Back again and The Walking Dead

It occurred to me that I hadn't touched my blog in a while, I've been uploading college work straight onto EDI rather than on here, but now that I'm pretty much done (FUCK YEAHHH) I can now focus this blog solely on randomness like films, music, interests and what have you. So yeah, I'll restart things off with zombies, because despite them having been being milked dry over the past 50 years (mas o menos), they are still fucking awesome.

And in recent times one of the most unexpected surprises I've had in relation to zombies has to be The Walking Dead. As far as the TV show goes, I've only seen a few episodes of series 1, and if I'm honest I liked what I saw. Despite a slightly hammy feel to some of the characters, and some dialogue that I disagreed with, it kept my interest and managed to quench my thirst for gore and roaming dead people on the screen. But I'm not here to talk about that. I'm here about the original Walking Dead that started the TV series, the on going monthly comic by Robert Kirkman.

I'm a big fan of comics. I was raised on 2000 AD, Alan Moore and Neat Stuff, something that gave me a taste for the medium from a young age. While I may not be a hardcore comic fan, I'm terrible when it comes to Marvel and DC for example, I like to think that when it comes to graphic novels I've read a few. Unfortunately, when it comes to zombies in the medium, they rarely ever hit the mark. Tokyo Zombie was brilliant, despite being weird as fuck, but other than I can't really think of any that stand out to me as great example of the genre in comics, which meant there was a gaping hole in the market.

I only found out the tv show was based on a comic when I looked up the tv series, and when I started to have a look at the comic I was pleasantly surprised to find that it made the screen adaptation pale in comparison. I'm up to issue 52 now, to date there are more than 100, and the best way I can think to describe it is as a soap opera, with zombies. And despite me usually not having the time of day for soaps, its fucking awesome. The group of survivors in the comic is bigger and as far as I can tell more fleshed out than the series, with the politics and relationships in the group getting explored in greater detail, the black and white artwork is a lot nicer on the eyes for me personally than the filmed for tv feel the show has and finally and most importantly, it covers a hell of a lot more ground. While I reckon if the tv show continues to be as successful as it is at the moment it could very well expand and end up following the plot of the comics a bit closer than it has been, but for the moment, the story in the comic is a hell of a lot more engaging.

With a nice mix of roaming the country trying to find safe places to live, building up anywhere they decide would be a good place to make a new home, and the inevitable departure again after it all goes to shit, it comes together nicely, helped in no small part by a constant stream of new and interesting characters. It’s worth noting that, in a feat I admire and respect Kirkman for, he is not afraid to kill off characters, regardless of age, gender, ethnicity or how big a part they were playing in the story. Try not to get too attached, that’s all I can say.    

Despite having a clichéd white, middle-class and almost middle aged policeman as the main character, or rather the most prominent main character, It’s the wide variety of other characters that proves to be one of the strongest parts of the comic. Whether its encountering inmates still alive in an abandoned prison, a farm belonging to a god fearing hillbilly and his family, or a whole town/community of other survivors who have been corrupted by the horrors they've seen, it consistently manages to find new and interesting people to throw into the mix, then turn into zombie food.

The story takes a turn for something much darker than most people were expecting when Michonne gets captured by the Governor, I won't go into detail but I'll stress that it’s not a kids comic at all, and its set in a nasty world where bad shit happens. And it’s true, just because zombies start eating people it doesn't mean that all the nasty people in the world will go away, if anything they'll be left free to their own devices. It’s a pretty brutal book and isn't afraid to show it.

Finally, the artwork is wonderful. Whether it’s the awesome covers, a few of which I saw won some awards and rightfully so, or the detailed black and white panels, carefully balancing realism with comic effect, it all comes together as a whole brilliantly, very rarely leaving you puzzled as to what you're seeing or what emotion a character is trying to portray.

