To Future Students

A word of advise is to make sure you follow the instructions to every assignment very carefully, because losing 1 point on a 3 point assignment will bite you in the end.

Any Many Miny Mo'

When looking at the websites, there were plenty that were amazing, but the top three would have to be the presentations by Chiarra, Anna, and Tasha. Chiarra’s sheer drawing ability stole the show once again. She has talent and it shows. I wish I could just draw a straight line. I liked her design and her color scheme fit her website perfectly. Anna’s website was really cool too. Her picture gallery options and page layout were pretty cool. Tasha’s website was pretty cool from the opening page with her animated pictures. I learned something I would have never known. I never would have known koala bears stink so badly. I plan to study abroad in Australia so that information was very beneficial. Those were my top favorites out the class websites. You can check out mine at http://www.cs.trinity.edu/~rlucasjr/

Html Codes are Now as Easy as 1-2-3

Seeing html codes for the first time could be shell-shocking at first, but after you familiarize yourself with the language, you soon feel comfortable. It is basically a language between man and computer and sometimes between computer and computer. There are many symbols and numbers and characters you may not be familiar with that make up a webpage. It is crazy knowing so much material is typed for even the simplest websites. You control every aspect of the website with your keyboard. There are practically endless combinations or scenarios you can carry out with a single removal of one character. Web Designers should be able to manually create websites to further understand the communication that has to be made in order for a webpage to function a certain way. There are shortcuts like Web Expression than make it a lot easier to create websites. In fact, using Web Expressions makes it so simple to create a website A CAVEMAN could do it!; no offense to any cavemen out there. It is very beneficial to know the make-up of websites through there html codes, because you can possibly detect or even fix web pages that do not work properly. It is good to know some background information on creating websites, because you can truly admire the creators of those extravagant websites.

PPT Evaluation

Ashley’s background was one of my favorites because her background was custom and outstanding. It fit her theme perfectly. Her background actually made me a little hungry. Her presentation was very informative. I heard of the different fruits that were antioxidants. The information I learned may help me stay healthy later on in life. I also liked Angel’s presentation. Her Psychology based slides played with mind a bit. It was very informative. The spinning dancer was definitely my favorite because it played with my mind. Both presentations showed me things I had never heard of or never thought about. I’m glad I was in class to see them.

Chris Nolan Presentation

Chris Nolan was very informative about the usage of search engines. When using Google I had never thought to use the advanced search tab. I did not know I could limit my searches in such a specific way as to country. I did not know or at least have never noticed websites from countries other than the U.S. will end with the country’s abbreviations. I have always ignored the small link titled cached in my results. The cached is a saved version of the webpage. Within the advanced search tab you can also search within a site or domain. I found out that Google was the first to rank websites from relevance. The rankings rely on many different factors. Google says they do not rank sites by advertising revenue received from websites. The more times a website is linked to, the higher up on the relevance rank. More scholarly documents are closer to bottom of the ranking because it is not as popular to the mass of people. The speaker also mentioned the use of Google scholar which I had never heard of before. He gave examples of the difference between primary and secondary sources too. Overall I learned plenty from his presentation.

Tips on SlideShowing

The most irritating thing to see in PowerPoint presentations is having slides oversaturated with data. People seem to read directly from the slide and not engage with the audience. These types of presentations are so boring, so please keep the data on each slide to a minimum. Crazy animations are annoying and distract viewers. Make your transitions and animations simple and quick. The colors you use for presentations are important too. We have to be able to read the words on the slides so the font is also important. Make sure the whole slide show flows smoothly. Take some time sorting the slides to make sure of it. In all, keep little data on slides, no crazy animations or transitions, pick an appropriate color, choose the best font to fit your presentation theme, and make sure the presentation flows.

My Time with Excel

I wish I had taken this class when I first got hereas a freshman. The things I have learned using Excel would have helped me when I was taking Management Information Systems last semester. We dealt with Excel nearly everyday. I knew most of everything we have gone over with Excel, but I do believe I honed those skills even more. The things I have learned about Excel will definitely help me in my future business classes. I use excel in two other classes this semester and I am quite sure I will be able to use what I have learned out in real world too. If I end up becoming an accountant, I will most likely be working closely with Excel. I do believe I am proficient in using Excel.

