I'm Back!

From a long four year hiatus, I will (once again) publish new posts!

I know, I know...it's been a long time coming. And there is so much new fodder to discuss!

Updates will happen at least monthly and maybe if life works out, bi-weekly.

See you on the bright side!

Them War Games: Battlefield 3, Modern Warfare 2, Modern Warfare 3

They're everywhere. Walk into a gaming store and the next installment of the MW series or the Battlefield series is out. Let's say you pick up one, maybe Modern Warfare 2. You try out the Single Player Campaign because you're curious about the story the game creators made for it.

Suddenly-

Death

Destruction (What's with the theme of Russians and Nukes?)

Killing off characters that you thought were pretty cool (like Ghost for example [RIP])

Ruining a war story by making it more dramatic than the latest episode of Glee (only w/o romance)

And a whole lot more that screws with your brain and makes you wish you never played the Single Player Campaign

Sadly, many off these games are descending into the over-used style of "shoot, shoot, shoot and add the pinch of betrayal to make the player pissed". It's horrible. Why can't the game creators have a little more creativity and think of a way to keep the player interested without making them emotionally scarred? This continues into the game Modern Warfare 3 where my personal favorite Cap'n MacTavish or "Soap" was killed.

And then, the case of the "imposter ending". At the end of a game, you are faced with an ending that leaves you wondering or even worse, it's not even an ending! The creators stretch out a perfectly good story over three installments so that they can squeeze out the coin from their buyers. And then, guess what? The "ending" leaves you wondering once again. But so long as the money's good, the game creators will keep up this formula. It sucks, and they might deny they're using a formula but it's visible throughout the big releases. Hasn't changed yet.

And personally, with games that stink of the same crap, I won't consider buying them. I can go to my TV, sit down and watch Doctor Who for hours to get the same emotional fulfillment that MW2, MW3, and BF3 are giving me now. And Doctor Who only costs me $25.00 monthly.

My Recent Trip to WalMart: My grammar teacher would have a heart attack...

So yesterday I went to WalMart and found myself looking at the various clothing styles they had there. Some brands ran from the more fancy GEORGE kind, all the way to a brand named after Bruce Lee. But there was one T-shirt that really took the cake.

I would like to let you guys know, I deeply regret not taking my camera phone with me that day. If I happen to go to WalMart before the T-Shirt is taken off display, I will upload a picture of it.

Anyways, the message on the shirt went like this:

"You'll never believe how many people

for no reason at all, without even

being asked, or promised some kind of

reward or compensation, voluntarily

just waste so much of there time,

trudging through a long pointless

paragraph on a shirt. But I guess you'd

have to believe it, since you just did."

"JUST SAYING"

Can you see it? The thing that would likely cause my former English teacher to pass into a dead faint?

If you can't, here's a hint: It's there.

It's sad that even the designing companies can't spell 'there'. Or perhaps it was the manufacturing companies. No wonder Mr. Tagg was so adamant on making us learn which "there, their, they're" we are supposed to use for the CAHSEE. Because that t-shirt is sad. Just sad.

Not to mention there was a butt-ugly clown smoking a cigar on the tee next to the typo'd one. A very nice combination.

So that is all for now and if anything else strikes me of interest, or if I manage to snap a picture of the shirt, you'll hear from me again.

May you have good fortune not to stumble on a mass produced typo'd tee!

My Reflection on Having a Blog

Now that my semester with Critical Thinking is ending, I write my thoughts on my experiences.



First, writing this blog was a unique way for me to learn and apply Critical Thinking concepts to the various advertisements that I see in my day to day life. Prior to this class, I had little experience with ads because I didn't actively seek them out or registered the ones I did see into my subconscious. Now, I am more versed in the ways advertisers try to get my attention.



Unfortunately, I can't even walk into a WalMart without questioning or noticing every single ad and pointing out the techniques. No more quiet shopping trips for me. ):



How many times must advertisers show me the Bleach ad on TV? Or the PEPSI Next commercial? The repetition of ads just makes my head hurt nowadays. I suppose it is one of the consequences of taking a class that exposes the common techniques the companies use. The amount of media you consume will cause you to buy more aspirin. That is one proven effect of excessive media consumption.



I also enjoyed writing the logs. I developed a personal style over the months we wrote on the website. Now you can see pictures that make my point, have funny captions underneath them, and random memes that may or may not relate to what I was writing about on the post. It was an entertaining way to educate oneself on the media.



