Monthly Archives: November 2018

Bohemian Rhapsody: An Exciting Film but Inaccurate Queen Tribute (79%)

Bohemian Rhapsody will have you stomping your feet and singing in theatres, but it may also leave you irritated if you’re a devoted Queen fan. The movie follows the formation of the band with a focus on Freddie Mercury, capturing their experimentation with music and successes on tour. The film focuses closely on Freddie Mercury (Rami Malek) as he struggles with his sexuality.

Looking at Bohemian Rhapsody strictly as a film, it was an exciting movie worth seeing on the big screen. The beginning of the film and band formation felt rushed; the movie quickly moved from concert to concert, which was entertaining but had me worried there wouldn’t be much of a storyline. In the first 20-30 minutes of the film, I began to wonder if this movie was just an excuse to have a cast dress up as the band and recreate their biggest moments. Fortunately, this feeling subsided as the movie progressed and the writing became more comedic and emotional.

The film had a strong cast that helped build up these comedic and emotional scenes. Rami Malek made the concert scenes feel real and energetic, while also making Mercury’s loneliness evident and overwhelming. Malek also manages to make record deals seem hilarious, but the humour in these scenes should also be attributed to Mike Meyers. That’s right—Mike Myers has a cameo. He plays the EMI executive Ray Foster. Though Myers’ screen time is brief, it was memorable.

The main criticism I’ve been gathering about this film is that there are major inaccuracies that were simply added as a means of making the movie dramatic. I must admit, I love Queen’s music but I didn’t know much about Freddie Mercury or any of the band members. Without much knowledge of the band, I genuinely enjoyed the story. Refusing to standby blissfully ignorant, I searched online for the main causes of frustration. This article highlights the two main concerns: the timing of Mercury’s HIV diagnosis, and portraying Mercury as a villain for quitting to make a solo album. Perhaps this is just a good reminder that even “true stories” in Hollywood are often, well, not the most truthful. I still recommend seeing this movie in theatres, but don’t walk away thinking the events portrayed are factual.

The most accurate fact highlighted in this movie was probably Freddie Mercury’s love of cats…

*If you’re interested in Bohemian Rhapsody, you may also enjoy A Star Is Born.

INTERVIEW: Eight — Sara Gärdegård, Graphic Designer

Sara Gärdegård

Graphic Designer

  • Age: 29
  • Job situation: Taking a break from agency life & started my own company, freelancing with design, photography and content/social media.
  • Best memory with design: I think for me it’s when I reach that level of satisfaction. It’s a gut feeling. I often know when I’m done and not and that level of happiness of slowing a problem for someone else for me that’s the best feeling.
  • Favourite font/typeface: Circular and Burgess right now.
You do a lot of different designs. What would you say is the best/funniest thing to create (logos, applications, etc.)? For me it has always been to have a creative approach to life, to solve problems, and make things better. My curiosity has led me to explore different sides of design. I still do, I want to learn more and get better at it. I need that flexibility to do a lot of different things to not get bored. The ”best/funniest” is I think everyones dream, a client who is open minded and have trust in you. Make things better, simple and useful.
 

Do you have something important for you that makes you more interested in taking one job over another (Environment, food, etc.)? If yes, why and does that affect the assignment itself? Well its 2018 and everyone should strive for a good work environment, diversity and inclusion. People are starting to get picky about work environment and health atmosphere and the people around you become like your second family. Other things that is a plus is obvious, like vacation days, flexibility, the role and responsibility is and salary of course. 

Would you say that the design branch is man dominated or neutral? Why do you think that? I’m pretty sure it’s man dominated, and it’s still a question for me how?!  People who graduates are an equal amount of 50/50 of both genders.. For millennial diversity is important. I think the industries is starting realized we need to more actively address the glaring diversity gap in creative agencies. In my first jobs I had no female leaders around me to look up to, (let me add there is a differens having women around you and women working in the same field). I felt that it has been at a nice thing to work with diversity and inclusion but now has evolved to taking responsible. In this industries where we create products for diverse consumers so it should be obvious that we need different perspective and backgrounds. Studies has revealed that companies with more diverse workforces perform better financially. Your client might not prioritize diversity and inclusion, but you can bet driving sales is a priority.

Want to see more? Click here!

rule no. 6

never be afraid to cry at a commercial. 

As we near the holiday season, good things are soon to come, warm pumpkin pie, rum and eggnog, sitting by the fire with loved ones, and of course it’s also time to see those dreaded emotional commercials. Perhaps its a coffee commercial, featuring the beloved son that’s been stationed in Afghanistan back at home and waking up the family with a freshly brewed pot of coffee and mom is just so happy she’s about to cry and this is the most wonderful time of the year and now your mascara is running down your face.

