The Grand Scope of a Blogger.

Heaven Sent

2011-11-15T08:50:00.000-08:00

The course that I am taking at WSU Tri-Cities is a good course. It offers me a lot in that I have plenty to keep me busy even at 3/4 time. I had hoped to stay at full-time but things change and that is how it is. No control over the sun and moon or stars yet we all try to keep in control. What is it about control I wonder?... Just to be at a specific place at a specific time... I know that is why I try so hard to succeed. I have a place in my mind that I want to be at when I am all done and finished with striving for knowledge and notoriety of some kind.

I really think that the faith we have has a lot to do with our success in life. I am not just speaking of religious faith, I am talking about internal faith in ourselves... That can be heaven sent. There is an old saying of the negative kind, it goes a little like this... Progress is not progress without loss. Another words we learn from others mistakes, or Try, try again until you succeed.

It seems to me that if you give up you give in... Knowledge is power, but faith is Heaven Sent.
Have a nice day everyone.

Today is a New Day

2011-10-30T21:48:00.000-07:00

At least I can say that I am o'kay. For a while there... I thought their was something wrong with me, because no matter how I tried to adjust to someone elses standards I could not succeed... and it had nothing to do with my effort.

I was hoping that I could work with just about anyone. But, as it turns out, if someone does not want you to succeed and they have some control, they will not have you succeed, in anything. The thing is ... it does not have to be that way. Cultures don't have to clash. Even though they do, it does not have to stay that way. You and I are in charge of who, what, and why we are the way we are... Sounds a little cryptic, it isn't. We make choices everyday. Eat, sleep, and the W's of life.... Where's, why's, and what fores.
I had to make a choice to talk to someone, and I choose the right thing to do, by talking to someone I made the choice to not be alone in my quest for honesty. I feel so much more confident by making that decision, and more sane from the experience.

Well, if you are following this blog, you know who I am, and I am grateful to have a choice.

The Traveler

2011-09-08T17:09:00.000-07:00

This is a new site that offers places to eat for a great price...

In Classes again...

2011-09-03T00:51:00.000-07:00

Just thought I would write a few words about what is happening to me... I have been in classes for 2 weeks now and I am feeling it... Also, I have 2 new websites coming out... My older website; Cullensite.com is getting a work over. I am making it into a "traveler" magazine for any or all college students. The other site is still in the planning stages. The first section is about restaurants and the many splendid places to eat that not only are deli-sh, but reasonable for the wallet.

Over the years, WSU (and maybe other colleges) has allowed students to use their student card for discounts at restaurants that offered a discount. It was positive for both the vender and the student. Well, due to a fiasco in one situation... that I will not elaborate on, that is no longer available on the student wall board any longer.... Well, I have devised a (hopefully) way around that. I like to visit a many restaurant around Washington State for the experience of different foods and reasonable prices..

So, I am building my website to share that with others who are interested. I will ask the vender if they would be willing to honor students with a discount. If they say yes, I will provide that information on my Cullensite.com website. I also will have a section in there for others to add their own information, rating, and value for the food and service at anywhere that they have traveled. This will also include a link to the restaurants website, so that anyone can check for themselves.

The reason I decided to do this is that I am a College student, and like the many others out there in the WWW, I am looking for a great deal for a reasonable to great price, and even better if it comes with a discount. Hope you like it. So, there it is in a nut shell.
Type at you later.
Kat.

School Starts Today

2011-08-22T09:04:00.000-07:00

Its Fall and I am back. Like anyone really reads my blog anyways. I am looking forward to my new classes today. I can see that a year is going to be going fast. Went to Seattle for my birthday this last weekend. Took my son with me, so he could see his brother. Never really could be selfish. Have to share my time with my kids even if they are grown up. Took some really great pictures. The picture of the sunset was taken by my son while I was driving. Nice right. Well, I got to go to Pikes Market and picked up some earrings for my eldest grand daughter, hope she likes them. I did. Write soon I hope....

BREMERTON !

2011-07-08T13:05:00.000-07:00

I have been staying in Bremerton for a little over a month now, and am loving it... Sure it has its ups and downs, hills mostly, but I really am seriously thinking about moving here permanently. The weather is nice. I like how it mists the mornings. The people are nice (still). Been checking out the work situation in the surrounding areas and it still looks good for me. There is a Career Fair next week and the following week in Seattle and I am thinking about going to them to check out the businesses offering work. I can't get hired right now unless they want to intern me for a year! I still have a year left at WSU still and won't give that up. I got the news that I am registered and continuing... so all's well for my education....

Seems like I have a hard time writing my blog and I just don't know why that it is a month in between blogs?! I enjoy doing it, just seem to forget to do it daily... Made some homemade chili yesterday, tastes okay. I think it needs more onions, but it is okay. Never understood how some beans just don't get cooked all the way through when they all start at the same time on the stove?.... Go figure... always a few in the batch that don't want to conform....

Went to Labor Ready to see if I could make some cash... no luck so far. Have been going to Work Source... (for those who forget-Unemployment Office) in Bremerton, they need people there to help people find work. I was there for two hours and three people needed my help using the computer to either use it or find something online. Boy, I can't wait till I graduate to really to be able to state matter-of-factually that this is what I was trained to do or I went to school for this.

I am too. I look forward to helping people find work. I have been there. Looking for work and not knowing where to turn?~! Really there is not enough people trained for that? Heck, if you have ever had a resume` made for you, and had to apply for a job, then there are people like me and you that have never had any such help or opportunity yet. They are at the Worksource (bunch of crock name) I have only found one job there in all my years looking for work. The unemployment office is where the unemployed go, to be employed or find a way not to be unemployed. Worksource is a place to be at work... I just see persons looking for work because they are out of work or UNEMPLOYED! And this is not just here, people do that everywhere... not just here.

The people working there seem to be okay, but with the why should they care attitude because they have employment, sucks eggs!

I am done pulpit-ting. I am done... for now.

Getting used to the weather...

2011-06-14T15:08:00.000-07:00

I slept in yesterday. I don't know what really came over me, because usually I am an up and at it kind of person... What really blew yesterday was that I realized today that I received a call from an employer half asleep and my brain was not working to well, you know that feeling... anyways I called the unknown number back and proceeded to make conversation for an interview... dumb right?! Well, after rummaging through my brain I realized that I am screwed for the job because she (the interviewer) asked me some straight forward questions that I could not answer...straightforwardly.

The funny thing about this is that my son warned me not to work for some Call center here in Bremerton, and it was this same job, that I flubbed up. Funny right? Anyways here I am writing a post about it... while treating myself to a great T-BONE STEAK. That I broiled and seasoned myself for lunch, not a bad reward for screwing up a job interview...

Anyways, I am sitting here trying to figure out if I should call them and explain the circumstances of my answers when or on the other hand just leave it alone. What I worried about is that they won't call me for any job, considering they're a temp agency and might think that I am not worth investing their time in.

Well, I guess no one is going to comment on this anyways so I will just skip it today and deal with it tomorrow.... maybe.

BREMERTON IS GREAT

2011-06-11T11:20:00.000-07:00

Up in Bremerton, WA visiting my son, and relaxing... I really like this area. I enjoyed Seattle when TJ and I came up to take care of some business that needed tending to. I just wish TJ was here now (instead of in spirit) with me. I truly think we would of had a good time seeing the sites and meeting the great people that live in this area.

Sure the area is a bit cloudy but so what. I saw the sun out for four days in a row. The country side has trees no matter where you look. I would rather have a beautiful country side than a dry, hot, and dismal desert. Really, sure it is a little wet but, it is so beautiful here.

