Final Presentation

For Game design for our final grades our groups worked on Final Presentations.
This was to be our work as Team Awesome on our game, "Food Forecast." We worked together to make a power point presentation of all of our work this semester.

The presentation showed our progress throughout the semester, starting from brainstorming ideas, and ending with gameplay and how the game will look. Consolidating all of our work, and writing up what needed to be say was a lot of work, but I think it came out looking great.
We had a bit of a set back when one of our members was absent on the day of the final, but the other three of us worked around it and split up the parts of the presentation between us.
A representative from Globolaria was present in the lab, as well as two others via cellphone call, and they were able to electronically watch our desktop so they could view the presentation.
I think all of the presentations on the day of the final were well prepared, and presented very well.
I am proud of the work we did individually and as a class, and am looking forward to working on Food Forecast more next semester in the Flash Games class.

"Adding"

Recently I finished up working on all of the "adding" homework that was assigned.
The adding navigation, animation, sound, and interaction.
I will admit that it was harder than I expected it, and I think that it was mostly because of directions. Once I figured out what needed to be done, it did not take me very long to figure out how to do it, and then execute the task at hand.
Adding Navigation
This was the first of the "adding" home working assignments that I started, and it had me stumped.
When I began to work on the assignment, I had already had the concept and new how to create an interactive button, but when I started watching the the videos that were on the page I just became confused. In my opinion, the videos were fairly informative, but the instructions that followed did not help me realize what I was supposed to do for the assignment. It turned out to be fairly simple, to just make two of the buttons in the file work to go to a different screen, but lack of instructions made me try numerous other things first.
Adding Animation
Adding animation was pretty easy for me. I had already worked with Monica on an animation of a cow that goes by the screen, so I just uploaded that since I knew the process by which to do that.
Adding Sound
This one was pretty fun. I added a mooing sound to the cow from adding animation. It made it quite comical. The only problem I had with this video, is that the method by which they told you to import the file didn't work, so I had to google how to correctly get my "mooing" sound into the layer I wanted it in.
Adding Interaction
The Final project I worked on for the assignments wasn't too difficult, but kind of confusing.
This assignment was similar to the "Mini-Game" project we had already worked on. It was taking an object and making it be able to move with the arrow keys. The problem I had with it was that the tutorial they posted a link for wasn't very accurate to our version. The steps it says to do don't line up with our version of Flash, so I had to take time to figure out what options worked and what didn't. It allowed me to figure things out for myself, which I did enjoy.

Overall, I think that the "adding" assignments were beneficial in the fact that it allowed me to process things and figure them out for myself. It allowed me to learn more about the interface of Flash.

Quick Knowledge?

In the new age of technology things are changing quick. These days, the way we attain knowledge is completely different. More and more people have turned to computer screens, and less to pages of books. People are finding alternatives to the old paper backs.

In the article by Sven Birkerts "Into The Electronic Millennium" he talks about how a professor sold all of his books and bought a computer to store all of his information. Although this may seem a little over the top, this is a reality in our technological age. Students are no long turning to books for knowledge but finding it much more accessible to learn through sources of media such as t.v. or the internet. People are becoming less literate in actual writing, and becoming much more competent in electronic communications.

Instead of actually reading books, students will find the "Spark Notes" online. In the digital age, physical copies of books are becoming obsolete. With inventions like the "Kindle," it has never been easier to read books on the go. The Kindle is the object pictured here. It is an "electronic reader". It allows you to download books in just 30 seconds without any wires attached. Audio books downloaded to ipods or other audio players allow people to listen to a book instead of actually reading it. With the growth of technology it has made knowlodge increasingly easier to attain.

The problem with the ease and quickness that is attained through technology comes in laziness. Now instead of studying a text, people will just quickly check the Spark Notes to pass a test. Technology is a blessing and a curse in this sense. It can be used in so many ways to benefit knowledge, but steps must be taken to assure that one does not dismiss learning in their hastiness.

Comm 203
Joel Heslop

Who owns What?

In the digital age that we live in, information flows through all parts of the media. Information is constantly moving, constantly changing. People’s ideas and works become interchanged with others on a regular basis.
The problem that occurs is the drawing of a line between what is legal and illegal in the sharing of ideas.

Digital copyright is something that has had to come about in the coming of the digital age. Now that information has moved from solid hard copies to more “soft” copies electronically, the copyright laws become more of a grey area. People find it harder to protect their works on-line.

I believe that there should be “auto-copyrighting” implemented, because there are so many good works that have been taken and used without proper sighting. “Auto-copyrighting” is just a way to automatically copyright a work once you have completed it. People should have the rights that they deserve for their creations, but those rights should not give them more then they are merited.

