Blog 4 - Jasmin

"Apache cheapest as $16 billion in deals numbs investors"

This picture of a well in northern British Colombia, Canada is a contrast between warm nature and modern day technology. The warm colors of the sky contrasts with the dull colors of the well. It also uses rule of thirds, with the focus both on the well and the sky.

This picture represents one of the many effects of an $85 billion budget cut: longer lines at the airport. The way they highlight this problem is by rule of thirds, leading lines, and focus point. The blurred background of the long line of travelers makes the lady in the picture seem more distant from her destination.  

Blog 4

Blog 4

The two blogs cover different ranges, each being a specific topic covering a broad range of subjects. IndiaInk covers news and culture topics that are related directly to India, though not being an Indian based blog. Gadget Tech covers technological issues related to changing advancements or problems that have risen more prominently in today's society. Both are adjusted to modern society, and could arguably be cultural. They are certainly both globally related, though IndiaInk certainly targets a more specific audience based on their interest levels; while that could also apply to gadget tech, technology and its developments most certainly affect everyone, whether they have access to it or not.

Blog 4

Joy the baker's blog combines pictures and photos and Amanda Boyce's blog is mostly writing about fashion trends. The baker's blog often discusses experiences she has had in food, so they're similar just food vs. fashion. Joy's blog is more personal and discusses her personal preferences in first person, Boyce's blog is more from a third person's point of view.

Blogs #3 and #4

Two blogs that I follow are The Conscience of a Liberal, an op-ed column by Paul Krugman for the New York Times, and Fashion Toast, a fashion blog by Rumi Neely, a style icon who's been writing since 2008.

The Conscience of a Liberal is an op-ed column published by the New York Times. He's a Nobel Prize winner in economics, with a focus on international economics, liquidity traps, and currency crises, and he's one of the most influential economists in the world today. His blog covers serious topics, of course, such as the value of the euro and the application of Keynesian economics, but he writes in a light, casual, humorous tone and includes graphs, charts, and other visuals to help the viewer process information easily.

On the other hand, Fashion Toast is a blog written by Rumi Neely, a fashion blogger of Japanese, Scottish, and Dutch descent. She writes about her life and involvement in the fashion industry, as well as analysis and criticism of new trends and designer collections. Neely has a strong voice in her blog posts, bolstered by the vivid images, usually taken by Colin Sokol. She describes her travels and experiences to places like Hong Kong, Paris, and more, all the while documenting her outfits and latest finds.

The two blogs are vastly different in content, of course, but they do share the same tone and voice... serious and professional, yet personable. Neely's blog is filled with photography to supplement her text posts, while Krugman primarily posts text with infographics to assist the reader. Personally, I like both formats because they each fit the subject matters of the blogs well.

Blog 3&4

Two blogs I follow are listed below:

1. From Head to Toe is a fashion, make-up, nail (and all-around girly) blog all in one. I find watching Jen's tutorials refreshing and interesting. She uses her face as a canvas; it gives me an artistic outlook on how someone can blend colors and manipulate shadow in their favor. Not only does she talk about make-up but she also posts information and shares stories on her travels, which are also interesting to read. One thing that especially attracted me to her blog was that she made makeup tutorials for monolids (eyelids without a crease). Make-up tends to not show up and eventually smear for those who have monolids, but tutorials found in this blog effectively get around those problems. She has many pictures of her finished looks, which provide the viewer a quick preview.

2. The blog of Kevin (MD) gives updates on the top stories of medicine. As I am curious about how life is in the medical profession, I often read his blog for insight on how doctors deal with difficult real-life situations (as opposed to those seen on TV). He holds a very professional tone; many articles on his blog are resourceful and pertinent to today's scientific world. I consider becoming a doctor a tentative path for my career, so I find the readings especially interesting - perhaps they will be a part of my future.

The two blogs are different as Jen's blog is more personal and artsy/creative. By contrast, Kevin's blog is factual and information-based. Both blogs encompass ideas from other sources. Kevin's blog includes postings of different physicians, and Jen's blog has linked videos and websites of her make-up inspirations. Although the topics that are found on either blogs are on nearly opposite ends of the spectrum, I enjoy both; they provide useful as well as interesting information.

Michelle Huang
Bellaire TPP
Staff Editor

Blog #4

Jane Aldrige, the teenage fashion icon, blogs about her latest fashion advices and vices. She tends to post pictures and adds comments. I really like her blog because she gives her honest opinion about the fashion out there and gives her readers her best advice. She posts fashion that can be worn in different ways, and she gives the reader a more affordable option. She has a young tone and brings her passion for fashion through her writing. By contrast, Michael Becker is much more factual about his writing. His writing is, for one, way more serious. He talks about social/scientific issues. He has a bit more substance to his writing. He remains opinionated though, which I like because it gives it a more blog tone. I really enjoy getting nerd updates from him because he reports over the most random things but never fails to keep us informed. Science is moving at a rapid pace and soon enough we will be hearing about all of his obscure reports.

Cari Bonilla
Bellaire TPP
Staff Editor

Blog #3

This picture uses balance to show students buying their lunch at the food stand. The students on the left are balanced out by the woman on the right, and leading lines tie them together from right to left.

Here students overcrowd a table outside in order to sit with their friends. On either side of the table people stand, chatting with those sitting down. While it would have been better to have more faces, the directions of the students' heads show how they are interacting with their friends. The center of the table occupies the right Rule of Thirds line. 

Blog 4

Eat your kimchi is a blog with a unique perspective. Simon and Martina have lived in Korea for about five years, so they are pretty much assimilated to the culture. They speak the language and know native manners (such as bowing, the difference between informal and formal language etc.). They have a unique perspective because people who don't know them will treat them as tourists, so they can relate the korean experience to people who are just visiting; however, the fact that they have lived there for so long allows them to relate their experiences to korean natives, korean-americans or anyone who is familar with korean culture. 

Wandering Earl on the other hand comes from the perspective of a tourist, and although he slowly learns a lot about the cultures of the 83 countries he has visited, he will always keep the perspective of someone who truly doesn't belong to those 83 cultures. He cannot give as much insight as Simon and Martina because he doesn't stay in one country long enough to fully assimilate into the respective culture. 

Both blogs are extremely heavy on visuals. Wandering Earl utilizes a lot of pictures (at least 10 per post) and the occasional video blog. Simon and Martina however, mainly utilize their videos on youtube to relate their information to their audience. It seems as though Eat Your Kimchi is more of a v-log with text supplement, and Wandering Earl is the opposite.

I much prefer Eat Your Kimchi's version of blogging because the v-logs don't require the listener to pay constant attention and allows for multi-tasking.  

Blog #4

This photo of the British Prime Minister symbolizes a momentous occurrence, the first visit by a British premier to Jallianwaga Bagh. It had a profile shot of him with a balanced composition. The contrast between the Prime Minister's skin and the building in the background help him to stand out. 

Here is another picture from the Prime Minister's visit. This one is more lighthearted, with the men in suits being bare footed and leaning over a stove making flat bread. It captures the men's enjoyment of the situation as well as showing how the Prime Minister is attempting to participate in their culture by adopting their head wear. 

Blog #4

Claudia Feldman and Jodi Gonzalez both typically blog about more light-hearted subjects such as fashion or an uplifting story about someone rescuing an animal. Gonzalez's blog is more informative in that it tells readers where the best sales are and what is in style. She uses her blog to allow readers a look into the current fashion of Austin. Feldman's blog is more narrative as she tells stories about middle class families and different stories of happy and sometimes a bit sad people and families. I enjoy Feldman's blog because it is interesting to hear different people's odd stories and uplifting narratives.