Media Phenomenon - Queensryche

I don't know if many of you heard about this band before, but when Raine talked about Media Phenomenon, I immediately thought about the Queensryche.

The Queensryche is a progressive metal band, formed in 1981, and which is still active and quite famous in the industry. They are very talented and respected and they have been one of my favorite bands for years, together with Motley Crue (www.motley.com). If I had to talk about my favorite band, it would be Motley, but Digital Media certainly remembers me of Queensryche and I will explain why.

Besides all CDs and DVDs every band publishes in their career, Queensryche, in 1994, released a game called Promise Land (same name as a CD from the same year - http://www.amazon.com/Queensryches-Promised-Land-pc/dp/B000FJ01DM). In this game, it is possible to visit the island in Washington where the band recorded their CDs, visit each band member's world (including the chance to play musical puzzles, save the whales, go outer space, etc.). When one finishes the game, it is possible to watch an exclusive video, of an exclusive song, recorded specially for the game. It doesn't seem as a big deal, specially nowadays, but it was great at the time, as fans could learn more about each band member and share a bit of their lives, hopes and dreams.

And, although the game is 15 years old, it is still playable and its technology can still blow someones mind, as it was done as a movie, with original footages and the possibility to walk through the island while visiting each world.

I totally recommend it, if you can buy it or find the torrent to it. I lost my CDs some years ago and I'm still looking for it.

To know more about the band, visit www.queensryche.com

Media diary

The period I decided to keep track of my Media usage was from November 26 to December 01. As it was also the time I had all the Finnish course assignments, I was curious to see how it would change my everyday life.

I usually spend much time online on Facebook and MSN, even if I don't do anything related to social networking. It just stays online, forgotten until someone talks to me. And I watch TV every night: CSI, the news, Friends, The Simpsons, some movies, if there is any available. It is my routine in accordance to media usage.

Notwithstanding, this week was different. I spent more time reading and studying than in the computer. And, when I was in the computer, I was working with other softwares, as Microsoft Word and Powerpoint, in order to prepare my assignments to the courses. Or listening to Finnish music and/or watching Finnish movies in order to prepare myself to the Finnish exams. However, I can say I spent 80% of my time reading books and doing exercises. Not a very digital week, I might inform.

The evenings seem to have changed too: I have spent longer hours reading and writing than usual and reduced my TV time to 1 hour per day. And I was usually too tired to pay attention to what I was reading.

Another curious data I collected this week is that I never use any kind of digital media in friends' places. I might use the Internet to check my e-mail in the university, but that's mainly it. 99% of my Digital media time happens inside my home, with all the comfort and secrecy. It is usually followed with coffee and music. Except this last week, when all my attention was focused in Finnish language and culture.

I hope I can come back soon to my digital life though. I miss it already.

The summery of my media usage daily

The period I kept record was from last week and had lots assignments to work on. Therefore, the time I spent on net surfing appeared to be slightly more than usual.

About media…Normally there would be more time spend on playing with my digital camera and photographs, posting articles and photos on my blog and so forth. The use of media for entertainment (DVDs & video blogs) would add a couple of hours to the records below (Last week, I didn’t have time for watching them). http://www.illdoctrine.com/ and http://vodpod.com/jgoroncy are my favorite video blogs. By the way, I highly recommend http://www.ted.com/ . You might find a useful speech for your thesis!

The following record of the media usage is from between 25.11 and 29.11.The number of hours is the average. The average hours I spent in front of PC are roughly 7.5hrs per day. It seems quite a lot but I am sure many people spend more than that. (I don’t have a fancy mobile phone and am mobile phone illiterate. I did not include it in the record).

At home (weekday), it is 5.5 hrs.

- OnlineNews - about 10 min.

- Net surfing - about 4 hrs

- Emails, Facebook & blog – 20-40 min

- Photography related software & web (organizing, editing, etc.) – 1 hour

At home (weekend), it is about 7 hrs.

- The usage detail is almost same as above.

At school (weekday), it is 2.5 hrs.

- Net surfing - 2.5 hrs