Digital Divide

I think the Digital Divide is a real thing and as the gap between the "haves" and the "have nots" grows larger than it has ever been, this is an issue that really needs to be solved in short order. As we continue to see growth in the income inequality in the United States, there is a true need for internet for everybody. In school districts such as Coachella Valley, having access to the internet means having access to resources such as research and books that they might not otherwise have access to. Superintendent Darryl Adams states that over 95% of the students live below the poverty line and many cannot afford internet at home. This begins a domino effect that sets the students up for failure. The school may not be able to attract teachers, and due to low test scores the school may not have access to state funds meaning that their materials and resources (e.g. textbooks) cannot be kept up to date, meaning that the students are not receiving the level of education that a wealthier school district receives.

It is also important to note that Adams states a majority of the student body is Hispanic, so there is no way we can talk about the Digital Divide without also addressing the issues of race inequality in the United States. Given the current tension in our country surrounding race relations, I don't want to pile on, but some white Americans that I know have stated that all Americans are on a level playing field regardless of race or where you were born. Educational studies and stories like the one about Coachella Valley clearly show that is not the case. Simply because these students happened to be born in a rural and poorer area of the country should not mean that they have any less opportunity as anyone else, but the facts show that they DO have fewer opportunities. Adams' innovation of mobile Wi-Fi hotspots using busses does seems to be working to close the gap, however, as the graduation rate in Coachella Valley is up 8%.

Why should we care about the Digital Divide? Well, there is a strong link between digital access and income and race inequality in our country. This alone should be motivation enough for Americans to want to close the digital gap. The American Dream is the ideal that equality of opportunity is available to any American, allowing the highest aspirations and goals to be achieved. Greater opportunity should not be afforded to you simply because you were privileged enough to have been born in a particular county or a particular color or race. So if we have any hope of maintaining the ideal of the American Dream, we need to close the Digital Divide. Otherwise it is just words without meaning.

Future of the Music Industry

As a musician, the future of the music industry is one that is very important to me. I was a working musician in Denver, Colorado for close to a decade and I have returned to school to study recording arts. My goal is to work in a studio as a recording engineer and possibly open my own studio or production company specializing in smaller projects. This would also give me an opportunity (hopefully) to work with my former bandmates on songs that we've been working on separately and together since Ashfield disbanded in 2014. That said, will there even be a market for this when I graduate?

When Napster launched in 1999, I think it was a monumental moment in music as it was really the first sign that the future of music was digital distribution. The failure of Napster was that it allowed users to share copyrighted material with other users with no compensation for the artist. In essence, they were stealing. Obviously this led to multiple lawsuits from artists such as Metallica and Dr. Dre, but the seeds had been planted. Now the largest retailer of music is Apple (a computer company) through it's iTunes platform and many consumers get their music through streaming platforms such as Spotify who as of April, 2020 has 286 million active users.

The music industry is often broken down into 3 separate industries; the recorded music industry, the music licensing industry, and the live music industry. The move to digital really only affects one of these, the recorded music industry, which deals in recording and distributing music to consumers. Before Napster, distribution meant dubbing a recording onto a physical medium (LP, cassette, CD, etc.) and shipping it to a brick and mortar retail store where it was then sold to a music consumer. The issue here was that music companies were only interested in distributing those recordings that were going to turn a profit, so the selection of music if you were to go in to your local Best Buy or Wal-Mart was limited. While Napster was breaking copyright law, they did introduce a revolutionary system where more and more niche music was available to the consumer. You didn't need to hunt for that new Social Distortion record, you could just search on Napster and download it from someone who had already bought it.

As digital distribution became more common through online retailers such as Apple and Amazon, consumers were presented with another novel idea. They were now able to purchase music on a song by song basis rather than purchasing an entire album. While music companies were initially resistant to this, I think they've come around to the idea that if a consumer really likes the new Alkaline Trio single, they will more likely pay $1.29 to download that song rather than pay $9.99 for the entire album just to get access to the one song they really like. This also allows bands to release songs as singles ahead of full albums as promotional material. A Day to Remember has taken advantage of this by releasing 3 singles ahead of their full-length album, You're Welcome, set to release later this year.

