Vietnamese Cuisine!

The process for making my documentary was very simple. I gathered information about the basic elements of Vietnamese cuisine, found pictures of the typical ingredients, used video footage of the Montagnard-Dega food visit at UNCSA, and used other videos that I found on youtube, including one of a food market in Vietnam.

My video is very basic, but I think that it accurately describes the main elements of Vietnamese food!

The only problem I had while making the video was that Camtasia had a tendency to delete my files, which was very annoying. I also had issues with recording videos on youtube but it was fine once I got the hang of it.

All in all, it was a great experience- I now have a youtube account and know how to make videos and post them online. Had it not been for this class, this is something I probably never would have done, since I am a bit of a technophobe! 

Here it is- I hope it makes y'all crave asian food!

IS DIGITAL MEDIA BAD FOR US?

What I found most interesting in this week's homework was the NPR program that described the effects of technology on the brain. At one point, the speaker describes how our brains respond the same way to email alerts and text messages as they did to the threat of an approaching predator thousands of years ago- that is, our brains respond to technology by sending out stress signals. The problem is that our bodies are equipped to have this fight or flight response once in a while- certainly not every day, multiple times an hour (which is the amount that most people use their cell phones/computers these days.) In this sense, technology does have harmful effects on us and is probably leading to higher levels of stress hormones and lowered immune function.

Moreover, scientists have discovered that technology is actually changing the ways in which children's brains are forming, since kids nowadays have as much contact (if not more) with the tv/computer as they do with actual human beings. Kids nowadays actually have brains that are forming differently than kids 40 years ago.

Also, technology has had a profound effect on the way we think- and perhaps not a positive one. We have become increasingly accustomed to multitasking- talking on the cell phone while researching on the computer- that we may be completing tasks much less effectively than we would if we did one thing at a time. In fact, researchers have found that our brains are really only capable of doing one thing at a time- or at least, of doing one thing at a time well. So, technology has helped us with multitasking, but has it also lowered our standards? Probably.

Other negative effects of technology include things like internet addiction, which unfortunately is becoming more and more common. This has led many into severe depression and, in the worst cases, suicide. This is an obvious example of a way in which digital media is unequivocally harmful.

 

Although I do think digital media is dangerous, there ways in which humanity has greatly benefited from it- the most recent example being the revolution in Egypt. The sharing of information is such an important part of democracy and, in the case of Egypt, led to some wonderful results.

I really don't know if digital media is bad for us- it has brought about some great things as well as some not so great ones. But I do think that, as individuals, we should limit the amount of time we spend glues to a tv or computer screen, simply for our own health and well-being!

DIGITAL ART AND ARTISTS

Issa, a recording artist who has slowly gained a cult following since the early eighties has completely reinvented what it means to be a singer-songwriter in the modern world. For one, she left Warner Bros. and started her own label way before the music industry started to plummet. Nowadays, she travels around touring and recording with one backpack...one backpack! She offers her music to fans for whatever it is that they want to pay, including nothing. Radiohead started this trend- it has proved to be lucrative. On average, Issa's fans spend $1.25 per track, which is considerably higher than the $.99 of itunes. Also, she depends on her fans to contribute money for recording and studio time. She really has created a completely new, ingenious business model for creating, performing, and selling music. Since the music business is the pits these days, I'm sure we'll be seeing more and more recording artists following in Issa's footsteps.
The Atomic Tom video is incredible! The band members had their instruments stolen and decided to use their iphones to perform and record themselves on a nyc train- it almost sounded like a real band.
The Story of Cosmetics was an eye-opening documentary about the toxic, often carcinogenic properties of many ingredients in cosmetic products. It's really appalling that baby shampoo contains toxic ingredients- these cosmetic companies are really doing a huge disservice to its consumers. What's more surprising is that many European companies have banned theses ingredients- but American companies use them nonetheless.
The other problem, which is not touched on in the video, is that conventional cosmetics that are packed full of petrochemicals are far more expensive than natural ones. A natural bar of soap sold at Whole Foods, for instance, can cost up to $5, whereas products like Dove cost far less. Many Americans simply don't have enough money to choose healthy products. This problem also holds true with organic vs. conventional foods.
The remix wikipedia entry was interesting- it touches on the idea of intellectual property and how important it is within the context of remixing. The U.S. Copyright Office information on Fair Use goes into detail about what is considered legal reproduction of intellectual property. The other links about copyright also touch on this issue.
"Right Wing Radio Duck" is a great video about what's going on economically. It touches on the growing gap between rich and poor and the way Wall Street has screwed many Americans. This video was interesting because it incorporated excerpts from the original donald duck cartoon.
The snow white remix by Pogo was really cool- he used clips from the 1937 Disney film to create a really awesome song. The problem is that he can't release a lot of his work because Disney is threatening to sue..he was originally working for Disney but they decided they didn't want anything to do with some of the work he did.

TRADITIONAL VS. CONTEMPORARY......SHOES!!!

For my traditional vs. contemporary remix video, I chose to explore shoes. I gathered clips of traditional shoemakers working and clips of the shoe sequence from the movie Marie Antoinette. For the contemporary element, I had to insert sections from the bizarre and famous "Shoes" video by Kelly. Also, just for fun I sneaked in a clip of George Bush having a shoe thrown at him. For the audio, I chose "These Boots are Made for Walkin' " by Nancy Sinatra. I'm not really sure what the message is behind my video...but there certainly is a broad contemporary vs. traditional feel to it.
Although my video turned out to be a bit scattered and sloppy, I did have fun experimenting with camtasia. There were times when the editing process proved tedious but once I got the hang of it I started to really appreciate the possibilities I had in terms of creating my video.
Enjoy!

