This book looks at questions and answers pertaining to the organization, usage, and ownership of information in the Internet age-and the impact of shifting attitudes towards information ownership on creative endeavors. In the competing traditions of Marshall McLuhan and Langdon Winner, authors Aaron Barlow and Robert Leston take readers on a revealing tour of the Internet after the explosion of the blogosphere and social media. In the world Beyond the Blogosphere, information has surpassed its limits, the distinction between public and private selves has collapsed, information is more untrustworthy than it ever was before, and technology has exhibited a growth and a desire that may soon exceed human control. As Langdon Winner pointed out long ago, "tools have politics." In an eye-opening journey that navigates the nuances of the cultural impact the internet is having on daily life, Barlow and Leston examine the culture of participation in order to urge others to reconsider the view that the Internet is merely a platform or a set of tools that humans use to suit their own desires. Provocative and engaging, Beyond the Blogosphere stands as a challenge on how to rethink the Internet so that it doesn't out-think us.

This book spotlights the 25 most important sitcoms to ever air on American television-shows that made generations laugh, challenged our ideas regarding gender, family, race, marital roles, and sexual identity, and now serve as time capsules of U.S. history. What was the role of The Jeffersons in changing views regarding race and equality in America in the 1970s? How did The Golden Girls affect how society views older people? Was The Office an accurate (if exaggerated) depiction of the idiosyncrasies of being employees in a modern workplace? How did the writers of The Simpsons make it acceptable to air political satire through the vehicle of an animated cartoon ostensibly for kids? Readers of this book will see how television situation comedies have consistently held up a mirror for American audiences to see themselves-and the reflections have not always been positive or purely comedic. The introduction discusses the history of sitcoms in America, identifying their origins in radio shows and explaining how sitcom programming evolved to influence the social and cultural norms of our society. The shows are addressed chronologically, in sections delineated by decade. Each entry presents background information on the show, including the dates it aired, key cast members, and the network; explains why the show represents a notable turning point in American television; and provides an analysis of each sitcom that considers how the content was received by the American public and the lasting effects on the family unit, gender roles, culture for young adults, and minority and LGBT rights. The book also draws connections between important sitcoms and other shows that were influenced by or strikingly similar to these trendsetting programs. Lastly, a section of selections for further reading points readers to additional resources. Identifies the reason each show was a turning point in American television and provides analysis of the issues and themes present in each sitcom, how the content was received by the American public, and the lasting effects of the program Covers a time period of more than half a century, from I Love Lucy to Modern Family Clearly demonstrates how television as well as American ideals and values have changed dramatically over a fairly short period of time

Covering the daily lives of American soldiers from their training through their arrival in France and participation in the final battles of the war, this book offers a breadth of perspectives on the experiences of doughboys in the First World War via primary documents of the time. Due to the mechanical typewriter and the Linotype machine, printed materials during the World War I era were produced quickly and widely distributed. In a time without media other than those on paper, printed materials like newspapers, magazines, books, letters, and army orders were critical for communication. This book examines the range of documents written during World War I or within a few years of the end of the conflict to reveal the experiences of the doughboys who participated in "the war to end all wars." Through documents such as military communications, newspaper accounts, personal letters, divisional histories written soon after the end of hostilities, and other sources, readers get detailed glimpses into the doughboy experience during World War I. The book covers subject matter throughout their time as soldiers, including training in the United States and in France, early participation in conflicts, daily life in the American Expeditionary Force, the major battles for American troops, and what returning home was like for those lucky ones. The assembled narrative of the war experience from many different voices and individuals creates a resource that enables a better understanding the attitudes and perspectives from 1918 through the very early 1920s. Readers will also gain an appreciation of the many changes in American culture that were to follow immediately after the war's conclusion and contribute to the decade of the Roaring Twenties.

In 1985 The WELL, a dial-up discussion board based on the utilization of desktop computer technology, invited popular participation in one of the first examples of what would eventually evolve into the "blog"- an interactive website allowing reaction comments to initial statements, and now providing the primary Internet means for dialogue. The WELL began with the phrase: "You own your own words." Though almost everything else about online discussion has changed in the two decades since, those words still describe its central premise, and this basic idea underlies both the power and the popularity of blogging today. Appropriately enough, it also describes American journalism as it existed a century and a half before The WELL was organized, before the concept of popular involvement in the press was nearly swept away on the rising tide of commercial and professional journalism. In this book, which is the first to provide readers with a cultural/historical account of the blog, as well as the first to analyze the different aspects of this growing phenomenon in terms of its past, Aaron Barlow provides lay readers with a thorough history and analysis of a truly democratic technology that is becoming more important to our lives every day. The current popularity of political blogs can be traced back to currents in American culture apparent even at the time of the Revolution. At that time there was no distinct commercial and professional press; the newspapers, then, provided a much more direct outlet for the voices of the people. In the nineteenth century, as the press became more commercial, it moved away from its direct involvement with politics, taking on an "observer" stance--removing itselffrom the people, as well as from politics. In the twentieth century, the press became increasingly professional, removing itself once more from the general populace. Americans, however, still longed to voice their opinions with the freedom that the press had once provided. Today, blogs are providing the means for doing just that.

