One of the most important components of this course was William Zinsser’s On Writing Well. (Notice I said, “One of the most important components...,” not “I think one of the most important components....”) I did not agree 100% will all of his suggestions, but most of his ideas were logical.
Like Strunk & White, Zinsser advises us to trash any superfluous words. (Is “superfluous” too complex for this piece, Mr. Zinsser?) For the most part, this is good advice. Already in this piece, I’ve resisted the urge to write, “I think that,” and used “were” instead of “seemed to be.” Zinsser recommends “clean” writing without frills or jargon. Each word must have a purpose and value. Important words should stay, useless words should go.
He also recommends we take the time to write a good lead. Whether it be one sentence or one paragraph, we need to capture our audiences’ attention.
The section about the school administrators relearning how to write struck me the most. Here are people who are teaching our kids to write, yet they cannot craft a simple letter to their students’ parents. By creating friendly pieces with easy vocabulary, administrators and businesspeople can reach their intended audience. In addition, personalizing the piece (using the dreaded “I”) can make a reader feel as though the text was written for him and not by some emotionless robot.
Finally, I appreciated Zinsser’s advice to write for ourselves, and not for anyone else. If we like our pieces, someone else may like them, too. If we try to please everyone or hijack a style that is not our own, we will lose our voice.
There were some parts of the book that failed to capture my attention. For example, the entire section on boring writing was extremely boring. Zinsser told us not to lose our readers, yet his writing was so dull that I skimmed through several pages.
In the section about memoirs, Zinsser talked about his article on a childhood toy. Although his audience may not have had direct experience with that particular toy, Zinsser said his readers could still relate to the story of having a favorite childhood toy. This made the piece relevant to all readers. However, earlier in the book he wrote about baseball. In fact, there was an entire chapter on sports. I could not relate to this chapter at all, and often skimmed the parts about baseball. Zinsser, you’re not holding my attention!
Overall, the book is a worthwhile read, and I will surely keep it on hand.
Showing posts with label The Narrator. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The Narrator. Show all posts
Saturday, March 10, 2012
(Rewrite) Playing Devil's Advocate: On Stray Cats
The Assignment: Play the Devil’s advocate in your chosen niche. Find a provocative stance or an unexpected thesis by writing about and exploring a contentious or confusing issue and then make your argument. Try picking an argument you normally feel strongly about and take the other side.
--
You hear them at night: feral and stray cats calling to their mates or brawling in the alley ways. They are a huge nuisance in the United States, especially in cities. Wherever there is a steady food source, the cats will survive: near homes, near restaurants, and anywhere with a population of rodents or birds.
Cats procreate rapidly, quickly infesting the neighborhood. They carry germs, parasites, and diseases which can be passed on to humans. Unfortunately, they are a danger to public health, so responsible persons should act quickly to eradicate the problem.
With a steady food supply, cats multiply quickly. The gestational period for a feline is two months, and she usually has three to six kittens in each litter. A female cat can become pregnant immediately after giving birth. She will often have several litters per year.
Her kittens become sexually mature at five to six months of age. Then they procreate. The cycle continues. Before long, there are hundreds of inbred cats infesting the neighborhood.
Aside from the noise, these cats—who are essentially wild animals due to lack of human socialization—carry disease. They are magnets for fleas and mites, and can spread parasites, such as giardia, to humans.
Although many groups advocate trap, neuter, and release programs, these programs do not remove the problem. It is true that a population of neutered cats will not grow as rapidly as an intact population, but they still infest the same areas. They are still a major problem for the residents and businesspersons who must share their space with these cats.
For this reason, it sometimes becomes necessary to humanely euthanize an entire population of cats. Once the colony has been eradicated, it’s important to remove all food sources. If residents and businesses continue to leave unsecured dumpsters or provide seed to local birds, another stray colony will move in to the same location.
Once the cats and food sources are removed from a particular area, it is unlikely that a new colony will move in.
