Spark's Marks

2010-08-26T18:31:00.000-07:00

Wow, haven't been on to talk about anything in a long time. Hmmm......more to come soon! :)

The Keeper

2009-12-09T12:05:00.000-08:00

After using some pretty awesome elements in Photoshop CS4, I was able to create this movie poster for our assignment in the Introduction to Multimedia Class. It had to be a horror movie poster, and even though I don't enjoy horror movies at all, (I'd much rather prefer an action or adventure film) it was a fun poster to design.
So to all horror movie lovers, perhaps in the near future in a theater near you, The Keeper will haunt your nightmares and your wallet............

Infamous

2009-12-04T06:54:00.000-08:00

The game Infamous has been pretty overrun the past few months by games that demand and command much, much more of people's time, money, and attention.
Sony has been trying to figure out how to get gamers to get the Infamous disk spinning back up, and so they came up with thier infamous plan.
Starting December 10th, the ''Gigawatt Blades''' super-poer is going to be released for free out to everyone. This awesome super-power, which was quoted by Sony to perform, "massive damage", was originally only available as a pre-order incentive.
Along with this super=power Sony also announced that the game will be dropped in its price to $40.00, and have its soundtrack released later this month.
Thus far, Sony's Infamous has sold 1.2 million copies, and it hoping greatly to sell more.......

A Website Usability Test

2009-11-26T14:36:00.000-08:00

I looked for a website to use for this website usability test and thought that none other than my awesome best friend Chris Teubert's website would work perfect for this assignment.
Being that today is Thanksgiving and that I am at home with my family, I had my sister test the usability of Chris Teubert's website.

Here are the questions she read, tried, and answered:

Chris Teubert’s Website Usability Test

1. How do you locate a webpage about a local author?
Click on links, then click on local author’s webpage.

2. How many ways can you contact Chris Teubert?
Three ways

3. Find the Iowa State University link.
Click on links, then click on the Iowa state thing under useful links.

4. Where would you find a free website template for yourself?
At the bottom of any of the pages.

5. What is Chris Teubert’s Facebook status?
“Is home for Thanksgiving!”, found under Facebook Badge.

6. Can you find Heidi and Chris’s picture in Den Haag?
Yes, under Europe Pictures, under Heidi’s Visit.

7. What do you think of the overall site? Is it relatively easy for you to navigate?
The site is nice, I like the graphics, and yes everything was fairly easy to find.

Trial and Error: Creating a Simple Website

2009-11-23T07:19:00.000-08:00

After our assignment to create a website was given, the trial and error to creating the website was an experience of learning many new things as well as refreshing old skills I already knew from past experiences.

It's not a beautiful or complete website by any means, but it is a start.......

Spark's Marks: Original Website

"Rumor Has It............."

2009-11-20T06:35:00.000-08:00

Rumor has it that there are some new multiplayer modes for Modern Warfare 2. Overall there are 3 total modes. There is the VIP which is just like the Counter-Strike; Capture the Flag, which has a single flag between two teams; and Global Thermonuclear War, which one side has to capture. Once captured, everybody is killed after everything goes "ka-blooey!"
Apparently, if you look through everything written on-screen, you can somewhat make allegations that these new mulitplayer modes all tucked away on the disc. All tucked away on the disc just waiting to be unlocked.....
Tantalizing, isn't it?

"Biggest Launch in History" ?

2009-11-13T07:13:00.000-08:00

Activision claimed yesterday that Modern Warfare 2 is the "biggest launch in history across all forms of etertainment," and that means not just games, that means all and every form of entertainment.
The only criteria for this lay solely based on that it applies to North America and the United Kingdom and based on the total revenue gained in the first 24 hours.
Activision claims that the Modern Warfare 2 launch beats the biggest-selling album launch in US history. This was 'N Sync's "No Strings Attached" album, which sold only 2.4 million copies in seven days . Thus was with estimates of 1.4 million sales in the first 24 hours. In the United Kingdom Oasis' "Be Here Now", sold just under one million copies in its first week on sale.
The champion when it comes to the books is Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
which in its first 24 hours sold 8.3 million copies in the US and 2.65 million in the UK. That's 10.95 million happy customers, which easily trumped Modern Warfare 2's 4.7 million copies sold. However, being that this is based on revenue Harry Potter's revenue of $197 million still does not beat Modern Warfare 2's $310 million figure.
For the movies, the current record-holder for a movie launch is 2008's The Dark Knight. It sold $66.4 million in its first 24 hours in the United States and in the United Kingdom and Canada, it is still not anywhere near the $310 million of Modern Warfare 2. However, in units sold, The Dark Knight had about 9.2 million movie-goers.
In the gaming industry, Grand Theft Auto IV set a new record for "biggest game launch", selling 3.6 million copies and earning $310 million, which, in speaking in terms of revenue, is very close to Modern Warfare 2. However, Grand Theft Auto IV statistics is based just in the United States, Canada and United Kingdom. Once Europe and Australia is factored in, Modern Warfare 2 will be able to hold the title as king of the "biggest launch in history".
So, cheers to Modern Warfare 2! :)

