One great aspect of social bookmarking tools like delicious is it’s ability to bring people with similar interests together. For example, if I have found someone who also booked marked my favorite web page, I could then look into their bookmarks and most likely find something else we both like as well. This could be extremely useful for research as well as generic web surfing.

1400, is the number of book marks filmgeek has in his library, and 10 is the number of categories those bookmarks are under. They are organized into tags and each tag could contain anywhere from 1 to 100+ bookmarks. I find this kind of organization extremely efficient as I had no trouble finding out whether he does or does not have the topic I was looking for among all those tags.

Another great thing about this particular collection is that most of the bookmarks have comments on them. This is handy when there is lots of information to be viewed. One will be able to have an idea of what the book mark is about before deciding to click on the link. Let’s be honest, some of the website names are so out there just by looking at it is definitely not sufficient in deciding it’s value. I also want to add the fact that he or she is very clear with the comments as it is helpful most of the times in describing what they site is about.

There are few general categories that are of interest to me.

Mac

Of course there is a Mac section. The tags range from aperture and apple, to OSX and widgets. I must admitting is could get a bit overwhelming sometimes. For example there are 92 book marks under OSX. However I do agree with his or her general taste in websites. Taste as in usefulness of the web pages or simply being mildly entertaining.  

Entertainment

Under this category there are things such as beer, book, books, cool, metafilter etc. and under cool I found websites such as Jeff Russell’s STARSHIP DIMENSIONS or MonsterHoodies.com – So cute it’s scary. In general they are a diverse group of contents from a range of websites.

Media

This is the section that I could recommend to some of my readers for several reasons. First of all, it contains tags such as HD, HDTV, HDV etc. they are all very popular at the same time confusing terms that one will eventually encounter in the field of filmmaking. Second of all, there are things such as Tivo, screenwriting, podcasts, which are useful resources for many people.

There is a huge section on selfimprovement. However I wouldn’t go into it in details since it is not relevant to my blog. However it does offer a variety of utilities that one might find useful. There are 186 bookmarks related to reference, 94 related to 94 and 1 related to seduction which I am sure some of you might get curious about.

Technology

In this section, it contains so much stuff that I can only pick out those that are related to my bold. There are 35mm, 50mm, camera, dvd-decrypter, graphics, software, etc. I think the theory goes that if there are this many option, there must be something useful somewhere in there.

Video Film Tech

This I suppose is a special category devoted to the film crowd. There are cinema, cinematography, codec, movies, videos, AVID and a range of things that are both directly and indirectly related to film. They are definitely helpful for someone within the industry.

The last category is called unbundles tags, which is 100+ tags that are not particularly related to the main focus of the bookmarker but none the less hip and useful. I found a pretty cool winery link somewhere in there.

This particular bookmaker could be a valuable resource for my readers in several ways. First, it provide information about film, movies as well as what is going on in the industry. Second of all, which is what I consider equally important, is it provides important technical information that one is sure to need if not now, but in the immediate future. There is simply a proliferation of new video technology that it is impossible for one to master without outside help. This book mark collection is a great source for what is going on in the technological front and what one needs to be aware to stay ahead of the ever changing techi world.

The classical structure of narrative is established by Aristotle, whose analysis of classical plays convinced him that there is a liner format to all successful stories. It began at a low point and continually rises in a slope of approximately 45 degrees and reaches a climax which is in turn followed by a slight down slope that leads to resolution. Everything is linked by causality, and logically and chronologically organized. Over all this kind of stories holds a universal appeal because it portrays something that we all want but could not usually have in real life.

Film, as a form of art, does not always follow this kind of aesthetically pleasing format and constantly challenges it. For example, the movie The Bad and the Beautiful the story essentially started from the end of the story and used the telephone as a link that connected the parts of the plot. The “hero” Johanson shields was never really portrayed objectively; he was nothing but someone on the other end of the phone. What we know about him is told though the eyes of the other three characters. This is a different way to approach narration, which required audience’s involvement, leave them constantly guessing.

This advantage is reflected in the movie The Bad and the Beautiful because even though the audience already know the fact that all three subplot would lead to the despise of Johanson Shields, it make the viewer guess how it is done because it is not told through John himself. This derivation from the classically format is seen on other movies as well.

In the movie Crime and Misdemeanors the movie started where Judah Rosenthal is being recognized for his donation. However at the same time of establishing his as a generous individual, there are also awkward smile on his face suggesting it is not all there is to him. And the plot continuous to unravel and constantly making people guess what is the crime or misdemeanor he has committed.

Judah’s affair with another woman is somewhat predicable however the fact that he would be willing to kill her is not. There is a constant desire on the movie makers’ part to surprise the audience. This desire is a rebellion against Aristotle’s more liner and more predictable model. And this kind of rebellion is also what today’s Hollywood lacks today.