Thursday, March 8, 2012
My Classmates’ Projects In Review
My Classmates’ Projects In Review
Brunel’s Ghost
I have to admit, I had a hard time understanding what this character was about at first. This is what I gather: Isambard Kingdom Brunel was an engineer in the 1800s. This blog seeks to promote history by creating a “ghost” voice for Brunel, and proposes to integrate Brunel’s life into the modern day by creating an interactive tour where participants can visit a variety of places linked to Brunel’s legacy. Is that right?
I suppose, if this were a “real” project, the creator would have to get permission from the estate to use Brunel’s likeness. I’m not sure, though.
What I like about this project is that it promotes a specific historical figure. Re-enactments and the like are right up my alley. Making history “come alive,” for students as well as the general public, is a worthy endeavor.
Dvosara Ten
The concept of Dvosara was very difficult for me to grasp, mostly (I think) due to the writing style. I had a hard time understanding the posts, and my inability to decipher the language made me feel unintelligent. However, I persisted with reading each post and eventually got some idea of the character.
From what I understand, Dvosara is a character somewhere out there in space. She has found a way to contact earth’s internet, but she doesn’t know for sure that the information is current or if earth even exists. Still, she continues to communicate just in case it does exist. I think we (the readers) are supposed to become thoughtful and introspective after reading her posts. We are supposed to look at ourselves in a new light. I’m not 100% sure this is the intention, but that’s how perceived the writings.
Other Comments:
Uptown She: I loved your voice and appreciated your ability to use humor to grab my attention.
Bumpnoggin: Your pitch video was excellent.
ComTechSolider: I liked your critique of a social media campaign. You took a popular television show and analyzed its ability to communicate with its audience. Nice job.
Passion For Paws: Love your topic!
Brunel’s Ghost
I have to admit, I had a hard time understanding what this character was about at first. This is what I gather: Isambard Kingdom Brunel was an engineer in the 1800s. This blog seeks to promote history by creating a “ghost” voice for Brunel, and proposes to integrate Brunel’s life into the modern day by creating an interactive tour where participants can visit a variety of places linked to Brunel’s legacy. Is that right?
I suppose, if this were a “real” project, the creator would have to get permission from the estate to use Brunel’s likeness. I’m not sure, though.
What I like about this project is that it promotes a specific historical figure. Re-enactments and the like are right up my alley. Making history “come alive,” for students as well as the general public, is a worthy endeavor.
Dvosara Ten
The concept of Dvosara was very difficult for me to grasp, mostly (I think) due to the writing style. I had a hard time understanding the posts, and my inability to decipher the language made me feel unintelligent. However, I persisted with reading each post and eventually got some idea of the character.
From what I understand, Dvosara is a character somewhere out there in space. She has found a way to contact earth’s internet, but she doesn’t know for sure that the information is current or if earth even exists. Still, she continues to communicate just in case it does exist. I think we (the readers) are supposed to become thoughtful and introspective after reading her posts. We are supposed to look at ourselves in a new light. I’m not 100% sure this is the intention, but that’s how perceived the writings.
Other Comments:
Uptown She: I loved your voice and appreciated your ability to use humor to grab my attention.
Bumpnoggin: Your pitch video was excellent.
ComTechSolider: I liked your critique of a social media campaign. You took a popular television show and analyzed its ability to communicate with its audience. Nice job.
Passion For Paws: Love your topic!
Sunday, March 4, 2012
Social Media Campaigns: The Ag-Gag Petition
Pick a current social media campaign and critique it with an eye on your goals. Look at how the growing conversation is affecting our world. Then discuss your social media ideas for your online presence. Will you concentrate on Twitter or YouTube and why?
This year Iowa Republican John Mathis sponsored HB187, legislation which will outlaw undercover video in food production facilities. Animal rights and animal welfare activists are up in arms because undercover video is often the only way to collect evidence in criminal animal and human abuse cases. Unfortunately, despite the use of social media to campaign against the bill, Iowa governor Terry Brandstad signed the bill last Tuesday after it passed the House and Senate.
Below are some examples of how concerned citizens utilized the internet to protest against HB187, also known as the "Ag-gag' bill.
