Friday, June 13, 2008
Friday, May 23, 2008
Don't Forget the Tap
The following is an excerpt from Bottlemania: How Water Went on Sale and Why We Bought it by Elizabeth Royte. Published with permission of Bloomsbury.
The outrageous success of bottled water, in a country where more than 89 percent of tap water meets or exceeds federal health and safety regulations, regularly wins in blind taste tests against name-brand waters, and costs 240 to 10,000 times less than bottled water, is an unparalleled social phenomenon, one of the greatest marketing coups of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. But why did the marketing work? At least part of the answer, I'm beginning to understand, is that bottled water plays into our ever-growing laziness and impatience.
Americans eat and drink more on the run than ever before. The author Michael Pollan reports that one in three American children eat fast food every single day, and 19 percent of American meals and snacks are eaten in the car. Bottled water fills a perceived need for convenience (convenience without the calories of soda, that is): hydration on the go, with bottles that fit in the palm of the hand, in a briefcase or purse.
According to research conducted by the Container Recycling Institute (CRI), between 1960 and 1970 the average person bought 200 to 250 packaged drinks each year-mostly soda and beer-and many of those were in refillable bottles. When I was growing up, my family drank only from the faucet and from family-size containers. We quenched our thirst, when out and about, with water from public fountains. Either that, or we waited till we got where we were going. On picnics, we might have a big plastic jug of lemonade, homemade. Sure, the grown-ups occasionally bought beer, but the idea of single-serve beverages were considered, by and large, frivolous.
The outrageous success of bottled water, in a country where more than 89 percent of tap water meets or exceeds federal health and safety regulations, regularly wins in blind taste tests against name-brand waters, and costs 240 to 10,000 times less than bottled water, is an unparalleled social phenomenon, one of the greatest marketing coups of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. But why did the marketing work? At least part of the answer, I'm beginning to understand, is that bottled water plays into our ever-growing laziness and impatience.
Americans eat and drink more on the run than ever before. The author Michael Pollan reports that one in three American children eat fast food every single day, and 19 percent of American meals and snacks are eaten in the car. Bottled water fills a perceived need for convenience (convenience without the calories of soda, that is): hydration on the go, with bottles that fit in the palm of the hand, in a briefcase or purse.
According to research conducted by the Container Recycling Institute (CRI), between 1960 and 1970 the average person bought 200 to 250 packaged drinks each year-mostly soda and beer-and many of those were in refillable bottles. When I was growing up, my family drank only from the faucet and from family-size containers. We quenched our thirst, when out and about, with water from public fountains. Either that, or we waited till we got where we were going. On picnics, we might have a big plastic jug of lemonade, homemade. Sure, the grown-ups occasionally bought beer, but the idea of single-serve beverages were considered, by and large, frivolous.
Sunday, May 18, 2008
A great NGO looking for volunteers
My friend Brendan Schwartz has helped to initiate a project in Cameroon.
(That's him on the right in this photo.)
Breaking Ground is a great small project-- founded and run by young people--direct help to African communities.
One of their main goals is education for girls in communities where traditionally only boys have gone to school.
They are looking for volunteers who want to work on their projects.
http://www.breaking-ground.org
(That's him on the right in this photo.)
Breaking Ground is a great small project-- founded and run by young people--direct help to African communities.
One of their main goals is education for girls in communities where traditionally only boys have gone to school.
They are looking for volunteers who want to work on their projects.
http://www.breaking-ground.org
Saturday, May 17, 2008
Part 3
Final Installment of the project, and the angstiest of them all!
Thanks for a fun class, guys.
~Ben D
Thanks for a fun class, guys.
~Ben D
Final Project, Part 1
Here's the first installment of my project. Sorry for the delay- I lost some important footage and had to spend lots of time revamping parts of the project since Thursday.
Anyway, the concept is the use of random blog posts from the9 (the Vassar Life blog) to create audiovisual mini-dramas. I created three in total, representing a range of emotions and experiences all related to life at Vassar in some way.
I present these as alternative narratives, a sort of communal storytelling.
