Bit Of Advice

One thing for upcoming students taking CS1300: Make sure you listen and follow along in class and you will do fine. And obviously do your work.

Good luck.

Classmates Websites

I enjoyed looking through everyone's websites. I thought there was a nice variety of styles throughout the class. One that stood out to me was Tommie's page which had a very nicely done navbar and included a song on the homepage. The backgrounds worked well on each page. Leslie's was also really nice as it included incredible design. Although it was a personal webpage, it looked quite professional. Peter's was amusing and provided bold images and text to keep the visitor interested.

Website

www.cs.trinity.edu/~dgolden
I had a bit of experience with coding and web design so it went as I expected. As usual, there were some technical difficulties with some frustrating moments but it was not too hard. I mainly used KompoZer and Dreamweaver, but also had to look up some code on the web. I am probably most proud of the homepage because I had some difficulty with the images and it was nice to arrange everything like I had planned. I would probably change the layout or color scheme of the website a bit. It could probably be designed better. My biggest technical challenge was making a fixed background image which I was finally able to achieve. I believe that some of the code and design could have been sending conflicting information. My biggest design challenge was deciding how to do the navigation. I ended up choosing to make a navbar with the linkable areas. I might send my site to a friend or two and will most likely email it to my parents. I assume I will make another website in the future for a class. I have used a website as a presentation in high school before for a non computer class. This assignment helped and taught me new ways to make a website even better.

Larry Hechler

Larry Hechler shared some great advice and information regarding computer hardware. It was a good reminder to save work often to the Y drive in case one loses their data. I thought his story or two of people destroying their computers for a free upgrade were amusing, but I would not be eligible for a warranty plan such as that because I have a Mac. I do believe I have the Applecare plan that he advised though. I didn't know that it was best to clean an LCD computer screen with simply some dawn and water on a rag as opposed to alcohol, acetone, or any form of ammonia. Another great tip was running down the battery at least once a month before charging it to maintain the battery's strength.

Sick Burger

My picture was made to show how photo manipulation could be abused in advertising. The picture shows a burger with a fly perched on top with a greenish patch on the patty. A rat is creeping in the background among stains on the white surface. I found the image of the burger and fries through Google Images along with the rat and fly. I altered the color of the meat and surface by changing the hue and saturation. I was inspired to do this photo by considering a company trying to sabotage another's product. This photo would be very harmful to a restaurant's business. Companies often already try to make their competitors look inferior, but a photo that is deceiving such as this would be wrongful. My photo also relates to the article I read. The Kia car company tried to make it appear as if a golfer was wearing their logo on his shirt by editing a photo of him. He became very upset and attempted to sue the company. This goes to show the dark side of using photo manipulation in advertising.

Johnson, Bradley. "Kia ad gets carmaker sued." Advertising Age 68.34 (1997): 24. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 11 Nov. 2010.

PowerPoint Presentations

I enjoyed this PowerPoint presentation project. Both researching my topic and watching others present helped me to learn new things and was interesting. The subject of circuit bending is of special interest to me because I love experimental music. I have messed around with circuit bending toys myself a little bit before, which helped me to have a better understanding of the process. It was fun to find pictures of modified toys and instruments, as well as to input the videos of a circuit bent Gameboy and Furby. In my research for the PowerPoint, I learned more about the history of circuit bending. I was not aware that it had existed in some form since the 1960's and who was credited as being one of the first pioneers of the art. If I could change something about my presentation, I would probably attempt to organize my thoughts better and add more information. I could have also come up with more creative effects in PowerPoint.
I was very impressed by many people's Powerpoints, but two presentations that really stuck out were Leslie's and Lauren's. Leslie demonstrated her knowledge of design with a very visually effective presentation. She showed some great examples of her passion that kept one's attention throughout. Lauren's PowerPoint was great because she took a serious topic but contrasted it with a Dr. Seuss story as a way to make it more interesting and easier to understand.