Twitter
Many groups and individuals used Twitter to pass information using the hashtags #AgGag and #StopAgGag. Those tweeting about the bill include:
- Farm Sanctuary, a well-known animal welfare organization with farm animal sanctuaries in New York and California
News organizations also aired video regarding the bill, such as this one from CNN.
Facebook also played a role in the debate as organizations discussed the debate and "events" and "groups" cropped up to campaign against the bill.
While I think blogs, Facebook, and Twitter are useful for spreading information, videos are pivotal. Because videos can be embedded in to web pages and shared on networking sites like Twitter and Facebook, they are more versatile than any other social media tool.
The visual impact of a video is also greater than a page of words. One cannot miss the message in Mercy For Animal's video about the Ag-Gag bill, and it's hard to think a compassionate person could watch that video and vote for the bill.
Because videos are so useful within the constantly changing world of social media, I would certainly spend a good deal of time creating videos if I were running a social media campaign.
The horrible thing about the Ag-Gag campaign is that it failed. All these fancy social media devices did not succeed in convincing enough people to vote against the bill. Getting the message out in non-internet venues is important, and I do not think that happened to the extent it needed to crush the bill. Billboards, bus banners, and television ads capture eyes. Any type of campaign needs to use social media in addition to more traditional media outlets, at least for now.
This year Iowa Republican John Mathis sponsored HB187, legislation which will outlaw undercover video in food production facilities. Animal rights and animal welfare activists are up in arms because undercover video is often the only way to collect evidence in criminal animal and human abuse cases. Unfortunately, despite the use of social media to campaign against the bill, Iowa governor Terry Brandstad signed the bill last Tuesday after it passed the House and Senate.
Below are some examples of how concerned citizens utilized the internet to protest against HB187, also known as the "Ag-gag' bill.
Many groups and individuals used Twitter to pass information using the hashtags #AgGag and #StopAgGag. Those tweeting about the bill include:
- Farm Sanctuary, a well-known animal welfare organization with farm animal sanctuaries in New York and California
- Writer, blogger, and public personality Ari Soloman
- ABC News
- An animal rights group called Mercy For Animals
- An animals rights group called People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA)
Blogs
Activists also used blogs to spread information. Below are some images from the Mercy For Animals, Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), and PETA blogs.
News
News websites such as ABC, the Huffington Post, and the Associated Press also carried coverage of the bill.
News websites such as ABC, the Huffington Post, and the Associated Press also carried coverage of the bill.
News organizations also aired video regarding the bill, such as this one from CNN.
Facebook
Facebook also played a role in the debate as organizations discussed the debate and "events" and "groups" cropped up to campaign against the bill.
The visual impact of a video is also greater than a page of words. One cannot miss the message in Mercy For Animal's video about the Ag-Gag bill, and it's hard to think a compassionate person could watch that video and vote for the bill.
Because videos are so useful within the constantly changing world of social media, I would certainly spend a good deal of time creating videos if I were running a social media campaign.
The horrible thing about the Ag-Gag campaign is that it failed. All these fancy social media devices did not succeed in convincing enough people to vote against the bill. Getting the message out in non-internet venues is important, and I do not think that happened to the extent it needed to crush the bill. Billboards, bus banners, and television ads capture eyes. Any type of campaign needs to use social media in addition to more traditional media outlets, at least for now.
Thursday, March 1, 2012
Commercial Script: Support The Buddy Fund
Click here to view the video script for a commercial supporting The Buddy Fund.
Sunday, February 26, 2012
Abstract + Video for Elevator Pitch
1. Take your favorite elevator pitch and write a first draft Executive Summary/Abstract/opening paragraph for a proposal.
Abstract:
There is an adopter for that twelve year old Shih Tzu missing her right eye. We just need to find him.
That’s where the Adoption Match program comes in.
Adoption Match is a digital alert system that will message a user when an animal matching his or her criteria goes up for adoption at our facility. The public can use the Adoption Match program online or through the smart phone application.
For example, let’s say I’m looking for a male labrador retriever mix age 1-5 years. I enter those criteria in to the Adoption Match program. Three weeks later, when a 3-year-old lab goes up for adoption, I get an email. It’s simple and effective.