My son is in the Navy and has had the time to show me around. And everywhere that I have been, the people have been very nice. Sure there might be those that have had a bad time of it, but I am to this day not one of them. I spoke to a nice young lady just the other day and she stated after a year that I would see grumpy people.... Heck, of course! It takes about 3 months waking up next to something to actually see the details right in front of you...
I know I have been married. ha. But the beauty that I am experiencing now, I have really never seen this kind of color in a city. I have to admit that I am not a well traveled individual, but I have seen my share of cities. I have seen the traffic, In Calif. in some areas, if you don't keep up with the flow (like in some areas) you could get a ticket for impeding traffic and may, may cause an accident. In the Seattle area freeways, a many of the drivers follow that inclination.

Marriage is like that... sometimes it is hard to keep with the flow, if you are taking in the sites.

I just wanted to state that grumpy people or not, mainly not, that I am enjoying my stay in this area and that I see why people live here, it is a nice place.

Coming back in the Fall

2011-04-19T11:46:00.000-07:00

I just wanted some of the students that do read my blog, if any, that I will be returning in the fall to WSU. I am looking forward to that. Also, I want to thank everyone that has be very supportive in my time of grieving. This has been a new and difficult transition for me. And well thank you for all your moral support.

What's wrong with TRON ?

2011-01-11T05:42:00.000-08:00

Just A Note:
Thursday last week, I went to the movie TRON. I thoroughly enjoyed it. CG was great and the colors were vibrant. I could say it is one of the best movies of the beginning of the year (2010). The only thing is that 'CLU' was not like the other "programs", it was his facial features, including his eyes, that showed no feeling whatsoever. On several occasions many of the other programs that were created in the video, showed expressions that could be seen as feeling hate, excitement, and others. Don't get me wrong, truly, I enjoyed the movie, it basically stayed within the storyline, and the CG was first rate. But, one thing pulled me out of the imaginary part of the movie, CLUs facial features.
That was it. Recommend it to any family, as long as 1. they've seen the first movie, 2. haven't seen the first movie, and 3. don't mind one distraction in the whole movie. I would give it 9 and a half stars on a 10 scale.

Hey Everybody Take a look at my new Website!

2010-11-28T05:26:00.000-08:00

Just got to work on my website and added quite a few things. Added a Art and video wall, I will be adding more to it myself. The name of my website is CULLENSITE.COM. When you get there... if the music is not to your style of music, just scroll down to the bottom of the page where I put the radio, and click on the stop square in the ElectricFM window. Otherwise enjoy, the volume button works too. You have the opportunity to see a lot of art if you click on the Art and Video link. I can't wait till I get more time and add video, that will be later, I need some sleep for now it is after 5am and I need a break.

I have to admit I am really enjoying the time I get to work on my school work. With everything going on around me I really feel a little swamped and sleeping has now become an issue. But no worries though, I warm and comfortable in my home. It's bedtime goodnight.

McCloud in the Clouds

2010-11-19T17:48:00.000-08:00

I really like comics and I feel that McCloud really put his understanding across very well in his book reinventing comics. The explanations that he spoke of was very clear. Comics have come a long way since his book was been written.We have all seen how the digital world has grown to where we use icons of famous icons like the what you can watch on adult swim when they use real peoples images and make cartoons. The aspect from McCloud's view is pretty simple.

DTC355 Blog#5 Creating the Script?

2010-10-13T23:32:00.000-07:00

The first typewriter I owned was the style that had the round letter keys that you had to push all the way down until the letter hit the paper.... Not really, I just had a cheap regular typewriter and there was nothing special about it.

I really enjoyed the James Kalmbach reading of Publishing before computers.Greece, wow that was well... a long time ago. There must of been a real good reason for someone, anyone to invent the original languages... like taking a message to someone else... hmm. This make me consider why...Matters of state, maybe so they could send a message everyone could understand. Well, another reason is the shortage of ink in drawing all those cryptic pictures that made them do it... The Greeks and the Romans must of had their reasons to communicate, for war or to send a message that they were about to go to war. But maybe that was not the main meaning of the text that was read. Kalmbach's story about how it was necessary to have words on paper rather than stone. I think it would have been easier writing on paper than stone and the use of the lithographic presses were not widely used until after World War II" and writing words on paper is much easier than stone. (Kalmbach - Lithograph)

The patent of the typewriter in the 17 hundreds was the smartest thing that could of been accomplished in their time, because of the presence that writing had, the printing machine made typography and communicating so much easier. I have friends that have lithographs of prints and their value is above my pay grade, but this is not to say that I would not want to own one, (I would) it is just not the style of prints that I would formally purchase. Despite these advantages, but it was important to use that style of printing way back in the 17th century, because that is all they came up with. I think it was pretty innovative considering what materials that they had to work with. Today, we would never use stone to send a message, but we still use stone to leave a message. "Here lies John Smith who was a good man, loving husband and doting father" Year birth, year death. The standard for its use is grave sites because it lasts and lasts. Sure the hardbound book is going to be easier to carry and store, but computers have changed the way we keep track with all that in the Digital World that we live in.

The history lesson that Kalmbach tells is very interesting because it shares with us just how feeble our writing system really is. Over the century's, our writing language has changed with the technology. I know what this means, because I have to update my reference books for proper English and it gets expensive. But it would and is a heck of a lot easier down loading the book to my computer or if I have storage issues, I just fork out about 20 dollars and purchase an eight gigabyte flash drive and open the book onto my computer when I need to read.

Yeah, I like to read. And I enjoy it a lot more having not to lug that hefty book and paper around with me. Sorry inventors of the printing press, but I like not having to shred everything and burning up another shredder... Another thing is now that we have a global crisis with GHG's (greenhouse gas), we need all the trees we can grow! I mean, I know we can go without water for awhile, and food too, BUT NO AIR. I think this idea of the electronic book is already in the go stage. Heck, just send me the book so I can put it on a flash drive!

Kalmbauch, James R. Publishing Before Computers Lithography.

DTC355 Blog #4 Linking what I have learned.

2010-10-05T07:24:00.000-07:00

The links are circling about you, you are getting tired of searching, searching, and searching some more. The hyperlinks connected to a web page can be more numerous than a reader and researcher would like. The designer or author, dreams up the newest "textual terms of some standard categories from rhetoric." (Burbules 102) As this continues into the future of what we know what is society, the history of bound books is just that, part of humanities history. The library's are all full of computers or desktops (DT's) and no books are in sight. Shelving is a decoration holding some type of art or antiquity. The cutting of trees have slowed to almost nil. The atmosphere is doing its balancing act since the processing of trees and ghg's (greenhouse gas) have been haulted. The only sound you hear inside a library is little tap, tap, tap of the portable or DT computer humming along. The searching never ends. Those connected to the internet are communicating their wishes or desires of anything available in 3D, the newest fad in linking up. Where you are does not matter any longer, because with a push of a button you can arrange for anything with the closest hyperlink.

Nicholes Burbules states the obvious in Rhetorics of the Web. He writes conclusively that the clicks and the searches are all a natural phenomenon amongst the now generation of internet users. Any intended connection or link has a "elemental structure that represents a hypertext as a semic web of meaningful relations" with the world globally. (105) This newest adaption of the authorship of new readers and listeners being connected to the World Wide Web (WWW) has grown and enhanced the improvement to the practice of reading. With the sensationalism and growth of this new development of the information highway (WWW) over the past decade, the benefits of technical proficiency is complex as it is apparently necessary. The language of interpreting and designing web pages is in its own category when trying to define all the parameters of the "hyper-reader" whether or not there are limits to their ability to keep linking and searching, searching and linking.

What I have learned is this. There is not enough time in the day. In addition, after midnight is the worst time to work on the computer, and it is not because you are more tired at night, but because it is then most Internet company's work on there servers, and you lose connections while on the WWW.

