October 2006 Archives

I just saw news that a "zombie walk" is happening this Sunday at the Monreoville Mall, called the "Walk of the Dead". They're going for a world record! And proceeds benefit the Westmoreland Foodbank!

If you participate in this, do get a photo taken and submit it to the campus media relations.

-- Dr. A.

This just arrived in my e-mail. Looks like someone with a bit of money is hoping to reward good blogging (and also gain a higher profile for himself in the process). Sounds like a good way to give back to the blogosphere.

» Announcing The Blogging Scholarship - Scholarships Around the US

We are proud to annouce the launch of The Blogging Scholarship. UPDATE: We are offering bloggers a $5,000 scholarship annually.

Requirements:

Our requirements are

* Your blog must contain unique and interesting information about you and/or things you are passionate about. No spam bloggers please!!!
* You must be enrolled in a college in the United States;
* 3.0 minimum GPA;
* Enrolled full-time in post-secondary education; and
* If you win, you must be willing to allow us to list your name and blog on this page. We want to be able to say we knew you before you became a well educated, rich, and famous blogging legend.

Nominate Yourself Today

I love Wikis. I really do. I've said it many times to people, but Wikis have probably saved me on numerous occasions. Sure, i know they're not always the most reliable sources ('sup vandalism?), but if you're in need of quick information that probably wouldn't be found in a textbook, they're pretty damn useful.

For a roleplaying (yes, roleplay. I embrace my geekiness) group I'm in, we started our own Wiki. Sure, it's just for a group of 40some people, but we have fun with it--especially when it comes to vandalising editing pages (see here), but it can come in handy when you're not sure what a character's like... so long as people keep pages updated. I have to admit, i have a lot of catching up to do with my OWN characters, which I plan on doing.

See, there was this roleplay for, gasp, Harry Potter started in summer 2005. It started out as a small little thing that nobody would really imagined would grow into this massive thing wih over 30 players with an average of four or five characters per person. Now, this adds up to a lot of history and facts. Newbies were often lost and confused by the massiveness of it all.

Thus? The NP Wiki was born. A massive site where people could put up pages about their characters, groups within the school, etc. It was quick, easy to access, and once the basics were learned, easy to use. Everyone would have their own pages that they were able to put up about their characters. My most up-to-date and complete pages there are and this, though I'm working on filling out the others.

As of this moment, one has yet to be started, one needs a major update, one needs tons more info... and, well, whatever else is needed for this insanity.

Working on these is surprisingly easy. As long as you have an account and can read, you can do whatever you please. Though... we have a tracking page for recent changes, so if anything too horrible is done, it's simple to trace it back to the culprit.

Wikis, i have discovered, are good for quick information-- but to use them for major, fact-based school assignments? Not the best idea.

Calling all judges! Eye Contact is holding a literature and art judging session this Wednesday! Now is your chance to contribute to the magazine, judge some great artwork, prose and poetry and help us decide what's making the cut.

Our judging process is blind... which doesn't mean you'll be blindfolded. Rather, all of our lit and art submissions will be nameless, so know one will know who wrote what. Everyone who judges will have their name listed as a judge in this Fall's issue! There will also be some snacks provided! It's going to be a fun evening!

The judging session is being held in Admin 204 this Wednesday, Oct 25 at 8:00pm. Come for the whole time or just come for a little bit-- any help is appreciated! (And please bring a pen.)

I realised I forgot to post this last night when I finished

http://blogs.setonhill.edu/JohnFish/2006/10/its_that_time_portfolio_academ.html

If the soon to be upperclassmen believe that their *hit does not stink then think again. All this goes to show that the four years of college was spent degrading others hopefully that stimulated their brains, you think it would stop but it does not. As a transfer student, going to Seton Hill was a major step from the schools that I attended earlier; Pittsburgh Filmmaker, Point Park College, and WCCC. I never took any classes that involved computers, just cameras, and by coming into the New Media class I ws taken by suprise. I guess that I am uphauled by some people, you would think that random acts of kindness would prevail in a small, liberal arts college but it does not. People make comments and think they are better, learn the ways of the Daoist. You just might learn something.

So what was it, less than a week ago that we read a bunch of text and spent almost a whole class on the importance of a title on your work? I mean it wasn't even a debate, the entire class whole-heartedly agreed, saying that no would even bother to read what was written underneath if there was no catchy title at the top.

...

I just looked at the Writing for the Internet homepage, and over half the entries are titled "Interesting quotes for chapter _____." Some of them don't even bother to let the reader in on the fact that the quotes might be interesting. I know when I see a title called "Quotes from chapter 9," I just can't wait to see what those quotes might be, especially if they're labeled "interesting."

I know what you're thinking right now. Yeah, you...the one who's reading this after using one of the titles mentioned above. "But Paul, these are just my class entries, I don't care if anyone actually reads them!!!11 LOL!!!."
Good, then quit bitching when no one comments on your site. Why do you think we have mandatory comment requirements before we come to class now? I'll tell you why, because people like you are boring and no one wants to read what you wrote, much less comment on it.

