Friday News Roundup: GCSE results are sexist, dieters have it rough, and I don’t understand this country’s justice system.

Here are some stories from today’s paper that caught my eye.

Firstly, stealing the thunder of the A-levels, this year’s GCSE results have found that the gender divide is growing wider, with girls streaking ahead in most academic subjects. Surprise, surprise, adolescent boys have something to do with their hands that’s more fun than revising…

Next we have a report that fewer students are taking modern languages (I think they‘re all waiting on ancient Sumerian to be reintroduced to the syllabus), with the number of students taking French and German having fallen by 13% since last year. Speaking as someone who took both Italian and French for GCSE, as well as French at A-level, take it from me. It’s because they’re hard. Besides if you go abroad all you have to do is talk loudly at people. Everybody knows that.

Bad news for the obese, next, as scientists have found that cutting 500 calories per day does not, in fact, result in a one-pound weight loss per week, as had previously been thought. Reasons include changes to the body’s metabolism as weight is lost. To summarise, that one chocolate bar you forgo, does bugger all. You’re probably best off following Ricky Gervais’ advice: put the fridge in the attic and make yourself work for your food.

In London riots news, a looter who stole a coffee flavoured ice cream, only to lick it once before giving it away as he didn’t like the taste, was given a 16 month jail term. Now, I have no problem with him getting a jail term. After all, it’s the principle of the thing that matters. But what I don’t understand is how one person can get a year and a half sentence for nicking an ice cream, when another can admit to looting, in court and be given a one-day prison sentence which he doesn’t have to serve, since he had been in custody for most of that time already. Will someone please explain the logic of that to me? Obviously the guy will get a criminal record, but still, a day! it probably costs a lot more than it was worth just to process the guy. Unfortunately I can’t find a link to that particular case, but if anyone else can, I’d be much obliged.

And finally, everybody’s favourite Italian PM, Silvio Berlusconi has announced herbal tea, to be the secret to his success. So if you want to be just like him, get drinking that tea! Well… that, and become a massive media mogul, who runs a country, and has ‘relations’ with loads of beautiful young women…Here endeth the lesson.

Gender Gap: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-14666847

Modern Languages: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/education/education-news/the-big-question-why-are-fewer-students-choosing-to-study-foreign-languages-at-gcse-413245.html

Ice Cream Looter: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/law-and-order/8722733/UK-riots-Looter-who-pinched-too-scoops-of-ice-cream-jailed-for-16-months.html

Berlusconi’s Superdrug: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/news/berlusconis-diet-secret-revealed-herbal-tea-2344114.html

Didn't Need to Go to Rehab? Wishful Thinking.

The latest news concerning Amy Winehouse has revealed that she had no drugs in her system when she died. This has obviously been a relief to all of her family who said they wanted to put the record straight. But (and I don’t mean to be  deliberately offensive here) are we seriously supposed to believe that her death was not at all related to drugs? To be sure it’s good that it wasn’t an overdose. But with her relationship to drugs, you can’t tell me that the cause of death (whatever it turns out to be) is going to be anything particularly natural. I mean we’re not looking at Cot death here are we?

The Sun does say, despite stamping ‘OFFICIAL DEATH REPORT’ onto their front page with a picture of the rehab neglecting celeb, that the cause of death won’t be announced until late October.Who knows, maybe there was divine intervention so as to secure her a place in the hallowed 27 club.

Once again I want to stress that I don’t mean to be insensitive. I have no particular enmity with Winehouse, as many people have a tendency to suddenly reveal when any famous person dies. Frankly I’m pretty ambivalent about it. I wasn’t a fan, but I also didn’t dislike her enough to make anything about it. But at the same time, I see how much positive press there is about her at the moment (which, to a point is understandable, everyone deserves respect in death),  and some of it sets my teeth on edge. I just don’t agree with making martyrs out of people, in death; who, in life, no one should ever have emulated.

