Why? Because man will always be man.

Planting the seed of an Evergreen story

2009-04-06T18:31:26Z

Angle: Alternative things to do in the city of Greensburg
-Places to hang out or check out
-Events that go on in Greensburg (local music venues, etc.)

People I can interview by next week:
-JR from Egality (confirmed)
-Ben Geiger from Annclarity (confirmed)
-Jon Stefaniak from the Hormones (yet to contact)
-Probably Gabe Felice from DV8 Coffee Shop (yet to contact)

People I am also interested in interviewing:
-Someone from the Skateshop
-The lady in charge of the Keynote Cafe

Sidebar - not quite sure what this is exactly...but:
-Local bands worth checking out (mini music reviews?)

Opinions on the Mock-Up

2009-03-24T14:59:31Z

Compared to the current website, I like the mock-up designed by Dr. Jerz much more. Pictures are a great way to break the monotony of type, and the lack of big, white spaces makes the website seem a lot more substantial. The games are also a great feature and will help give students an entertaining reason to stay on the site (or visit it at all). The Speak Out! Forum is also a cool idea; I like the idea of giving students a place to express their views on issues, and including pictures would help the student body get to know each other visually. Of course, that could be a bad thing if someone gets offended by another person's remarks, but that's the risk said person takes when publicly expressing opinions. The best thing about this mock-up is that it seems simple enough to attain in our Media Lab class. Aside from the game, which would probably be Flash, this looks like a bunch of simple HTML work that wouldn't take a website design expert to build. I think the best thing about it is that it seems to present all of the information from the current issue right on the homepage instead of having it buried within the website like our current site. I think that is one of the biggest flaws with the setup of our current site.

Overall, I support it; it's dynamic enough to look like the online version of a newspaper.

Test

2009-03-18T14:27:18Z

http://www.swftools.com/tools-details.php?tool=1861503200

The Absence of Objectivity

2009-02-22T20:36:36Z

"With little empirical evidence about the world, the country would divide further into solipsistic, isolated communities. There would be no agreement on even the most rudimentary facts: We would look back nostalgically at those days when "only" half of Americans were so ill-informed, and susceptible to government propaganda... In this ignorant yet loudly opinionated future, our shared civic culture would degenerate, and demagogic leaders would flourish."
-("The death of the news")

This was the scariest part of Gary Kamiya's article, even if it is only a possibility.

If the newspapers all sink, it would be doubly tragic if objective and investigative reporting go down with the ship. Not only would we potentially lose the kind of interesting and insightful stories that we get from newspapers (this makes me think of all the interesting stories that I've seen on the front pages while I'm on break at work), but in the absence of reporters and subsequent rise of stay-at-home bloggers not unlike myself, we may also lose the sense of objectivity that reporters work with when they bring us stories so that we can get the most truthful look into a story with the least amount of bias. Bloggers with no sense of unbiased reporting will spew whatever tainted nonsense to those who want to hear that point of view, whether liberal or conservative, radical or reactionary. This would only serve to widen the great divide in our country; who knows, it could even bring another civil war if given the right circumstances.

But this is drastic and an entirely hopeless point of view. It is not like bloggers have to be biased; some bloggers have done great things with their blogs and open our eyes to important information. It is not impossible for bloggers to be objective or investigate, but it all depends on the person. I would hope that a majority of the reporters who would lose their jobs in the collapse of newspapers would become the primary bloggers of the new age of information, because we will need bloggers who still care enough to search for the truth and keep their personal bias out of their stories.

This is the most important thing to watch as news evolves from print to Internet. While some parts of the journalism may grow bigger and better in Internet form, we still have to maintain and nurture the aspects of journalism that it was born with - the ideal of objective and invesitgative reporting.

It Could've Been Worse

2009-02-16T17:14:57Z

"Much of the media scrutiny in the days after Virginia Tech centered around the university’s immediate response to the shootings and the decision not to lock down the campus. In both the Northern Illinois and Louisiana cases, the shooter died moments after the first and only attack. Both campuses also had the benefit of looking at their notification policies following Virginia Tech; Northern Illinois had messages up on its Web site within 20 minutes of the incident."
-(Live From Another Stunned Campus)

Thankfully, colleges have learned from Virgina Tech's mistakes and have improved their alert systems. I didn't even know about the incident that occurred over the weekend until I checked my email and found several campus alerts, the latest of which informed me a SHU student died in a shooting.

