Apple and its iPad REVOLUTION

Technologies are constantly evolving to the point that it is easy to find oneself a bit outdated. Yes, in 2010, Apple wowed the entire world with the iPad. In only 9 months, the revolutionary product generated "10 billions dollars in revenue" to the company. Since the iPad was launched, it seems that nothing can stop Apple from innovating.

Early this year, Apple introduced the iPad 2, a similar product that offers improved technological characteristics of the iPad 1 and a thinner design. Innovative ideas seem to bounce around in the minds of Apple's engineers. But this post is not meant to discuss the technological breakthrough Apple is introducing with its products, especially the iPad.

Since the iPad 2 was launched, I have been watching French parodies related to the new iPad. This video is in French, but it says the same as the original video above. Moreover, a note of irony is added in the parody and "explains" how Apple managed to keep the price of the iPad 2 down. Enjoy some French humor!

The 2011 Tiguan Piñata

What would come to your mind, if I ever told you “Wolkswagen?”

For me, the brand Volkswagen (VW) is a synonym of turtle. Not that the car is slow, but the association is due to the turtle-shape of its former cars. Regardless of the good intents behind the name of the brand (the German name Volkswagen means “people’s car”) and the design and creation of its cars, aesthetics quickly became the most visible characteristics of VW cars. In fact, the car was meant to be affordable, fuel efficient, reliable, and easy to use.

The commercial of the 2011 Tiguan Piñata is very efficient in that it reminds people, I included, one of the main characteristics of Volkswagen cars: robustness or reliability. The narrative of the story stresses that aspect with first a young boy and then a male adult unable to break a “SUV-shape VW Piñata.”

The commercial is effective on another aspect. For people who like me turn down the volume of their TV when commercials start, that commercial is the right response of advertisers. There is no talking. The narrative, that lasts 31 seconds, is made of sequences punctuated with the war cry of the young boy, the sound of the baseball bat on the car, some other background noise, and the text “Built like a Volkswagen. The 2011 Tiguan.”

This commercial is one of the rare commercials I enjoy watching.

My hair is my medium and my message!

Me with relaxed hair (2008)

I started relaxing my beautiful African hair when I was around 18. Although my father knew how coarse my hair was and how much I suffered to comb or style them, he never wanted my mom to ruin my hair with hair relaxer. So, she would used the hot iron, but that solution would worked just for a while because as soon as my hair was let loose or I would remove my braids, my mom would have to start all over again. Yes, my hair was very long, grew very fast, but was extremely coarse.

Why do I say my hair is my medium and my message? Simply because it says all about me, my real identity. I am African. Hence, why alter this message of authenticity with hair relaxer? Why convey a message that does not reflect the reality? Why convey contradictory messages?

Initially, I did not relax my hair because it was the trend. I used hair relaxer to better manage my hair, be able to easily style them, and because I did not want to cut them short or have the Bob Marley or Whoopi Goldberg style, dread locks.

All hair relaxer contain chemicals that burn the scalp. I say all, because so far I have not come across a single hair relaxer that did not burn my scalp and I have tried a bunch of them, from the non famous to the most famous brands. Almost every year, I had to change my hair relaxer because once my hair gets used to it, it just adapts and makes the hair relaxer ineffective.

Me with braids (2008)

Two months after my arrival in Hawaii, I relaxed my hair after I removed my braids. This is what I usually do since the new hair is naturally coarse. But something happened to my hair, something that had never happened neither in Africa nor in Europe. Soon, my hair turned red. That was enough! I started question myself: why harm myself with products that destroy the natural texture of my hair? Why spend all my money on hair relaxer, hair conditioner, and what have you? But above all, why send contradictory messages? Africans have all types of natural hair: straight, curled, and coarse. Mine are coarse.

Me with natural healthy coarse hair (2011)

Last year (2010) in May, I decided to cut my hair short and start all over again. This time, I would grow my beautiful, original, and natural African hair. My goal is to keep it this way as long as I can, I mean as long as my hair will allow me to. All my efforts now are to convey and maintain a message that is coherent with my identity. For this purpose, I need to keep my hair, the medium, unaltered. It does not matter anymore if every day I have to spend at least 30 minutes to work and comb my hair.

