Goal For This Blog

Goal For This Blog

Posted by Unknown

We have been putting this project off for to long. Here are the goals that I think we need to achieve in the near future.

Group: Complete another chapter of the story. Done by the second or third week after school resumes.

Goals for Future

Goals for Future

Posted by Unknown

• New post by January
• I might start over
• Continue project

Love and Hate. Chapter Two: Election

Love and Hate. Chapter Two: Election

Posted by Unknown

Hate is a powerful emotion.  Election season brings out the most hate, and anger in people than any other time. Opposing beliefs bring can bring out the worst in people. In the digital age Facebook, Twitter, and other social medias provide a platform for political debates. Democrats and republicans are often very fervent in their beliefs and refuse to back down when challenged by citizens that support the opposite party. These "debates" often turn nasty and end in anger.

However the hate and anger displayed during, and after an election never seem to last long. Several days or weeks of rage seem to disappear in an instant. For the next four years there will be much less fighting between parties, at least at the average citizens level. But not too long from now everyone will suddenly develop a political view akin to that of Bill O'reilly, and Steven Colbert. When that happens the political hate will begin to flow again, trampling everything that gets in its way.

Chapter 2 Love and Hate

Chapter 2 Love and Hate

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"Where are we going?" I ask impatiently. "Away, away from his country these people everything." "Well I'm not leaving." I stand up, cross my arms, and give them both a look of pure determination. "Come on sweetie we need to leave. Look Dad's already packed your things!" "I'm not leaving and if you love me then you won't make me leave." 'Mom' and 'Dad' look a eachother and she whispers "Do we have time?" "No." He replies. They stare at me and I stare back. They inch closer and slowly make their way towards me. Suddenly 'Dad' reaches out to grab me, 'Mom' right behind him. I give a little shriek as they carry me into the living room open a large cardboard box with holes on the top and dumps me inside. Aftere struggling and moving around as much as I could I know it's no use. I sit back in my box while they load me into the car. I start thingking. Why did they already have the box? Did they know I was going to say I wasn't going and this was there plan B if I didn't cooperate? Have they been planning this or did come up suddenley? Where are we going? So many questions that will probably never be answered. Woohoo. Just like one of those mystery books I used to read.

Chapter 2

Chapter 2

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          When I got home, I was mad. I didn't understand how the world worked, and I wanted to know. I was so furious that I couldn't think straight.

          I decided to let out some steam by playing some Call of Duty. This was the go-to activity for me whenever I was angry, bored, or just felt like playing. I was able to lose myself in the game. My emotions were always reflected in the game. It was pure excitement that sold it for me.

          I realized I hadn't done my homework yet. It was a friday, so I continued to play. Not a good idea, I know, but I usually procrastinated on weekends. That's the way I am.

Chapter Two - Love

Chapter Two - Love

Posted by Unknown

love

 [luhv] noun, verb, loved, lov·ing.

noun

1.

a profoundly tender, passionate affection for another person.

2.

a feeling of warm personal attachment or deep affection, asfor a parent, child, or friend.

3.

sexual passion or desire.

4.

a person toward whom love is felt; beloved person;sweetheart.

5.

(used in direct address as a term of endearment, affection, orthe like): Would you like to see a movie, love?

Nothing. This did me nothing. I mean, of course I know love's definition, but I can't even begin to grasp the word as a whole. Usually I have a strong lead after reading its definition, but I still could not figure this word out.

Maybe I'm missing the point entirely. Perhaps love runs deeper than the word advertises. What is love, anyway? I cracked open my thesaurus to take a look at some synonyms for it.

Synonyms:	Adulation, affection, allegiance, amity, amorousness, appreciation, ardor, attachment, cherishing, crush, delight, devotion, enjoyment, fondness, friendship
Antonyms:	dislike, hate, hatred

* = informal/non-formal usage

None of these words even scratched the surface of what love could potentially be. Love must be something stronger than a great desire or attraction for something or someone.

Love must run deeper.

