English class

2003-12-15T15:39:00.000-06:00

Chapter 2
Commander Kepling turned to the Chief engineer at his side and directed his attention to the large storage container that had been brought to the engine room under heavy guard.

“Chief, this is the special delivery you were told to expect. It’s the heart of the new main engines.”

“I see Commander. May I ask why it was just now brought on board sir?” The engineer asked with a slight edge to his voice. “Officers from Intelligence were all over this place during the installation of the engine interface and we were told to not ask any questions.”

“Not yet chief, just complete the installation. The captain will answer everything after we get under way.” Kepling finished and headed to the transit shaft. The guards stayed behind to watch over the precious device. The commander hated all this cloak and dagger, but it was the only way to ensure the safety of the ship and the security of the technology against the growing threat of the Church of Creation. They were getting dangerous now. Their numbers had grown significantly over the last few years. Ever since the discovery of the golden sphere and surrounding ruins on the Antarctic continent during an archeological dig after a cliff wall was exposed from a huge avalanche, a religious frenzy had ensued all over the world as people re-evaluated their beliefs. During this fervor information about the nature of the ruins had leaked out and a splinter religion had formed almost overnight. The Church of Creation coalesced from this new religion though the apparent organization of their operations suggested that there was something deeper going on than a simple religious conversion. The core of their beliefs was that man should rebury the ancient city since it was obvious that God had punished them for daring to become god’s themselves. Kepling wouldn’t say they had become gods, but the levels of technology discovered within the city had far exceeded anything that man had ever dreamed. He had to admit though, seeing the bodies of people that were millennia old flash frozen in clothes made of synthetic fibers amongst a city of wonders seemed a little eerie.

Commander Kepling stepped onto the bridge and walked over to Capt. Gamble. “Sir, installation is under way. It should be completed within the hour.”

Gamble nodded, “Thank you Commander, welcome to the bridge.”

Kepling nodded and smiled as he turned to finally look around him. “Incredible.” He moved to sit in his chair next to the captains and punched in his ID to access his chairs information displays.

2003-12-09T23:38:00.000-06:00

“…Deadlier than anything man has ever built, the Phoenix represents the height of technology. While she is laden with enough firepower to destroy worlds, peaceful exploration is her primary mission. Commanding her crew of twenty officers and eighty crewmen is Captain Mark T. Gamble. He was selected from a long list of candidates based on his command mentality, and past record; primarily his experience in the Systemic Wars. With him, he has brought his command crew from his previous assignment aboard the late ship of the line, Prometheus, which was lost…”

“That’s enough of that,” said Fleet Captain Mark Gamble as he stepped back from the speaker controls to gaze once more out the view ports at his latest assignment.

Flt. Commander William Kepling whistled softly to himself and cracked a small smile as he too admired the ship.
“Isn’t she incredible Mark?”

Capt. Gamble turned and smiled slowly, “She’s amazing is what she is.” At this, the two officer’s attention drifted back to their own private thoughts.

The transport boat docked with a gentle bump against the smooth, silvery black polish of the Phoenix’s outer hull. Nuzzling up to one of her four airlocks, the craft killed her engines and atmospheres equalized with a small hiss. The two officers stepped through the hatch and onto the immaculate deck plates of their ship for the first time.

“Permission to come aboard?” Capt. Gamble directed at the waiting security officer.

“Permission granted sir.” The guard replied with a formal salute.

“The commander here will assume control of final preparations. Will, I’ll meet you on the bridge once you complete stowing away the final cargo.” Mark finished as he turned to the waiting presser. Will nodded as he spoke to the guard about last minute arrangements.

“Bridge,” Mark said to the empty air as he stepped into the apparently empty shaft. A musical tone answered him and he was shot through the transit shaft on invisible gravitonic wings. A mere split second later, he stepped onto the bridge. A glittering hologram of space shone in front of him, with control consoles ringed before it in a half circle.

“Captain on the bridge,” A young ensign intoned.

“At ease,” Mark said with a dismissive air. He strode over to the railing separating the upper and lower halves of the bridge. Gripping the rail, he glanced over the entire bridge, sizing it up, before returning to the command chair in the center of the upper bridge and touching the ‘all ship’ intercom button.

“This is Captain Mark Gamble speaking. By formal order of the Terran Earth Confederacy, I am assuming command of this ship. People, I know most of you personally. We have served together before through thick and thin. I would trust any of you with my life as you trust me with yours. I also have no doubt that those new among us can be entrusted the same, and will prove themselves admirably in the future. Captain out.”

The captain sank into his chair with relief at completing the formal declaration of his command. He had done it only once before, but that command had earned him accolades that would follow him his entire career.

2003-12-09T02:44:00.000-06:00

NOTE
I can't use indents for new paragraphs on blogger since for some reason it just won't let me. Anyways, there are new paragraphs there, they just aren't indented. I didn't just block everything together. I will try to find an html command that will indent the paragraphs, but until then you'll have to kinda guess.

2003-12-09T02:33:00.000-06:00

Captain and Commander: Ruins of Empire

Prologue

2103

The bow of the Kitlarr warship sliced through the wreckage of the last orbital defense that had stood in its way. The incursion force had encountered heavy defenses on its way in system to this latest planet, but they had fallen easily before the might of the armada. Cries for help had stopped a long time ago. The populace knew it was doomed.

