Necessary Links

• Home sweet Home.
• Write Steph a message
• Syllabus and Assignments.
• Ereserves.
• Tweet me.
• Tumblr "The Outside World is a Large World"
• Wiki Makeover.
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dIGmsZFIe5c Mid-Term Video.]

Tropes are Metaphors on Steroids

(notes from the chalkboard, 3rd class session, 27 January 2010)

In terms of a logical progression from

1. WHAT are we talking about?
2. SO WHAT that we're talking about it, that "it" happens - is it important? do we care? are there implications?
3. NOW WHAT do we do in response?

Tropes are relevant to all three stages in the progression of developing knowledge. The concept was introduced in class during a review of David Gerrold"s Introduction to a book of essays about The Matrix (called Taking the Red Pill: Science, Philosophy and Religion in The Matrix). The first stage, "WHAT," concerns the question, "What if we are in a matrix?"

• are machines in control?
• are institutional forces taking over? Have they already?

Note this link to 10 Films Guaranteed to Blow Your Mind. While googling for a link to the book, I not only came across that list, but the same site was pitching a blogentry on "gear." Why might information on our uses of/interactions with technology catch my attention at this time in our class' development? Steph^(talk) 07:30, 5 February 2011 (EST)

Tropes are a phenomena of language. Metaphors, for instance, are a basic kind of trope. A metaphor compares two things - usually something familiar with something unfamiliar, in order to aid comprehension of the less-familiar thing. The trope aspect of a metaphor involves the whole system of relationships about the things being compared. There are different kinds and types of tropes as well. Functionally, tropes are tools or uses of language intended to facilitate understanding. Looked at from the opposite direction, using a particular trope reveals the way of thinking of the person using it.

Tropes can be

• controlling
• powerful

Tropes involve the use of

• symbols
• archetypes
• mythologies

• Individuals may or may not be aware of using tropes in their language, and/or they may having varying degrees of awareness of their own tropic ways of thinking.

• Tropes persist in time - they are notions to follow over a generation(s): are they stable? Do they cycle? Are there sequences or periodicities to the evolution or shift in the popularity or disdain of certain tropes?

• Because tropes are an artefact of thought and language, they are an "underlying" phenomena, something one reads "between the lines." Tropes occupy a nebulous "place" - where is a trope located? "In" your mind? "In" words? "In" interaction?

• a trope is a bubble within which you conceptualize something; a focused idea.
• ...a metaphor on steroids
• tropes are like an abstract "place" in your thinking, they can act like boundaries on your awareness because they steer your attention to make certain associations and not others.

Tropes are Metaphors on Steroids

(notes from the chalkboard, 3rd class session, 27 January 2010)

In terms of a logical progression from

1. WHAT are we talking about?
2. SO WHAT that we're talking about it, that "it" happens - is it important? do we care? are there implications?
3. NOW WHAT do we do in response?

Tropes are relevant to all three stages in the progression of developing knowledge. The concept was introduced in class during a review of David Gerrold"s Introduction to a book of essays about The Matrix (called Taking the Red Pill: Science, Philosophy and Religion in The Matrix). The first stage, "WHAT," concerns the question, "What if we are in a matrix?"

• are machines in control?
• are institutional forces taking over? Have they already?

Note this link to 10 Films Guaranteed to Blow Your Mind. While googling for a link to the book, I not only came across that list, but the same site was pitching a blogentry on "gear." Why might information on our uses of/interactions with technology catch my attention at this time in our class' development? Steph^(talk) 07:30, 5 February 2011 (EST)

Tropes are a phenomena of language. Metaphors, for instance, are a basic kind of trope. A metaphor compares two things - usually something familiar with something unfamiliar, in order to aid comprehension of the less-familiar thing. The trope aspect of a metaphor involves the whole system of relationships about the things being compared. There are different kinds and types of tropes as well. Functionally, tropes are tools or uses of language intended to facilitate understanding. Looked at from the opposite direction, using a particular trope reveals the way of thinking of the person using it.

Tropes can be

• controlling
• powerful

Tropes involve the use of

• symbols
• archetypes
• mythologies

• Individuals may or may not be aware of using tropes in their language, and/or they may having varying degrees of awareness of their own tropic ways of thinking.

• Tropes persist in time - they are notions to follow over a generation(s): are they stable? Do they cycle? Are there sequences or periodicities to the evolution or shift in the popularity or disdain of certain tropes?

• Because tropes are an artefact of thought and language, they are an "underlying" phenomena, something one reads "between the lines." Tropes occupy a nebulous "place" - where is a trope located? "In" your mind? "In" words? "In" interaction?

• a trope is a bubble within which you conceptualize something; a focused idea.
• ...a metaphor on steroids
• tropes are like an abstract "place" in your thinking, they can act like boundaries on your awareness because they steer your attention to make certain associations and not others.

• 3/24
• 1)

Juxtaposition: an act or instance of placing close together or side by side, especially for comparison or contrast.

Articulation: the act of jointing, a jointed or formation. Difference: juxtaposition explains how these two objects can be compared and contrasted, where as articulation would involve the dimension of time and possible movement of these objects.

2) having difficulty uploading my chart. Will try again after class.

3) a: Change isn't all bad. Scene: entire video b: in a digital world scene: we not longer look for the news, it finds us c: I dont wanna miss a thing scene: its not official until its facebook official d: a day in my life scene: I dont like the idea that im not in control e: communication breakdown scene: and what to buy f: my new home scene: tech. Is the knack of of arranging the world..

4) The term “Medium Theory” would best define we as students and individuals tend to put more of an emphasis on the technological aspect of media, how the news is delivered, and less of an emphasis on the content of that news. In many of the student video, the use of transitions, music, and techniques to filming were emphasized to more so that the actual content within these films. I think my video would be a great example of how presentation technology is being more emphasized, as oppose to the limited quotations within the video.

5) The most common ideology was: technology is evil. For the most part, the common theme was that technology is time consuming and that we as a society are becoming more dependent upon it for our everyday needs. Since as a class, we understood that our presentation would be judged amongst one another, we tended to focus our efforts on pleasing a narrow demographic: umass college students. This was done by filming familiar scenes around campus, the music of most video could be linked to songs that were intended for our age group, and the facts/quotes that were presented were inspired by past class discussions.

Compendium of Communication Concepts

Juxtaposition

Articulation

==Space and Time==