So, I think I'll write something else once I reach issue 100 to give my feedback on how it continues, but for now I thoroughly recommend this on going comic which finally does justice to the zombie genre. It’s got great characters, a nice inventive story full of twists and turns, lovely artwork and a creator who genuinely cares about the material, even if he can come off slightly big headed on the letters page. Kirkman claims he has enough story in his head to reach issue 300, if he can keep up the quality like he has managed so far then I hope he manages it.

unit 3ness

• Digital technology plays a huge amount of roles in the creative media sector, assisting in everything from menial day to day tasks, through such things as smart phones and the internet, to changing the very foundations of how things are run, through such things as digital storage like SD cards and programs like Final Cut Pro. If anything it has reduced the relationship between industries as advancements has made it easier to accomplish things in house, resulting in less need for specialist outside assistance.
• Since it has become easy to duplicate and share things like video and music files, copyright has come to the front of the digital media industry, in an effort to make sure no one steals other peoples ideas and material, and credit and pay is given where it is due.

for unit 6 of certi

2.3

Strengths and weaknesses of my own work.

When it comes to my bio, I’d say that despite being noticeably uncomfortable on camera, something that I’m sure I can get over with time, when it came to the technical side I was pretty good. The lighting was well done and the shots were nice, although I feel a longer time in Final Cut Pro would have helped improve the final product and allowed me to iron out some of the kinks.

When it came to the health and safety video, I was happy with the camera work I did in the later part of the video, but for the first few shots I hadn’t attached the camera securely to the tripod, meaning that there are some noticeable jolts and knocks to the camera. However I learnt from this and didn’t make the mistake a second time. 

extra things for unit 6

1.2

Luckily for me, working in an office doesn’t pose a massive amount of hazards and risks. However, anywhere can be dangerous, if you aren’t familiar with basic health and safety. For example, if the water cooler runs out of liquid and the container needs replacing, changing it is an easy task, but if you aren’t familiar with how to safely lift heavy objects, it’s the process could damage your back. Another example would be using a shredder. Even with all the safety precautions built in to them now days, if misused they could still seriously hurt someone. So make sure you think twice before unjamming it by clearing the block with your fingers.

2.1

When you sign your health and safety contract, you are giving yourself a responsibility. You are promising to follow the health and safety conduct, which is individual to each company, and at my work covers everything from not drinking a cup of tea over a computer to not using untested electrical items in the workplace. abiding to this document is essential, if you do not the company has every right to, and probably will, fire you for putting yourself and others at risk.

2.2

If, for example you find a crack in the ceiling, it should be reported straight away, but if it’s so bad that pieces of plaster are falling onto people, the area should be sectioned off and the relevant people should be called right away. In this case a plasterer or a builder would be the best people to get into touch with.

3.2

An unsafe practice I have come across in my workplace, and it is something that most people there do unintentionally, is not stretching and relieving their eyes. Aside from it being in the contract, it is common knowledge that if you work in an office, or indeed any place that requires you to sit in one place for long periods of time in front of a screen, it can be very dangerous and dangerous for your back and eyes, both from bad posture and sitting in front of a screen with out breaks. 

A review for a film I watched for work, the awakening

Means well, but is ultimately a flawed jumbled mess.


Just a quick review on the film as I have to run out for some lunch, I got to watch a copy of this at work, I knew nothing about the plot or who starred in it and made it, which I consider one of the best way to appreciate films. It follows a young ghost hunter in post WWI England who gets hired to investigate strange occurrences in a boys boarding school. I won't go into detail over plot, all I'll say is that it walks the line between predictability and innovation, unfortunately treading mainly on territory we've seen before with much more impact (The Orphanage springs to mind). By the end of the film the plot is such a tangled mess covered with plot holes, if I didn't have to watch it for work I'd have walked out. Dominic West provides a few unintentional laughs at the start but luckily improves as the film goes on, Rebecca Hall works pretty well as the cynic who starts to doubt her scientific beliefs, but overall I'd say the supporting cast were stronger than either of the leads with Imelsa Staunton up to her usual standard. The script is a mess and in dire need of a re-write, the second half in particular, and while the directing seems adequate, it is ultimately flat and boring. I wasn't scared, psychologically or otherwise, at any point in the film. I give it a 4 out of ten for effort, production values were nice, the building they used was a great location, but ultimately it loses its self in all its twists and turns, which I could follow, but we're clichéd and tired, leaving this viewer unengaged and ultimately unimpressed. A wasted opportunity.

