One, two, test...

This week, Bob, our english teacher at the CELSA, asked us to take an English test and to share our results with everybody. I successfully passed the test and scored 20 out of 20!

Hurray!

By the way...

... Feel free to leave comments!

OR...

Another great achievement

Today I finally managed to post something on Wikipedia.

Hallelujah brothers and sisters!

Last week I tried posting a new article but the week has passed and still no sign of it... Which is quite unlucky because the post was about my theatre group, the Improbable Compagnie. Oh well, whatever, the world will have to live without knowing us!

Anyhoo, I chose today to start all over again. As I realised that creating a new article on Wikipedia was quite difficult, I decided that I would edit an article. This is rather simple, all you have to do is click on a pre-existing article and add some information or some links to the page. Anybody can contribute to the world's most known encyclopedia. Now the only thing to figure out was:

What do I know that Wikipedia doesn't?

Existential question, right? I wondered... And then I chose to write about the CELSA. I checked the page on Wikipedia and noticed that there was an information missing! Yay! I therefore grabbed the opportunity and started working. The article was quite complete but there was nothing about the school's associations. As I am an active member of the social life of our Communication school, I had some interesting stuff to say. Now, when you visit the CELSA article you can read about the school's two students' associations (Pop'Com and Junior Commmunication).

Thanks to whom?

^

(Actually Chuck, I was thinking about me, thanks to me...)

I will survive...

And you, will you survive the I-land jungle?

Here are some rules to work your way through the immensity of the web and to avoid getting caught in its spiral!

ONE
Get some eyeglasses in order to protect your view, and to sharpen your vision.

TWO
Develop your fingers' muscles. They will be useful on your keyboard.

THREE
Get a good antivirus and don't trust odd messages or emails.

FOUR
Be part of a community. Nothing compares to virtual friendship.

FIVE
Have a geek friend. He'll come in handy if your antivirus crashes.

SIX
Know your limits. Don't be easily tempted and know when to quit surfing.

SEVEN
Do not reveal personal information. You're being watched...

EIGHT
Create a blog! And write regularly. You'll feel really bright and interesting.

NINE
Try e-learning. It's the future of education.

TEN
Stay independent. Stop surviving, just live!

Never judge a book by its cover...

Our society is in constant evolution. Progress in new technologies brings us every day new possibilities in communication, socialising, networking, etc... We are definitely surrounded by change. So, must we accept and adopt every new offer? Or on, the contrary, refuse to let go of one habit by replacing it by a revolutionary one?

Visualise a book. What do you see? A cover, ok. A bookmark, sure. 100, 200 maybe 500 pages, why not. If your awareness in new technologies is not very sharp (which is the case of most of us humans), your first idea of a book won't be this one:

This is an Ebook. E stands for Electronic. The information contained in this object has been digitised. An Ebook is a sort of mobile library: it allows you to go everywhere and bring along all the texts you wish (up to 1000 books can be contained on one disk!). For example it can be useful for someone who works on a thesis, and needs to consult several texts at a time. It can also allow the access to texts that are no longer published.
However some people fear that this revolution will jeopardise the future of paper.
So, should we grasp this opportunity, or should we protect one of Humanity's most precious achievement?

To Ebook or not to Ebook?

That is the question...

Personally I can't say that I'll never own such a device. Actually, this sort of object attracts me. I'm not really what you could call a bookworm, but I appreciate discovering the work of my favorite authors (Ian McEwan, Bret Easton Ellis, Truman Capote to name a few). I'll plunge into a book no matter which support it is on: an Ebook or a traditional book. To me, what really matters is the words, the language. Stop me if I'm wrong, but the words are the same on an Ebook!

Books on paper may not be eternal but the legacy of an author is permanent.

Having said that, which Ebook attracts me the most? Right now on the market the competition is fierce. There's the Digital Reader 1000, the Iliad, the Sony Reader, the Amazon Kindle, etc...
As I am not yet an expert, I will simply base my decision on the esthetic aspect (I totally assume my superficial side... See, even Paris Hilton reads...). I choose the Amazon Kindle. I like its simple and neutral aspect, white and clear. Its characteristics remind me of an iPod. I believe the transition from a traditional book to an Amazon Kindle would be less radical, as I am already familiar with the iPod.

