Podcasting

The new craze...podcasting! The Spartan Daily recently printed an acticle about staff members learning the benefits of podcasting. For those who don't know about podcasts...here is your first introduction.

Podcasts are class lectures, pictures and notes on your Ipod! The trend started in 2004 and has grown imensely. Itunes already has over 400 podclass lectures from k-12.

The great thing about podcasts is the flexibilty to use or watch it anywhere. You could review notes while on the light-rail, study for a test in the library, listen to class lectures again on the treadmill. This would potentially enable give students the abilty to succeed in your tough classes. Podcasting could help students who were sick for a day, or doing online classes. Or will college become attending class on your couch with your Ipod tuned onto a class lecture?

Not only is classrooms picking up on the usefulness of podcasting, but C-SPAN will also be posting some of the most popular programs.

The podcast craze has been gaining momentum...how long until it is implemented in our everyday use at San Jose State University ?? Podcasting has been tested at some colleges nation wide. The University of Wisconsin-Madison has found it as a useful learning tool for its students. They have done a study and listed the 5 tools and tips you need to use and post with podcasting. (what is is, teaching and learning tools, additional resources, examples of podcasts and how to deliver and create podcasts.)

As a student, do you feel you would benefit from this new creation? Would you find it more tempting to use the Ipod instead? Do you feel a fifteen minute review would be beneficial to you prior to a test? Do you think teachers will want to post useful podcasts? Will the Ipod just be a distraction in class or elsewhere?

Spartan Daily News

Our Spartan Daily newspaper....articles created and written my our fellow classmates. Its not as sosphicated as The Mercury News... or The Wall Street Journal..., but its well written and the stories are related to us as students and as San Jose residents.

Other newspapers do offer more articles online than the print version, which is understandable with their resources and budget.I choose the Spartan Daily becuase it is a newspaper I read faithfully and enjoy the articles pertaining to our school.

Our online paper is very similar to the print version found on campus. However, we have adopted some of the local newspapers website offerings. We offer daily temps., beautiful color pictures and job services. One aspect that I found very wonderful was the book, jobs, housing, movies, and scholarship tabs. This section was very appealing to students and also very helpful. The links were to the books people have read and critiqued, movies around the area, and something very useful to students scholarship links and information, along with the information aimed at SJSU students.

Now the paper version of the Spartan Daily is a great read for students at our school. It offers great and current news.

The Mondays paper showed news pertaining to us here at SJSU. It gave articles on podcasting, the newest fad in lectures, as well as the scores off the sports teams. It has the opinion page, which in comparison to other paper hold the voices and opinions from my peers.

The advertisements are the one thing that seem to differ for me. I see the ones in the paper because the often take up half a page. while the ones online are off to the sides and not in the way of reading an article.

The benefit of reading our school newspaper online is access to read the article in its entirety rather than being seperated on different pages. Another is the coupons a student may find to local eatries. I have yet to find them on the website, and then again if they are there you would have to print it out and such. I am happy to rip out my TOGO's coupon and have the number to Wings chinese cuisine handy for after class. Lastly, as MCOMM students involved in blogging this semester, the online version of our school newspaper offers a blog. It is a tool obviously unavailable in paper version. This is a great way to get students conversing about school issues.

I have enjoyed the Spartan Daily's crossword puzzle for all my years at SJSU, while there is none to be found on the website.

Both online and paper version of our Spartan Daily offer great news written by our students. There are few differences between the two. I usually go for the paper form, however with the tools offered on our paper's website, I can be sure I will be visiting more often.


SJSU

Kentucky Free Chicken?

Nicole Ritchie and Paris Hilton fight in the media everyday. "She showed my porn video"......"she stopped eating".....blah blah blah.

How often do you see organizations go after each other? Thats right, I am talkin' about good oldKentucky Fried chicken where you a can geta bucket of chicken for 16.99$$ vs. PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals)

PETA has millions of supporters, including Pamela Anderson. Well having the large breased baywatch babe on your side doesnt always do wonders.....and I suppose KFC has millions of supporters as well. However, these two companies are in the ring and duking it out.

PETA is ruffleing KFC feathers...almost literally. PETA is fighting for a change in the way KFC slughterhouses are killing their chickens. It has been video taped that some slaughterhouses are using extremely inhumane ways to kill chickens, such as throwing them against walls in hopes they break their necks, as well as dipping them in boiling hot water while fully conscious. Theses cruel methods are the reason PETA is causing a stir.

PETA gimicks are not only aimed at KFC but to celebrities who wear fur. PETA is known for throwing red paint (to imiate blood) on the coats of those wearing fur. Other outrageous antics that PETA does to draw attention to its great cause it getting celebs..like Pam Anderson to dress up in a lettuce bikini.