Work Cited
Burbules, Nicholes. Rhetorics of the Web: Hyperreading and critical literacy. Routledge. London

Affect Transfer Blog #3 DTC355

2010-09-14T06:06:00.000-07:00

The effectiveness of this advertisement not only advertises coffee but is visually tentative to every passerby. As McDonald's is an icon in its own right, the physical and visual aspect of seeing the Coffee being poured into a McDonald's coffee cup makes a person think of how coffee tastes. In addition to the thought of tasting the coffee makes the viewer look around for a McDonald's to purchase a cup of coffee. This result is the same used in food stores for customers to purchase more items at eye level.

The transfer from the visual to other parts of the body is respectfully the same as what Charles A. Hill is writing about in "The Psychology of Rhetorical Images." He uses several references to marketing, advertising or public relations and this ad pursues all aspects of the topic. The light pole is so realistic that it serves as a reminder to thirst when it comes to a "cup of coffee from McDonald's", and with the sign on the cup stating "FREE COFFEE", applies to anyone who like things that are free. This ad passes from a visual response to a couple of physical responses. Both that has emotional attachment to the happy feeling of getting something for nothing and possibly quenching a thirst.
I thought this was very interesting when viewing this ad because, one it gave me an emotional response as well. Being observant, a. I was looking for a McDonald's in the ad space, and b. made me disappointed that I missed out on a free cup of coffee, since I had no inkling of McDonald's giving away free coffee. Sad but true. Cool ad.

(http://adsoftheworld.com/files/images)/MCD_coffee_lamppost.preview.jpg

Blog #2 DTC355

2010-08-31T06:02:00.000-07:00

Nuts and Bolts

Working in the mans world was not new to me since working for a company rightly named "Manpower International". I have worked in many situations around men mostly because I am a women working in a man's world. I was stationed at a company called Henningson Coldstorage in Richland, and was the first female janitor. Henningson is a frozen food coldstorage warehouse that handles food from flour, vegetables and fruits to french fries. The warehouse that I was working in, is 600,000 square feet in size.
My job was to sweep the floor of any garbage that cause a hazard to the forklifts handling product for storage. There were a few men there that I had made friends with. Most were permanent workers and others were temporary workers like myself. I had been stationed there for 6 months at the time of my "incident" with the welder who would later become my "fast-friend".

My story starts with a description of the surrounding that I had to work in. It was very, very cold, below zero to be exact. Each and every person that entered the warehouse freezer section would be wearing an insulated cold-suit, blue in color. Included with the cold-suit were mittens and a beanie which was also dark blue. My job was to sweep, sweep, and sweep some more. So the next description should be what the other person of this tale; Tj. Tj was the welder and at the time I was working. Tj would repair the Racks in the warehouse. He and his co-worker would be up on a scissor-lift with welding equipment and replacement parts repairing two tier storage racks for the frozen items stored there. The conflict that his job and my job would have is that he would leave debris, very large nuts and bolts in the very places that I would have already cleared. These bolts were about 4 inches in length and about 2.5 inches in radius. The nuts were even larger.

At the time of the incident I had been in the warehouse longer than I should of been, my brain was beginning to freeze. In some of the area in the warehouse, it gets to -10 below. Very, very cold which can make your brain get very tired. In addition, if you could imagine me at 5 foot tall in this giant dark blue cold suit with brown boots pushing a broom, I looked like a squirrel in an elephant suit pushing a broom.

When finally caught up to Tj and called out to him as he was working on the bottom of the 1st tier of the rack. As I could not hand him all the nuts and bolts to him at once I held only two. And stated quite frankly that I had his cold nuts in my hand, and if he would like them back? Then I heard this ha! At the time I had no idea that the humor of this situation would not let me live it down. For today he tells his friends of this situation of the coldstorage and this squirrely girl offering nuts.

McCloud's description of how we use icons in the comedic view that is continued into adulthood, and is a referred from our childhood is very interesting. "What is dangerous about amplification through simplification?" I think that we continue to carry our imaginings with us even when we are old and grey. And even when things get too serious, we can't see the true view or views that can put us in harms way, we just turn it into humor to protect our mental stability for what is considered normal.

McCloud, Scott. The Vocabulary of Comics. Print.

DTC355 Blog #1 Rhetoric?

2010-08-26T02:19:00.000-07:00

"An Introduction To Rhetoric" by Foss... is in my opinion chocked full on information for the person who has no Idea what 'Rhetoric' means and has all the background of an encyclopedia. Foss defines that rhetoric is a "feature [that is] symbolically used by humans" (viii). He has many explanations of the use of rhetoric from his introduction to throughout his first chapter, but they all seem to lead the reader back to the creation of time, and the teaching of speaking and leadership skills to anyone that will listen. In Chapter 1 he goes on to describe how today's everyday experience of what we as humans have been experiencing since the acknowledgment of human intelligence. and "the frameworks and labels we choose to apply to what we encounter influence our perceptions of what we experience and thus the kinds of worlds in which we live"; that in itself is rhetoric; empty and embodied in substance of meaning (2).

Foss's explanations of how others come to the conclusion whether rhetoric teaching is good for the soul seems important, and then is down trotted on by the religious is to me not very important. Seems like "filler" for the topic of what rhetoric is compared to how it was taught in the past. I get it. The symbolic feature of reading, writing and arithmetic all have symbols in it... We use them in everything that we do and having to speak about it also makes sense since we go to stores and shop with the list of items that we need. Adding up to a total amount at the end of our shopping spree, as we end up speaking to the cashier over what was purchased, all the while she is ringing up the items and bagging them. All symbolic of having to cook and eat a meal at the end of the day; its rhetoric, right? Just seems like a lot double talk just to get a simple point across.

The rhetoric used in my daily life is a regular and casual happenstance. For instance, I walk into my home and say "honey I'm home!", the meaning of that is a rhetoric announcement, since my voice is recognized as soon as I say something, but logic dictates that I announce my presence which is part of the delivery of the message that I am putting out there for others to discover through grammar, voice recognition, and the wording, (which also has the three "r"'s as in reading, writing, and arithmetic).

Google definitions of Rhetoric:
http://en.wikipedia.org Rhetoric is the art of using language to communicate effectively. It involves three audience appeals: logos, pathos, and ethos, as well as the five canons of rhetoric: invention or discovery, arrangement, style, memory, and delivery. Along with grammar and logic or dialectic, rhetoric is one of the three ancient arts of discourse. (1.The definition of rhetoric is a controversial subject within the field and has given rise to philological battles over its meaning in Ancient Greece. See, for instance, Johnstone, Henry W. Jr. (1995). "On Schiappa versus Poulakos." Rhetoric Review. 14:2. (Spring), 438-440.)

http://wordnetweb.princeton.edu Noun (n) rhetoric (using language effectively to please or persuade), (n) grandiosity, magniloquence, ornateness, grandiloquence, rhetoric (high-flown style; excessive use of verbal ornamentation) "the grandiosity of his prose"; "an excessive ornateness of language", (n) palaver, hot air, empty words, empty talk, rhetoric (loud and confused and empty talk) "mere rhetoric", (n) rhetoric (study of the technique and rules for using language effectively (especially in public speaking.))

Work Cited

Foss, Sonja K. and Karen A., Robert Trapp. Contemporary Perspectives on Rhetoric. p. 1-15.
Google Inc. 25 August 2010.
Wikipedia Org. 25 August 2010.
Wordnetweb, Princeton Education. 25 August 2010

I came up with this great story...called... the children of the ROSE

2010-07-18T01:42:00.001-07:00

My eyes are closed as I see this....
once there was this women... she is related to a family from over seas. She inherited the family history. But this is not the story as of yet to speak of. Her family came from a turbulent time. There were relations within the family that was not to be spoken of.... She had many directions that she could of taken but, she chose the path...that she took. This is her life and the life of her children..............

As her children grow up they learn of her siblings but they know nothing of her ancestory... (why not tell your children of there ancestory unless there was a war?) They know of their nationality and what language they are to learn but they don't know much of what should be ... pernament to their heritage. Nothing is transfered to the next generation, the question being is Why? What is so disturbing that can't be handed down to the next child? This story will explain why and what were the reasonings behind why her life led to where she is now...

