text:
volume 03 issue 06/2014
ARTE: French-German Experiments in Crossing the Borders
'One Media – Three Screens'
Convergence and Interactivity at its Full Potential?
Anna Wiehl
Medienwissenschaft Universität Bayreuth
Geschwister-Scholl-Platz 3
95445 Bayreuth
Abstract: This contribution is aimed at discussing different current policies of convergence as well as questioning whether these exploit the opportunities of digital media to their full potential, especially with regard to transmedia storytelling, interactivity, participation and networking.
Taking the portfolio of the 'European Culture Channel' ARTE as an example, I draw a sketch of existing and emerging industrial strategies as well as of new formats and user practices. In the second part of the article, I examine one specific genre within this context I look at the collaborative, networked transmedia documentary Prison Valley to consider transformations at both the macro and the micro level. Last but not least, I question whether ARTE fulfils its promise to be the first "100% bi-medial channel" (according to ARTE's mission statement), or whether it promotes an 'extended side-by-sideness' of devices and practices, which would constitute the first steps towards the synergetic potential of media convergence.
Keywords: Convergence; second screen; transmedia storytelling; web documentary; interactivity; participation
1 Prelude: A Futurist Vision
Sitting on the sofa in the evening and enjoying a thrilling documentary on TV – not only watching it but participating in it – is no longer a futurist vision, but already common practice, at least according to the mission statements of many European programmes. Following a show, a film or live broadcast and simultaneously exchanging comments with friends on the programme's blog, liking the programme on Facebook or becoming a follower on Twitter seem to be pervasive practices; although options such as e.g. exploring a programme further online in the form of a game or an interactive web-documentary are not that widespread, these incentives to get engaged with a programme can be regarded as 'emerging practices.' The same is true if we take it one step further and look for instance, at broadcasters' invitation to viewers to use their smartphone and explore a storyline right on the spot, live, by means of participating for example, in a real-life event and collaborating with likeminded 'viewers' and thus crossing the border from mere 'reception' and interaction on the screen to action beyond the screen.
These strategies and practices of 'convergent television' that have been emerging in the last few years have been anticipated by media theorists since the late 1980s: Henry Jenkins, Marie-Laure Ryan or Janet Murray have been addressing this by focusing on transmedia and crossmedia narration. Until now, many adjacent disciplines such as media psychology,1 media sociology,2 media history,3 media economy,4 media politics5 have joined this discourse from their specific perspectives. Other than that, handbooks and guides – e.g. concerning convergent journalism6 – are mushrooming both online and offline.
What once used to be a futurist vision now seems to have become real. According to the mission statements of some European broadcasting stations, we now experience immersive,7 interactive, participatory and user-/participant-orientated forms of audiovisual entertainment and information that media research has been anticipating long before these become part of a common everyday usage.
More than 30 years after these issues emerged in media research, they are now becoming hotly debated in both academic practice and in the fields of their technological, economic and political application. Jenkins has detached himself from his initial arguments and admitted that "convergence" – a "label" rather than a coherent scientific concept – has "generated more buzz – and less honey"8 and underlined that one should rather differentiate between technological, economic, cultural, social and global convergence. At the same time, recent publications and conference papers have questioned initial concepts of convergence. It seems therefore worthwhile to revisit these theoretical concepts as well as their actual realizations. Which of these strategies are implemented in a meaningful way, bringing an 'added value' for the user, and which are only marketing labels?
This contribution aims at discussing different policies of convergence with regard to audiovisual media. Focussing on qualitative research as well as empirical data, I am proposing – beyond advertising enthusiasm – that it is still necessary to question whether current strategies actually exploit the options of digital media to their full potential. ARTE, that claims to be Europe's first "100% bi-medial channel" presenting "one media [on] three screens"9 to an international European audience, thus crossing not only medium-specific borders but also national borders, will serve as a showcase to explore this question both from the producer's perspective as well as from the perspective of user practices and experiences. I will pursue a critically informed qualitative analysis of ARTE's programming on both the macro-level (i.e. with regard to ARTE's different platforms, their functions and objectives) and at the micro-level of one selected 'emerging genre:' the transmedia interactive documentary Prison Valley.
1.1 Troubling Taxonomies. Interactivity, Interaction, Participation and Convergence
"Convergence? Mal nommer un objet, c'est ajouter au malheur!"André Gaudreault10
Before going into depth, however, one should clarify some basic – yet under-defined – terms that will come up again in the article, such as: interactivity, interaction, participation and convergence, as applied to the emerging sub-genre of new media documentary analysed below.
Although most academic research agrees that 'interactivity' can be considered one of the decisive affordances of digital, non-linear or (questionably) so-called newmedia, there are numerous different theoretical concepts underlying this 'buzzword.' Thus, interactivity is mutually or simultaneously used as an attribute of technological systems, of communicational processes – and of user practices and experiences.11 In the following, I propose to define 'interactive' media as an overarching main category that comprises interactivity (in the narrower sense), interaction, participation and collaborative networking. Interactivity (in a narrower sense) takes place in the form of feedback-loops between the user and the system database or digital artefact. Interaction is based on a 'communicational process' – thus requiring other (human) inter-actors. Participation/collaboration expands the idea of symbolic or communicational acting (as in interaction) by the fact that it is aimed at the (creative) production of new content – either in an accumulative way (i.e. participation, for example by uploading one's own video production to a shared database) or by coordinating communal action (i.e. collaboration, in form of crowd-sourcing, collaborative interface design or activist use of flash-mobs etc.).12
With regard to 'new media' documentaries – the one emerging genre that I am going to analyse as a case study - there are similar issues with regard to its taxonomy. Although the terms 'web-documentary,' 'interactive documentary' and 'transmedia documentary' are often used synonymously, there are essential differences between these 'sub-types' of the 'documentary family.' In order to differentiate among these different 'family-members,' I will use the term 'web-documentary' for non-fiction audiovisual material that can (only) be accessed online. This digital material may or may not be interactive: it is presented on the Web as a broadcast platform and ranges from traditional linear documentaries to highly interactive content with large paratextual components.
Interactive documentary, in contrast does not necessarily have to be web-based – the first i-docs were in fact sold on DVD or were part of museum installations. Their non-linear narrative results from the i-doc's database structure, which is based on feedback loops and 'dialoguing' with user/interactant. Their main characteristics are modularity and variability – i.e. two of the essential features of the 'language of new media,' in Manovich's sense of the word.
Narrative content that is designed to be distributed across multiple platforms (digital as well as non-digital) qualifies as transmedia documentary. Most often, these type of documentaries contain interactive components, and almost always the Internet is one of the media involved in the expansion of their (non-fictional) narration.
However, one has to admit that numerous projects exist as hybrids. As O'Flynn rightly states, an i-doc for example "can be web-based or created as a physical installation, but it is a discrete contained work encountered on a single platform, and in earlier examples tends to function as a closed database. A transmedia documentary distributes a narrative across more than one platform, it can be participatory or not, can invite audience generated content or not, tends to be open and evolving, though not always."13
Nevertheless, an awareness of the intricate terminology should be established right from the beginning, also in order to underline the fact that with regard to convergent tendencies, a critical and differentiated approach must be taken in order to analyse whether the basic ideas surrounding the 'buzzword' are already exploited to their full potential. In the following paragraphs, I will thus have a look at the transmedial portfolio of ARTE.
2 An Overview: ARTE's Portfolio as a 'European Culture Channel'
By convergence, I mean the flow of content across multiple media platforms, the cooperation between multiple media industries, and the migratory behavior of media audiences who will go almost anywhere in search of the kinds of entertainment experiences they want. Convergence is a word that manages to describe technological, industrial, cultural, and social changes […]Henry Jenkins14
2.1 Strategic Approaches Towards Media Convergence(s)
As to strategies on convergence – not only in the sense of challenging medium-specific borders but also of crossing national and cultural borders, ARTE, a German-French broadcaster, can be considered a paradigmatic touchstone for this research. The channel proudly presents itself as the first "100% bi-medial channel" – "the European Culture Channel" - expanding "from its core broadcasting into a galaxy of new media" and "pioneering in the marriage of television, Internet, and mobile networks,"15 forming "one media [on] three screens."16 But what are the components of this 'transmedia cocktail'? Which screens, which programmes, texts, industrial production practices and 'amateur' produsers are actually driving this convergence process? And what are the aesthetical as well as pragmatic and experiental implications of these transitions?
