Side Order of Creativity

I'm just a girl with big dreams, a camera, & a pocket full of rainbow sprinkles...

[preppyfangirl-blog]

Offline for a Day

I'm not gonna lie. This was probably one of the hardest missions that I've done for the class. On Tuesday night, I told close friends, my family, and my boyfriend that I would not be near a computer or using my cell phone. My only connections to the outside world was television and the land line. I even gave my boyfriend my iPad, so I wouldn't be tempted to cheat. I didn't really know how dependent I was on technology until yesterday. At first, it seemed easy. I watched re-runs of The Golden Girls on TV Land, helped my grandmother figure out her new coffee maker, and played with my dogs.

But, then I made the mistake of working on my journal for my fantastic/science fiction literature class. My hands started to move on auto pilot and I opened Safari. My eyes grew wide as the Google homepage appeared in front of me. I quickly exited the program and stepped away from the computer. 

I got that feeling I get when the power goes out. I felt disconnected. Facebook and my phone are how I keep in touch with the important people in my life. So, not being able to use the Internet and my smart phone made me feel like my lifeline had been severed.  Actually when I checked my phone this morning, one of my friend's (who did not know my home phone number) had left me 10 text messages...she never texts me!

The boredom set in super fast. I usually spend my free time on Pintrest, looking for brand new recipes and DIY ideas. I thought about painting my nails, but as I glanced down I realized that I had already done them on Monday. So, I decided to go and wash clothes, hoping that it would take my mind off things. I noticed that I spent a lot of the day listening to music and dancing. And, when I say dancing I mean jumping, body shaking craziness. Side note, I don't really know how to dance. I just bust whatever move feels right with the song. I'm so glad no one was home yesterday, that would have been embarrassing.

After the whole experience, I'm kind of ashamed that I depend so much on technology.  I guess because it's all around us it's hard not to take advantage. As a kid of the 90s, I remember when the Internet exploded. But, I also remember surviving without it before it was created. The one question I kept going back to was how will technology impact my future children? I grew up going to the library, reading all the books I could get my little hands on. Will my children be the same or will books become a thing of the past? Will LED screens be the only things that they'll touch and see in their classroom? I wanna say that this kind of scares me. I want my kids to grow up in an environment where technology is blessing, but not always the answer. 

[chris-amst334-deactivated201410]

I had no idea that the fashion industry was basically almost an unregulated industry. The reasoning behind this according to the Ted Talks video by Johanna Blakley “Lessons from Fashion’s Free Culture” talks about how the courts had regulated that the fashion industry cannot apply for copyright...

[preppyfangirl-blog]

I agree with the point made in the Ted Talks about not really being able to place copyrights or patents on garments. I mean, there are only so many different ways you can cut a basic tee or a pencil skirt. The "loopholes" are used as a way to distinguish the difference between brands. Whether it's a particular color palette or a certain type of stitching on the sleeves, designers find a way to produce the same products as their competitors, but with their own flair. However, this business that pride's itself on creativity doesn't really believe in protecting the vision of the designers or brands.  Maybe it's just me, but within the last couple of years many of the stores that I regularly shop at seem to be copying each other in one way or another. I went to a store on the mainland and bought a dress.  Brought it home and came across a skirt with the same print at a totally different store. What's good about fashion is that it's an industry that thrives on being able to adapt. They have the ability to take "high fashion"/"haute couture" items from the runways of Paris and Milan and make them available for affordable prices and are designed with consumers in mind.

[preppyfangirl-blog]

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SPOILER ALERT!!! In this post, I talk about CABIN IN THE WOODS. So, don't listen to it if you haven't seen it! (Podify Your Life #3)

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Cupcakes! (Podify Your Life #2)

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Robots: Students of the Future (Blogify the World #3)

Second grader, Devon Carrow and his classmates joke together on the way to their school Library in West Seneca, New York. However, Devon is actually sitting in front of a computer screen at home, a few miles away from the New York elementary school. Due to health problems, Devon is unable to attend school and instead uses a robot. He is still able to participate in classroom activities and his fellow classmates have no problem with his robotic appearance. The robot is paid for by the school district and officials say that it's a great opportunity in creating classroom environments of the future.