[if you want this story to constinue send an email...kcullen47@yahoo.com... and tell her so.

Today is a Day of Wonder

2010-06-10T16:28:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to share the weather news. I have noticed that the weather has really be transitioning from one disaster to another. And the oil spill has not be one of the best things that have added to the worst of times that the earth is going through at this time. I am in Washington State and even I watch the weather in other states and see the changes all across our country. It really concerns me that our government is so backwards about all that is happening.

The most I can believe is that sometime or another someone or many persons might step in and make things change for the better, but truthfully I don't think there is one person out there that could or would have the courage to stand up and say, "Enough is Enough!" Plug the darn hole in the ocean floor and stop the oil completely! Gather the plastic from all the miles of spots on the ocean surface! Stop the pollution in the atmosphere from those that are putting it there! Stop the over fishing, and let's get some control over this wastefulness!

If I had the trillions or even millions of dollars....I would make a world wide plea for the unemployed and put them to work.... repair the earth because it is the only place we have to live right now and I would not want any human at this time going off-world to another planet because they (we) would just turn it into the cesspool we have created on Earth!

Yeah why doesn't the governments put the unemployed to work?....Why don't we have the integrity of those that do the jobs no one else will do? Some will do farming and others refuse to. Some will work in restaurants and fastfood and others won't.

I say the governments of this world get off their lazy fat butts and get to work... If they need some help, well Big Brother knows my number and where I live if they need some help in organizing, and there is probably a couple of million others out there unemployed that know what to do too.

Just waiting for the Fog to clear...

2010-05-30T23:53:00.000-07:00

Hope everyone's holidays are a happy one and that the weekends treat all with sunshine after a good rain.

Found a Great Book at BigLots in Richland

2010-05-18T12:29:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to let anyone that is reading my blog that there is a great book sale at BigLots. The books are fairly recent and some that ore 25 to 30 dollars are only 3 bucks. I picked up a book about DNA instincts that looks interesting. It tells of how the Genetics studies are going and this writer Thomas L. Harrison, studied about Entrepreneurial DNA instincts...
I thought it was interesting so I picked it up. There are a variety of books that are just 3 dollars, some really cool ones but I am financially tapped. So, I picked one I knew I would read. The books vary from serious to entertaining stories. The one with the fireman on it was very tall/large and the guy on it was cute for his age but wasn't within my interest. Some of the novels did look interesting, though.
Well, my boyfriend is back from Seattle for a month or so before he goes back for his radiation treatment. I don't know how I am going to handle this time with him, considering he was gone for 2 or 3 months getting Chemotherapy.
I have had to keep my distance because he snaps at me sometimes when I try to explain myself or what is going on...I have no idea if this relationship is going to make it...

My friends and family say that I ought to move out on my own and let him deal with his own shit, and that I have been patient enough (5+ years)but, it makes me feel like I just used him and I don't do things like that....when I think about leaving... well, I have things I have to do. So, if you are reading this good day to you and "Keep Looking Up"!

April 27th and 29th Presentations

2010-05-01T00:03:00.000-07:00

First let me apologize to those who had presentations that going on, when I entered the room or missed. I do apologize that my school workload has been a little heavier than I expected and I apologize for any rudeness on my part towards my fellow school mates. Brent I am sorry I missed your presentation. Now to get on with my comments on the presentations...

Tuesdays and Thursdays presentations were very nice and professionally done, I thought.

TUESDAY, April 27Th PRESENTATION
Daniel Anderson's presentation was about exploring the relationship of Video Games and Virtual Learning. It seems to me that there is plenty to say about this subject that I never considered before. The learning principles of games and the ongoing stat. information of how many persons actually play video games seems to me a little intriguing. I learned about Games Paul Gee in my HCI class and I thought his principles were of an interesting nature, and now I can see them in the workings of networking of the social kind. I think your essay, is going to be interesting, nice presentation too.

Michael presentation on Cybercrimes: Real vs. Virtual Space was an interesting topic. I have known of cybercrimes for quite a while. And cellphone harassment has been around for many a year that I can remember so it seems that this kind of treatment would continue online. I do feel that it is a real sadness that physical property and ID theft has invaded our email because I really like to keep my text messages. But I guess that will have to change now. Thanks for the presentation Michael on Cybercrimes.

Lee's presentation on Cyber activism on YouTube was very interesting to me. Considering that I get most of my news updates from the Net and my paper is about political activism kept me intrigued. I am a cyber activist and truly believe that most of what is happening now within the Net is just the "tip of the Iceberg" of what our future holds for us and who share goals on whatever they feel that needs to be spoken about... I really liked the presentation. Just last night I watched about the killing, no, slaughtering of Dolphins in Japan for meet and whatever reason that they might have made me want to go over there and slap them silly, and maybe knock some sense into them, then the other thing is about that trash floating in the pacific... I thought there was only that one, but now I find there are 5 such deposits...of trash and plastic...
Great presentation Michael and hope you air your essay on your blog so I can read it.

Angel again brought up James Paul Gee on the learning principles. Self knowledge principle was a interesting comparison. I am glad that there are a lot of students that has knowledge of his principles because it has helped me a great deal presently to know about them now, and I wish I had, had the opportunity in High School to have known of them. I agree that computers and the Internet is about creating and having these 'critical learning principles' are important.

Derek's presentation on Bridging the Digital Divide with mobile technology is I feel an important topic and a good one. The statistical information is going to be hard to bare down on since cell phone users are growing everyday. I think cell phones should be free, but that's me. I like how he compared the Virtual with the hybrid communities to help with the digital divide and political change. I would like to bring up though that Haiti is one of the biggest mobile cyber 'sale' or 'outlet' now called on for the help through cyberspace. I would like to see if he adds any futuristic possibilities to his essay.

Kristin's presentation was a pretty deep subject to cover in an essay. The 'White masculine environment' of the Internet was and always will be aggressive. I think that her acknowledgment of the information literacy and existing programs implemented by the masculine is a little over-whelming to believe. Except on the points of Pornographic solicitation. The information illiteracy I think really does not have a leading presence either feminine or masculine qualities. There are male and female educational implementations for younger and the older students on line. Interesting topic though.

Thursday, April 29Th Presentation

Brent, I am sorry that I missed your presentation, but I will check others blogs and will make a special effort to write about what I have missed at the end of this blog.

Cynthia's presentation about the visual and traditional media race on gender and ethnicity was interesting. I know we have made quite a bit of a stride from how it used to be on TV, but I did not know that it was continuing into cyberspace. That is pretty sad. The changes that have been made I know took centuries but it surprises me today that cyberspace discrimination is continuing. But, I guess I really did not look as hard as I should at the media. I have noticed that stereotyping does continue, and censorship (we probably will have that forever), but to have race discrimination in the U.S. seems so outdated. Great topic Cynthia... I will keep an eye open more now then in the past.

Neal's presentation on Cell phones and the development of the mobility of it has me interested. That story about Nairobi, Africa was very interesting, I really would liked to have found out if anything came out of the call for help, like what is happening for Haiti. The diplomacy factor would make for an addition to the 'narrowing of the digital divide.' Interesting.

Josh's presentation on Internet Activism as a necessary tool in the real world was impressive. As usual Josh's work just shines. His presentation together with the topic was outstanding. I thought he looked very comfortable up there speaking to the class. The information that he brought out was typical with the topic, I just thought that he would of brought up how people have been responding to calls for help after the china earthquake and the Iceland volcanic eruption and all the people stranded without help. But cyber-communities getting the message out non-the-less. And yes, I agree that "Virtual spaces often translate in physical change with the World" on a global scale. Great presentation.

Don't forget Papers are due on May 7Th, by 9pm. Good luck to everyone.