So, will you be part of the evolution... ?

Who's that girl ?

A few words about me in two minutes and ten seconds...
Enjoy.

CMM international presents ...

Here is the very first debate held in our english class.
The subject? Music and the Internet.
Enjoy! (and don't make fun of my skills as an "MC"!)

I know nothing but the fact of my ignorance...

... was once said by Socrates.

There are a lot of things that I don't know about the internet. After all, I would be surprised to learn that someone is aware of everything that goes on on the web... As I have said earlier, the opportunities offered by this tool are so infinite. In this post I am going to focus on 3 aspects of the internet that I ignore, or don't know how to practice.

Number One : E(asy)-Learning
Any young student in Europe or USA knows how to use the internet. May it be for games, for chatting, for videos... However, if I ask Gabriel, my 13 year-old brother, how he uses the web as an educational tool, I believe he wouldn't know how to reply. As I am a responsible sister, I would then tell him all about the new possibilities on the web for students like him, or like me.

Indeed, recently with the whole Flu issue, the Education Ministry in France has displayed an important campaign that is meant to bring the lessons into the students' houses. In other words, if a student cannot attend a class because of his illness, he will nontheless be able to virtually keep up with his classwork. Thanks to this "online academy" (the middle and high school lessons will be available late October), anyone can have access to the basic knowledge that is taught erveyday in any French class.

To me, this is a real breakthrough. However a critical mind would see this as a dreadful thing: teachers and classrooms being replaced by computers, books and paper being replaced by a screen, pens and rulers being replaced by a keyboard and a mouse... Not a very bright future for our educational system!
However I think that this e-learning method must be used only in case of an epidemic. It mustn't be popularized, it must be considered as the very last solution possible.

Number Two: Twitter, errr...?
When I opened my Twitter account three weeks ago, I felt like I was committing infidelity to Facebook. So, I made a pact with myself: only use it for the purpose the english class. This way, Facebook remains my one and only favorite social network. I promised myself never to use the diverse codes that all the Twitter-fans use without noticing anymore. Therefore I don't know how to Twit correctly. The only thing I allow myself to do on Twitter is update my status.
So, how does Twitter really work?

Reply to a Tweet: when you see a tweet you would like to reply to, just hit the reply button under the trash can.
RT on tweet: "RT" means "Re-Tweet". When you want to share a noteworthy information, enter RT then @ and write the Twitter username that first issued the post.
OH on Twitter: "OH" means "Over Heard". Same thing as RT, but is used whan the user doesn't want the author of the retweet to be known.
# on Twitter: the hashtag helps Twitter users designate keywords to conversations that are popular. For example a TV show, or a musician.
Tadaaah! Now you know how to use Twitter.
(if my Facebook page reads my blog, I love you more, don't worry, as soon as I publish this post I turn back to you and ignore your ennemy Twitter!)

Number Three: My own private Google

Last but not least (waaaay not least - there still are hundreds of things on the web hat I don't know how to do!), I use Google in the most simple way that can be. Why? Well, I don't know how to personalize it! Actually it would be more correct if I said "I don't want to personalize it". But then again, why? (as you can see I love asking myself existential questions) I refuse to be tempted by this geeky trend. Indeed I believe that the usual Google page is fine the way it is. Sure, the internet is all about having everything within reach.

However I like to keep a barrier between the habits that result of this fact and my use of the internet. I mean, I feel like I'm protecting myself from the imprisoning and endless that is the web. It may sound crazy, but it's meaningless things like this that make me believe that I am still a stranger to the internet... What? Me, paranoid? Maybe. But at least I have the impression that a part of my soul hasn't been captured by the web. Yet.

My computer is sick ...

