Kendra likes to write BL0GS. [CS1300]

A Bit of Advice.

2009-04-28T12:52:00.000-07:00

Dear Newbies,

Make friends with Excel early or else it will become your worst enemy. And do your homework NOT at the last minute because it's very stressful and you may not get credit for it. My computer skills experience has been... treacherous... but I appreciate some of the skills I have acquired while I have been in this course. Photoshop is the best thing I learned so far... and though I think I will never quite understand Excell - maybe one day we can be friends.

That day will not be anytime soon.

Cheers & Good Luck to You,
Kendra

Webstie Mania.

2009-04-28T12:05:00.000-07:00

As I saw the different websites that everyone created to give us a better look into their lives, passions, and awkward interests - I saw an array of creative talent, insight, and elaboration. I really liked Ali's website - you could tell she put a lot of effort into the visual presentation and she made it very appealing. I appreciated Lachlan's website, as he took the different route and took us into his homeland. Very cool. I also liked Lindsay's website becuase, as always, she took a very artistic approach to the assignment and it was so much fun to look at! Everybody did an exceptional job on their websites - especially that Kendra girl. Ummmmm what....

My website was very sweet and simple - it was about my works, my passions, and the things I love most. There are some funny hidden links, see if you can find them! www.cs.trinity.edu/~kdoshier

Cheers,
Kendra

Power Point Part DEUX

2009-04-02T05:49:00.000-07:00

I especially liked Morgan's presentation on education development, etc. Her information was very clear and concise and you could really tell that she really cares very much about the education system and helping others. The graphics on her presentation were very nice and neat, and the black background scheme was very nice. I also LOVED Stephanie's presentation on Homelessness; I think it is a topic that is so important, and she presented it in a very clear manner. Her graphics were awesome, with the use of animated GIFs, sound, and video. The presentation was very well done, and she was very passionate about it!

The End.

Cheers,

Kendra

Power Point Presentations

2009-03-31T12:12:00.001-07:00

My power point was on my field of study, Media Communications & Film. I really enjoyed talking about what Trinity has to offer in my major, and I thought that the graphics and special effects I added really contributed a great deal to the quality of my presentation! I used animated GIFs, fade effects, and a special fonts that were color coordinated. I'm awesome. And stuff.

My favorite presentation so far was Lindsay Marotta's! The graphics she used were really good - you could tell she put a lot of effort into it with the music and customized slides. She was really passionate about the topic and she really knew what she was talking about. Same goes for Lachlan Fogarty's presentation on beach preservation and surfing in Australia. I like how he made a topic so broad and semi-bland into something very interesting! I loved the pictures he provided and the YouTube video at the end.

To be continued when presentations finish................

Cheers,
Kendra

Microsoft PowerPoint: Excel's Ugly Sister.

2009-03-24T05:03:00.000-07:00

::sigh::

Besides spewing vast amounts of common sense, the 'Good PowerPoint' articles were somewhat helpful. A PowerPoint can give your presentation a visual edge that you would otherwise lack in giving a lecture; if used properly, your audience will be more interested in what you are talking about. PowerPoint is a useful tool to help keep an intrigued and alert audience; that being said, the user must know how to not distract their audience or bore them to tears. I gathered from the articles and my own common knowledge how to make an effective PowerPoint presentation. Yayyy.

If you plan on making a PowerPoint, I recommend you follow these simple guidelines - from me to you:

1) Powerpoints are not meant to be novels. Don't insult our intelligence by reading every single word off the slide - being in college indicates that we possess reading skills... for the most part. And if we wanted to be bored to death by reading about economics or tree frogs, we'd go on the internet and do it ourselves, with Facebook on another tab (it's boring, remember...?). Be concise and relevant, and you're good.

2) Nobody likes being lectured, so at least make the Powerpoint fun to look at. Make your presentation well organized and use good graphics if you want any hope in holding an audience. Be sure to use pictures, videos, colors - everything a 3 year old would be entertained by. No overkill, please. If I can't see the title of your farm presentation because there are 68 different pictures of cartoon chickens - that is a problem. We want to appreciate detail and not get confused by it.