Despite the consequences of learning about the media's tricks and cunning ways, it is important to have media literacy. For one, you are less likely to be gullible when it comes to making further purchases. If you know the company's thought process, you can make plans or prepare against the onset of ads. The business attaches puppet strings to every single person who gets sucked into their pitch and this leads to manipulation. If a consumer can be manipulated into buying your product, wouldn't you try to get more people to be the same way so you can make the biggest profit possible?

As for me, I have decided not to delete this blog. It would be a waste to obliterate my work just because the assignment is no longer active. So I will maintain this site and post more about life, events happening around the city, interesting media logs, and memes. Maybe this site will develop into something interesting. So, if you are bored or are curious as to what I may have posted, please feel free to visit the site and comment. Just please, no trolling! If there is excessive, annoying comments or anything derogative, I may have to block it.

One final note: Thank you, classmates who posted music videos that were fun and catchy to watch. You guys made my day with new songs I probably would have never listened to on my own. If I didn't have this blog, I would not have learned about many of my now favorite songs such as Payphone by Maroon 5, Kingdom Come by Civil War, and Somebody I Used to Know. I benefited greatly and had a laugh here and there reading your blogs. But all good things must come to an end. So I'll see those of you who still want to read posts next week. Until then, see ya. :)

Is it fast? Well, it's got a lightning bolt on the side of it, doesn't it?

Is it fast? Watch to see on:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DtYPhBK61d0&feature=relmfu

A Volkswagen commercial is how I'll end this round of posts.

Ten speeds must be fast. Be sure to buy a helmet too, kid!

So we start with a kid with blond hair (pay attention, this will be important) asking the bike salesman, "Is it fast?" We automatically assume that he's asking about a bike since he is in a bike store. The bike salesman replies very coolly, "It's got ten speeds, my friend." Automatically, we get a sense of action by the almost action-like scene where a hero (in this case, the blond haired boy) gets equipped with something new and impressive.
For those of you who have watched movies like Spy Kids or Commando [with Arnold Schwarzenegger], there are similar scenes involving the protagonist getting a hold on something they didn't have before.
Then we see the boy again, but older?

Lightning bolts make everything faster, doesn't it?

Here we see the same kid, only several years older. He is now asking his buddy about a motorbike. Again, he says, "Is it fast?" The blond kid's friend says, "It has a lightning bolt on it, doesn't it?" This supposedly answers the hero's question about it being fast. However, I thought it was a diversion. Lightning bolts doesn't make everything faster. And just putting it on something doesn't mean that the speed of said object will increase. I also noticed the cool action music in the background going: duh...duh duh duh...duh duh duh...duh duh duhhhhhh. It grabbed my attention because I heard it once before in my life and it's catchy.

Again, with the leap in age. He certainly looks pleased with himself.

This is the final time the hero asks, "Is it fast?", and the salesperson answers in a vague way. For this round, the salesperson replies: "I don't even know if it's street legal."

I don't know about you, but when a person selling a car says that they don't know if it's legal, I would get worried. I'd go, "Well, onto the next car lot!" But this man above seems to have thrown all caution to the wind.

Finally the real purpose of the commercial is shown:

Who's the little babbi? You are.

We see who the target audience is at this point. Parents are more likely to ask if a car is safe which is what this man asks. His speech changes as well as the man who is selling the Volkswagen Jetta. The African American replies very simply with, "Oh, yeah. It's a Volkwagen." We also note the action music pauses right when that line is said.

What is the Power of German Engineering? A shiny car?

Then the final scene pops up with a phrase saying, "That's the power of German Engineering." So, I am to understand that a car being safe is due to the power of German engineering. I think the advertisers wanted me to go, "Hey, German Engineering can give me a safe car that is clean, shiny and also is the 2012 IIHS Top Safety Pick." Well, this ad has failed then because I don't think one line about the car being a top safety pick and the AA man's explanation that Volkswagens must be safe is enough to get me to buy their product. I need more of the facts and figures they offer.

But until then, I will not purchase a Volkswagen based upon this advertisement.

AAAHHH!!! It's Justin Bieber!

For guys who scream like girls on sugar highs, go to:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E9sWPX_qkYo

Man, are you in for a ride, Justin.....

What the? My initial reaction to this commercial was that of complete confusion. Why are there guys screaming like fan-girls? And over Justin Bieber? Testimonial is used as our first advertising technique. Obviously, the actor here is the guy on the right: Justin Bieber. He is endorsing the Macy's Black Friday event by talking about it to his driver. His driver promptly screams like an over-excited girl on chocolate and doesn't say anything cohesive. Justin reacts like this:

Looks like someone needs to hire a new driver... Or give him bitter coffee.

