#livesmatter

Victor Lee | Analysis Paper 2

For those of us who choose not to be ignorant, have access to news, and are above the age of 3, the word “Ferguson” might strike a memory or two. That’s right, I’m looking at everyone four years old and above. More than that, the word should remind us of where we are today as a society.

For those of us who are addicted to social media, #Ferguson, #blacklivesmatter, and such hashtags might be more familiar to us. The events that have followed the shooting of Michael Brown have been documented all over social media, and it is hard to even avoid Tweets or other posts about related events. The context of the happenings is understood through these tweets for many people because they do not direct themselves to new articles or more credible news sources.

I’m not sure if the text that appears in these Tweets count towards the word count of this paper, but for some, these celebrities serve as their journalists, news anchors, and news reporters.

Doesn’t take 100 days to decide if murder is a crime, it takes 100 days to figure out how to tell people it isn’t…… #FergusonDecision

— Chris Rock (@ozchrisrock) November 25, 2014

This is how powerful social media has become. It has enabled anyone to be a source of credible information to the rest of the audience. Who would’ve thought that somewhere in this world, there is a person who first learned about Ferguson through Kanye West’s Tweet?

Paul Mason says in his article, Global Unrest: How the Revolution Went Viral, “The past 10 years have seen disruptions in the pattern of social life that mirror what happened in that era. But this time, it’s happening at high velocity and across the canvas of all humanity” (Mason 2012). Our newsfeeds on social media sites like Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, and whatever else is being used, are evidence of this claim and idea that what’s going on in social media sites reflects what is happening in the actual events.

Wow such meme

Memes are definitely a big part of fan culture in today’s world. If you’re reading this post, it means you’re on the internet, and if you’re on the internet that means you’ve come across at least one meme since arriving on this page. The reason, I believe, memes are so popular is the practicality behind the engineering of the images. Meme simply satisfy people’s needs, and that is the basis of the Uses & Gratification Theory. The online audience usually seeks entertainment, a light laugh here and there, as well as the urge to express their opinions. This is when they turn to memes as a medium of expression. The internet has already laid out a foundation and a variety of memes for almost every emotion ever felt. People simply have to use an image, write two lines of text in a clever context, and feel the satisfaction they were yearning for. The memes I selected were interesting simply because I found them to be humorous. They express my humor in different forms and they really just bring out the sarcastic and inappropriate jokes I have at my disposal. Memes in today’s culture often re-instantiate and re-brand products because there really aren’t memes based on original creations. Memes can definitely help in my final project (aside from the video) because of the popularity and attention that memes get. People will notice memes, and while they won’t expect to learn something from reading humorous words, they will find themselves taking a second look at their credit scores.

The Intersect Fund

I have used Google Docs on multiple occasions prior to this assignment. I’m assuming that you can assume that means I have enough experience to not experience any problems along the process. One thing I would like to mention is that Google Docs is now called Google Drive to simplify the scattered features that Google offers, meaning “Google Docs” doesn’t really exist.
Now, in terms of opening the application, accessing certain features, and overall knowing how to utilize Google Drive, I didn’t run into any problems. I believe that Google Drive is extremely useful in any kind of word document based project or assignment. There is real time editing, a convenient chat box right on the page, and different people are able access it through the cloud function. It’s absolutely amazing and easy to use (or learn how to use). However, one thing that did hinder a smooth ride was the ability to contact my group members. Although I have the contact information of two of my members, we didn’t exchange contact information between the new members that we placed into our group this week. That was one thing that should’ve been taken care of during class, but through the power of the internet, I am confident that we can still find ways to contact the other portion of the group.
I can see myself using Google Drive constantly in the days to come. It is simple to use, my Gmail account is almost always logged in, so there is no need to even go through any security (I love the smooth transitions between online pages without the required log-in process…it’s so mundane). In fact, I am already using Google Drive for different projects right now. It’s just a blessing to have this kind of accessibility. I hope the rest of you didn’t find this simple platform to be complicated.

