Group Video Time

 I hope everyone is as excited about group work as I am! This project is going to be really fun we have the theme of separation. What a bright optimistic topic! Here are some ideas I thought might work:

Idea One: The Boyfriend/Girlfriend

            A lot of people come to college and leave behind a significant other, making them feel separated and alone. I thought for this idea we could follow a girl or boy (we don’t have to show their face if you don’t want) going through their day feeling separated from their significant other. We could tell this story of separation through shots of the student walking around, at normal speed, but with the rest of the world walking faster than here. (Like Slipknot’s Vermillion http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ppoo1EJ-Vrc&ob=av2e) Then we could tell her story through use of their Facebook and cell phone. I think it should have a happy ending but I’m open to any ideas you have.

Idea Two: Cyber-Loneliness

            I’m always on the computer chatting to people and yet I never feel close to anyone. Playing off my idea for the first video, it’s like to use an empty computer lab with a student constantly on the computer. Then the scene would switch to the cafeteria where the student is again sitting on the computer ignoring the rest of the world. Even for a bit of comedy we could have someone come out of the bathroom only to find the student on the floor outside of the bathroom using the electrical socket. The student would characterize separation because he or she would always be on the computer with the world going on.

Idea Three: Dogs > People

            Completely reversing the role from a human protagonist in this idea we follow a dog around campus while he or she looks for their owner. I happen to have two dogs we can use for this, by the way. We can have the dog pose in a bunch of interesting places around campus showing humans simply walking by her. Finally, (this I will not compromise) there has to be a happy ending. The dog reunited with her owner and the separation is over.

Well guys, no joke I’m really looking forward to hearing about your ideas. Please let me know in a comment what you think about my ideas. See you in class tomorrow guys!!

Self-Portrait Ideas

I’m really not a big fan of self-portrait videos. I’m sure if I was more interesting I’d be better at them. For my group assignment I was excited to find I was assigned to the “separation” group. Being an emo kid I think this theme will be easy to incorporate into my self-portrait film. So here are some of my ideas:

Idea One: My car

            I haven’t cleaned my car since last summer so it’s loaded with a ton of junk that describes me. I have a lot of my music hidden in the dash board and the console. I have a lot of wrappers from Tim Horton’s and my job lying around. I have a LOT of books and pamphlets from stuff I’m involved in stuck to the floor in the back seat. I would incorporate the theme off separation by how I first approach my car from the parking lot. I always park in this lonely desolate parking lot next to the highway so hopefully I will be able to incorporate this feeling into the video.  

Idea Two: Places I Haunt Around School

            I’m really good at hiding in lonely place around school. So I’m thinking of maybe filming my usual haunts around school and placing some objects around that describe me. I know I will want to include my laptop sitting by itself in the upstairs cafeteria. Having all these objects without a human by them will create the feel of separation I’m looking for. I’d also like to have my cell phone in the empty classroom in Ketchum I always hang out at.

Idea Three: Places I Haunt

            When you have two crappy ideas the best thing to do is combine them into one suitable idea. Rather than focus on one specific area such as my car or school for this idea I will capture footage of places I haunt around my house. (Especially, in my room; I never leave it). I think this offers a better picture of me. Also, I will not include myself or any other people in my video so this will create a feel of separation for the viewer.

            I’m probably going to try and follow along the lines of idea three and do a self-portrait of myself using the places I hang-out with one or two objects that describe me snuck in. I’m really excited to film this but I’m more excited about editing this. Can’t wait to see what the rest of the class has come up with as well.

Wiki Review Post

http://www.wikihow.com/Learn-the-Positions-in-Football

This is really informative! I honestly thought there were only three positions for offence and defense but this definitely proves me wrong. I really enjoy how in depth your wiki coverage is. Not only did you list the different positions but you really helped describe them so that they seem like more than just the words. The second paragraph the one involving the “line of scrimmage” definition I found exceptionally good. I’ve been on this earth 19 years and I’ve always heard that word and never understood what it was. I really enjoyed this article; I feel a lot smarter already!

http://www.wikihow.com/Tell-Him-You-Have-a-Child

This was definitely a good read. The first paragraph was pretty funny considering how nerve wreaking a task this seems. I felt really calm reading your wiki; it had a very positive feel to it. Your steps were very easy to follow and your formatting was very good. Another thing I liked was how you embraced an honest be-yourself attitude but you were funny about it so it wasn’t so cheesy. My only suggestion would be to add another picture. The one you have is very cute but I think maybe one at the end would make it look a little more professional. Overall, I’m very impressed with how you simplified a very stressful topic. Good job!

