I have decided to evaluate the Cannon EOS Rebel T1i 15.1 MP CMOS Digital SLR Camera. The reason I am evaluating this product is because I am considering purchasing a SLR Camera and want to make sure that I am making the right choice. As a college student, a camera that sells for over $500 is a major purchase that takes a large part of my income. Furthermore, there are a lot of quality cameras out there that sell for relatively cheap and a lot of junk on the market that is severely overpriced. To make sure that I am not being ripped off, I have been researching SLR cameras. So far, this Cannon seems to be the best option.
In the realm of cameras, I would categorize the Cannon EOS Rebel as a professional grade camera for the aspiring photographer. According to Amazon and several photographer’s blogs, the camera is designed with an easy layout for beginners and a light body for those not used to the clunky feel of an SLR camera. Still, the Cannon EOS Rebel delivers a high quality image with many settings and options for the more experienced photographer.
The five characteristics that I have evaluated this camera on are: price, megapixels, picture quality, weight, and settings and features. The Cannon EOS Rebel ranges in price from $600 used on Amazon to as much as $800 new at other retailers. This is very reasonable considering that according to Amazon, it is the number two top rated SLR camera of 2010-2011. This is especially The number one SLR camera sells for about $2,000. Secondly, I looked at the megapixels. Megapixels are the small box like blobs of color that a picture is captured in. Thousands of these blocks make up the picture. The more megapixels, the better the picture resolution if you plan to enlarge your prints. More megapixels will help to keep your picture from becoming fuzzy. The Cannon Rebel has 15.1 megapixels which is plenty to ensure that the picture will stay sharp if it is blown up to larger than the average 4x6 print. The third and fourth categories I am evaluating has to do with overall picture quality. This is determined mostly by the quality of the lens and camera sensor. The camera sensor refers to the ISO speed and exposure. ISO refers to the degree of sensitivity to light. In other words, the higher the ISO , the better images taken in low light will be. Similarly, an increased ISO increases shutter speed which can reduce blurred images. This is important with this specific camera because it has a very unique setting: “Creative Auto.” Creative Auto or CA allows you to manually choose some settings, but not have to worry about shutter speed if you do not entirely understand the concept. The Cannon Rebel ensures that even an armature photographer can get an awesome shot on this setting by providing an ISO 640 (which is a very generous ISO.) Likewise, most retailers sell the Cannon as a package deal with an upgraded lens for excellent picture quality. Or, if you choose to upgrade further, Cannon offers over 600 lenses that are compatible with this camera. Finally, the weight and feel of the camera is the fifth area of evaluation. After reading several blogs I am convinced that this camera is a tad bulkier than most SLR cameras. This does not bother me however it may be uncomfortable for some so it is something to be aware of. I do not mind this because it provides it with a little more of a professional feel. More important to me is how the camera feels in my hand. Is it awkward? Do my hands fit? Are the buttons inconveniently placed? From what I’ve read from bloggers and customer ratings, the camera is a comfortable fit in your hand. There is ample room to grip the camera and the buttons are not placed so that one could accidently hit them while taking a picture.
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Monday, February 14, 2011
Are you better because you have an education?
A three hour Comm 150 class is almost more than I can take. I am sitting in the State Theater downtown anticipating the professor to commence speaking about a topic I am anything but interested in: film. The room is dark, almost black except for the large screen behind the professor. Normally it is used to show movies. However, there is not a movie on it now. There is a power point depicting mise en scene. The class has just begun and I am still tugging my notebook from out of my backpack. The seats are comfortable theater seats but they have no tables or desks which makes taking notes a very uncomfortable task. It is not a big deal though because I can rarely make sense of what the professor is lecturing about anyway. I cannot stand this professor. He has an attitude about him that rubs me the wrong way. From watching him for half a semester I have learned all the little ticks and habitual movements he makes when he speaks. Each one irritates me like nails on a chalkboard. I often think of how it is a shame that I hate this class so much. The building is beautiful and it would be such a fun place to have a class that I enjoyed. The atmosphere is inviting unlike the cold concrete feel of a normal class room with the hard plastic chairs and desks. Instead the seats are thickly cushioned, there is carpet in the aisles, and the walls are covered in cloth with ripples in them. I assume this is for better sound quality. My thoughts are startled by what the professor is saying. I almost do not catch it, “…and please pick up your trash before you leave so the working class people don’t have to clean up after you.”It was the way he said it that startled me. He said it almost like he thought that was precisely what they should be made to do.