Bringing Out The Dead, a Scorsese flick thats genuinely underrated?

Back in Spain, while we were living in Las Barreras, a little place just outside Orgiva, we had a couple of neighbors called Maggie and Isha. Both were ex social workers who had been living in Glasgow (I think) for years, had enough of the lifestyle there, and moved away to sunny Spain. Luckily for me, they were both film buffs and bought with them a great collection of dvds, which, soon after we had become friends, I started to make my way through. I eventually came across a film with a picture of Nicholas Cage looking like he hadn't slept for weeks on the front called 'Bringing Out The Dead', and I dont know why but for some reason it caught my eye.

Maybe it was the fact it said 'A Martin Scorsese Picture' on the front, by this point I'd watched Goodfellas and Casino and knew he had made them (is it bad that I'm 11 or 12 at this point?), so I presumed that this would be of the same ilk. Possibly its because it had John 'I can get you a toe' Goodman on the back, a personal favourite ever since Raising Arizona and the Big Lebowski. I don’t know. The point is I took it home and watched it. And despite not understanding quite a few of the darker plot elements, I loved it and it stuck with me for years, despite, or perhaps because I didn’t have a chance to rewatch it till years after (literally weeks ago). Its a brilliantly dark comedy, like so many of Scorseses better pictures, following a depressed paramedic over the course of three nights, with three different partners, as he desperately tries to quit despite his supervisor literally refusing to allow this, and maybe save his first patient in months.

What is it with me and tripped out, weird as shit films? This proves that before I'd ever even taken anything intoxicating, apart from maybe excess Calpol and stealing booze at the Dragon fest, I still held a fascination, or maybe appreciation is more suitable, of things surreal, dreamy and strange. Made by the same writer/director team who bought us Raging Bull and Taxi Driver, it should come as no surprise that its brilliantly observed, harrowingly bleak, and at times painfully true to life and all its absurdities.

I think that’s one of the reasons why I loved it. I had gone to a few parties down site with parents and mates and simply by living in Orgiva I had met my fair share of lost its, so some of the crazy characters I was seeing in the film didn’t seem alien, if anything they seemed familiar in some way or another. So maybe now that renders my opinion invalid, as I'm apparently biased due to nostalgia, but I don’t think so. If anything it proves that Schrader and Scorsese have traveled a few different walks of life, or at the very least observed and studied them, managed to find humanity everywhere, and the importance of humor, especially the dark kind.

And its thanks to this wisdom that I can easily overlook the films shortcomings, of which there aren't many but certainly a few: editing is a bit nasty in places, the supporting cast often run the risk of bettering the leads and I'm pretty sure Nick Cage is actually fucked up on all kinds of downers as opposed to just acting like he's going through a bad patch. But like I said, taken as a whole its a great observation on people, especially the crazy characters who come out at night, and a funny, fascinating study on feeling shitty.

Unit 5 (no pics tho)

1.1 So if for example you are going to set up a fireworks display with some friends, there will be certain things you need to make sure get done. You will need to work out exactly what you need to put the display on, who will need to work out who will be in charge of finding the things you need, how you plan to get those things and where you plan to put it on.

1.2 Depending on peoples interests and skills you should assign roles accordingly, for example the person with a car should be in charge of driving the five miles needed to be traveled to buy the fireworks, and the person with a big garden should be in charge of providing the space required to set the display off.

2.1 If someone has to much work and someone hasn't enough, you should always try and share the load to make things easier and less stressful for everyone involved. With a more balanced workload people are much more likely to finish the tasks at hand and remain engaged.

