Wednesday, October 30, 2013

I'm a creative, romantic, foodie, millennial,...but most important of all-I'm a FAAAAAAN!


Fans of all sorts are present everywhere we turn.  There are fans of television shows, fans of movies, fans of books, and of course fans of video games.  According to Wikipedia a person who is "enthusiastically devoted to something, such as a band, a sports team or entertainer."  Secretly, whether we are willing to admit it to ourselves in the light of day, or only in the shadows of night, we are all fans of something.

My poison of choice is ASIAN DRAMAS! From Secret Garden to On Call 36, I get excited and follow all of the latest Asian dramas.  I try my best to make it a weekly chore that I go onto various Asian web forums and get the latest on current Asian dramas that are playing.  I mostly watch Hong Kong dramas, and can spend hours on end during the weekends watching dramas.  I also love finding out the latest news on the celebrities of the shows.  I will be first to find out if a drama star is getting married, fired from a gig, or secretly starting an underground relationship. 

As Asian dramas are created slightly different from American dramas, they usually are aired on networks for the duration of only one season.  It is rare that a second season of a drama will be picked up a network.  A lot of times new dramas are created that are slight spin-offs of the themes of previous dramas, but they rarely continue with the plot.

The largest media network conglomerate in Hong Kong is TVB.   TVB produces and broadcast all of their original dramas on through their various stations, and their dramas are all filmed at TVB city.  A dream of mines is to visit TVB city and see the different sets that films are created at.  I wold love to see some of the old-age sets where timed dramas are filmed.  Asian dramas are my LOVE and ADDICTION.  I am a die hard fan, and cannot resist keeping up with the latest news on the dramas or the stars. 

Wednesday, October 2, 2013

The WEB

The web is not today what it was yesterday, and isn't today what it will be tomorrow. Web 2.0 is very distinctly different from it's predecessor-Web 1.0.  For one thing Web 2.0 is growing at such a fast rate that it is known as Web squared.

Now that the Web 2.0 has become a sort of network that is a platform, and web applications are getting better as more people use them. There are more users and sensors online that are feeding more applications and platforms. As a result of this more opportunities are created for developers to take on real life problems.  The Web has thus grown exponentially, and Web 2.0 is known as being "squared."

People now on Web 2.0 have what is known as a information shadow.  Because applications on Web 2.0 get better as more people use them, they relay on "crowdsourcing" (the concept that a large group of individuals can create a collective work that has a value greater than any one individual participant) to build their applications.  This information that is obtained from individuals become what is known as an "information shadow."  It is the unique information that is obtained from from the information that web users post while online.  

With all this data about users out there being used and managed by various applications, one can only wonder what will happen if certain application were to be hacked and the data were to fall into the wrong hands.  The applications of Web 2.0 have so much collective intelligence data about users that do not necessarily get deleted, and are simply out there on the platform.  This data is information on people, and could very well be dangerous if dropped into the wrong hands.  We must now be aware that this possibility and risk is present. 

Saturday, September 28, 2013

Revolution

What is a revolution? Is it a simple change that happens? Or a shift in ways we do things? To many it is truly hard to contemplate what a true revolution encompasses.  However, in our current society, we have actually gone through three technological revolutions already.  In Manuel Castells' The Rise of Network Society, he depicts for audience members these three revolutions, and explains how evolutions, essentially those in the information technology realm are characterized by their pervasiveness.  That is, these revolutions are characterized most by their ability to make their way into various domains of human activity and then become the fabric by which such activity is conducted. 



In the current information revolution that we are in today, and similar to what we had previously witnessed in the two prior industrial revolutions that occurred in the world, there was what Castells' calls a set of macro-inventions that set off the development of other smaller micro-inventions.  These developments and inventions changed the workings of society.  Castells' The Rise of Network Society, he explains that "processes of production and distribution, created a flurry of new products, and shifted decisively the location of wealth and power in a planet that became suddenly within the reach of those countries and elites able to master the new technological systems."

Revolutions are a very unique aspect of human life.  As they can happen at any time upon, and onto any given society, they are a force to be reckoned with.  They alter dynamics of various aspects of human life.  We, as a society as a whole, have gone through three such revolutions, and have come out a change whole. 

Thursday, September 19, 2013

Blast From The Past: Magnum PI

The 80s were indeed a time of its own.  A lot was happening both on a local, national, and international scale.  The disco era was coming to an end and open sexual relations were a constant theme of behind the time.  The contemporary detective drama Magnum P.I. was at first what seemed to be simple detective drama set on the beautiful island of O'ahu.  The series, which was a Universal Studios production that was aired on CBS from 1980-1988,  embodied and continued a lot of the discourse that was happening at the time. 


