1.
I like the book. I think the story is interesting but I'm not particularly fond of the writing style. I don't like how it switches from different perspectives of the story. I'd rather the story be written in the form of a diary, or something easier to follow.
2.
Determined. Chris is determined to carry out his adventure and won't let anyone dissuade him from doing so. The guy that Chris hitch-hiked with advised Chris not to go on the trip because his gun would be sub-par but Chris decided to go on his journey anyway.
3.
The author is suggesting that humans stuck in a life of social conformity sometimes need to let loose and seek something that provides them a feeling of independence and social conformity.
4. This book reminds me of Lord of the Flies because both stories are about kid's survival in a forest. The main difference is that Lord of the Flies dealt more with human nature in regards to how people interact with others, while Into the Wild concentrates more on one person.
5. Sometimes I like to have some freedom just like the Alex. For example, I like fishing because it's nice to have the opportunity to be outside with just yourself and nature.
6. This is like the documentary Climbing Mount Everest where a group of people decide to climb Mount Everest but a lot of them die.
Monday, November 17, 2008
Friday, November 14, 2008
Big Rigs: Over the Road Racing negative review
Big Rigs: Over the Road Racing is commonly referred to as the Holocaust of video games. In 2003, Big Rigs hit the shelves of many retail stores across America. I, like many other unsuspecting victims, decided to buy the game. Advertised as a competitive racing game, players are supposed to race semitrucks across the country while avoiding the pursuit of the cops. Featuring 5 unique levels to race on and 4 different trucks to drive, Big Rigs was touted by the producers as "the next big racing game." After playing the game, however, I realized that all these claims were horrible, horrible lies.
When I got home and popped in the disc, my hopes were high. However, as I began to play, I was severely disappointed. As I started my first race, the countdown began... 3... 2... 1... GO! As my truck started to take off from the starting gate I noticed that the truck racing against me stood completely still. He did not move an inch from the starting gate. At first I was a bit confused, but I continued to race anyway. While nagivating the course, I noticed that the truck handled very poorly. As I rounded a sharp corner, I accidentally drove off course, and I headed directly into a building. As my truck chugged head-first into the building... how can I say this... the truck didn't crash, it traveled directly through the building as if it was not there at all. The truck did not slow down in the least bit. As I continued to play through the game I noticed many other flaws with the physics of the game. Here are a few:
1. All objects in the game such as trees, buildings, bridges, statues, and lightposts can be driven through. They will not slow down your truck at all.
2. Driving uphill and downhill does not have any effect on the speed of your truck. that is, if you drive up a near-vertical mountain edge, your car will continue to truck along at around 80 miles per hour.
3. Your truck has no speed limit if you drive in reverse. I got my car going 2300 miles per hour in reverse in small perfect circle before I got bored.
4. If you drive over a bridge, your will fall right through
5. There is nothing that restricts you from driving right off the edge of the level
I also noticed some issues with the interface and gameplay in general.
1. There are 5 levels. 4 of them work. 1 of them will crash your computer.
2. On some levels, when your opposing truck actually drives, he will never beat you. The reason for this is that when he approaches the finish line, he will come to a complete stop several inches in front of the line. He will wait here infinitely until you complete the race.
3. When you complete the race, the words "You're Winner" flash across the screen. Not "You win", but "You're Winnner"...
4. One of the levels is called dust1 even though there is no dust2
5. All the trucks have trailers on them in their description but when you actually race the trucks, their trailers are gone
6. The red lights on the back of the truck kind of float off and to the side of the truck.
7. There are never actually any cops in the game. The description says that cops will chase you across the countryside, but these cops don't actually exist in the game.
8. If you hit the escape key to exit the game, there are two options: "exit to windows" or "exit to game main menu". Regardless of which you choose, the game will go to the main menu. Because of this, the only way to exit the game is to shut off your computer.
9. There is no music or sound effects
As you can see, Big Rigs is a horribly, horribly, broken game. Under no circumstances should you ever buy it, even for its seemingly bargain price.
