MichaelPoiarkoff

what did that article even say? i mean, i got the the point, but wow, there's nothing like delving into examples that make my brain hurt. i guess i know a little bit more about internet development and the evolution of technology, but why did i need to read an entire page on micro film, and why were all her adjectives more than 3 syllables? maybe i'm being a little over critical and not really looking at the overall effect of the acticle, but i would have been okay with just reading the last page. apparently mrs. bush did not read hot text, concise paragraphs mrs. bush, concise paragraphs...

Posted by MichaelPoiarkoff at 09:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

to me, HTML is like that huanted house that your dad made you go into when you were a little kid. remember, he was like "it's not scary, everybody's going in and coming out okay, you'll be fine, come on..." and you don't want to go in, so you're like "no dad, it's going to be scary, i don't want to, take andria and j.c., i'll wait in the car, no seriously dad, i don't want to go!" but you end up going in anyway and you're just real frightened and cofused, and it seems like everybody esle is dealing with it better than you except for that one kid that the zombies take out through the side exit becasue he was crying (that kid was a pansy). but you're still really scared and you don't know were to go because every door just takes you back to where you were, and then you have to climb through the little tunnel, and when you come out there's these three witches and your dad tries to sell you to them and you freak out and want to leave, but you can't 'cause you don't know how, and you're head starts to hurt, and the witches are telling you to go back the way you came to get out and you're like "i think i already did that, yeah i already did that, i have to do that again? wait. what?" so you go back the way you came and the vampire's like " you have to go past the witches." and you're like "no! i already did that, it didn't work!" and then he was like "well you got the pass from the wolfman, right?" and you're like "there's a pass? what pass? no one told me about a pass! how do i get the pass?." and then he tells you you forgot a backslash and a heading and you get even more confused and scared and you think to yourself "if i just would have stayed in the car..."

Posted by MichaelPoiarkoff at 01:40 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

i suppose for this one i'll start with my point. i don't care how good any site's information is, if the graphics appeal to 6 year olds, i'm not going to use it. there is nothing more annoying than trying to click on something that is moving, flying, or blinking. there should be certain giuldlines for composing a website, like no pink, lime green, or rainbow text that makes my eyes bleed. i dont want to watch a 5 minute long intro to your site and listen to your favorite song, i just want to read what you wrote and move on with my life. if you've got something good to say, then you should let your words speak for you, rather than letting 600 pictures and moving text alienate people from your site. i just want to see plain, readable text. anything that could potentially give me seizures is out.

Posted by MichaelPoiarkoff at 01:31 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

i doubt when the myspace-addicted 13-year olds of today turn 30 they'll still me posting provocative pictures of themselves and writing poorly thought out stanzas about how bad their lives suck. i also doubt that when those 8th graders have children, their kids will jump at the opporitunity to use the same site that their parents spilled their teenage angst all over.
the bottom line is that myspace is a fad. i can't predict when the site will drop off the radar of american youth, but sooner or later it will happen. though some of us may not like to believe it, the novelty of everything eventually wears off. kids may think that they'll love their precious myspace forever, but they wont. some may argue that even though the users of myspace today will eventually abondon the site, there will be always be an emerging set of youths to pick up where their predecessors left off. however, i am not using friendster. i'm not using ICQ. my super nintendo is now an xbox, and i wish i could get back that 4 dollars i spend on that slammer that looked like a saw blade. the new generation is always going to invent something new; they will always seperate themselves from the norms. whether myspace will be completely reinvented or simply fizzle out and be replaced is a toss-up, but the question of whether myspace is a fad of now is pretty obvious to me.

Posted by MichaelPoiarkoff at 02:38 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

blacklash from teachers? perfectly acceptable.
in a day and age where every student insists on being treated like an adult and and equal by their teacher there is no reason why they shouldn't have repercussions for their stupidity. eye for an eye there kids. if you want to go online and bash your teacher and send her dirty emails, then you shouldn't be too outraged when you get one back, you only got what you were asking for.
some would say that sending a harsh email to students in unprofessional, but in my opinion, if a student personally attacks a teacher they have already crossed the line and have broken the student-teacher barrier. i think what some students don't understand is that just like them, a teacher is only a person with a title, and insulting them is just like insulting anybody else, and there's going to be consequences. being a teacher does not mean you cant defend yourself, it does not mean you have to lay down for students. sure, some ways of expressing your opinions are better than others, and every action should be thought about before put in motion, but if a problem persists, something must be done. if a student verbally assaults a teacher unpovoked then he or she deserves some sort of tounge lashing. if you're going to dish something out, be sure that you can handle backlash from it.