But how? And why? I still didn't understand in the slightest. There had to be something that I have or do love.

My jar. My jar dictates how I go about my day. My jar gives me insight into the unknown, it gives me a guiding light down a dark path. Do I love my jar? No. I appreciate it; I like it.

So the dictionary and thesaurus approach failed to work. It was time for some field research.

Analysis for the first love and hate

Analysis for the first love and hate

Posted by Unknown

I'm going to be analyzing everyone's story today. 


Victoria- I like what your saying in your post and I found it really interesting, but I don't really see how love and hate play in there. I don't know if I'm slow and don't see it or what but I need someone to explain to me where the love and hate is. Or maybe it's because it's the first chapter... I don't know.

Ryan- I get where the love and hate are I guess but it's really short and there isn't a lot going on. Maybe it's just the style of writing but I don't find myself wanting to read more I think that if you continue with that same story you should add some action.  I missed the setting other than the bell ringing which hinted that it was school. Other than that I think it was pretty well described with what was going on.

Jordan- I really like what your doing with the story and the way you added the definition at the top. I don't really have any complaints except that I would like to know how you got the jar of words. Did he create it himself or did someone give it to him?  Like maybe the character's  father passed and he left them this in his will just something like that to kind of give it  a background.

Video Games--Love and Hate

Video Games--Love and Hate

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          In movies, there is often a relationship that goes on between the protagonist and someone else. However, this is not always true for video games. In games where a moderate amount of skill is needed to beat the game, there isn't really room for any more conflict. For example, imagine playing a Call of Duty campaign and having an affair with someone. In the MW3 campaign, there isn't a single woman in the whole story besides the Russian president's daughter. However, there is going to be a girl in the Black Ops 2 Zombies campaign, but still no relationship. An example of a video game where there is a relationship is Heavy Rain, but the game dosn't really take that much skill. It is rather an interactive story with multiple possible outcomes. My point is, there isn't really as much need for love in video games as there is in movies.

          In video games and movies, "hate" isn't written into the story, but is actually created by the audience. For example, if there is a really mean antagonist in a movie, the audience might feel hate for that person. Especially in puzzle games, hate can be made in the player by making the game really hard. In multiplayers, hate is called "rage" and is directed at players that are either really good or deliberately make others rage (trolling).

          Of course, there is a huge difference between love and hate in electronic media because they are not exactly opposites. I think that they are both not essential to video games, but can be used to make it more interesting at times.

Victoria analyzes the love...and hate

Victoria analyzes the love...and hate

Posted by Unknown

The beginning of the end

The premise of the story isn’t terrible but I feel it could be improved greatly. Love and hate don’t seem to be introduced here very well. Because of the lack of theme, this story breaks the cohesion created by the other three. Although  I enjoy the premise this story appears to be almost exactly like so many young adult books being written. In order to make this story more original an element should be added that is unique from stories of this nature.

Chapter 1

I like how this story is written. Although it is short, the language used makes me want to continue reading. It will be interesting to see how this translates into video games. In order to more easily translate this story the setting should be elaborated on more.

Chapter One – Beginning

Jordans story has a very interesting premise. I have never really seen any stories that really relate to this one. The way it is written is very good but I would like to learn more about the main character. His story will continue to be interesting as long as his character creates a strong “bond” with the word he is studying.

I'm Jordan, I'm Helping! A Helpful Analysis of Progress

I'm Jordan, I'm Helping! A Helpful Analysis of Progress

Posted by Unknown

Hey all! Today, I'll be analyzing everyone's progress and our overall progress. Note that the posted content changes weekly; we'll post stories one week and analyses another week.

– Jordan: I suppose I have some personal bias in regards to myself, but I believe that I am doing a decent job for what it's worth. I enjoy my story topic and the way I execute it. If I begin to have problems then I'll be sure to post.

– Victoria: Above par chapter length, interesting lead-in chapter. Overall very impressed, not much else to say on that note.