3) As with perfume, makeup, and Celine Dion music - LESS IS MORE. If we are reading more than you are speaking, you have too many words on your slides and that is very annoying. Make one-sentence bullet points and expound on the general ideas of the slide. Don't let the slides present for you. Booooring.

4) Keep it simple. Using every color of the rainbow on each slide is distracting and unprofessional. Make your color scheme congruent throughout the presentation to make it look tidier.

5) Make use of all that torturous Excel training. If you have statistics of any kind, take the information from Excel, make a chart or graph, and transfer the data accordingly to the slide. I would personally much rather look at a pie chart than read a bunch of numbers. Naturally, the entire world shares my point of view, so just take that into consideration. Please and thank you.

Cheers,

Kendra

Not so Excel-lent. But it'll do.

2009-03-19T12:02:00.000-07:00

Though Excel and I have had a tumultuous relationship, I suppose I can walk away from this tech affair with a decent learning experience. Though I don't consider myself logistically inclined (meaning I don't do numbers, formulas, nor am I fan of conventional common sense), Excel has challeneged my normal ways of systematic organization. I believe that maybe Excel will help me if I ever spontaneously venture off into some business/accounting career - but I can assure you, that is highly unlikely.

So, Excel... I bid you farewell. It was nice knowing you... for the most part. On certain days.
I guess.

Cheers,
Kendra

The Tech Dungeon

2009-03-03T12:50:00.000-08:00

I am incredibly pleased to know that Trinity has a large technology department - I had no idea! The tech dungeon down here is so convenient! I do a lot of video editing with Final Cut Studio, and sometimes I need more resources beyond what TigerTV can offer. I know that CLT is closely connected with ITS in working with tech support around campus and they offer several utility stations for things like graphic design, video/audio editing, podcasting, and tech training. I can come here to work on my video editing for my independent film projects, and maybe get professional help with Excel -- which is clearly something I am having constant trouble with.

Clearly.

Cheers,

Kendra

Photoshop Deception

2009-03-03T08:46:00.000-08:00

It's really incredible to see what lengths the media will go to in order to make sales or get an audience. I chose to analyze photo #9, because it stuck out the most to me. It was a photo that George W. Bush used for a political ad in March of 2004; it shows a group of soldiers standing before a crowd of their fellow citizens. It is SO obvious that the picture had been altered - it was digitally altered by copying and pasting. If you look closely, some soldiers appear more than once. I am assuming this was altered for dramatic pathos affect to generate some sort of emotional response from the audience. I believe the manipulation was harmful because they are trying to manufacture an emotional response by using false imagery. After the Bush administration admitted to using digital technology to alter the photo, they immediately removed the photo from the ad and re-doctored it to it's 'normal' state.

How honorable. *ahem*

Cheers,
Kendra

To Google or Not To Google...

2009-02-26T08:25:00.000-08:00

So... I use Google every day. I use it for important things, like finding legitimate citation sources for my Media or American Lit papers; I also use it for relatively stupid and childish things, like if I want to see a bunch of cute pictures of panda bears... or John Stamos. But enough of that.

Chris Nolan's presentation really opened my eyes to the complexities of search engines; I had no idea that Google made up 2/3 of all internet research, in line with some lesser search engines like AOL, Yahoo, and Dogpile (which I have never heard of in my life). I like to call myself a conformist, as I probably read information off Google more than I read information off text books. And I pay for textbooks. Google is free. Why do I torture myself?

What is convenient about Google is that it primarily brings forth the most visited and the most appropriate material on your topic search. Aside bringing up the most relevant material when I type in things like 'Sarah Palin + hilarious' -- Google, like the rest of us (most of us), has a sophisticated academic side! It has more of a specified database that filters through sources and brings up material deemed as 'strictly academic'. What's GREAT about this academic Google filter is that it saves me valuable time sifting through "lolz my cat t0tally lo0ks lyke Erne$t HemingWay!!!1!" and leads me straight to "Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway".

I also learned that Wikipedia might just be the worst thing ever. Don't ever use it in a citation. Don't ever trust an Encylopedia that is at the mercy of billions of global citizens. Google it!

