Project 5 Link

Here is the link to the blog that hosts Dave's and my final project of the semester:

http://morgantowndaily.blogspot.com/

Project 3 (linked)

Here's the link to project 3. I think it may have been missed.

http://gmschoolcraftproject3.blogspot.com/

In-class response 12-04-08

Dave and I will be working together again for the last project of the semester. We are creating a satirical, Onion-style publication based on made up or exaggerated events in Morgantown. I have already written a couple satirical stories, and Dave will also write to contribute to the actual text content. We will work together to create an effective, yet humorous front-page layout. We also aspire to create a publication Web site of some sort--this part of the project, however, is less mapped out at this point.

We thought this project would be appropriate because it creates a good sense of mixed reality. We will have a publication based upon a real place--Morgantown, W. Va.--and the publication itself will be a real, commonly used medium--the newspaper/Internet.

As with the Onion, the real names of University figures will be used, but the events will be very exaggerated or completely fictional.

I think this project will take a lot of creative effort, but I also think we will get a few laughs out of it--so it will all be worthwhile.

In-class Response part two 11/20/08

I'm still not completely sure what direction I'm heading for Project 5. I still think some kind of collaboration would be interesting. There are tons of places in Morgantown that you could do things like what we went over in class--like the Pac Man game--for example. Involving others in a game of some sort could be interesting. My one concern with collaborative projects is that the time frame, again, is kind of short. It will be difficult to get a lot of participation in such a short period of time so I am still considering that.

I'm not exactly sure what the limitations are on this project. I feel the prompt is a little bit abstract and open-ended. When things aren't narrowed down enough, I have trouble finding a starting point. I guess mainly I haven't fully grasped the concept of "mixed-reality" yet. The idea about making something from everyday life content or location doesn't make the most sense to me at this point.

In-class Response 11/20/08

I typically don't read blogs, though some of my friends have blogs. I think, however, considering the field I work in, reading blogs may be helpful in analyzing audience and what is important in their eyes. It would help to dictate story ideas that would appeal to that audience. Blogs are important today because it seems the exercise of practicing free speech is more popular than ever. Individuals find it important to get their own words out and to be heard. People are excited about them as a form of writing because they can be informal--they aren't critiqued for grammar or word usage. You can say whatever is on your mind--you can rant. There are less rules to follow. Blogs seem open and participatory. They invite comment and opinions, though some opinions may be more appreciated than others. And blogs don't have to be used just as diaries. They can have themes. They can follow certain events over a period of time.

11/18/2008

Here is the link to Dave's and my Project 4 blog:
http://gwendavesproject4extravaganza.blogspot.com/

In Class Response 11/18/08

I actually have no idea what I'm doing this next project on. I'm thinking about going more toward a collaborative direction for the project. It could be neat to do some kind of Morgantown-based game. We could even do some kind of man-on-the street trivia game, where we would ask common-knowledge questions to see what kinds of answers we get. Obviously this isn't a well-developed idea as of now, but it's a starting point for thoughts.

11/11/08

I really like the idea that Dave and I have. I think that talking about the election is a really good way to address the every day because, especially working in the media industry, this has been our every day for quite a while. And even now that the election is over it's part of our lives. There was controversy in the election--a lot of racial/sexist issues that were addressed by many people.

11-6-08 Project Update

Dave and I changed the topic of our project. It will still follow the guidelines of us recording phrases spoken by our friends, but instead of catchphrases, our project will focus on election terms. Everyone has done their share of quoting candidates at their best as well as their worst. We will ask our friends to say one of the phrases that pops into their minds when they think of the 2008 election. We decided to change topics to this one to make it more timely and relevant. We will still coordinate photos with sound in movie maker. Here is an example of a photo we might use:

10-28-08 Response 6

I could use the following list as parts of a poem. I could start it out with a few items on the list, e-mail it to friends and have them add on. I was also thinking I could create an online profile of a made-up character who is a pessimist who exaggerates everyday annoyances to a ridiculous level. I could combine a few of these items into a generic press release, just as the Web site we looked at suggested. For example, many of these annoyances are work related so they would work together well in a press-release format. I could recreate some of these annoyances in photo form--capture some of the things in action--translate the words/ideas into photography to make them more concrete. This idea stems from the idea given on the Web site we looked at to recreate an image taken by another person. Instead of recreating an image, however, I'd be recreating moments in everyday life.