When it comes to the limits of privacy and freedom on the internet, cybercrime is a very serious matter. I personnally have been a victim of this type of crime. Don't worry, I have survived, (and I am stronger than ever!) and now I know that the Web can be a dangerous world if you don't stay vigilant.
If you want to read about my encounter with cybercrime last year please check out my previous article.

Before explaining what cybercrime really is, let's state some facts. According to Symantec, cybercrime has surpassed illegal drug trafficking as a criminal moneymaker, and every three seconds an identity is stolen. Any unaware internet user is therefore a potential target.

If it can happen to me, it can happen to anybody!

So, what attacks are we really referring to? Fraud, forgery, unauthorized access, child pornography... It's quite complicated and difficult to establish a concrete list of what is considered as cybercrime, and to decide upon the ways to prevent such illegal actions. To me, the definition is simple: when somebody's security and privacy are jeopardised, then we can consider this person to be a victim of cybercrime.


How does it happen? Well, one moment of foolishness and your computer can be attacked by a hidden Trojan horse... You can receive a mail requesting to enter your password, or you can click on a hostile website. In all cases, a virus is introduced in the heart of your Data and, unless your Antivirus is active and powerful, all your private information (bank account, photos, files...) is endangered, free of access and deeply threatened.

If you've read my article that relates my unhappy experience with indentity theft on eBay, you'll understand the seriousness of the problem: my password was stolen and I received tons of mails from eBay users asking me why I kept on asking them the price of their objects. What happened was that my user account was stolen by some kind of pirate whose main objective was to extract money from random users. Fortunately my reaction was efficient and radical: I contacted the constumer service online (it's actually a chatroom where you can talk directly to eBay employees), I completely deleted my account and the story was over. The bad point is that now I don't trust at all this type of website. But at least I know that I am safe: I uploaded several Antiviruses, and I never click on suspicious contents.

...However, can we really be 100% sure that we are protected from any kind of attack?

Watch this crazy video: "cybercrime toolkits" that allow any user to become a serial hacker

The Web... is impermanent.

As I have said earlier, the internet is a land of immediacy: everything is available right away, and anyone anywhere can have access to any content.

Information, services, contacts... The overflowing amount of such things is undeniable and unescapable.


Every day the internet user is offered new ways of surfing on the web, new websites or blogs are created every minute, videos on Youtube and music on Myspace are updated every second. Now, if you possess an iPhone, not only are you instantly and daily connected to the internet, but you can also consult your Facebook page on the subway, search for the name of a capital on Wikipedia, find your way through an unkown city...

Nowadays it seems to me that the sense of ignorance has been replaced by a sense of over-knowing. It's not that we are more intelligent, but we have every information within reach. I personnally refuse to be tempted by this tool, because I feel like I have to preserve my right of "not knowing".

Nowadays, because the Web offers more and more ways of informing its users about anything, our habits are changed. When we open a newspaper, our mind selects articles or words the same way that it does on the internet. Many studies have been conducted in order to explain how our use of the internet has mutated our attention span. Please click here to read one of them.

The web, because of its impermanency, has contributed to the evolution of our way of living: when we used to take time to read or to observe, we now believe that we have everything in our hands, that anything is available and possesable.

The Web... Offers precious opportunities.

Ebay, Amazon, Myspace, Twitter, Facebook, Youtube...

Do these websites ring a bell?
Today any internet user knows that he has the possibility to buy online, to watch videos online, to create social links online, to promote his own work online... The internet offers a great range of services.


I wish to enlighten one of these opportunities through the experience that I have had last year when I was desperately looking for an internship.
When you are a (proud) student of the CELSA, you must spend at least three months in a company. Many offers are published on the "intranet" of the school's website, however my research was quite precise: my main intention was to discover the "backstage" of a children's TV channel. Therefore I chose another solution.

One of our teachers had taught us about the many ways of finding a job on the web.
One of these websites, Viadeo, called my attention. Since I already had a keen interest for social networks, I registered. This platform allowed me to contact individually (by requesting a contact) any person who worked in companies such as Disney Channel, Cartoon Network, Canal J... I sent several messages to these companies' employees, and received answers. Among them was the message of the person who would later become my employer! Thanks to this social network specialized in professionnal networking, I obtained an internship in the company Lagardère Active, in the kid's TV branch.

