The magazine project was definitely a fun project, because I’m interested in joining the magazine industry. It really helped me understand what will be expected of me and how much work I will need to put into each piece of writing.
I think that the project turned out fairly well. I was happy with my broadcast script and the recording of my broadcast feature. I enjoyed writing it because I enjoy the game, and I had a lot of fun finding a concise way to explain and criticize the game for what it is.
The project took more time than I expected, but came together fairly well. I enjoy playing the game, so I think that I took the time to really appreciate its worth and really look into the critical points of the game.
I think that I enjoyed searching for the info box/graphic. Because the game is so intricate, it was hard to find a short video that would encompass most or all of the parts of the puzzle game. I honestly found it a challenge for the graphic, because of how much can be said about the game, and the amount that really needs to be shown in order to understand it.
Next time I would probably review the entire game pack instead of focusing on one particular game. Although it was fun, it was a lot of work to pick at the specifics of one game. If I were, instead, to do the entire gaming pack, I would be able to focus on the larger aspects that interest everyone, instead of nitpicking at the smaller matters that only gamers would learn to appreciate.
I think that the class overall helped to expose me the different types of writing styles in the news media industry. I’ve basically learned how to be flexible, and will be able to accept a good job that comes along my way when I am first starting up with my career.
I would recommend to students to focus on something they enjoy and are comfortable talking about. It’s hard to use jargon you don’t understand just to make sure your writing style fits the audience you intend to target.
Saturday, December 8, 2007
Portal Feature
Valve Orange Box
60 Seconds
NEED A CHRISTMAS GIFT FOR YOUR GAMING FRIENDS? LOOK NO FURTHER THAN GAMING CORPORATION VALVE, WHO HAVE RECENTLY RELEASED THE “ORANGE BOX” SET, WHICH INCLUDES 5 GAMES IN ONE PACKAGE.
THIS HIGHLY AWAITED PACKAGE CONTAINS THE POPULAR “HALF LIFE 2’ AND ITS SEQUEL, WHICH FOLLOWS THE SILENT PROTAGONIST GORDON FREEMAN.
TEAM FORTRESS TWO (2) IS A FIRST PERSON SHOOTING GAME WITH SPECIALIZED CHARACTERS THAT REQUIRE A LARGE ATTENTION TO TEAMWORK.
LASTLY, THE HIGHLY ANTICIPATED GAME “PORTAL” IS INCLUDED, WHICH JUGGLES DARK HUMOR AND MULTIPLE PHYSICAL PUZZLE CHALLENEGES.
OVERALL, VALVE’S ORANGE BOX PACKAGE IS THE IDEAL GIFT FOR GAMERS WHO ENJOY TOYING WITH A VARIETY OF GAMES. PUT IT ON YOUR LIST THIS CHRISTMAS, AND ALL YOUR SHOPPING NEEDS WILL BE FULFILLED.
Images courtesy of www.half-life2.com
This image previews: Blue portal, weighted storage cube, Chell through blue portal, fizzler in front of red button
This image previews: Both blue and orange portals open
This image previews: turret searching for Chell, attempting to shoot
REWRITE: Camping Out On Campus
It's an unusually sunny day in downtown San Jose today, which may have prompted the dozens of high school and college students wait in line for tonight's concert at San Jose State's Event Center, which is hosting a show from the ever-popular band Fall Out Boy alongside up-and-coming Plain White Ts, and the pop-inducing Cute Is What We Aim For.
Many fans live in the Bay Area, but there were a handful of college students who drove from out of town. Nicole, 21, drove from Stockton with her friend. They informed their professors in advance that they would be missing class, and drove the two hours. Prepared for a long day's wait, they brought a foldout love seat, blankets galore, and tons of food and drinks.
Two other students from Fresno left at 3:00 a.m. and arrived in downtown San Jose at 7:30 a.m. "There was only the group in front of us and the group behind us," said Nicole while gesturing to her left and right, "when we arrived this morning." They, like Nicole, were also prepared for the long day. Having also informed their professors ("They weren't happy we missed class," said one of the girls with a slight giggle), they brought sleeping bags and books to read.
One parent brought a folding chair and waited in line for his twelve-year-old daughter while she attended school.
Gabby, 35, left Antioch with her two daughters at 11:00 a.m. and are waiting in excitement to see Gym Class Heroes together. Having already seen and met the band, the three women are anticipating a great show from their favorite band.
Some left early to get to the front of the line for different reasons. Clancey, a Fresno State student, says that being at the front of the line means avoiding the rest of the crowd in line and within the venue. "There's so many people," she says "that it's more convenient to be in front of the stage instead of having to wade through the entire crowd. It's a good way to avoid being crushed."
