#FinalBlog

[silas-ng-dc-blog]

Social Gaming And Its Importance

In today’s digital age, gaming has evolved far beyond a solitary activity into a shared experience that connects people across the globe. Social gaming, which integrates the pastime of gaming and socializing into a whole, has become a driving force in the gaming industry. Whether it be collaborative gameplay, friendly competition, or online communities, social gaming is reshaping how people connect, especially introverts. But its influence is not only limited to just fun and games, it has become a powerful tool in building relationships, fostering teamwork, and influencing societal trends. In this week’s blog post, I will be covering social gaming and its importance.

Before continuing, it is crucial we understand what social gaming means. Social gaming according to Rehj (N/D), incorporates aspects of social interaction, allowing players to communicate with others in real time, share their gaming stories, and even build communities within the gaming world. Logan (N/D) notes that social gaming is often used for brief moments of relaxation and distraction, and games like these should offer easy and repetitive tasks, tutorials, opportunities for social interaction, the ability to resume gameplay without hassle, and visibility of other players’ actions. Social gaming possesses the ability to bring people together and foster connection amongst gamers.

Undoubtedly, social gaming has given birth to a wide range of gaming communities. Gaming communities bring players from around the world with a similar goal together. As BG Games (2023) writes, the virtual environments of games dissolve boundaries and offer unique opportunities for interaction. Think of it as ice-breaking, but the ice is way thinner than usual. Certain times, these online interactions can even lead to unbreakable bonds and formidable friendships. In Wilson’s (2024) article, he explains that for gamers and fans, Discord is not just another communication tool, it is a vibrant platform for building friendship, collaborating, and sharing experiences. With the array of different channels for communication, users can maintain in-game connections, host discussions, celebrate achievements, and even support one another through life’s challenges (Wilson A. 2024).

Other than just fostering relationships between gamers, gaming communities are important to game developers. Through forums and social media platforms, developers receive direct input from players, and oftentimes, these communities offer valuable insights and suggestions that enhance gaming experience (BG Games, 2023). According to Andersen G., & the MoldStud Research Team (2024), working with players guarantees that games are created and structured with the players in mind, which can lead to games tailored to specific experiences. Gamers are often filled with and generate interesting ideas and stories. Collaborating with them not only encourages a sense of ownership but also improves the overall quality of the game.

However, social gaming is not without its complexities. The rise of social gaming and the continued growth of gaming communities has given rise to a persistent issue. Which is toxicity in gaming communities. American SPCC (2024) notes that toxic behavior can be observed as harassment, hate speech, bullying, and disorderly behavior, adversely affecting players’ experiences and mental health. Due to the anonymous nature of digital platforms, players are more inclined to engage in harmful or rebellious behavior, feeling less accountable for their actions and more emboldened to act aggressively. The American SPCC (2024) mentions that anonymity creates a separation between actions and responsibility, leading to an environment where players can harass, use offensive language, or behave maliciously without facing immediate consequences.

Furthermore, games that are competitive require unrelenting concentration and usually evoke strong emotions such as anger and frustration. Hence, losing in these types of games can lead to arguments and conflicts. In certain gaming communities, toxic behavior has become normalized or even encouraged. This is particularly common in games where “trash talk” is seen as a core part of the gaming experience (American SPCC 2024). As a result, newcomers may be deterred and never visit the game related to the community again.

In conclusion, social gaming has revolutionized the way gamers connect, offering a platform for building friendships, collaboration, and even sharing experiences. Its inherent ability to bridge gaps between players, especially those that are more introverted, has created safe spaces where relationships can thrive. However, as with any dynamic environment, it presents its own set of challenges, with toxicity and disorderly behavior being the main issues. While certain gaming platforms like Discord offer an environment for people to come together, the anonymity that comes with it can sometimes fuel a negative agenda. It is important that we note the benefits that come with social gaming as well as its downsides moving forward. With vigilance, awareness of the feelings of others, and ample education of professionalism, we can ensure that a safer environment is created for all gamers, guaranteeing that social gaming continues to be a safe space where connections are strengthened and fun is prioritized.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

References:

American SPCC, 19 September 2024, The Problem of Toxicity In gaming Communities And Ways To Overcome It, AmericanSPCC, viewed 20th November 2024, https://americanspcc.org/the-problem-of-toxicity-in-gaming-communities-and-ways-to-overcome-it/#:~:text=However%2C%20the%20rise%20of%20online,experiences%20and%20mental%20well%2Dbeing.

Andersen G. & MoldStud Research Team, 24th January 2024, Game Developers and Player Communities: Building Engagement, MoldStud, viewed 20th November2 2024, https://moldstud.com/articles/p-game-developers-and-player-communities-building-engagement

BG Games, 16th August 2023, Gaming Communities: The Rise and Impact of Gaming Communities on the World of Video Games, Medium, viewed 20th November 2024, https://bggames.medium.com/gaming-communities-the-rise-and-impact-of-gaming-communities-on-the-world-of-video-games-1fec152f649f

Logan B., N/D, Social Gaming: A Usability Perspective, Spotless, viewed 20th November 2024, https://www.spotless.co.uk/journal/social-gaming-usability

Rehj, N/D, Social Gaming Unleashed: Understanding Its Concept, Benefits, and Leading Platforms, AOK Marketing, viewed 20th November 2024, https://aokmarketing.com/social-gaming-unleashed-understanding-its-concept-benefits-and-leading-platforms/

Wilson A., 5th November 2024, How to build safe and social gaming communities, Levellr, viewed 20th November 2024, https://www.levellr.com/blog/how-to-build-safe-and-social-gaming-communities

[cristiansspanishlitblog]

THE FINAL BLOG

LIST OF BOOKS READ:

“The Basque History of the World”, Mark Kurlanky

“The Shadow of the Wind”, Carlos Ruiz Zafon

In The Basque History of the World, by Mark Kurlansky, I learned firstly about basqueland. I didn’t even know it existed prior to opening the cover of the book. And looking back the title of the book is a neat play on words of the countries name. I learned that most of the basqueland where the basques resided where hill lands with some mountain ranges and rough terrain. Some settlements were even only accessible through some passages through mountains. The rough terrain made it difficult for Spain and other countries to take over basqueland. Which is part of the reason that basques lasted so long and even managed autonomy at one point.