Justin's face looks confused, just like the viewer would be at this moment if this is their first time seeing it. The technique used here is gestalt, because we don't normally expect a big, African American driver to start shrieking like a twelve year old girl. It leaves the unanswered question: "Why is he doing that?"
I think I would have the same reaction as Justin if I were famous and my closest employees start shrieking whenever they see me...

ENDORSEMENT! Justin Bieber is walking in Macy's who are selling his album! GENIUS!

Like the Morgan Spurlock video, The Greatest Movie Ever Sold, we have endorsement in this commercial as well. What you understand from this ad is not only is Justin Bieber's album on sale, it's in Macy's on Black Friday, and Justin Bieber is going to Black Friday too! It is circular in a way...and it makes one's head hurt.

But wait! There's more!

Even the employees at Macy's are on sugar highs! You're not safe, Justin...

This scene adds Wit and Humor. Look. Two guys who look rough and tough...are shrieking like the other man before? Only now it becomes extremely annoying or funny.

One final thing I noticed around the ad was how many times Macy's logo or store or name was shown or mentioned. The one's above are just a few of the picture examples. It's repitition!

Now, where is a commercial that shows girls having deep voices and act like guys do towards a female actor?

What Should I do? -LeBron James Nike Commercial

If you wish to see LeBron James ask you what he should do for the 450th time, click on the link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cdtejCR413c

And thus fell the Roman Empire. With a Nike logo on it.

This is obviously a Nike commercial. I don't think anyone could miss that from seeing LeBron James and noticing the various Nike symbols located throughout the ad. The picture above shows us that Nike is somehow associated with a need to achieve. There is a man facing towards what most people would presume is heaven. And then the phrase, "We are all witnesses." Without the conveniently placed, sky-ward facing man, I would have been at a loss. A witness to what?

And to conclude....wait. Where has everyone gone?

Here is an interesting scene, though I'm not entirely sure of it's significance. LeBron is supposedly about to give a speech to the waiters and waitresses because no one else found it beneficial to come. It shows his lack of friends, fans, or sponsors. Perhaps it plays on some recent event that happened to LeBron, like a loss of the championship or something.

I'm not a role model. Just a really good actor when it come to sad faces...

We get a nice clear view of LeBron and guess what? It's in black and white! This creates a feeling of tradition or how things were in the olden times. It seems to be an appeal to tradition. Then, things start getting funky. LeBron goes from a serious looking face to this:

MMMM! DOUGHNUT IS GOOD!

Humor is added in this scene. Not only does LeBron take a big, fat bite out of a doughnut, but he winks at you too. I almost want to add my own voice to that section, "Nom. Nom. DOUGHNUT TASTY. MMM. CREAM FILLING!" The doughnut also marks the beginning of happiness and fun, because all after that, LeBron does a variety of fun things to show a transition.

Someone is going to need Tylenol...

LeBron James: Former Basketball Player. Now: Desperado in the Wild West.

I'm a cop now, too. No messing with me...

These selections of clips and more humor to the video. Additionally, the Miami Vice show can appeal to older viewers of the commercial. It was a cop show featured on television during the 1980s about two cops in Miami. Because I haven't actually watched the show, I can't tell you much more about it, but you can check its Wikipedia article for information.

Also, the main thing you hear coming out of LeBron's mouth is "What should I do? Should I do insert action here?" Nike appears to be the solution at the end of the clip because it says:

Again, with the vague command! WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?

Just do it. Just do what? What should I just do? And why? It leaves me with many unanswered questions, leading me to believe this is gestalt. I could compose a plethora of questions for the Nike company. Who made you the boss of me, Nike? (Hey, that rhymes!)

One final feature is the Nike symbol that appears everywhere. You are exposed to it at least three times, like on: the falling poster with the happy man, on the shoes LeBron looks at in the commercial, or this-

It's even certified! See the logo? Bow before it!

That is all for now! Thank you for reading and if you found something else interesting about the ad, please leave a comment below!

KONY 2012 Part II

Here I am again! And guess what? I'm bringing Part II of KONY 2012 to you. This section will cover 9:00 to 17:30 of the KONY 2012 video from YouTube.

"I don't like being interviewed, Daddy. Let me create a pouty face for you so you can post it on YouTube."

