Well, these last couple of weeks in Writing & Computers, we watched people present their PowerPoint slides about the different topics we were asked to research (user-generated content, participatory culture). In addition to that, Professor Jennings had us finish our class blogs and wiki entries, and sent us a link to what may be an interesting video.
Showing posts with label Blogs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Blogs. Show all posts
Sunday, December 7, 2008
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Writing & Computers: How a mashup is like a paper...
With digital mashups, you use many different sources of information and content. Some of that content may come in different forms. In writing a research paper, the only difference is that the writing is the only content you will use. However, different kinds of content, such as videos, blogs, and articles, can be cited. You also use different sources of information for your paper.
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Writing & Computers: The "wiki" in Wikipedia
I am shifting gears for the next couple of months to talk about what's happening in Professor Jennings' Writing & Computers class. We have been talking more about blogs as well as "wikis." Both blogs and wikis are user-generated content (one or more people write or create/post photos, videos, sound, or graphics to a page). Wikis are also known as open-source content (anyone who can access or use the page can write or edit content on the page). You may ask, what is a "wiki"? Well, if you have ever heard of Wikipedia, half of that word may make the meaning of "wiki" a little more obvious to you. A wiki is a Web page (or a collection of Web pages) with content that allows anyone who accesses it to contribute their content or edit others content. A great example of a widely used wiki is known as Wikipedia. Many professors and other professionals do not like Wikipedia because of its ability to be edited by anyone. Someone could come onto the page and post false information about something, where in the past content had to be checked for facts and reviewed by peers to appear on a page). However, a few professors I have had say that with Wikipedia (and other wikis), you are getting the best, most unbiased information possible. I believe that with Wikipedia, nearly anyone can edit content without an account, while with other wikis, one has to have a user account. I do agree that Wikipedia can be a source of knowledge about certain topics; however, you do have to check your facts by looking at other Web sites, message boards/forums, and media forms (biased or not) to make sure the information is accurate and professionally checked.
Professor Jennings also gives us plenty of practice with writing and research, as she has given us a Web research and analysis project that is due this Wednesday. Sometimes she gives us a topic and has us write about it for the last few minutes (or half of) the class. This is great practice for anyone going into any communications profession as well as any profession where writing and timeliness are required.
One final note I have to add: my short film, "The Java Addict's Tragedy," got some attention by local blog Web sites Sparkle City Blogs and Spartanburg Spark. You can read more about it at these links:
The Sparkle City Blogs coverage:
http://www.sparklecityblogs.com/
The Spartanburg Spark coverage:
http://www.spartanburgspark.com/2008/09/video-o-rama-java-addicts-tragedy-pot-bubbles-hells-gate-and-bustin-parking-lot-moves/
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
"Eyewitnessing" the media part 1
For my Survey of Mass Communications class, I have been asked to keep a media diary for three days (which started yesterday) about all of the media encounters I have. My first two encounters happened watching and listening to the television. I was watching a "Malcolm in the Middle" rerun on FX; it was the episode where Reese (Justin Berfield), after being dumped by his girlfriend, deserts his family and his home for the armed forces. It was a two-part episode, so I could not watch the second half of it due to having an 8:00 class. However I have been exposed to the stereotype that many men join the armed forces because of serious relationships crumbling. There is also some sense that can be made of this episode; Reese is someone that easily takes orders and can withstand pain. He does a lot of things without thinking (such as bullying his brothers and other people for no reason). You would have to watch more of the series to see how truly hilarious of a character Reese can be. The other encounter I had watching television was when I was listening to someone in the other room watch the news. Many people I know like to know what's going on and how the weather and traffic are going to be when they first awake. Who can blame them? I know I do not want to rush to school or to work in heavy traffic or a severe storm. Also, much crime and newsworthy events seem to happen overnight, resulting in success for the morning news programs. Also when one watches the morning news, there are lots of human interest stories and even entertainment and other light-hearted topics throughout these shows (to balance out what would otherwise be a cluttered nightmare of crime, bad weather, and awful traffic). Watching the morning news makes for good water cooler talk or for great conversation at one's favorite breakfast, lunch, or coffee spot.
On the way to school I listened to a couple of morning radio shows, New Rock 93.3 The Planet's Rise Guys and Rock 101's John Boy & Billy. Some of the topics on the Rise Guys' show included censorship, "political correctness," and heckling (in relation to the lives of stand-up comedians). I went to get some gum after my first class; heading back to school I listened to John Boy & Billy's show. There was this possibly satirical Christian preacher on the show. He was talking about how he was not crazy for the invention of television. He said that he thought that television took away our time from the more important things in life. This is where the satirical part comes in to play. He was saying that the state of television is even worse now than before (thanks to MTV and "The Real World"). He talked about how unrealistic "reality" shows were, and brought up some reality shows he "hated" ("American Idol Worshippers," "Who Wants a Nose Job").
