Comments Made

These are the blogs that I commented on:

"A footprint marks the spot!" by Mariah L.

"Halo 3" by Raymond F.

"Are you a Right Clicka or an iBook Flippa?" by Axel T.

"Walking the Talk" by Vernon S.

"Journal Entry 3: When Graphic Artist Get Bored..." by Flora W.

"Big Think.com" by Kevin G.

The Great War of Interfaces Lives On

Some may say that this has gone on for too long, while others believe that it has just begun. Mac or PC? To be or not to be? These are the questions that must be answered. The battle has been on since the competition began. The argument would always be that PC is definitely more compatible with anything you want to install, but others would argue that you wouldn't need to install anything if you owned a Mac in the first place. Mac's are people computers that make you look like the hottest thing on the block while the boring old and clunky PC collects dust under your table. Of course, each of these systems has their advantages and disadvantages. For a long time Microsoft was stealing all of the competition with its Windows software. Now the only question is, how long will it be until everyone owns something that begins with an "i"?
I would like to say that I can navigate through an iMac like Steve Jobs himself, but the truth is, the hipster Mac interface just isn't for me. I have grown up using Windows and can only function using Microsoft. I have never experienced owning an Apple computer and the one time I attempted to use an iBook, I couldn't find the eject button for the CD drive (sad but true). It is clear that Mac and I were not meant to be (pardon the pun).
Although my inability to bond with Macs is clear, at the same time I am not saying that they are bad, especially when it comes to their form. Despite attempts to make sleek looking laptops, just as Apple has done, no one can compete with the simplicity and class of the iBook design. It's minimalistic approach has won over many people looking for the perfect, most functional accessory. Now, Macs are a fashion statement that people carry around looking cool with. No worries for the jealous PC users though, the next time you see that Mac book remember how much more you and those programs you love to use are compatible with the PC.

Big Thinkers: What's the Big Idea?

After watching many different "ideas" on the topic of "How will this age be remembered?" I have found that these two opinions caught my attention most. In the first video, Deepak Chopra gives us an unexpected view of our world today. Despite our current superficial belief that this age of technology has revolutionized human involvement in the world, his belief is that humans still remain barbaric. Mr. Chopra makes humans in the twenty first century sound like cavemen from the beginning of time. Yet, his view of our current world is logical, for we do continue to kill each other in wars over religion and land, while destroying the Earth. This video has made me realize that humans not only remain in the same mind frame of our ancestors, but we also have not changed our tactics to make the world better, despite our recent efforts and discoveries.
The second video state Kenneth Roth's opinion. He is more optimistic about the world and believes that if change occurs, the world can become a better place. Mr. Roth's opinion is interesting because he comments on terrorism's influence on the world. He says that the world has been overreacting to terrorism and has not been focusing on bigger problems like Global Warming or medical epidemics. This opinion makes sense, for our world can cease to exist if we do not control Global Warming or the current problems with HIV. Terrorism is an important problem, but it seems that a bigger population will be at risk of the other problems are not solved first. Mr. Roth makes an interesting point with this topic and it is important that we realize how our actions will affect the lives of the future generations.
The concept of Big Think brings the opinions of educated people to the internet. We get to hear the opinions of influential people speak about subjects that are important to the development of our world, even if they are controversial. Although Big Think is very intellectual in its ways of spreading news on important subjects, it has not been very successful in reaching young adults and teenagers. It attempts to reach a larger audience by making its access easy to reach, but as the problem always is, there is a lack of interest. In order to reach the younger generation, a more appealing method of media must be used.

Watch What You're Eating!

Each of the images in the YouTube video "When Graphic Artists Get Bored" displayed the creativity and imagination of the artist even if they made the image for fun. Whether it was giving a creature human characteristics or putting lady bug spots on a turtle, each artist uses irony and symbolism to make a statement. Their mesh of carefully chosen images show their opinions of the world. The bare legs beneath the Statue of Liberty or the shark in the ripple of the water beneath the yacht all say something. They are not just images that the artist decided to put together, each one was planned before creation.
The most interesting images were the ones where animals were combined with fruit. The mouse sliced up as a kiwi and the orange peel frog were very appealing. I like how the artists utilized the texture of the fruit's skin to make a connection with the animal. It makes a statement saying that we slay and treat animals as if they were just another piece of fruit. Killing a mouse is seen as harmless as cutting a kiwi fruit in half or the importance of a frog can be compared to the importance of a piece of unwanted orange peel. The artists use these images to display their opinions about our planet and the way we treat its animals.
With the kiwi/mouse, the artist has taken an image of a sliced kiwi fruit and a mouse. They morph the images into each other by using Photoshop. First they combined the skin of the sliced kiwi with the texture of the mouse's fur. The artist then replaced the kiwi's ends with the mouse's head and bottom, while leaving the flesh of the kiwi as it was. Lastly, added green kiwi juice around the slices to make it more realistic.

