Here are some things I'm partial to (in picture form):

(Late) Introduction

Just realised I had no introduction for my blog, so it probably hasn't made any sense up until now. Sorry about that. I'm Colin and I'm a first year psychology student at IADT Dun Laoghaire. This blog was created as part of an assignment for my ICT class, but I like talking about stuff I think is deadly so I might continue with it. The blog is made up of posts about college stuff, music, films, sports, games, general stuff I like. Suppose you could call it an extension of myself. You could also call it a pointless collection of random posts. CF over and out.

     Video Games as Art?

I recently found an article examining an interesting aspect of the clash between culture and technology which is relevant in today’s entertainment world: The perception of video games as an art form.

This debate has been around for a couple of years; really since the technology available to game developers allowed them to create elaborate and appealing virtual worlds with a highly detailed aesthetic, but a blog article by the popular film critic Roger Ebert entitled “Video Games Can Never Be Art” elevated it into greater public awareness. It is a debate open to much contention; as is any debate surrounding the nature of art. It doesn’t help that the question is a broad one and open to various interpretations: Can video games be sold by art dealers, shown in museums and galleries, and accepted by the art world? Can they tackle difficult issues and sensitively present us with different perspectives? If either of these options were the definition of the question being asked, the answer would be yes, but it’s not as simple as a definition. It’s usual that films are labelled “art”, and the humble moving picture was around quite a while before the media were comparing The Godfather and The Deer Hunter with famous works of the literature written by such authors as Shakespeare and Dickens. Cinema experienced the early growing pains of fast walking silent films, followed by the “talkies”, before it was widely regarded. Comparing the first video game, “Pong”, with recent epics such as Red Dead Redemption or Assassin’s Creed, would be just as irrelevant as mentioning the earliest silent films in the same sentence as modern masterpieces such as “City of God”.

 1972:

 
 2010:

Like art, video games are done for their own sake, and some certainly incorporate artistic elements such as painting, architecture, music, acting and writing. Their creation involves scholarly activities like research, travel, craft and graft. Maybe as they evolve further from the form they have currently reached, there will be more around which people can consider art because of pushing aesthetic and creative boundaries.

Some see the consideration of video games as art a sign of “cultural rot”; others as overdue recognition for the subtleties behind getting millions of people to bash the buttons on a control pad. Maybe “can video games be art” is the wrong question, and the “right” question ponders whether artists can use this medium as a method of creative expression.

Full article found at http://www.newscientist.com/blogs/culturelab/2010/09/can-video-games-be-art.html.

Even the Po - lice are on facebook now?

    Law Enforcement: The Latest Advocate of Social Networking

While social networking has become an unavoidable element of most of our lives, I was surprised to recently learn that law enforcement agencies around the world have now bought into the fad. I was aware that organisations such as colleges and retail companies were using the facebook craze to their advantage, but the idea of logging onto my facebook and seeing that I had a friend request from “Store St. Garda Station” seemed very strange to me.

As I read on however, the concept started to make more sense. Firstly, it mentioned a “police blotter blogs”, in which the accumulated police reports from an area are published on a blog/ twitter feed/ facebook fan page. One police station in Florida is associated with posting their own subjective stories of crimes and mentioned that journalists in the area now use the site as their first source of information for reporting on crime. Digital “Wanted Posters” are a wild – west style addition to facebook which police have come up with; this makes sense as the lightning quick transfer of information only adds to the speed at which they can narrow down the whereabouts of suspects. Missing persons searches can be enhanced in the same way. 

The anonymity of the internet has long been part of its appeal, and in this vein it has now emerged that police are encouraging “E – tipsters”: members of the public who give details of crimes without their identities being disclosed publicly. Interestingly, this system has been merged with Google Maps in order to create crime “heat maps” by the police in the Detroit area. Social media “Stakeouts” are another technique in which the posts on sites (twitter especially) are monitored in order to establish patterns which could be linked to criminals. This has been successful in the Cincinnati police department’s work in tracing gang members via MySpace and facebook, seeking out code words and slang which can point to illegal activity. While this has yielded success, a criticism I would have of it would be the “Big Brother” style invasions of privacy which it could lead towards. Finally, Twitter updates are used by several police departments in the U.K and the U.S to inform the public about currently evolving situations which the public could be useful in (missing people), or may wish to avoid (fires, riots etc.).

