Friday, April 29, 2011
Ark Music Factory: A Creditable Music Company?
Ark Music Factory is filled with young girls around the age of thirteen, hoping to gain popularity by singing these songs that make no sense. As I sit hear actually listening to the lyrics, I cannot believe an actual producer could come up with something so terrible. Not only is it repetitive, but it does not even rhyme. Rhyming is probably the most simple way to create a tune, yet that is not even accomplished in these singles. Not only are the lyrics terrible, but the young girls are completely tone deaf. I know their voices have been enhanced but isn’t technology a little more advanced that this? It is honestly painful to hear this music. In every one of these videos, there is a black man about the age of thirty that insists on rapping in each of these thirteen year old girls videos. Hmm…that is slightly odd and makes me feel very uncomfortable. Why is he in these videos? Someone should seriously look into this. It seems very out of place to me. Also, these girls are dressed rather seductively and singing about boys and partying. At such a young age, that really shouldn’t be the case.
This is something that young girls will see and want to be like. They will think they need to dress this way and act this way. These girls are too young to be exposed to this. I believe Ark Music Factory is a scam that involves parents spending lots of money for their children to have a video on YouTube and then hopefully get famous. We all know that there is no talent involved, so that is out of the question.
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Whose Wedding? What Revolution?
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
The Best Day

In just less than 32 hours, the 2011 NFL Draft will be underway. It’s more exciting than Christmas and creates more drama than Jersey Shore. Ever since the college football season ended in January, over 300 players have been training nonstop for this very day. All aspects of the players have been carefully scrutinized by hundreds of scouts: from the height, weight, and speed of the players to the concern over a missed tackle during their high school years. These scouts are assigned the duty of dissecting every player in attempts of determining which athlete would fit best with a certain team. The draft is a time where NFL teams could select that one player who helps lead the organization to the Super Bowl, or it’s a moment where a player could be selected and paid millions only to never produce and live up to expectations, thus being labeled a “bust”. The excitement for me comes all throughout the draft. For so many players, their NFL careers begin on draft day and many of their lives change as well. There are no guarantees on draft day – Most organizations keep their draft information strictly confidential and the “draft plans” typically do not leave the coaches offices. The media and big-time fans try their own hand at “mock drafts”, but none have ever been close to correct. Predicting the first round of the draft correctly is like correctly predicting the entire March Madness tournament bracket. There are many aspects that make it impossible to predict the first round. One reason is that there are many trades that occur in the first round. Team’s move in and out of draft spots in order to trade up for a player, or trade down if they feel a player is not worthy. Another aspect is that there are many players’ scouts have graded higher or lower than the average fan. Many issues can lower a player’s stock such as medical, legal, or personal problems. This entire process is what makes the draft so exciting: the uncertainty that lies ahead. You can never be sure what is going to happen or what is about to happen; all you can do is simply watch and enjoy this exhilarating event.
Saturday, April 23, 2011
Fifa World Cup

Every 4 years something spectacular happens. No, there isn’t an eclipse and no, the sky does not fall. Something much greater, and exciting happens. The Fifa World Cup. 640 players, 32 teams, 8 groups, 4 rounds, 1 champ. Every 4 years the entire world stops what they are doing to sit down and watch a soccer ball move from side to side on a beautifully groomed pitch. Other than the Olympics, the World Cup is where countries drop their world issues, and play the beautiful game of futbol. Although we all probably haven’t played soccer ourselves, I assure you watching the World Cup couldn’t be more gripping. Across the globe, 32 teams are assembled consisting of around 20 players on the roster. Coaches are expected to select the most prestigious players to create an elite team ready to face the world. As long as the player is a citizen of the country, they are permitted to step on the pitch and wear their country’s colors. No matter how “bad” your country is at soccer, you will never turn down an offer to play. It is considered to be one of the biggest privileges to be asked to play soccer representing your country. Everyone takes pride in their nation and never thinks twice about putting on their country’s jerseys. There are 11 players on both teams on the pitch at a time. That includes the goalie, defense, midfield, and forwards. The player with a different color arm band on his bicep is the captain of the team and is regarded as the best leader within that country. Because of the long matches (90 min), each team is allowed 3 substitutions. Most teams sub out a player towards the end of the game to add a spark in their attack. There is much strategy to using substitutions. Because there are only 32 teams allowed into the World Cup, the teams must go through a qualification process. Every country that has put together a team will play a round-robin tournament. The top 32 teams are then permitted to play in the World Cup. Deciding where the Fifa World Cup is going to be held is a very extensive process. Each country must select a representative or representatives to travel to a universally easy location. It is usually held somewhere in Europe. The placement of the World Cup is said to have alternated from the Americas and Europe. There is a bidding process that all contending countries go through. A certified Fifa member then proceeds to inspect the host country to make sure it fits the criteria needed to becoming the host. Fifa executive committee then takes a vote on it and decides where to hold the World Cup. The fans across the world are what make this tournament so intense. Fans flee their home countries to go across the entire globe to cheer their country on. Painting their bodies, wearing flags, playing drums. Each country’s fans take everything personal and will do anything to prove their country is better than another one.
Friday, April 22, 2011
Zip Your Lips