2.2 If you don't share information with colleagues then you will never know where each other are at, and will never be able to help each other progress. Communication is essential to make sure everything gets done correctly and to the best of every bodies potential.

2.3 If someone has a bad attitude sometimes its beneficial for everyone to diplomaticly suggest that maybe people would get more done if everyone was comfortable with how the situation is.
For example, if you work in an office and have a desk back to back with someone else, if that person starts to get cluttered and disorganized, leading to them taking up some of your desk space making things cramped for you, if you suggest that maybe they sort things out a bit, in a nice way of course, then maybe you'll end up making life easier for the both of you.

2.4 Make sure you cover all the points you are trying to make, answering any questions which arise or doubts people might have, always being sure to listen to any counterarguments and if you feel that your decision is better, explain why.

2.5 Find put exactly where the disagreement is and find out what each party hope to get out of the situation, then try and come to a mutual agreement which would benefit everyone.

2.6 If everyone shares a mutual goal or objective, and collectively work together to try and accomplish this, its going to be a lot easier for all the parties involved, many hands make light work and all that, but if you take it deeper than that, the more people involved in the process means that there will be more skills bought to the table, meaning there will be more points of expertise, accumalating in a better finished product.

3.1 Say, for example, you get designated a task with a collegue, you need to make sure that between you, you both feel like your doing an even ammount of work, and maintain this level of equality throughout the time it takes to finish the task. Keep talking to each other, making sure neither is left behind, and if either of you feel that the other might be, revise the tasks at hand and redistribute them accordingly.

3.2 Make sure you use context and are sure that everyone knows what it is you are talking about. Make sure you speak clearly, both through tone and language, people can't understand you if you mumble or aren't speaking coherently, so thats also a pretty good place to start. Something else you need to take into consideration is other peoples feelings. If someone makes a mistake, or does something in a way you know could be done better, its always god to tell said person, the best way to learn is through your mistakes, but its always a good idea to approach the situation diplomaticaly. If they have been having a tough day, its probably best not to start shouting at them about how terrible it is, its probably more advisable offer constructive criticism, tell them two ways in which they did something right for every thing you tell them they did wrong.

3.3 If two people with ideas are at a standstill over how best to advance a project, make sure they both understand fully what the other has come up with, then come to an agreement as to what they think would be the most mutually beneficial out of the ideas on offer. Try and remember that you's are working together towards a shared final goal.

3.4 If you need to quickly get an actor changed into costume and makeup on a day with a busy shoot thats running behind, you need to make sure you send him to the correct people, in this case costume and make up, as quickly as possible. If a new intern in the office cant find a desk they have to deliver post to, take a minute to ask who they are looking for and point them in the right direction, it doesn't require a lot of effort and will help everyone along.

The Man Who Fell To Earth, proof that Bowie is an alien

I like sci-fi films. As a child raised on Star Wars, the Shatman, Bladerunner and Muppets in Space, it was pretty much going to be inevitable. If I'm honest I'm no where near as into the genre as some people I know, but I can appreciate a nice brain-bending trip to parralel universes, with or without the psychedelics.

I can't remember how old I was the first time I watched The Man Who Fell To Earth, but I know I must have been around ten. It stuck with me for years, the crazy surreal shots, the dreamlike quality, but more than anything, the genuine feeling I got that at that moment in time David Bowie, playing the Alien who falls to earth, is isolated from the world to a degree I had never even fathomed before.

Seriously. Its ridiculous. I have watched countless tales of post apocalyptic futures inhabited by crazy mutants and monsters from earth and beyond, more space epics than I enjoy remembering, but never have I believed that something I was seeing could really be an alien. Apart from Bowie.

