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Webpage Creating for Dummies

January 27th

     Before the start of this class period, I have never attempted to create a webpage for myself. And when I say create a webpage, I don't mean the programming behind it. I mean using a software program like Dream Weaver or Angelfire or anything remotely close to those programs. As someone who was probably born in the wrong generation (I should've been born in the era of typewriters), I struggle with anything technological. I even sometimes have trouble working with Facebook, which is the only social network profile I own. When I first found out that our class would be creating a webpage, I died a little bit inside. Although we are not producing the code behind it, my mind still refused to process the fact that we would be experimenting with Dream Weaver. It also did not help that when I tried to save the HTML form of Dream Weaver, only the confusing coded part of the program appeared. So, to be honest, I am a little worried right now for my webpage. However, I believe that once I play around with Dream Weaver more I will start to acquire the skills I need to develop and complete our first project. Once I learn the various functions of the program and how they work, I think that even a technologically illiterate person such as myself can become familiarized enough to accomplish a finished webpage.  At least, I hope so. 

The Matrix Rhetorical Analysis

January 26th

     In the movie "The Matrix," two worlds exist: the virtual world controlled by the matrix and the mechanistic reality.  The human world that the protagonist Neo is familiar with is an illusion.  While the matrix portrays a world of normal human activity, the reality is that society is in fact controlled by machines who breed humans for energy.  Throughout the movie, various types of modes are utilized to distinguish the two different worlds. For example, in the matrix world, the sky is blue, the cities have tall skyscrapers, and there are many people walking the streets to complete mundane tasks.  Cars honk, lights flash, conversations are heard.  The people are dressed in clothes and not covered with plugs and other devices.  In the mechanistic reality, there is no sky.  There are no cities filled with people strolling the streets.  Instead, the world is covered in darkness while people are produced in a gelatin pod. Machines that spin and fly and kill have taken over. Only sounds of metal clanking and machines operating are heard.  In this world, there are no daily commonplaces and tasks for humans to execute.  The movie producers utilize opposing visual and auditory modes to emphasize the difference between reality and the matrix illusion.    

     As viewers progress through the movie, the question of what is real and what isn't is brought to attention multiple times.  When Neo is brought to a reality that is novel to him, he cannot at first comprehend the truth. For years, he lived in a world that was programmed by a system.  A system that is programmed to falsely portray a normal human life.  Then all of a sudden, he is brought to a world that contradicts everything he knows and understands.  When Neo is introduced to the matrix, he realizes the enormity of the situation. The visual images that he witnesses are disturbing.  He sees humans trapped in their gelatin pods.  He sees the killer machines. He sees the extinction of cities and the takeover of technology.  Everything around him is dependent upon technology. For instance, neon code against a black screen seems to always be present.  The main characters depend on installations of software programs to learn martial arts or how to fly a helicopter.  The transportation from the matrix to reality is through phone calls.  The agents are the gatekeepers of the matrix, protecting against human "viruses" that are set out to free others. 

     Although the matrix world is a lie, it is much more appealing than reality.  In the matrix world, humans appear to be free.  Many humans are dependent on the matrix system and ignorance.  As I was watching this movie, I compared the matrix society to our modern society.  While machines do not have ultimate control over us, they play a vital role in our lives.  We rely on technology for everything: work, school, communication, etc.  Soon, we'll probably have robots washing our clothes, driving us to work, cooking our food.  I believe that one of the messages of this movie is to not allow technology to change us.  In one of the ending scenes, Trinity even states "The Matrix cannot tell you who you are."

     This particular quote got me thinking about the "The Design of Web 2.0" article we read for class.  In the article, the writer informs us of these templates that allow you to build your own website and homepages and whatnot.  However, instead of enabling you to create a personalized homepage, the templates have many design limitations.  Often times, the templates have physical layouts already prepared for the users.  Although this prearrangement may be helpful, it restricts the user to reveal who they are through design media.  Similar to the matrix, these templates control our ability to make our own decisions.  

  

Black and White vs. High Contrast

January 15, 2014

     As our class learned from the Winterowd reading, the framework for discourse includes both an addresser and an addressee.  Within this framework exist other components that affect the communication between the two: context, message, contact, and code.  Although these components are universal, they can each be manipulated to relay a different message or to address various targeted audiences.  For instance, if we change the code of a message from English to Spanish, those who are not native Spanish speakers will not be able to read and interpret the message and vice versa. 

     Next, let's compare the two images below as another example of rhetorical manipulation.    

