Inspire Me!

    After watching the student videos that were provided and recommended I truly got inspired. Although they were all very different I took something away from each. Below are the three videos I choose to write more in depth about. Whether I thought they were good videos, not so good videos, or needed some work all three inspired me in some way.

Art of Motion

    The first video I’m going to talk about was done by a group of students from the University of Rochester. This video is very fast pace and uses stop animation.  Stop animation is a technique used to make objects look like they are in motion. In this video the people are the objects that are given the illusion they are in motion.  The topic is displayed to be some sort of fight scene. The concept of motion is the main topic but a fight scene is also present.  The first part of the video shows only one character that is flying, sliding, jumping through a college campus. It almost seems like this character is just trying to enjoy his day by the way he is flying through campus in an almost comedic way. He suddenly runs into his enemy and the fight scene is in full effect. This video almost reminded me of a scene out of the Matrix movie. The normal fight scene that is between two arch nemeses is electrified by the stop animation. Instead of the fight being on the ground with two characters running around fighting each other it is taken into the air. Although the characters were portraying a fight scene no one was actually being harmed. Once again even though the illusion of motion was the main concept a comedic view was also used.  This video is very strong and well done. Even though it is very fast it is still interesting and kept my attention.

Cooking Activity

    The second video I’m going to talk about was done by a student who enjoys cooking. It is a short self portrait of a student who is showcasing a part of himself through cooking. This video had a slower pace than the art of motion one. I noticed some text in the beginning but not too much. There were also some camera angels of the kitchen and food that I though was very interesting.  The topic of this video is very obvious that it is cooking. Whether it is a hobby or a life dream for this student you can see he truly enjoys cooking and the presentation of food.  The whole video shows the student preparing a meal. He incorporated still shots of ingredients and utensils. Although the video starts off a bit slower it speeds up when he is cutting some ingredients up. These I feel was very important because even though the video is short the slowness makes it drag a bit.  Sometimes the preparation of a meal can take hours so speeding up the video was important to not make the video an hour long. This video is short and sweet. The topic of cooking is easily portrayed through this self-portrait video of the student.  The angle used by the camera makes for an artistic view on cooking. I believe this video was very well done for being so short.  The only negative comment I have is that the student could have used better lighting in some areas and the ending was a bit abrupt.

 Self-portrait in a literal sense                

    The third video I’m going to talk about is a self-portrait video done by a student who uses objects to literally explain himself.  The first thing I noticed about this video was how clear it was from the other videos.  I’m not just talking about the topic but the actual clarity of the video.  The student is showing his life through his living space. Some text is used but at the right times and there is no overkill of words. The video topic is clearly a self-portrait of this person and his life. The video starts with the opening of a door and also ends with the closing of the same door. This I thought was very clever and shows unity in the video.  The video displays themes throughout that go along with this person’s life. He shows his art, music, band, tech, and his productions. This video was a bit slow paced but so greatly put together that it didn’t really matter. You could tell that this student really knew what he was doing because everything flowed. There were many topics of himself that he shared but they somehow all fit together. The transitions between these topics were created by text and went very smoothly. The student also put footage of his band, and productions into the video which gave it more life and movement. The combination of slower frames and actual footage made this video. I have absolutely no negative critiques about this self-portrait video.

    All three of these self-portrait videos were very different and had varying topics. I picked these three videos because they were the ones I enjoyed the most and got the most inspired from. I liked how they all did not use much text and used slower frames and faster ones throughout their videos.