Made in 1974-1975, in the middle of Bowies musical creative peak, he must of been in a very individual situation. In pretty much every country on Earth, there were legions of fans following his every move, whether he was Ziggy or the Duke, they couldn't get enough of everything he did. He was known by so many people, finding somewhere to hide, even with his vast amounts of wealth, would probably be close to impossible. And I could be mistaken, he may very well come from Pluto, but I think its this incredible amount of fame and exposure that enabled to him to give this performance, one which I consider to be an all time classic in the genre.

But as awesome as the performance is, and it is fucking epic, the film stands up on its own two feet. Nicholas Roeg is up to his usual standard, following on in the same style as Don't Look Now and Walkabout proving that he remains a very underrated director in western cinema. The supporting performances are just as brilliant, Bowie's southern blonde muse who gets pushed away and isolated played to by perfection by Candy Clarke, and the professor who betrays the alien played brilliantly by Rip Torn. Great camera work making the whole film feel hazy and distant, special effects which are understated but work surprisingly well (when the main character decides to change his appearance and remove his earth eyes has to be one of the best, albeit craziest, transformations I've seen on film) and a script/concept to die for, it remains one of my all time favourites.

Unit 4 (its not in order but its all there)

Understand the importance of continuous professional development.

3.1 Explain what is meant by continuous professional development.

When you work somewhere, if you consistently learn things on the job over the time you work there, that’s continuous professional development. For example, if you start a job in a cinema as a box office attendant, but then you learn how to work the snack counter, then moving on to the projector, that’s continuous development.

3.2 and 3 Create and justify a personal development plan.

When I started working for optimum I knew that the role I had was as a general apprentice, which consists of spending time with each department, getting to know how the whole company works. So bearing that in mind I want to make sure I get as much out of it as possible, by taking on as many roles as I could. When I started with home entertainment I wanted to make sure that by the end of my time there I would know the creative process behind releasing a dvd, something which I think I’ve got my head round. When I started in acquisitions I wanted to make sure I learnt how the department chooses films and scripts they want to put money into and how to properly write script reports, something I think I now understand and can do.

 Understand the appropriate conduct for a particular workplace.

1.1 Describe and compare the cultures of different Creative Media workplaces.

If you work in for a formula 1 racing team, changing the tyres for example, its acceptable to talk all day about cars and engines, but if you are working for a golfing magazine, people might not share the same the enthusiasm if that’s all you talk about.

1.2 Describe examples of challenging behaviour and issues in the workplace

If you work with a colleague who doesn’t listen when you try to explain something to them, if you come find a way to engage them and hold their attention, that’s CPD, only with social rather than work skills. If over the time you spend in a job in a pub, you learn how to fix a blocked pump, correctly lift barrels without damaging your back, and how correctly to deal with rowdy punters, those are issues in the workplace you have managed to overcome.

1.3 Explain the role of the key people to inform in relation to these examples.

In the first example, if you were to talk to someone in a higher point of authority then the two of you and ask them to mention the lack of communication, that could help the situation. In the latter examples the best person to talk to would probably be the landlord, as they would have dealt with these situations previously, if not, someone at the pump company, preferably a technician, for the barrels, someone who works the barrel van, and for rowdy punters, someone level headed I guess.

1.4 Explain the impact of different behaviours and conduct in the workplace.

Depending on how people, in general, act in the workplace, different things are acceptable or taboo. If its normal for people to swear in the office, no one should pay attention to you for saying ‘fuck’, but if your working in an enviroment where swearing is unacceptable, saying ‘fuck’ would be a serious deal.    

2      Know how to plan and manage your workload.

2.1Describe effective time management skills needed to plan workload.

You need to learn to organize things, prioritizing your work and keeping note on what you have to do, and what you have done, also taking note of how long things are going to take.

2.2 and 3 Describe how to specify and agree timescales, budgets and resources.

Work out exactly what you need to accomplish the task at hand, how you will get the things you need to accomplish the task, and how long it is all going to take, then distribute it all according to individuals skills and interests.  For example, if you and some friends need to set up a firework display, there are certain things you need to prepare. You need to work out how many fireworks you need, how you will get the fireworks, where you want to set the fireworks off, and how long you have to get it all done. Then once you have worked all this out, work out who does what.   

