Multimedia Essay 2 - American TV Animation

While I was looking for an interesting American TV Animation in this area, I found a stop motion clay animation. The protagonist's name is Gumby, a little green man. To his right is his pony Porky.

（From the animation "Gumby Racing"）

This novel way of creation attracts me. Compared with those flat drawings, clay is a 3D model, which seems to look more real. The creator of Gumby is Arthur Clokey, people also call him Art Clokey. He is a pioneer in popularizing stop-motion clay animation in the United States.

Art Clokey released the experimental film "Gumbasia" in 1953. This is a stop-motion animation that uses clay to form some objects or shapes. You can see that the clay can be transformed into whatever you want it to be, and at the end of the video he made a "face". I think this paved the way for the emergence of Gumby.

On January 29, 1955, Clokey wrote and filmed the first pilot episode starring Gumby, titled The Adventures of Gumby: Specimen. Thomas Warren Sarnoff watched it and asked him to make a second episode. Gumby first appeared in "Howdy Doody", the second episode "Gumby on the Moon". Gumby became so popular that they later produced their own animated series, "The Gumby Show."

（From "Robot trouble"）

1988 launched a new series "Gumby Adventures".

“From Gumby - Moon Trip”

This method of animation production was very successful, and Gumby gained many achievements and opportunities for commercial cooperation. Compared to those bloody and violent animations, Gumby seems to be more suitable for people of all ages. As a character, Gumby, Clokey animated the character into a children's story, using clay to illustrate his series of fantastic adventures. I have to say that this is a very successful attempt. Stop-motion animation requires lower costs, simple props, and good finished products. The disadvantage is that the production cycle of props is long, the degree of freedom is low, and it will be restricted by objective conditions. Because clay cannot have the very exaggerated and wild expressions that can be seen in current 3D production or hand-painting. 

Found Character 02

 

Inspiration

I found some fantastic lines on a paper towel before I crumpled it up and threw it in the trash.

I tried to look at the clump of paper towel from different angles.

Sketches

I saw a bug-like creature in the first picture, and a monster with wings in the second. Then my association is that this is a bug creature that eats minerals, and then as it eats more and more minerals, it evolves into a bat-like creature with elder wings.

More Theory

A bug that eats metal minerals evolves into a flying creature with hands and wings after eating enough ore, just like a caterpillar slowly grows into a butterfly. After this, my idea is that the tail of flying creatures has evolved feet, which are both capable of flying and walking. 

Found Character 01

 

Inspiration

My inspiration is actually very simple, just like when I was a child, I would think of the clouds in the sky as the appearance of some monsters. Here is a picture of a dandelion I picked while walking my dog in the garden.

Don't those black dry leaves at the bottom of it look like the legs of some monster? Plus those countless petioles. Makes me feel like a Cthulhu-esque monster. Lots of tentacles and weird shapes.

Sketches

I first drew a rough shape based on my photo. And the nose and mouth of the glasses are added to the original center position. Those rhizomes made me think of some electrically charged elements, while the tentacles underneath made me think of many spiny structures. Its mouth is like that of an octopus or squid, with a huge cavity and full of teeth.

More Theory

Depending on the properties of the dandelion, this monster doesn't need to be huge, but there are many, and it has the ability to split. Just like when a dandelion is blown by the wind, many seeds are born and multiply. To sum up, this is a large number of monsters that appear in groups. They can firmly grasp the prey with their tentacles, release an electric current to paralyze the prey, and then eat the prey with their mouths.

Final Post-Rick

        The rapid upgrading of science and technology has undoubtedly brought a lot of convenience to our life. It can make the distance between two people no longer far, it can allow you to receive purchased food or express delivery at home, it can observe your health and heart rate, and it can monitor every move of criminals.

        During the time I left China, my girlfriend and I were separated by a very long distance, with a time difference of 12 hours and a time difference of 13 hours during winter time. Thanks to modern technology, mobile phones allow us to talk or video chat anytime. When my sun sets, the sun on her side rises, which is also a kind of romance. When she catches a cold, I can use Chinese software in the United States to find and deliver cold medicine to her, and it can be delivered to her home in half an hour. When it's her birthday or Valentine's Day, I will buy her a gift one or two days in advance, and she will receive the gift I bought for her on her birthday or Valentine's Day. None of this would be possible without these technologies.