When I got home and popped in the disc, my hopes were high. However, as I began to play, I was severely disappointed. As I started my first race, the countdown began... 3... 2... 1... GO! As my truck started to take off from the starting gate I noticed that the truck racing against me stood completely still. He did not move an inch from the starting gate. At first I was a bit confused, but I continued to race anyway. While nagivating the course, I noticed that the truck handled very poorly. As I rounded a sharp corner, I accidentally drove off course, and I headed directly into a building. As my truck chugged head-first into the building... how can I say this... the truck didn't crash, it traveled directly through the building as if it was not there at all. The truck did not slow down in the least bit. As I continued to play through the game I noticed many other flaws with the physics of the game. Here are a few:
1. All objects in the game such as trees, buildings, bridges, statues, and lightposts can be driven through. They will not slow down your truck at all.
2. Driving uphill and downhill does not have any effect on the speed of your truck. that is, if you drive up a near-vertical mountain edge, your car will continue to truck along at around 80 miles per hour.
3. Your truck has no speed limit if you drive in reverse. I got my car going 2300 miles per hour in reverse in small perfect circle before I got bored.
4. If you drive over a bridge, your will fall right through
5. There is nothing that restricts you from driving right off the edge of the level
I also noticed some issues with the interface and gameplay in general.
1. There are 5 levels. 4 of them work. 1 of them will crash your computer.
2. On some levels, when your opposing truck actually drives, he will never beat you. The reason for this is that when he approaches the finish line, he will come to a complete stop several inches in front of the line. He will wait here infinitely until you complete the race.
3. When you complete the race, the words "You're Winner" flash across the screen. Not "You win", but "You're Winnner"...
4. One of the levels is called dust1 even though there is no dust2
5. All the trucks have trailers on them in their description but when you actually race the trucks, their trailers are gone
6. The red lights on the back of the truck kind of float off and to the side of the truck.
7. There are never actually any cops in the game. The description says that cops will chase you across the countryside, but these cops don't actually exist in the game.
8. If you hit the escape key to exit the game, there are two options: "exit to windows" or "exit to game main menu". Regardless of which you choose, the game will go to the main menu. Because of this, the only way to exit the game is to shut off your computer.
9. There is no music or sound effects
As you can see, Big Rigs is a horribly, horribly, broken game. Under no circumstances should you ever buy it, even for its seemingly bargain price.
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Training Day Positive Review
The movie Training Day is an action-packed crime thiller that stars Denzel Washington as the main antagonist and Ethan Hawke as the main protaganist. The movie takes place in a 24-hour period and follows Ethan Hawked as he trains to be a narcotics detective.
The beginning of the movie starts out with Jake (Ethan Hawke) meeting with an experienced narcotics detective Alonzo Harris (Denzel Washington) Jake is an experienced cop that is training to become a narcotics detective. Jake meets Alonzo at a breakfast diner, and from that point, they both head out in Alonzo's car to begin training. Towards the beginning of the day, Jake sees a crime being committed between two men and a young girl. After Jake quells the situation, Alonzo viciously attacks the two men and then leaves them alone without arrest. After Alonzo's questionable handling of the situation, Jake is a bit leery as to why Alonzo performs his job so differently from how a cop would perform his job. After several more incidents in the day Jake is angered and confused about the ethical treatment of criminals and the way in which Alonzo carries out his job. After about an hour into the movie, an incredible twist occurs that leaves Jake completely stunned. Several more twists take place that leave the viewer awe-shocked and in disbelief.
I can only give the plot positive reviews. The first hour of the movie was action-packed and kept me attached. However, the first hour gave me the impression that the movie was just an average crime thriller. However, this initial impression was completely reversed after the huge twist takes place. I'll leave it to the viewer to find out what exactly happens, but let's just say that everything that I had believed about Alonzo was completely wrong. The several plot twists that lead to the finale of the movie left me awestruck and kept me on the tips of my toes until the end to see what happens.
A major overlying theme in this movie was corruption in the government protection agencies and corruption in the streets. These themes were well presented in the movie. The atmosphere and high-intensity situations helped to exemplify the feelings that must have been experienced by the characters in the movie.
Both Denzel Washington and Ethan Hawked did an excellent job of portraying their characters. Character development was deep and I felt attached to both Jake and Alonzo. Denzel Washington really seemed intimidating as he busted drug dealers and other criminals.