2.2 ARTE's Different Platforms
First of all, there is the 'traditional' broadcasting service of ARTE TV with its linear programming presented on the 'traditional' television screen. Besides this, there is ARTE-web, the extended and elaborated ARTE online platform.
Fig. 1 Screenshot of ARTE's navigation bar presenting the different components of the broadcaster's 'transmedia cocktail'
As the navigation bar indicates, ARTE offers standard online services. By using the brand name ARTElive, the audience is invited to tune into the regular live streamed programme.17 ARTEweb also provides a detailed online programme-guide (ARTEprogram), and offers the catch-up platform ARTE+7, where users can re-watch programmes for seven days after their first broadcast. Since 2013, these services have also been available ubiquitously on mobile screens and Internet-connected TVs. Furthermore, the similarly accessible video-on-demand platform presents the most prestigious documentaries and films for (paid) download.18 ARTEinfo delivers the latest news – with a special emphasis on European politics and cultural issues (here again, the programme emphasizes its mission to cross (national) borders). And last but not least, ARTEcinema provides comprehensive guides to the film-programme of the channel – with interactive picture galleries, timelines and non-linear navigable biographies.
Although these services are certainly valuable for engaging the audience with the (broadcast) program, these practices have become standard for many channels.19 They may offer time- and place-independent personalized audiovisual information and entertainment, yet, if one takes a closer look at the core feature of 'digital media' – i.e. interactivity in the sense of participation and collaboration – this is a mere continuation of the linear programme. So, what does ARTE's claim of being "100% bi-medial" and offering an enlargement of experience, rely on?
If we pay attention to the more web-specific affordances, we come across ARTEfuture, a section focused on non-fiction programmes. It is based on discussion forums and live chats and it offers extended additional material, primarily 'interactive' content (in the narrower sense). In some cases, it tries to enlarge the viewing experiences by also hosting apps for simultaneous second-screen usage.
ARTEcreative - the second original 'bi-medial' and so far unique component – invites artists, filmmakers and authors to upload their work, from internet and media art to street art, design, photography and video games. Thus, artists can become part of the ARTE 'community.' If their productions get positive comments by other community members such as ('passive') ARTE viewers/surfers, and are equally evaluated by ARTE's creative consultants and programme managers, they may even get 'recruited' and be offered the possibility of joining the company. With regard to this interactive platform, ARTE provides a (moderated) space for participation as well as collaboration. More often than not, artists conceptualize and realize joint intermedia projects in a team, even though they are physically located all over the world.
A very specialized service is provided by ARTEconcert. This emphasizes once again the specific impetus of ARTE as a bi-medial cultural channel representing Europe's diversity of artistic performances. Presenting musical and theatre events of all genres – including opera, pop, rock, jazz, dance, drama, pantomime, cabaret and circus – ARTEconcert promotes new talents as well as renowned artists in Europe. Apart from just 'broadcasting' these programmes, ARTE tries to evoke the specifics of a live performance, e.g. by moving the live presentation into cinemas or concert halls. Other productions are 'extended' in post-production by offering specific 'interaction-points' providing explanatory interviews or commentary, behind-the-scenes material, backstage tours etc.
2.3 Functions and Objectives
One main objective of this diverse portfolio consists of ARTE's goal to foster its unique selling point: its brand-image as an innovative, transnational, European avant-garde venture. The bi-national media company also aims – as stated in their formation contract – at promoting "Transfrontier Television" as proclaimed in Article 8 of the Council of Europe Convention (DHMM 891.F March 1989). This is targeted not only at the realization of a communal televised programme, but also at further stimulating debate among Europeans.20 However, it needs to be mentioned that so far, only a very small number of users exploit these think-tank-like projects to exchange ideas; yet, those who do so are generally long-term loyal participants.21
A further motivation of the company is certainly to democratize formerly elitist genres and cultural practices such as the opera or classic theatre. This concern for so far underrepresented genres and forms of artistic expression, though, stems not only from a disinterested humanist idealism. By introducing a niche audience online for the more 'difficult' cultural productions - as for example experimental video essays, modern opera, lengthy films – the channel tries to avoid the risk of losing too many of their 'regular' (measured) TV-audiences and hopes to stimulate new audience needs.
Last but not least, the services respond to new viewing practices such as schedule-independent, time-shifted television consumption and the user's demand for more interactivity and participation. In a nutshell, ARTE endows the audience/viewer/user with personal and at the same time collective agency – or at least, they give them that feeling.
3 Interactive & Participative Multi-Media Ecologies: New formats, New practices?
If we shift from the producer perspective to consumer- or rather user-orientated considerations, one can find different incentives for traditional TV audiences to migrate to ARTE platforms beyond the television screen. First of all, due to curated additional material and (journalistically checked) surplus of information online, the user is able to get more engaged and – more importantly – interactive22 with issues he/she may be interested in (e.g. by means of interactive info-graphics that allow him or her to run through different scenarios and simulate alternative outcomes).23
More specifically exploiting the genuine possibilities of (social) networking offered by converging media, virtual online agoras are built around the broadcast TV programme in the form of blogs, twitter invitations, chat rooms and forums. What was formerly a rather passive, parasocial television-set-centered media reception has now been relocated into spaces of active, communicative exchanges with both other users and producers, which provides the possibility for almost immediate feedback. In some cases such as TV discussions, the audience is even invited to virtually join this communicative exchange via SMS, e-mail or Skype, having thus the possibility to intervene live into the screen action.24 However, as already pointed out with regard to the discussion platforms offered by the company, the actual number of audience making use of these offers is still much lower than for example participation in simple, multiple-choice SMS-voting. Once again, Nielson's theory on the 90 – 9 - 1 Skewed Lurker–Contributor Ratio turns out to be right. As the research group speculated, one reason for this is certainly that these forms of content-creation or persuasive participation require an in-depth engagement with the issue and the formulation of a substantial question or argument – practices that still diverge from most television-habituated audiences' routine of 'leaning back.'25 Unfortunately, ARTE still partially supports this passive attitude to its (broadcasted) programmes by sticking to conventional forms of presenting for example televised debates during prime time. Here, more audacious experiments with formats might be a remedy.
A further rather recent practice that – in contrast to substantial participation – is more acceptable according to the ARD-online-report 2014, consists of the extension of televised content by simultaneous usage of tablets and smartphones. If one synchronizes for example their second screen-device with the broadcast programme, one gets alternative points of view, other than those on the 'regular' television screen.
Fig. 2 Screenshots Alma
Although this feature is still rare in the context of live broadcasting of (cultural) formats on ARTE, 26 the company experiments with it mainly in the field of fictional and documentary formats. One example in this respect is the interactive documentary Alma – A Tale of Violence, co-produced by ARTE France, Upian and Agence VU. On the television screen, Alma looks straight into the viewer's eyes and confides about her time as a member of one of Guatemala City's most violent gangs. On the second screen, a special app enables the user to shift from Alma's confession, to an evocative level, in which photos blend with small drawings. This allows the user to add a more emotional, sometimes even poetic layer to the rather factual documentary mode of address. In a certain way, the second screen enables the user to access Alma's memories and gain (subjective) insight into her mental state at that time. In contrast to linear, mono-medial 'conventional' non-fiction programmes, however, Alma avoids the risk of becoming involuntarily sentimenta, a flaw of many docu-fictions or semi-documentary formats based on re-enactment.
Fig. 3 Screenshots About Kate – second screen usage
Another feature is represented by the possibility of adding a factual dimension to a fictional programme. An app, for instance for the mini-series About Kate, provides more in-depth information that can be interactively modified and accessed in a customized manner. Thus, parallel to the action on screen, the user can for example fill in a questionnaire (developed in cooperation with the renowned Frauenhofer Institute, which makes it scientifically reliable). At the end of the respective sequence, the user is given a 'prognosis' of his or her ability to face similar challenges as presented on screen. Through this, the programme not only gains a further immersive, experiential dimension and provides more knowledge and insight, but it also stimulates self-reflection.
4 New Practices, New aesthetics?
This directly leads to the question of to which extent these new practices in media production, (inter-)active media reception and constructive feedback promote the development of a 'new aesthetics' of convergence - a hypothesis proposed among others by Thorburn and Jenkins27 - or from a more psychological point of view, a 'new aesthetics of the interactive,' in Peacock's sense of the term.28 In this context, one can state right from the beginning that many of our screen-programmes are becoming more and more experimental and open to hybridization. The most prominent are mutual exchanges ranging from typical online aesthetics to traditional TV-screen style. However, it is still questionable whether this enables the user/viewer of convergent programmes to experience really new aesthetic qualities.
