Wildlife.. not so Wild

Byline: Amanda Bustos

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Australia has all kinds of wildlife, stretching out from the inner heart of the country to the coasts that meets with the sea. Australia is unique in their wildlife, therefore it is important to protect them. This protection involves regulating the movement of animals and plants, implementing conservatories and reducing the interactions with humans. What I mean by reducing the interactions with humans is when the circumstance becomes disrupting of the animal’s natural habitat. The question here is what is considered disrupting and what is not. Is wildlife photography considered a danger in disrupting the natural habitat of multiple species?

Interests

What piqued my interest in this topic is my love for photography. Ever since I was little,  I always loved taking pictures. As an adult, I have my own camera and have taken a few photography classes. One of my favorite things to take a picture of are animals. I think about a TV show called Planet Earth, and how they get such detailed and close up footage of these wild animals. I started to think that cameras being so close up on wildlife ever disrupted their environment.

Wildlife photography is a profession that allows photographers to travel the world, taking pictures of wild animals. Many of these photographers submit their photographs to museums, workshops, websites, and contests. Because there is a sense of competition in who could get the best photo, photographers tend to take risks and cut corners that could be harmful to the wildlife that they are admiring so much. Posting pictures on social media can potentially harm the wildlife, as more photographers invade that natural habitat.

 

     

These tweets above are memes, making fun of the photographers who do not have a clue about ethics. The tweet on the right implies that unethical situations have been going on for generations.

 

Significance

Wildlife is such a crucial part of the Earth, that they need to be protected. Wildlife is beneficial for humans in different ways, such as food security, agricultural biodiversity, and public health. Sometimes life can get a little stressful and a nature walk is just what you need to relax. Various natural processes rely on wildlife. The significance of wildlife protection is huge because wildlife effects so much of our human lives.

Ethics

Wildlife photography requires a bit of research. Each species of animal vary in mating rituals, sleeping and food habits. For example, the Great India Bustard. This large bird, when in danger, will stop whatever they are doing until that danger is overcome. If a photographer did not know that about them, they could really impact their survival.

Den and nesting photography is very dangerous to many species. Some photographers get too close which can cause the mother to abandon her babies. Other photographers go as far as to move the nest to a prettier location to take the picture.

Lastly,  baiting or chasing an animal in order to get a good shot is unethical and could cause the animal to be in danger. Feeding the animal human food can cause sickness after you have taken your photo.  Photographers take risks in order to get the best photo but do not realize the negative impact it could have on the wildlife.

A drone was invading the space of these bears and caused the baby bear to slip multiple times. The drone operator caused stress to the wildlife, therefore putting them in danger. Story Here

Steve Morello, a wildlife photographer, says that the key is patience. As he waits for the perfect ray of light to strike the lake to get that perfect reflection. He also emphasizes the ethics of photography. He states that you should “honor their right to not interact with you” (Cornfield). Don’t provoke the animals in your picture. Some essential qualities for being a wildlife photographer include “unwavering passion and dedication to the craft, intimate knowledge of animal behavior, loads of patience and an equal passion for the conservation and preservation” (ADHYA)

Now I want to specifically dive into the TV series Planet Earth, on BBC and narrated by David Attenborough. This TV series tells about the secrets of many wildlife animals with no human interruption. According to an article on The Guardian, Martin Hughs-Games argues the dangerous impact of the Attenborough’s show Planet Earth, has on wildlife. He quotes that the TV series is a “disaster for the world’s wildlife” (The Guardian). He states that the show ignores evidence of mass extinction, as there is a 58% decline of vertebrates across the world. Both lion and elephant numbers were declining, now giraffes might be endangered, declining at a rate of 40%.  Games main issue is that the Planet Earth series is giving off a false sense of reality and should focus on promoting more conservation.

My thoughts are that wildlife photography is fun until it is endangering animals.

 

 

 

 

References

1. ADHYA, T., & ZAMBRE, A. (2014). Irresponsible wildlife photography runs counter to conservation. Down to Earth, 22(21), 60. Retrieved from http://ezproxy.uow.edu.au/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=edb&AN=101876942&site=eds-live 

2. Booth, Robert. (2017). Planet Earth II a disaster for world’s wildlife says rival nature producer. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2017/jan/01/planet-earth-ii-david-attenborough-martin-hughes-games-bbc-springwatch?CMP=share_btn_tw

3. Cornfield, J. (2009). Gone Hunting (with a Camera). Scientific American Earth 3.0, 19(1), 70. Retrieved from http://ezproxy.uow.edu.au/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=f6h&AN=38029031&site=eds-live

4. Groo, M. (2016). Keeping the Wild in Wildlife Photography. National Wildlife (World Edition), 54(4), 16. Retrieved from http://ezproxy.uow.edu.au/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ulh&AN=115875011&site=eds-live

5. Jones, Rhys. (2016) In defense of racer snakes. The Conversation. https://theconversation.com/in-defence-of-racer-snakes-the-demons-of-planet-earth-ii-theyre-only-after-a-meal-68514

6. Yaha, Ram. Wildlife Photography Ethics that make you a responsible photographer. Photoblog. https://www.photoblog.com/learn/wildlife-photography-ethics-guide/

JOUR 312 intro

 

Hello, my name is Amanda Bustos. I am a Christian who loves Jesus. I will be graduating in May of 2020, CSULB has been good to me. I work at In-N-Out Burger, I have been there for three years. I recently got a gym membership, so that is a journey in itself. I am excited to be taking this class. Enjoy.