Upon the remake of a classic Funny Games, I felt obligated to bring up the topic of modernism in film and how it is relevant in today’s society.

Modernist films including Funny Games, are designed to be confrontational. It is design for the audience to feel uncomfortable. In a way it is more art than entertainment. For example in the beginning when Peter tries to borrow some eggs there seems to be nothing out of ordinary. There is even a sense of humor because he is so awkward and uncomfortable in the house. However, when Paul killed the dog, tension builds up and when the confrontation occurred between the family and psychos, resulting in a hostage situation, people began to feel uncomfortable, angry and frustrated because they want the “heros” or family to fight back or be rescued.

Many elements of the film played to this effect. For example in the middle of the movie there is a brief moment where the broken cell phone began to receive signal. Thus the audiences feel that this is the turning point they have been waiting for, but the call does not get through. It seems that our hopes are shattered and we fell back into the state of despair along with the family.

The whole movie is pretty much a grand design of frustration and confrontation. It is done through clever use of dialogues and actions. The story in my opinion is truly superb. However there is a side of me that always ask me why would I enjoy such a terrifying film. I guess that’s exactly the purpose behind Funny Games’ production.

Well, I am sure you have noticed, or could not help but to notice the latest head line of the fall of New York governor Eliot Spitzer. Personally, the only trouble I have with this news is how to anchor my criticism. On one hand, I could add Spitzer into the long line of politicians who involved themselves with sex scandals, and on the other hand I could criticize how the media flocks onto anything that gets good rations.

Eliot Spitzer, son of a wealthy real estate developer have always had a sense of entitlement from childhood. It seems as if the usual boundaries of authority did not apply to him. Thought it is not surprising that politicians get themselves into sex scandals, Spitzer is special is that he was championed as a crusader of morals. He, as a persecutor, investigated heavily into Wall Street frauds, those made many enemies. This is also part of his down fall. While many politicians remained on post after scandals, he resigned, because he had no “friends.” It’s as if everyone is happy not that he is gone.

It amazes me what people are willing to risk for thrills. After all, Spitzer is well aware of the consequences of his doings, especially he is the one who set them in place. He passes legislations to increase the sentence for those who involve themselves with prostitution. I suppose this is exactly what gives him the motivation, the fact that he felt he could get away with it. Now he joins the line of politicians such as Larry Craig, Barney Frank, and more of less Bill Clinton as whose public image is tainted by scandals. However the difference is that he did not survive the fall.

Film Techniques of Alfred Hitchcock – suspense, camera angles, style, editing, basics  Annotated

tags: no_tag

This is a re-visitation of the topic that I have began to discuss earlier, the problematic blossoming “internet news.” Just to elaborate, I am referring to the situation where through internet, publication of information does not require nearly the among of resources as it requires before. Back in the days of the “fluorescent tube,” or radio, publications required not only organization of labor but also devotion of resources. This give rise to a few news corporations that more or less became responsible to what they say because they have the interest of protecting their self image.

However today it is very different. Pretty much anyone with a computer and internet access could become published. This could be done even for free at a library or $10 at an internet café. The very act of writing this blog is such an example. In addition, websites such as Digg, Youtube became free promotional agencies that broadcast this information to a great audience. It is not uncommon for a video to reach millions of views on Youtube. While this is makes news free, it also eliminates the watch dog function of the new organizations. Sure, the greater public is self-correcting; however certain things could become so wildly popular that the validity of the information itself becomes irrelevant.

Of course the viewer has the responsibility to examine what they read, however some things could be so popularly accepted that the truth is overshadowed by popular enthusiasm. No, it is not as direct as “a tree octopus” (refer to previous post) but is could be a certain view about a certain person, group of people, or even country. It is not to say that news companies does not distort their news in order to gain audience, however with independent bloggers it is potentially done to a greater extend. Because for many, more visitors means a greater possibility of Ad. sponsorship from companies such as Google Inc. etc.

The debate is always endless as to whether there should be regulation, at the main time we can only help ourselves to guard against the flaws of this new technology.

Recently I had an amusing encounter with a certain Digg newsfeed on my Pageflakes titled “Save the Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus.” Just from the title I instantly sensed something fishy, so I tried to satisfy my curiosity by clicking the provided link. http://zapatopi.net/treeoctopus/

After a careful examination of the website, I must admit I am little more convinced the existence of a tree octopus. However just the thought of an invertebrate living without the support of water is still bothering me. So I looked further into the website. Through a jungle typos a trails of clues began to emerge. In general, the website provided very vague description of the existence of such creature and justified it by saying it is elusive and intelligent. I give thought it could whoever write on the website is a student who is simply enthusiastic about the protection of the “tree octopus.” what gives it away is the FAQ page where it states that none of the money made from the selling of merchandise is going to support the protection of these nearly endangered species.

