Writing For New Media: My View

Now is the time of year for me to summarize a deluge of gained knowledge into one useful blog post. I can’t help but think how apropos this truly is to the given topic of new media. At the very epicenter of New Media is the very process of condensing a world’s worth of knowledge into one headline, two pictures, and a video clip. It truly is an absolute wonder.

Writing for new media has evolved from a verb into a culture. The blog is no longer just a noun, but the embodiment of all that is modern in the face media. The blogger has quite literally become the source from which information flows. Media moguls have risen from their below-level apartment computer chairs to stardom and fame throughout the digital world, all without ever putting on a pair of pants. News is instantaneous, even before it has time to hit the printing press; it already has had a million hits in the cyber world.

To take a step back and marvel at what society has created for itself, you can’t help but stand amazed and how it flows so well together. The world of new media is in a constant state of flux and yet the new media participant has evolved to be so adaptive to this disorder that he expects, anticipates, and encourages the ordered chaos that flows through the information super-highway (if it’s even called that anymore).

What am I really talking about? I’m talking about new media. The convergence of video, pictures, sound, writing, games, and computer code that have bonded together in one giant act of fusion to create the single, multi-headed medium that we humans in the 21^st century rely on to extract our information. Some would like to label it the Internet (which by all accounts should not be capitalized). But this hydra is so much larger and more powerful than what “Wikipedia” defines as the Internet. It is the blogs, social networks, MPORGS, podcasts, forums, websites, and online newspapers that we as humans create, nourish, and then feed off of.

Information used to come from a single sourced the Newspaper guru, then the radio, then TV, all of which had an untouchable, omniscient method of disseminating public information.  Internet was the catalyst to a revolution.  Now information comes from everywhere. It comes from laptops, desktops, phones, MP3 players, and even satellites; blasting from numerous anonymous sources into compartmentalized niches of information, accessible to all but only seen by those who avidly participate within that compartment.

The real issue, however, is not why or how. It is how do I get in? The creature known as new media is here and she will stay as long as devices continue to stay connected and people continue to feed her. The only option is to take what you can from the plethora of information and filter through to find what you need. Then, share what you know to the world.

Start with a blog. Not your blog, someone else’s. Find and interest and follow it. Comment on stories, videos, and pictures. As soon as you hit submit, you’ve become part of the medium. You have just written for new media. Your comment will be read, responded to, and internalized (maybe even shared) by millions that you will never know exist outside of the medium. Next, after you’ve gained a hearty amount of information, start to share. Join a social networks, share with your friends. Allow the cycle to continue, share and receive. When you have attained more. It is time to begin your own blog. Share your knowledge, link to other blogs, stories, videos, and web pages. Link them back you. Then, wait for your own comments to begin. There always is room to expand in every direction then find your niche in any compartment that you choose. The options are quite literally endless. The more you share the more you gain. It is the very soul of New Media. Good luck. I’ll see you out there.

-Jeremiah

Tresure Hunting for a Modern Era

Who doesn’t love a treasure hunt? I think inside everyone there lives a hidden pirate always seeking to find that mysterious treasure chest buried in the hills, maybe even in your backyard. The truth is, there may very well be a stash of hidden loot somewhere very close to your house, work, or even school.  Thanks to the modernisms of GPS and Internet networking, a new phenomema has risen. This is called Geocaching.

The  sport began in 2000 when a man named Dave Ulmer who, according to the message he posted on May 2, 2000, at exactly 9:00 pm, left a “black plastic bucket buries most of the in the ground” at specified GPS coordinates, which contained goodies including, but not limited to software, videos, books, food, money, and a slingshot. Included in the post was an invitation to take and leave accordingly and record it all in the logbook. From there the hobby exploded. As of right now, the official geocaching website has exactly 1,242,105 registered caches in over 200 countries around the world. They estimate 4 – 5 million people actively interested in the sport.

