Current issues and humor

This picture made me laugh and I forgot how I came across it. After watching the random blooper video clips of President George W. Bush, I thought this image would fit in nicely. He definitely has a sense of humor.

Our past video conferences for the class have been interesting. It's always fun to see how people present themselves as well as their opinions.

Random Entertainment News:

• Sheryl Crow urges the use of one square
• Rosie will leave her view at "The View" behind
• The Tribeca Film Festival begins
• Snoop Dogg denied access to Australia
  

Also, last night I watched the Tonight Show with Jay Leno and Bill Maher was one of the guests. He discussed different issues today like the media's fascination with providing details about top stories. In the incident with the Virginia Tech shooting, Maher said that journalists feed off breaking news and are always competing with each other.




















He also discussed gun laws and admitted that he owns a firearm himself. I felt it was interesting to hear both sides of how it's in our U.S. Constitution, however, it is a harmful weapon. The purpose of a gun is to either damage something, inflict injury or death, despite the use. This could vary between whether you are animal hunting or practicing your aim with clay pigeons. It's still a tough situation but Maher continued points about other bigger, more important issues going on in the world.

I could only find a short sample of the conversation of Leno and Maher and it doesn't cover all the points he made during the interview. Still, it shows how quickly videos can be posted within a matter of hours since the event.

CDs, MP3s and WAVs of music

With the summer music season rapidly approaching, it makes me wonder about CDs and MP3s. I just saw a news segment on FOX5 about the 'death' of CDs.

It's true though. There is now a replacement for the compact disc. Just like there is a newer version of the iPod, which included the Mini, Nano and Shuffle. And we won't get into the feature specifications and color availability that change quite often.

The life of the CD was short-lived with the emergence of iTunes + iPod as well as methods to copy albums and post them through Internet music sharing Web sites.

I listen to a variety of music and I'm constantly searching for new bands. My iTunes library is packed with close to 5,000 songs and I think I may need a much larger iPod. It's difficult at CD stores like BestBuy and Tower Records, which is now out of business, to sample songs. I think places like Barnes & Noble and FYE are sticking around because they allow customers to preview tracks before making purchases. However, the price tends to be higher at these joints.

You risk the chance of paying the price for an entire album, which you have no idea if it will be great or not. That's why I advise people to purchase CDs if they are a dedicated fan because there are times where other songs may not be as exciting as you expected. But I like the convenience of a CD when I'm driving in my car. I am able to connect my iPod to the main car stereo system via an old-fashioned cassette tape audio converter. Although the thin, black wire is silly looking, it gets the job done. However, if I don't like the playlist currently playing, it could divert my attention away from the wheel.

I also do enjoy album art, photos and messages from the band members located inside the cover pamphlet. However, this may be an obsolete activity if CD sales continue to decline. For the most part, iTunes offers songs for $0.99 but this may rise by $0.30 within the year.

The executives at Apple are wondering whether customers who make a single track purchase should be entitled to a discount if they decide to purchase the entire album by the same artist. That makes sense. Especially if the music audience has already spoken by showing their purchasing power.

Where did the time go?

It's been a crazy semester and now it's crunch time.

By next week, we all have final touches to add to our blogs and Web sites, especially towards our final project. I'm still in the process of gathering content and interviews. Time has passed so quickly and many things have occurred within the past five months, both good and bad. But that's reserved for another blog entry.

I'm also stressed out because I have summer school, which starts on May 21, the day after my birthday. Great planning, eh?

I'll be taking some interesting courses like:

• AVT 382 Digital Arts and Animation (4)
  
• AVT 414 Graphic Design IV (4)
• ARTH 320 Arts of the Islamic World (3)
• ENGL 332 Introduction to Film Criticism (3)

I hope to learn a variety of software programs better as well as expand my mind about culture. That's 14 credits total and the two sessions will overlap. I'll be having fun while balancing all that.

And because I'm obsessive-compulsive (haha), I've finalized my schedule for fall.

• AVT 498 Senior Design Project (yikes!) (4)
• AVT 462 Sculpture III (4)
• AVT 252 Photography I (4)
• AVT 309 Art as Social Action (3)
• AVT 399 The Sustainability Project (1)
• COMM 454 Free Speech and Ethics (I'll be done with my minor!) (3)
• AVT 394 AVT Honors Seminar (1)

That leaves me with only these classes for spring 2008:

• AVT 472 Critical Theory (3)
• AVT 354 Digital Photography (4)
  
• AVT 394 AVT Honors Seminar (1)
  

I'll definitely add more to that, but time is flying by! Everyone has told me to relax for my final semester since no one else completes a (120-credit) BFA with an 18-credit minor, so we'll see how it goes.

Nationwide Hokie pride.

I know a lot of people that currently go to Virginia Tech or have recently graduated from there. I also know many high school students planning to attend as well. A large community here in northern Va. has been affected greatly by this tragedy. Even before this event occurred, students always had Hokie pride and expressed love for their school. Now Columbine seems too close to home.

It made me realize how quickly things can change and how Internet use can be crucial at these times. The best way to contact my two cousins (who are brothers) and friends at school was through Facebook. Cell phones tend to be busy and it may not be a proper time to call. Facebook allows quick updates that gets the news out there to everyone. There are groups and notes written in support and I'm glad those I know turned out OK.

I've been watching the news constantly and sometimes I feel overwhelmed and stop watching. I cried again. But then, I started to check online updates at washingtonpost.com, nytimes.com and vt.edu.

There are also Mason Web sites for more info: Outreach and President Merten's letter.

Everyone should watch the Convocation video clip, especially Nikki Giovanni's address. Here's the transcript:

"We are Virginia Tech.

We are sad today, and we will be sad for quite a while. We are not moving on, we are embracing our mourning.

We are Virginia Tech.

We are strong enough to stand tall tearlessly, we are brave enough to bend to cry, and we are sad enough to know that we must laugh again.

We are Virginia Tech.

We do not understand this tragedy. We know we did nothing to deserve it, but neither does a child in Africa dying of AIDS, neither do the invisible children walking the night away to avoid being captured by the rogue army, neither does the baby elephant watching his community being devastated for ivory, neither does the Mexican child looking for fresh water, neither does the Appalachian infant killed in the middle of the night in his crib in the home his father built with his own hands being run over by a boulder because the land was destabilized. No one deserves a tragedy.

We are Virginia Tech.

The Hokie Nation embraces our own and reaches out with open heart and hands to those who offer their hearts and minds. We are strong, and brave, and innocent, and unafraid. We are better than we think and not quite what we want to be. We are alive to the imaginations and the possibilities. We will continue to invent the future through our blood and tears and through all our sadness.

We are the Hokies.

We will prevail.

We will prevail.

We will prevail.

We are Virginia Tech."