Why I hate MAC's

I'm not the arguing type, but when it comes to arguing MAC's over PC's, I have yet to be defeated.

I'm a PC supporter and proud of it. I know they've had their downfalls in the past, but look at the now. PC's are stronger than ever and really, they play fair compared to MAC's. PC supports everything a MAC does and doesn't put out advertising bashing the other. MAC on the other hand will do anything it can to be separated from the PC world. None of the programs are compatible from MAC to PC, MAC's only allow certain formats of programs to be opened while PC allows any of them.

I've never had a PC crash in my life, I've had several MAC's crash on me and cause me to lose work just within the last few weeks. Where's the reliability?

When I bring up this topic, MAC owners always have the same reasons for buying one. "Oh they're just better. They're way better for design. They don't get viruses. They look so much better. They don't crash." None of those arguments have an ounce of truth to them. MAC is a simply a new fad that people are catching on to because of the advertising being shoved down their throats.

PC's are much cheaper, they perform better, and offer a much broader range of tasks. You can do anything on a PC, so why buy a MAC?

Paying Homage to an Icon

For this post I would simply like to make it known that I am a huge fan of 90's rock.

And being so, I grew up listening to the ever-popular Big Shiny Tunes Collection. Each year, a new album of timeless classics would be unveiled and they ruled the sound waves of my Discman.

What happened to the popularity of Big Shiny Tunes? The quality of music went down- way down. Before I knew it, Big Shiny Tunes included songs by bands like The Killers and My Chemical Romance. That's not the Big Shiny Tunes I know and love.

Nevertheless, I remain loyal and to this day have each album on my iPod and never miss a song. That is, of course, only if it was released before 2001.

I'm going to end up like this guy....

I won't lie, I'm an animal lover through and through. I got a new cat yesterday and within minutes we were like old pals. I'm sure me and CJ will be the best of friends for years to come.

Fantasy Football- My guiltiest of all pleasures

Right around the beginning of every football season I always start to get the itch, the itch of wanting to know every single possible thing I can about the players in the NFL. I want to know where they grew up, where they played in college, what kind of player they are, what they ate for dinner on November 18, 1997.

For the last three years, I've finished in second place of every league. I don't know what it is, but I always do good enough to finish just a hair behind the winner. Basically, I never lose money, but I don't win anything so I did all that work and I have nothing to show for it- not even an empty bank account.

This year, I aim to change. I aim to be great. If I have to suffer through many hours of watching football, reading articles on football, thinking about football and playing football, then by god I'll do it... I'll take the pain. To show my dedication to the sport, this video shows it well...

Can this product make me a millionaire?

No, but it made me a couple hundred bucks.

So for my part-time job I am a sports equipment salesman and until a few months ago I never thought of it as much of a job... Until now.

Easton hockey has been kind enough to reward anyone who sells a pair of their EQ4 skates.

The reward?

20 bucks cold hard cash for each pair you sell. As of late, I have sold 6 pairs, which, with my poor math skills, comes to around 120 dollars of easy money.

Why has this made my job so much better? It's easy, I want to make more money and when there's a client giving us added incentive it only sweetens the deal. The sell comes easy because I will do anything to make that extra money. Plus, I know everything there is to know about the skates so that's a lesson I can take with me into my schooling.

KNOW YOUR PRODUCT.... It helps you sell anything to ANYONE.

The Ad That Changed My Life

So on this Monday night as I settle in to watch the Monday night game between the Chicago Bears and the Green Bay Packers, I can't help but remember just what it was that influenced me to join the program Creative Communications.

It all began in my senior year in high school when my teacher told me I should. That made me think about maybe doing it, but then Old Spice released a new campaign showing how male celebrities went from being somewhat nerds in high school to being the epitome of manliness.



Two notables from that campaign were LL Cool J and Brian Urlacher. It was Brian Urlacher who convinced me that a difference can be made through advertising because I actually began using the very product he was selling. It was powerful with its simplicity.

Of course, Brian Urlacher is a linebacker with the Chicago Bears, so tonight during the game, I owe my entire education and my future career to Brian Urlacher.

The dreaded iPad

It's been a long hibernation, but Jordan's Sparks On Sports is back! For my first post of the new era, I will be going off topic and will give my first impressions of the iPad.

For advertising class, each student was given an iPad to share with a classmate and I have spent one full week with it so far. Here are my pros and cons:

Pros: - Angry Birds
- Makes people jealous
- Makes me feel rich

Cons: - Angry Birds
- Have to spend money to get decent apps
- If it didn't have apps, there would be almost no use for it


I'd have to say that so far, Angry Birds has been the only app that I've made use of and it's been a real hit. Not only has it been a hit with me, but everyone in the household loves it as well. I now see why this game has become in international phenomenon and even has it's own level walk through videos Out of all the time I've spent playing it, I'm sure almost everyone else has spent just as much, if not more, time playing it as I have.

So what's my final verdict on the iPad? If you're anything like me and hate sharing one thing with four people, just make everyone buy they're own iPads. If they don't want to fork out the cash then too bad, they had their chance.

