Wednesday, October 7, 2015
Thursday, September 24, 2015
Thursday, April 2, 2015
Assignment 4 - October 5th, 1989
October 5, 1989 was a groundbreaking day in the life of Jim and Arlyn Stein because I made my grand debut into this world. Apparently, they were going to name me 'Micah', but then decided on 'Micaela' and unintentionally got creative with the spelling. To this day, I have never met anyone who spells it the same way I do. My Mom used to always tell me that I was named after Dr. Quinn medicine women and I always thought that was so cool. Until I decided to research when the show actually began and it wasn't until 1993, four years after I was born. I'm not really sure how my Mom got that mixed up, oh well.
There are some fun facts I will share with you about specific events that happened on October 5th, 1989. I must say that I have always relished in the fact that I was born in the 80s. Even though it was the absolute tail end, I take a lot of pride in calling myself an '80s baby'. It's probably because most of my friends growing up were born in 1990 and I thought I was full of wisdom being born in 1989. I mean Taylor Swift was born in 1989 and wrote a whole album dedicated to that year, which really means something, right?
This is very odd, but I’ve always felt a connection to horses. I like to think it’s because horses are my spirit animal. Even though I have never owned a horse, my grandfather was a rustic, cowboy, adventure guide in Alaska and often took people on trail rides through the mountains. Perhaps, he was the one who inspired my strange affinity for horses. All of that to say, the death of racehorse legend Secretariat, was a featured story in the NY Times on my birthday (Crist, 1989). Maybe I was born to carry on his legacy, who knows? Random fact of the day, did you know that Secretariat’s heart was more than twice the size of an average horse heart? That’s spectacular and fills up my horse love tank. It's no wonder he was the most bad A horse in the entire world.
The current Dalai Lama was awarded the Nobel Peace prize on October 5th, 1989. That’s pretty sweet considering I’ve always thought he was an inspirational man and must confess to using several of his quotes underneath my Instagram photos when I’m trying extra hard to be an inspiring person. I read his acceptance speech and many of the things he said really stood out to me, like the quote below.
I’m not a huge baseball fan, but according to BaseballReference.com the SF Giants lost to the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field on my birthday. The final score was Giants 5- Cubs 9. Based on the game stats, the Giants got spanked by the Cubs in the first inning, 6-0!
There are some fun facts I will share with you about specific events that happened on October 5th, 1989. I must say that I have always relished in the fact that I was born in the 80s. Even though it was the absolute tail end, I take a lot of pride in calling myself an '80s baby'. It's probably because most of my friends growing up were born in 1990 and I thought I was full of wisdom being born in 1989. I mean Taylor Swift was born in 1989 and wrote a whole album dedicated to that year, which really means something, right?
This is very odd, but I’ve always felt a connection to horses. I like to think it’s because horses are my spirit animal. Even though I have never owned a horse, my grandfather was a rustic, cowboy, adventure guide in Alaska and often took people on trail rides through the mountains. Perhaps, he was the one who inspired my strange affinity for horses. All of that to say, the death of racehorse legend Secretariat, was a featured story in the NY Times on my birthday (Crist, 1989). Maybe I was born to carry on his legacy, who knows? Random fact of the day, did you know that Secretariat’s heart was more than twice the size of an average horse heart? That’s spectacular and fills up my horse love tank. It's no wonder he was the most bad A horse in the entire world.
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| What a gorgeous horse! |
The problems we face today, violent conflicts, destruction of nature, poverty, hunger, and so on, are human-created problems which can be resolved through human effort, understanding and the development of a sense of brotherhood and sisterhood. We need to cultivate a universal responsibility for one another and the planet we share. Although I have found my own Buddhist religion helpful in generating love and compassion, even for those we consider our enemies, I am convinced that everyone can develop a good heart and a sense of universal responsibility with or without religion.(Nobelpeaceprize.org, 2014, paragraph #10)I think Dalai Lama was spot on with the solution to the major problems we were experiencing on an international level back then and even today. Universal responsibility is an incredible concept that has the power to revolutionize the world and make it a better place.
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| Dalai Lama receiving the well deserved Nobel Peace Award |
The weather in Anchorage, Alaska on October 5th, 1989 was a balmy 49 degrees Fahrenheit, with a high that hit 53F(Almanac, 2015). That's actually a pretty nice day for Anchorage during that time of year. I was born at Humana Hospital in Anchorage, Alaska. Below is a photo of the hospital, not a bad view in the house, eh? Dr. Browner was the doctor who delivered me and he was also my pediatrician. It's kind of odd, but I have very distinct memories of him. Maybe I had a few problems as a child that I never knew about (Just kidding). According to my mother, I would call him “Dr. Brownie” and apparently always made him laugh with my pediatric antics. I’m not sure if it’s creepy that I found a photo of him online, but oh well.
Roland Gift’s face graced the cover of the
Rolling Stone issue released on October 5th, 1989. I have no idea who he is, but he must have been a pretty big deal. In my opinion, the golden ticket in this particular issue based on looking at the cover was Tom Petty’s
tour diary. Since everyone and their mom knows Tom Petty (and if you don’t, you need a music history lesson as soon as possible), have a listen to the
ultimate throwback, “I Won’t Back Down”. Since we're onto music and throwbacks, it's important to note that Janet Jackson's "Miss You So Much" was the number one hit single on October 5th. It stayed on the chart's as number one for four weeks!