Posted by MichaelPoiarkoff at 12:41 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

in my opinon, there is nothing like a good book. there is no tv show, movie, song, or internet page that can compare to a well written novel. sure, you may remember a quote from a movie or a song lyric, and you may recommend some extremely useful website to someone, but a good book with stick with you forever.
i never wanted to read as a kid. when everybody in my class was starting to read goosebumps and animorphs i still wouldn't buy a book without pictures in it. but then, i'm not sure when, something inspired me to start reading. i began reading everything; the classics, ancient literature, poetry, new unknown authors, educational stuff; and i never stopped. i still read at least 3 books a month, and i pretty much always reading at least 4 books at a time.
the truth of the matter is that although the internet and PDFs may be easier, better categorized, and cheaper than paper, there is nothing that can beat a book. you could write a article, design an amazing web page, or blog some of the best writing you've ever seen, but when it's all said and done, the books get the credit, the books will be remembered, and the books will always be here.

Posted by MichaelPoiarkoff at 07:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Writing Effective E-Mail: Top 10 Tips

"The informal notes you exchange with your friends don't have to meet any particular standards..."

heck yes they do! i dont do that lol crap, and the only other thing i know is ttyl. if people send me emails or instant messages with all those abbreviations i will not have a clue what they are talking about. i dont expect completely formal writing, but i want people writing to me to at least talk like a human. how am i supposed to know what kjnujfdsgj means?
"hey i've got this really cool expression that would be even cooler if i only typed the first letter of every word!"
no. no it wouldn't. just type it out, so i can understand you.

Posted by MichaelPoiarkoff at 01:54 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Freedom of speech redefined by blogs

"Maybe it's no surprise, given how empowering it can be to have one's own thoughts transported instantly across the globe." - Bill Schackner

i think we definitely have to keep this statement in mid whenever we blog. you have to think that every time you sit down to write a smart-ass comment on a blog, that someone halfway around the world could read that and define his entire outlook on something from that single comment. the power that the internet gives you is pretty ridiculous. the fact that someone a couple thousand miles away could join in on a cult following of what you write could probably alter the way you write.

Posted by MichaelPoiarkoff at 04:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

The Many Faces of Facebook

"What McGuirk said he’d rather see is administrators using Facebook to get students thinking about how they want to craft their public persona." — David Epstein

Wether we like it or not, especially with the new facebook, people we dont know, and may not want to know, are looking at out profiles. i don't know about anyone else, but if people are going to meet me for the first time through facebook, i want them to get a pretty good impression of who i really am. i know some people may want to keep the "real" them hidden from the public, but i think we're at a point now where making up a persona, or exageratting your anticts and personality is not what's best for your profile. i definitely dont put everything about me up, i actually took stuff off now that it's stalkbook, but i think overall people should just be themselves on facebook...their very cautious selves...

Posted by MichaelPoiarkoff at 04:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Laura K. Krishna is a Plagiarist.

"Plus, I have a nice little English degree that I did all the work for myself, so I find it a little offensive that this girl for whom money is no object is buying papers like that." - Nate kushner

i'f i were asked to talk about this quote i would most likely rant about how underacheivers are coasting though college and highschool on other peoples work while i'm earning what i get. i take pride in the fact that i actually learn in class and am going to earn my degree the right way. i tend to slack off sometimes, but plagiarism is taking it a little too far.