http://www.wikihow.com/Make-an-Anti-Valentines-Day-Nail-Design

Hey, I thought this was a really cool article. It's an interesting design and felt like a really fun project. My only suggestion is to move the “Things You'll Need” section up top more before the actual steps. It will help the reader follow better. Other than that all your links worked and were very helpful.  Also, I looked at the links you put up and I found the one on “healthy nails” to be really interesting. Perhaps you might want to include more of the information in that article in your how-to. Such as, the first step being to evaluate the condition of your nails. It would add more facts to your article as well as get useful information out there. Overall, your wiki is very well put together and professional. You did a great job!!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Elenni12

Wow, this is really cool. Your Wikipedia page looks really professional. I had no idea any groups like this existed but it was a very interesting experience to learn about. I only have two suggestions for the actual article. The sentence, “Suggestive imagery has been incorporated with music for…well for as long as many of us can remember,” seems a little out of place. The article starts in a professional way and this is more casual language. While the statement itself is completely true it might make your article look more professional if you re-worded it. My only other suggestion is for the article’s topic sentence. Most Wikipedia articles start with a topic sentence like “something” is an American “something” started in “whenever” by “someone.” That way if someone doesn’t want to read the entire article they could just find out real quickly what it’s about. However, the “What is it” section is still very well written and easy to understand whither you choose to use a topic sentence or not. Overall, it looks like you put a lot of time into this article and it looks great!

http://www.wikihow.com/User:Stephecr01

Hey,
The first paragraph to your article was hilarious! I loved the Call of Duty reference; it’s like you know what my life has come too. I really enjoyed the steps too, especially the one called “combine your ideas together”. I found this to be a really useful idea. I never include my significant other’s ideas in date night. The only recommendation I would make is under the step 2 “Find a space that’s comfortable” section there’s some strange text that’s stuck floating over the paragraphs that says, “one on one”. Also the title says “How to Convince Your Boyfriend to Celebrate Valentine's Day” but the word “day” floats over the actual body text. Perhaps shortening the title to “v-day” would make the text fit on the page better. Overall, it was really good and really funny. I enjoyed reading it. Thank you!

Just Finished My Wiki Article!

I just finished my first ever wiki article at Bufwiki.com. The coding was defiantly an interesting experience. I never thought editing a wiki could be so hard. I guess the guys at Encyclopedia Dramatica are smarter than I thought. The link can be found here: http://buffalo.wikispot.org/Devil%27s_Hole_State_Park

            Please let me know if you have any ideas for improvement or suggestions. Thank you for all your help! Hope you have a great long weekend!

Web 2.0

Web 2.0, To Me:

                As a person who constantly fears ridicule web 2.0 means that no action is safe. Everything that can be posted on the web is open to discussion, by your friends or by enemies. Web 1.0 are the websites of my childhood, those simple mostly informational or graphics heavy websites with little interaction from the web population. Web 2.0 incorporates many interesting aspects of the internet but the most prevalent is user interaction and creation. These are modern websites, all of which include comment boxes or chat boards for interaction. This means users can create personal profiles and network but also that corporations can sell to that specific type of user.

However, for all its glory I feel web 2.0 is wasted on the users. As smart as web 2.0 sounds on paper it merely boils down to insignificant people posting insignificant things with a third party trying desperately to sell things to those people. On paper it sounds like a tool scientists use to transfer information to other scientists and do something sweeping and noble like curing cancer. In reality web 2.0 is nothing more than College kids sharing crazy party pictures through Facebook and tweeting about their completely irrelevant day. Should some interesting or revolutionary idea ever spring up on the internet it’s disheartening to realize at any time the government can simply hit the shut-down button on the entire internet.

                For the future of the internet I predict a lot more policing. With the creation of the SOPA and PIPA laws the government seeks to find a way to control web 2.0 under the guise of stopping piracy. I predict shortly they will seek to end web 2.0 through tougher laws on cyber-bulling, on credit-card fraud or on copyright infringement. In short, hold on to your twitter this freedom of speech is too nice a thing for the powers that be to let us have it forever.  