Pics Lie Texas Monthly

I chose the Texas monthly picture of Governor Ann Richards because it struck me as amusing and peculiar. The picture was originally a cover photograph of a model on a Harley-Davidson Motorcycle. A stock photograph or head shot of Ann Richards was then taken and placed on the model’s body as if Ann Richardson was on the motorcycle. The picture may have been manipulated this way in order to portray a certain image of the governor or simply for the amusing qualities it brings. I do not believe the manipulation of the photograph was harmful. Ann Richards said even she could not complain because the model’s body looked good in the picture, which in turn made her look good.

The Wonderful World of th AT&T Center

This place seems to be the nucleus of new and advanced technology on campus. They have Mac computers everywhere with 24 inch moniters and huge plasma screen tvs. The Studios @ CLT used more the general public. You can edit video, audio, photos and graphic projects. They use programs such as Sony Vegas which could be very beneficial if you know how to use them. There are tutorial sessions and reference books you can read. When dealing with videos the Mac uses Imovie or Idvd. The PC's run on Vista and the Macs use the Leopard Platform. The Innovation studio is mostly used for training faculty. There are a row of Macs and a row of PC's. The lead computer can use either at any given time to instruct. The Sound Lab could be of good use if you needed to dubb something. You can dub or convert practically any format to a cd for instance. The Door remains locked because of the equipment inside. In the Media Presentation Lab they use a touch-screen panel. It is mostly used for movie showings and meetings. There is a calender outside the door so students can use it to practice presentations if it is not reserved. The video conference room uses the Polycom cameras for video conferencing. All the equipment is mobile and as long as there are places for the ISDN cables to plug in, you can broadcast anywhere. They are responsible for formating TriniTV and scheduling when movies on TigerTV play.
You can get any type of editing done within CLT. You can even check out cameras; all of course with the permission of an instructor.

Diana Graves Info Session

When it comes to using file-sharing software such as Limewire and Bearshare, I have to admit that I was guilty of using them at some point in time. I learned that it would not be a wise decision to use any kind of file-sharing programs while on Trinity's campus. Apparently 4% of all file-sharing is found on college campuses. The RIAA, MPAA, ESA are all disproportionately intersted in file-sharing. I did not realize how serious it was until I heard the speaker. I was told I had already signed an agreement stating that I would not share files. Trinity will not defend me if I were to be persecuted. In fact, they would have to release my name to the RIAA if they requested it. This has happened four times already. Copyright infridgement becomes a felony after 10 copies or when dealing with more than $2500. I really did not care, but after being told of all the laws and problems that could arise if Trinity did not take the initiative to prevent it from happening, I can see the benefit by prohibiting file-sharing on campus.

TU Network

I was definitely enlightened on my excursion to the center of the earth. I mean the heart of Trinity technolgy. I learned a mound of things that i would probably have never thought twice about. I would have never known about the 20 terabyte storage spaces, data closets, fiber optic cables, etc. if it was not for that tour. Being top 10 in country is pretty impressive. I mostly use the systems for email as well as facebook. My addiction to facebook is slowly, but surely diminishing, because of all the activities i'm participating in this semester. Aside from football, I have secretary duties in BSU, BSU Liazon for Mocha Life, and Recruit Coordinator for The Loon-E Crew dance group. I also attend FCA and UC underconstruction Bible Study. I rarely have time to use the network as much as I used to, but when I do its a pleasant experience most of the time. That Cisco pop-up ticks me off every now and then, but the network in general gets good ratings from me.

A Lil' Inside Information about Reub

My name Is Reuben Lucas Jr. I was born and raised in southeast Houston. I moved to Pearland after my Freshman year of High school. I guess I can say I have a pretty athletic background. I have played football since I was seven and track since I was ten years old. Looking at my size now, You could never guess that i was a 6-time Junior Olympian at 400m, 800m and 1500m. If you can't tell by my body structure I chose football over track and field. I'm the Co-Secretary of BSU, Black Student Union, here at Trinity and I and friends are launching a new dance organization this year called the Loon-E Crew.Dancing and acting silly are hobbies of mine. I also love to eat. My metabolism is the only reason I'm not 430 pounds by now. I have one younger sister. I am a sophomore now. I'm not sure how I survived Humanities 1600 last year. If you are taking that class, I wish you the best of luck. I'm so glad that's over, and hope to have a fun-filled semester. I'm not the best typist, but I am also not the worst. I am a pecker of the keyboard, but I would say I am pretty fast. I have a basic knowledge of most Microsoft applications.