Something about a good unexpected cry in the middle of the day or night is seldom what you need. It is a good thing to cry, think about it if you were to sit through that Budweiser commercial with the runaway golden-retriever puppy who finds his way home with the help of the horses, with dry eyes, you have to be a serial killer.  Crying at these commercials means that you have empathy and emotion, something that is so important to have. Whether you watch network television, stream on demand or click through YouTube, you’re sitting through commercials. Just remember it’s OK to tear up. 

If you want a good cry…. 

Process Post Week #10 – Google Analytics

This past week I spent an extensive amount of time on Google Analytics and was surprised by the amount and variety of data being tracked from my blog.

While viewing real-time reports I did not see any data as nobody was viewing my blog at that time. To see these reports in action I decided to share my blog’s link with family and friends. Within a matter of seconds, I saw a spike in the number of active users and so I began to view the real-time reports. The location and traffic sources reports were not very helpful as I already knew the location of viewers and how they had accessed my blog. However, the content report was interesting as it enabled me to see what was being read and how many people were viewing my content.

This week I set up a goal to see how many readers view a series which I recently started. I have assumed the role of a general manager and I am attempting to lead my team to the Stanley Cup. I was ecstatic when I saw success in the real-time conversions report which showed that people were reading this series. I have found that setting up goals is a useful way to track certain aspects of my blog. I believe that this is something that I will continue doing to further enhance my blog. For instance, as mentioned in last week’s process post if I pursue sponsorships to monetize my blog, I will track those specific posts to see how readers engage with the content.

Moreover, most of my audience seems to be situated in the lower mainland, however, one reader is from Poland. I am hoping to expand readership by growing my brand on social media. Furthermore, I was surprised to see that I have more new visitors compared to returning visitors. I believe that this will be beneficial as I continue to grow my blog, but I hope that these new visitors will return in the future. Again, analytics will assist in this regard.

I was fascinated by the user explorer report as it provided a detailed analysis of a device’s path on my blog. The ability to track which pages are viewed the most is very helpful as it shows me what viewers are reading and which content I should be publishing more of or less. Also, due to the ability to track browsers, operating systems, devices, and their screen resolutions I will now be able to optimize my blog for these specific viewers.

The user flow report provided me with an overview of how users navigate my blog. Where they go first, what they do next and where they drop off. Understanding these elements will be beneficial to potentially re-organize my content. If viewers are flocking to a particular order when they view content, I believe that this could be a sign to re-order my blog to their convenience.

After diving into the analytics of my blog I look forward to spending more time viewing reports of interactions with my blog and hope to continue improving it by making it more interesting and engaging for readers.

Process Post – 7

This week, I’ve been trying to set up the Google Analytics plugin for my blog. By installing Google Analytics, it can help me look at different user statistics on my blog. This will allow me to identify demographics on my website, user behavior on different pages (how long people stay), and adjust my site functionality accordingly. That being said, I had trouble setting up the Google Analytics plugin, because somehow it wouldn’t let me authenticate my google account. Thus, I tried using an alternative produced by Monster Insights, which also produces Google Analytics but simply an alternative plugin. I was able to authenticate my Google account for this plugin, however, it seems to be malfunctioning because it wouldn’t display any user activity (page views and sessions show 0). This means that there’s definitely some malfunction because I’ve visited the sites myself, my classmate has visited it, and my TA Ellen has also viewed it.

In conclusion, I will be focusing on setting up and troubleshooting Google Analytics plugin in the following week. Perhaps I will look at more forums and videos as guides.

Week 9 – Legs Exerceise Routine

People are always ignoring lower body exercise. Lower body is playing an essential role in our daily task which supports our lower body and foundation of the movement. Lower body exercise contains several major components, including waist, hips, thighs, and calves. But this time, we are going to focus on leg exercise which concentrates on hips, thighs, and calves. 

  • Full Squat: 4 sets 8-10 reps
  • Dumbbell lunge: 4 sets 10 reps each side. 
  • Machine Leg Extension: 4 sets 10 reps.
  • Machine Inverse Leg Curl: 4 sets 8-10 reps 
  • Dumbbell Standing Calf Raise: 4 sets 8- 10 reps

The leg exercise could be much more complicate and intensified than this plan. However, to help people who have no training background, this is the best training programme to start up the training session. By the time goes by, when the muscle tolerance increase, you can be based on your body condition to increase the training repetitions and sets.  

A well build lower body not only provide an essential training foundation for your future training, but also as one of the fundamental principle to help your daily task. To get more exercise, please go visit ExRx to get more informations. 

Process Post Prompt: How I build my inforgraphic image.

The infographic image I was based on my blog content to develop the infographic. I use numbers to catch people attention at the graphic. All the numbers came from my weekly blog concept, such as 6 fundamental movement pattern, 5 muscles parts split routine, etc. The infographic is aiming to minimal the content but gives out the largest concept to the audience. 