“In my high school, the people who didn’t go to college were the people who barely graduated.”
-Danielle Long
“College students have an easier opportunity to do better and make more of themselves than high school graduates.”
-Danielle Long
“They got the same piece of paper (diploma) but for me, going to college made mine more valuable”
-Danielle Long
“College helps you grow as a person. You become more independent and learn how to manage your time. It’s my dream to have a family and career at the same time and college show us how to do that in an environment where its ok to fail.”
-Danielle Long
So far, it has been difficult to find articles and statistics on why college in some cases can be bad. However I found two very good sources on why it is good. The Washington Post graphed the Unemployment rate in relationship to education. Also, College Board did extensive research on the benefits of going to college. I included a hyperlink because there were several pages to their findings.
Matthew Yglesias,comments:
"Virtually every single member of congress, every senator, every Capitol Hill staffer, every White House advisor, every Fed governor, and every major political reporter is a college graduate. What’s more, we have a large amount of social segregation in the United States—college graduates tend to socialize with each other. And among college graduates, there simply isn’t an economic crisis in the United States."
** I am very interested in the bolded statement. It is one avenue I want to dig into deeper. **
Klein, Ezra. "The Benefits of a College Degree in One Graph." Washington Post 11 Aug 2011: 1. Web. 14 Feb 2011..
One thing that I found particularly fascinating about the College Board Statistics is that people with college educations have a tendency to take better care of themselves and are healthier than people without a college education. This was based on the level of regular physical activity, smoking, and general risk of heart disease.
Baum, Sandy, and Jennifer Ma. "Education Pays the Benefits of Higher Education for Individuals and Society." College Board. College Board, 5007. Web. 14 Feb 2011..
-I want to know what the uneducated person thinks of all this. If these statistics are true, then why did they still choose not to go to college? Do they feel inadequate around college graduates and students? Do they think their jobs are a valuable as a college graduates? If education is not the key to success for them, then what is?
“In my high school, the people who didn’t go to college were the people who barely graduated.”
-Danielle Long
“College students have an easier opportunity to do better and make more of themselves than high school graduates.”
-Danielle Long
“They got the same piece of paper (diploma) but for me, going to college made mine more valuable”
-Danielle Long
“College helps you grow as a person. You become more independent and learn how to manage your time. It’s my dream to have a family and career at the same time and college show us how to do that in an environment where its ok to fail.”
-Danielle Long
So far, it has been difficult to find articles and statistics on why college in some cases can be bad. However I found two very good sources on why it is good. The Washington Post graphed the Unemployment rate in relationship to education. Also, College Board did extensive research on the benefits of going to college. I included a hyperlink because there were several pages to their findings.
Matthew Yglesias,comments:
"Virtually every single member of congress, every senator, every Capitol Hill staffer, every White House advisor, every Fed governor, and every major political reporter is a college graduate. What’s more, we have a large amount of social segregation in the United States—college graduates tend to socialize with each other. And among college graduates, there simply isn’t an economic crisis in the United States."
** I am very interested in the bolded statement. It is one avenue I want to dig into deeper. **
Klein, Ezra. "The Benefits of a College Degree in One Graph." Washington Post 11 Aug 2011: 1. Web. 14 Feb 2011.
One thing that I found particularly fascinating about the College Board Statistics is that people with college educations have a tendency to take better care of themselves and are healthier than people without a college education. This was based on the level of regular physical activity, smoking, and general risk of heart disease.
Baum, Sandy, and Jennifer Ma. "Education Pays the Benefits of Higher Education for Individuals and Society." College Board. College Board, 5007. Web. 14 Feb 2011.
-I want to know what the uneducated person thinks of all this. If these statistics are true, then why did they still choose not to go to college? Do they feel inadequate around college graduates and students? Do they think their jobs are a valuable as a college graduates? If education is not the key to success for them, then what is?