Presentations of April 20th and 22nd

2010-04-24T09:52:00.000-07:00

Mark Milton's presentation brought back some memory of school that was surprising, to see again too clearly (which I suffered for in a headache later). I really appreciated Mark's presentation since I had been around during the time of the Love Canal, and a lot more information and activism would of been more helpful then, than what actually happened. With the environmental issues available online or in cyberspace, it allows for communities to get information faster and I believe more accurate. Good and interesting presentation Mark.

Sarah's presentation was on facebook and how we represent ourselves as extension of ourselves made me think of exploring other avatars when I am on the Internet. Even though I have been concerned with my exposure when on the Net, I never really had any fun with it, I have only done things in a serious fashion. So, I explored a little on Zwinky.com...It was fun. I picked a avatar and got her dressed, then I picked another and got her dressed. The shopping spree was fun, since I would like to do that in reality and don't.

Cassie Lane had another interesting presentation. The social sites like WooggiWorld and A Really different Place, was very interesting that I even explored some social networking sites later that I had been ignoring due to personal time constraints. I found myself pulled in and very intrigued that there are plenty of educational sites out there in cyberspace that can help children interact online to potentially help them in real life. Not just for the fun of online exploration but helping students engage in class learning. These sites showed good concern over the learning of children up into adulthood. Good presentation.

Dena Lacey had a presentation on Social Media and Cyber bullying that almost made me so mad that I could cry. You see I was a kid that was bullied when I was young. And yes I can understand the thoughts of those poor kids... anyways, they had bigger obstacles then I had encountered. You see I was against violence when I was young and the bully's found a way to make me and another kid fight...I still don't understand it today but the kids nowadays have a bigger weapon and Know how to use it, it is just sad that an Adult was involved, you figure he/she would know better. The Communications Decency Act and Phoebe Price I think is a important topic since kid violence is now in the courts and these kids are going to prison as adults. Interesting.

Michelle's thesis interfaces and designs of computers are helping create a seamless transition from machines. HCI, Why is it important? Users are befriending there computers and I believe this allows for new design of interfaces and more human computer involvement. I named my car, computers and pet, and why not?! It helps me deal with those things when things go wrong and I can step back instead of 'shooting my laptop and hanging it on the wall' (Tidbits article). This makes for a blurred line in the reality of woman or man and machine(s). Good presentation.

Brittany Bogenreif New media Direct Marketing compared to snail mail marketing. I remember a the 'Junk Mail' that we would get when I was younger compared to today. Us youngen's would get the catalogs to lay on the floor and look at and the adults would get the bills and other mail. Now, its on your computer, no in your e-mail and in your phone mail. Sure the phone is a social networking revolution the marketing strategies for mail has yet to change.

Mark Belbens Argument for WOW is interesting on how the designs change video games to make them more appealing. The community addition that adds challenges to gaming is nice but the time spent on these game is the same as before except that there is more interaction between the player(s) and the computer games with the social sites involved. It is almost a conceptual integration of social networking and gaming that I think appeals to the players to succeed in the game. Interesting and well prepared.

Kristopher's Digital divide presentation was interesting because I really never looked at it from an Utopian view. I guess being online as someone else is like looking for that perfect cup of coffee... It gives you a sense of success when you find the perfect place or taste. Makes me wonder how long it will take before we close the gap of a perfect Utopia in cyberspace when everyone will want to be in the same place and what or how far technology will go to get there. Good presentation.

April 15th Presentations

2010-04-15T12:57:00.000-07:00

Katie S. presentation was very informative about how we are bridging the Divide of technology and teaching, and I thought it was very interesting. For students to also see that their teachers are staying up to date with technology and are using the Internet to teach and learn from. It does not seem new information, but it was interesting I think it is a good topic. Especially when we are just now learning how to bridge the access divide.

Beau Y. Technologies use of gaming for jobs was interesting. Two sides of the story Pros/Cons of the gaming industry. Technology in jobs of gaming even though most past-tense thinking was a wastes of time. Cultural changes has allow for a different point of view to this concept.

James stated that their was alot out use or abuse in cyberspace about gaming and the internet and how the environment of communication of political gaming and use is interesting. And by the time we got to his presentation it was almost the same as Hans but still very interesting.

Hans W. Virtual communicating throughout global knowledge digital divide. Mobile interfacing static to mobile interfaces and the activities on line.

Spencer T gaming in the military. Research teenagers/young adults get false impression of what actual combat is like. Build bad habits. Games entice people to join. Training simulations pros are cheaper, tactics, intro to real life situations. Cons are that miss out on physical aspects of pain adrenaline, emotion such as fear. Actual gun handling is different than playing a game. Stress is a large factor in the effects of real life scenarios. Training desensitizes the trainee. Training with games/simulations are inaccurate, there is no real experience like in throwing grenades. No practice with internal instincts through real life scenarios. Even though the gaming is use in the military the training is minimal compared to the consequences of real life training and experience.

April 8th Presentations intrigued me!

2010-04-11T14:49:00.000-07:00

For Lorena Swifts presentation, I knew somewhat of what was happening in China but it is more censored then I remembered from last year. It is pretty sad that the government over there is so controlling that the Chinese people are not allowed to feel and think for themselves. Sometimes I think that our own government is heading down that same path with all the new laws being enacted. It seems ridiculous that with all this technology available that even some countries still want to be left alone, but as we all know leaving a communist country alone to their own devices is dangerous for all those other countries... we are going to have to just keep a keen eye on them and hope for the best. I just hope that their censorship of their country does not spread.

Sheila's presentation was about gender roles found in the meatspace and how they are reinforce within the websites that do or do not have gender profiles in cyberspace communities. I know this is not a strange occurrence in traditional living outside of cyberspace, because of our choices whether to continue to be men or women, (as with gender changing operations) but people make their own avatars who they want to be. I was questioned about my own avatar once and had to say the female avatar was a women at the other end and the person questioning me was not sure to believe me... It felt a little strange at the time and to assure myself that I was not misrepresenting myself I continue to use a female or the like avatar. That Club Penguin was an interesting site, especially when she explained that even when it was a genderless site that some people were still attaching or retaining their gender on the site. Very interesting.

Maurice Smiley I knew that the cell phones were so helpful to everyone I just never looked at it from the point of view of the farmer. No wonder the farmers are doing better now that they have closer access to the information that they need to stay in business. Too bad the price of fresh food just keeps climbing. No winning against Mother Nature though.

Corrinda's presentation was interesting since I have a disability in the memory area of my brain from a car wreck and am constantly struggling with things that I have to remember. Gaming is not a a waste of time since I know for a fact that one of the ways that someone gets tested for memory is playing a memory game on a computer. Not a game like halo, but like the memory game that was played in class. Yes, not all games are fortunate to be a training or learning game, but it is better to let off some steam than to act it out literally. I really would like to see how her final paper turns out since it might help me further my memory abilities.

I really enjoyed everyones presentations and positive feed back...Thanks.

Academic Sandbox Assignment 10

2010-04-02T17:00:00.000-07:00

The chapters in our Cybercultures Reader does cover many topics of internet politics of news feeds, whether live or recorded does not matter, but these topics are important. The target of these political communities are very numerous indeed, for I belong to several outspoken ones on the Internet. As Kahn and Kellner bring up "both [can be] critical and reconstructive". Many of these 'movements' do "provide possibilities for some sort of progressive socio-political change" which I will cover further in this blog.

A website that has strong Republican ties is RepowerAmerica.org. Before President Obama's reign of our country as chief, and his investment into the Internets media, many organizations like RepowerAmerica.org had been investing large amount of media resources into the technology and instrument of the internet in the communications industry in the pre-Obama's reign. The Internet has progressed since its conception... the political activism has stretched into a daily diet of updated news and the organized streaming and downloading of informational feeds like TED or MIRO.

