Assignment 13

My life has been shaped by others in many ways. Without the outside influences I've had, i wouldn't be the person I am today. In the last few years my friend Heather has influenced me the most. Our friendship was very unlikely. I used to be a real loaner and opened up to almost no one. But then I met her and something caught my eye. She was different from the other girls I knew. There was just something about her, an inner beauty that I wanted to know. So I started talking to her and we got to be friends. That friendship was unlike any of the others I had been in. We talked often and went so much deeper than surface level conversation. After some time, we started dating. Dating was a new experience for me as I had never had a serious girlfriend before. Throughout the time we here dating we grew even closer together and went through many trials. But alas is was apparent to both of us that out dating was going nowhere and we called an end to that phase of our relationship. It was a very hard time for both of us, but especially for her. I hadn't made things very easy for her... It was touch and go for a few weeks after, but out of that pain and hurt came an even deeper friendship. A friendship that has kept me going so many times. One that has changed me in so many ways, but all for the good. Heather brought me out of my shell. I am much more forward now and outgoing. She has showed me that even though some pretty crappy stuff happens, its still possible to forgive that person and restore the relationship. Heather has been a constant in my life that has helped me through the last few years tremendously. And for that I'm eternally grateful. So thank you Heather for truly being a friend to me and letting me share this piece of my life with you.

The cross, one of socitety's most recognised symbols, holds a very profound meaning for Christians. Two thousand years ago, the Romans used the cross as their from of capital punishment. Prisoners were nailed to the cross and allowed to eventually weaken and suffocate. The cross was one of the most cruel and painful methods of capital punishment. Around the year 33 AD, a man named Jesus was nailed to a cross or crucified. His life was one of the most controversial and inspiring lives in history. He had a huge following and performed many miracles. Last week, his death and resurrection were once again celebrated. To the Christians, the cross is both a symbol of sorrow and joy. Sorrow remembering the pain of the cross, but joy remembering what was paid for that day. But more than just for Christians, the cross has become a symbol. A symbol to ward off evil spirits and a charm for necklaces. But to truly understand the meaning of the cross, one must have experienced the joy that it has brought. I am not ashamed of the things that I believe and I am so very thankful for the freedom of speech here in America. There aren't many other places where we can say what we believe and not fear a governmental backlash.

The internet has opened up the world to so many creative ideas. Artists can now share their work with millions of people with the click of a mouse. From the stand point of an up and coming artist, the internet is an excellent place to get your name out. They often do not care if people copy their work without their direct permission. But for established artists, the internet poses a danger. It is so easy to copy ones work illegally and distribute it across the world. Creative Commons hopes to simplify the process of sharing ideas and creativity, legally. When an artist publishes a work, they can go to Creative Commons and obtain a license allowing others to use their work under the artist terms. It is a way to easily and legally share ones work. If Creative Commons catches on, it will revolutionize how the industry works and open up many works of art to the masses for their own use.

Blog Assignment 7

When writing, it is important to consider the audience. Each audience should be addressed differently in order to show respect and keep them engaged in the writing. I wouldn't write a very long and complex paper describing chemical processes to a group of 1st graders. While at the same time, I would not write in simple sentences and small words to one of my superiors. That's just common sense. I don't believe that writing for different audiences takes away from my freedom of speech. It IS possible to portray the same message to different audiences. I do understand that some audiences wouldn’t be receptive to certain messages, but that’s the beauty of living in the country that we do. Even if our audience doesn’t agree with it, we still have every right to say it. Because they won’t like what we have to say doesn’t mean that we don’t say it. We should be careful with how we say it though. Our opinions are our right, but we should not jam them down the throats of others. We all have the right to believe what we want to believe.

Assignment 6

Authors often use personas in their writing. These personas allow them to convey a totally different message than if they were writing as themselves. Authors are not the only ones who use personas. I have a friend with a persona I don't care very much for. It seems like the persona appears at random to attack me. Her persona is created by the things she says. She is very adamant that she is always right. I’ve learned from her that personas can come and go and that they should come from the heart. If it doesn’t come naturally, it will be very hard to keep it going.

The snow is white and oh so bright.
The wind is tight. I could almost fly a kite.
But alas the cold does bite.
So I go back inside for the night.

FedEx Superbowl Commercial

FedEx is one of the largest shipping companies in the world. That doesn't mean that they are happy with where they are at. These shipping companies rely heavily on businesses for the bulk of their revenue. These commercials target corporate employees. They can choose which companies their company will use. The Superbowl is the perfect time to advertise. It is the most watched TV event in the world. Our society is constantly bombarded with advertisements. This commercial was great becuase it was new. The authors thought out of the box and came up with a really great idea. This commercial was mostly an emotional appeal. Its comedic irony made it very memorable.

Assignment Three

http://www.engadget.com/
The internet is filled with bloggers and blogs. Anyone can get their message out to a potential of millions of people. There aren’t many blogging rules, so some blogs aren’t worth reading. I’m a big fan of technology blogs. They are a place where I can find out about current products out on the market and see the latest rumors on the products to come.
To an outsider, these blogs can seem like gibberish; technical jargon is heavily used. Readers of Engadget will be very lost on many of its posts without some previous knowledge. The typical reader would be of a younger age with a passion for the latest and greatest.
Many companies are very secretive about their latest products. Blogs are a place to read the leaked top secret information about those products. I use this information to decide weather or not I should purchase a product now or hold out for its newer successor.

Blog Assignment 2

Writing is one of the many ways of expression. For me, it is usually my first choice. I would much rather write someone an email or send them a text before calling them. Writing allows me to carefully plan what I’m going to say. When I’m writing I prefer to type. Spelling is not one of my strong points. I guess you could say that I’m a product of spell check. I grew up always using it and my spelling has sure suffered.
Writing to my friends is all about convenience. We have our own abbreviations that no one else knows. They don’t care if I misspell words or use bad grammar, as long as they can still get the gist of what I’m saying. In a classroom setting, my writing is totally different. The writing has to be easy to read and grammatically correct.
I was happy to hear that part of this class was blogging. Blogging is a new part of our culture that most classes do not touch. Education can’t just teach things of the past. It must be progressive so that students can use the latest technology. Without that understanding, they will be helpless in the job world.

Hey

So I guess I'm going to have to stick with a blog now. I've done this before but never really kept up with it. I am excited about this class tho. How many other classes have included blogging?