All that work for this. I'll bet Dennis Jerz is turning in his grave...oh wait.

Jeremy Barrick

EL 200

October 9, 2006

Online News

I chose the following online news sites for their content and how it was

presented to me, I took into consideration the fact that I want to become a journalist, so

the news had to have an appeal and meaning. The first site I visited was

http://www.cnn.com, obviously it is the best way to get your news, this may seem a little

one sided, but the online paper has national news and created headlines that are easy to

follow, reporting on only the important news from around the world. The site is a bit

cluttered with advertisements and news categories ranging from US, World, Travel,

Buisness news, these are the sort of roadblocks that I want to avoid when visiting a news

site.

The second news link I chose was,http://pbs.org/newshour, this was due to my

supporting public broadcasting. The user is able to browse news by clicking a region, and

offers a page for students entitled “ News hour extra”. The site was not crowded, and easy

to navigate. It did not offer much in the way of current events; but, none the less the site

was interesting.

The third news site I visited was, http://journalists.org. The site is a bit boring,

catering to only journalists. There is a membership you need in order to become a part of

“ONA”, online news association. With a annual fee, ranging from twenty five dollars to
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fifty dollars, you can become a member of this elitist society and start producing online

news and attend conferences dedicated to the subject. I found the site to be a bit

prejudiced but possibly for me. If I want to be a journalist then I must meet and learn

from others who show the same interests.

The fourth online news sit I clicked on was, http://nytimes.com. Loved it, there

was no content that I despised, anything you need to know, locally or internationally, it

was in there. One of the best I love content and the http://nytimes.com offered it with

video and colorful pictures. Not as crowded as http://www.cnn.com, although there could

be a debate between the two publications as to which one is better. An entire newspaper

online, just click and go, no payment rendered, awesome!

The fifth and final paper I looked over was, http://freedomforum.org. I totally

abused this site as a journalist, protecting my right, what I can say, what I can do is very

important to me. The site offers articles of events categorized by which amendment they

fall under. I never knew such a site existed until this particular assignment or could due to

being so liberal.

The two college online editions I stumbled upon were,http://phoenix.swarthmore.edu/

And http://pittnews.com. The two offered articles about news around the city and on

campus. The sites were colorful, and offered pictures to go with the stories. What I found

interesting about the Pitt paper is that it had a classified and police blotter section. A

parent has to think, what kind of area is my son/ daughter living in? An awareness

section, in my opinion. http://phoenix.swarthmore.edu/ is more based on the campus, a bit

drab for somebody who does not attend the university. I chose the two to contrast one
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another. I would like the Setonian to be more like Pitt’s paper, full of content, pictures,

and outside reporting, what’s going on locally. The students of Seton Hill are oblivious to

the events and goings on around the city of Greensbug, those who do not have vehicles or

a way to get off campus. The audience will respond more if the online print understands

the students better and caters to them and other students on other campuses.

It's that time again! Get your art, photos, short stories, and poetry ready--Eye Contact is ready for YOU.

The deadline for the Fall 2006 issue is October 20th.

Visit our blog or click the "read more" link for full submission guidelines.

Submission Guidelines: Fall 2006

Eye Contact invites submissions from students, faculty, and staff of area colleges. A blind judging process is used to evaluate works. Submissions must be previously unpublished, and Eye Contact reserves all publication rights for the issue in question. Attach this information separately: title of work, your full name (no pseudonyms, please), current address, e-mail, telephone number, college, and a one-line biographical statement. Neither your name, nor any identifying entity should appear on your entry.

DEADLINE: October, 20 2006.

Mail submissions to Eye Contact, c/o Seton Hill University, Box 246, Greensburg, PA 15601. Literature submissions may be e-mailed as a rich text file (.rtf or as text files only -- all other file attachments will be deleted unread) to eyecontact@setonhill.edu

LITERATURE: Entries must be typed (double-spaced), with the title included in the upper left hand corner of each page. Individual poems are limited to two pages and prose should not exceed ten pages in length. Please include a SASE (self-addressed, stamped envelope) if you want your manuscript to be returned.If you submit your work electronically via e-mail, be sure to include all the required identifying information listed above in the body of the e-mail message or in a separately attached file.

ART/PHOTOGRAPHY: Entries are restricted to black and white works. (Occasionally, we can reproduce a color item in black and white, or select it as cover art). All art must have your name, address, e-mail, telephone number, media/medium, and title written on the back of the piece. Enclose a 3x5 card with your name, your college and a one-line biographical statement. Artwork will be returned by mail only if accompanied by appropriate postage. Eye Contact does not accept responsibility for work damaged in the mail. We cannot accept artwork via e-mail, but can receive floppy diskettes, Zip disks, or data CDs. Digital submissions may be reprinted electronically in the magazine unless originals are provided.