The basque history is long and extensive. There are many ups and downs, wins and losses for the basques. Their technology advances and methods. The basques were once one of the top peoples in the world. With their techniques based off of viking techniques and improved upon. Basques were sought for their supply and superior ship building. Many tried to take over baqueland, and many failed. They didn’t understand why every advance they could defend so well. Because Basques are a proud people and they don’t take no for an answer. They fight until the end. 

I learned a lot of basque culture and parts of what influenced it in the first place, like their food. I learned that basques are divided into two groups: the Western and eastern groups. The west part of Spain speaks the basque language, Euskara, and Spanish, as influenced by spain. The other half speaks the native tongue, but also speaks French, as they were influenced by spain. The basque culture heavily leans on the premise of respect and memory. They value family and honor. For example, they heavily honor the person, usually a man who “founded” the family name and created the reputation. They honor him by sticking the family name atop of their front door. As to remember the reason they are all there today. As for religion because of spanish influence, if you were not catholic you were pretty much damned and considered a traitor and oftentimes even killed. 

In The Basque History of the world, I learned that life in the Basqueland was just like any other country that was controlled by another more powerful country. They went through persecution, wars, countless deaths, sadness, pride, anger. A Lot of the times they were victims to poverty and the only way out was to join their suppressor. For example many basques had to join the Spanish royal army, and eventually they had to fight and kill other basques, their own people. In The Shadow of The Wind, I learned that Life was a very mix of feeling on-edge and discovering the beauty of the world. On edge because of bad events or bad people. Like the chief of police, who was corrupt and mean. And discovering feelings for that girl whos moving away in a couple weeks. It must've been fun to be alive in this universe, the thrill of mystery leading you to a new corner to turn. 

I think that there are a few things that I learned about myself from the year long project. Every week, every reading, the quotes, the blogs. I think I’ve learned I’m not one for reading non fiction, I like mystery and fantasy tangles into the book. It keeps it more fun and it’s an easier read for me. Honestly I used to be a big reader but now It’s difficult or me to just sit down and read. Although sometimes I am purely invested into the story. I just have the trouble taking the time to sit down and read. I 

[gapaskat]

IVP - FINAL BLOG

INKPRINT VENDOPRO: IT'S A WRAP!

Like how autumn and relationships come to end in this approaching winter, this business venture journey comes to a close; to face another season ahead.

The last few weeks have not been easy. It was the weeks of revision, multiple product validation, and application of the things we learned from our Entrepreneurial Mind subject so far. In our final pitching, we produced the best that we can to give an output that would be qualified and substantial enough to call a ‘business venture’. Yet, the turn of events was never smooth at all. We faced multiple questions, errors, with nothing but embarrassment because we feel like we've never done it right, even after all the weeks and months of effort.

We were slammed with questions we've got no answers to. We came in confident and came out weary. However, we’ve learned from that experience how important it is to mindfully create the financial statements, to surely validate the feasibility of the business as well as the costs, and most importantly, to listen and apply suggestions and advice from mentors.

With those final moments, we've experienced a new type of feeling, but something we will never call ‘failing’. With all the sleepless nights, with all the struggles to make the ends meet, and to face our fears to speak in front of the panelists, makes the frightening final pitching a memorable and worthwhile experience.

It is due to ma'am Lovely being a responsible instructor that we learned how to cope with the aftermaths of our business venture. She, from the very start, has already reminded us how a start-up business requires strong will, determination, and multiple back-up plans until we’re left with nothing. She has taught us what it means to be humble, to persevere, and most importantly the essence of a business that does not only benefit the entrepreneurs but that it should have an impact and should benefit its community. She's a woman of empathy and compassion. We wouldn't have made it this far without her guidance.

Moreover, we believe that in this, we've put our utmost best. It was never as smooth as a marble countertop, and it was not always rainbows and sunshines. We don't always agree with each other’s opinions and ideas, but we have unitedly come to support each other hand in hand, from the crafting of the business title, to the making of PowerPoint presentations. Even in a short span of time, we learned a lot from each other. We learned how to be extra patient, to be understanding of the situations of others, to be open-minded to ideas, and to be cooperative. A goal would be hard to achieve when it's only a hand working. But with the group working together, we are able. It was never easy, but with people you know who got your back, everything feels light and bearable.

Hence, for almost four good months, this Entrepreneurial journey has come to an end. Thank you so much! To God be the Glory.

Documentation (August - December 2023)

[sadsunrays]

I’m back from the grave

How are you all sad people? I’m back to my safe place. I actually made, I guess 5 tumblr accounts already and finally I have decided to go back here after 5 years? and announce that this will be the last and final account that I will be using from now on. Finally after so many years of wandering, I found my peace again. Hope I’ll be acive as I was before. 

