Second Life

I created my avatar to look like me. I don't really have a fantasy of what I wanted to look like. I'm content with how i look right now. The only difference I made between my avatar and myself is that I gave my avatar blue eyes. Just because I thought it would be cool to have blue eyes. My actual color eyes are brown.

Originally I thought Second Life was stupid. But over time I've realized how cool it is. I'm glad we learned more about it.

Aunt Mary

Dear Aunt Mary,

I've noticed that you have taken an interest in social networking sites. Social networking sites are sites used to communcate, blog, share photos, and much more. I wanted to inform you about some of them. Myspace and Facebook are the most popular sites used today. Facebook is seen at a more mature level, where Myspace is more classified to the younger crowd. I myself like Myspace more. One of the reasons being that in Myspace you can have a background and choose how you want your layout to look. With the upcoming of Facebook, Myspace has been keeping up with all the updates. It obvious that they're both competing for the spotlight and I'm interested to see which one will come out on top. In my opinion, if you want a more mature atmosphere I would encourage you to use a facebook. It's easy to use, and it's a great way to keep in touch with some of your friends.

Wikipedia Controversy

It really cracks me up how people need to argue on Wikipedia about such stupid things. For example, "Is Barry Manilow gay or not?" Some argued that he definitely is, while others say you can't declare him gay unless he himself says he is. He's a 55 year old singer who has been married to a WOMAN before; which was a long tern relationship. Some say he is in a relationship right now was a woman named Keely. However, some say Keely Watson is not a woman, he is a gay man. No one really knows.

This just goes to show you that Wikipedia is not a reliable website. I've been taught in the past not to use Wikipedia when writing a research paper because you don't know if what someone posted was the truth. It could all be made up. If it looks questionable, check to see what the source of that information is, and base your judgement on how reliable that source will be for you.

Television Concerns

Most everyone today has at least one television. Some us have a lot more than one. In my house we have five televisons. When I was a young chap, my parents wouldn't let me or my brother watch certain tv programs. Some of the programs she wanted us to avoid were The Simpsons, WWE, and Jerry Springer. My parents felt that those programs sent us the wrong message, mainly because even though they appeared to be real; they weren't.

I am concerned with the way television today is heading. They are letting more and more grotesque things on the air, where anyone can see them, especially, a young child. In the future, I think parents will have to filter out a lot of shows that their kids shouldn't see. Some programs can be a bad influence, possibly teaching the child bad lessons. We must monitor the television programs, because who knows what they might allow on tv in the future.

Defining Newa

News can be very informative and sometimes false. It all depends on your source. If you rely on 'The Enquirer' for your celebrity information, it's more than likely way false. When getting news on current events, more people resort to their favorite new channel or the newspaper. Even though the news is said to be "facts" alot of times they may try and scare you, and make things seem more durastic then they really are. Like when there was a flu epademic, I started to freak about because the news was making it out that everyone is going to get the flu, and some of us will die. That wasn't very true...no one that i know had the flu and or died from it. It's really hard to get the truth about the news. Gossip spreads and people start saying things that they believe is true, but it may not be. So when you here the news, think about the source of information it is coming from, and how reliable it is.

Class Wiki

I think that organization should be a big priority when it comes to our class wiki. If we didn't form together in groups with certain topics, then we all might write about the same topic. We don't need 13 pages about sports. Another priority we should have is grammar. I believe that our class wiki wouldn't be taken seriously if it contained poor grammar. It should be as professional looking as possible.

Questions 1 & 2

1. On our ad parody, we chose to show a very old, wrinklely old woman, hold a Bud Light beer bottle. Our message was to show that beer doesn't just appeal to guys. Women can drink it too. Usually beer ads have a attractive young woman selling the beer. Telling men that if they drink beer, they can get the girl. Our concept was to break that steriotype and to show that men and women drink beer and just because you drink it, doesn't mean you'll get the girl.

2. I learned that advertising is meant to lure you in. They pick a target, and they hit that target. Advertisements tell the public what they should want. They may not want or need it, but the ad draws them in, and they fall into the trap of advertisements.

Social Networking

These days, social networking is bigger than ever and when you combine social networking with the 2008 election, its a big deal. We all know that social networking such as myspace, facebook, and blogs, are very popular , especially to the younger generation. What better way to get the younger crowd more interested and informed of the elections, then to include them in social networking sites. Political blogs are all over the internet. They're pretty easy to find. When it comes to myspace, there's a link on the homepage that can direct you to the candidates profiles. On facebook, you can join a group, favoring your candidate. All these sites can give us a countless about of information. It's very easy to do, so there should be no excuse when it comes time to vote.

Last Monday, Professor Troy Murphy talked to our class about Mivote. It's a type of social networking that allows us to voice out opinions about the election. He made a good point that most of us care about our opinions. Well if we care so much, we might as well share our opinions with everyone else. We have a chance to be heard and I think we should take advantage of that.

Advertising

No matter where you do, advertising follows you. I spend most of my time in my room, my car, and work. My room is full of clothes and shoes. They are made up of various brand names; such as American Eagle, Hollister, BEBE, Forever 21, Nike, Converse, etc.. In my car is where i see and hear most advertising. Listening to the radio is normal for me, and of course every radio station has their commerical breaks. Telling us what to drink, what clothes to wear, where to eat, where to get our cars fixed, etc. And lets not forget the billboards we pass everyday. They advertise anything from hairspray to radiostations. When I'm at work, I notice a lot of logos as well. Everthing from the Pepsi cups to the ball returns; have logos on them. (I work at a bowling alley incase you didn't know.) All in all, advertising is everywhere you look, and no matter what you doing, or where your at, advertising is there.

Kiska's Presenation & Political Blogs

Blogging is very new to me. But after listening to Mr. Kiska's presentation, it helped me learn all the different types of things blogs are used for; such as sports, politics, or for your own personal views. Anyone can make a blog. However, some don't have references to re-enforce what they say. When reading over the politcal blogs, I found that Americablog.com is the one that I would rely on for politiacl information. Not only does it display many different political topics and views, but it also is assembled with appropriate pictures and videos to help support each blog. I also enjoyed The Daily Dish. It had a very organized layout, multiple topics, videos, and pictures. I would deffinitely rely on The Daily Dish and Americanblog.com for any political information that I might need.

My cultural day (exercise 1)

Waking up to the sound of the phone ringing is just the greatest thing ever, especially when it was an "out of area" call. Since, I was awake, I figuired I'd watch some tv and eat a poptart. After I got my dose of reality tv, I grabbed my laptop, visited Myspace, and chatted on AIM with a few of my friends for about an hour. It came time to get ready for the day, so I blared my ipod music, and did my hair. Then it came time to pick what I wanted to wear. I rummaged through my pile of CLEAN clothes, and decided on some ripped jeans, and a victoria secret PINK t-shirt. Once I was ready, me and my mom went to a family party, about an hour away. Of course, I was texting and listening to my ipod the whole way there. I texted here and there at the party as well. Once I got home, I headed straight to the computer. My dad thinks I'm on the computer way too much. I think I understand why. It seems that society is showing us all this new trends; whether it's technological or style related. Myspace, facebook, texting, ipods, are so popular right now. I remember a few years ago, when you were considered "cool" if your parents let you have a cell phone. Now its hard to find a person without one. Our culture today has changed drastically, from what it was a few years ago. I'm anxious to see what it'll be like a few years from now. Maybe we'll all have a laptop, and it'll be considered "weird" to have a regular desk top.....who knows.