media and technology

I read an article a while ago now and meant to do a blog straight away and alas the last day here I am! So I read an article in the guardian about how the government intends to bring in a National Health Service database of all our medical history. It is claimed that of course only people with special granted permission will have access but I’m still pretty dubious. Generally our medical records are only seen by those in our local doctors surgeries but if this data bade comes in private medical information could be potentially accessed by complete strangers at the other end of the country. There are now restrictions put in place to prevent people accessing our say police records or financial records. But I have heard of people who have  found ways around these systems and accessed peoples private information with out there permission. Its fairly likely that some one somewhere will be able to work out how to get around the security. Is means that people could use our personal information to their advantage or even maybe against us? In the article Harry Cayton though generally for the idea of a data base admits that he is ‘as anxious as anyone that intimate medical information should not appear in the news of the world.’ Demonstrating that there are serious doubts. Along with the idea of a national database it would appear that I.D cards are inevitable. The I.D cards will be biometric which means that for identification or verification of some ones identity on the basis of physiological or behavioural characteristics. On each individuals card it will contain 52 pieces of personal information. Not only does this mean that we will have to carry around a significant amount of information around with us but we also have to pay almost £100 for the privilege. I think there it is likely that there will be a massive increase in identity theft, especially when the prototypes that are around for the I.D cards have already been hacked in to. It fills me with little confidence about how secure my private information is. Im not sure that there is actually a need for the depth of the identity cards in terms of how much will be stored upon the cards. Its not as if the state don’t already have a fairly good idea exactly what we are up to. For example if we book plane tickets to America and pay by credit card the authorities do a credit check to examine what we have been buying. Also if we give an email address they access our email accounts to find out what we have been sending. In the news today it has also been reported that from summer when British travellers enter America all ten of their finger prints will be taken and stored by intelligence services such as the F.BI along side the finger prints of criminals.  And there will be no restrictions on international use. . For me this is just infringing upon the human rights of those of us who are innocent. I know that with the terrorist threat there is bound to be tighter security, but I’m just not sure that id cards and such like are the way forwards. It seems as if we have no control or right over what is essentially our own information. I just don’t know where this is going to stop. I also wonder how much longer it is before we become a literal big brother state and what Orwell predicted will become a reality. If only I had the answers and I would imagine it’s a case of only time that will tell.

The music industry it could be said works in cycles. Different styles of music come in fashion, go out and come back again. A good example of this could be electro music. Electro music uses technology such as synthesizers and drum machines to create a completely different sound to any instrument that could be used. It was hugely popular in the 80’s and in recent months has enjoyed a resurgence in to the mainstream.. I went to Ibiza summer 2006, and the majority of the music in all the major clubs was electro, and it looks like its here to stay.  Electro has also made it big in the mainstream hits include fedde le grand, put your hands up for Detroit, Bodyrox ft Luciana with yeah yeah, exceeder by mason and justice vs. simian- we are your friends.     

hello, here’s my first blog, a little late i know but anyway here goes!!

so firstly I would like to think about the concept of the media and the significance it plays in our lives. The media in recent years has grown beyond comprehension. It has literally infiltrated every area of our lives. We must also consider that we as a society have come to rely upon the media for a number of reasons for example a form of communication and an information source. I would that it is near impossible to avoid some form of media interaction whether it be consciously or sub-consciously.
It should be considered that the media as an information source often has rigid restrictions that censor or edit the information that is received by society, these are often incurred by the state. It could be suggested that it be considered just how reliable the information that we receive is, and that could it perhaps serve the purpose of or for something.
It is also important to mention that the media is supposedly a democratic process, thus everyone has equal access and participation. However as with many things in this day and age this is not strictly true. Its claimed that people from different back grounds, races and religions all have access, but we must consider the financial implications of an internet subscription, buying newspapers. We live in an age where money is everything, and very few things that are not owned by big business.
The world of the media is a fast paced and rapidly changing all of the time. The technology industry has the same obsession with speed and progress, we are constantly bombarded with new technology and gadgets. There is constantly updates on the technology that already exists. A good example could be say mobile phones. In the last 10 years the progress in the area of mobile phones is phenomenal. Now phones have cameras, video cameras, video calling, MP3 players, internet. There are virtually computers in your pocket and getting smaller by the minute. Thus making the world around us as communication is getting easier and easier.
what has been discussed above has only scratched the surface in terms of the scale of both the media and technology industry and the effect it is having and will have in the future. I hope to highlight a few interesting subjects in further blogs in relation to the media and technology.