Overall, the turnout was decent at 1:00 p.m. this afternoon, where people of all ages gathered to appreciate the musical onslaught that approaches later tonight. Whether parent or student, hundreds of people enjoy and support the Event Center's concert tonight, and will be sure to have the time of their lives.
Many fans live in the Bay Area, but there were a handful of college students who drove from out of town. Nicole, 21, drove from Stockton with her friend. They informed their professors in advance that they would be missing class, and drove the two hours. Prepared for a long day's wait, they brought a foldout love seat, blankets galore, and tons of food and drinks.
Two other students from Fresno left at 3:00 a.m. and arrived in downtown San Jose at 7:30 a.m. "There was only the group in front of us and the group behind us," said Nicole while gesturing to her left and right, "when we arrived this morning." They, like Nicole, were also prepared for the long day. Having also informed their professors ("They weren't happy we missed class," said one of the girls with a slight giggle), they brought sleeping bags and books to read.
One parent brought a folding chair and waited in line for his twelve-year-old daughter while she attended school.
Gabby, 35, left Antioch with her two daughters at 11:00 a.m. and are waiting in excitement to see Gym Class Heroes together. Having already seen and met the band, the three women are anticipating a great show from their favorite band.
Some left early to get to the front of the line for different reasons. Clancey, a Fresno State student, says that being at the front of the line means avoiding the rest of the crowd in line and within the venue. "There's so many people," she says "that it's more convenient to be in front of the stage instead of having to wade through the entire crowd. It's a good way to avoid being crushed."
Overall, the turnout was decent at 1:00 p.m. this afternoon, where people of all ages gathered to appreciate the musical onslaught that approaches later tonight. Whether parent or student, hundreds of people enjoy and support the Event Center's concert tonight, and will be sure to have the time of their lives.
Thursday, December 6, 2007
Topical Blog Posts
Topical Post #1
"Holiday" Trees vs. Christmas Trees
Last year, Target department stores started selling "Holiday" trees instead of Christmas trees. Is it really so necessary to give such a distinguishing title to a popular, commercialized event to avoid offending the masses?
In recent days it has become increasingly hard to bring up controversial or even important topics without someone calling out or finding offense. It seems impossible to be able to resolve topics that need handling.
Abortion, for example, is a heavily-debated topic that many people find offensive. Each person has a unique opinion, and yet it cannot be discussed because any person will put their foot down and claim that such an idea is inappropriate, to the point where women are going to underground abortion centers and dying because of unsterilized utensils or improper procedures.
The situation in recent days has become out of hand, and needs to be taken care of. If a commercialized holiday with Christian roots has not held any complaints for the people who trade gifts on a yearly basis, why should the name change just because the voices have become louder?
People have the right to voice their opinion, but the consequences of their actions must also be considered if it is to effect those who have not previously held grudges.
Topical Blog #2
Wii Wish You A Merry Christmas...
Or maybe we can't. Nintendo has been pumping out Wiis for months, and have even had to open new factories to help speed the shipment process. However, the inability for customers to purchase Wiis may not be at fault with Nintendo.
Many companies that carry and sell Wiis (such as Target, Wal-Mart, and Circuit City) also have employees that keep the popular gaming console hidden away in the stock room for themselves, and purchase it just after clocking out.
Although these employees are customers, they are preventing people who have taken them time out of their day to purchase it in the appropriate fashion. Some companies don't allow customers to pre-purchase or keep the console on hold at all to allow other customers (or perhaps employees) to purchase the Wii.
It is not Nintendo's responsibility but the managers and owners of these companies to keep their employees in check. The employees also have rights to purchase it... as long as they haven't kept one in the back. Perhaps these stores should implement a law that does not allow employees to purchase any game console from their branch.
Whatever happens, customers should be priority and should be able to purchase what they are looking for.
Topical Blog #3
"Your or You're - Which is it?"
In recent years it seems as though students and teachers alike have forgotten their homophones. I can't remember the number of times I've read over my peers' work and finding atrocious grammar and spelling mistakes. I was frustrated to the point where I created a blog on MySpace and linked to a Wikihow site that showed the difference between the two words. The title of my blog? "How to use English!"
It is utterly disappointed to see such inept writing, professors and high school teachers giving students' papers only a cursory glance without really looking into literally what is being written. This laziness is and will always be the downfall of students' writing skills.
The Writing Skills Test required by all students at San Jose State University is one of the biggest wastes of time. The test requires a written portion and an objective portion. In the second half after the essay, students are required to read passages with underlined words or phrases. If incorrect, the test-taker must bubble in the correct answer. Some of these questions contained some of the most basic elements of the English language. It was laughable at how easily students were able to pass it.