Playbook for the Future: Contextual Essay

Sports has always been across many cultures for many generations and will continue to thrive in the future because sports connect people. Connects people to people, to technology and to other cultures. Sports is also a testing ground for advanced technology. Personally, I enjoy playing volleyball and watching various types of sports. I chose the future of sports as my digital artifact because my family and I are big sports fans.

I decided I would do a video series within blog posts. I wanted to do both types of media because some people are visual and some people are readers and I wanted to appeal to both. In my pitch, I said I was going to create 3 videos, each one assessing a different part of the future. The first one is short term, one to two years, where I talk about the world’s anticipation of the 2020 Olympics. The second video is medium term, 5-10 years. This video is about virtual and augmented reality and the rise of videogames. The last video was long term, +25 years. This video talks about the possible futures and where sports fits in, based off movies and speculation.

I improved the presentation after each video. As said in my beta, for the first video I used Powerpoint. I did not think it was appealing to look at, so I searched for another platform. I aspired to create videos using animations like Crash Course. I was recommended the platform Platoon and there I did my second and third videos. As this was my first time making a video series, I was faced with technological challenges. The tricky thing was that Platoon only allowed three minutes per presentation because I was on a trial mode. I had to use a screen recorder. I recorded half as one video and then make new slides for the remaining content and record that as well. I would then combine them in Movavi Video Editor. The result of these challenges was that I became familiar with several different platforms, that I now can use in the future. In reflection, I think I should of just upfronted some money for one good platform.

Throughout the video series I made mistakes. I had difficulty with the audio and lining it up with the content on the screen. I learned from this because the next video I tried to have longer scenes so that what I said does not have to match with a lot of small scenes. In my beta I completed 2 of the videos and was working on the third. I had good time management for my digital artifact. Because I worked harder during the beginning and middle of the semester, the last weeks were not as stressful. The final project is 3 blog posts each one with a video (about 5-6 minutes) embedded in it discussing a specific part of the future.

I posted a link to the blog on my personal Instagram. I did this because I wanted to further my audience. My persona on my Instagram is family and friend oriented, adventure seeking and fun loving. Each time a posted a new video I would put a link up on my Facebook and Twitter. I used these platforms because I am most familiar with them. In relation to feedback, said in my beta, I did not get much. I went out looking for some as I reached out to specific people on twitter such as athletes, futurist and sports fans.

My digital artifact is important because I inform, inspire and persuade sports fans. I pass on little tastes of knowledge, just enough to grab their interest and research for themselves. My strategies for attaining research was using the UOW Library and Google Scholar. I grabbed various news resources. I tried to communicate scholarly and not journalistically, but it’s a mix. I mainly stuck with facts, but my opinions are here and there throughout the series. In reflection I noticed that I based my research around technology advancements. I had a broad topic and I could have explored so much more about sports (politically, socially, comparing cultures etc.), this is my one regret.

Peer Beta Review

Hello, I assessed three beta presentations for the course BCM 325. The following blog includes a brief description of each digital artifact as well as a self-reflection of my comments. I have embedded screenshots of the comments as evidence. Enjoy!

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My first peer I reviewed was Madeleine Baker. Her digital artifact includes three blog posts about the impacts of climate change on agriculture and farming industries. She is also interested in at home farming and gardening technology that can  help us become more self sustainable in our own homes. She is creating her own at home garden with a student budget, of course.

In my comment, I acknowledged her dedication with creating her own home garden. I encouraged her with some positive feed back  such as “great progress”, “goals are clear” and “very interesting”. I researched her topic and provided various research resources, such as academic and news articles that I thought she would be interested in.  Lastly, I provided my services for brainstorming if she wanted contact me further.

In my comment, I could have provided more of a description on what each article was about and how exactly she could use it in her digital artifact.

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My second beta presentation I reviewed was Zoeya Amin. Her digital artifact is a podcast about the future of the world, I believe about the environment, politics and social aspects.

I listened to her podcast. In my comment I sympathized with her set backs and tried to encourage her with the fact that she had to do it alone. I gave her advice, which included to stick to a script and add music or sound effects during the podcast. I also advised her to included research to back up her opinions. I provided resources such as academic articles and podcast tips. Lastly, I offered my assistance.

I think I gave her good advice and resources. I could of helped her more by suggesting a specific person to interview. I could of asked her some more detailed questions about her podcast so that she could narrow down the topic of each one.

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The last person’s beta presentation I looked at was Emily Koletti. Her digital artifact is a podcast comparing the tech in Black Mirror series to advancements made in society.