CREATIVITY, INFLUENCE, OWNERSHIP, AND ART IN THE DIGITAL AGE

"Artistic Man can only fully content himself by uniting every branch of Art into the common Artwork."

In The Geneology of Digital Performance, Steve Dixon mentions this quote by Richard Wagner. It alludes to Wagner's vision of unifying multiple art forms such as theater, music, singing, dance, poetry into a cohesive piece of work. The ever evolving digital age that we live in has made this vision all the more possible. Lighting designers, for instance, are able to use computers to digitally control lights. The use of videos can enhance any art form, from theater to dance to the visual arts. The digital age has allowed artists to communicate through a diverse array of mediums. Although some argue that this caused a move away from "pure"art and resulted in a more watered down, scattered experience between audience and artist, digital media has undoubtedly moved the expression of art into new and interesting territory.
In "The Ecstasy of Influence," Jonathan Lethem discusses creative ownership. He describes how artists and thinkers, from Nabokov to Dylan, have appropriated and alluded to the works of others. He goes on to discuss how the line between appropriation and plagiarism is blurry- since all works of art sort of seep into culture, the idea of intellectual and artistic property is a strange one. In a way, everything that we create is influenced by what has come before so the idea of anything being completely original is fallacious.
Questions regarding intellectual property have become increasingly pertinent in a world in which anyone who has a computer can access all sorts creative works. This is especially relevant in the music business- over the past few years, there have been cases of songwriters stealing music and lyrics from unsigned recording artists who have put their songs up on myspace.

Vietnam Central Highlands- traditional cuisine

I will be focusing on traditional Montagnard Degar cuisine. My first bit of research involves watching Anthony Bourdain's Vietnam central highlands episode on youtube.
It would be great if at some point I could meet a member of NC's Montagnard community and learn firsthand how to make one of these dishes.

FRAMES

As I understand it, framing has to do with the way we see things and, as a result affects the way we feel about them. Because it’s so unconscious, we usually aren’t even aware that we’re engaged in framing- advertisers in particular understand this. In The Persuaders, the inner workings of the marketing world are exposed- advertisers attempt to frame their products as ideas that evoke particular emotional responses in consumers. There was one priceless Cheerios commercial, for instance, that used the image of a grandmother feeding her adorable baby grandchild cheerios on Christmas eve. This commercial brought to mind many ideas- tradition, family, comfort, shelter, warmth, joy, love, CHEER,  “home for the holidays,” etc… the point was to frame cheerios as a thing that would help bring about all these wonderful states of being and experiences. The consumer is no longer simply purchasing a nutritionally devoid, o shaped grain product- she/he is buying the cheerios experience.

George Lakoff describes framing as a thing that one has witnessed or experienced repeatedly which has caused his/her brain to form new circuits. He uses the example (if I remember correctly) of a child who sees his mother preparing formula. He knows from experience that this will result in being held and fed. So, the child associates the formula with physical warmth, affection, safety, satiety, comfort. The child’s brain has framed the whole formula experience. Framing happens with a repeated experience that eventually results in a new neural circuit being formed- this is when the experience becomes a metaphor for something larger than the experience itself. Lakoff goes on to discuss the fact that words themselves are frames- this was a bit more confusing.

Back to advertising- due to the advent of technology like tivo and on-demand, viewers no longer have to subject themselves to commercials. As a result, advertisers had to find a new strategy- they started placing brands directly in the movies or television programs- i.e. Starbucks in I am Sam and Absolut in Sex and the City. As I understand it, this caused reframing of these particular brands. When the consumer makes an “Absolut hunk,” he/she is now part of the Sex and the City cultural experience and not simply an audience member. The Absolut brand is now a direct avenue into the lifestyles of Carrie, Samantha, Miranda, and Charlotte.

Lakoff describes how framing is one of the most natural and normal things that we do- it is how our brain works. Advertisers take advantage of this and bombard us with ads that force our brains to make ludicrous connections- we may think that we’re buying a new, improved identity when all we’re getting are a pair of shoes. 

introduction

Hello!

My name in Newton. I'm an only child from Manhattan, NYC. I'm a first year drama student.
I lived in Manhattan until age 16, when I left to go to a boarding school in Scotland for two years. Having come from the melting pot that is NYC, I was sort of shocked by the ethnic homogeneity of the highlands of Scotland. I did, however, enjoy being exposed to a completely new culture.

Most members of my family came over from eastern Europe in the early 1800s. They came to NY and set up medical practices, either working as GPs or dentists.
I love NY, and miss it pretty much all of the time. Luckily, there's a $30 bus that goes from Winston to NY overnight...if I ever get too homesick, I can always hop on it.
Here's a picture of me in the Romanian countryside-

I think that one of the main problems in America right now is the food that we eat. So few people have the knowledge or the financial means to make healthy choices. As a result, many wind up buying packaged foods that are loaded with all sorts harmful, artificial ingredients. Monosodium glutamate, for instance, is a neurotoxin- but that doesn't stop food manufacturers from putting it into many commonly consumed foods- chips, especially, are loaded with MSG. This is particularly harmful for young people, since we probably snack on chips more than any other demographic.
Many of us are so used to consuming pre-packaged foods that we have lost touch with what it means to actually cook a meal from scratch. This is why I think that it is so important for people to have the experience of growing food, harvesting it, and eating it- even if it's just a little parsley plant on the windowsill. It really puts us back in touch with the natural order of things.
A few summers ago, my mother rented a house in upstate NY, which gave me the opportunity to plant a garden. I planted everything from lettuce, kale, and celery to tomatoes and eggplants. By the end of the summer, I could cook an entire meal with ingredients that I had grown myself- it was a really great feeling. I really want to have this experience again and, since I'm living in Winston over the summer, I hope that I can find a CSA or farm that I can work with.