Digital Media Dr. Jim Rowan ITEC 2110

First, a bit about GGC/MediaWiki

MediaWiki Stuff: Internal Links to a New Page Linking within the wiki (and creating a new page) placing [[myNewPage]] in the edit window... ==> the link “myNewPage” showing up on your wiki page The first time you click on “myNewPage”... you will find yourself in the edit window for that new page If you put something on the new page, the next time you click myNewPage you will go to the new page

MediaWiki Stuff: Internal Links Fancier version placing [[myNewPage | New Page!]] in edit window... ==> the link “New Page!” showing up on your wiki page The first time you click on New Page!... you will find yourself in the edit window for the page named “myNewPage” If you type something into the new page, the next time you click New Page! you will see that new stuff

MediaWiki Stuff: External Links To place an external link (a link to a web page that is not on the MediaWiki) get the URL of the linked-to page put it in double square brackets For example: [ Go to Google!] placed on your page during an edit will show up on your page as: Go to Google! Clicking on it would send you to:

MediaWiki Stuff: Uploading files …other than image files You can store many different kinds of files on the wiki for downloading later NOTE: Some file types cannot be uploaded… like.exe files Example: MSWord file called myMSWordFileName.doc Use the “ Upload file ” link to upload the file to the wiki Edit the Mediawiki page you want this file accessible from and using the media: tag put a link on the page with this format: [[media:myMSWordFileName.doc]] then save the edited page… The link: media:myMSWordFileName.doc will appear on your page Clicking it will cause it to download… but not display.

MediaWiki Stuff: PDF files PDF files can be displayed (rather than just downloaded) inside the wiki If you upload a pdf and you put [[media:myFile.pdf]] in the edit page… You will see media:myFile.pdf on your page and when you click it your file will be displayed, not downloaded Fancier form: [[media:myFile.pdf | my PDF file]] shows “my PDF file” as the link displays the file called myFile.pdf when clicked

How to make a pdf on a Mac Any file that is open on a Mac Pull File down to Print In the lower left hand corner of the print window Click “PDF” Then select “Save as pdf”

Now to Chapter 1!

The Effect of Media Choice and the use of new Technology The media you choose has an effect on the way the story is told Print? you must describe things well Still Image? you have to tell it visually by setting the scene Film/Video? you have moving images and sound... does the sound emphasize the moving image or vice versa? 3-D amusement ride? moving images, sound and some actual motion... 3 modalities

New Media/New Technology Consider if you had spent your life working with the SCROLL… and you were asked to change to the BOUND BOOK... HMMMmmmm... WR6hzZek

Different Media? Different Affordances affordances is a term from ecological psychology – – –different things afford different interaction –consider door knobs, levers, push-plates and pulls Don Norman and Psychology of Everyday Things

Consider… the Scroll, Book & WWW The Scroll –can’t stack scrolls like books –can’t skip around except to beginning or end –but… reading flows without the interruption of pages The Book –you can stack them –you can level a table leg with them! –but.. the reading is interrupted by page turns –add a TOC & page numbers you can skip around –with index & page #s you can go to a specific place

Scroll, Book and now... WWW –you can consume it in any order you want –links take you to a place (and back!) does a book do this? –the page is in one place… one change changes everyone’s version Now compare to the Book –doesn’t allow this universal change –doesn’t take you back... but you can stick a piece of paper or a finger in it to hold your place… or fold down the corner of the page –you can take notes in the margins

WWW vs Book WWW –allows corrections immediately to everyone –but no history kept like with book editions you go back to “the same place” and it’s different... were you mistaken or did it change? Did you read everything? –Book is easy, read front to back – not so much...

WWW vs Book WWW affords searching –You can Google it and find it Book? Not so much.. –the Index will help… if the thing you are looking for is in the index... –Ever read a book and think... where did I see this before? …and then reach for the search tool? …and then you feel kinda foolish?

New Media/New Technology Adoption It takes time for conventions concerning usage to be formed Consider the history of Film... –No sound –then performed sound –then recorded sound With time… film developed its own forms Hitchcock told the story visually, long scenes Tarrentino accents the violence with rapid, quick cuts

Usage of New Media follows a predictable path At first the new form tries to act like the old form to make the new stuff look more familiar –In the movies, Newsreels “copied” newspaper-like layouts –With computers, the desktop metaphor “copied” the office desk Alan Kay, XEROX PARC –personal computer usage exploded Before desktop metaphor C: is all you got –few people used personal computers

So… What is Multimedia? Mix of audio, film, graphics, haptic (what’s haptic?) –that address the different senses We are just beginning to understand what the possibilities are... We are just beginning to understand how to best build multimedia stuff –Mix of animation and live action The movie 300? The movie Sin City? Beowolf? –TV series 24 and the movie Phone Booth? several scenes are played simultaneously

In this class We are interested in media forms found on and transmitted across the Internet and how to manipulate them We will build them as projects –audio –still images bitmapped vector graphics –moving images video camera 3D animation

Media Linearity Scroll - linear Book – linear… broken, but linear –Must turn the pages –but… Table of Contents and Index allow some non-linearity –encyclopedia and dictionaries are media that are meant to be used in a non-linear manner Film/Videotape - linear DVD – primarily linear –Chapters allow some non-linearity

Hypermedia Organization Time-based uses time as its central organizing theme –Film –Audio Page-based uses a page as its central organizing theme –Book –Internet… originally, yes but now?

Is media interactive? Yes and No Yes: Programs appear interactive, but only within the constraints placed on the interaction by the programmer and the interaction designer –Myst looked like a real world but you only had a few choices you could make No: Improvisation (on the part of the user) can’t happen unless it is planned and provided for in advance by the interaction designer and the programmer

How do you interact? User Interface This is what I do: HCI There are standard forms –buttons –sliders –radio buttons –check boxes –pull-down menus –pop-up menus …the kind of stuff you see when using the computer on the internet

Ethical Considerations Is technology –neutral? –ethical? –unethical? Does how we use it define it as ethical or unethical? Consider that new technology –affords a new means of interaction –affords opportunities for behavior that previously didn’t exist –MUD: Multiple User Domain –Second Life

Social Considerations: Access Expensive Reduce the world to 100 people.. – ate.asphttp:// ate.asp Access to internet worldwide? 1/100 would have a computer But... there are internet cafes so…

Social Considerations: Access What about people with disabilities? – Blind prior to the desktop metaphor this was the largest group of online users now the desktop REQUIRES sight to be operated –Can be mitigated by screen readers images are provided alternate text representations

WWW use broadens Initially seen as a “source”... you go to “look something up” –seen as economic advantage… only have to put stuff in one place and everybody can get to it Now it is also a transmission medium –streaming content: live radio –streaming content: view tv shows online –podcasts:

In Summary Media is changing Internet is changing Affecting us socially Giving us new capabilities Challenging our views of legality Challenging our view of appropriate behavior Allowing new uses and new interactions This class is about media and how it works

Questions?