Pam Brown's Blog l emission - control. net

Understanding "the Real"

Understanding what is “real” versus what is “perceived”, or if what is perceived is real, or if everything or nothing is real, is a problem that crosses time, culture and academic discipline from philosophy to religion, and from history to literature.  But segregating real from perceived poses a special problem for the study of media. Toward the beginning of this century film theorist André Bazin famously argued that film would (and should) move toward “reality”.  While Sergei Eisenstein counter argued that the ideal of film ought not be to move toward the so-called “real”, but rather toward the fullest expression of emotion through the juxtaposition of signs; what is real happens between the frames, and the understanding of the real should be left to the viewer. Sadly, their debate seems to have ended with Bazin’s victory and the media’s continuing attempt to create the real, and thus, blur the lines between the real and the replicated.  (cont.)

The Big Takeover

I don't think I've ever simply posted an article without additional comment or critique before.  But The Big Takeover by Matt Taibbi of Rolling Stone really says it all, and then some...  Read at your own risk...

"It's over — we're officially, royally fucked. no empire can survive being rendered a permanent laughingstock, which is what happened as of a few weeks ago, when the buffoons who have been running things in this country finally went one step too far. It happened when Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner was forced to admit that he was once again going to have to stuff billions of taxpayer dollars into a dying insurance giant called AIG, itself a profound symbol of our national decline — a corporation that got rich insuring the concrete and steel of American industry in the country's heyday, only to destroy itself chasing phantom fortunes at the Wall Street card tables, like a dissolute nobleman gambling away the family estate in the waning days of the British Empire."

The Big Takeover

Broadband Stimulus, Neutral Networks, Deep Packet Inspection

The issues of net neutrality and broadband infrastructure are inextricably linked by big media conglomerates arguing that they cannot justify infrastructure expenditure without control over network traffic and without the ability to employ the business model of their choosing.  While the new stimulus package requires the core principles of net neutrality to be maintained and represents a victory for net neutrality, the efforts of big media business to thwart neutrality will surely continue.  One such effort has been the use of "deep packet inspection" (DPI)  technology to determine how information sent over networks will be handled.  The recent Comcast cast involved their use of DPI to degrade peer-to-peer file transfers using BitTorrent over their network. 

The Free Press has recently published the following report detailing the harmful impact of this practice:

Deep Packet Inspection Puts Open Internet at Risk 

Hand in hand with net neutrality and deep packet inspection is broadband infrastructure.  Here is the Free Press report on how the stimulus would work best to jumpstart the economy and widen Internet access:

Download Roadmap for Broadband Stimulus Succcess:  Putting the Angels in the Details

If You Want to Understand Net Neutrality, Watch This: Thru You

Why is net neutrality such an important issue?  Well, as Lawrence Lessig, the legal scholar, copyright radical, and author of books including The Future of Ideas and Free Culture points out, all you need to do is watch these videos to understand how a new technology can change human social life. 

Timothy Karr of Free Press and SavetheInternet.com writes:

"Kutiman, who also goes by the name Ophir Kutiel, has captured the Zeitgeist of the moment -- a time when our rapidly evolving Internet culture is toppling old regimes and handing over control of popular information to people like you, me, Kutiman and his YouTube orchestra.

What ThruYOU tells us is that all bets are off. The DNA of our media system has mutated so completely that it's only a matter of time before our society changes as well.

In fact, that change is already happening.

In politics, economics, arts and culture, an era of privileged access is giving way to something that's much more decentralized, participatory and personal.

We no longer passively consume media, we actively participate in it. This often means creating content, in whatever form and from whatever sources -- what author Jonathan Zittrain calls "generativity."

We no longer limit our political involvement to television ads and the polling booth. This means organizing via Facebook, "Googling" candidates to learn more, joining text-messaging lists and creating Twitter hash tags to stay ahead of our issues." 

Read:  The Future Begins Thru You by Timothy Karr

Call me an optimist, but it seems to me that the power of a new technology is opportunity for change.  But we need to understand that the opportunity exists, or we will miss the chance.

Here's one of the original remixed videos:

Lincoln: Nuanced, Paradoxical

The word we would use today to describe Lincoln’s position on slavery would most likely be “nuanced."  But “paradoxical” would probably be more descriptive.  Lincoln’s legacy is always discussed as freedom for slaves, and the nation's freedom from slavery.  However, this has always been controversial since it was the result of his focus on unifying the north and south, and not the result of living for an important principle in which he believed.  He did believe in the principle of freedom, but he was moved to action because he did not believe the country could survive otherwise.  And though he did not believe in slavery, and though he did believe in the need to establish fundamental equality in the sense of “all men are created equal", on the other hand he was not concerned with a practical form of equality in the sense that all should enjoy equally of access, opportunity, and ultimately result.  He was an unheroic hero - a man of the people, who defined himself as fundamentally equal to all human beings, but not all men.  He found a middle road to travel in a world where taking a stand may have been just, yet also unproductive.  His greatness as a leader lay in his wisdom to find and begin to plow this paradoxical path in the direction of reconciliation.