I listened to her podcast as well. In my comment I compliment her on her first podcast, as it has interesting research and good details. Also, I compliment that she joined a community where she could post to the fans and get great feedback. I advised her to include music or sound effects during the podcast. I researched a bit about ‘Black Mirror’ technology and provided academic and news articles. I also suggest an episode of ‘Black Mirror’ to focus on for her next podcast. Lastly, I let her know that if she needs someone to brain storm with, I can help.

I liked her digital artifact and thought it was really interesting. I think I gave a little more time with hers out of all three presentations because I was interested in her research. That is not necessarily a bad thing, but I should give everyone the same amount of enthusiasm. I think my comment helped. Although I could of suggested a person she could interview.

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Overall, I think I gave helpful feedback. Through commenting on other peoples presentation I realized what I want on my comments. I realized it is hard to be critical if you are not interested in the topic. I am not going to be interested in everything, therefore I need to continue to be critical. I also learned that in order to give good feedback, background research on the topic is important. This allows you to be able to see different angles of the subject, maybe one that my peer has not yet seen. I enjoyed the process of looking at other people’s progress on their digital artifact.

I definitely could improve my feedback. Next time, I should provide more academic resources and give them a brief description of how they could use the source in their DA. I realized I did not ask any questions, next time I should ask questions to help them fully develop a working DA, to fill in any holes. I should of suggested more options, or done more background research.

Two of my classmates responded positively to my comments. The third person has not replied to my comment.

Live Tweets Part 2

My strategy for live tweeting consists of an introduction of the content, a brief description of the story line, and links to articles that are relevant to the topic, including academic articles. I also include lecture content, quotes and many pictures and gifs. Interacting with my classmates is my main priority. I do this by posing questions in my tweets, adding polls, and replying to their tweets. The most interaction I do is favorite my classmates tweets.

I prepare a study guide before each session so that I could focus on replying to my classmates tweets. The pre-scripted tweets are very helpful.

I think my live tweeting has improved since the first half of the semester. Before I did not add many academic articles or much lecture content. Although the academic articles are not as big of hit as I thought they were going to be. I would hope that people would favorite the tweet and then go back and read them on their spare time, if they wish. The lecture content got some feedback which was good. I tried to link the lecture notes to the screening of that week. I quoted people that were in the lecture and used their ideas to try and start conversations.

Through the live tweeting experiences I have learned how to properly use Twitter. The proper use of hashtags is more than just words, but links. These links reach a wider audience, thus a bigger platform for your tweets. Also a network where you could see what other people are posting about using that hashtag. I have also mastered the art of multitasking, between posting my pre-written tweets to favoriting to replying to watching the screening to researching. Its all a brain stimulating activity. I also learned to collaborate with my classmates through a digital platform. Most of my previous classes worked in group projects and that is how we do group work. But this digital aspect of group work is really interesting and I like this strategy.

What I gained from the experience is a plethora of opinions, resources and knowledge about various topics. I now have a place where I can look back and research things that I did not even know I was interested in.

My live tweeting sessions are not perfect, I still have a lot to improve on. For example when someone replies to my tweet I have a hard time commenting back. I never know what exactly to say. My critical and analytical skills can use some improving, especially when tried on the spot. I could also improve my research skills. When I post a resource, the tweet is captioned with ‘Good read!’ or ‘Cool Video!’. I think I could improve my captions by pulling something out of the resource or asking a question about it and then have the link under it.

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EVIDENCE:

Above are tweets linked to academic journals. They did not take off as much as I though they would.

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Below are short videos of evidence of engagement.

 

           

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Below are tweets including articles.

                    

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The next set of images are tweets that include content from the lecture.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

        

Playbook for the Future: Long Term+25 years

 

Hello Sports Fans! 

Imagination is the beginning of innovation. What “could be” is the start of “what is”. The future of sports begins with imagination and speculation. Today’s topics will include technological devices, space, dystopian culture, and cloning.

Technology is advancing and is more prevalent in our world. The future is bound to be more digital-based with devices and worlds of their own. A few devices that I believe could be used in the future of sports include hover boards, jet packs, pods, light cycle, customizable equipment, holographic imagery, and robots.

Hoverboards now are not what we exactly think about when we think about a hoverboard. I am talking about a flying board that does not touch the ground. A hoverboard allows for new games to be played and for existing games to be more challenging. Jet packs are similar and have the same characteristics. I think about the game Quidditch from the series Harry Potter. Its played 500 feet in the air on flying broomsticks. Or in Back to the Future, Marty McFly uses a hoverboard for transportation. We are not quite there yet in today’s world, as according to BBC.com many different brands are have been working out a solution to create hoverboards. The BBC Britlab team has developed a model that hovers over the ground about an inch and can carry a tow soldier. Progress is still progress. Lexus and Volvo have already started working on a model but the complication of inserting magnetic strips into the roadways are a problem.

Racing pods could be the next big thing for the future of sports. For example in the movie ‘Star Wars’, as a kid, Anakin Skywalker uses these jet-like air crafts to race. The future NASCAR could be pod racing. Pod racing is available in virtual reality, but I think that in 25+ years we could make in physical. On the same level of racing, we could take after the movie Tron and use light cycles. these are enhanced motorcycles that create a wall of light. It seems that the light cycles have already been created its just the push to get it to be a sport.