The first assault boats launched and began burning their way through atmosphere, strafing the remaining population centers with tactical nukes as they descended for the kill. The boats bucked as atmospheric fighters engaged them at high altitude, but only a few succumbed to the mass onslaught of primitive chemical fired missiles. The invading ships locked on to the aircraft with their beam weapons and made them all so much molten wreckage. Moments later the first of dozens of fire blossoms lit the planet as the nukes found their targets. The entire world lay dead mere hours after initial contact with the invaders.

Commander Akarris Durok sat back in his command chair and watched with a small smile on his face as the planet was consumed by nuclear fire. The levels of technology had shown marked advancement the farther they went down this arm of the galaxy. This, coupled with the increasing number of keystones, could mean only one thing; they were close. Closer than they had ever been in the two hundred years since the discovery of the first marker on his home world.

The commander’s warship lit its way across the night sky of the charred world that now lay below it. A lone structure struck itself defiant against the now quiet night. It remained undamaged from the attack as it continued its deafening cry for help across the galaxy, waiting for a reply it would never receive. It noted the presence of an approaching warship descending from high orbit, and knew what it had to do. Shutting off its transmitter, it began overloading its gravity – pulse generator. Space – time began to distort around the golden sphere as the containment shields were overcome and for a brief instant an artificial quantum singularity formed on the surface of the dead world. Instantly, everything within hundreds of square miles was drawn into the heart of the sphere and compressed infinitely. As quick as the singularity formed, it vanished, and the resulting explosion rivaled the brilliance of the systems star. Half the Kitlarr fleet vanished in an instant.

The commander bolted upright in his chair as he witnessed the awesome explosion filtered through the ships monitors. Understanding flashed like lightning in his brain. The sphere on that world had been active!

Chapter 1

2231 AD

The sleek, flowing curves of the new ship of the line, Phoenix, slid slowly by the view port of the transport boat. The spectator gazed on in awe at the wonder of modern technology that lay before them, nestled safely amidst construction girders. She floated serenely, glittering with reflected starlight on her polished black armor plating, parked in lunar orbit at the Terek shipyard -

2003-12-05T12:41:00.000-06:00

What else could happen?

Things weren't going too bad for me till these last few days. I get this phone call from my dad on Tuesday, my grandma fell, with the nurse standing right there, and broke 2 ribs and fractured a third one. OK, she was out of the hospital the next day and back in her apartment at Brentmoor. However, my dad calls me again and says the nursing home insurance is running out in like a month for what they call a 6 month evaluation period where basically they make her move out of Brentmoor and she can't live in any other nursing home during this time or she can't reapply for another 2 years coverage under her plan. The woman is 91 years old and needs nursing care 24/7, what the hell kind of bullshit is that?! She can't even stay where she's at for those 6 months with us paying the bill without it voiding her contract. We can't even fight this because the 6 month deal is a clause in the stupid paperwork that she signed. Basically then, in like a month, all of her social security money has to go to paying for this place in addition to the extra $1000 a month we supply in addition to her medicines and additional care fee. So, I think the phrase taking it up the ass, is very appropriate here.

2003-12-05T12:22:00.000-06:00

Project 4 paragraph

Ok, my idea for this assignment is for me to work with my blog as an online publisher for a story idea I have. It would be a good way for me to work on my creative writing as well as showing off my work to a large audience. It's not often I get the opportunity to write from the imagination instead of citing from other peoples work and I think it would help me to expand my thought patterns a little bit as well as making for interesting reading hopefully.

2003-11-10T12:11:00.000-06:00

Martin Luther King jr. summary

Martin Luther King jr. takes the time to respond to criticism of his work in Birmingham while confined in jail.

He explains why he is there against the view that argues that outsiders shouldn't meddle with local affairs.

Injustice is being done in Birmingham and like Paul, he must respond to the Macedonian call for aid. It doesn't matter that it is in another state, for all states are tied together and what happens in one affects the other.

The demonstrations are taking place because the citys white power structure has left the black community with no other recourse other than demonstration.

In any nonviolent campaign though, there are four basic steps: collection of the facts to determine whether injustice exists, negotiation, self purification, and direct action. All these steps had been taken, but to no avail.

At one point, leaders of the Birmingham merchants and Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth agreed on stopping the demonstrations in return for the removal of humiliating racial signs in store windows. This promise was broken.

Realizing that something needed to be done. Self purification began. Workshops were set up to teach nonviolence and accepting blows w/ out retaliation. It was decided to put pressure on the merchants during the Easter season by slowing the flow of business to make them confront the issue.

Noticing the mayoral election was coming up though, they decided to postpone the activities so as the actions wouldn't cloud the issues. They had many postponements though, and could wait no more.

Why direct action and marches though? Why not negotiations? Aren't they better? Yes, they are, but sometimes direct action is required to force the other party into negotiations once the situations gets unbearable.

They couldn't wait for the new city elect to act since they would take as much prodding about the situation as the last one did. The new mayor may be genter, but is still a segregationist.

Remember, Freedom is never given by the oppressor, it is demanded by the oppressed.

They have waited for more than 340 years for their constitutional and God given rights. Other countries are doing so much more quickly. The people are understandably impatient.

They break some laws but not others. There are two types of laws, just ones and unjust ones. They will only obey the just ones.

What is the difference between the two though? A just law is one that squares with the moral law or law of God. Disobey unjust laws since they are morally wrong.