4.1 YouTube Aesthetics and Television?
As the example of Kate has shown, aesthetics of amateur-film, the (likewise professional) use of mobile-phone camera or the optic style of surveillance cameras seem to have become a rather established mode of expression. Moreover, (very) short formats are becoming more and more popular. Especially the televised programme of ARTE favours such experimental forms ranging from two- to five-minute productions (e.g. Silex and the City). However, even longer TV productions (and I am not only referring here to avant-garde filmmaking) often adopt a rather episodic, heterogeneous style, similar to user-generated YouTube videos and are adapted to the the experience of clicking through a 'new flow' of infinite clips as described for example by Grusin29 or Urricchio.30 In this context, ARTE quite recently coproduced a number of trans-genre experiments: highly hybrid films, combining for instance (semi-) factual rhetoric and incorporating animation scenes, stylized subjective dream sequences, such as Camp 14 or Alma.
4.2 From Temporal Montage to Spatial Montage
A further impact of 'converging screens' on contemporary aesthetic tendencies is certainly the remediation of so called 'database-logics.' As Manovich31 demonstrates, we are moving from temporal montage to spatial montage, meaning that films and TV programmes are trying to evoke the impression of a navigable interface: web-browsers and multi-windowed computer- or tablet-screens, (animated) 'pop up' inserts on our TV screens and split-screens have become more or less established features of not only news or other factual programmes, but also of fiction and semi-fiction productions.32
4.3 Rediffusion and 'Bon Cadrage'
Technological convergence not only entail remediation and the simulation of other screens and screen practices; the availability of one and the same programme on various devices and in very different contexts leads to a revision of what 'bon cadrage' is. Production and pre-production practices already take into account the fact that programmes are not only watched on big television screens capable of displaying 16:9 or event cinemascope material, but also on mobile devices with smaller screens of other ratios (e.g. smartphones or tablets).
This requires a renewed treatment of movement, setting and character exposition in mobile- view formats as applied to the 'classic TV-programme' that has been dominant in the last few decades. Mobile screening practices for example, favour close-ups over panoramic shots because small details or movement in the background would be indiscernible on small screens, and they avoid rapid camera movement.
To sum it up, it can be stated that on both 'traditional screens' and 'new screens', we find altered aesthetic strategies which are aimed at addressing different – new (?) – audiences (e.g. the so-called 'digital natives') as well as at addressing habitual audiences differently.
5 A Case Study of the Interactive Transmedia Documentary Prison Valley
Having browsed through ARTE's programming portfolio and touched upon some of the major impacts of convergence on production, viewing and user practices, let us now get to the bottom of our discussion. How does one experience living in a valley whose main wealth comes from prisons and the adjoined 'businesses'? What is the atmosphere like? What is the measurable 'economic surplus' of such places and what is the socio-psychological downside of that? These are some of the leading questions David Dufresne and Philippe Brault raise (and try to answer) in their prize-winning interactive transmedia documentary Prison Valley (ARTE/Upian, 2010).
Taking Prison Valley as an illustration of ARTE's venturing into 'new dimensions' of interactive broadcasting, I will first explore Prison Valley on the macro-level of the media-ensemble and then, I will consider its production at the micro-level by looking at its online features.
5.1 Exploring Prison Valley at the Macro-Level of the Transmedia Ensemble
Dufresne's and Brault's transmedia documentary 'project' about the American 'Prison Industry' consists of:
– a linear documentary film that was screened as a premiere in different cinemas in France and Germany before being broadcast on ARTE (and is still available on YouTube);
– an interactive web-documentary with the same title (which I will explore in more detail later on).
Furthermore, it comprises:
– a blog (that was already launched during the phase of post-production);
– an extended facebook-group;
– an application for iPhone which allows the user to 'meet' central characters from the film, to twitter and to follow tweets by other users, some of the protagonists and the authors and to access additional footage and photographs (that can be browsed through while watching the linear documentary film).
Apart from these on-screen features, the on- and offline project was accompanied by a photo exhibition and a photobook. According to the terminology of 'new media' documentaries clarified in the beginning of the article, this synergetic combination of different media classifies Prison Valley as a web-based interactive audio-visual transmedia documentary, a hybrid example of converging screens.
Fig. 4 Prison Valley web-doc page; iPhone app screen shot; film announcement
When broadcast on ARTE for the first time in 2010, the 59 minute documentary was embedded in a so-called 'soirée théma' or 'Themenabend.' This included one other documentary film about electronic monitoring of prisoners and a live discussion about prisons all over the world, featuring international experts, print/online journalists as well as the producers and authors of the (web-) documentary. In the same context, a thematically matching film was aired. As the whole 'event' was declared a prestige-experiment, it was announced long beforehand in the printed ARTEmagazine including a background story about the 'making-of' and interviews with the authors. Moreover, the whole evening scheduling was promoted by trailers on the TV screen, via updates on the ARTE homepage and on the homepage of the web-doc itself as well as via social media.
These cross-media marketing strategies already provide an idea about the importance of the ensemble of these productions as they can be regarded as one of the first really 'bi-medial' manifestations of ARTE's editorial policy or 'philosophy.' As declared in its latest mission statement and corporate brochure, ARTE intends to "expand […] from its core broadcasting into a mixture of innovative formats reaching all screens. […] When television adds interactivity, ARTE takes viewers on an adventure through all screens, while setting European standards for culture and creativity."33
Thus, with regard to the embeddedness and promotion of both the documentary film and the interactive, participatory web-documentary, the programme fosters the image of an innovative programme "[i]n a radically changing audiovisual environment," engaging with discussion, standing for "creativity, commitment and openness to the world."34
5.2 Exploring Prison Valley at the Micro-Level of Online Features
How far is this goal achieved at the micro-level of the online features of Prison Valley, the web-documentary itself?
The user remains a viewer during the first five minutes of the opening sequences of the web-doc. The later introduction to the interactive programme is almost identical with the linear film opening. This, however, is not that unusual if one thinks of similar prologues of (online) video games and filmic 'cut-scenes' in which the players only immerse themselves into the narration; in a certain way, i-docs present a border case of the emerging sub-genre of 'serious games' or 'persuasive games.'
After the intro, the users 'are called into action.' Assuming the role of an investigative journalist, they enter a motel where they are asked to 'register' for a room – i.e. to log in with their Facebook or Twitter account. By doing this, they move into the web-doc universe of Prison Valley in a personalized way and are able to connect with other users or join the aligned Facebook group.
Fig. 5 Log-In/motel registration for entering Prison Valley in a 'personalized' way
Concerning the organization of the narrative, a great part of the documentary footage is integrated in the web-doc as well. The single sequences as such, feature a rather classical dramaturgic micro-structure. Moreover, the camera and the overarching aesthetic of these 'narrative units' (in Thalhoffer's sense of the term35) rely heavily on rather 'traditional' documentary aesthetics, working extensively with the observational and the expository modes of depiction (as Nichols36 describes them). Many of the interview sequences open with an establishing shot, followed by a statement on camera by a presenter or a confession by the interlocutor.
The linear film contrasts these sequences in reference to the road film, presenting first-person, voice-over reflections in a rather poetic mode, for instance when the journalists continue their journey and highly symbolic shots or even stills are displayed.
The non-linear documentary, in contrast, calls for some kind of decision and action of the users at this point. Being 'thrown back' on an interactive map, they have to choose which steps to take next – i.e. which locations they want to visit and whom they will interview.
This implies that the users can individually fast-forward and rewind the action/narration, whereas in 'traditional' documentary, they are only able to chronologically follow the storyline.
Fig. 6 Map of Prison Valley virtual environment – spatial montage
The interactive map illustrates how temporal montage is (at least partly) replaced by spatial montage, which is a characteristic of 'new media' (in Manovich's understanding of the word), as I've noted earlier. This entails a change in the viewer's/user's perception; thus, the epistemological 'function' of the computer screen diverges from that of the television screen:
In spatial montage, nothing is potentially forgotten, nothing is erased. Just as we use computers to accumulate endless texts, messages, notes and data, and just as a person, going through life, accumulates more and more memories, with the past slowly acquiring more weight than the future, spatial montage can accumulate events and images as it progresses through its narrative. In contrast to cinema's [and television's] screens, which primarily functioned as a record of perception, here computer screen functions as a record of memory.37
I will conclude later whether Manovich's rather utopic assessment of the potential of the 'language of new media' can be applied without reserve to the transmedia format of this interactive documentary.