The way I look at it, there needs to be a better way to work with each other to profit each other. A site like creativecommons.org is amazing to me. “Creative Commons is a nonprofit organization that increases sharing and improves collaboration.” If people are to work together to help each other with ideas, while regulating the use of information it can be a beautiful relationship. The more laws enacted for copyrights, the more people will want to break those laws. If there are more ways that people can self-regulate their works, and try to positively work together to share ideas, I believe that a more profitable use of information sharing will occur.

Comm 203
Joel Heslop

Hurray!

Finallyyy!
Last week we finally filmed our paper prototype!
We had most of our group meet on thursday and we basically all of our prototype pieces together so we filmed the first workings of our game.
It was pretty exciting in my opinion. It went pretty smoothly. We were able to upload to Globaloria.
We are now going to be working together to get all of our parts together and start scripting in Flash.
Should be a good time.

You said WHAT?!?

Ever since things have been published, things have had to be censored. It is no different with the internet. People are constantly pushing the limits as to what is acceptable to distribute. There isn’t a fine line between what is allowed and what isn’t at times. So there are grey areas that appear in the media.

Freedom of Speech is protected under the First Amendment, but obscenity and indecency is not protected under those precepts. The problem with this is that the Internet is not just in the United States, it reaches the world. So how is the Internet supposed to be regulated?

I think that things like “cancelbots” can be a scary thing. While they can be very helpful in getting rid of unnecessary or otherwise crude content, it is scary to think that certain things that you think are beneficial or necessary someone else could just make disappear and not be seen by anyone. If the wrong people get a hold of cancelbots or censoring programs, they could censor any number of people.

I think a more positive way of censorship is setting up communities of self-regulated censorship. Helping each other decide what is necessary and unnecessary, so that the people decide what is right and wrong, not some program someone designed.

Censorship is a tricky thing to work through, but something that is necessary in the world today. Constantly screening what is coming through your computer is always a good idea. Don’t just randomly go to any website, but be careful about the decisions you make on the internet. The internet isn’t some imaginary place that when you log off of it, the things you did disappear. The internet effects millions of people everyday, be aware of what you are posting and viewing and be considerate of those that will be viewing.

Comm 203
Joel Heslop

Gotta Have It!

Have you ever seen a commercial for a product, and felt like you needed it right then? You felt like if you didn’t get that product that the world would inevitably end. Well, that is exactly what the marketer wants you to feel.

Commercialism wasn’t always a bad thing. It originally dealt with commerce, which was a word for trade or how people interacted. That then turned into Commercial, this dealt with specific aspects that involved trade that were apart from other activities. The word Commercialism itself didn’t develop until the middle of the 19th century.

Commercialism has a negative connotation. It deals with a system doing anything it can to make a financial profit. A lot of times the customer is not even considered, except for the fact of how to get them to buy the product.

Today if you watch TV, walk through the mall, or get on the internet, you will be cornered by any number of advertisements. There are so many companies that have advertising campaigns to get you to buy their products. The problem is, is that when commercialism comes into play the companies lose track of making the best product they can, but turn to the product that is most marketable.

H.G. Wells said, “Advertising is legalized lying.” Companies can change how their products look or the slogan of the product, but make little or no actual improvement to their product. If they can make us want the product enough, we will ultimately buy the product whether we need it or not.

Marketing can create a need in our lives. Be careful what you buy. Did you really need that new product, or was that just a really good advertisement?

Joel Heslop
Comm 203

Do Work!

So, we have had a little bit of a bumpy start on working on our paper prototype. A few of us have been absent off and on at different times, so we have been trying to collaborate and work around things to get our ideas together. So far it has been working. We have some cool ideas together, and I think it will be a fun and interesting game to play. We have all been working together, and getting ideas in motion. Now to finish the prototype up, and film our presentation of it on Tuesday.

Go Team Awesome!

NACA

I recently attended the NACA conference. NACA is the National Association for Campus Activities.
This was quite the experience. This conference is designed to educate student leaders and allow them an opportunity to find what types of acts that they want to bring to their College campus.

Musicians, Magicians, Comedians, Entertainers and Educators of all types were at the convention. Their goal was to interest the colleges that sent representatives. Our Program Board at Shepherd which I am a part of sent all but one of our members to the conference. The entertainers and agents/managers of the entertainers were there at the conference to interest us in having their acts out our school.

Along with showing of the acts there was educational sessions. These sessions involved how to do better publicity for events on campus, how to better plan for events, special booking techniques, as well as many other valuable techniques and skills to better help us as programmers.



There was times between the showcases and the educational sessions for what is called the marketplace. The marketplace was a very cool experience. It consisted of management groups, individual artists/entertainers or any number of other groups that had things to offer to campuses for special activities.

Overall this was a great experience. I both enjoyed myself, and learned a great deal on how to book shows and work with agents/managers.

