Imperfections Gone!

The sudden boom in globalization and technology has impacted the world the world in influx and continuous increase of technology has impacted in several ways towards the world we live in, its society, culture and most importantly the individual's identity. Photography as mentioned before plays a vital role in the world we live in therefore it too is technologically related in our societies.

Unmistakeably, photography is related to digital technology as cameras have evolved from time to time. Within this digital technology digital imaging has come about; digital imaging also known as Digital Image Processing and Digital Photographic Imaging is a method of image editing in which a picture is scanned from an original document to digital information in the form of pixels that can be read and manipulated by a computer, and subsequently reformed as a visible image. This revolutionary technology to a certain extent has supplemented the changing of people's images thus creating false identities and at the same time has been at the hands of fraud. In terms of fraud, signatures on documents have been "airbrushed" to fit there criminal purpose. The popular term "airbrush" is the manipulation of photography. In other words "airbrush" is when one improves the image of a person or a thing by hiding its defects beneath a bland exteriors. When using this form of technology it becomes difficult for one to distinguish or identify the difference between the original and the "airbrushed" image. On the other hand this form of technology down-plays the whole objective of photography as a whole, as it completely opposes the essence of the photograph in the first place.

Alternatively, airbrushing photographs does to a certain extent have its perks as it can provide the user the options of rectifying imperfections and enhancing the image. At the same time this sort of photography does pose the question of whether or not people are in fact being truthful of what they are portraying or are taking advantage of this technology and presenting false images of themselves. Airbrushed photography can be looked at as an art form but at the same time can be argued that the art presented is not the true portrayal of what the artist really saw at the time the photograph was taken. In essence, photography should be seen has the creation of memories and the portrayal of an individual's identity.

Smile... You're On A Cellphone Camera!

Cellphone photography has become a new and emerging form of media. With cellphone photography one can share images of what is going on around them at an instant with someone far way from them just as it happens. Cellphones these days are built with cameras that can be compared and can some extent match those of actual digital cameras. The use of cellphone technology allows images to be to be taken, sent to a recipient and printed into actual pictures. Cellphone photography is a relatively new phenomena, but one that is steadily growing in popularity as camera phones become more and more sophisticated.

As this phenomena grows, so does the rate of sites that cannot be censored. This means that people can take images of themselves or of others unknowingly and use them in compromising situations. By saying this these images of the people that are not aware, at the same time people that are aware, are sent to certain websites that they have no knowledge of. Cellphone photography has led to a number of menacing activities and consequences of the actions an example of this is when girls are coerced into believing that the photographs that are being taken are not going to put up anywhere public only to find their faces pasted all over pornographic websites that can be accessed from your cellphone.

A case similar to the concerns aired above happened to a woman in Central Florida in the United States of America when she sent a photograph of her daughter's braces to family members from her cellphone. When the family members opened the image it was an image of Pinocchio doing something you would not find in the storybook.

All in all, cellphone photography is a innovative means of keeping track of what your loved ones and those you know look like, at the same time can pose as a threat in certain areas of the unknown.

The digital divide and the cell phones

The digital divide is the gap that has been created between those that have access to advanced communication (communication technology) and those that do not. Most of the time it is the people that are rich have more access to technology then those who do not. The cell phone or the mobile phone has bridged the gap between rural and urban. simply because the cell phone is fairly cheap, one can buy a sim card for as little as 99 c. one can fill air time on their phone when ever they need to and they can decide how much of air time they would like to purchase, for example Cell C lowest recharge card is only R5 . If someone does not have airtime they can said a please call me to the person they need to reach. The cell phone is also beneficial to people in rural areas to communicate with people in the urban area and this helps a farmer for example sell his crop with out him even stepping into the city, he can speak to his clients on his cell phone. the cell phone user in a rural area can also gain access to internet via there cell phone . so once again the cell phone has had a positive impact on the lives of people.

