War Time Propaganda

I chose to look at this photo created by Brian Walski and discussed by Harry Fanid. I chose it because I think photographs of war and conflict are altered frequently, and that such alterations often exaggerate events, are not completely true, and are harmful. This photograph was created from two different photos, one of the British soldier, and the other of Iraqi citizens. It appeared soon after the U.S. invasion of Iraq. The British soldier is advising the Iraqi citizens, and a man and his child stand immediately to follow the soldier’s instructions. Walski claims that the photograph was enhanced in order to alter the “composition,” as though the composition of the photograph is altered so that it depicts exactly what he wants to discuss. I think it was altered in order to make a more striking image, depicting the authority of soldiers among civilians. In the altered image, the soldier has control of the situation, indicated by his gesture, posture, and possession of a weapon, while the citizens appear subdued. I think this alteration is harmful because it is completely fabricated: this situation may have never occurred! It is propaganda intended to depict the role of soldiers in the Iraq War, illustrating complete control and a good relationship between citizens and soldiers, which may not have been the case at the time of the U.S. invasion of Iraq. This kind of alteration is harmful because it doesn’t just change aspects of an image, but creates a completely new situation!

Find this photo and more!

The Concerned Streamer

In Jason Hardin’s lecture on Tuesday, September 22, we briefly discussed the website called YouTube with regard to how it is used and whether or not it could be considered a copyright infringement. On the one hand, he argued, the information made available on YouTube in the form of movies, music videos, or simple song recordings, could be considered one, giant copyright infringement. After all, many people posting this information did not make—and do not own the rights to—the works being posted. However, Mr. Hardin also mentioned that the idea of streaming, as is usually the case on sites such as YouTube, is not necessarily copyright infringement. Although YouTube users are able to stream—or view—the material, one does not usually have the option to “download” or “save” it. In other words, those of us streaming the music video are not necessarily committing copyright infringement because we are not taking it. After listening to the lecture, I agree with this conclusion: those posting to YouTube are committing copyright infringement if they post copyrighted material that is not their own, but people streaming on YouTube are not because they don’t save or download it—they are only able to view it. Should a user download or save, however, I would consider that to be copyright infringement.

My Network Diagram of Trinity's LAN!

This is my diagram!

Joe Hatch: Mac Safety First!

The part of Joe Hatch's talk last week that I found most interesting was his discussion of Internet safety and identity theft. I have heard that Macs are safer than PCs with regard to viruses and identity theft, and accepted it without considering why or how this was true. As Joe Hatch discussed the importance of installing Sophos on all computers here at Trinity, he mentioned that Macs are not as safe as some people say. After the lecture, I thought about how much of my personal information could be at risk because of that false sense of security. I now realize the importance of installing Sophos while I'm here at Trinity and always remembering to be safe on the Internet, even when I'm on my Mac!

Hello, My Name is Ellee!

This is my first semester at Trinity University, and I am a long twelve-hour drive from my home in Santa Fe, New Mexico. I was born in Santa Fe, and have lived in the same house for my entire life. I am an only child, but have supplemented my two cats for siblings. In Santa Fe, I enjoyed playing volleyball with my high-school teammates and city league teams, eating fajitas on the Santa Fe plaza with friends, and working as a hostess at a local restaurant. I attended a tiny high school—my graduating class included just fifty-five students—and was a member of my high school’s volleyball, swimming, and track and field teams. I have not decided what I want to study yet, but have considered pursuing a career in nursing.

During my first week at Trinity, I have attended several events at Laurie Auditorium, including the Hypnotist, and an event sponsored by Intervarsity Christian. I look forward to becoming more involved at Trinity in the near future, and intend to explore many of the opportunities offered on campus, including on campus employment, intramural sports, and TUVAC.

My experience with computers has been fairly basic. I took a computer class in high school, and learned about Microsoft programs including Excel and Word. I look forward to learning more about these and other programs this semester, and hope to apply this knowledge throughout my years at Trinity and in my future career.

A secret fact about me is that I ride Missouri Fox Trotters, which are a breed of horses certified for demonstrating a specific gait.

Feel free to contact me on facebook, or by email!

ecook1@trinity.edu

Email Me!