Jeri’s guide

(Con)Fusion » Mobile Lingo

Ru lookin 4 sum1? Whr ru? Hw r u?- These are just some examples of the Short Message Service or SMS terminology that we use nowadays. SMS has turned out to be the best communication tool available for young and old alike as it is not only faster and more convenient but also cheaper, the reason being some pre-paid as well as post paid cellular packages have a number of free SMSs.

Another advantage of SMSs are that you have an option of not responding if you dont want to. However it is better known as the language of Generation Next with jokes, forwards and flirty messages consituting a major portion of SMSs.This is how the use of cryptic codes, abbreviated text and short forms for messaging have emerged. SMSing has gained the status of popular culture among the youth and thosse who do not SMS are termed as being misers.

http://www.freeimages.co.uk

The ever-present SMS is used for numerous things-right from a simple ‘hello’ to sending group messages and forwards to friends and peers. It is also used for shopping and even to have an opinion on reality shows like Big Brother. As for me, it helps me stay in touch with my family and friends, who are on the other side of the globe. SMSs also help communicate information effectively and quickly and to a wider group of people, like an urgent meeting at work, or a change in lecture timings at university.
Apart from this, SMSing helps kill boredom while travelling on public transport or being alone at home.

However, not all are comfortable with using abbreviations (let alone the fact that SMSs are meant to be short)as it can lead to miscommunication and use the T9 dictionary available in all mobile handsets.But for those who still prefer short forms here are a few-GM (Good Morning), SD (Sweet Dreams), BTW(By The Way), 4m(From)…the list is endless…

So come on, get ready to go on an SMS spree!!!

Hey do you guys know about Docusoaps- a form of Observational Documentary filmmaking? Also known as the Documentary style of Reality TV, the term ‘Docusoap’ was compiled by  journalists who saw this brand of factual television mixing ‘the seriousness of documentary with the frivolity of soaps.’

The Rencontres internationales du documentaire de Montréal the annual event in Quebec entirely dedicated to documentary cinema have discussed about this new emerging TV genre.

To name a few shows in this genre- Vets in Practice, Airport, and Sylvania Waters which was about a family in Sydney. With regard to advancing this form, Robots, is an animated docusoap that I found interesting. However, there are many critics to this medium.

What do you think about it?

I found this article on Mobile Movies really interesting in The Age, published on the 21st of September, 2006. Chen Liaoyu a Chinese Filmmaker in an interview with Adam Turner, talks about his interest in this new medium of filmmaking for what he calls ‘the smallest screen.’

Trained as an animator at internationally acclaimed Beijing Film Academy, he came to find film as the greatest medium of self-expression. The mobile phone has the basic devices of a video camera, audio and storage. His interest in mobile movie-making stemmed from his friends downloading film trailers from the web to watch over their mobile phones. In his view, short film trailers prove to be of better value than watching the whole film. This is the reason why he makes only short documentaries, features and some MTV-like videos that act as a medium for him to explore and widen his self-expression, without having to worry about any particular category.

When using a mobile phone to make movies, Immediacy is the key! One has to be able to capture the audience’s attention right away. Humour can not only be engaging but also help bring out imaginative ideas throught this non-traditional medium. However, there are certain limitations that must be taken into consideration, especially with regard to the kind of shots one can use, the clarity of vision and sound recording. Hence, structuring the film is important! followed by using your creativity to the maximum.

The benefits of this medium are that it has almost no cost as all one needs is a mobile phone with a camera and video recording device. It is also no pressure, fun and entertaining. Laioyu says that people are gettin tired of commercial media and professional entertainment and are hunting for their interests among unprofessional works from common folks without any commercial interests. This is seen especially on the internet now, with sites like youtube.com wherein everyone has the opportunity to express themselves.

I found this website Softpedia for converting movies and DVDs to the mobile phone interesting!Check it out!

The future of Mobile Filmmkaing is in our hands. We can create the future with our own creative actions. The future will be a very different media universe from now.

Hey did this website as part of the transcient spaces assignment last semester. Do let me know what you think.

 http://raws.adc.rmit.edu.au/~s3140617/streetchildren050606/index.html

Heidi’s question on whether spouses influence their partner’s religion reminds me of Kylie Boltin’s documentary film Wedding Sari Showdown that reveals the problems caused by inter-caste marriages. In India, marrying outside your caste is not accepted at all. So if a Catholic marries a Hindu, all hell can break loose. Even inter-caste marriages are detested. Every caste and sub-caste in India has their own set of beliefs, rituals and festival celebration methods. Most Indian marriages are arranged and people are of the view that it is easier to live with and understand your partner if you have a similar upbringing and background. However, the trend is changing today with many inter-religion and inter-caste marriages that are giving rise to hybrid religious beliefs and practices.

Thus, I think that marrying between castes and religions doen’t matter as long as you integrate the best of both world’s or cultures and beliefs.

Hey Su your point of view seems interesting. However, I don’t think varied accents has anything to do with helping us integrate into the global society. As long as you speak a language that is known and understood universally, the accent doesn’t matter. I am from India too, and don’t think my accent has been a hindrance to my adaptability to this new country. In fact people want to know more about us and the country we come from.
You suggest that ‘accents’ help us blend and integrate into society, but I think it is these differing accents that add variety to the Australian multicultural society. People find this interesting and distinguish us from the rest and it also raises curiosity about us and our country.
The gap between the global and the local can be bridged by making people aware and giving them an understanding about our diverse culture and it starts with us being proud of it. What do you think?

 As Bo Dong’s post says

Unconsciously, we have adopted some Western manners. Some even argue that Chinese people are ‘colonised’ in culture as an English craze sweeps across the country.

No doubt that food is a intricate part of our life. I’m just wondering to how much extent people of Chinese origin still maintain our typical Chinese greeting–’Have you eaten yet?’ The switch in daily greetings makes reflect cultural influence. As Asians, we have been Westernised, aren’t we? 

 I would like to add that being from India, I can relate to the cultural differences even in the simple ways of greeting. As stated in my previous post, I think that as Asians, we do get influenced by the West, as the media portrays it as being ‘the way to go’. Moreover we adopt their ways and mannerisms so that we don’t feel out of place.

However, it does not mean that due to the Western influence, we have forgotten or rather push back our traditional ways and beliefs. In India, we still greet people with a ‘Namaste’, we still touch our parents feet as a sign of respect. I think though we adapt to the changes of the times we live in, tradition can never be erased as we take the best of both worlds.

Natasha Beattie » Blog Archive » More Noise Please…

Hindi is the national language of India and yet is on its decline. One of the main reasons being portrayal and promotion of English throughout the media as ‘elitist’. Also NRI’s with their half broken Hindi have proved that English is the dominant language giving Hindi the back seat. And now with the advent of Hinglish, Hindi has been pushed back further.

Have you guys heard about Hinglish? It is a mixture of Hindi and English that is spoken throughout the Indian cities nowadays. This has been popularised by Bollywood films and Indian media. As Moonwatcher has pointed out that Hindi is the second most spoken language in the world, it is interesting to know how many languages though lesser known than English are so widely spoken.

Do you think there is scope for any language to reach the level that English has gained? And why do we lay so much of emphasis on English, when it is the fourth most spoken language in the world?