Simone L Abraham

cell phone in exam situations

With the good comes the bad, people always say, and that is true when it comes to new technology like the cell phone. For students it has been useful when it comes to contacting a lecturer or a class mate and through the use of the internet as well for social purposes where applications such as MXIT, Migg and Facebook are concerned. Students have taken the technology a step into the wrong direction by using cell phones to cheat in exams. The student takes their cell phone into the exam and text messages other students asking for answer. The student can also ask a person outside the exam room for a specific piece of information from the student’s notes. Cell phones are so advanced and the memory capacity has increased over the years that a student can easily save a whole semester’s workload onto their cell phone. It has become a common problem in most countries where technology is developed but lecturers and teachers have caught onto this devious fact and have banned all cell phones from exam rooms. This does not affect class test unfortunately that are held in the lecture room. Students will face disciplinary if he or she is caught with a cell phone in an exam room whether he or she was cheating or not.

Simone L Abraham

Does downloading seduce people to plagiaries?

It is so easy to tell a little white lie about something which you thought about but someone put your thoughts into words. In the academic field professor and lecturers have always had problems of getting students not to plagiaries. Certain university laws have been put in place and have re-worked on and still you get students out there who just take the chance. “Plagiarism at higher education institutions in KwaZulu-Natal is on the increase and academics are unable to curb the practice because of the information explosion resulting from the introduction of the Internet” (Philani Makhanya). Seeing that plagiarism has always been an issue with students not acknowledging their sources, this problem has only worsened with the emergence of new media technologies. Most students have the resources to download or upload information when conducting research for their assignments. By typing in a certain topic one gets thousands of sources which relate to that topic, in some cases… there has been an essay written about that exact topic. Finding ready a made essay on the net was just a fantasy or a dream for many students out there, but this dream has certainly materialized for students living in the UK. Two Oxford University students have made A-grade essays available for plagiarism on their new website, "revise.it".The website includes an "essaylab" specially geared to making cheating as effective and effortless as possible. This website has ready-made essays which cover popular topics and questions which have been asked. The homepage explain to users that there is a guide which they have designed in which you are able to customize your essay. Co-owner Nick Rosa who is 19 years old explains that in his first year he also never wrote his own essays, he passed through using his friends and then adapting them to suit his own style “I've never been very good at essay writing," he confessed.
"We don't see the essay bank as a cheating mechanism. It's an incredibly valuable resource. You can learn an awful lot by reading other people's work on the subject” (Mail and Guardian newspaper). Well who would not re reeled in by such website, which is readily available for you to use? It has been pointed out that the reason for plagiarism is attributed the problem to students' laziness and attempts by desperate academics to promote their status .

illegal and legal downloading... The Difference

When thinking about downloading music or movies one automatically thinks that your download is illegal. But it has come to my attention that there are legal and illegal downloads. It has been noted that if you're downloading music, movies or television programs from a licensed site such as iTunes and Napster, which charges the user a fee based on membership or on a per download basis, then it's legal. Downloading movies, TV programs and music for free and not paying any licensing fee is illegal and an infringement to that company. There are few problems one can encounter when downloading illegally these include; “You may get viruses, pornography, and spy ware … more than you bargained for with an illegal download. People have suffered from identity theft and have had inexplicable withdrawals made from their bank accounts. If you’re using file sharing networks such as peer-to-peer (p2p) this is especially true” (Marc Sandford). By using a legal movie download membership, you protect your PC, your privacy and your bank account. Believe it or not there are alternatives to illegal movie downloading, these include online movie download services offer membership prices similar to video store memberships or rentals and unlimited downloads. Another alternative is done through online DVD rental. With this DVD rental service, you can order movies online and receive them in the mail for a very low monthly price. Most of these services do not charge late fees and offer an extensive collection. There is nothing worse than watching a bootleg movie, with people walking across the screen or people’s heads leaning over. The images are always not clear and worst of all the sound quality is bad, so instead of being annoyed when you should be relaxing, just go rent the movie or even better buy it.