As blogs have evolved over the last few years, they have begun to take on distinct characteristics depending on audience and purpose. Though political blogs remain the most high profile (and most read), other types of blogs are gaining in strength and visibility. This book-a follow-up volume to Barlow's Rise of the Blogosphere, which examined the historical context for the modern blog-provides an examination of the many current aspects of the blogosphere, from the political to the professional to the personal, with many stops in between. Given that millions of blogs have been created over the past five years and yet more come online at an undiminished rate, and given that enthusiasm for both reading them and writing them has yet to wane, it is likely that the blog explosion will continue indefinitely. As blogs have evolved over the last few years, they have begun to take on distinct characteristics depending on audience and purpose. Though political blogs remain the most high profile (and most read), other types of blogs are gaining in strength and visibility. This book-a follow-up volume to Barlow's Rise of the Blogosphere, which examined the historical context for the modern blog-provides an examination of the many current aspects of the blogosphere, from the political to the professional to the personal, with many stops in between. Areas covered include the personal blog; the political blog; the use of blogs by various religious communities both for discussion within communities and for outreach; the growth of blogs dedicated to specific geographic communities, and their relations with older local media; blogs dedicated to technical subjects, particularly relating to computers; blogs and business; blogs sparked by video games, movies, music, and other forms of entertainment; and more. Given that millions of blogs have been created over the past five years and yet more come online at an undiminished rate, and given that enthusiasm for both reading them and writing for them has yet to wane, it is likely that the blog explosion will continue indefinitely.

American individualism: It is the reason for American success, but it also tears the nation apart. Why do Americans have so much trouble seeing eye to eye today? Is this new? Was there ever an American consensus? The Cult of Individualism: A History of an Enduring American Myth explores the rarely discussed cultural differences leading to today's seemingly intractable political divides. After an examination of the various meanings of individualism in America, author Aaron Barlow describes the progression and evolution of the concept from the 18th century on, illuminating the wide division in Caucasian American culture that developed between the culture based on the ideals of the English Enlightenment and that of the Scots-Irish "Borderers." The "Borderer" legacy, generally explored only by students of Appalachian culture, remains as pervasive and significant in contemporary American culture and politics as it is, unfortunately, overlooked. It is from the "Borderers" that the Tea Party sprang, along with many of the attitudes of the contemporary American right, making it imperative that this culture be thoroughly explored. Documents how the concept and execution of "American individualism" is as diverse as America itself Explains how the American notion of individualism has roots that extend back to cultural myths that predate the founding of the nation Spotlights the role of the "Borderer" culture spearheaded by the Scots-Irish, whose legacy fuels much of America's contemporary cultural and political divides Provides eye-opening information for any reader who wishes to know why so many of our 21st-century political debates in America seem hopelessly irreconcilable

This book places Quentin Tarantino at the heart of Hollywood, showing a director who speaks film through film, who examines the world beyond the movies in a way few have previously attempted, and at which fewer still have succeeded. Quentin Tarantino: Life at the Extremes explores the uses of violence in the films Tarantino has written, directed, and produced. Arguing that extreme violence is central to Tarantino's art, the book helps readers understand its purpose in his films-as metaphor, as movement, and as motivation. For Tarantino, the book explains, violence serves the purposes of film. In each of his movies, he explores the boundaries of taste and audience reaction, using violence and shock to bring questions of responsibility and expectation to the forefront of discussions on cinema. After introductory chapters placing Tarantino and his films within the broader context of American cinema, author Aaron Barlow focuses on Tarantino's six major directorial efforts. Each film is discussed from its genre starting point and the differing directions the films take are explored, as are the structural elements. In the end, readers will see how Tarantino deliberately pushes film in new directions through old techniques, styles, and even actors, crafting original art from what others have discarded. A chronology dates events in the life of Quentin Tarantino, as well as significant developments in the world of the movies Includes a detailed listing of Tarantino's film career, noting his participation in projects as an actor, writer, producer, and director, with details on each film, including cast and other participants

The introduction of the DVD marked the beginning of one of history's most successful technological innovations, and capped a 75-year development of home-viewing possibilities. Never before have film fans had access in their living rooms to something so remarkably close to the theatrical experience. In addition, because a DVD can hold much more than a single movie, it has allowed films to be marketed with a variety of extras, sparking both a new packaging industry and greater interest on the part of home viewers. This book provides an examination of the DVD's impact, both on home viewing and on film study. From film fan culture through filmmaker commentaries, from "special editions" to a look at where the format will go from here, author Aaron Barlow offers the first-ever exploration of this explosive new entertainment phenomenon. As the DVD becomes the popular vehicle of record for films, it is also becoming a unique and unprecedented way for the interested viewer to learn more about filmmaking than has ever been possible before. Because of its ability to reproduce the dimensions and quality of the celluloid image, film fans and scholars can have practically perfect reproductions of classic and contemporary films at their disposal. Not only will this book be of interest to the burgeoning population of DVD fans and collectors, but it will provide insights that should be of interest to both students of popular culture and of film.

A series of essays on the writing and ideas of Philip K. Dick presented in eight chapters. This in-depth look at the philosophies behind Dick's SF and mainstream novels is based on Barlow's 1988 doctoral dissertation at the University of Iowa.

A Narrative in Documents and Letters Relating to the WWI Experiences of Infantry Lieutenant Alfred Barlow