The Final Countdown

In this class, I feel using the Wall Street Journal as our primary "instructional tool" in the course, I have learned a lot more than I would have learned using a textbook, that honestly, I probably wouldn't have opened during this course. The WSJ is more up to date (obviously) and textbooks just kind of bore me. I learned more about what's happening in the current businesses of newspapers and novels and the new innovations in technology that is affecting these businesses. Textbooks dealing with Mass Communications become out of date as soon as they get published.
And honestly, for what I want to major in, PR, I need to stay current with what's happening in the markets and businesses that maybe in the future I'll work with. So, in turn I will be renewing my subscription to Wall Street Journal.

This was an awesome class, by the way.

Book v. Movie

"But I want to be with you."

Okay, so as emotional as it was reading it, the movie was ten times more emotional [towards the ending] because as a "visual person" seeing it on screen makes it a tad easier for me to visualize exactly what the characters look like. And considering the book was vague, bleak, and hard to read, the movie was better at explaining or visualizing what happens in the book.

However, as any book turns to the silver screen version, things are lost, exaggerated or something magically appears. The Road was obviously no different. I personally hadn't pictured the little boy to be as old as he was in the movie, I thought maybe he would be six or seven; and he was older than I expected when the mother left too, which is awkward. There were too many flashbacks, which is an obvious unnecessary add on to the movie. I don't care if Charlize was the mom, she was only in the book for maybe a total of two paragraphs. Too much of something that's mysterious is an automatic failure. The intensity of finding the house with the cut up people in the basement was well built, but I hadn't pictured them going around corners and stuff soon as they went down there. They kept it creepy though which is still cool.


There are a bunch of other things I didn't feel were keeping it true to the book, but because I haven't read this book again since before school started, it could be me not remembering certain parts correctly.

End Verdict: Books always beat Movies. No matter how much they help me visualize the characters in a very vague and hard book to read. 

Tweet, Tweet. Chat, Chat.

For me, the most popular of the Social Networking services, all around, would be Facebook. Twitter comes after, and picking up the slack: Myspace.

Facebook is pretty copacetic because of the more accessible and clear features the website has. I love that it isn't about who has the cooler profile background or the more views one's page gets like on Myspace, but more about the connecting with old schoolmates, new classmates, long lost family, or just networking with other people. However, I do not like the way that Facebook "gives out" our information to companies that advertise according to what's on our page, but that's quickly resolved with some adjustments to privacy settings and that tiny bit of disdain goes away. Also, what I like about Facebook more than Myspace is that Facebook is more collegiate and Myspace is more "high school-ish."

I do use Twitter more than Facebook though. Facebook is just to keep connected with family, and the friends that I have that don't have Twitter. Plus, I'm tagged in a lot of photos on Facebook and I don't want to lose those memories (who would?). I love Twitter the most though because I can "follow" all my favorite celebrities, designers, and friends. Sometimes companies/local online businesses post coupons on Twitter and that's a super plus for anyone who prefers shopping online over driving to the nearest mall. I have UberTwitter on my home screen on my BlackBerry, TweetDeck for my desktop and I stay connected 24/7; it's easy, fun and harmless.

Now, if Twitter and/or Facebook started charging me, I don't think I'd pay more than $2.00 for their services. More than two, and I'm "outta thereee." I'll stick to my Tumblr and Blogspot.

In Another Dimension With Voyeuristic Intention.

     Movies!

My film viewing habits have been a lot more on schedule to their release dates now, more than they have ever been. Before my boyfriend came into the picture, watching movies was not a priority...more like only viewed if invited, or if I had the night off and some friends were going. That must have been like twice a month at the max. Now, it's almost every Friday or Saturday, sometimes both nights and either at Festival Bay or at the Plaza Theatre in downtown. I prefer theaters more than at home, just because you get the whole surround sound and visual affect a lot better in a theater. I recently saw Where The Wild Things Are in IMAX at Pointe Orlando, and that movie wouldn't have been better if it were on a regular screen and no awesome surround sound, like what the IMAX theater offers. It would have sucked and not have been as cool as it weren't meant to be by Spike Jonze. Rentals are only for the stupid movies I didn't want to pay the $8.50 for or the indies that I didn't catch due to limited release.

But that's movies for me. What are they for you?