My Project Proposal. . .it's official

I have chosen to use the technologies that photo shop offers to create my masterpiece (and Apple is going to help me). I want to create a "coffee table book" using some selected pictures from those that I took in Europe during my study abroad. I am going to send in captions too!
So, to sum up. . .I am going to use photo shop to manipulate the photographical elements in the pictures that I select. Then, I will create appropriate and consistent captions. Finally, I will send all of this into Apple with the instructions that I will fill out. In the end I hope to have a really cool, creative book that has artistic merit as well as entertainment value.

Selecting a China Pattern

I had a really good time playing with the different font styles that Microsoft Word offers its user. It was too hard to pick just one font that I liked. . .so I picked a formal, a serious/business-oriented, and a casual font to describe myself. I did this because everyone has different personalities according to different situations.
This reminds me of selecting china. My mother has formal china, what she calls "inbetween" china, and "everyday" china. Before she married, she registered all of these three different types of china patterns at the china store. I suppose she picked patterns that she felt represented her and reflected elements of her personality.
In formal font I chose the "blackladder ITC" which has a cursive look to it. This is something that I would use for an invitation. . .I like it because it looks old-fashioned.
For my serious/business font, I chose the "Georgia" which seems to say, "I'm serious, but still laid-back."
Lastly, for my casual/everyday font, I chose the "Imprint MT Shadow" which is playful yet legible because I feel that those adjectives also describe me.

Reflections on "Changing the Face of Poverty," by Diana George

"Poverty is a strange and elusive thing. . . . We need always to be thinking and writing about it, for if we are not among its vivtims its reality fades from us."-Dorothy Day, quoted by Diana George

It was a great privelege to hear Diana George speak in person, as she is one of the leading theorists in the field of visual communication as well as being widely published. I enjoyed her presentation. I especially liked the slides pertaining to the assignment she gave her students that she called a viusual rewrite. I thought it was moving, and yet bold, that one of the students chose to do a visual re-write about the tragic events that occurred on the Virginia Tech campus not so long ago.

Moving on to her article, "Changing the Face of Poverty," Diana George makes clear that poverty is like a court case for a dss child. If the child is not properly represented, the case will not hold up in court. She seems to be telling her reader the same thing. . .it's all in the picture/visual image. Everything that the public needs to know has to be present in order to be moved by the effort.

Meet Mollymolly!

World, I would like to introduce you to Mollymolly Mopp. She's a little bit on the shy side, and a little bit standoffish, in my opinion.

. . .SECOND LIFE. . .

My name in the realm of secondlife is Mollymolly Mopp. I tried to tie it into my blog by establishing my name as BoogleBoogle Betsen, but ironically enough the name was unavailable. The avatar does happen to have mop-like hair, though, so I not completely dissatisfied with the alternative name. The inspiration for giving Mollymolly her own characteristics is and will come from impulses I have to create a quirky character.

My Creative Project?

This semester I would like to explore the realm of photography. I have always been fascinated by the art, but have never indulged my curiosity, nor do I own a "good" camera.

I have two ideas:

Number One
I went to Barcelona, Spain last semester to study abroad. I would like to use some of the photos that I have to make a picture portfolio. I want to play with these photos and alter them in photo shop. I will definitely be toying with the black and white setting because a lot of classic European photos are in black and white. However, I might decide that it is too cliche for some of the pictures. I want to have this portfolio professionally bound by Apple so that when the class is over I will have a really great picture book. For the main theme I am thinking something along the lines of "When Americans Live in Europe."

Number Two
This idea is a fall back for me. The only reason I wouldn't use my first idea is that none of the pictures that I already have were taken from the standpoint of a "photographer." I guess that adds a little difficulty to the project, which is fine. The next idea I have is to take my own pictures taking all of the important photographical components into consideration (color, form, depth, movement). My theme for this picture book (also bound by Apple) would be "Capturing human Emotions."

A Facebook Profile for My Brother, Will. . .

I prefer Facebook to My Space. My Space is creepy because it is an outlet which allows anyone on the web to view a profile. There is of course an obvious rebuttle that would probably be that it is not creepy because the profile is in the hands of its posessor. Therefore, he or she is in control of what the page displays to the web (world). To my knowledge, My Space is a phenomenon that exploded at the fingertips of the adolescents who were not able to participate in the Facebook Phenomenon. For some time Facebook was not all inclusive like My Space has been from its birth. I think that there enlies the "creepy" issue. Adolescents are over-exposing themselves to potential stalkers, pedofiles, etc. There is also a differnt side to My Space, which is its use for publicity on part of musical groups and such. I also know that there are older people who publish their profiles more responsibly.
I now have to acknowlege that as Facebook has evloved over the past three or so years, it has become more and more revealing. In my opinion, a HUGE difference is that Facebook is as private as the profile holder wants for it to be. A turn-off might be that it has a set, structured template so it does not allow one to be as creative as a My Space page would be.
It is for all of the above reasons that I have chosen to design an imaginary Facebook Profile for my brother, Will, who thinks he is too cool to be on Facebook. My vision for Will's profile is extremely simple. I did not pick him because I thought it would be easy to do, I picked him because anyone else I could think of already has an existing page and I would have no room to create it in MY mind. Will is a recent Clemson University graduate with a degree in Civil Engineering. He is not employed at an engineering firm in Augusta, GA. His activities here at Clemson included intramural tennis, basketball, and the Kappa Alpha Order Fraternity. He has a girlfriend who is currently a senior here. His profession speaks volumes about his personality. He is very structured and likes to leave things neat and simple. So, I believe that if he had to chose between My Space and Facebook he would pick the latter, for its structured template and clearcut options.

Networks: Clemson Alumi
Sex: Male
Relationship Status: In a Relationship
Political Views: Very Conservative

Contact Info: Email Address Only

Personal Info:
Interests: Tennis, Basketball, Running, Clemson Football
Music: Ecclectic Interests

Favorite Quote:
"Sometimes you're turkey will be juicey but your bread will by dry. . .and sometimes the your bread will be stale but your turkey will be dry. . .but every now and then. . . every now and then, both will be good at the same time."


He probably wouldn't be interested in revealing a lot of personal information about himself online, which might be why he does not have a profile in the first place. However, he has a very dry sense of humor, which explains his favorite quote. Anyway, that is why I chose to skip some of the options.