A just law is one made by the majority and is applied to both the majority and minority equally.

Sometimes a law is just on its face, but unjust in its application.

Advocates civil disobedience and accepts the penalities openly against unjust laws.

It should not be wrong to follow courses of action to gain freedom that could conceviebly lead to violence.

He stands between two parties of the black people. Those that are complacent and those that want action. He is trying to take the middle way. Yet, he is being called an extremist.

Hoping to find help among white clergymen, he found outright opposition to his movement for freedom and equality. This shattered his dreams, but he came to Birmingham anyways.

He considers the modern church to at times have a weak and ineffectual voice with an uncertain sound. Not speaking out for what is morally right. He hopes the church will stop backing the status quo and come to the aid of the needy in the decisive hour.

He isn't happy with the clergyman that commended the Birmingham police force for keeping the peace. He points out the way the police are mistreating the people in the jail. He says that instead the clergyman should have commened the sit inners and the nonviolent demonstrators.

He hopes that later he may meet the clergyman in the letter as merely a fellow christian brother, not as an intregrationist or civil rights leader.

** He uses moral arguments to make his case, referencing them with real life issues.

2003-10-18T01:53:00.000-05:00

Sources of Review - Aerosmith "Just Push Play"

2003-10-13T11:33:00.000-05:00

Questions from page 409 and 411

1. I'll be reviewing an audio cd of Aerosmith which is of course a rock band. The band is led by Steven Tyler and Joe Perry. The group uses traditional rock band instruments, guitars, drums, etc. They typically play ballads and moderate rock tunes.

2. I like the music cd I'm reviewing in its entirety. It's an average example of the music the group puts out. My opinion hasn't changed significantly about this cd recently. I like all their musical works on about the same level. There isn't really any similar piece that I'd say is definitely better than this one.

3. I know many things about the lead singer of this cd. I wrote them all down in the profile I wrote about the person. There are 10 other compilation cd's out by this same band as well as a soundtrack from Armegeddon. All the music is basically the same from the group. There might be a slight change in musical style since the 1970's when they started, but nothing wholly noticeable. I know this genre started long before this group with Elvis Presley, but they've done well with it.

4. There are of course reviews on the different cd's out by Aerosmith. A good place to look is any online store that carries music cd's. They always put official reviews as well as customer reviews. Many of the people that buy this music now are already devout fans of the group and so very little negative stuff is said in a review. Generally the critics and reviewers agree about the quality of the music. The only problem with this is that it means the group has a lot of expectation to live up to for each new cd.

5. People wanting to buy an Aerosmith cd are likely to be interested in a review on one. They are likely to be people that like listening to rock music and have a outgoing personality. They are also likely to be very knowledgeable about the subject and group. They probably have decided which groups they primarily want to listen to. They will probably weigh my opinion with everything else they have read or know about the groups past cd's and current reviews on this one. They will probably agree mostly with my opinion since it will probably be mostly positive. Critical reviews are likely to be what they are familiar with. Ones that compare this cd to other ones already made and known. The readers like listening to good music.

Page 411

1. Qualities I'm looking for:
* Opening song grabs your attention - something fresh
* Cd as a whole is on an even par with their other works
* A good mix of their musical styles - different moods of music
* Cd must have its own mood/style not identical to other works
* Good liner notes
* Needs more than 6 tracks
* At least one song that makes you want to buy the cd for just it

2. Qualities most people look for:
* Cd is as good as other works
* Compares to other works some way
* Has at least one song that is worth buying the entire cd
* good liner notes
* Has a good mix of their types of music

3. Bad examples:
* Pretty picture on cd
* cd was cheap
* like all their other works
* got cd for free
* place bought at

4. People liked my list of criteria.

5. List handy.

2003-10-08T01:39:00.000-05:00

Questions from Page 390 and 396
1. I noticed a definite moment when he evaluated the album in comparison to Jay-Z's other works in paragraph 4.
2. He supports his 4 star evaluation of the new album by praising it as more family based than his other works. It shows the different sides of Jay-Z, the hustler and the teacher, and the combination strikes a good chord. This can be seen in paragraphs 6 and 8.
3. The criteria Marriott used was how did this album compare to Jay-Z's other works. This was stated implicitly since the author never came out and actually said, this is what I base my rating on.
4. He explains the shift Jay-Z has had to make since becoming a father, and having lived the life he did. His background as a hustler is what was behind his music, now as a father, he must confront his past and be a good teacher. Marriott uses this shift in musical perspective as his basis for the rating in that this album shows another side to the singer, and is more personal.

1. Calling something a classic means that it is a work that has endured time and scrutiny and is widely regarded as a success. It distinguishes a work on its longevity and popularity amongst audiences.
2. He compares "Raging Bull" to the famous "Godfather" movies and goes on to note that the movie is a good shot at the melting pot of urban culture in New York in the '40s and '50s. The quality of the storyline, the twists it takes is what makes it a good movie .
3. The "Godfather" movies are generally considered classics in their own rights. By comparing this movie to them he is setting them on the same par. He also uses this comparison to show how the grittiness of the show, a total antithesis to the "Godfather" movies, makes it that much more intriguing. A true reflection of the life that the boxer led.
4. The larger forces talked about are society and the changing times. They are shown in the film through the actors portrayal of the rise and fall of a boxer who was fighting to keep his head up in the world that changed around him. The two levels in the biography show the life of the boxer and the larger world he lived in.