        Of course, modern technology also has many risks and problems. People become overly dependent on technology, because technology many workers lose their jobs, technology makes life more risky, it monitors your daily life in real time, the evolution of AI may be more risky.

        "Head-down family". This refers to some people who use smartphones and other portable devices with their heads down for a long time anytime, anywhere, and often never leave their hands. For example, during their daily walks and subway rides, they keep looking down at their mobile phones. I think this is a very common phenomenon in contemporary times, and the personal safety problem of this phenomenon is obviously very serious. You are walking on the street wearing earphones and looking at your mobile phone. You don’t know what’s going on nearby, and your head bumps into a street sign or a car accident.

        Unemployment, which is also a serious problem facing today. Technology replaces people's jobs because they make fewer mistakes, can do more delicate work, and they don't need to rest. For example, the current AI painting can put anyone's face on a video or picture. Some time ago, I saw a news that someone took a picture of a woman on the subway and turned her into "naked" with AI painting. . AI itself is mindless, depending on the intentions of the person using it for good or bad.

        The evolution of AI is endless, they can upgrade themselves or update themselves. It can be seen that the current AI has become more intelligent. It can control your home appliances, answer your questions, and become emotional. It's scary how certain appliances could be a way for you to be killed if your home's systems are hacked. I watched a movie "M3GAN" before, which tells the story of Megan, a life-like toy doll with a high degree of artificial intelligence, who is designed to be the best playmate for children and the most reassuring ally for parents. In the end, it became a killing machine in self-evolution. This is a science fiction film, but no one knows that science fiction films may one day become reality.

presentation2 note

 Five eyes

• create in 1946
• intelligence-sharing alliance (US UK Australia Canada  )
• A mass detection program  

The rise of propaganda

• the effort to manipulate other people's beliefs
• still used today and is still relevant in today's world
• targeted toward groups of varying size at the local, national, or global level 

Disinformation

• false information deliberately and often covertly spread in order to  influence public opinion or obscure the truth.

how to spot a audio deep faker:

• Unnatural eye movements
• Mismatch in color and lighting
• Compare audio quality
• Body movement 
• Awkward physique

vertical integration and media

• creator and the distributor of the product
• Netflix Disney Fox News Coca-Cola 

news deserts

• the result of systemic failures to meet the needs of all communities

AI

 The video tells the story of AI and robots replacing human beings. It is undeniable that robots can be more accurate and have greater potential. What can be done by 10 people can be done by one machine.

Because AI can do better than those in the 70s, 80s, and 90s, this view is deeply engraved in people's brains. So people generally think that AI can do better. It's clear that AI is getting smarter now, and some see it as a threat. They know everything about our lives. Use AI to control appliances and more.

The video shows a serious contemporary problem - unemployment.

AI

PROS:

• One machine, one AI, they don't need to rest. They can work through the night on a full charge. There is no doubt that this is far beyond human.
• AI has more precision and can even calculate costs and losses. Simply put, machines are less likely to make mistakes.
• objective function (make more money)
• AI can upgrade itself to better serve human beings.

CONS:

• "We use google to search things, but we don't know if google is searching us". Privacy
• Your information, private data, and location are all monitored in real time.
• digital exhaustion
• Your information will be recorded. Accompanied by the disclosure of privacy.
• Technology sharing issues. People from different countries live in completely different social environments.

AI can be used for good or evil. Then it is the person who uses it, or a government, or a country that decides these.

Blog Post #7

 Netflix by Kielan O'Day

1977: Founded by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in California (purely a movie rental service)

2000: Falldown of blockbuster (Chance to by Netflix)

2007: Netflix began offering subscribers the option to stream some of its movies and television shows directly to their homes through the internet.

2010: Netflix introduced a streaming-only plan that offered unlimited streaming service but no DVDs.

2016: streaming service was available in more than190 countries.

CNN (cable news network)

Created on June 1, 1980 in Atlanta, GA

Originally became big on the scene once their piece about the attempted assassination of Vernon Jordan

Created by Robert “Ted” Turner.

It became the first 24-hour all-news service according to Harold L. Erickson from Britannica.