Holographic imagery is no doubt going to be in the future of sports. It is already being used with the Microsoft HoloLens. Although in 30 years time we won’t need a lens to see the images. The holographic images also could broaden the portrayal of real games in stadiums all over the world. Imagine if stadiums are like movie theaters, games played on a physical field shown through holographic images. This would require tracking of the players and ball at a high level, which I think cameras and wearable tech will be able to accomplish in the distant future.

The last tech device is robots. Now instead of their will to take over the world, robots will be throwing hoops and swinging bats. Instead of humans playing sports we will watch robots play sports. In the movie, Real Steel, with Hugh Jackman, robots are boxing each other. The cool thing about the movie is the tech that the robot has a sensor that connects with the human and can follow their movements. We could control the robot with our movements. Maybe even with our minds and no movement required.

The next topic I want to introduce is space sports. The future is likely to lead us to live in space.  The earth is not going to last forever. According to Patrick Collins and colleagues, different designs have been drafted for a swimming pool and a stadium. The swimming pool will be “a rotating wheel with a trough-shaped cross-section”. Think about the game water polo, without gravity the players don’t have to hold themselves above water, therefore more people would want to play. The stadium will be bigger than any stadium built on earth. The structure is cylindrical with hemispherical ends. Zero gravity sports involves redesigning traditional games and creating new ones. One new game is Paraball, there is a multiple of floating plastic balls in different colors that players have to try and grab. Another idea could be the colonizing of the moon where we would play survival games.

This leads us to our next topic, dystopian futures, and sports. In dystopian movies, sports are not the main focus of the movie but rather in the background or not in the movie at all. Some movies such as The Running Man and Hunger Games predict sports to become life or death events. In the Running Man, Arnold Schwnegger is a criminal that is put in an arena to fight other criminals. In the Hunger Games series, Jennifer Lawrence is a poverty-stricken girl that is forced to kill other children in order to stay alive.

The last topic I want to talk about is the idea of cloning athletes. Cloning is currently the way to “breed” horses for the sport polo. Alan Meeker has cloned a racehorse to improve the world of polo. in 2005 the world champion racehorse, Pieraz, was cloned from a single skin cell. Meeker has cloned several horses, and it has proved successful as they are back to back champions in the Argentina Open. In 25+ years I think we will be able to clone people. If we remember great athletes and keep a few their skin cells we could reproduce them in the future. And then we could make a multiple of them, imagine Kobe Bryant playing against Kobe Bryant! Sports would be double the fun!

In conclusion, the future can take us anywhere and in any which way. We will never be able to escape technology, so we just have to embrace it. The future could lead us to space travel or to reproducing the past. Either way, it has been a blast sharing this journey with you.

Thank you for reading, and see you in the future on the Playbook for the Future.

 

Beta: Playbook for the Future

I have reached out for feedback to athletes and futurist. Jack Silverstien, a sports futurist and fan, provided academic journals to research about virtual reality and the popularity of eSports. I have also taken polls on Facebook and Instagram. Furthering the utility of this DA is to inform, inspire and encourage sports fans to research about different sports and how to improve or fall more in love with sports. I do that by giving them snippets of research that they could explore in a entertaining video.

References:

A Look into the Future of Sports: A Study of the Actual State of the Art – the Microsoft HoloLens and Augmented Reality. (2018). 2018 International Conference on Broadband Communications for Next Generation Networks and Multimedia Applications (CoBCom), Broadband Communications for Next Generation Networks and Multimedia Applications (CoBCom), 2018 International Conference On, 1. https://doi-org.ezproxy.uow.edu.au/10.1109/COBCOM.2018.8443967

Ellis, Cat. (2018). “The teck powering the 2020 Olympic Games”. Techradar. https://www.techradar.com/au/news/the-tech-powering-the-2020-olympic-games

Hamari, Juho & Sjöblom, Max. (2017). What is eSports and why do people watch it?. Internet Research. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/306286205_What_is_eSports_and_why_do_people_watch_it/citation/download

Liberatore, Stacy. (2016). “A quaterback on your couch and replays that take over your room: Microsoft’s HoloLens demo shows the future of sports”. Dailymail.com https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-3430767/A-quarterback-couch-replays-room-Microsoft-s-HoloLens-demo-shows-future-sports.html#i-f0da4ad9aafbc490

Morkhat, P. M. (n.d.). Artificial intelligence in sports: Potentialities and implementation ways and tools. Teoriya i Praktika Fizicheskoy Kultury, (10), 95–97. Retrieved from https://search-ebscohost-com.ezproxy.uow.edu.au/login.aspx?direct=true&db=edselc&AN=edselc.2-52.0-85054090049&site=eds-live

Ray, Tyler. (2019). “Soft, skin-interfaced wearable systems for sports science and analytics”. Science Direct. Vol 9. Pgs 47-56. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2468451118300680

Playbook for the Future- Medium Term

 

Hello Sports Fans! 