Anyway, the concept is the use of random blog posts from the9 (the Vassar Life blog) to create audiovisual mini-dramas. I created three in total, representing a range of emotions and experiences all related to life at Vassar in some way.
I present these as alternative narratives, a sort of communal storytelling.
Friday, May 16, 2008
Final Project - Brittany and Liz
For our final project, Brittany and I produced a video in which we aimed to depict alternative communities within Vassar. Our intent was to interview all of the people that we came across on campus who were not students or professors. We wanted to emphasize responses to the connections that exist between the Vassar community and the Poughkeepsie community. Also, we wanted to highlight the people who are a very important and crucial part of Vassar College but are never shown or appreciated for their participation on campus. While students and visitors come and go, Vassar’s staff members understand changes in Vassar and Poughkeepsie’s community better than anyone.
In entering into this project, we assumed that we would receive many more negative comments or that people would not open up to the camera, as we are not part of their immediate community. Of course it must be taken into account that not all people were willing to be completely truthful and honest when asked questions when there is a camera involved. Interviewees did seem a little hesitant to speak their minds and honestly discuss things that might portray the college in a not so appealing light. However, we were completely surprised by the sincerity and diversity of responses.
We divided the film into five sections: how many years people have worked at Vassar, what people are doing at Vassar, what it is like working at Vassar, the Vassar community, changes in Poughkeepsie and the area, and student-worker relationships. The responses we received were all very powerful and very touching so it was hard to decide what to include and what not to include. When going into this project we didn’t really know what to expect and weren’t anticipating this video to be as eye-opening as it is for us. The video is currently too large to put up on youtube, so Brittany is cutting it into pieces which should be online shortly and then posted here on our blog. When you do have a chance to check it out, let us know what you think and hopefully you will enjoy the video as much as we enjoyed making it.
--Brittany and Liz
In entering into this project, we assumed that we would receive many more negative comments or that people would not open up to the camera, as we are not part of their immediate community. Of course it must be taken into account that not all people were willing to be completely truthful and honest when asked questions when there is a camera involved. Interviewees did seem a little hesitant to speak their minds and honestly discuss things that might portray the college in a not so appealing light. However, we were completely surprised by the sincerity and diversity of responses.
We divided the film into five sections: how many years people have worked at Vassar, what people are doing at Vassar, what it is like working at Vassar, the Vassar community, changes in Poughkeepsie and the area, and student-worker relationships. The responses we received were all very powerful and very touching so it was hard to decide what to include and what not to include. When going into this project we didn’t really know what to expect and weren’t anticipating this video to be as eye-opening as it is for us. The video is currently too large to put up on youtube, so Brittany is cutting it into pieces which should be online shortly and then posted here on our blog. When you do have a chance to check it out, let us know what you think and hopefully you will enjoy the video as much as we enjoyed making it.
--Brittany and Liz
Thursday, May 15, 2008
My Final Project
For my final project I decided to design a digital collage. My collage features a series of images some altered, some untouch that primarily feature the tragedies of current and prior United State’s military engagements. From World War II, to Vietnam and currently in Iraq the United States has consistently portrayed itself the hero of a historical crusade for freedom and democracy. The quotes featured in the collage are all quotes from President Bush in reference to terrorists or Saddam Hussein. I included the quotes to allow us to rethink how different we are from those we demonize and other. I know its a bit corny but hopefully it has some value to you guys.
Also, I should note that the real copy is 11 X 17.
-Asher
Final Project - Mental Maps
My project explores a lot of the same issues that Alana's does. Admittedly partly due to preemptive nostalgia and graduation anxiety, I wanted to look at how people view/understand/think about Vassar and Poughkeepsie. When trying to think of ways to do that, I remembered as assignment from the Global Geography class I took freshman year. In order to start thinking about place and how people think about places, we were all asked to draw mental maps of our hometowns and write accompanying descriptions. I enjoyed the assignment because it really made me confront how I think about my hometown. As a result, I thought mental maps would be a good way to learn about how people think about Vassar and Poughkeepsie.