Another option for the users is to return to the motel. Back in the apartment, they are able to browse through their 'notes', review their photos and other material they've picked up or join a discussion on the Prison Valley forum. There, they can get into contact not only with the producers and other users but also with some of the protagonists: residents of Canon City, prison staff, local journalists and also relatives of the imprisoned inmates and civil-rights activists. Following the entries, it becomes clear that many users were interested in issues the authors did not directly address in their interviews or used in the documentary film.
Last but not least, the user can 'switch on' the (virtual) computer and connect to the 'real' Internet, for instance for conducting further research or exchanging opinions, findings or for opening up discussions with like-minded users/participants on Facebook.
Fig. 7 Motel room or user's/player's 'Head Quarters' in PrisonValley
An event so far unique was organized by the 'followers,' 'friends' and authors of Prison Valley: a live-chat conference with the governor of the State of Arizona. Residents, activists and users from all over the globe joined this moderated discussion on issues raised in the documentaries.38
The lively debates on shared platforms (mainly Facebook) where users post newspaper articles, short videos or other 'user-generated-content;' mixing original personal accounts with subjective and even poetic reflections all this interactive networking and creative practices of content appropriation and creation could be considered as further blurring the dichotomy between the 'author' and the 'audience.'
6 Fusion and Confusion. Media convergence at Its Full Potential?
"Si l'ère numérique est un ère de fusion – c'est aussi un ère de confusion."André Gaudreault39
6.1 ARTE. Converging Screens and Participatory Practices: 'One Media, Three Screens?'
At the end of this tour d'horizon through both the portfolio of ARTE as an ensemble and through one of its interactive transmedia productions, one has to critically review whether the concepts of 'convergence' and digital media's potential for interactivity are employed to their full scope. Is ARTE truly a 'one medium [on] three screens,' the first '100% bi-medial channel,' using the synergic potential of converging and media and transmedia storytelling? Or are we rather witnessing a form of – certainly extended – 'side-by-side' screens and practices?
As we have seen, ARTE definitely goes far beyond the usual online services of most European 'traditional' broadcasting companies. The majority of those still seem to regard their web-appearance as a subordinate 'addition' to their 'regular' programme, providing live streaming, VoD or background information in the form of written texts or slide shows. Thus, these sites mainly spread more or less the same information or slightly augmented material than the one they air on TV.
ARTE, by contrast, provides further online features. As was initiatives such as ARTEcreative or ARTEfuture have shown, the company tries to enlarge the scope of possibilities for the audience to engage and become (inter-)active networking users. However, when critically reviewing ARTE's portfolio and projects like About Kate, Alma or Prison Valley, it becomes clear that only some of the interactive and participatory potential of converging media is employed, and that transmedia storytelling and collaboration are only rarely and partly made use of.
First of all, the majority of 'community-members' of ARTEcreative as well as most of the more open participatory transmedia ventures have to be considered at least (semi-) professional. Their content can be labelled as 'peer-produced content' rather than 'user-' or 'participant-generated content.' What is also remarkable is that the number of regularly and creativelyactive contributing and networking members is rather moderate.40
Apart from this, many of these projects only appear to be transmedial. Although projects on ARTEcreative or ARTEfuture are promoted by video trailers on 'regular TV' and in the monthly ARTEmagazine, strictly speaking, they must be categorized as web-based or interactive but not transmedial, if we take into account the initial attempts in this article to clarify some of the undetermined terminological keywords.
But even if we turn to the micro-level of projects such as Prison Valley that is an example of a '100% bi-medial' transmedial venture usually consisting of a linear film (aired on TV) and an interactive web-documentary, we need to be reserved about their full application of the promises of 'transmedia storytelling' (according to Jenkins' understanding of the concept). Although most of these documentary programmes might be accessible on different media and offer independent points of entry, these projects are only partly successful in unfolding their 'story' on several of these different media platforms "with each new text making a distinctive and valuable contribution to the whole" and with "each medium do[ing] what it does best".41
Apart from that, considering the promise of active involvement, user agency and creative networking participation, it needs to be acknowledged that most of these web-documentaries are rather re-active, meaning they are limited in regard to the scope and impact of users' action. Usually, all possible 'paths' through the multi-linear documentary are pre-scripted by the authors and are dependent on fixed algorithms. Most differ from open, non-linear participatory and collaborative projects and are in fact quasi-linear and thus rather 'traditional' formats.
However, if we consider interaction not so much as a technical or textual but rather as a cognitive, experiential and emotional category, such reserves turn out to be of less importance. Concerning Prison Valley, many users wrote that even if the web-doc did not provide much deeper factual knowledge and it took them much longer than simply watching the 59 minutes of linear film, their experience and the impact of their engagement with the web-doc was entirely different:
I probably would have gotten the same amount of information from a one- hour video doc that I got from 5 hours and a half of being online and finding my way through Cannyon City. I also think that, had I turned on the TV to watch a documentary about prisons in Colorado, the details of the story would not have stayed with me the way they did.42
Another user stated that although she did not feel like the co-author of the 'story' presented within the multi-linear web-documentary, she nevertheless felt some sort of creative and investigative agency:
I suppose the issue of the viewer as co-author is debatable […]. However, you will probably also find yourself googling and wiki-ing and conducting your personal online research, so in this sense you are encouraged to become an author for this story.43
6.2 ARTE. First Steps Towards the Synergetic Potential of Media Convergence
Convergence does not occur through media appliances, however sophisticated they may become. Convergence occurs within the brains of individual consumers and through their social interactions…Henry Jenkins44
At present one can conclude that ARTE can be regarded as 'one medium [on] three screens' and that the 'bi-medial channel' faces the challenges and opportunities provided by the diverse forms of media convergence, not only with regard to technological changes but also to various cultural implications. Concerning the promise of interactiveengagement, genuine transmedia 'storytelling' and participatory co-authorship with the viewer/user/prosumer, it is mainly through special 'events' and external, partly independent platforms that ARTE invites users to extend the scope of their agency from mere on-screen agency to agency through the screen. Thus, most of the small and often ephemeral communities that are built around transmedia projects do not achieve a larger public impact. However, such first initiatives promise to at least change viewers' expectations of audiovisual media on various screens.
In this sense, ARTE makes a few unquestionably brave firststeps towards the synergetic potential of media convergence, even though there is still a lot to be done in order to deploy the full potential of user agency.
Dr. Anna Wiehl is a lecturer and research assistant at the University of Bayreuth, Germany, Department for Media Studies. Her research focuses on the interdependencies of audiovisual and digital media, transmedia narratives, (interactive) documentary and the future of television. In 2010, she received her Ph.D. degree (summa cum laude) in the international Ph.D. Programme "Kulturbegegnungen – Cultural Encounters – Rencontres Culturelles. Interdisciplinary Studies in Language, Literature and Media at the University of Bayreuth." Apart from her academic career, she worked for several years for the French-German broadcasting station ARTE, the German public broadcaster ARD and the Bavarian television BR as author for TV, radio and Internet.
Journal of European Television History and Culture
Vol. 03, 06, 2014
Article ID: jethc072 | URL: http://www.viewjournal.eu Publisher: Netherlands Institute for Sound and Vision in collaboration with Utrecht University, University of Luxembourg and Royal Holloway University of London. Copyright: The text of this article has been published under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 Netherlands License. This license does not apply to the media referenced in the article, which is subject to the individual rights owner's terms.
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text:
Hardik Vaidya
Hardik Vaidya (26 Dec 1969, I won't be dead till you know I am alive. / Mahuva, Gujarat, India.)
In Appreciation Of Poetry By Lance Uppercutt - Poem by Hardik Vaidya
I realised what poems truly are,
Stars strewn in the deserts of Utah.
Jewels that shine always bright, not powered by physics,
But burnt by fish, rice, wheat, and the earth of our life.
I now know why the stars come out in the night,
Not only because the bully Sun has gone over the other side,
They are jealous, they want to see, burn in green infamy,
To their utter dismay see on earths barren bosom an eternal display,
Of light that travels faster than what they can see in the twinkle of their might.
Poet's Notes about The Poem
I read the poems by Lance Uppercutt and was amazed by them.
Comments about In Appreciation Of Poetry By Lance Uppercutt by Hardik Vaidya
Read this poem in other languages
This poem has not been translated into any other language yet.
I would like to translate this poem »
Poem Submitted: Friday, February 15, 2013
Famous Poems
Phenomenal Woman
Maya Angelou
Still I Rise
Maya Angelou
The Road Not Taken
Robert Frost
If You Forget Me
Pablo Neruda
Langston Hughes
Annabel Lee
Edgar Allan Poe
Caged Bird
Maya Angelou
Rudyard Kipling
Stopping By Woods On A Snowy Evening
Robert Frost
A Dream Within A Dream
Edgar Allan Poe