Cheers,

Kendra

Yo Ho, a Pirate's Life for Me...?

2009-02-05T04:12:00.000-08:00

Yargh.

Do you download free music from P2P software? Have you ever taken someone else's work and called it your own? Do you wear an eyepatch and have a peg-leg while doing all of the above?

Congratulations, you are a pirate!

Do you write poetry and post online? Do you make movies and post them on YouTube? Do you put your music on MySpace?

Congratulations, you're vulnerable to having your material be stolen or reproduced by pirates!

Fear not; I am right there with you in that same boat. The thought of someone else using your work is gut-churning, though all sources say that the minute you originally create something - you own rights to it. Legal rights. *sigh* What a breath of fresh air.

As a writer and a filmmaker, it is comforting to know that the Law is on my side. Anything I create is mine; naturally, you'd think I was an idiot for stating the obvious - but there are some talentless, pirating, thieving gremlins out there who can't wait to get their paws on someone else's work. It may sound dramatic, but for all pracitcal purposes, it is so true. Don't deny it. Some copyright issues can be relatively benign and innocent, but let's be real. A law is a law is a law. You steal something that isn't yours, you get your face smacked by the mighty hand of the US Constitution.

I thought I had the general idea of how copyrights work: don't unjustly use or replicate works that aren't yours and all is well. After Jason Hardin came to class, I learned that there was a lot more to copyrights than one would have thought. Copyrights aren't just for famous authors or playwrites -- they are also applicable for college students and five year olds alike. And just because the author/creator is dead, it doesn't mean the copyright doesn't apply anymore; Law states that a copyright lasts 70 years after death, and may be extended if the rights are bequeathed to another party and registration can be renewed. Fascinating. What does this mean? There are virtually no loopholes. Pretty much anything that isn't yours... well.... it isn't yours.

I am no saint when it comes to the issue of copyrights. I know it's shocking... gasp all you want. In fact, I have recently accepted the fact that I have partaken in piracy for the benefit of my own works. I uploaded a film trailer I made a few months ago, with a cut music track by a band named "Paramore". The video got over 1,000 hits. Pretty cool. About 4 months later, I get an email from WMG, Paramore's record label, requesting a take-down of the trailer or else they would have YouTube officials mute the video. Well... at least they were kind enough to give me options. I didn't respond to said email out of pure embarrassment, and thus they muted my precious trailer. Now it looks like a silent film. *sigh* The end.

In my honest opinion, I believe that original works should be allowed to be used by the public UNDER THE STRICT REQUIREMENT that the source is properly credited. If anything, it is a means for exposure. If these rules are so strictly enforced, then how are we even allowed to informally quote people without the S.W.A.T. team showing up at our doorstep? It will probably never make sense to me. Despite my stubborn outlook, I can understand why these rules are enforced. I would personally be very irritated if someone snipped up one of my films and re-arranged it into some creepy and obsessive montage of one of my actors... without crediting me or asking permission. The Law is just so. I don't think it's supposed to make sense.

Yargh,
Kendra

Facebook: For Friends and Stalkers Alike! [or friendly stalkers. If applicable.]

2009-02-03T08:13:00.000-08:00

Who needs a planner? Who needs email? Who needs interpersonal communication? Who needs all of that when you have Facebook? Really?!

Juuuust kidding. Kind of.

In my tumultuous love/hate relationship with Facebook, I have realized how useful and how useless it really is. It has proven to be the that one creepy thing we all have in common. It's just wonderful when you cross paths with some random person on campus, thinking to yourself, "I know so much about you..... except your name." Fabulous.

Though Facebook has proven to be the ultimate time-waster and productivity-squasher, it has proven to be the ultimate social networking tool. The options are endless: You can communicate with friends, strangers, and colleagues! You can take silly 'personality quizzes'! You can spend an obscene amount of time finding out the latest gossip! You can RSVP to an event months, even years, in advance! I'm not sure if this complicates life or just makes it easier. Oh, the possibilities...