The Evolution of Life...or Just Video Games

As a young boy in the 1990's, of course I was exposed to tons of video games. One of my early favorites was the Mortal Kombat series. There was a strong storyline behind it and it always kept me coming back for more. I always wanted to go through the journey of defeating the lords of the OutWorld with a different character. Perhaps it was the awesome karate, or maybe it was the story behind the characters, or maybe it was just seeing Sonya Blade in a bikini top, but I was enthralled by this game.

Looking back on my experiences, there were other titles that rivaled the back story of Mortal Kombat. Some notables from my past include, Pokemon (which I still play to this day), Prince of Persia, Doom, Duke Nukem, Halo 1, Gears of War, and the list goes on.

One thing that I've noticed as the years have come along, the stories in video games have evolved, and maybe a little too much. When I think about the story of Mortal Kombat, I think about how the characters are very one-dimensional, and that's the way it stays. But nowadays, the characters in other games are becoming too complex. We are seeing glimpses of their entire personality and it is making the game too real. Sure, this is probably doing well with keeping the player's interest, but it is also allowing the player's to become more involved in the game, which is taking over their lives.

By having your own avatar on Xbox360 or having your own Mii on Wii, you may become more focused on living a better life through that alternate character, and not enough on your own life.

By having video games become to rich in character development, and by allowing people to create their own characters, this may be the beginning in a new level of social awkwardness. Children will only know how to interact with their friends through alternate realities. It's unhealthy. Sure, an imagination is healthy, but when your life is revolving around a game, it's sad.

I think that more video games should go back in time and revert to the old ways of Mortal Kombat or Pokemon. You can't really control what they do or how they act, but you are them, only for a little while.

Goon!

For those who aren't too familiar with the game of hockey, they may think it's just a bunch of overgrown men trying to hurt each other.

These people couldn't be more wrong. To excel at hockey, you need to be the strongest and fastest you possibly can. And to get control of the puck, you sometimes need to use your body to move the other player. On, at times there are a few rare "gems" who are allowed to play the game who clearly go onto the ice with the intent of injuring another player.

These guys have no judgment and only thrive on inflicting pain.

What I'd like to know is... how did this goon make it all the way to the NHL?

Possibly the most annoying song ever?

I'm all for national pride. I'll proudly say that I have caught the Olympic fever. I find myself watching figure skating and sitting on the edge of my seat in excitement. Then the best thing ever happens... Canada actually wins! But the problem is the programming that comes next, the dreaded montage. And of course there is only one song that will be played during those montages and that song is I Believe. This song will be stuck in your head for days and you won't even know half of the words. It's been haunting me for almost two weeks now. Enjoy....

Facebook VS. Twitter

At times, the thought of Facebook and Twitter makes me cringe, then at other times when I think about them, I say to myself, “Hey, this gives me something to do to kill five minutes.”

If I had to choose between the two, Facebook wins hands down. Why you ask. It does all the work for you! Facebook has all the statuses of your friends and all their little events happening right there on the front page. A quick read through, and bam! You’re “up-to-date” in a matter of seconds. Now, I use the term “up-to-date” loosely because checking up on Facebook really only tells you so much. All your friends might throw a few song lyrics on their status, or even an entire song on their status, but how is that considered news? I believe all people are doing on Facebook status updates is expressing what’s on their minds. Most of the time there are no “important updates” or anything to keep me remotely interested, but reluctantly, I keep coming back to it.

Now on a positive note, it does succeed in keeping me connected with friends and family. Sending a message and having a conversation couldn’t be as easy as it is on Facebook, even though you have to refresh your page all the time. Having a Facebook account means that you want to have the ability to connect with everyone you know, and some people that you don’t, through little bits of info, and one-line conversations.

When it comes to friends on Facebook, I’m probably real friends with about a third of my Facebook friends. There’s a loose definition of what friends really are on Facebook. Just because you know them, doesn’t make them your friend. But who am I to talk? I got so caught up in the hype of having tons of friends that I didn’t care who sent a request.

Professionally, there’s a huge opportunity using Facebook. You can create a fan page and post all kinds of information and offer videos and articles just like an actual website. The only difference is that when you update the page, your fans will receive notice of these updates. You can’t argue with free publicity. The opportunity for quick feedback from fans is tremendous. It helps you tailor your strategies and marketing plans to your audiences so there is little need for alternative research. That is, if you have a good enough amount of feedback.

I’m a Twitter virgin. I created my account a couple months ago and to date, I have 11 posts. I have never found a use for Twitter and I probably never will. I think the cause of this is that I never have and never do update my Facebook status, which, in my opinion, is essentially all Twitter is. I know you can do all kinds of cool things with Twitter, but I’m not a very outspoken person, so I’ll probably never find a true interest in Twitter. Perhaps it’ll grow on me, but I doubt that.

As long as a have my Facebook page, I’ll be quite satisfied with my connectedness (that’s actually a word?). I can keep in touch with my friends and can communicate any message I need to.