Monday, February 7, 2011
Sinatra's Got a Cold
Frank Sinatra has a Cold” answers the five critical questions that help define a profile. First, the author, Gay Talese, does a great job at explaining why Sinatra is such an interesting man . He does not explicitly say, “Frank Sinatra is an interesting man because…” Instead, he creates an atmosphere of curiosity through his description of this larger-than-life man with the peculiar personality. It makes the audience think “this man is interesting” rather than having to be told that he is. Second, The writer’s description of Sinatra’s work often correlates with Sinatra’s personal life. In the song Nancy, Sinatra is describing the person who knows him best. I found the author’s description of Sinatra singing this song moving because he became transparent. The name Frank Sinatra is often associated with a man who not only sang his music but felt it with the very being and fiber of his soul. When the author describes Sinatra’s outward singing as a reflection of what is happening inside of him, you get the sense that that was the Frank Sinatra of legends. The way he sang in that instance gives the audience the sense that underneath all the chaos that is Sinatra, there is a real live human being with genuine feelings and affections for people. Thirdly, Talese gives a good sense of Sinatra’s motives in his professional life when he describes Sinatra’s reasons for leaving Harry James’ band. The author says, “he would leave other warm places, too, in search of something more, never wasting time, trying to do it all in one generation, fighting under his own name, defending underdogs, terrorizing top dogs. “ This really gives you a sense of why Frank Sinatra did what he did. He wanted to become epic but not through conventional ways. Instead, he wanted to form his own mold. Also, the author does a good job at drawing from a variety of sources including Sinatra’s x-wife, daughter, mother, close friends, and other media sources such as interviews with other publications. One huge source of information is also just observing Sinatra. By watching what he does, where he goes, and the company he keeps the author is able to infer a lot of things and gather a surprising amount of data. Finally, I feel like the profile is asking you to respect Sinatra. It is asking you to revere the man whose mind does not make sense, whose heart is in the right place, and who is everything he set out to be.
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
“# 1 Party School” is a very thorough report and therefore answers the questions posed by Harbrace. First, the reporters define the problem in a way that the audience will understand. They introduce the problem by giving a firsthand experience of downtown state college on a weekend night. They explain the scene and what they are experiencing and seeing so that people will get the full impact of the issue at hand. They are not simply saying “Penn State has a drinking problem.” Instead, they tell you about the kid that throws the pizza plate into the reporter’s yard and the boys who drag the stop sign out of the ground. The second chapter of the report goes further to really lay the problem down for the audience. They demonstrate just how prevalent, important, and deeply rooted partying is at Penn State. They show alumni and parents’ of students who help encourage this type of behavior. The audience quickly gets the sense that this is no small issue. It paints a picture that depicts a culture and way of life, which is not something to be easily changed.
The reporters of This American Life give several reasons why this issue needs to be addressed. One of the most evident reasons is the mayhem and vandalization that drinking and partying seems to foster. Public safety and human health were also among the top reasons why kids should drink and party less. But the issue went further than that. The report says that they did not want to report on Penn State’s drinking problem because it was the number one party school or because what goes on here is uncommon, but instead because it is common. This same issue is appearing in colleges across the country.
“# 1 Party School” does a good job at looking at the different groups that this issue affects. The Alumni, police, local business owners, bar owners, town residences, and Penn State administrators all are affected by the student’s heavy drinking. Alumni enjoy the drinking culture. They donate to the school; they support the football team, and they tie drinking into family and school spirit. The police are in charge of keeping the law and providing public safety. They are consistently being run wild over town to keep kids from peeing in public, falling asleep in random resident’s beds, and monitoring underage drinking. Local business owners have to tailor their inventory to what the kids want. As a former Mclanahan’s employee, I can vouch that until recently the condoms, lubricants, and pregnancy tests were all proudly displayed in the front of the store. While I was still employed there, one kid even tried to steal a pack of condoms. They also have a large stock of potential chasers, solo cups, and shot glasses. A local bar owner was asked about students’ drinking habits. I found it interesting that the drink of choice has switched from beer to liquor. I assumed liquor had always been big on campus. Town residents are the unfortunate soles who see most of the negativity involved with student partying at Penn State. It is their property that is vandalized and their neighborhoods that are made into noisy party scenes. Finally, the Penn State administrators, as Gram Spanier put it, have to “clean up the mess.” The administrators of the school are often falsely blamed for the risky behavior of the students. They are put on the spot when bad things happen to students due to drinking and partying. It is unfortunate, because their job is not to babysit us. However, the media and parents often look to them for explanations when someone gets hurt.