We return to the KONY 2012 scene a week later. Funny, but this part is chock full of emotion! Our favorite parts. The ones we get "inspiration" from. Like the picture above.

His name is Gavin and he is the narrator's (Jason Russell's) child whose birth we supposedly viewed at the beginning of the video.

Doesn't he look cute and cuddly in that photo above? His face and age makes women want to croon over him and pinch his cheeks. There is a need to nurture here. He also looks very innocent so people take an instant liking to him.

Ready the sad puppy dog eyes in three....two....one.....go.

Gavin is the perfect weapon to use, especially since the society is encouraged to treat children in a better manner than they would other humans like themselves. An example? A woman may ask a scared looking child if they need help searching for their mother but steer clear of scared looking men or women. It is the reality assumption that all children need guidance and will not be able to harm you in any significant way. Pretty smart of Jason to use his kid in the production. Just one look in those eyes and Jason's talk about Kony kidnapping people who are just like Gavin makes you want to stop those "monsters".

Screaming won't save you. But it will get more people to want to donate...

Now, not that I approve of kidnapping, but this photo is ridiculous. If someone tried to wake me up, I would hardly start screaming and yelling. It is exaggerating the actions of the LRA (Lord's Resistance army) to an extreme: See? Even the kids know from the moment the man steps through the door who the man is. This picture, doesn't it make you feel sympathy, pity, outrage? Maybe something else as well...who knows?

He needs eye drops, desperately...

Then, we are shown Joseph Kony from the worst angle possible. We zoom out from his clouded eye and it invokes a feeling of repulsion in the viewer. I thought: "Wow, he looks pretty bad."

But what if this is what the producers are trying to make you think? Why would they want you to feel repulsed? Likely answer? So you feel more attached to the cause against Kony. Simple as that.

Who did this? We don't really know, now do we?

Another card they play. Look at the guy who suffered minor mutilations to the face (sorry, wasn't fast enough to catch any of the more serious ones). The problem with Jason Russell's assigning the blame, is he blames it on Kony without showing us any hard evidence. I mean, I could claim that my bruise stretching halfway across my body is a result of being beaten by some rebels in Libya. I'd even show you the final result but how would you know if the person responsible was really a Libyan rebel? You can't. Not without live evidence that it happened. Some people are just unfortunate in their birthing or gained these scars through accidents. I'm sure that accidents cause deformations in the face or body everyday. Birth defects occur frequently as well. Who's to say that the person responsible for this man's scar is Joseph Kony?

More Facebook references..... They're everywhere...

Here are the raised hands again. Repetition, much?

As you probably know, if you have read my previous KONY 2012 posts, there has been an ongoing theme of social media and togetherness. Repetition of the same thing will catch more people's attention and fixate a certain something in their minds. In this case, Jason's trying to encourage the use of Facebook and uniting as a group to stop Kony. He has encouraged it during the entire film, from short clips to longer monologues. Additionally, he uses Testimonial heavily throughout this section.

Hello.....I'm over here! Not where you are staring, friend.

I have absolutely no idea who this guy is nor do I really care. But you hear him talk about Kony (or what you think is Kony), and just add in a floating name and association he participates in. Done. His credibility is established with the viewer. On to the next clip!

Oh, on a final note....Look at this picture:

Either this is photoshopped or Kony has a big family. Who are these girls?

When I first saw this, I thought immediately: fake. I don't know why, but it seems the light doesn't hit the girls right and the background looks entirely out of place. Perhaps it was photoshopped...perhaps not....

But anyways, despite that picture, Part III will be coming out soon! Please vote in the poll, comment, or just enjoy yourself. Thank you and may you have a nice day.



Kony 2012 Video Analysis Part I

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4MnpzG5Sqc
I am only putting the link here because I assume most of you have seen the KONY 2012 video or at least heard of it, but at the same time, some of you may want to view it again. If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend you do and form your own opinion on the KONY 2012 "issue". Also, it is good to do your own research and pay attention to recent news articles as some questionable events involving the narrator, Jason Russell, have been publicized. Like his public nudity in San Diego...

We commence.

In just 2-5 minutes, don't you feel more connected to the world? The magic of advertising says all... 


Upon starting the film, the mood is very calm with a piano playing in the background. Then, you hear Jason Russell's voice saying: "Right now there are more people on Facebook than there were on the planet two hundred years ago." Immediately, when many of us hear the term Facebook, we think of our posts we put up on our walls or what your best friend shared. This speaks to the need for affiliation that we have within ourselves.