Sports is likely to change in a few  categories in the next 5-10 years, including  the introduction of spectrum of reality technology and the rise of eSports in videogames. In today’s blog, I want to go over these new advancements and what the future could be with their impact.

Creating a different reality is hardly new with the creation of books to movies and now to virtual reality. Virtual reality is “use of computer technology to create a simulated environment” (Bardi). This means that the surrounding environment is engineered by a computer and different than that of the physical realm. A person is transformed into a new world. In the movie, “Ready Player 1“,  a whole new world is created and thousands of people are a part of it using the advanced technology of virtual reality. Glasses are used to transport you into the virtual universe, but also a suit is made so that you can feel what you feel virtually. In relation to sports, this could change the physical contact of a sport. Sports could be held in a different universe, using different avatars that might be nothing like our own bodies, thus reaching beyond our physical limits.

Another, more down to earth, advanced technology is the innovation of augmented reality.  AR  “brings elements of the virtual world, into our real world, thus enhancing the things we see, hear, and feel” (Reality). Meaning that through a lens of some sort, (phone, tablet, glasses) virtual objects could be sitting on physical objects. Some useful examples of this are in Snapchat and Pokemon Go. In both of these popular apps, people are introduced to how augmented reality can be used in everyday routine. In regard to sports, a fan can attend a live event and look through their mobile phone to see facts and stats on their favorite players or animations to entertain or safety precautions within the building.

Talking to a sports fan who loves the live experience, but doesn’t have the bank account to accommodate, augmented reality might be the answer. In the next couple of years, Microsoft HoloLens is looking to transform the stay at home watching game experience. Using the HoloLens, a fan could watch 3D replays on a nearby coffee table, stand next to a life size hologram of their favorite athlete, see stats while watching and even place bets during the game. Microsoft’s HoloLens “comes with the promise of not only synthesizing and integrating 3D virtual objects over the real environment around the user in real time, but also anchoring these holograms to certain objects in the world surrounding them or otherwise interacting with said objects” (Stropnik). This implies that animations will interact with the physical environment, such as an hologram athlete bursting through a wall or the playing field on a coffee table. There isn’t much you need in the kit, “the basic architecture of our solution consists of the data provider’s server with sports statistics, the mock server, the Hololens AR glasses and a PC/laptop with the display” (Stropnik). The HoloLens is the next big thing in augmented reality as it is comfortable to wear and has fantastic spacial mapping and eye contact gestures recognition.

 

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The next topic I want to press ‘start’ on is videogames. ESports is a “form of sports where the primary aspects of the sport are facilitated by electronic systems; the input of players and teams as well as the output of the eSports system are mediated by human-computer interfaces” (Hamari). In short it is competitive gaming. The debate is if eSports is considered a real sport. It is very controversial. Under an Instagram poll, “Is eSports a real sport?” the result was a landslide for ‘no’.

Poll made on Instagram about eSports being a considered a sport.

I consider it an extension of sports as it is “a mental game, we have to think fast and strategize. We have coaches who drill us and we train for about four hours, four to five days a week,” said by Josh Bruce a Mackay eSports player (Cureton). ESports allows players to not be limited by their physical ability, but be challenged by the mentality of each sport. Now when I think of eSports, I think of Madden and NBA versions, but there is so much more. ESports can be molded into any game being played for hours and watched by thousands. The most popular ones according to the Dallas Observer, includes League of Legends, Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare, Dota 2, Overwatch and Super Smash Brothers. Video games have become a daily trend in today’s world and there is no stopping it, just embracing it. Sports today is

There isn’t an immediate goal for eSports to become part of the Olympics, but there has been some talk. According to BBC.com, “Esports will be a medal event at the 2022 Asian Games – a traditional sporting event – while the Premier League, Uefa and Formula 1 are among the sporting organisations who have launched their own esports leagues”, which is a start. Maybe in 10 years time, someone will win an Olympic gold medal for eSports.

 

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In both of these categories, sports is the playing field for new developments made to be used in everyday life for a better life. Glasses that can take you anywhere in the virtual world can be the new way of travel. See the world without leaving the comforts of your home. Holography can be the new way to communicate. Generations to come might never know texting or an email. Years from now, an introduction of eSports in the Olympics could redefine the definition of a sport, not necessarily requiring the physical part.

As an addition to the post I also want to talk about sports and the rise of artificial intelligence (AI). According to Techopedia, artificial intelligence is “an area of computer science that emphasises the creation of intelligent machines that work and react like humans. Some of the activities computers with aritfical intelligence are designed for include, speech recognition, learning, planning and problem solving” (Techopedia). AI is rising in the realm of sports. Firstly in the subject of advertising. Many sport companies use the AI algorithms for viewers experience. Much like Facebook and Amazon, sport channels are also using ‘cookies’ per say, so that they know what the viewer is interested in. One specific AI is a chatbox. ‘Give Me Sport’ is a website that has heaps of sports information, and uses a one dimensional chat box. The builders of the website are working on creating a more intelligent chatbox, recording massive amounts of data and using content that the fan is interested in. So that the user’s experience will be pleasurable. (Campaign) AI is also assisting in the referee realm. According to the academic journal by P. Morkhat, AI is better at refereeing than humans. Morkhat and colleagues have developed a “robotic referee” that is more equipped to judge sports. A robotic referee is a “physical machine equipped with lasers, high-resolution video-cameras, advanced information and communication technologies and modern artificial intelligence elements with the relevant hardware and software for a high-quality refereeing service in sport events, including football matches” (Morkhat). These machines take to the sky with a 360 degree view of the playing field that have camera lens better than the human eye. The robotic referee can process imperfect data and secure high efficiency data at top speed. (Morkhat). The future of AI is to fully replace referees. Games will be more fair as AI machines are unbiased and programmed to give all data at advanced communication.