Creative Commons

Picture: https://flic.kr/p/n8gWe
Song: https://soundcloud.com/advo-da-genius/freddie-joachim-she-works
Movie: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8DnKOc6FISU

To be honest, this assignment was random to me because it was assigned before we knew what our projects were going to be about. I didn’t know where to start with media selections because of this unknown factor, but after acquiring a little more knowledge on the entirety of it, I gained a little more sense as to what direction I should take in my approach.
As compromised, our group name is “The Kuttery.” This is mainly based off my nomadic barbershop called, “The Cuttery,” only the C is replaced with a K because one of our original members’ name is Kathy. We have also agreed that our name will represent what we do:  cut and paste many different things and unify them into one product. It can also be used to express our point that you can “cut” your credit score in half by not paying on time or other such facts.
Now that I’ve hand-selected some media, you can choose to see what they are from the links above. If not, well, I’m going to explain what they are in the following sentences. The first piece of digital media is a picture taken in a barbershop. That choice basically matched our name, “The Kuttery” since it was founded on barbering originally. The song I chose was a remix put together by producer, Freddie Joachim. I picked this song because I always enjoy something cool and fresh. When I make videos, this is the type of music I would add as background music. It keeps things moving along and is not too distracting to viewers from the main content. Finally, the movie (or just a video), I picked was one of Uncle Drew, which is a fictional character acted by Kyrie Irving. I chose this because of the style the video was shot in. I want a similar kind of lighting and narration in the video we will be making. As for my group members, not all of them have posted their assignments for me to comment on.

The Big 5

Before we dive into the Big 5 list, I want to share just a little bit of my midterm experience with you (well at least I am required to do so by the class syllabus). Each creative decision on this blog was made to better welcome any visitors. Let’s start with the background, which is clearly visible on every page of the blog. I wanted to give my blog a cool, urban look while keeping it clean and minimalistic, so I found this image of a street in Chinatown, New York City, where salons and barbershops dominated the sidewalks. The colors were a bit bright, so I lowered the exposure using Photoshop and set it as a background to a white header that wrote “The Cuttery” (that’s what people call me). My posts are laid on top of white blocks that clearly separate my content from the background – see what I mean, simple but effective. To be honest, my blog was not modeled after another blog or site. The only vision in mind was simple, but cool. Simple, but cool. The closest thing I can compare my blog to is “HYPEBEAST” (hypbeast.com). Our sites share the simple fonts and the black and white text approach over photographs with great color depth. Though I would prefer “The Cuttery” blog to have a more practical layout like Hypebeast’s, I am bound by the limitations of the theme I chose to live and die by (for now). As similar as the design concept is between my blog and Hypebeast, their site is simply more professional and their arsenal of entertainment is far greater than mine, as I set a goal to approach a smaller audience. The menu, as you can see (or as you can’t see), is not very noticeable on the blog, but one thing that is notable is the content, or the posts. That’s what people come to sites for, the content they have to offer. With this layout, all the content is right in the visitor’s face and the simple design allows users to get straight to the information I want to show them. Because I gave up the convenience of the menu by using this theme, I compensated through instructing them to the menu in my opening post and even providing a link to one of my pages that you would normally see in the menu. I hope that gave you a little insight of what was going through my mind as I created my site. Now, as you’ve all been waiting to see, here is the Big 5 in no particular order. Enjoy!

1. David Wu’s Blog (http://capsulecollective.wordpress.com/)

I noticed that Dave used the same layout as me for his midterm blog, which simply shows that he has great taste. I, myself, am a huge fan of streetwear and his blog focused on just that. His background was simple with an overall black and white scheme, and that helped me focus more on the content than the smaller specs. The blog had a hefty amount of posts and that’s what everyone should have in order keep viewers interested and engaged. I mean, once you run out of things to see, you leave, so Dave did a good job keeping my attention with his posts. I enjoyed the variety of his posts as well, since it ranges from words to videos and photographs.

2. Stephanie Ohn’s Blog (http://digimemine.wordpress.com/)

The first thing I thought when I clicked on her page was how she actually has a sense of graphic design. Her header was enough evidence of that thought because it was especially dynamic in its construction, which was what kept me on the blog. She offers a clean layout that shows you intriguing pictures and previews of her posts. Since I had to click through each link to actually read the entirety of her posts, she was able to keep my attention on her content for a good while. More than interesting, her posts are informational (the Rule of Thirds lesson).

