Journal 60: December 2

This semester has been an exciting one, especially in WRA 210. When I transfered to MSU, I knew I wanted to write for a Web site, but had no idea how much it would entail. My Web experiece was, for all intents and purposes, nil. My experience with computers was pretty much limited to knowing I prefered Macs to PCs because they run GarageBand so I could make albums with my, umm, garage bands. My knowledge 16 weeks ago is no match for my knowledge now. Same goes for my expectations for my future career. Things seem to be turning out perfectly!

Journal 59: December 2

I guess I'm still thinking about rapidly changing technology. I've realized that's pretty much why I became a Professional Writing major in the first place. I was originally a Journalism major. Though I was good at writing in a journalistic style, I really didn't like its constraining nature. But that's not what drove me to quit. I decided that the newspaper is quickly becomming an example of "old" technology - it's on the decline. So many people get their news from CNN, MSNBC, Fox News, Etc. None of those media outlets have a printed edition. I looked at my future as a newspaper man, and it felt unstable. Web authoring is where the writing jobs are growing, and that's what I want to be doing when I graduate.

Journal 58: December 2

So I'm hopelessly addicted to The X-Files, and have been for quite some time. Well, I've been trying to watch the whole series from start to finish this year, using my very small about of free time. I'm almost up to season four, but that's not what I'm intending on writing about here. What I've noticed by this excursion is how hilariously dated the show is by the technology it features. The characters scramble to find dial-up access, very few people possess cell phones, gene therapy is "theoretical," and huge villainous computers run programs straight out of the stone age. The show exists in an era when technology was still coming into its own, when there were just as many capabilities as creations. Information still had to be found using libraries and their micofiche. The Internet was used only by those highly versed in its strange ways. The thing is, it really wasn't that long ago. Yet, it still feels like a foreign world to me. In fact, I wasn't even that young - maybe eight years old. I guess the point of this post is that our technological world is advancing at such a rapid pace, and I'm not only involved in it, I'm trying to become entrenched in it. That means it won't just be my job to create with technology. It will also be my job to keep up with it.

Journal 57: December 2

Technologically, there are a lot of advantages to being a student. I mean, MSU gives me this huge AFS space to host any Web sites I may create. And then there's the MSU computer store that gives me massive discounts on software. And last week, when I was checking out MacBooks at the Apple store, I was told I'll recieve a $200 student discount. Oh yeah, and if this year works the same as last year, I'll recieve a free iPod because I'll be a student purchasing a computer during the back-to-school sale. Umm... Maybe grad school is a good choice after all!

Journal 56: December 2

Way back when, I did a project exploring one of my favorite sites. During the project, I outlined many of its flaws and explained how it could be improved. Despite its problems, I still visit All Media Guide nearly every day. Well, I may get a chance to help them out. I recieved word of an internship I can take at the site's office in Ann Arbor. I'm currently pursuing that internship, and hopefully it will work out this summer. Of course, I don't expect to change the site myself, or necessarily get the chance to change anything. But it will be cool to get involved and see how such a site is created firsthand. How knows, maybe I could get a chance to help them develop and impliment ways of improving the site!

Journal 55: December 2

Looking forward at career paths I might choose, I've decided I would really like to get involved in something that involves
Web authoring. It's something I enjoy, something I think I'm pretty good at, and something I know I'll get better at. It involves creativity, which I possess, and requires skill in writing, which I also possess. I'm trying to get more practice in the field to better my chances at finding a job like that. I'm also doing more research into Web design. I think I'll be able to make this happen if I keep working at it.

Journal 54: December 2

It's amazing how streamlined Facebook and the like has become with our culture. It's like everybody has one. I mean, I was on just the other day and discovered a profile belonging to my 60-something former employer. What in the world? This year, my 50-something-year-old aunt befriended me. That's not a problem, or anything, but it's just... weird. And then there's my brother-in-law who spends his time finding Facebook-only girlfriends. Now, the news reported a divorce stemming from an affair on Second Life. Second Life?? My avitar couldn't even find friends on Second Life. Much less... whatever that was...

Journal 53: December 1

One of the ways I've been thinking of improving my site is to use Dreamweaver templates. My reasoning behind this is to see what their coding looks like so I can try to replicate it in the future and solve my compatibility issues once and for all. I mean, I've kind of been plagued by those all semester. I am curious, though. Are the Dreamweaver templates compatible with all browsers, or do they suffer the same ailments as my site? I guess the only real way of learning that answer is to try it out myself. I look forward to that!

Journal 52: December 1

I've been thinking a lot about the economy lately. I'm not scared of the future by any means, I'm just curious as to what could happen. What would happen if we had another Great Depression in this era? There are countless answers to that question, of course, but what would happen specifically to technology? Would there be a decline in Web sites because people couldn't afford computers, Internet access, Web hosting, etc.? Or would the costs go so far down that everyone would get involved, further incorporating the Web in with our culture? Or would all of this just... disappear? Our society is so dependent on technology, it seems that some people would almost cease to exist without it - they'd lose their source of income, their livelihood, their talents. Because of that aspect, I don't feel that it's possible for the Internet to completely go away. I hope it doesn't. This is giving me a headache.

Journal 51: December 1

I'm fully intending on working on my site after this class is finished. I'm considering changing the format a bit. I would like to incorporate Javascript and more music players. I would like to work with the design more, both in appearance and structure. I'll be modifying my CSS and probably changing my color scheme around, although I still like it. I feel like there are many ways my site can improve. If I keep working on it, I'll figure out how to make my site work at its fullest potential.

