The Hypertextuality of Graphics - Journal 2 C&C

For the most part, I am inclined to believe that even as we go to an image and visual based society from a textual, logic based founding we are still more inclined to use visual media arts as a enhancement of textual applications. Even if the text is not completely visible, as a viewer and reader, we are more inclined to pay attention to it and focus our attention on it if there is a visual stimulus accompanying the words. I was searching on friendfinder.net, trying to find a pen pal and updating my profile when they showed a statistic stating that you were three times as more likely to receive a response to your profile if you included a picture with it, and ten times as likely with a video file. There is an old saying that a picture is worth a thousand words, but in this age of hypermediacy, those thousand words may very well be hidden in the picture to start with. One of my favorite examples, which you can see below, is the header graphic for a site that is no longer runnning. Elaine Castillo is the author of the picture, and she incorporates the words into a montage of pictures giving the feel of dispair and loss to an otherwise normal picture of a man and mulitple shots of a woman. It’s the text that lets you understand what is hiding in his eyes and what exactly she’s bracing herself against. Even though the words overlap themselves in a display of color, the words that are discernable say enough about the picture to not need to be able to see every part in its entirety. The fact that you can’t see every part of the text or the graphics also gives a sense of chaos and the unknown between these two people. Perhaps they are lovers. Perhaps it is a tale of unrequited love. Perhaps they love each other and don’t know it. The fact that there are so many different ways the picture can be interpreted with the texts given, or judging from the text missing, leads us to realize the hypertextuality of the graphic in regards to the user’s definition of the outcome of the picture based on what they see of it.

The Computers and Composition example from Elaine Castillo's "The World." Created in Printshop Pro. 

Computers and Composition

Okay, for the next few months, this will become my Computers and Composition journal for class so that I don't have another blog added onto my account. It doesn't really matter who reads it, cause I don't have anything to hide. So, if you're interested in my Tech class, go ahead and read until April. After that, it will go back to being my personal blog where I just post anything that I feel like rambling about. . .or flaming. . .I might do a little of that, but only about things, not about people's work cause that's just rude. People work hard to write their stories, and they don't need to be flamed at. . .a little constructive criticism works just fine. . .Okay. . .Back to my four papers before Friday. Take care!

Neku-chan,
Ashli

Mardi Gras

Once again it's that time of year that makes me glad to be in Louisiana. It's Mardi Gras. That time of year where people from all over flock to Houma and New Orleans to get drunk and yell for little plastic trinkets that really don't mean anything unless you know some one who is going to ride the next year, or you're going to sell them to one of the many companies that sells them for more to some first time rider the next year. Of course you could get doubloons, but are you actually going to do something with that? And you could get blow ups, but they just pop and end up all over the house. Stuffed animals are almost like that too, and they're one of the most sought after things on the floats, well minus the underwear and the long thick beads. (known to most as pearls cause of the white ones that vaguely resemble the real thing.) I personally like to play with the stuffed animals, but unfortunately for my parents and happily for me, they end up piling up in my room. . .lots and lots of variations of teddies and such. My favorite are the pandas, but they're pretty rare. I did get a funny little dancing reindeer tonight though. It sings "rocking robin." Kinda cute, but not really. Maybe he'll grow on me, and maybe I'll just throw him in the hammock with the rest of my stuffed toys. . .There are quite a few of them up there now, and I keep getting more. Maybe I'll give them as throws one year, or I'll pass them on to my kids. . . something. . .

Okay, Ghost in the Shell is coming on, later.

Kat

Procrastination

You know, paper writing time is the perfect time to remember that you haven't done a personal blog in quite a long time and so instead of doing your paper on media studies and ideas in analytical writing you convince yourself that you are justified because you wrote a sentence and therefore you can write a full blog and maybe play with the color and text and edit it several times before going back to your paper.

Maybe.

Maybe I just want to feel justified.

Maybe.

Maybe I lie too.

Actually I've done a full page and a half and that's a lot of work on a three page paper. ..half you know. That justifies me reading comics and blogging. After all, I haven't blogged in this one in forever, even if I keep updating Cowboy's Song in the other.

I made it in Argus. Who knows if I won. ..well, Angelin does, but she's the editor. I'm in and that's good enough. . .it's publication and publicity and us writers for all of our solitary lives, love praise. It's a blessing and a curse: The one time we crawl out of our fun little worlds and into the one of harsh reality. Great, huh?

I really must finish now so I can edit while Rico's in class and then print it for tomorrow's rough draft peer-editting session.

Ta Ta For Now!
ME in all my weyrdness.