2003-09-29T15:41:00.000-05:00

Quiz
The main tips for writing a good profile are:
1. Use observation and interview material primarily to write the profile. Research in the library is important, but lacks the specific point of view or slant on the information that a personal analysis gives the reader of the finished product.
2. Create a dominant impression with the opening statement or paragraph. This will set the mood for the rest of the profile, painting the impression you want the reader to have most vividly in their mind.
3. Stick with the main topic, dominant impression throughout the paper, don't lose focus. You don't want the reader to come away confused, not sure what persona they were meant to see.

In writing my profile, I've noticed that it's very hard to use first hand observational data and conduct interviews with the artist I chose, so I have settled for other peoples documented encounters and strained the data the way I see fit. Then using this specific information I have amassed, I will try to create a personal impression of a singer whom I have never met, yet make it good enough so that readers feel like they know the guy at the end of the profile. The problem with this though is that a short profile can quickly seem like a summarized biography. Thus, I must focus on the main topic, which is to portray the singer in the better lights of his life, and skirt the negative issues of their life to create a positive feel about them.

2003-09-29T02:21:00.000-05:00

The problem with writing about an Artist....
Ever notice that in profiling an artist, especially a lead singer for a famous band, that you inevitably end up talking a lot about the band. The problem is that the band has become such an integral part of the persons life that there is no information on the artist beyond his formative years that doesn't directly pertain to something he did with the group. This tends to turn a profile/short biography on a person into something more representing the life story of his fellow musicians and the gigs they've played.

2003-09-29T02:14:00.000-05:00

Aerosmith in Florida - '03
Well, according to Aerosmith.com, the group made it down to Florida alright, but of course the hurricane was already there. It ruined the show up in Virginia beach already. They lost a prior one up in the Detroit area due to the blackouts earlier. Just a couple of setbacks for their tour this year. They did go back to Detroit and play later when the juice was flowing again. Hopefully though there won't be any problems for the concert in Grand Forks coming up here.

2003-09-29T02:05:00.000-05:00

Joe Perry - Napster
Finally, a musician that understands. The controversy over Napster a few years back, and the continuing stink that record companies make over the downloading of music for free is a matter of grievance for music fans everywhere. The main reason people downloaded music is because the prices of cd's were/are so high. In an interview with Joe Perry, they posed the question to him of what he thought of Napster, and his answer is something refreshing to hear from the artists viewpoint. Here is a direct quote of his answer from Aerosmith.com.
" I was really happy when Napster came out, except for the part that we weren't getting paid for it. But the music industry should've changed with the times. They should've dropped their prices 10 f------ years ago and gone with the flow."

2003-09-29T01:46:00.000-05:00

More facts on the Band
These facts were taken directly from the website Kidzworld.com.
"Steven Tyler's favorite movie is "Ferris Bueller's Day Off". Joey Kramer was in 10 bands before he joined Aerosmith at age 18. Joe Perry's mom is an aerobics instructor."

2003-09-29T01:43:00.000-05:00

Aerosmith - The old kids on the Block
Aerosmith won its way back into the limelight in 1989 with their album 'Pump' which included the hits 'Janies got a gun' and 'Love in an elevator.' They had another hit album in 1993 called 'Get a grip.' This album had three hit songs all of which had very popular music videos starring Alicia Silverstone. In fact, in one video, Liv Tyler paired up with Alicia for the vid 'Crazy.' 2001 proved to be another good year for the group when in conjunction with *NSYNC they did the superbowl halftime show in which they debuted 'Jaded.'

2003-09-29T01:30:00.000-05:00

Lawsuit -Ex Manager vs. Aerosmith
David Krebs, ex-manager for Aerosmith from 1972-1984 is suing the band for slanderous comments the group supposedly made in last years VH1 Behind the music special. Tyler and the band has no comment on the issue, but Krebs is asking for a public apology and an unspecified amount of money to comensate for the damage done to his reputation from the comments. Supposedly, the band had talked about thier money problems in the '70s citing their manager being the cause for their problems. Krebs says he didn't take or hide any money from the band. He said his methods were what everyone was doing back then.

2003-09-29T01:19:00.000-05:00

The Early years
Steven Tyler and Joe Perry formed the band Aerosmith in 1970 including members such as Tom Hamilton, Joey Kramer, and Ray Tabano. Brad Whitford later took Tabano's spot in the band.
Steven met Joe in Sunapee, New Hampshire while he was at his family's resort Trow-Rico. Joe asked Tyler to be in a "Cream Styled Rock Combo" with him and the other future members of Aerosmith. (MTV.com - Aerosmith) Prior to this, Tyler had already released two singles, "When I needed you," and "You should have been here yesterday."
The band gained it's name after a performance at Nipmuc Regional High school, giving up other names like "Hookers" for Aerosmith. They gained recognition around Boston and were seen by Clive Davis at a gig who hooked them up with Columbia records on a contract. They had a successful working relationship with producer Jack Douglas who led them on nationwide tours which is what established them as a major rock group and led to their widespread popularity in the '70s. During this though, they came under fire of critics who compared Tyler to Mick Jagger and Tylers interaction with Perry to that of the Rolling Stones. In an attempt to buck the fire and loosen their busy schedule, the group did a small scale, more personal tour of the U.S. but falling acclaim after some unsuccessful events led to tension in the band between Tyler and Perry. Perry eventually left to form his own group. Jimmy Crespo took his place in 1980, but in 1981 Whitford left the band leading to a falling out of the entire group until a 1984 tour which brought the original lineup back to the sound stage. Following a new contract with Geffen Records, Tyler and Perry went to rehab in 1986 to get over their addictions to drugs and alcohol. This addiction had led to the earlier nickname, the toxic twins, for Tyler and Perry, an image they wanted to do away with.
The group has since gone a long way towards promoting themselves in the UK as well as reestablishing themselves here as a revitalized group. This was emphasized in their new contract with Columbia records again in the mid '90s. They have recorded new albums and had songs reach the top 10 as well as appear in movies such as Armageddon.

