Author: Tom

  • 3 Documentaries that Inspired me

    3 Documentaries that Inspired me

    Number 1 has got to be the film “Super-Size Me” part 1 and part two “Holy Chicken”. Wow this guy puts our food into perspective. He really does an amazing job at highlighting how misleading the food industry is in every way. Due to these films and others like them I have become aware of the importance of reading ingredients on the packaging and encouraging others to do so as well. In part 1 he really went the extra mile to show the effects of food on him personally and backed it with evidence. In part 2 he showed us how easily the industry can manipulate labels on “organic” “Free range” food.

    Number 2 is more of a series of documentaries called “Man vs Wild”. This show really intrigued my wild side and left me aching for adventure. Bear Grylls travels the world attempting to survive in every climate and how to reach rescue. During his adventures he creates shelters and eats some interesting things. Whether or not he was ever actually in a survival situation is irrelevant to me as he showed the world what people can do to survive while on some amazing adventures.

    Number 3 is most definitely “Salvador Dali: Master of Surrealism”. This film truly gives insight into the madness and creativity of the great Salvador Dali and how he became so successful. The biggest take always from this great artist are to be bold and creative but never underestimate the importance of business.

  • Cartoon Avatar Creation

    Cartoon Avatar Creation

    I chose to make my cartoon avatar on the http://southpark.cc.com/avatar website. This link took me directly to the avatar creation page where I was only able to use Butter’s body type, but I was able to customize the skin color somewhat. Overall, there were a good variety of customization options. Some customizations had more options than others. I did enjoy the meme phrases they provide as they brought back the laughs from when I watched this series years ago. The process of customization was made easy with simple navigation and clicks that were easy to understand with a good layout and design.

    I would like to see more features added to this site for users to have more creative freedom in their avatar choices.  For example, if we had the ability to make a fat Cartman avatar with the meme “Respect my authority” fans could have more fun with the creation of their own cartoon characters. I do believe that more options could be added without taking away from the South Park theme.

    Fan sites such as this are a great way to promote engagement by allowing fans to join in on the fun of creating their own avatar cartoon character. I think this cartoon would have been successful even without this feature, but it does keep South Park more relevant than it would have been otherwise.

  • Proust Questionnaire Reflection Essay

    Proust Questionnaire Reflection Essay

    What is your motto or words to live by?

    “It ain’t about how hard you hit. It’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward. How much you can take and keep moving forward. That’s how winning is done!”. – Rocky Balboa. This quote is a description of my life. I have been up, and I have been down, but no matter what happens I keep working to move forward.

     Who are your heroes in real life?

    My father is my hero because he is the greatest example of a man who puts his family first while still maintaining an entrepreneurial spirit running his own business.

    What would you consider your greatest achievement?

    My greatest achievement is the help I provided people when they needed it most.

    What do you most value in your friends?

    Respect, honesty and trust are the foundation of all relationships. Without it there is no relationship.

    What type of documentary would be about me? Expository, Participatory, Observational, Reflexive, Performative, or Poetic? And, why?

    Participatory because the greatest story there is to tell about me is my hard headed stubborn will to survive and how I got into cycling after my gull bladder was removed. I lost a lot of weight and got into great shape. I have since gained a ton of weight and lost my fitness after losing my job at the mill. I am now on a mission to get back into shape and restore my health through bicycling and photography.

  • Adobe Photoshop Creations Made Using a Gaming Laptop Computer

    Adobe Photoshop Creations Made Using a Gaming Laptop Computer

    This is just a quick video to show you what is possible to create in Adobe Photoshop. This video that I created also shows what I have learned so far. My ability to create is quickly growing and outgrowing my current computer system. I am looking forward to upgrading my equipment and expanding my ability to create amazing videos in Adobe Photoshop.

  • The Hero’s Shape

    The Hero’s Shape

    At the beginning of this quarter, I wrote an essay on the shape that I identified as part of my introduction, and I chose the rectangle. I chose this shape due to my desire to embrace what the shape stands for: Calm, Security, and Order. I still very much desire these things. To exit the stressful mindset and enter serenity sounds wonderful. Ultimately, this shape never really defined me, it is just what I desire. In my younger years I could really be defined as the creative splotches shape. I was once very spontaneous and unpredictable. I was never afraid to try new things or travel to new places. I was fearless back then.  Through this quarter I have learned to embrace the Hexagon shape as I have learned to trust the process more, improve my communication skills and balance the work loads between my classes and home life priorities.