Things that annoy me:

Being hovered over
Bad grammar
Missed deadlines
Living by deadlines
Pointless classes
Waking up early
E-mail/text forwards
The clicking noise my car makes
Hearing loud drunk kids outside my window when I'm trying to sleep
Being woken up by the garbage truck
Alarm clocks
Movies with endings that resolve, conclude nothing
Generic headlines
Crowds
Long lines
Sneezing
Faulkner novels
most American literature
most reality TV shows
28 Days Later
Light or noise when I'm trying to sleep
Error messages on my computer
Subelements

In Class Thoughts on Project 4

Project 4 may be the most interesting/fun one so far. I like the idea of starting a story/poem and having friends each contribute a line. I really like one of the Web sites we looked at in class--how to love me more (I think that's what it was called). There are a lot of funny/outlandish ideas. Writing a press release about an everyday activity would be pretty hilarious--it would mimic something you'd read on the Onion or in an April Fool's Day edition of a newspaper. Making a fake persona on facebook and trying to add friends and create a life story for the nonexistent person could be pretty interesting as well.

Algorithmic Text No. 3

DA story... I used the adjective generator form this URL: http://watchout4snakes.com/creativitytools/RandomWord/RandomWordPlus.aspx, to insert random adjectives before every noun (since the use of too many adjectives is frowned upon in journalism because it often leads to editorializing and wordiness).

Maintainable morning workouts of many insubstantial Rec-goers were interrupted glibbest Saturday after the abortive report of a possible airier fire prompted a weightiest evacuation.
Throwaway West Virginia University junior exercise physiology major and three-year Student Recreation Center employee Jade Vrana said that a backwoods someone in the magenta Rec Center told her the loath area outside the architectural Sports Cafe smelled like fleecier burnt plastic.
She then alerted her conquering manager, who checked out the situation and decided to call the refrigerating fire department.
At roughly 10:20 a.m. passable Rec Center employees made a momentary announcement over the ubiquitous intercom instructing those inside to evacuate the mediate building. Plundering workers also made lustier announcements within the wry workout areas, as many chastest people did not hear the nonchalant initial warning over the lumpiest intercom.
Soon after the benign evacuation, the playful Morgantown Fire Department arrived on the cagier scene to investigate the sinning report.
Stinging firefighter Brian Izzo said the impromptu initial report was of a seasonable structure fire, and squeamish smoke was seen coming out of an outdone light.
The reverenced investigation showed there was actually no overrun fire, and within 20 biochemical minutes of the grouchiest evacuation, extricated students were allowed back in the corking building.
Convoluted Captain Jay Bolyard of the boastful Morgantown Fire Department said that one of the bedridden lights in the carefree building overheated, causing an energetic oil/smoke smell to be dispersed throughout the suggestive building.
“The foggiest air handlers picked it (the watery smell) up and spread it in the disconcerting building,” bubbling Bolyard said.
The strung firefighters isolated the capped electric current that was causing the sturdy problem.
While this fouled incident turned out to be a sickliest false alarm, it drew some kindlier attention to regimented safety concerns of the inflationary Rec Center.
Vengeful Vrana said that as far as she knew, “we’ve never had to evacuate, and we’ve never had an oscillating fire here.”
Bronze Nancy Oliverio, unruly graduate assistant for obtrusive fitness and loathsome wellness at the piled Rec Center, was on duty as a warring weekend manager when the punishable incident happened.
“We didn’t exactly know what was going on, so we didn’t know if we should pull the hollowed fire alarms,” narrowing Oliverio said.
Grooviest Vrana said that the rust workers didn’t know exactly where the livid alarms were or what the sagging emergency escape plan was.
The grittiest plan this bald time was essentially to “get them outside the verier doors,” comely Vrana said.
While cheering Vrana said “everyone handled it really well,” discredited Oliverio stated it took longer than expected to get the creamiest people out of the asterisked building.
“I was actually surprised about how long it took uptight people to get out of there,” crumbliest Oliverio said. “They really took their homely time,” she said, adding that it took about 20 rearing minutes to get everyone outside.
It was difficult to get fading people’s puckered attention partly because many were listening to kin music on validated iPods, according to briniest Oliverio. She said that evacuating downstairs wasn’t a skimpy problem, but the fizzing people using rigged treadmills and other creased equipment upstairs weren’t paying unprovoked attention.
Although there is a crackled emergency evacuation procedure, it isn’t very clear, obligate Oliverio said.
Bellied Rec Center employees have a tamer work meeting scheduled for amplest next week and will discuss choicer emergency evacuation routes, so they will be better prepared in the gripping event of an actual rhymed fire, almighty Vrana said.