2003-09-14T17:08:00.000-05:00

Aerosmith - Hawaii March '02
Ok, the first entry I looked at was posted after the Japan 2002 tour of Aerosmith after which they flew to Maui to relax and record a couple of songs for their new compilation of greatest hits. It would be number 10 since 1978. The band says they feel like they want to take the energy of playing for live audiences and hearing their reactions and put that into at least a couple of new songs to be added to the new disc. They were also looking at creating a piece for the then upcoming Spider man movie, which as some people know, never happened.

2003-09-14T16:58:00.000-05:00

MTV Asia and Aerosmith
Well, I was browsing the 'Net for more info on Aerosmith, when MTV Asia came up on my search results through Google. I was a little surprised, till I found out the page that came up was a search results page for Steve Tyler through the MTV search engine. The entries found included links to many snippits of information on the artist. I think I will be blogging on the entries individually since each covers a unique story/event.

2003-09-04T05:45:00.000-05:00

Steven Tyler and Aerosmith
In my english class this year, I had to pick a rock singer that I would like to do a profile on. I picked Steven Tyler of course. Now the next thing to do is research this person. I browsed the web a little and came across the site Steven Tyler.org . This site contains a number of interesting facts about him such as at age 17 he wrote the ballad "Dream On" and formed Aerosmith in 1970. The site also includes a running updates section of notes to web viewers and links to detailed information on the band itself. This is a very good place to look for fan information on the star and check for tour and t.v. appearance dates.

2003-08-29T13:36:00.000-05:00

Art and Music
I'm here at NDSU again, and wouldn't you know it my English teacher for this section wants to use Blogs also. Now the focus is on Art and Music though, so this class shouldn't be quite as boring. Anyways, the question she posed for today is, 'What does art mean to you, and my thoughts on music as an art.'
I see art as being an expression of culture. I say this because almost all art is a reflection of the influences in and on the artists life. Sure nowadays there is some 'art' that really doesn't look like much of anything at all, but upon questioning the artist one usually gets the reply that it reminds/represents something in their life. Art can also be called culture, not just a by product of it. I'd say art is part of a peoples culture as well as a record of it. Anything therefore that represents a persons life could be considered art.
Music is almost universally considered a form of art. It is definatley self expression. The songs mean something and have the ability to affect the people listening to it on many different levels. It can be a catalyst for events and a reminder of past occurrences. I'd say music is a primary binding agent of different cultures and beliefs. One of the highest forms of art, as long as the song holds meaning.

2003-03-01T23:39:00.000-06:00

Blah Blog
Well, I've decided to postpone my taking English 110 until some later date. Consequently, I won't be typing anything really English class related in here for quite some time. I might post some other thoughts though. ie: Why won't my cold go away? It's really starting to piss me off! Anywyas, I'm watching "Devils Prey" right now. It's an interesting show. Kinda bizarre though. A devil worshipping town in the middle of bum fuck ville, and a few normal teenagers stumble across it. A little on the wierd side, but a good watch. Well, Later all!

2002-12-14T22:53:00.000-06:00

Christmas is almost here!!!
Sadly, so are finals....damn! There is an upside to this though!! I only have to take two tests - Chem 121 and Trig. As far as English class goes, which by the way is the only reason this blog exists, I'm going to have mixed feelings when the time for the final meeting comes. I really hated the class for the first few weeks. In fact I couldn't imagine a stranger subject that seemed as pointless to work on as weblogs. In fact, the only real part of the class I will miss is seeing all the people I met in it, and yes, that includes Mr. Brooks, the teacher. I'm pretty sure that's only because he is one of the very few teachers I've had that actually seemed interested in what people had to say. I commend him for that. I know I seem a little hypocritical in making a personal entry in a blog which I just criticised only moments before, but I felt a small compulsion to give it some kind of more suitable entry for christmas than the simple little entries I made for class. Hell, I may even have someone that actually reads this damn thing! Who knows though right? I'm not sure if this will be my last entry in this blog or not, but I hope someone gained something from it. I may just feel the need next semester to keep going with it. Well, farewell for now, unless something important comes along, or I get bored again..... Merry Christmas!!!
PS - I have another blog at valkyrielightning.blogspot.com I might update this more frequently, I don't know why though.....LOL

2002-10-18T14:44:00.000-05:00

Hey! It's My 19th Birthday!
Everybody sing!....Happy Birthday to me Happy Birthday to me........Oh come on! I'm alone here! ;-)

2002-10-02T00:40:00.000-05:00

My Essay on Weblogs and their Future in Education
I've been really bored lately and thought I'd give this a try. I run a little known website through Geocities on which I publish the masterful science fiction artwork of a friend of mine. I now also however have published my Essay entitled "Weblogs, The Future of Education?" I suggest looking at my essay for anyone who wants a novice students point of view on weblogging including references from some top people in the field. I don't suggest however looking at my primary site unless you are really into quality drawn sci fi art that is about 4 years old. Well, that and the fact my site looks a little primitive since I haven't updated it since, oh, the stone age. Anyways, happy surfing!