Although the idea of the law being enforced to an extent through social networking (a phenomenon which I have always found tedious), I now see the benefit which sites such as Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter can have in making certain jobs easier for  the police, as well as strengthening the link between them and the public in their districts. Although it is early days as far as this new blend between police forces and social networking is concerned, I’m convinced it will become a more predominant part of policing in the near future.

Full article found at http://mashable.com/2010/03/17/law-enforcement-social-media/.

Laptop Report



When buying a laptop or PC, the most important consideration to make is what programs and functions the machine will be used for. Some of the most common functions include:

·         Internet Browsing/ Email

·         Creating & Storing Documents

·         Storing Photos & Files

When considering which functions would be needed for a PC or laptop used for my college course, I would look at the following specifications:

RAM: This is the acronym for Random Access Memory, the form of computer data storage used in most systems today. It is signified in GB (gigabytes), and is an indicator of the speed and efficiency of the machine. For light home use, 1GB of RAM would be sufficient, whereas for college use, which would involve a lot of word processing and multimedia usage, a 3GB RAM would be more suitable.

Processor: The type of microprocessing unit used in the machine is also important for fast and functional usage. The microprocessing unit is the microchip which incorporates most, or all, of the functions of the computer’s CPU (Central Processing Unit), so it is an essential component to look at before purchasing. For very high levels of multimedia use, a dual or multi – core processor could be an option to consider. These are the processors which are a step about the 64 bit design which became so prominent in home computer use during the 2000s.

Hard Drive: The hard disk space of the machine is important for a user who will be storing large amounts of documents, such as word processing, presentations, images and videos. All of these are relevant to my college work and so I would consider a computer with a hard drive of 250GB or more. This prevents inconvenience as it means a couple of years into use that the computer’s disk drive will not be overloaded, causing it to run slowly and creating the need for external disk space, which can also be expensive.

Internet Security: Internet security is important for any computer which is used for internet browsing and email, but in the case of one which holds important information (such as college projects, work documents) a good antivirus and security package is obligatory. Laptops and PCs are usually now sold with the option of an internet security add – on, which is a worthwhile investment to keep work stored on the machine safe from viruses. These antivirus packages also help the computer to function more efficiently as they block unnecessary pop – ups and spam, which can be received via spam emails.

Power/ Energy Efficiency/ Fan: This is more relevant when buying laptops specifically. A good power source is convenient for a user who will be using the machine on outside the home as an empty battery can lead to lost files or work. A computer with an energy efficiency programme will lead to longer battery life and is also more environmentally friendly. A fan is important for keeping the laptop from overheating and being internally damaged using a heatsink; again, this provides safety from lost files.

Graphics Card: For a user who relies on the computer for high quality imaging, video, and multiple monitor usage, a graphics card is a hardware component to consider. This also supplies high quality graphics for computer gaming.

Programmes Supplied: It is important to also consider the programme packages which come with the computer or as extra. Document processing such as Microsoft Office or multimedia processing such as Adobe Photoshop or Animator are usually essential for modern college courses and the project work involved in them, such as creating essays and presentations via computer.

The features and functions which I have listed are some of the more important aspects to consider when buying a PC or laptop for a college course. There are some other physical aspects to look at including monitor size or number of USB ports depending on personal preference.

Foals - 2 Trees

Went to see these guys last week, incredible gig. This is their latest video.

Websites useful for studying Psychology in college

The Psychological Society of Ireland, governing body for all things psychology

American Psychological Association, useful for worldwide news and a links to a vast database of psychology journals

Online Psychology Classroom, complete with articles, info, quizzes, psychology dictionary and FAQs

Central Statistics Office, statistics and raw data from various research done in Ireland

Psychsplash, a resource full of links to interesting websites in a diverse range of psychology related subjects