Web 2.0

What I Think Web 2.0 Is:

To me web 2.0 is the next big thing. It is a place where you can interact and be connected at all times. Information can be shared with the click of a button and responses are instantaneous. If I post something on Facebook or even on a blog, my peers can read and comment on my words or thoughts. I also have the power of designing my own Internet. With Chrome and other similar sites I can make my homepage and fill it with the sites I visit most often. The timeliness of it all is probably the most impressive. I can ask a question whether it is through a social media site, email, or even a website about that certain topic and get an answer almost immediately. Web 2.0 also allows people to connect and get information about restaurants, hotels, and travel destinations from reviews right on their websites. The next question is where do I think Web 2.0 is going? This is almost an impossible question to answer just because our technology is always changing and surprising me. All I know is it's going to be big. Thinking about everything we can do now from social media sites to things like Skype. Skype is a site that allows users to chat through the camera on your phone or computer. Being able to communicate with friends across the word is great but being able to see their face as well is even better. The possibilities are endless for what’s next. I also think that the hype Web 2.0 exerts is pretty dead on for what it actually is and allows one to do. If you think about the Internet when you were a child and what you were able to do and then add ten, fifteen years. So much has changed and evolved and all I know is that when I was a kid playing my games or chatting with friends I didn't think there was ever going to be a site like Twitter or Instagram.


Web 2.0 And How It Effects Social Networking:


The question of what Web 2.0 actually is and what it entails is still in question. The web has evolved to the point where you can now post comments on others thoughts and become connected with the world with a click of a button. Being able to easily navigate through the Web is something that society today craves. You might be asking what the difference is between Web 1.0 and Web 2.0. There is clear and concise examples to what make these two different. There was no available function in Web 1.0 that allowed people to interact as directly as they can with Web 2.0. In addition social networking wouldn't be possible if there was no Web 2.0. The way you can post pictures and write comments on your friend’s pictures is what Web 2.0 is. Social networking is a part of our everyday lives and the idea of always being connected is not just an idea anymore, its reality. All of these social media sites that you can't live without wouldn't be possible if not for Web 2.0. The Web is also ever changing and that is shown with the rise of the mobile. By being able to access the Web and connect with people on social media sites through your phone just shows how even Web 2.0 is evolving. In addition the way businesses can use the Web to market their websites or products with is another function of Web 2.0. The fact that feedback can be given and received with the click of a button is how Web 2.0 helps companies market their brand or product. With the Web being in an ever-changing society the need for it to be ever-evolving as well is visible.

 

 

 

 

WikiHow: How to survive living with male roommates as a female

WikiHow: How to survive living with male roommates as a female

Intro: Are you a female who is considering living with only male roommates or already lives with only males? Here are some steps to take that will help you survive having male roommates. Some of them might not be pretty but hey you choose to live with only males so might as well make the best of it. Even if things may seem bad now there are also many pros to only having male roommates. Things like there is less drama that you could possible get from living with female roommates. If someone ever did break in or along the lines of protection male roommates might come in handy better than females. By having male roommates you always have a males perspective on situations you might be going through. So follow these steps on how to survive living with male roommates as a female.

Step 1: Learn to accept that your living space will never be as clean as you might like

When you live with men who no longer live with their mother, who lets face it probably cleaned up after them for their whole life, they aren't going to start now. If you don't want to be their mother you will have to get used to a little messiness. When your house or apartment gets to that degree of uncleanliness you need to speak up. If you don’t your living space will end up looking like a house on the TV show hoarders.

Step 2: Schedule a weekly cleaning day and break up duties

Following step one these men are not going to clean the place by themselves, they need a little reinforcement. You might think this step is not needed but trust me it's needed. Those red cups will add up, the bathroom will begin to look unrecognizable, and the dishes in the sink will begin to grow something funky. The cleaning section at the grocery store will become you new best friend. Even if you do have only male roommates they are still just that, roommates. There is a certain level of respect that should be there for ones living space.

Step 3: Get used to having a house full of males

Men like to gather around a TV all day or night and either watch sporting events or pointless shows while eating, drinking, and other such activities. When you come home from work or a long day at school don't be taken back by the room full of males yelling and screaming about a lousy call the refs made in the Giants game. Also don't be surprised that when you go into the kitchen to get a snack they are all gone.

Step 4: Label or hide your food

Adding onto the last step, if there is any food in your kitchen that you don't want eaten by your male roommate's or roommates friends hide or put a huge sticky note on them. When males get hungry they don't remember what they bought or what you bought from the grocery store.