BLOG #6

 After I briefly browsed these websites, I found that each country hides a lot of information that is not good for its own country. All major media outlets are biased towards their own country. I read a piece about China warning the US to use balloon reconnaissance in Chinese territory. It contains the speeches of Chinese officials at the press conference, which obviously will not appear in the mainstream media in the United States.

in 2001, a US surveillance plane collided with a Chinese plane off the coast of Hainan Island in the South China Sea. The collision killed the Chinese pilot and forced the American plane to land in Chinese territory. This information was also reported in China, and it was a very important diplomatic event at that time. China has accused a U.S. reconnaissance plane (the U.S. Navy EP-3 electronic intelligence reconnaissance plane) of deliberately crashing into a Chinese J-8II fighter jet. The United States said that the collision was caused by the loss of control of the Chinese fighter jets. As for the U.S. plane landing on Chinese territory without permission, the U.S. side stated that another fighter jet took him to that airport. In the end, the United States did not apologize positively, and China returned the American pilot and plane.

Obviously, news that is unfavorable to the country and that will shake the power of the country will not be allowed to be published by the mainstream media. Mainstream media has greater influence, more readers, and higher trust. Like many scenes in movies, the boss tells you not to pursue this matter anymore, and you want to be a partner of justice. The result is that you harm yourself and those around you.

I can often find some very interesting information on these unknown websites, which let me know more about the things in the whole world. Nowadays, the publication rate of international news around the world is getting lower and lower. People can only see the good things in their own country, but they don't know the real history and the real process of many things.

Diffusion of Innovations

Diffusion theory, also known as innovation diffusion theory, is a theory of the spread of innovations, ideas, and technologies through one or more cultures. The theory has been widely studied by sociologists, psychologists, and anthropologists. Diffusion theory states that there are many qualities in different people that lead them to accept or not accept an innovation.

For example, Nokia used to be the number one mobile phone brand in the world for 14 consecutive years. At the same time as the rise of smart phones, they underestimated the future of smart phones. Now the emphasis is on innovation rather than following the development of the industry. So they fail. 

The fall of Nokia actually represents the end of an era. It's not just the rise of the smartphone. The word innovation is deeply engraved in the minds of the new generation. The rise of Apple is the beginning of a new era. Within three days, sales of the second-generation iPhone 3G exceeded 1 million.

I had an Apple mp3 in the early days, which I could use to listen to songs and watch some stored videos. I didn't get one when the first iPhone came out in 2007, and my family still has Nokia's and Samsung's. When the second iPhone was released, my father and mother bought the latest iPhone, and that was when the iPhone wave started. I remember getting my very first ipad at the time, although it's a relic now. 

Why didn't my family choose to buy the first iPhone? In fact, the biggest reason is that it is more expensive. And most people were still using push-button phones at the time. People are used to this method of operation, and sudden innovation makes it difficult for people to adapt to a new era. (at least for my parents' generation) As times change, people are gradually brave enough to try new things.

And there are pros and cons to this phenomenon. The birth of the Apple mobile phone allows people to take clearer photos, makes people's privacy more secure, and improves people's experience and quality of life. The accompanying disadvantage is that the positioning of the mobile phone and the tracking of the software make people's lives completely transparent, like a rotten fruit that looks fresh from the outside, but the inside has long since rotted.

link: The Brief History of Smartphones (thoughtco.com)

EOTO MEDIASPHERE---MSM

 MSM means Mainstream media, used to refer collectively to the various large mass news media that influence many people and both reflect and shape prevailing currents of thought.

• corporate media
• establish media 
• state media

In the US, the "Big Five"(Five mainstream media)

• Comcast
• The Walt Disney Company
• News Corp/FOX corporation
• Warner Bros. discovery
• Paramount Global

A person's perception of reality is the result of their beliefs, and in today's social situation a lot of beliefs are shaped in some way from the mainstream media. Because the unknown is scary, you will easily believe the judgment of a mainstream media. 

The media is not perfect, they are also artificial conclusions. If a media is biased, the basic rights of the people will be compromised. For example, in some countries, most of the news media releases positive news, but can a country really be so perfect? Are various government departments really fair and just? is this real? Or is it that the real behind-the-scenes man has already fled to live abroad with a large amount of wealth. Obviously, media reports are not necessarily false, but they can cover up some unknown parts. Make people blind to the real reality.