A lot of direct quotes were made in the investigative report. Several students were interviewed about their perspective on the issue of drinking. They got good quotes from kids that like to get sloshed such as, “I’m getting drunk and tailgaiting!” and, “If there was a drunk button…” They also got quotes from a student who does not drink at all. The College Pizza delivery boy, Alex Morre, was quoted saying, “Recently some kid broke my jaw…” while discussing chasing down a (probably drunk) kid for punching dents into another delivery boy’s car. The local residents were also represented in this report. One that comes to mind is the man who was quoted saying, “…I have motion sensors in the yard… I can hear which point they come in…” This particular fact freaked me out a little bit. A police officer was interviewed as well. One quote I found amusing was, “Sorry buddy, you were just caught peeing, I’m not shaking your hands.” The report was full of quotations from people that had different roles in the drinking and partying scene. One group I felt was not represented was the occasional casual drinker. I would have liked to know what they thought about the party scene. These drinkers would be the kids who do not have anything against drinking, but at the same time, do not do a lot of drinking themselves. They are the ones that only drink a few times a semester and do not do so to get drunk. I feel like they would be a moderating voice between the kids who want to get drunk all the time, and the poor boy who’s car has been abused by the drunk student body.
I feel that the specific conclusion that the writers of this talk show want their audience to reach is that drinking is an issue on Penn State’s campus as well as others around the country. They also want their readers to be convinced that what is currently being done is not enough. They stress that the “normalness” of the extreme drinking and partying is what makes this such a big deal. Furthermore, they offer possible solutions to the problem by comparing other university’s alcohol policies to that of University of Nebraska Lincoln. By giving an example of a successful alcohol control program, they seem to be suggesting that Penn State can fix their problem too if they would only choose to.
I have been at Penn State for a year now, and “#1 Party School” still managed to shock me. The data reported by the investigation seemed to be skewed toward excessive partying even more than I thought. I realize that the reporters from This American Life came to Penn State with the intent to prove that we are a party school. However, I do not see that as being ALL of what Penn State is. It is true, we like to drink, party, and have a good time. But we are also extremely smart young adults. We work hard and have an awesome reputation as being among the top schools in every category. Recruiters want us because they know that if you make it through Penn State, you’ll make it in the corporate world as well. Yea, the drinking might get out of hand at times, but welcome to college. Better yet, welcome to being a young adult. The kids in my home town who did not go to college are partying as much, if not more than my friends here. And why shouldn’t they? They are young and can get away with it now. Is it smart? Probably not. But neither is getting into debt, yet almost every American does that as well. My opinion is: monitor it and keep it under control, but do not make it a bigger issue than it needs to be. The police should put just enough fear into kids to keep them from getting into too much trouble. As much as I hate to admit it, the Alcohol Education online survey should continue even though it is a pain to do. Furthermore, the school should continue to promote a dry campus on campus. Off of campus, I think kids should be allowed to have fun. From what I have experienced, Penn State does a pretty good job of trying to keep things under control without cracking down too severely on kids.
The reporters of This American Life give several reasons why this issue needs to be addressed. One of the most evident reasons is the mayhem and vandalization that drinking and partying seems to foster. Public safety and human health were also among the top reasons why kids should drink and party less. But the issue went further than that. The report says that they did not want to report on Penn State’s drinking problem because it was the number one party school or because what goes on here is uncommon, but instead because it is common. This same issue is appearing in colleges across the country.
