Technology and Me

When it comes to technology, I view it as being a blessing as well as a curse.  Why do I think this way?  Because when a new ‘great’ invention comes out, generally it is expensive (ex: iPods), we end up relying on it (ex: cell phones, cars), and sometimes it fails at important times (ex: computers).  BUT they are also a blessing because they make life more enjoyable (iPods), easy (cars, computers), and safe (cell phones).  

            My personal experiences with technology have been a rollercoaster ride.  The one technological advancement that I think is one of the most important is the cell phone.  This little device can keep people all over the world connected by a button.  It is also a safety device because if something bad happens (car breaks down or getting lost) then help is just a call away instead of a couple of miles away. It can also be a theft deterrent (haha… Sprint’s commercial) because in safety schools they teach people to ‘pretend’ to talk on the phone to deter a criminal from attacking because they think that the person on the other end will come to your rescue and call the cops.  

            The downfall that I have experienced through my cell phone is that I used it as a phone book.  One day, all of the numbers in my phone were erased for no reason.  This caused a huge problem for me because all of my friend’s numbers from high school were erased and I still don’t have some of them.  It was a huge pain in the butt to get back some of the numbers and now on I try to write the numbers down as well as save them in my phone.  Another problem is that many times people drive while talking on the phone and they get into accidents.  Actually, this just happened to my older brother today while he was going to school.  A lady behind him was on the phone and didn’t realize that she was still moving while my brother and the rest of traffic came to a stand still.  Stupid lady. It will cost her a lot of money.

            Professionals are at a disadvantage when they do not have technology because they fall behind the advancement of their rivals.  If one group has it, they set a precedent, and it is generally looked down upon when someone does not have technology, even though it can be a pain in the butt! All in all, I think that technology can be a blessing while also having a damper on a person

Four Tips For Blogging…

When it comes to blogging I need all of the advice and help that I can receive. This is my first time actually portraying my ideas for other people to read (besides AIM). I have never had a diary because I feel that words last forever and that my ideas are better expressed vocally or in paper form, not on the internet. But I can avoid this technology advancement no longer… my grade depends on it. So how can a blogging rookie learn from an expert? There are many different ways but the one way that I will discuss is by reading a “Tips for Blogging” excerpt like I just did. From this excerpt, I gained four ideas that I either think are important to take into consideration but that I believe that I will have trouble with during this course experience. The four that I have chosen are: to be real and to speak in a real voice, update frequently, write about what you love, and finally link to your sources within the blog.

To be real and to speak in a real voice is going to be challenging because even when I am writing this I naturally have the essay format running through my head. If this was for leisure, I would be more laid back on this but I know that in the end my ideas are being graded by the teacher and my peers which puts pressure on my shoulders. I am concentrating on how to write in a “real voice” and hopefully I am doing a good job. If some of my papers become too formal, or too lackadaisical, please let me know and I will try to fix the paper or correct it in future posts.

The second idea of updating frequently is hard for me because I do not like writing my ideas down so the less I have to do it, the happier I am. I am going to have to remind myself that I have to post because it doesn’t come naturally to me. My problem lies in ‘publishing’ my ideas on the internet and I get nervous. Also, I am still confused on what we are directly supposed to have on our walls. So maybe I will update with my life story or something, just to keep you entertained! J

To write about what I love shouldn’t be a hard thing but because this class is about technology it will be more difficult for me. I enjoy technology but in no way would I say that I love it. I do not think about technology much so to write a blog solely on technology is going to be a challenge… but I am up for a challenge!! So, if I ever mention my friends, family, or boyfriend it is because I a mentioning things that I love but I will still try to relate it to technology! J

Moving on, linking to sources is something that I will have to learn. I love it when looking through other people’s blogs and they have links but I do not know how to do this. I would love to learn because I believe that it will strengthen my blogs and it will support my material. If there is some way that we can learn how to do this, I would really enjoy it.

Hopefully I can overcome these challenges within this class. It may take some time, but I will work on it to the best of my ability. Please just let me know if you notice that I am doing something abnormal or if you have any strategies for how to better my blog. I am always up for suggestions. Thank you for reading. J

My Timeline

 When Everything works out…..2007– Graduate college with an English Education Degree.2009– Get married to my college sweetheart who is a struggling Architect (Jon)but has a steady job.

2011– Get transferred to Las Vegas for my husband’s job.  I dislike the area but am able to eventually get used to it once I find a job at a local high school teaching freshmen and coaching their cheerleading team.

2013– After 2 years of coaching the cheer team, we finally make it to nationals in Florida where we win the National Championship (the first time that this school made it to Nationals).

