Monthly Archives: March 2022

Laundry Day Sabotage

Amidst a bustling week its easy to neglect chores, and let that pile of laundry fester days on end…fret not! I actually find an odd sense of peace when finding the time to clean out my quarters and take care of that never-ending hamper of laundry. Considering I am an extremely task oriented person, completing mealy household chores offer a sense of productivity and fulfillment that you wouldn’t expect it to.

After having spent a few hours running my loads through the washer and dryer, I take a moment to unwind…before I know it my ears are filled with an incessant scratching sound. To no surprise I find none other than mischievous little Luka himself moments away from stifling through my freshly folded laundry. It seems to be a common occurrence for Luka to explore places he is not supposed to. Halted by his determination to get inside my wardrobe, I was compelled to capture the moment before his little socks made the final leap to dismantle hours of my work.

Mourning Your Past – The Lonely Road of Coming Back Home to Yourself

meditate, lake, mood-4882027.jpg

Something that I still struggle with after healing from my first heartbreak and pent-up years of trauma is grieving an old version of my life, identity and mindset that was my reality for half of my adolescent life. I think a lot of the time the reason why people feel the after-effects of a very life-turning event such as a breakup so intensely months or years after thinking they were doing fine is that they weren’t honest with themselves and their healing from the start. Part of this process is understanding, letting go and mourning not only that person but your old life, who you thought you were to them and all the parts of them you intertwined your identity with so closely.

I think I can definitely speak on this open-heartedly as I spent basically all of 2021 grieving. Grieving my old partner, his physical presence as well as his emotional one that played such a dictating role in how I behaved and viewed myself. I grieved the life that we built together with his family which was also my second family, the routine of having him in my life, the meaning that certain days of the week had restaurants near our homes had. I also had to mourn the future that I had imagined with him which was probably the most painful one of it all, mourning something/someone that is tangible and living is one painful thing. Mourning a dream you had, something you centred so much of your ambitions and actions around, a life that you worked so hard for is also another extremely difficult and overlooked process in healing from the departure of a relationship, whether that be romantic or platonic. Through these moments of grief, anger, sadness, the resentment I realized so much of what I was breaking over was this old version of myself I was shedding. A version of myself that was so wide-eyed, naive and childlike when it came to love. Someone that was so trusting and would hold the door open even for the unwanted. I had to let go of my identity as a girlfriend, of a friend to this person, of a future wife, mother – so much uncertainty filled the emptiness that followed me after those years in that relationship.

Oftentimes, when you seek advice for a broken heart one of the first things people tell you is to just move on from that person. But what about moving on from yourself, your old life and who you were with that person? How do you mourn over yourself? I could never answer that question accurately as I am still going through it and it is a lonely but ever-fulfilling journey. I started to embrace change, in fact, I tried to even take control of all these emotional changes in my life and literally build a new identity physically. I dyed my hair colours he will never me pull off, got tattoos he’ll never touch, I even bought new furniture in my room to completely take back everything that was so attached to him and the idea of him and take back my power in solidarity. And yes, physically these things worked but I still felt that deep anger and void. So, what has really helped me is spending time with myself, taking myself out on walks, listening to myself as if I were my own partner when I’m sad. I started hanging out with my parents again, picked up new hobbies in music – doing things that made me feel me. I also started tending to the old version of myself I’ve been letting go of, giving her a proper goodbye by doing certain things now that I should’ve done for myself during that time, such as speaking up about my boundaries, being a good friend and daughter and showing up for myself wholeheartedly no matter how much change is happening around me. It is a lonely journey, but it is so possible once you realize every new version of yourself that you have yet to meet after experiencing something so devastating is waiting to embrace you with open arms and an open heart.

Self Care Is More Than Just a Bubble Bath

With finals season coming up, stress, anxiety and sadness are all normal feelings that tend to resurface. It is important to take care of yourself right now and always, especially during this time of the year. 

So, what does taking care of yourself look like? To me, self-care involves creating healthy boundaries for yourself and being disciplined but gentle, which will help you to be proactive in maintaining your overall well-being. 

