OCR Text |
Show Wednesday, Sept. 3, 2008 Page 8 Breeding prompts fear of T.V. Contrary to the advice of the masses, I bred. Way back when I was a wee lad - and by wee, I mean 17 and five aays - my best friend told me it was in the world's best interest that I not breed. Well, I sure screwed that up. Not only have I bred, but this kid will soon become corrupted by the media, which will have a cascading effect that will make it so the Phoenix never flies and the Vulcans never discover we can travel faster than light and then Star Trek will never happen in real life. Wow, that's a lot to answer to just for having a child. It all started back in PROGRAM DIRECTOR, SCOTT ANDERSON works to broadcast the student radio staMarch. It was a wonderful tion Fusion HD3. The station began broadcasting April 15. BRITNEY BRENT photo time in my life, except the snow was still falling and my wife was suddenly very sick each morning. I knew one of two things had happened: either she was going through [J continued from page 5 metamorphosis to turn into a polar bear to survive the "My all-time favorite was this Clark said one of the best bands such as Joshua James cold or she was pregnant. summer when bands started things students can do to get and Kid Theodore every A quick trip to the vamcontacting me. We had our involved with the future of Friday from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. pire, I mean doctor, revealed first interview with a local Fusion HD3 is simply giving For a complete listing of the the news to me: we were band on the phone and then their feedback about what is DJ's and the music they will pregnant. That's an interestthe band Stars Align actually be playing, Clark said to check playing. ing phrase - we are pregcame into the station and did the radio stations Web site. "The biggest difference nant. There's no we involved an interview. We got liners in this. I'm not getting a bigbetween us and other local Currently, Scott said the from both them saying 'Hey ger stomach - well, I am, stations is that you'll hear station is strictly music, with but not for the same reasons indie, punk, ska, country, reg- this is so-and-so and you're news and sports updates at - my poor wife has to go listening to Fusion HD3V gae-everything," Clark said. the top of the hour. However, through all the hard times In the future both Scott, he said Fusion is open to news Looking toward the future, while I stand nearby with a Clark and Seymour all agree and sports broadcasts if they Clark said he just hopes the smile on my face that says, that they would like to see find the right people to host station will grow enough to yup, that's my handiwork. students get exposed and them. continue after the current Honestly, I am excited enjoy different types of music staff graduates. "It takes a lot of talent to that we're pregnant. I know as well providing a forum for "I really have strong feelhave an hour or half-hour talk even though I am breeding what's going on around camings about USU," Clark said. show," Scott said. "Right now, against popular demand, I pus-commercial free. "The education is phenomwe're just scanning the talent will soon have a child of my enal for the price and 1 am "We want to be the choice we have and if listeners are own to corrupt, rather than radio station that students interested in that. I would like all about seeing USU grow. A corrupting my nephews. turn to," Scott said. "We want to start doing news shows, but radio station can help by givBut as the months have ing students an opportunity everyone to get educated if listeners just want music, gone by and the due date for learning and experience about music and since we are we'll stick to that." slowly approaches, I have before they go to the job a non-profit organization, Ives said in addition to become nervous. Being a field." you don't have to worry about news programs, she hopes to father will be a lot of responcommercials. We fill that time sibility and will require many see sports interviews and stuFor Seymour, the growing by playing music and sending dent recitals from the music process has also been her changes, and that's got me out announcements for local department. favorite part of working at the more than a little worried. venues and organizations." station. "We are walking before we No, I'm not worried about run," Ives said, "but those are -amanda.m@aggiemail.usu. the whole changing diapers "Watching it go somewhere on the drawing board." edu thing - though I still don't has been fun," Seymour said. see the difference between Huggies and Depends - or the waking up at 2 a.m. to a screaming child or even how to put on those impossibly small baby socks. I'm terrified of children's television programs. Laugh if you want, but I'm A & W IS THE ENJOY A serious. When I was a child, HOME TO television was a simple daily CREAMY SHAKE, routine that slowly rotted my THE GREATEST TASTY ICE CREAM brains out. The day would ROOTBEER, CONE, OR A HOT ROOTBEER FLOATS FUDGE SUNDAE! & ROOTBEER FREEZES. Radio: Student station underway WELCOME BACK U S U STUDENTS! start with a couple hours to encourage participation of "Sesame Street," which from the viewers. It's amuswould transition to "Mr. ing to watch children chime Roger's Neighborhood" and in the answers, but it only then it would all be topped works for the first few times. off with a healthy dose of My five-year-old sister-inlaw watches Dora religiously "Reading Rainbow." But when my daughter - armed with her Dora icon starts watching TV, her view- and Diego candles - and has ing options will be very dif- long since stopped answering Dora's questions, knowferent. Instead of watching Big ing that Dora will tell her the Bird explain the letter of the answer anyway. If anything, day - by the way, this column Dora promotes laziness in is brought to you by the letter children. Isn't MTV going Q, as in quick, stop reading to do that anyway in a few this while you still can - my more years? daughter will watch a gray And another thing, where medium-sized bird teach the are Dora's parents? Come importance of being tolerant on, who lets their child roam to others in Sesame Street: around with a monkey, espeDetroit Edition. cially in a digital world where She will also have the she is in danger of random option of viewing CSI: mouse clicks? And how did Sesame Street, the latest in she get her hands on a map? the emotionally-gripping CSI Didn't Miss South Carolina series, where Kermit the Frog explicitly state that there's a looks for clues of The Count's