Skype pt 3 by Austin Crane

We asked Taylor some questions about the songs and beats he has created. Taylor has made six songs, and over two hundred remixes.  I had the second set of questions to ask Taylor and I started off by asking “Have you had any live performances?” He replied,” not really”.  Taylor explained to us that his hardest song to produce was “Nicki Manaj.” He got his inspiration from a very popular rap artist named Lil Wayne. He doesn’t sell all of his songs because he wants others to get a preview of his music before they buy. He made it clear that as a future artist you must have patience and a lot of time. We all look forward to hearing more of T-Bizzle and B-Teezy in the future.

Skype pt 2 by Jeff Koester

On Friday, December 10th, my web design class asked Taylor Bickford some questions about his rapping career. Taylor thinks that studing copyright infringments is a very important skill so that you can stay out of legal trouble. Marcus and Taylor write their lyrics freestyle, but it takes them a couple hours. Taylor says he likes to include explicit and clean versions of the songs to connect with a variety of all people. He wants to get a studio when he's older, but rapping is just for fun now. Taylor suggests that future rappers need to have time and patience. (and Audacity.)

Skype pt 1 by Tom Karnik

I did the set of questions in the "Initial Interests" section. They consisted of seven questions.

• How did the idea come about to make these songs and record them? Taylor responded with the answer of Marcus freestyling in his free time and he thought he should be heard so he can become famous.
• What programs did you use to edit your songs? Audacity.
• Out of the songs you sold, what was your portion of proceeds? He said that he gets 91 percent and he splits it with Marcus.
• How much do you have to fork out to do this - software, memberships, etc.? Audacity is free. He had to pay for a bar code for his songs. He paid $9.95 for the fee of putting it on iTunes. 
• What special equipment do you have? Musical and technology wise. He responded with a microphone and headphones.
• Where did you get all of your equipment? He bought the headphone and microphone at Wal-mart.
• How did you get your music on iTunes? We didn't get a chance to finish this question because of poor internet, but he had to use a distributor. 

Introduction to Skype Session with Taylor Bickford and Marcus Garvin

Introduction by Marcus Garvin:
After mentioning how much money my friend Taylor and I made off our song titled Nicki Minaj on iTunes (the iTunes link sends you to our song so you can listen to it), my teacher believed it would be interesting for the staff and students to find out how we came up with the idea, and the steps all the way to final production, which was putting it on iTunes.

On Friday, we Skyped with Taylor from his location in Alamosa, Colorado. There were about 20 people who attended the session including our Web Design class. Due to our terrible internet connection, some of his answers were distorted, and all hope was lost, but then I came to save the day and answered the question I could. Taylor is the producer of our songs, so I couldn't answer all of the questions that had to do with what programs we use and such, but when it came to how we come up with our lyrics and what beats we use, I definitely had an answer.

Taylor and I created the song over the summer before he went to college. He is now a freshman in college and I am a senior in high school. It was one of our summer projects in the small town of Peetz to pass time. We had no idea that over 300 people would like our song and buy it. We didn't it do it for the money, just so many people wanted it, that all they'd have to do is spend a dollar on iTunes and they'd have it. It beat the alternate option of burning about 100 CDs with just that one song on it to make everyone happy.
The song took over 14 hours to make, but it was our first song, so we had to figure out the process. It now only takes us about 5 or 6 hours, which is still a long time, but drastically shorter compared to 14 hours. The song was a great experience to make and produce. I hope anyone that bought it doesn't think it was a waste of money, because we spent a lot of time and energy in making it sound perfect.

The next 3 entries to this blog will be the questions and answers posted by our Web Design class. Enjoy our blog. (:

The Visonik Subwoofer Pack

            

I think this is pretty good because I have this exact subwoofer pack in the back of my green Honda Accord. It is beast when you put the back seat down. It is a Visonik subwoofer pack. They are black, dual 12 inch speakers, with a 500 watt amp. It comes complete even with the wiring and box.