For example, former President Trump, every time the media meets or interviews, he always talks about China. From the Chinese point of view, this is a hostile expression, and many Chinese media and some social networking sites can easily see these videos. From the perspective of the United States, whether China, as a developing country, will pose a threat to the United States. My point is, seriously? In today's society, finance, trade, and healthy competition can promote development. Everyone can be said to be inseparable. I think suppression and sanctions are wrong in themselves. For the people of the United States, this will cause people to misinterpret it too much. If they have not been to China, they will default to China as a bad place. This is just a show of ignorance.

According to statistics, the ratio of international news in each country is getting lower and lower. This will cause people to derail from the world. (Americans broadly agree which news outlets are in mainstream media | Pew Research Center)

New York Times(newspaper)

 Although paper newspapers are not as popular as they once were, many families still subscribe to a daily newspaper. The more well-known newspaper is the New York Times.

Founded as "New York Daily Times" in 1851, September 18, published by the New York company. It also a producer of popular podcasts, such as "The Daily".

（first newspaper of New York times）

 

Founded by journalist and politician Henry Jarvis Raymond and former banker George Jones, the Times was initially published by Raymond, Jones & Company. The New York Times to avoid sensationalism and report the news in a restrained and objective fashion.

At that time, it attracted many intellectuals because of its noble character. But in the subsequent competition in New York City, Noble did not play any role. The Times raised prices, but still lost $1,000 a week.

Until Adolph Simon Ochs bought The Times in 1896, With the help of Carr Van Anda, an editor he hired from the New York Sun. The news focused more on comprehensive reporting of daily news, and the fiction section of the newspaper was removed, becoming a Sunday magazine section. And set the price back to a penny.

In April 1912, the sinking of the Titanic, an original and comprehensive report in The Times, captivated many readers. and then two world wars, The Times still reported current events, Enhanced The Times' world news reputation.

In 1972, The publication of the “Pentagon Papers” brought the Times a Pulitzer Prize.

Later in the 1970s, Arthur Ochs Sulzberger overhauls the newspaper's organizational structure and staff, and uses satellite transmissions to regional printing houses for national editions.

In 1995 launching an online edition and employing color photography in its print edition in 1997.

In 2005, a subscription service called TimesSelect.(A fee is required). Closed after two years, all news is open to the public. In 2006, The Times launched an electronic version, Times Reader, where subscribers can download the current print edition. 

In 2011, The New York Times instituted a subscription plan for its digital edition, limiting free access to content.

It can be seen from this period of history that the historical experience of The Times is still full of risks. Because the world is changing. To survive and keep their readers, they made many decisions. Although this decision may not be correct, the Times has always been brave enough to try. This has created a newspaper with worldwide influence. 

As I said at the beginning, paper newspapers are far less subscribed than they used to be. The emergence of mobile computers allows people to get what they want to know more quickly. And it's easier to find the section you need. The Times jumped at the business opportunity.

Links: History | The New York Times Company (nytco.com)

SCOTUS

 The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that involve a point of U.S. Constitutional or federal law. The court holds the power of judicial review, Invalidate statutes that violate constitutional provisions. It also has the power to repeal presidential directives.

I think this is an institution that protects the country and the constitution, and makes the final judgment when the constitution is questioned and threatened. And the impeachment trial of the president. It is a legal institution that maintains order in America.

Many Supreme Court justices are different. This surprised me a bit.

• Chief justice John Marshall——He defined the relationship between the judiciary and the rest of government in a tenure of more than 34 years.
• chief justice Charles Evans Hughes——Wrote landmark opinion on free of expression and press

Judges are nominated for office by the President of the United States but must be approved by Congress before taking office. Once judges are approved, they are eligible to serve on the Supreme Court for life. Unlike members of Congress or the president, Supreme Court justices don't have to run for office. This is also very surprising to me. Life tenure and no need to run for office, this kind of treatment even surpasses that of the president.

links:

•  Supreme Court - HISTORY
• The 5 Things You Should Know About the Supreme Court (informationstation.org)

Eight Values of Free Expression

  Eight Values of Free Expression

• Discovery of Truth
• Participation in Self-Government
• Stable Change ("Safety Valve")
• Individual Self-Fulfillment (Self-Actualization)
• Check on Governmental Power
• Promote Tolerance
• Promote Innovation
• Protect Dissent

What resonates with me the most is the first point, Discovery of Truth. This value was first suggested by Milton, who first suggested that when truth and falsehood are allowed to freely grapple, truth will win out. 