“# 1 Party School” does a good job at looking at the different groups that this issue affects. The Alumni, police, local business owners, bar owners, town residences, and Penn State administrators all are affected by the student’s heavy drinking. Alumni enjoy the drinking culture. They donate to the school; they support the football team, and they tie drinking into family and school spirit. The police are in charge of keeping the law and providing public safety. They are consistently being run wild over town to keep kids from peeing in public, falling asleep in random resident’s beds, and monitoring underage drinking. Local business owners have to tailor their inventory to what the kids want. As a former Mclanahan’s employee, I can vouch that until recently the condoms, lubricants, and pregnancy tests were all proudly displayed in the front of the store. While I was still employed there, one kid even tried to steal a pack of condoms. They also have a large stock of potential chasers, solo cups, and shot glasses. A local bar owner was asked about students’ drinking habits. I found it interesting that the drink of choice has switched from beer to liquor. I assumed liquor had always been big on campus. Town residents are the unfortunate soles who see most of the negativity involved with student partying at Penn State. It is their property that is vandalized and their neighborhoods that are made into noisy party scenes. Finally, the Penn State administrators, as Gram Spanier put it, have to “clean up the mess.” The administrators of the school are often falsely blamed for the risky behavior of the students. They are put on the spot when bad things happen to students due to drinking and partying. It is unfortunate, because their job is not to babysit us. However, the media and parents often look to them for explanations when someone gets hurt.
A lot of direct quotes were made in the investigative report. Several students were interviewed about their perspective on the issue of drinking. They got good quotes from kids that like to get sloshed such as, “I’m getting drunk and tailgaiting!” and, “If there was a drunk button…” They also got quotes from a student who does not drink at all. The College Pizza delivery boy, Alex Morre, was quoted saying, “Recently some kid broke my jaw…” while discussing chasing down a (probably drunk) kid for punching dents into another delivery boy’s car. The local residents were also represented in this report. One that comes to mind is the man who was quoted saying, “…I have motion sensors in the yard… I can hear which point they come in…” This particular fact freaked me out a little bit. A police officer was interviewed as well. One quote I found amusing was, “Sorry buddy, you were just caught peeing, I’m not shaking your hands.” The report was full of quotations from people that had different roles in the drinking and partying scene. One group I felt was not represented was the occasional casual drinker. I would have liked to know what they thought about the party scene. These drinkers would be the kids who do not have anything against drinking, but at the same time, do not do a lot of drinking themselves. They are the ones that only drink a few times a semester and do not do so to get drunk. I feel like they would be a moderating voice between the kids who want to get drunk all the time, and the poor boy who’s car has been abused by the drunk student body.
I feel that the specific conclusion that the writers of this talk show want their audience to reach is that drinking is an issue on Penn State’s campus as well as others around the country. They also want their readers to be convinced that what is currently being done is not enough. They stress that the “normalness” of the extreme drinking and partying is what makes this such a big deal. Furthermore, they offer possible solutions to the problem by comparing other university’s alcohol policies to that of University of Nebraska Lincoln. By giving an example of a successful alcohol control program, they seem to be suggesting that Penn State can fix their problem too if they would only choose to.
I have been at Penn State for a year now, and “#1 Party School” still managed to shock me. The data reported by the investigation seemed to be skewed toward excessive partying even more than I thought. I realize that the reporters from This American Life came to Penn State with the intent to prove that we are a party school. However, I do not see that as being ALL of what Penn State is. It is true, we like to drink, party, and have a good time. But we are also extremely smart young adults. We work hard and have an awesome reputation as being among the top schools in every category. Recruiters want us because they know that if you make it through Penn State, you’ll make it in the corporate world as well. Yea, the drinking might get out of hand at times, but welcome to college. Better yet, welcome to being a young adult. The kids in my home town who did not go to college are partying as much, if not more than my friends here. And why shouldn’t they? They are young and can get away with it now. Is it smart? Probably not. But neither is getting into debt, yet almost every American does that as well. My opinion is: monitor it and keep it under control, but do not make it a bigger issue than it needs to be. The police should put just enough fear into kids to keep them from getting into too much trouble. As much as I hate to admit it, the Alcohol Education online survey should continue even though it is a pain to do. Furthermore, the school should continue to promote a dry campus on campus. Off of campus, I think kids should be allowed to have fun. From what I have experienced, Penn State does a pretty good job of trying to keep things under control without cracking down too severely on kids.
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