1 – Create boundaries for yourself

What are boundaries? I personally like to see them as mental and emotional spaces that I create that aid in tending to my well-being. So for example, a boundary of mine in relation to school is to not over-work myself to the point where my head hurts. No matter how behind I am in notes or papers, I refuse to cross this boundary as I know it will damage my well-being. 

2 – Discipline yourself

With self-care comes discipline. You can’t automatically take care of yourself without working towards it. So, maybe that means setting reminders to schedule and plan out your week, or changing the mindset behind your reaction towards things, maybe that means reminding yourself to even take breaks. You need to be willing to put in the work to be able to have a positive outcome in anything!

3 – Be gentle with yourself

Lastly, be kind to yourself during any moment of hardship! You are doing the best you can and the journey you are on is so special and holds so much value. You are more than what you think you are capable of.

Process Post: Understanding Who My Audience Is

For this process post I decided to post a link to my website on my personal social media, I then interacted with those who clicked on the link.

I interacted with them to understand who my audience is and how I can better engage with them through my content. By doing this I feel like I can build strong connection with my audience, helping improve repeat visitors on my site.

The first thing I did was turn on my insights and announce I would be doing this (see my article about insights) to my audience so they would be aware. After this I waited 2 days for my audience to engage with my site through the link on my social media, after those two days I checked who engaged and spoke to them about what they thought about the website and what articles they enjoyed the most. The main theme of the feedback was that they enjoyed articles about things outside of specific brands or pieces, they mostly enjoyed educational themed articles rather than analytical articles.

Using this feedback I have focused mainly on articles that educate those on fashion rather than just describing things. By doing this I acknowledge my audience, helping improve repeat visitors.

I circled back with my audience letting them know that I have used their feedback and after this I have seen a 17% growth in repeat visitors.

Taking Care Of Your Clothes

This short article is going to go over how to take care of your pieces and why.

Why Should I Care?

The main reason you should care is obvious; why ruin a piece of clothing when you can take care of it and not have to buy another one?

The second is a bit more complicated. When you take care of your clothes you ensure that they wont be in the trash, this helps reduce the insane amount of waste that the fashion industry is responsible for. It also ensures that you won’t buy another piece, this helps reduce your carbon footprint as there is no need to transport the garment to you.

Cold Water Wash

This is a no-brainer, if you’re not washing towels or bath mats there is no need to wash something in hot water. When you wash something in warm water you damage your clothes in two ways. The first is what the heat does to your fabric, when cotton is exposed to heat it looses its elastic properties, causing it to become more stiff and fragile, breaking down the fibres. The second way it damages your clothes is how it fades the colour, when the hot water seeps into the fabric it tends to cause dye to release itself from the fabric, changing the original colour of the wash.

The only time you wouldn’t cold water wash something is when you have to hand wash the garment.

Hang Drying

This is super simple, hang dry everything you can, especially cotton pieces like shirts, hoodies, and sweats. When something is put into the dryer it removes the elasticity of the fabric, shrinking it and weakening the fibres. This is most prevalent in wool and cotton pieces.

Another way to dry things is to lay them flat, by laying them flat you prevent the weight of the fabric stretching the piece out. Honestly this is only really necessary with wool pieces as the knit can be loosened with gravity

Hand Washing

Hand washing is a huge pain, the only time you should do with is with wool and raw denim. Raw denim is un-bleached and unwashed denim which when washed looses a lot of its dye. Wool when washed can shrink like crazy, with cold water or hot. The best way to hand wash is the fill up a tub or a container with cold or barely lukewarm water with a little bit of gentle detergent and just scrunch the clothing.

By doing this you help maintain the original look and feel of the piece.

How Often

Washing clothes every time you wear them is a very dangerous idea, the only time you should wash something is when you sweat in them or get them dirty. The one thing you should wash every time is socks and underwear (DUH).

When you wash something every time you damage the fibres, regardless of how careful you are.

How To Store Clothes

OK, you washed your clothes, dried them, and now you have to put them away.