Desperate Housewives Season 7 finale

Yesterday, Sunday May 15 2011, was Desperate Housewives’ season 7 finale. I have been watching this TV episode since its first season and will probably watch season 8. Why? I just like this group of women, four close friends, who rhythm the life on ‘Wisteria Lane’.

After I watched episodes 19 and 20, I was expecting a miracle to occur. A miracle that would preserve the friendship tie between Bree and Gabi (Gabrielle). In fact, after Gabi’s husband (Carlos) discovered the identity of the person who killed his mother in an accident, Carlos told his wife to end her friendship with the one who claimed she was her friend, Bree. For those who never watched Desperate Housewives or missed some episodes, Bree’s son was the culprit. Because he was a teenager at the time of the accident, Bree covered her son but told Gabi what happened. To sum up, Bree covered her son and Gabi covered her friend. Since Bree did not want her friend to chose her over her husband and family, she asked Gabi to sacrifice their friendship and save her marriage.

Carlos could not and did not want to forgive Bree. Thus, only a miracle was the solution. That miracle occurred in the last episode of season 7, during a dinner party organized to celebrate Susan’s return to Wisteria Lane. This episode ends with Carlos killing Gabi’s stepfather who was thought to be dead. That man raped Gabi when she was around 15. To emphasize the significance and inevitable event, Carlos confessed to Gabi that killing that man was the kind of thing he was able to do to protect her from the stepfather.

Carlos said it, so it happened! Carlos involuntarily kills Gabi’s stepfather who broke into their house and was threatening Gabi. Gabi’s friends, including Bree, discover the murder when they walk into the house. In this sequence, Bree is presented as the first friend to enter the room wondering when Gabi would call them and the other guests.

Now comes the best part. In tears, Gabi relates to her friends what happened and complains that her husband will be sent to jail, because he was “trying to protect” her. In this sequence, Gabi goes toward her friends and stands next to Bree. Carlos is on the opposite side of the room, the corpse separating him from his wife. When Carlos claims he is willing to go to jail  Bree, the ‘banned’ friend, is the only one to talk, thus making the others take action. She says “That’s not gonna happen!”

In the last sequence, while the narrator is listing the “many things that bind friends together,” Bree brings a piece of cake to a pensive Carlos and sits next to him. Carlos, who found in his heart to finally forgive Bree, takes his hand as a sign of gratitude. The narrator ends the episode saying “the thing that binds friend together the most is a secret that changes everything.”

Although the episode ends on a happy note, more suspense is to come.

Truffaut and the French Cinema

Leon and Mathilda

As I was reading Truffaut's article "A Certain Tendency of the French Cinema" I tried to reassess my attitude toward French cinema. I like watching movies but most of them are not French-French. By this, I mean they are not what Truffaut would qualify as "defending the French flag twice a year at Cannes and at Venice."

I am a fan of Luc Besson's movies. Unfortunately, this French filmmaker is thought to be "Americanized," because his films are made for the mass market. Did the years he spent in the U.S. influenced or denatured his French fiber? What if he was the one who influenced American movies?

French movies are known to be highly philosophical. So are Luc Besson's movies.
I discovered the French filmmaker with his movie "Leon," released in 1994. When I compare "Leon" to "The Chorus," a movie in the pure French tradition, made by the French filmmaker, Christophe Barratier, I believe Luc Besson has not deviated from the French tradition. He simply makes movies that correspond to the expectations of his contemporaries.

Clement in "The Chorus"

"Leon" was released in 1994 and "The Chorus" in 2004. In addition, the plot of "Leon" is the modern New York, while "The Chorus" takes place in a rural orphanage in France, shortly after World War II. In both films, the protagonists include a male adult (Leon and Clement) who in one way or another had no hope. In other words, their lives are meaningless until they are transformed by a female teenager, in the case of Leon, and male teenager, in the case of Clement.