Step 5: Don't start a romantic relationship with one of your male roommates

This is a big one ladies. You might be thinking that this could be a great idea. It's casual and if you get lonely or bored in the middle of the night you don't have a long walk across the hallway. You also might be thinking that you already live with this person so you know everything about them already. And if you were to start dating them you’d already know what it’s like to live with them. What would then happen when you guys break up? Do you move out or does he? Or if neither of you decide to leave what happens when he brings another girl home? The word I’m thinking of here is "awkward."

Step 6: Make sure to lock your bedroom door at night

If you do have a flirty roommate who likes to think it's ever going to happen with you guys remember to lock your door before bed. Another good reason to lock your door at night is when your drunken guy roommates or roommate’s friends come home after a long night of drinking they might either mistake your room for theirs or try some funny business. If you want to skip a very awkward morning remember that locks are our friends.


Step 7: If you do have a boyfriend or start dating someone warn them before you have them over

If you start dating someone and plan to have him over give him a proper warning about your living situation. Giving these guys a head's up before walking into the lion’s den is the right thing to do. There are a few reasons for this step. One of the reasons is that male roommates can be protective and start acting like your father. Also this new guy might think you hook up with or date your current roommates and get scared and leave. You want to assure him that is not the case and your male roommates are like brothers.

Step 8: When you do something nice don't expect anything in return

If you decide to be Susie homemaker for the day and go on a baking rampage don't expect your male roommates to return the favor. They will at the most say thank you and then devour everything that you just spent all day making. It's not that they don't appreciate you they are just men.

Conclusion: By following these eight steps living with males as a female will go a lot smoother. Now I didn't say easy I just said smoother. Being the only female does have its perks but can also be very challenging at times. Stick in there though because if anything you will always have a good time and some funny stories to take away with you in the end. And lets face it in the end you're out on you're own and you’re not living in your parent’s basement so suck it up and let your hair down. 

Danger, Will Robinson!

    
    Today's social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter can have both a positive and negative impact on society. Younger generations seem to only look at the positives of social networking and can forget about the dangers.

    Some positive aspects of social networking can be stronger communication, easy access, and business ventures. By having social media sites such as Facebook more people are communicating with each other than ever before. Families who live on the opposite end of the country or even world can communicate back and forth with the click of a button. And not only can they communicate easily but they can stay involved in each other’s lives even with being thousands of miles away. Another positive aspect of social networking sites is the easy access to millions of people. Be it schoolmates, co-workers, or even old friends access to sharing information about an upcoming meeting or homework assignment is easily shared. Communication and the way ideas can be shared are a direct cause of social networking sites.

    Businesses are also taking advantage of social networking sites to promote their business. Especially with younger generations we are always online or have easy access to the Internet which makes advertising through these sites key. Most businesses today have some sort of social networking site to promote and advertise their business.

    Even though there are many positives to social networking sites there are also many negatives. One of them being the lack of privacy. When you have a social networking page of your own you are basically putting your private and personal life out in the open for the world to see. Even though sites such as Facebook has privacy settings you can never be too sure about what is actually truly private. Another negative aspect is the isolation these social sites are creating. Even though people are communicating the actual face-to-face time between people is decreasing making people stay in isolation. This unhealthy behavior can become quite serious. One last negative aspect of social networking sites in the increase in cyber bullying. Teens (even adults) are interacting on these social media sites, causing the act of cyber bullying to be seen, and committed, by both. This has become fatal in some situations and has even lead to death by teens that were being teased online.

    These sites can be very useful and are a major part of our lives but can also have harmful effects of today's society. Negative aspects of social media sites are overshadowed by the endless possibilities these sites have given us through communication. The act that you can instantly connect with hundreds of friends with the click of a button is truly remarkable. These social networking sites are definitely not going anywhere anytime soon. I believe this is just the beginning of social media and its entirety.