As a millennial myself, Magnum P.I. was created before my time, and had completed it's original run well before my conception.  Upon first viewing the drama, I was shocked to a certain extent by the contrast and well as some of the similarities that Magnum P.I. had to some of the contemporary detective dramas of 2013.  I noticed that Magnum P.I., similar to many other detective dramas incorporated the voice inside of the head aspect of detective dramas.  I was surprised to a certain extent by this detective series theme was present and implemented into dramas even at that time.  In the pilot episode of Magnum P.I. "Don't Eat The Snow In Hawaii" Magnum was constantly talking to himself, and going through different scenarios in his head as he came upon new clues in the murder case of lieutenant Dan Cook.


Magnum P.I. contrasted a lot to some of the contemporary detective dramas of 2013 because of much of the underlying 80s discourse that was incorporated in the drama.  Themes of the 80s that can be found in the drama include the open use of drugs, and sex.  As the drama was filmed on the heels of the disco era, and AIDs was yet to be discovered, a constant theme in the series was that of enjoying the pleasures of life, free of responsibility and worry.  In the pilot episode of the series the women in particular at the estate which Magnum lives on are constantly in revealing clothing, and seeming trying to provide Magnum to have a sexual encounter with them.

Magnum P.I. is truly a detective drama of its own time.  Though embodying much of the similar themes one would expect to see in a detective drama, it also contains within itself a flair from the 80s.  Much of the open indulgence into pleasure, that was a theme of the 80s is seen in the drama.

Friday, September 13, 2013

The ME Project

There can be a lot of things that one can say to introduce themselves to someone.  An introduction can usually begin with the exchange of names and nicknames.  Then one can say where they're from, the places they've gone to, and the destinations they would like to headed for. 
To start off as a little introduction for myself, I am a first-generation Chinese-American who was born and raised here on the island of O'ahu, in the beautiful state of Hawaii, and in the wonderful country of the United States.  I am a big foodie, and especially love frozen yogurt, sweets and desserts, as well as COFFEE!  I am a somewhat of a caffeine addict, and simply don't feel right without my daily caffeine fix.  I am a big Instagramer, and love to post about my food adventures on my Instagram account-@angelala808.  Living in Hawaii, with its diverse population, means that the next food adventure for your taste buds could just be right around the corner. 


I have lived here in Honolulu, Hawaii my whole
life, and it is true that sometimes it does get old, but whenever I can I love to sneak away to a foreign country and indulge and submerse myself in a totally different culture.  The last foreign adventure I was on was actually to Vietnam and Thailand. 

Currently I am in my third year of college at Hawaii Pacific University, majoring advertising/ public relations with a minor in multimedia.  I am very passionate about public relations, and am currently the HPU PRSSA chapter president.  I hope to one day be able to work in the public relations department of a broadcast media outlet.  Upon graduation however I do hope to be able to travel to a foreign and exotic place once again before I begin my professional career.  I truly love discovering new places, and things and love meeting cool and exciting new people on the way!

Thursday, September 5, 2013

Digital Media: Our True Friends or Secret Time Eaters?

Life in the 21st century is a buzz with everyone hocked to some sort of digital media as they go about their daily lives.  A walk down through downtown Honolulu, and one is bound to find almost every person attuned to some type of digital media.  For the older generation it may be as simple as the Apple I-Pod, while the more tech-savvy millennials walk around fitted with the newest Samsung Galaxy S4.  We have in many cases made media our closest friends, but could certain media be simply a waste of time?

Digital Media: The Best Friend

As a millennial myself, my personal favorite type of media to use is of course digital media.   I carry my smartphone with me everywhere I go, and it is always within a 10 feet radius of my physical being.  Digital media is my best friend, and my personal favorite type of media because information can simultaneously obtained by users as it is published by creators.  Digital media also allows for an enormous amount of varied information to be presented to users.


 Digital Media: The Secret Time Eater

As much as digital media can make ones life easier, and bring new information almost instantaneously to one's finger tip, it also secretly works to chip away, and eat at one's time.  With the wide array that digital allows users to access, one can easily become distracted with the information being presented and offered.  Your intention may be for example to use digital media to look up information for a project, but just as easily as you find this information, you can become engrossed for hours on end in on what's trending on your Facebook feed. 

For all that digital media has to offer to its users, it also takes away something in return.  To truly be an intimate friend with digital media, one also allow it to become his or her secret time eater.