If I were to go back and rework the blogs that I have written, there are a few that would have major changes, mostly for the topic of discussion.  This will be one of those blogs, what a completely uninspired topic, last week, what aren’t you good at but have taught yourself and this week, what you are good at.  These are topics that lack creativity and may not bring out any well thought writing from me, so don’t expect too much.  Oh, I have quit smoking yesterday so let’s not read too much into this.

I have really enjoyed Photoshop, Graphics and Colour Theory, and Scanning and Colour Correction very much.  All three courses are interrelated and I find very interesting.  It helps that I am doing well in all three to add to their likability. Thank you for taking the time to read this.

There is a fascinating video I found on YouTube that has been sped up to demonstrate the extreme capabilities of this amazing program.

For some more interesting reading, I choose to post two blogs last week, one being on New Media!?! And do we need to consider it new still.  If you are following these blogs with interest, please read that one as I found the topic far more interesting.

So far in the New Media Design program, I have changed my mind on what is my new favourite. In the beginning I truly found writing XHTML exciting and was charged and completely stimulated that I had made a web page; it was only a single page that said “this is Wylie’s first web page” but the thrill of the experience was there. As with most things, the more frustration you experience, the less you enjoy something; but there in lies the lesson, again, practice, practice, practice and eventually you will not only not enjoy something, but you’ll know it so well that you don’t get frustrated anymore, just bored.

A key point that should be addressed here is the format that the entire program has taken. I am glad that at the beginning of the program I had some experience with Photoshop and color correction. An unfortunate twist was the fact that Photoshop, Scanning and Colour Correction, and Graphics and Colour Theory are all so closely related and during the learning curve, often the content would overlap but not for a few classes. Are you keeping up? Because in the beginning, there was darkness and illumination was only a week away, now it has all become clear and the ground work is there, again it is practice, practice, practice.

Taking the Winding Road

What I don’t know may drastically be greater what I do know, but the result is still knowledge.  I have stated earlier in my blog “Time for a Break”, that learning does not always happen in the class from instruction from the teacher.  For most of the time this is still true; class learning does not give you enough time to make the mistakes and fix any errors that you make.  It has to be spent focusing on what is being taught, recall of the instructor’s lesson can sometimes fill in blank spots or be recalled later during an exam (this was apparent after today’s exam in Information Architecture). 

One class that this does not hold true to, for me, is Web Technologies 1190.  I enjoy the class, XHTML is important, not being frustrated but when you finally correct an HTML sheet that started with 66 errors, and it feels pretty good.  In class learning time, Ryan is really good at what he does but there is so much that he wants to convey, it is hard to keep up with him.  So for the most part it has been trial and error out of class time.  Thank god the notes are grrrrrreat!!

I believe it was two classes ago that we were introduced to the construction of a Global Style Sheet.  Many, if not all, major modern browsers (e.g., Firefox, Safari, Internet Explorer, Netscape) use their own generalized CSS rules. Some browsers fail to implement properly various CSS rules, making a mess of pages that happen to display perfectly in other browsers.  I didn’t find this to be the case with my website, but it is still the project we have to do. Needless to say, the unpredictable manner in which browsers implement CSS requires you to seek out a way to basically reset the page before loading the CSS style sheet; so to override default browser styles and effectively neutralize behavior, allowing you to build your CSS on a uniform foundation.

What I am still teaching myself is the manipulation of my CSS style sheet after you creating the Global style sheet.  The tweaking of headers and font seem endless but with perseverance, it had better be ready for Saturday, no longer my favorite day of the week.  But I look forward to finally understanding why it has to be done (even though it seems to run fine on all teh web browsers I have run it on)

why does the XHTML man have a fist with five fingers AND a thumb (was this copy checked) ?

Good Afternoon readers, the lesson that became apparent from today’s project is that no matter how much you want to escape it, run, hide in the creative corners of design; XHTML will always find you.  The purpose is to really understand how to write in HTML code and I can understand why.  In the business world, companies are becoming smaller and more compact, there is not the mega corporations anymore, and even where there are, the projects are divided up into smaller groups.  When a project has a completion date that might not be met, everyone has to pitch in and that means even if you are lucky enough to be in the design of the project, thee is the real possibility that you will have to assist in the writing, checking, repairing of your XHTML sheets.  DAMN!!!!  I should just start out aiming to be the boss!