"Localvore"

Being aware of the food we intake, and where we get that food is a growing concern these days. More and more food is being shipped in from other countries thousands of miles away. Being concious of that fact and finding foods that are locally grown or produced is a little harder, but can be much more satisfying and healthy.

"Living La Vita Local" was the title of the "Food Fight" that I attended last week. This event was in connection to the common reading "Animal Vegetable Miracle" by Barbara Kingsolver. The event featured five panelists that would weigh in on their knowledge and perspective of the growing local food movement.

The panelists included: David Ober, a local farmer who raises pigs organically; Liz Gallery, who owns Stone Soup Bistro in Shepherdstown, a restaurant using only fresh and local foods; and Jack Shaw, Shepherd's director of dining services and also Jack was joined by Andrew Manasicaco, one of Shepherd's food suppliers.

Dr. Clarissa Matthews, who is an assistant professor of environmental studies at Shepherd, moderated the event. She asked the panelists questions and introduced ideas to the audience. She introduced the word "localvore," one that lives primarily off of locally produced food products. At the event we dove into the ideas surrounding being and becoming a "localvore."

The panel answered questions posed to them involving what food they use in their buisiness or lives everyday, and how that effects how things go. They were asked what percentage of food the produce or eat is locally grown. It was very interesting to hear the answers.

Fuel prices were taken into effect in the questioning. Everyone realizes that if we do not change how things are done, fuel prices could directly affect the price of the products produced by farmers.

Many people realize that there has been less and less farmers as of late, but people don't realize how quickly farming is declining. I hope that we all can learn to support local farmers and to try to eat more locally overall. In the long run, we will be healthier and our community will be able to thrive more readily.

There have always been growing movements in the world. Everyone has a cause, everyone has an agenda. Recently though, there is a growing movement that is changing how the Internet is run. Globally people have become more and more dependent on technology. The Internet has changed how people run their lives. I know for myself, when I go to a place that doesn’t have internet access it is pretty frustrating and disrupts my normal patterns for the day.


Naturally a countercultural movement happening today involves computers. Cyberpunks are most widely known as computer hackers and science-fiction geeks, but this term is not just confined to those. Cyberpunk is now related to musicians, artists, and a range of technologies, among other things.

Cyberpunks challenge how things are run. They want to gain control in some way and be able to make their mark. Pop-culture is the enemy of most cyberpunks in a way. They aim to go against it at all costs. They make their own subcultures to thrive in. Designing what they want to have, their own ways of life.

Cyberpunks stay ahead of the game through communication. Using massive message boards to keep connected. They organize ways to get across their own ideals, ideals of self-reliance. They don’t just use the internet to check their email or talk with friends. The internet or Cyberspace is their way of life. They use it to live.

Cyberpunks obtain freedom through their writing, and want to spread it through the masses. To have no information held hostage or private. They oppose the government for holding them back.

The future is something that cyberpunks are readily watching and seeking out. Constantly updating and changing they look ahead to what’s new. In the growing age of new technologies we always need to be alert to what advances can help us in our job field. Cyberpunks may be a tad unconventional in a sense, but they have they idea of constantly staying ahead of the game. That is something we all need to be wary of.

Joel Heslop
Comm 203

Have you ever taken a test and did not like how it was set up. Did you know the information but couldn’t convey it the way you wanted and got a less then amazing score? I know this has happened to me.

Schooling has always tested students in almost the exact same ways. Teachers lecture material, and then test students in the same exact ways. For some students this is perfect for them and they excel, for others this is quite difficult. Now, this doesn’t mean that the student is not intelligent; it just means that they process information differently and are a different type or learner.

To combat these problems, Howard Gardner came up with his Theory of Multiple Intelligences. He believed that not all students process information or learn the same way. He believed that there were seven “intelligences.” These intelligences being: linguistic, mathematical, musical, kinesthetic, visual, interpersonal, and intrapersonal. He believed that each person’s mind should not be confined to regular I.Q. tests but that they have unique learning styles and strengths.
I was very familiar with this theory, and have taken a similar test before, but not one that was as precise as this test. I scored my highest scores in Interpersonal with a 36, Musical with a 34, and Linguistic with a 32. I was not very surprised with my results, but it was a great way of seeing how I thought.

Interpersonal intelligence has to do with communication and how to relate with people. I have always loved to meet and help people. I normally can tell when someone is in need or has a problem, and try to help them in any way I can. Musical intelligence pertains to the use and recognition of sound and rhythm. I have always loved music, and have grown up in a house that has always had music around. I love playing and listening to music. I constantly have a song in my head, repeating the lyrics and beats. Sometimes turning information into a rhythm or song in my head helps me remember it. Linguistic intelligence pertains to the use of words and language. It deals with conveying information through language. I very much enjoy speaking and conveying ideas to people. Being able to speak in front of any number of people is always a great opportunity for me.