The box is made out of wood and cover by rough carpet. The 500 watt amp is a metal material with buttons to change the intensity of the bass and how high and low you want it. I have every knob turned all the way up so people know when I’m coming down the street. The speakers are made of plastic and there are wires on the inside of the box and so is the cone.

People mostly put subs in their trucks or under their front or back seats. I took off the hard plastic on the rim of the speakers to make the subs sound way better. I am going to sell them so if anyone wants to buy them then just tell me.

I like how they sound in the back of my car. I like how i can change the intensity of the subs and how I want them to hit the beat. I dislike how they put the plastic rim on the speakers. I had to take them off to stop the annoying sound the plastic rims made. 

Peetz Perks Products

At least once a week I purchase a fruit smoothie from Peetz Perks. They all come in a 16oz slurpee cup. I have had numerous smoothies since the year has began, and they are absolutely amazing. Not only does it taste amazing, but it is healthy for you at the same time. One of my biggest dislikes about the smoothie is not all of them are filled up the same.
Everyone has heard the saying "Is the cup half empty or half full". Every time I receive a smoothie I ask myself that because the smoothie is always filled to different levels. Sometimes it is filled above the brim of the cup and other times it is a little below it. I would like it if there was a little consistency.
Overall it is a good product. You could almost say I am addicted to it. I would just like them to stay consistent, so I get the same amount of smoothie every time. It would be a different story if they had different sizes, but the only one they have is the 12oz size. At times I am unsatisfied due to the fact it seems like it is less smoothie than the last one, but as I mentioned before, the product is still worth it.

Xbox

The xbox 360 is a cool new gaming system that has changed the way we look at games. It has a bunch of new games that are being able to be played online with other friends. One thing I would like to change though about the 360 is that it cannot play blue ray discs.

Xbox’s competition is the Play station 3. In this model the PS3 can play blue ray discs, and also has some good graphics. Although the PS3 can play blue ray, it does not have some features the xbox does such as:

1. The Xbox you can talk wirelessly through headsets and can send messages through their internet system.
2.An xbox can play your music and you can also download your games to play them from the hardrive.
3.You have to pay to  have Xbox Live, but that is nothing for the content that you can have or download.
4.The Blue Ray feature is the only one that the xbox does not have, and it’s a big downfall.

John Deere 8560

       Over the years, I have been around a lot of different brands of tractors and styles of tractors. I think that I have been around 100's of different tractors. They have been ok, but I never really found a really good tractor. Then our farm got an 8560 John Deere.

       The 8560 is a great tractor. It has more power than anything I have ever driven. The frame is nice and long which gives it roll over protection. There are tons of windows up and down the cab that give the operator good visibility. The tractor is equiped with a deluxe air seat and a GPS system that tells the tractor where to go so farming can become more precise. The John Deere 8560 has the perfect amount of horsepower.

       However the John Deere 8560 could use some improvements. The power steering is very weak unless you grease the hinges every 30 minutes. Also there is no 3 point hitch on the tractor so you can't attach a ripper to it. It also doesn't have a power take off so you can't hook on a grain cart or a air seeder.

The Segway Machine

Tom Karnik

James W. Heselden created the Segway Electric Scooters. He invented and sold flood control and military protection products. He was 62 years old. One Sunday afternoon the police said he was checking his property and then he fell off a cliff side that was 30 feet high in West Yorkshire. After he fell in the river Wharfe on the 27^th of September 2010. Segways have had success in niche markets for transportation for police, military bases, warehouses, corporate campuses or industrial sites. The legal worthiness of the Segway varies with different jurisdictions’ classification of the device. I think they are useful because they get you places faster. I’m not sure if I would ride one because it freaks me out how a guy died from going off a cliff.  In 2003 the company sold 6,000 Segways and by September 2006 they sold approximately 23,500 had been sold. The weight of a Segway is 120 pounds. They have 21 inch tires. They have a 21 inch by 33 inch footprint platform. There max speed is 12.5 mph. The final thing about it is it can go up to a range of 12 miles.