Launching this program involves the creation of a website and smart phone application that are linked to the PetPoint database. As soon as an animal becomes “Available” in PetPoint, the system will send out an alert.
I anticipate the creation and testing of the website and application will take one year. We will need:
There is an adopter for that twelve year old Shih Tzu missing her right eye. We just need to find him.
That’s where the Adoption Match program comes in.
Adoption Match is a digital alert system that will message a user when an animal matching his or her criteria goes up for adoption at our facility. The public can use the Adoption Match program online or through the smart phone application.
For example, let’s say I’m looking for a male labrador retriever mix age 1-5 years. I enter those criteria in to the Adoption Match program. Three weeks later, when a 3-year-old lab goes up for adoption, I get an email. It’s simple and effective.
Launching this program involves the creation of a website and smart phone application that are linked to the PetPoint database. As soon as an animal becomes “Available” in PetPoint, the system will send out an alert.
I anticipate the creation and testing of the website and application will take one year. We will need:
- a web designer who can create the website, create a form in which users can submit their criteria and contact information, and link all the information to our existing website;
- an application designer who can work with the web designer to make a cohesive smart phone application that resembles the website;
- someone familiar with the PetPoint database who can work with both parties to connect the necessary information; and
- a graphic designer who can work with the website and application designer to create a unified image that matches with the organization.
The initial website and application will take around 8-10 months to complete, and then we will need to test both over the next 2-4 months and fix any bugs.
- a graphic designer who can work with the website and application designer to create a unified image that matches with the organization.
The initial website and application will take around 8-10 months to complete, and then we will need to test both over the next 2-4 months and fix any bugs.
***
Adoption Match presentation transcript:
Slide 1: (none)
Slide 2: Adoption Match is a digital alert system that will message a user when an animal matching his or her criteria goes up for adoption at our facility. The public can use the Adoption Match program online or through the smart phone application.
For example, let’s say I’m looking for a male domestic longhair feline between the ages of 1-5 years. I enter those criteria in to the Adoption Match program. Three weeks later, when 3 year old Dorren goes up for adoption, I get an email. It’s simple and effective.
Slide 3: Each year, thousands of animals are admitted to the adoption program here in Springfield, MA. Our job is to find them homes as quickly as possible. Animals who linger in the adoption program are more likely to get sick, more likely to suffer from stress-related behavior issues, and drain the resources of this donation-based organization. With Adoption Match, we can quickly reach the people who are looking specifically for that type of animal. It serves our animals and serves our adopters.
Slide 4: Launching this program involves the creation of a website and smart phone application that are linked to the PetPoint database that we use to track our animals. As soon as an animal becomes “Available” in PetPoint, the system will send out an alert. We will need a web designer who can create the website, create a form in which users can submit their criteria and contact information, and link all the information to our existing website.
Slide 5: When users enroll in the program, they will be guided through a series of screens where they can select which types of animals they’re looking to adopt...
Slide 6: ...and which characteristics they desire. For example, a dog adopter might select a few breeds and an age range.
Slide 7: We will also need an application designer who can work with the web designer to make a cohesive smart phone application that resembles the website. Linked to our PetPoint database, the smart phone application will notify adopters the moment an animal matching their criteria becomes available for adoption.
Slide 8: When a match is found, users can scroll through the information to learn more about the animal, including photo, age, sex, location, contact info, and story.
Slide 9: We will need to hire someone familiar with the PetPoint database who can work with both parties to connect the necessary information to the website and application.
Slide 10: Using modern technology, we can reduce the length of stay for animals in our adoption program by targeting adopters based on what they’re looking for in their next animal companion. Save a life with the Adoption Match alert system. Your furry friend awaits.
Slide 1: (none)
Slide 2: Adoption Match is a digital alert system that will message a user when an animal matching his or her criteria goes up for adoption at our facility. The public can use the Adoption Match program online or through the smart phone application.
For example, let’s say I’m looking for a male domestic longhair feline between the ages of 1-5 years. I enter those criteria in to the Adoption Match program. Three weeks later, when 3 year old Dorren goes up for adoption, I get an email. It’s simple and effective.