subset: commoncrawl


text:
H.M.S. - His Majesty's Ship (18 items)
Welcome back! Whilst you were away we added the functionality to view auctions and bid in pounds.
H.M.S. - His Majesty's Ship: Information on the Catawiki site about De schipbreukelingen van de Miranda, 2005.
At its heart, Catawiki is an online catalogue with images of, and information on, collectibles. Our catalogue is compiled by users in a similar way to Wikipedia.


text:
House for Sale
- About this property
- Explore Eden Park
LindiwaProperty ID 1532805A rare opportunity to purchase substantial Acreage close to Melb CBD is on offer with this exceptional 40.5 HA (100 acre) approx property. Commanding breathtaking views and combining brilliant pasture with private and secluded bushland this property sets the perfect balance for a brilliant lifestyle.
Comprising 10 Paddocks all with water , 3 Day Yards, 3 Stables and 20 x 40 Arena all your equestrian needs are well catered for. Take the time to explore and discover brilliant secluded campsites and stunning vistas. Main residence is spacious and offers a family friendly Four Bedroom floorplan whilst the One Bedroom Granny Flat affords a multitude of options for extended Family , Studio , Bed and Breakfast or Rent out.
Inspection will reveal a stunning lifestyle opportunity.
Due diligence checklist - for home and residential property buyers


text:
Salem: Blessed with a short fuseMature
" Will you please stop leaning over me?" Carmen says. I was pretty close.
" I sure the hell can! Why should I care what you two do?" I mostly ask my self knowing I should really be walking away from this. I move and turn away
" I don't know." Carmen answers the question to my self.
" I wasn't asking you!" I turn around. I'm getting to worked up here, " You know what? I'm sorry, I shouldn't care what you two do,I'm sorry I never should have found you attractive! But next time why don't you say something before someone gets a face full of door!" I say angerly. Then I noticed my fist was balled and was flying in a straight arc towards a Carmen.
I throw myself to the ground to bring the momentum elsewhere.
"Fuck! This looks stupid!" At this point I knew I looked insane I couldn't give a shit. I will later though. Carmen looked scared , and I couldn't blame her. She began to run back to class. I'm not a abusive person ,just unfortunelty blessed with a short fuse and problems controlling my emotions.
" Fuck! This is , No I'm retarded. Shit." I rant to myself and finish with banging my head on a wall, then take off to my room. This was overblown way to overblown, and it all makes me look like a sap. The anger was quickly dispersing and I was already regretting my actions. Luckily no one got hurt this time. I needed to get a prescribtion though. Better off slow then physco.


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Five Country Men (Song Title Series, #7)
In this book I have written five separate stories from each of the following Australian male counrty artists: Lee Kernaghan, Adan Brand, Troy Cassar-Daley, James Blundell and Adam Harvey; who sent me this testimonial after reading his copy of the book "Joan has come up with a really unique concept with this "Song Title Series". I found this book very interesting, and was fascinated at the way she has included so many song titles into the story. It's a great read and something a little different from most novels. Adam Harvey (Australian Country Music Artist)...Lee Kernaghan: Tallarook, the Tenterfield Saddler, ends up in the Darwin Jailhouse just before Christmas. He tries to remember what happened during the previous day, but his memory keeps taking him back to his past. Who was the mysterious person who helped the lawyer quickly discover the truth and the nature of the crime and set Tallarook free?... Adam Harvey: What was Mr Bojangels involvement in the disappearance of the seven Spanish angels? Is the evidence that the police have against him enough to convict him or will the King of the road in Phantom 309, who had given him a lift the previous day, save the day... Troy Cassar-Daley: Grandpa Damon tells his two grandchildren two stories; the first one was about him and a friend, who was a river boy. The dreams they had when they were young and what happened when they were both old enough to get work. Did their dreams come true? The second story was about an older gentleman who, after many years on his farm, decides to follow his dream of going back to part of his past life. His destiny is changed partially by a rodeo clown who speaks to him, and a woman who was chasin' rodeo clowns to find the one who had spoken to her in the past. Who is this rodeo clown and is he the same one who spoke to them both?... James Blundell: Five men who used to work together down on the farm are invited to get together for a reunion in Tamworth when the Country Music


