What Else do you Need to Know?

All Hail Bielema

2006-11-19T15:58:00.000-08:00

Preseason, there was a lot of speculation that the Badgers would finish towards the bottom of the Big Ten. Our star running back, Brian Calhoun, and practically our entire receiving core was heading to the NFL, and to top it all off, the greatest, yes the greatest, head coach in the nation was stepping down. This put a ton of weight on the shoulders of the man who was soon to become the second youngest coach in the nation, Bret Bielema. Despite all these pressures, Bielema has filled Alvarez's shoes and then some. He has set the Big Ten record for wins by a first year coach (11) and has the "overacheiving" Badgers primed to play in what should be a very prestigous bowl game. I don't think there is any question that Bielema should win the award for the national coach of the year. I have no doubt that what he has established this year, will become the norm for this great school.

Lost in Translation Through the Eyes of Auge

2006-11-14T21:40:00.000-08:00

Bill Murray makes the journey from non-place to place in the movie Lost in Translation. On page 85, Auge defines "place" as being a space of familiarity. "Solitary travellers are most likely to find evocations of spaces where identity and relations make no sense." p. 87. This quote summarizes the majority of the movie to a tee. Before meeting Scarlett Johansson, Bill Murray was all alone in a land where he couldn't even understand what anyone was saying. He spent every night drinking by himself in the bar, counting the days until he could return home (place).

After meeting Scarlett Johansson, Japan quickly shifts towards "place". However, it does not completely make the transition. Like Auge mentions on page 85, it is possible for "places" and "non-places" to co-exist. Murray's interaction all day is very uncomfortable and unfamiliar, until he meets up with Johansson at night. He eventually becomes attached and does not want to go home. This attachment is the relational part required of a "place". I think it is very interesting how the journey of the "non-place" is what leads to the creation of a new "place".

Are people really that impacient?

2006-11-10T09:47:00.000-08:00

Playstation 3 is coming out soon. For the first wave of shipments, they are selling way fewer than there is a demand for. Microsoft did the same thing when they released the Xbox360, which was full of bugs and by the time they fixed the machine you could buy them in any electronics store (PS3 could be the same way). This means anyone that doesn't get one right away (pre-order or first to show up at the store) will have to wait, oh probably a month or two at the most. Two of my roommates got preorders (it didn't seem hard for them to get) and listed them on ebay. The retail price was either $600 or $700. Their preorders on ebay sold for $1600 a piece. Who in their right minds would pay more than double for a video game console to avoid a month wait? This seems like something out of the most recent South Park episode (which was a little dissapointing). I guess there are people out there with more money than brains.

Notes Week 10/30

2006-11-06T20:18:00.000-08:00

This week was my turn to present and I think things went smoother than I was anticipating. I've never really been a fan of leading discussions myself, but this was nothing. Auge's piece was somewhat confusing, but with a little work and preperation, I was able to pull out what I believe the meaning was.

"From Places to Non-Places" was concerned with exactly that; places and non-places. I saw a "place" as being something a person relates and identifies with; something a little more permanent than a "non-place". Auge linked "non-places" with movement and solidarity. On page 87 Auge writes "solitude is experienced as an overburdening or emptying of individuality, in which only the movement of the fleeting images enables the observer to hypothesize the existence of a past and glimpse the possibility of a future." Is Auge saying that if you lack the interaction needed on a regular bases you lose who you are? Perhaps you really become more yourself because you aren't doing things to please others.

Despite being a difficult read, this article was really interesting. We hit on a lot of good points in class, but there is definitely more to explore there. Perhaps by somone a little more knowledgable than myself.

Notes Week 10/23

2006-10-30T09:22:00.000-08:00

I think the idea of alter ego's on the internet can be pretty fun to explore. Different people log onto the web for different reasons. Some create fake identities for the purpose of escaping every day life. Others do it just to stir people up and have some fun. When we were younger, my friends and I would post on different sites or chatrooms pretending to be something we weren't just to see what reactions we would get. The internet is becoming its own world. People don't even have to live in reality or go out into the real world anymore even. Everything you need you can get over the web. This does seem to be crippling people's communication skills and ability to interact with one another face to face. I am not saying the opportunities this brings are necissarily good or bad, but the changes are evident.

I'm glad I finally got my website working. It took a little more time than the first one, but I feel like the quality shows it. I was embarrassed to even attack my name to that first website. It was good to be able to reproduce it on my own without just listening to Scot give us step by step instructions. I feel the time in the lab on Wednesday was perfect for that. Any questions we had we could ask, but we were on our own to explore.

A day to Halloween and I Don't Know What to be

2006-10-27T11:10:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I was at my friend's house last week. It was his 21st birthday and we had some cocktails. The topic of halloween came up. I asked him what he was going to be and he said he didn't know yet. I told him I was going to be Dog the Bounty Hunter (the owner of the most badass mullet on A&E). Two days later I am talking to him and he tells me he figured out what he was going to be. HE JUST GOT THE STUFF TO BE DOG THE BOUNTY HUNTER. I was pissed and didn't know what to say. I don't know if he was to drunk to realize I told him that's what I was gonna be or what, but now it looks like I am going to have to find myself another idea (hopefully one to get back at him somehow). Maybe I'll be him for halloween and get with his girl.

