Journal #6: NHL Playoffs

One of the most over looked sports, in my opinion, is hockey.  I would say that a majority of people don't even know that the NHL is in the second round of the playoffs right now.  This being said that is exactly what my article is about.  This article gives a breakdown of the second round of the playoffs and the match ups there are.  They go through each series and talk about the teams and the things each has done and succeeded or failed at.  One of the best things about this article is that they use actual film from the games so far in the series.  So even if you don't know to much about hockey, like myself, then you can click on the links to watch the actual game.  I know that this helped me a lot and it made the article more entertaining as well.  If you are looking to get caught up in the NHL playoffs or you just want to read about hockey click here.

Journal #5: Their Rating

The biggest thing that sports enthusiasts want to know about is the stats.  If they cant analyze and compare players then it isn't as fun.  Most sports this is pretty easy to accomplish.  In baseball you can look at a pitchers ERA or a batters hitting average but what can be done for football?  That is the exact question this article brings up.  They create a way of grading players by what they have done in their first five years in the NFL.  This makes it so that we can see what athletes to that point have had a more successful career.  It is not a for sure way of grading them but it is close enough to a statistical way.  The article also goes into showing the best and worst player at the position over the last decade which is interesting to see.  If you want to see how they calculate this or are just interested in the best and worst players click here to view.

Journal #4: The Social Network

The scene that I have chosen from the movie The Social Network to discuss is when the three Harvard students that originally had the idea to create "Facebook" find out that their idea has been stolen.  Mark who is the main character in the film has taken it and used them for the money in order to get it up and running.  By the time that they figure out he has taken their idea Mark has made Facebook into a growing network for college students.  The scene in discussion specifically is in the Winklevoss' room and they are talking about what kind of actions to take place.  They involve getting a lawyer or hiring someone to kill Mark and his accomplices.  The setting of this room is very dark which makes the mood a little more intense and also gives the effect of how upset they really are at Mark.  The reason that this scene is really important I feel is because this really is the starting point of Mark's problems with Facebook as far as how he "scammed" the Winklevoss twins.  I also feel that the picture at the top of this page really sums up how Mark conducted himself in the movie.  He made himself extremely popular and also rich, but of course it did come with a price.  In the end this scene was a huge turning point in the video.

Journal #3: Movies

The movie National Treasure is truly a great movie that really can work your brain throughout the
movie as well as give you a few laughs here and there.  I am attracted to this movie for a couple of reasons the first being under the formal elements category.  This movie uses different camera positions very heavily in order to get the point across of how you are supposed to see something or interpret it.  A scene that really shows this is when they are using the tower's shadow to point them to the next clue.  There are multiple camera angles that help to show the different perspectives that can be taken from what is said.  Another thing that really catches my attention with this movie is what I would call a Cultural one.  There is not a specific scene but more less the whole movie that requires you to make assumptions of what will happen next.  These kind of movies really make you think and interact with what is going on which iswhy I am particularly fond of them.

Journal #2: The Real Man

The article "The Aging Tiger Woods" by Michael Weinreb is an article about not just Tiger Woods and his struggles over the last couple of years but also how this can relate to other people's lives. He creates a metaphor that the human is both a machine and a man. The man is Tiger himself and the machine is what the press turns him into. He mentions that the affair that Tiger had made people realize that he is still just a human and he is just like the rest of people but he is magnified because he is good at a sport. I really agreed with the way that the author went about describing Tiger's life and how he didn't do any criticizing of what Tiger has done. I also agreed very strongly with the way he made Tiger into just another human instead of putting him up on a pedestal. One thing that I do think Weinreb should have considered is that it is not an extremely common thing for people to have affairs that ruin their marriage. This is a big situation that had to bring Tiger back to a human in people's eyes. Over all this was a very good article and if you think it is one that you would be interested in click here and let me know what your thoughts are on Tiger.

How To Do Your Laundry at Home

Have you ever turned a white shirt pink in the washing machine, or shrunk your favorite sweater in the dryer?  Don't worry, you're not alone.  Too many decent articles of clothing have been lost to improper laundry procedure.  There's more to doing laundry than just tossing a pile of clothes in the washing machine or loading the dryer and pushing start.  If you stick to the following simple steps to doing laundry, you'll never have another laundry mishap again.