But enough of the gimicks...and back to the chicken fight. KFC is refusing to tame its horendous ways of killing chickens claiming that it is cheaper and people will still enjoy the chicken regardless. PETA disagees.

The fight will continue, and PETA is contining its stike against KFC food.

How will these organization far out in the end? No one can tell yet, but its obvious that the public fight is not over. Does the public fight bring more heart wrenching followers to take sides? What about the animal loving KFC craving citizen? Will heart conquer hunger??????

Propaganda is Satans favorite friend

Like violence, gangs and sex.....propaganda is everywhere. Its pure manipulation, its pure persuasion, and its probably pure genius. It is on every commercial in between our tv obsession. Our lives are full of this influencial media, and lets be honest they are making millions on us.

Lately though, all I seem to see is beer commercials . Yes, I love beer....its true. Heiniken Light to be exact.

But the commerical that comes to mind is for Milkwaukees Best beer. If you dont watch tv, this commercial promotes the masculinity that eludes drinking beer. The guy in the commercial sees a smaller dog and bends down and says "oh what a cute dog you are" in a very feminine voice. Of course a huge milwaukees best beer come crashing down on him. The beer pins him to the ground as if punishment for even speaker in a fashion that is not masculine. This of course being that he needs to act like a man.

Their audience is mainly men, for they are telling their drinkers to act like men and drink their beer.
Their quote..."Men should act like men."

This form of propaganda is obviously a specific message aimed at men, urging them to drink "the manly beer"is the beer for men...or so it says. The propaganda throuhghout these commercials....yes, there is more than one...leads to the notion of persuasion. Is this type of advertisement working? Well, their beer sales have increased in this past year. I am sure they will continue to campaign their beer for men as well as keep the masculinity and humor alive in their commercials.

Facebook vs. MySpace

Everyone has it....and if you don't...your one of the very few. The Myspace population is mainly for high school students and college kids. MySpace is the place you go to chat, see you friends pictures and get reminders of your buddies birthdays.

While Facebook is the more elegant and less chaotic version. Some say it lacks personality.

MySpace gives many options to its users. Options like picking a colorful backround, link a song to play when people come to look, fonts, Top 8 friend list and such. The downside of Myspace, is the limit of pictures, and the problems some children are having with older creepy men stalking them. Myspace is available to anyone who signs up.

Facebook offers multiple photo albums for you to post, it displays the friends you have, and can see them more easily. Facebook is for college students and those with company email addresses. Facebook allows you to join groups, which MySpace does not have that option.

Both are a great way to stay in touch with those who live far away. It is a great way to stay connected with friends at other colleges.

So which one is better???? Everyone will have their opinion. Both offer teenagers and college students stay connected and talk to one another. It is a great way for students to mingle and network. Which one do you prefer????

Books, like Paris Hilton, will never go out of STYLE

I think people cherish real paper or hard back books to much to want a change. That doesnt mean that technology will attempt to create the new wave of book reading.

I can imaging that book will come in small CD form that you can put into what maybe would look like a childs gameboy. So that you put in the cd, and you can read from a small screen roughly the size of a small book.

Like discusses in class, the best part of reading a book is the availability to read it anywhere...in bed, in the park, and on the bus. The ability for books to travle easily is a luxury. This may seem to be the next step while creating of selling a newer form of books on electronic viewers.

What would happen to all the books we have now? Would they remain a fashion? We all know that when someone has a large collection of books and they are in a book shelf in the living room....one comments "wow you have a lot of books." Books may become just a fashion statement.

What will happen in classrooms? How can we bring our texts to class if they are not in book form? How will students highlight the info, write in the margins, and carry it easily? Would electronic books create even more disturbance in class?

I hope books will stay as paper books. The very essence of a book is its availablilty. You can read it in bed, on a bus, in the park. You can bring it anywhere, thats the best part about it. A book is a book, not a gameboy type toy that will spit out the words resembling a book. It is the cover of a book that sometimes capitvates us to buy it.
Without books, there would be no fun in enjoying the text.

If I ever decide to have children and they decide to have children...then it would be an honor to pass down the begining of my book collection. To pass down the books that influenced me and my peers, and the books, like King and Poe, will never go out of style just like Paris Hilton.

Its a free world after all.....

Its a free world after all.........

If I were a senior executive at a major record company I would in some sense I would give the music away for free. Companies now are in the process of this movement.

Well, here is the deal. I would have a contract with a major downloading website such as SpiralFrog. The website would purchase the songs and have the legal rights to distribute the companies music for a price from our company. This would create revenue for the company and the muscians.

