Greg's Computer Skills Blog

Advice for the Newbies

2008-12-09T11:56:00.001-08:00

For the in-coming Essential class, the main piece of advice I could give for new students is the importance of paying attention to the in-class lectures. Dr. Belisle will cover everything you need to know in order to complete every single out-of-class assignment. Keeping up with the nightly assignments is really important as well. Stay on top of it, and the class is informative and very doable.

Favorite Sites

2008-12-09T10:07:00.000-08:00

I thought Raelle's website was very well done. She used color in interesting ways and her choice of font was simple and effective. The plethora of pictures is well appointed throughout the site as well, great job!

Ashley's site is excellent as well. I love her choices of backgrounds. While each page has a different feel, they still flow together stylistically. Her choice of font is interesting, and she uses the full available space of her website effectively.

The main thing I appreciate about Matt's website is that it is elegantly simple and free-flowing. Blue was a good choice for the background, and the entire site feels very clean and orderly. I was horrifically shocked by how fantastic everyone's websites were, this class has a fantastic sense of design.

The Importance of HTML

2008-11-20T12:02:00.000-08:00

It is important for both professional and ameture web designers to be familiar with HTML code because it is the foundation of any website. While shortcuts are available to designers, such as Expression Web, you are still working within HTML, and having some basic knowledge of how your commands within the application are effecting the design of a website is important. Basic knowledge of HTML also allows the designer to make small changes directly to the code, and this skill can come in handy in many different situations.

Five Reasons Why Powerpoint Makes My Brain Hurt

2008-10-28T11:54:00.000-07:00

The following is a semi-comprehensive list of aspects of PowerPoint presentations that make me want to cry.

1. Obnoxious transitions
Unnecessarily complicated or unprofessional transitions between slides completely destroy an otherwise decent presentation. When the text on a projection screen warps into a vortex and then a black sweeper moves across the screen, it becomes impossible to take a presenter seriously.

2. Spinning GIFs/Flashing images
They are distracting and tacky, especially in an academic atmosphere.

3. Horrible background and text color combinations
When my eyes start watering after staring at a screen in a vain attempt to decipher illegible text...something is wrong. I personally prefer white or light text on a black background because it contrasts well and is easy to read.

4. Clutter
Disorganized slide show presentations obliterate the audience's ability to absorb any of your information, and hurt the credibility of the presenter.

5. Presentor's dependence on note cards/reading directly from the slide show
It pains me to sit through a presentation when the presenter spends the whole time buried nose-deep in note cards or reads their presentation from the screen verbatim rather than actually fleshing out ideas on the presentation while speaking directly to the audience.

Excel

2008-10-23T11:47:00.000-07:00

Personally, I always found Excel to be horribly frustrating and complicated. This has changed somewhat since we have been working with Excel in class, and I would have to say that my understanding of the program has increased substantially. Dealing with spreadsheets is far less daunting of a task for me now, and I have learned much about applying formulas as well as creating aesthetically pleasing documents.

My new understanding of Excel's capabilities could definitely help me later in life if I plan on going into the the field of political science where I would have to be able to work with large data sets for research purposes. Excel is very useful for sifting through data and finding statistical significance. Pretty much everyone could find practical applications for this program in their professional or business lives, whether keeping track of a personal budget or working as a in the financial sector.

Journalistic Integrity?

2008-10-21T10:52:00.000-07:00

I chose to discuss Adnan Hajj's manipulated image portraying the supposed aftermath of an Israeli air strike against the Lebanese capital, because I remember being disgusted by the incident when I saw it on the news several years ago. This image is important because it serves as another reminder that the story which we are fed by the media is not always as accurate and unbiased as we might expect.

Hajj likely utilized some form of photo manipulation software, either Photoshop or a similar program, to distort the message conveyed by his "journalistic" photograph. Hajj altered the color of the sky to give the appearance of a haze of destruction hanging over the city. More noticeably, he substantially darkened the pillars of smoke to give the impression that the damage inflicted by the attack was far more substantial than the reality of the situation.