I designed this infographic on illustrator, use lines and boxes based on my original blog design. The text I used “PROHIBITION” typeface which is provide a relative strong and muscular feeling to the text. It can brings up the theme of the topic.

Montreal Canadiens Rebuild Part 3

All images are from NHL 19.

Welcome to part three of the Montreal Canadiens rebuild in NHL 19’s Franchise Mode. Click here to catch up on part one and part two. As mentioned last week, this week’s post will entail a lineup reveal, captaincy announcement, season simulation and more!

 

Lineup:

Forwards

First Line: The first line features Forsberg and Domi who are being centered by Pettersson. While Forsberg has established himself as a first line player, I have decided to push Pettersson and Domi to play on the first line even though they are better suited for the second line. While splitting up this trio would create more balance within the lineup, we currently lack players who could fill the void on the first line.

Second Line: The second line includes Shaw, Cammalleri, and Jurco. Hopefully, Shaw will benefit from the increased ice-time which will make trading him away more viable. While Cammalleri is listed as a winger he has exceptional faceoff stats, so he will be the second line centre for the upcoming season. I believe that Jurco has some untapped potential and can still grow as a player. The opportunity on the second line may help in this regard.

Third Line: The third line features Lehkonen, Kotkaniemi, and Hudon. This line could have easily been our second line for the upcoming season, but I felt the need to shelter these players since they do not have as much experience. However, the door is not shut for them to move up. If they continually improve as the season progresses a promotion is likely.

Fourth Line: The fourth line includes Upshall, Vermette, and Jokinen. These three players are currently filling the holes in our roster.

Defence

First Pairing: The first pairing features Murray and Ouellet. While Murray is a top-four defenceman I am hoping that he will benefit from first pairing minutes so that he can become a bonafide top-four defender. Similar to Jurco, I am hoping to see some growth in Ouellet’s play as the season progresses.

Second Pairing: The second pairing includes Reilly and Bieksa. This pairing has been designed similar to the fourth line which has players who are filling holes in the roster.

Third Pairing: The third pairing features Fleury and Mete. Similar to the third line these two players are being sheltered and will move up in the lineup as they improve.

Goalies

After playing behind Bobrovsky for a few seasons, Korpisalo now has the opportunity to assume the starting role. But Mason has been brought in to ensure some friendly competition between the two players.

 

Captaincy Announcement

As a rebuilding club that is headed in a new direction, the Montreal Canadiens would like to announce that we will not name a captain for the upcoming season. However, we will have a leadership group of three assistant captains which include Pettersson, Forsberg, and Murray.

 

Season Simulation

I planned to simulate the game until the trade deadline and then take a look at how well our team is doing and potential trades. However, the simulation was interrupted at the end of January as Wotherspoon had been placed on waivers by the St. Louis Blues. I decided to place a claim as he would some defensive depth to the team. Now at the trade deadline, an offer came from the LA Kings for Stoner. They offered a 6th round pick in 2019. Since we had picked up Wotherspoon, Stoner had become expendable and the trade was accepted. Moreover, I attempted to locate a trade partner to take on Shaw’s contract, however, I did not find any takers. Furthermore, I also noted that Lehtonen was still a free agent and was being pursued by the Toronto Maple Leafs. It seemed that they were looking to add some goaltending depth for a playoff run. So, I viewed their trading block and traded Mason for Scott and two draft picks in the 2019 draft. This enabled us to acquire a legitimate goaltending prospect, but we were now left with a void behind Korpisalo. I offered Lehtonen a one-year $5-million-dollar contract to backup Korpisalo and he accepted.

The team finished the season with a record of 39-38-5 and 83 points. We were 7th in the division, 12th in the conference and 23rd in the league. Although the team performed poorly, Pettersson won the Calder Memorial Trophy as the most proficient first-year player in the NHL. Although we did not make the playoffs, the Stanley Cup returned to Canada as the Toronto Maple Leafs won it in five games against the Dallas Stars.

 

Tune in next week for the results of the draft lottery, the draft itself, the re-sign phase, and, of course, free agency. Also, if you have any comments and/or suggestions please share them below in the comments.

PROCESS POST: Create an Ad (week 9)

Considering the content of my site, I think that monetizing it would look like finding a creative way to raise money for NightShift Ministries. I saw another organization do a campaign for youth homelessness, and I think it would work extremely well in the context of my blog. The idea is that people would volunteer to sleep outside for one night and ask their friends and family to support them in this by donating money towards NightShift. The goal of my blog partnering with NightShift for this campaign would be to raise awareness for people sleeping on the streets throughout the cold winter months, and to raise funds towards the meals and other resources that NightShift provides for these people each day.

The call to action on social media would look a bit like this:

On November 27, sleep outside with us and help us to reach our goal of raising $1000 towards NightShift Ministries, an organization that supports our friends who sleep on the street every night. To sign up, click here! To donate, click here!