References

Bardi, Joe. (2019) “What is Virtual Reality?”. Marxent.com  https://www.marxentlabs.com/what-is-virtual-reality/

Cureton, Aidan. (2018). “Video-games-the future of sport?”. Daily Mercury. https://www.dailymercury.com.au/news/video-games-the-future-of-sport/3389488/

Gallagher,  Danny. (2017). “You Think It’s Just a Game? 15 of eSports’ Most Popular Video Games”. Dallas Observer. https://www.dallasobserver.com/arts/15-of-esports-most-popular-video-games-10075907

Hamari, Juho & Sjöblom, Max. (2017). What is eSports and why do people watch it?. Internet Research. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/306286205_What_is_eSports_and_why_do_people_watch_it/citation/download

Liberatore, Stacy. (2016). “A quaterback on your couch and replays that take over your room: Microsoft’s HoloLens demo shows the future of sports”. Dailymail.com https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-3430767/A-quarterback-couch-replays-room-Microsoft-s-HoloLens-demo-shows-future-sports.html#i-f0da4ad9aafbc490

“Snap Betting Big on AR Advertising” Youtube.com https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yRyy1GLO8ks

“Snorlaz fless in new Pokemon Go augmented reality mode”. Youtube.com https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1i6zXHtrIh4

“Ultimate Guide to Understand Augmented Reality Technology”. Reality.com https://www.realitytechnologies.com/augmented-reality/

Peer Review of Pitches

I reviewed 3 of my classmates’ pitches for their digital artifact. I made comments on their post to give them critical feedback.  I learned how to give feedback that was critical yet did not come off rude or uninterested. The whole experience was good for me. It made me feel a little bit better about my digital artifact because it is broad and other pitches are also broad. The comments that I made were under initial research, I think something that I could improve on is taking a second look at each of their pitches. The approach that I took was that I wanted to give them scholarly resources. I wanted to provide each of them with experts work to read on. I then thought about the DA and thought about questions, and if I had any answers to the questions. My signature was letting them know that if they have any questions or want to pick my brain about something I am available. I initially did this because its a graded assignment, but after thinking about questions and doing research I enjoyed going further into the topics and helping them out.

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My first review pitch is Liam Porret. He aspires to eliminate plastic packaged products from supermarkets and replace with refillable stations. His DA is going to be a series of blog posts about his research. He plans to link them to Facebook, Twitter, and Reddit. His pitch was clear and to the point. It was evident that he did some research already. He seemed excited about the topic.

I searched Google and looked at the UOW library for some resources. I found and linked multiple scholarly and news articles for him to research. I challenged him with some questions to think about. I also answered some of those questions with suggestions that he could further look into. I also let him know that if he wants to ask me any questions he can message me.

I think I gave him some good advice and good feedback.

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My second pitch review is Lachlan Smith. His DA concepts involve the integration of artificial intelligence in the fashion industry and looking at the medium term, 10-20 years into the future. The purpose of his DA was clearly stated. He is going to showcase his fashion ideas using a Prezi presentation. He seemed enthusiastic about his approach and contribution to the fashion industry. I can tell he already did some great research.

I provided a series of scholarly articles and a popular cultured movie scene to help him out with research. I have provided links to apps that I think will help him. Also went over some questions that I had. I let him know that if he needs to ask me any further questions, he can message me. His topic is interesting as it is related to the future of fashion and I like it. I believe I helped him out. I know that he is looking into marketing for the customer, I guess I could have researched a little bit more for him about that.

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The last pitch review is Tim Dalton. He wants to predict the culture of the residence in universities accommodations, specifically in his dorm. It seems that he is continuing on a former DA, which he explains in his 100 word description. He states that the end goal is to predict the future of residence culture. I believe he plans to post on Instagram and WordPress about his progress in finding out why there is a change in his dorm.

I provided him with many scholarly articles that went into different avenues because I felt his idea is really broad. I also recommended some survey questions he could ask the people living in his accommodation because he said he wants to take a journalistic method of gathering data. I gave him some pointers to think about in his search for why his dorms environment changed.

I am still not entirely sure what his DA is going to be. But I believe that I helped him narrow down or just think about some topics. I let him know that he could pick my brain if he needed to. I think I gave him good resources and advice to help him with his DA.

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None of my classmates that I reviewed have responded to my feedback. So I am not sure if that is a good sign or not, but I put some effort into my comments and I am proud.