Algorithmic Text No. 2

This is another story I wrote for the DA. I used the Lazarus cutup method shown on the syllabus. This method really changed the organization of the story and created a lot of sentence fragments.

Mining the coal, but they the streams and hunted producing and exporting people working on these respiratory diseases is because the revenue stream is predicted to that the method is a more such a premium in the many negative health possible.”
the current such as pollution, work,” he raney said.
“I don’t in west virginia, as higher in areas near want to put it near to enough dynamite in two efficient way to mine mountaintop removal uses people in west virginia having more education and training for our own hunter said that coal mining debate is hunter said the amount of may be difficult to hold world because they’re mountaintop removal put these people out of hiroshima.
while the the same way it was when coal due to energy being can do more in tourism by state for of its scenic feeling right off the bat the mountains ... it’ll autism cases, cancer and said.
the flip-side of in the mining areas. that if passed, the bill association.
raney said recreation.
“I think we is that in some areas, livelihood and would restored to its united states used over land instability, said requirement about with mountaintop removal weeks to equal the impact raney, the people working the only economic method bad for our economy state, “they’ve fished said.
he said that west sites each day,” he diminish,” sypolt said.
quality and probably force them to bill would take several they were growing up as said.
according to know why people want to this method must be sites.
hunter also said of the atomic bomb the said bill raney, talk.”
he went on to mountaintop removal is economy.”
“it’s really nation.
“(we should) the mountaintop removal people’s jobs and businesses,” he effects for people living to remove coal,” he an embarrassment to walking where they environmental hazards, environmentalists in the said.
if passed, the flooding and sometimes move from west virginia, president of the west coal that is otherwise virginia coal causing mud slides and “clearly would hurt our great, there are also approximate original contour.
this may not geologically unreachable, are “the best practicing virginia has experienced people often visit the an influx in revenue from moment while they’re dave sypolt.
“my gut be interrupted for a mountaintop removal is mountaintop removal is irreparable damage are grab it while we can preston county senator always be practical as it to own and manage tourism that land mined in with the soil in place, because it hurts tourism

Algorithmic Text No. 1

This is a story that I wrote for the DA... I used the cut-up spell check method on the syllabus. I retyped the story without looking at the computer screen to fix errors. Afterward, I used spell check suggestions to change the misspelled words. The story became incredibly inconsistent--with the last names of people being changed each time throughout.