The director did a great job of conveying an intense and dramatic style throughout the movie. Many scenes took place in gang neighborhoods. The tension felt in these situations intense. The movie was actually filmed in gang neighborhoods in southern L.A. so many of the scenes had a sense of realism to them. The character's quotes, especially Denzel Washington's contributed to the intensity of the film.
"We ain't killing nobody. This guy's got the magic eye. I can feel it. Just had a little freak-out, that's all. Now I say he's cool, and nobody's gonna hurt him. But you do have a decision to make, because in about 10 seconds, this whole place is gonna be overrun with blue suits.
[sirens approaching] "
The beginning of the movie starts out with Jake (Ethan Hawke) meeting with an experienced narcotics detective Alonzo Harris (Denzel Washington) Jake is an experienced cop that is training to become a narcotics detective. Jake meets Alonzo at a breakfast diner, and from that point, they both head out in Alonzo's car to begin training. Towards the beginning of the day, Jake sees a crime being committed between two men and a young girl. After Jake quells the situation, Alonzo viciously attacks the two men and then leaves them alone without arrest. After Alonzo's questionable handling of the situation, Jake is a bit leery as to why Alonzo performs his job so differently from how a cop would perform his job. After several more incidents in the day Jake is angered and confused about the ethical treatment of criminals and the way in which Alonzo carries out his job. After about an hour into the movie, an incredible twist occurs that leaves Jake completely stunned. Several more twists take place that leave the viewer awe-shocked and in disbelief.
I can only give the plot positive reviews. The first hour of the movie was action-packed and kept me attached. However, the first hour gave me the impression that the movie was just an average crime thriller. However, this initial impression was completely reversed after the huge twist takes place. I'll leave it to the viewer to find out what exactly happens, but let's just say that everything that I had believed about Alonzo was completely wrong. The several plot twists that lead to the finale of the movie left me awestruck and kept me on the tips of my toes until the end to see what happens.
A major overlying theme in this movie was corruption in the government protection agencies and corruption in the streets. These themes were well presented in the movie. The atmosphere and high-intensity situations helped to exemplify the feelings that must have been experienced by the characters in the movie.
Both Denzel Washington and Ethan Hawked did an excellent job of portraying their characters. Character development was deep and I felt attached to both Jake and Alonzo. Denzel Washington really seemed intimidating as he busted drug dealers and other criminals.
The director did a great job of conveying an intense and dramatic style throughout the movie. Many scenes took place in gang neighborhoods. The tension felt in these situations intense. The movie was actually filmed in gang neighborhoods in southern L.A. so many of the scenes had a sense of realism to them. The character's quotes, especially Denzel Washington's contributed to the intensity of the film.
"We ain't killing nobody. This guy's got the magic eye. I can feel it. Just had a little freak-out, that's all. Now I say he's cool, and nobody's gonna hurt him. But you do have a decision to make, because in about 10 seconds, this whole place is gonna be overrun with blue suits.
[sirens approaching] "
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
20 minutes with the president
Dear Mr. President,
What do you plan to do to bring the economy back to its normal state? I think if removed taxes on different industries, they would be inspired to produce more, the prices of everything would fall, people would buy more, industries would expand, and the overall economic state of the country would improve.
Also, please don't raise taxes more. Minnesota is the highest taxed state in the United States and we really don't need more government spending. Maybe allow private industries to take over some of the spending that the government does.
Also, I support your decision to withdraw from the war in Iraq over time. I don't think it is really in our interest to involve ourselves in foreign affairs.
Park 2:
1. I will probably be in my fourth year of college. In 4 years I hope to be studying accounting or economics at either IU or Madison. I won't notice much of the changes that have occured because I will be in sort of a closed off environment on the campus. Luckily I'm going to college now because the economy is so bad right now that it will be difficult to acquire a job. If it's still bad after my fourth year of college I can just hold off another 2 years and attend graduate school.
2. In my 40's I will probably have a job and be raising my kids. I hope to work in Chicago and have enough money saved up by then to buy a lake house for fishing with my kids.
What do you plan to do to bring the economy back to its normal state? I think if removed taxes on different industries, they would be inspired to produce more, the prices of everything would fall, people would buy more, industries would expand, and the overall economic state of the country would improve.
