Okay so I decided to do a Product Review, I got a little corny yes. But as I was looking through my desk trying to figure out what to do it on my eyes caught the post-it note dispenser. Call me nerdy… but it is honestly one of the most useful things I’ve come across. Better than notifications on your phone, or virtual post-its on your desktop. I use them all the time for homework, and at work as well. I have some coworkers laugh at me remarking “you know we are in the computer industry, you can type using a keyboard”.
… they just don’t get it is what I think. Nothing makes things stick or helps quite like a post-it note. The dispenser is awesome, always there and handy. Dispensing one at a time- always.
I am the kind of person who chases the sun just to see it set (literally). My life’s goal is to watch the sunset in all seven continents. So far I chased sunsets in four different continents; North America, Europe, Asia and Africa. I decided to make a collage with all the sunset pictures I took from over the years. I used photovisi.com. I uploaded all the pictures and it did the work for me. Seriously, life is so beautiful (when it’s so easy).
A few months back I had the idea to compose a documentary about a topic that has been lingering in my mind for years. The concept of modesty. Modesty comes in many different forms. Everyone has their own perception of modesty. I was particularly interested to view this concept with Islam and how outsiders (non-Muslims) view Muslims who cover their head or dress more conservative. I was inspired to ask everyone on campus about their views on Muslim women (and women in general) wearing the hijab (veil) or dressing more conservative. This video was intended to open people’s eyes to a new and well-informed perspective on this matter. Misconceptions about the veiled women, yet appreciated self-worth and hidden admiration was discovered when interviewing people on college campus. I used iMovies to edit this movie and with the share option I uploaded it directly to YouTube. It got creative with sound effects and added music toward the end of the video to make it a “legitimate” documentary that is worth sharing. After I completed this project I realized there were many editing mistakes I made that I will learn from next time around. Currently I am working on another documentary that should be done soon (stay toned).
Disclaimer: This video is not meant to offend anyone.
I decided on doing the Kuleshev Effect Assignment because I felt it could be very expressive. I wanted to relay a message or thought to the viewer of my video. Something that I try to live by in life is to always remain positive, even if you feel like things aren’t going your way… you have to sometimes tell yourself they are anyways.
The video was easy to make, I got my sound clip from freesound.org, and used a little bit of Windows Live Movie Maker magic to transition through scenes as if they were pages of a book.
So here is my short story, narrated using the Kuleshev Effect….
During my travels this summer I have learned very important lessons:
You should always pack a snack, because most plane food sucks.
You should always buy an extra pair of headphones (incase your headphones break and you are suck sitting next to someone who won’t stop talking the whole 17 hours #truestory).
You should always have a camera (because life is full of beautiful moments to capture)
I took this video with my iphone camera, then with one click uploaded the video to my computer via bluetooth (ohh how sweet is life).
I am a geek of tremendous proportions! Also when I’m trying to go to sleep at night, I obsess over all the conversations I had throughout the day. I also like to take awkward videos of people and share them on youtube. The black and white effect enhances the intensity in a photo or a video and gives a moment so much more meaning (in my opinion). This video was initially 20 minutes long (a bunch of hoodlums, I know) but with the help of iMovies on my computer was very easy to edit and reduce the duration of the video. I’ve never used iMovies before, and I am glad that I am learning all the cool things it offers (gosh, I am so lame).
I have always been taught to never begin anything with an apology. However lately I always feel the need to apologize. When I registered for this class I was excited beyond human capacity. I was really looking forward to learn and grow with the Daily assignments as well as explore all the unique projects we got to do. It’s disappointing that I wasn’t able to complete assignments on time, or even complete them with a pure conscious. I feel like I was always rushing to finish assignments. Which sucked the fun out of what was meant to be fun and enjoyable. But to be fair, I did enjoy all the assignments I got to do and learned a lot about digital storytelling. I have always been a very private person and very selective in terms of sharing my thoughts, beliefs, myself. I don’t like the feeling of being exposed. However, DS has helped me find a level of balance. It’s all about communication. we need to communicate to survive. communication is not a one way street. You do not always have to fully explain yourself to everyone but be aware that a dedication to never do so can be perceived as very arrogant and self-centered. If you are unwilling to communicate with others then you will see many friendships crumble. If you don’t feel like you need those friendships in your life that is fine, but just be aware of these consequences, because nobody likes to feel lonely. This post was not meant to be this long. I guess I just wanted to express myself, something I have never been so good at. I am a person who likes to give my heart and soul in everything that I do, and when I feel that I am not performing at my best, I beat myself over and over and over again.
I’ve got a ridiculous number of tabs open, many because I wanted to do some more thinking about them or share them. Of course, sharing them requires that I stop to reread and think about them. Hence the still open tabs.
One is Joshua Malina’s tumblr. A couple of weeks ago he took the SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) Challenge. For one week he ate on the average food stamp budget of $31.50 per person per week and wrote about the experience. His family did not join him, although they seem to have been quite supportive. Personally I can’t imagine eating for an entire week on so little money.
From this experience he seems to have found that on such a budget fruits and vegetables were unlikely to be affordable, water was about all he drank, and he didn’t have dessert. I would guess he also dealt with being hungry more often than normal.
Sadly, that is normal for a lot of people. I have a lot of respect for Joshua Malina for trying this because I can’t do it. Instead I’m doing the least possible and spreading the word.
Recent excursions into Hollywood and pop-culture history have made me realize that there’s a lot of awesome stuff out there that I’d never even knew existed. When I leave Japan next week for a few weeks of R & R before heading to the next chapter, I plan on looking up for some recently discovered films. On the top of my list is Story Weather from which the Nicholas Brothers animated GIF above was captured.
The 6 minute YouTube clip from which 15 frames of a dynamic three second sequence were extracted also features electrifying performances by Cab Calloway and Bill “Bojangles” Robinson. According to wikipedia, this 1943 20th Century Fox film featuring an African-American cast is considered one of Hollywood’s best musicals. The wikipedia entry also says that the film was included in the National Film Registry of the Library of Congress in 2001.
As I mentioned in a recent podcast, as much as I’d like to learn to dance, it’s a wee bit too late in the game for me. But someday some youngster might come across an animated GIF like the Nicholas Brothers’ Jumping Jive and be inspired to learn how to make such awesome art as they did in the olden days.
Camp is now over (see the final story. If you are craving an experience like this, head over to ds106 and see how to participate. For more on the Summer of Magic Macguffin, see.....