Notes Week 10/16

2006-10-22T21:49:00.000-07:00

There isn't really a lot to say for this week. I'm pretty pumped to be able to use Fireworks now. Hopefully my website won't look like crap. I didn't actually realize we had any reading assigned for friday so I didn't come to class prepared for that. I thought we were only gonna work on our websites and we never even started them. That was kind of disapointing. Hopefully next week will still be as interesting since we will be back in the classroom.

Notes Week 10/09

2006-10-15T13:11:00.000-07:00

The tipping point is a very interesting idea. There are so many factors that go into it, many of which I don't feel can be predicted. A lot of our discussion was comparing the boom in popularity of a specific shoe and the boom in popularity of a technology such as DVD's. I don't think you can really compare the tipping point of something as basic as shoes with the tipping point of something technological. With clothing, the tipping point comes from something as broad as style which is very hard to predict. However, with technologies such as the move from VHS to DVD, the change could be seen from a mile away, but they don't really get popular until they become affordable. The tipping point with technology seems to always happen when the company can provide them at an affordable price. Products such as shoes don't really become cheaper, so the tipping point comes from a less tangible source.

Wednesday in the computer lab was great. I definitely prefer the activities where we are using the technology rather than talking about them. I can't wait to go deeper into fireworks so I can spice up my website. Even the basic things we learned on Wednesday could improve our websites by leaps and bounds (once we learn to upload them properly of course).

Friday's discussion didn't follow the normal structure of our average discussions. It was more of a stream of consciousness. We got talking about so many different points. It was a welcome change though, and I think the moderators did a good job of hitting their points, as well as adopting new ones that flowed with the discussion.

Dreamweaver STS

2006-10-13T09:46:00.000-07:00

This week I went to the Dreamweaver 1 class given through STS. It was only the first step in the series, but it did help me out quite a bit. The basic things they covered, we already did in English 201. We actually used the same handout as a guide. However, they actually taught us why things worked and why they had to be done. Knowing why things happen makes it easier to express what you want on your website.

There was a big emphasis on formatting the different parts of the website to make it usable by blind people. All this work didn't really apply to anything I will be making, but it was kind of interesting. Also, when I posted my webpage, there were a few problems with images that I will now have no problem with. I learned to put images into table format, so they will be easier to move and adjust. I can also use them as thumbnails now and link them to other/bigger pictures.

They also covered smaller features like the "back to top" button. These little things really do help to make the page look more professional. The instructor talked about CSS (cascading style sheets) a lot. This is what gives a website flow. I wish I had taken this class before we started our websites, but at least now I have the ability to change mine. Overall this was a good experience, and I will probably take the rest of the Dreamweaver/CSS classes.

Notes week 10/02

2006-10-08T19:52:00.000-07:00

Not having class on monday was a plus, and the readings for Wednesday and Friday were very easy reads. I really don't have any questions or comments to make concerning anything we talked about. This week was probably the most involved I've been with what we were talking about. Normally I have to read the readings more than once, either because they are complicated or they are boring and I find myself dazing, but one read through these articles was enough. The thing I think of most from the discussion about grid vs. network is how they change with age or status. High school assignments are more gridlike when compared with college assignments, which apparently relates to trust level. The overall goal of high and college is education, but seing as the college crowd should be more responsible, they are taught by more of a network structure.

The comparison of viruses (biological vs. technological) didn't really stimulate me very much for some reason. Don't get me wrong, some interesting points were made, but nothing that I still think about or have a strong opinion about. There just didn't seem to be enough substance there for me.

Notes Week 9/25

2006-10-03T15:41:00.000-07:00

This was a good week of class. The presenters did a very good job of keeping the discussions going. I thought the topics were some of the most interesting ones so far.

I guess I never really realized the extent of the roll of the "blogosphere" in our culture. To hear about all of the political figures and sources that use blogs, both for posting their positions and listening to the opinion of the public, really opened my eyes. Prior to these discussions I never really thought of blogging as having any real effect in the "real world".

Chaos vs. complexity is a pretty fine line. It's kind of hard to discern what category some things fit into. There seems to be some overlap. However, the topic really gets you thinking. The butterfly effect really blows my mind if I think about it too hard. It made for some good conversation during the weekend while we were all feeling philosophical.

I have always been a fan of architecture. I don't pretend to know anything about it, but whenever we go new places I spend forever studying the buildings, which pisses my friends off, so the grid/network discussion was pretty stimulating. I was dissapointed all over again that I couldn't see the Guggenheim in its fullest due to construction. I've never linked grid/networked architecture to our culture as a whole. One of the best points I pulled from the reading was from page 37 of "From Grid to Network". "Venturi uses the distinction between simplicity and complexity... Grids, which might have worked in industrial society, are obsolete in network culture. This represents perfectly the shift of building we mentioned in Las Vegas as well as outdated technologies being replaced by bigger brighter ones.

