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 Just like there is a newer version of the iPod, which included the Mini, Nano and Shuffle.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."

Brand spankin' new.

Anybody out there like the new look?

I was getting bored with the old layout so it was time for a change for the blog and my Web site.

Check out:

• A more organized layout featuring top news headlines
• New photos of GMU's campus and events, my artwork and some cute stuff
• Videos powered by Google (relating to art and design), which will play at the top of the page after a selection is made
  
• A more condensed page only featuring the most recent entries to avoid excessive scrolling down
  

Hopefully I'll get some positive feedback. =) I should get back to my art history paper/project now. I'm totally procrastinating and I've only written one sentence so far.

Coke's new rap.

Shawn Carter, more widely known as rapper Jay-Z, is the man behind the new design for Coca-Cola Cherry.

Click here to read more.

The hip-hop entrepeneur has worked on other projects including his record label: Roc-A-Fella, GM vehicles, Budweiser Select and Rocawear apparel.

Apparently, he has a reputation for bringing flavor to his side projects. As for me, the new style is cool but sometimes I feel that it confuses people. By the text reading as: Coca-Cola Cherry, people might assume that it is Coke Zero or similar to Diet Coke.

I've also noticed the deeper colors for the new design. Instead of the usual red and black, there is white across hints of magenta.

It's cool to see how Coca-Cola has evolved throughout the years. A classic remains timeless even with changes. Let's take a look of some of the styles over time of the signature line. There have been cocaine, lime, cherry, vanilla, black cherry vanilla, blak and other limited edition fusions.

Somewhere out there...

Here's an interesting blog I found. It's about Dr. Charles Simonyi, who has donated millions of dollars in exchange for the trip of a lifetime. Well, actually it's only about ten days long.

He will be reaching the International Space Station and will return on April 20.

Simonyi was one of the founders for Microsoft applications like Word. He is a billionaire (no surprise) and the fifth individual to travel in space.

He has been documenting his travels through his blog entitled, Charles in Space.

Simonyi answers questions about space travel and the six month program where he prepared for the trip. There are also videos and updates about his voyage.

It's definitely something exciting to check it since Thursday was the anniversary of the first astronaut in space in 1961.

Google goes down the drain

The other day, I noticed something new on Google, a new in-home wireless broadband service for FREE.

Now, your money does not have to go down the drain.

Well, rethink that for a minute.

Google offers the TiSP service with a free installation kit including a fiber-optic cable and gloves.

Apparently, there are access points hidden down in sewage lines. You basically take a wire with a sinker and send it down the toilet. The sinker will then be taken care of by the "Plumbing Hardware Dispatchers, who will remove the sinker and plug the line into our global data networking system."

How can Google offer this service for free?








"We believe that all users deserve free, fast and sanitary online access. To offset the cost of providing the TiSP service, we use information gathered by discreet DNA sequencing of your personal bodily output to display online ads that are contextually relevant to your culinary preferences, current health status and likelihood of developing particular medical conditions going forward."

Maybe this is a part of Google's April Fool's Day joke, which provides a service to print all of your e-mails and have them shipped to your home. Pretty clever, Google.

The wave of the future

Our guest for COMM 361 today was Adrian Holovaty, who is the editor of news innovation for washingtonpost.com.

Holovaty discussed how journalism right now is broken. It needs to become "beautiful, clean data that gets written into the blob." It includes the unstructured and structured information. We can use tools like Google, LexisNexis and Excel spreadsheets to break down data. The only problem with structured information, somebody (a human) has to compile it.

The tragedy:

The news organizations have infrastructure to collect info, edit and verify info, get info out to people (printing presses, TVs, etc), reputation for fair and accurate information. He also spoke about the National Institute for Computer-Assisted Reporting as well as chicagocrime.org

• Automated information retrieval
• Does not replace writing, video, photos or storytelling

How is this journalism?

• Gather, distilling, present it
• Call sources, do research; decide what’s worth writing about; write the article
• Write programs to fetch data, decide which queries are worth showing; design the Web site

Anyone that needs more information can contact Adrian Holovaty at Holovaty.com or e-mail him directly at web@holovaty.com. Click on the image below to see another one of Holovaty's projects, Django. He describes it as: "A Python framework that makes building database-backed Web sites fast and easy. I'm lead developer."

Honors Seminar: Recent Work

Honors Seminar: Recent Work

Gallery show is still up, sharing space in Gallery 123 in the JC.

The opening reception was a success. It took a lot of work to put the pieces together on time and to decide where everything was going. Art is a field that is based on criticism, which I find interesting in comparison to journalism.

There is always a "big brother" somewhere.