    I don’t believe that I can be defined by one shape alone. I have been defined by many different shapes over the years. Constantly changing and evolving as I have grown. Although my process through life has not been traditional by any means, I do believe that my experiences are my greatest inspirations that will help me to truly make the most out of this college education and will be the reason that I succeed. Maybe one day I will be able to know what it’s like to be the Rhombus shape as my efforts pay off and I can enjoy luxury, sophistication, and an abstract lifestyle.

    Shape meanings acquired from Psychology of Shapes in Design: A Guide for Visual Storytelling

  • My 3D Key to Success

    My 3D Key to Success

    I chose the “Curiosity” key to success because I am a very curious person, and that curiosity has led me to seek answers. I have learned so much over the years being a curious person. Upon choosing this key I was tasked with creating it in 3D. I was intimidated greatly by this as I had no idea what I was doing. 3D seemed so complicated and well, it’s kind of is at first. There are so many apps to choose from in which you want to create 3D work and none of them work the same while also not all of them work to be able to import work into Second life. Without an industry standard app to work in, I settled on using a mix of Adobe Illustrator and Blender. WOW, it was easier than I thought to create this key. I scaled it to size and even gave it color and texture. The key looked amazing, and I was so proud of it that I couldn’t wait to show it off. I turned in my key eagerly awaiting feedback. I was astounded to learn that my key was way too big to be in the Second Life app as it had the record largest land impact. Although my key was not a complete success, it was created well and despite the size I still like it. The creation process has shown me what is possible and more importantly, things to consider when constructing 3D objects. I believe the keys in Second Life are important as they continue to inspire new generations who dive into the world of 3D showing them what they can create.

  • Perspective

    Perspective

    I think most people get comfortable with their perception of reality and easily get stuck inside of that box. Once upon a time I was a kid who would sit in front of this magical wood box that showed black and white pictures with static distortion, and I thought it was the greatest thing in the world. The magic of that black and white TV had more of an impact than I thought as it also helped to shape my view of the world. I think the word that describes it might be nostalgic. It characterizes a “simpler time”.

    Fast forward to today after spending time working with 3D applications and WOW “That’s one giant step for man, one giant leap for mankind” (quote from Niel Armstrong) kind of difference. Before this class, I never realized how much that I thought in a 2D mindset. Now that my eyes are open, I can’t unsee what I have seen. My thought process is different and for the better. For one, my image editing is improved through taking 3D into consideration with object placement and lighting in photographs to create more of a window effect. 3D is also something I am taking into consideration with video in the same way as photography. I will continue using and improving on 3D use as I am sure that I have only begun to scratch the surface of possibilities.

  • The Future of Film

    The Future of Film

    The future of films truly is an exciting topic. With the rise of AI quickly taking hold and becoming widely available to the public, we now must ask ourselves “are multimedia jobs at risk?”. When we look at AI generated videos on social media and we see people loving them with comments, likes and shares it is easy to see how people can be entertained through AI with very few people being able to spot the AI use. This new technology also has the benefit of being more affordable to create as you now just need a good computer with an internet connection and a subscription to AI software. No more paying actors and all the headaches involved with that. No more buying expensive cameras, lenses and microphones. No more spending countless hours editing video and audio or doing retakes. Now you can simply type a text prompt and create stunning advertisements, commercials, YouTube content, full length films and cartoons. That being the current ability of AI, what will the future of AI be like as technology further advances? Now with all of this said, I wonder what my role in this new future will be. Obviously giving up is not an option. I believe that my best course of action is to invest in a good computer and learn how to utilize AI, not just to create AI videos. I now see myself utilizing AI to enhance my creations using a mix of both my photography videos with the AI generations. I believe this will be the best way to incorporate real life with AI which will be beneficial for where AI does lack ability.