Hajj manipulated the image to spark further international anti-Israeli sentiment and to build support and sympathy for the Lebanese (Hezbollah) cause. This is dangerous and unacceptable, because Israel is in a precarious situation as it is, constantly surrounded by enemies and always under threat of terrorist action. Thankfully, Reuters stepped up and decided to attempt regaining some semblance of journalistic integrity by dropping the image and firing Hajj, but the damage was already done.

AT&T Tech Center

2008-10-14T11:52:00.000-07:00

I had been down to the tech center a few times since I've been a student here in search of a quiet place to study before a big exam, but I have never actually utilized any of the specialized resources provided in the CLT. I was especially impressed with the video studio theater, which is chock-full of intense video equipment, and the sound lab was nothing to scoff at either. I do not believe that very many students are ever going to have any real use for this equipment, seeing as we do not have a film program to speak of, but it is nice to have access to such useful technology. I do not forsee myself utilizing the CLT with any frequency during my tenure here at Trinity, but I am sure that the students who do are quite appreciative of the center's existence.

Copyright

2008-10-01T22:28:00.000-07:00

I was not aware that cases of copyright violation involving more than 10 copies and value over $2,500 could be tried as a felonious offense. That is a pretty horrifying thought...its not hard to surpass that 10 copy limit, and I would imagine that most online pirates or individuals pursuing other means of copyright violation commit more than 10 violations on a regular basis.

I suppose it makes sense from the perspective of the copyright holder or law enforcement. It would be difficult to make a very convincing case arguing that profits are not being lost to holders when copyrights are violated. When someone uses a program such as LimeWire to download music without any form of compensation, they are flat-out stealing music, and it makes sense that record companies should have the capacity to protect themselves from piracy.

At the same time...a felony charge is serious business, and is probably overkill when the offense could be as minor as illegally downloading 10 songs. Other crimes in this category include: murder, aggravated assult, burglary, rape, treason, arson, kidnapping, ect. I do not believe that relatively minor cases of copyright violation really hold much of a candle to rest of the felonies an individual may feel compelled to commit. I agree with the notion that individuals should be held legally accountable for the theft of another's intellectual property, but I feel that the potential punishment should be more fitting to the gravity of the offense.

Wireless...ness

2008-09-18T05:31:00.000-07:00

I've gotta say, Trinity's wireless connectivity is indeed quite impressive. The ability to surf the Net any where on campus, including unnecessarily random locales such as the 4th floor of the Prassel garage (yes, I have accessed the Interweb from the garage roof...don't ask why) is crazy-convenient. I still dont really have much a of grasp on how the system works despite the class tour of the server room (sorry Brittany and Ms. Belisle...that stuff's kinda confusing), but I appreciate the system's existence nontheless.

I've gotta admit...I'm just ever-so slightly disappointed with Trinity's # 10 ranking, I mean...what the heck is Ball State University, and who's ever heard of Muncie, IN??? (appologies to any who may hold Munchie Indiana and/or its esteemed institution of higher learning in high regard). Seriously though, apparently Ball State is on the ball in the "unwired campus" game: http://www.intel.com/pressroom/archive/releases/20051011corp.htm

Personally, my Internet use probably breaks down somewhere around 90% entertainment %10 actual work/non-mindless tasks. I feel that I appreciate our high level of connectivity more that do most students here because I was completely Internet-less for the entirety of my freshman year which was a huge bummer. When I first moved in on my first year, I had major network issues for which ITS was of little help...but that didn't really matter since my laptop pretty much exploded less than a month into the school year, and I was computerless until winter break when I finally received a new laptop. Everything was great until I realized that my new compy was running Windows Vista, and Trinity hadn't yet made the transition from XP so I was without Internet for the rest of the year. Ever since I was finally able to hook up to Trinity's network two years ago, I have throughly enjoyed the increased capacity for procrastination thanks to the multitude of flash games and other excellent E-ntertainment that the Web has to offer.

Jeez this post is too long. :)

Introduction

2008-08-28T13:12:00.000-07:00

Howdy, my name is Greg and I'm from Houston Texas. I am a political science major enjoying my third year here at Trinity University. I am not particularly adapt in dealing with computers, but I used to maintain a blog and still avidly read a wide range of politically-oriented blogs. Hopefully, this course will help me gain a better grasp on some essential computer skills!