text:
Mobile App
Manjara Charitable Trust's College of Education & ...
Total Students
Fees Range
How to reach
Manjara Charitable Trust's College of Education & Research is situated at Sector-4, Airoli, Navi Mumbai Maharastra India in Mumbai.
Courses Offered
- 1 Years
- B.Ed.
- Languages / Arts / Literature
- 2 Years
- Diploma
- Languages / Arts / Literature
Manjara Charitable Trust's College of Education & Research - CER
MCT's College of Education & Research is permitted the state government, recognized by the N.C.T.E. and affiliated to the University of Mumbai. The intake capacity of the college is 100 for B.Ed The medium if instruction is English. Students per year & Junior College of Education (D.Ed.) is also recognized by the N.C.T.E and affiliated to the SCERT & Pariksa Parishad Pune & the intake capacity of 50 for marathi medium. MCT's College of Education & Research and MCT's (B.Ed) Jr. College of Education(D.Ed.) at Airoli, Navi Mumbai, are the progenitors of the MCT's idea, which, for nearly three decades has embodied the services relationship to the needs and interests of the people. The College is governed by the voice of the many, a shared responsibility of faculty, Academic staff and students. From relatively modest beginning and with Judicious application of limited resources, grow into an establishment that will be considered one of the pre-eminent Teacher Education Institution in the country. MCT's College of Education & Research & D.Ed. College, acknowledges its role as a place of intersection for myriad local, regional, National and International communities, each with the dynamic and widely varied perceptions, interests, demands and contribution. Stand in the midst of an ever-expanding revolution in communication, which influences fundamentally the technology and practice of Education.
Nearby Hangout
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|* Information provided by students
Why join Manjara Charitable Trust's College of Education & Research
Beautiful Cam
2 Type Courses Available
- 1 UG Courses
- 1 Diploma Courses
Manjara Charitable Trust's College of Education & Research Placements
Visiting Companies
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The campus enjoys fresh air, calm atmosphere and pleasant climate conducive to the rigorous training programmes of B.Ed course.
A beautiful campus of the Institute is sprawled in an area of 2.5 acres in picturesque surroundings providing a refreshing environment, stimulating intellectual alertness and creativity. Computer Laboratory is well equipped with more than 30 computers, Internet connection, new media like CD-ROMs etc.
Nearby popular spots within 5 KM from the campus
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|Medpace Clinical Research India Pvt. ltd. (Hospital)
|D Mart (Shopping Mall)
|Chandu Halwai Airoli c/o DMart (Bakery)
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John Stamos Clearly Wants Some Fruit-In-The-Bottom
Oh hell yeah, Uncle Jesse brought fruit-in-the-bottom.
Watching Bravo the other night, it happened: John Stamos tried to make Greek yogurt sexy at me. I was just sitting there, watching a yogurt ad like us 30-year-old women are supposed to, when Uncle Jesse tried to tell me that bringing yogurt to a dinner party is not only acceptable -- but it's also super hot.
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text:
Discussion in 'Introduce yourself!' started by allsinc, Dec 7, 2007.
Hello all,
Thank God for forums.
Hi Allsinc -- no need to beg. Just be cordial and nice and you'll get all the help you can stand. Have you tried using the search function for your problem? It may have been discussed already.
Welcome to the forum.
Randy, what are you trying to do... :image10-2: scare off all the fresh meat?
Beggers make the world go round :grouphug:
Beggers come one, come all....
PS. Joking of course, we're standing (err, sitting) by ready to help.
I was trying to say that he/she didn't have to 'beg' for anything, just ask away and we'd be more than happy to asssit.
Welcome to the Forum Allsinc. Hope you are able to obtain the answers you need. Enjoy and explore a bit while you here.. I think you will find your self to keep coming back.. Welcome again.
Separate names with a comma.


text:
Urine Container 60 mL.;
Type : Sterile (Blue Cap) / Non-sterile (Green Cap);
Body Material : PP;
Cap Material : HDPE;
Sterilization Method : Ethylene Oxide (EO) Gas;
Well engineered and made from high quality plastic. Leak proof, tamper proof, and shatter proof.
Price : 0.09 USD / Piece (Negotiable)
Min. Order : 500 Pieces
Payment Term : T/T in Advance
Shipping Term : EXW (Ex Warehouse)
Shipping Port : Tanjung Perak Surabaya


text:
more of my hot wife would like to trade pics e-mail email@example.com send hot comments to
sextacular babe
Just love seeing your pussy get wet in those panties.
I love your pics there awesome!
My grand-ma used to wear garder belts, where did you guys find them, (GOODWILL)
Beautiful lips, lovely legs. A Sure Winner!!


text:
2536 31st Avenue S, Minneapolis, MN 55406
About the Listing
Spacious 4-bedroom split level in Seward near River biking trails. Two expansive floors of living space for all of your family/hobby/work needs! Open, contemporary floor plan, freshly painted rooms with BRAND NEW oak floors on upper level, new carpet in LL. Contemp kitchen w/st st appliances & French doors to deck. Two BR on main level, two on LL w/daylight windows. BRAND NEW furnace! 2+ car garage! Great neighborhood assoc, local amenities! Close to downtown! Room to grow!
Share Listing
Property Details for 2536 31st Avenue S, Minneapolis, MN 55406
Bedrooms: 4
Bathrooms: 2 Full
Lot Size: 0.14 Acres
Lot Dimensions: 48x123
Year Built: 1979
Garage Dimensions: 2 car
Garage: Detached Garage
Style: (SF) Split Entry (Bi-Level)
Neighborhood: Seward
Water: City Water/Connected
Sewer: City Sewer/Connected
Square Feet: 1652
Above Ground Sq Ft: 944
Below Ground Sq Ft: 708 (approx)
Room Information for 2536 31st Avenue S, Minneapolis, MN 55406
Upper Floor
Living Room: 17x13
Dining Room: 13x9
Kitchen: 12x10
Bedroom 1: 12x11
Bedroom 2: 14x12
Lower Floor
Family Room: 17x12
Bedroom 3: 14x11
Bedroom 4: 11x11
Dining Room Description: Informal Dining Room, Kitchen/Dining Room
Family Room Characteristics: Lower Level, Family Room
School Information for 2536 31st Avenue S, Minneapolis, MN 55406
School District: Minneapolis
School District Phone: 612-668-0000
Interior Features for 2536 31st Avenue S, Minneapolis, MN 55406
Appliances: Range, Dishwasher, Refrigerator, Washer, Dryer
Air Cond: Central
Heating: Forced Air
Fireplaces: No
Basement: (708 sq Finished) Full, Finished (Livable)
Exterior Features for 2536 31st Avenue S, Minneapolis, MN 55406
Lot Dimensions: 48x123
Zoning: Residential-Single
Financial Considerations for 2536 31st Avenue S, Minneapolis, MN 55406
Tax Amount: $2,848
Taxes w/Assessments: $3,080
Tax/Property ID: 3602924140169
Tax Year: 2016
Monthly Payment = $0
INRIX Drive Time
Calculate Your Drive Time From This Property
Similar Listings For Sale
The data relating to real estate for sale on this web site comes in part from the Broker Reciprocity Program of the Regional Multiple Listing Service of Minnesota, Inc. Real estate listings held by brokerage firms other than the owner of this website are marked with the Broker Reciprocity logo or the Broker Reciprocity thumbnail logo and detailed information about them includes the name of the listing brokers.


text:
Marelimflores had een nieuw logo ontwerp nodig en lanceerde daarom een wedstrijd op 99designs.
Een winnaar werd gekozen uit47 ontwerpen ingezonden door9 freelance designers.
Warrior Fellowship
We are a direct sales company, that helps to change people's life personally and financially. We are a younger group between ages of 20 - 35, hard workers, entrepeneurs, lifechangers, and we would like a logo that encorporate: secret society - military - strong passionated, warrior membership.
We are confindent and secure about what we do and how we do it.
This logo is for the personal Warrior Fellowship use.
Our fellowship is looking for a logo to identify with, something that we could use to recognize or detect between us.
It could be the letter "W F" That stands for "Warrior Fellowship", but in a manly, military, secret society way.
We would like strong colors, but also useful for red, blue and black background.


