Twitter

I can honestly say I do not use Twitter and I do not see myself ever trying it.  I cannot figure out the purpose of Twitter.  That video that Dr. Pace showed in class about it summed it all up for me.  It seems like it is a group of people who like to post their feelings and actions across the Internet so other people can know what is going on in their life.  Only problem I see with that is...who cares?  Even posting these three blogs about myself and not the class have been quite difficult for me.  I know that no one cares what my hobbies are and what I have done in my life.  Also, most of the time when I write, I am writing for personal reasons only and I do not want others to see.  Writing helps me to relieve some built up frustrations I may have.  While I like to think the world revolves around me, I know that the rest of the people in the world definitely do not see it that way.  Besides it seems to me like it would be easier to just send an email to those who might possibly care about the events in your life.  I think its safe to say that the majority of people who have access to the Internet probably have some sort of email set up whether it is through a business or just a personal account.  As cold as I may seem after writing this blog, I really am a compassionate person; however, I am also very blunt and I will be the first to tell you that I do not care what anybody eats for breakfast or what time they wake up in the mornings.  I feel as though sites like Twitter give kids an easier way to become disconnected from reality, while still letting them feel as though they have friends.

Music

Another passion of mine is music.  Unlike a lot of people, I will not tell you that I like a little bit of everything when it comes to music.  I listen to country occasionally, but for the most part I spend my time listening to alternative rock and I love going to the concerts.  In fact on May 10th I have tickets to go to the sold out Buzzfest show at the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion.  Buzzfest is a rock concert consisting of 14 bands and it starts at 1:00 p.m. and does not end until about 11:30 p.m.  This is probably one of the most exciting days out of the year for me!  I get there as soon as the door opens and I stay until they start kicking people out.  I also enjoying going to ScoutBar in Beaumont or Clear Lake.  Out of all of the music venues I have been to, the sound quality at ScoutBar is pretty much the best.  I am the kind of person that will be in line to get tickets at 8:00 a.m. even if they do not go on sale until 10:00 a.m.  I can never risk them being sold out before I get a chance to get my tickets.  Normally I buy more than enough tickets and when the show becomes sold out, I start handing them out to my friends so we can all go.  Another part of music that I like is the lyrics.  If I like a song, 9 times out of 10 I will know every single word to that song as well.  I guess it's like poetry to me.  I can really connect to songs and I enjoy seeing how they relate to my life as well.  You can tell a lot about a person by the type of music they listen to and the same goes for the artists and the songs they write.  More than likely, if an artist is singing about heartbreak, they have experienced it recently or in the past, but it still left an imprint on them.  While I think I could go on and on about my love for music, I'm pretty sure you get the gist of what I am trying to say and I do not want to be redundant so...I will end here with a link to my favorite radio station (the creators of Buzzfest) 94.5 the Buzz.

German Shepherds

Well, I can't for the life of me find the video I was looking for, so I will just try to explain what it was and what its importance is for me.  On Animal Planet, I saw an episode where a German Shepherd had been rescued from the pound.  The owners worked with her and helped her become very personable.  They could tell that she was very good with other people so she got a job working at a local high school with the counselor.  Apparently, the dogs presence does numbers for the students who are going through difficult times and need to meet with the counselor.  The students normally sit in the office and either pet or brush the dog and it helps to take their mind off of their own issues.  It also helps them to talk about their problems without really focusing on the fact that they are pouring their hearts out.  The reason this video touched me so deeply is because I happen to have a 2 year old solid black German Shepherd (she is the picture on my profile).  Well technically she was imported from Czechoslovakia so she is a little smaller than the average German Shepherd.  She is the most amazing dog and my best friend.  She is a loving companion and I am very confident that she would do just about anything to protect me.  I feel that she definitely has the personality to become a counseling dog.  Any time a person reaches down to pet her, she immediately flops over and wants you to love her belly.  Her ears don't stand up which is unusual so I can guarantee she won't be winning any dog shows, but she has won my heart and I would love to have the opportunity one day to use her to help put smiles on children's faces.  Here is a link to read more information on German Shepherds. 

E-books

I found this video and I could not get over how pointless it seemed trying to make e-books as realistic as possible.  For me, if I want to turn pages and flip through a book I will go to the bookstore or library.  Call me lazy, but I do not expect to have to turn the pages of an online book.  I find it much easier to just scroll down the page on the Internet.  There are a few times when it seems as if she has difficulties turning the page.  She has actually come up with different methods of turning the "cyber page."  I can kind of understand displaying collectibles and hard to find books in this manner; however, it seems trivial to create an e-book version for Dr. Seuss books.  I think Bolter poses a good question when he talks about "what challenges digital media will pose for print" (Bolter 6).  It's possible that more people might begin writing strictly for the computer if the pages of the book are realistic.  This will be especially useful for those who have touch screen computers because then it really will feel like turning the page of an actual book.  An added benefit is that the price of the book can be considerably cheaper because consumers will not have to pay for the ink and paper.  Publishing on the internet will also allow books to reach more people. I personally prefer to from the actual book rather than the Internet because I feel that there is less of a strain on my eyes.  While I do not think that print will ever become obsolete, I do feel that more and more people will consider reading and publishing on the Internet.  