I think that the addition of the robots to help kids attend classes is a great idea. Growing up, I was a pretty sickly kid. I spent a lot of time either in the hospital or at home, so this would have been a God send for me and my parents. I mean, I did receive my homework and achieved high marks. But, I still missed out on participating in class. That's what I missed the most, being able to interact with my friends. I think that my cousin would have been able to benefit from this as well. She suffers from cerebral palsy and would have a hard time getting around school.  If she had access to one of these robots, life would have probably been much easier for her. 

http://news.yahoo.com/classmate-robot-ny-pupil-attends-remotely-074206116--finance.html

[preppyfangirl-blog]

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SPOILER ALERT!!!! In this podcast, I talk about 2x15 of "Once Upon A Time."

[preppyfangirl-blog]

The Perils and Prizes of Fanvidding (Oh, Yeah? #4)

When we started our discussion about copyright laws, I didn't really think that I'd have anything to add. But, one of the topics we covered was copyrights and how they are handled on YouTube. Now that is something that I have experience with. 

In 2005, I started making fan vids for House MD. For those of you who aren't familiar with Internet fan slang, it's when you take clips from a TV or movie and edit them to music. In simple terms, it's like making a music video.  While making the videos, I knew that I didn't own the shows, characters, or songs. It's kind of common sense since I was just a high schooler who had no actual ties to the show or performers. I did it because it was fun and I thought it was a great way to show my appreciation for the show.

As the vidding community of House MD started to grow, my videos became more and more popular. But, in 2008 some of my videos and those of my fellow vidders were removed by YouTube because we had broke rules concerning copyright. We all thought that this was odd because in the description of each video we would always remember to include a disclaimer. The disclaimer said that we did not own the show and that we were making the videos for entertainment purposes. However, the videos were still removed.

One of the girl's who got her fan vid taken down decided to take matters into her hands. She made a DVD of our most watched vids and sent it to the show's creator, David Shore. A few weeks later, a surprise arrived in the mail. Shore had sent each of us a limited edition "Everybody Lies" shirt and an autographed picture of the cast. I was floored! He even included a little note that said how much he appreciated what were doing for the fan base and encouraged us to continue the vids. 

[preppyfangirl-blog]

Have Dress Codes Gone Too Far? (Blogify the World #2)

In Utah, a 15 year old middle school student was ordered by the vice principle to leave school grounds because of her hair color. She had been dying her hair the same red hue for about six weeks. All of a sudden, she is told that she can only return to school when her hair is a "natural" color. Since, when is auburn red not a natural hair color? I mean, I know a number of people that have natural red hair and they were never asked to leave class because of it. I think that school officials were being quite harsh to suspend her until she changed her hair color. The school defend their ruling by saying that the rule was to prevent students from doing home dye jobs. I guess maybe it's just me, but I never really understood the concept of dress codes. How does a hair color distract from learning?

One of co worker's (who also happens to be one of my best friends) is a natural brunette. She is about 30 years older than me, so yes she does dye her hair. A few years ago, she had her hairstylist add bright candy-apple red streaks in her black hair. She was confronted by our boss, who told her that she would have to remove the streaks. According to our usher handbook, we are not supposed to have unnaturally colored hair. My friend looked her straight in the eyes and said, "But, isn't red a natural hair color?" She then smiled and walked away, leaving our boss slack jawed in the parking lot. Last week, I picked her up from the salon and she now has red hair...as in her whole head. 

http://shine.yahoo.com/parenting/utah-teen-kicked-class-because-her-hair-color-192700681.html

[preppyfangirl-blog]

Zombies, Spiders, and Giant Poop...Oh, My! (Two Thumbs Up for One Ups #2)

So, I'm back with another disturbing video game. For the past week, I've watched my boyfriend play one of the strangest games I've seen in a long time. It looked easy, but as I started playing for the first time my opinion quickly changed. 