In the article, it explained how easy it is now to bring a large group of people together by common interest. At the comfort of our own computer system, there's really no excuse for not being able to connect with others within proximity or around the world. People can join common interest groups (Stop Skinning Animals in China!), attend events (National Chipotle Day!), or become virtual fans (George Clooney...). Now with over 12 million users, Facebook has become a social mecca for college students, friends, and stalkers. This goes without saying. Everybody knows that once you get a Facebook account, your dirty laundry is just blowing in the wind. But what a fancy, high-tech way to do it...?

Cheers,

Kendra

Microsoft Word: The Woes of Owning a Mac in a PC-Friendly University

2009-02-03T08:08:00.000-08:00

I have been using Microsoft Word since I've been using a computer... which is virtually since forever. As this class progresses, I have noticed that owning a Macbook Pro has hindered me quite a bit in terms of system compatibility. I was sick for ONE day and all the assignments I did on my Mac were void because they wouldn't convert to the PC format! It is excruciatingly annoying. I can't do any of this homework at the comfort of my own laptop! I have never used Word for drawing, so I would like to learn how that works. (On a MAC, preferably.) Heeeelllllppppp.

Cheers,

Kendra

Joe Hatch: Mr. Tech

2009-01-22T07:39:00.000-08:00

From Mr. Hatch's visit, I have learned quite a bit about how Clean Access works. In my opinion, the system is still quite complicated, but at least it makes more sense now! I learned that anti-virus software only functions for as long as the user maintains it; in other words, if the software isn't renewed or updated, there is no protection from viruses. I also learned how easily one bad computer can infect an entire network just by logging on. Now I know for future reference: If I ever need anything, I can always go to Winn 103 for help! (But that wont be necessary, because I have a Mac.)

Yeah. I said it.

Cheers,

Kendra

The Life and Time of Kendrus.

2009-01-15T13:08:00.000-08:00

This is my backyard.

Just kidding.

Oh, hello. Fancy seeing you here. My name is Kendra and I'm a first year here at Trinity University. I'm from Anchorage, Alaska where my natural habitat is simply negative temperatures. I love music, writing, and all things zebra print.

I was born and raised in Laredo, Texas which is a small town on the Mexican border. I was raised bilingual, speaking both English and Spanish since my very first words. Being born into two completely different cultures [Mexican and American] I have developed a true love for other cultures and foreign customs. I have always loved the romantic languages. To this day, I have kept up with my languages by broadening the spectrum a little bit; I am fluent in Spanish and Italian, and I dabble in French, Brazilian Portuguese, and Finnish. In my sophomore year of high school, I studied abroad in Naples, Italy for an entire year where I learned the Italian language and lifestyle through immersion. It was the most incredible and life-altering experience of my life to date.

I am a fervent writer. Writing is my passion and I would probably [dramatically] die without it. I have dabbled in all types: creative, fiction, journalism, screenwriting, playwriting, and even legal writing. Ultimately I love any form that allows me to be creative.

I enjoy dancing, playing my guitar, meeting new people, singing, snowboarding, acting, and directing. I probably hate math and reading more than anything in the world; call me crazy, but I would rather write a 10 page paper than do 10 math problems any day.

When it comes to school, I'm a bit wishy-washy. Though I care very deeply about getting an education, I am quite scatterbrained and fringing on irresponsible. I was just a tad late on finishing this blog on time, for a sparkly example. Though I make petty and avoidable mistakes, I am so happy to be at Trinity! The social and educational stature here is light years ahead of any high school, and for that I am thankful. Trinity is full of opportunities, and I'm very happy to be here. I am a Media Communications major with a concentration in Film. My minor will most likely be English. I almost forgot! My secret fact is that I am a screenwriter and director; I have my own TV series here at Trinity, airing on TigerTV.

I don't have an extensive background in computers, but I'm no dummy when it comes to using one. I would really like to learn more about spreadsheets and website construction, as it seems like it may be useful later on. I'm a little nervous about the numbers and mechanics that may come along with understanding computers. I don't do well with numbers, formulas, or formal directions, so this should be an interesting experience! I'm up for the challenge.

I'm looking forward to hearing from you! You can contact me at kdoshier@trinity.edu

Cheers,

Kendra