How to Beat the Claw
This article is really funny and written in a way that makes me feel as though I am going up against the dreaded claw machine trying to get that iPod nano and the author of this article is standing right next to me walking me through these steps. He is my second pair of eyes surveying the side while i view the front angle. The author, Mike Smith, also throws some sense of humor into the article at the very end when he states, when all else fails, use your little brother or sister to climb into the machine and hand out the prizes. This made me chuckle because I could just picture a really little kid climbing into the machine. The author did also state that the little boy from Australia who did do this, was not hurt, but not to try it at home. It was just listed as a joke suggestion. Throughout the article, you could get a feel of the authors personality just by little phrases that he would use. I would definitely read another article from this author again!
Monday, February 27, 2012
Monday, February 20, 2012
HP beginning
Witches, wizards, wands, magic, three-headed-dogs and flying broomsticks, why is the Harry Potter series so appealing to multi generations? J.K Rowling began this series June 1997 when she released the first Harry Potter book. The first movie was released November 2001. The final book was published July 2007. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II was released July 2011. This series was around for fourteen years, more than half of my life. Growing up, I could never get into the series like a true Harry Potter fan. I would watch the movies, but the made up fictional vocabulary of the books turned me away at a young age. This is my story of reentering the Harry Potter world with an open mind and seeing where the wizard world takes me.
"Call me Hagrid," he said, "everyone does. An' like I told yeh, I'm the keeper of keys at Hogwarts - yeh'll know all about Hogwarts, o' course."
"Er - no," said Harry.
Hagrid looked shocked.
"Sorry," Harry said quickly.
"Sorry?" barked Hagrid, turning to stare at the Dursleys, who shrank back into the shadows. "It's them as should be sorry! I knew yeh weren't gettin' yer letters but I never thought yeh wouldn't even know abou' Hogwarts, fer cryin' out loud! Did yeh never wonder where her parents learned it all?"
"All what?" asked Harry.
"ALL WHAT?" Hagrid thundered. "Now wait jus' one second!"
He had leapt to his feet. In his anger he seemed to fill the whole hut. The Dursleys were cowering against the wall.
"Do you mean ter tell me," he growled at the Dursleys, "that this boy - this boy! - knows nothin' abou' - about ANYTHING?"
Harry thought this was going a bit far. Be bad been to school, after all, and his marks weren't bad.
"I know some things," he said. "I can, you know, do math and stuff."
But Hagrid simply waved his hand and said, "About our world, I mean. Your world. My world. Yer parents' world."
"Er - no," said Harry.
Hagrid looked shocked.
"Sorry," Harry said quickly.
"Sorry?" barked Hagrid, turning to stare at the Dursleys, who shrank back into the shadows. "It's them as should be sorry! I knew yeh weren't gettin' yer letters but I never thought yeh wouldn't even know abou' Hogwarts, fer cryin' out loud! Did yeh never wonder where her parents learned it all?"
"All what?" asked Harry.
"ALL WHAT?" Hagrid thundered. "Now wait jus' one second!"
He had leapt to his feet. In his anger he seemed to fill the whole hut. The Dursleys were cowering against the wall.
"Do you mean ter tell me," he growled at the Dursleys, "that this boy - this boy! - knows nothin' abou' - about ANYTHING?"
Harry thought this was going a bit far. Be bad been to school, after all, and his marks weren't bad.
"I know some things," he said. "I can, you know, do math and stuff."
But Hagrid simply waved his hand and said, "About our world, I mean. Your world. My world. Yer parents' world."
"What world?"
Hagrid looked as if he was about to explode.
"DURSLEY!" he boomed.
Uncle Vernon, who had gone very pale, whispered something like "mimblewimble." Hagrid stared wildly at Harry.
"But yeh must know about yer mom and dad," he said. "I mean they're famous. You're famous."
"What? My - my mom and dad weren't famous, were they?"
"Yeh don't know... Yeh don't know..." Hagrid ran his fingers through his hair, fixing Harry with a bewildered stare.
"Yeh don't know what yeh are?" he said finally.
Uncle Vernon suddenly found his voice.
"Stop!" he commanded. "Stop right there, sir! I forbid you to tell the boy anything!"
A braver man than Vernon Dursley would have quailed under the furious look Hagrid now gave him; when Hagrid spoke, his every syllable trembled with rage.
"You never told him? Never told him what was in the letter Dumbledore left fer him? I was there! I saw Dumbledore leave it, Dursley! An' you kept it from him all these years?"
"Kept what from me?" said Harry eagerly.
"STOP! I FORBID YOU!" yelled Uncle Vernon in panic.
Aunt Pentunia gave a gasp of horror.
"Ah, go boil yer heads, both of yeh," said Hagrid. "Harry - yer a wizard."
In this scene, we are introduced to a young boy. This boy has been invisible his whole life and was just told he is a wizard. In this wizard world, his name is known by every witch and wizard for surviving the dark wizard, You-Know-Who (Voldemort). Now everything he has known in his 10 years of life will be literally turned up-side-down.
Hagrid looked as if he was about to explode.
"DURSLEY!" he boomed.
Uncle Vernon, who had gone very pale, whispered something like "mimblewimble." Hagrid stared wildly at Harry.
"But yeh must know about yer mom and dad," he said. "I mean they're famous. You're famous."
"What? My - my mom and dad weren't famous, were they?"
