Crowdsourcing

Just like basically everything else we've done so far in this course, crowdsourcing is something that I was familiar with but did not know it had a particular name. Some of the tips from the article are helpful on many levels and not just crowdsourcing projects especially when it comes to getting funding. Sites like indiegogo and kickstarter have been around for a while, but I had no clue that they fit under the category of croowdfunding.

The TED Talks on how Wikipedia came to be and how it works was so-so. However, if I had watched this years ago when the hype of wikipedia was still around, I can definitely say that I would have seen it as a huge learning tool. Jimmy Wales mentioned a lot of the information from the "What is Crowdsourcing?" article - talking about all of the volunteers who step up to do the work and complete the microtasks. In the end, this knowledge of crowdsourcing has helped Wikipedia profit wise immensely.

I found the Cloud Filmmaking Manifesto to be very interesting. When I read or hear stories like this, I always wondered how were they able to reach so many people across the world. It's ironic that the topic of the film was interdependency and people had to use technology to give their input. I was able to connect with the piece because I consider myself a filmmaker only it's very rare that you could find me directly behind the camera. So to take images and sounds and to make them into a film on this level is inspiring. I've also gotten that sense just since the first day of this class. It's great to know that I don't have to know or be the standard in's and out's of being a filmmaker. I can still create something moving and powerful without shooting it myself.

Sound Ecology

When I hear the term soundscape, it makes me think of the section in Walmart by the candles that has the odd collection of CDs with waterfalls, the ocean, the rainforest, etc on them. Even though I've relied heavily on listening for information due to my poor eye-sight, I never considered my surrounding environment to be a soundscape. I enjoy walking outside and listening to the birds and the wind blow because it's relaxing. We live in a time where TVs are always on, people are on their cell phones whether texting or talking, music is playing somewhere, and more. There's a calming sense of sound minus all of the extra noise. Because of this I enjoyed the Listen video. What I got from the video is that listening to your surroundings can be more visual than actually seeing something with your eyes.

The interview with R. Murray Shafer by Anjula Razdan was very informative. It mentioned the used of sound by the military which is something I had never heard about. The section about Harley Davidson copywriting the sound of the motorcycles seems very outlandish, but at the same time having a specific sound is what sets them apart from competitors. The more familiar people are with a sound, the more comfortable they are. Sound can have a major impact on an individual whether its how you feel or how and what it makes you feel.

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