One thing I was excited about was in the process of attempting to recall code from memory (thank god it was in a group) I did understand more then I thought and perhaps the ‘forgettery’ isn’t better then the memory after all.  Not saying it was easy, root canals can be more fun, but it was eye opening.  One half closed maybe and squinting, but there you go.  I have more work to do and writing code from memory is definitely an avenue of education to travel and learn well.

The technical side of copyright was mentioned as the topic of blog, but not understanding exactly what that means, I understand that everything is copy, pictures, the words used, facts that you are using, all of it.  But copyright seems more of branding, you have the rights to use the words that you are saying.  But only if they are your own words. If you are writing about something else that has already been written, unless it’s for the use of financial gain, you must pay credit where credit is due.   Yet doesn’t everything infringe upon the copy and rights of someone else.  If writing a book, quotes must be given credit, pictures must be your own or you may have to pay to use them.  The more and more media that is produced, the more copyright becomes blurrier and blurrier, a photo I can understand, but ideas are ‘borrowed’ all the time.  Is there criminal prosecution to using someone else’s idea, if it’s original I can understand, but how long does it have to be rehashed and worked over, improved upon and modified before it becomes property of the people?

So let’s begin with content itself, shall we? Content is what is in the webpage, what it is viewers see, what images, what writing, what flash videos – what ever there is within the page is content. Now, content is not always good content – as one website I discovered will certainly show. The creation of good content is key to getting people to read what you have to say. Earlier on in Communications we learned about White Hat and Black Hat writing, this is becoming obsolete because Google and other search engines are making it very hard to generate keywords using this format.  You can just put white letters on a white background any more and get your web page listed higher in ranking.

The process of writing content is pretty easy if you know how to, bad grammar and bad spelling is never a good way to start, pretty easy to get around that with spell and a grammar checking tool. Researching is also very important – which is what I think made the website http://www.dokimos.org/ajff/ such a horrendous site.  If information and facts are what makes a good site, then lots of colour and flash without the first two certainly make it bad.  People who just blatantly lie and use keywords throughout their content writing are merely writing to create search results, but on a touchy note, writing about the word of god is easy, you just eliminate anything that disagrees with your main focus.  I’m sure I’m not making any friends by saying this but… Religion is the worst fact based copy on the planet.   If it things don’t agree with us, then they never existed.  Not that religion is a bad thing, I just don’t understand how any person with a small amount of education can believe in the word when it is always being edited, not updated to include maturing ideas.  If you are to be trusted – you should write the truth, not the truth as you see fit.

Please enjoy this banned cartoon that does state the beliefs of the Mormon Church but in not so good of a light.  (This in no way should be interpreted as my beliefs, just something I found that adds to the bizarre feelings I have towards organized religion)

Well, I’m perceptive and I observe with critical ability, I’m able to view my own efforts as well as others and can contribute integrity and see the ideals of people around me.  I think that my charm adds to my sociability and makes me easy to cooperate with, to compromise.  Sometimes to a fault, it makes me an easygoing person, diplomatic, urban and peaceable.  This probably comes from having a very large extended family.  I have three moms, two dads, and in total, fourteen step and half brothers and sisters.  It’s kind a of a hippy commune as my parents have not really taken the route of loathing their ex-spouses, but have kept in contact with and still socialize with one another.  Branding is qualifying yourself with a trait that makes you unique, special in a certain way that makes you desirable to people.  So I guess my parents would be Mars© to me being an M&M.  They are my parent company that made me what I am, a delicious colorful snack that melts in your mouth, not in your hand…  That sounds weird but I like the idea of being a delicious chocolate treat. M&M’s come with different flavors, you can choose which one suits your mood, you can have your favorite colors, and they change for the seasons.

So…  I’m an M&M guy and that’s all I have to say about that.

This blog is supposed to represent the brand of person I am and that might make it sound like I’m being a bit of a gasbag but to accomplish the task, you kind of have to be.  So excuse me for tooting my own horn, but there you go.

Toot toot!

Wylie

I did a little research online to find out what makes a good blog, had to type in the whole phrase in fact “what makes a good blog” and I’d like to share a brief list of what I found.   Tics and foibles that fascinate me about this writing or what might obsess them, especially focused obsessions.  It’s like forebrain porn, you just want to read because the writing grasps you attention, either good or bad, I want to stir up some emotion.  There is a lot of talk about using pictures or movies, blog’s that make weird noises, maybe fart sounds or other toilet humour to get the point across, but as long as I’m a little thrown off or challenged, I’m gonna be a happy blogger.