I could not help but to further my investigation by searching for other related websites. It all became clear after that. “The Pacific Tree Octopus is a fictitious endangered species first published on the Web in 1998 by Lyle Zapato.” It is among many websites commonly used in internet literacy classes.

To say the least, this is perhaps an excellent illustration of how vulnerable internet users are in today’s society. Anyone can make a website about anything. Certainly, this is also the power of internet, to reach everyone across the globe without barriers. We as consumers should beware of the information we see because the era of real news provided by news crews might be coming to an end. What’s replacing it is probably one man, like you and me, behind the monitor with a wild imagination.

Today I discovered a website called Pageflakes, and very interestingly it functions much like how it sounds. An user was give a space where he/she could add “flakes” of web-pages that is continuously updated. It’s like checking many of your favorite websites at once. Such an brilliant idea.

The navigation is simple and straight forward. It reminds me much of the Widget on Mac OS X. this new tool has already proven valuable in helping me to write this very post. I organized my pages in sections as follows.

My RSS Feeds

Link-1: http://www.pageflakes.com/qubo/21785431
Link-2: http://www.pageflakes.com/qubo/21094396 

Pageflakes allows the user to link live RSS feed onto her/her page. This saves me the time to check all my websites one by one, because it is becoming a tedious process doing the same procedures everyday. On my page I have delicious.com, Digg, the Huffington post, as well as major news papers such as LA times and NY times. Perhaps it is just my opinion but it is getting harder and harder to find real news in this day and age. The usual bunch is mostly celebrity gossip or politician scandals.

Daily Film Dose, an page I found through using the delicious search, is a favorite of mine. It offers a daily movie review as well as the latest information on what is current in the film industry and Hollywood. This is exactly the kind of information I need for my blog.

By watching closing to many different sources at the same time, it is much more efficient to hunt down what is really going on in the world. And I think this is exactly what makes it a wonderful application, because it helps me to organize and sort through what internet could offers. Instead of going through the same URL bookmark entries 5 times a day, I could just glance at the “flakes” and quickly find what is important.

My Active Searches

Link: http://www.pageflakes.com/qubo/21798050 

For my active searches section, I have Universal Blog search, Universal News search, and Wikipedia.

The first two make it very easy to look up additional information when what I already have on my page is not sufficient. And it is also convenient when I just want to look something up. Search right from the flakes is great because I don’t have to bother with opening more windows on my already crowed web browser. Wikipedia is there for such purpose as well. It is accurate for the most part.

My Zotero Bibliography

Zotero is yet another amazing tool that was introduced to by the Coach. It is simply an revolution in online research. It is simply a cataloging system that saves everything you will need about an book, DVD, article, even blog post. In the age of internet, researches are moving to the web and Zotero is just the first step in compliment such change. No more stress with figuring out how to do a proper bibliography of a particular article, all you need is Zotero. Of course, it goes beyond a bibliography generator, but an organizer that would fuel your research.

Scorsese, Martin. A Personal Journey With Martin Scorsese Through American Movies. DVD. Miramax, 2000.

Lewis, Jon. American Film: A History. 1. W. W. Norton, 2007.

My Diigo bookmarks

Link: http://www.pageflakes.com/qubo/21785431 

The Pageflake, connected to Diigo, is even more helpful. It contains a range of things but mainly movie blogs, video sites as well as design/photography websites that provides me with the latest information. They are usually a great place for inspiration.

One thing that I learned from my encounter with Pageflakes, perhaps more important than the application itself is that the information is out there and it is just the matter of finding the right tool to dig them out of the crowed space of internet.

Statistics, Statistics, Statistics, they are often the cold, hard evidence used for evaluation. As a man of art I do not usually resort to such emotionless means however this time it was different. When asked “which social booking mark site would contribute most to my blogs,” I looked into the matter Google way.

Since the subject of my blog is on film, naturally I typed in “film” in the search fields. del.icio.us rewarded me with 318507 results in categories such as “film movies video cinema art movie design animation filmmaking photography.” All those specific tags could be clicked on. For those of you believe quality is more important than quality, I was able to find a useful site that satisfied my need among these results within five minutes. Couple more sites showed up in no more than ten minute. This is different compare to sites such as Digg, where many “random” information invaded my screen.

These qualities are important to me because when working online I believe efficiency is the key to success. There is simply way to much “extras” beyond the monitor that one can not help but to avoid them. Otherwise nothing would get accomplished. del.icio.us brings me the simple, easy and painless solution to my social bookmarking needs. It is no doubt an invaluable ally in the days ahead.