Review of the First Post

Thank you for the opportunity to read "Steampunk and Desktops." Overall I really like your blog entry. But for the sake of review, I'll discuss what didn't work as well in your post. For starters, the last paragraph just doesn't seem to flow very well. I think if the explanation of steampunk was its own paragraph and then the next paragraph be used to go into the components of the computer that resemble that "style" would not have been as awkward. The actual topic itself is very interesting though. I don't know how useful a computer like that would be for gaming, but the ascetic value alone makes it interesting. The second part of the second paragraph just seems out of place. The rest of the post isn't about how "intuitive" it is to use the machines so it seems like the addition of the text in the parentheses is just unnecessary. I enjoyed how you compared paying to make a computer to look old to buying jeans that are already ripped. I did like your writing style, it was mostly clear and interesting (unless otherwise noted). Well.....this is tough to critique my instructor, but I have enjoyed this and thanks for a good quarter. :)

I'd Write an Interesting Title, But It Might Be Copywrited

After watching "RiP!: A Remix Manifesto" I have to agree almost entirely with the point of view that the film maker had. I think this intense need to try to hold on to and hold everything is a losing battle. Art shouldn't be something you can control and regulate to the point that people are afraid to draw inspiration from something because they're afraid they'll be sued.

It really seems like these huge companies should have something better to worry about than "Someone remixed a song.....get them." I hope all bands go the route that Radiohead went when they released "In Rainbows" over the internet and gave permission for people to remix it however they please. I also got a kick out of the fact that when the record company tried to sue someone for making remixes, Radiohead themselves stepped in to tell them to leave the person alone. As digital distribution becomes more prevalent I think we'll see less and less legal protection of music. I don't think this will be too bad though since it's the artists that decide how they want their music used.

The Future

So after watching the first part of the pilot for the show Caprica, I have to say I was interested to go on and watch more.....but that didn't actually happen (school and whatnot). Anyway, the show got me thinking about the changes in technology and how far our understanding of technology can go. It mostly just raised questions about how fast technology is advancing and how much of those advancements I'll get to see in my lifetime.
For instance, the show portrayed robots that were capable of running a house with functions like security or judging a game of tennis. We've seen robots like Honda's ASIMO, but I'm looking forward to the next step where robots start to be able to run themselves so that all those menial tasks of everyday life will be gone. Don't get me wrong, I don't want something like I Robot to happen, but i like the idea of something else taking care of the tasks I'm too lazy to do.
Another cool concept they touched on in the pilot was the idea of digital worlds that you could beam your consiousness into. I don't live a very exciting life so the idea of going into a different world as a way to relax and forget about the troubles of real life sounds pretty good.
All in all, I can't wait to see where we go with technology as long as we don't end up going to far and cross lines that just aren't meant to be crossed. But in the end, the thing I'm most excited about is jetpacks.....yeah jetpacks.

Procrastination

We all have bad habits. Some people bite their nail, some crack thier knuckles, and some people smoke. If it's not obvious by the date all theses blog entries were written on, I have a problem with putting off assignments until the last minute. It's not that I enjoy doing a whole quarter's worth of English entries in one day, I just have a problem with finding the motivation to do an assignment until I've just about run out of time.

Thankfully I'm not alone, procrastination rates can range from 46% to as high as 95% depending on the year and school.

So I accidentally came across some interesting information while finding that nifty little statistic in the paragraph above. Apparently it's not just a time management problem that can contribute to chronic procrastination. It seems like one major contributor to procratination is a coping style known as avoidance. It's pretty much that people with this style of coping (myself included), put off problems rather than facing them. I don't know how to go about changing this cycle of procrastination, but I'll make an effort to move forward and break out of this bad habit.

Project Natal is Changing the Way We Play

As an avid video game player I enjoy being able to sit down and relax by playing a good game like Mass Effect or Bioshock. But it looks like video game designers are trying to incorporate exercise into my gaming regimen.

Project Natal is the newest motion sensitive controller from Microsoft. It's designed to sense movement and then use those movements to play games like the ones shone one the IGN site.

I really don't mind the idea of getting gamers off the couch every once and a while (I know I could use a trip to the gym every now and then) but the whole motion sensitive idea is starting to look like a marketing ploy.

In the beginning Nintendo had the Wii, which was revolutionary for its time. Now with the Natal coming out ,and Sony has a motion controller in the works, it seems like everyone is jumping on the motion control bandwagon.

Personally I'll stick to a joystick and button pad.