This is the second chair I made and the first item I have ever displayed in a gallery space. People are shocked to find that the chair actually works, which I find funny.

In order to make something like this, I had to step into the world of welding. It sounds scary at first, but once you understand the basics of safety, you're good to go. Also, you learn more about chemical processes and how the molecules break down and gather again when the metals cool down.













The images were taken by myself.

Asma Chaudhary, "Grasshopper Epiphany," 3.5 ft. x 2 ft., extruded steel fencing and rebar, 2007.

The show is still on display, so I encourage everyone to catch a glimpse and to have a seat.

Innovative media.

Today, Professor Klein discussed some important Web sites for information like Romenesko and I Want Media. These Web sites clearly show how Internet journalism involves the three I's:

• Information
• Interactivity
• Immediacy

Other Web sites we looked at included: nyc24.org or collegeinnovation.org.

Although our generation is fast-paced, we still have doubts when it comes to credibility.

In order to assure the class, Professor Klein made an interesting analogy. "Think of it like an Oldsmobile, it was great until the last one came off the factory line, but no has them anymore," said Klein.

For a split second, I went back to memories of our old blue family car, an Oldsmobile (I forgot which year), that broke down in front of a crazy man's house over a decade ago. The man was yelling racial slurs at us as we walked through the snow home. I remember how I asked my mom to have our aunt pick us up or to at least stay at her house. My mom gripped the hands of my sister and I tighter as we continued the trek home.

The point of that story was that it quickly compared how technology affects us today. We had a top-of-the-line vehicle at the time, yet there were no cell phones in existence.

Today, barely anyone could survive without a cell phone, iPod or another electronic device to provide convenience and security.

It's our electronic pacifier.

RSS feeds

In class right now, we are all working on our RSS feeds. It's definitely a cool feature and it's a bonus to have 50 extra credit points towards our final grades.

Currently, I have a MyYahoo! page set up with RSS feeds from Yahoo! News, Reuters: Top Stories and AP's top headlines.

Additionally, I added fun things like comics, TV listings and entertainments news. Another awesome feature are the weather reports for places where I visit or have family like Annandale, Va., Orlando, Fl., New York, N.y., Ocean City, Md. and Sialkot, Pakistan. I'm also going to add Dublin, Ireland and Dubai where my cousins live.

The weather is beautiful today! My RSS feed says 72 degrees Farenheit! Yeah :)

I'm excited to learn more about RSS feeds and will hopefully add it to my blog or personal Web site on the Mason server.

Mason's Job Fair

Today I was able to attend Mason's Job Fair. I've never been to one at school here but it was an exciting experience. There were employers from different corporations including national and local businesses. Some organizations were focused on Fairfax County based on the location for their headquarters. From a guest speaker in another COMM course, I learned that many parts of the county are often overlooked when it comes to the economy. There are hotspots for business in Tyson's Corner, Reston and Fairfax but little areas like Merrifield and Vienna deserve some attention as well. The foundations for the Internet actually began in the McLean area.

For an AVT major, it's difficult because we could work almost anywhere that needs promotional materials with logo branding. Most of the job opportunities were for accounting and business majors. I was considering some of the construction groups because they had architectural applications. It's something I would be interested in because I could apply design elements.

I love free stuff too. A common product given out were stress balls and pens. Interesting.

Reporting the truth.

I constantly watch the news. However, I notice that most news stories fly right by because less important topics are discussed. I'm not one to judge but sometimes I need to know everything in a nutshell but any story could be news to another.

I typically watch local news channels like ABC7 and NBC4. I find FOX5 interesting and I like the convenience at 10 p।m. especially if there is snow in the forecast.

My mom watches mostly international news received from the source directly in Pakistan via her satellite connection. In the country, there is constant violence and turmoil or else a terrible disaster like a train wreck or earthquake. Today, my mom discussed an attack on a news station by police officers armed with weapons and tear gas.

According to the PakTribune.com article, several people were manhandled and beaten and offices were destroyed. The DailyTimes.com.pk discussed how the independence of the media is being threatened by these forces. The station, GEO-TV, is known for its investigative reporting and accuracy by eliminating bias. It makes me question: How much do reporters have to sacrifice in order to supply the truth? What is the truth? According to whom?

What are the procedures to protect journalists in these situations? The CPJ also reported the story.

Pakistan is a country dealing with a lot of issues but should be portraying a better image. With a 97% Muslim population, you would think that the country would be promoting peace more. President Gen. Pervez Musharraf promised to find those responsible for the attacks but it will not be easy. I still hope for the best but I know that things need to change. It's always interesting to get another point of view especially from my mom because she was born on the day Pakistan received its independence on August 14, 1947. How crazy is that? My mom is a piece of the homeland.

