Blogging Around 3: Interesting Title Here

MOAR BLOGGING AROUND. YAYYYY

My first comment was for Sebas. His is probably my favorite blog to read every assignment because of the amount of comedy that he puts in everyone of his posts while still making a strong argument and giving lots of detail and evidence. In this post, he essentially describes how the line between reality and special effects is getting thinner and thinner, and how he wants to travel to see the Northern Lights to see if they really are spectacular or the people documenting them have just added on more bells and whistles. It was an awesome and insightful post and I enjoyed reading it immensely.
My Comments:
Hey Sebas. First of all, loving the pictures as always. Your captions always make me laugh (especially the one about the Queen and Betty White). As for your blog, it was just as awesome. As someone who has been fascinated by special effects since they were 5 and someone who has deeply thought about going into a career involving them, your blog really hit home. How much of what we see in the movies and TV is actually legitimate? Is the chair that I'm seeing in that McDonalds commercial really there or was it edited in to make the McDonalds more McDonaldsy? Maybe it was recolored to be gray from its original red. Maybe its shinier. You see it all the time with food in food commercials. Whose burger actually looks as glamorous as the ones seen in commercials? *coughcoughkrabbypattiescough* That's right--NO ONE'S. It's kinda creepy, really. You really did a great job with the concept. It's crazy to think that reality and simulations are being mixed to sucha point that you can't tell which is which. Is that the future of us? Are we just as phony as the things we advertise? (HAHA I AM HOLDEN CAULFIELD) I don't think so. I really hope we aren't. PS--I hope you get to see the lights someday.

This is for you, Sebas:

 

My next comment was for Jordan. Her post, entitled "Mankind is Stupid" is one of the most insightful, amazing, thoughtful blog posts I've read this year. It really made me think about my attitude towards humanity and why I have little faith in it. She explains that people really need to think before we do things, because we really haven't done anything good for this world. Yeah, we have technology, but have we actually improved this earth of ours in any way? No. We've just started wars and killed our brothers and racially discriminated for years. No biggie, we're still awesome, right? Overall, one of my favorite posts ever written in Academy ever. 

My Comments:

You win, Jordan. You absolutely win. You're honest, to the point, and I'm really impressed with the entire idea. And you're right. I'm a pretty cynical person, honestly. Despite my apparent "sunny demeanor" (Thanks, Mrs. Sible), I really don't have much faith in the world or the people around me. I kind of muddle through, talking to the 2% of people I actually enjoy getting on with and trying to stay motivated. I really have the terrible attitude that most of the world is ignorant, stupid, causing trouble, annoying, or just not really worth putting up with. I think it stems from all the news stories of drug busts, and stupid arguments over stupid things, and religious conflict, and stories of 5 year olds being shot because there were two idiot 13 year olds playing with a gun that they got out of their father's drawer in the street and it misfired. It drives me crazy. I feel like people don't think about what they do at all. I fell like everyone is so utterly self-centered that they can't actually process thinking about the safety of themselves and their families when they go out and play it cool with their drugs and their guns and their gangs. People need to think about their actions instead of just acting on impulse and causing trouble for those around them. The less drama the better. Though I love History to death, I also agree with your comment on how we learn nothing from it. I enjoy learning about it, but if the point of history classes is to learn from the past, we've done an incredibly shitty job on that. I really loved this entry, Jordan. Great job!

Jordan:

Blogging Around

The first blog I read tonight was the amazing Eliana's. The first post that caught my eye was her metacognition post about her poem. In this post, she outlines the creative troubles she had while writing her poem, and how she eventually overcame them by getting inspiration from her iPod and rolling with it. 

Emily HorvathFebruary 1, 2013 at 5:12 PM

Hey Eliana. I really loved your process of thinking about your poem, especially your method of finding a theme. I totally agree with you when you say that it's easy to write a poem about a sappy love story or life or death, but it's hard to write about something that is actually interesting and can come out a real poem. I had a lot of trouble finding a theme for my own poem, so I totally understand how hard the thinking process was for you. I think you did your poem very well, and that it was both interesting and well-written, as well as having really nice elements of comedy, but also very serious moments, I was completely immersed in it. So even though you may think that using your iPod as a crutch is bad thing, and it can be sometimes, I think it's great that you at least you have one thing that you know works for you! Nice job!

