A Farewell to Arms Article review

"We will have a cyber equivalent of Pearl Harbor at some point, and we do not want to wait for that wake-up call." 

This article is sort of totally scary as shit.  The fact that our nation and our nation's defense/security are COMPLETELY reliant on technology leaves us vulnerable and ironically, makes me feel very UNsafe.

The idea that situations like this could happen aren't out of the ordinary at all.  Considering the eventual downfall of our nations defense, backup plan after backup plan would have to be in place. What this all needs to boil down to, eventually, is that everyone should just grow the hell up and be friends. :] ....And only worry about threats from an Alien race or a zombie apocalypse.


http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/5.05/netizen.html

My Views on the Future

It's kind of hard to tell what will happen with technology in the future. My fantastical mind always likes to think it will turn out to be technology from show like Futurama or something, but the reality of that is probably far off.

I know when I was growing up that even things like Palm Pilots were amazing to me.  To have even been able to conceive feats of technology such as Apple products like the iPhone, the iPad and even the Macintosh home computer systems, would have been totally mind boggling.

I know that I'm happy with where technology is today, even if it has reduced some of the face to face interaction that I grew up on.  I feel that within a 10 year period, it isn't unlikely that the next big technological feat will come along

Online Comics

Online comics provide a newer and interesting take on the traditional paperback comics that we have all grown so fond of over the years.  But are they really comics? Should the be recognized as the kin of traditional graphic novels? Or should they be considered an entirely different medium?

I believe that they are still most definitely comics.  For me, what makes a comic are the transitions between panels and closure, as defined in Scott McCloud's book, "Understanding Comics".  Online comics, while providing more closure between frames with the help of motion pictures, are still a good bit of animation away from movies and cartoons.

In Scott McCloud's online comic "The Right Number", readers move through a comic by clicking an arrow.  In the center of each frame is a smaller version of the next frame.  In some instances, this inward motion actually aides in closure and transitions. An great example can be seen below:

Another aspect that really makes a comic a COMIC is frame usage.  In "The Right Number" there is minimal "traditional" frame usage (as in arrangement within the comic page), although it does still exist. In an online comic version of The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, motion is used a bit more frequently (making it closer to a cartoon) but a heavy dose of frame usage and arrangement is added.

The addition of frames helps to remind readers that although there is some motion and moving pictures, the story they are reading is most DEFINITELY still a comic.

These factors give online comics the right to be considered, in my opinion, actual comics. They may be different from the traditional book version, but the same storytelling techniques and time transitions still exist in this newer, updated medium of comic book reading.

The Presence of Educational Outlets on the Internet

The presence of shows like “Reading Rainbow” and other educational materials on the Internet can be good as well as bad.

For the most part, this is a good thing. Access to educational materials through the internet are extraordinary as a resource for learning and education. My schooling and access to educational materials as a child came less from the Internet and more from physical materials like books or different mediums such as films or television. With the fast paced future that we live in, it is almost a given that educational materials make a necessary appearance over the internet.  They are moving in the correct direction. The future relies heavily on the usage of the Internet, therefore it is a necessity. We use it every day and there is an almost endless limit to what can be offered through this outlet.

There are foreseeable problems with this though. Along with the great opportunity that online learning provides, parents and educators must be cautious of the dangers of the internet.  Children are probably more prone and susceptible to falling into internet scams and traps. They are also EXTREMELY curious.  As soon as they learn how to use a search engine, I think it could be game over. Your computer could crash from a shit load of porn or other “free” downloads. This means that parents and educators must be aware of these problems and learn to supervise their young web surfers.

http://www.cinemablend.com/television/Reading-Rainbow-Heads-Online-With-LeVar-Burton-Website-Kids-39406.html

Essex County Story Structure

Jeff Lemire’s Essex County presents a very unique, interlocking story between its three segments.  As each story unravels, so does its characters. Each of the story’s main characters are all interrelated with each other. Their background help to create an entire story of the history of these characters and how they all arrived in Essex County.

In the Book One: Tales From the Farm, we are introduced to Lester Papineau, a quiet young boy with a very active imagination.  As the story progresses, we find out that Lester’s mother died while he was young and that he lives with his Uncle.  He later ends up meeting a now retired, but once up and coming hockey player named Jimmy Lebeuf.  Due to an injury sustained to the head, Jimmy was forced to quit hockey and ended up suffering minor mental problems from it. Later, without the consent of Lester’s Uncle, Jimmy starts to spend time with Lester.