I was watching a movie two nights ago and something was brought to my attention. The mood is tense. Clinging my hands to my face I am petrified at what is going to happen next. The demon girl from the Ring is crawling out of the screen towards an innocent man. My legs were shaking; my teeth chattering; my eyes watering up… All of the sudden two girls in the room start talking and giggling. I immediately went from being the most scared person in the room to wanting to rip my ears off. I realized right then and there talking during movies is by far my biggest pet peeve. I absolutely cannot handle it when people are selfish enough to ruin everyone’s movie experience to talk about something funny they just thought about. Nobody cares what you had for breakfast that morning at that moment! Someone in the movie is about to die! Nobody wants to hear why you think the main character is hot right then! Save it for after the movie. Or save it when there is literally nothing else to talk about. But for God’s sake, don’t ruin the movie for everyone else by talking.
Any sort of noise during a movie is unbelievably frustrating. We all laugh at the commercial before our feature presentation when there is that fake baby crying in the theater and the man with the deep voice comes on and says “Don’t spoil the movie for others”. It’s true. Silence that baby of yours and let us all get back to the movie. There is absolutely no reason for a baby to be in a 007 movie anyways! Or when people yell out “Oh yousa gonner!” It’s like dude sit down and shut up. You officially killed my movie experience. Nobody thinks your hot stuff now that you said that. Nobody is going to offer you a job or ask you out or give you their number because of that comment. Sit down, shut your mouth and think about all the people in the room whose movie you just ruined. Whispering during films is just as bad as screaming and talking. I cannot handle it when people are whispering and you hear all these “s” noises. There could not be a more discretely distracting sound. I respect them for trying to be quiet but it can wait. We came there to sit and watch. Not talk about who Suzie is dating now. Sorry, I just had to vent a little.
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Technology: Taking Over the Way We Learn
Many years ago, there were no computers, or televisions, or cell phones that people could waste their time on. Instead, kids would play outside with other kids in the neighborhood, play board games inside and if they were bored, they could always pick up a book to read. When it came time to do homework, there were no distractions, such as Facebook or a constantly buzzing cell phone. Kids would just sit down at a desk, finish their homework, and then be free to play or relax for the rest of the night. However, in today’s day and age, distractions are all around us. Whether it be Facebook, or other websites, or television shows and movies, it is very easy to drag a 30-minute homework assignment into a 2-hour ordeal. I believe technology has not only affected how quickly assignments get done, but also the overall attention span of today’s generations.
I know for me personally, whenever I open up my laptop to start an assignment, the first thing I do is check Facebook. After I waste about 20 minutes doing that, I check my email, and then back to Facebook again. So a half an hour after I sat down, I am finally starting to do my homework. However, while I’m doing my homework, I’m also on Facebook chat catching up with my friend from home, and also texting my hall mate about dinner plans later on. Two hours after I sit down, I’m finally done with a 500-word response that should have taken an hour at most. However, with all of these distractions, it’s hard to stay focused, and it ends up taking a lot longer than an hour.
Not only has technology served as a good distraction method, but there have also been studies that prove that younger generations (the ones who grew up with all this technology) actually do have shorter attention spans. They don’t stay on the same website for more than a couple of minutes on average and they’re constantly starting up new tasks without fully completely other ones. Also, it’s gotten to the point where students actually understand the information better if it’s given to them through the computer, rather than a traditional paperback book.
With all of this reliance on I technology, I really believe generations will get dumber and dumber. If you think about it, people no longer have to go look up information in books from the library anymore; there’s Google for that. There’s no longer a need for maps; we now have GPS’s. Technology is not only enabling us to become extremely lazy, but as I mentioned before, much more A.D.D. When someone is texting 2 people, Facebook chatting another, having a conversation with someone else in the room AND trying to write a paper; there is not way their full attention is on any of those tasks and because of that, each person, or task, is cut short.
Now I realize that this shift towards technology is inevitable, and now that we’re in it there’s no turning back. But I encourage people to really try and make a conscious effort to only do one task at a time and really give it your full attention. Whether that task is finishing math homework, or skyping your mom; do only that task with your full attention and I’m willing to bet it gets done not only faster, but also with higher quality.
Friday, April 15, 2011
Just Hearing Crickets

