Proscenia Newsletter - On The DeskTop

On The Desktop is devoted to information of specific interest to those working in the fields of TV, Film, and Multimedia. It includes commentary, news, tips, publication links, announcements, and other resources that have recently come across the editor's desktop.

Commentary:

While helping out a friend with his computer recently, I discovered a good resource for free software and services. The Freebielist.com web site provides links to free scripts, webmaster resources, software, fonts, sound files, graphics, games, and other resources. It is a fun site to explore and see what is available for both the Mac and PC.

The In-Box:

The 2005 Game Developer & Gamasutra.com Salary Survey. The editors of Game Developer magazine and Gamasutra.com invite you to please take a few minutes to complete the 2005 Game Developer Salary Survey. The information you provide will help inform the entire game development community.
The results of this survey will be published in the April 2005 issue of Game Developer magazine, and will appear on Gamasutra in mid-April.This survey is anonymous, and none of the information presented will be
associated with any individuals.
In appreciation of your time and effort, when we receive your completed survey, we will enter your name into a drawing to win one of four Giga Passes for the 2005 Game Developers Conference or one of ten Game Developer Magazine CD Roms.
Complete the survey and register for a chance to receive these products at Salary Survey on the web.

FEMA Yanks Online Tsunami Game. (NewsScan) Afraid it would be seen as unintentionally trivializing the recent tsunami disaster, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has removed from its Web site an online game that was meant to educate kids about tsunamis. The game, designed in 1998, asked players to guide beach objects back to their proper places after they were scattered by a tsunami. Game-winners were awarded with a link to a cartoon dancing frog. (AP/San Jose Mercury News 21 Jan 2005) Read Full Story.

Digital Camera Reviews. We are always in the need for good reviews of products we are considering for purchase. Two online sites have attracted my attention. The Imaging Resource web site offers a comprehensive, informative, and factually accurate reviews sites for digital cameras, scanner and printers. We are always looking for detailed information and this site provides a good resources with which to begin.
The Digital Photography Review is another site I have found of value. It provides the latest in digital photography and imaging news, reviews of the latest digital cameras and accessories, active discussion forums, a large selection of sample images, a digital camera buyers guide, side-by-side comparisons and a comprehensive database of digital camera features and specifications.

Virtual Field Trip: Into the Canyon. (QuickTime News) Not everyone has the pleasure of exploring the Grand Canyon National Park in person (certainly not all 1,217,403 acres), but now everyone can take a virtual voyage to this geological wonder with "Into the Canyon," available at the Apple Learning Interchange.
On your 90-minute QuickTime field trip, you'll learn about the geology, plants, animals, people, history and preservation of the Grand Canyon. Unlock some of the mysteries of the Grand Canyon now.

The 2004 Falsies Awards. (NewsScan). This year marks the beginning of a new tradition for the Center for Media and Democracy. To remember the people and players responsible for polluting our information environment, we are issuing a new year-end prize that we call the "Falsies Awards." The top ten finalists will each receive a million bucks worth of free coupons, a lifetime supply of non-fattening ice cream, an expenses-paid vacation in Fallujah, and our promise to respect them in the morning. The winners of the Falsies Awards for 2004. Read Full Story.

New Low-end Mac.(NewsScan). Apple Computer's new, stripped-down Mac Mini is priced as low as $499, reflecting Apple's strategy to position the Mac as an entertainment and communication device designed for today's digital household, which views the PC as simply another appliance. The move is fueled in part by the company's success with its iPod digital music players, which has reached mass market proportions with 10 million sold over the last three years. "I wish I had a nickel for every time people have suggested that we do this," says Apple CEO Steve Jobs. "We want to price this Mac so that people who are thinking of switching will have no excuse." Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster says most consumers won't give up their Microsoft PCs, but may consider buying a Mac as an additional computer for entertainment. "It's not about switching but adding. People may still need a PC because of work activities, but this is for doing multimedia activities and searching the Internet." In addition to the low-cost Mac Mini, Apple also debuted a $99 iPod Shuffle, which comes without a screen and can hold about 120 songs, compared with 5,000 on a standard iPod. (New York Times 12 Jan 2005) Read Full Story.