Your favourite artists' Album can cost less than R5

Downloading has many advantages which it comes along with. E.g. if you want to buy a CD but your not sure if you really want the CD, you can Just log onto Napster search the desired artist click on the album, and quickly browse through the CD. I know that this can also be done in an actual Music store but, you know how impatient the sales person can be with you if you ask to go back to another track. “I've bought CDs I first heard on Napster, like Real Big Fish and a lot of ska music," said Amy Osmon, a student at University of South Florida in Tampa. Not everyone is like Amy, there are those who just max out their downloading ability. These individuals solely depend on getting their music from down loading. They stay in the comfort of their homes download the latest track that blasting on the airwaves, while that artist doesn’t even get a cent from that download. Award shows such as SAMA’s have even created a category for the artist who received the most Downloads for their song. This just goes to show that record companies have been forced to move with the technological advances of the new media, and how it’s engulfed an ownership which once only belonged to the producer. By having such categories may even help in reducing piracy. Gone are the days when one would wait for the full album to be released for you to listen to your favourite Brandy or Linkin Park track. The smell of a new CD and the clean non-scratched cover is a distant memory for some; all they know is going to buy a re-writable to burn the albums of their choice, and not even being worried if that CD is scratched it only cost the less that R5.

A Photo Worth A Thousand Words

Photographs have been said to be the windows of one's soul hence capturing the reality of that particular place, time and space. Photography encapsulates day to day experiences and expresses the photographer's ideas, visions and aspirations. The camera presents real-life images that were taken in past.

Photography by definition is the art or process of producing images of objects on photosensitive surfaces. Photography has become an essential form of information to the world and at the same time allows people to preserve memories that are important to them. Photography has become easier for one to excess in essence of doing it as a hobby. Cameras have evolved in time and it has become unproblematic for one to enjoy the simple art of taking pictures. On a totally different level photography is being used for different purposes other than those for recreational purposes, photographs are being used as sources of evidence in courts of law and are also being used to create a level of lifestyle in fashion. Photographers have the ability to capture real life situations that can be viewed over a long period of time. These forms of documentation allow the world to see how other people live and practice their culture, in such events people from across the globe have and were able to see what was going on in certain African countries at certain times. This revolutionary technology allows people that live in different countries to send their loved ones photographs of themselves in an instant via the Internet. In some cases people can place photographs of themselves on their profile in chat rooms and the recipient can see what they look like, if they are honest with the picture they put.

Photographs in this day and age along with the ever-changing technology, images can be manipulated by the photographer to what they want to see. To a certain level this has made people weary of whether what they are looking at is in actual fact the truth. Photography to a certain extent is a key ingredient to the formation of an individual's identity, in the sense that from a young age a person has photographs taken to show and represent their growth in life. At times certain rituals are documented to show the world how certain people people live. Photography enhances our perception of the world because it terms of people that rely on what the media shows them that is the idea that they will carry until they see those particular images for themselves. Photography influences our everyday experiences for example, fashion photography which has created a certain lifestyle in the sense of what is accepted in the fashion industry according to body size and shape and can to a certain degree be blamed for the cases of anorexia in young girls around the world that are inspired to model for these fashion houses.

All in all photography has made it possible for people to express themselves and at the same time document their life struggles and triumphs through this imagery. It is important to view photography has a vital part of our lives as it keeps track of the world we live in and at the same time helps us shape and document our culture and identity as individuals.

Cell phones and Marketing

Cell phones are now being used for advertising. When one sends or receives a please call me from any network a little advert is sent with sms. This creates awareness for the product being advertised and reaches many people because cell phone users often send and receive please call me’s. Advertising is also being used when one accesses the internet from their mobile phone. It is the same concept that is being used for webpage’s, business’s pay for the space that they occupy. Cell phone networks also use cell phones to advertise for their business. For example when I go on the Vodafone live website I see banners that are being displayed. It is advertising new cell phones or new contracts or any other promotion that Vodafone has. It is the same with MTN, Vodacom, Cell C and Virgin Mobile.
There are also many mobile websites where one can download ring tones, Wall papers, pictures and so on, these websites charge people for their downloads . there are also advertisements on television that tell people that if they phone a certain number they can download for free but there is always a catch and most people do not read the fine print and therefore they get scammed. People can also use their cell phones to send sms’s for competitions that are advertised and for voting on shows such as Idols. Then your cell phone number goes into a data base and is sold to other organisations for marketing purposes, then you are bombarded with useless information that most people just delete. Cell phones have had a major impact on marketing and advertising and it is on the increase.