In my English class we talked about blogs, the ways you can search other people in blogs, what to do with blogs (include SOME interests on your profile), and what NOT to do with blogs (do NOT include TOO many interests to where you look desperate to have online friends). This class is the class that I am blogging for at this moment.
I went to eat lunch at Panera Bread (the half-sandwich, the soup, the bread, two cups of green tea-what more could you ask on a rainy day?). As I was sitting and eating lunch, I read a chapter out of a book for my religion class. The chapter talked about how religious principles have led to wars (by being narrow-minded towards others' views), and how people could be using their beliefs for helping people (fighting social justice, poverty). The man that wrote this article seems to take on principles of Buddha and of Christ. I got from this chapter that we have to really consider why we believe what we believe, why others believe what they believe, and what it means to act on our beliefs in love and tolerance instead of hatred and intolerance.
On the road I also saw a billboard for a low-calorie beer. Beer-drinking college students and party animals who work out, this billboard was tailored just for you. I had never seen such a thing advertised before. I had to wonder how low-calorie this beer really was. In America, many people like to drink beer, but many also like to watch their health/weight. I do not know what is or is not in this beer that makes it low-calorie. I do believe, though, that certain people will buy almost anything that is advertised. The reason I believe this is that (and I myself am guilty of this) people do not want to sacrifice something that they really enjoy for something else they want. They will find an easier way out of that situation so that they can enjoy both (not that there's anything wrong with that...in moderation).
Speaking of advertising, I read an article the other day that said that drinking four cups of coffee or tea a day can lead to better health (reducing cancer risks, better metabolism). Yesterday I did an experiement with myself and drank about four cups worth of coffee (and most of it was hot...except for one iced drink...on a hot day), and four cups worth of tea (two glasses of green tea at Panera, one glass of sweet tea). It was a fun experiment, but you had better be prepared to want to reclaim a mintier, sweeter taste in your mouth.
Finally, I watched three out of the four CBS comedies on Monday nights ("The Big Bang Theory," "How I Met Your Mother," and "Two and a half Men") with my mother. "The Big Bang Theory" was centered around Sheldon Cooper (Jim Parsons) who is kicked off of his friends' academic team because of his constant need to answer questions and be right. Sheldon winds up recruiting a team of his own and decides to answer all of the questions for his team. This show can be a bit stereotypical about "nerds" versus "the popular crowd." However, this provided a message about how we can sometimes be too prideful of our knowledge to the point that we would rather be wrong alone than right with a group of others. On "How I Met Your Mother" the character of Barney Stinson (Neil Patrick Harris) did something (unintentionally) to upset his friend Ted Mosby (Josh Radnor). Barney tried everything to keep it secret and to keep from upsetting his friend. The truth then came out, and the trust was gone. This episode made me think of how we make other people feel when we show disrespect for their wishes, but clearly this is not what Barney intended to do. It also made me think of how prideful in ourselves we can be and how we expect even someone like Barney (who is known for doing some sketchy things in the show), who is Ted's good friend, would never do anything to betray us or make a mistake. We have to consider the failings of those around us as well as our own failings. When we consider that, we come to a greater understanding of why and how people do the irrational things they do. On "Two and a half Men" (practically every episode) I learn about the weaknesses of many relationships, particularly those that people of the opposite sex have with each other. The character of Charlie Harper (brilliantly played by Charlie Sheen, who is possibly doing a self-parody) has trouble relating to women. He does not treat them well, and goes from one to another (sometimes two an episode). This is because of the relationship Charlie and his brother, Alan Harper (Jon Cryer) had with their mother Evelyn (Holland Taylor). Alan has trouble relating to women as well, but he relates in a different way. Alan tries too hard to make everyone happy, is a bit neurotic and self-righteous, and cannot say "no" to women who treat him like crap (particularly his ex-wife, Judith-played by Marin Hinkle). It makes me think that I need to find that fine balance between underachiever (Charlie) and overachiever (Alan). There are also weaknesses in the family relationships in this show, but there is a subtle, understated shade of love in that household (not preachy, sugary-sweet, and/or melodramatic like other family sitcoms can be). Well those were the media encounters I had for Monday, and I will post Tuesday's on Wednesday (and Wednesday's on Thursday).
