Lots of Snow

I didn't really do that much this weekend so I don't have much to blog about, but I guess we're supposed to get 6-12 inches of snow this Wednesday, along with an inch of ice.  I kind of hope the weatherchannel is wrong, because that would probably cause power outages and then a cold house.


Here's a link to it
http://www.weather.com/weather/hourbyhour/46814?begHour=22&begDay=31#Tue,%20Feb%201

Social Network

I saw The Social Network today and thought it was a pretty good movie, I originally thought it would just be kind of a boring moving, and wasn't sure what interesting content it could possible have. I didn't know that the creation of Facebook actually had an interesting story. I also liked how the story kind of left it up to the viewer who was actually the bad person.  The movie also had a pretty good music, I think the music track was made by Trent Reznor, which was kind of cool.

Phase Essay Response

In the essay “Hooked,” the author manages to describe a phase of his or her life over what seems to be a somewhat long length of time, while also managing to provide vivid descriptions of significant memories which he or she remembers from his fishing phase. The narrator began with an anecdote that is able to interest the reader in his story from the beginning; he or she starts by saying “I see it moving ever so slightly, first to the left and then back to the right. Small ripples emanate from the slightest movement.”  This passage sparks the reader’s interest in the story immediately by making the reader want to know what “it” is talking about.  He or she continues to say “But my adversary (the fish) seems content to tease me, waiting for me to tire of this game.  I never do.” This passage also manages to show the reader that the narrator does not consider fishing as a foolish phase; it is a pastime which he is proud to participate in, which is somewhat uncommon for phases.  After this paragraph, the narrator goes back and describes his equipment, fishing sites, and fishing attire, also providing the reader with a great picture of what the narrator appeared to look like in the next anecdote.  Overall, this was a surprisingly interesting essay which managed to hold my attention throughout the entire essay through its interesting anecdotes.

I just saw this online today and thought it was kind of ridiculous that there's actually a Goshen Horse Thief Detective group.

This is another Whitest Kids video which I thought was pretty funny, kind of mocks the way we have to identify parts of speech in school.

Faja Essay

    Through the essay “Faja,” Maverick’s sensory details of his or her father help to present the reader with not only physical details, but also manages to provide the reader with a vivid description of his or her father’s personality.   In the beginning, Maverick describes his or her father as hardworking man who constantly strives to get things done.  However, on the day of the observation, the father had no task to finish.  Generally, one’s hobbies tell everybody the most about themselves; however, in the father’s case, the lack of activity shows the reader more.  Maverick says that his or her father simply stares into the distance, and goes on to say : “People in the military are said to acquire a ‘thousand yard stare’ which cannot be broken by any amount of shouting or verbal abuse by authoritative figures. If this is true, then, in comparison, he must have a million yard stare.” This explanation further explains to the reader that the narrator’s father truly is extremely busy.  Generally, if people have lots of free time, they find an extremely time consuming hobby.  However, the father having no time outlet shows the reader that the father constantly works and does not have time to keep up with any hobbies.

WKUK

 

This is a video by the Whitest Kids U' Know, they have their own TV show on IFC now, this one is just from the first season so it was on Fuse.  I just found this video by them online the other day and thought it was pretty funny.

I heard about this on the radio this morning and thought it is pretty interesting that people are able to make a robot which is able to answer questions this hard. This is also more impressive because the machine is able to ring the buzzer on it's own, as well as answer questions without the use of the internet, and without somebody simply reading the answers to it.

Animation Background

I recently finished this background for an animation I'm making.  I'm still working on the random items for the roof of the middle building.  Right now, the pipes look kind of out of place, so I will probably either delete them completely or delete them and put something else in their place.  It was also kind of hard to think of different architecture styles for the three different buildings as well as the buildings in the backdrop.

Link:
http://megaswf.com/simple_serve/99046/

"Ground Zero" Response

Through Suzanne Berne’s article “Ground Zero,” Berne is able to depict the environment created by the destruction of the Twin Towers, and she explains the significance of the lack of something in a large city.  Berne begins explaining this concept by describing the surrounding environment where the buildings once stood.  She then mentions the children, old couples, and middle-aged couples; all watching “where there was nothing to see.”  The gap where the buildings once stood, although it is nothing now, made the narrator says the nothingness is really an absence.  Even though the buildings are gone, there is now what appears to be a construction site, with all of the jackhammer, scaffolding, and trucks.  Berne then goes on to mention that because ground zero appears to be a construction site, it instills hope in its viewers who wonder what the open lot could become. 

    Overall, this essay was entertaining to read.  It was interesting how Berne was able to put a somewhat optimistic spin on such a grave event, while also providing the reader with a realistic image of what Berne saw.  Through this image, people that have never been to ground zero are able to feel as if they have seen the aftermath of this important event.  An example of this would be “Ground zero is a great bowl of light, and emptiness that seems weirdly spacious and grand.”