Is scrolling or web paging better? For me I enjoy paging if there is a lot of content that I have to read, but if page has very little material then scrolling is better. Paging almost reminds me of turning a page in a book, which may make me feel like I'm reading something important when really I am just checking out a sports column on SI.com. If a website has lots of content on it I have trouble reading it all the way down.
I think most websites should use the web paging feature because it is simple and easy to read. Plus it's a newer technique that would make websites seem up to date rather than living in the internet stone age.
Monday, February 26, 2007
Tuesday, February 20, 2007
On Matt's Welch's THE NEW AMATEUR JOURNALISTS WEIGH IN
Welch's blog was refreshing to read in many ways. It drove home the point that mainstream media, as important as it is, is generally the same in every outlet and alternative journalism that popped up many years ago has pretty much gone the same way as the mainstream organizations. He stated that blogs are good because it allows anyone with access to the internet to write their own piece and have people read and comment on it.
In this new age it appears many journalists have, as Helen Thomas stated, lost most of their power and gave up their their only real weapon - skepticism. This is where I find blogging to be the new alternative journalism because anyone from a car mechanic to an astronomer can weigh in their opinion on whatever is on their mind and many of these blogs spark conversation that sometimes can lead to a "real" news story.
I feel since mainstream news seems to care more about Britney shaving her head than some 19-year-old marine getting his head blown off we need blogs to keep people on their toes and issues relevant. We need these independent voices to reach out and invigorate people on the internet to think about issues that are either passed over or rarely spoken of in the mainstream press.
My first two blogs are about a film I thought was revolutionary and that I feel will inspire a new way of filmmaking and my favorite movies of the year. Without a blog I could write these pieces, but they would be sitting in a notebook at my house for only me to read rendering them all but useless. But with my blog on the internet anyone can read them and react to my opinions if they please.
It's a new world with the digital age upon us and blogging is going to, hopefully, become more respected. As Welch said, this is something that was supposed to happen when the internet became a reality in the '90s. With many mainstream publications eschewing alternative journalism and conforming with every other media outlet blogging has become necessary for alternative reporting. The last work Hunter S. Thompson, a king of alternative journalism, was doing before he passed away was he had a blog. This should have been an indicator that the future of alternative reporting will not be in Rolling Stone or Vanity Fair, but rather on the internet by your average person with an opinion and a keyboard.
In this new age it appears many journalists have, as Helen Thomas stated, lost most of their power and gave up their their only real weapon - skepticism. This is where I find blogging to be the new alternative journalism because anyone from a car mechanic to an astronomer can weigh in their opinion on whatever is on their mind and many of these blogs spark conversation that sometimes can lead to a "real" news story.
I feel since mainstream news seems to care more about Britney shaving her head than some 19-year-old marine getting his head blown off we need blogs to keep people on their toes and issues relevant. We need these independent voices to reach out and invigorate people on the internet to think about issues that are either passed over or rarely spoken of in the mainstream press.
My first two blogs are about a film I thought was revolutionary and that I feel will inspire a new way of filmmaking and my favorite movies of the year. Without a blog I could write these pieces, but they would be sitting in a notebook at my house for only me to read rendering them all but useless. But with my blog on the internet anyone can read them and react to my opinions if they please.
It's a new world with the digital age upon us and blogging is going to, hopefully, become more respected. As Welch said, this is something that was supposed to happen when the internet became a reality in the '90s. With many mainstream publications eschewing alternative journalism and conforming with every other media outlet blogging has become necessary for alternative reporting. The last work Hunter S. Thompson, a king of alternative journalism, was doing before he passed away was he had a blog. This should have been an indicator that the future of alternative reporting will not be in Rolling Stone or Vanity Fair, but rather on the internet by your average person with an opinion and a keyboard.
Tuesday, February 6, 2007
2006 Ten Best Pics
Children of Men - Revolutionary, original, well-acted, visually amazing, great script, superb direction, and non-stop action. What more do you want in a film? This dark, yet hopeful film is one of the best films I have seen in years. Absolutely brilliant.
United 93 - Too soon? Not under the masterful direction of Paul Greengrass who shows the horrors of 9/11 with respect and taste. Harrowing and haunting, this realistic tribute to 9/11 will probably be the definitive film of that day's events.
Pan's Labyrinth - A violent fairy tale for adults about a young girl who escapes from the horrors of real life in a fantasy world like you've never seen before. Mixes politics, war, family, and fantasy almost effortlessly.
Lady Vengeance - Actually made in 2005, but not released in the U.S. until '06. Korean director Chan-wook Park's conclusion to his stunning and violent revenge trilogy. While Park's previous two entries in the trilogy, Oldboy and Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance, are also excellent films, Lady Vengeance is by far the more thought out and better constructed of the three. The ending is quite shocking and you don't see it coming from a mile away like most films these days.-
The Departed - Scorsese's best film since Goodfellas. Based on the great Hong Kong film Infernal Affairs, Scorsese gets back to his roots in this gangsters vs. cops epic. The cast goes for broke and the film is non-stop entertainment. 
Borat - Many of us have known about the genius of Sacha Baron Cohen since Da Ali G Show debuted on HBO a few years back or, even before that, if you watched it on British television. Cohen's lovable, yet undeniably offensive portrayal of the Kazakh journalist is comedic gold. No... platinum. No...Diamonds...
The Fountain - A lot of haters on this one and actually it took me a bit to realize the mind-trip I had just witnessed was a great film. Emotionally wrenching, yet a beautiful tale about love and loss.
Apocalypto - A chase film without cars, bullets, or Mel Gibson in The Road Warrior, but rather an exciting action flick with Mayans, spears, jaguars, and Mel Gibson calling the shots behind the camera and not dressed up as a Village People reject in a post apocalyptic world.
Brick - A great Noir film about a murdered ex-lover and the quest for the truth about what happened...set in high school. An interesting premise with hard-boiled dialogue that could have been used in any Bogart classic. Call it The Maltese Falcon Jr.
The Proposition - A western set in the Australian outback about a man who, to save the life of his youngest brother from a brutal lawman, must kill his psychotic older brother. Better than Deadwood? Yep.
Children of Men = Best Picture
Once again the Academy Awards will not be honoring the true best picture of the year. CHILDREN OF MEN, Alfonso Cuaron's revolutionary new film starring Clive Owen and Julianne Moore, is one of the most visually stunning, well-directed, and moving films I have seen in years. The film shows a society in decay and without hope since women became infertile. The messages in the film strike home especially with the current state of the world embroiled in the war on terror and the conflict in Iraq. There are some not-so-subtle references to both scattered throughout the film. I'm not going to get too much into the plot because I think readers can look up reviews if they want that or, more importantly, actually see it. One thing I will say about the film is that there is a battle scene towards the end that makes the opening of SAVING PRIVATE RYAN look like it was directed by Ed Wood.
The film is well-acted, the script is top-notch, and, most of all, the film is directed and shot in a way that has never been done before. Cuaron has elevated himself to Spielberg or Scorsese status with this masterpiece. CHILDREN OF MEN did manage to score a couple of nominations in the best cinematography, editing, and adapted screenplay categories, but the real crime is that Cuaron was not nominated for best director and the film was snubbed in the best picture category. LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE? Are you kidding me? Good movie, but not deserving of a best pic nomination.
Critics have been praising the film and some have been making noise about the lack of Academy love it failed to recieve. It is truly a crime that the Academy once again failed to even nominate the true best picture of the year, but then again after CRASH won best picture last year and GOODFELLAS lost to DANCES WITH WOLVES what was I truly expecting? Oh well, at least PAN'S LABYRINTH got some Oscar love.
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