Conceal/Carry and Windows Writer

So I have to post and comment on an article about the new concealed carry law that was just passed in Wisconsin. I will do that eventually but right now I want to talk about Windows Live Writer.

It is awesome. That is my first comment on it. I’m actually writing this post using it. It is part of the Windows Live package that comes on pc computers. Basically, it connects to your blog and you can write a blog post without having to sign into the blog online.

Let me explain why this is awesome to me. I have two gmail accounts. One is my Carthage email account and another is my personal account that I used before I had my Carthage account. This blog is under my personal account, though, which I never use.

So, since my blog is used via my personal account, I am forced to sign out of my Carthage account. Now that I have found out about Windows Writer, though, I don’t have to log out of my email (which I am addicted to and need open whenever I am online). I just have to open Writer and type a post. I can even preview it.

Pretty fancy if you ask me. It also spell checks. How lovely.

Concealed carry coming soon. Probably.

x chau

Worst blogger ever

I'm sorry that I have been totally MIA. I am leaving you here with trailers for the three shows that I've started following and a small review on each.

Grimm — NBC

The first episode was pretty good. It seems dark and a little creepy which is refreshing. The concept is decently unique, but I think it could have been done even without mythical creatures actually existing. The first crime he has to solve is basically a Little Red Riding Hood theme, which is a classic Grimm fairytale. The only problem I had with it is there is a line that says one of the abducted girls was on her way to her grandfather's house. Which is just a little too literal for me. It is on NBC at 9/8c on Fridays.

Once Upon a Time, ABC

Less dark than it's NBC counterpart. It is by the writers of Lost, so you can bet it will probably have a lot of complicated plot twists (they have already claimed that it will). It was a bit difficult for me to get into, but it will probably turn into a show where once you have seen a few episodes you are just confused enough to want to keep watching. ABC Sundays 8/7c.

New Girl, Fox

Although I'm not sure if this show will actually last, I personally think it is hilarious. That may only be because I like Zooey Deschanel. She is just awkward enough that you want to be her friend. Fox Tuesdays 9/8c. It follows Glee, which was a good marketing plan.

So that's what I have for you. I know it isn't much but my brain is tired.
If you have a chance, head over to the Carthage website and check out my two new articles.
Story about Justin Kirkpatrick, a student studying abroad in China.
Story featuring a Carthage alumnus, Tony D'Souza, who had his third novel published in Sept. 2011.

Chau.

Other Writing

Hey there.
I know it has been a while since I posted here, which is bad, but o well. I added my "Curiouser and Curiouser" grad film treatment to the "Other Writing" page. Check it out!

I plan on doing a post reviewing and comparing two new shows, "Once Upon a Time" from ABC and "Grimm" from NBC this week. I just have to watch the second episode from OUaT before I do it.

Chau.

In Continuation...

Today I visited one of my favorite websites, PR Daily.com only to by greeted by a completely relevant article. It is titled "The Worst TV Commercials in America." The subjected commercials and their catagories are as follows:

Absolute Worst Ad In America
Luvs — Poop There it Is

Most Grating Performance By a Human
AT&T Flash Mob Dancer (sidenote: I actually LOVE this commercial. It may not make me want to join AT&T, but it does entertain me)

Most Irritating Animated Actor
CarFax Car Fox

Worst Abuse of an Existing Song
Old Navy “Sister Christian”

Original Jingle That Should Be Junked
Arby’s “Good Mood Food”

Trend That Needs To Stop Being A Trend
Men Barely Tolerating Their Wives & Girlfriends: McDonald’s and Klondike

To view the commercials (and the entire list) check out the article!

Well Written Ads

My assignment for this week was to find an ad that I believed was well-written and to then analyze it using Monroe's Motivated Sequence, a persuasive speaking technique that has five steps.

1. Attention - grab their attention
2. Need - define a need
3. Satisfaction - supply a way to satisfy that need
4. Visualization - make them see how your suggested form of satisfaction will satisfy their need
5. Action - propose action so that they will satisfy their need

I chose the commercial embedded above, the Haagen-Dazs Ice Cream "Ode to Flavor" commercial that premiered in 2010. I liked this commercial upon first view because of the rich colors and the poem (which is recited in a soothing, masculine voice). Here is how it stacks up next to Monroe's Sequence.

1. Attention - The colors, images, and soft music grab your attention (at least they grabbed my attention) by attempting to transport you to a place that is much wilder and more mysterious than your own.
2. Need - They tell you that you need to get back to a more simpler and authentic way of life. The poem calls out to you, saying all these things about how they can relate to you because you are searching for some sort of simplified existence.
3. Satisfaction - They say to eat their ice cream; it is a start down the path of a more natural and pure existence.
4. Visualization - To convince you of this, they show their ingredients in their natural habitats and at their most natual forms.
5. Action - The Haagen-Dazs logo is presented at the end of the poem/commercial along with the line "From we who believe; we know just how you feel," in a sort of subtle call to action. They are saying "we understand what your soul is searching for, eat our ice cream and you will be a little closer to finding it."

So yeah. That is how I feel the "Ode to Flavor" fits the persuasive criteria set up by Monroe's Motivational Sequence. I have posted two commercials in the past that I believed were poorly written. I still think they are, but that is just a personal thing. Obviously someone thought they were clever.