Texting and Driving

By Austin Crane

I am writing this blog on whether I agree that texting and driving should be illegal or not. The site that I got my information from is newsfactor.com. I think that texting and driving should not be illegal. As you can see the number of crashes has not reduced and more people are getting hurt because of this. People have to hide their phones from police and that’s causing even more of a distraction. If they left the law legal then the crash rate would stay lower and you wouldn’t have to always be on the lookout for police and you could focus more on the road.

 It is not the law enforcers that are causing the crash rate to sky rocket, it is us Americans. We have to at some point take responsibility for our actions and drive safe. Maybe making cars that will read our texts, and by voice control send texts.
“Last year alone 5,474 people were killed; more than 448,000 people were injured do to a distraction while driving a vehicle.” There must be something that we can do to lower this rate and I do not think it is through making driving and texting illegal.

Apple has been granted a patent for a handheld device that recognizes your hand (Jeff)

By: Jeff Koester


Apple has been granted a patent for a handheld device that recognizes your hand. It uses many capacitive sensors that recognize the topography of your hands. Unlike Apple's other inventions, the patent for the handheld device has been granted. Apple comes up with many new features for their products, but most of them are not used or patented. It is suppose to be used for identifing the user and can even be used for gaming. I really don't think that the idea is nessesary because all it would do is increase the price on the all ready good handhelds like Apple has on the market (Ipod, Touch, and Ipad.)

"So how long until we start recognizing the iphone as a phone???"

This quote supports my reasoning for the patent being too much. Apple needs to keep the physical parts of their devices the same, but rethink about what they program on the inside of their devices. Stop making devices more complicated than they have to be. All in all, People in this world don't need new additions to their handheld devices, they need the upgrades programmed into their handheld devices.

Skype with Web Designer: Michael

During our Skype call, each student was responsible for asking a set of questions and to write a blog response to summarize what they learned. Here is our first blog about our Skype call with a web designer. 

Part 1: Marcus
On September 23, 2010, my web design class Skyped with a web designer named Michael. We started off our conversation with where he was located, which was Washington D.C. He told us the firm he worked for was a pr firm in downtown Washington D.C. His job description at the pr firm is lead designer and helping in advertising print where needed.

He got started with web design at the young age of 13 after he broke his leg one summer. His father bought him a laptop since he couldn’t very well go outside and play with his friends. He never imagined being a web designer and said, “No, I probably would have said something standard like a doctor, or lawyer or something.” Other technology jobs he has had are programming and front end development.

He helps run the creative end of web design. His field of specialty is web design with emphasis on user experience. He makes website so they can be easily navigated by users young and old. He gets most of his ideas from other people’s work and believes in the quote “All great designers steal.” You have to look at other people’s work who is better than you in the same field. The main program he uses is Photoshop. A few essential skills a web designer might need is communication skills with the clients, understanding their issues, and being on the same page working with them. Being able to work with the client is the most crucial skill. If you are able to understand what a person wants and you can work with a non-designer, have them tell you what they want and need, then turn it into something workable. That is a hard skill to come by.

Part 2: Jeff
His main clients are fortune five-hundred companies like Target whom he designs new websites for. He usually works from 60-65 hours per week: sometimes up to 90 hours. Michael works such long hours and late nights because he has very strict deadlines. In his profession, he works a lot with project managers and account directors in the firm. He is currently working on two websites. He is working on a website to teach technology to kids and a website for Target that promotes voting.

Part 3: Austin
In talking  to Michael, he had mentioned that to become a Web Designer you must never quit and always keep working to become a better designer. He also mentioned that it is very important that you go to school because if you do get laid off as a Web Designer then other employers will choose you instead of another designer who did not have the education that you did. 
He had also mentioned that the downfalls of his job were the very long hours that he could work in a week, but his favorite part was the time he got to spend time  working at home and spending time with his family. I like the fact that you can still be at work but also at home with all of your loved ones.
A little more advice that Michael had told us, is that you must know a lot about your field of specialties, and must know the differences from a bad design and a good one. You have to read a bunch of blogs and research a lot, and also study what your clients need and want. Michael makes it very clear that being in the Web Design industry is a lot of work, but if it is what you love then it is definitely worth it.