The Final A-level: I'm Sorry, Your Princess is in Another University.

Or, more likely, she's quite possibly not in any of them.

That's right folks, the time of year arrived in which, here in the UK, our young gather in their droves at schools all across the country to open the dreaded brown envelope and find out their A-level results. This was, of course, a couple of days ago, but you see where I'm going.

As a matter of fact, this year has been even better than the last 29 years worth of improving results (pause for right-wingers to whine about how standards have been slipping. Maybe with an "In my day..." thrown in for good measure). But, behind the newspaper's pictures of, as the i puts it, "girls with long glossy hair embracing each other on a lawn with mellow stone buildings in the background," (see link below for an attempt to prove this statement) is the rather large problem facing a huge majority of would-be applicants, that there are about thirty thousand vacancies left, for nearly two hundred thousand applicants going through clearing. Those kinds of figures make me very glad to have gotten in when I did. If I had dilly-dallied I might have had to actually get a job!

Some have put this crushing number of students down to a (rather fervent) wish to get in before fees rise in 2012. Whether or not this is the case, it remains to be seen if universities are going to just say 'bugger it' and start taking bribes. Or, perhaps more likely perhaps not, decide between the types of student will benefit them the most: The rich privileged kiddywinkles who rock up in 'Daddy's lotus,' or the students from minority groups and underprivileged backgrounds which help to keep up appearances for the equal opportunities parade (ooh controversy!).

I do wonder what will happen for the students that have the grades, or near enough, but don't have their places. Will they simply wait and try again next year? And if so, will that create an almost permanent queue to which future students will have to join the back of? I'd say something cheerful about the world always needing bin men, but I'm not sure that's what they want to hear right now.

Hey, there's always Big Brother!
For some reason...

But until then, here's some sexy A-level pictures:  http://sexyalevels.tumblr.com/

The News of the World: Hacked to Death.

It's all come to a head now. Begun in 2006, the phone hacking scandal of the News of the World has snowballed so much and for so long, that before long it's going to be used by Cthulu's kids to make a titanic bottom half of Frosty the Tentacled Snowman. And yet despite all of the big names that have been caught up in the affair, it never really captured the attention of the general public. At least, not in more than a *See's hacking story on the news and shakes head "bloody journos"* kind of way. Because for most people, perhaps especially, those who read 'Heat' or 'Hello' consider celebrities to be public interest and therefore shouldn't mind having their privacy invaded.

This view went down the swanny with the last weeks reports that the paper faces accusations of hacking the phones of the victims of crimes, and their families. Most notably: the phones of murdered schoolgirl, Milly Dowler; and those of the families of victims of the 7/7 London bombings.
This intrusion into the lives of ordinary people in terrible situations had sparked public anger and has people calling for blood. Metaphorically. The News of the World started losing sponsors left and right, and many people who were involved (directly or indirectly) seem set to be put before the firing squad.

Now, sitting at the top of what has become a mountain of crap for the NOTW , is Rupert Murdoch's announcement that the tabloid will soon cease to be. This Sunday marks the last edition of the 168 year old Newspaper. A very sad day for some, a happy day for others, but a bit of a surprise to everyone. The last edition, to go out on Sunday, will reportedly have no advertisements (most likely because it doesn't have any left) and is planned to be boycotted by many. Indeed a sad day, for what was once the most popular Newspaper in the world.

It's difficult to say how much the entire charade will have cost Murdoch. no doubt it'll be peanuts for him. but it is interesting to note that, though borne of different problems, Murdoch's other recent venture, The Daily, and online newspaper designed specifically for the iPad, has been a complete flop. Called "a complete failure of imagination" by the Telegraph. and the Guardian said: " it feels in places more like a newspaper created by a slightly dull committee rather than something with the kind of personality and viewpoint that truly great publications have."

One has to wonder whether or not these two failures could be linked to some kind of management problem within News Corps, and  if so, whether it has been marked and is being scrutinised by competitors.