text:
Photos: Honor Flight returns-Thank you for your service
Latest Honor Flight returned to Mlwaukee 5/16
The latest Honor Flight out of Milwaukee took place on May 16, 2015.PHOTO: B. Lorber
Stars and Stripes Honor Flight (SSHF) is the local hub of the national Honor Flight network.PHOTO: B. Lorber
SSHF mission is to fly WWII and Korean vets to Washington D.C. to see the memorials built in their honor.PHOTO: B. Lorber
After a whirlwind trip the vets return to Mitchell Airport to thousands of cheering friends, family and well wishers.PHOTO: B. Lorber
The vets wearing the light blue shirts served in the Korean War.PHOTO: B. Lorber
Dark blue shirts denote WWII veterans.PHOTO: B. Lorber
Honor Flight also flies terminally ill vets from any conflict.PHOTO: B. Lorber
The Honor Flights were originally started for the aging WWII vets who are dying at an alarming rate.PHOTO: B. Lorber
The WWII Memorial was built nearly 60 years after the end of the war.PHOTO: B. Lorber
Many WWII vets were physically and financially able to travel to Washington D.C. on their own to see the memorial built in their honor.PHOTO: B. Lorber
Recently SSHF has started to accept Korean War vets as they continue to prioritize the WWII vets.PHOTO: B. Lorber
The trip is completely free for the veterans.PHOTO: B. Lorber
Each veteran is paired with a guardian for the day (red shirts). Sometimes they are a family or friend and sometimes a complete stranger.PHOTO: B. Lorber
There is currently a waiting list to become a guardian.PHOTO: B. Lorber
Each guardian pays $500, to cover the cost of the trip, for the priviliage of escorting a veteran on this once in a lifetime trip.PHOTO: B. Lorber
The homecomings are free and open to the public. The next flight/homecoming is scheduled on June 6, 2015.PHOTO: B. Lorber


text:
Systems Biology Opens New Research Pathways
Systems Biologists Are Attacking the Encrypted Messages That Would Allow Us to Predict and Change the Course of Disease
Individual Tumor Profiling
Has Tumor Molecular Profiling Enabled More Effective and Less Toxic Cancer Treatment?
Top 10 Under 40
Up-and-Coming Stars Shine in Biopharma Research and Business
Podcast: FDA's New Commissioner Hits the Ground Running
Scott Gottlieb, M.D., Commits to Speeding Up Drug Reviews, and Maintaining Safety and Efficacy
For full access to this article login to GEN Select now.
Epigenetics Reshapes the Therapeutic Arena
- A term originally coined by Conrad Hal Waddington in the 1940s to describe the causal relationship between genotypes and phenotypes, epigenetics has witnessed profound transformations as a concept. The increasing appreciation of the roles that epigenetic changes play in a growing number of medical conditions opened the attractive ...
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text:
Dismiss Notice
Welcome to PlowSite. Notice a fresh look and new features? It's now easier to share photos and videos, find popular topics fast, and enjoy expanded user profiles. If you have any questions, click HELP at the top or bottom of any page, or send an email to email@example.com. We welcome your feedback.
Wanted: 3 port Isolation module & headlight harness for Fisher/Western
Discussion in 'Used Plowing and Truck Equipment Forum' started by DuraBird02, Nov 9, 2011.


text:
As some of you probably know by now, I've been interning for a game website since last February. It might have been classified as an internship, but luckily there was no getting coffee and doing the stuff nobody wants to do involved. I've gotten tons of experience doing all kinds of things. I wrote news articles, selected what the rest writes about, fixed and published the work of my colleagues, distributed games for reviewing to the editorial staff (most don't work at the office), set up contests and distributed prizes for our members, updated social media, wrote specials, wrote previews, wrote a review, wrote and prepared all our video shows, hosted our video shows, went on national and international trips to publishers to play games, interviewed developers, went to E3 and did all kinds of other tasks.
I'm really glad that I wasn't stuck behind a desk while the experienced editors get to do all the fun stuff. Instead, I was getting on planes sitting next to some of the most successful Dutch editors and video personalities, and I was there doing exactly what they were doing. As anyone will tell you, getting into the video game industry can be hard as nails. Still, I was surprised to learn that once I was in, I was pretty much instantly on the same level as everyone else. That is of course mostly because the place I wrote for has all the right connections with publishers. It's a whole different story if you're trying to set up your own website from scratch. Not all places will give you the responsibility I got either. I was very lucky.
Going to E3 was definitely the best part of my internship. First of all, I've always wanted to go to America. Los Angeles would probably be the first place I wanted to visit, so it was an absolute blessing to be able to go there. I'm really glad we actually went a week early so we were able to see a lot of the city. Secondly, I was able to get a whole lot of experience by going to the event. I was checking out a different game almost every 30 minutes and was confronted with doing new things all the time. Previously all the videos I did were with someone else next to me. Now I suddenly had to get in front of a camera by myself and talk about a single game for three to four minutes. Normally that would be pretty intimidating, but the chaos and pressure of E3 kind of made me not give it a second thought and simply go for it. All of a sudden I was doing several videos every day. It ended up going quite well and I felt that I kept improving.
The chaos didn't stop after E3, because I had 23 previews to write. I ended up writing three to four of them every day (along with my other responsibilities) and finished slightly before I had planned. While stressful at times, it was great work experience that will be very useful in my future as a journalist and writer.
I often forgot that I'm actually still a student, but of course that's the sad reality that hit me when my end was nearing. We were required to formally evaluate my internship, so we got some lunch and sat down to discuss my progress. One of my colleagues wished me luck before I went, but I really wasn't worried about anything. So we had a little chat and I was stunned. I knew that things went quite well, but I never expected my two 'bosses' to be so positive. They told me that they greatly appreciated all I had done and that everything went splendid. They said I Improved a whole lot and that I'm ready to be employed as an editor. Holy cow!
What surprised me even more was how they said that I'm also ready to work as a video host. I never thought of being in front of a camera before and certainly didn't expect it to go well, but we recorded plenty of video material and they were quite pleased with my performance. I personally think I still have a lot to improve in that area, but they said they feel I can handle it, so that was a huge surprise. Perhaps the best part of all of this is that I'm not leaving entirely. My internship is over, but we're keeping in touch. I'll probably be doing some reviews every now and then and going on trips. In fact, I'm going to England for a pretty important piece quite soon, so I'll still be doing awesome stuff for them!
I wasn't expecting to write this much, cause I had a lot more to say. I'll devote a different blog to something else I wanted to discuss: the downsides and complexities I had to deal with being a game journalist.


text:
The Deal
$17 for a Body Back Company head-to-toe massage kit ($35.80 total list price), which includes:
- Acupressure massage ring ($5.95 list price)
- Rainbow scalp massager ($7.95 list price)
- Reflexology card ($2 list price)
- Large foot roller ($12.95 list price)
- Porcupine ball ($6.95 list price)
Free shipping
Body Back Company Head-to-Toe Massage Kit
This five-piece massage kit eases tension from head to toe with help from an included reflexology card that maps out pressure points throughout the body. Use the rainbow-colored scalp massager's 12 nodules to stimulate nerves in the noggin, or slide the stretch-and-glide acupressure massage ring over tired fingers. The porcupine massage ball is covered with hundreds of nodules that stimulate acupressure points and increase circulation in tired muscles after days spent fleeing from cartoon coyotes, and the large foot roller soothes aching pups from heel to toe.
- Five-piece massage kit
- Reflexology reference card is as thick as a credit card and fits easily inside wallets or between slices of bologna
- Easy-to-use tools for the scalp, fingers, body, and feet
- Package dimensions: 12" (H) x 9" (W) x 3" (H)
- Weight: 0.75 pounds
- Made in China
How to get your goods: by purchasing this Groupon and providing your name and shipping address, your order is complete!
For questions pertaining to this deal, please visit the deal Q&A on this page. For post-purchase inquiries, please contact Groupon customer service.
View the Groupon Goods FAQ for additional information, including how list price is determined.
Like Groupon Goods on Facebook for hand-picked deals, product giveaways, and more Goods stuff.