2002-09-26T15:16:00.000-05:00

Writing an Essay - Long Explanation
I seem to have stumbled across a Berkeley homepage on writing essays. Boy is it LONG. So if anyone has a lot of spare time on their hands, they might want to check it out. It is actually a good walkthrough of the essay writing process.

2002-09-26T15:01:00.000-05:00

Guide to Writing Argumentive Essays
Ok gang, I found a website on writing argumentive papers. This site looks to be very detailed. I think it would work good for anyone who wants to write a paper advocating the use of weblogs in education by providing good arguments. Kind of argue, "well, why shouldn't we use them.." type thing. Anyways, here's a snapshot of the front page showing the topics covered.

Introduction - please read
Debatable and non-debatable statements
Providing support for debatable statements (or premises)
Using connectives and paragraphs in a larger argumentative text
The main thesis, supporting arguments and conclusion.
Adding information to relevant arguments
Connectives for listing arguments.
Concluding connectives
In fact / Indeed
More practice on using In fact and Indeed
Paragraphs
Showing you are aware of both sides of the issue - a model
Showing you are aware of both sides of the issue - examining the model
The main premise
Paragraph topics
Opposing arguments and supporting arguments
Problematising the opposing arguments
Shifting from opposing arguments to supporting arguments.
More work on showing you are aware of both sides of the issue
Language Summary: ways of showing that you are aware of the opposing opinion
Working out the main premise from a paragraph
Using connectives and problematising phrases in a paragraph
Putting together a paragraph for an argumentative text
Choosing your own premise and writing a paragraph
Converting an informal text into a formal text
Sorting arguments into topics and paragraphs
A longer model argumentative essay
Getting an overview of the model essay
Identifying the main premise, paragraph structure and paragraph topics
The internal organisation of the paragraphs - revision
Including a paragraph that only presents supporting arguments
Writing introductions to argumentative essays
Writing conclusions to argumentative essays
Writing your own argumentative essay - 13 steps to take from start to finish
Appendix 1. Language summary: structure of paragraphs in the body of an argumentative essay

2002-09-25T14:57:00.000-05:00

Bookmarking the World : Weblog Applications in Education
A summary :
This article by Jo Ann Oravec is a comprehensive look at weblogs in the classroom to "enhance literacy and critical thinking skills."
Oravec here takes her paper and breaks it into the following subject headings...

Weblogs as a genre

Oravec compares weblogs against the dated material found in personal journals. The information found in both is critiqued and includes less of a personal reflection than the dated entries of a diary. The weblog however differs from a journal in that it provides "snapshots" of what is currently happening on the web and in the news. Therefore becoming a genre in itself. She goes on to present a sample blog and comment on the new ability of individuals to interact and share information. Finally, in the last part of the section, Oravec mentions the use of the blog to incorporate "day in the life of" type narratives hyperlinked to pages related specifically to the information being talked about.

Practical aspects of bringing weblogs into the classroom

Many hyperlinks are provided in the first paragraph of this section which includes information for educators on the use of weblogs in the classroom. A definate "must see" part of this paper.
Also included was the comment "weblog development is an example of how the internet has been brought into the classroom in advantageous yet feasible ways." This is followed up in the next paragraph by a concern over plagarism and the how weblogs very nature of the explicit citation of information may help to correct that problem over time.
Finally, the last two paragraphs of this section go over the practical problems of links that have "dried up" and the immediate concern of posted materials appropiateness and quality.

Weblogs and the development of students' voices

Weblogs "empower students to become more analytical and critical" of information that is presented to them. This section basically says weblogs give students a new soapbox to proclaim their thoughts, and information from.

Can weblogs help prevent information overload?

Oravec says it does by filtering content. I say it doesn't because by its online nature it merely creates more content. 'nough said.

Weblogs as resources in journalism and business classes

This should be obvious. The weblog community as a whole is turning into nothing more than a lot of freelance journalists, hence the filtering effect talked about previously.

Weblogs make sense of internet resources

Finally, her last topic, which looks a lot like her first and fourth topics. Nothing new in this section.

2002-09-23T13:36:00.000-05:00

Personal Reflection
I'm not too sure about what I'm supposed to be "reflecting" on exactly, but I'm going to steer this idea towards my reflections on recent experiences with weblogs. Like many of my fellow classmates, I had never heard of weblogs until the first day of class and I left that first day rather confused as to the purpose of the class. I thought how could weblogs be part of an english class? What would it accomplish to take a class that dealt with them? And most importantly, what exactly is a weblog? Over the course of the last few weeks I have come to understand that weblogs deal with the free expression of peoples thoughts, dreams, and ideas on life, literature, and the world in general. They share a great deal with the goals of an english class in that they encourage the proliferation of literature/literacy, and the free expression and sharing of ideas and knowledge. They are the electronic equivalent of an entire library of books that is constantly updating itself. The librarians are the webservers that host the weblogs themselves. They also lend themselves to the collaboration of students ideas and knowledge in class projects, and are class projects in themselves. I still am not quite sure though how I should use blogs for writing a paper on blogs. The vast diversity of them does suggest a possibly lengthy paper, but with so many different ideas that it would almost be a little confusing. I guess that I will have to discover a happy medium as I continue to gather information for my paper.