2.4 Explain the use of a contingency plan.

A contingency plan is pre-prepared course of action to take if things go wrong, from an evacuation plan in the event of a fire, to an economic bailout if money suddenly disappears. 

2.5 Explain the importance of storing work, using version control and observing file naming conventions.

All the above points are conventions commonly followed to avoid frustration and loss of time and work. If you have stored all your work correctly, its easy to refer back to it and find pieces you have done.  

Photos from the making of the viral

Brainstorming

Design ideas

A kinda storyboard

Editing

The viral video

Cross industry ownership in the Creative Media sector 8.3

Disney. Nowadays everyone I know seems to hate them. For decades they have been a favourite place to turn to in childrens entertainment. They released short animated films starring a cast of beloved characters including Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck, they made toys of all the characters for the kids to play with, records of their favourite characters singing songs, and generally provided escapism for whole generations since the 30's. So, where did it all go wrong? Despite several controversies over the years, I actually don't think it did. I think I just got older. They are still the biggest media conglomerate in the world, which means that a hell of a lot of people still go out and buy their products. It must be taken in to consideration that nowadays they have expanded and branched out into places they never used to touch, but the fact remains that a very large number of the childrens entertainment market is controled by Disney. The biggest animated film studio in the western world Pixar, responsible for billions of dollars in box office growth alone, not taking into consideration merchandising, is a branch of Disney. They own whole television networks making the  shows and films to put on it from scratch. They have record labels putting out CD's daily. They have theme parks and hotels all over the world offering holidays 365 days a year. No matter where you turn, they are making a lot of money.

I think what happened to me was the illusion of it all wore thin. When you are 5 years old and can completely believe that somewhere out there is Baloo and the Mad Hatter, ready to go on crazy adventures you love the idea of disney. But when you start getting socially and politically conscious, you start making choices in life, like whether you agree with things like consumerism and capitalism. Two things which you don't even know exist when you are a child, but when you grow older, you realise are the backbone of corporations like Disney. I personally started to question why one company should have such massive power over such a wide range of people. But the genius of their market is that by the time I have come round to thinking that maybe I don't agree with their ethics, a whole new generation has stepped in to take my place. And so Disney carries on with their monopoly on the market, but whether you agree or disagree with what they have and how they got there, they have just that: a monopoly over the whole industry.

Unit 6.1

The past month has been interesting to say the least. After having a good few months of being woefully unproductive, everything started to happen at once. I never lost sight of my ambitions, but my ideas on how to make them come to life were starting to waver.

I still to this day believe that the best way to learn something is to do it, to practice it, so my point of view on making films is if even your with a group of friends, without any budget or proffesional no how but filming things you think are interesting, its going to be a valuble experience. So with that point of view firmly in mind I was ready for a Kevin Smith start to my film making carrer, shooting after hours in the back of the shop where I work, getting mates to act and make props.

And while this is still very likely to be how I start out, now I have been given an insight into the industry I would never have pictured myself of getting a couple of months ago. I've managed to get an apprenticeship with a film distribution company, which is showing me how a film actually gets shown to the public, if following the traditional methods, something which normally few people get hands on experience in, especially at 18.

So on top of learning useful information thats relevant to what I'm interested in, I'm in a stimulating enviroment surrounded by people who share a passion for film, like mine, which is a valuble source of inspiration. So in other words, its a pretty long way off from where I saw myself a few months ago. 