The first thing you need to do is to see how much space you have, I don’t have a clue how big of a space you have so I’m going to assume you have a mega mansion and your closet space is the size of a small country.

Shirts: I think that folding shirts on top of one another helps prevent maintaining the shape of the shoulders while also allowing your to find them easily, the only time you would hang them up is when they are a button-up or if you have very high quality hangers.

Pants: Pants should be always hung up, it helps so much with storage and makes them far easier to find, 20 pairs of jeans are hard to tell from one another when you only see the front of them.

Sweaters: Sweaters should be folded, no discussion. Gravity kills knit pieces by stretching them out, fold them in your closet and stack them on top of each other.

Tops and Jackets: Jackets and thick tops like hoodies or sweatshirts should be hung up with think hangers to prevent damaging the shoulders of the piece.

Shoes: Don’t be gross, have a shelf or container for your shoes so the dirt doesn’t get on your floor, anytime I go to a friends house and I see their shoes just laying around a little part of my middle-eastern soul dies

PANTONE 13-1513

How to wear Gossamer Pink

Image by Sandy Liang via Vogue, Image by Sandy Liang via Vogue

The previous post shared spun sugar and coca Mocha, highlighting the pursuit of softness, tranquillity and security. Today, I want to share another colour that symbolizes the spirit of peace and reflects our desire for balance in the changing landscape: Gossamer Pink.

Pink is a durable colour that has proven to be most girls’ favourite colour, full of abundant vitality and unlimited energy sources. It encourages us to remain curious about exploring new things.

However, it is not exclusive to anyone. On the contrary, pink is a very inclusive colour. Whether you are a girl or a woman, you can wear pink out of your own taste.

The same goes for boys and men.

Gossamer pink shared today is between fuchsia and light pink. It is the perfect medium tone to add to the wardrobe this season.

The softness of gossamer pink gives us a comfortable and unmistakable feeling and satisfies our psychology of wanting to get along with familiar things. However, at the same time, the lightness and ethereal feeling it brings seem to symbolize our coming out of the shadows, arousing the desire for freedom and happiness.

Fighting My Urge To Consume

Throughout my articles I have spoken on how lowering your consumption is a necessary part of being part of the fashion community, but what have I done to do this?

Before My Epiphany

Before I was educated on the impact fashion has on the enviroment and the awful things it does to those in sweatshop I was just like any other person. I would buy clothes in mass quantities without thinking, every week I would have another pair of shoes or some clothes arriving at my front door. At first it felt amazing, I was fulfilling a need that nearly every single person in a capitalist society has, a need to consume.

What Made Me Change?

While non-stop buying was nice I began to realize that no matter what I bought I still felt that I had nothing to wear. It felt as if my closet was useless, its only purpose being to store my impulse bought clothes. One day I sat down and went through my closet and I was shocked to uncover a pattern I have created. I would buy a new piece, wear it everyday for two weeks, get tired of it, and then not know what else to wear, this whole time I had been restricting my imagination and creativity.

I knew then that I had to lower my consumption, not only for my own creativity, but also for the environment.

What About Today?

Now while I do still buy clothes it is far less than before, I now often buy one piece once a month rather that 4-5 times a week. While ideally I would not buy anything at all, this is a start, and thats all it takes.

idkcrypto.ca

Alas, we have hit the last few weeks of PUB 101, which leads me to the final peer review of the semester. This week, I will conduct a peer review on the website idkycrypto.ca (http://idkcrypto.ca/); a site developed to enlighten users on Crypto and NFTs.

Assessment of content and design decisions:

Starting with the About page, idkcrypto’s content already sets an extremely informative foundation for the rest of the web space (http://idkcrypto.ca/about/). That being said, I am not sure as to whether or not it was a glitch on my end, but I was not actually able to see any content under the NFT’s or Crypto tabs themselves although I do see posts that I am sure were meant to be under those tabs.