The standard for good English-writing needs to be set at a higher pace, or American students will fall behind.
Topical Blog #4
"The Golden Compass"
The "His Dark Materials" trilogy written by Phillip Pullman has been given a lot of press coverage due to the recent movie release of the first in the series "The Golden Compass" What many movie-goers don't know, however, is that the entire series is based on a lot of strongly anti-god and pro-atheist thoughts.
Because the movie is marketed towards children, however, many of the anti-god comments and ideas have been removed. Parents, however, may not like the idea what the book trilogy suggests. Many are unaware that the book series is now being translated to the silver screen. I had never heard of the series, but once I found that the series was based on controversial ideas, I was intrigued and picked up the trilogy from a department store. Although the story is based around a young girl, there are many people she meets along the way that parallel to religious people (who are deemed evil) versus those who are not religious.
Overall, the series has been given a lot of attention. Despite the negative connotation this book denotes towards the religious, it still has value and can be beneficial if viewed in the proper aspect.
"Holiday" Trees vs. Christmas Trees
Last year, Target department stores started selling "Holiday" trees instead of Christmas trees. Is it really so necessary to give such a distinguishing title to a popular, commercialized event to avoid offending the masses?
In recent days it has become increasingly hard to bring up controversial or even important topics without someone calling out or finding offense. It seems impossible to be able to resolve topics that need handling.
Abortion, for example, is a heavily-debated topic that many people find offensive. Each person has a unique opinion, and yet it cannot be discussed because any person will put their foot down and claim that such an idea is inappropriate, to the point where women are going to underground abortion centers and dying because of unsterilized utensils or improper procedures.
The situation in recent days has become out of hand, and needs to be taken care of. If a commercialized holiday with Christian roots has not held any complaints for the people who trade gifts on a yearly basis, why should the name change just because the voices have become louder?
People have the right to voice their opinion, but the consequences of their actions must also be considered if it is to effect those who have not previously held grudges.
Topical Blog #2
Wii Wish You A Merry Christmas...
Or maybe we can't. Nintendo has been pumping out Wiis for months, and have even had to open new factories to help speed the shipment process. However, the inability for customers to purchase Wiis may not be at fault with Nintendo.
Many companies that carry and sell Wiis (such as Target, Wal-Mart, and Circuit City) also have employees that keep the popular gaming console hidden away in the stock room for themselves, and purchase it just after clocking out.
Although these employees are customers, they are preventing people who have taken them time out of their day to purchase it in the appropriate fashion. Some companies don't allow customers to pre-purchase or keep the console on hold at all to allow other customers (or perhaps employees) to purchase the Wii.
It is not Nintendo's responsibility but the managers and owners of these companies to keep their employees in check. The employees also have rights to purchase it... as long as they haven't kept one in the back. Perhaps these stores should implement a law that does not allow employees to purchase any game console from their branch.
Whatever happens, customers should be priority and should be able to purchase what they are looking for.
Topical Blog #3
"Your or You're - Which is it?"
In recent years it seems as though students and teachers alike have forgotten their homophones. I can't remember the number of times I've read over my peers' work and finding atrocious grammar and spelling mistakes. I was frustrated to the point where I created a blog on MySpace and linked to a Wikihow site that showed the difference between the two words. The title of my blog? "How to use English!"
It is utterly disappointed to see such inept writing, professors and high school teachers giving students' papers only a cursory glance without really looking into literally what is being written. This laziness is and will always be the downfall of students' writing skills.
The Writing Skills Test required by all students at San Jose State University is one of the biggest wastes of time. The test requires a written portion and an objective portion. In the second half after the essay, students are required to read passages with underlined words or phrases. If incorrect, the test-taker must bubble in the correct answer. Some of these questions contained some of the most basic elements of the English language. It was laughable at how easily students were able to pass it.
The standard for good English-writing needs to be set at a higher pace, or American students will fall behind.
Topical Blog #4
"The Golden Compass"
The "His Dark Materials" trilogy written by Phillip Pullman has been given a lot of press coverage due to the recent movie release of the first in the series "The Golden Compass" What many movie-goers don't know, however, is that the entire series is based on a lot of strongly anti-god and pro-atheist thoughts.
Because the movie is marketed towards children, however, many of the anti-god comments and ideas have been removed. Parents, however, may not like the idea what the book trilogy suggests. Many are unaware that the book series is now being translated to the silver screen. I had never heard of the series, but once I found that the series was based on controversial ideas, I was intrigued and picked up the trilogy from a department store. Although the story is based around a young girl, there are many people she meets along the way that parallel to religious people (who are deemed evil) versus those who are not religious.