Notes Week 9/18

2006-09-24T16:36:00.000-07:00

This week was the most enjoyable week of class so far. The readings were not as bad as McLuhan's, but they were still over my head for the most part. Am I the only one that isn't getting the real meaning of these readings until Scott shows his points? I have never really been in this position in a class where I am this lost in any discussions where I have actually done the assigned readings. The readings probably confuse me more than if I had never even looked at them.

As annoying and frustrating as the Lexia to Perplexia website was, I am still a fan. It is this frustrating because this is the creator's view of electronic rhetoric in general. Their view of online sources is one that sends you on a wild goose chase to get the information you are looking for. The only reason I can stand this site is because it is purposefully agonizing. Since it is to prove a message, I can dig it. The Lexia to Perplexia site, to me, expresses it's purpose more clearly than any of the other readings for the week. I'm guessing this is because I am a more visual learner.

If at all possible, we should hold more classes in the computer lab. The atmosphere is better, and more points can be shown over the projection screen and use of the computers. Class was also more enjoyable because we were doing hands on projects and learning more about the computer programs we will be using, which are much more interesting to me than the readings.

Let's Settle This

2006-09-23T11:41:00.000-07:00

This post is more of a survey. My roomates and I watch Jay Leno/David Letterman and Conan O'brien almost every weeknight, and we always argue over who is the best. I don't know what there is to argue about. Conan is hands down the whittiest of the three when it comes to jokes on the fly and interviews, and the skits on his show are golden. Plus, he looks like Finland's Prime Minister. Jay Leno may have "headlines" and "Jaywalking", and Letterman has his "Top 10 List", but Conan gives us new outrageous skits night after night (he has his classics too with Triumph the Insult Comic Dog, and "If they Mated"). Leno and Letterman provide a more traditional late night talk show, but Conan is the wave of the future. His energy and improvised comedy are what I feel make him the best in the business. It also doesn't hurt to have frequent skits featuring the beloved Chuck Norris and satellite interviews with "Arnold Schwarzenegger". I want to see how other people feel about this debate. If you watch enough late night to have an opinion, feel free to leave your comments here.

Notes week 9/11

2006-09-17T20:51:00.000-07:00

Of all the readings/discussions for the week, rhetoric was hands down the best. Prior to the readings, I didn't even have a clue what rhetoric really was much less how big a role it plays in every day life. I was became very interested in the topic of conversation, since it was one that is actually relevant to my life. I find my self thinking of rhetoric tools whenever I'm trying to manipulate people.

Marshall McLuhan's articles on the other hand were probably the worst pieces of reading I have ever attempted. I didn't understand anything he was saying. It was terribly dry and just went in circles. The discussion started to clarify things a little bit. When I was done reading I had zero idea what I had just read. By the end of discussion I at least started to form some sort of idea, but not enough to have any opinion on the topic.

I didn't agree with most of the Hot/Cold medium groupings either. Pretty much the only two that I did agree with were film being hot and telephone being cold. I was really just going through the motions when I read that article because the first one had drained me so much. I should have gone back and read it a second time.

Discussions have been very positive and enlightening up to this point. The mood has been pretty casual and easy to hop into conversations.

A Sea of Red

2006-09-14T20:28:00.000-07:00

The weekend is almost upon us and I can barely contain myself. This isn't just any old weekend. It's a gameday weekend. There is nothing better than the atmosphere around campus on the day of a home game. The fact we're playing an unknown like San Diego State is irrelevant. The air will still be filled with the sounds of cheers and the smell of beer. Everyone on campus comes together for the same cause, whether it is getting drunk or supporting the Badgers doesn't matter, because the streets will run red with Sconnies and that's the greatest site around. You weren't born and raised in Wisconsin? It doesn't matter. As long as you're wearing red and white no one questions your dedication. From the pregame partying to the expletive filled chants, these weekends just can't be beat. It is the perfect release from the pressures and stresses of class. When you say Wisconsin... you've said it all!

What is Rhetoric?

2006-09-10T13:43:00.000-07:00

Prior to reading Herrick's introduction I could not have defined rhetoric. I honestly had no idea what it even meant. After reading this article, I now have a good idea of what it means. I would pretty much define it as any means of communication with an intended goal. I wouldn't consider simple "small talk" to be party of this category, but pretty much any meaningful conversation, or even writing, would be considered rhetoric. This definition is more or less what I feel Herrick's definition would be. My definition is definitely molded by Herrick's article, because prior to reading it, I didn't really have my own definition.

What I'm About

2006-09-08T10:47:00.000-07:00

Welcome to my blog. My name is Jordan. I am making this blog for my English 201 class. Forgive me for making this first post such a dull one. I am only posting it to give an idea of what my blog will be about. Actually, I just lied. I don't even know what my blog will be about. It will probably consist mainly of sports or any interesting encounters or stories from the previous weekend. You'll just have to check back to find out.