Advice for Next Semester

• Don't skip class
• Follow directions. Attention to detail is crucial for your success.
• Do exceptional work. This will have Prof. Belisle on your side.
• Read the book.

My Favorite Websites

My favorite websites are as follows:

1) Rebecca Ribbing: I liked her website because it was very easy to navigate. Also, she had a pretty navigation bar.

2) Lindsey Neubauer: Her website was very picturesque. Also, she mentioned my favorite place in the world, Telluride, so it was a given that this was one of my favorite websites.

3) Katie Whittaker: I love to cook so this website was applicable to me. This website made me want my mom's baked goods.

Please visit my website at www.cs.trinity.edu/~jsnyder1

In designing my website, it was a long and arduous process. I had to conduct research on Kareem and JaRon Rush and Myron Piggie. Also, I had to find numerous photos of both Kareem & JaRon.

I used both Microsoft Expression Web and Kompozer in designing my website. Alot of the time, I would have pages opened in both applications. Thus allowed me to jump between pages and edit.

I am most proud of the Highlight Video/Photo Galleries section. I am most proud of this section because of the various photos and associated hyperlinks.

There is nothing I would have changed with my website.

My biggest technical challlenge was inserting videos and photos into tables.

My biggest design challenge was trying to fit the biographies and pictures onto one page.

I am going to show my site to my parents, friends and Kareem.

I am not going to make another site in the near future.

www.cs.trinity.edu/~jsnyder1

Larry Hechler: The Wizard of PCs/Macs

This past Thursday, November 11th, Larry Hechler, Hardware Technician Specialist in ITS, came and talked to our class about PCs and Macs. He discussed the right way to clean one's LCD screen and keyboard. Rather than using acetone, ammonia, or alcohol, a person should use a lint-free wipe and a little bit of water mixed with  laundry detergent. If a person was to use acetone, ammonia or alcohol, these chemicals would eventually eat away at the LCD screen. Additionally, he said that it's best to have clean/dry hands when using the keyboard. For example, hand lotion can ultimately remove the lettering on the keyboard. So it's best not to immediately start typing after applying lotion. Moreover, Mr. Hechler discussed the importance of not immediately charging one's laptop after every use. Hypothetically, if a person only uses his/her laptop for 20 minutes and immediately plugs it back into the charger, then the laptop battery will develop a short cycle memory. As a result, the laptop will not retain a charge because it thinks it only needs to run for 20 minutes. For this reason, Mr. Hechler suggested letting one's laptop fully run its battery to 0% and then charging it. Accordingly, I have definitely been more consciousness of my Mac's battery. On a separate note, Mr. Hechler described the importance of keeping the computer's cooling vents free of obstruction. If a computer's cooling vents are blocked, then the computer will overheat and could possibly shut down or worse go up in flames. As a result of Mr. Hechler's advice, I have definitely been more aware of my cooling vents.

Mr. Hechler's suggestions have definitely improved my knowledge of both PCs and Macs. I'm not in the market for a new laptop; nevertheless, I will need a new one by the end of my college career. Therefore, I will hold on to the notes I typed up and review them when it comes to my purchase decision.

Photos That Lie

I choose this particular photo because it was taken for my senior yearbook photo. The photo of me watching a golf shot originated from my senior yearbook photo shoot. It was manipulated by placing Megan Fox in way that it looks as if she's leaning on my shoulder. I also added the cartoon penguin on the golf cart because I thought it would add a quirky element. I manipulated the photo because 1) it was for an assignment and 2) because I thought Megan Fox leaning on my shoulder would be quite amusing considering her position. Some people would view this manipulation as harmful because Megan Fox's position is quite raunchy. However, in my opinion, no one is going to see this besides the class. So no harm, no foul. This photo manipulation relates to my article in the sense that this doctored photo never happened. I wish it did. 

In Changing History: Doctored Photos Affect Memory for Past Public Events, Sacchi, Agnoli, and Lotfus' articulate on how doctored photographs of past public events affect memory for those events. They articulate, "In everyday life it is much easier for people to encounter fake pictures of public events than to come across ‘doctored photographs that depict them doing things they have never really done' ". (Sacchi, Drrio L.M., Franca Agnoli, and Elizabeth F. Loftus). The authors go on to say

Works Cited

Sacchi, Dario L. M., Franca Agnoli, and Elizabeth F. Loftus. "Changing history: doctored photographs affect memory for past public events." Applied Cognitive Psychology 21.8 (2007): 1005-1022. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 11 Nov. 2010.

The Jungles: Baldwin Village, Los Angeles

My presentation was over The Jungles, which was renamed in 1990 to Baldwin Village. I choose this topic because I minor in African American studies and I feel slightly connected to the Hip-Hop culture. I know I dress extremely preppy. However, I still enjoy rap music and films such as Training Day, ATL, Get Rich or Die Tryin', and Hustle and Flow. I liked how I utilized Waka Flocka's music video: Hard in the Paint. I used this video because it displays the Black P. Stone Jungles and the inequality in living conditions. While I have heard of The Jungles, I learned how terrible the neighborhood actually is. The social implications of Baldwin Village include children fall victim to gang wars and life-or-death pressures to join gangs. As a result of the aforementioned implications, children fall into the vicious cycle of failing to reach their potential. One thing I wish I could have changed is I should have taken my anxiety medication. Despite the fact I've presented before, I was extremely nervous and stumbled on some words.

I really liked Zach's presentation on Fluvial Processes. His design was simply yet interesting. He utilized an amazing video of a person river surfing. His information and knowledge on the topic was outstanding.

Rebecca's presentation was shocking, yet fascinating. Her design was effective. Her content was interesting and made me want to read about Charles Manson and go watch The Silence of the Lambs.

Chris Nolan: Finding High Quality Info on the Web

On Thursday October 28, Chris Nolan, Assistant University Librarian, came and gave a detailed presentation on finding academic information and sources on the internet. I learned how Google uses 250 characteristics to rank web pages. I was unaware of the keys that google used to rank web pages. The keys include: how often its cited, how often a web site is used, if sites link to other sites, if its a reputable source, and blogs. I was surprised to find that Google is used only 66% of the time for online searches. I figured it had to be at least at 75%. Additionally, I was unaware how the top 100 searches in Google could vary drastically from the top 100 in Yahoo. The image below points to this discrepancy.