Slide 3: Each year, thousands of animals are admitted to the adoption program here in Springfield, MA. Our job is to find them homes as quickly as possible. Animals who linger in the adoption program are more likely to get sick, more likely to suffer from stress-related behavior issues, and drain the resources of this donation-based organization. With Adoption Match, we can quickly reach the people who are looking specifically for that type of animal. It serves our animals and serves our adopters.
Slide 4: Launching this program involves the creation of a website and smart phone application that are linked to the PetPoint database that we use to track our animals. As soon as an animal becomes “Available” in PetPoint, the system will send out an alert. We will need a web designer who can create the website, create a form in which users can submit their criteria and contact information, and link all the information to our existing website.
Slide 5: When users enroll in the program, they will be guided through a series of screens where they can select which types of animals they’re looking to adopt...
Slide 6: ...and which characteristics they desire. For example, a dog adopter might select a few breeds and an age range.
Slide 7: We will also need an application designer who can work with the web designer to make a cohesive smart phone application that resembles the website. Linked to our PetPoint database, the smart phone application will notify adopters the moment an animal matching their criteria becomes available for adoption.
Slide 8: When a match is found, users can scroll through the information to learn more about the animal, including photo, age, sex, location, contact info, and story.
Slide 9: We will need to hire someone familiar with the PetPoint database who can work with both parties to connect the necessary information to the website and application.
Slide 10: Using modern technology, we can reduce the length of stay for animals in our adoption program by targeting adopters based on what they’re looking for in their next animal companion. Save a life with the Adoption Match alert system. Your furry friend awaits.
Friday, February 17, 2012
Midterm Proposal and Elevator Pitches
1) Write your midterm proposal. What is your plan for your online presence now that you have explored some possibilities? What concrete steps could you take to advance your voice online? How do you plan to separate yourself from the crowd? Or if you are starting from scratch, what is your new plan?
I want Zero to both tell his story and interact with his followers. I plan to have him tweet more on topics not related to the telling of his story. I experimented with it last night (posting photos on Twitter), but so far I have not gotten a response. However, I think a more “interactive” voice might help his cause. Audience participation could be the key to maintaining interest. Then again, it may not work. The joy of experimentation!
My plan for Zero is to complete his story by the end of the course: he will go a humane society, test positive for FIV, go up for adoption, become ill, go back up for adoption, and then be adopted. My idea is to experiment with a persona that could generate awareness about homeless animals and the role of humane organizations. My concrete goal is to enjoy and experiment with creative writing.
Creating a “voice” for Zero has been a challenge because I feel like is voice is my own. When I write, in my head I’m verbally telling a story. It’s my voice I hear.
I think in order to create a new voice for Zero, I’d have to first experiment with my own voice. For example, in her film The Future, Miranda July was both one of the main characters in the story and also the voice of Paw Paw the cat. Her creation is perfect. I couldn’t imagine a different narrator for the part of the cat. (Check out the video below. You hear Miranda, as Paw Paw, in the opening seconds of the trailer.)
If I were actually launching a similar project (meaning: if this was not just a classroom experiment), I would likely have to do something to make Zero special. As Prof. Kalm suggests, I would have to “separate myself from the crowd.” I have very few technical skills when it comes to computers, so I would have to rely on basic platforms.
One idea would be to do a YouTube video series in which viewers can go on virtual tours of humane societies across the United States. It would be a blast to travel the country getting footage. This plan would depend on my purchase of a winning lotto ticket, of course.
Another idea would be some sort of charitable contest: submit photos of YOUR Zero. In other words, readers would submit photos of their adopted cats and the winner would have a certain amount donated to the humane society of their choice. Perhaps it would be like the current Humane Society of the United States campaign: voters would donate $1 per vote.
(Shameless plug: You can donate to the HSUS and CT Humane by voting for my friend, Nokomis, here.)
***
2) Write two elevator pitches for two ingenious ideas within your niche. One might be a proposal for a website or app, another could be a foundation or initiative. You will expand on these ideas after the lectures next week. For now just come up with a few possibilities.
Proposal 1: Animals for Adoption Application
I propose an alert system that would tell a user when an animal matching his or her criteria becomes available for adoption.