So how do we tie this all to the future? Well, according to the IFPI Global Music Report, while physical revenue declined by 10.1% and download revenue declined by 21.2%, streaming revenue was up 34% which offsets the declines. So by this trend it is clear that streaming revenue is the future of the recorded music industry. But we still haven't talked about the other 2 industries in the music business. Obviously with the COVID-19 pandemic, the live music industry has taken a massive hit. I truly believe though that when venues are allowed to open again and bands are able to tour, the live music industry is going to explode like we have not seen. People are dying to get out and be with people and listen to live music, at least I am. Also, I think we've seen a way for more artists to get more music out to their fans with the rise in "bedroom concerts" live streamed on platforms like YouTube. I hope that trend continues even after we get to start going to live concerts again. One thing about the bedroom concerts is that the sound quality isn't always great. I think this is an opportunity to combine the live music aspect with professional live audio to create an immersive experience for fans from the comfort of their living rooms. The music licensing industry has likely taken a hit as well as movie production has been put on hold so music is not being licensed for films. But again, when films are able to resume production, I think the music licensing industry will return to normal.

So to summarize, I believe the future of the recorded music industry is streaming music. As we discussed in class, the royalties being paid to the artists from platforms such as Spotify are literally in the fractions of cents, but my hope is that the Music Modernization Act will help to make that more fair. I also hope that artists will build on the "bedroom concert" idea by incorporating more professional sounding audio to the live streams to create a more immersive experience for the consumer. And finally, my biggest hope as a musician and a recording arts student is that I get to be a part of it.

Kickstart Research and APA

Feltham, J. (2020, January 29). Getting to Grips: The Future of VR Gaming is In Physics and Interaction. Retrieved June 8, 2020, from https://uploadvr.com/physics-future-of-vr-gaming/

This article is a good commentary on the future of VR gaming, in my opinion. The author explores how real-world physics is being integrated into new VR games. One specific example is The Walking Dead: Saints and Sinners, where the act of thrusting a blade into the head of a zombie must be performed by the player rather than relying on a button press or flicking of a directional stick. I think this level of involvement by the player truly sets up the future of game play and immersion into the digital world.

Gera, E. (2019, May 2). Not Quite Film, or Games … Is Interactive Mixed Reality the Future of Storytelling? Retrieved June 8, 2020, from https://www.theguardian.com/games/2019/may/02/vr-mixed-reality-storytelling-sundance-festival-new-frontier-narratives

This article looks at how narrative forms for films and games is changing with the introduction of VR and interactive storytelling. It explores the levels of immersion that can be created in interactive storytelling. One particularly compelling quote from the article is that immersive storytelling, "touches the divide between the digital and real."

Kickstart Start: VR Gaming

In reviewing the chapters of the textbook, there are multiple chapters covering video games, virtual reality, and esports. This is an area that I am very interested in as I have been an avid gamer for quite some time. I'm guessing I'm probably a little older than most of the students in the class and while home video game consoles are pretty ingrained into our culture today, I am old enough to say I got to see where it started. Now, I'm not speaking of the old Atari 2600 consoles or anything released prior to the video game crash of 1983. I'm talking about the introduction of the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1985 and how home consoles have become a normal part of many living rooms in the 3+ decades since.

Nintendo's president, Hiroshi Yamauchi said in 1986, "Atari collapsed because they gave too much freedom to third-party developers and the market was swamped with rubbish games." Nintendo would counter this issue by making fewer higher-quality games and by 1988 they were the undisputed leader in the video game industry. Over the decades that followed we have seen console competition from companies like Sega, Sony, and Microsoft (whose Xbox has been their only major success in manufacturing hardware, interestingly enough) and the video game industry has grown to financial heights projected to reach $230 billion by 2022 in the U.S. alone.