April showers in March.

I can't wait for the next couple of weeks. On Sunday, I'm hoping to be on campus to set up artworks in the Johnson Center's Gallery 123. I've never had my work displayed in a gallery space before, so I'm actually nervous of what people will think. At least I have about a dozen other students with me displaying work as well.

In case anyone is interested to see the work, it will be on display for one week only. The opening reception will be on Wednesday, March 21st from 7 to 9 p.m. Please stop by, say hi and grab some food! I'm hoping to take some new pictures and upload them to my COMM 361 Web site. I've tried Shutterfly.com to organize my albums but I later realized that it greatly reduces the quality of the photos. I'm looking into Picasa from Google and Flickr. I'm just tired of advertisements or watermarks placed on the images themselves. We shall see what goes down.

Also, I'm excited for ArtsBus trip to New York City, N.Y. on March 24. I'm definitely going to the Museum of Modern Art in order to write a paper for my ARTH 374 class. By the way, I have a midterm on Monday and I'm so stressed out.

The rainy-wintry mix today was cool.

iEverything.

During the break, I'm hoping to learn more about the important tools that our guest speakers have spoken highly about such as certain software programs and Web sites including:

• useit.com
• netvibes.com
• Picasa
• Flickr
• RSS feeds
  
• Firebug plug-in
• Audacity
• Podcasts

I cannot wait until the public release of Apple's iPhone. It appears that the device will pack the features of an iPod, a cell phone and a handheld computer. I'm excited that the product will be available to Cingular customers, because I've been pleased with my service so far. Also, by the time the device hits the public market, I may be due for an upgrade anyway. One thing I'm worried about is if the screen will be able to handle daily wear and tear or scratches. I know that the screen is sensitive and works through a multi-touch display by using your fingers but I'm hoping there will be some way to protect the screen.

This feature also sounds cool. According to Apple's iPhone High Technology Web site:

Built-in Advanced Sensors

"iPhone’s accelerometer detects when you rotate the device from portrait to landscape, then automatically changes the contents of the display, so you immediately see the entire width of a web page or a photo in its proper landscape aspect ratio."

"The proximity sensor detects when you lift iPhone to your ear and immediately turns off the display to save power and prevent inadvertent touches until iPhone is moved away."

"An ambient light sensor automatically adjusts the display’s brightness to the appropriate level for the current ambient light, thereby enhancing the user experience and saving power at the same time."

Too bad that Apple CEO Steve Jobs is like the only person who has one.

Have a seat.

Lately, I've been reading through books on chairs. I love interior design and I wanted to understand the functions behind furniture. By taking advantage of the tools and machines in my sculpture class, I am currently working on a series of chairs.

At this point, I have created two chairs out of stainless steel fencing and unfinished common rebar. I've been investigating what justifies something as a chair. It could be a standard piece with a seat, back, arms and four legs. A chair could be anything from a desk chair to a tree stump. I make a ton of drawings in my sketchbook, with measurements and basic ideas from my head.

Next, I look at the material and play with its characteristics. Since rebar and steel appear rough, it gives the chairs a construction site feel. When you look and sit in the chairs, you wonder if it will offer enough support. So far, I have received great feedback from classmates who have seen me weld, bend, grind, slice and melt steel. I chose steel because it is a medium I have never worked with. I hope with time that I can move onto other materials like plastic and wood.

















I also purchased three books on the subject through Amazon.com including:

• Chairs: A History (Hardcover) by Florence de Dampierre (Author)
• 1000 Chairs (Taschen 25) (Paperback) by Charlotte Fiell (Author), Peter Fiell (Author)
• New Chairs: Innovations in Design, Technology, and Materials (Paperback) by Mel Byars (Author)

These books are spectacular because of the vivid images of each chair design as well as information about the artistic process. I'm hoping to display a chair in an upcoming gallery show the week after spring break, which is March 19th-23rd. More details will be coming soon but everyone should try and see what the AVT Honors students have been working on!

It's oh so divine.

There is no doubt that Oprah Winfrey is a powerhouse bringing a million big ideas to millions of viewers or capable of bringing down the author of A Million Little Pieces.

She is a rich woman, with a passionate heart for the world and a cool billion in her wallet. Recently, Winfrey unveiled her new school in Africa called, The Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls. The school was a part of the ChristmasKindness project where children were given uniforms, shoes, dolls and soccer balls. There are plans for future schools in Africa to open for boys as well.

Besides her own work with the Oprah Angel Network, Winfrey has worked with U2's Bono to bring awareness to the Product (RED) campaign. Proceeds from items purchased go back to Africa to fight against AIDS. The campaign has teamed up with Apple's special edition red ipod, Giorgio Armani's clothing and sunglasses, Motorola's MOTORAZR and MOTOSLVR, GAP apparel and accessories, and Converse shoes to provide products that help victims.

