Survey Says...?

We're moving along with our agenda and the pace of the classroom. And I must say in just a few weeks, I have learned a lot. The internet is like a massive highway of information. Chances are if you present your online self in a particular way, you'll get a lot of traffic.

I don't remember if I mentioned I was a DJ here on campus before, but I especially started noticing this trend with my radio show page. Unfortunately I had to take a break from the show, but I still update the page and share the latest local and campus events and news. Every now and then I check the stats and I still have a fan base that checks in regularly. I feel that as the author of a page, if you give to the people those things that most interest them, you are guaranteed an audience that will come back. Fun Fact: I even had a band message me from out of state asking if I would share their music for them. =)


I have also learned writing for the public sphere is a model that encourages people to ask questions about what they watch, hear, and read in a way that develops creative skills in sharing media messages. I feel such literacy is important for any person to know nowadays, especially with everything going digital and everything becoming shorter or smaller.


This is when statistics comes into play. Some of the data can be measured and some of it is assumedFor me I question if, in the long run, some of my favorite things will disappear? Things such as classic movies, CDs, books with over 500 pages, encyclopedias, TV shows that actually last about a half hour, etc. Perhaps with the mass of information available, we’re simply not focused enough to take it all in, but rather we want to find what we want as quickly as possible.

Here's a link to some of the internet statistics of 2012. If you go back a few years ago, there is a significant difference in the numbers. http://royal.pingdom.com/2013/01/16/internet-2012-in-numbers/

Clearly new media is changing the way we read information. In some aspects it is exciting, but in others it can be intimidating. Check out these statistics as well... http://www.statisticbrain.com/attention-span-statistics/. Therein lies the proof that short forms are taking over long forms of entertainment in our world. But why? One last article I want to share and then I shall bid you goodbye: http://mikewchan.com/2013/02/13/everything-is-getting-smaller-and-shorter-how-small-is-too-small-and-how-short-is-too-short/.  Let me know what you all think? Are we really doomed in terms of these statistics?

Food Gives Hope Behind Bars

Another great thing about food is the opportunities it presents. Of course, a lot of us have heard of the Chef himself Gordon Ramsey, but his latest TV show I think is one to talk about. It is called Gordon Behind Bars and it allows those who are inmates to get the experience of cooking and being a chef- a second chance per say. I think it has potential and I think it is AMAZING what he is doing! Here is a link to his interview on the show... http://www.channel4.com/programmes/gordon-behind-bars/articles/interview-gordon-ramsay

 There is, of course, hardships that follow, but it also shows how we think and view others based on their actions. Such is the case in this articlehttp://www.edogo.com/latestbuzz-gordon-ramsay-feels-the-sting-behind-bars/. But I believe the benefits are tremendous. It gets the prisoners thinking, working, and being productive. It gives them hope. All the more power of food, bringing people together! :)

Additionally, if you are interested I am attaching the link to the very first episode here! I find some of the features of the video quite interesting in themselves. In some aspects, I almost think the prisoners get better dining services than law abiding citizens do. It's definitely something to think about and a slightly different take on the food industry than the things discussed in my last post and in my yelp reviews. Don't know what I mean? Check it out for yourself and let me know what you think! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dfwFIGxoRhw

Let's Talk Food!

We've been talking about food in class the past few weeks. It's one of those things we all know and love! After all, nothing brings people together like food. How can you not talk about food and share a great recipe you had the other day or recommend the latest restaurant to a friend? The whole discussion got me curious. In the past few weeks I have gone out to eat a few times more than I normally would. And I created a Yelp account to share. It's also opened my horizons to trying different menu items. At some point, I may have to link that yelp account here if you are interested!


In the meantime,  I think I'm going to write this next post off of some ideas we discussed in class, since there are so many directions this could go.

First, are there any foods that bring you back home or to your childhood? For me, it's my mom's homemade chocolate chip cookies or brownies. I don't know about you but I just love the smell of baked goods circulating throughout the house. Then after being able to eat them as the flavors melt in your mouth with every bite.  Then there are other foods too! My favorite dish is a Portuguese one with rice, chicken, and potatoes mixed. It has bits of chaurice too. Every time I know we are having it, or come home and smell it, I am instantly excited for dinner! :)

Second, are there any recipes in your family that have been passed down? Needless to say, I think, in any culture and in any family there are those recipes that you just have to share. My mom has a whole box full of recipes both new and old. Some of them are handwritten on yellowed index cards, some are typed out, and some are torn out from various magazines or cook books. Not to mention there are cookbooks for everything now: diabetics, vegetarians, gluten free, international, grilling, baking, etc.

We were talking about homemade fresh bread and how the smells bring a sense of home with them. This reminded me of how we used to make homemade biscuits and donuts as a kid. I always thought that that was fun. And at Christmas time, we usually do a lot of baking and bring out some traditional favorites including the Italian Log Cookies, Chocolate Crinkles, Fruit Cake, Pumpkin Bread, and our trail mix. I love that I can take these recipes and in turn pass them on to my kids when I get a family of my own.