This is not to say that this is a bad or nasty thing that has happened to our newly constructed communities, but it, technology, has the ability to overwhelm if each individual resource does not keep a handle on how this information highway is being used. The inclusion of the web based "Technopolitics and Oppositional Media" in our lives to date does have the risk of inundating the facts with myths. Many new resources like to 'hack' the information highway and change or hope to change the paths in which our (as commuters of the Internet highway) views of what we may actually perceive to be true in good taste.

An instance of this as viewers of the cyberspace community have to be aware of, is that misleading judgments can lead anyone into a crossroads that we question later... A good example of this in that instance is the bank loans that the government pushed to rescue our great country out of debt and destruction. Before we new it, we, loaned millions to banks and then they foreclosed on many of our homes, even though it was our finances that helped keep these large businesses in business. They did not care if it was our money that they borrowed so that they were rescued and we were just a statistic shredded in the next batch of paperwork at the end of the work day. This example of democracy is very close to what is to be expected in our society if the communities on our technologies infrastructure in not kept in check. The lending of monies from or to banks should be kept in check and the records of how this is done is recorded through the advancements of the Internets ability to be used to raise funds through political resources that are available today are in itself jeopardy of taking down our country as well.

The political groups that are taking advantage of the Internet resource is quite large and numerous, so I will only keep it to a very few to minimum of two or three. The social and political structures of the web based culture can have the tendency to just attempt to promote democracy and not stand by the values of a democratic society. The controversies of politics speaks for themselves, but a good example is the so called Tea Party. Here was a value of freedom, that the over charging of tea brought from England to powder England's deep pockets was enough and a signature of America's "Enough is Enough". The use of this resemblance today is not the same as it was then, sure were tired of the obvious political agendas of the U.S government (congress') deepening their pockets, but it is not inhibiting our freedom. The use through the internet to advertise this kind of awareness is not the same as our loss and gain of freedom in the 1700's.

The globalization of Politics has in itself run a muck. The trust and obvious abuses of politics is well known... The firing of many large Brokerages and changes in political figures is well know for there questionable integrity. But what does this have to do with the Internet... Many of these politicians (including our President) have opened the Cyber-highway of information... When this was accomplished, many governmental technology bases were change to shift to the new advances of techno-politics and oppositional media services. The policies of the government were adjusted as well to the well known fact that our computers are no longer private. Don't get me wrong, I believe in America I just don't always agree with the politicians that run our government for they are fallible as much as the next person who would take their place in office. What I am stating is that Technological developments of the Internet may serve us well to encourage us to pay attention at every turn of events, whether it is sending mail or paying tribute to our political endeavors.

Activism v. Personal Representation and Print Mjavascript:void(0)edia and Talk Radio Assignments 8 & 9

2010-03-26T17:04:00.000-07:00

The goal of my final paper will be an argument describing how the presidential election of 2010, and campaigning strategies utilized via the Internet, was instrumental toward The National Democratic Party (DNC) nominee, Barak Obama, winning the presidential election. To quote the Huffington post, "It is a new Democratic take on the old Bush maxim: Either you will be with Organizing for America, or you will be against it".

Moreover, I will argue that former Governor Sarah Palin and Senator John McCain, did not use the Internet as intelligently as did the Obama campaign. Instead, the two Republican's have resurfaced and appear to continuing their strategy of by using the media and speaking their words of wisdom at a Tea Party being held in a remote area of the Nevada Desert. This is a strategy that has been used in the past and is not in sync with the current availability that exists with cyberspace.

The use of the Internet is still in its political infancy, as President Obama was the first political figure to successfully use it in his campaign.

Annotated Bibliography

Silva e de Souza, Adrian. Cyberculture Reader. From Cyber to Hybrid: "Mobile Technologies as interfaces of Hybrid Spaces". Routledge, New York, 2007 757-772.

In reference to the section that I will be using in my essay, conceptually will show how the Internet and President Obama has used the conjunction of the Internet to personally represent his activism in politics. De Souza e Silva covers critical facts that Obama used in his campaign to reach voters to seal his nomination. And the coordination of social actions with regards to Sara Palin and John McCain on how they are in contrast with using the micro-coordination of communication technologies such as cyberspace and the Internet.

Tumulty, Karen. Time Magazine. How Obama Did It. 5 June 2008. 26 June 2010.
This article covers how the Obama campaign used the Internet to attract voters for their campaign. This web article includes quotes from President Obama that he had about the use of the Internet and how he could not see it working towards his benefit.

Plouffe, David. The Audacity to Win. The Inside Story and Lessons of Barack Obama's Historic Victory Presidents United States Election Political campaigns. Penguin Group. 2009
The forty-fourth presidential campaign manager reveals the strategies that he credits with Obama's successful primary and general elections, explaining how the combination of technology and grassroots organization is revolutionizing politics. As the New York Times stated, "Mr. Plouffe built a reputation in 2008 as a master of the nuts and bolts of campaigns, and will assemble a team to provide unfiltered information that serves as an early-warning system so the White House and party officials know if a candidate is falling behind," this shows the comparison of not using the Internet "old school" techniques vs. using the Internet and how it helped the Obama campaign.

The Final Essay Project assignment 2nd time around

2010-03-25T11:56:00.000-07:00

I decided to write on cyber-identities on the internet and in cyberspace. Their are several writers that have written on the changes that have been made in cyberspace when it comes to identities of those that enter the internet whether for business or for fun. David Bell has written on the subject and so has Sherry Turkle. I would like to show how we loose ourselves in VR (cyberspace) compared to the RW (real world) reality that we live with having no choice to live in either now and be in everyday.

The arguement is that the cyberculture community connects the digital world with the real world and has today become a culture in its own. The proposal of my final paper, is that the real World, cyberculture community's and the internet is a race of individuals and even though these individuals are connected or related, showing how these are different and separate communities in themselves and we as cyber-surfers need these to stay individuals in each world or VR or RL community that we live in.
Each identity whether 'online' or 'offline' is divided by the individuality available in each separate world or boundary and technology available at this time.

The Final Essay Project assignment?

2010-03-12T17:26:00.000-08:00

The Project that I was planning on writing about had to do with putting a gender of 'cybering' of the internet. Should it be gendered? If so, which gender? How is it gendered already? Will it ever have a gender? Those are just some of the questions in my argumentative essay that I would like to cover from our readings so far. If anyone has a better direction or less broad idea I would be grateful for any suggestions.

It seems to me that this is a controversy of the internet, because we name our vehicles male or female names and just about anything else we put a masculine or feminine nature to them, even our plants! The environments that we use have selective uses so maybe we should put a gender to each of the uses in cyberspace and the context of the internet. In my opinion, it does not have one as of yet and I would like to research this further to see if it has.
Well, that is about it.

Assignment 7

2010-02-26T15:49:00.000-08:00

Lara croft is a good heroin that is easy to follow in the play ethic of the video game genre and Scheiner's depiction of the way games are networked in the postmodern and feminist pop culture is close to reality on how the technology of today is wasted on gaming. But, the money has to be made some how. I really think that Scheiner puts a little too much into a video game and how it effects us humans. The web is really nothing compared to real life and that goes for Lara Croft too.
The jaunt through computer games that people spend time on to me is a little much, I hear stories all the time from these kids to adults that speak of being up for days trying to beat a game, but the average person playing these games are just out for fun or trying to escape from the actual reality that they live in. Solving puzzles is fun and entertaining to the point that you do feel better when solving a problem in the game and gives you some confidence in reality that if a situation did come up that you would or could solve the problem. What I liked about Lara Croft and first person games is that it does divide your attention away from the outside stresses that you know that you can not remove yourself from permanently and helps in some mental way to give you that stress release that is needed. I am never down on video gamers because I would rather anyone playing a game than committing a crime or get into trouble or worse.
When it comes to the feminist and Lara in her get-ups I say to the feminists...Get a Life!
How this effects me is that I always gave my children (when they were growing up) rules to live by and that included the playing of video games. This is just make-believe, I would tell them, play time not reality.
Believe it or not I would like to live as good the Jones's, but that is not reality, and being the mirror image of everybody else all the time would make this life a lot more boring. Individuality is important to me and just because the entertainment business wants to make a heroin out of a cartoon character is better then watching that stupid commercial about your brain on drugs! Even though it made sense. Who really cares what she is wearing and I really did not get the impression that it made her look masculine, if anything it gave the positive impression that ERA for women was not dead and that women can do well for themselves if it came down to it...In my opinion.....Lara Croft and women like her (and Ameilia Earhart ) Rock this World for women.

