Tuesday, May 28, 2013

SUSTAINABILITY

DATE: MAY 28, 2013


I was at the US embassy today and missed class. :) 

Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Growing Up

DID NOT SURPRISE ME:
1.People that get more aggressive behind a computer.
2.People getting into fights through online websites
3.Reliving moments through social networks
4.Girls, especially, want to take pictures that make them look hot but not very hot.
5.Girls that lie about their ages in internet to look older
6.People that are in the internet all day and are addicted to it
7.Parents that stand behind children's backs to stare at computers
8.Judgement leads to bad decisions
9. Criminals disguise as normal guys who want to date girls and end up raping them
10. Children deny to give passwords to their parents
11. Kids being aware of who they know and who they don't, so they aren't lead to a sexual predators
12.There are websites that tell teenagers ways to become thinner
13. Kids who are doing illegal things post pictures of them doing so.
14. Kids don't share what they do with their parents.
15. Parents cannot control when and where their children get online.



DID SURPRISE ME:
1.Parents of an internet model had no idea what was going on because of the irresponsibilty from the parents.
2.A invisible girl in the real world was a super model in the web because it is suprising how people can have double identity.
3.14 year old girls who become famous through naked pictures because it is absurd how they do stupid things for fame
4.Girls who take 'showing' pictures and post them all over internet becuase of the urge to become popular
5.Congress having hearings about predators through internet because it is a real case, a serious thing
6. Multiple dates through internet that result in rapes becuase it is a serious crime.
7. Police convinces parents to have their children's passwords because of the seriousness of the problem
8. Girls get into their social networks only at friends houses to avoid parents because of the fear of being known from the parents.
9. 1 in 7 kids been sexually solicited through internet because it shows only a small percentage and has a huge deal made out of it
10. Most of the cases are mild. Surprising because they make a huge deal out of small things
11. None of the 1 in 7 cases involved children going out and looking for the mystery men
12.Girls get in internet with purposes to become anorexic because it is obtaining a sickness to look pretty
13. Madison Square garden ran out of wheelchairs of all the drunk kids there were in a concert.
14. Generation gap created by the internet because generations are differing immensely.
15. A boy killed himself because of bullying through social networks.



CHANGED ABOUT TECHNOLOGY:
1.Use the social network Myspace
2. One family computer is the only way to keep track of kids usage
3.The main reason of getting in internet is to talk with friends
4. Thinspiration through internet isn't very present in cases nowadays
5. Back then, parents normally found out of things when children showed them in the internet
6. Now, parents allow more children to have computers in their rooms
7. Kids used to have relationships only through the web
8. Now there are anonymous websites where people can write whatever they want to others and not get caught.
9. Nowadays, most of the suicides are caused by cyber-bullying in teenagers; don't relate to life outside of the computer.
10. The computer now has more restrictions over cyber-bullying. Almost all schools teach kids how to avoid bullying in the computer
11. Almost no parents support bad actions from their children building websites
12. There are programs online that have restrictions towards nudity, or bullying
13. Internet now has more positive, clean functions that bring benefits to the world and avoid all the flaws it had in the past.
14. There are new programs that allow parents to have supervision over children's actions
15. Businesses, police companies, schools, and much more have gotten involved technologically allowing these to be more aware of the dangers of the internet.


What topic in the video was most UNLIKE your own experiences online and why?
Some topics that were talked about in this video were new to my experience. I'm normally in the computer for a long time, either doing homework, researching, or in a social network. Sexual predators have never been a concern for me because there has been no cases close to my school. Also, my parents asking for my password as well as police officers has never been brought up. I think some things in this video are being exaggerated because many of my friends haven't experienced any issues.

What advice do you have for parents about kids being online?
I would talk to parents who are specially worried about their children. Parents always know if their son/daughter will have anything to do with problems in the internet. If their child is something to worry about, I would suggest for them to always keep an eye on their activities. They shouldn't really monitor them, but they should be attentive to their usage. The internet can be a useful thing as well as a dangerous place.

What are the biggest benefits of being online, for you, personally?
Being online brings many advantages. I feel closer to my friends far away, and I am capable of communicating with them as if they were beside me. It is a great place to research and know stuff in no time, instead of looking things up in a book. I have also learned a lot from research. The internet has been very helpful in all aspects.