The Return

2009-11-05T14:39:00.000-08:00

Want to play Modern Warfare 2? Want to discuss it with the rest of Kotaku?
Looking back Kotaku experimented with its own version of a Book Club and has decided to bring back the Book Club for next week's Modern Warfare 2.
Kotaku is hoping to create a discussion among the Kotaku Community, and as Brian Crecente put it last year in his Kotaku Game Club announcement: "My hope is that it will get me and you and all gamers who participate to look beyond the graphics, the gameplay, the routine and perhaps think about games the way people think about a good book or a good movie."
There will be a whole itinerary for the game starting Wednesday November 11th through Monday the 16th.
The Game Club is for all the gamers who want to debate and discuss their experiences, in addition to appreciating the game in a close way. And to see who can really resist playing ahead of the Game Club Itinerary.......

And The Winner Is...........

2009-10-28T17:36:00.000-07:00

The Guinness Book of World Records awarded the world record for the longest winning streak on Tekken 6 to Mr. Eliot Smith-Walters, A.K.A. Shadow Force. Winning 68 consecutive best-of-three matches at the London MCM Expo over the weekend, Shadow Force only lost 9 rounds and racked up 25 perfects during the course of his streak.
However Mr. Eliot Smith-Walters did this feat, official representatives of the Guinness World Records were there to witness it. Mr. Eliot Smith-Walters winning streak will be entered and published into next year's Guinness Book of World Records Gamer's Edition.
According to the Guinness editor Gaz Deaves, Mr. Eliot Smith-Walters surprised everyone, and stole the record from Super vs. Battle 2009 champion Phil "Dinosaur" Mackenzie.
The standard of play was very high, and if you can win 68 consecutive times in a row, maybe it's time you started hanging around and becoming good buddies with Guinness World Records officials.

The Ideal Classroom of the 21st Century

2009-10-25T21:32:00.000-07:00

A presentation on the ideal components of a 21st Century Classroom.

The Boys Are Back in Town

2009-10-23T22:49:00.000-07:00

Well, then again, these guys are everywhere. From the comic books, to the movies, to games, the Marvel Superheros are indeed super; Super big, super well-known, and super well-liked.
The newest game on these supers, is the Marvel Super Hero Squad.
It was first developed by Blue Tongue and then consequently published by THQ to be used for the Wii on October 20th. If you would like to buy this game, the going price right now is at $39.99 USD. There are additional versions available, and exist for the PSP, the PS2, and the Nintendo DS.
The game has tiny cartoon versions of all your favorite Marvel villains and heroes who race to collect the Infinity Fragments hoping to either forge them into the notorious Infinity Sword to take over the world, or to prevent this terrible scheme from happening.
This storyline is taken right from The Super Hero Squad Show on Cartoon Network, but nonetheless, kids, as well as Adult Marvel fans find this game to be pretty cool, however definitely meant to be a kid's game. There are glitches and other minor things that do not make this game a top-notch one, but for the time being it is still considered to be pretty cool.

A Real Treat for the "Retreat"?

2009-10-18T15:50:00.001-07:00

We all see it everyday in our day-to-day lives, and really, are not bothered by it unless we let if get to us, but nonetheless, we are affected by it. Product placement, whether it be in ads, tv series, or the movies, is everywhere we look, and urges us to spend our money, as well as our time, on getting the products that are advertised to us. In one of the newer movies that have recently come out, "Couple's Retreat," which has pulled in over 34 million dollars on its first weekend, the product placement of the game Guitar Hero has had people asking questions.
While many other brand name products were placed throughout the move, like Bud Light, Captain Morgan's and Crunch Gym, the game Guitar Hero was used to further the plot of the movie and showcase the newest version of Guitar Hero, "Guitar Hero 5".
Vince Vaughn and co-screenwriter John Favreau adore the Guitar Hero series, and wrote it into the script, knowing it was a perfect way to showcase the game and play it too.

Unofficially Epic.............Maybe...

2009-10-11T11:24:00.000-07:00

Microsoft has cooked up yet another project known as "Project Natal", and Epic Games (makers of Things Unreal and Gears of War) are fully enraptured with it. In an official interview, Vice President Mark Rein called the company's quite popular Ureal tech, "the official engine of Natal," and that he also considered Unreal to be the "economice engine of Natal," where developers should go if they want "a big headstart" and the use the same technology as Microsoft uses.

It was also stated by Vice President Mark Rein that one shouldn't be surprised to see Natal's motion and sound detection controls in future Epic Games titles. Rein also stated that he has no idea what will happen from a game standpoint, but from an "engine standpoint, it's definitely cool stuff, and we will support it."

It is very possible that any future X-box games that Epic Games creates will have some Natal Support.

An Alternative to Email

2009-10-03T21:54:00.000-07:00

A Collaborated Project on the Alternative Solutions and the Future of Email

Future of Email Poll Results

Best Future of Email Project in the Class? » ProProfs Polls

"What up Dawg?"