The concept of a mental map refers to an individual's personal point of-view of their own world. These views can be put on paper in the form of maps drawn or descriptions written from memory alone. Mental maps can simply indicate locations, but they can also emphasize the importance or significance of certain places.
I collected maps from friends and family and left paper asking visitors to Open Office to draw maps as well. I ended up with 9 maps. Unfortunately I didn't get maps from as wide a variety of people as I'd hoped, I still got some interesting results. Most of the students chose to draw only campus and drew accurate maps for the most part. Not surprising given the amount of time we spend on a relatively small campus. One student wanted her map to be accurate and got so frustrated when she couldn't make it look the way she wanted it to that she gave up. When students did include parts of Poughkeepsie they usually included the train station and nearby restaurants and not much else. As a student, I'm not surprised and I think it says a lot about the way we view our area. Also not surprising, the only local student who drew a map included much more of the surrounding area - Rt. 9, residential areas, the Hudson, the bridge, and the downtown Poughkeepsie area. DeeDee's map of the Bio Building (with mentions of parking and the Retreat) provided a great visual of how a visiting professor who is on campus once a week sees things.
Finally, both of my parents drew maps. Their perceptions of campus and the surrounding area were the ones I found the most interesting because I hadn't anticipated what their views would be. My mom's was mostly of Poughkeepsie and included a lot of landmarks (CIA, Marist) and stores (especially ones we've shopped at to furnish my various rooms on campus). I also got a kick out of her labels when she couldn't remember proper names - 44/55 became "double digit one way fast roads" and Spackenkill became "Dutch-named curly exit." My dad, a lover of maps, drew a really accurate map that was also heavily influenced by the places he's been as a parent - hotels, restaurants, storage places, etc.
While I was impressed by how accurate some of the maps were, I was more drawn to the maybe less accurate maps that seemed to contain memories/opinions/emotions in some way. I felt like I got from these maps more than just an idea of a person's visual image of Vassar and Poughkeepsie, but I got some insight into their visceral relationships. For example, on DeeDee's map, she labeled the window and added "with gorgeous view that we never see 'cause we need it to be dark to see the screen." A couple people indicated where on campus their rooms/houses were. I think these maps are closer to the goal of mental maps - an attempt at understanding how people see and understand their own world.
Here are some of the maps. Click for more.
The concept of a mental map refers to an individual's personal point of-view of their own world. These views can be put on paper in the form of maps drawn or descriptions written from memory alone. Mental maps can simply indicate locations, but they can also emphasize the importance or significance of certain places.
I collected maps from friends and family and left paper asking visitors to Open Office to draw maps as well. I ended up with 9 maps. Unfortunately I didn't get maps from as wide a variety of people as I'd hoped, I still got some interesting results. Most of the students chose to draw only campus and drew accurate maps for the most part. Not surprising given the amount of time we spend on a relatively small campus. One student wanted her map to be accurate and got so frustrated when she couldn't make it look the way she wanted it to that she gave up. When students did include parts of Poughkeepsie they usually included the train station and nearby restaurants and not much else. As a student, I'm not surprised and I think it says a lot about the way we view our area. Also not surprising, the only local student who drew a map included much more of the surrounding area - Rt. 9, residential areas, the Hudson, the bridge, and the downtown Poughkeepsie area. DeeDee's map of the Bio Building (with mentions of parking and the Retreat) provided a great visual of how a visiting professor who is on campus once a week sees things.
Finally, both of my parents drew maps. Their perceptions of campus and the surrounding area were the ones I found the most interesting because I hadn't anticipated what their views would be. My mom's was mostly of Poughkeepsie and included a lot of landmarks (CIA, Marist) and stores (especially ones we've shopped at to furnish my various rooms on campus). I also got a kick out of her labels when she couldn't remember proper names - 44/55 became "double digit one way fast roads" and Spackenkill became "Dutch-named curly exit." My dad, a lover of maps, drew a really accurate map that was also heavily influenced by the places he's been as a parent - hotels, restaurants, storage places, etc.