Web 2.0 Fancy Edition:

                Web 2.0 is definitely a confusing concept but one impossible to avoid with the explosion of social media in the last decade. To get the best definition of web 2.0 why not consider looking at a web 2.0 website. Wikipedia.org defines web 2.0 as, “associated with web applications that facilitate participatory information sharing, interoperability, user-centered design, and collaboration on the World Wide Web.”[i]  Ironically, with its user-centered wiki software Wikipedia.org is a living breathing example of web 2.0 in action. Web 1.0 was a simple page from a text book scanned and pasted on the web. Web 2.0 is the user-centered interface that is changing the structure of the internet.

                Web 2.0 is not simply about Myspace and Facebook. Web 2.0 is changing commerce as we speak. While holidays like Black Friday have been celebrated by consumers for years the emergence of a new holiday, Cyber Monday shows a striking trend in consumerism. E-commerce, offers a new shopping experience for the consumer. David Fry, writer for E-commerce Times offers this perspective on the convergence of web 2.0 and consumerism: “Web 2.0 technologies provide for heightened levels of interaction on Web sites, and consumers expect that same level of interaction when shopping online.”[ii]  This means that little review box that appears on amazon.com after a sale is more important than you think. That review box is your link to amazon.com, your link to web 2.0, and your chance to be heard.

                Web 2.0 is not without critics. Paul Graham, internet commenter writes that web 2.0 has meaning, but, “those who dislike the term are probably right, because if it means what I think it does, we don't need it.”[iii] According to Graham, “[web 2.0] just means doing things right, and it's a bad sign when you have a special word for that.” Graham’s ideas of “doing things right” means having web based applications that work as well as software installed on your desktop, democracy on the web, and excellent treatment of users by the corporations running the web 2.0 application.

          While the concept of web 2.0 may be complicated it is definitely going to affect the web and thus everyday life for years to come.

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[i] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_2.0

[ii] http://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/58640.html

[iii] http://www.paulgraham.com/web20.html

Hello Coding

= Devil’s Hole State Park, Niagara Falls, New York =

[[Image(1stpix.jpg, 300, thumbnail, "The view from the observation deck" )]]

--> Located off the Robert Moses Parkway and down river from the Whirlpool State Park, Devil’s Hole State Park is open all year round and offers picturesque scenery, fishing, and hiking down a 410 step winding stone stairway. Restrooms are located on the northern end, above the stairway system. Finally, two cave systems and a recreational area offer places for gatherings. <--

== Directions ==

-->Devil's Hole State Park can be accessed by driving north on the Robert Moses Parkway. The park will be located on the right. Two parking lots are accessible on the left of the Parkway. A pedestrian path and bridge over the Parkway are available in the first parking lot. According to Nyfalls.com both parking lots can accommodate eighty cars. The gorge itself is not open to vehicles. However, the entrance to the stone stairway, located near the restrooms, offers anyone willing to make the trip on foot access to the gorge.<--

== History ==

=== Formation: ===

According to Nyfalls.com, a large waterfall that formed over ten thousand years ago created the Devil’s Hole gorge. The melt water from the end of the ice age, which also formed Glacial Lake Tonawanda, created a large waterfall that carved the notch of Devil’s Hole. The slowly receding ["Niagara Falls"] also contributed to the creation of the gorge by carving the beautiful cliff side of the ["Niagara River"]. The once great river that originally cut the gorge into the cliff side would one day shrink into the “Bloody Run Creek.” This creek is now only visible as a tiny trickle after a heavy rain. The path of the former waterfall created the 300 foot deep Devil’s Hole Gorge and two cave systems the park is now known for. According to Nyfalls.com the park was officially established in 1927 although in recent years the park has lost more land to the Robert Moses Power Plant and Parkway.

=== Devil’s Hole Massacre: ===

According to Niagarafrontier.com, Devil’s Hole obtains its namesake from the September 14th 1763 attack on a convoy by Seneca Indians. Only three settlers survived this attack one of them being, John Stedman, who alerted a British rescue party at Fort Gray. When the party returned to Devil’s Hole they were again attacked this time leaving no survivors. According to Niagarafrontier.com troops returning days later found eighty dead bodies thrown over the cliff side. The water flowing through the small creek was so saturated with blood the creek was re-named “Bloody Run Creek”.

== Activities ==

=== Hiking: ===

[[Image(rock.jpg, thumbnail, "Rockslides can happen so please be careful")]]

Devil’s Hole is listed on the “difficult” level for hiking ability on NYfalls.com. Although the pathways and stone staircase are very visible time and weather conditions have led to deterioration. Many stairs are uneven or damaged creating uneven and somewhat dangerous passes. During winter months the threat of falling rocks pose an added danger to hikers.