This new form of high-tech hide and seek has spawned a new breed of treasure hunter, involving individuals, families, groups and even school field trips and scout groups.  Each one is searching for that hidden cache, in everyday places that the casual eye will tend to miss. The process is simple: find a post on the geocaching website and plug in the GPS coordinates. Often times, the one who posts the cache will give hints or specifications on what to look for. Next, head out to that location and poke around. Most caches contain a few objects to swap or a logbook to sign. Store the cache back in its original location and go find the next one. 

Treasure is out there, ready to be found. Buried treasure can be yours.

Other links relating to Geocaching:

Official Geocaching website

Wikipedia: Geocaching

Geocaching: The modern treasure hunt

Geocaching: A Real Life Treasure Hunt

Geocachers hunt among us

Local soldier's hobby helps save lives in Iraq

Edmonton Girl Guides celebrate 100 years in Canada

Treasure Hunting

GPS engineering change at Chief Kanim Middle School

High-Tech Hide and Seek

GPS leads geocachers to ASU

Stairway to heaven

Ditch Your Desk

Treasure hunting with modern technology

10 things to do as an HPU Student

Here is an article I wrote for Hawaii Pacific News online:

Its my personal top 10 for Hawaii visitors and new college students.

http://hpn.ehclients.com/stories/view/10_things_to_do_as_an_hpu_student



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Geochaching

Its a great way to explore new places. It's called Geochaching. It's likes treasure hunting mixed with hiking... or something.

http://www.geocaching.com/

Twitter

You can find me on Twitter twitting about nothing at all.

http://twitter.com/jecwoods

WORD UP TO THE BARISTA!

barista  (bəˈrɪstə) - n     A person who makes and serves coffee in a coffee bar

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/Barista


I didn't know either until I Alana told me she was one...then I went home and looked it up. 

If you want to know the ins and outs of a barista, including (and most especially) how to order at Starbucks (which is apparently a lot harder than I imagined). 

Here blog covers all aspects of coffee, coffee serving, coffee drinking, and coffee customers.  If you like coffee, tea, milk, sitting, drinking, eating, customer service, floors, ceilings, water, lights, windows, ice, buying and selling, spoons, or hundreds of other things Starbucks has them all. 

Swing by Alan's blog and say hi. http://baristabulletin.wordpress.com/about/

While you're at it, swing by her Starbucks and order Iced Decaf Quad Venti Sugar-free Vanilla Soy Upsidedown Light-ice Caramel Macchiato.

A Room With a View.

So, to begin my blog I would like to talk about a handful of outcroppings found on the beginnings of the Wa'ahila ridge.

The Wa'ahila ridge actually begins on Dole Street, just past Manoa stream across the street from the student dorms.

The trail starts steep and rocky.

A handful of short switchbacks snake up the slope. Very short into the hike you'll see a large tree. This tree hangs over a rock. This is a popular place to climb up to and take in the view, or get out of the rain.

Further up and off the main trail, you'll see them. They are hard to see and the trail is not well defined.

This is where the trail branches off.

There are five rock-outcropping "cave" type formations on the ridge. Each one deeper than the other.

Some appear to have current residents who I have not met.

A good friend of mine called this particular cave his home for several months.

Disclaimer: 
    Prevailing notions have a frequent tendency to automatically assume financial paucity and, in the same breath, assign symptoms of mental instability to anyone that has refused the standard cultural sentiment that four walls and a roof constitute a domicile. 
    The dominant paradigm is that anything less and/or subordinate to the socially defined model of house is unsubstantial and inappropriate; while anything more than simply four walls, a door and some windows becomes a symbol luxury and happiness. 
    I propose that relativity reigns king when it comes to man's individual vision of his own palace. That to some choice, (and might I add incredible) individuals; their "mansion" has been a cave, tent, beach, or field and their own sense of luxury and happiness was found quite abundantly therein. 
    It is not insanity that encourages a nomadic lifestyle for some, but quite the opposite. I argue it is the greatest form of sanity, sanity dictated by self and not by society.
    My good friend is neither mentally unstable, nor financially destitute. He just a man seeking his own happiness in his own way. For that he is to be admired.