For instance the post “What is fungibility?” (http://idkcrypto.ca/blog/what-the-fck-is-fungibility/) explains the origins behind the concept NFT. Reading through this post in addition to others it is very abundantly clear that the website creator is well-versed in the topic and it is refreshing to see content creators educating users on such relevant discourse.

In terms of design, idkcrypto employs a black, white and grey colour scheme which I think fits appropriately with the theme of the site. The design is simple yet effective, I like the set up of the home screen and how the social media and menu are set up. Overall, easy to navigate and manoeuvre , additionally the use of text bolding and sizing makes text easy to read. My only suggestion is to include more visual graphics in order to facilitate a more interactive user experience considering the content is very information heavy.

Clear engagement with course readings:

In a society that is so used to media framing, and misinformation practices I think it is important that idkcrypto maintains integral information sharing practices. Giving the audience a full background of what crypto and NFTs entail in addition to sharing how beginners can get involved is a surprisingly gate-kept practice. Alice Marwick and Rebecca Lewis’ reading titled “Media Manipulation and Disinformation Online” delve into the online world of media manipulation and disinformation. In this text there is a particular section that explores who manipulates media and who in fact perpetuates disinformation. It has been concluded that these regressive practices are typically traced to groups involved in far-right media manipulation which include; internet trolls, gamegaters, organized brigades, network groups, retrograde populism, and manospheres. Ultimately, those who reinforce misinformation practices are typically those who have something to gain.

The point I would like to emphasize is that in a world where everyone is out to gain something, and genuine information sharing is rare at best…it is encouraging to see a content creator looking to illuminate users on something that could actually benefit instead of mislead users.

Review of website’s marketability and intended audience:

I think this website’s marketability is proficient as it states the goal and intended users on the home page itself with the introductory slogan “Learn about Crypto & NFT’s: Welcome to idkcrypto. Come with an open mind, leave with empowering knowledge”. What I think is most effective is how this web space is not exclusive to one demographic, as it primarily entails an informative cyberinfrastructure. Therefore, leaving no room for criticism for the lack of audience reach, it is simply up to the user themselves.

Overall, I think this website has so much potential and is already off to a great start. I am appreciative of my time spent analyzing the site and its content, as the discourse presented is something I am undereducated in. Definitely a site I will be revisiting even after the semester, so I hope it is kept running!

Process Post: A Change

For this process post, I decided to completely change my website.

I won’t have much to say in this post but I feel like you can see the bulk of my work on the site.

I thought that my site’s current theme was not as user-friendly as it could be, the first thing I did was find a theme that supported everything I would need. After finding a theme I ensured that all the necessary menus that were needed would be present. I included a few new widgets and a playlist as well.

I feel like all the things I changed were for one reason, the main one being that it helps the website to be easier to use. Even if I have the most interesting website on the planet it won’t matter if someone cant uses it. By redoing the site I have ensured that when my audience interacts with me it is as easy as possible, allowing them to focus on the content.

The Yeezyfication Of Fashion

Recently it seems that everyone is following one man’s style

The Year Of Ye

This year something very strange has happened in the world of fashion, one man has completely influenced it. That man was Ye (formally Kanye West). Ye has overtaken what fashion is in recent months, with many taking inspiration if not just copying his new style.

What is Ye’s new style?

Ye’s new style mostly stems from his friendship with Demna, Balenciaga’s new creative director. His style is often composed of rubber boots, slim jeans, and face masks. This style while seemingly simple does have merit, it creates a new silhouette, rubber boots are an amazing piece to have in your wardrobe.

What’s Wrong With It?

I think the main issue with this new style is how it has been received recently. While I believe that taking inspiration from people is a great way to build outfits, there is a huge difference between taking inspiration and just flat-out copying someone’s style. Many people have just simply taken the exact pieces Ye wears and tried to pass it off as a cool outfit but in reality, it’s just the ability to have money to spend on expensive clothes. This isn’t just regular people either, its celebrities, fashion houses, just about everyone who wants a piece of the Ye pie.

I think that it’s an awesome style, but when people just copy others it restricts innovation and perpetuates the fashion cycle.