ReplyDelete

The second bog I read was fantabulous Ruxi's. I've always been a huge fan of her writing style, and her poetry metacognition didn't fail to disappoint. Her poem was essentially set in an imaginary scene in Europe, hence her title, "Imagining History". 

1. Emily HorvathFebruary 1, 2013 at 5:23 PM

   First of all--I loved your poem. It was well-written, interesting, beautiful, and it really reflected you. I'm glad that you chose a subject that you were so interesting in and passionate about. I personally think that is the key to successful writing. I too have perpetual writing block, so I completely get where you're coming from. But the subject you decided on was so interesting! I know how much you love European history, so it's awesome that you could capitalize on that and make an awesome poem. You were funny, honest, and true to yourself when writing your poem and your blog, and that's pretty damn cool.

   ReplyDelete
   Other blogs I checked out were:
   Nikki's
   Andy's
   Aaron's
   They were all great!

Blogging Around

iMedia: Orchestral Skrillex by Stephanie

I chose to review Stephanie's post on orchestral Skrillex. This caught my attention because before listening to the song she posted on her blog, I thought that the words "orchestra" and "Skrillex" were on opposite sides of the spectrum. She really does a great job explaining how despite Skrillex's jarring form of dubstep can seem harsh to the ear and more like sounds and mechanical noises than actual music, his tracks (as well as all other dubstep tracks) are definitely music. The song was an orchestral version of a Skrillex song, and it was FANTASTIC! I enjoyed it almost as much as I enjoy the original tracks. This goes to show the amount of work these DJs put into their tracks. Stephanie really did a great job on it!

1. 
   Emily HorvathOctober 29, 2012 8:32 PM

   I completely agree with Stephanie on this one. I myself am a fan of some dubstep, and I thought it was really cool that she explained exactly how dubstep is real music. It definitely is one of the most misunderstood genres. Stephanie explains how complex the making of dubstep is; how you have to add layer after layer after layer of music or sound effect, and then loop it correctly, adjust every single pitch and note, add in vocals or piano, and do a billion other things. The amount of work that these DJs put into each track is simply astounding. She explains that if you replace the harsh, almost mechanical sounds of dubstep with the cello and the bass in an orchestra, the song is still a song. It is still music. YES. I've been waiting for this for months! Never have I heard anything more true. Though of course you'll get the desired effect of dubstep by using huge bass drops and electronic melodies, but musical notes are still musical notes. Pitch is still pitch. Dubstep is just using these devices in a different way. I really enjoyed reading this post, Stephanie!!

   ReplyDelete

iMedia: Flight of the Frenchies by Nonie

I reviewed Nonie's post on Flight of the Frenchies because I was seriously impressed with the video she posted, and even more impressed with her message. The video is essentially about a bunch of French guys who high-line and practically free fall from enormous cliffs. Most think they're crazy, but they love it so they continue to do it. Nonie says that this is how people should think; that people should do what they love to do, no exceptions. It was a great blog post with an awesome message!

1. Emily HorvathOctober 29, 2012 8:41 PM

   What an awesome post. First of all the video is fantastic; it's one of the coolest I've ever seen, actually. But Nonie's comments and observations really made it great. I wholeheartedly agree with her idea that we should just do it, even if it's scary. To me, that's an amazing way to live. To live every day doing what you love, and taking risks for that thing that you love, is a life that is really worthwhile and meaningful, as well as one full of action and fun. These guys in the video risk their lives doing what they love to do--and that's jumping off a cliff. It may seem crazy, but as Nonie said, "People should be doing the things they love because they love it, and for no other reason at all." Great post, Nonie!

   ReplyDelete

          
Also read: Sebas's Blog (One of the funniest blogs I have ever read!)
                 Ruhi's Blog (I enjoy everything about these blog posts. They're all so well thought out and in-depth!)
                 Ruxi's Blog (I can hear Ruxi speaking whenever I read her posts. Great voice, and supremely interesting blog posts!)

Emily von Horvath