Simone L Abraham

The downloading process

Upon hearing the wording downloading for the first time, one could imagine that is could be a daunting experience but downloading is not a difficult task. Like any other new process, one just follows the instructions directed by the pc, because computers are so advanced they can in some way think for you (and we all love it when the computer shows you, your errors). Website such as BBC radio have taken the initiative in teaching people how to download, there is a step by step process in which one can follow. This website goes to the extent in defining certain terms in which one will come across during the downloading experience. One needs to note that downloading can be done on your cellphone (you carry a downloading tool wherever you go). It’s all very well that one is able to access the latest popular music, but a burning question is who actually pays for all this magic that you have been able to get your hands on?

" My precious"

I currently have a Samsung ZV10 cell phone; to me it has been the greatest phone that I have owned. Now I need to upgrade my Vodacom Top up contract, but I cannot decide on which phone I want to take. My phone has been through two years of hard work, good times and bad times. It has been dropped several times and it even rolled down my drive way. My cell phone currently has sticky tape holding the battery to the phone, but I still cannot part with it. It has great features such as 3G and it is a Vodafone live cell phone, that means I can browse the internet for free and it the internet connection is as fast as ADSL. It also has video calling which is my favourite feature , I have a sister in Pretoria and a boyfriend in Durban while I live in Pietermaritzburg , so I want to see them I just video call them and instantly I can see and talk to them. It is fantastic. My cell phone also can multitask, meaning I can make a call and send a sms at the same time or simply switch from internet to make a call by a click of a button. I am also able to able to listen to my favourite music via the MP3 player. It has other “basic” features such as sms, mms, camera, video camera, games, internet and Bluetooth. I never thought I would become so attached to my mobile phone.

Simone L Abraham

The cell phone experience

I never thought that something small, black, and hard could be such a blessing. What I am I on about, it is my cell phone . It has changed my life and the lives of the people that are around me. Sometimes I sit back and wonder how people ever lived without one, even my mum who is in her 50’s wonders how she ever managed without one. Its original function was to make calls and now it has become a multi tasking technology. It can be used to sends short messages (sms), multimedia messages (mms), for video calling, as a camera or video camera and now people can use their phones to go onto the internet. It has changed the way people communicate; now people can contact others in an instant either by call or by message. Business people can take their work any where, parents can track their children’s where about or parents can be contacted in an emergency. People feel safe when they are driving long distance because they know they have their mobile phones in case of emergency and now with GPRS on cell phones one can find their way around the country. It has brought people closer together through technology , the phenomena of MXIT has changed young adults lives by keeping in contact with their friends from around the country and world by instant chat at a cheap rate. If it was not for cell phones then there would be no MXIT. Cell phones have become an important part of our lives.
http://www.historicaltextarchive.com/s/history-of-cell-phones.php

Simone L Abraham

The concept of Downloading

With the many different technologies which have been put in place one is able to do anything and everything with just a click of the mouse. In the last century the world has been bulldozed with the phenomena of downloading, this interesting concept allows one to acquire information, music, movies and games by a simple procedure. There are various websites one can log onto to obtain music etc. downloading has brought with it a convenience factor which has helped many people out there, instead of one going to the shops to go buy a movie or a CD, you now have the luxury of sitting in the comfort of your home or office in fort of your PC, and paying a fee to get the song or movie on the spot. Downloading can be defined as “To copy data (usually an entire file) from a main source to a peripheral device. The term is often used to describe the process of copying a file from an online service or bulletin board service (BBS) to one's own computer. Downloading can also refer to copying a file from a network file server to a computer on the network. In addition, the term is used to describe the process of loading a font into a laser printer. The font is first copied from a disk to the printer's local memory. A font that has been downloaded like this is called a soft font to distinguish it from the hard fonts that are permanently in the printer's memory.” (http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/d/download.html).

Mosidi Seleke