2014– With the minimal money that I was given for having a National Cheerteam, I go to Paris casino on my lunch break and play the quarter slot one time… but I hit the 25,000,000 jackpot.  Because of some quirk in the system, I do not have to give any money to the government, and it is for me and my husband to enjoy.  Not only this, but Jon enters the World Poker Tournament and wins 30,000,000 (but the government does tax this winnings) We’re set for life!!!

2015– I continue working at the highschool just because I love teaching but I decide that now, since I am financially stable, that I am going to have a kid.  I buy a jet so that I can return home to Chicago to see my parents anytime that I want to. 

2018– After having 2 children (a boy, Rustin and a girl, Anya) my husband and I decide to buy a house in Switzerland for a summer house for us and our extended families. 

2020– While on the jet one day, Rustin took out his markers and purposely wrote all over his younger sister Anya.  Because of this, my husband had the great idea to invent a marker that had a safety code that only the parents knew. 

2021– After two years of inventing and making, our safe-a-mark came out and made huge profits.  We became even richer than we were before.

2022– Because of our immense riches, Jon and I decide to pay off our parents and brother’s mortgages and donate 2 million to the public school system every year. 

From then on, life is perfect.  Jon and I raise our two beautiful children.  We then make a community of our friends and families on our own island.
 

Response to Blogs

Blogging about a blog…..
Who is the audience of this blog? How do you know?
            ~ The audience for this blog is anyone who is OVERLY interested in the gossip of Hollywood stars.  I would imagine that these people are those who like to read “The Enquirer” and “The Star” while waiting in line at the grocery store. I know this because of the information that is given about Hollywood’s most famous.  There is no reliable information to where you could go for concrete information.  It seems to be all hear-say.

What is the central focus of the blog? Does the focus fit this audience?
            ~The focus of this blog is on the lifestyles and dramas of famous people. (Britney Spears, Paris Hilton, Pink to name a few).  It does seem to fit the audience because these are famous people who would seem to have much drama in their lives to feed off of.

Who is the blog author? Is there an author clearly identified?
            ~The blog author is named “Trent” but it is not clearly identified.  I had to search at the bottom of the page, and I am not 100% that it is their true name.  BUT I could care less because they seem to be someone who lives in LA and who is pretty rude because of the nitpicky things that are said on this page. 

What kind of theme or design strategies does the author use?
            ~”Trent” uses sparkly headline with a black background and pink letters that stand out.  They also write captions on the pictures to make certain things stand out (like a cut on Britney’s forehead). Actually, you could just read the pictures to understand what is being gossiped about in the excerpt.

Do you find this blog useful/interesting/well-designed?
            ~useful- not really

~interesting- yes because there is a lot going on that you have to try and decipher what is happening

            ~well-designed- it could be better if they were to have pages for all of the different stars. This would make it easier to follow as well.

What could be added to this blog to make it a better or more effective blog?
            ~I think that this blog seems to be too harsh in content and too many topics are going.  It is hard to follow everything that is being said.  It would be better if they had separate links for different stars (like one for Britney, one for Pink, one for Paris).

Now::: for the BIGGER-PICTURE questions: (dun, dun, dun……)
What draws people to blogs?
            ~I think color and creativity can bring someone to read a blog more often.  Why do I think this?  Because I found myself looking at those blogs that have more color and sparkly letters than those with plain looking pages.  This may not apply for all people, but I think it has something to do with it because even people in class seem to look at those blog sites that are colorful or have pictures… its just natural to read when it is more pleasing to the eye.

Why do people blog?
            ~I think that people blog because it is a fad and in a way, it makes you feel important when someone writes on your wall in response to what you have been saying.  It feels like someone supports your blog or cares enough about what you have been writing about to take the time to respond. 

Why do people read blogs?
            ~I think that people read blogs because they are nosy and what to know other people’s business or ideas.  I think that it is a form of entertainment.

What are the implications of this type of writing?
            ~One big implication is that your writing is not always taken seriously.  Whenever I read blogs (which has increased because of this class assignment), I don’t take their word as truth, I just always think of it as being an opinion.  Even if there is a citation, I have this mindset that it is not reliable information and it is just for fun.

Will blogs last? Or are blogs just a momentary hot technology that will dissipate relatively quickly?
            ~I think that blogs are just a momentary hot technology and that when something new happens people will move on to that technology and forget about blogging.  This happened to chat rooms.  In the 1990s when chat-rooms were so popular, everyone that I knew was participating with it, but once different technology like “Facebook” and blogging happened, then everyone changed to that and has an attitude of “who cares” towards chat-rooms.  (Plus creepy people go in chat-rooms) There are still people who will like it a lot a keep with it, but those who go with trends, will move on.