The websites would make their money by advertisments posted on their site. If this were the website that thousands of kids would see everyday, advertisers would pay high to get their product placed on the site. This creates the revenue needed for the website.

The kids would download for free, but still be encouraged to buy the group or artists cd. They would also be offered sites to purchase their groups or artists posters, shirts, concert tickets, and other merchandise that would benefit the muscians and company. Group websites would be available on the downlaoding main page as well as possible artist interviews.

This idea would still allow each group to recieve their paychecks, while the kids would enjoy the music. It may seem like a losing situation for the muscians, however, if tons of kids are downloading their music it would
show band support and interest. They would still be encouraged to create new music for their fans, for tours, and other merchandise that kids are interested in.

Another idea that is geared towards making money as well as promoting the band under the company would be do something that no other company offers. If I owned a music company I would realize how many kids today are listening to their Ipods, and see that the use of Ipods is huge and that is a market that is still growing. Either making Ipod cases that have band names and logos on it would create another source interest in kids, the other create a deal with Apple, to make Ipods that have the decal of a specific band or their logo emblazed on the Ipod itself. The kids could order the Ipod form the Apple store or company websites and after they pay, their Ipod would be delivered to them with special decor that was in honor of their favorite band.

These idea posted today are to keep money in the pockets of the muscian, the music company, and potenial websites while advertisers are doing their thing as well. Each seperate group in this situation would get paid and the music would be enjoyed.

Linking on a post????

Anyone know how to site a link in your post....and willing to explain it?

Scientology and the Cruise family

She was not disfigured, she was normal. A normal baby...from Tom Cruise? Jahah some may say...his crazy antics may deem him unable to raise a normal human life. Well, scientology seems to think he is their god. They love him in that cult they have. Does it effect his life? Yes.....note that he just got fired. Does it seem to effect Katie Holmes life? Yes....they will not marry until she has finished her scientology classes. Has it effected baby Suri's life? Yes...she has been kept in hiding away from all germs since she is not allowed normal child shots and vaccines.

Baby Suri was the most sought after photos by journalists these past few months. Only one photo was seen in magazines and web sites was blury and didnt show the babies true features.

Anyway....how has scientolgy effected Tom Cruise, Katie Holmes life, and our society? Well first off, this religion was created by L.Ron Hubbard. Its theory is that you do not have beliefs or faith. What is true for is what is observed to be true. Anyone get it? They say you can achieve true spiritual release and freedom. I do not see the freedom in this religion, by having to attend classes and follow stricts rules. Hell, having a silent birth because screams and loud noises might scare the baby.....a little odd but lets keep digging.

The word scientology is dervied from the latin words "the study of truth." It also means you belive in a mortal spiritua life. Tom Cruise by the religion he lives belives his capabilities are endless. His capabilities unlimited and he cant even understand his true capability potenial. He is able to not only solve his own problems, accomplish his goals and gain lasting happiness, but also achieve new, higher states of awareness and ability.
Well many people might be glad for him and his everlasting state of awareness, I feel his outbursts of scientology declarations are pushing the envelope of society and common politeness. His attack on anti-depressants, which help many people, was his religious beliefs poking through.

While baby Suri was a huge interest, what about how Tom will raise his child. Will she be forced to follow this secluded faith. A faith that has gotten her father fired and disliked by many? Will she have a choice...will Katie ever stand up to Tom? The world will have to wait and keep watching.

Southeast Asia Art Contest

Southeast Asia Art CompetitionSoutheast Asia media art Compeition 2006 asking for contestants for all over the world. The title of the years contest "Interaction in Cultural Diversity," hopes to bring art and people together. The Committee for Culture and Information of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN-COCI) is launching a media art contest for cultural cooperation and exchange among member countries.National judging board from all nations will be judging the art entries. The judges will pick the three best entries from each nation to be selected to enter an exibition in Indonesia later this year.

The idea of the art competition is for the artiststo search and explore new ideas and models of media presentation. The judges are hoping to see moving images, like animation and movie style entries. They will also be looking for web based and interactive presentations. People looking to enter can submit a maximium of two entries in each different category.

The contest is a great way for artists to bring to life their ideas and talents in media. The art competition is involving new forms of media and hopes to incoporate the styles of media and art entered in the contest in future art expo's.The wave of new forms of media encourages artists to expand their talents and try to use visual moving forms of media as their muse.

This is a greast option for students or other artists involved in web use and media art. The media art contest opens the world to new ideas and ways to see different styles of art. It would be exciting to see what kind of entries are submitted and also to see what the judges choose as the winners to be shown at the art exhibition.