3. Fatimah Foster’s Blog (http://vintageloveclub.wordpress.com/)

I think this was one of my favorite blogs. With the many limitation that WordPress.com has, Fatimah created a very professional looking blog. Her head banner was simple but caught attention and everything is very user friendly and accessible. Her posts really show her writing style and I really enjoyed reading her posts. I wish there were more! People should visit her for fashion tips and tricks as well as the latest news on gossip, fashion, and celebrities. I love how she incorporated her instagram account and the fact that you can see the pictures on the front of her blog.

4. Jaclyn Kelly’s Blog (http://phisigmasigma27.wordpress.com/)

Jackie’s blog was dedicated to her sorority. Knowing firsthand how hard it is to pick from the few free themes there, I think Jackie chose wonderfully to fit her blog. Although very pink and not my style, I applaud her for putting everything together and making it look professionally as well. I liked the direction she took with the blog, where it keeps the followers informed on what is going on in her frat and I enjoyed the slideshow, it really portrayed what the Sigmas are like and what they do in the community. Overall a very simple but purposeful blog.

5. Victoria Tripsas’ Blog (http://simplephilosophiee.wordpress.com/)

Her banner consisted of what I could deduct as 3 instagram photos, but it was so well chosen that I thought it was one long picture. Victoria’s banner is very welcoming and wanted me to check out the blog. What I really liked was the type of posts she had. The wish list was cool because it wasn’t a long read and lots of images to attract your attention. It told the audience more about her and how she dresses, as well as establishes her image and intentions to her followers. People should follower he because it seems like she’ll have interesting posts and she enjoys the simple things in life. A good reminder in our busy media based lives nowadays.

 

DEKI Photography

Photograph by DEKI Photography

My Screencast-O-Matic is uploading as I type this, so stay tuned for my presentation of my good friend’s ePortfolio. Here’s the link for you guys before the video is posted! http://debbykim.com

HAHA your boy (that’s me) has an unattractively shaky voice when it’s past midnight, but here’s my first attempt at a screen cast. The process was far easier than I thought it would’ve been before I started. Actually, I tried running the application on my web browser multiple times, but there was a recurring notification of an inactive plugin. The only thing left to do was to download it, and so I did. It worked like a beauty afterwards.

To be honest, I recorded my screen cast at least four times after 20 seconds into each recording. It’s late and my mind usually refuses to function properly during after hours. The video above was the only take over half a minute. That was good enough for me…and I hope it’s alright for you. Excuse any mumbling, please.

I often see people sharing tutorials and instructional videos using this screen cast feature. Professors or any other people looking for an easy way to explain online procedures can definitely use “Screencast-O-Matic” for teaching purposes. Basically anyone who wants to instruct another person about anything on the computer will find this resourceful. This shouldn’t be a skill to be truly valued, since anyone with common technological sense (most people these days) should be able to pick up this skill on the spot. In terms of creativity, you can do anything within the limitations of this application’s functions as long as you have the creative capacity. Videos can be made with on-screen following concepts that can be converted into professional ads and the like. Screen casting is a useful function when used properly.

Last, but not least, don’t forget to keep up with http://debbykim.com Her page isn’t completed, nor is it at its final stage of presentation. Keep checking her craft for new improvements!

Hey, readers, sorry for the delay, but I’m glad I was able to find my external hard drive and finally upload this assignment.

Podcast

http://www.chartattack.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/The-Weeknd-1.png

Welcome back to this post, for those of you who visited before and found empty words! To be honest, this was the most enjoyable assignment in this class so far. I’m a musician (kinda), so involving myself with music is one of my favorite things to do. My first objective was to pick two songs to use in this podcast intro, so I picked The Weeknd’s recent cover of Beyonce’s Drunk In Love and a remix of Phoenix’s song Lisztomania. The styles of each of these two songs are noticeably different, and so I hoped to just slightly display the spectrum of my taste in music through this. The first song is eerie and soul chilling, if you must put it some way, but the second song has a groove and funky vibe that compliments its upbeat tempo. Hip hop and RnB cross faded with Indie and Funk. Please gauge my sophistication with this information.