Also, please don't raise taxes more. Minnesota is the highest taxed state in the United States and we really don't need more government spending. Maybe allow private industries to take over some of the spending that the government does.
Also, I support your decision to withdraw from the war in Iraq over time. I don't think it is really in our interest to involve ourselves in foreign affairs.
Park 2:
1. I will probably be in my fourth year of college. In 4 years I hope to be studying accounting or economics at either IU or Madison. I won't notice much of the changes that have occured because I will be in sort of a closed off environment on the campus. Luckily I'm going to college now because the economy is so bad right now that it will be difficult to acquire a job. If it's still bad after my fourth year of college I can just hold off another 2 years and attend graduate school.
2. In my 40's I will probably have a job and be raising my kids. I hope to work in Chicago and have enough money saved up by then to buy a lake house for fishing with my kids.
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Topic of Choice
I have a lot of homework tonight because tomorrow is the end of the first quarter. Most of my teacher cram a lot of tests and assignments into the last quarter so that there is more composition to their quarter 1 grades. I find this annoying because for weeks we won't do very much in our classes and then finally we will have a lot of work to do in a small time frame. But I'm almost done with everything now, and after Friday I can finally relax because all my work will be done and then I'll be good until end of quarter 2!
Love is like a ...
Maria
How long can you keep up that face?
How many times tonight will your lips unfurl to a smile?
How can you work in this place concealing such grace?
How would you like to leave with me... and see the world for a while?
Hang up your apron and baggy jeans for this little number,
Come dance with me through the night until morning light,
Laughing and singing through streets wrapt in slumber,
Your soft ebony eyes reflecting an Italian moon, so magnificently bright.
Let me take your hand, oh this night we set sail,
On a thrilling journey to a remote place called love,
Making memories and writing our own midnight tale,
A side by side silhouette, diamond-set dark velvet above.
Without even trying, you emit beauty, passion and elegance,
From your slender model figure to your lush flowing hair,
Dancing in the wind, my heart shocked by your electric radiance,
The breath-taking waitress, mi manchi tanto Maria.
by Jonathan R. Clarke
from lovepoemsandquotes.com
The author is saying how great love is, and he is describing all the things he loves in his girlfriend.
The author uses many metaphors to describe things about his girlfriend. For example, one line says "your soft ebony eyes, reflecting an Italian moon." This metaphor is comparing her eyes to a moon to emphasize how bright and beautiful they are. The author uses other metaphors like this to convey his theme.
How long can you keep up that face?
How many times tonight will your lips unfurl to a smile?
How can you work in this place concealing such grace?
How would you like to leave with me... and see the world for a while?
Hang up your apron and baggy jeans for this little number,
Come dance with me through the night until morning light,
Laughing and singing through streets wrapt in slumber,
Your soft ebony eyes reflecting an Italian moon, so magnificently bright.
Let me take your hand, oh this night we set sail,
On a thrilling journey to a remote place called love,
Making memories and writing our own midnight tale,
A side by side silhouette, diamond-set dark velvet above.
Without even trying, you emit beauty, passion and elegance,
From your slender model figure to your lush flowing hair,
Dancing in the wind, my heart shocked by your electric radiance,
The breath-taking waitress, mi manchi tanto Maria.
by Jonathan R. Clarke
from lovepoemsandquotes.com
The author is saying how great love is, and he is describing all the things he loves in his girlfriend.
The author uses many metaphors to describe things about his girlfriend. For example, one line says "your soft ebony eyes, reflecting an Italian moon." This metaphor is comparing her eyes to a moon to emphasize how bright and beautiful they are. The author uses other metaphors like this to convey his theme.
Monday, October 13, 2008
Love Poem
LOVE
Love is like water
Pure and clear
Everyone needs it
At times
It is needed for life
It cleanses your body
Your mind
And your heart
Other times
It can be deadly
Water can drown you
Water can burn you
Love can hurt you
In similar ways
Love is like water
Pure and clear
Everyone needs it
At times
It is needed for life
It cleanses your body
Your mind
And your heart
Other times
It can be deadly
Water can drown you
Water can burn you
Love can hurt you
In similar ways
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