Hey everyone. I have to say, I am SO happy to be able to be typing this right now. No no, that wasn't sarcasm...for once. These past two weeks have been a little unpredictable and frustrating with the internet on campus. I don't know the entire story, but there were "electrical problems" in the library, resulting in us losing internet for long periods of time the week before spring break. WHAT! NO INTERNETS???  What is a college student to do?!?! 

Well, for most people it was just a mere annoyance. However being a graphic design major, most of my classes right now involve heavy internet and computer work. So every time I would boot up my trusty mac and see the "Unable to Connect" dialog box, I would get dizzy. In fact, my palms started sweating and I began having the shakes. My roommate even considered painting our room navy blue to help me cope with my Facebook withdrawals. Then we realized the dean would probably not be too happy or understanding when it came time to take the paint off. 

Anyways, we finally got the problem fixed (or so we are told), and all connections (internet, email, webCT, etc) are back. For now. Either way, the entire ordeal made my fellow classmates and I realize how huge of a role technology plays in our academic and social lives. What's that cliche saying...."You never know what you've got until it's gone". Yeah, well.....dang, I missed you internet. Over and out. 

Hey all!

Well, I did manage to get my macbook back from the shop and those guys did a good job.  They really take care of you if you’re under warranty. They fixed my problem, which was my logic board giving out. Then they gave me a new keyboard, new mouse trackpad and clicker button, new battery, and they fixed all the plastic frames on my laptop’s case (some of them had cracked from being tossed around)…yeah, all of that was free! How cool is that?

Now, I know there’s been a bitter argument between Mac and PC users. I’m gonna tell you what, I use and like both, so I’m gonna give you guys the lowdown.

If you’re an artist, I think a lot of schools recommend you get a Mac. I know a few art schools in Cincinnati even require it. Well, that’s not all bad. If you’re in Graphic Design, Web Design, or Interior Design, chances are you’re eventually going to work in a place that’s going to make you use a Mac. So you might as well learn while you’re ahead.

Very important question: Do you like to play computer games? If you’re only on bejeweled and peggle, those are still made for mac, but if you want the high-end games like Half-life 2, Crysis, Call of Duty, Left 4 Dead… any of those ringing a bell? If you want video games on your computer, you want a PC. No question.

The cool thing about my mac, is you can buy the extended warranty and you’re going to get first class service repairing that mac at any apple store in the country for free as long as your extended warranty is in place. As of right now on this mac, I’ve had something close to $2000 in repairs on it, done completely for free. That’s not to say they’re not sturdy. My screen had one line of dead pixels on it, not a killer, just annoying. They gave me a new screen, back to me in three days. My escape key and my F1 key on my laptop keyboard fell off. They gave me an entirely new keyboard. Get the picture? You’re not gonna get service like that on any PC I’ve ever heard of without a HUGE price tag attached.

Here at the mount, all of the web printers and the login sytem… that was all originally designed for windows. If you’ve got a PC, that’s all gonna work for you pretty easily. If you’ve got a mac it still works, just not nearly as easily.

Last but not least, Adobe Products. If you’re gonna use Photoshop, Illustrator, Flash, or anything else made by Adobe, those all run smoother on mac. I’ve used the same programs on a Mac and a PC and they just work a little bit nicer on Mac.

So there you have it. Choose wisely! They’re both cool, they just do different things!

The hour grows late and I still have homework that’s due tomorrow! Wish me luck!

Man it’s a computer nightmare! 

I have a Macbook Pro which I purchased through the Mount when I was a frosh a few years ago. Anyway, the computer, even though it’s 3 years old still is an awesome little machine! But she decided to go south on me last Monday. My techy friends theorize that either my graphics card dies, or my logic board decided to quit. I don’t know yet, but it’s been over a week, and I want my laptop back!

Computers break, for better or for worse. There are signs all over school that show laptops that have been destroyed and read in huge letters: “LAPTOPS AREN’T INVICIBLE. BACK UP YOUR DATA” Even looking at those, I never really did. It wasn’t until I almost lost my computer earlier this year that I really started religiously backing up my data. 

I got all my data back last time, but I really think that this time my hard drive is going to come back blank.

If you have certain computers, our ISS department might be able to fix your computer right here on campus. But if you have a Mac like me, the only way to get it fixed is to take it to the apple store. Now, the apple guys are usually fantastic. If it’s anything short of a major hardware problem, they’ll fix it right there in store. Last time, my entire operating system was corrupted. They reinstalled it right in store, they let me go buy lunch while they did it. Fixed in about 2 hours, didn’t lose any data. 

However, I had a scare there. Since then, I’ve backed up my data fairly often onto a large external hard drive I keep in my dorm room. So before my computer messed up this time… I can’t remember how recently I had backed up my stuff. I know I lost some of my files, I hope not very many. I’ll have to wait until I get my mac back to see.

Thankfully the Mount has lots of computers for me to use, so I’ll be okay in the mean time. It’s really hard to get by without my calendar on my computer! 

Anyway, hopefully I’ll get it back soon! In the mean time, I got class!

See you all soon!

  Hey everyone.  So, something that has been on my mind a lot lately is this whole oil crisis and raising gas prices.  It was something I didn't think a lot about until I went into the the Transportation class at the Mount.  It's actually one of my favorite classes I've been in since I started going to school here.  What has happened is I've actually become informed on whats happening in the world.  Kinda scary huh.

  Basically, we have a semester long project which is to record every trip we take in a car, taking into account how long the trip was, mileage, and when we refuel.  It's kind of early to see how the results are going to turn out, but it really makes you aware of how much you drive.  The really cool thing about the class is, you get information that you wouldn't normally hear.  For instance, at our current oil usage rate, the world will be completely removed of its resources in about 37 years.  Also, we got to look at the presidential acceptance speeches.  I have never really been into politics, but when you are watching it with a focus on something, you really hear what they are saying.  For example, in about two hours of speeches between the two candidates, there was about 5 minutes of talking about the energy crisis and about 20 minutes of McCain talking about war experiences and Obama talking about helping people on the streets.

  So what am I going to take from this class?  It's kind of funny actually.  I'm like, man this is a serious problem.  The world is going to heat up, the oceans are going to rise, and stuff is going to happen that I don't think will make me happy.  Unfortunately, I'm not going to stop driving my car, and that's about all I'm doing.  So, the problem is that we need to make a change, but how do you even know where to start?  Both the candidates have plans in place, which I personally found Obama's to be more promising.  The downside is, that no matter what we do, things are going to change whether we like it or not.  The times, they are a changing...  Have a good day everyone.

- Jesse