 




Thursday, May 9, 2013

GAFE

*Google Search


1. What is it?

Google search is a search engine created by the company of Google. It was created by two men (Larry Page and Sergey Brin) in 1997 at Stanford University. Nowadays, it is the search engine that is most used in the internet. It works by looking up words that have been searched in public websites (with formats of HTML and PDF mainly). But, besides from word searches, it can also look up weather forecasts, game results, math problems, maps, and currency conversions. 

Other advantages that Google has is having the ability to refine the search with ranges of years the articles were written, the certain webpage where to look for, certain words found together in a page, certain words that appear in the title, and even look for a page and don't display any webpage with a certain word! Also, since 2011 anyone can do image searches and voice searches. 


2. How does it work?
The search engine works with three basic steps:
1. Crawling and Indexing: Google crawls through each link (if allowed) and sort each page by their content and other factors. The place where they keep track of all these 30 trillion pages is in the index. 

2. Algorithms: The use programs and formulas so that, with algorithms, they can understand what you are searching for. After using these hints, they pull out links from the index and rank them with different factors. From there, the results appear at the webpage and in the order they do. 

3. Fighting spam: The are constantly fighting spam in order to give out the best information. The detecting of spam is automatic, but sometimes requires manual work. From there on, they notify the website owners and expect them to write back and fix the problems. 



3. How do certain websites get to be on page one or at the top of the search?
PageRank, a system created and named after Larry Page, is a system of algorithms that ranks the webpages. It measures the importance of each link relative to the search. It works by results of algorithms regarding to a webgraph where all hyperlinks in the world wide web are at. Each hyperlink to a page gives the page a 'vote'. That means that, for every hyperlink to a page, there  are more votes and thus more rank in the page. Also, depending on the rank of the hyperlinks that direct to that page means that the page has a higher rank. PageRank is used by Google Search to place the sites at a certain position in the page of search. 


4. What are some "tricks' you can do in search?
The following video gives 18 tricks to refine your search with Google Search. These include searching in one specific webpage, searching for words in a title, searching for a result in certain webpages that end in .gov, .edu, etc.. , search for a result and not display pages with certain words, ranges of years articles are written, and much more! Check this video out!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=De8dxcNZiDA



5. What is Google scholar and how do you use it?

Google Scholar is a Google Search engine that only searches for scholarly literature. It is helpful for looking for scholar articles around the world. 

The features for Google Scholar presented in their website are:
" Search all scholarly literature from one convenient place, Explore related works, citations, authors and publications, Locate the complete document through yout library or on the web, Keep up with recent developments in any area of research, Check who's citing your publications, create a public author profile." - http://www.google.com/intl/en/scholar/about.html


HOW CAN THIS TOOL BE USED AT CNG?

This tool is already been used a lot at CNG to help teachers and students search for information to help in the learning process. It can also be used to put up projects with all sorts of sources (images, videos, articles, etc..). All these can be found by Google Search Engine. They can also have a refined search and learn about certain materials to be prepared for an exam or a teaching lesson. Finally, they can use Google Scholar to read articles from all over the world about a certain topic. Google, the best search engine in the world will be a great advantage for the CNG community!



Friday, April 26, 2013

Google 20% Day 2

3 goals for today:
1. Research more in depth about undergrad in business and economics
2. Master degrees in film
3. Most reachable goals for film industry

Undergrad in Business and/or Economics:
Undergraduate programs in Economics are presented in the link above. The best programs for economics are mostly ivy leagues; the first ones on the list are Harvard, Yale, Princeton, etc.. The chances to enter a great university in economics is not as high, but there is a chance for anyone to enroll in the best universities after the first group. 

Educate Abroad is a program that helps people with their application processes for Prep Schools, Colleges, Gap Years, and summer programs. This page in Facebook haves many links to college acceptance rates, rejection letters, and more! One link I found useful was the one of college acceptance rates. Columbia had around 7 percent of acceptance rates this year. 



Master degree in film Columbia University and Stanford University:

Columbia University: Offers MFA in film, ranked 8th in Hollywood Reporter.
The website of Columbia school of arts talks about the film opportunities at the university. There are many recognized alumni that have been successful due to their development at Columbia, including Kathryn Bigelow. The website was helpful because it allowed me to take a look at Columbia's program as they want me to see it, now I must research based upon other's opinions. The reasons Columbia gives the potential candidates include: Location, (New York City is known as the "capital of America". They argue that by being in the Big Apple will give them connections and higher chances to enter the industry.) high academic achievement and faculty, and distinguished alumni. 