I believe that the web offers its users chances in very diverse domains.
And, as we witness the evolution of all these services, which become day after day more complete and helpful, we understand that we have ahead of us an infinity of new possibilities.


The painting Possibility (2008) is from artist Odili Donald Odita.

The Web... is transparent.

Facebook Homepage.
News Feed.
What's on your mind?
"Thank you too Michael, I had a great time as well. I'm glad you enjoyed my OTHER pussy ;) I must admit, I haven't had sex in a while, ..."

After having posted this message on her Facebook profile, Tracy T. realised that all her virtual friends were able to read about her private life. She now knows for a fact that the Web is a very transparent platform...!

Of course, in this case, the consequences are quite comic (although she is actually listed as "Engaged"...), but, in other cases, the impact can be quite different when it comes to public matters. Recently in France, many videos have popped up on Youtube or Dailymotion, showing politicians talking in very shocking ways, as they were "unaware" of the presence of a camera. (or so they say!) The main example is President Sarkozy visitng the Agricultural Congress. The Media are absolutely mad about these videos. The ones who are in these videos, however, accuse the Web of spreading a faulse and stolen image. But can we really say that such elements are stolen?

Everything in our world is related to communication. The Web emphasizes the impact of the messages that we hear on the radio, see on TV or read in the newspapers. Indeed, the Internet is participative. Anyone can react to a subject on a blog, on a forum or by leaving a commentary on a News website. The internet user definitely has a voice.

Still, when it comes to transparency, the Web can be dangerous. Last year for example my Ebay account was hacked. My username and my passowrd had been stolen on a website. Now, when I type in my name on Google, I find myself on websites specialized in computer sciences! (You can see that the username which is accused of sending hacked messages to other users is Magali7577 - that's me!)

The Internet is a very vast land of freedom, but when freedom is implied, rules have to be set. Unfortunately today we cannot surf the Web and be 100% sure that our virtual exploration will leave no trace.

The Web... Breaks your habits.

It is said that the tool is the extension of one's hand. Today, the human nature has adopted several new habits thanks to the Internet. So, can we believe that the Web, because it has become an essential tool in our relations, is the modern hand?

2009.
When I wake up, I turn on my laptop, I double-click on the Fireworks icon, and the Facebook page automatically appears to my swollen eyes. Then I check my e-mails. Then I check my bank account. Then I check the news. Then I check my Twitter account. Then I check...

1989.
Twenty years ago, the scenario would've been different. I would've woken up, feeling fresh, alert and motivated. Why? The reason is quite simple: I wouldn't have gone to bed so late after having wandered needlessly on the Web. I would have taken the time to rise from my sleep and wake up to the world.
It is clear to me that the Internet has brought a new way of living to us humans. Everything seems connected, everyone is related, anything is reachable. Ten years ago, I just moved back from California after three years in Palo Alto. My classmates, my neighbours and my life over the Atlantic was over. However, the late 90's had already adopted the Web and it opportunities. This allowed me to stay in touch with my American side. By sending e-mails instead of letters that would have taken a week to cross the continents, by posting pictures of my family and my French buddies on my "Skyblog", by filming myself in my new environment with my Webcam on MSN Live...

Nowadays, thanks to social networks, the distance and the physical barriers have been broken down, and have been replaced by a sense of immediacy. The Web is therefore part of our lives, and has irrevocably changed our habits.

Internet and Music, friends or ennemies ?

I have always loved the magical moment that follows the purchase of a new CD. Last week, I bought -M- (Mathieu Chedid, an excellent french singer)’s last album, Mister Mystère. The first thing I did when I got home was of course to insert my precious (as Gollum would say…) CD in my stereo. This is a moment that less and less people take time to appreciate. I wonder, will my children ever feel what I feel when I listen to a new CD? How will the next generations listen to music? In this article, the main question is:

What is the future of pre-recorded music?