Both Leon and Clement give the only thing they have and cherish to these teenagers who have nothing to rely on in life. Leon gives his life so that the teenage girl may live and Clement uncovers and develops the musical skills the teenage boy has. Interesting enough, both adult protagonists owe their redemption to the teenagers they teach and to whom they pass on what they have.

Obviously, as a professional killer, Leon takes the lives of people while playing with his gun. However, his teaching and sacrifice allow the teenage girl to live with a more promising future.

Similarly, by preventing people to enjoy music, Clement dispossesses people from a crucial element that balances their lives: music. Thanks to his teaching, he allows a young gifted individual to perpetuate effect of music on human's life: soften manners.

I like both movies and consider they have been made by French filmmakers with two different approaches. In a next post, I will compare the narratives of both movies.

Media (R)Evolution

This video "Next Generation Media" summarizes the way people, technology, and content interact. Their interconnection and interaction have transformed our world and will for sure transform future generations.

About social media revolution. According to the author of this video, the data are "based on the book Socialnomics by Erik Qualman"

Women do not need a hero, the ordinary man will do it!

March 8, 2011 was the Centenary of the International Women’s Day. This means that each year, since 1911, people all around the world have been celebrating “economic, political, and social achievements of women, past, present, and future.”

This year, the theme was “Equal access to education, training and science and technology: Pathway to decent work for women.” At 2:30 pm HST, the International Women’s Day 2011 website displayed 1720 registered events organized all over the world. The United Kingdom ranked first with 464 events.

While watching the news on TV5 Monde, a French channel, on Monday, I heard about a two minutes video released for the event and portraying agent 007, James Bond. In the video, agent 007 stands and “speaks” for women.

The atmosphere of and lighting used in the video are in respect of the Bond movie. Two identical, yet contrasting scenes convey strong audiovisual information that makes the two minutes video effective in communicating gender relations regarding women’s conditions.

Both scenes take place in a bare, dark room partly lit by a fixed spotlight. In both scenes, the camera progressively zooms in on 007. Thus, the viewer starts with a global view of the actor but ends up with a focused image of the male character, going from head to torso. Finally, in both scenes, the male character walks and stands while a female voice gives facts about women in the United Kingdom (UK). This scene reminded me Bond’s female boss when she gives him information about a case or target before sending him to mission. In this case, the target is womanhood.

Now, let us talk about the differences. In the first scene, 007, the man, walks slowly yet with confidence. Imperturbable, almost arrogant, and glancing around him, the male character walks forward. Besides, his trajectory goes from the left to the right of the fixed light before he actually stands in the center, hiding the light. This attitude and this trajectory create depth, thus giving the perception of a large space. Before leaving, 007 turns his head with a conquering look.

In the second scene, James Bond speaks out “what it feels like to be a woman.” How? His body language says it all. In this scene, the disguised man walks slowly, straight, with hesitation, and without glancing around him (I should say her). The breathing is faster, almost audible. Hence, contrary to the first scene, this attitude and trajectory create narrowness and the perception that the space is closed. Before leaving, the no-man, no-woman looks down.

What are the social implications of the communication content of this video? Well, I counted three mains implications. First, in this world a person is either male or female. There is no other alternative. Only then can a person learn about the opposite sex and determine if he/she is able to bear the burden of that other self. As presented in the second sequence of the video, men cannot bear women’s burden. They cannot even pretend they can do it. This statement is made when the disguised character, 007, removes the wig from his head and the earrings.

Second, men and women live and experience two opposite worlds. While men have more opportunities and chances to succeed, women are still left with limited opportunities. These two different worlds are respectively characterized by the large space and the narrow space created through the look of the performing character.

Finally, men do care about women, their well being. This statement is proved in the first scene where despite his physical calmness, 007 betrays his being nervous. While the female voice gives the facts, he is playing with his right thumb and index.

In conclusion, men do care about women. Even the most macho ones, do care about women. However, they know that they cannot and will never be like women and they feel powerless because they do not know where and how to start in order to help improve women’s condition. Even the successful and conquering male hero is clueless. In the last sequence of the video, remember that the character, 007, looks down while leaving.