In order to successfully complete a load of laundry, there are a few "tools" you will need during the process:

Tools:

Washer - Machine that spins and cleans loads of laundry

Dryer - Machine that spins and dry’s loads of laundry

Laundry Detergent - Cleaning agent that when added to the water of the washing machine cleans the clothes

     

Optional tools:

Fabric Softener - Chemical solution that is added during the wash cycle in order to reduce static and make the load of laundry more aromatic

Dryer Sheets - Fibrous sheet that is added during the dry cycle in order to reduce static and make the load more aromatic

Downy Ball - A tool that is used to apply fabric softener to the load of laundry. The ball is filled up before the wash cycle starts and is placed in the drum with the load of laundry. When the washer begins to spin, the ball opens and it's contents are released into the water within the washing machine.

 

Step 1: Sort your clothes by darks, whites, and delicates. Darks include jeans and anything that is more than 50% of a non-white color. Whites are usually made up of cotton or anything that when washed in warm/hot water would not get damaged. Silks, suits, or even dress shirts are considered delicates because these are articles of clothing you might damage if washed by yourself. A drycleaners would be a better option for these. While sorting, check your pockets to ensure that they are empty. Something as small as a tube of Chapstick could ruin an entire load of laundry.

Step 2: Place your laundry into the washing machine. Make sure that you don't overload the machine. This could break the machine or cause your clothes not to come out as clean as you may want.

Step 3: Add detergent to load. One cup of liquid detergent per medium sized load is a good amount.

Step 4: If you're using fabric softener, now is the time to measure it out using the Downy ball. There should be a fill line on the ball. Close ball tightly and place into washer.

Step 5: Close the lid. This may seem insignificant, but some washing machine have safety measures that prevent them from starting if the lid is open.

Step 6: Now it's time to select your settings. For this tutorial we are using a medium sized load of darks. The recommended setting for dark clothes is cold/cold, meaning the clothes will be washed in cold water and also rinsed in cold water. For a load of whites, a warmer temperature setting is acceptable because you don't have to worry about colors bleeding out.

 

Step 7: Once you have selected the water temperature, you will need to select the load size. This tells the machine how much water to use based on how much clothing is in the load. With a medium sized load, the "regular" setting is selected.

Step 8: With your washer loaded properly, the settings where they are supposed to be, detergent added, and the lid closed, starting the washing machine is as simple as pulling the dial out slightly. Listen for the song of water being pumped into the machine to ensure that you have properly started your washing machine. Most loads will take 35 to 60 min. to run through the entire wash cycle. During this time, what you do to occupy your time is at your discretion. 

Step 9: After the wash cycle, it's time to dry your clothes. To start this start this process, simply transfer your wet clothes to the dryer.

Step 10: If you're using a dryer sheet it's now time to add it. Dryer sheets are important for reducing static cling, adding a pleasant aroma to your clothes, and leaving them snuggly soft.

Step 11: Once the dryer is loaded, close the lid. Much the same as the washing machine, your dryer likely has a safety measure that prevents it from starting if the lid is open. Missing this step is a game ender. Don't let all of your hard work thus far be in vain.

Step 12: Now you will need to select the proper setting for the dryer. For a medium sized load of darks, a "high heat/maximum amount of time" setting will provide optimal drying conditions.

Step 13: Start your dryer. This is a highly technical process of pushing the "start" button.

As you can see there is a lot more to doing laundry than meets the eye. Once you break it down into simple individual steps it is a lot easier to ensure that you are not going to shrink your clothes or have them come out in a different color than when they went in. You have now officially joined the elite community of people that are capable of doing their own laundry.  

How To Conclusion 2

As you can see there is a lot more to doing laundry than meets the eye.  Once you break it down into simple individual steps it is a lot easier to ensure that you are not going to shrink your clothes or have them come out a different color than they went in.  You have now officially joined the elite community of people that are capable of doing their own laundry.