Perhaps an important question to take away from this is how much damage News Corps can take from this before more problems begin to develop. Personally I'm wondering how Murdoch's planned takeover of BSkyB will be affected.

Until next time, Avid Readers.

And remember, keep watching the Sky... News.

http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/technology/shanerichmond/100006286/the-daily-ipad-app-review-a-complete-failure-of-imagination/

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2011/feb/02/murdoch-daily-ipad-newspaper-review

It's Father's Day, Father's Day, Gettin' Down on Father's Day.....

Nothing but a conman

Okay, so first we have to put up with 'Mothering Sunday,' an attempt by mothers to try and get out of the kitchen at least once a year. Now we have Father's Day landed on us amidst a smorgasbord of adverts for terrible CDs and shaving foam, all of which claiming to be "The perfect gift for Father's Day." Don't tell me what to get my dad. If I bought him that Micky Bubbles CD he'd probably chin me, and he's got a beard so shaving foam's about as useful as inflatable dumbbells.

Apart from anything I can't help but think that this whole thing is incredibly unfair. In fact, It's downright selfish of them! How dare they demand a shitty gift in exchange for a "growing ups" worth of attention and feeding, and annual buying of school uniforms. Crafty bastards...

Of course that doesn't mean I won't be giving my dad the obligatory Spike Milligan card and small prezzie. I mean, it's just good manners isn't it?

I am of course, to quote the Internet, JK! I'm not bitter, I'm just gonna make damn sure that when I have kids, I'll enforce Father's Day to the death.

Okay Avid Readers, have a great Father's Day, whether you're getting the gifts, or getting guilted out of them.

Much love guys.

Thoughts from the Gap: Manners, Politeness and the "Upward Nod of Acknowledgement"

It's been just over a week since I finished my first year of university and came back to chill out in Devon for a few months, and I realised I had forsaken my beloved Avid Readers for far too long. Especially since I left you with that terrible post about 'Converged Media Texts.'

I'm afraid I have to admit that I have been slipping in as far as actually reading newspapers and generally having an understanding of what is going on in the world. As such, this is going to be another in a series (that I have decided to do) of musings that leak out of the many perforations in my brain.

This post is about manners. Manners are the sort of thing that are ingrained in us from a young age and tend to define us as people. The English are stereotyped to be incredibly polite, and indeed it is an old English tradition to intensely avoid embarrassment, for oneself, but much more for the benefit of others.

In an attempt to think of an example of politeness, the first thing to come to mind is (to quote the Internet) that awkward moment when two people are walking towards each other along a path, or pavement. They are both desperately trying not to meet each others gaze. Yet at the same time, they sneak furtive glances at one another the closer they come, until, crescendo! each person realises that whilst they do not want to insinuate themselves into their counterparts day uninvited, it would be far too rude not to acknowledge them, culminating in a slightly hoarse, and generally very short, exchange that will more often than not, leave them both relieved to be done with it, and wishing that they had had something better to say than:

"Hello"
"Hi"
"Alright"
"Afternoon"
"Evening"
"Lovely weather for it..."

Or of course, the popularly neutral "upward nod of acknowledgement."

I discovered something interesting the other week. This is my own personal experience, but I find that I'm more likely to receive a positive response from the above situation if I'm doing some form of exercise i.e. running, cycling. I can only think that this is because I represent the vitality of youth (he says with a sideways smile) as opposed to the lurkers, the smokers, the HOODIES that plague the younger generations.

Of course, maybe I've grown too used to Hampshire and people down here in Devon people are just nicer.

Thanks for reading this pointlessly meandering message from beyond the boundaries of space and time. With any luck I'll get back into the habit of decently written nonsense in the near future.

Remember Avid Readers, manners cost nothing, and as always,

Much Love.