I suppose my inspiration to be a better blogger, or more to the point, writer, is to have feedback. Am I affecting anyone, are my thoughts provoking. This is exactly what we talk about in Communications class; interactive.  How do you find out what you’re all about if you don’t hear back?  As an artist this is a terrifying thought, what if I’m not liked, but as long as you are confident with your work, I suppose the criticism can help.  Just don’t take yourself or the opinions of others too seriously, responding voices should help sculpt your writing… or better yet, provoke more ideas to write about.

Every individual has his/ her own learning styles just as each instructor has their own way of purveying that information which may not always meet the needs of the student. As an employee I find that working alone more productive as I am given a specific idea of what the final outcome is supposed to be, yet as a student, there is a much more loosely interpreted concept. When understanding a topic here in class, the development and consummation of your thoughts into a paper/ blog / project can become much clearer after it has been discussed with your classmates; invariably making everyone in class also your teachers. Having a sounding board from your peers is so helpful as to understand more points of view on the same topic than just the person teaching the class. The point of view of a group consensus/ understanding to clarify ideas that are still abstracted in your mind into a concrete understanding of things that did not make sense the first time around, is beneficial, maybe almost critical. In the first few weeks of New Media Web Design program, there has been a lot of information thrown at us. Some things have been confusing and when later discussed with fellow students, I find that it sometimes is just the way the information is presented.

I sometimes have difficulty relating to a lecture yet when I get a moment to make light or sense of what was taught, it often becomes clearer, not always, some of this stuff is going to be painful. As with the Architect Information course, I still don’t see what the full concept is, mainly because the first and second class was an oration of slides that were available to be read at your own pace. For my learning style I need more interaction to keep my attention focused on the exercise, that is not to say that the challenges of learning are any less rewarding, but if your have trouble paying attention because of a soothing voice and a darkened room, your in for trouble. I say this more to myself as a note, because without that break of fifteen minutes to ask questions from others, I would be lost.

This being said, the first assignment conferred today piqued my interest. To create a fictional user that is ideal and write a scenario about them, I still find the topic very loose but making a mistake in your interpretation is still progress, slow progress, but the understanding will come. So for my topic of this blog, I hope that the idea of laughing and whingeing about things that you have learned or are trying to learn becomes as useful a tool as the actual instructional lesson in class. Some things can come into much greater focus when the pool of consciousness that you’re trying to fish information out of gets bigger, and that is not always easy when sitting in a class room, at least not yet.

Thank you, my fellow ostracized parking lot friends.

Wylie

With this high rate of hiring when you complete your field of study, it ultimately leads to MONEY, which is really what we all want… need… can’t really operate without.  The problem with making money is we are so tied to a 9-5 workday and this is the reason that I wanted to take the New Media Program.  You spend 8 hours of your day at the office (most likely) 1 hour of that day is for lunch (mostly)  2-15 minute breaks for a cup of coffee or whatever.  But how much of that time is really spent focused on your work?  On average, the office worker spends ¼ of their day not working on projects but visiting co-workers, surfing the internet, or walking around with papers in your hand just trying to look busy.

With the stresses and pressures that are prevalent in everyday life you can easily get distracted after a long session of focusing on any task, you simply get tired.  Your attention span becomes short and your work isn’t as productive.  The work day should be reorganized to relate to your productivity and completion of duties/ tasks; and not on the hours you have to be here.

I am taking this program so that I can use my time to the best of my abilities, I want to be able to work when I am inspired and fresh and stop when the task becomes tiresome.  A break in the middle of the day to either go to the gym, take a walk, a little television and return to my work 2 or maybe even 4 hours later when again I feel refreshed and rejuvenated is my goal.

In essence, I am taking this course to rebel against the archaic thought that you have to get up at six am, drink your coffee, slog off to work for the mandatory eight hours of toil just to pay the bills.  I want to be able to get up at six am, work in my pyjamas’ till ten o’clock, go for breakfast, take a walk; maybe go to the gym, have a swim.  Then return to work in the afternoon and complete whatever my tasks are, with a brighter look on what needs to be done.