As a gamer, I have owned the original NES, Super Nintendo, Nintendo 64, GameCube, PlayStation, Xbox, PlayStation 3, and PlayStation 4, and have recently purchased both the NES Classic and Super Nintendo Classic consoles. Needless to say, I've dropped my fair share of money into games. But each time a new console is released, we're entertained for a bit before inevitably looking forward to what is coming next. The PlayStation 4, for example, was an 8th generation console released in 2013, and while that system was groundbreaking at the time, it was announced in 2019 that the PlayStation 5 is expected to launch in late 2020 marking the sunset on the previous generation's console.

Graphically there's only so much that can be done from each generation to the next. The same goes for gameplay. If you look at the Madden NFL football games released yearly by Electronic Arts, you eventually begin to realize that you're paying $60 each year for what amounts to a roster update. As EA is the only company officially licensed by the NFL to use player likenesses in their games, it makes sense that there is a sense of complacency due to the lack of competition unlike 1995 to 2005 when 989 Sports' NFL GameDay and Visual Concepts' NFL 2K series were directly competing with Madden. That's where I believe that VR gaming is the next step for gaming.

While virtual reality is not exactly a new concept to gaming with Sega announcing a home version of the Sega VR headset in 1991 (which was cancelled) and Nintendo releasing the Virtual Boy in 1996, the early attempts were met with indifference from consumers and investors. However, in the latter half of the 2010's this technology picked up again with 230 companies developing VR-related products by 2016. I would like to research this technology and see what the future may hold for VR gaming.

MP3 Player: History in Pictures

Saehan MPMan F10 (1998)

https://www.theregister.com/2008/03/10/ft_first_mp3_player/

Diamond Rio PMP300 (1998)

https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2016/10/diamond-rio-pmp300-mp3-player-today/

Apple iPod (2001)

https://www.macworld.com/article/1163181/the-birth-of-the-ipod.html

Microsoft Zune (2006)

http://content.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1898610_1898625_1898633,00.html

Apple iPod Touch (7th Generation) (2019)

https://appleinsider.com/articles/19/05/31/compared-the-2019-ipod-touch-blows-away-the-2015-version-in-real-world-tests

About Me

Hello. My name is Corey Wheeler. I was born on July 5, and yes, I am a Cancer for those of you interested in astrology. I was born in Concord, CA and lived in Pittsburg, CA for a time before my parents relocated to Redding, CA when my sister was born. Redding was a nice place to grow up. It was a small town, but not so far removed that we couldn't drive back to the Bay Area to visit my grandparents. My friends and I played in the creek, skipped rocks, climbed trees (and fell out of them from time to time). We rode our bikes to the bus stop and played basketball in each other's driveways. I was a good student, regularly being named to the Honor Roll. My parents also insisted that I had a well-rounded extracurricular career. I started by playing soccer and baseball at age 6, but also started piano lessons at age 7. I also picked up the drums for the first time in the 5th grade.

Music has been my passion for quite some time. I moved to Denver, CO and formed a band called Ashfield. We were active in the local scene for nearly 10 years. The band ended as most things do, but in my time with Ashfield I was able to see the inner workings of several recording studios up close. I was always interested in recording arts, but it was always something I thought I would start doing as a musician and figure out as I went along. I never realized that it was something I could go to school for. So, I decided to return to Redding to finish the music degree I had started before I moved, and then go on to study recording arts at Chico State.

Today I enjoy playing the piano (I'm actually working on the 1st movement of Moon Light Sonata as we speak). I've recently started recording these performances and posting them on my YouTube channel. I currently don't have a place to set up my drums, so that's kind of sad. I'm also active on Facebook, Instagram, and I am a brand new Twitter user. I've even got a Snapchat for kicks and giggles. I'm an avid baseball fan, in fact you may notice that a majority of my previous blogs are covering the San Francisco Giants (I miss baseball). I am a certified scuba diver since 2012, though I sadly have not been in the water in 5 years. I enjoy biking, more trail than mountain, and participated in the Bigfoot Mountain Bike Challenge for 3 years beginning in 2017. I'm also an avid concert-goer though that has obviously taken a hit due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The last concert I was supposed to see was Atreyu at the Senator Theatre in Chico, CA in November, 2019, but I ended up not attending because I couldn't get anyone to go with me. That's me in a nutshell I suppose. Thanks for reading.