I would aim for this to be a full campaign, partnered with NightShift, that would draw attention to both their organization and what they do to support the vulnerable in Surrey, as well as drawing attention to the stories told through my blog.

Another idea I had is to do a “Closet Cleanout” campaign to encourage people to donate clothing they aren’t wearing to NightShift. This would be held at NightShift, and all clothing brought would be donated to them. Additionally, I could get the name of my site out into the public because a lot of people are interested in helping others in the winter time. It would be a good opportunity for me to get the name of my blog out there, while simultaneously drawing in clothing donations for the organization.

The call to action on social media would be a version of this:

Do you have any extra coats, sweaters, gloves, or boots? Winter is approaching, and our friends are living on the street. Participate in our Closet Cleanout with NightShift on November 22nd to give to those in need.

These ads would be posted on Instagram and Facebook. I would post them on Instagram because that’s where my target audience (young adults) would most likely see the ads. I would post them on Facebook because Facebook is a very events based app. I would hope that these ads would draw attention to homelessness in Surrey, NightShift, and my blog.

Looks Like Alabama is a Runaway Train

One thing we learned from this weekend was that Alabama is by far the best team in college football. Alabama this weekend had to go into Baton Rouge and face a fierce LSU team on the road in one of the most unforgiving stadiums to play in. However, the deafening crowd soon quieted down after scoring a touchdown 10 minutes into the game. After that, it’s like the wind had left the sails of LSU’s amazing season and they were never able to get their offense going and went on to be shut out 29-0. Alabama looked really well rounded whereas LSU looked good on defence but their offence could not do anything to save their life. LSU only had 12 rushing yards and 184 throwing yards which is nowhere near enough to have a chance against the best team in the nation. Overall, Alabama still convinced us they are the best and LSU now looks on from the outside as they won’t be making the playoff this year.

Image result for alabama kicker 2018 bulovas

Alabama almost has no flaws except for their kicking abilities. Joseph Bulovas, Alabama’s kicker is ranked 74th in the country which is massively lower compared to their other positions. Alabama ranks high in almost everyother category but kicking is not one of them. This could possibly be a problem going forward if they ever get into a close game and they lose because of a couple missed field goals or extra points.

Image result for jerry jeudy

The rest of the team however, are all on the top of their game and are some of the best in the country. For starters, their quarterback Tua Tagovailoa is the #1 quarterback in all of college football and right now is in firm control of the race for the Heisman Trophy. Quinton Williams (DL) was by far the best player in the LSU game as he posted 2.5 sacks, 7 tackles and 3 assists. Quinton leads a really strong Alabama defence and will most likely be a future star in the NFL. Alabama’s offence would not be complete without their amazing wide receivers and running backs. Jerry Judy ranks #7 in the nation in receiving yards and is surrounded by fellow wide receivers DeVonta Smith and Jaylen Waddle. These guys are used lots in the game as Tua makes it really easy for them to succeed with this near perfect throw. Alabama also has solid ground game as they have a great trio of running backs which they can easily rotate to keeping their legs fresh. Najee Harris, Josh Jacobs and Damien Harris keep the defence on edge as they pose a massive threat where if the defense focuses to much on the quarterback they can easily explode and have a massive gain. This year’s team might be one of the best coach Nick Saban has ever had and that is saying lots as he has won 5 out of the past 9 national championships at Alabama. Only time will tell if another team in the nation will even have a slight chance against them.

My prediction of the week for week 11 will be for the Clemson vs Boston College game. Clemson is looking extremely strong right now after destroying Louisville 77-16 last week and they might be the only team that can compete with Alabama. I expect the game to be a little closer then last weeks game but still Clemson wins, 47-20.

The post Looks Like Alabama is a Runaway Train appeared first on The World of College Football.

Peer Review #3 – Piece of Cake

I had the opportunity to review Anissa’s blog, Piece of Cake. The name of the blog is very clever as it fits well with the content. I applaud her on taking this commonly used phrase and making it meaningful by creating relevant content.

I would suggest adjusting the tagline so that it states “tips and tricks for event planning on a budget” instead of “tips and tricks to party planning on a budget” since the content encompasses more than just parties as it includes birthdays, weddings and holidays. With the adjusted the tagline, it would create a transitional flow with the about me section as the tagline and the first paragraph of this section would be more connected. The remainder of the about me section provides a personal perspective as to why she has chosen this topic for her blog. It is evident that she is passionate about and has a strong interest for event planning. This passion is essential in marketing her blog to her intended audience since this is what separates her blog from others. Unlike Toast which did not have a clear mission statement, Anissa’s tagline acts as a mission statement as it lets readers know what the objective of her blog is (Carpenter, 2016).