     

     Figure 1- Black and White

Figure 2 - High Contrast

     While the images both include a boy eating a watermelon, the background color of the setting has been altered - a change to its code.  In Figure 1, the dim colors of the image convey a more depressive mood.  When a person studies the image, he may suppose that the picture was taken in the late fall or early winter.  In Figure 2, the bright colors elicit giddiness from the onlookers.  They may also think that the picture was taken during the summer time.

   These examples demonstrate to us how changes to a discourse situation can completely alter the context and significance of a particular message.  It shows that communication between the addresser and addressee depend upon alterations of context, code, message, and contact.  

Metanoia and Kairos

January 17, 2014

     As I sit in the Avery 105 computer lab, I notice the various types of rhetorical strategies that the room applies to send a particular message: feel free to use the computers provided, but please respect the equipment.  On all four of the walls, there are posters that provide us with instructions as to how to log into the computers, how to open Microsoft Word, and to keep your USB extension hooked up.  Lined up along the walls are rows and rows of wide screen Apple Macs attached to small keyboards.  The arrangement of the multitude of these high tech computers lures students into the space, while the posters give us directions as to how to use the computers properly.

     In the computer lab, there is a sign that reads "Silence Your Cell Phone."  There is also a rule prohibiting open lid drinks and food.  Both the poster and rule blatantly hint to students that quiet behavior and keeping your station clean is encouraged.  In addition, the arrangement of the room - the computers facing in opposite directions - discourage social interaction with other students and coerce me to refrain from verbal communication.   This causes myself and other students to focus on a specific assignment or project that we may be currently working on.

     From a figurative standpoint, the students are being addressed by the Avery computer lab to appropriately utilize the resources that the lab offers for academic purposes.  In order to deliver this message, the lab uses tangible code such as posters and rows of open computers.  One of the means that Avery attempts to relay the messages to WSU students is through electronic emails, ads, and notifications.  Additionally, print media such as fliers and consultants are used as forms of contact as well.  

     All of these methods of contact and code elicit a feeling of kairos from me.  Here, the Avery lab is providing me with up-to-date computers that have the latest software programs that my home laptop lacks.  The lab offers me the opportunity to take advantage of these computers to complete assignments that require newer programs and to print assignments.  On the other hand, the computers also give me a feeling of metanoia.  In the lab, I am surrounded by advanced technology while back at my room I have a five-year-old Dell PC that is starting to break down on me (granted, it does not help that I am very talented at catching viruses).  Due to the benefits that the Apple Mac computers offer, I regret that I do not own one of my own.  I also regret that I do not know how to use all of the versatile software programs that Macs offer like Photoshop.  So, despite the great academic resources that the lab delivers, my relationship with the Avery lab is bittersweet. 

Affordances and Constraints

January 22nd, 2014

     Today, my group and I talked about the visual mode and the affordances of this media technique.  We decided to discuss the visual components of something on WSU campus - the televised ads in the Compton Union Building.  While the ads use bright colors, screen movement, and entrance locations to attract the attention of passerbys, there are still limitations to these types of advertisements.  For example, the ads must rely solely on visual components; there is no sound, there is no face-to-face means of persuasion, and space is limited.  The ads are dependent on the students stopping to take the time to read the text.  As a result, those who decide to utilize this type of advertisement have to work under certain constraints.  And what are those constraints?  Relying on only visual, spatial, and linguistic modes to lure their viewers.  The ad makers are responsible for creating an ad that is appealing to the public eye through both visual and spatial manipulation.  They are also playing around with the linguistic mode when they select particular diction and arrange the words in a specific manner that is persuasive to their targeted audiences.  

About Me

 January 13, 2014

     Greetings fellow English 355 classmates!  My name is Shen Wu Tan, but you can call me Shen (FYI, the "h" is silent).  Currently, I am an English major pursuing minors in Anthropology and Editing/Publishing.  I also intend to earn the Professional Writing Certificate, which is one of the main reasons I decided to enroll in English 355.  Also, as someone who is extremely technologically illiterate and should've been born in the era of typewriters, I thought this class would be healthy for me.

     I believe that this multimedia rhetorics class will introduce me to the various forms of electronic publishing formats including blogs.  Since my generation is living in an age of flourishing technology, this class will allow me to learn and understand how to use these types of new media.  To me, new media refers to means of electronic/online publishing.  The term excludes the older, traditional ways of publishing such as print newspapers and magazines.  Nowadays, one does not need to pick up a newspaper to become exposed to the daily occurrences that happen on a local or global scale.  Instead, if internet is available, a person can simply search the internet or download a news app onto their smart phone and read or watch the news from different networks.  As our society becomes more dependent on this new media, the realization of the enormous role that technology plays in our everyday lives dawns on me.  Consequentially, in order for my writings to avoid oblivion, it is crucial for me to learn how to utilize the new media to my advantage.  I hope this class helps me to do so.