There are several content aggregation websites, such as Petango and Petfinder, that amass data about animals for adoption. Users can enter certain criteria regarding the animal companion they’d like and search for potential matches near a certain location. For example, if I wanted to adopt a Golden Retriever near Springfield, Mass., I could enter those search terms and view any matches.
Petfinder does offer an iPhone application that allows the user to utilize the website from his or her phone. He or she can search for animals, tag favorites, and email links to friends.
My suggestion would be the creation of an application that actually tells the user when a potential match has become available. For example, if I wanted an adult Golden Retriever near Springfield, Mass., I’d get a notification (on my phone or email) when a similar dog was posted on the database.
I also think it would be fun to make an application for the organization I work for. We use a database called Petpoint. If an animal is made “available” in Petpoint, he shows up on our website. I can’t tell you the number of people who call in wanting a certain animal, but that animal has already been adopted. We tell them to keep an eye on the website. It would be even better if we could have interested people download an application that would alert them whenever an animal meeting their criteria went up for adoption. They could make the criteria as broad or specific as they wanted. This alert system would have to be linked to our Petpoint database, as that is the most up to date system.
Proposal 2: Live Web Cams in the Cat Colony Rooms
Do you want to check out that nice tortoiseshell cat you saw on your local humane society’s website, but you aren’t able to make it in until the weekend? Cue the web cam for her colony room, and you can watch her eat, sleep, and play.
At the humane society where I work, colony rooms house many of the cats for adoption. If they are cat-friendly cats, they are candidates for the room. Being in a room is much less stressful for a cat compared to sitting in a kennel. The rooms also allow visitors a more homelike environment in which to visit potential adoptees.
It would be fun for website visitors to be able to watch the kitties on screen. Some web visitors would watch just for fun, while others might be scoping out new family members. Because the colony rooms are public areas and anyone entering can assume there is no privacy, the colony rooms would be the most reasonable places for webcams. (It would be more difficult to attach webcams to individual kennels for animals that are not as free-roaming as the cats in the rooms.)
Sunday, February 12, 2012
Snippets
I had written a few snippets for Zero when we have the résumé assignment. I wanted to re-post a few of those as well as explore possible meta descriptions for other types of websites. Enjoy!
--Zero's Narrator
* * *
Twitter:
Sign up for Twitter to follow The Chronicles of Zero. Keep up to date with Zero, the cat who has captured the hearts of a nation.
Sign up for Twitter to follow The Chronicles of Zero. Keep up to date with Zero, the cat who has captured the hearts of a nation.
Official Blog:
Zero is a cat. His life is about to change.
Zero is a cat. His life is about to change.
IMDb (for Zero's film):
Zero is a cat. Accustomed to life on the streets, he must adjust to his new life when a compassionate woman brings him in to her home.
Zero is a cat. Accustomed to life on the streets, he must adjust to his new life when a compassionate woman brings him in to her home.
Wikipedia (musical):
The Chronicles of Zero is a Broadway musical, written by Kathleen Marshall, based on popular blog and film of the same name.
The Chronicles of Zero is a Broadway musical, written by Kathleen Marshall, based on popular blog and film of the same name.
YouTube (a video from the musical):
The Chronicles of Zero - How to Catch a Mouse (A scene from the 2013 Broadway Musical)
The Chronicles of Zero - How to Catch a Mouse (A scene from the 2013 Broadway Musical)
Lyrics for the musical's songs:
The Chronicles of Zero - How to Catch a Mouse lyrics: When it's time for dinner I sit and I wait...
The Chronicles of Zero - How to Catch a Mouse lyrics: When it's time for dinner I sit and I wait...
Fan site:
A fan site for Zero, the friendly feline popularized in The Chronicles of Zero blog and film. Featuring photos, transcripts, videos from the new musical, online chats with Zero, and much more.
A fan site for Zero, the friendly feline popularized in The Chronicles of Zero blog and film. Featuring photos, transcripts, videos from the new musical, online chats with Zero, and much more.