The Yogscast: Converged Media and Jaffa Cakes, In and Around Your Mouth

I'm almost loath to post this as it is a media studies assignment (a module I detest), however, this is, at the end of the day, a blog about my course. So, for good or ill, here's me rambling about the Yogscast for 1508 words:

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Media in the 21st Century - Converged Media Text - Yogscast.

The Yogscast began in 2008 as a series on the video file sharing site YouTube, that provided tutorials for defeating various bosses, and completing various quests on the popular MMORPG, World of Warcraft, a game that combined vast maps and a huge amount of constantly updated missions; with the capability to play and connect with users across the world . After several months, they expanded to game reviewing in their own particular irreverent style, earning them more and more video views, and subscribers. Up until October 2010 they averaging about 10,000 views per video, then they began to play and review games that appealed to much wider audiences, achieving video views of over 75,000. It was not however until they began to upload their videos of Minecraft, an indie game made by one man that allows almost infinite levels of creativity, by making a world that can be entirely reshaped.

Their first Minecraft video received over 1.5 million views. It was Minecraft that put Yogscast into the YouTube spotlight, earning them appearances on internet radio shows, and increasing the worldwide spread of their series of podcasts: the Yogpod, which is available, for free, on iTunes, and helps to fund their projects through donations from their fan base, known affectionately as the ‘Yognauts/Yognaughts.’ These donations, as well as the revenue they accrue from YouTube for their videos, selling merchandise, and advertising, allow the Yogscast to support themselves solely by working on YouTube. As is the case with many YouTubers, once they can earn a living from their videos, the content almost invariably improves, thus earning them more status and popularity.

In the case of the Yogscast. Their Minecraft videos began as simple tutorials, and have expanded into a fully fledged narrative. Showcasing a breadth of characters, back stories, and an evolving plot. What separates their series (now known as the “Shadow of Israphel” series) from many others on the internet, is that, because it is played over the internet, they can allow people onto their servers (on which the game is based) to build the worlds, and privately script the story without the protagonists knowing what is coming next. As a result, we are given genuine reactions to developments, as well as constant improvisation from all of the characters, along with any mistakes and ineptitude from the heroes of the story as they become stuck on puzzles or accidentally destroy pieces of the scenery. The heroes of the game also voice all of the characters themselves (as Minecraft has a text-based instant messaging chat system) and has lead to one of the Yogscast getting voiceover work for a new PC game: Dwarfs.

As their popularity has grown, they have had to deal with increasing numbers of fans. Initially using emails, and telling fans to post any comments and suggestions on the MySpace page of Tina Barrett (formerly of S-Club 7); The Yogscast created Yogiverse.com as a site to make any announcements, with forums for fans to hold discussions of any current projects. As well as many other features relevant to their current events, including blogs about Minecraft, and character skins for Minecraft.

In terms of how old and new media converge on this ‘text’, there are several ways in which to look at it. Firstly, the entire concept of their series rely on video, in itself, an old media, though the manner it was captured, using FRAPS screen capture software, is relatively modern, and is almost exclusively used by   people to record gameplay for sites such as Machinima, and their relevant channels on file-sharing sites such as YouTube, which is a form of new media, allowing the distribution of content to anyone with relevant interests and video files. Once again, video is at this point, the example of old media. Many videos, being converted from DVDs, camcorders and VHS tapes. Allowing anyone to publish and share their own media. The various radio shows that they have been on would act as a form of old media. Radio being one of the oldest forms of modern communication, however, internet radio acts as new media for the digital age. Once again aimed at specific audiences, and also with the ability to ‘listen again’ to streams or shows that have been converted into podcasts for iTunes, yet another example of new media that helps to bring shows such as the Yogscast to public attention through ratings systems such as Genius which collects information on the types of media you enjoy and then recommends other material that it thinks you may enjoy. This helps in the distribution of media, and in helping deliver it to their target audience without have to look directly for them. As far as social networking and the Yogscast are concerned, they use Facebook as a way of keeping up with their fans, although their website is preferred. Facebook, as with most social networking sites, shows a mix of old and new media, in this instance, it is used as a means of communication betweens the Yogscast and the Yog(naughts/nauts), which would, in earlier times, have been achieved through fan mail of some kind, social networking sites allow this to be instantaneous and much more personal.