Apart from the death of Secretariat, October 5, 1989 was a pretty darn good day. Dalai Lama was a baller, winning the Nobel Peace prize and the music industry was full of tasty tunes. I will have 80s baby pride for life.
REFERENCES
Crist, S. (1989, October 5). Secretariat, Racing Legend And Fans' Favorite, Is Dead. Retrieved April 2, 2015, from http://www.nytimes.com/1989/10/05/sports/secretariat-racing-legend-and-fans-favorite-is-dead.html
Dalai Lama wins Peace Prize. (2010, January 1). Retrieved April 2, 2015, from http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/dalai-lama-wins-peace-prize
Weather History: Past Weather Reports. (n.d.). Retrieved April 2, 2015, from http://www.almanac.com/weather/history/AK/Anchorage/1989-10-05
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| Humana Hospital for life |
Apart from the death of Secretariat, October 5, 1989 was a pretty darn good day. Dalai Lama was a baller, winning the Nobel Peace prize and the music industry was full of tasty tunes. I will have 80s baby pride for life.
REFERENCES
Dalai Lama wins Peace Prize. (2010, January 1). Retrieved April 2, 2015, from http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/dalai-lama-wins-peace-prize
Weather History: Past Weather Reports. (n.d.). Retrieved April 2, 2015, from http://www.almanac.com/weather/history/AK/Anchorage/1989-10-05
Rolling Stone 1989 Magazine Archives | Rolling Stone. (n.d.). Retrieved April 2, 2015, from http://www.rollingstone.com/coverwall/1989#0562
US Number One Songs - 1989. (n.d.). Retrieved April 2, 2015, from http://www.bobborst.com/popculture/number-one-songs-by-year/?y=1989
Acceptance Speech. (2014, January 1). Retrieved April 2, 2015, from http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/1989/lama-acceptance_en.html
1989 NLCS - San Francisco Giants over Chicago Cubs (4-1) | Baseball-Reference.com. (n.d.). Retrieved April 2, 2015, from http://www.baseball-reference.com/postseason/1989_NLCS.shtml
Monday, March 2, 2015
Assignment 3 - The Better News Aggregator
Personally, I think 'better' is just one step above 'acceptable', and 'best' is excellent. I don't think either Google News or Huff Post are 'best', but I do think Google News is better than Huff Post, because of the customizable aspect that they offer. It's kind of like choosing which template to use for writing a resume. Should you go with the template that's black and white, to the point, 'basic' or go for the template that's funky, futuristic, artistic? Google News is like the black and white, to the point, 'basic' resume template and Huff Post is the funky, futuristic, artistic template. (Though Huff Post isn't really funky or artistic, it's simply a part of the analogy) Even though we live in a day and age with plenty of resume template options, statistics show that employers prefer the good old, basic, black and white, straight to the point resume. I can relate to these employers, because that's exactly how I prefer my news, straight up, black & white, and to the point. No frills are needed to get the job done or the point across.
The pros of Google News is that it's essentially 3 columns. On the left you have the categories and when you click on one of them, there will be a subcategory underneath with trending topics relating to the specific category chosen. Google News is very well organized and make it easy for users to toggle back and forth between categories and news stories. I like that the organization of the stories are in a straight line and that they use smaller photos to show case each story, because if I want to read the article, I will click on it and the photo will become larger. I think Google News provides a more intentional experience because users have more control over which stories they read and are able to customize their experience even further by filling out the 'Personalize' box. Google also provides a 'local news' category which is not only awesome, but sets them apart from their competition.
Huffington Post might be more aesthetically pleasing to the eye, but it's not as easy to navigate as Google News. They loudly broadcast one major story at the top of their home page with a massive picture and if I want to look for top stories in Huff Post, I have to scroll down on the top page and look for the corresponding box and photo to the story I'm looking for. What makes it even more annoying is that the photo boxes aren't even in a straight line, they are scattered and there are days worth of 'top stories' on the front page of Huff Post. Google only shows a handful of stories and if you want to see more, you can click on the 'read more ____ stories', which is preferable because if I'm being an intentional user I don't just want to see a huge photo, I'm more interested in reading the story that goes with it.
Google gets my vote as the 'better' news aggregate site. It's straight forward, to the point, with no frills. Just like an employer prefers to receive a traditional, vanilla resume; an intentional news reader doesn't find it necessary to look at a big, frilly cover photo or read the news story in a hip typeface. Give us the news in an organized manner and we are happy.
The pros of Google News is that it's essentially 3 columns. On the left you have the categories and when you click on one of them, there will be a subcategory underneath with trending topics relating to the specific category chosen. Google News is very well organized and make it easy for users to toggle back and forth between categories and news stories. I like that the organization of the stories are in a straight line and that they use smaller photos to show case each story, because if I want to read the article, I will click on it and the photo will become larger. I think Google News provides a more intentional experience because users have more control over which stories they read and are able to customize their experience even further by filling out the 'Personalize' box. Google also provides a 'local news' category which is not only awesome, but sets them apart from their competition.