Facebook:

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Give Your Thoughts

Recently I've been wondering why the rules of co-ed volleyball are tailored for girls. I was always taught that men and women are equals. I've seen girls play that can play like men. So why are the rules the way they are?

I asked this question to three separate girls and got the same response every time.

Silence... followed by a glare and "shutup....."

Why can no girl give me a reason?

Please, anyone and everyone give me your thoughts on the subject.

Volleyballers Victorious with Victory

I played in a volleyball tournament on the weekend of January 22-24 in Riverton, Manitoba.

It was a great time and fun was had by all. Here's a little video I made of the event.

Check out these digs

When I was playing basketball and volleyball throughout high school I always had my favorite shoes on. I stuck out like a sore thumb on both teams because I was the only player that ever wore basketball shoes.

Here are the originals.



Those lasted me throughout my entire high school career. After two years of being out of high school, they have diminished and left me with only memories. It was time that I stepped up and got myself a new pair to rekindle my old ways and hit the hard court one more time.

Here's what I'm wearing now...



Hopefully these bring me luck in my volleyball tournament this weekend.

Off Topic- In the Chamber 2010: Last Men

On Friday night at Rachel Browne Theatre, roughly 125 people, including me, gathered in the small amount of stands to watch In the Chamber 2010.

The play was directed by Sarah Constible and was written and performed by Steven Ratzlaff and Gordon Tanner. The opening act of the play showed a man in bed with his wife/girlfriend as they battled for the covers. Right after that the woman began to relieve the man of his morning wood, which was quite out of place considering the rest of the play.

The first scene, which took place in a hotel room, was a monologue given by a man played by Gordon Tanner, sending a video-taped message to his boss. Tanner portrayed a man who's been working as an agricultural engineer for quite some time and he is upset with the current state of their equipments safety. Basically, he delivered a 45 minute speech on the events surrounding a barn fire that killed 15,000 pigs. The speech lost focus throughout some parts, but it was delivered very convincingly by Tanner. His acting was brilliant as he was able to memorize such a large amount of lines and still deliver them all with passion.

After intermission, Steven Ratzlaff took the stage which was set as a restaurant as he faced a table full of his former co-workers which were represented by white balloons. Like the previous scene, Ratzlaff delivered a 45-50 minute speech on his experience with divorce and losing his child who died of a malformed heart. As his speech went on, the boredom and offensiveness became unbearable for his guests and they left one by one. By the end of the play, he was left having a conversation with the one waiter left in the restaurant(played by Gordan Tanner). The conversation took the scene into a whole new direction which, again, made the scene really lose focus and take the audience into a different state of mind.

The acting in this play was outstanding, but the it relied way too much on dialogue and not enough on action or climatic events. Overall, it was not for me.

Is a Super Bowl win in the Cards?

The NFL regular season has finished and the playoffs are well under way.

Personally, I'm a huge Arizona Cardinals fan. I have been for about four years so I like to consider myself a die-hard, but that's besides the point.


Last year, my hopes and dreams were coming true. The Cardinals made a very long playoff-run and they were surprising skeptics all around North America. Their offense was rivaled only by the likes of Peyton Manning and the Colts and Drew Brees with the Saints. It was that offense that took the Cardinals all the way to the Super Bowl. Not only did they get to the big game, but they only lost by one touchdown in the final minute.



I don't really like to bring up that last section much because it brings up memories of a time when I seriously bruised my knuckles on both hands from punching walls at my friends house. My dreams of the Cardinals winning the championship were shattered.

Their is a thing in the NFL known as the "Super Bowl hangover." What that refers to is when a team makes it to the Super Bowl and then lose, they usually end up finishing somewhere near the bottom of the league in the following season. The Cardinals, once again, surprised all critics and skeptics and avoided the Super Bowl hangover.

Now entering the second round of playoffs against the mighty Saints, the Cardinals will once again make the run to the big show. Or, at least I hope they will, or else I'll be coming to school with a cast on my hand.

How the term "bake-off" came about

In P.R class, we've been discussing pseudo-events held by companies and celebrities and businesses throughout the ages. One event that caught my eye was the long-running Pillsbury Bake-off.

The contest, whose first official name was the "Grand National Recipe and Baking Contest," was created in 1949 as a way of celebrating the 80th birthday of Pillsbury, but some may see it as a way of getting quick and easy publicity. Basically, the main task for contestants was to come up with a brand new recipe using only Pillsbury ingredients and have the best tasting dish.

Originally, it was meant to be a one-time event, but popularity rose and the advertising team at Pillsbury decided to hold the event for one more year. Gradually, the "Bake-off" grew into an annual event that brings in loads of publicity.

The very first winner of the event was Theodora Smafield of Rockford, IL. She received a grand prize of $50,000, which, in that time was a very large amount, and still is. The most recent winner, Carolyn Gurtz, took home a whopping grand prize of $1 Million.

Needless to say, this contest has come a very long way from a one-time only baking contest, to an internationally known... baking contest.

A true all-star of pseudo-events.