I however, am a great lover of Haagen-Dazs, and this commercial just convinces me to enjoy it more often.

Curiouser and Curiouser part 2

So yesterday I posted on this blog from my beloved Dell, the laptop that I got from my parents as a graduation gift. Today I write to you from a brand new Asus, which, while nice because it is new, will take some getting used to.

How did this come to pass, you may ask yourself, since last night at 11 p.m. Well here is the story. It really isn't much of one, but it was most of my day today.

So last night I turned off my computer and it made a strange wurring sound when I shut it down, but it is 4 years old, so I didn't think much of it. This morning I went to turn it on, only to find that it would not start up. I was slightly concerned, but figured it had just overheated and needed to rest (this had happened before) so I left it and told myself I would try to start it up again after my class was done at 2:30.

Between work and my class, I called my dad just to let him know that if my computer didn't start when I got hom that I was going to bring it to Geek Squad at Best Buy to have it looked at, since, well, I'm a 21 year old college student and my whole life is on my laptop and it makes my world go 'round (especially since I haven't broken down and gotten a smartphone yet).

When I returned to my apartment and poor Dell still refused to turn on, I began to have a minor panic attack. My "Curiouser and Curiouser" treatment was due before my 6 p.m. class tonight. It was saved on Dell. So I packed her up and left my apartment with due haste. I felt like I was rushing a beloved family member to a hospital. I sort of was.

I arrived at the Best Buy in Racine and scurried up to the Geek Squad counter, only to be told by the worker that my computer was more or less donezo. It was four years old, which in computer time is ancient, and the motherboard/processor were fried. It would have to be sent away to be fixed (which would take who knows how long) and it would cost about $400. Essentially, he said, it would make more sense to get a new one than fix the old that would probably have to be replaced in a year anyway simply because it is an electronic device and they don't last forever.

My panic grew. My life was on that computer. All of my pictures from the last four yesrs of my life (including the 2000 that I took during my semseter abroad), all of the music I had ever downloaded, all of my ebooks, and my word documents were on that computer.

And then he told me the most beautiful thing in the world; that they can transfer the memory from my old computer to my new one.

And although I was still sad to say goodbye to such a loyal, dependable(ish) friend, I felt an immense relief that I was not going to more or less lose the last four years of my life.

So I picked out this new Asus, and left my old one there to have the contents transfered to my external hard drive with the intention of returning to Best Buy the next day to have the memory transfered directly to my new laptop. It would be as though nothing had changed.

Then I walked into my apartment and realized that it was 4:45 p.m. My class started in an hour and 15 minutes. And I had no word processor. It was a major make it work moment.

I started up my computer and started to set it up, which, with these wonderful new computers, only takes about ten minutes.

4:55 p.m. - I start the download for my Microsoft Office package. The download will take about an hour, it tells me. So I do the only thing I can think of - open Notepad and start to write.

It was the fastest 2 1/2 page creative writing paper that I have ever written in my life. Talk about a cure to writer's block.

5:50 - My MSO is done downloading. I open up word, register it in record time, copy and past my paper from notepad into Word and finish it.

5:52 - I email the paper to my professor.

5:55 - I leave for class.

6:00 - I walk into the classroom.
Perfection. Right on time.
of course my professor was 25 minutes late, so the drama was sort of ruined. But it was still a rush.

And that is how "Curiouser and Curiouser" finally got written. When I get my comments back from my professor and have it edited, I will probably post it under "Other Writing" - which is sadly bare as of now - so that you can see what I labored over so stressfully.

Next time I might actually post something that has to do with media. But I think that this story is a good one for people to hear becasue it teaches a lesson. It is up to you to figure it out though ;)

Curiouser and Curiouser

So my assignment for my Writing for Media class last week was to write a treatment for a possible commencement film for the 2012 graduation ceremony. The idea behind it is to come up with a creative, entertaining storyline which could or could not be based off of an existing piece of media. A lot of kids came to class with good ideas, a play off of a lot of iconic movies. My original idea, I'll admit, was just a requirement filler. I had hit major writer's block in regards to how to focus the idea.

The 2011-12 academic year is a big one for Carthage. It marks 165 years of the College. Our President also announced his retirement this year after 25 years of service to the College. So, with the this year's theme - New Horizons - in mind, I set out to come up with a better idea. One that hits all of the class requirements (get as many faces on screen as possible, make it show as general of an experience as possible, be entertaining, and of course, be possible with our resource constraints), but also can encompass everything that I want to highlight about this year's graduating class. I belong to it, you know.

So I wandered around my apartment thinking to myself "Doors. What piece of iconic media consists of doors." Then it came to me. What randomly chaotic and wonderful book/movie has a room full of magical doors? No. Not Harry Potter.

Alice in Wonderland. Lewis Carroll created a world that pokes fun at our own that is full of wonderful and infamously mad characters. Alice wanders about it, exploring every nook and cranny and sees mirrors of her real life in Wonderland.

So now I have an idea. An idea that I believe could be perfect. If only I could break this writer's block. An idea is no good if you can't put it into words.