Now, the process after the song selections – which include splicing, creating a music bed, recording a voice over, and crossfading the songs – took no longer than 10 minutes. Because the goals were clear to me and I’ve had prior experience tampering with Garageband, I did not run into any troubles. Outside of Garageband, though, I did find myself a bit confused when the music player  would not play the track and left me with a “Buffering…” sign that I foolishly stared at for another 5 minutes. After I was told to move the file in Dropbox to the “Public” folder and found the public link, things proceeded smoothly. I believe my product was well constructed for what it is supposed to be. Though it is nowhere near professional craft, it is easy to the ears and introduces people to some good music that they might’ve never heard before. Having used Garageband before, I can say that I definitely see future projects on this application. It is easy to use and has a plethora of effects and customizations to play with.

With that, if you want, comment with some music you would recommend! I want to know what you bustas listen to; I swear I won’t judge.

“Head of the Family”

http://i1.ytimg.com/vi/dxhV5TGLZpQ/maxresdefault.jpg

Speaking of headers, heads, and the like, one of my clients dragged himself through the obnoxious snow today for me to lace him up with a fresh cut. That’s commitment, man. With that being said, I believe good first impressions are essential. Because people initially notice your head (face, hair, etc.) in first encounters, I do my best to keep my clients looking sharp and dapper by giving them quality haircuts…since, you know, I can’t really do anything about their faces. Same thing with my blog. You immediately see the header when you enter my page, and that’s basically going to decide whether you want to continue scrolling down or not. My goal is to keep the visuals clean and ultimately simple, yet still captivating and cool. That should assure you an enjoyable voyage through my blog, or at least fool you into thinking that.
Replacing my previous header was a pretty difficult task. I liked that picture and I didn’t really want to change it. Plus, cutting an image and placing it above another through the use of Pixlr seemed very undesirable. There was no magnetic lasso; or that other lasso tool that Photoshop has that makes life that much easier. I think my last sentence was a run-on, but I was limited in what I could aesthetically control, once again. It took a while for me to find a picture I wanted to use as the foundation of my header, but once Google stopped giving me garbage, the process moved along much quicker.
I received a comment suggesting to change the title font, which I couldn’t do, so I took out the title hyperlink and added text to the image. The font was Helvetica. It was simple, but clean; and I tried avoiding boring texts at all costs. The basketball background image doesn’t really have to do with anything and neither does the rapper to the side, whose opacity was lowered to create a fading effect (like the butter fades I cut). The irrelevance of these images matches from head to toe with my title. Awesome. My blog is meaningless. Well, at least the colors are cool.
I struggled with the sluggishness of this online editing program and the thought of how it was practically a second-rate Photoshop. I was limited and I did not like that. As limited as I was, though, navigating around Pixlr came naturally because of my experience with Photoshop. The tools were simplified and easy to adapt to. I do not see myself working with Pixlr for any professional projects, but the cloud function does appear convenient for quick edits and online access.
I don’t recall needing two pictures in this post, so, uh, see you later.

Genesis

Photograph by Paul Tamayo

You know what, since the cold has made itself at home and snow seems to have inhabited the streets of our campus, the first post will feature a photograph (shot by Paul Tamayo of HYPEBEAST) of a fellow human being in an over prepared Winter outfit. This will act as a reminder of the cold that awaits you when you leave your current state of comfort as you are reading my words. Ridicule or envy, whatever it is that comes to mind when you see this image, expect to see more.
Now, getting to the point of this post (“Blog about your experience setting up this blog”), I didn’t really find much trouble creating the blog, but setting everything up was another story. I’d like to consider myself fairly familiar with using the Tumblr interface for blogging purposes, so the WordPress features were a little annoying to work around when I saw the significant differences. It took a little bit of tinkering around the site before getting comfortable with most of the settings, but all (almost all) is well at this point. While looking to customize the face of my page, I discovered restrictions that Tumblr never had. To simply tamper with the aesthetics to my personal liking, I would have to pay a fee. I hate it. I hate having to settle for a mediocre visual product, but hath I really a choice?
WordPress presented me with a rather distasteful first impression when it came to first-hand use of the blogging platform. Maybe a little more time and I’ll grow to hate it less, but things aren’t looking too bright as of now. I’m still digging around for the other features I need to complete this assignment, so farewell for now.

Photograph by Andriy Prokopenko

Oh, here is a picture of David Karp, the founder of Tumblr. Here’s to David Karp (who is probably sitting on his throne of excellence as you read this) and his superior blogging platform.