While I was impressed by how accurate some of the maps were, I was more drawn to the maybe less accurate maps that seemed to contain memories/opinions/emotions in some way. I felt like I got from these maps more than just an idea of a person's visual image of Vassar and Poughkeepsie, but I got some insight into their visceral relationships. For example, on DeeDee's map, she labeled the window and added "with gorgeous view that we never see 'cause we need it to be dark to see the screen." A couple people indicated where on campus their rooms/houses were. I think these maps are closer to the goal of mental maps - an attempt at understanding how people see and understand their own world.
Here are some of the maps. Click for more.
Final Project: "Product Misplacement"
Our final project,named "Product Misplacement", is hypothetical merchandising campaign that takes certain internet related ideas and superimposes them into the "real world". Phrases that have roots in internet speak like "LOL" and "Pwned" have already permeated spoken language - we thought it might be interesting to put some of these ideas in more physical settings. Our merchandise consists of two lines: t-shirts that simply have internet lingo printed on the front and "Product Misplacement" written on the back, and a remediation of the digital picture frame (LCD screens in picture frames that you can upload your digital photos onto and place in a household setting) that would upload a family's popular "YouTube" video for display in the house. We figured ideas like these would help solidify internet culture as one that is very much embedded in the real world.
Enjoy the summer everyone -
Eric and Jon
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
project
altmed final project from Alana Melton on Vimeo.
Above is the video I made for my final project. I decided to take the idea of a YouTube curation and transport it to Flickr, the photo sharing site (and, incidentally, a site apparently founded by a Vassar grad). Since it's the end of the year I'm thinking a lot about going back home, but I'll only be spending two weeks there total. So in getting a little nostalgic, I decided to browse Flickr for photos of Los Angeles. The photos in the video are in no way my own; they were taken by complete strangers. I only used images I had download access to. And as many of you are aware, Flickr's images are available for use by others via Creative Commons. (Admittedly I don't think I'm following CC quite right but my guess is that since this is not for profit it's okay...my knowledge of IP law is sadly lacking.)
So here's the premise: String together these communally available images of my home "town" taken by strangers to create a vision of Los Angeles I can uniquely recognize as my own. Implicit in this is the creation of an idea of home, once again, through the lens of, say, city agencies, foreign visitors, or people just like me who regularly crawl along the 405. The concept of home, for reasons I'd rather not get into here, is especially hard for me to define. I had to move from one part of the city to the other (it's not so simple) about a year and a half ago and I realized in making this that I still call home a street I haven't been able to bring myself to drive down. I also noticed how much I identified with particular streets and freeways, something that seemed crazy to my friend from Philadelphia but something I think other Angelenos would understand.
Lastly, if you do watch this, do pay attention to the image of the 76 station located a few blocks from my old house. Regular is $4.05—the photo is from the past month. Makes me glad I won't be driving this summer.
alana
Sunday, May 11, 2008
Media Studies Senior Project Presentations
Hi Everyone! Just a reminder that the senior Media Studies majors are giving their final project presentations tomorrow.
They'll be in New England 107 from 11 to 5:30. There will be free breakfast from 10-11, lunch from 1:15-1:45, and cocktails from 5:30-6:30.