I really don’t know why am I explaining things, like no one cares who I am, I only have few followers and I guess some of them are inactive and some are spam/fake accounts. But I wanted to remember this as a fresh start, and let you all know that this is my official account ofc no one cares, but if someday someone would accidentally see my blog and become interested, then hey welcome, make yourself comfortable, pls sit down and enjoy this cup of tea/coffee as you learn more about me through this blog, feel at home, be my guest and friend, let us talk about everything about anything, like we’ve been friends for years please I won’t judge. Thank you for stopping by. xoxo

- Nicoe

[euniceyounice7]

CCTV all around China

What’s the case with China? What’s happening in China? Are the citizens of China living peacefully or frighteningly? Let’s explore more in this week’s blog!

In China, there are 802 million active internet users, representing 57.7 percent of the population, which in comparison, the United States only has 300 million internet users approximately. Yet, the Chinese government, President Xi Jinping, has made the world wide web not so wide as there are several issues (McCarthy 2018).

The Great Firewall of China

The Great Firewall of China has created barriers that limits the flow and exchange of information, in other words, the foreign websites and news agencies such as Facebook, YouTube, Google, Twitter, Reuters and BBC are barred from entering China’s internet (Maags 2019). Instead, China had their own version of Google, called Baidu, WeChat that is equivalent to Facebook and YouTube that is substituted by Youku. Furthermore, Dennis and Kahn (2019) asserted that the Chinese government restricted nine types of information, comprising post that might disrupt social order, and information that might harm the state’s dignity and interests. Additionally, Maags (2019) stated that public belief likewise influenced subtly by governmental social media accounts or “”50-cent army”, the state-employed bloggers that post positive news and comments about the government online to convince and influence public opinion. Nevertheless, there are Chinese citizens that refuse to believe and blindly follow the official propaganda. They responded using metaphors and code words to condemn the government and the lack of freedom of speech by accessing the internet via virtual private networks (VPNs) to avoid the Great Firewall (Maags 2019; Heaven 2019). 

Censorship in China

Censorship in China is another issue faced by the Chinese citizens. Kristof (2019) noted that President Xi Jinping that is anxious and insecure regarding Hong Kong protesters, religion and Winnie-the-Pooh related topic, has lead him to be frightened that real information will penetrate the Chinese echo chamber, undermining his propaganda department’s personality cult around a kind “Uncle Xi”. One example of censorship is the banning of Winnie-the-Pooh at China’s movie theatres and internet, due to commentators that suggested it looks alike with the overweight President Xi (Kristof 2019). According to Kristof (2019), President Xi wanted to censor information in China as well as the discussions and forums in the West these days.  

China’s Social Credit System

(Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NOk27I2EBac)

Moving on, the China’s Social Credit System is a ranking system that helps monitor the behavior of its vast population by ranking all of them based on their “social credit” (Ma 2018). According to Ma (2018), the citizens’ score will decrease or increase depending on their behavior. This is a new technology that controls its population in a creepy and terrifying ways, which will be implemented in 2020 to ensure a safety living in China (Matsakis 2019). Each individual is given 1000 points and is consistently observed and rated based on their behavior via the pilot system (Jones 2019). They can earn points by doing good deeds such as helping the needy, donating money and praising the government on social media. In oppose to that, those behave badly such as criticizing the government, smoking in non-smoking zones, and stealing will lead to a decrease in the points. Rewards and privileges for the citizens with good behavior include receiving priority for children’s school admissions and higher opportunity of promotion at workplace. In contrast, the citizens with bad behavior will be punished by prohibiting to book train or flights ticket, public shaming, restriction in getting the best jobs and banning citizen’s children to study in the excellent schools (Ma 2018; Jones 2019).

Is China’s AI technology the answer to the future?

Personally, I think yes. This can be supported by O’Meara (2019) statement as AI technologies promise advances in communications, health care, transport and fundamental breakthrough that can potentially shape China’s future directions and reap the most advantages. For example, AI technology, incorporating huge patient data sets for training software to predict disease that needs research and development has created a distinctive opportunities and great potential workforce for China’s researchers (O’Meara 2019). 

Does China’s Social Credit System help the citizens to behave well and ensure a safety living?

I think it helps the citizens to behave well and ensure a safety living, at the same time, the citizens will live frighteningly as well. Implementation of China’s Social Credit System can assist in reducing crime, so citizens can live peacefully. Citizens with good score will be given privilege and rewards. In contrast, it will also permanently affect the next generation that is innocent and this is unfair for them in the future especially when they wanted to enrol in the best school but restricted to do so due to the previous generation’s bad score. Also, imagine Chinese citizens walking on a road with thousands or millions of surveillance cameras tracking them, they have no privacy and completely transparent as all the personal data is controlled by the government and there is limit in freedom of speech on politic issues.

That’s all from me, thanks for reading!

References

Dennis, MA & Kahn, R 2019, Internet: electronic publishing, Encyclopaedia Britannica, 10 April, viewed 24 November 2019, <https://www.britannica.com/technology/Internet/Electronic-publishing>.

Heaven, D 2019, ‘China’s Great Firewall and the war to control the internet’, New Scientist, 12 March, viewed 25 November 2019, <https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg24132210-400-chinas-great-firewall-and-the-war-to-control-the-internet/>.

Jones, K 2019, ‘The game of life: visualizing China’s social credit system’, Visual Capitalist, 18 September, viewed 26 November 2019, <https://www.visualcapitalist.com/the-game-of-life-visualizing-chinas-social-credit-system/>.