Process Posts: Talking To A Stranger Part Two

This Process Post will focus on how speaking to a stranger has helped further my career in fashion.

Flashback!

In my first process post, I talked about how I spoke with someone who worked in costume design in film. I was extremely interested in their career so I took their contact information in order to ask them questions about a potential article I was writing. While I did not get to write this article I feel like what came from it was far more fruitful.

What Came From It?

After emailing them they offered for me to shadow them in costume design, they said that when a possible opening was available they would contact me and I would shadow them on set to learn about how costume design works.

Around 3 days later I was offered a spot on a small film 2 months from now, I would be focusing on continuity and helping actors get into their costumes. I was ecstatic, I immediately jumped at the opportunity and prepared myself.

What Was It Like?

After getting all the necessary tools (sewing kit, gloves, etc.) I got ready for a weekend of nonstop work. On a set most days are around 12 hours, the bulk of the work was when the actors came in the morning, I was focused on getting them into their costumes and ensuring that their costumes were accurate to what was expected. Other than just making sure that they were wearing the clothes correctly I was also doing the one thing that any fashion enthusiast hates doing, damaging the clothes. The movie was a style that required the clothes to look worn and dirty. I used tools like a seam ripper or fake dust to make the clothes look they have been through hell and back.

After the clothes were ready and the actors got dressed I was tasked with continuity, continuity on a set is the practice of making sure that the clothes look the same chronologically.

What I Learned

The main thing I learned from this experience is how far fashion’s reach goes, it allows for people who have nothing in common to connect. This helped me understand how to better engage with my audience through my blog as well , by understanding how I connect with my audience I can exploit it and focus on it.

Process Post #12

Online comments & Community guidelines

The online comment area should be regarded as the embodiment of freedom and democracy. We can be frank in the comment area, exchange ideas in-depth and understand each other’s views to participate in the topic discussion. However, at the same time, it is also the place where language violence and harm are the most serious. One of the most common critiques of online comments cites a disconnect between the commenter’s identity and what he is saying (Konnikova, 2013). Psychologist John Suler calls this phenomenon the “online disinhibition effect” (Konnikova, 2013). The theory is that when you get rid of your identity, the usual constraints on your behaviour will also disappear (Maria konnikova, 2013). This can be even worse with anonymity. 

Konnikova said that of the 900 randomly selected user comments on articles about immigration, 53% of anonymous commentators were uncivilized, while 29% of registered non-anonymous commentators were uncivilized (2013). Therefore, Konnikova concluded that anonymity encouraged rude behaviour (2013). How should we deal with such physical behaviour? Becky Gardiner et al. said it was simple: “do not read comments,” or turn them off completely (2016). Many people have done this by permanently disabling their comment threads because they become too laborious to disturb (Becky Gardiner et al., 2016). However, simply deleting comments is not a perfect solution. Konnikova said that deleting comments will affect the reading experience (2013). It may take away the motivation to participate more deeply in a topic and share it with a broader audience.

My attitude towards my comment area is to welcome everyone to express any opinions in the comment area since I found this blog. I encourage everyone to participate and create an atmosphere of shared learning and discussion. I have not received any comments so far, not to mention malicious or offensive comments. However, through this week’s reading, I really should consider the concern of comments, so I may create an online community guide in the future to maintain a friendly, open-minded, and respectful discussion area. For example, I might make the first rule that any derogatory comments of any race, religion, gender, age, or ability are unacceptable.

Moreover, I will make it clear in the community guide that such comments will be reviewed and may be deleted. I hope all discussions will focus on topics of common interest rather than offensive comments about others. At the same time, based on my desire to create a shared learning environment, my community guide will make this point clear again. For example, I would advise people to post valuable and relevant content to help others. Furthermore, expect users to submit content based on their own honest opinions and experiences.

This is my current idea for community guidelines, and I will create a dedicated community guidelines page in the future. Starting from the mission and value of my website, I will list out clear key points and rules that create a safe space for my entire audience to connect and interact with each other.

