My Love and Hate of Technology

This might as well be me. (Photo: TEACH Magazine)

I love technology. I would much prefer to type something than hand-write something. and obviously I love social media.

I used to think I was pretty good with technology. I even won a computer technology award in eight grade (I think they had to find an award for everyone).

I am coming to realize, I'm not as tech-savvy as I thought I was. I am pretty good with Windows and Android products, which use a similar operating system.

However, I am awful with Apple products. This is not a good thing with the fact that I want to go into journalism/media. Everything is Apple products and software.

Being the Sports Editor of The Spectrum, Sacred Heart's student newspaper, we use Mac's and Adobe InDesign. Every week I have issues and have no idea what I am doing or how to fix problems I run into.

Also, taking media production and radio production courses, I have no idea how to use the Mac programs. For some of the programs, I can get them, or pretty close equivalents on my PC, but the fact that Sacred Heart uses Mac's, they no not teach the PC equivalent.  

I just had to write this today as it it the first production Monday of the semester (and my final semester) for The Spectrum. I'm sitting in the office waiting for programs to be fixed and someone who knows more than me to come help me/fix the problems.

That's All She Wrote.....On The Packers Season

At least the Packers didn't rip our hearts out with another late-game playoff loss. But a loss is a loss and their season has come to an end. 

Green Bay lost to the Falcons 44-21 in the NFC Championship Game, and the game wasn't even that close.

Congrats to the Falcons and best of luck in the Super Bowl.

The Packers came back from a 4-6 record and won eight in a row to make the NFC Championship Game. In that respect, it was a good season and was a fun ride as a fan. However, just as with the Yankees, it was unsuccessful because it did not end with a championship.

Aaron Rodgers is a fantastic quarterback, but injuries hurt the Packers and then need to play better defense. This is not just coming off of today, because Atlanta has a great offense, this has been the last few seasons. 

Crazy that it had been seven years since the Packers Super Bowl. That's not a long time for most teams, but the fact that Green Bay has been in the playoffs every year since then and not made it to the big game, it feels like forever.

I feel like changes need to be made (others saying it as well), but I've been saying that for the past few years and no much has happened, so we will see. 

If it's Falcons vs Patriots in the Super Bowl, I'm rooting for Atlanta. If the Steelers beat the Patriots, I'll be pulling for Pittsburgh in the big game.

To that end, I'll be writing a Super Bowl Preview for The Spectrum, The Spectrum Heart University Student Newspaper. The preview will come out a week from Wednesday, so be sure to check it out. 

Good luck to the Steelers and Patriots in the AFC Championship. 

Forever and always, Go Pack Go. 

Journalism and Media

 
My friend, and great journalist, Susan Shultz, posted the above on Facebook yesterday. You can read Susan's work in The Darien Times. What Susan posted is so true.

As as aspiring journalist/media member, it is annoying when people make comments about how bad the media is.

There is no doubt that the media world is changing, but the media will always be around, and journalism will always be around, in one form or another.

There is online journalism, like blogs (yes, blogging is journalism, in my opinion) there is also radio and online streaming, which is all part of journalism. There will always be a need for journalism. 

Journalists are just doing their job to provide information to the public. They are not trying to hurt anyone. It's a job, just like any other job. Nobody wants others to bash what they are doing in their lives and the way they are making money to support themselves and their families.

With that said, I'm not saying all journalists do everything correctly. There are obvious exceptions and as Susan says, we shouldn't generalize about a group of people, whether we agree with what they are doing or not.

There are a lot of journalists, like Susan, who I have the utmost respect for. These are journalists who do their job with integrity and without an agenda to make it about themselves. A journalist should not be part of the story, in most cases.

However, there are journalists who want to make it about themselves and think that they do everything correct and if you don't do or say something the way they want, you are wrong. This is not the case.

January 4th

As I said in a previous post, we all have dates that are relevant to us for good or for bad reasons.

For me, and my family (two different parts), January 4 is one of those days.

My Uncle David passed away on this date in 2005 and my grandmother passed away on this date in 2011.

I think about them both all of the time, when different things are mentioned and certain events come up.

I am have a weird memory and remember all the events of both of those days and the surrounding days, both before and after. Doesn't seem like 12 and six years, respectively. I could write everything I remember about those times, but that is not necessary.

Just keep remembering. Always in our hearts.

Christmas Tree with notes written to Uncle Dave

Packers are NFC North Champions

Packers/Giants from 10/9/16 (SS Photo)

 The Packers were 4-6 through 10 games. Then they ran the table and won the NFC North. They defeated the Lions on Sunday 31-24.

The Packers will host the Giants in the NFC Wild Card round on Sunday at 4:40. The Pack won 23-16 at Lambeau on Oct 9.

However, Packers/Giants match-ups in the playoffs have not gone well in the past (for the Packers). The Giants won the 2008 NFC Championship 23-20 in OT (Brett Favre's last game as a Packer.)

Then, in 2012, the Giants handled the Packers 37-20 in the NFC Divisional Round

Both years the Giants went on to win the Super Bowl. Hope the reverse happens this season.

When the Packers were 4-6, Aaron Rodgers said they could win out, and the indeed did run the table.

Need four more wins to finish the deal.

Should be fun next week.

Go Pack Go!

Thanks, Giants

Yes, the Packers are in the playoffs!

The Packers clinched a playoff berth thanks to the Giants defeating the Redskins, therefore eliminating Washington. The winner of tonight's Packers vs Lions game will win the NFC North. The winner will host the Giants, while the loser of tonight's game will travel to Seattle and face the Seahawks. 

Should be a fun (hopefully), but nerve-racking night. Excited to chat with fellow Packer fans, AJ Szymanowski and Jack Began, among others. Good luck to Lions fans, Brian Silvestro and Sean Close.

I'll probably be back during and/or after the game to write more.

Go Pack Go!