Moreover, consider removing the home category since clicking on the name of the blog, Piece of Cake, directs readers back to the homepage. Also, the usage of three different shades of grey on the homepage makes the page seem busy. I would suggest using two consistent shades, a light, and dark grey so that this ensures what Mauve Pagé called unity through colour consistency (Pagé, 2018). Furthermore, the aqua on the homepage seems out of place since it was only used once. I would suggest incorporating more of this colour so that it creates what Mauve Pagé called rhythm (Pagé, 2018). Changing the colour of the “subscribe to newsletter” button from grey to aqua when a viewer is hovering over it would be a subtle yet effective way to accomplish this.

The ability to let readers subscribe to a newsletter is great. I would suggest adding a brief description of what the newsletter will entail so that potential subscribers know what they are signing up for. I applaud Anissa on setting this up as it is a great way to establish readership of her blog. Additionally, it will strengthen her relationship with her audience (Nederkoorn, n.d.). Although it is a rare commodity to see someone actually read a privacy policy, I did not see a way to access it on Anissa’s blog; this may deter readers from subscribing.

A social media presence is a great way for people to discover and share Anissa’s blog, however, since the accounts are not very active, they are taking up valuable real estate on her homepage. If she decides to keep these icons, I suggest moving them closer to the about me section so that after reading about her users are more inclined to visit and follow her on social media. Currently, the icons are situated in a spot where they seem out of place with a large amount of white space above and to the right of them.

Moreover, I enjoyed the content posted on Anissa’s blog as I found the post about Pumpkin Carving Stencils to be very useful as I had never considered poking small holes and using a stencil to carve my pumpkin. I wish that I had viewed her blog earlier so that I could have implemented this a few weeks ago for Halloween, but I will definitely keep this in mind for next year. Additionally, there was a post which seemed to be missing as I received a page not found error; this was the Toasted Pumpkin Seeds Recipe. However, the Perfect Pumpkin Pie Recipe reminded me of an article which dealt with the legalities of copyright for a recipe book (Henein, 2015).

Overall, I found the content to be clear and concise; this is very helpful because when you are planning an event there are many things to do in preparation of it, so time is of the essence. I believe that it is very helpful to have the content structured in this manner so that readers know exactly what they need to do and still have ample time to prepare.

In Anissa’s process post from week six, she mentioned that her intended audience is young and middle-aged women. However, I think that her intended audience encompasses many more people especially since there is a variety in the content which she is publishing. I believe that her intended audience and entails anyone who is planning on celebrating a birthday, wedding or holiday and is looking for tips and tricks. Regardless, the content is relevant to her audience.

When it comes to the usability of the blog, I recalled Mauve Pagé’s presentation where she mentioned that a seamless experience across all platforms holds high importance for viewers (Pagé, 2018). With this in mind, I viewed Anissa’s blog on my phone and noted that her entire blog was well optimized for mobile devices. Additionally, it features quick loading times which also holds value for viewers. Lastly, I would suggest adding a site icon so that when viewers pin the blog to their browser it is easier for them to identify the blog.

Ultimately, Anissa’s blog has been designed in a way which makes the content appealing for her audience. If you are interested in reading more, click here!

 

References

Carpenter, S. (2016, May 13). The Toast Is Toast: Literary Humor Site Shuts Down Over Ad Revenue Woes. Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/sites/shelbycarpenter/2016/05/13/the-toast-is-toast-and-its-devastating/#2845909a48f6

Henein, P. (2015, October 27). You Say “Tomaydo”, I Say No Copyright Infringement: Recipe Book Not An Original Compilation. Retrieved from https://www.casselsbrock.com/CBNewsletter/You_Say__Tomaydo___I_Say_No_Copyright_Infringement__Recipe_Book_Not_An_Original_Compilation

Pagé, M. (2018, October 2). Mauve Pagé. Presentation, Simon Fraser University Vancouver.

Nederkoorn, C. (n.d.). Should you write blog posts or email newsletters? Retrieved from https://customer.io/blog/blog-post-or-newsletter-content-marketing/

The Colosseum

The colosseum located in the center of Rome, just east of the roman forum, took about 10 years to construct. Construction started in 70 A.D. Its dimensions are fairly large standing 157 feet high and its perimeter is 1788 ft. During the Colosseum games the maximum seating capacity was 50,000. Larger than any arena built for its time. It was possible to fit a modern day football field within its towering walls. Unfortunately the Colosseum has been through its fair share of earthquakes, having the entire south walls collapse.

The Colosseum was built for the roman entertainment. Animals and people would fight to the death as thousands of citizens watched. During the course of the Colosseum games over 1,000,000 animals and 400,000 people have died for the people’s entertainment. This truly was a horrific way of seeking entertainment. Some events held at the Colosseum even lasted as long as 100 days. Something that is totally different from today’s events is that during the ancient times Romans were given free admission. The last Colosseum game was recorded in the 6th century.