"Yeh don't know... Yeh don't know..." Hagrid ran his fingers through his hair, fixing Harry with a bewildered stare.
"Yeh don't know what yeh are?" he said finally.
Uncle Vernon suddenly found his voice.
"Stop!" he commanded. "Stop right there, sir! I forbid you to tell the boy anything!"
A braver man than Vernon Dursley would have quailed under the furious look Hagrid now gave him; when Hagrid spoke, his every syllable trembled with rage.
"You never told him? Never told him what was in the letter Dumbledore left fer him? I was there! I saw Dumbledore leave it, Dursley! An' you kept it from him all these years?"
"Kept what from me?" said Harry eagerly.
"STOP! I FORBID YOU!" yelled Uncle Vernon in panic.
Aunt Pentunia gave a gasp of horror.
"Ah, go boil yer heads, both of yeh," said Hagrid. "Harry - yer a wizard."
In this scene, we are introduced to a young boy. This boy has been invisible his whole life and was just told he is a wizard. In this wizard world, his name is known by every witch and wizard for surviving the dark wizard, You-Know-Who (Voldemort). Now everything he has known in his 10 years of life will be literally turned up-side-down.
(work in progress)
Monday, February 13, 2012
Materials and culture
Which elements impressed you most in terms of materials space/objects affecting culture?
I think some of the most memorable things in the Harry Potter series would be the robes and wands. Each house has their own uniquie robes and every witch or wizard have their own unique wand that just speaks to them. When I say speack, I do not mean speak as in words, but speak as in, this wand was made for them. It is like an extension of their body. I think that these items affect the culture because these are physical objects that the Harry Potter fans can physically touch. Children dream about which house the sorting hat would place them into and get a cloak according to their belief. Young kids (and even adults) pretend that they can actually do magic and duel in spell fights with one another. This may seem ridiculous, but the people participating in these duels actually carry out what the spells are. Some of these spells are silly little ones that make you babble or untie your shoes or make you turn into liquid. These kids try to imitate these spells as best they can. Ten there are the forbidden spells. These are the spells that bring pain, suffering, and even death onto those who cross the wrong witch or wizard. Some kids, when they feel that they are being beat, will resort to these forbidden spells and cast them upon their opponent. Their opponent will then immediately freeze, and fall stiffly to the ground. Imitating exactly what happened to Cedric Diggery in the fourth Harry Potter book when He-who-must-not-be-named cased the "Avada Kadabra" spell(the immediate death spell).
I think some of the most memorable things in the Harry Potter series would be the robes and wands. Each house has their own uniquie robes and every witch or wizard have their own unique wand that just speaks to them. When I say speack, I do not mean speak as in words, but speak as in, this wand was made for them. It is like an extension of their body. I think that these items affect the culture because these are physical objects that the Harry Potter fans can physically touch. Children dream about which house the sorting hat would place them into and get a cloak according to their belief. Young kids (and even adults) pretend that they can actually do magic and duel in spell fights with one another. This may seem ridiculous, but the people participating in these duels actually carry out what the spells are. Some of these spells are silly little ones that make you babble or untie your shoes or make you turn into liquid. These kids try to imitate these spells as best they can. Ten there are the forbidden spells. These are the spells that bring pain, suffering, and even death onto those who cross the wrong witch or wizard. Some kids, when they feel that they are being beat, will resort to these forbidden spells and cast them upon their opponent. Their opponent will then immediately freeze, and fall stiffly to the ground. Imitating exactly what happened to Cedric Diggery in the fourth Harry Potter book when He-who-must-not-be-named cased the "Avada Kadabra" spell(the immediate death spell).
Friday, February 3, 2012
Cultural object for Harry Potter
The cultural object that I have chosen is more than one thing. It is the Harry Potter book series. This is my cultural artifact because I feel that is the start of the Harry Potter craze. The books provide the history and back story and is truly what got the Harry Potter fans interested in the series in the first place. Nothing more would have happened with the series if it wasn't for the books. Everything has stemmed from them. Whether it be the movies, the online websites, the college Quidditch teams or the Universal Studios Harry Potter world... It all dates back to the books!
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Academic discourse
The standards of school means different things to every individual. I'm going to talk about my own personal discourse. Starting in high school, grades meant everything. Everyone was trying to achieve that 4.0 or above gpa. I say everyone, but it really wasn't everyone. There are always those kids that just get through school because it is a requirement by the government. Anyways, students had to receive the highest grades because everyone wanted to brag about where they were going to school. I truly enjoyed my first two years of college at Christopher Newport University, but it was not something that I bragged about. After I got into school, grades were not on my top priorities list. My new discourse was finding myself. My freshman year of college I struggled with grades. I went from being a 4.0 student to having a 2.5 gpa my freshman year of college. I had lost my motivation for school. Then when I made up my mind to transfer, grades became my top priority. Now I had to prove to Belmont that I was someone that they should let attend. I kicked my butt and got things done. In a year I raised my gpa from a 2.5 to a 3.0. For two consecutive semesters I made dean's list. I was now riding on my high horse because I had found my motivation again. After spending my first semester at Belmont, I have come to the conclusion that, grades are not what makes the world go round. Grades are not going to get you that internship that you really want. My attitude towards school changed. I am still driven by grades, but I do not let them run my life. I have released that stress of that "I have to get good grades" and have just let things happen. In doing so, I have found that I am actually doing better than when I was stressing about getting good grades.
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