Word of the Week #4

1. Quibble

2. You used it in a sentence about spelling someones name wrong last week.

3. You got a portion of my name right, I'm not going to quibble.

4. To argue over unimportant things and make petty objections. (verb)

5. It annoys me when people quibble when I mistakenly say tomorrow when technically I should say today because we are having a conversation after 12 a.m.

GTA V

Grand Theft Auto V (GTA) recently came out and is the hottest game being talked about as of last week. Within the game there is a cell phone feature called the iFruit. This might have triggered thoughts of Apple products due to the way the cell phones name is spelled. The spelling of the cell phone in the game was not by accident. The iFruit looks exactly like the iPhone. From its physical features to the software and the phones screen layout. Everything about the phone looks like the iPhone besides the fruit bowl on the back that replaces Apples logo. Apple is receiving advertisement through gaming. That isn't the only relation GTA has to social media. On iFruit you can utilize apps that have an effect on what happens in the video game. Rather than going to a store to buy something you can use the phone and order it "online." One of the notable apps of the phone is the one that acts as Instagram. You can take in game photos and upload them to a GTA server for the entire GTA community to see. Social media plays such a huge role in our lives that in this case the game designer implemented it into the game to create a sense stronger sense of realism.

Comparing Media

Last week Oklahoma State University’s football team appeared throughout the media due to alleged scandal involvement.

The university is being investigated for academic misconduct, player payments, abusing drug policies, and an escort program.

The three media mediums I used to compare this story were television, radio, and online news.

Television and radio were similar in how they covered the story.

Both were short and covered the basics of the story.

The difference between the two was that the radio coverage was longer and it integrated segments of an interview into the broadcast.

I watched the ESPN segment titled “Alleged Violations” on television.

The segment lasted one minute and 45 seconds.

It was short because the reporter talked briefly on the topic and referred to other stories that were more in depth.

This segment was created using information from a four part series Sports Illustrated was doing about Oklahoma’s program.

Les Miles the former Oklahoma State football coach was the only person quoted in the segment.

The quote took up 34 seconds out of the one minute and 45 second segment.

The reporter ended the segment with a rundown of the allegations against the university.

Radio coverage of the story was similar to the television coverage.

Although they had similarities there were huge differences.

CBSRadio covered the story doing a three minute and 30 second piece about the story.

The biggest difference between the radio version and the television was that it used live game noise to create a background and sense of transition for the listeners.

It also had snippets of former players speaking about the situation in their interviews.

Three players were interviewed, as well as the executive editor and senior writer of Sports Illustrated.  

The radio broadcast provided more information by utilizing the interviews on the subject.

But it was still a short piece.

It ended by directing listeners to the Sports Illustrated website to get complete coverage of the story.

Lastly, the online version of the story was different from both the radio and television versions.

This was a long form style of writing.

I used an online news article found on the Sports Illustrated website.

It went into depth about the story and touched on things that neither television nor radio covered.

It didn’t talk about the allegations, it talked about the toll that a system like this has on football players after 

they leave college.

The article started by setting the record straight that the coverage of this story was not to “scold players or jump on the scandal train” but to explain the why and the effect something like this has on student athletes.

Sports Illustrated is the organization doing the investigation so there weren’t any sources mentioned.

This online news story is exactly like print because it gives the reader information that you would not get on 

television.

It goes into depth about the story rather skimming the surface with general information.

            

Twitter goes public

On September 12, 2013 Twitter filed for Initial Public Offering (IPO) making it known via a tweet last Thursday. IPO means that Twitter will soon be public which allows people to buy stock and become partial owners of the company. The decision was made in order for Twitter to "compete with other Web platforms... and become even more integrated into our daily lives." The initial excitement from those who use Twitter is probably that they can become rich if they get the opportunity to buy stock cheap. The issue with this is that it is dependent on the price the company decides to start out at. Dick Costolo chief executive of Twitter is focusing his revenue strategy on the growth of Twitter's user base. An article from the Washington Post said that Costolo was not satisfied with the rate of Twitter's expanding user base because it was not at the rate that he expected. One over arching thought that is buzzing around is that this will have a negative effect on Twitter just as Facebook faced when it went public. The goal is increase user engagement and the effect Twitter has on our daily lives. The downsides look slim according to the Washington Post. We will see in due time.

My Favorite Writing

My favorite book is The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz.

Ruiz classifies it as the practical guide to personal freedom.

Texts like these intrigue me because they give me insight into how to live a more enjoyable life.

This book gave me a different outlook on life.

A mentor of mine recommended that I read this book because it related to the lifestyle we enjoy living.

The book is a guide to freeing your mind from societal views that keep us from living our own lives.

It is not a complex read, it explains the four factors that Ruiz believes needs to be understood in order to live an enjoyable life.

Ruiz gets straight to the point using simple words, making the book a short read.

Just as when journalists write they are taught to write in a clear and concise way.

I enjoy this style of writing because I am familiar with it.

If you can get an idea across using fewer words then do so.

It makes it easier for both the reader and the writer, so I appreciate Ruiz's style.

This book is an easy and interesting read that gives explains another perspective on life.

Word of the Week #3

1. Diminutive
2. Heard an NFL announcer use it when referring to a player.
3. The Seahawks and the diminutive quarterback shut out the Panthers 12-7.
4. Very small or much smaller than is usual. (adj.)
5. The fighter's confidence became diminutive towards the later rounds of the fight.

Burglars and social media

Social media plays a huge role in peoples lives. It seems that we are always using social media, whether it be updating others on our current status in life or checking others updates. A wide range of people have access to the content we post online. Even with privacy restrictions people you don't know can find ways to access the information you publicize. I just recently read an article about how burglars are using social media to plan out robberies. People are constantly "checking in" to locations they are currently at or going to. This is a burglars dream because you are telling them that you are not currently at home. There are smarter ways to go about sharing your daily activities without alerting burglars. People get caught up in social media trusting that their privacy restrictions safe guard everything they publish. Many don't realize the dangers of uploading certain types of information. I understand that people want others to know about the cool stuff they are doing but it can wait until after it is done. Advertising that you will be away for three weeks on vacation can make you a target for burglars using social media. Instead one could wait until the vacation is over and share all they want. People need to be more aware of the danger they put themselves into and be smarter about how they use social media. 

Updated All About Me Lead

I was cut from the SJSU Football team this summer.

Hard work and persistence got me back on the roster.
 

Word of the Week #2

1. Remuneration

2. Read it in an article online.

3. All office holders receive no remuneration from membership funds.

4. A payment or reword for goods or services or for losses sustained or inconvenience caused.

5. Although the restaurants customer service was poor, the chocolate lava cake as remuneration made up for everything.