Kristof, N 2019, ‘Let’s not take cues from a country that bans Winnie the Pooh’, The New York Times, <https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/09/opinion/china-censorship.html>.

Ma, A 2018, China has started ranking citizens with a creepy ‘social credit’ system – here’s what you can do wrong, and the embarrassing, demeaning ways they can punish you, Business Insider, 29 October, viewed 26 November 2019, <https://www.businessinsider.my/china-social-credit-system-punishments-and-rewards-explained-2018-4/?r=US&IR=T>.

Maags, C 2019, The Great Firewall of China, Fair Observer, 23 September, viewed 25 November 2019, <https://www.fairobserver.com/region/asia_pacific/great-firewall-china-censorship-chinese-news-today-vpn-china-38018/>.

Matsakis, L 2019, ‘How the west got China’s social credit system wrong’, Wired, 29 July, viewed 26 November 2019, <https://www.wired.com/story/china-social-credit-score-system/>.

McCarthy, N 2018, ‘China now boasts more than 800 million internet users and 98% of them are mobile [infographic]’, Forbes, 23 August, viewed 24 November 2019, <https://www.forbes.com/sites/niallmccarthy/2018/08/23/china-now-boasts-more-than-800-million-internet-users-and-98-of-them-are-mobile-infographic/#461cd01e7092>.

O’Meara, S 2019, ‘Will China lead to the world in AI by 2030?’, Nature Research, 21 August, viewed 26 November 2019, <https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-019-02360-7>.

[tillanowilmark]

Third/Final Blog {Entrepreneurial Mind}

 “ To learn, you have to listen. To improve, you have to try.” -Thomas Jefferson.

On the 19th day of April 2023, a program of lecture series that entails valuable knowledge in innovative entrepreneurship was conducted. Different start-up ventures from various learners were proposed this academic year. Hence, to illuminate our inexperienced minds more on this entrepreneurial journey, a total of three resource speakers had passionately affirmed to speak and share their informative yet inspiring insights and technical expertise.

The entire lecture series program was initially commenced by Dr. Gamaleila A. Dumancas from the Intellectual Property Technology Business Management Office of Central Mindanao University. Dr. Dumancas prepared the engaging discussion on Intellectual Property Rights and Technology Transfer. Indeed, intellectual property rights protection has a potential economic value for a wide range of assets, whether they are more contemporary or customary. These rights include copyrights, patents, and industrial design rights, and they mark as protection against unlicensed or uncredited copying, manufacturing or selling. With that being said, the early filing process protects the inventor from business competitors.

From the detailed talk presented by Dr. Dumancas, the team realized that any innovative and practically useful technical solution to a challenge in any area of human endeavor is essential in the field of service mark. Trademarks can be any distinguishing visual symbol that can be used to identify a company's products or services. The duration of its protection can last up to ten years from the filing date. These exclusive rights are not unchangeable, in fact, fair use can be considered a defense to use a portion of someone’s copyrighted work without the need for permission for commentary purposes. The legal defense provided to the owner of the rights to an original work is known as copyright. Owners of copyrights have the sole right to use and reproduce their creations, and the owner should be acknowledged more than only by adding a "ctto" to the copyrighted item. By registering our trademark, we can be guaranteed the exclusive use of the phrase or emblem and eliminate the chance that our rivals may try to use it against us. The right to sue another firm that misrepresents itself as yours by using your trademark is likewise protected by registration.

The speaker, Dr. Gamaleila A. Dumancas, discussed a wide range of property rights and one thing she emphasized about numerous business owners running is the risk of having their innovations or even start-ups to be simply stolen by more powerful, well-funded competitors if the patent system were not there for protection. Its relatively social institution, which has certain social obligations and is linked to owners' legal rights, is essential for the preservation of economic potential, the protection of intellectual property rights on the market, and the growth of firms towards market success.

In the second half of the program, Professor Sheila Poonon explained in details the discussion on “Incubating Innovation: Exploring Start-up Opportunities in the Philippines.” Prof. Poonon discussed the Musuan Peak Incubator, which is the center for technology transfer and business incubation of technologies generated in the university. In this lecture, we were notified that this provides support services to incubatees in terms of product commercialization, enterprise development, access to networks, and knowledge transfer, or what we call PEAK. In addition, Dr. Poonon also shared the successful entrepreneurs supported and guided by them, from an aspiring student to a successful entrepreneur.

This lecture had a huge relevance and significance, especially that a lot of business-minded students who want to start a business in the future through incubation joined the said lecture series program. It was an overwhelming opportunity that Central Mindanao University is willing to assist those students who have high potentials and possibilities of becoming successful entrepreneurs. With this thought in mind, most students has been certainly inspired to dream bigger and work harder to be one of the deserving CMUans supported by them.

        Additionally in the lecture series program, it was followed by Ms. Keren Happuch Alampayan Lacadin, another diverse speaker who stated such an inspirational subject matter. She infused us with knowledge regarding the “RAISE, or Raising Awareness and Inspiring the Start-up Ecosystem." Ms. Lacadin began this informative discussion by sharing her “sugilanon" as a taga-bukid girl. We have been informed that she was raised in Quezon, Bukidnon, and she shared her experiences and opportunities with other people in the country. She began freelancing with CONVERGY'S and CONCENTRIX UPWORK from 2009 to 2013, and then launched CLEVERGRIT, a start-up business in 2014. In year 2017, she participated in a start-up weekend in Bukidnon called VXI: Passion for People, and in 2018, she worked with Clevergrit.