From Wikipedia to Qwiki

This week, I am willing to share with you a new form of web 2.0 platform: Qwiki. Some of you probably heard about it; however, I found this news worth being shared with all, in a media criticism context.

Qwiki is defined as a new intelligence platform and the challenge of its creators is to have it replace all text-based search engines such as Wikipedia and Google.

Qwiki was founded in 2009 by Doug Imbruce, its current CEO. He acknowledged that product his company is about to offer is not an invention but rather relies on innovation. Indeed, the product combines the characteristics of existing web 2.0 platforms such as Wikipedia and Google with graphic/visual and audio functions. Basically, you experience information through your eyes and ears. Watch these three videos to see how your results will be displayed.

http://www.qwiki.com/q/#!/Stonehenge

http://www.qwiki.com/q/#!/Malcolm_X

http://www.qwiki.com/q/#!/Albert_Einstein

Right now the company expects the maximum of constructive feedback in order to improve the technical, design, and information quality/reliability of the portal. There is how it started:

You feel like you want to discover more? Go to www.qwiki.com and discover the "Information Experience."

Hawaii Five-O episode pilot (1968): An Attempt to Portray Equality Among American Ethnic Groups in Hawaii

In 1968, the United States (U.S.) faces various events that have political, social, and racial implications: the assassination of the Black civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr. in Memphis, Tennessee and the assassination of U.S. President Robert F. Kennedy, in Los Angeles.

Besides, Tommie Smith and John Carlos, two African American sprinters revealed to the world the real face of the United States. Awarded the gold and bronze medals for their performances during Mexico City's Summer Olympic Games, the two sprinters “bowed their heads and raised clenched fists during the playing of the U.S. national anthem in protest of U.S. racism.”

1968 is also marked by the violent confrontations between Vietnam War protesters and Chicago Mayor’s police force, Richard J. Daley. A member of the Democratic Party, Mayor Richard J. Daley is also known for the controversial attitude he had in response to riots held after the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.

Few miles away from the mainland, Hawaii that also experienced racial tensions between Hawaiians and Whites, called Haole, is about to celebrate its ninth anniversary as a US territory.

Hawaii Five-O episode pilot of the year 1968 is an attempt to portray equality between Whites and Hawaiians. Indeed, the cast includes characters that represent the various ethnic groups present in Hawaii.

Considering the Police Department, symbol of authority, law, and order there four main characters: two Whites (Steve McGarret played by John Joseph Patrick Ryan, alias Jack Lord and Danny “Danno” Williams played by James Gordon MacArthur), and two Hawaiians (Kono Kalakaua played by Gilbert Lani "Zulu" Kauhi and Chin Ho Kelly played by Kam Fong Chun.

Detective Steve McGarret

Out of these four characters, two have a last name referring to nobility: Steve McGarret and Kono Kalakaua. The prefix “Mc” or “Mac” that comes from the Irish and Scotch Gaelic language means “son of”. On the other hand, Kono’s last name can be associated to King Kalakaua, “the last reigning king of the Kingdom of Hawai’i.”

Detective Kono Kalakaua

 Despite all these symbolic efforts to portray equality through the notions of authority and nobility, one scene of the episode questions the degree of equality between Whites and Hawaiians. In the scene, Kono enter’s detective Steve McGarret office and before disclosing the information he came to share asks Steve whether he may help himself with his drink, an unopened bottle of fruit juice. Jack politely replies he can help himself and offers him a plate with two sandwiches. While sharing his information, Kono drinks the juice from the bottle and eats one of the two sandwiches. Then, he puts the almost half empty bottle back on Steve’s desk. Few minutes later, Jack rushes out his office taking with him the bottle Kono put back on the desk and the second sandwich.

If both men, the White and the Hawaiian, share the same food from the same plate it is not the case for the drink. Indeed, Kono is clearly seen opening and drinking from the bottle. On the other hand, Steven takes the bottle but is not seen opening it and drinking from it.