Unit 18.2

5 media websites I check often:

Allmusic: Despite the fact that I often disagree with a lot of their opinions, their taste in modern music is pretty crap and they give Diamond Dogs a 2 star review which is a joke, its a great source of info on a lot of music (band music, not drum and bass or rave music though) with lists of discographies and bios for most of the artists they feature on the site. The people who write usually know what they are talking about, Heather Phares is someone I’d like to met IRL, and nice features like Album of the Day are great ways to find new bands and genres you would normally never find.

http://www.allmusic.com/

Gamerevolution: My oldest regular website, I’ve been visiting this site since I was 7 years old. All about video games and whats happening in the industry, they have been my favourite for years because they are a bunch of cynical bastards. In all fairness over the past year or so they have been softening up a bit, but traditionally they are the hardest bunch of geeks to please, happy to give games F ratings when they deserve it, they treat the reader intelligently, assuming a certain level of knowledge, and more importantly never feel like they might have been payed a bit to sway their opinion on a game, something which you see quite a lot over websites. Also, Nick Tan, the guy in charge, is a ninja.

http://www.gamerevolution.com/

Facebook: Ahhhhh good old Crackbook. In a few measly years facebook has evolved from a small page exclusively available to people with a Harvard email address, to the biggest social networking site in the world. A sign of quite how huge it has become is that in areas where its commonplace to have a computer or mobile phone (most first world countries, some second world) its quite out of the ordinary to find someone who doesn’t use it, even more so a young person who doesn’t use it. Its a space where people can post information about themselves, as regularly or irregularly as they like, and other people who know them can view that info and share messages, photos, videos... Its been the subject of much controversy: stories of information being sold to the CIA, the whole website being banned in countries for its use in insurgency and rebel uprisings, cyber bullying, hell its even coined the term Facebook Stalking, which is pretty self explanatory, but despite all this it remains a powerful and useful tool which has saved me a hell of a lot of money in phone bills to Spain.

http://www.facebook.com/

IMDB: Another oldschool website which I have been visiting for years, its become one of the biggest sites online, offering information on pretty much anyone who has been involved (or credited) with making films. Want info Tim Burtons out of print shorts he made as a student? There will be something about it here. Wondering if the unfilmed sequel to John Waters Pink Flamingos ‘Flamingos Forever’ actually exists? Have a look and see what you can find. Now, an absolutely essential tool that I use in work everyday.

http://www.imdb.com/

Discogs: I have no shame in my geekyness. Discogs is a website dedicated to vinyl enthusiasts (fetishists) who can compare collections, brag about finding a copy from the limited 200 print run of that Pavement LP which was only ever released for one day in one shop in the middle of nowhere in America (yes I do own it), and buy and sell records. Its got a great community who will usually answer questions you may have, and is a great place for finding some of the more obscure LP’s your hunting down.

http://www.discogs.com/

Unit 18.1

Blog: An abbreviated term for Web Log, a blog is space online for people to put whatever they want up to share with the public, from text to photos to videos to music to drawings... They are widely used by people all over the world to voice opinions and ideas, praised for being easy to use and free.

3G: 3G stands for third generation, in this case specifically the third generation of mobile phones which are capable of sending and receiving information of a size and speed that was previously impossible. There also exists 3.5G and 3.75G phones on the market, and in Japan there is debatably a 4G phone technology named WiMAX.

Bluetooth: Bluetooth is a method of sending information wirelessly in a PAN (personal area network) using wavelenghth radio transmissions. Despite becoming scarcer in recent years it is still widely available as a method to connect hardware or share info on phones.

Multimedia Messaging Servicing: Commonly known as its abbreviated MMS, its the same an sms only instead of just being able to send text it can also share pictures, films or sounds.

URL: The Uniform Resource Locator is a string of characters that is used to specify where something is on the internet, and how to access it, its essential for computers to know where to go for info online.

Appropriate language conventions for texting a friend: Well, more than anything, I’d say this depends on the friend. Usually the fact that its a friend your communicating with, through a traditionally non formal method of contact, implies that its ok to use abbreviations (r u there) and informalities, but I’ve got friends who hate people who don’t spell properly so I guess it depends on the person.

Appropriate language conventions for emailing a business colleague. When emailing someone in a work based environment its always best to be polite, succinct and grammatically correct. Be nice, get to the point and make sure its spelt correctly.