Book Two: Ghost Stories, tells the history of two hockey playing brothers, Lou and Vince Lebeuf. Eventually, Vince ends up marrying a woman named Beth Morgan. Unbeknownst to Vince, there is a strong emotional and sexual tension between Beth and Lou.  This tension eventually culminates into Lou and Beth conceiving Vince and Beth’s daughter, Mary.  Mary and her husband have a child named Jimmy Lebeuf, Vince and Lou’s promising hockey athlete grandson.

In Book Three, the stories collide and lock into place as we discover the origin of the nurse named Anne Byrne. She is caring for Lou as he is elderly and in need of daily assistance.  Anne’s grandmother, Sister Margaret Byrne was a nun who cared for orphans with a priest named Charles Gerrard.  Against the vows of celibacy they had taken, they conceived an illegitimate child, Anne Byrne’s mother. Amongst the children that Sister Margaret cared for, was one Lawrence Lebeuf, the father of Vince and Lou. 

One day the orphanage burned down and Sister Margaret and the orphans were forced into the wintery wilderness to find a new home.  During the fire, Charles Gerrard died while rescuing one of the children, Lawrence Lebeuf. Sister Margaret and the children wandered the wilderness until they came to a town in Essex County.

Towards the end of Book Three, we also find out the real father of Lester Papineau. His mother, who had died years before, was married to Jimmy Lebeuf. Jimmy is Lester’s real father, but as Lester’s mother, Claire Papineau, saw it on her death bed, Lester’s Uncle Kenny was more suited to care for Lester than Jimmy. Jimmy left Claire during their marriage. Lester was never told that Jimmy was his real father until the end of the book when Kenny decides to reveal it to him.

I feel that Lemire decided to create such a complex and intricate story in order to build suspense throughout the book as well as keep the reader’s interest. He succeeded in making one big story out of three separate ones.  While I had somewhat questioned the real story underneath the three separate stories, it all became clear by the end of Book Three when all the story’s paths join together.  This book was extremely entertaining to read and the connection of the stories intensified the reading pleasure. 

Tablets

Tablets are stupid. I don't own one. I don't intend to own one ever.

     I don't necessarily understand the fascination with tablets. It's like a big iPhone. I can still do most of the things that an iPad can on a device that fits in my pocket. If I have that, why would I ALSO want to have an iPad. I own a MacBookPro laptop and it services all of my Internet and basic computer needs. They most definitely are a fad. The only reason anybody wants one is because they don't have one. It isn't our future because it isn't replacing existing technologies; those that need no improvement.
     I honestly only use my laptop anymore to access school related sites or shop online for the convenience of a keyboard.  My iPhone has replaced my laptop for most of the other reasons I use the internet, particularly social networking.
     For some instances, I DO understand the need for a tablet. Theses instances mainly relate to children. I noticed that my younger cousins used tablets quite frequently for reading and gaming apps.  This is a use that is somewhat lost on my generation.  We tend to have to read physical copies of books and favor gaming consoles for our entertainment needs.
     As for this current generation of children who are disconnected from society due to an overload of technological advances, tablets provide a unique way for parents to keep their kids quiet and entertained for hours on end.
     Otherwise, I don't understand the need for an iPad or other tablet.  I'm not too sure what more they can provide that my iPhone or laptop doesn't already provide for me. If I want a big screen, I'll watch something on my laptop or my TV. If I want to socially network, I'll use my phone. Not a tablet.

Frame Usage for “Essex County Book Two: Ghost Stories” and “Batman: The Dark Knight Returns”

     Jeff Lemire's "Essex County" and Frank Miller's "Batman: The Dark Knight Returns" both have very unique structures with their frame usage. Both use a wide variety of different frames. As well, both possess an interesting and varied usage of transitions.

Jeff Lemire's "Ghost Stories"

Lemire's second installment, "Ghost Stories" is a story of recollection and memories of past events.  Many of the frames correlate with this mode of narration. The frames are somewhat standard of comics but are often interrupted to aid in the display of flashbacks and flashforwards.

Jeff Lemire's "Ghost Stories"

Frank Miller's "Dark Knight Returns"

     Frank Miller's "Dark Knight Returns", uses a very unique style for its framing.  Often times the standard format of framing is as per the example on the left. However oftentimes, the normal format of framing is interrupted by segments in which the frames resemble TV screens viewing the news. The example on the right displays how this format typically repeats throughout the novel.

Frank Miller's "Dark Knight Returns"

     While at times each novel has similar standard frame formatting, both novels use their own unique formats to help aid their narratives. "Ghost Stories" relays dissonant and dreamy sequences with its frame usage to tell a flashback/memory based story.  In "Dark Knight Returns", the story is very much based in chaos. The frame usage helps reflect the anarchy and tense conflict that the story is based on.