Donna Haraway Science Geek Assignment 6

2010-02-19T17:41:00.000-08:00

I found this article on Donna Haraway in The Washington University in St. Louis Newsroom. Web address follows. She happens to live a very interesting life. She is a internationally well known theorist and Historian besides being a scientist. What I thought was interesting additionally about her is that they describe her in so many different ways. "A History professor of the consciousness at the University of Calif was one. This article is dated today so I am glad I took another look...Anyways, a Historian of the consciousness, hmm?... Sounded pretty far out there if anyone had described me that way... Her lecture is on 2/24 if anyone wants to listen since it is free to the public at UC and is Titled: “21st Century Science Studies: Agents of Overlap in Biology and the Humanities.” She is sharing her lecture time with two other speakers and the article tells of the other lecturers but I just skimmed over that, if your interested there names are; William Wimsatt and and Carl Craver and with several others with PH.D's.

Anyways, Haraway teaches feminist theory and science studies which would be helpful for any women taking her class and listening to her lecture (maybe men too). Bless this women she went to Yale. She helps people deal with machines in the love / hate specialty. Have to laugh at that because I have wanted to drive over my laptop a couple of times myself... Maybe she could tell me why I have not done it yet (ha, ha). I should point out that the article states that she is the "leading thinker" in the lover-hater section with the machine world.

Her books sound pretty interesting, if you interested in biology and the study of primates, species, and the psychological effects of machines on humans.
I really liked this article because it covers a lot of what this women has accomplished. Its a good read and if your interested in attending it also give a phone number to call to make arrangements to attend the lecture. I have never imagined a women to be so much of everything that can be involved with the logical computers that we deal with on an everyday basis now. Not to say I feel that this is a man's world but they did start a lot that we have available in mechanics and science. I mean that Yes women are capable, but i.e. men built the clothes washing machine so that their women would have more time to do other things, besides spend more time doing laundry. (Thanks by the way!) Anyways, not to get off topic. I think it is important that Haraway has gone so far...out there in cyberspace.
http://news.wustl.edu/news/Pages/20313.aspx

Too Poor to Pay Attention - Post #5

2010-02-13T14:16:00.000-08:00

We were sharing in the fishbowl on Thursday and it really struck me that the movies we see are still gender (and sexual) and race involved, if you look from that point of view. I always knew that their were gender gaps (being a 'mans' world) because that is the way it has always been throughout history. But, I just never thought about how the movie makers are still stuck in that ... how did Nakamura put it "The paradox of whiteness is the very paradox of new media" (D.R. 98)stuck in a paradox of cultural discrimination. But you see I am an avid movie watch at least for the science fiction and action movies. And I now know that many movies have this stigma of discrimination against race and gender... Avatar, the most recent movie (that I was disappointed with, a different topic ) has that white paradoxical attitude also. The white man controlling the natives, reminded me of an old western like an old John Wayne movie...(hint why I did not think it was original) I like John Wayne don't get me wrong but, you expect the white man (of that era)to beat up the Indians in a western, whether I think it was right or wrong does not matter, that is the way it was then to make movies, but why make a newer version of the old movie with some great graphics?! Still the same old white over the poor Indian story? Made millions for the theaters, movie actors and producers. There is an old saying "Never add salt to an old wound" or something like that. I believe that is another reason I did not like Avatar as a movie. It reminded me of how so much injustice is going on in this world now and in the past, and that was not at all entertaining!

There is another point that I'd like to refer to, is that this old story of that paradox of whiteness is still there and it is making more money now then it did in the past 60 years! It is no matter if this 'paradox' is wrong, I don't think that the people with the money really care. And it has been like that for a long, long time. Even though I believe we definitely need to change.
What I like about Nakamura is that she brings this all out into the open. On several accounts. First, she compares recent movies (5-10 years old) and reality and second shows them for what they are. And third, expresses an long over due opinion of how this judgment of differences (actually a similarity to our past) is continuing into our multicultural digital age and stands up and asks if this is really what we want to see?! I like Lisa Nakamura very much as a writer.

On another note....
In my opinion... Avatar stunk on plot and idea. I have seen better graphics in a video game (i.e. The Great Escape with Steve McQueen, HALO), and I don't mind saying that I was highly disappointed in spending my 11.00 dollars to watch a crappy 3d movie. In thought and retrospect if I compared 3D movies of Avatar and Journey to the Center of the Earth graphics... Journey to the Center of the Earth was a hella lot better in 3D. and at least you knew the movie was a sequel! This idea of the Cowboy who rides in to save the day story is old school, and I give it a two thumbs down. So what if they used people to do cartoons...they have been doing that for over thirty years in cartoons and characters of actors...Betty Boop has been around since the 30s, Who Frame Rodger Rabbit since the 80s & 90"s and later. Heck the Pop and popcorn settled better in my stomach then the movie did with me.

Summarizing an Interview with William Gibson article

2010-02-05T13:58:00.000-08:00

First let me report that this article was so interesting that I read it a couple of times. You can find it at http://josefsson.net/gibson/ . I have never even heard of the author William Gibson before this class so this article was very enlightening. Throughout the interview the reader has also the opportunity to actually listen to Mr. William Gibson. The questions asked him were very intriguing. Some of this article covers exactly what we are covering in D.D. class and in my other User Interface class.

The interview with Williams covers how he perceives cyberspace and how it actually is. The more I read (and listened to it) it, the more I understand and agree how we do live in the world of Cyberspace. We do most of our banking and communication online anymore and we are expressing ourselves digitally in that sense. I also agree that cyberspace is fascinating and will not go away. I like how he puts our separation of body and mental state can be 'almost pathological growing out of this technology.'

He puts himself as normal and that most readers think of him as computer savvy when he's not. Gibson looks at the internet like a mall full of every bit of information that you can find like when you are on a highway looking for an exit for something important. The conversation on newsgroups about cyberspace and cyberpunk answers an interesting question about his books that makes me want to go check out his books. I like his answers when he states that 'talent can be shared regardless of the physical whereabouts, [and how the internet] it's got astonishing potential.' (Josefsson) He puts the argument of classes of the advantage and disadvantage into a perspective that I understand, all the while making a very interesting point about what everyone is interested in physically compared to what is actually available to the underprivileged and what they are not interested in! The article also covers stories that he writes of the social nightmares going on can be compared to real life.

William Gibson in his own words, states that social changes are continuing with the technology of the computer. He for himself, does not use the internet or have an e-mail address, or a modem. He literally suffers from agoraphobia of the internet which he compares to be afraid of the marketplace. He does state when he gets more time and it sufficiently less difficult to surf the net, he would use it.

If anyone would like to read this article I recommend it. It made me feel that I was privileged to be an internet commuter. Good reading.

Work Cited

Josefsson, Dan. "I Don't Even Have A Modem" .

Summarizing William Gibson

2010-02-05T13:44:00.000-08:00

I would like to first apologize to any readers for how late this announcement is. I will have my summary of the article for W. Gibson ready hopefully on time. I will be summarizing the article "I don't even have a modem", By Dan Josefsson.