During the summer, spring and fall Devil’s Hole offers a long trail that stretches down the Niagara River and meets with the Whirlpool State Park. Inexperienced hikers should be warned that the pathway to Whirlpool State Park narrows out in several places and will be extremely difficult to navigate in winter.

Hiking off the pathway offers a unique perspective for experienced hikers. Just off the stairway are several dirt trails that follow the path of the small waterfall that once ran down the gorge.

=== Cave Systems: ===

[[Image(cave.jpg, thumbnail, "The Cave of the Evil Spirit")]]

Located on the northern side of the park is a cave known as “The Cave of the Evil Spirit.” The cave is a mere four-feet tall and only thirty feet deep but it is a local hangout especially for Niagara University students. Danger can be posed to cave explorers as rocks slides and cave-ins are somewhat frequent. It is also worth noting that the area around the cave is especially slippery and unstable following a rainstorm and should be avoided during winter.

The trail leading to Whirlpool State Park also passes a wide cave carved into the gorge that is easy to explore. On the top of the cliff side, and above the larger cave there is another smaller cave. Although extremely hard to reach the view from this cave offers a breath-taking view of the gorge. During and after a rain storm a small waterfall appears in these caves. The waterfall shown in the larger of the caves is the most easily accessible. Explorers can literally walk up to the waterfall or stand underneath it. There is also a fire-pit located in the larger cave.

=== Fishing: ===

[[Image(fish.jpg, thumbnail)]]

The fast moving waters just below Devil’s Cave have been known to produce excellent fishing for Salmon, Trout and Steel-heads. In fact according to Nyfalls.com, “major fishing journals and television shows have called this one of the premiere freshwater fishing locations in the country.” The oxygen rich water also contributes to a high fish population especially during salmon season.

However, fishermen should still be warned that the fast moving water in close proximity to the Robert Moses Power Plant could still pose a danger to anyone close to the water. It is worth noting that signs posted around the park discourage swimming of any kind, thus contact with the water should be kept at a minimal. It is also discouraged for fisherman to stand on the rock formations in the river that are accessible from the shore by a rock beach. Although the rock formations are easy to get to, because of the Robert Moses Power Plant the tide can change unexpectedly and strand fishermen out in the water.

=== Paranormal Activity: ===

According to local legends the lime stone cave located in Devil’s Hole is cursed. The cave, known as “The Cave of the Evil Spirit” is said according to Niagarafrontier.com and Buffalo Paranormal Travel Examiner, John Crocitto, to bring misfortune on anyone who enters the cave. An urban legend documented on niagarafrontier.com tells the story of a man named, LaSalle, who heard a strange voice coming from the cave that predicted his death and misfortunes.

== Bibliography ==

[http://nyfalls.com/niagara/niagara-devils-hole.html]

[http://www.niagarafrontier.com/devilhole.html]

[http://www.examiner.com/paranormal-travel-in-buffalo/devil-s-hole-state-park]

Keyboard Ninjas

I had a great time talking with Sam, Tyeisha, and Bianca about they're first time on the internet. What we all realized we had in common was a magical game called Oregon Trail that you could get online for free. We basically all concluded that crossing any river is a bad idea.

One of the stories I was surprised to hear was that Bianca had a bad experience on Aol chat. I always had instant messenger so I just thought you had to know the person's screen name to talk to them. So maybe after that rant about children on the internet was a little premature.

Tyeisha had a more technical story. She had the old Aol disks that used to come free in the mail. I remember getting thousands of those; I had no idea the internet could come out of them.

Sam remembered how frustrating it was when, “EVERY1 tlkz lke dis” and you had no idea what they were saying. I thought it was funny he didn't know what “lol” meant when people were talking to him. The article might have been somewhat right when it warned that the internet has lead to poor grammar.

Another thing we all agreed on was that the internet taught us to type fast. Instant messaging was, well, instant so we all had to learn to type really fast if we wanted to keep up with our friends. All those secretaries and their fancy classes in typing have nothing on this generation of keyboard ninjas!

Tyeisha's blog can be viewed here: http://priorcom336.blogspot.com/

Bianca's blog can be viewed here: http://biancabrunettecom336.blogspot.com/