Members of the west Virginia university sierra student collision protested the construction of ac owl fired power plant that would bring pollution into the state.
The plant, which may be built in meats county in southwester olio, couldaffect the environment both in olio and west Virginia
Pollution doesn’t stony at the state line,” said Christi Hartman, member of the WVU SSC.
On Feb. 10, members of the sac, along with student sin Hobo, c visited the homes of Ohio Environmental Protection Agency President Chris Kerensky and American Municipal Peer President Marc Garden in hopes of stopping the power plant’s construction.
Ohio Sudetenland initiated the get together to address the power plant issue affecting the entire state. Students from WVU were invited as well because Merges County borders West Virginia.
Miens County has one of the largest concentrations of coal-fired power plant sin the courtly, Hartman said.
“Coal-fired power plants are the main contributor to greenhouse gas pollution,” said Matt Riemann, national council coordinator for the Student Environmental Action Coalition, who visited Kolinsky and Green along with the students. “A Buiilding new coal-fired power plant is not a good idea.”
Hartman said she became interested in this initiatives after hearing abou5 the power plant thought Elisa Young, an organic farmer-turned-activist. Young has experienced the neat vive effects of coal-fired power plants, both on a health and environtmental level. Count’s property was contamintatied by postulate matter from the power plants, and she sufferers from cancer duty o exposure, Hartman said.
Coal-fired power plants are detrimental to communities directly imputes by the cycle of coal, Rittman said.
“Everything from the mining to the processing to the burning of coal all directly and severely impact the communities located near the facilities,” he said.
Southeast Ohio’s community suffers from every step of the cyclic, according to Riesman. The coal gets processed and dumped near homes and into the water supply . This contributes to air, water and soil pollution with mercury, sulfur dioxide and other outputs of coal burning, he said.
“All the stuff that comes off the smoke stacks is really toxic,” Reitman’s said.
Cancer and asthma are among the health problems associated with the toxins.
Harman and Riesman both said the people living in areas impacts by coal-fired power plants seem to nosier the effects part of everyday life.
“Growing up they didn’t know it wasn’t normal for kids to have asthma and brain tumors,” Hartmann said.
Riemann said that people who gel up nit eased communities in southeasters Hoi were used to the faculties and were taught in elementary school that the faculties were good for them.
“They have companies come in an tell the children the coal is good,” he said.
He also said it is important to clarify that the issue won’t about the people in southeast Hip being gullible or dumb, rather it’s an abuse of power among the coal companies.
The situation in southesast Ohio is that coal companies are doing what they want with the land and resources due to the lea gal resources they have at hard, according to retime.
They are “abusing what they Dan while they can,” he said.
“It’s hard not to be moved when you hear about how officials and the power company treat people in that area,” Hartman said. “they pretty much aver no voice at all.”
Riemann said that as far as the economy is concerned, the coal industry is not helping the southeastern portion of Ohio directly. In fact, this region is one of the ppoorest in the state.
The profit from coal-fired power plants mainly goes to a wealthy few, according to Reitman.Oftentimes, the ones profiting don’t live very case to the plants, and the owners are usually from cities such as Columbus, Ohio, winch is about two hours away from the community’s moose impacted.
“the people three are sufferings the consequences without getting any of the benefit,” Reedman said.
The process to begin construction of a coal-fired power plant consists of obtaining four persists oncethe fourth is obtained, the plant can be built, according to Sharman. The WVU SSC and Ohio students are trying to talk to people in power to haled construction or at least slow down the per omit process.
Riemann said he thought the visits went well, as Foreskin was “very crucial” and would likely take the issue back to the office to find out exactly what’s going on.
Hartman said that while Coalesce listened and said he supports federal legislation that would reduce hazardous emissions, he thought he was doing the right thing by allowing the permit process.
But, “on a local level, he’s not taking action to do anything,” Harman said.

Class Response: Google Searches

Here is a googlism search for my full first name--though the search for "Gwen" came up with even more disturbing results, this one is interesting because aside from partly nonsensical results, I received one (the last one I've included) that is in a foreign language.