Humanitiarian Reasons? I think so. Assn. 2

2010-01-29T17:38:00.000-08:00

I think that Kevin Robins (bottom paragraph page 230) is being quite judgmental in his context about communities wanting to rid themselves of their geography because their frustrated with their own limitations in life, and that cyberspace will be more accommodating because of it.

Existence is achieved at the cost of creating oneself to be known to others not for losing the world outside. The virtual community of cyberspace is an actuality of time, spent expressing oneself to others, and this is not a denial of the world, but an acceptance of it. The domain of cyberspace is so large that it can't be measured at this time and even when we are able to measure it we (who use the W.W.W.) still won't be losing the world but gaining more of it. That is what the W.W.W. is a culture within a cultural-istic entity. Our history of trying to communicate faster has always been in the forefront. Such as during wars, hopital emergencies and just to say hello (Pony Express). The WWW has been around for quite a while and we can even locate someone through their IP address (country, state, etc.)

An entity could be viewed as a set containing subsets. In philosophy, such sets are said to be abstract objects. Sometimes, the word entity is used in a general sense of a being, whether or not the referent has material existence; e.g., is often referred to as an entity with no corporeal form, such as a language. It is also often used to refer to ghosts and other spirits. Taken further, entity sometimes refers to existence or being itself (Wikipedia).

Clearly, his focus against the virtual community is misdirected in my opinion. I think that our newly attained technological advances have enhanced our humanity not taken from it or stifled it.

How in the Blankity did I find myself here?

2010-01-25T13:08:00.000-08:00

What in the world causes someone to change their direction of thinking...?!

Someone in your life going through a hardship. I.E. I have a boyfriend, we've together off and on for about a decade now. He has cancer, there I said it. I am going to drive up with a friend to Seattle and take him to the VA hospital... this is destroying my drive to do anything... which includes my homework. I know he has a chance for survival after chemotherapy and radiation treatment, but it is a slim chance because of where the cancer is located in his body and him having an already hard time eating now (he has terrible pain in his chest after he eats). But this is my blog not his. I guess my heart goes out more than I realized and am afraid to lose him, and I understand this. The reason I decided to write was because I have this belief that we are here for a reason, and it isn't just for school and knowledge and making our lives easier.

I try to look at it like the anti-gram of the word HOLY BIBLE... He Only Left You Basic Instruction Before Leaving Earth. He showed me this and it has helped me get through some very tough times... And I am having a harder time with this then any other time or situation.

One of the reasons instead of joining the military was the discussion of me continuing my education (my dream) and spending it with him afterwards, but now I have to consider the alternative and am having a hard time with this concept to spend my success alone. Which would have been better to enter the military...yeah I know about hindsight but that is not it...It is this, my children are grown and on their own, so this is my time...I know this..... What I am having a problem with is having to consider to complete this alone... He is my best friend and I love him and it is very hard to feel positive so I am sending this out to cyberspace to see if someone has advice...please remember...I am not married to him...and we need to stay strong...Thanks for reading

Blog assignment #2 communities.

2010-01-22T17:01:00.000-08:00

I just thought that originally that a virtual communites were something that you and a friend shared an interest in but Wilson goes into it further by how we share our political beliefs in cyberspace...just like how we have links to political literacies in or on the web. I know that I as a individual enjoy being able to vote and have a say in what my government my state on the news or in laws even though my say (I feel) really does not make much of a difference. This I believe may be shared with others but who knows. The virtual feel of cyberspace has not attracted me. Not even now. I have to put a limit to how much free space I put on my communities....
For example, I had to change my banking but I wanted nothing to do with it on line, because of all the hackers out there in that 'virtural world' and community of bankers. You see Had to is the key. I am an one on one kind of person....
Believe you me I have been in the addiction of cyberspace and almost lost my job because of me being what we call in the 'past' a Tube a holic. So the web is familiar territory, and I have learned my limits.

2010-01-17T14:50:00.000-08:00

I just thought I would give you all 'whomever' is reading my blog an positive thought of the day... I know its raining outside and in reality it is just drizzling, but it is a wonderful by its doing so... The rain is cleaning our air so we can all breath better. It actually takes the dirt out of the air and puts those nasty little spots on your car to let you know its okay to breath today... Standing out in the rain is not so fun though as you must already know and it can be quite dreary... but if we remember that we could use the water and cleaner air to breath we might have a better outlook on rainy days...

On a different note, I would like you to know how I came across the pictures on my blog. I took them on my adventures through life. The picture at 3000 ft. was on my airplane ride to Calif. I had just graduated from CBC and my brother sent me home after graduation so I could see my family and especially my Aunt Loraine (the last of our elders as far as I know). She passed away on the 22nd of December 2009. I am very glad I was able to see her before she left. Anyways the lake picture above is a picture of lake Wallula at about 430am. I was on a job for Battelle at Ice Harbor Dam, looking towards the East by Dalton Lake area. We were tracking the fish entering the dams ladders and how many actually made it through the Dam. Believe it or not quite a few fish make it through A-Okay. The politicians wanting to shut down the dams are being foolish...Fish do just fine....
Anyways, you can't get where I was on the dam anymore because of the terrorists and the law. But I still have the photos... Well, I have tons of reading and studying to do and all I wanted to say was:
Have a Postively optimistic Day.

My First steps in Cyberspace

2010-01-15T12:58:00.000-08:00

In the 10 descriptions that Michael (not Dirk from BG) Benedikt my first "Oh Yeah" was the 7th one on page 21:

Cyberspace: Beneath their plaster shells on the city streets, behind their potted plants and easy smiles, organizations are seen as the organisms they are -- or as they would have us believe them be: money flowing in rivers and capillaries; obligations, contract, accumulating (and the shadow of the IRS passes over). On the surface, small meetings are held in rooms, but they proceed in virtual rooms, larger, face to electronic face. On the surface, the building knows where you are. And who.

Cyberspace to me is just that...people in coffee shops behind that potted plant or just like in the movies....Blade Runner with Harrison Ford, where you needed a computer for everything and how the information age was starting to turn to cyborg's from entertainment purposes to war machines....isn't that where we are heading today in this time of our computer technology....we use nano technology in computers and machines for operating on humans and sending information across space...
I remember when I was in my teens and seeing the advertising on the television about the 'Super Computers' and feeling how I wanted to be a part of that! How NASA used these computers to get men to the moon....I wanted more....to go further....and beyond that big round thing that never changed the color except on special summer evenings and when storms were coming... Later, I learned everything I could about how to learn about computers....and what they could do...but tragically....Trend College would try to take that away from me... and after paying back the government loan a little over 10 years later...(that I had no Idea that they borrowed). Here I am living in my dream...who else has that for a memory..? I went on to continue my dream of becoming a college graduate.... Now at WSU as a Digital Technology and Culture student, I am learning to blog like the rest in cyberspace under trees or in small offices across our globe..."On the surface, [in the buildings]" we know who we are..... and we're loving it!

First time blogger.

2010-01-14T12:07:00.000-08:00

I have never blogged before. And my nicname is Kat. I was brought up in an era that when you wrote to someone you knew who you were writing to or if you were sharing something with anyone that you knew what in the world you were doing and writing about. This included everything in your life also...so here goes something about nothing or nothing about something. Blogging in class [is multi-tasking] and I am obviously late for my first blog. Being from California and Washington state is a difficult admission, for Californian's complain about out of state drivers and Washingtonian's complain about Californian's. This I know for a fact. Anyways, I love both states for their beauty. And have gone to school in both states. Lived longer in Washington, but my youth was spent in Calif.
The reality of my circumstances is I have had to work for everything that I have ever done in my life. From when I was very young and saw my mother thrown down the stairs in a fit of frustration from my father after both have be out drinking to the opening up in a blog about how living in a world of high and open communication options is not necessarily new but letting this openly out into the world that I have survived many tragic circumstances from my youth to very recently. So, I will post something tragic in each of my posts to let you and others like me know that we are not alone....or am I? (smile).