Thursday, April 10, 2014

Tools and the like for the Final Project

I got nothing.












But on a serious note, I am thinking of using Movie Maker like I did for the last project. I will of course be taking video of people, and I think I messed around with it enough to be able to handle moving pictures. If not,











I do not have an official storyboard as of yet, but I will list what the project itself should consist of:

  • Camera
  • Movie Maker
  • Questions (10 Max? <--- This is debatable)
  • 5-10 interviewees (with consent)
  • Patience (lots of it)
  • Starbucks (After a job well done)
I don't know yet if I'll use any of the other tools, though Pixton is interesting to use as a intro to the video... 
It is still an idea being thrown around. But hopefully I might get to use it.

That's all for now!

Final Project Ideas (or Idea...)

So, it's finally coming to the wire, so you know what that means: Final Project!

I choose to take the creative route and see where it will take me. There are, however, so many options to choose from, so many topics to explore! But what to choose, what to choose... (cue Jeopardy theme here)

Oh, I know!

Well, one of the things that really mad me... think angry was reading The Circle by Dave Eggers. Aside form the fictitious-ness of it, he did describe some pretty interesting new technology. I myself knew when the technology got too far, but what about my fellow students who have not read the book? How would such technology sound  to them? I think this would be a good time to find out.

So, I plan to interview my fellow peers, and get their stance on maybe having some of the technology from The Circle, or hoping it will never see the light of day.

This at least the general idea. Let's see where this rabbit hole takes me.

Sunday, March 30, 2014

The Circle: A Review

I would actually like to keep this review of The Circle as general short, sweet, simple and painless as possible, because if I do talk about it in length, it will only turn into an angry rant that would do nothing for the integrity of the book.

So in general, it is a very interesting look into a Utopia turned Dystopia. Dave Eggers does a brilliant job in showing the slow sure decent into the utter madness that usually surrounds a Dystopia. The idea of technology going beyond it's own boundaries is creepy and chilling, especially when it seems, in some form, our own world would follow some of the steps that the Circle took in amassing their empire. It was a wonderful idea and a really eye-opener to our practices- right down to my own practices- with technology.

In all honestly, especially with the ending, I ended up not liking the book. Especially with main character Mae Holland. I get that it would have been too easy to end with a happy note, where everything gets fixed, but Mae just made the descent so maddening. Her naivety, and quite frankly, stupidity in her handling of relationships, and her life, outside and inside of the Circle was just absolutely aggravating, and that's putting it mildly. She had no personality no actual thought for herself, it seemed, by the end of the book. She was robot, just waiting to be programmed by the "right" people. The fact that she only had one single moment of clarity throughout the whole book, which she quickly dismisses just makes her worse in my eyes! She was too wrapped up in wanting and being apart of the company that taking it away from her own self was absolutely unheard of.

*sighs* Okay, I tried not to rant, I really did that doesn't mean I succeeded. In the end The Circle was in a general overview, a good book, but definitely not one I would pick up again any time soon let the irrational anger run it's course first... give or take a couple years. 

The Circle: A look at a Character

There are just so many characters I want to talk about: Mae, Kalden, creepy Francis...
But there is one I actually want to focus on for the sake of this response: Mercer.

Mercer is the ex-boyfriend of protagonist Mae Holland. They really don't seem to get along, and he isn't took keen on her new job, while she's just not to keen on... him.

I found a real problem with Mercer. He actually seems like an interesting person, and he was the only other person in the book that had some sense about him, though he seemed high minded about it.

But there lies the problem: His portrayal. It was what conflicted me most about his character. What he had to say to Mae and about everything that about her job and the modern age they were advancing into were valid points, but he is portrayed as this putrid human being. He's fat and ugly and not worth giving a damn about because he won't conform. Or this is how Mae sees it, and this is the only way we can see it. We can never see him in a view that doesn't have Mae painted all over it. I probably would have taken him more seriously earlier in the book if it wasn't for how Mae was so dismissive and rejecting of him from the get go.

I would have actually liked to know more about Mercer, and I'm actually  a bit sorry that I didn't get to see him beyond what we did see of him.

The Circle: Aphorisms

ALL THAT HAPPENS MUST BE KNOWN

It is one of the earlier aphorisms we see in The Circle, probably, as the story goes on, one of the least... unsettling (surprising, I know). It is here we start to get a feel of what The Circle (as a company) entails. The practices and words that seem to make them tick. It shows the reader just a taste of what we're in for (granted, the everything that happens afterwards doesn't compare, but still...).

To explain a bit further, it's all knowing every aspect in the world around them. It could be history, or it could be what's happening in the thrilling of little Timmy and his training wheel saga in the next town over. They don't care how large scale or small scale the information is, they still want to know, want it to be available for public consumption.

It's still a bit creepy nonetheless. I won't deny that. All that happens must be known? So if you really want to know if Kathy picked her nose, or if Amber broke a nail on her way through the turnstile? These are things that must be known?

Certain things, sure. But not all the things... Right?

Daily Create: Make A Creative Photo in an Unremarkable Place





Daily Create: Three is a Magic Number



 A rose by another name, would smell as sweet.

                                                      -William Shakespeare