The music industry has been changed these last years due to the impact of internet digital technologies. Today, who doesn’t own an MP3 player? I sure do! Who has never been tempted by downloading free music? I sure have! But that doesn’t make me a thief. I wouldn’t consume music this way if I couldn’t. In other words, why should I refrain myself from taking something that is made available to everyone?

As I type down these words, I realize that such a statement is questionable. If I were a musician, I honestly don’t think that I would fully appreciate seeing people stealing away, without my consent, what is my property.

No wonder why this debate faces such a mediatic craze!

For the moment, let’s lay down the main issues concerning the impact of internet on music and musicians.

Today the music industry is strongly struggling against new forms of consumption such as illegal music downloading. Our society is dictated by the cult of immediacy: thanks to the internet, everything is available right away and everyone at any time is free to copy, publish, or seize a file. The main protesters believe that the internet is killing our culture and by doing so, is jeopardizing intellectual property. Recently, many questions have been raised: when so many new technologies make music files available (burning CDs with downloaded music on your computer for example), who is the one to blame? The one who illegally downloads or the one who allows people to do so? When it comes to sharing intellectual property, is it considered as theft or not?

One of my leitmotivs is “move with the times”. I believe that one must adapt oneself to a society accordingly to the way it evolves. This applies to new technologies: instead of punishing the ones who illegally download music, it is the system itself that needs to be changed. Lately in France, there has been a controversy surrounding the “Hadopi” issue. Frederic Mitterrand, the Culture Minister, recently said: “The artists will remember that we have had the courage to put an end to the Laissez-Faire and to protect their rights against those who make of the internet the grounds for their libertarian utopia”. Which artists is he referring to? Let’s take for example the hardrock band Metallica.

In April 2000, the band sued the Peer to Peer network Napster that allowed the free sharing of MP3 files. "It is sickening to know that our art is being traded like a commodity rather than the art that it is," said drummer Lars Ulrich. Approximately ten years later, things have changed. Indeed, the heavy metal band has decided to end the war against illegal downloading. They have realized that the internet can be a very useful tool for the promotion of an album. Five months before the release date of their new CD Death Magnetic (on September 12th 2009), a vast marketing campaign was set up. Its intention was to arouse the fans’ curiosity by posting exclusive videos or tracks of the album in making.

By doing so, Metallica was sure to increase the CD’s purchasing chances in September. On the website, they also sold a special voucher allowing its buyers to download the album at midnight the day before the official release date.

The internet can therefore offer a concrete publicity to a CD. To me, this is the real future of pre-recorded music: an alliance with internet in order to counter the actual difficult economic situation. As I have said earlier, one must move with the times. This is to me an example of how to use the internet in a beneficial way.

The internet gives musicians the opportunity to diversify the media coverage of their music and therefore assure the selling of their CDs. Of course, this possibility is mainly addressed to popular bands and singers, but rising musicians have never used the internet as much as they do today. Myspace, YouTube, links on social networks… Many options are chosen for the promotion of one’s music. A real network of artists is born and, beyond the publicity that it can bring to them, it is a real sense of solidarity that now links artists to each other.

Because, after all, isn’t the internet all about linking, weaving, bringing people to one another?

Oh my God this is oh my net !

Hey!

Welcome to you, visitor!
This is my very first Blog, needless to say that I'm proud of it!
I hope you'll have a nice stay on these pages.

So, where should I start?
I guess a brief presentation is required:

My name is Magali, I'm 21 and I live in Paris. I study Media and Communication at the CELSA, a quite prestigious school...
I am interested in a lot of things. If I had to class my interests, it would go as such:

Cinema,
Theatre,
Television,
Internet,
Music.

(oh, and shopping, but I guess that it's not relevant here).

Hmm, what else is there to say about myself?
I love to make lousy jokes (and I'm usually the only one who laughs at them), I just discovered the joys of Karaoke, I have lived in Austria and in California, I have participated in 7 musicals...

And, most of all, I am on the way of becoming a Geek!

That's all folks,
Have fun on my blog!