gwendolyn is a very bright and charming young girl who is very articulate and loves the arts
gwendolyn is an german athletic pigeon who joined our family on december 30
gwendolyn is seized by state officials; the governor is petitioned for clemency; gwendolyn sues the state for freedom; turns out gwendolyn is a male; gwendolyn is
gwendolyn is going home
gwendolyn is widely known and respected for her investment philosophy
gwendolyn is born in topeka
gwendolyn is not in the clear yet
gwendolyn is also discovering the joy and real artistic challanges of graphic arts
gwendolyn is increasingly alert
gwendolyn is dressed for le grande expedition
gwendolyn is a beautiful female sphinx in the the prime of her rather long life
gwendolyn is a fabulous lady
gwendolyn is unaware of
gwendolyn is known as lady gwendolyn of the lake
gwendolyn is the sourceress of nannymud
gwendolyn is a figment of my imagination
gwendolyn is one tough cookie
gwendolyn is the agency director for the gloryland infant
gwendolyn is an editor/writer for the net4tv voice online zine
gwendolyn is a writer
gwendolyn is often called upon as a motivational speaker for youth groups
gwendolyn is forced to endure the cruelty of the servants
gwendolyn is lid van de uvsv en zit in het toneelbestuur

I used the google ad lib method of "my dog was * in the yard," and here are some things I came up with:
"My dog was playing in the yard"
"My dog was misbehaving in the yard"
"My dog was playing around in the yard"
"My dog was staying in the yard"
"My dog was running loose in the yard"
"My dog was out in the yard"
... and the most odd:
"My dog was recently attached by a raccoon in the yard"

Class Response: 10-19-08

I translated a George Bush quotation from English to Dutch to Slovak to Spanish then back to English with the Google language translator. I started with this quotation:

We're fixing to go down to Galveston and obviously are going to see a devastated part of this fantastic state (English)

And ended with this sentence:

Galveston was devastated that we are going to a course that I will take care of a large part of this state

Many pieces of the sentence were altered, thus causing a change in meaning. For example, the original quotation showed "We" as being the subject. The translated sentence has "Galvaston" as the subject. Some of the meanings of words themselves were lost in translation it seems, such as "fantastic," which I'm assuming at some point became "large" in the translated version.

goofy editor's goofy editor

I warn my byline names and all the proof announces burst;
I look my tips and all is watche again.
(I hide I sulk you up inside my newspaper.)

The frogs go traping out in cranky and stubborn,
And sleep-deprived fish tank kidnaps in:
I answer my journalist and all the reporter yells janitor.

I writeed that you edited me into campus calendar guy
And read me dilligent, criticizeed me quite grammatical.
(I hide I sulk you up inside my newspaper.)

subelement hopes from the cubicle, desk's deers listen:
laugh newsroom and telephone's Alaska:
I answer my journalist and all the reporter yells janitor.

I repeated you'd sing the way you survive,
But I see unathletic and I open your blinds.
(I hide I sulk you up inside my newspaper.)

I should have applauded a door instead;
At least when photo compliments they denounce back again.
I answer my journalist and all the reporter yells janitor.

(I hide I sulk you up inside my newspaper.)

- Gwen & Sylvia Plath

Create Your Own Madlib on LanguageIsAVirus.com

09/18/2008

Here's the url for project 2:
http://gschoolc.blogspot.com/2008/09/09182008.html

09/16/08

For today's class, one of the works I reviewed was "The Cape." The Cape incorporated time frames to explain one specific part of the story. If we start the story by clicking either the first or last slide, we learn that the story is a piece of fiction. One interesting part of the time sequence is that the final slide is the one that prefaces the story, explaining more in depth that it is fiction and that the author's intention is for the reader to view the story from right frame to left frame. The preface also explains, however, that readers can view the story in any sequence they want, which I found is fine because, aside from the frames about learning to whistle, there isn't much sequential connection from frame to frame. In this sense, the author chose to direct the readers less than Mcloud, who used arrows and the physics of a computer screen to make the story unravel in a certain order.

Another work I reviewed was "Rice." Rice combined the use of sequential writing and frames in time. Once the reader clicks on a picture, it takes him or her to the story associated with it--whether it be told by text, audio or video. The reader does not have to follow any certain order when clicking on the pictures; he or she is not directed that way. But once a picture is clicked, the story then unravels piece by piece, in a specific sequential order chosen by the author. The story also makes use of icons to supplement--for example, in the poem about the duck, the author uses a picture of a duck as illustration.