MLB Winter Meetings - What went down!!!!

Major League Baseball held their annual Winter Meetings December 8-12 in San Diego. While a good percentage of the country experienced record low temperatures in 2019, it must be nice to be in San Diego in December. But anyway, that's not what we're here to talk about. The San Francisco Giants went into the Winter Meetings (and really the entire offseason) with a pretty clear list of needs. The biggest immediate need has to be starting pitching with the potential loss of Madison Bumgarner who has been a staple of the rotation since 2010. They also need help in the bullpen after closer Will Smith signed with the Atlanta Braves and with Reyes Moronta set to miss most if not all of 2020 after shoulder surgery. Finally, they should be looking for a power right-handed bat in the outfield as a possible starting outfield of Steven Duggar, Mike Yastrzemski, and Alex Dickerson are all left-handed.

Those are the immediate needs, but there are some secondary needs as well. They may be looking for a center field after non-tendering Kevin Pillar though Duggar has been projected as the center fielder of the future for a few years now, and Jaylin Davis who was acquired from the Minnesota Twins last year in the Sam Dyson trade can play center field. They're also looking for middle infield depth and preferably a left-handed bat who can spell Evan Longoria at 3rd base. They currently have Mauricio Dubon penciled in at 2nd base and Brandon Crawford is still at shortstop, and Donovan Solano is still there to back up both positions, but the Giants would like to add more depth. Lastly, there may be a need to bring in a veteran backup catcher after Stephen Vogt signed with the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Giants seem to like Aramis Garcia who has played 37 games with the big club between 2018 and 2019, but the team would likely prefer a left-handed bat when Buster Posey needs a day off or is playing 1st base.

So that's the setup. But what went down at the Winter Meetings? Well, the Giants came away making two moves (we're not going to talk about the Rule 5 draft here). They signed right-handed starting pitcher Kevin Gausman who split last year between the Atlanta Braves and the Cincinnati Reds, and made a trade with the Los Angeles Angels acquiring infielder Zack Cozart and 2019 first-round draft pick Will Wilson in exchange for a player to be named later or cash considerations. Neither of those moves really jumps off the page, but let's look at them and see how our team did.

First let's look at the Gausman signing. Gausman is not a superstar and this signing amounts to little more than depth in the starting rotation. Assuming that Bumgarner, who is reported to be asking for a 9-figure contract, is not going to be in a Giants uniform next year, the 2020 rotation begins with Johnny Cueto and Jeff Samardzija and then you have a number of question marks. Tyler Beede started 22 games in San Francisco and showed some promise, but ultimately finished with a 5-10 record and an ERA over 5. Dereck Rodriguez was expected to be a major contributor in his second season after finishing 2018 with a 6-4 record and a 2.81 ERA in 19 starts. Instead he regressed to a 6-11 record and a 5.64 ERA and split time between the rotation and the bullpen. Shaun Anderson created some excitement when he joined the rotation last year, but finished 3-5 with a 5.44 ERA and ended up ending the year in the bullpen earning 2 saves which has led to some believing he could be the closer in the immediate future. Andrew Suarez looked to be a contributor to the rotation after finishing 2018 with a 7-13 record and a 4.49 ERA in 29 starts, but ended up pitching 2019 almost exclusively out the bullpen only starting 2 games in 21 appearances. Connor Menez also started 3 games for the club in 2019. Logan Webb may be the most promising of this group, making his Major League debut on August 17, 2019, he started 8 games in 2019 finishing 2-3 with a 5.22 ERA. So as you can see there are a lot of bodies here, but are there any answers? One other name to add to the list, the Giants signed Tyler Anderson who was claimed off waivers from the Colorado Rockies, non-tendered by the Giants on December 2, and then signed to a one-year Major League contract on December 3. Tyler Anderson missed most of 2019 after knee surgery but had a fairly impressive rookie season in Colorado in 2016 going 5-6 with a 3.54 ERA. The fact that Gausman is right-handed also has the potential to add some balance to the rotation as Suarez, Menez, and Tyler Anderson are all left-handed. Gausman did not have a good overall year in 2019, though he pitched much better in Cincinnati after being moved to the bullpen. But, before you think the Giants signed him as a bullpen piece, Farhan Zaidi has said that they signed Gausman to be a starter.