Why are class discussions often seem quiet, disinterested, and awkward? It is one thing if the discussions on a reading and people haven’t done it, but why are discussions about people’s thoughts on a topic often just as quiet? I have been in classes where the discussions are lively and everyone participates and I’ve also been in classes where I’d rather fight a silver back gorilla than sit there when its “discussion time.” I know everyone does the same thing when they do not want to talk in a class conversation. The teacher will bring up a topic and wait for someone to chime in, but no one does. The teacher keeps waiting and thats when the awkward silence comes in. During the silence there are two go to moves, look in you own personal space like your desk or your hands or you look around the class hoping you’ll see someone throw their two cents in.
I think many people do not participate in class conversations not because they are lost on the topic but because of peer or teacher judgements. I believe one of the worst things is not being wrong in an exact answer but it is having your thoughts judged by others. I personally have listen to others speak their mind and think to myself, “How could anyone think that, thats pretty weird.” An example is when I was in an English class in high school and we were having a class discussion. The conversation dealt with Jack London’s To Build a Fire and we were talking about which would be a better companion, a man or a dog, during a survival situation. During the talk a girl argues that the dog would be better and I remember thinking to myself, “WTF, she must be ripped.” I of coarse argued her and it lead to a good talk but that thought that I had many others often have when hearing someone voice a thought that seems outlandish. This is one reason people do not speak up during class talks.
Another reason why many stay quiet during discussions is due to the inability to voice their true thoughts. This inability is caused from many different sources. A major source that causes people to not voice their true thought is because of social norms. When the topic of steroid use in sports was brought up for discussion felt I should not speak up about the topic because while everyone agreed that steroids are bad for people and sports, I personally know athletes at all levels ranging from professional to high school who use steroids. My view on them if different from most of society’s because of my interaction with users. Another inability for people to voice their opinions during discussion is because of fear that their idea might be misconstrued or that they phrase their option wrongly. If someone were to voice their opinion that they think anime uses beautiful art work and they say, “I think anime is beautiful” it could be interpreted that the person thinks anime characters are beautiful which many might think is weird.
Weak class discussions are not often due to the class not caring and not paying attention. There are many factors that inhibit people from speaking up during class. It is very difficult to move past many social anxieties that one many have and speak up, but it will make class more interesting. If everyone were to put in their two cents then we would all prosper.
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Anime Vs. Cartoon

When our class began recent discussions on Anime, I found myself loosing interest and "zoning" out rather quickly. Although I didn't have much knowledge on the subject, my first impressions and take on Anime weren't the best. The two things that came to mind were: Dragon Ball Z and Anime pornography- two things I am not/will never be a fan of. What I did not understand, though, was the importance of Anime and the effect it has on the Japanese culture.
Monday, April 11, 2011
Globalization