– Ryan: I feel like your content could be longer and more immersive. Currently I have no idea where your story is going to go from where you have started, or how it relates to your individual topic. Though, you might have already planned to make it relate to your topic in the coming chapters. Once those things are fixed, I'm sure your story will be great. Oh, and don't forget to tag your posts. You forgot again on your analysis.

– Lindsey: I enjoy how immersive your content is, even though it is only the first chapter. I would enjoy it if it was a tiny bit longer, and I have noticed several grammatical issues that could be resolved. Good work so far.

– Overall group progress: I'm liking how the group is progressing, and I am interested  to see where our stories go from here. Keep up the excellent work, and I can't wait to hear your group analyses!

1st Analysis of Group Productivity

1st Analysis of Group Productivity

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          I feel like we are on the right track with our project, even though we had a late start. We could have worked a little better as a group in terms of communicating; sometimes we were all just doing our own thing. I think that everyone has a good idea of what they're writing about and the theme they're going to present. Currently, there aren't really any bad problems to fix.

Destroying Print-Chapter One

Destroying Print-Chapter One

Posted by Unknown

In journalism you must adapt or die. Ignoring the advances in technology has proven deadly for countless news publications. As the internet grows so does the amount of information available on it. Newspapers and magazines are now being threatened by various news websites.
This internet based content is easier to find, cheaper, and more eco-friendly than its print counterparts. These advantages have proven very important as companies rush to catch up. Most recently, Newsweek has transferred its content completely to the internet, becoming an e-magazine. Many critics believe this could mark the beginning of the end for all print news sources.
Switching from print to an internet news publication has its drawbacks as well. These disadvantages make some companies weary to make the switch. Workers involved in the making of the physical newspaper, as well as the people who distribute and sell these copies may find their job has become obsolete. These layoffs could prove disastrous for those affected.
News on the internet is not always trustworthy. Fake news sources such as The Onion have gained popularity. The stories written by parody news publications are often spread by people unaware of their falsehood. Popular social media sites have become a veritable breeding ground for false information. Pages and hashtags declaring the death of celebrities have become commonplace. These accounts can cause great trouble and make it difficult for people to acknowledge the internet as a valid news source.

Various advantages of news on the web still remain. Speed of print news is oftentimes not fast enough to spread important knowledge anymore. In the digital age news of world changing events spread seconds after their occurrence. The lag that is profoundly prevalent in print news is much to long to provide the reader with valuable knowledge.

More information and different points of view can be found on the internet. Everyone with access to the world wide web has the opportunity to spread what they know with the world. This culmination of ideas is what makes the internet the most diverse news source available at this time.

There is no denying the evolution of modern news. Although there are so many advantages of internet publications, eliminating all print news could have disastrous consequences.   

Chapter One – Beginning

Chapter One – Beginning

Posted by Unknown

¹be·gin·ning

noun \bi-ˈgi-niŋ, bē-\

1

: the point at which something begins : start

I have always been fascinated with words. People usually disregard the importance of words, but words could not be more important. They compose the sentences we speak. They provide meaning for a confusing world. This is why I immerse myself in words, studying them. What purpose do words have unless I understand them.

That is what brings me back to my jar again. The jar was the centerpiece of my life, the very foundation of what I live on. Why? The jar was filled with words. More words than any one person could imagine. Even I myself don't know how many words encompass that jar. Hundreds? Thousands? I do not know, nor do I care. I simply wish to learn each and every one of them. One paper slip at a time.

I began my occasional ritual of opening the jar, and retrieving a word. I made sure to make my selection completely random. I concede that the word I selected shocked me, to the least.

Love.

I never concerned myself with a life of love, nor have I immersed myself in it's definition. What is love, anyway? Is it something you like, or is it more complex than that? I stared at the tiny paper slip, trying to pry the secrets from the very depths of it.

I needed to study this.

Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Posted by Unknown

          "Uh... sorry, but no."
          That sucked. Of course, I never expected that she would say yes, but I was hopeful.

          The next week was homecoming. I felt expected to get a date for it, but I really didn't think I could. I wasn't ready for this. What class is there to prepare a student for the most stressful time of high school?