Reference:

Featured Image via Pinterest

Gardiner, B., Mansfield, M., Anderson, I., Holder, J., Louter, D., & Ulmanu, M. (2016, April 12). The Dark Side of Guardian comments. The Guardian. Retrieved March 28, 2022, from https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/apr/12/the-dark-side-of-guardian-comments 

Konnikova, M. (2013, October 23). The psychology of online comments. The New Yorker. Retrieved March 28, 2022, from https://www.newyorker.com/tech/annals-of-technology/the-psychology-of-online-comments

 

Process Post: Transmedia

Transmedia is the process of being present in multiple forms of media.

What Would I Do?

If I were to implement transmedia practices in my online presence I would first create multiple social media pages devoted to my blog. The most important of these are Instagram and TikTok, these platforms have the highest amount of people who are interested in fashion. I would also create pages/accounts on Facebook and Twitter in order to maximize my online presence but these are not as important for implementing transmedia practices.

Why Would I Do This?

By doing this I can widen my influence, finding those who are interested in fashion that I have not yet interacted with, and as a result, I can increase my engagement with my blog. Consistent uploading on all of these platforms creates a sense of cohesiveness, allowing ChainStitch to seem more than just a blog or one person, instead of being an idea or a “vibe”.

If I am to continue with ChainStitch in the future I will definitely do this, I feel that blogs while useful for long articles are hard to follow up with, social media is far easier to use and interaction is far more frequent, this can create a funnel effect, leading to the blog.

Progress Post: Why I Stopped Using Analytics

Before you take marks off my blog, I want to preface this with one thing. I have used the analytics when necessary for the course, for example knowing how often readers return to my page or using google analytics to see how I rank on the search engines.

The most important thing that a creator needs to have with their audience is trust. If one does not trust someone, it makes it much harder to continue interacting with them. I feel that when I have, it breaks boundaries. While it was evident that the internet does “steal” a fair amount of information, I think that by not contributing to it, I can help the audience see that I, the author, am the same as them, I consume information the same way, and I wish to have privacy the same as them.

When I made this decision, I posted it on my Instagram story that I would not be using anyone’s information when they visited my site. I was immediately overwhelmed with positive responses. Those who responded liked the fact that their privacy was respected online.

While I may not be able to see if they return, I know that when the audience trusts the creator, they are more likely to continue consuming the media.

Mini Assignment #6

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VALORANT

VALORANT has been one of the hottest games over the past couple years. RIOT Games struck gold with their timing of release for VALORANT, as the game came out in June 2020, the height of the pandemic in many places. Due to lockdown, a brand new free to play game from a reputable developer like RIOT Games was an absolute blessing. During lockdown, I likely spent between 6 and 8 hours a day playing this game (it has since decreased substantially as life has resumed globally).

VALORANT is a competitive 5 vs 5 team-based first person shooter game. A game of VALORANT is a first to 13, round-based competition. There are two teams, one on offence and one on defense (they will switch sides halfway through the game). The objective of the team on offence is to break through the enemy’s defenses to reach a bombsite. When there, the team on offence must plant a “spike” (a bomb) and defend it until it explodes. If the spike detonates, the team on offence wins. Alternatively, a round can be won by the team on defense if the team on offense fails to plant the spike in time. The final way that a round can be won is through eliminations. When killed in the game, characters will not respawn until the next round. If every member of a team is killed, they lose the round.

As I mentioned, VALORANT is typically considered a competitive game. To further this point, it is worth noting that VALORANT has one of the most noteworthy e-sports followings on earth, with the finals of a 2021 tournament reaching over 1 million concurrent viewers on streaming platforms. There is also a comprehensive ranked competitive system within the game. The ranks within the game are as follows (ordered lowest to highest): Iron, Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, Diamond, Immortal and Radiant.

I’ll be completely blunt here – this game has a huge learning curve for those unfamiliar with first person shooter games. VALORANT is hard – to the point that even while playing extremely frequently (and being a relatively competent player of games) I was only able to reach Gold. With how little I play now, I would likely only be able to play in Silver or Bronze. With that being said, as a beginner I would suggest staying far away from ranked mode. Due to the competitiveness of the game, people can be extremely nasty to other players. Toxic players can be found in any competitive game, but they are particularly bad in team based games. Making one mistake can lead to belittlement and harassment from teammates if you are unlucky.

