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.