Here's the schedule:
11:00-12:00 Session 1 Gender on Screen, Bodies in Media
a. Lindsay Kozlowski, "Appearance and Visual Identity: The Mediated Body"
b. Anh Nguyen, "Mimicking Hysteria: Exploring Feminist Mimesis in YouTube"
c. Becca Marcus, "Gender in the Media: Pretty Women and What Women Want"
12:15-1:15 Session 2 Media for Distribution: News, Music, and Exploring the Source
d. Anita Varma, "Hurricane Katrina and the Public Sphere: Mainstream and Alternative News Coverage of a Crisis"
e. Sam Calvano, "Potentials of Collaborative Online News Sites"
f. Chel Quintana, "New Models of Digital Music Distribution"
1:45-2:45 Session 3 New Technology Adaptations-Novel to Film, Nature to Television, Drawings to Animation
g. Ryan Cadrette, "The Big Gatsby"
h. Allison Kelly, "A Close Reading of Meerkat Manor"
i. Ryan Peterson, "Animation and the Film Industry"
3:00-4:00 Session 4 Mediated (Physical) Spaces and Scenes
j. Kelsey Sundberg, "(Un)conscious Collection"
k. Maya Peraza-Baker, "Mediating the Scene of the Crime"
l. David Knowles, "Video-Architecture"
4:15-5:30 Session 5 Documenting Mediated Moments (in History and Memory)
m. Lily Mooney, "Marketing the Edison Phonograph"
n. Nina Feinberg, "Time and Image Making in Instant Photography"
o. Corey Spencer, "Cigarette Advertising Historicity"
p. Jesse Holcomb, "N0st4Lg140--Digital Memory in 2008"
They'll be in New England 107 from 11 to 5:30. There will be free breakfast from 10-11, lunch from 1:15-1:45, and cocktails from 5:30-6:30.
Here's the schedule:
11:00-12:00 Session 1 Gender on Screen, Bodies in Media
a. Lindsay Kozlowski, "Appearance and Visual Identity: The Mediated Body"
b. Anh Nguyen, "Mimicking Hysteria: Exploring Feminist Mimesis in YouTube"
c. Becca Marcus, "Gender in the Media: Pretty Women and What Women Want"
12:15-1:15 Session 2 Media for Distribution: News, Music, and Exploring the Source
d. Anita Varma, "Hurricane Katrina and the Public Sphere: Mainstream and Alternative News Coverage of a Crisis"
e. Sam Calvano, "Potentials of Collaborative Online News Sites"
f. Chel Quintana, "New Models of Digital Music Distribution"
1:45-2:45 Session 3 New Technology Adaptations-Novel to Film, Nature to Television, Drawings to Animation
g. Ryan Cadrette, "The Big Gatsby"
h. Allison Kelly, "A Close Reading of Meerkat Manor"
i. Ryan Peterson, "Animation and the Film Industry"
3:00-4:00 Session 4 Mediated (Physical) Spaces and Scenes
j. Kelsey Sundberg, "(Un)conscious Collection"
k. Maya Peraza-Baker, "Mediating the Scene of the Crime"
l. David Knowles, "Video-Architecture"
4:15-5:30 Session 5 Documenting Mediated Moments (in History and Memory)
m. Lily Mooney, "Marketing the Edison Phonograph"
n. Nina Feinberg, "Time and Image Making in Instant Photography"
o. Corey Spencer, "Cigarette Advertising Historicity"
p. Jesse Holcomb, "N0st4Lg140--Digital Memory in 2008"
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
My Final Project
So as I said before, my final project is a set of posters. They're based off of the work I did for my thesis, but give it a more socially judgmental spin. Playing off of the concept of "health" and medical information/propaganda, inspired by David's doctor's office, I made 3 posters that address "image health". In my thesis I took the body as a medium and changed my appearance several times, then surveyed people to see what they thought of my different images. The posters use 3 of these images and break down my appearance according to what the predominant responses to the images were. The posters are phrased in terms of anatomy, outlining 2 "unhealthy" images and one "healthy" one.
The image breakdowns and the labels given are reflections of what the responses to these images were. They are oversimplified and stereotypical, but only because this was how they were decoded. This "anatomy" breaks down how society views these images. The "unhealthy" images were viewed poorly by people and the "healthy" one was viewed very favorably. I would like to stress that these judgments and labels are not my personal beliefs, but merely what was reflected back to me by survey respondents.
The major point of the poster series is that images, even our own dynamic appearances, are often perceived in terms of simplified stereotypes perpetuated by the media environment. People often can recognize a known character (assembled through common visual cues) before considering that a person may add up to more than what is revealed in a quick glance. I hung these posters in a continuous line across the wall, in order to stress the sense of picking identities/appearances from a set of culturally limited options that are repeated over and over. I don't have a picture of the hung posters yet, but I uploaded one of them (the others are too big).
-Lindsay
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