A news story that might pop up in a search:
Zero the cat may be fictional, but his plight, popularized in the famous blog, film, and musical The Chronicles of Zero, has led to some positive changes in adoption numbers at local humane societies in the United States.
Zero the cat may be fictional, but his plight, popularized in the famous blog, film, and musical The Chronicles of Zero, has led to some positive changes in adoption numbers at local humane societies in the United States.
Wikipedia Post
Here is a draft of an original article for our Wikipedia assignment. This was tough! I'm not sure how to create footnotes within Blogger, but all references are posted at the bottom. I used blue text to highlight what words would link to Wikipedia articles if those articles existed in real life. Other words are linked directly to actual Wikipedia articles. Because of the topic I chose, there were not any available non-web sources, except for the interview. --Zero's Narrator
* * *
 |
| The cover drawing for Songs for Cats |
Songs for Cats
Songs for Cats is the title of a split cassette tape recorded and released in December, 2011, by Connecticut indie-punk rock bands Two Humans and Fung Wah Bus.
Recording
Two Humans recorded the music for Songs for Cats in the basement of friend Craig Mills in Wethersfield, Connecticut. The vocals for Two Humans were recorded at Fung Wah Bus bassist Kevin O’Donnell’s house in East Windsor, Connecticut. Fung Wah Bus recorded their tracks entirely at O’Donnell’s.
Packaging
Physical copies were made by hand using blank tapes and a duplicating tape deck. O’Donnell hand drew the album art for the recordings.
Release
In December, 2011, the recordings were released on tape and posted on the internet though sites like Facebook and Bandcamp.
Musicians
Two Humans:
Justin Dubree
Lucas Borgstedt
Jason Rule
Fung Wah Bus:
Kevin O’Donnell
Will Pratt
Jason Rule
Guest Musician- Mike Hein
Track Listing
Side A (Fung Wah Bus):
David Bowie’s Ass Looks Better Than My Face 03:13
My Love Turned Pt. 2 03:34
Eggplant 03:14
Riverbed 03:03
Side B (Two Humans)
Sabbatical (College Song) 03:40
Lonely Tunez 03:32
Bump Yer Jones 04:28
Yesterday’s Pajamas; Today’s Bedsheets 04:39
See Also
The Red Rash Collective
The Helveticas
References
http://twohumansband.tumblr.com/
http://twohumans.bandcamp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Two-Humans/192128584149698
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Fung-Wah-Bus/101008088397
http://fungwahbus.bandcamp.com/
http://redrashcollective.tumblr.com/bands
http://nevermindtheposers.com/tag/two-humans/
http://www.last.fm/music/%C2%BFFung+Wah+Bus%3F/+wiki/diff?&a=13&b=14
http://www.last.fm/music/Two+Humans
http://f0.bcbits.com/z/29/36/2936578129-1.jpg
Dubree, Justin. (2012, February 8). Email Interview.
Friday, February 3, 2012
Playing Devil's Advocate: On Stray Cats
The Assignment: Play the Devil’s advocate in your chosen niche. Find a provocative stance or an unexpected thesis by writing about and exploring a contentious or confusing issue and then make your argument. Try picking an argument you normally feel strongly about and take the other side.
--
You hear them at night: feral and stray cats calling to their mates or brawling in the alley ways. They are a huge nuisance in the United States, especially in cities. Wherever there is a steady food source, the cats will survive: near homes, near restaurants, and anywhere with a population of rodents or birds.
With a steady food supply, these cats procreate rapidly. The gestational period for a feline is two months, and she usually has three to six kittens in each litter. A female cat can become pregnant immediately after giving birth. She will often have several litters per year.
Her kittens become sexually mature at five to six months of age. Then they procreate. The cycle continues. Before long, there are hundreds of inbred cats infesting the neighborhood.
Aside from the noise, these cats—who are essentially wild animals due to lack of human socialization—carry disease. They are magnets for fleas and mites, and can spread parasites, such as giardia, to humans.
Although many groups advocate trap, neuter, and release programs, these programs do not remove the problem. It is true that a population of neutered cats will not grow as rapidly as an intact population, but they still infest the same areas. They are still a major problem for the residents and businesspersons who must share their space with these cats.