Chris Nolan

Chris Nolan, the Assistant University Librarian, presented interesting information concerning research on the internet. I was not surprised that Google is vastly the most popular search engine, but I enjoyed seeing the frequency of use of other search engines on the pie chart. I sometimes forget about Google scholar which seems like a nice back up for an academic database. I also hadn't considered how Google factors in the number of links to a website in its search list. Limiting searches by domain such as looking for specifically "edu" sights is a great idea when trying to find certain sources. The activity that consisted of evaluating the validity of certain websites was an effective way to highlight how websites' credentials can be deceiving.

Powerpoint

Sometimes there is nothing worse during a presentation than a bad Powerpoint. A bad Powerpoint often contains some fundamental flaws that can be easy to fall prey to when first using the program. To start off, an overpowering, ugly color scheme is usually not only hard on the eyes but also difficult to read. Another mistake could be the way the information is presented. There should be a reasonable balance between text and media. A bit of text can help keep the focus of the subject being discussed while visuals like pictures and videos keep the presentation entertaining. A similar issue is the speaker being able to properly talk about the slides. The speaker should acknowledge or mention at least some thing presented on the screen but should not be reading bullet points. This can be very boring and make the speaker come off as unprepared. Misuse  of animation is another big issue. Animation should almost always be quick and smooth. It should enhance the flow of the presentation but not distract from it. Animation that is too ridiculous can come off as rather lame. Finally, its very important that one's Powerpoint is completely functional. This may seem very obvious but it's important to give one's Powerpoint multiple test runs as buttons and media objects can sometimes be faulty. It is difficult to fix when you are presenting.

Aside from all their possible problems, Powerpoints can be a very effective tool to deliver a speech. They are a way of presenting information visually along with speech, which is more likely to teach people who have different styles of learning. When done right they can really enhance information presented. I have had some teachers who could really utilize Powerpoint to improve their lectures. One of the more creative applications of Powerpoint I have seen was at my high school. Teachers would sometimes use Powerpoint to create a game of Jeopardy to review for tests by making a bunch of buttons on a grid. This was a fun way to study with the class as a whole.

Center for Learning & Technology

I was not aware of the CLT until Robert Chapman's talk. During orientation week I had seen the bottom floor of the library that contained a media library but had not adventured further to find it. It appears to be a really great resource for any kind of computer and media work. I especially liked the fact that the computers have a bunch of freeware to take and utilize. Other more expensive programs like Pro Tools at our disposal are very exciting too. I thought it seemed like a real chill environment to work in that wasn't too busy. The availability of 14 Macs and 12 PCs makes for a nice balance. Also the 11 scanners provided are good to know about. The fact that the CLT staff is usually ready and able to help with software and equipment is very valuable. It is convenient for the CLT computers to save any work you do on the harddrive unlike other computers on campus. I felt like a lot of the emerging technology ideas on campus arise from here, such as the video chatting system Robert Chapman described. I have chosen to post a picture of the CLT as my people drawing skills are severely lacking. It was not a pretty drawing.

Photo Manipulation

The news service Reuters published this picture of George Bush writing a note requesting a bathroom break. I chose this picture because it is amusing and also different from many of the other altered shots. Although many might snicker at Bush's need for some time off in the restroom, it is a legitimate request and what is depicted in the picture is in fact real. The photo was altered by overexposing Bush's text on the note to make it easier to read and stand out. I do not think this was harmful because it was what Bush actually wrote. I believe it was an effective use of photo manipulation and a clever technique. The only way the photo could have a negative impact is by making it appear as if Bush was asking an inappropriate question in a bit too obvious of a manner.


This is a pretty cool video demonstrating how to create a drop of condensation. The video adds the droplet of water of to a bottle of Coca Cola. This technique could be used in advertising to make a drink look more appealing or something wet look more realistic.

Thoughts on Excel

Although I have not enjoyed Excel much in the past, this class has helped me to become more comfortable with it. I do not feel as if I had struggled with it in high school, but it was often annoying to use and had connotations that included frustrating biology or chemistry prelabs. I knew how to input basic data, use formulas, and make basic charts, but I was not very experienced. I have learned more efficient ways to calculate equations in excel and how to have more control over the spreadsheet. I did not know about certain features such as conditional formatting. In future classes, it would be helpful to continue to find out the fastest ways to accomplish tasks in Excel, like all the simple shortcuts that exist. This could help me in my "real life" by making other school work easier and impressing teachers with visually appealing reports. I immaturely dislike Excel just for the fact that it is often used for rather dull assignments. I like Excel though for its clean organization.