  • Movie that was used as Propaganda

    Movie that was used as Propaganda

    Propaganda is defined as information that can be biased or misleading and used to promote a point of view. My favorite movie that fits this has got to be Mike Judge’s film “Idiocracy”. Of course, I could just write about movies such as “Reefer Madness” which was a film created to scare people with mis information about cannabis so that new laws could be passed outlawing its possession and use. I could also go in depth about the reasons for it, but I’m not trying to beat a dead horse on an overplayed subject. Instead let’s talk about “Idiocracy” and why the film is not only relevant in today’s world, but also why the message sticks so well and will probably always hold true. This movie utilizes big name actors and a 2+ million-dollar budget to create an epic comedy to convey a point of view on how society is and where it is headed. This combination of use does an amazing job at captivating the audience with a political subject that offends people without any backlash. Because of this the message of inflation and lack of priority on education really takes hold and makes people think, at least subconsciously. While propaganda is usually misleading information, I must wonder if this really qualifies as propaganda given the events of inflation since this movie’s creation in 2006 when a cup of coffee was still under buck. Certainly, this movie may qualify to be a warning of the future.

  • Extended Reality Engagement and Education

    Extended Reality Engagement and Education

    Extended reality engagement and education are quickly becoming the new reality of education. Extended Reality In Learning: Revolutionizing Education – eLearning Industry  talks about a new dimension of learning with extended reality but not limited to just that. Through a mix of virtual reality, augmented reality, mixed reality, and extended reality, future education can be taken to a higher level providing 3Delements to truly engage the students with more available information. This leads to a 90% retention rate of the information. This is possible because of what extended reality can do. A class like this can take a boring old history class and transport you into the past where you can experience history firsthand. You can learn to perform open heart surgery from your bedroom with the visuals and motion as if you are in the operating room. You can also rearrange the periodic table of elements as if they are building blocks bringing more of a hands-on approach to learning chemistry. All of this and more can be done with cost savings in mind. This also solves the problem of “everyone has a different learning style” as learning paths can be personalized for each type of person. Imagine a world where everyone can learn based on their specific needs and you just may see a world where we are all advanced in education and society leaps into the future because of it. With more people having access to education tailed for them we may also see new technology coming into the world like the cartoon “The Jetsons” which was the first time I ever seen “face time”, now maybe the flying cars will become the next reality.

  • Special Effects

    Special Effects

    example 1

    When special effects are used correctly in films, they will draw an audience into the scene and for a moment they will believe what they are seeing is real which enhances the message being sent. It truly takes some creativity and ingenuity to pull off special effects correctly. In the early days of film people had to truly innovate to create special effects and even. In today’s world we have a lot of shortcuts with the rise of computer technology, but these shortcuts do not and never will replace the creativity needed to perfect them.  When special effects are done poorly it is easy to spot and then the message of the film is distorted as the viewer exits the belief in what is being shown. Kind of like putting up an invisible wall.

    My all-time favorite special effects ever created comes from the 1993 film “Jurassic Park”. The special effects were so well done that they were very believable and drew me in through the entire movie. They used robotic and animatronic dinosaurs with custom made skins mixed with computer technology, CGI. They also use 3D storyboards which I found interesting, especially compared to my chicken scratch storyboards. Since the making of this movie, special effects have even further advanced and with the progression of technology I am excited to see what films will look like in the next 20 years.

    example 2

  • Virtual Collaboration

    Virtual Collaboration

    In today’s world there are many ways to work on projects with a team virtually such as these ones featured on this blog site 6 Best Collaboration Tools for Remote Teams [Tested in 2025] or even the ones listed on this blog site 15 Best Remote Collaboration Tools in 2025 (Free & Paid). Of course, there are also apps such as Adobe that allow virtual teamwork on projects. With all the technology in today’s world it is so easy to be productive from anywhere in the world as long as you have an internet signal. It has become so easy to stay connected which can lead to spending an unhealthy amount of time working online, something that I struggle with. Spending too much time on the computer can lead to health conditions such as weight gain, muscle loss, vision loss, and more. The list goes on, but in short if we don’t get out and live our lives we have no mental break and without exercise we lose our health. That is why it is so important to learn how to create a balance between living life and working from home such as outlined in these books listed on 15 Work-Life Balance Books to Help You Take Control of Life – LifeHack. When we have a healthy balance of work and life, we can maintain optimal health both mentally and physically. We can do this through creating a schedule or a pie chart to dedicate time to each task throughout the day. In the Book Ready Player One some people spend so much time in the virtual environment that they literally become obsessed. Find time to enjoy life and work will not only be more pleasant, it will be easier to complete.