Third, and perhaps the last point to this post, is do you think it is important to share recipes?  I think yes. It helps to keep tradition alive and bring family together. You don't necessarily have to give away the secret recipe, but if you share your food- that I think is the one success to learning how to be a better cook or learning how food plays a part in our values. Happy eating!!

I'm Not Quite Sure How I Feel About This...

In a recent article it read: "AM and FM are being eliminated from the dash of two car companies within the next two years and will be eliminated from all cars within the next five years."
My reaction: Really? You've got to be kidding me!

The article went on to say that young people today don't use the radio anymore but instead rely on portable services, ipods, pandora, spotify, etc.  And automaker see no need to continue to put radios into cars.  But how do those numbers add up? This article sums it up... http://www.radiointelligence.com/radios-ripped-from-new-cars-not-so-fast-say-consumers/

I think these devices serve as a complement to the radio itself, but personally I enjoy listening to the radio over these other devices. There is whether and traffic reports, and sometimes even news coverage that I don't think I would get otherwise. I'm also concerned about the research aspect. Is the data biased or skewed?

The results in the survey and demonstrated in the link above show that just 8% of people said they would have no problem with removing the radio since their favorite stations and songs are available through a mobile application. What do you think? Would you miss the radio? I know they may not last forever, but I don't think they should eliminate them completely!

A little fun with new and old ^, ^

So it's been a while since I posted and I apologize. I have been without a computer for a few weeks now. I never realized how many options there were out there and how many different companies can offer the same features, but I think I have finally found a computer that meets all my needs! =)


Anyways, this weekend I went to go see the movie Oz. For those who are worried it is a remake I can assure you it does not ruin the classic from the 1939 American fantasy adventure film produced by Metro Goldwyn Mayer, but rather tells the story of the events that took place 20 years before. It also is it's own story separate from the books.

The novel of The Wizard of Oz holds with it many political interpretations. Biographers report that L. Frank Baum had been a political activist in the 1890s with a special interest in the money question of gold and silver. Other interpretations include a depiction of the hardships such as that the Scarecrow as a representation of American farmers in the late 19th century, the Tin Man as a representation of the American steel industry, the Cowardly Lion as a metaphor for the American military performance in the war, and the flying monkey's as a symbol for Native Americans in the West. In the novel, Dorothy also wore silver slippers, not red ones.

I am curious however to hear about all your opinions of the new film.In the new rendition, Oz, is a small time magician who arrives in the enchanted land and is forced to decide if he will be a good man or a great one. He must find out who is good and who is evil by using magic and circus to transform himself into the wizard everyone expects him to be.

Though, the new Oz falls short in innocence and some charm, it's hard to not like the suspense and unfolding twists of the plot. I highly enjoyed it and the magical essence it presents. In fact, I found myself falling more in love with the story now, than when I had first seen it as a young child. I particularly enjoyed the fact that Oscar was a circus performer who was just trying to make his way in life and found himself along the way.

Should there be a sequel? Well I guess that depends. There is evidence in the film that suggests relations to the characters of the 1939 film. There is also as pre-mentioned a 20 year gap. The story itself should take off where the 1939 film started. However, I think that a series on the wizard himself would be interesting as he appears in several of the Oz stories later down the line. Or perhaps explorations of some of the other characters, such as Glinda or Princess Ozma, rather than relaunching a remake of the Marvelous Wizard Of Oz itself.

Color Me Nostalgic

Ever have one of those days where absolutely nothing seems to be going right? Where you wanna stand on a rooftop and scream really loud? Or curl up and cry just to feel something other than stress? Well there's always a fix for that! I have found over the past week that it is important to surround yourself with the things you love and take everything one little baby step at a time. This week I had to do a qualitative research paper!

After yesterday's class when we talked about Duplicates it reminds me how lucky and how convenient it is for us in the 21st century. Every bit of data I needed to collect could be found with only a few clicks of a button and all the graphs and coded excerpts I need were represented in a visual interpretation by a lovely site called Dedoose.Anyways, I finally got it done! =) YAY ME!!! But it makes me sad to think of how some of the younger generations will never be able to appreciate technology in the way we do. Just as we almost forget to appreciate the fact that we have computers when many of our parents or grandparents had to write everything out by hand.

I only wish I could come up with a solution to still live in the past. Back then it seemed everything was easy, life was fun, and it was before the huge internet sensations really hit so more time was spent outdoors.I almost feel like I'm stuck on a bridge of the technological advancements and the traditional way of doing things. Don't get me wrong I think technology is great, but I think we take it for granted now.


Is is sad that I still enjoy writing letters or talking on the house phone? Is it okay if I would rather play old school Mario Bros, Pac-Man, and Sonic instead of the new Assassin's Creed or Halo? Or watch reruns of the same shows I've seen a hundred times? I wonder if anyone else feels the same way!

In the old days, you didn't come back to a game again and again for anything as fancy as user-created content, you came back because of the challenge and the fact that the games just got faster making it nearly impossible to beat. Personally, I like being able to figure out how to play them. How I am given a task to do and need to accomplish it. I don't necessarily play to win, but it's something I plan on learning how to do. I want to understand why the game works the way it does, rather than just playing it cause it's fun and I can hit buttons. Maybe for a little while I'll divulge in some of my favorite pastimes.

Goodbyes for now. ☮