Copyright Debate

The Internet has created a unique opportunity for thieves as well as intellectuals or even a combination of the two. I have actually been interested in copyright law for a while in regards to sharing media and sampling music, but learned new things from Jason Hardin's talk. For example, I did not know that it is a felony to commit a copyright infringement involving more than 10 copies and a value of more than $2500. The laws on such matters can be rather confusing as many gray areas exist. The line of legality is constantly blurred with new lawsuits and questioning of what is right and wrong. One matter up for debate is the question of what falls under “fair use” and what is outright stealing. I have done a research paper on such laws before and know that Title 17 of the US Code concerning copyright states that to determine whether the use of a copyrighted work is fair use or not, one must consider “the purpose and character of the use,” “the nature of the copyrighted work,” “the amount and substantiality of the portion used in relation to the copyrighted work as a whole” and “the effect of the use upon the potential market for or value of the copyrighted work” which Jason Hardin also shared with us in class. This allows cases to be determined more fairly based on the specifics on the scenario, which I think is very important.  Many young creative minds using already existing art as pieces in a bigger picture should not be punished for their drive to express themselves and expand on previous ideas. Yet, artists deserve to receive recognition and be able to earn a living from their creative efforts. The future of online media and sampling should be handled with cooperation instead of reprimand. I personally hope a fair balance is reached between artists making profit and consumers being able to share and enjoy creative works, but I do not believe the solution to such issues is solved by massive companies suing individuals. 

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License.

Understanding the Trinity Network

At long lost, I think I am finally understanding how an institution, such as a college campus, gets a connection to the Internet and maintains its servers. I have never known much about the hardware behind working, high-speed Internet. It was very cool to take a look behind the scenes and have Jared Pack explain the connection to us. I was surprised by a number of things. For example, I couldn't have guessed that data was backed up on cassette tapes which often are seen as equipment of the past. I feel less ignorant knowing at least a bit about how our computer's precious connection to the online world must go through multiple sources before rendering the results we want.

Trinity Mystery Picture

The location I chose is a place I pass every Tuesday and Thursday on the way to class. You might be passing this area if you are going to be doing something more physical than using paper and a pen. The school mascot proudly stands and watches. I messed with the original photo in Picnik by turning up the saturation and contrast. I also altered the color settings to give it a warmer look. Then I added some random, silly-looking doodles. I finally added one of the "sticker" doodle creatures and gave him a thought bubble to show his confusion by the appearance of the tiger. I think this is a rather cool location on campus and it is a nice way for me to begin the day when I go to this class. There was not any particular reasoning for the edits, but I do enjoy intensifying the colors in photos to almost make them surreal. I thought the tiger lent itself very nicely to goofy doodles.

The Hatch Files

I really apprecited Joe Hatch taking the time to speak to us about online security and general maintenance. I was aware of the "reset" feature in Safari but did not know that it could quite possibly speed browsing the web. I also knew of nasty things that one's computer could become infected with such as viruses and trojans but did not know all the ways one's connection might become vulnerable. I think I now understand better why the school uses the Clean Access Agent. I will try to be more careful about accessing certain things online.

Sup

I'm Douglas Golden, a freshman at Trinity University. I'm from Houston, Texas and enjoy computers. I used to run Cross Country and am very interested in the arts. Photography and music are some interests of mine. I was capable, at least at one time, of putting both feet behind my head.  I have a MacBook Pro which I use often. Although I prefer Macs now, I grew up exclusively using computers running Windows until high school. I like playing around with graphic design using programs such as Photoshop and Flash. I have had classes in web design, digital animation, and digital photography. I have some basic experience coding html simply in notepad as well as more sophisticated programs like Dreamweaver.


You can email me at dgolden@trinity.edu.