This incident hardly tested Seton Hill's alert system; imagine how much worse this incident could have been. Instead of containing himself in his apartment, Briggs could have taken his rampage onto the nearby sleeping campus. This really would have put the system to the test. More people could have died. However, I think SHU's alert system is effective and would have been very helpful in the event of an even worse emergency. I don't have the emails anymore to check how quickly they were sent out in response to the incident, but I know it sent out a warning before the incident was over, which is always a good move.

The story has been gaining coverage very quickly. I think this story appeals because, despite only one fatality, it was a student that was killed by police (awkwardly, the Tribune-Review titled their article "Police slay Seton Hill student..."). Worldnews has a collection of articles on the incident already, although most are the same blurb of general information. It's remarkable how fast information travels these days.

Back to the latest stunned campus.

Setonian Online: A New Hope

2009-02-16T04:14:52Z

A lot needs to be done for our Setonian Online. Many bugs - links that go nowhere and other small errors - need to be fixed. The website definitely needs a facelift with some more colors outside of greyscale and a less generic layout. I think the most important thing to do is to let people know that it even exists. I don't think I even knew of the website until last semester.

But of course, all of this is easier said than done, etc. Especially when only one person is responsible for the website. Jeremy needs a staff. I'm willing to be a part of that staff.

My suggestions: I've brought up the idea of putting videos of bands that I review on the website, and in a discussion with Dr. Jerz, ideas of putting up mp3's, NPR-style review segments, and possible interviews with the bands themselves came up. Interviewing a particular band would depend on what band would actually be around in time for me to write a review, but it's a cool idea nonetheless. In the realm of overall website improvements, I would definitely add some Flash; however, I have little experience working with Flash, so I'm not much help there. Video and narrated slideshow segments would be interesting as well, and I have some editing skills in video and audio, so I could help there.

I think simple changes can have a drastic impact on the website. SF Cabbie and South of Here are really innovative but still have simple layouts; their appeal, aside from having interesting subject matter, lies in their highly interactive layout styles and various videos, especially the narrated slideshows with captions on South of Here's site. Where Doubt Remains has a layout not drastically different than the Setonian Online, but it takes advantage of linking to so many different entries and articles, exposing the reader to a seemingly neverending stream of content, which would be useful for a newspaper.

Turning the Setonian Online into an award-winning website may be a long endeavor, but our EL200 class can take many small steps to lead future students on that path.

Out with the New, in with the Old

2009-02-10T17:03:09Z

"Surveys show that a majority still prefer getting news on TV or on paper. Not everyone wants to watch the news online or on their mobile phone. Now all wheels will need reinventing."
(Beckett, Supermedia p. 17)

This makes me hopeful for the future. Quite possibly one of the only conservative things about me, I don't like the widespread conquest of technology over every facet of our lives. New inventions like computers are useful, but reinventing those things so that we have to spend even more time in front of a computer is disgusting to me. I hate spending time in front of a computer. I don't want to listen to all of my music in iTunes; I want to listen to my music on a CD in my car, or better yet, on cassette or on vinyl in my room (which feels so much more real). I feel the same way about news. Sometimes, I random headline will catch my attention on my way to check my email in MSN, but all that does is increase the amount of time I stare into a computer screen. I don't want to sit in front of a television screen to be fed news. When I want news, I want to be able to read it on paper while I'm sitting outside, or while I'm on break at work. I don't want the newspaper to become extinct.

The world's increasing dependence on advanced technology is frightening. Technology is not always reliable (Seton Hill's server was down for the greater part of last night, preventing me from doing this assignment earlier). What if something much more important went down, like something for the government or the Pentagon? But more importantly, what if technology becomes too advanced? This may sound like a silly and old question, but it is an important question to keep in mind. This is why Terminator was made.

Keep technology on a leash. Newspapers can't enslave the human race; computers can.

