My main extra curricular activity related to school is debate and forensics. These activities are super nerdy and filled to the brim with nerds but they're FUN. They're really competitive and require a lot of both individual and team work and you also get to dress like a business person so it's all pretty great. I'm also in various national honors societies and am an officer for the National Forensics League and National History Honors Society. This is enjoyable because I like bossing people around.
Outside of school I watch a ridiculous amount of TV and movies, mostly through Netflix but I also have HBO so the options are endless. My favorite movies are those directed by Quentin Tarantino, and my top three Tarantino movies are Inglourious Basterds, Django Unchained, and Pulp Fiction. Movies written by Martin McDonagh are also AMAAAHZING. So far he's created the movies In Bruges and and Seven Psychopaths, but he was a playwright first so that is also some quality reading material. It seems that all of my favorite films share the general trend of being really dark comedies.
I also like reading as well though I'd like to be better at making time for it. One of the authors I read the most of is Chuck Palahniuk who is most famous for Fight Club. Other books I really like are The Bell Jar, A Clockwork Orange, and books by Jeffrey Eugenides. For the most part these books are also really dark because apparently I'm a creep? I wasn't aware of this.
I also write sometimes but I've had major writer's block for a while. College applications have been sucking out all of my creative power for the time being.
But what I mostly do in my free time is hang out with my pals. I have a group of friends that I'm really close; they're very odd people but I love them to death. We like gossiping and watching Friends and going to the mall and eating everything.
Friday, August 30, 2013
Wednesday, August 28, 2013
Wednesday August 28th
Some qualities of a good presentation include not reading all the text on your presentation in a monotonous voice that lulls your audience to sleep. Good presenters are energetic and spontaneous and say things that AREN'T necessarily written on the presentation slide (IMAGINE THAT). Quality presentations also include information or images that interest/captivate/shock/worry(?) the viewer. Implementing these elements can make a snoozy presentation less snoozy. If the topic of the presentation is inherently boring, you can pretend that you're excited about it to trick the audience into also being excited. Think outside the box and do craaaazy things. If all else fails, pass candy out to everyone and they will automatically enjoy your presentation 750% more because unfortunately that is how the human brain works.
Monday, August 26, 2013
Monday August 26th
Journal - Tell me if you agree with this statement and then explain why or why not. "Images on the internet are 'free game' - if someone posted I should be able to use it."
Whether or not you can use posted images depends on the context that the image was posted in. If something isn't copyrighted, then it is "free game" and there's nothing wrong with using it. For instance, if something is posted to social media like Facebook or Twitter, it becomes part of the public domain. That's why you should be not stupid about what you post on sites like these because once you basically publish them they can be shared throughout the entire Internet and seen by virtually anybody which could be pretty unpleasant.
If the image is copyrighted, with the copyright information given, it shouldn't be used. Because of copy-paste and screenshots, though, it's hard to protect copyrighted images from being taken and dispersed throughout the internet. If a copyrighted image is used, the copyright information (who/what the photo belongs too) should also be provided. Some images are watermarked so that even if they are taken the source is plastered across it. Watermarks also sometimes deter people from using those images because they are rather obnoxious.
Whether or not you can use posted images depends on the context that the image was posted in. If something isn't copyrighted, then it is "free game" and there's nothing wrong with using it. For instance, if something is posted to social media like Facebook or Twitter, it becomes part of the public domain. That's why you should be not stupid about what you post on sites like these because once you basically publish them they can be shared throughout the entire Internet and seen by virtually anybody which could be pretty unpleasant.
If the image is copyrighted, with the copyright information given, it shouldn't be used. Because of copy-paste and screenshots, though, it's hard to protect copyrighted images from being taken and dispersed throughout the internet. If a copyrighted image is used, the copyright information (who/what the photo belongs too) should also be provided. Some images are watermarked so that even if they are taken the source is plastered across it. Watermarks also sometimes deter people from using those images because they are rather obnoxious.
Friday, August 23, 2013
Friday August 23rd
The openness allowed by the online world has brought many benefits to people and society, but it comes with many increased risks as well. When we post information online, we in essence hand out this information to anybody who could wish to access it regardless of their intention. This can lead to dangerous uses of this information, such as hacking or identity theft. For these reasons it's essential to protection oneself on the internet.
I protect myself online by not posting any information that's personal or something I wouldn't want others to know in the first place, and also by using privacy settings on various social media. This is an easy thing to do and can save somebody a lot of future trouble.
My friends and I are all pretty smart about online safety so we haven't had any major incidences. However, I have experienced twitter hacking a couple of times, which isn't especially harmful and can be easily stopped by changing your password but is still a nuisance and implies that more serious infringements on privacy are possible.
Wednesday, August 21, 2013
Tuesday August 20th
The world around us today convinces us we need to be, think, and live a certain way. We are convinced that if we do not fit in with what an invisible audience claims is the norm, we are somehow less. Ashton Kutcher's speech at the Teen Choice Awards speaks to us, young people especially, about how we are never less. Despite what society and our peers tell us, we are just as smart as anyone else and have the ability to do anything we set our mind to.
Kutcher says, "Everything around you that you call life was made up by people that were no smarter than you, and you can change it, you can influence it, you can build your own things that other people can use." We often marvel at our surroundings without realizing that we are just as capable as those who have created the world as we know it. We are not hopeless - we all have the ability to influence change and improvement as long as we are intelligent and thoughtful - the most important traits - as Kutcher says, "Everything else is crap." Society has skewed our views of what we value as important but it is this ability to think, influence, and create that is most vital to the continuation and progress human kind. It is within all of us, though we may not realize it.
Kutcher says, "Everything around you that you call life was made up by people that were no smarter than you, and you can change it, you can influence it, you can build your own things that other people can use." We often marvel at our surroundings without realizing that we are just as capable as those who have created the world as we know it. We are not hopeless - we all have the ability to influence change and improvement as long as we are intelligent and thoughtful - the most important traits - as Kutcher says, "Everything else is crap." Society has skewed our views of what we value as important but it is this ability to think, influence, and create that is most vital to the continuation and progress human kind. It is within all of us, though we may not realize it.
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