Are You a Culprit Too?

It all began with the controversial trial when music labels sued Napster, the first well known site where people could dowload pirated music. Suddenly, people were aware of the fact that they didn't need to buy CDs that they felt were overpriced, instead they could turn to the internet. Now, downloading is no longer a secret, retaillers even sell pirated movies publicly without the fright of being caught. Our society is open to the idea of downloading music illegally, just because it's free. People feel that it is not necessary to go to the movies or to buy DVDs from Best Buy when they could get a pirated copy for half the price.
Personally, I am on both sides of the argument. I download music and am guilty of being a criminal, no matter how smooth I feel while listening to my free music. Although it has become such a normal routine that nobody really feels guilty, sometimes my conscience will kick in. I believe that I am a responsible dowloader, if that even makes sense. I will download music to listen to as a sample for an artist or a band's CD. If I like their music, I feel that they deserve the royalties and will go and buy their CDs. I don't feel the need to buy a whole CD if I only want to listen to a single song. I also try to listen to the radio as much as possible to decrease the amount of songs I download. I use the same practice for movies. I will watch a movie online, but if I like it, I will go out and buy the DVD. I feel that at their current price, CDs and DVDs are worth buying to own forever. I do not own a single pirated DVD bought off a random vendor and feel that if I'm going to own a copy of a movie, both the movie makers and I deserve the real thing.
Because I am guilty of pirating, I will not go about commenting on other people and their habits. Even if people feel that it is okay to pirate, we must always remember that it truly isn't. Pirating is an illegal act that morally, no matter if we're going to get caught or not, we should not be doing. Trying to say that you are not a criminal even though you download would by lying and it is important to be aware of what you are doing before you act.

Can This Be Our Future?

(New hybrid Porsche Panamera)
According to the website, my ecological footprint is 5.4, pretty good compared to our nation's average footprint which is 8.8. However, if everyone lived like me, it would take three Earth's to sustain the population. I find that this information is unacceptable since the average Canadian footprint is almost double mine. My family tries our best to be eco-friendly in many ways by using a manual lawn mower, owning only one car, taking the public transit, turning off lights and using energy efficient light bulbs, all of which have not greatly affected our lives other than by helping the planet. Although it seems like I am doing a lot, it is clearly not enough to stop Global Warming in any way. The only reason its not working is because there are still BILLIONS of people taking our Earth's problems for granted. Even though there is obvious evidence of how humans are the direct cause of Global Warming on our Earth, people still do little unnecessary things like littering because there's no garbage can near by. HAVE WE NO MORALS, PEOPLE? If everyone stopped littering, soon our world could be much cleaner. I believe each action taken will make a difference.
I can continue my crusade to a cleaner environment by buying products with less packaging. It is a pet peeve that I cannot avoid heavy packaging since everything in our society is made to have an attractive appearance. I actually hope that someday I will own a hybrid car, which will ultimately lead to a cleaner world, but for now I will continue to choose a greener approach to life.
I think that the Earth Day website is helpful because it takes everyday things that we do and puts them into focus by showing how everything we do has a cause and effect outcome. The website is helpful in making us realize how things we take for granted like running water and electricity affect the Earth. It is also helpful in showing how we can change our lifestyle to improve the Earth.

Movies are a thing of the past, present and the future

Living in a society where technology practically dominates life, I experience the impacts of each new technological development. Personally, I feel that there is no competition when comparing the value of entertainment found between movies and video games. It is obvious to me that movies will stand the test of time, as they already have. It doesn't matter if technology is constantly advancing, we always bring the history of film making along with us. From film reel, to VHS, to DVD's and now Blu-Ray , it is obvious that we want movies to continue their presence in our futures. This evolution can be compared to that of the video game console. Although it has definitely evolved through the years, with new models of each console being released annually, there is less permanence in them. Their constant exchange for better technology allows old models to be left behind. While old movies still have substance and quality, whether within the acting, directing or story line after many decades, the same cannot be said for old video games. Sure, people of the seventies and eighties get a sense of nostalgia when playing their Atari's again, but with its low tech abilities, it only brings back good memories for a while before they turn to the newest Playstations and Xboxes for smooth and realistic gaming. Movies are remade and story lines within them are continued with sequels, but they are never replaced. Each film, whether good or bad, is given recognition for its individual qualities. Video games however, are replaced with "better" versions of itself that have higher quality imaging and abilities, while retaining the same concept. A remake of a movie is not necessarily better than its former, rather, the director will bring their own style to the remake, making it unique from the first, while staying true to the story. The goal of releasing and buying new video games is to bring an improved game to people. Movies and video games differ in many ways, but I believe that the acting, filming, directing and writing found in movies can express a message that has permanence to it.