Today the Colosseum is Rome’s number 1 tourist attraction and expects 3.9 million visitors every year. From today’s weather and pollution the Colosseum has lost 2/3rds of its original landscape. Restoration efforts have started since 1990 and continue to do so.

Discussion Question: What’s a present day Colosseum for where citizens come for entertainment?

 

Sources:

(n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.history.com/topics/ancient-history/colosseum

 

Colosseum Facts. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.softschools.com/facts/wonders_of_the_world/colosseum_facts/88/

Week 9- Process Post

This weeks process post was to talk about analytics and in particular the analytics of your blog. Firstly I had to download Monster-Analytics, and this is what I got.

As you can see from the screenshots of my analytic page, this is the overview of viewers I have had so far on my blog. Most of my viewers come from Canda, whereas eight others come from the US and then two from Hungary and one from India and Turkey. I found it interesting that someone in Tukey is viewing my blog, and without observing the analytic page I would have never noticed it. 

As you can see in this image below this is where it shows most of the analytics, starting with sessions which is the browsing session of a single user, then we move towards, pageviews which is pretty straightforward, then moving on to average session duration, (which I hope to be a little higher). Finally, bounce rate which means it is the number of visits a person leaves your page. 

After viewing my analytics, I have taken some steps in furthering my blog to make it more desirable and hope that more people will want to stay on it longer than 3 minutes and 3 seconds. 

Red Dead Redemption 2 – PS4

Whaaat!! Red Dead Redemption 2 (RDR2) is finally out for PS4 and XBox One players!! I could not possibly call this blog a “gaming blog” if I didn’t do a review on this game!

Introduction 

The Red Dead Redemption series is a developed by Rockstar games, which also brought us the Grand Theft Auto franchise. Thus these two games have very similar gameplay but contrasting plots. RDR2 is an open-world action adventure game, that’s set in the 1800s in America. This setting is crucial for the theme of the game, which is a Western styled outlaw game.

Plot

The player follows the story of Arthur Morgan, outlaw gunslinger from the Van Der Linde gang. The gang consists of Dutch van der Linde (the leader), Arthur Morgan, John Marston, Bill Williamson, Micah Bell and many others. The story starts with a fleeing and vulnerable Van Der Linde gang, after a heist gone wrong and police or “lawman” – as the character says it – are tracking them down. As the story progresses, the gang runs into trouble left and right under Dutch’s reckless leadership. Resulting in the gang having to orchestrate multiple heists and other illegal operations to sustain.

Gameplay

RDR2 take a lot of game mechanics from its predecessor RDR1, such as the gun mechanics (Dead Eye), and honor system. What I like most about this game is how much agency the player has in the game. There are countless numbers of character customization options, such as beard length, hair length, using pelts you receive from hunting to craft special clothing items and many more. The player is also able to interact with NPCs (Non Playable Characters) in a way I’ve never experienced before. Being able to instigate fights (but not always because NPCs have different personalities), defuse heated situations, killing witnesses, and robbery.

In conclusion, I feel that anyone that claims to be a gamer needs to check this game out, as it’s redefined open world map games in my opinion. If you don’t have console (xbox, ps4) get one! It’s worth it.

Week 6- Process Post

What audience have you imagined thus far? How has that imagined audience informed your design and editorial decisions

I have imagined that my audiences range from age 18-30, all genders who have a great interest in how others live their life, and perhaps what to change the way they live at the moment. I hope that they take everything I say with a grain of salt, yet still, pick up key factors. I designed my blog around the idea of simplicity and brightness, a few on how we should live life; simply but filled with joy and sunshine. After imaging my audience, I should incorporate a bit more of sophistication given my audience may be a bit older as well.

Week: 5- Process Post

A website I frequent often is Pinterest. I spend so many hours scrolling through Pinterest- pinning articles and photos from recipes to my dream wedding colours. For the amount of time, I spend on Pinterest I haven’t closely looked at the element and thought about its design. Here is the link of the home page after logging in, https://www.pinterest.ca/. Let’s see what we have here,

The central colour scheme is red, white a grey. Which according to https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesstylefile/2013/09/09/stylish-color-combo-grey-and-red/#25a181ff6bbb,  go well together in all senses. After looking at their choice of colours I do understand and appreciate the colour choices. When you first log in you see their logo, (which is a P), then moving towards the right, the search bar, and the following categories, ‘home’, ‘following’, ‘username,’ ‘messages’ ‘notifications,’ and ‘settings.’ It is straightforward to navigate which opens up to a much broader audience of older and younger people. In the center of the page, it shows different links to things I would like; it caters to each person in its unique way. For example, I am in the process of moving, so my home page featured, links to decorating and space maximization.





If I could change anything, I would like to see more follow through with the links posted on Pinterest because soemtime you click on a link, and it takes you to a dead end place. Other than a few technical issues I like Pinterest and everything it offers, and I have yet to see something similar take off as well as it has.