On the way to school I listened to a couple of morning radio shows, New Rock 93.3 The Planet's Rise Guys and Rock 101's John Boy & Billy. Some of the topics on the Rise Guys' show included censorship, "political correctness," and heckling (in relation to the lives of stand-up comedians). I went to get some gum after my first class; heading back to school I listened to John Boy & Billy's show. There was this possibly satirical Christian preacher on the show. He was talking about how he was not crazy for the invention of television. He said that he thought that television took away our time from the more important things in life. This is where the satirical part comes in to play. He was saying that the state of television is even worse now than before (thanks to MTV and "The Real World"). He talked about how unrealistic "reality" shows were, and brought up some reality shows he "hated" ("American Idol Worshippers," "Who Wants a Nose Job").
In my English class we talked about blogs, the ways you can search other people in blogs, what to do with blogs (include SOME interests on your profile), and what NOT to do with blogs (do NOT include TOO many interests to where you look desperate to have online friends). This class is the class that I am blogging for at this moment.
I went to eat lunch at Panera Bread (the half-sandwich, the soup, the bread, two cups of green tea-what more could you ask on a rainy day?). As I was sitting and eating lunch, I read a chapter out of a book for my religion class. The chapter talked about how religious principles have led to wars (by being narrow-minded towards others' views), and how people could be using their beliefs for helping people (fighting social justice, poverty). The man that wrote this article seems to take on principles of Buddha and of Christ. I got from this chapter that we have to really consider why we believe what we believe, why others believe what they believe, and what it means to act on our beliefs in love and tolerance instead of hatred and intolerance.
On the road I also saw a billboard for a low-calorie beer. Beer-drinking college students and party animals who work out, this billboard was tailored just for you. I had never seen such a thing advertised before. I had to wonder how low-calorie this beer really was. In America, many people like to drink beer, but many also like to watch their health/weight. I do not know what is or is not in this beer that makes it low-calorie. I do believe, though, that certain people will buy almost anything that is advertised. The reason I believe this is that (and I myself am guilty of this) people do not want to sacrifice something that they really enjoy for something else they want. They will find an easier way out of that situation so that they can enjoy both (not that there's anything wrong with that...in moderation).
Speaking of advertising, I read an article the other day that said that drinking four cups of coffee or tea a day can lead to better health (reducing cancer risks, better metabolism). Yesterday I did an experiement with myself and drank about four cups worth of coffee (and most of it was hot...except for one iced drink...on a hot day), and four cups worth of tea (two glasses of green tea at Panera, one glass of sweet tea). It was a fun experiment, but you had better be prepared to want to reclaim a mintier, sweeter taste in your mouth.
Finally, I watched three out of the four CBS comedies on Monday nights ("The Big Bang Theory," "How I Met Your Mother," and "Two and a half Men") with my mother. "The Big Bang Theory" was centered around Sheldon Cooper (Jim Parsons) who is kicked off of his friends' academic team because of his constant need to answer questions and be right. Sheldon winds up recruiting a team of his own and decides to answer all of the questions for his team. This show can be a bit stereotypical about "nerds" versus "the popular crowd." However, this provided a message about how we can sometimes be too prideful of our knowledge to the point that we would rather be wrong alone than right with a group of others. On "How I Met Your Mother" the character of Barney Stinson (Neil Patrick Harris) did something (unintentionally) to upset his friend Ted Mosby (Josh Radnor). Barney tried everything to keep it secret and to keep from upsetting his friend. The truth then came out, and the trust was gone. This episode made me think of how we make other people feel when we show disrespect for their wishes, but clearly this is not what Barney intended to do. It also made me think of how prideful in ourselves we can be and how we expect even someone like Barney (who is known for doing some sketchy things in the show), who is Ted's good friend, would never do anything to betray us or make a mistake. We have to consider the failings of those around us as well as our own failings. When we consider that, we come to a greater understanding of why and how people do the irrational things they do. On "Two and a half Men" (practically every episode) I learn about the weaknesses of many relationships, particularly those that people of the opposite sex have with each other. The character of Charlie Harper (brilliantly played by Charlie Sheen, who is possibly doing a self-parody) has trouble relating to women. He does not treat them well, and goes from one to another (sometimes two an episode). This is because of the relationship Charlie and his brother, Alan Harper (Jon Cryer) had with their mother Evelyn (Holland Taylor). Alan has trouble relating to women as well, but he relates in a different way. Alan tries too hard to make everyone happy, is a bit neurotic and self-righteous, and cannot say "no" to women who treat him like crap (particularly his ex-wife, Judith-played by Marin Hinkle). It makes me think that I need to find that fine balance between underachiever (Charlie) and overachiever (Alan). There are also weaknesses in the family relationships in this show, but there is a subtle, understated shade of love in that household (not preachy, sugary-sweet, and/or melodramatic like other family sitcoms can be). Well those were the media encounters I had for Monday, and I will post Tuesday's on Wednesday (and Wednesday's on Thursday).
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