Blogging, WOW, what a challenge.
I am not one to blog on a consistent basis, so Blogging was tough for me to do.
For one, I always forgot to blog until the very last minute, which probably did more harm than good.
Not having internet access at home, along with 40 hour + work weeks left me with little time to remember to go to Starbucks to get wifi.

Creating a blog was rather simple, and only took a few minutes to sign up and register.
With the topics assigned to us it wasn't hard to make a post that met the requirements, it was more hard to remember to make time so I would actually post anything on my blog!
Blogging isn't hard at all, it is more like writing your thoughts online for all to read and comment on.
Blogging was defiantly a good experience for me, although it isn't something that I will likely continue to keep up after this semester of english is over.

If you have never blogged before, give it a shot. It is a good way to get your personal opinions out on the web for anyone to view, and who knows, you may start making money off of it somehow!
If you don't want to voice your opinions use blogging as a way to vent. There is no limitation as to what you can post; so give it a shot! You may actually like it!
 Blogging isn't my thing, but it may be yours!

Post 3 of 3 on a class topic.

During the semester we spend a class talking about our opinions on violent video games, I just want to voice my opinion on violent video games publicly.
Violent video games are NOT as bad as many people make them out to be. Sure, some are gruesome, but most "violent" video games are not all to violent.
Call of duty is one of the most popular "violent" video games in the current day and age; based on my opinion is not all that violent.
People that "care" about children and their choice in video games are just limiting the children's minds as to things that they are going to see in their lives, it's like they want children to think they live in a perfect world, which is far from reality.
Exposing kids that are younger video games may be beneficial to them because it will open their minds to more things in life.
If parents feel their kid shouldn't be playing the game, then that is their opinion; but as long as the kid has a good head on their shoulders they should be able to handle playing violent games and realize that they cant do things that they do in the game in real life.

For this photo essay I am going to be using Lexus © cars and SUV's as my example.
With technology advancing at a rapid rate so is the amount of technology used in cars. Lexus, and many other vehicles are coming equipped with a driver monitoring system that "sees" what you are doing while you are driving.
They claim that this feature is to prevent you from crashing if you, for example, fall asleep at the wheel and begin to drift one way or another. They also monitor the road in front of the vehicle. If your head it not facing forward, determined by the infra-red camera mounted on the steering wheel, it will sound a warning making you focus on the road on front of you. Below is a photo of the camera and infra-red camera that is watching you.

Along with a infra-red camera watching your every move most cars on the road are now equipped with OnStar service's. OnStar systems also monitor your car or SUV and contact emergency services in case of an accident. As most people are aware, if your car has OnStar it also has a microphone somewhere in the vehicle. Is this microphone being used to monitor conversations you are having in your car? It is another possible way they are using advancements in technology to "Protect us from harm".

Lets not forget about one feature that seems all to helpful when we are lost on the road; GPS. GPS has been a life saver for me while I am going on road trips to an unfamiliar area. I always was thinking about how the GPS knew exactly where i was, within feet of my actual physical location. When I first realized this, I had always wondered who was tracking me, that is if anyone actually was. 

Why cant cars be simple like in the past? I like my very basic Audi, it has the things I need to get by, without all the added "luxuries" that could be used to invade my privacy. Simple, but not ugly. Just the way I like it.

Technology is advancing at a very rapid rate, and soon enough cars will be driving, or flying, themselves while we just go along for the ride. When that day comes, we will be monitored the entire time we are in a vehicle, without a doubt. The future scares me as I am a very private person. I like my personal life to remain my personal life.  Even in this day and age I am unsure as to if the conversations held within a car actually remain private. What does the future hold when it comes to privacy within out personal vehicle? The world may never know, until that day comes. 

Post 2 of 3 on a class topic.