Week: 4- process post; How would you spend your last day with internet.

If I only had one hour of internet left forever, I would ask Google any burning questions I had. I would ask the most obscure questions that without the internet I could never find the answers to myself. Celebrity birthdays, what year the toaster was invented, what a pack of kangaroos are called, the crazier, the better. Then after the half-hour mark, I think I would do one final message to all my family and friends who live far away and let them know I am not ‘ghosting them’ and if they need to get in touch where I will be.

according to wikipedia, The collective noun for kangaroos is a mob, troop, or court. Huh? the more you know.

rule no. 5

Learn to accept apologies you will never receive. 

“Life appears to me too short to be spent in nursing animosity or registering wrongs.” – Charlotte Bronte. 

All my life I have been stubborn as a bull, most of my family say I get it from my grandmother who has passed away. I never had a chance to meet her, but I have been told I have her eyes, and well her stubbornness. When I have an idea in my head there is no chance I’m letting it go; it is both my best and my worst quality. Growing up on the playground if someone wronged me by ‘budging the line’ or picking a fight with me I was always the last one to say I was wrong and apologize. 

That particular trait followed me up to high school, where I would get into fights with friends, and I would harbour such anger and resentment with me. I remember one particular match I had with an old friend; he decided to turn into an entirely new person throughout the summer, someone who partook in drugs and someone who I did not recognize in a good way. We had a massive argument,  things were said, and both of us held this massive grudge between our relationship for a year. That was the worst year of my life. It physically affected me; I felt heavy for a full year it was the worst birthday and Christmas of my life was during that year. I didn’t understand why I felt so badly, in my head I knew I was not in the wrong, he was throwing his life away and did not see it. One summer day after one full year of not talking, and if we did not speak it would just be either yelling or passive-aggressive text messages. I decided enough was enough and called him when he picked up I immediately apologized for acting like a child, but it all came from a place of love for him. After I finished my speech, he hung up the phone. 

Strangely as soon as I said thos little words ‘i’m sorry,’ it felt as if a weight was lifted from my chest… as if I have been drowning for 12 months and now I could breathe again.  Even though he never to this day has apologized for the hurtful things he has said and done to me, I walk the streets filled with no resentment or grudges towards him. That is the greatest gift he could have ever given to me. 

In life you have to learn to accept apologies that you may never receive, I don’t think I will ever get an apology from him, and I am okay with that, the weight has been lifted off me, and I hope one day he can be freed as well. I will always keep my stubbornness with me in life, but there comes the point where the cons outway the pros and you have to give it up, or you will die trying.

This photo really stands out to me about letting go, imagine the fog being the grudges you hold. You just have to let go and it will all eventually float away and you will be free again.

Essay #1; (Un) Democratic Discourse on Social Media: The Inherit Anti-Woman agenda on Instagram, and fellow social-media forums.

Since its launch is 2010, Instagram has grossed over 800 Million users, with over 60 million photos and videos shared daily. The only way a media platform of this density would ever thrive the way Instagram has is with the help of community guidelines and rules. With such regulations comes original agreement of following them, if you choose to participate in said platform. “Attempting to enforce community standards at such a scale will no doubt inevitably result in accidental takedowns and confusion. However, the frequency with which Instagram takes down photographs involving the female body and expressions of feminism has provoked controversy – and suggests a broader tension between the network and its users.” -Warren, Rossalyn, and Charlie Warzel. “Why Did Instagram Delete These Women’s Photos Of Their Bodies?” BuzzFeed, BuzzFeed, 2 Apr. 2015, www.buzzfeed.com/rossalynwarren/deleted-instagram-photos-that-are-causing-controversy. Until we address the inherent anti-women bias that is a part of our society, social media along with all other social forums cannot be entirely free and fair. This paper will examine how sexual mores assigned to women are not only present in the smilingly progressive world of social media, but in fact, enforce these restricting perspectives.

     This issue first came to prevalence in 2014 with Courtney Adamo a London based “mommy blogger” with over 40,000 followers at that time. Adamo posted a photo of her 18-month-old daughter in a dress and yellow rain boots, lifting her dress showing her belly button. Later that day she received emails from Instagram saying that her photo has been removed due to a violation of the rules and guidelines. A few hours after discovering that her picture was removed, she then re-posted only to come to find that her account was deactivated, due to the same reasoning of violation. Courtney Adamo rebutted with the following.

“She is a baby! It is no different from a photo of a baby wearing a nappy, or a little boy in swim trunks, and to entertain the idea that it is even remotely inappropriate is a disgusting thing in itself. Instagram has deleted four years of my family photos and memories: all the photos of our travels, my children’s birthdays” – “Sadness and Outrage and Gratitude All in One.” Babyccino Kids: Daily Tips, Children’s Products, Craft Ideas, Recipes & More, 9 July 2014, babyccinokids.com/blog/2014/06/20/sadness-and-outrage-and-gratitude-all-in-one/.