Awesomeness

 This is probably one of the coolest things I have ever seen.  I realize the video is from 2007, but this is the first I have seen about it.  I'm guessing something went slightly wrong though considering I have not seem them in bars or restaurants and here it is two years later, but the idea of it is really cool.  All you have to do is just lay your credit card on the table and add the tip percentage and then you no longer have to wait for your waiter to bring you back the change.  I am not too sure how well this sort of thing would work though considering all of the malfunctions computers alone have.  While this may be a neat thing to have in your home, I do not feel it will work as well as they expect them to.  Not to mention, people will have to be taught how to use them and then I'm sure some people will be hesitant to learn.  With identity theft at a peak, I wonder how many people will feel comfortable using this concept to pay for their dinner. The idea of being able to finger through photos that easily is pretty cool.  It is difficult to keep up with pictures as it is and this would make it easier for several people to look at portraits at one time without you having to dig through the closet to find an album. The price is outrageous and because of the recession that we are experiencing, I wonder if it put a halt on this creation.  Not too mention, I think it will be years before the average household is comfortable enough with the economy to spend this kind of money on a product they don't really know too much about.

Text to Webtext

For me, the text to webtext project was probably the most difficult.  First, you have to pick a paper that you think is interesting enough, but at the same time lengthy enough to create a wikispace for it.  Next, I had issues deciding how I wanted to split the paper up so it would flow smoothly on the space.  Normally, with a regular paper, I am not worried about how smoothly it flows at first because the teacher will read it and give comments about rearranging it if need be, but when you put something on the internet for all to see, you have to make sure it is easy to navigate and readable.  It was also hard because I wrote the paper a few years ago so it was not my best writing so I wanted to go in and rewrite the paper to make it better, but that would have defeated the whole purpose.  I do not particularly like for other people to read my papers, so blogging and creating wikispaces was a bit of an adjustment for me.  I have to be more conscious about what I am writing so as not to offend anyone or make myself look dumb. While this multimedia class has been a unique experience, I do not see myself continuing blogs or creating any pages for others to read.  Since I plan to become a teacher myself in the next couple of years, I will be able to take the knowledge I have gathered from this class and hopefully share it with my students although they will probably know much more about blogging and webpages than I will by that time.  I will definitely have them do a text to webtext project though because I feel everyone should experience that at least once.

Death Penalty for Blogging

Last July in Iran, parliament passed a bill stating that it is a crime for any citizen to post web blogs that encourage corruption or conversion from Islam.  They are now trying to pass a law that could make these crimes punishable via the death penalty.  The first issue I see with this is who gets to decide what is offensive and what is not.  There are certain acts such as rape and murder that are obviously offensive and should be punished, but I do not think people should be punished for writing blogs over those issues.  I personally do not like writing for the public, but I would hate to think that I could be punished for having certain thoughts and feelings. While blogs can be viewed by anybody who has access to the internet, it is still a personal page and while I think there should be slight regulation over what topics can be discussed, I by no means think any government should have the right to kill over it.  Another problem the Iranian government is having is that because there are so many people creating web pages and blogs, there is no possible way they can regulate every single blog.  I am sure many people remember the case a few years back where a mother in the United States created a Myspace page posing as a young teen boy.  She ended up sending messages to a thirteen year old girl her daughter knew and they began talking nearly every night until she began taunting and harassing her.  She eventually sent the young girl a message saying the world would be a better place without her and because the girl was already experiencing depression, she committed suicide.  While some feel this mother should suffer some sort of punishment, the issue is still very controversial because the child was under the age Myspace requires you to be.  The ultimate question is who decides what is too offensive and why.  Oh and as if people did not already know, herein lies another reason the United States of America is the most awesome country in the world.

How texting changes meaning

I came across this picture the other day when I was looking at some other comics and I thought it was hilarious.  The website is explosm.net and they create a new strip everyday.  They have some really funny ones; however, this is one of the only examples I could find pertaining to this class.  The reason I like this comic is because I never realized just how much texting and using abbreviations changes the meaning of what a person is trying to say.  Here we have the famous line "I'll be back" from the terminator using abbreviations and it just does not have the same ring to it.  It almost makes the phrase seem kind of wimpy.  It is not even in all caps so there is no firmness behind it like there normally is.  Some people think texting is going to be the downfall of our generation; however, I do not think they could be more wrong.  Texting is a comfortable medium for those who have trouble socializing in person and it provides an easy way to send messages such as "I'm going to the store, be home later" instead of having to call the person.  Also, it is a form of writing whether it is a form you choose to agree with or disagree with, it is still a way of projecting thoughts.  The only complaint I have against avid texters is when they do it while driving on the highway beside me!  There is a time to text and a time to refrain from doing so.  If your texting puts other people's lives in danger, then I think its a given that you should not text.  Other than that, I have no issues and I say go for it if it makes you happy.