Grammar... One of the most important things about the english language, and one of my biggest pep-peeves. Don't mess it up, or feel the wrath of James! (haha)
Grammar is one of the most important things when it comes to speaking in public, or typing a essay on on a open forum/blog on the internet. A lot of people misuse words such as "your"and "you're", and quite frankly, it drives me NUTS. It isn't that hard to learn proper grammar, and when you use it properly you won't look like a undereducated person.
Grammar is undoubtedly one of the most important things I have ever learned in english class. Without knowing proper grammar people, and possibly future employers, may look down on you due to the fact that you appear to be undereducated.
Please, people, take the time to learn proper grammar; it's worth the time and effort you will put into it.

Post 1 of 3 on a class topic.

Something most people that listen to music can relate to.

Some people notice this, and others don't, but I for one do notice this in many rap songs.
A lot of rappers use simile's in their rap songs to make a bar flow together. When I think of rappers that do this, I think they 1) aren't real rappers and 2) how much lil' Wayne uses simile's. I do, however, have some respect for them as they use them properly, so they may not be as "uneducated" as they seem at times.
A good example, is a lil' Wayne song called "Ice Cream Paint Job" (CLEAN video below, youtube for unedited version)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VyfB6FdSsi0

Wayne uses simile's throughout this entire song, and it drives me crazy.
This is just an example, and with how many people listen to rap music, I suppose you could learn simile's from a song such as this.
Enjoy.

Saving Private Ryan, directed by Steven Spielberg and starring Tom Hanks, Matt Damon and Tom Siezmore, is without a doubt one of the best war movies of all time. I chose this movie because my grand father was in WWII and I was always interested in war movies after some of the stories I had the pleasure of hearing. Saving Private Ryan is based on a true story, different names were used in the movie, so I would say this movie is somewhat of a mix between a non-fiction and a documentary of what they went through to find the 3rd brother while he was still alive.


Saving Private Ryan is one of my favorite movies because it shows how violent the wars really were, which most people don't seem to understand. In this movie they bring you first hand into the battles as they land on shore and are bombarded with heavy fire before they even have a chance to get to cover. I feel there are numerous messages in this movie, but the one that stood out the most to me was that you should NEVER give up until you complete your desired goal, and in the case of this movie is was finding Private Ryan. This is a message that everyone should use in their life because if you give up or quit you may never accomplish something that could be life changing. 
In the end of the movie they do find Private Ryan, although it is to late, he is on the edge of death while firing his last shots at a tank, when the tank explodes from an IED other men in the army find him and tell him everything as he passes away. The ending is somewhat sad after all the effort he, Private Ryan, puts forth to fight in the war, and all the effort other men put into finding him. 
I HIGHLY recommend this movie to anyone that likes wars and doesn't have a weak stomach. It is a real eye opener as to what has happened in the past, and you may even learn a new motto to live life by, and i dont mean "YOLO".

Making the decisions on the PBS Culture Shock website was no an issue for me at all. Video Game violence seems to be very common these days, as most games are first person shooters, such as: Call of Duty, Halo, Half-Life, ETC. Kids these days are playing violent games at younger and younger ages which makes people accept it more. There are parents that are against violent video games because they are against real world violence, but lets face it, its a video game. It is a virtual world that is 100% fiction. If your child thinks that the video game is reality, you shouldn't let them play it.
My final decision was that Violent video games and images associated with them are acceptable to be posted on home pages of websites. Violent video games are accepted widely, and saying that you cant post a photo of it on a website is like saying that you cant sell it in a retail store.

Video games are now being considered a form of art, and this is true in many ways. Its an opportunity to show your skills in computer/graphic programing, and allows you to be creative and design the video game how you want it; much like drawing a picture and starting with a blank piece of paper.

For me the images on the PBS website were not offensive to me at all, mainly because I have been playing violent video games since I was 13 years old. For that reason in itself it wasn't hard for me to make my decision.

None of the quotes on the PBS website swayed my opinion on weather or not the photos of the violent video games should be posted. Every one has their own opinions.

Video games sometimes do provide a gateway for us to release some anger we have, but at the same time they can make us just as angry and frustrated, at least for me!