          The bell rang and I made my way to the door. Sometimes, I realized, life is pretty fucked up. Then again, my life wasn't too bad. I got good grades and had plenty of free time, so I guess I couldn't complain. But life is full of wants. And when someone doesn't get what they want, sometimes bad things happen. This wasn't and is never the case for me. I have always known how to control myself. Everyone does. That's just the way things are.

P.S.

  My individual topic is video games--check it out at http://rjhvideogames.blogspot.com

          Of course, we are planning on incorporating each of our individual topics in the group blog, so I'm planning to either program a video or an interactive video game later in the year, once I feel comfortable doing that. Until then, I'll be writing regularly.

The beginning of the end

The beginning of the end

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Who? Me. When? Now. Why? I don’t know. Where? Behind the burning remains of a building. I am Sydney and you have just walked into my living nightmare.  I wipe my forehead with my arm and it comes back covered in blood and sweat. This is probably the wrong way to start my story. I’ll begin when things got interesting. I was about thirteen when this happened, I’m, what,  fifteen now, time tends to fly when those you think you love turn their backs on you. I was in my house with my “parents.” We were in the middle of having lunch and I was halfway through my peanut butter sandwich. They were talking in hushed voices to each other, occasionally glancing my way. I stared them  down as I slowly bit down on the sandwich, daring them to reveal their dark secret.

My “mother” finally looked my way, her eyes portrayed the impending doom they were about to place onto my shoulders, as she then said, "Sydney we need to speak to you.”

“About what?” my eyes narrowed in suspicion, my feet shuffling across the kitchen floor toward them.

“About you. We aren’t your real parents. You aren’t the same as everyone else. You are special and wanted. Wanted by so many different people in so many different ways that it doesn’t seem possible. I know this is a lot to put on you but we are telling you all of this because we need to go... now.”

Mission Statement

Mission Statement

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Mission Statement: Our blog will be the story of four different people going through similar things, these stories will be expressed through our different medias. Entries will be submitted to the blog regularly. As a group we will discuss and analyze the differences and similarities caused by our varying medias and points of view. This analysis will also be posted to the blog.

Group Roles:
Victoria-”Leader”, deals out tasks
Ryan--Records
Lindsey--Problem Solver
Jordan-- Devil’s Advocate

Victoria- Journalist
Ryan- Electronics
Jordan- Character dependent on setting; keeps a word of the day that he reflects throughout the day, or “chapter”
Lindsey-  Science fiction

1. figure out story line
2. coordinate site post dates/ schedule
3. Choose weekly topics/story
4. Discuss weekly premise/storyline
5. Create submission
6. Publish on assigned date
7. Discuss Works

Progress Update

Progress Update

Posted by Unknown

The first of each of our works will be posted here by, or on Saturday.  Our first group theme is love and hate.

What Makes a Good Story?

What Makes a Good Story?

Posted by Unknown

I think it would be beneficial to all of us if we read this:

http://www.readerviews.com/Articles-WritingGoodStory.html

An Update on Our Novel

An Update on Our Novel

Posted by Unknown

We have progressed to a new checkpoint in our project – the general idea of which this story will be based on has been defined. It is supposed to reflect love and hate within the characters, whether one or the other is expressed more clearly. Writing the first chapter will commence within the following weeks. Stay tuned for more updates and bulletins.

Update

Update

Posted by Unknown

We should probably all read this vvvvv
http://www.jmorganmarketing.com/blogging-tips-create-maintain-blog/

Group Project, Progress and Problems

Group Project, Progress and Problems

Posted by Unknown

This I going to be basically a live post so I'm just going to be writing as I get ideas.

People havent seemed to think to much about the project since last meeting.

We need the software to produce (Ryans) posts.

Im not very famillar with the google sites format.

We need a timeline, when each character does the actions in a specific story, Old age-remembering past experiances,

Topics:
Introduction
Job
War (Conflict)
First/Last Day


This post may be updated later with more info.