To those trying to learn, playing unranked is definitely the way to go. There is way less pressure to succeed, and toxic teammates appear far less frequently. In my experience, people on unranked are pretty friendly and will rarely get frustrated with less experienced teammates. With that in mind, I do have one suggestion that negates all of these issues entirely, but it is dependent on you having four friends who also want to play. If you can form your own team of five, VALORANT is an absolute blast. Playing with friends facilitates a fun, supportive environment where you can come up with creative ideas and strategies without pressure from those who are dedicated to competitive success at the expense of their human morals.

If you are able to form a team of friends, there is almost no game I would recommend more than this one. It was a huge part of my social life throughout COVID-19, allowing me to banter with my friends from home while focusing on a shared goal. Even if you are playing alone, if you are able to develop thick skin for dealing with toxic individuals, VALORANT will still be a great time. I spent many hours playing alone, and enjoyed a vast majority of them.

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe

Mario Kart… is there anyone who hasn’t heard of this game before? Mario is a name that is well known worldwide, even to those who haven’t played a single video game in their life – and for good reason. Mario games are consistently very good, resulting in Mario becoming the core of Nintendo’s intellectual property.

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is no exception to this trend. The game is available exclusively for the Nintendo Switch, and stands as one of the greatest party games of this generation (in my humble opinion). For those who are unaware, Mario Kart is a racing game in which 12 racers attempt to complete 3 laps (usually) around a track fastest. The party element of this game comes from items and powerups. As you are racing, you can collect a variety of items that can be used to give yourself advantages or disadvantage other racers. These items range from a banana peel that you can leave behind yourself, tripping up other racers, to a bullet that will carry you safely for a certain distance. Funnily enough, Mario Kart is one of the typical examples used in the equity versus equality discussion. Those who are closer to last place will receive better items, while those closer to the front will receive worse. The item distribution actually makes for an interesting strategy element within the game – you can choose to try as hard as you can from the get-go in an effort to build a lead – or you can remain close to the back of the pack until the third lap to get a better chance at good items.

As mentioned, Mario Kart is a party game. This generally means that there is a low barrier to entry (the game is pretty easy for beginners). As a result, I don’t know anyone who has been disappointed to hear that Mario Kart is getting booted up. When hanging out with friends this is a must have if you are looking for some fun, casual games to play together.

The one aspect of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe that falls short is the online experience. While the connection is more consistent than other games within Nintendo’s catalogue, the features available are woefully lacking. You have two options for online:

1: You can play with eleven random people from around the world. This option is actually very cool, as you will be matched with people close to your skill level and compete with them. It is a great way to spend your time if you are alone, looking to relax and have some fun.

2: you can play with friends in a personal lobby. This option is good, but heavily limited. The only real way to take advantage of this feature is if you have 7+ friends who also own a Switch, Mario Kart, and Nintendo Online (racing with fewer than 8 people is pretty underwhelming). Racing alone with one or two friends lacks the excitement and fun of racing with a larger group.

If I could change one thing about Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, it would be creating a combination of the online services above. I would love to be able to join a lobby of random people from around the world with one or two of my friends who want to play. This feature would bring the game from a 7/10 to a 10/10 (I don’t like using a scale in most cases, but this is a good way to describe the shortcomings of Nintendo online).

In all, Mario Kart remains a solid game, as every Mario Kart installment has been. It is best played in person with friends, and can be enjoyed in a multitude of ways. For those who want to take the “Party game” aspect of Mario Kart to the next level, I would absolutely suggest checking out Beerio Kart on Urban Dictionary.

Peer Review #3

She is Recovering

She is Recovering is a blog created by Alessia Turco, and is dedicated to supporting personal mental health. Upon entering the site, I was immediately impressed by the site design. The white background featuring imagery of clouds and light tones matches the theme of her content beautifully, resulting in a very strong initial impression of the blog. I felt a sense of ease after simply viewing the homepage.