Overall, the series has been given a lot of attention. Despite the negative connotation this book denotes towards the religious, it still has value and can be beneficial if viewed in the proper aspect.
Thursday, November 29, 2007
Camping Out On Campus
It's an unusually sunny day in downtown San Jose today. Few clouds linger in the sky, but dozens of high school and college students wait in line for tonight's concert at San Jose State's Event Center, which is hosting a show from the ever-popular band Fall Out Boy alongside up-and-coming Plain White Ts, and the pop-inducing Cute Is What We Aim For.
Many fans live in the Bay Area, but there were a handful of college students who drove from out of town. Nicole, 21, drove from Stockton with her friend. They informed their professors in advance that they would be missing class, and drove the two hours. Prepared for a long day's wait, they brought a foldout love seat, blankets galore, and tons of food and drinks.
Two other students from Fresno left at 3:00 a.m. and arrived in downtown San Jose at 7:30 a.m. "There was only the group in front of us and the group behind us," said Nicole while gesturing to her left and right, "when we arrived this morning." They, like Nicole, were also prepared for the long day. Having also informed their professors ("They weren't happy we missed class," said one of the girls with a slight giggle), they brought sleeping bags and books to read.
One parent brought a folding chair and waited in line for his twelve-year-old daughter while she attended school.
Gabby, 35, left Antioch with her daughters at 11:00 a.m. and are waiting in excitement to see Gym Class Heroes together. Having already seen and met the band, the three women are anticipating a great show from their favorite band.
Overall, the turnout was decent at 1:00 am this afternoon, where people of all ages gathered to appreciate the musical onslaught that approaches later tonight. Whether parent or student, hundreds of people enjoy and support the Event Center's concert tonight, and will be sure to have the time of their lives.
Many fans live in the Bay Area, but there were a handful of college students who drove from out of town. Nicole, 21, drove from Stockton with her friend. They informed their professors in advance that they would be missing class, and drove the two hours. Prepared for a long day's wait, they brought a foldout love seat, blankets galore, and tons of food and drinks.
Two other students from Fresno left at 3:00 a.m. and arrived in downtown San Jose at 7:30 a.m. "There was only the group in front of us and the group behind us," said Nicole while gesturing to her left and right, "when we arrived this morning." They, like Nicole, were also prepared for the long day. Having also informed their professors ("They weren't happy we missed class," said one of the girls with a slight giggle), they brought sleeping bags and books to read.
One parent brought a folding chair and waited in line for his twelve-year-old daughter while she attended school.
Gabby, 35, left Antioch with her daughters at 11:00 a.m. and are waiting in excitement to see Gym Class Heroes together. Having already seen and met the band, the three women are anticipating a great show from their favorite band.
Overall, the turnout was decent at 1:00 am this afternoon, where people of all ages gathered to appreciate the musical onslaught that approaches later tonight. Whether parent or student, hundreds of people enjoy and support the Event Center's concert tonight, and will be sure to have the time of their lives.
Friday, November 9, 2007
Magazine Choice
I don’t read magazines anymore, but one that I would not mind picking up is Guitar World. I love music, and not only does this magazine focus on different guitar brands and their different aspects, but also music and which guitars certain artists from various bands prefer to use and why. In every issue they have six songs in the back of the magazine that are transcribed into notes and tabs (an easier form of music notes) so that people who enjoy those popular songs can play them if they have a guitar. They also take one guitar and break its parts apart to show you its capabilities.
The audience to which this magazine is geared towards is one that appreciates guitars, loves music (specifically the rock and metal genre). The writing style is more laid back than other magazines (such as Time and Newsweek) because their target audience is more casual. The music/artist reviews are more fun, but the writers do go into specifics and really get down to the nitty-gritty details of each band, why their album is or isn’t good, and why they are or aren’t successful. The interviews focus more on the artist’s inspiration and what drives them to create new songs.
To get a feel for the type of audience GW aims to please without having to purchase an copy, they have a website online:
The audience to which this magazine is geared towards is one that appreciates guitars, loves music (specifically the rock and metal genre). The writing style is more laid back than other magazines (such as Time and Newsweek) because their target audience is more casual. The music/artist reviews are more fun, but the writers do go into specifics and really get down to the nitty-gritty details of each band, why their album is or isn’t good, and why they are or aren’t successful. The interviews focus more on the artist’s inspiration and what drives them to create new songs.
To get a feel for the type of audience GW aims to please without having to purchase an copy, they have a website online:
Thursday, November 1, 2007
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