Journal 50: November 30

It's ridiculous how the Internet seems to be a place for people to live vicariously. There are so many people who are thoughtful and polite in the "real world" and obnoxious and snobby online. It can be entertaining to see this sometimes, but more often than not it's just annoying. I guess it is just the way people are, though. When they don't have actual contact with the people they're communicating with, they feel free to say what they want. It's the same way with telemarketers. This is an annoyance of mine, so I'm hoping I haven't written a post about it before...

Journal 49: November 30

I tried out a new MacBook Pro this weekend. I really love it. It's got an even sturdier aluminum frame than my PowerBook, but it's much lighter weight. It's eight times faster than my current Mac, and has 11 times more memory(40 times the current amount of memory left on it)! It's got six times the amount of RAM, too. Not to mention the latest version of OS X, so I can actually run programs made in the last three years. Between my tax rebate and increased hours at work this semester (maybe a little too increased, but we'll see), I should be all ready to go by the time Snow Leopard comes out. That means my Little PowerBook That Could will have to hang in there a bit longer. That shouldn't be a big deal, considering I have no technology-related courses this coming semester. But I really look forward to using Photoshop and Dreamweaver at home. It'll also be nice to have all my music on my laptop, instead of freeing up memory on my external hard drive. That kinda got old.

Journal 48: November 30

One thing I'll be trying to figure out after this class is Javascript. I know it can't be too hard, and it's something that seems very useful in a lot of instances. Of course, I'm not planning any elaborate Javascript intros or anything like that, but it's something I know I could put to good use on a site. I look forward to using it in the future, and I think Javascript knowledge can really help me in Advanced Web Authoring.

Journal 47: November 30

Although I've progressed a lot in the last 15 or so weeks, there are still some confounding aspects to Web Design. Try as I might, I simply can't figure out how to make my site work equally on every browser. Heck, I can't even get it to work properly on one browser. I mean: the text color and site structure work great on Safari, but the text size and music player are skewed; the music player works great on Firefox, but the structure and text color don't; nothing at all works on Internet Explorer. What in the world? I've done everything that I possibly can here, and it's not working out! It would on a Safari/Firefox hybrid, though...

Journal 46: November 30

As the semester winds down, I've been thinking about just how much of a difference this Web Authoring class has made in my general everyday life. I don't look at the Internet in nearly the same way as I used to; I look for design practices and anomalies, unique structures, color schemes... and then I look at the content. I didn't know what any of that stuff was a semester ago. Of course, my whole day isn't spent online (though it's getting closer). But even when I'm away from my computer, I am noticing things that I could incorporate in design: colors, users to keep in mind and ideas for content. It's as if I've found a new aspect to the world I've never been exposed to.

Journal 45: November 9

It amazes me how much thought is out there on the Internet. Until I took this class, I took Web design for granted and only focused on content. Yes, I was amazed at the amount of content, and the quality of a lot of it. But I never noticed the huge world lurking beyond that little aspect of it. The form of presentation is just as important as the work it displays. In fact, the ideas out there for such presentation are just as good, if not better, than the featured content. I mean, sites like imeem, iTunes, Lala, eMusic, and Rhapsody feature so much music. But the ways they deliver that music are groundbreaking. They are so streamlined and user-friendly. To think of those kind of ideas takes so much intelligence and attention to detail, not to mention hard work. Sites like Facebook seem like everyday things now, and are largely taken for granted. But ideas like that are profound, and the ways the are implemented and presented are amazing. The Internet is truly a form of art that isn't nearly as appreciated as it should be.

Journal 44: November 9

Photoshop is one program that had a reputation I could never understand until now. It was used in my Journalism classes back when that was my major, so I have tried to use it before. But the thing is, because of the classes I was in, and the program's name, I only assumed it was for photos. And, yes, it worked well for retouching pictures, but I've used other programs for that, too. I guess I thought Photoshop was just an expensive way for obsessive photographers to tweak their work. But that all changed this week. I realized that it can also be used for designing. And lots of designing it can do. In fact, it seems like Photoshop is an essential program to have if I want to work with Web sites in the future. I can make my own logos and pictures. That means I don't have to rely on clip art. Yes, there is a lot of clip art out there, but it's not guaranteed to look good with my Web site. I can use Photoshop to insure that any of my images do work. Cool!

Journal 43: November 9

Okay, so MSU's Angel site could really use some redesigning. It's clunky, slow, and unreliable. I can never find where I need to go on it, and I swear some of my class pages change all the time. One of my professors has been trying to get grades updated this week, but Angel isn't posting the changes. It's a really frustrating system. Blackboard was used by my previous college. It is far superior to Angel. It's designed well, and I never noticed errors. Yes, MSU has provided a superior education, but I just wish its implemented technology would reflect that. Of course, redesigning Angel is too large a project for anyone in WRA 210, but the school should at least look into getting some more help in fixing the site.

Journal 42: November 9

Even though I never thought I would get to this point, I'm starting to be able to type in only code, without depending on Dreamweaver's views of what I'm designing. I remember in my earlier readings, people talked about using Notepad to design with HTML. I thought that was funny back then, but it makes sense now. I find it distracting to constantly watch how things look when I'm designing. I guess this is a good sign. Not only am I learning a lot, but I'm getting more confident, too.

Journal 41: November 9

I'm wondering how I can use my other blog to get me more attention. I wanted to use it to get more stuff for my portfolio, but I'd kind of like it to get attention, too. I've heard of several Web magazine authors wh0 got jobs that way, and I think I could do that, too. I use the blog address in my signature on a message board site I participate in, but other than that, I have no exposure. I have heard of people downloading programs that consistently access the site, allowing for maximum Googleability. Maybe I could do that. I suppose the best way to do this is to make good connections and hope they recommend me.