text:
A match, interrupted
The terrible crash of that one single plane within the high mountains was, by itself, not so spectacular. A plane wreck with almost no survivors is unquestioningly horrific, and yet is an idea we're all familiar with. The wreck was not the first accident of that nature, nor would it be the last.
That wreck, however, would be set aside in history, dog-eared in the textbooks of generations to come, not because of the two hundred ninety-nine that died, as much as each of those souls may deserve their own story. No, the spotlight was stolen away: by the one who was supposed to die, but didn't.
This created a particularly vexing problem for Samuel, the one fortunate unfortunate who had accidently lived. His days as an average died in that plane with the other passengers. Newly armed with the freshly developing image of immortality, Samuel's recent changes were only fueled by the impending media frenzy.
Claiming to the world the tale of his immortality, Samuel quickly became known by all. His name was a common household name, spoken throughout the nations. Many feared him. Many hated him. Many worshipped him. All tried to disbelieve him, but it took the futile attempts of a hundred different assassins, snipers, and suicide bombers to finally drive home the point: Samuel, through whatever powers that be, was here to stay.
And in a place that is far up above, beyond the heavens so high, and yet below, and all around: a place where Life and Death, Black and White, struggle endlessly and tirelessly throughout time and ages... in this place, something equally as unprecedented happened. Life and Death stopped their eternal game.
Death's cold, skeletal-like hand halted in mid-play, fingertips still clutched on a frozen-cold black knight. He, and Life with him, froze where they were, immobile, as if time had actually stopped for them, for once.
Then, a long moment later, Death looked up.
And Life looked up.
The two opposites considered each other anew: Death's icey, featureless mask staring with black eyes across the board to Life, radiant, youthful, and beautiful. And the same thought ran through the minds of both.
Slowly, ever so painfully slowly, the two looked away from the board, the game forgotten from their minds for the first time in eternity. They cast their gaze to the side, looking downward at a life unfolding that was not meant to occur.
Below, far below, and yet standing as clear as daylight next to them, was a man: radiant, youthful, and beautiful. He stood atop a great mountain, his voice booming loudly across all the world as he proclaimed: "I am Samuel, the Immortal! Look up upon me and tremble, as I am now your god!"
And as he spoke, behold, the very sun, moon, and Earth itself did line up in order, as if heeding his call, and it was understood that this was an eclipse. And the mortals of the Earth did tremble, fearing it to be the work of their newest god.
Death, with a quick shake of his head, looked longways over at his opponent, and with a snide grin and sarcastic tone said: "See what happens when you actually win? Bastard."
Life frowned deeply, but said nothing.
Thus, before things could go any more awry, both Death and Life left the chess board in unison, stepping from their stage of eternity onto the world of men, appearing on either side of Samuel as physical incarnations.
Samuel, surprised, looked into the radiant, youthful, beautiful face of Life, then turned to see the icy, lifeless and featureless stare of Death. But he was not afraid. He was Samual the Immortal. Not even Death could take him.
"I have survived through a horrific plane crash," explained Samuel to the two celestral visitors. "I have survived through countless assassinations, gunshots and explosions. None are able to even scratch me. I am beyond your power, Death. I can not be stopped."
"You can not be stopped," Death agreed, his voice frigid as the cold mountain air. "And you are beyond my power to take you to your long-overdue Judgement. You are a product of Life itself, and thus are beyond my power.
"You are not, however, beyond my power to take you from this world."
"To go where, Death?" Samuel demanded, haughtily. He stepped nearer Death and laughed in his face-without-a-face. "If I can not die, where is there to go besides to remain here? What could you possibly do to me?"
And beneath Death's featureless mask, he smiled a cold smile indeed.
In the years since that day, Samuel passed from the memories of men; the significance of his achievements erased from their minds. He was remembered as a remarkable survivor and a good man, but as nothing else.
Life and Death, meanwhile, resumed their eternity of chess-playing, the board cleared and the pieces beginning their dance anew. Just as if they had never stopped. Just as it should always be.
Black pawn forward. White pawn to counter. Black castle forward. White knight counter.
White pawn defeated by Black castle.
The small, pale pawn lying sideways and useless upon the board, the two chess players looked up at their newest arrival expectantly.
Samuel was sitting on the sidelines, lazily taking in the game before him, but mostly contemplating on the things that had happened on Earth, and all the things that had not.
"Samuel," Death barked his orders abruptly, rousing Samuel from his daydreams. His mind was so prone to wander.
"Er.. Right. Sorry." Samuel apologized, flustered. Reaching forward, he retrieved the conquered pawn and set it aside. It was his calling in life now.
Truly, it had been his only real calling, all throughout life.


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Positive, Glass (rubbed with silk), Perspex (rubbed with wool)
Negative, Amber (rubbed with fur), Rubber (rubbed with fur), Polythene (rubbed with wool)
Like charges repel
Unlike charges attract
The atom that loses an electron is now a positive ion, and the atom that receives an electron is a negative ion. At no time during this process is charge ever created or destroyed.
Induction is the production of electric charge on the surface of a conductor under the influence of an electric field. The neutral metal spheres will possess equal amounts of opposite charge at the end of the process. The advantage of charging by inducton is that it can be repeated many times without any loss of charge from the inducing specimen.
Earthing Process
An electric field is a region in which an electric charge experiences a force
An electric field line is the path a positive charge would take if it is free to move. The direction of the electric field lines gives the direction of the force acting on a positive test charge.
Lines must begin from positive charges to negative charges
No two field lines can cross
Number of lines drawn for a positive or negative charge is proportional to the magnitude of charge


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The discovery of a massive river of ectoplasm and a resurgence of spectral activity allows the staff of Ghostbusters to revive the business.
Jun 16,1989
Five years after the events of the first film, the Ghostbusters have been plagued by lawsuits and court orders, and their once-lucrative business is bankrupt. However, when Dana begins to have ghost problems again, the boys come out of retirement only to be promptly arrested. The Ghostbusters discover that New York is once again headed for supernatural doom, with a river of ectoplasmic slime bubbling beneath the city and an ancient sorcerer attempting to possess Dana's baby and be born anew. Can the Ghostbusters quell the negative emotions feeding the otherworldly threat and stop the world from being slimed?
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12/13 Draft Thread: The top 5 sucks, late first-round picks rule.
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Bernier the Boats
Formerly BBurke
Join Date: Aug 2011
Posts: 2,225
vCash: 500
Originally Posted by
Yeah, at 160 he's severely undersized. Adding weight would certainly help. I wonder if maybe he doesn't have the confidence to play a physical game because he's so underweight. Lack of strength leads to a lack of confidence in a game requiring strength?
I think part of it is his line mates are more than willing to do the dirty work so he doesn't have to. But being 160 as a smaller guy is different. For example, Domi has 25lbs on this kid and is a solid 5 inches shorter (don't believe Domi is 5'10, he isn't). Lodge is wayyyy too lanky so his balance is atrocious. This can obviously be fixed, since he does have the height his frame is very projectable. He can definitely generate his own offense, which we really lack in our prospect pool up front. We have a lot of guys like Leivo, Ashton, Biggs who can finish off plays, but we lack someone with the creative playmaking ability of Lodge.
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