Advice to the young ones....

Hey guys! So, my advice to you for your time in CS1300 is:

1) Make sure you have a buddy to do homework with - that way, if one of you forgets how to do a certain step in a program, you can help each other out.
2) Check out the assignment ahead of time and start early. It may take longer than you expect.
3) Speaking of, don't forget to do the homework! It could really negatively affect your grade.
4) The more creative you are, the better!
I hope you learn a lot during your time with Ms. Belisle!

.....and the most outstanding work is:

The final assignment for CS 1300 produced some amazing and innovative websites. My three favorite ones however belonged to:
1) Moira Allen - My favorite thing about this site was the navigational bar. Each hyperlinked icon on the bar was made with pictures that she took, and therefore work as a superb way to showcase her talent as well. I love the way in which the design is simple and allows easy accessibility while at the same time, is pleasing to the eye. The homepage is chic with a single picture (that looks like fashion photography) and a couple simple words to greet the visitor. Moira's page is a true treat and designed with exquisite artistic technique.
2) Alex Holmes - Words cannot describe how much I love this page. The design using cartoons is ingenious. Alex's creativity shines through this website, which makes it all the more fun to browse thru. Looking through this site, it is evident that a lot of work and time went into the construction. I throughly enjoyed looking at this page and think that it could be put on the web for mass public enjoyment. Oh, and as a avid photographer, I ADORED the section with the pictures related to Poi.
3) Sam Elder - I really enjoy the overall premise of this page. I like that Sam put the assignment to good use and created a site that will be used for a purpose continually for years to come. It has good information, a nice layout, and is easy to navigate.

Visit the websites by clicking on the names below!
Moira Allen
Alex Holmes
Sam Elder

Photoshop makes dreams come true.

Please visit my website at www.cs.trinity.edu/~llozano!

I hope you enjoy the site, I put a lot of time and effort into it and went through many "rough drafts" of layout designs until I found one that I liked. To create the site, I used Expression Web to write the HTML code(and adjusted my picture sizes by hand and re-coded the dimensions). I'm most proud of my home page because I think the design was able to be most controlled here, and I like how it turned out simple, but eye-catching. Furthermore, it is the page that kicks off the whole site! If I could have changed anything, I would probably have done my fonts in another manner that was easier. I reality, I used photoshop to create the text captions, saved them as a picture and imported each section onto my page. My biggest technical challenge was struggling with Photoshop to get it to do what I wanted. I wasn't as savvy with the program as I originally thought. Oh, shoutout to Erin Dooley! - she helped me figure out how to finally get different aspects of the program to work how I wanted them to. My website wouldn't have looked nearly as good without her Photoshop help. My bniggest design challenge was figuring out how to design a navigation bar that I liked and looks simple, classy, and cute. I'll probably show my site to people who want to see my photography, or to people who want my help in creating a site for themselves. I don't know if I will make another website in the future for class, but now that I know how, I am helping a family member make one for a business they have over the summer.

Why YOU Should Know How to HTML Code

Attention Web Designers: It is important that you learn immediately how to code in HTML form.
You may be asking why do I need to learn how to HTML code? I can use a software such as KompoZer instead. With the software, I just need to type the information I am inputting in a Word-like document, and my page will be instantly created. But, let me say: Stop right there cyber-wiz! By using a software, it may be efficient but what if you want to personalize your page more than the software will allow? Well, you won't be able to because you will be constrained by the programs knowledge. Furthermore, what if a new and more sophisticated code is developed for writing websites? With a basic knowledge of HTML, it will be simple to build-off of that and add the new coding to create a mind-blowing phenomenal website! Don't hold back your creativity and be lazy by using a program, invest your time and energy into learning HTML code and the possibilities will be endless, and the quality of work will be superior to anything created by a software that could go out of date. HTML code however, will always be around as the cornerstone and building blocks of the internet.

A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Lies

Shown above is My Picture That Lies. I chose a picture of the White House and several pictures of different animals to manipulate and conglomerate. I decided to use these pictures because I wanted to use a location or landmark that everyone was familiar with and import common subjects into the shot. I wanted to make a picture that would cause people to look twice and question what was going on that such a strange situation was captured on film. I also thought it would be funny to make a political statement with whatever I created. I took the pictures off of Google and imported them into Photoshop where I began to create a new work of art.

The picture was manipulated by changing the hue and saturation of the background, altering the opacity of the animals, and adding text into the image. Additionally, one of the most notable image alterations is the combination of zoo animals on the front lawn of the White House. The background was altered because the color was too dark, so adjusting the hue and saturation provided for a more rich and vibrant color. The opacity on the animals was adjusted so that it wouldn't look as though the animals were added from another picture. The text was added so that my idea for the picture would be fully conveyed to the audience. The manipulation was not harmful. It doesn't defame anyone or convey false ideas, but simply pokes fun at politics.

I also did a little bit of research about the increasing problem of digitally doctoring photos that are given to the public as the truth. My picture relates to the article because the article explains about how to tell if images have been spliced, and my picture has indeed been spliced and re-combined. If there were ever any doubts about if the picture I created was real or not, someone could run my picture that lies through the software discussed in the research article and conclude the truthfulness of my work. The article discusses new software that allows the problem of digitally altering photos to be addressed and help in it's demise.

A helpful quote from the article is: "Today’s technology allows digital media to be altered and manipulated in ways that were simply impossible 20 years ago. Tomorrow’s technology will almost certainly allow for us to manipulate digital media in ways that today seem unimaginable. And as this technology continues to evolve it will become increasingly important for the science of digital forensics to try to keep pace. Along with sensible policy and law, and an awareness of the issues involved, it is my hope that the statistical tools that my lab is creating will help the media, the courts, and our society contend with this exciting, and at times puzzling, digital age."

The article I researched is:
Farid, Hany. "Digital doctoring: how to tell the real from the fake." Significance 3.4 (2006): 162-166. Academic Search Complete.
EBSCO. Web. 12 Apr. 2010.