It is worth noting that since the Yogscast uses YouTube as its media, there is very little restriction put on them in terms of political factors and indeed any restrictions they adhere to, would be put in place by themselves. YouTube as a forum, is very free with people’s ability to be expressive, and since it is worldwide (with certain exceptions that keep a reign on permitted media) there is a breadth of styles and social contexts. The principal figures of the Yogscast being English, means that they assert certain English attributes or characteristics onto their videos/ podcasts etc. for example: popular ‘in-jokes’ that may be easier for an English viewer/ listener to grasp (though not to the exclusion of other nationalities), this may include jokes about Jaffa Cakes (which are less prevalent in the USA for example) or pop-culture references such as singer, Tina Barrett, or actors Brian Blessed and Warwick Davies, who play a part in a long-running joke that they share a flat with one of the ‘Cast, Brian stealing his jam sandwiches, and Warwick getting lost down the sink. This is an excellent example of the freedom to do whatever they want in terms of limits that may normally be put on a production of any kind. Thanks to video file-sharing sites such as YouTube, people can make, and view, whatever they wish.

Concerning debates in media over the driving factors of change, I would say that, as discussed in previous paragraphs, YouTube based media, is very much based on providing viewers with what they want to see. If someone does not want to watch certain types, or genres, of videos, that have no need to in order to see anything else. Unlike, say, having to watch adverts in between television programmes. Although, some YouTube videos/channels do have some advertising that plays before the video, they can be easily skipped with the use of ad blockers. Something you cannot do with television, for example. As such, I would say that amongst video file -sharing sites such as YouTube, there is more of a ‘pull culture’, allowing users to dictate what they want to see. And perhaps in some ways, influencing how uploaders design their videos, so as to appeal to the majority of viewers. Obviously, the higher the quality of what is being produced, the more likely that it will be more appreciated, videos with a better quality production value are expected to be have better overall content. This puts forward an argument that technology can be a force for change and improvement. I would say that as far as conflict goes, there is very little between YouTubers, indeed they are their own community and more often than not, the more popular of them will collaborate in a mutually beneficial boost for both party’s number of subscribers and overall respect. One example prevalent with the Yogscast, is their collaboration with another relatively high profile gaming YouTuber known as Totalbiscuit.

Overall, The Yogscast use the freedom first provided by YouTube to produce their own media, that they enjoy, along with over 400,000 subscribers that now follow them. YouTube, and video file sharing sites in general, as a converged media, are extremely versatile, and in allowing ease of use, as well as providing a springboard for many other types of media, such as music, radio, or the use of social networking as an enhanced form of communication.

References:

Yogscast(2011)Yogscast Multiplayer Gaming [online] YouTube. Available from: http://www.youtube.com/user/BlueXephos [ accessed 31/05/2011]

Lexis, B (2011) Social Networking Sites as Converged Texts [online] Prezi. Available from: http://prezi.com/7xadmiagr7f7/social-networking-sites-as-converged-texts/ [accessed 30/05/2011]

Curran, J. Seaton, J. (2010) Power Without Responsibility. Pages 271 -273

YogPod(2011) iTunes Preview - The Yogpod [online] iTunes. Available from: http://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-yogpod/id304557271 [accessed 30/05 2011]

Yogscast (2011) The Yogscast [online] Yogiverse. Available from: http://yogiverse.com/cmps_index.php [accessed 30/05/2011]

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Thanks very much for bearing with me on that, hopefully some of you found it somewhat interesting. If there's anything to take from this, it s that the guys from the Yogscast are incredibly funny, and I highly recommend them.

Much love guys, and hopefully I'll make up for this with something silly, as soon as I can.

This is Dave! Yognaught, signing off.

In-jokes are fun...