 

Thank You Michael for your time and sharing your knowledge with our class.

Google ChromMozilla Foxfire (Password Protection)

Mozilla
by Marcus Garvin

Mozilla Foxfire is a browser used all around the world and is preferred over Internet Explorer, because the speed of Mozilla compared to Internet Explorer. Mozilla has a recovery mode, so if your computer gets unplugged, freezes and you have to shut it down, or your laptop dies, you can start from where you left off.

One of the many sweet features about Mozilla is the master password lock, which prevents people from seeing your saved passwords. It has a quick bookmarking button, so all you have to do is click the star in the URL search bar. It allows to pick the search engine of your choice in the search bar, which is also a good thing. It makes it easy to open a new tab as well. There are a lot of other features that makes Mozilla better than the rest, but those are just a few.

Mozilla Foxfire is a safe and fast web browser. Easy to grasp and easy to use. It is compatible with most programs, and can be used for anything. If you are going to pick a web browser to use, I would say pick Mozilla, because it is fun and many things you can explore on the browser.

Opera

Opera
by Austin Crane
Opera is a browser that is almost like Internet Explorer except it has a lot of cool add-ons. Opera is basically Internet Explorer for England and the U.K. Unlike Google Chrome there is no way that you access any of the passwords on the browser. Which makes it a really secure browser.

Some of the cool add-ons that you can use for Opera are Google Translator, different clocks and some fun games. If you go to open another tab in Opera you get a window with some previews of some of the previous windows you have opened. In this feature you can have an option to have the browser show only four previous windows or up to twenty five windows which could mean you could have all of your favorite windows to choose from.

Although all of this is great the bookmark tab is not as easy to access as it is in Mozilla Firefox. In Mozilla or Google Chrome it is only a only touch button, when in Opera you have to open up the bookmark page and then save it into your bookmarks. Opera has its ups and down but it is a pretty good browser to use and could come in handy someday.

Apple Safari

Safari is a browser made by Apple. Safari is the iPads, the iTouches, and the Macs primary browser but can be downloaded to a Windows PC. Safari is like Google Chrome, but has more features. Safari is also faster. Loading Youtube was 9 seconds faster on Safari than Chrome.


A cool feature in Apple’s Safari is the ability to make drop down folders in the bookmark bar. Then you can add your websites to whichever list you want to add them to. Another cool feature on Apple’s Safari is the spellchecker just like the one on Microsoft Word. A good thing about Safari is the screenroom. If no tabs are being used, the tab bar collapses.



The downside about Apple Safari is the inability to save passwords. You have to type them in manually. Like all the other browsers, you can add add-on to the browser. Apple has many browser add-ons from Twitter to eBay (http://extensions.apple.com/.) They are easily accessed on the home page of safari. Safari is a fast, great browser for pretty much anyone who uses the Internet. Click here to download Safari.
By: Jeff Koester

Google Chrome Review

Google Chrome
by Leslie Raffelson

I have been a fan of Google Chrome for sometime now. My favorite feature of Chrome has been the maximum amount of screen ‘real estate’ I have when I am browsing the internet. In Internet Explorer, it seems like the top is always cluttered with navigation and bookmark bars. Google Chromes tabs are nice and neat and the search bar is all included in your URL bar.

Google Chrome extensions are options that add features and functions to your browser. One add on that you might consider is a button for the Google Bookmark feature. https://www.google.com/bookmarks/l is a service Google offers for sharing and storing bookmarks online. Ever been at home and wanted the bookmarks you had on your work computer? Ever been in the computer lab and wanted to save a bookmark and use it later for homework? This is a resource for just those situations.

Another extension that is a nice feature for those that have Blogger accounts is the blogger button that allows quick postings. I could see this being a nice feature for students who are using blogs for their journals. You could read the newspaper sports section and then click on blog and create a nice quick blog post about your thoughts on it.
https://chrome.google.com/extensions is the link for Google Extensions search feature.