Winfrey's team raised Hurricane Katrina and tsunami aid in order to build homes for families. International news reports are given by Lisa Ling and Anderson Cooper about the current conditions in our prison systems as well as overseas with children and poverty.

After 20 years of shows, The Oprah Winfrey Show 20th Anniversary DVD was released to provide aid to women and children all over the world. It was a huge success because it also gave viewers a scrapbook DVD complete with heartwarming memories sure to make you cry. Other DVDs are available such as the Leadership Academy DVD which can be currently pre-ordered or the trip Oprah took with Elie Wiesel at a concentration camp in Auschwitz.

Winfrey has made news with her Oprah’s Book Club, which reaches an audience over the Internet and into homes. One of Winfrey's picks, A Million Little Pieces by James Frey, went immediately to a best-seller. However, Winfrey learned that the memoirs were not factual and demanded an apology from Frey from betraying the public. The next day, the Oprah Book Club stickers were removed from the copies of Frey's book.

It was like experiencing a dream episode. It still was an interesting read. Too bad it wasn't real.

Additionally, Winfrey has collected a group of friends in different areas of expertise to form: Oprah & Friends Radio, which features:

• Bob Greene, exercise physiologist
• Dr. Maya Angelou, best-selling author
• Gayle King, TV personality and Oprah’s best friend
• Dr. Mehmet Oz, heart surgeon
• Jean Chatzky, financial expert
• Dr. Robin Smith, psychologist
• Nate Berkus, interior designer
• Marianne Williamson, best-selling author for personal and spiritual issues

It seems like anyone that appears on the show will be even more successful afterwards. Here a couple of people that have gladly received the Midas touch.

• Rachel Ray, TV chef on Food Network and the Rachel Ray show
  
• Dr. Phil McGraw, clinical psychologist, The Dr. Phil Show

And of course, in case anyone misses anything on TV, radio or on the Internet, there is always O magazine and O at Home. For years, people have wanted her to run for president but I'm sure Oprah Winfrey has her hands full saving the world.

Click, click, news.

In class, we have learned so much about online media communications such as using programs like Audacity (not to be confused with Audacity.com janitorial services) and GarageBand to record podcasts for RSS feeds. It’s amazing to see how technology can create and edit news with the click of a mouse or iPod. With some work, we could collaborate those ideas with Flickr and upload cool features to our Mason “tilda” accounts.

Rob Curley, who calls himself an Internet punk, spoke about the importance of local news and the evolution of traditional media. Curley may be flying high off of Mountain Dew, but has a point when it comes down to breaking news and the audience. The New York Times called the Lawrence Journal-World, “the newspaper of the future.”

Not too shabby for the little newspaper that could.

The majority of us gather our news for free from the Internet. Unless you have the time to enjoy the print edition, there is no need to grab the soggy newspaper from the driveway every morning. A team constantly updates online newspaper editions with specific details and extra information.

It’s that extra information that gets to people. Maybe we feel bombarded with unnecessary details or want to protect our privacy. I wonder what privacy means anymore. Just go Google yourself, you may be surprised at what you find. It’s also interesting when you find another person with your exact name on the other side of the globe. Either way, something that may be unnecessary to you, may be fascinating news to someone else.

According to Helen Thomas, “every [blogger] with a laptop thinks they’re a journalist.” I do agree with that but there are pros and cons to every situation. At the moment, I feel like everyone with a cell phone camera thinks they’re a member of the paparazzi. Watch out, now.

Photos courtesy of Naplesnews.com, Google.com and the iDevil Skin for iPod Nano (also available at Five Below for well, five bucks).

9:30 shows and snow

I was going to update sooner but decided to wait until now. This week has been interesting with school and stuff. I've been busy working on projects for an art show occurring the week after spring break.

Also, I went to two concerts with some friends this weekend at the 9:30 club and I was hoping to write a review for Broadside. If it doesn't happen, that's fine because I'll just find something else to write about.

The shows included:
-Cute Is What We Aim For
-All Time Low
-This Providence
-Brighten

-Jack's Mannequin
-Head Automatica
-The Audition
-We Are The Fury

All the bands were great and are definitely worth a listen. I'm always amazed at how people can play instruments so well. It's also interesting to see how each band has a different approach to writing lyrics and making songs.

The snow was nice today. It made the commute via the Metro to Washington, DC a little difficult, but worked out nonetheless. If anyone wants to see photos, go to my Facebook.com page.

I'm private, so make a request to add me :)