RAISE introduces and improves stakeholders' understanding and appreciation of basic startup ideas. It makes available, meaningful, impactful, and needs-based awareness activities that address gaps in the local start-up community. It encourages collaboration among key stakeholders in the start-up ecosystem. She then discussed DICT's and IIDB's roles in the startup community. She also informed us about RA 11337, the Innovative Start-Up Act. The team has learned that we have a Philippine law that encourages new businesses and startups incentives and focuses on providing benefits and removing constraints to encourage the establishment and operation of innovative new businesses. Certainly, these are critical to the growth and expansion of businesses, as well as to strengthen, promote, and develop an ecosystem of business, government, and non-government institutions that foster an innovative entrepreneurial culture in the Philippines.

Furthermore, Ms. Lacadin gave us light on the Philippine Startup 7 Challenge, a nationwide annual pitching competition for students and Filipinos to develop new and relevant ICT products and services that can also be profitable economic ventures and help solve social problems. It is remarkable to hear that it offers students the opportunity to develop their entrepreneurial attitude, improve start-up concepts through input from industry practitioners, foster strategic relationships and networks among participants and judges, and generate a pool of start-up founders prioritized for DICT financing and assistance.

What was emphasized the most to the team was the motto of Ms. Lacadin, saying “No grit, No glory.” This phrase has been implied in our minds that success and achievement come with a cost, and that one must be willing to put in the necessary effort and endure hardships to attain them. It has been suggested that a willingness to push through difficult times, to keep going when others might give up, and to maintain a positive attitude in the face of adversity are essential qualities for success.

As the ending moments of the entrepreneurial mind journey is fast approaching, it has been quite a tough yet meaningful ride to establish a start-up business, especially when the entire team has no prior professional nor practical experience. We have proved this notion when we launched our start-up venture. We had a rocky start in our entrepreneurial adventure because the idea was too complex, too broad, and not too specific to be ventured on, and we are glad that we listened for it is undeniably so true.

Previously, the young entrepreneurs of the Mosqui-Trap venture had undergone the Business Model Canvas presentation, and constructive feedbacks and suggestions received from the highly-respected panel were all accepted and followed. As of the moment, it is still a challenge for the team regarding the concrete breakdown of the fixed and variable costs that the product will require, and so, we do not have the definite price of the Mosqui-Trap for the target market yet. As a team, we are currently persevering with the mindfulness of time to grasp the envisioned plans and outcomes that we have for our start-up business pre-recorded video. Now, it remains a work in progress, and we must act with collective minds to keep up with the final pitching presentation that we will be preparing as we are expected to be.

Personally, I think that our start was really rough but then through our group effort and our willingness to generate an idea which could benefit our target customers which are the CMUANS, we were able to create an amazing idea. Though it would be really challenging to actualize the idea knowing that it would require a lot of financing. But I do hope that we would be able to achieve what our group would want to achieve in this entrepreneurial journey of ours.

[cwesterfield1510-blog]

Blod post 10

First semester I struggled balancing my school work and It took me until the end of the semester to really get the groove of things and do well while balancing my life. This semester I have done so much better. I have learned how to prepare for exams and how to properly execute my assignments. I took an online class this semester, so that was something new and challenging. This class was probably my favorite class I took this semester, given I have always loved English, the assignments we did and the class size helped me enjoy the curriculum and coming to class. I excelled in all of my classes but this one in particular. I found it so easy and interesting. I enjoyed the reading responses and the blog posts. This class was structured much different than my other classes which also made it fun and exciting. Throughout the entire semester I am most proud of the work I did in English. I felt that this class was my best and one of my highest grades of the semester. I am proud of how well I did writing and structuring papers. Going into this semester this class intimidated me because I didn't know how tough the assignments would be and I didn't know how well I would do. One thing I could have improved on is not procrastinating. As I sit in my dorm at 11:19am writing this blog that is due at noon, I wish I wasn't such a procrastinator, but I feel as if my best work comes out when I do it last minute. Next semester I am taking 21 credit hours which is a large work load, on top of working and managing my social life. With my work load being so heavy I should really work ahead as much as possible and not procrastinate as much as I did this year. This class has kept me on my toes. I definitely had the most assignments in this class and staying on top of them were a challenge but I managed to pull through and finish with a high grade that I am very proud of. This class helped me get back in the groove of writing papers and writing in general, expressing my feelings on paper. I hope that is something I continue to do throughout college and not just in English classes. 

[grsaca]

Greg’s Blog 4:

Reflection on the process of developing a blog 

Blogging is interesting because you can lose yourself in your writing. All you need is a thought or question you want to answer, and you find yourself just typing without even focusing on it. Without having to talk to anyone, you can relieve yourself from stresses and anxiety. You can put all your thought and worries on an electronic piece of paper. Research has been done to find out what the benefits of blogging are, and they have found that it has increased self-esteem, anxiety levels have dropped and has even helped people get out of depression. For more information please follow the link provided:

Babb, R., (2020) The Benefits and Considerations of Mental Health Blogging, Psychreg, (24/09/2020), https://www.psychreg.org/benefits-mental-health-blogging/

When blogging started out, you could only write lines of content. Now you can post pictures, videos, gifs, add emojis and much more. People are able to express themselves in new ways and give more in site to who they are as a person. If I were to start another blog, I would look into the other blogging websites more in depth and see how their applications work. In the research I have done, I have seen many designs and ideas that have given me inspiration for the future. The blog my team and I produce used vlogging and written blogging to express our views on the topics we have discussed. Next time I would plan to use more visuals such as picture and gifs to get my point across.