2002-09-19T21:29:00.000-05:00

Learn to Blog, Blog to Learn
This was a very good site on Blogging and learning and makes good mention of the changing use of web based activites implemented in schools. The author points out that previously, teachers had students post a few pieces of their work on static websites for a non-existent world to view. The student is rather given a soap box "Blog" to stand on and proclaim their ideas and gain a little feedback for the little bit of vanity that everyone has. The article is also very well cross-referenced and includes some interesting related articles. I like the title of one of them - "Weblogs: A Swiss Army Website?" The link can be found on the main page of this Article.

2002-09-19T21:11:00.000-05:00

Staton Blog - Weblogs Acheiving a Higher Education
I found this entry rather interesting. It involves a post on the subject of weblogs in education in which a person responded to a comment in John Robb's Radio Weblog. This Post was a reply to John Robb's statement "If I was in the process of applying to Princeton, MIT, or Yale -- my ownership of a key technology topic would be a large part of my resume." The reply went on to say that in this person's pursuit of a higher education, the one "big-time" school still looking at his resume was Berkeley, a school that also happens to be "big -time" users of weblogs. The author of the post then made the comment that if they got accepted to Berkeley, they'd be sure to thank the weblog community.

2002-09-19T20:48:00.000-05:00

Notes on Teachers Online Presentation
While searching the web for weblogs in education I stumbled across a site that contained a teacher's, Will Richardson's,classroom powerpoint presentation entitled "Weblogs in the Classroom." The presentation itself has been removed as of this time so posting the url would be rather pointless. However, I did include the email link to Mr. Richardson, just click on his name above. He is a teacher at Hunterdon Central Regional High School, and it appears he teaches a journalism class.
In the presentation that was available at the time of my visit were conscise points on the Potentials for Education involving weblogs, not necessarily for journalism, and the things weblogs can do for society in general.
I would suggest emailing Mr. Richardson for a copy of his presentation since it is a little too long to include in a blog entry, and the presentation was well done enough to merit the attempt.

2002-09-16T18:28:00.000-05:00

Infant Weblogs
Just a side thought
I was kinda daydreaming for a second in class and a thought occurred to me on the subject of weblogs. It happened when I was reflecting on Rebecca Blood's essay for some odd reason. She mentions the relative newness of weblogs, in fact as recent as 1997. That got me thinking about weblogs in general, their interfaces, ease of use and searchibility - their place in society today among other items, namely the book, radio, television and even the internet in general. Compared to these other mass information mediums, the weblog is very new. In fact I'd say it is just an infant, and being so it is also just as undeveloped. If you think for a minute, this point has merit. When the mass production of books became possible, people predicted a boom in their use and in literacy. In fact this boom continued for many years and is still continuing daily as people/authors experiment with the printed word. Books cover a vast variety of subjects now, and yet are also organized enough through libraries and such that finding information in them is relatively easy, this degree of organization may come to weblogs someday just as it has to radio stations, TV and even the internet which boasts hundreds of search engines and infinite formats. I know the internet itself is also very young, but from its broader acceptance, uses and knowledge of its existence it seems to be maturing very quickly. Look at the internet and its content 5 years ago compared to today. I expect the weblog to display a similar evolution as its predecessors. Perhaps we will all be pleasantly surprised by its development in years to come.

2002-09-16T13:45:00.000-05:00

Important Characteristics of a Personal Blog

at least my take on it anyways...
I know in my previous entry on filtered/notebook entries I said that hyperlinks were an important part of a credible and usefule entry, and I obviously have no links IN my entries. I do however have an entry containing links specifically to my classmates sites containing relevent material - mostly - since I don't have the time to do proper cross-referencing yet.
Anyways, on to the main topic of this entry, the personal blog. I'm not sure how this would apply to the general public since my interests are my own and what I consider important about a personal weblog may be entirely different and even strange to some people, but here it goes........

A personal weblog, even called an online diary/journal, should have a themed background of some sort. The appealing nature of graphics on the internet these days is too strong to be ignored, and if not implemented in some way, people may find their weblogs being passed over, regardless of their quality.
Text style. Not necessarily the entire body of the writing, but portions of it should have a little character to them, like italics, boldness, and other forms of formatted writing. Again, things that catch the eye for the casual blog surfer.
Themed Entries. Topics, personal discussions. Not bland material, but it doesn't have to be breaking news either.
And while Personalization is good, too much can kill a good site. A site should be visually appealing without being crowded and visually "noisy." It should have some degree of order.
Links, again links. They can be to almost anything, but I do like reading about them first from the persons point of view that posted them on their blog. I don't like a list of "Cool Sites" that I know nothing about.

All in all, those are my general opinions. I do however have my own taste in specific kinds of websites, but that would take a little too long to expound in this entry since I'm sure you're getting bored of this topic already. Yes, that's one more item, I like concise articles too.

2002-09-16T10:17:00.000-05:00

Important Characteristics of Notebook/Filter Entries

I, personally, think the most important characteristics of a notebook or filter entry are only really evident or even relevant when I'm actually trying to find something. If I'm just browsing, then I have the time to sort through some entries. However, I usually don't have that much spare time on my hands so here goes my list - summary of some things I liked.