Crucial Differences Between Essays and News Articles

2009-02-10T15:56:28Z

"Nevertheless, your goals as a news writer are different, so what counts as 'good writing' in the world of journalism is very different from a personal essay."
-Jerz, English Essay vs. News Story

Although I've written far fewer news articles than English essays, I can already notice the difference in writing between the two. Just last night I was writing an article about a band for the Setonian, and while I was writing I was thinking of the differences. Even though a music review is not as much of a journalistic piece as any other article in the paper, it is close enough to realize that the goal is much different than an essay. In the article, I tried to inform the public as much as I could about the album I was reviewing, and I also tried to make not only the album but the entire article as interesting and exciting as possible. Making an essay exciting may get you style points, but the point of an essay is to prove how knowledgeable you are rather than how exciting you can be (and many people tend to take advantage of that). Likewise, using advanced and elaborate words in your essay is a plus, but unfortunately the general public that reads your article may not appreciate it as much as your English professor would.

I have yet to delve too deeply into the journalist realm; nevertheless, I have already discovered the fundamental differences between the aims of English and journalist writing.

Natural Selection Strikes the Printed Word

2009-02-01T18:04:06Z

"At some point soon--sooner than most of us think--the print edition, and with it The Times as we know it, will no longer exist." - (Hirschorn, "End Times")

It's times like these (no pun intended) that show how truly impermanent everything is. I've always taken the existence of newspapers - and all other print - completely for granted, never once thinking that the wild frontier of the Internet could be the bane of print's existence. Frankly, I'm shocked that it is even possible that "several cities could go without a daily print newspaper by 2010."

I was completely unaware that this was even happening - and for how long. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's circulation declined at an average of 7.5% in a six-month period, and that item was from an article in 2006.

The loss of printed journalism, although a bummer, is not too heart-breaking for me. I'm not a journalism major, I'm in creative writing. Is the Internet strangling the printed art as well? The most recent figures show that book sales declined 20%, but the finger is pointed at the economy, not the Internet. The most relevant article, although dated, implies that the Internet boosts the sales of books rather than being a hindrance (although I'm sure Dictionary.com is killing dictionary sales).

With all that being said, this doesn't spell doom for journalism as a whole. These aren't end times, but rather changing times. Printed newspapers may die off, but journalism will live on electronically. Those in the "newspaper business" have an ultimatum: Evolve, adapt, or die.

Consider it the "journalism business."

Portfolio 3: The Final Portfolio

2008-05-04T20:05:37Z

Now we are at the end of this semester (and my first year at Seton Hill U.). I am pretty excited for break, but I'm excited for other things as well. I believe working less while going to school has helped me with my problem of turning assignments in late. A few entries were late, but they were lower in the hierarchy of my other assignments at the time, i.e. my 350-point, 9-page research paper for STW. Anyway, I think my work this time around was my best.

-Coverage
These blogs include a direct quote from the assigned reading, identify the source of the quote, and links back to the course web page devoted to that reading (all of my blogs contain this, so I'll just list blogs that don't fit into any of the following lists):
Free verse does not necessarily equal freedom

-Timeliness
This blog I posted on time (agenda items need to be posted 24 hours before the class discussion):
Ruthless Tone
The emphasis and the meaning...
Fluff and stuff

-Interaction
In this blog, I wrote a blank verse poem about a Sunn amp, which Professor Jerz commented on, and I replied:
It's a Sunny Day
Anti-Authoritarian inspired Greta's reflection in her blog Being in charge is risky business
I left a comment on Greta Carroll's blog "Meaning-of-life" Garbage, to which she replied in my blog Code Blue for Humanity

-Depth
Very simply, these blogs show my ability to write in depth:
Ruthless Tone
City folk and people...
Because man will always be tools
Anti-Authoritarian
The Savior
Things are always better in pairs

-Extra blogs
These blogs were not for an assignment; they were just on my own accord:
To a Friend who sent me some Records
Poetry Portfolio

Hooray.

Free verse does not necessarily equal freedom

2008-04-30T18:45:22Z

"Free verse (from the French 'vers libre'), also called open form verse, is distinguished from traditional versification in that its RHYTHMS are not organized into the regularity of METER; most free verse also lacks RHYME."
(Hamilton p.239)

So this sounds like an open ball game, right? Well, not necessarily so. Sure, you can write pretty much anything and say, "Here, this is a poem." In fact:

Here is a poem.

There, a free verse poem. Too bad it is pretty much a thoughtless nothing and therefore awful. It may be free from rhyme and meter, but a poet must still apply imagery and other such poetic devices to make up for the lack of rhyme and meter. Essentially, the free verse poem has to be either so good that it does not need to be confined by rhyme and meter, or it needs to be too good to be confined by rhyme and meter.