2009-09-30T14:53:00.000-07:00

Though the stakes may be high, everyone has got an ace up their sleeve, just waiting to be unleashed...

With the great and imagination-inspiring holiday of Halloween just around the corner, Kotaku visitors are posting the scariest Halloween-ish images they can come up with, and scary they are indeed!

In addition to this, while half of Kotaku may be jet-lagged, everyone is keeping awake by commenting on video games and other such media on the Kotaku forum. Whether it's morning or night, Kotaku will keep you awake, and keep you going, no matter the time.

In addition, the word on the street is that "Super" is back into the gaming lexicon, "the once again perfect prefix for quasi-sequels." So, as Kotaku stated, consider the Official Kotaku Forum a Super Talk Amongst Yourselves, this edition containing "tweaked moves, new characters." Enjoy!

The BioShock, Circa 1882

2009-09-23T14:09:00.001-07:00

BioShock (c. 1882) was upon first sight, quite interesting. Not entirely sure what it was, I clicked on the picture and began to read the enormous amount of comments made on this particularly eye-catching item.

This Bioshock suit is known as an ADS, acronym for atmospheric diving suit. The ADS, is a"small one-man articulated submersible of anthropomorphic form which resembles a suit of armour, with elaborate pressure joints to allow articulation while maintaining an internal pressure of one atmosphere. The ADS can be used for very deep dives of up to 2300 feet (700m) for many hours, and eliminates the majority of physiological dangers associated with deep diving; the occupant need not decompress, there is no need for special gas mixtures, and there is no danger of decompression sickness or nitrogen narcosis. Divers do not even need to be skilled swimmers." -(Wikipedia)

Many of the comments posted were interesting enough, but as I read through them, I kept asking myself why a photo of an ADS was on the Kotaku website. The answer was soon clear enough, and I learned that it was the screengrab of the particular moment on Kotaku.

I guess it is like my mother always said, "You learn something new everyday...." and indeed I did. My life is now better, or should be anyways, after finally learning about an atmospheric diving suit.

2009-09-16T13:35:00.000-07:00

Apparently on the Kotaku website, it's time for another Kotaku party.

After reading the article, I found it quite interesting that this year was the year they decided to go with a subtle, casual setting. Something that, quote on quote, "envelopes you in warmth and subtleness......"

It would seem that from the image at the right, that all gold is the enveloping and subtle experience that Kotaku is looking for. This all gold room is at the Trump House in Shibuya, where Kotaku is hosting its Tokyo Kotaku Reader party.

The party is going to be hosted this very Monday coming up, from 8:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. There are no promises of actually getting inside this room if you plan on coming to the party. The Golden Gopher event in LA was to full capacity very, very quick, and it is suspected that the same will happen for this room of full gold.

Raay Kurzweil-Ted Talks-Response

2009-09-14T13:42:00.000-07:00

I believe that technology will transform us, however, after reading the comments below on this video, I am not so sure that technology will evolve us as fast as Mr. Kurweil believes. I also believe that if we are not careful with the technology we have now, and are too eager for the exciting opportunities ahead, that we will move along at a pace that is not truly understanding nor comprehensive of the technology we are dealing with. Mr. Kurzweil believes that nano-bots will be in our bloodstream, replacing the red blood cells, and that this kind of technology will be circa 2020's. Technology is a very good thing, but we also need to fully understand and appreciate the importance of it and what we wish to do with it. Or, what we planned for the technology, and the turns it takes, may be entirely different that what we had pictured for our future.

Ray Kurzweil Video

Star Wars, No Matter How Great.......May Be A Little Past Its Time.......

2009-09-14T01:06:00.000-07:00

As I was reading through the Kotaku website, the blurp about Star Wars caught my eye. I have only seen one movie of Star Wars in my entire life, but of what I saw, I liked, and therefore decided to read this article as it pertained to Stormtroopers. However, being that the article was only two short paragraphs long, I learned that, as exciting as Stormtroopers may be, this Star Wars Galaxies game was pretty lame sounding to begin with, and even more so after I read that the Stormtroopers were now Zombies in the game, therefore making more exciting ways to kill the so-said Stormtroopers-now-turned-Zombies. Honestly, why is everything about Zombies these days? And just like the article stated, "Still won't make Galaxies fun, but it'll at least make it good for a laugh," seems to be a very accurate statement. Then again, I've never had a chance to experience the game, and who knows, maybe a rampage on killing Zombies makes any game fun.............

Email Addiction

2009-09-08T18:55:00.000-07:00

I believe different email clients foster different email habits. For instance, look at Gmail. Everything is at your fingertips, and it is easy, navigable, and self-explanatory. Other email clients are not so user-friendly as the Gmail, and though Gmail may be small in the scheme of things, with Yahoo Mail still dominating, Gmail is continuing to grow.

As a Gmail user myslef, I find it very helpful, especially with things like Google Documents, Calendars, Photos, Chat, and E-mail.

All in all, Gmail seems to be the newest and most up and coming email client for email users, and in time, may soon be the biggest email client out there. -Sparks Marks