Adamo was met with a wave of support from other Instagram users which ultimately led to was the site’s decision to reactivate her account. The gendered bias that there is something taboo about this child’s body reinforces the sexualization of the female form on social media. In a 2009 study “THE SEXUAL DOUBLE STANDARD AND ADOLESCENT PEER ACCEPTANCE” Derek A. Kreager and Jeremy Staff states “the belief that women and men are held to different standards of sexual conduct is pervasive in contemporary American society.” This “double standard affect women being shamed for promiscuity and can trickle down to cases such as the sexualization of a toddler. 

While Instagram is often viewed as a progressive and forward thinking space, it is not free of unlaying double standards. Best selling author and poet Rupi Kaur posted a photo on Instagram in and unknowingly sparked a revolution. The image displayed, showed a spot of blood on her legs, as well as blood on her bedsheets.  As most women and men will understand, this event often arises when a woman is on her period.  She posted the photo along with the caption; “I bleed each month to help make humankind a possibility… Moreover, communities shun this natural process. Some are more comfortable with the pornification of women. The sexualization of women. The violence and degradation of women than this”-: ‘Thank You @Instagram for Providing Me with the Exact Response My Work Was Created to Critique. You Deleted a Photo of a Woman Who Is Fully…”.” Instagram, www.instagram.com/p/0ovWwJHA6f/.  The blood used in this photo was not real and therefore did not violate any of Instagrams written rules. Instagram thereby took down the photo and declared that it did not go with the community guidelines, which led them to take down the photo- not one but twice.

    So we ask why? Why is this epidemic of women shaming becoming so mainstream on social media? “A recent book by Nancy Jo Sales, American Girls: Social Media and the Secret Lives of Teenagers, provides a snapshot. Based on interviews with more than 200 adolescent girls, Sales concludes that social media often reinforces a culture of sexism and misogyny (1).” This argument proceeds to say that: 

“Emerging empirical research also corroborates the notion that while sexualization of females is rewarded online (usually by males), females are also punished for these same displays and are quick to be labelled by other female peers as “sluts” or “skanks”(2). This perpetuates sexual double standards that reinforce gender stereotypes.” – Sales NJ: American Girls: Social Media and the Secret Lives of Teenagers. New York, Knopf, 2016.- Daniels EA, Zurbriggen EL: 

This philosophy is the reason for the scandals that came from Instagram’s rules and regulations page; it is based on a constant digression stimulated by the age of social media which is allowed to perpetuate damaging patriarchal expectations. By media platforms taking away the voice of women no matter the age by telling them what they can and can not post it is only contributing to this mass epidemic. The only way we can work through this social-media virus is by teaching the young men of this upcoming generation what equality is and how it must manifest in public forums. Until this is done, we cannot claim that our social media as we know it is not indeed free and democratic.

Peer Review #2; ‘D Blog’

‘D Blog’ is a fascinating blog that displays artwork around the world in different cultures at its finest. Denny is a very talent creator, he speaks so passionately about art, it is very refreshing. 

Denny has taken his blog to the next level; you can tell that art is a passion of his. His blog speaks wonders of his travels and the art he has seen across the world, and it is fascinating to see how different yet the same as it is no matter the country. I enjoyed his blog post titled “Vallea Lumina,” I loved the way he captured the colours and lights with his words. If there were no photos attached, I still could have imagined it with his colourful verbiage. The images add so much though, looking at it as a spectator there could not have been more perfect photographs in place. I enjoyed how this article tied in some of his personal life as well, as we learn he went to Whistler with some friends for a getaway.

As for the general aesthetic of his blog, I think it’s beautiful, and he has it laid out in an accessible format, the whole way the blog is structured makes it very comfortable to use. The ‘about’ page is short and sweet, everything you need to know about him, plus I like how he added his email so his viewers could get in touch. One thing that stood out for me was the use of images he chose to use per post. I liked the variety used, some cartoons and others real photos, the range of them stood out and made every post especially different. On the right-hand side below the search bar, he has categories for each of his posts, which I found very useful for navigational purposes. I noticed if you scroll to the bottom of his page you can see his social media, which I found to add that extra step for his viewers and to make it easy and accessible for them to keep updated with him and his life.

Overall I think Denny has done a fantastic job with his blog so far; I had a hard time coming up with things that Denny could improve on. If I have to choose something maybe to add a few more personal touches, and perhaps a homepage photo? I would also love to see some more colour, he could add a personal touch by adding in his favourite colour as the header background, just a thought. I never used to be a big fan of art, I never called myself an artistic person, but after reviewing and looking at Denny’s blog, it indeed has changed my mind. The way he describes art make me have a better appreciation. Keep up the excellent work Denny!

I look forward to your next entry.

http://dennygu.com/