In a professional capacity as a future teacher, I see blogging being a really useful tool for teaching the younger generation about social media; and making it a fun way to teach writing. I’ll be able to just set simple writing tasks for them and over time I hope they will find enjoyment in writing and want learn more and improve their skills. I see blogging being important for the future both for communication and for myself in teaching the next generation.

Reference:

-        Babb, R., (2020) The Benefits and Considerations of Mental Health Blogging, Psychreg, (24/09/2020), https://www.psychreg.org/benefits-mental-health-blogging/

-        Pinterest, (2020), Blogging, Pinterest, (24/09/2020), https://www.pinterest.com.au/pin/9499849194705969/

[imjasonbadiang-blog]

END GAME: “A Civil Engineering Student’s Eye View”

The half year of the elite 4 was a roller coaster ride. There were high points and lowest of the low but everything fell into place for the four. It was a perfect mix of courage, persistence, and determination which led them to accomplish their goal but in every success story there will always be an end. This is the END GAME.

Today is the day that the elite 4 will wrap up everything for their demo day - “the final pitching.” They have undergone testing and continued interviewing about their product. They have already gathered every data they needed to persuade the panelists that the product they created is something more than just a product. In fact, the products that every group has prepared are no less than the others. The products are new and innovative and I think this is what really matters. It is not about what other would say about our idea; it is about the intention of creating that product and the purpose of it in the society. We are all inventors and what we create is a masterpiece and no one has the right to tell us that our ideas are useless and has no purpose in life. We are here not to be a businessman; we don’t want to be someone we are not. We just want to share what we have in our mind when it comes to innovation and technology. This whole process opened my eyes to the real scenario of life, that everyone will always have something to say about what we think and do. We just need to take it in and move on. Always remember that the simplest thing we do to help the society is really a great contribution, there is no less idea or action. Everything we do is greater than the great.

This is why at the end of this process we are contented at what we have created, at the performance we have shown. They may think it is a mediocre type of product but for us it is more than that. We have started this with nothing and we have ended it with something. This is the END GAME.

The Persuader

[thebloody6-blog]

POP & Final Reflection By: Alma Barrios BLOG #13

Pop:  If POP taught me anything is that I do not know anything about Asian American culture. I assigned myself to the fashion group because I though-clothes how hard can it be? Boy... I was struggling. Before POP, I never paid much attention to Asian American fashion and what I have learned is that it is extremely colorful and beautiful. Browsing through many pictured I noticed that all these fashionistas seemed to express their personalities through their clothing. As someone that does not identify as an Asian-American, it was extremely important for me to not express any stereotype when styling Russel. I soon realized that this was a struggle I might have so I turned to Tenzing-my fall partner. Our goal for POP was to create fashion looks that tell shed light on two issues. Our issues were the loss of culture and sexuality. In order to represent these issues we played with sexuality by doing a “gender switch”. We clothed men in women clothing and vise versa. We represented loss of culture by mixing retro fashion with historical and traditional fashion/make up. We planned to have ten looks in total and divided them into seasons: spring, summer, fall and winter.

Day of POP: I was excited to see the other performances and I thought that everyone did great. Everyone had a different take on the issue they wanted to address and I was glad to see all the effort we put in this project paid off.  

AAS 218 has enlightened me on Asian American culture. I am extremely grateful to have learned more about the struggles of the Asian-American community through the blogs, POP,  iron chef, mid-semester project and CAAM Fest. Iron chef was an amazing way to learn more about a basic necessity-food! As well as where it came from and push-and-pull factors. Iron chef has been a unique way to learn more about immigration as well as discrimination against those who immigrate. The blogs allowed me to explore the world of Asian-American culture. At first, it was difficult to find topics that interested me but the discussions we had in class helped narrow my blog ideas. Through the blogs I have learned much more about Asian American health, whitewashing, Asian American activist, domestic violence and other community issues. Even though I went to CAAM Fest alone, I am glad I did because I was low key crying. The story of Vincent Chin moved my heart and I was surprised that I had never heard of him. In fact, some of the Asian-Americans there were also unaware of Vincent.

TBH, I have never had a class like this one. I enjoyed the environment of this class because it was a class where students teach the class as well. This class has taught me how to appreciate a different culture-one that I was not  exposed to and one that I will not forget.

Thank you all :) #StayWoke

[chloemstark]

Book Blog #6

HOME STRETCH!!!!!!

Alright. So far, we know that Ted Bundy was pretty much an expert at making people believe that he was the model citizen in town. I’m still surprised and wondering how he pulled it off, like seriously. How did he not crack once under pressure? He literally set up shop right under the nose of the police and was confident enough is his abilities to be comfortable doing so. Ann Rule, close friend of Ted and author of The Stranger Beside Me, writes this about how she felt on turning Ted into the police. “I felt guilty that a friend I’d known for three years should even come to mind. You didn’t go running to the police to turn in the name of a good friend, a friend who seemed to be the very antithesis of the man they sought. No, it couldn’t be. It was ridiculous. Ted Bundy would never hurt a woman; he wouldn’t even make an off-color remark to one. A man who’s life’s work was oriented toward helping people, toward eliminating that very sexual violence that marked the crimes, couldn’t be involved, no matter how much he resembled the composite.” Ann felt in every bone in her body that Ted could and would never be held responsible for such horrific things, especially since his line of work was geared toward preventing those horrific things. He was a master of deceiving others, and even himself. No woman feared him, though they all should have. 