We then meet Jacob, a child from Uganda. He is one of the children who have escaped the rebel groups in the country allegedly kidnapping children.

He looks either really stressed out or like a thug in this picture. I blame my bad timing.

This guy will cause you to feel sadness and guilt. If you're of the white racial group, you will feel what is called the White Man's Burden. He is the person who needs to be nurtured, therefore you'll want to help him when you see him crying late in the video. When he talks about his brother (who was supposedly taken into the rebel army), he breaks down into tears. A few moments later, Jason is heard promising Jacob that he will stop the rebels from kidnapping the children.

But who is the culprit behind the abductions?

Peek-a-boo! I see you!

Jason says that Joseph Kony, the leader of the Lord's Resistance Army (aka LRA), is the culprit, giving us a target to attack. A face to hate. But, the sad thing here is most people mistake Carl Weathers for Joseph Kony.

Can you see the resemblance here? Because I can't.

Carl Weathers is a well-known actor for his part as Major George Dillon in the movie Predator. He is not a leader of a rebel group. As far as we know...

Now is when Jason Russell offers a simple solution to the whole mess. He tells us what we can do to stop Joseph Kony.

United we stand....until our bladders all break.

The first option is to join forces with our peers and make the word known. Make Joseph Kony famous. The most unique looking sign in the campaign: KONY 2012.

The candidates: Obama, Romney, Palin, Hillary, Santorum, Newt, and...Kony?

You can see it is that big logo in the upper left corner. "KONY 2012". Look now at all the candidates ads for the upcoming election year. What is one of the most common thing shown in each mini logo?


The other connotation with 2012: END OF THE WORLD.

And here is where I'll end part I. There will be three more KONY 2012 sections as this is a long ad/campaign video.

It's election year! Vote on who you think will win. See the poll.

The Vet and the Noob: MW3 Ad

Well, what do you know? A Modern Warfare 3 advertisement. Let us analyze it for advertising techniques.

Add stubble to any guy and he immediately looks like an expert.

First, we are brought into a huge battle-ground. We see "The Vet" (aka Veteran) preparing his gun for the fight. He looks like he knows what he is doing. Can't you tell from his stubble and faraway look in his eyes that he is a professional?

And then there's this guy:

Yep, he's a nOOb alright.

One thing I dislike is the people who whip out a grenade and explode next to me. Not very pleasant. This picture and title "The nOOb" plays on many gamers old memories from when they were that inexperienced. It relates to the more experienced gamers out there.

I certainly remember when I did that. Sometimes I still do...

How low can you go? Don't get hit with that rocket, now.

Like my previous post on the Old Spice Commercial, this advertisement for Modern Warfare 3 also has many moments of explosions and action. Such as the above picture. How many places have you watched a guy limbo underneath a speeding rocket? Based off of just these few pictures, we can make an educated guess that the target audience is young males, ranging from teens to late twenties.

The landscape starts with a war-torn New York, then a half-destroyed Berlin, coming to a decimated Paris, and finally riding on a plane under siege from Moscow. It seems to be futuristic at moments such as the zero-gravity scene in the plane:

Ha ha, NASA. We have zero-gravity too! Whee!!!

One of the memorable parts of the entire commercial is in this section. The Vet is awesome at shooting in midair, but the nOOb's facial expression is priceless.

I think I may lose my lunch!

You can see the face and start giggling as the nOOb is slack-jawed with amazement. It creates the feeling that this game (Modern Warfare 3) will create feelings of amazement and thrill for you. Additionally, for those who have played the game realize that this airplane scene is from the time when you must secure/capture the Russian president. Later, when you actually play the mission, you'll be like, "Oh! I remember this! It was in that commercial!"

Of course, there's also more explosions.

AND...add another building to our growing list of property damage.

Finally, the Finale arrives. At the very end of the ad, you see the nOOb is no longer a beginner, but a master.

The nOOb becomes professional...just by putting on sunglasses.

The host of No Reservations, Anthony Bourdain, also uses this tactic to appear smooth or cool. Put on a pair of sunglasses and stare off somewhere. BAM! Instant cool factor.

See what I mean? Sunglasses make you that much cooler.

I found this advertisement entertaining but I noticed that, if you have no idea what Modern Warfare 3 is or what it is about, you might not understand the message the advertisers are putting out in this clip. If I didn't play it, I know I wouldn't understand what the commercial was trying to say to me.

Good luck, bon voyage, and if you play MW3, I fully approve.