Over the past few weeks we have begun to address the idea of globalization in class. Globalization as we have discussed is the spreading of ideas, culture and economy, throughout the entire globe. As portrayed by this photo the United States has lead the way in globalization or at least the spreading of its specific culture and economy through large mulitnational corporations based in the U.S. As the flag portrays these corporations have become the face of our nation. When people all over the world think of the United States, the first things that come to mind are the flag ship companies of our economy which act in many ways as the diplomates of our culture to the rest of the world. This idea is a worrisome one. When I think of the America which from a young age I've been taught to love and respect, I tend to think of the rolling hills of the south east or the beautiful plains of the Texas land scape, not golden arches. Our culture has come to a point where it is now globally represented by fast food corporations and high tech companies which do most of their work outside of the United States to begin with. The day to day interaction that people from other nations have with American culture almost only consists of eating at restaurants similar to McDonalds and watching American television such as Family Guy. Our nation is seen as a factory of pop culture which is in most cases laughed at by others. Instead of our culture being correctly portrayed as a global leader in almost every field it is seen as a mass consumer machine which is only interested in maximizing profits. It has come to a point where the Pizza Hut in down town Kabul is the only representation of the United States other than the armored Humme-V sitting out side of it. We have reached a threshold where to the world we have become a laughing joke. Not only is our culture seen as absurd but us as well. We as a people are all seen as products of Super Size Me. The international community believes the general American public is not only over weight and glutinous but also severally uneducated. We are seen as products of our own pop culture creation which I believe is a wrongful representation of our generation. Though there are many who fit the mold, most are pushing the envelope of American culture and creating a new definition which we can all be proud of. Out of this recession will come a generation which knows what it means to earn a living, a generation armed with college degrees as well as a will to do well in the work place. We have a positive generation which will make a positive change to globalization. Slowly we must make it apparent that we are more than fast food and large companies, we are a nation with a rich and growing culture, one which should be shared with the world.
Friday, April 8, 2011
For What?

So what are we getting out of this blog? This like many other assignments are done by students to get the grade while the concept of the assignment is lost. I truly wonder how many people will read this blog entry or even comment on it. I believe that the lack of passion and understanding of assignments is lost because of two reasons: the way we were brought up and the way the school system is set up.
As children we are brought up to get the best grades as possible and if we do get good grades we will be successful. I, like many others, would get into trouble for bad grades which gave more incentive to make the grades. The flaw that arise from this is teachers, parents, and students do not care about how the grades are made, they care only about the grades. This leads to poor work and a loss of what the true meaning of school is, to learn. This up bring also rewards people who not understand the material the best or who try the hardest, but it rewards those who can regurgitate information on a test one or two times but can quickly forget the information right after the test. Cram studying is a result from this up bringing. Studying for hours the night before a test often leads to good grades on the test but the information does not stay in the brain. The one day studying session stores information in the short term memory area instead of many days of studying which stores information in the long term memory area. Today’s up bringing teaches kids not to learn but to cheat the system.
The way that the school system is set up does not test students grasp of concepts but instead it tests the ability of students to put words on paper. The students often just know what to write in but they do not understand why to write it. This is detrimental to both students and society because students are not learning and our society is losing many capable minds. The ways that the schooling system is set up it breeds cheating. Students realize that all they need to do is put the right answer on the paper, how they get it does not matter to them. Many teachers who have caught students do not follow through with the punishments that are set up by the universities and institutions. Often the teacher will chime, “Keep your eyes on your own papers.” The teacher does not bring them to the honor committee or give them zeros, many teachers just do not care. With a school systems that does not push students to learn concepts, the students will take the easy way out.
Many assignments are done by students not to practice what they learn in class but just to get credit. Some students wait till the last minute and even do some assignments in class before it is collected. I believe that our schooling system needs to change, fewer assignments with more meanings and importance is what our school system needs. So who will read this? Who will comment on it?
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Facebook: Too much?