[b1uz0rua-blog]

Description:

The HP Pavilion Gaming Model 15 definitely looks the phase of a gaming rig, although it’s now not overdone the way some gaming laptops can be. With beveled corners, lime green accents, thin display screen bezels, and aggressive rear grillwork, it’s appropriately edgy while at the identical time maintaining the whole thing fairly tight and compact. The chassis features a broad speaker grille above the keyboard, with green keyboard backlighting in addition upping the ante on the gamer-centric appearance. A very large touchpad fills a precise chunk of the palmrest. Altogether it’s an fascinating rig that has just the right degree of flash and brazenness to make a statement when gaming in a group. 

SPECS

CPU: Intel Core i5-8300H Processor, Quad-Core, 2.3GHz up to 4.0GHz. Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti 4 GB RAM: 8 GB RAM  DDR4 Storage: 32GB SSD (M.2, RAID 0), 1TB HDD Ports: USB 3.1 Gen2 x 3, Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C), miniDisplayPort, HDMI-out, RJ-45 Ethernet, SD Card Reader, Back lit keyboard.  Connectivity: 802.11.b, 802.11.g, 802.11.n ; Bluetooth 5.0 Weight: 5.8 pounds Screen Size: 15.6 inches  Max Screen Res:  1920 x 1080 pixels

What Interested Me:

This gaming laptop has potential on playing online games in clear quality and runs very smoothly. It is great for doing school work and relaxing to play some games at great FPS.

Done by: V.A

[technosearcherene]

Blog 012: Blog Ending

Final Week. This week we are so busy preparing for the fast approaching final pitching. We already got our product. There were some issues and errors with it but still we managed to overcome it during the final pitching. We also finished revising our pitch deck for the final pitching, even our BMC. Everything is good to go.

Pitch. So to end our journey with this this subject and with our product. We had our final pitching with the panels, representing our product. It was very nerve wrecking. Yes, we were prepared but we can’t neglect the fact that there might be some problems that will occur while we are pitching but fortunately it ended well for us. Hopefully, for everybody also.

It was a very rollercoaster ride with this journey. There were many ups and downs. We’ve been through some storms but in the ended we saw the sun with rainbows. It was an exciting ride. We learnt a lot. Everything we will be remembered. I hope no one regretted doing their product or from even going in this journey. It surely is a bittersweet goodbye. I’m glad it’s all done but i’ll be missing the feeling of doing something like this.

Until next time,

Rene Michael (technosearcherene) is signing off. 

[leslieabregana-blog]

Learnings

There are lot of things we need to accomplish for the upcoming final pitching. One of it is making a final PowerPoint presentation, prototype, interviewing more potential customers, video presentation, compilation of all the presentation and the CD which is the copy for all the things we did for this subject. And we are now start making that requirements.

 For this week we did another interview to our potential customers. We ask if they are okay with the pricing we set for our product. By the way we have a subscription as our revenue stream and for those who will pay the product fully they will have 5% percent discount. And that price is already validated.Then after interviewing we start to finalize our BMC and our final presentation this coming Thursday. We also work for our prototype wherein we finalize and make sure that it function well. We also add some contents in our PowerPoint for our final pitching which is about the revenue streams. Well, as of now we just continue making those requirements and we are looking forward that we can finish all of this and practice for our final pitching.

To end this blog, I just want to share all of the knowledge I gain for this subject.

We have done a lot of things throughout this semester. We interviewed different types of people, make blogs, done pitching, present ordinary reports, and work as a team. And we cannot deny that with all of the things we did, we experience a lot difficulties and most especially rejection. But because of those experiences we learned a lot of lessons like:

1.     Facing our Fears

Ø I remembered that our first activity was rejection therapy. That activity made us a better person. A person who accept rejection and was never discouraged of being rejected instead she continue to convince that person to do such thing. And that is the character of an entrepreneur wherein she will always do her best to convince the customers to buy the product even there are lot of rejections being faced. She always continue to sell the product to the customers until she became a successful entrepreneur.

2.     Confidence

Ø In every presentations and interviews we did, my confidence grows. The first time we talk to people, we are scared of not being entertained. But at the time that we continue to talk to a lot of people I became more confident. It’s not easy to talk to people especially when you meet the angry people. Well, in terms presenting in front of a crowd, I also gain confidence. And those things we did made me more confident.

3.     Managing time

Ø There are lot of activities with this subject. Because of those activities, we learn to manage our time. We learn the value of time and we did all of our requirements on time.

4.     Critical thinking and creativity

Ø Since we did a lot of activities and assignments. Our critical thinking and creativity is being develop. In a way that when our instructor give us activity especially on thinking the problem that we are going to address and creating a product. We as a team at that time do a brainstorming of ideas on what product are we going to do. In every presentations we did weekly our critical thinking and creativity are practiced.

5.     Accept failures and accept suggestions of other people

Ø In our first idea, we experience failure. Our first idea didn’t work since our problem is not the problem of our customer segments. But instead being down we accept it and continue making a new idea. But that failure didn’t just end in our first idea but we also face it in our second idea. Well, because of the people and most especially to our instructor who encourage us to continue we did it. I learned that people around us are the big help of our success. We just need to listen to them. Accept their suggestion for your improvement. And because of the failures we faced I learned that we don’t need to fear failure but we should embraced it and accept it. It is a big contribution of your life for you to become a better person. We all know that we don’t need perfection because we need failure to make us a better person and learn a lot of things.