Plot: Isaac and his mother live a happy life, until the voice of God tells her the Isaac has been a bad boy. The game is loosely based on the Biblical tale of Isaac. God tells his mother that the only way she can prove her ever-lasting devotion is to offer him as a sacrifice. Frightened, Isaac scrambles about the room looking for a way out. He finds the cellar door and descends into darkness to escape his butcher knife wielding mother.

Gameplay: Players control Issac or have the choice to play as 5 other unlock-able characters. There are five levels. To get to the next level, you must defeat monsters in a number of different rooms. Items are given out at random by entering a treasure room or open a chest with a key. At the end of each level, players must defeat a boss to continue to the next floor.

Pros: Each time you play, the game experience is different. The levels stay the same, but the rooms, special items, and monsters are all random. It makes your heart race because you don't know what to expect. The graphics are cute, but creepy at the same time.

Cons: The games controls are a bit confusing. Usually when I play a game, the arrow keys or the "W," "A," "S," and "D" keys are used to control movement in the game. But, in this game you must utilize both to move about the room and shoot tears to survive. Some of the monsters just look really disgusting.

Overall: It's a good indie game. It's pretty cool that each time you play you get a different experience. Some of the items are better than others. If you're watching someone else play it, the game looks easy. But, looks are deceiving when it comes to this game.

[preppyfangirl-blog]

Unhappy Birthday to You (Blogify the World #1)

I remember birthday parties in elementary school.  I remember always being a bit sore that my birthday is in June. That meant that I couldn't have a party in class like some of my other friends. Their parents would drop off a huge cake, enough to share with everyone. Our teacher would set up the TV and VCR, which contained the guest of honor's movie of choice. She would then turn off the lights, light the candles, and we'd all start singing. The birthday girl or boy would then take a deep breath and blow out their candles while we all cheered and clapped. Sadly in Australia, this tradition has come to an end in classrooms around the country.  

A new guideline from Australia's National Health & Medical Research Council says that children are no longer allowed to blow out birthday candles on cakes because it spreads too many germs. Parents and teachers are up in arms over this new rule. They even suggest other ways to remedy the potential health issue. One of the ideas was to have the birthday boy/girl blow out a candle on top of a cupcake or pre cut slice of cake. That way, there would be no transference of germs between the kids.

I consider myself a germaphobe but this ruling is way too extreme.  I agree with the parents that kids will be kids. Though I was prone to getting sick at that age, I can now say that I hardly get sick.  As I grew older, I became more mindful of how germs are spread and what I could do to prevent myself from getting sick. This new rule just seems silly. And, the cupcake idea wouldn't hurt. That seems like a good common ground, a compromise of sorts between the Council and concerned members of the public.

http://shine.yahoo.com/parenting/australian-kids-banned-birthday-tradition-school-181900033.html#!s0PH

[preppyfangirl-blog]

Liveblog It! #5

10:30 mini quiz...I totally got the names mixed up, don't tell my boyfriend. He'll never let me live it down.

10:33 Interesting info on dog grooming. Now, I know how to correctly brush my dogs.

10:40 Algorithmic theories and Portal.

10:42 Algorithms running our lives.

10:44 Step by step instructions (making burgers/web searches for Do-do birds.

10:45 Portal, a work of art?

10:48 There's no escape!

10:49 Still trapped and bound by rules of the game.

10:54 Comparing Portal to ludology.

10:56 Killing the cube is the only way to move on.

10:58 Even when you die/fail, you still can't escape the chamber.

11:00 Human to Portal connections

11:02 Chell & Cube, Us & Chell, Us & ?

11:05 None of this is accessible without playing the game. Portal can only work as a game.

11:07 Someone trying to describe a smell.

11:10 Playing Dys4ia...or watching since my Ipad doesn't have flash.

11:13 Ending class early today.