When my group and I were thinking of possible topics for our multimedia project, we stumbled across this idea, and although we ultimately went with something else, I still think this is a funny and somewhat legitimate topic. If you think about, how often on a daily basis do you somehow encounter Facebook? Whether it’s just through conversation, or actually signing on and doing a little “Facebook stalking”? I know for me personally, it’s at least twice a day. I use Facebook as a way to stay up to date with what others are doing, keep in touch with friends and family and even use it as a distraction tool and frequently take breaks from studying to sign on. I know I am not alone in saying this either. If you take a look around the library at any point it time, you can always see other people on Facebook instead of studying. I personally believe Facebook is taking over the world. Yes, that may sound a bit drastic, but I really believe it to be true.
Think back ten years ago. Would the terms, “friend me” or “Facebook me” have meant anything to you? No. But in just a few short years, those phrases have become practically international. Even my parents, who are in there fifties, know what those statements mean. So not only has the actual social network of Facebook spread like wildfire, but also the lingo associated with it.
Facebook has now taken “stalking” to a whole new level. As long as your Facebook friends with someone, you can see their wall posts, status updates, personal information and pictures. With all of this access to someone’s Facebook, one can feel as if they actually know this person on a more personal level, even if you aren’t friends with them in real life. And everyone is guilty of Facebook “stalking”. There are always a few Facebook friends who always post really funny status’, or go on the most amazing vacations and take gorgeous pictures, and you’re always inclined to go check it out. And although people may not like to admit it, I guarantee everyone does it. It’s just human nature and curiosity.
Addiction is also a concern when it comes to Facebook. You can be studying for a test and want a break, so you log on expecting to spend ten minutes online, but then your newsfeed has so many interesting stories, and before you know it two hours have passed and you’re still logged on. It’s very easy to get carried away on Facebook and completely lose track of time.
Yes, Facebook is a good way of keeping in touch with friends, especially once you go off to college or enter the workforce. And now that Facebook has a chat function, keeping in touch is even easier and quicker. However, I think this is changing the way people get to know each other, and not for the better. In just a few short minutes of looking at pictures, you can figure out what types of vacations a person has been on and things of that nature; things that you could have figured out about a person through conversation, not Facebook, ten years ago. So, is Facebook going to change the way current and future generations get to know each other and base relationships off of?
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Spoofing: The New Way to Catch the Audience
Parodies and spoofs are becoming much more popular in today's society. I think the main reason why there are so many are because they are basically making fun of a movie, TV show, music video, etc. Vampire's Suck is a hilarious parody based of the Twilight Saga. This is a movie for all of the people who really despise all the twi-hard fans and the vampire craze. I believe one of the main reason spoofs are around is to make fun of something. Although a lot of people don't really think they are all that necessarily, a lot of people think they are funny. Which is what they are supposed to be.
Today in class, we watched a few examples of multimedia projects that were done in the past. The one I remember the best is the one about trees: friend or foe? This was probably because I am very eco-friendly and care about the environment. And as much as I disagree with their statement, I know it is a spoof. However, it was funny and interesting to see people make fun of the environmentalists that are against cutting down trees and conserving them.
Another common way to spoof is by advertisement. A very common example is the Apple iPod pictures. I have seen very many different ways people have used this advertisement and made it their own. They are not exactly making fun of the advertisements, but they are using the design and making it fit their lifestyle.
A lot of people, including the group that I am in for this project, will probably use spoofing and parodies for their multimedia projects. They catch the audience’s attention by making them laugh. They are sometimes very short and hysterical. But the grab the audience’s attention, which is the point of spoofing most of the time. Even though they are sometimes making fun of a certain opinion on an issue, they do have a point to them. Even if it is saying that one opinion is a little ridiculous.
Friday, April 1, 2011
Underage Drinking: Let’s Clear Things Up

Tomorrow brings upon us one of the most anticipated events for college students all across the Southeastern United States. Simply hearing the words, “Carolina Cup,” conjures thoughts of bright, fashionable clothes, big hats, and spiffy, sporty Sperry’s. It’s funny to think that most people forget about the actual horse race that takes place. Yes, the event is indeed supposed to center around a horserace. Most people take advantage of this epic social gathering and nice weather to drink, drink, and then drink some more. Getting belligerently drunk is seen as a “rite of passage” of sorts, especially in the population of college students that attend. This year however, presents a number of new problems for those college students. Word has gotten out that the police will be cracking down this year as far as underage drinking goes. The old-school sheriff is prepared to be viewed as the bad guy in order to combat the throbbing problem of under aged drinking delinquents. In previous years, police have been very lenient when it comes to allowing people to drink openly, especially those who may be of questionable age. Obviously, this is going to stir some nervousness and problems for students eager to get out there and drink. However, in recent years there have been numerous problems with underage drinking resulting in trips to the hospital. Although there have been no deaths due to alcohol at Carolina Cup, it is understandable that the police force wants to step up their standards at the ever popular event. This brings up another issue on the standards of underage drinking. Throughout the country, everyone from parents to police officers have different views of dealing with underage drinking. Some people go to extreme measures to make sure underage drinking does not occur while others don’t see it as a problem at all and will even go so far as to provide alcohol for minors. These conflicting views provide problems for all underage college and high school students. Kids do not know how to react to drinking opportunities. To solve this, standards must be the same for everyone. Either the police needs to raise the consequences of underage drinking or lower the drinking age overall. Whatever does happen, the way things are now is unfair to underage kids across the nation and needs to change. It would be nice if it would change by tomorrow so I would know how to go about my day but hey, that’s life.