The article must first appear orderlly - aka, without 50 articles smattered aimlessly across the page.
Ease of use/readibilty - I like it when people put concise topic headers on their articles!!
It would be nice if the entry actually talked about what it said it would in the article preview/summary!
The entry should have at least some cross-references, for credibility and to make information searching easier for people like me.
The article/entry should also have a certain amount of personal bias, without distorting the information, or placed seperately from the main information, this allows readers a different point of view, making the information not only more interesting and personal, but also more informative.

2002-09-08T18:20:00.000-05:00

Essay - Weblogs: a history and perspective

In reading Rebecca Bloods essay I was surprised by the fact that even as late as 1998 there were only a few sites identified as weblogs. The term having been created by Jorn Barger in Dec. 1997. It seems to me that in my web travels as far back as 1996 there were personal websites out there that could fit the definition of a weblog. They were constantly updated sites containing links to information that was referenced on the site through personal thoughts or news updates. According to the article though in November 1998 the small list of known websites was posted at Camworld and later at Jesse's 'page of only weblogs.' There were only 23 known weblogs at the time. The weblogs were read daily by Cameron and others and a lot of interest in the activity was generated.
Later, at the introduction of sites such as Pitas, Blogger, and Groksoup where blogging was made simple through user friendly interfaces, people began 'jumping on the bandwagon' as Rebecca Blood puts it. In early 1999 the Eatonweb portal was created by Brigitte Eaton in an effort to compile all the new weblog sites. Brig used a simple criteria in the selection process of listed sites, that the site's consisted of dated entries.
During this time of rapid weblog growth, communities began popping up of small groups of individuals reading each others weblogs. These communities further contributing to weblog growth.
There did appear two distinct forms of weblogging. The filtered log and the free lance journal style. It appears that while most people prefer the journal style, the filtered weblog can provide a valuable look into people's thoughts about current events, links to little known bits of information and meaningful commentary.A side effect of the weblog editor creating filtered logs has also shown up. By creating such logs the editor can discover their personal interests and ways of thinking and appreciate the difference.
Todays challenge to webloggers is the very fact that they themselves have become so numerous that their own distinct voice has become lost in the crowd and most people when faced with the difficulty of sorting through all the logs out there will turn tail back for a corporate news media.

2002-09-08T17:51:00.000-05:00

Links to My classmates sites
Alex's site
Cliff's site
Lydia's site

2002-09-04T10:31:00.000-05:00

Summary - Needed : A New Literacy
This essay by Melvin Levinson encompassed his ideas of increasing sensory input in the classroom. He believes that students are effectively bubble wrapped in todays system with no chance for significant intellectual growth. He goes on to point out that young children learn at a prodigious rate in their preschool years almost entirely through sensory experience yet when they reach the classroom their learning experience is shifted radically to the abstract and general. The author notes that now the student thinks in ways of what something is labeled rather than what it "is."
Another prong of this essay is the idea that reading has come to mean merely the interpretation of the printed word. Numerous examples are pointed out however that argue otherwise. Many of these examples come from the past such as the Greeks definition of reading as also including the spoken word and music. Other forms were also pointed out, including imagery (ie painting...). The logical connection the author makes here to the first idea that students need more sensory input is that learning to read other media will allow the student to learn from the other media as well.
The authors last point in the essay was that the writing process can be used in all media. He brings up other cultures ideas from the past including western history stating that through Genesis the tradition of humans completing the Almighty's work in their everyday tasks began. The use of the writing process in all forms of media can be a very powerful, and insightful tool.

2002-08-29T21:58:00.000-05:00

Choosing to attend college after high school seemed to be a logical decision in my life. The selection process wasn't very difficult for me as I'm sure it was for a lot of people. I wanted to be an engineer. I enjoy learning how things work and adapting their functions to other problems. I of course also have other aspirations in life that I felt NDSU could help me with. Attending a composition course I felt I could improve on my writing skills, and though I'm a little surprised by the change in course focus I anticipate a rewarding classroom experience.
I've always known that I would be attending college after high school. It just seemed the thing people did. I did hate the idea of four or five more years of schooling, but I was always told the only way to get a well paying job was by having a degree. I always questioned this though. My dad never earned a college degree, he'd come close before he dropped it, but he still made a very good living as a farmer. I wanted to work on our farm someday, but I also wanted to try engineering for a while too. I like college and have no permanent dreams for the future yet. I'm holding out hope though.
As far as my university selection, that seemed to be the easy part. My dad and my uncle had both attended NDSU and talked it up to me for as long as I can remember. My first actual contact with the campus in person happened just this last year and was a thoroughly enjoyable experience. The fact that NDSU is the premiere engineering school in the area was just a plus. Point of fact I find the classes to be well structured and suited to my needs and aspirations.
In attending NDSU I hoped to enroll in some courses that would cater to my small writing ambitions. Composition seemed a good place to start. I remembered my high school composition course and the progress I'd made in that course, and while this class isn't quite as I expected it to be I still hope to expand my writing skills. In one way or another.
English isn't the only class I'm interested in obviously. My other classes are proving to be equally as interesting and the faculty has been very friendly and helpful. I know my choice to attend NDSU was a good one and I hope that I will suceed in my ambitions here. I know though that If I do decide engineering isn't for me, that there are many other quality courses offered that peak my curosity, but only time will tell.