As for the other move, this comes at a slight cost, but the potential upside is significant. First, let's acknowledge that this was a salary dump by the Angels in order to free up money to sign Anthony Rendon, which they did on December 11 to a 7-year, $245-million contract after Rendon won the 2019 World Series as a member of the Washington Nationals. Cozart is in the final year of a 3-year, $38-million deal he signed with the Angels following a career-best year and All Star appearance in 2017. Unfortunately for Los Angeles, he has not lived up to his contract as he has only played a total of 96 games in 2 years for the Angels due to variety of injuries. His current shoulder injury means he may never appear in a Giants uniform, but if he does the Giants have a potential depth middle infielder who is only 3 seasons removed from hitting .297 with 24 home runs in Cincinnati. The Giants will take on the remaining $12.667-million on Cozart's contract. One thing I think you may see with both Cozart and Gausman is, if they are able to contribute you may see Farhan Zaidi flip them for more pieces in much the same way Drew Pomeranz was traded to the Milwaukee Brewers after less than one season with the Giants in exchange for Mauricio Dubon.

The big chip in the Angels trade, however, is going to be Will Wilson. Wilson was the #15 pick in the first round of the 2019 draft, only 5 picks after the Giants selected Hunter Bishop with the #10 pick. It's been stated that Wilson was 1 of 3 or 4 players the Giants were considering with their pick, so to get him in this deal is a pretty significant pickup. Wilson was the Angels' #4 prospect and it's reported that he is now the #10 prospect in the Giants organization, which says a lot about how the Giants have rebuilt their minor league system in just a couple of seasons. Wilson was drafted as a shortstop but has a knock against his arm strength which means his Major League position may end up being 2nd base. He was an elite defensive shortstop in college with decent range and soft hands, and has surprising power for his size hitting 37 home runs in 3 collegiate seasons. Wilson only stole 4 bases in his college career and needs to work on his plate discipline and patience. Wilson is only 21 and has only 1 year of professional baseball under his belt, but he could be a major piece of the next great Giants team. Our prospect list currently features names like Joey Bart (C), Heliot Ramos (OF), Marco Luciano (SS), Hunter Bishop (OF), and Logan Wyatt (1B), and now add Wilson to that list. None of these players have played above AA ball so it'll probably be a few years before we see any of these players in San Francisco, but the Giants are definitely building towards the future.

What now will the Giants do? Well, with these trades the Giants have potentially chipped away at 2 of their offseason needs (starting pitching, infield depth), but that still leaves a lot on their shopping list. We may have reason to be excited about the power outfield bat, however, as the Giants have been reported to be the top bidder for Nicholas Castellanos. Castellanos played his first 6 and a half seasons in Detroit, but put together a brilliant 2nd half after being traded to the Chicago Cubs hitting .321 with 16 home runs in only 51 games. He finished the year with 27 home runs overall which is his 3rd straight season with 20+. He also has ties to San Francisco now that Scott Harris is the General Manager. Harris was the Assistant GM with Chicago last year when they acquired Castellanos. There are some concerns about Castellanos' defense, but the Giants report that they think his defense improved last year after the trade.

So that's the news folks. What to look for in the future? I would guess that the Giants will add 1 more starting pitcher. I would also guess that they'll probably add some bullpen arms, but mostly on minor-league and non-guaranteed deals. I think the Giants were pretty comfortable with their bullpen makeup last season after Moronta went down but they definitely need to identify a closer to replace Smith. I'm not sure if we'll see a catcher signing soon. Remember Erik Kratz was acquired last year on March 24, just about a week before Opening Day. I'll definitely be keeping an eye on Castellanos as both the Texas Rangers and Chicago Cubs are reportedly in conversations with Castellanos' agent. What do you think? Are you excited for baseball? Spring Training opens in about 2 months. Lots to do folks, lots to do.