This test has brought a good perspective on how I view my learning styles. It allowed me to better process my strengths and weaknesses and will allow me to duly note them for the future. I believe that the strengths listed are the exact type of strengths that I want to use in the job field that I am going into. I will need to be able to relate and communicate with my audience on a regular basis, and those skills will help me do that.

For more information and the multi-intelligence test go to:
http://www.businessballs.com/howardgardnermultipleintelligences.htm#multiple%20intelligences%20tests

Joel Heslop
Comm 203

From a young age I have loved creating things. I loved making huge Lego creations, forts in the backyard, and any other things I could get my hands on to build or make. It is no different now, I still love creating things. So naturally Game Design has intrigued me. Recently we started working with Adobe Illustrator, and so far I have not done too well. It has been a little challenging because the way the interface and pen tool is designed it is opposite to my normal thinking. I tried to trace a cow, it was pretty funny how bad I was, but I will keep at it. I am up for the challenge. I am excited to figure it out, and start creating some images for our games.

Image from CreativeCommons.org

Career Opportunities

In the field of communications I want to make a positive impact, but in a different way. You see, I am not going into a typical Mass Communications field. I would like to go into the ministry, and become a Youth Pastor. I want to positively affect the lives of teens and young adults. This is a different type of communication job, but still uses communications skills quite regularly.

With every job you deal with people. This is quite true with the job of a Youth Pastor. I will be dealing with people everyday for long hours. Not only will I use verbal communication, but will be able to incorporate what I have learned about media into my job. I plan on using the web as a source and aid to my job. I will be using the skills that I have learned here at Shepherd University to set up a comprehensive website to get the youth and their parents involved in what we are doing.

In the Mass Communications program I have been learning essential skills of how to read how people react to information. Public relations is a key factor in many jobs. Relating the idea you want to get across to the general public can be hard at times. I will have to do that on a regular basis, just in a different form.

I will have to use advertising skills in my job quite frequently. I will have to design events that will draw in people, and have them enjoy and profit from them. It doesn’t matter if you have an amazing, great, fun event planned, if you do not advertise no one will come!

Drawing attention and keeping it is a hard thing to do with middle and high schoolers at times. I am sure of that. I myself have a fairly short attention span, so I know what types of things need to happen to keep the attention of the audience. I will be able to use the skills that I have learned here to make interesting presentations. I want to make presentations that not only are entertaining but beneficial and memorable, that will affect their lives.

I will have to find employment through a local church. Possibly interning with a church for while, to gain necessary experience in the church. I am considering going to Seminary first, to get a Masters in Theology. Things may change, and I might find a job in a more traditional communications job. I hope that I will be able to use the skills I have learned to positively impact peoples lives.

Credits: Bill Watterson, Calvin and Hobbes , 12/20/1985

Animal, Vegetable, Miracle.
This book has been interesting in the fact of gaining my awareness for local food markets and farms.
I believe that I would like to create some kind of game to gain awareness on the local food and farm markets. A life simulation game to show how to run a small farm and or farm market. The book talks about not importing things from South America and Africa.
I think I will try to incorporate how to locally grow things, and get people to by them. You will have to advertise the market, get people to buy your produce etc.
I think it is neat how time is taken into account. Hopefully the game will be able to incorporate timing, seasonally and such. You have to grow crops and sell them in certain timings. I think it will be interesting to try to get things to work out.

flickr.com/photos/12407296@N00/2817040058
From creativecommons.org.

King Corn

On Wednesday Aug 26th, my girlfriend Brandi and I decided to go watch the Documentary "King Corn" at Shepherd. It was quite the experience. Coming into to it, I was a little worried that the movie might be boring. Friends had assured me that it wouldn't be, but come on, it's a documentary about corn, how interesting can it be?

Picture from:
http://www.allmovie.com/work/391258

The documentary was about two recent college grads, Ian Cheney and Curtis Ellis move to Greene, Iowa to grow and farm an acre of Corn. They traced the role of corn in industry in the United States and what it was being used for.


I will have to say, that this movie changed how I viewed things a little bit. I mean, I knew that High Fructose Corn Syrup was bad for you, but seeing how it was made and what it does to you was quite different. After the movie Brandi and I stopped back at my house for a snack before she drove back home, and we were amazed just how many foods had high fructose corn syrup in them.

To see how the cornmeal affects the cows stomachs was pretty ridiculous. In the United States we cut a lot of corners on production to make this more profitable, but we are making things a whole lot less healthy.

As a whole the movie helped me stop and think about what I am eating. Not that I didn't before, but this documentary gave me a more educated look at what is happening in the food industry. It was enjoyable, and educational. I would recommend it to anyone who is interested in eating!