**Stanford University: Offers MFA in documentary film and video, ranked 16th in Hollywood Reporter.
**I didn't do further research with Stanford University because it is a very exclusive program (only 8 students take the course and make films the old fashioned way) 


Goals for next class:
1. Acceptance requirements for Columbia University MFA
2. Best college fit for me and study economics course descriptions
3. Possible Gap years after graduation. 

Monday, April 8, 2013

April 2, 2013

I was absent on April 2nd because I was visiting boarding schools.

Google 20% Day 1


3 goals for the day:

1. Research which are the best colleges that offer a film production career
2. Research what undergrad career most of the famous directors/actors did
3. Research about undergrad opportunities

In the website above there's a ranking of the best colleges in the world that offer Film. I learned that many of the first are located in California or New York City. I believe that they are located strategically to be close to Hollywood (L.A.) or Broadway. At the bottom of each school there was also a list of recognized directors that went to the school. One I was very interested in and that was in the Top 10 was Columbia University. It is the only Ivy League ranked in the Top 25. The other school that caught my eye was Stanford University. Although it was placed lower than Columbia, it is a great school with a high reputation and recognized alumni. 


http://www.collegecrunch.org/fun-stuff/famous-people-the-schools-they-went-to/
The website above helped me realize all the Bachelor degrees (or almost degrees) famous actors and directors studied before either dropping out or getting a master degree. The website said that a major in fine arts is one of the most common studies actors study. Yet, there is still a lot of variety of undergrad studies famous film associates study. The knowledge I mainly acquired was that the undergrad study doesn't matter as much as long  as you get a Masters degree in filming. 


As I realized that I can do almost anything as an undergrad, I Googled what could be a good work for my personality. This website was a quiz that asked me basic questions about my personality. As a result, I got 'Enterprising Personality' with the job options of: Business, Sales, Marketing, Management, Leadership, Training, Political Science, and Economics. Previously in my life I had considered Business and Economics, because both of my parents studied it and because I find it a very interesting subject. 


The link above is one of many that I found useful in College Confidential website. Its a website where people ask questions to the audience about college, majors, boarding schools, or anything related to studying. I saw the opinions of people about the best schools in economics and/or business as an undergraduate major. I didn't have a lot of time to research about the undergrads in these majors, but I will continue researching next class. 


WHAT I WANT TO LEARN NEXT CLASS:


I want to continue researching about the undergrad opportunities in business and economics.
Start research of Master degrees in Film.
Research what is the most reachable career opportunity in the Film Institution. 


Wednesday, March 20, 2013

Design project day 5


HOW DID IT TURN OUT? When we went to see the game after a week, we saw marks in the target showing that the elementary boys had used it. We reached our goals! Also, there were no more seeds left. That made us know they played our game a lot. We are really happy it turned out the way we wanted to! 


-What was the biggest problem you encountered? How did you solve it?
The biggest problem we encountered as a group was the 'making' part of the process. The target and the base was easy to make with cardboard, but the sling shot was a challenge to make. It had to be done with pencils and be able to work, so it was difficult to make a stable gun with simple materials. 

-When did you get your biggest "AH HA" idea? What was it?
In the first part of the process, in the CHOOSE PHASE, we came up with our big idea. Lorenzo and I agreed to make the game with a sling shot and a big target, and Nicolas agreed. There, we were sure of what we wanted to do. 

-Who in your group resisted new ideas the most and why?
Nicolas Cruz resisted new ideas the most. When Caste and I chose the game, he wasn't very sure he wanted to do it. He had other ideas in mind, but then decided to agree with our proposal. 

-What doubts did YOU have about the project and how did you overcome those doubts?
I had a doubt on how big and attention calling we would make our target look. After a short discussion with my group, we all decided to agree with my proposals. Our goal was to make it look pretty, but not make it seem too colorful that it would only attract girls. 

-Who in your group played "devil's advocate" (a person who questions everything, even good ideas) and how did that help the process?
Nicolas Cruz was our devil's advocate. Every time we would come up with a great addition to the game, he would question us. That actually helped us realize all the flaws we might have not realized without Cruz's questioning. 

-What did you learn about yourself, teamwork, and the design process?
I learned a lot through the process of making the game. Firstly, I realized I have to be welcoming to others ideas because three minds work better than one. I learned that teamwork can get one farther because all the good ideas of each individual put together can create an amazing invention. The design process is made perfectly to create a product. Before learning this process I used to come up with the invention right away and then worry about the audience and the purpose. Now, I can use everything I've learned in order to create better products anywhere. 

Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Design project-day 3

CHOOSE phase
The descriptions of the DEFINE phase did match with our model of the game. It was innovative, challenging, addictive, and competitive. That would make elementary school boys enjoy the game. The only part where we could improve is the attention calling part. When we are making our final product we will make it more colorful and cool for boys.
- The most powerful ideas in our model that we would like to keep are the difficulty, the design, and the idea of the sling shot.
- Things we could leave of to simplify the game could include the slingshot design and the small unstable base.

IMPLEMENT phase

Build plan:
1. Create the target with cardboard and markers. Make it with a calling design.
2. Create a stable and big base to attach to the bottom of the target with cardboard.
3. Create the sling shot with rubber bands, three pencils, and masking tape.
4. Join the base with the target with tape. 
5. Create small paper balls to shoot with the sling shot. 
6. Enjoy the game!

Who will do what?
Lorenzo: Step 1 and 5
Camila: Step 3
Cruz: Step 2 and 4

Who will bring what?
Shawn: Carboard, scissors, markers, and tape
Lorenzo: paper
Cruz: pencils
Camila: rubber bands

Thursday, February 14, 2013

Design project-day 2

Prototype:
Camila
1. Strength: The simplest and easiest form to play.
2. Weakness: It can't be hanged to the wall, so it must have a base to stand alone.

Lorenzo:
1. Strength: It has many targets so there are many options to where to shoot and can support multiple players in one round
2. Weakness: It is very complex and hard to make it stable and strong.

Nicolas:
1. Strength: It has a base, so it can be held by itself and put in the floor.
2. Weakness: It is very hard to make because the base has four legs and, because it is made out of carton, it can break easily.

Strongest model: Camila's is the best model because it's the easiest to make and the most stable.
Details we will add to Camila's: To fix the weakness of Camila's model, we will add a base such as Nicolas', but the base will be more solid and take away the need to be hanged to a wall.



What was good: The elementary schoolers will enjoy the 'shooting' part of the game and the points they win when they hit the targets.
What can be improved: In the final product, we should make the base more stable and more congruent to the size of the target. Also, the target should be made more equal between each 'point section'. Finally, the sling shot should be improved. 

Wednesday, February 6, 2013

Design project-day 1

Group Members: Camila Toro, Nicolas Cruz, Lorenzo Castellanos


DEFINE PHASE

1.The game will be for elementary schoolers boys 
2. The game will be medium in difficulty
3. A game is fun and successful because:
 1. It is a competitive game of two where only one wins
 2. It is challenging because of difficulty
 3. It is innovative
 4. It is attention-calling
 5. It is addictive because of its difficulty


RESEARCH  PHASE
1. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sd7x-F5irBY
2. I thought it was fun because it was challenging game. The air blowing was also arousing for the visitors. 
3. What I think can be improved would be the preciseness of tickets in the box because some flew away. Also, a way to avoid cheating because some people could grab from the floor.

1.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6cEWELoxEsY
2.I thought the opportunity of different levels was fun so there is a bigger audience. I also enjoyed the challenging part of the game.
3. What I think could be improved would be the 'look's of the game itself. The maze looked fun, but it also looked plain (no enchantment to the eye).

1.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rYRZcWa0zJI&list=UU1aMZ56rL_429UP02uoNsCg&index=5
2.I think it's fun because it isn't very hard, and it has challenges within it. You can win, so it is fun for the little kids to gain success.
3.  A problem with the game is that the little hole where the ball must go in is big, so even though you get through the blockers there is a chance for the ball to not fall in the hole.


IDEATION PHASE

1. Our ideas for an arcade game include:
-A mini bowling game 
-A mini moving labyrinth 
-A safe sling shot game that hits a certain target

2. Our final idea is: A safe sling shot game that hits a certain target.

This game will be fun because: the elementary school boys enjoy shooting and action games where you compete against your friends and enemies. The targets are decorated and have colorful designs. This makes the boys be attracted to the game because of visual images. 


Some things that could go wrong would be the inappropriate behavior that could be taken by the kids and the sling shooting guns. The machine could also be destructed and broken. Also, in the making, the branches could be hard to find and also hard to use in order for them to be resistant to all the rounds. We can avoid these by getting the branches beforehand, writing in the targets to not destroy, and making the balls very soft so they are safe for the kids.