Mental health is a topic of dire importance, especially among university students. While Alessia indicates that her blog may not be viewed by many, I believe that it has the potential to be a positive resource for anyone struggling with their mental health. The content and design featured in She is Recovering make the blog extremely marketable to those in need of support (that verbiage definitely has some ethical issues – but ‘marketable’ in this case refers to the site’s appeal to its target audience).

As mentioned previously, Alessia’s blog has an excellent design – specifically the home page. I am thoroughly impressed by the layout that she went with. All of her content is easily accessible through the menu, and the sections featured on the homepage are informative and aesthetically on brand with her site. I also really liked that Alessia included a reference list of mental health support resources, and made them easy to access through her homepage. This is an essential piece of any mental health support site, and would be a useful portal for anyone visiting her blog.

The only suggestion I would make with design is the posts archive. While it maintains the same great header image that is featured on the home page, the content section feels a little bit bland. I would love to see the posts reorganized a bit to be more on the same wavelength as the rest of the site.

The content posted on She is Recovering is a fantastic resource in and of itself. I was particularly interested by the Depression-alleviating activities post, as Alessia provides useful tips and suggestions relating to positive mental health outcomes. Avoiding oversleeping was a tip that I had never thought of, but in hindsight some of the times that I’ve been struggling I definitely found myself in bed more often than not.

All-in-all, She is Recovering is a fantastic resource for anyone looking for support on their mental health. I could definitely see myself coming back to this site for tips during exam week!

Check out She is Recovering here:

http://sheisrecovering.ca/

Process Post #11

Multi-channel, Multi-media

My understanding of multimedia is that it is a complex combination of many things that can present information, exchange ideas and express emotions. It can display information, exchange ideas and express emotions. It allows us to see, hear and understand other people’s thoughts. In short, it is a way of communication. 

Bryce J Renninger said that the concept of multimedia aims to define the new environment with a surge in communication opportunities and its impact on interpersonal communication (2015). In other words, he believes that in a multimedia environment, media ideology helps people decide where to exchange certain types of ideas (Renninger, 2015). This reminds me of the current media environment. When we pay attention to a celebrity, we no longer only know it through newspaper news but pay attention to his / her Instagram, YouTube and/or other channels

At the same time, because of the current social network environment, the online community is growing day by day. Therefore, when developing my blog in this media background, I need to consider the construction of different channels to strengthen each other. The first participatory media I created were social media such as Instagram and Twitter. By sharing the post related to the weekly blog post on IG. Moreover, mention my blog link on the IG post to increase the audience’s access to my blog. At the same time, hashtag on social media helps me effectively contact potential audiences interested in specific topics.

Rapid advances in technology are opening new frontiers in the possibilities of interactive storytelling, bringing us closer to realizing this dream. The lines between story and experience, physical and digital, real and virtual, are blurring. The audience is elevated to the role of active participant and co-creator. The audience’s increasingly active role in creating story experiences is at the heart of all this. Audiences will have more and more power to create their own experiences. Therefore, I started this blog by making it clear to my audience through my “About” that I created a shared learning relationship with them. I would love for my audience to interact with me in the comments section or on social media and share their colour combinations or favourite fashion items.

Although my blog content focuses on fashion and colour matching, I don’t want to limit my audience to every post I write. So, I created the Colour Palette. In this section, I don’t talk too much about clothing or the fashion world but rather give readers a different perspective by sharing movie colours that match the tone of my weekly tweets. In the future, I may also integrate video-sharing platforms like YouTube and TikTok into my online publications because I want my sharing to reach a wider audience not only through graphics but also through visuals and audio.

Reference:

Featured Image via Pinterest

Renninger, B. J. (2015). “Where I can be myself … where I can speak my mind” : Networked counterpublics in a polymedia environment. New Media & Society, 17(9), 1513–1529. https://doi.org/10.1177/1461444814530095