Posted by MichaelPoiarkoff at 04:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

there is nothing i appreciate more in this world then when a stupid person gets called on a stupid thing they do, and extra kudos to Nate Kushner for doing it in an incredibly creative way. i, in general am an extremely easy-going guy, but one thing that can actually get uder my skin is someone who cheats on something that i'm staying up half the night to finish. for me, there is nothing so frustrating than busting my balls to get something done and someone else getting a higher grade than me with a plagiarized paper. it's not the fact that the person gets a good grade or gets away with it that makes me so upset; it's the fact that i worked my butt off and actually earned my grade while someone else is coasting through a class on someone elses brain that makes me so mad. i personally would rather come into class with bloodshot eyes, 12 cups of coffe in me, and a C+ paper than get a good grade with someone else work.
i don't think what Nate did was at all overkill. if you ask someone to write a peper for you, you're asking to get caught. the fact that the girl thinks she's in the clear because she got the paper from someone online and is going to get it thrown back in her face is an added bonus. nothing puts a smile on my face like seeing someone's feelings of elation come crashing to the ground. in closing, thank you mr. kushner for all that you've done, not only have done your part in the quest to end prlagarism, but in doing so you have given me five minutes of high-quality reading.

Posted by MichaelPoiarkoff at 12:42 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

My first experiences with a computer were amazing. the thing is, before i got to elementary school; before i got to learn what a laser disk was, and before i new what ROM and RAM were i thought i was the coolest person in the world because my great aunt had a computer in the study room of her house. My family would go visit them every sunday after church, and there was always a fight between my brother, sister, and i for who got to use the computer first. Not because we wanted to type something up on the green and black screened mac, but mostly because be could play the fire truck game. Sure, we had Wheel Of Fortune, and some typing game, but the fire truck game was where it was at. I would sit on that computer for hours driving the 2D fire truck up and down the street, lining the truck up, extending the ladder, and saving the cat. Well, it was usually the cat... sometimes it was the baby, and sometimes it was an old lady, either way it was AWSOME. The only problem i had was remembering to put the floppy disk back into its cardboard box with the foam protector in it.
Not only was this a pretty great computer experience, but i actually learned some stuff, and it got me ready for computer class when i hit first grade. Sure, the computers there were a little bit newer, and i actually had to do things other than play games, but i knew what i was doing. Now don't think that me knowing what i was doing means that i love computers. I actually dislike computers a good bit. Aside from the internet and Word, i don't really know much about modern day technology. I cringe when somebody starts talking about progamming or web design. I guess writing is the only thing i really know how to do on a computer. I know that may sound a little pathetic to some people out there, but i'm fairly content with that. I suppose i really picked up writing with a word processer in about fifth grade and kind of just ran with it from there. Now when i'm board i dont watch t.v. or play video games, i either draw, read, or sit down with my laptop and write. But overall, i'm guessing my computer literacy and appreciation pretty much peeked with the firetruck game.

Posted by MichaelPoiarkoff at 01:43 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)

My first experiences with a computer were amazing. the thing is, before i got to elementary school; before i got to learn what a laser disk was, and before i new what ROM and RAM were i thought i was the coolest person in the world because my great aunt had a computer in the study room of her house. My family would go visit them every sunday after church, and there was always a fight between my brother, sister, and i for who got to use the computer first. Not because we wanted to type something up on the green and black screened mac, but mostly because be could play the fire truck game. Sure, we had Wheel Of Fortune, and some typing game, but the fire truck game was where it was at. I would sit on that computer for hours driving the 2D fire truck up and down the street, lining the truck up, extending the ladder, and saving the cat. Well, it was usually the cat... sometimes it was the baby, and sometimes it was an old lady, either way it was AWSOME. The only problem i had was remembering to put the floppy disk back into its cardboard box with the foam protector in it.
Not only was this a pretty great computer experience, but i actually learned some stuff, and it got me ready for computer class when i hit first grade. Sure, the computers there were a little bit newer, and i actually had to do things other than play games, but i knew what i was doing. Now don't think that me knowing what i was doing means that i love computers. I actually dislike computers a good bit. Aside from the internet and Word, i don't really know much about modern day technology. I cringe when somebody starts talking about progamming or web design. I guess writing is the only thing i really know how to do on a computer. I know that may sound a little pathetic to some people out there, but i'm fairly content with that. I suppose i really picked up writing with a word processer in about fifth grade and kind of just ran with it from there. Now when i'm board i dont watch t.v. or play video games, i either draw, read, or sit down with my laptop and write. But overall, i'm guessing my computer literacy and appreciation pretty much peeked with the firetruck game.

Posted by MichaelPoiarkoff at 01:43 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)