map shortage? latest number crimes, like From "Dora the Explorer," solving a sudoku. she will move on to the Seriously, if these were "Backyardigans/' "Wow! the shows she could watch, Wow! Wubbzy!," "Caillou," I wouldn't feel so bad. But, "Dragon Tales," "Pokemon," the shows she will actually iCarly," "Hannah Montana" probably watch are worse and then the next thing I know, my daughter will - much worse. Take for instance, the be glued to the television "Wonder Pets." Watching set for the season finale of that show for five minutes will Americon Idol 37, screaming leave a permanent impres- her undying love for David sion in your brain of the Archuleta, who decides to theme song: "Wonder Pets, make a return guest appearWonder Pets, we're on our ance and this time wins. way, to help the baby kitty This is not an encourand save the day..." I find aging future. I know too myself singing it in the show- much media exposure at a er sometimes and feel like I young age is bad for kids, have to wash myself again and with the shows availwith some sort of hydrochlo- able, the inevitable ending ric acid to get myself clean. is always "American Idol" I'm pretty sure "Wonder or "Dawson's Creek." So, in Pets" was made by the cre- order to prevent this, I'll only ators of "South Park," see- ever let my daughter watch ing as these animals use the BBC. But then she'll think the same animation technology. British are funny. Dang it. Basically, they realized if they That's it girl, no TV, you're edited out the profanity and grounded! the blood and the mooning and ... well, pretty much the whole show, they could cre- Seth Hawkins is a senior ate a children's show that is majoring in pubmore disturbing than Kenny lic relations getting killed each episode. who plans Though I still hold out hope on raising that dumb turtle will die. his daughter love Even worse than the to "Wonder Pets" is "Dora the watching Explorer." Sure, it's great that c o l l e g e this little Latino girl has her football on own show in the digital world Saturdays. with a monkey named Boots Questions and a talking backpack and and coma bandit fox named Swiper ments can be sent to him at and ... does this not strike seth.h@aggiemail.usu.edu anyone else as an LSD trip? Dora goes on a new adventure each day and tries Networks: fighting to stay new AMERICAN LOGAN 7O1 N. MAIN 1O7 S. MAIN 752-2155 563-O222 SM1THFIELD VISIT US FOR DELICIOUS 1 0 0 % U.S. BEEF BURGERS, GRILLED OR CRISPY CHICKEN SANDWICHES, AND OF COURSE, THE BIG BLUE SPECIAL. OUR FRENCH FRIES, ONION RINGS, OR CHEESE CURDS WILL TREAT YOU G R E A T . GEIC0.A15-miniftecall could save you 15% on car insurance. 1513 N. Hillfield Rd., Suite 3 (801) 752-O485 \M continued from page 7 grants users freedom to customize their pages, while Facebook enforces a uniform appearance. Some call MySpace garish; others tout its free-wheeling ways. "MySpace seems more modern-looking," Thornsberry said. "It appeals to my eye. Facebook just seems like it's old." For a site that's been around for just over four years to be branded "old" demonstrates one of the challenges facing social networks. Rapid changes in technology and platforms threaten to send users scurrying to newer ventures. Consider, for instance, the growing popularity of microblogging services like Twitter, which allows users to fire off short messages to friends through their cell phones. In the young social networking arena, shifts are inevitable in the days ahead, said Keith Hampton, an assistant professor at the University of Pennsylvania's Annenberg School for Communications. "There will definitely be new ones," Hampton said. "It's really only a matter of time before one of them, Facebook or MySpace, starts to decline in popularity and another one rises to take its place." The two heavyweights have been locked in a battle for social networking supremacy ever since Facebook opened its doors to the masses in September 2006. Until then, it focused primarily on high school and college students. A year ago, MySpace was far and away the dominant player, collecting 114 million unique visitors worldwide in June 2007, compared with just 52 million for Facebook, according to ComScore, a firm that measures Internet traffic. A year later, Facebook had hammered its way into the lead with 132 million unique visits versus 117 million for MySpace. In the U.S., however, MySpace maintained its dominance with nearly twice as many unique visitors. Still, even in the domestic market, Facebook is growing nearly twice as fast, according to ComScore. Figuring out which of the younger upstarts might challenge the status quo is anyone's guess. Linkedln has proven popular with career-oriented adults, with more than 4 million unique visitors in June, more than doubling its 2007 total, according to ComScore. But with a more corporate - this isn't the place to go for updates on friends' weekend party plans - approach to networking, the site seems to lack a more broad-base appeal. "Linkedln is for people I would do business with," said Joshua Jeffryes of Ferguson, Mo., who is active in a halfdozen or so social networking sites. "Facebook is for people I might go out with for a beer. But that I might also do business with." The next frontier in social networking, most experts say, is likely to be the mobile realm, relying on increasingly smarter cell phones instead of personal computers. That's what Loopt is aiming for with its GPS sharing system that keeps users upto-date on the whereabouts of others in their network. Want to share a cab? Looking to grab a quick lunch with a friend? Need help with a flat tire? A Loopt-like network could make it much easier to reach out to friends in your network. Much must still happen, however, before mobile social networking pushes into the mainstream. There are privacy concerns - others in your network will potentially know where you are at all times - and questions about the ability of the existing wireless infrastructure to handle it. Plus, no one's really figured out how to harness the power of the thing, said Dean Terry, director of emerging media at the University of Texas at Dallas. "Once people really understand it, I think you'll really see some new stuff," Terry said. He also sees promise in services like FriendFeed, which essentially keeps your network of friends up-to-date on the things you do online. And there's Seesmic. Instead of trading written comment on a forum, users post responses in short video clips. It could be that the future of social networking is smaller rather than bigger. |