Either is pretty challenging.

Things are always better in pairs

2008-04-30T18:30:23Z

"A couplet is a pair of rhymed lines of the same length and METER. This example, from Ben Johnson's short lyric 'Still to Be Neat,' is an IAMBIC TETRAMETER couplet:

Give me a look, give me a face
That makes simplicity a grace."
(Hamilton p.226)

I am a big fan of couplets, especially when they deliver a big bang at the end. Good examples are the sonnets that we have read in class: Shakespeare's Sonnet CXXX - My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun, and Donne's Holy Sonnets - Death, be not proud.

Shakespeare, after realistically viewing the shortcomings his mistress has, he ends his disparaging sonnet with the couplet "And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare/As any she belied with false compare.," and Donne concludes tearing Death a new one with the couplet "One short sleep past, we wake eternally, /And death shall be no more; Death, thou shalt die." These couplets wrap the whole meaning together and drive the point home, and I love that aspect of them. In my own poetry writing process, I try to do the same; I try to get that dramatic effect at the end that brings the point strongly.

Go back home.

The Savior

2008-04-30T18:19:46Z

"And always Ender carried with him a dry white cocoon, looking for the world where th hive-queen could awaken and thrive in peace. He looked a long time."
(Ender's Game p.324)

After conquering the buggers' world and finding the place that the buggers left their queen, Ender finally became a savior instead of a killer. He learned about them, about their mistake and the knowledge they gained from it, and he learned that they wanted forgiveness. Ender got the chance to give them their forgiveness (even though he completely annihilated them, but it's cool). I really liked this role-reversal that Ender is given. He goes from mass murderer to savior for this alien race. Essentially it is a switch from ruthless military commander to open-minded, diplomatic negotiator. Maybe Card is showing that learning, forgiving, and accepting through talking is better than complete subjugation through force?

That's the way I see it.

Code Blue for Humanity. Wait, better make that DNR.

2008-04-25T04:25:15Z

Susie: (Pushing them away from the bed) Patient is no code. Get away from her!
Code Team Head: (Reading) Do Not Resuscitate. Kelekian. Shit
Jason: (Whispering) Oh, God.
Code Team Head: Order was put in yesterday.
Code Team:
-It's a doctor fuck-up.
-What is he, a resident?
-Got us up here on a DNR.
-Called a code on a no-code.
Jason: Oh, God.
(Wit p.85)

Alright, so in this scene we're introduced to the Code Team for the first and only time in the play, and their totally simplistic level of dialogue shows the lack of depth to their characters, and a lack of humanity as well. We also witness Jason, the brilliant med student, burn in flames after messing up the code. This shows how much he focused on the research and not on the patient. Susie, who was just a nurse and was definitely put on a much lower level than the others, was the only one who paid attention to the patient's wishes and brought the mistake to everyone's attention. And all throughout this ordeal, Vivian was never referred to by name. So much for her hard-earned respect and prestige as a leading John Donne scholar.

I've never read any bit of dialogue packed with so much internal meaning as this one.

Anti-Authoritarian

2008-04-20T20:20:47Z

"Even as he cried from the pain, Ender could not help but take vengeful pleasure in the murmurs he heard rising through the barracks. You fool, Bonzo. You aren't enforcing discipline, you're destroying it. They know I turned defeat into a draw. And now they see how you repay me. You made yourself look stupid in front of everyone. What is your discipline worth now?"
(Ender's Game p.95)

Sometimes, authority is completely wrong. Sometimes those in authority think that what they do is right and they're actually completely wrong, and they deserve to be disobeyed. I think it's safe to say that we've all dealt with such an experience, or at least we all will. The Ender-Bonzo conflict was a great example of this. I'm glad that Ender finally disobeyed Bonzo and proved his strategy wrong (although it was completely expected for Ender to be the hero). I'm interested in seeing how this will effect Bonzo's leadership in future games. I'm also interested in seeing Ender battle against Bonzo, because he noted the inefficiencies of Bonzo's battle strategies. He'll probably annihilate the Salamanders next time around.

And Bonzo will be dejected (How do you like that use of one of our vocab words?).