[preppyfangirl-blog]

"I Am Bulletproof":The Ludology of Team Fortress 2

As we discussed Frasca's theory of ludology in class the other day, I knew what game I wanted to talk about in my post. I started playing Team Fortress 2 last March. For those of you who aren't familiar with the game, here's what you need to know: 

1. There are two teams: Red (first to attack during certain game modes) & Blue (first to defend during certain game modes)

2. There are nine character classes: Heavy, Sniper, Pyro, Scout, Soldier, Medic, Spy, Demo-man, and Engineer. 

3. Each character comes with three special weapons and a bunch of other items which players unlock at random during gameplay.

4. There are seven different game modes: Capture the Flag, Attack/Defend, King of the Hill, Payload, Payload Race, Special Delivery, and Training.

5. The game is massively multiplayer. Players can choose to play on a random server based on the game mode they select. They can also choose a specific server. Or they can create their own so they can invite and play against their friends.

This game screams paidea. You're running around blowing people up with sticky bombs, slicing people with bone saws, or burning them alive with your flair gun. If your character is killed during gameplay it will respawn in seconds. It’s mindless entertainment and pure fun! Even if your team loses the first game, you’ll have at least five more chances to even the score. The number of rounds ranges from game mode to game mode.

Ludus does play a large part, but the game is structured by some rules. Each game mode has a time limit. If the mission is not completed by either team before time runs out, the game goes into sudden death overtime. There are clear winners and losers. The announcer screams “Victory!” to the winning team while telling the opposing team that they failed. The winning team then gets about 30 seconds to kill any of the remaining members of the other team for extra points. The game’s platform, Steam wants gameplay to remain fair. There are no cheat codes for this game. If someone is caught cheating on any of the severs (public & private) they are banned from the game.

There's not really a narrative associated with gameplay. However, parent company, Valve has created a series of “Meet the...” videos that introduce each character. These videos create a backstory of sorts for the individual characters. Fans have also taken video from actual gameplay to create their own fanvids.

To me, this game is a mixture of paidea and ludus. Players are transported into a fictional world where they can live out their dreams of wielding a mini gun that shoots 200 rounds or have the ability to shape shift into opposing team members to infiltrate their checkpoints. But, players must remember that it is a completive game with rules, victors, and losers.

[ldayhuff-blog-blog]

The Sims is a life-simulator game by Mattel that I used to play in gradeschool. You can create up to 8 avatars to live in a house together, build and decorate their house, build their relationships with other sims, build their skills and careers, and deal with sims life little surprises.

In...

[preppyfangirl-blog]

I totally agree with your analysis of the Sims. I remember playing that and Sim City on our family computer.  I think the running software was Windows 98 or something old school like that. The newer Sims games have narratives, they even encourage players to create their own narratives. But, the game is still largely dependent on paidea. Your creating a fantasy world where anything can happen.  A place where no rules apply. The franchise now even has games for Facebook and Apple & Android products. Over the years, I do think that it has changed. With the addition of the narrative based gameplay, ludus was put into affect. I mean, Sims can die and depending on the game you might have to start all over again. 

[biosurg808-blog]

[preppyfangirl-blog]

biosurg808:

I’ve never thought very much about playing and the different types of play there are. Looking at Frasca’s explanation, however, I can definitely see a line between what he calls ludus (games) and paidea (play). My group had a great example today of a ‘game’ that was very much under the category of..

I feel the same way. When your shooting a zombie or putting down you last card in Uno, you don't really stop and think "what kind of play is this?" I think as kids, we enjoyed playing games that exclusively revolved around the idea of paidea. If a game had too many rules, many of us would say that it is boring and that we wanna play something else. I think I've played that cat poop game before, but it was super long time ago. It seemed like a great game to play at parties. Simple, yet a blast... compared to that other Settlers of Catan type game the other group had.

[vincehui-blog]

One game I used to play quite often when I was younger was Mario Kart. Mario Kart is a go-kart racing video game that uses Nintendo’s very own Mario franchise characters. Depending on what game mode you chose to play, the game allowed you to either compete in various racing cups, drive in timed...