I grew up in China. There are many cultural differences between China and the United States, different laws, and different government management systems. In China, freedom of speech does not exist. When you pollute the government or the president of the country, the police have the right to arrest you. Similar to disturbing the peace.

The issue of Hong Kong independence remains a very important issue. The Chinese government rejected people's protests and demonstrations, and even suppressed the crowds by the police. I will not comment on this event. But in the United States, marches and protests are allowed, and people even gather in front of the White House to express their protests.

                                                               

The Hong Kong independence movement, the war in Ukraine, these are all happening. These things cannot judge its correctness. Everyone has their own considerations and judgments. As a Chinese, I hope my country can be unified without the possibility of internal division. But as a bystander, I will judge the benefits and risks before evaluating these cases.

The question is whether people can protest, whether they can have their own opinions. No matter what the final result is, nothing can limit a person's thoughts and opinions. This is like the tiger in the forest and the tiger in the zoo. As time goes by, the tiger in the zoo will slowly lose its wildness. Tigers will definitely miss that freedom, the forest, the vastness without limits. But is there really any benefit to being in a zoo? of course not. They don't have to worry about food, there is no risk of being killed, and they have a dedicated medical team. Offspring are more likely to survive.

Links:Why is freedom of speech important? (pacificlegal.org)

Privacy, Online & Off

 The Internet is undoubtedly an essential part of modern life, it brings endless benefits, but it also comes with some risks. In recent years, Internet fraud and telephone fraud have become a very hot topic in China. As well as some information you post on social software, the information in a photo is far beyond your imagination. Your identity information, monthly income, and address all have the risk of privacy being violated.

What I feel the most is that I registered certain information online or in some places, including my mobile phone number. Since then, I have frequently received some harassing calls, and even calls from overseas. Although I never answer those harassing calls, Ren has had a terrible impact on my life. (I receive at least 10 harassing calls or text messages a day). Even more troubling, through my phone number, my parents' phone numbers were leaked as well, and they received similar content as I did. The content I registered is a community or a web page needed for some work, and there is a high probability that they use my privacy to gain benefits.

In China, there is now a mobile app called "National Anti-Fraud App" 国家反诈中心_百度百科 (baidu.com). It is a state-founded application, run by the police, and a dedicated agency has been set up.  What it does is there is a system of logging suspicious numbers that anyone can report in real time in the app. When the official confirms that the call is risky, when you receive a fraudulent call, it will remind you that this is a suspicious number, or that this number has been reported by many people recently. And after you find out that you have been defrauded, you can directly file a case in the app, which can help you solve these problems more quickly. 

For ourselves, avoid disclosing important information about yourself in public. The part of the photo related to the address can be mosaiced. Do not register your personal information in suspicious webpages; websites; applications. When these situations happen to us, don't panic, you can ask the police for help.

My five News Sources

 

I read News from my phone and PC. I am come from China, so I read news from China.

Like:

1.WeChat, It will send me some news that happens in China everyday. WeChat - Wikipedia

WeChat is the most used social software in China, including its WeChat Pay, which has become a part of people's lives. There is no doubt that it makes our life more convenient, no need to carry cash when going out, and no longer bothered by too much change. And now WeChat has added a TikTok-like function (short video).

 

2.WeiBo, most of Chinese use WeiBo to get information. Especially those people who follow stars. It's just like Instagram, all big stars are there, you can chose to follow them.  You can read it immediately When they update new things. There's also a interface that shows top research, If you are interest in anything, you can click on it to read news. 

3.Bilibili, This is the application I use mostly to get news. It's just like TikTok. The difference is I can choose what I want to watch, it's not just shows everything, I need to scroll down to find some useful information. From Bilibili, each video have title and pictures. If I am find something interest, I will choose to watch that one. It's more convince. 

4.I also use Instagram, I followed some of my friends and Stars, like Dwayne Douglas Johnson: Ryan Rodney Reynolds. 

5.Last one that I read news is from Edge. When I open Edge, it will show much news. I need to use search engine many times every day, it will update serval times each day. 

Of course, there must be more other ways to get news. For example, newspapers. With the progress of the times, newspapers are slowly being replaced by technology. But some people still enjoy the feel of paper. It's like why some people prefer to read paper books instead of e-books.

But electronic devices have the advantage of being more convenient. Whether you are taking the subway or traveling, you can use your mobile phone or computer to follow the information of the times all the time. And a mobile phone includes various functions such as reading, chatting, and news.