Nonprofit Internet Service Launched. Marketed under the name IndyLink, the service is aimed at value-conscious Internet users who also want to avoid the commercial clutter and privacy risks of corporate services. IndyLink is a service of the North Carolina-based nonprofit Mountain Area Information (MAIN), which has been providing dial-up Internet access since 1996. MAIN currently has more than 4,000 subscribers in western North Carolina.
"IndyLink gives dial-up Internet users the option of putting their dollars where their values are, rather than having those dollars go to support a corporate media system that is not serving the needs of a democratic society," said Wally Bowen, a veteran media activist and founder of MAIN and its low-power FM radio arm, WPVM, the Progressive Voice of the Mountains.
IndyLink is provided by a nonprofit organization and doesn't rely on advertising revenue to survive. This allows us to provide a "...non-commercial 'oasis' where subscribers can enjoy greater privacy protection and lower cost," Bowen said.
Launching a national dial-up service when the whole world seems to be moving to high-speed cable and DSL may seem counterintuitive, said Bowen. "But our marketing research shows that dial-up will be a viable option for cost and privacy-conscious subscribers for years to come," he said.
Priced at $14.95 a month, IndyLink service is about 30 percent less than AOL and Earthlink, while offering comparable spam and virus filtering and a dial-up "accelerator" which can produce download speeds up to five times faster than conventional dial-up service.
Information about IndyLink and its services can be found at http://www.indylink.org. To contact IndyLink, email info@indylink.org or call toll-free 1-866-962-6246.

DocuSeek Film Searches. DocuSeek is a search site for independent, documentary, educational and social issue video and films. A DocuSeek search allows you to search through the collections of its member distributors in very specific ways. For example, while typical search engines allow you to search for key words, DocuSeek allows you to search for videos by grade level, length, filmmaker, and other characteristics, in addition to searching for key words.
Typical search engines allow you to search for key words through an endless pyramid of subcategories. DocuSeek allows you to search the complete text of full descriptions, and, to streamline your search by grade level, length, filmmaker, and other characteristics, in addition to searching for key words. Your DocuSeek finds include complete title information, description, reviews and awards. And you can order directly from the distributor for full support (study guides, replacement copies, etc.) you have come to expect from these fine distributors.
To order any of the videos found on DocuSeek, contact the distributor directly.

Berkeley Institute of Design. (NewsScan). Berkeley Institute of Design (BID) conducts research and educational activities that emphasize an interdisciplinary approach to designing interactive environments. Under the topic of "environments," the website includes "architectural spaces, products, web sites, and other artifacts that support complex human activity."
Given the current "era of ubiquitous technologies," the organization's approach combines technical and social/humanist perspectives drawing on psychology, social sciences and art practice. Its goal is to understand human behavior and the experience that technology should enhance, while remaining committed to social values and critical reflection.
Projects include: MultiView Papier-Mâché, Books with Voices, The Designers' Outpost, Digital Chemistry Project, SUGAR (CAD for MEMS), flexonics editorial, UCWISE, paradoxes in creativity, Organum, and Mobster.

World Wide Panorama Project. (Apple News). Photographers participating in the World Wide Panorama project have outdone themselves again, creating 193 QuickTime VR panoramas for the solstice on December 17-21, 2004. For the fourth event in the series, the group chose to capture images of places across the globe that represent the theme of "Sanctuary."
Covering all the continents except Antarctica, participants from 38 countries explore their own definition of "sanctuary" with images of cozy cafes, home sweet home, snowy forests, farmhouses, places of worship, famous landmarks, shelters and even a car showroom.
View these beautiful panoramas and discover a place that meets your definition of "sanctuary."

Influence of Computer Games on Children. In the debate on children, youth and computer games, the question of whether
computer games are harmful is often posed. The answers provided are many and varying, making it easy to interpret the research results as contradictory. With an aim to clarify and bring some order to the area, the Danish Media Council for Children and Young People has conducted an investigation that provides some insight into children's and young people's use of computer games.
The International Clearinghouse for Children, Youth and Media considered the report to be of interest to a wider audience and sought collaboration with the Danish Media Council for Children and Young People concerning publishing of the report. The authors, Simon Egenfeldt-Nielsen and Jonas Heide Smith, have done some revising and updating of the report, which is now available in English. It is hoped that the report will contribute to clarification in the debate on computer games and inspire further research in the area. The original report Forskningsnotat om computerspil og skadelighed (2003) is available at www.medieraadet.dk.

For more information, contact:
Catharina Bucht, Information Co-ordinator
Nordicom, Göteborg University
Box 713, SE 405 30 Göteborg, Sweden
Tel: + 46 31 773 49 53; Fax: + 46 31 773 46 55
Email: clearinghouse@nordicom.gu.se
Website: http://www.nordicom.gu.se