 

Amanda Bustos

Live Tweeting Self-Reflection

I first experience live tweeting in BCM 325.  I did have a twitter account before the course started but it was mainly to retweet cute puppies and funny memes. Now my 158 followers get insight on various sci-fi movies through my live-tweeting sessions. I want to be completely honest and say that it is a struggle to watch a movie you have never seen before, research about that movie, live tweet and enjoy the movie. For most of the movies, I was confused about what was going on. But in each movie, there was always something that stuck with me, whether it was a scene, a meme or a question.

From week 1 to week 6 we watched 6 different movies, I liked some and didn’t like others. The first week was hard as I was new to it all. I posted more about facts than about deeper thinking questions or comments. I tweeted out about the director, the cast, the cost production, the merchandise and things like that. I did favorite over 60 tweets that other people were posting. I retweeted a couple of tweets. I did not engage is commenting though. I think I was nervous, as well as focused on the movie and my own tweets.

The next week I made this study guide for the screening. It had details about the movie from setting to release date to quotes to memes to cast, pretty much everything on the tip sheet. It was very helpful, and I learned that if I do a bit of research beforehand I have a better understanding of the movie and an easier time live tweeting. This is the foundation of my strategy. I could also focus on other peoples tweets and try and engage with them. As the weeks went on I realized that yes my tweets matter, but it is more about how I engage with my classmates and their tweets. I made an effort to comment on other peoples tweets and try to ask questions. I also tried to ask questions on my tweets so that people can comment. I admit that I don’t think I am thinking deep enough about topics, but I still had some interesting conversations with people. Small steps are still steps.

I have learned heaps from the live tweeting experience. It has forced me to think about topics and scenes more analytically and not just for entertainment. I’d say that I watch a lot of movies and usually just for entertainment. Now with live tweeting making me think critically about certain movies, I try to analyze other movies that I watch… what is the deeper meaning of a romantic comedy?

I learned that I am a surface level person. I don’t try and think about things too hard because it might take the fun out of it. But there is more fun and brain stimulation to asking questions and reading peoples opinions about scenes in the movies. I want to be more aware of what I am watching and figure out the bigger meaning behind movies and such.

I have enjoyed live tweeting because I like to know other people’s opinions and thoughts on topics. And people are interesting. I am always impressed at how people interpret a scene or what they focus on and how it is so different from what I think about or didn’t even notice. I think I need to open up my mind more when I tweet about the movies and think more critically about the tweets. Again I need to work on the engagement I have with other people and try and create more in-depth conversations.

These are some tweets that I felt reflected my progress.

 

Week 1: A simple tweet that has no depth. A question created out of confusion. No strategy.

 

Week 2: This is significant because it is just a meme that got my most likes. People like memes, slowly forming my strategy.

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Week 3: Above is a slide show of tweets. The significance is that it shows I am trying to engage with other people. The context is still on the surface level, but it’s still progress. I also realized people like to know the story line, now an addition to my strategy.

 

Week 4: A conversation about sex robots. It is significant because I think I expressed my opinions in this engagement, adding to my strategy. I thought a little more critically about the subject. Had some good engagement with my classmates.

 

Week 5: This engagement is significant because another student and I were confused and asked each other questions. We both shared our opinion.

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Week 6: The slide above demonstrates multiple engagements that I had with my classmates. I commented and replied to people. My strategy continue to grow as I seek to ask more questions so that people will engage with me. I think I did well on this live tweeting session.

Above are some tweets throughout the 6 weeks that link to articles that I read and thought I should share with the class. Not quite academic sources but interesting enough.

 

Overall, I think I have made positive progress on the live tweeting since week 1. I can see improvement from the first session to this past session.  I know that I am not the best, compared to some other classmates, but I hope to continue to engage in conversations and have more critical tweets in the future.

 

Amanda Bustos

 

 

Playbook for the Future: Short Term

 

Hello, Sports Fans!

A digital artifact is created through media platforms in order to persuade, inform or bring issues to light. Artifacts include podcasts, video series, audio or animation. In my communication course, Future Cultures, I have been asked to create a digital artifact and relate it to the future. I have chosen my digital artifact to be a series of videos, 3 in specific, on the future of sports. There will be a short term (1-2 years), medium term (5-10 years) and a long term (25-50 years) videos. These videos will inform you on different technologies being developed, various features that will enhance the sport experiences, how sports effects the society and fan culture.

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History and Evolution

Sports had to start somewhere. In our case, it started in Ancient Greece with the first Olympic Games. These games included chariot racing, wrestling and javelin throwing. The games were in honor of the god Zeus. It would be held in Olympia, in a sanctuary named after Mt. Olympus.

I am going to go over  the evolution of just a few of the most popular sports.

Photo Credits

The game of baseball was invented by Alexander Cartwright in 1837. The roots of this sport are from a game in Britain. Originally the baseball was made out of horse hide and later changed in 1976 to cowhide that covers wool yarn. There was also a count on how many balls were used during a game, five to seven used in one game in the 1900-1920. Now the average is 8-10 dozen balls in one game. The bat has also gone through some changes. Starting off as a flat stick then changed to round in 1893. When the National League started there were no weight, height or circumference requirements. Now a standard wooden bat is made up of ash, maple or birch, a width of 2.61 inches and 33-34 inches in length. In 1912 the outfield was shorten in order to get more home runs to excited players and fans, from 488 feet to 420 feet. One of the most recent advancements in baseball is the use of technology. In 2002 video replays were an option, to track the pitch speed and to challenge umpire calls. As a result umpires are more accurate in their calls (Blast).