Gorganzo Parku (whose name has been changed) came to Hawaii from Germany. He came here with the intention to work and study in paradise. Though his experience has been both exciting and upsetting, it is still one unregrettable.

I met Gorgonzo very soon after he had moved to Hawaii and shared in portions of his enterprise.

Here are my questions to him and his responses:


J.     What were your first expectations of Hawaii?
G.   Lots of watersports and a good time.


J.    What made you decide a cave as opposed to an apartment?
G.   I'm familiar with living outside, I've spent months living in a tent in Germany, even up to November, and generally led a free-floating life. So when I heard of rent prices in Honolulu, already during the planning process I thought about living outside, especially considering the mild climate. When I arrived I found out that my intended scholarship was not materializing the way I had expected, so I saw myself with basically no other choice.


J.    What were your concerns with this decision?
G.   The first concern was personal security. Before one knows a city for a while, it's generally hard to find a place outside where one can be sure of one's safety. The second would have been personal comfort, when it rains it is really hard to sleep outside, also, I had to consider the fact that I would be carrying around most of my valuables, so I had to ensure a setting that did not create too much day-to-day stress and saved my energy. In general, living outside can sap considerable power just for doing very basic things (see below).



J.    What were the benefits?
G.   A sense of freedom is the main benefit in my mind. I love being outside, it creates a very special atmosphere in me. Meeting other interesting people living outside was nice as well.


J.    How did you adjust to the basics of society (work, school, social life)?
G.   To be honest: not very well. Unlike the times before where I had gone to living outside with an intact social circle already in place, I came here without social ties and struggled with establishing them, partially but not entirely due to my living conditions. Getting my schoolwork done was a bit less of an issue.


J.    How did you accomplish basic needs (eating, shower, etc)?
G.   Most of them were provided by UH campus close by. I pretty soon found my niches that afforded for a rather comfortable lifestyle, when taking a few adaptions into account.


J.    Did you have problems with rain, insects, cold, heat, etc?
G.   At first I was astonished that it  gets kind of chilly at night. I got bugged by insects more often than not, though mosquitoes were not much of an issue. I got centipede bites from time to time which was no fun. The rock of my cave protected me from rain in about 95% of cases, so there were a few nights when it poured so hard that I did get uncomfortably wet. Heat was not so much of an issue, as airconditioned buildings were nearby.


J.    How did people react when you told them?
G.   As diverse as people are.  For a while I would treat my houseless-status as a bit of a stigma (it felt like that as I was partially driven to live outside by financial concerns), and got according reactions. But finally I got rather comfortable with it and most people (as far as I could tell) saw it as a suspicious yet bearable quirk.


J.    Were you concerned with people taking your stuff?
G.   Yes.  Every day. I got a surfboard, an ukulele, several items of clothing and a bicycle stolen within the time of my residence under the rock. Worrying about theft is a bread-and-butter ingredient of life outside, at least in an urban environment.


J.    Would you do it again?
G.   Not exactly. Partially because it's boring to do things twice, partially because I know would know more to do it better, also I'm getting more comfort-oriented with my old age (but let's see how long the comfort-phase lasts). Specifically I am less interested in living outside in an urban environment again. There are numerous unpleasanties to watch out for. I could however imagine living in a boat or living outside for extended time while travelling.


Finally, my advice to anyone interested in this kind of life would be: Stay safe, find a protected place somewhere where there's lots of nature, off the beaten path. Be careful about the people you interact with. I happened to be lucky enough to run into some awesome neighbors early on, but later along the way I came to experience some more difficult characters. Every little thing generally requires more energy to accomplish. Maintain a possiblity to move back into more "civilized" living conditions in case you want or need to.

There, you have it. Spoken by a true gentleman. Since meeting, we have become great friends and I have grown to admire his free spirit. Gorgonzo plans to leave Hawaii very soon in search on new horizons. His future is untold save to say that I know he will continue to seek the life he feels suits him best. 

How much would you pay for this view on your balcony?

Gorgonzo paid nothing. That is reason enough to give it a try.