Huffington Post might be more aesthetically pleasing to the eye, but it's not as easy to navigate as Google News. They loudly broadcast one major story at the top of their home page with a massive picture and if I want to look for top stories in Huff Post, I have to scroll down on the top page and look for the corresponding box and photo to the story I'm looking for. What makes it even more annoying is that the photo boxes aren't even in a straight line, they are scattered and there are days worth of 'top stories' on the front page of Huff Post. Google only shows a handful of stories and if you want to see more, you can click on the 'read more ____ stories', which is preferable because if I'm being an intentional user I don't just want to see a huge photo, I'm more interested in reading the story that goes with it.
Google gets my vote as the 'better' news aggregate site. It's straight forward, to the point, with no frills. Just like an employer prefers to receive a traditional, vanilla resume; an intentional news reader doesn't find it necessary to look at a big, frilly cover photo or read the news story in a hip typeface. Give us the news in an organized manner and we are happy.
Monday, February 9, 2015
Assignment 2 - YouTube Star Jenna Marbles
Jenna Marble's is like the girl next door who seems like she could professionally 'bro out'. I think the best word to describe her would be: outrageous. Her videos are mostly satire and making fun of situations or bluntly sharing thoughts that everyone has but no one really talks about, except her. She is the queen of exaggeration and doesn't hold back in any video. Pretty much what you see is what you get with Jenna Marbles, F bombs and all. When I first came across her videos, I was surprised to learn that she's very educated because you don't really get that vibe when you watch her videos. I wonder if she ever stopped doing YouTube and wanted to get a 'professional' job, how that would work for her. I don't think I would ever be able to take her seriously (haha).
Her content is unique because I would consider her to be the Buzzfeed of Youtube videos. She's relatable in a silly way and doesn't take herself seriously at all. I think most people watch her videos because she doesn't care (or at least says she doesn't) what anyone thinks of her and I think that's inspiring to many people who subscribe to her channel. Even though she can be quite outrageously crude at times, I commend her for her authentic hilarity. Everyone needs that friend who generously shares what's on their mind and doesn't hold back, not just in silly settings, but in real everyday life. She is different from mainstream because she lives completely outside of the box in the most nontraditional way and I think deep down many of us don't want to be boxed in. It can inspire us in different ways to see someone who lives without a filter. I'm not saying it's good or bad, it's just another difference between Jenna and mainstream media. Could you even imagine if there were no filters in the mainstream world, like the news, etc.?
Jenna Marbles is extremely successful on Youtube. I recently read an article that estimated she makes $350K a year from her channel! I would say she's done pretty darn good for herself. I definitely think she would have been as big of a success without YouTube, because there is something so different about her, if she wasn't able to capture an internet audience, she would have captured an audience on another platform.
Her content is unique because I would consider her to be the Buzzfeed of Youtube videos. She's relatable in a silly way and doesn't take herself seriously at all. I think most people watch her videos because she doesn't care (or at least says she doesn't) what anyone thinks of her and I think that's inspiring to many people who subscribe to her channel. Even though she can be quite outrageously crude at times, I commend her for her authentic hilarity. Everyone needs that friend who generously shares what's on their mind and doesn't hold back, not just in silly settings, but in real everyday life. She is different from mainstream because she lives completely outside of the box in the most nontraditional way and I think deep down many of us don't want to be boxed in. It can inspire us in different ways to see someone who lives without a filter. I'm not saying it's good or bad, it's just another difference between Jenna and mainstream media. Could you even imagine if there were no filters in the mainstream world, like the news, etc.?
Jenna Marbles is extremely successful on Youtube. I recently read an article that estimated she makes $350K a year from her channel! I would say she's done pretty darn good for herself. I definitely think she would have been as big of a success without YouTube, because there is something so different about her, if she wasn't able to capture an internet audience, she would have captured an audience on another platform.
Thursday, January 22, 2015
Assignment #1
When was Nelson Mandela not inspiring? This tweet stuck out to me because of the weight of truth in it. How can we ever change the world around us, if we don't first look within? It reminds of another truth about how we can't allow others to love us fully, if we don't first love ourselves. Nelson Mandela was a wise man and I'm grateful to continually be inspired by his legacy.
Is there an app that tells you what the parking restrictions are for the street you're on? Love, Doesn't Understand Parking Signs
Mindy Kaling is my girl crush. I can completely relate to this tweet, because when I lived in California and took trips to San Francisco or LA I never knew when/where/if wherever I was parking was going to get me a ticket. I had chronic parking anxiety. To the point that I just had to accept the fact that wherever I parked, I would probably get a ticket. $500 later and life moves on.
Ellen Degeneres is my spirit animal. I could most likely 'favorite' 9/10 of her tweets because she is outrageously cheesy-hysterical. Does she come up with her own jokes? I have no idea, probably not, but I don't even care. I love her light heartedness and always feel better about my day if I read one of her funny tweets or simply watch a Youtube clip of one of her shows.
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