good sense to take my inhaler, so it wasn't too bad.
Aside from being uncomfortable, it was rather dull. I took to jogging for a few minutes to break the monotony. As pleasant as the streets in the Syned Park area are, walking down them just isn't that interesting.
So, what did I learn?
1. Check the wind chill factor before going outdoors.
2. Three layers!
3. Residential roads are less painful than the Downs.
4. As soon as I shake off this everlasting cold, it's time to start swimming again.
Now, I regularly walk around Bristol, but I was told it had to be 30 minutes of "brisk" walking to bring my heart rate up. I wondered to myself, since I already walk much faster than the average person, does that not count? I suppose not, as it doesn't make me break out into a sweat, which is what Dr G said should happen. So...I plotted a vague route, taking in the popular joggers' spot of Durdham Downs, checked the temperature outside and set off.
It was awful. Truly, truly awful. The one thing I didn't account for was wind chill. Looking at a couple of websites, three layers were recommended for walking, but I'd only gone for two, which definitely didn't help. Walking across the flat downs with gusts of wind attacking me was pretty bad, so I detoured down some residential roads. In addition to the other ailments that plague me, I have asthma triggered by cold (among other things), so that just amped up the pain factor. Luckily, I had the good sense to take my inhaler, so it wasn't too bad.
Aside from being uncomfortable, it was rather dull. I took to jogging for a few minutes to break the monotony. As pleasant as the streets in the Syned Park area are, walking down them just isn't that interesting.
So, what did I learn?
1. Check the wind chill factor before going outdoors.
2. Three layers!
3. Residential roads are less painful than the Downs.
4. As soon as I shake off this everlasting cold, it's time to start swimming again.
Monday 11 March 2013
Watercolours
Right, I've been suffering from some sort of dreaful lurgy on-and-off over the last month, hence the delay in updating. I am currently tucked up in bed reading the entire internet and feeling rubbishy, unfortunately.
A few weeks ago, I started a painting class at Bristol Folk House to fill up my time. The main focus is botanical watercolours, so we started off drawing flowers and went on to painting flowers and leaves. I've mainly used acrylics before, so this is fairly different, plus the delicate nature of watercolours is somewhat at odds with my scribble-madly-all-over-the-place style. That said, it's good fun and I am enjoying being in a classroom, makes a nice change from the impersonal lectures I've had for the last few years.
This is the first painting I did, of a closed-up rose. I took my rose home in the hope it would open up a bit so I could practise...it sort of did, but the centre remained steadfastly closed, which was a shame.
The second painting is of the same rose, after the outer petals fell away a bit. Posted it to mum for mothers' day; she was pleased with it!
A few weeks ago, I started a painting class at Bristol Folk House to fill up my time. The main focus is botanical watercolours, so we started off drawing flowers and went on to painting flowers and leaves. I've mainly used acrylics before, so this is fairly different, plus the delicate nature of watercolours is somewhat at odds with my scribble-madly-all-over-the-place style. That said, it's good fun and I am enjoying being in a classroom, makes a nice change from the impersonal lectures I've had for the last few years.
This is the first painting I did, of a closed-up rose. I took my rose home in the hope it would open up a bit so I could practise...it sort of did, but the centre remained steadfastly closed, which was a shame.
The second painting is of the same rose, after the outer petals fell away a bit. Posted it to mum for mothers' day; she was pleased with it!
Labels:
art
Thursday 14 February 2013
Not final year!
Hello Internet! It's definitely time for an update...I've left my course for various reasons, which means I will be graduating in July with a BSc in Computer Science (oh my, I actually have a degree now). I haven't written anything for a while, but I'm currently working on the latest edition of Rebellious Jukebox for Intuition, so that will be out in a couple of weeks.
So, what am I actually doing with my life? At the moment I'm volunteering at an Oxfam bookshop in Bristol and I'll be starting a watercolour painting class next week. I also need to get some driving lessons, which I'm sure will be terrifying on the ridiculous hills of Bristol. I'm treating this as a gap year of sorts, with the intention of starting a different masters course in September or going into the scary world of work and becoming a real person.
I've done a little bit of drawing to break in my new sketchbook but it hasn't made it onto my computer yet, so that will appear online eventually. In the meantime, have a digital drawing of a quetzal. I have a small backlog of photographs from Christmas to sort through as well. My 40D is currently still in London due to me being far too small to carry things on trains so I haven't taken many photos since my A700 is slowly dying. I'm plodding through a roll of film but the awful weather recently has made me shy away from using up colour exposures on drab photos taken out of my window.
Right, now I'm going to wallow in my dressing gown and play Pokemon Pinball (yes, I got my old Gameboy Colour out of storage) as I have a terrible cold so I can't bear the though of going outdoors today.
So, what am I actually doing with my life? At the moment I'm volunteering at an Oxfam bookshop in Bristol and I'll be starting a watercolour painting class next week. I also need to get some driving lessons, which I'm sure will be terrifying on the ridiculous hills of Bristol. I'm treating this as a gap year of sorts, with the intention of starting a different masters course in September or going into the scary world of work and becoming a real person.
I've done a little bit of drawing to break in my new sketchbook but it hasn't made it onto my computer yet, so that will appear online eventually. In the meantime, have a digital drawing of a quetzal. I have a small backlog of photographs from Christmas to sort through as well. My 40D is currently still in London due to me being far too small to carry things on trains so I haven't taken many photos since my A700 is slowly dying. I'm plodding through a roll of film but the awful weather recently has made me shy away from using up colour exposures on drab photos taken out of my window.
Right, now I'm going to wallow in my dressing gown and play Pokemon Pinball (yes, I got my old Gameboy Colour out of storage) as I have a terrible cold so I can't bear the though of going outdoors today.
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