For this reason, it sometimes becomes necessary to humanely euthanize an entire population of cats. Once the colony has been eradicated, it’s important to remove all food sources. If residents and businesses continue to leave unsecured dumpsters or provide seed to local birds, another stray colony will move in to the same location.
Once the cats and food sources are removed from a particular area, the residents and businesses may resume normal activity.
The Chronicles of Zero: Web Presence
If I were to launch The Chronicles of Zero to create an actual web presence, I’d want to expand his reach. (I certainly would want searchable text!) Let’s pretend that Zero’s story gained national attention. How would his “resume” appear in a Google search? Here is a draft.
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Why this topic?: Creating Zero
Creating an internet persona for Writing for Interactive Media presented a unique opportunity for me to explore my online writing style. I considered several different projects before settling on the character of Zero, a homeless cat who finds himself in a life-changing circumstance.
My decision to create a blog and Twitter from the point of view of a cat expands upon my prior experience. Many of my internet outlets—my blog, Twitter, Facebook, my internships—have allowed me to create an online presence. In the aforementioned projects, I present myself in my voice. However, I have two additional projects in which I assume the voice of a house cat.
The first is a Facebook account I created in 2007 for my own sidekick, a five year old Tortoiseshell cat whose name I will withhold for the purposes of anonymity. I mostly use the account to post photos of her, and she makes the occasional comment about feline-related topics.
The second is a blog I created for my employer, a local humane society. We have a real live spokescat with a large Facebook fan base. I expanded on this endeavor by creating a blog in his voice. He discusses important topics and events that relate to the organization. It has been a very positive experience.
Although I considered branching out and exploring other voices for this class, I decided to stick with my current theme, continuing to develop my feline persona. It’s amazing how influential other species can be online. (Check out this article on how talking cats help the SPCA.) Wanting to experiment a bit with creative writing—which I never get to explore—I decided to create the character of Zero. My plan is to tell his story over the course of the next seven weeks. Happy reading!
My decision to create a blog and Twitter from the point of view of a cat expands upon my prior experience. Many of my internet outlets—my blog, Twitter, Facebook, my internships—have allowed me to create an online presence. In the aforementioned projects, I present myself in my voice. However, I have two additional projects in which I assume the voice of a house cat.
The first is a Facebook account I created in 2007 for my own sidekick, a five year old Tortoiseshell cat whose name I will withhold for the purposes of anonymity. I mostly use the account to post photos of her, and she makes the occasional comment about feline-related topics.
The second is a blog I created for my employer, a local humane society. We have a real live spokescat with a large Facebook fan base. I expanded on this endeavor by creating a blog in his voice. He discusses important topics and events that relate to the organization. It has been a very positive experience.
Although I considered branching out and exploring other voices for this class, I decided to stick with my current theme, continuing to develop my feline persona. It’s amazing how influential other species can be online. (Check out this article on how talking cats help the SPCA.) Wanting to experiment a bit with creative writing—which I never get to explore—I decided to create the character of Zero. My plan is to tell his story over the course of the next seven weeks. Happy reading!
About the author: A Biosketch
Zero’s narrator grew up in Connecticut, but spent six years living elsewhere. She spent four years studying philosophy, music, psychology, gender issues, and a myriad of other topics at small liberal arts colleges. She completed her undergraduate degree in 2007. After spending her college years in Santa Fe, New Mexico and midcoast Maine, and galavanting around western Massachusetts during the two years following, she ran out of money and moved back in with her parents in Connecticut.
When she’s not playing or listening to live music, the author enjoys writing, baking delicious vegan food, and photographing her cat. Her unhealthy obsession with felines is exacerbated through her rewarding employment with a local humane society, where she has worked for nearly four years. She loves this meaningful and important work despite its inability to pay a useful wage.
In September 2011, the author enrolled in the Interactive Media program at Quinnipiac University. This blog is a direct result of one of her courses at the University. She hopes to complete the program in 2013 and then find a job that pays the rent (which will allow her to adopt several more felines). She will likely always devote her free time to local animal organizations, as that is her passion.
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