[preppyfangirl-blog]

This game is such a blast from the past. I remember in 2005, our marching band had just gotten back from Japan. All the guys had rushed down to Akihabura to buy either a PSP or a Nintentdo DS. You would walk into the band room and see groups of guys huddled in corners, racing people from across the room. It was pretty funny! Your analysis hit the nail on the head. The game is a mixture of paidea and ludus. There are clear winners and losers...and if you played with some of the people I played with, they would not let you forget it. And, there are rules. Like, if you fall off that crazy rainbow bridge, time is taken off and you'll see other racers leaving you in the dust. But, the main goal of the game is to have fun. I mean, when would you ever get a chance to drive a race car underwater, through a shopping mall, or over lava? Uh, never!

[preppyfangirl-blog]

"You Are Still the Mayor!"

I love going to new places. But, there's always that fear of "what if it's a waste of time or money?" Never fear, Foursquare is here!...or at least it is on your smartphone. The app is a mixture of Yelp and a modern capture the flag.

Here are the rules: Members can check-in at locations and leave tips for other users. Each check-in has a point value and count towards your total check ins for that particular place. Whoever checks in the most at the location during the span of two months becomes the mayor of that location. Check ins can also unlock special badges. You can also earn badges by following featured members like MTV, Bravo, or Ellen.

The aim of the project is to connect users with their own communities, others around the world, and other users. Within the app, you can share pictures and even sync your account will other social media outlets as a way to share your check ins with your friends. 

Foursquare is huge on the mainland. When I went to New York and would check in somewhere, there would be at least 20 other people that were checked in too. The tips are more in depth and were very helpful. Being able to use this app in an unfamiliar city was very helpful. It aided in myself and my family in finding good places to eat, entertainment venues and even shopping specials. I hope that in the future more people in the state will find out about and use Foursquare. 

Anyone with a Wifi device can become a member. Membership is totally free and so is the app. You can even invite your own friends to join, either by word of mouth or by e-mail. Once you become a member, you can sync it to your e-mail and Facebook account to see if any of your friends are members as well.

Each year Foursquare hosts an event called The Hackathon. They invite tech savy individuals from around the country to participate in an app making contest. The contest goes on for the span of about three to four days. At the end, each team shares their new creation with a panel of judges and their peers. Then, ballots are cast and the winners are posted on the Foursquare blog. Some of the winning apps are available to download right away. While others use the backing of Foursquare to finance the creation of the actual app. 

[preppyfangirl-blog]

Princess Kristi (Blogify Your Life #5)

This is Kristi, our new cat. She's seven years old, but still acts like a little kitten.  A friend of my Mom sent out an e-mail advertising that she was up for adoption. Her former owner had moved to the mainland and was unable to bring her along. She was then given to my Mom's friend and his wife. They already have a cat, Annie the tuxedo kitty. Annie and Kristi were not hitting it off well, so they decided that they needed to find her a new home. 

My boyfriend and I picked Kristi up two Sundays ago. At first, she was scared and refused to leave his sister's bedroom. She would hide under the bed behind some boxes. But, once the lights went out and everyone was asleep, she would run up and down the stairs. This peeved my boyfriend because his bedroom door is right by the stairs. 

She spent the first week hiding out. I would always go in to check on her, but she would never move. Then one day she did. She came out and I played with her for a bit, trying to show her that her new home wasn't as scary as she thought. I did that every night I went over that week. 

Now, she roams freely around the room and even lies down next to me while I do my homework. She's slowly warming up to the idea of venturing downstairs to the living room, but has yet to do it on her own. She's such a pretty cat! I don't want to sound like a hipster, but it would be awesome if she became one of those famous cats like Lil Bub or Maru. I guess I have to grab my Canon and fire up my Instagram and we'll see if a star is born. To this day, I have no clue why cat videos and pictures are more popular than ones featuring dogs. Go figure?