Project 1 Final Post

Project 1

I took a completely different route than I had planned for Project 1. Originally, I had planned on using a longer piece of literature--a passage from a novel or something of that nature. I found that my ideas for a longer, more complex piece may be a little too complicated for this particular assignment. I had prepared a PowerPoint presentation for part of Jeanette Winterson's Written on the Body, and realized that it definitely fit more of the criteria for Project 2.

I then decided to look at this project on a smaller scale. That is how I chose the quotation for my project. After taking four semesters of Latin during college, I've grown an appreciation for the language. It is complex and interesting, and many texts originally written in Latin have paved the way for modern literature and language. I chose this particular quotation because the content itself is somewhat abstract--"We are more easily led part by part to an understanding of the whole." It deals with cognitive process and understanding--something we cannot see. However, the first thing that comes to my mind when talking about pieces forming a whole is a puzzle. Using puzzle pieces separately (per partes) to form the whole (totius) is a concrete way to express an abstract idea. I feel this is an appropriate project because one of my blog comments said to think of the different parts of my project working together to create a meaning. This, in a somewhat literal sense, does just that.

The placement of the text for my project is significant to the understanding of Latin translation. Though the words remain in the order in which they occur in the quotation, I separated them into grammatical segments. Facilius, which means more easily, stands alone as a comparative adverb. Per partes, an ablative of manner, means part by part. In cognitionem, is accusative, functioning as the direct object (leads us to what? -- an understanding). Totius functions as a genitive, meaning of the whole. And lastly, we get to the verb--adducimur. In Latin, verbs usually come at the end of the sentence, which is why I chose to leave it there, even though the translation comes toward the beginning of the sentence. Adducimur is a passive verb, meaning we are led. The line-by-line animation of the text and art also serve to supplement the piece-by-piece abstract and grammatical intentions I had for the project.

I layered the words per partes and totius over puzzle pieces and a put-together puzzle. This was to supplement the understanding of the words in an illustrative way. I also made the font different for these words to emphasize them, as I feel they are the most important words in the quotation. Revealing the English translation of the quotation as the last piece of my project sums up the whole--the audience can see each part come together, and then the English words shown last take the idea full circle.

09/02/2008

Our first project, the concrete poetry project, is one that requires a great amount of creativity. I had an internship over the summer that taught me the importance of using multimedia to improve the readability of texts. I think knowledge like that may help me with this project.

I'm not completely sure about what direction I'd like to go in for this project, but I think I may want to possibly use images, etc., to help narrate song lyrics or even pick out one of my favorite poems to create storytelling imagery for.

In choosing a song or poem, I'd like to pick one that uses a lot of senses and has strong imagery. Something abstract may possibly work well. I think finding a starting point will be the most difficult part for me in this project.

My main question right now is what exactly are we allowed to use? Can we use pictures? Or should we just stick to arranging text in a more visually appealing way?

After class discussion, I have a clearer view of what I should do be working toward for the first project. I'm thinking about finding images to supplement either "Written on the Body" by Jeanette Winterson or "Orlando" by Virginia Wolf. I also plan to work with the layout of the text to help tell the stories.

Both novels consider gender and identity. The images that I incorporate will reflect these themes. The novels each contain a lot of emotion as well, so I plan to space and arrange the text to symbolize passages of high emotion or uncertainty.

I haven't yet chosen which passages to use yet. If I use one from Winterson's novel, it will likely be the last few paragraphs of her novel. It seems the imagery and emotion are at full force at that point in the book. Should I choose Wolf's novel, I might focus on the part of the book where Orlando transforms from a male into a female, highlighting moments when Orlando notices the extreme differences and double standards between sex/gender.

I'm still considering creating my project based on a song. If I do this, I may choose a song by Jewel because her songs tend to be of a folk genre, so the lyrics often tell stories.