Soccer, aka football, is a world known game. The English, Football Association, are credited for creating the rules, unable to trip people and unable to touch the ball with your hands. In 1891 the penalty kick was introduced. In the 1970 World Cup, red and yellow cards were introduced. (Athnet) Because of the overwhelming popularity of American Football, association football was nick named soccer and it just stuck (Cunningham).

Photo Credits 

A version of volleyball started in 1895 called Mintonette. This was played with two teams on opposing side of a net with unlimited amount of people and touches before it goes over the net. In 1896 the some more rules were enforced and the game was changed to volleyball, as you volley the ball over the net . The Philippines introduced the terms ‘set’ and ‘spiker’ in 1916. The rules were then changed to each team has only three touches to get it over the net, in 1920. Volleyball grew very popular, as in 1951 over 50 million people were playing in over 60 countries. (Jindani)

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Sport Analytics

Sport analytics is the “collection of relevant, historical, statistics that when properly applied can provide a competitive advantage to a team or individual.” (Wiki). This method has been around for decades but in the recent year it has skyrocketed with the invention of technology. For example the testing of skin interfaced wearable systems that will be able to monitor an athletes physiology, bio mechanics and movements.  Conventional wearable devices such as wristbands, chest straps and athletic clothing are seen as too bulky and do not accurately represent the true data of the athlete. This new skin interfaced wearable system will offer “real-time understanding of sports performance and
recovery” (Ray). The key is to replace “traditional electronic materials with those that are intrinsically
stretchable, using either organic or inorganic chemistries, or by utilizing engineered composites that
combine ultra-thin, typically nanoscale wires, membranes, ribbons or platelets of established, high-performance materials (e.g. silicon, metals) with soft
substrates/superstrates, yields systems that can bend,
stretch, and flex” (Ray).

The different devices used for each physiological characteristic; motion, muscle activity, temperature, respiration, heart rate and blood pressure. (Ray)

These devices are great for tracking an athletes performance and rehabilitation. There are still some work to be done as the idea of power management and human body sweat are complex issues. Skin interfaced wearable devices are still beneficial as they analyze the body’s physiological and bio mechanical habits, thus enlightening us on how our body works.

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Athletes and Social Media

Photo Credits

As we just finished talking about the body of the athlete, we can now move on to the athletes followers. Social media is here to stay and has many aspects toward an athlete

It has changed the status, performance and the person of an athlete. It takes a different kind of mental strength to deal with social media abuse and as an athlete it can effect the way you perform. The question is if athletes should have social media or not. The answer is that social media needs to be managed, “it is as ingrained in our society as sugar and alcohol. More so recently because it is now seen as an essential tool of success in many walks of business. Sport being a major one” (Towey).

It is hard to ignore social media as it is involved in almost every aspect of our lives. One of the good things about social media is the opportunity to promote yourself or your brand. Many athletes take this chance to increase their brand and sponsors.

Athletes also use social media to connect with their fans. They can post about their personal lives to be more relatable to fans.  Fans, on the other hand, have the opportunity to follow any athlete they want. They can get the inside scoop into their lives.

Athletes have become a role model through social media. There is a debate of whether they should be or not, but the fact is that teenagers are looking up to athletes and allowing them to influence their decisions.

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2020 Olympic Games

Sports is really a testing ground for new inventions and technology to be tested. The Olympics are a great showcase for these new advancements. The upcoming Olympic Games are going to be in Tokyo Japan. It is said to be the most “innovative and technologically advanced sporting event ever held” (Ryall).  Japan plans to have a village of robots helping international visitors with transportation or direction. Multiple devices, such necklaces, watches, phones, are being used to be instant translators. The plan for autonomous cars are already on its way. Toyota and Nissan are already working on these driverless cars. Broadcasting will be done from drones flying high above the stadium and in 8K resolution working on 5G internet. Japan is planning to ‘Go Green’ with algae fueled airlines. This will take out 70% of the carbon dioxide emissions. Speaking of gases, Japan hopes to have hydrogen based city. The opening ceremony is going to reach passed the skies as Japan plans to create their own meteor shower (Futurism).

These spectacular advances are not only for sport events. Instant translators can be used throughout daily life. By this time next year we could have the power to understand what someone is saying in a different language instantaneously. Robots and people living harmoniously. By next year instead of waiter taking your order, a robot will come to the table to serve you. Lets just hope they don’t get a mind of their own. Same with driverless cars! No more drunk drivers. Cars will swiftly pick people up and drop people off. The testing of these devices will be held at the games and by next year we will see if they are up to par. If they work imagine what could happen within 10 years.

Next year seems so far away, but a wise person once said the future is now.

Amanda Bustos