Read:  Sallow, Queer, Sagacious: Lincoln Through the Ages published in the March 30, 2009 issue of The Nation by Brenda Wineapple

2009 Critical Themes in Media Studies Conference!

I'm pleased to announce that my paper, Moving the Net Neutrality Debate Forward by Changing the Conversation has been accepted for presentation at the 2009 Critical Themes in Media Studies Conference!  Amy Goodman of Democracy Now! will be the keynote speaker, and the event is free and open to the public.  I will update this posting as soon as I know what time my presentation is scheduled for, just in case you would like to hear some of my thoughts.

Here's a link for information about the conference and an abstract for the paper:

Critical Themes in Media Studies

Abstract:

The recent Comcast case involving their use of “network management” practices to block peer-to-peer file transfers has challenged the FCC to uphold their Internet Policy Statement, and has called attention to the issue of codifying net neutrality principles once again.  In spite of the FCC’s enforcement of this policy, Comcast has continued to test its boundaries, even objecting to the FCC’s authority to regulate the Internet at all.  Thus far, the net neutrality debate has centered on business and technological concerns, leaving the subtext of this conversation rarely examined or challenged.  The paper argues that although refuting anti-neutrality arguments on both practical and philosophical grounds is necessary, the underlying neoliberal framework to this debate necessitates a fundamental shift in the conversation.  The ongoing Comcast case and the opportunity of new American leadership make this a critical time to pose important value-driven arguments that center on ideals of democracy, commons and progress.

Read the paper: Moving the Net Neutrality Debate Forward by Changing the Conversation

Hope for Victims of Student Loan Scam?

I'm glad to see that the student loan issue is back on the radar.  Just this morning at the dog park a neighbor shared with me that she owed 130K for her undergraduate history degree from NYU and has given up looking for a job.  Not a day goes by that she does not regret her education - mainly its cost.  Currently, she is volunteering at a local school to qualify to become a teacher.  When even Barack and Michelle Obama, two Harvard educated lawyers, would still be in debt if it weren't for the success of Barack's book, we know something is wrong.  Hopefully, with Jesse Jackson on the case, justice can be restored to education.

 

Default, the Movie

Student Loan Justice

Reduce the Rate

Steele at His Best (My Favorite Relic from the 2006 Campaign in Maryland)

When Michael Steele became the "leader" of the Republican Party (along side of Rush Limbaugh), I couldn't help but recall the 2006 Maryland Gubernatorial election, during which Steele was at his best.  I wished I could scream out to the world, "do you know what a sleazebag this guy is!?!"  Back then, Steele was the Lieutenant Governor and was running for the Senate.  Employing Malcolm X's "by any means necessary" strategy, he put out this perfectly confusing voter guide:

Download Voter Guide

It was so shocking (not to mention completely legal) that I saved a copy as my favorite keepsake from the election.  It's hard to imagine, but a force of some 300 homeless men and women were deployed from Pennsylvania to distribute these guides in predominately African-American, democratic areas at the polls.  Thanks to a series of reports by Rachel Maddow, some of this man's antics are finally coming to light.  Thank you Rachel!

Playing the Game: Cramer explains Hedge Funds

All of the archetypes are present:  the evil-doers (Madoff and the Wall Street CEOs), the hero coming to our rescue to fight evil and restore harmony (President Obama).  The plot is thick and the subplots, well the subplots are even thicker.  Here we have the beleaguered Jim Cramer letting us in on the truth:  the financial crisis is a story just as one that is written, with it's own script, its own logic.  And like the magic of the movies, Wall Street's inner workings, its behind the scenes are a secret.  Today's financial crisis saga subplot:  Jim Cramer tells us how hedge funds work.  (Disclaimer:  don't watch this if you've just had a meal.)

Red Hook - Hard to Believe it's in NYC

Red Hook is such an interesting mix of things.  On the one hand it's an industrial port town, but on the other hand it's a destination restaurant and shopping spot.  On the one hand it's got the infamous Red Hook Houses, but on the other hand charming quaint homes and industrial style loft spaces.  The streets are still cobblestone in parts, but well paved and protected by "homeland" security (as we found out) in others.  If you're daring, you can even canoe from Cobble Hill to Red Hook via the Gowanus Canal.  We did this with friends who are members of the Gowanus Dredger's Association - I wish I had pictures from that insane day!  My husband and I have been exploring Red Hook for the past couple of years - by land, by sea and by stomach (Tini and The Good Fork are our favorites), and have recently taken up photographing the places in NYC that we find interesting.  Here is the first installment of what will hopefully be an interesting journey of seeing the city we both grew up with new eyes:

Exploring the Many Facets of Red Hook