Advice

CS1300 is a fun class to take. You will learn a lot more than you think. There is a moderate amount of assignments and it isn't hard to stay on track. However, be sure not to slack off and get behind, catching up is hard. It is crucial to attend every class because a lot of information is covered every class. Remember, you get what you put in. So enjoy!

Student Websites

The website presentations were great. I really enjoyed seeing all the different designs and personal touches to those websites. My three favorite websites were: Mica Segal's, Avery Callon's, and Darcy Wheeler's. I enjoyed Mica's because of her intricate backgrounds. The colors were very vibrant and it really stood out. I absolutely loved Avery's design; it is simple yet sophisticated. It is easy on the eye but it is also appealing. Her personal family photos and descriptions really add to the personality of the webpage. As for Darcy's webpage, I particularly like the simplicity of the site. Her home page is beautifully done. Her photo collages are great too.

You can visit my website at: http://www.cs.trinity.edu/~lsong.

HTML

Web design is an intricate process. It is meticulous and designers need to be very careful on what they are doing; one tiny mistake and the web page doesn't work. Thus, it is really important for web designers to be familiar with the HTML codes even if they are using Dreamweaver or Expression Web. Both Dreamweaver and Expression Web may come across with a problem and a designer will have to rely on his or her HTML coding knowledge to fix the problem.

PowerPoint Presentations

I really enjoyed the PowerPoint Presentations. Two that particularly stood out to me was Dan's golf presentation and Avery's artifacts presentation. With Dan's I can tell that he spent a lot of time personalizing the design. I loved the golf ball in the hole animation. The fact that he knew so much about it made him sound like an expert and I learned quite a bit. With Avery's, I feel that she did a great job using her pictures to tell the story. I especially like it when she took the picture of the teeth and then to give us a real sense of just how big it is, she took a picture of herself inside the teeth. That a great way to emphasizing her point. Today's class was a lot of fun; I'm glad we did it.

PowerPoint Presentations

I recognized that all the articles emphasized the key idea of keeping it simple. I undoubtedly agree. The focus of any presentation, including a PowerPoint presentation, should be the speaker. Thus, when the PowerPoint has frivolous animation, picture, information, it all detracts from the speaker, making the PowerPoint presentation less effective. A PowerPoint is simply a means to get your message across; it should not the focus of the presentation.

Guidelines to a good PowerPoint presentation:
-Be clear and precise
-Do not have unnecessary distractors
-Be in control of the presentation; don't let the PowerPoint take over
-Keep it SIMPLE but engaging
-Make it easy to read and follow; the audience loose interest and get annoyed if they have to strain to read the PowerPoint

Chris Nolan

I didn't realize that the search engines only reveals portions of the information online. I've never really put any thought into it. But I guess that makes a lot of sense; otherwise, we wouldn't have online archives in which users have to sign in. I find it really useful that there's google scholar and google books etc. I never really explored the other applications of google and after Chris Nolan's presentation, I feel more compelled to go explore google and all that it provides. Additionally, now that I know that I can just type "define" and a word after it in google's search, I won't ever have to go to dictionary.com ever again! That will save me sometime. The other thing that really interested me was the "cache" button. It's neat that I will still be able to access webpages even if they no longer exist.

Copyright Issue

When I learned that it is a felony to commit a copyright infringement involving more than 10 copies and a value of more than $2500, I was really surprised. I didn't realize that copying something can become so serious as to become a felony. I think this law is a bit ridiculous because it's taking something that is purely a civil case and making it a criminal act. Additionally, I'm sure many people copy music-a lot of music- on a daily basis. We all know that it violates copyrights to download and share music, but to sued for thousands and thousands of dollar for downloaded music is simply ridiculous. I understand that record labels lose money when people download, but I feel that they make so much by the high pricing of CDs that it compensates. Perhaps the solution should be that for music that has been made prior to a decade ago, then it should be legal to share these music files. However, for recently made music, then copyright laws apply. This way, people are still able to enjoy their music and record companies can still make money off of their more recent songs.

My Excel Experience

I've never been a big Excel user. In fact, it is rare if I ever even think about using Excel for any reason. However, I have recently discovered a love for the functionality of Excel. I am majoring in international business and I can definitely see how Excel will make my life exponentially easier. First off, the tables are easy to work with, and the functions available make calculations quick and simple. The simplicity of creating charts on Excel makes it great to compare data. I didn't know how to insert the graphs and insert functions before, but I am glad to have learned them because I am sure I will have to work with tables and charts in the field of business. I can see myself using Excel in the near future for an accounting or statistics class or for maybe making personal budgets.

Pictures that Lie

I chose the digitally altered photograph of O.J. Simpson which appeared on June 1994 cover of Time magazine. The picture was manipulated from the original mug shot; Times made Simpson many shades darker in the altered photo. The reason I chose this pictures is because the altered picture purposelly darkens his features which prompts people to think that he is more aggressive, and possibly even guilty. Unfortunately, society often associates darker skintone with more aggressive personalities, and Times used this societal prejudice to help them sell magazines. Furthermore, the fact that Times released this darkened photo of O.J. Simpson right after the arrest, means that it was deliberately trying to effect the way people view Simpson, which can negatively effect the outcome of his court case. Hence, it was undoubtedly harmful to O.J. Simpson and his future trial by tainting his image.

Wireless Network

I use the Trinity network daily. Most often, I use it to check email and facebook. Occassionally, I'll use it to go on AIM and Youtube. I also use it to search the web for shopping, movie previews, and directions. When I have an assignment that requires research, I also use the Trinity network to find the information. Click HERE for another site related to wireless network in colleges.

My Previous Experience with Word

I've been using the older version of Microsoft Word for years. Probably ever since middle school. I've always used to for homework and essays, not much of anything else. I was able to make decent posters by inserting clip art and word art. I am not too familiar with the newer version, but it seems pretty easy to figure out, especially since everything is well-labeled. I would like to learn some of the command keys in Word to make things faster and easier.

Blue Screen of Death

It is 9:00 the night before Computer Skills class. I turn on my computer in my room to start the homework for tomorrow. I get a "blue screen of death" and I look confused. Then I try to restart the computer in hopes that it'd work the second time around. Of course, the "blue screen of death" reappears. Just my luck. I look over at my roommate, Kathryn, and tell her: "My Mac is giving me a hard time, can I use your pc?" As expected, she replies with a "yes," and I am good to go. However, there are certain days that she will be using her computer as well and in those cases, I just walk over to my suitmates room and ask either Montse or Hannah to use their computers. Hannah will probably be having the same "blue screen of death" issue and we will both have to battle it out for Montse's pc. I will win, of course, and then Hannah will have to drag herself to Murchinson to get her assignment done.

First Impression

My name is Lu Song. I am from Covina, California. I am currently a first year at Trinity University. I enjoy the outdoors and being active. Hiking, snowboarding, and kayaking are some of my favorite activities. I love food, especially eggplants. I am hoping to get fimiliar with the Microsoft programs such as Excel and Powerpoint this upcoming semester. I am no expert in computers but I can get by alright. I currently have a Mac and the daily emails, Word, itunes are easy for me. Thus, I really want to learn how to use a Mac more efficiently.

This is my hometown:
http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=34.090817,-117.88135&z=13&t=h&hl=en


My email address is:
lsong@trinity.edu

Feel free to email me.