6.     Take risk

Ø I am afraid in taking risk especially when I know that it’s not worth risking for. In every idea we did, I am afraid that people and customers may not like our product. But because of this subject I learn to take risk. I learn that we don’t need to be scared presenting our ideas and share it to others. Because that the way for you to be known and successful.

7.     Unique

Ø All of us are afraid to be unique especially in terms of having a different answer among your other classmate. And I accept that weakness. But because of this subject I learn that being unique is your asset. Uniqueness is very important in business world.

 All of those things are the lesson that I learned and the aspects of myself that improved. And I’m happy that this semester is a fruitful one. And I would like to thank our instructor for giving us a wide knowledge and encouraging us to learn. To my groupmates who are always there throughout this semester, to my parents for giving me opportunity to study and most especially to God who always give me strength and knowledge to be able to accomplish all of the things needed to be done.

�}�;*���9

[kuroshioo]

Tech 101 - Last Week

Haroo! Kuroshioo desu!

Heyaa!! This will be the last (but not the least) blog for this subject. For all those week!! We made it almost to the finish line… not really the finish line because if this goes well, we are goin to pursue this business since we believe that this startup is quite promising...

Btw! Here is the transaction we had for this week with a Marine Engineer who is currently reviewing for the coming exam this November. He is quite busy for the review where he don’t have much time to do his laundry. So, when I introduced him our service he tried it and got contented of it. Although he wanted his laundry to be done at 1A which is not included in our list of laundry stations but still we grabbed the opporunity.. Why not?? It’s still included in our service since we do the delivery and make their life easier and can focus on the things that they should do..

Polish polish polish! That’s what we need the most right now. We need to polish everything since we have holes in this project.. In the MVP side I still need to refine the GUI and coding part. A teamwork with the designer is a must in order to get the desired output. Not just with the designer but also, I asked the rest of the team and some users for validation of the created MVP.

Although there are times that we are too busy regarding with other subjects, but still we made it this far through teamwork and time management. Well, arguments within the group is inevitable to occur. Honestly that happened to our team as well. Misunderstanding is surely the problem but we’ll overcome it somehow for we’ve faced a lot already together. We are a team so we must work as one while respecting one another as we do our part/task in a specific project. But I believe, we’ll reach the finish line together as we work and grow as a team!! 

That’s all for this week!! see ya!!!!!!....

[zahrahpatelot]

Respite is temporary.

ELEVEN WEEKS.  I find it hard to believe that this is the last one. Although I could not be more delighted, literally. A part of me is afraid. Afraid of the future and what it holds. I contemplate daily that maybe its better to be me NOW instead of next year. I literally get the chills thinking about it. Am I ready to be in final year? Am I ready to be decentralised? Am I ready to be basically unsupervised EVERYDAY of the week? I think not.

This semester has literally flew by. I just remember writing down my choices of placements and here I am, at the brink. Probably the most positive and pleasing aspect of this entire journey is that I actually realised - I like psych. After going in with SUCH a negative mindset, I had feeling it would be a torrid seamster. To my surprise it proved on the contrary. It’s rivalling physical for a place in my heart. I wonder why though. Was it the venue I was at? The supervisor I had? Or the positive marks that I THINK I’m going to get? Who knows, but that brings a smile to my face.

I learnt more about the profession and specially mental health. It was the very first time I treated someone with a mental illness which I always perceived to be impossible. Well, I was wrong. In the short time we had together this semester the smiles I received are unparalleled to any other feeling in the world. The pure satisfaction and joy at improving someone’s day makes it all worth it. I forgot about the marks , my supervisor and my anxieties and rather enjoyed the basis of this profession- improving someones life through occupation.

This is proving a rather positive blog, to my surprise although represents my genuine change in mindset regarding psych. Yes-  care studies and presentations are the biggest pain in the *$# , BUT I surprised myself this time around. For some reason I was prepared.  Approximately 3 days before the due dates- I was complete, including appendices. I know, its shocking but I proved to myself efficient time management and planning really does work. I always believed it was a hoax but not anymore. I realised that’s how people have their life together and this is the way forward for me ( fingers crossed and toes!).

A negative? I did not appreciate final demo’s being held after case studies and presentations were complete as that completely changed my mindset. I started becoming my old self. Laziness began creeping up me, like a bug I couldn’t shake off and it killed me. WHY COULD’NT I KILL THE BUG? Although I performed, which I believe I did ( still awaiting marks) I still didn't appreciate it held afterwards and preferred it beforehand which ensured the standards were met.

Surely I should comment on the death of me. RESEARCH. We were compelled to attend research day to listen to the fourth years which completely freaked me out. Not only are there issues already now, I can for see MAJOR ones arising in the near future which gives me fever. A group of us went as far as saying ‘what if we don't do research and we don't graduate with honours?’. WHAT IF? This was the complete fear and laziness speaking but nonetheless prayers are required for the well-being of my mind, body and soul.

The questions begs...The way forward for myself? I am silently pleased with my overall performance this semester and in general this year. Of course, theres room for improvement but I am at the place I should be. I am ready to step up and be the therapist I know I can be. I know this is probably ‘big’ talk now and I won't have the same perception next year when I’m drowned in work in some rural area - but still. I am positive. Ready for my final chapter in this compelling degree. Although the holidays approach - respite, unfortunately is only temporary and we regain momentum in January, fresh and ready to take the final step.