Meet the TA: Hayley DiReda

Name: Hayley DiReda
Major: English Teaching
Minors: Undetermined - Philosophy and/or Italian
Year in School: Senior with 2 years left
Where did you grow up? Kaysville, Utah
Mission: N/A
Hobbies: Reading, writing, sports (I love them all but I am partial to Soccer and Ultimate Frisbee), dancing, music and cooking.
Favorite Internet Meme: I don't have a favorite! I just love to laugh!
Favorite Book (Non-Scriptural): Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe
Favorite Musical Artist: The Script.
Musical Instruments: Viola - Yes, it is a real instrument and no, it is not another name for a violin. 
Languages: English and Italian. I've studied Spanish but I am extremely rusty. I can understand a decent amount, but replying is tricky. My roommate's friend is from Israel and she started to teach me Hebrew. I still don't know anything about the language, except that it sounds beautiful. 
Other Things You Might Want to Know About Me: I am currently working on a novel and I am hoping to be published before the end of next year! Fingers crossed. I am also hoping to snag an internship, in either Peru or China, teaching English. I am dreading the impending winter weather because I hate the cold. I also don't know how to ski or snowboard, so that may have some impact on my relationship with snow, which is strange considering I grew up in Utah. Feel free to laugh. I think its comical as well. 

Meet the TA: Kyra Nelson

Name: Kyra Nelson
Major: Linguistics
Minors: Editing and English
Year in School: First Year MA
Where did you grow up? Billings, Montana
Mission: Impossible
Hobbies: Reading, writing, cake decorating, Tetris, blogging
Favorite Internet Meme: That escalated quickly
Favorite Book (Non-Scriptural): Ella Minnow Pea by Mark Dunn
Favorite Musical Artist: Taylor Swift. That's right. Don't hate.
Musical Instruments: Violin
Languages: English. Some Japanese. I took Spanish but was told I had the worst accent that instructor had ever heard. Once I tried learning Welsh for ten minutes.
Other Things You Might Want to Know About Me: I intern for a literary agency, which is a fancy way of saying that I crush the hopes and dreams of aspiring authors. I also love superheroes (not just because I think the actors in Avengers are foxy, even though they are).

Open source vs. open-source

Don't use the hyphen

When you use open source as a noun, do not hyphenate.

For example:

Open source allows universal distribution of a code.

Use the hyphen

When you use open source as an adjective, use the hyphen.

For example:

Open-source code is available to the general public to use and modify.

Featured Blog Post

We've been discussing ideas for how to better utilize the blog, and we've decided we want to post student blog posts that we enjoyed. Although these posts may not be perfect, we will point out things we appreciated about the post.

This week we want to feature Leah Loughran's second smallish post. You can find the original post here.

"Today, when we research our family history, we find great joy in discovering an ancestor’s name simply listed on an old census.

Imagine what it could be like for our descendants in 100 years. Your children’s children’s children could be reading your blog archive, flipping through the thousands of photos and videos you’ve captured on your smartphone, and analyzing the meaning behind those passive-aggressive updates you’ve shared on social media sites.

In the digital age, we’re able to easily and almost thoughtlessly create an intricate record of our daily lives. Someday, that record may very well be studied by our ancestors. Will they find as much value in our terabytes of political arguments and HD photographs of food as we do in the single journal page of our long-lost ancestor we shed tears over today? Today, we carefully extract every last drop of information from our few glimpses into the past, but in the future, we may just be trying to wade through all the junk."

What do we like about this post? First of all, the idea is original. While many of the posts were very similar, this one talked about something nobody else did. It went beyond summarizing the articles, and even beyond just giving the author's opinion on how cool family history is. It provides legitimate commentary by asking what this technology could mean in the future. Also, the example of somebody flipping through thousands of photos and videos provides support for this proposed idea of the future.

The final sentence gives a nice conclusion to the idea presented in the post. It ties together the examples of modern family history and future family history, and it leaves the reader with something to wonder about.

Good job, Leah!

Writing Excuses Podcast

Yesterday in class, Dr. K mentioned the Writing Excuses podcast. For anyone interested in giving it a listen, click the link below!

http://www.writingexcuses.com/

Might as well try at least one episode, because they're only fifteen minutes long! Perfect for a break between classes, a drive home, or a nap (just kidding)!

Meet the TA: Kelsey Allan

Name: Kelsey Allan
Major: English
Minor: Editing
Year in School: Senior
Where did you grow up? Franklin, Tennessee. My favorite place on earth.
Mission: Nope!
Hobbies: Blogging, writing, reading, traveling, watching movies, hiking, Ultimate Frisbee, baking, and eating.
Favorite Internet Meme: Ridiculously Photogenic Guy.
Favorite Book (Non-Scriptural): The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery.
Favorite Musical Artist: I hate to pick a favorite...but for now I'll say Fun.
Musical Instruments: None. I somehow missed out on the musical talent gene in my family.
Languages: English, with snatches of several romance languages. I'm taking Latin now!
Other Things You Might Want to Know About Me: I recently completed a publishing internship with Cedar Fort Industries. I absolutely loved it because I am a total nerd!

Trending on Twitter: #cs404chat

http://imgur.com/PXXRX4D

We had such a productive chat on Twitter the other day, we caused a trend in the SLC area!

Common Mistake: It's & Its

Many people don't realize that it's and its are two different words with distinct meanings, and those who DO realize it often don't understand the difference.

Here's a simple explanation:

• It's means it is.
• Example: It's fun to go swimming at night.
• Its means belonging to it.
• Example: The government takes good care of its citizens.

Be careful not to mix up the two different forms. Doing so will get you marked down for grammatical errors and will confuse your readers.

For Extra Help

I just want to make you all aware that I have a separate blog, for personal use, where I regularly discuss grammar, editing, and writing issues.

The blog's title is A Novel Adventure. Granted, most of it is geared toward those who seek to write or edit for a profession, but you might be interested in some of the posts if you want to improve your writing skills.

You are NOT by any means required to follow or even visit the blog, but I want you to know that it's there. Just in case.

And yes, the cat's out of the bag. I am a nerd. I like to write about writing for fun.

Dr. Charles Knutson: "Families and the Internet" at Southern Virginia University

If you are interested in listening to one of Dr. K's lectures about Internet safety, here is an audio recording of a lecture he gave at Southern Virginia University in June 2011.

What Most Schools Don't Teach: How to Code

Social Media How To: Google Reader

RSS: Really Simple Syndication

Google Reader lets you read everything in one place. This means that you don't have to open a million tabs in your Internet browser to flip through the class blogs (or various other websites of your interest). It's pretty simple because it routes through RSS, or Really Simple Syndication. The major benefit to Google Reader for CS 404 is that you will be able to link and follow the class blogs, and you will be able to see who has similar interests as you. Social media is all about forming connections. Why should you explore, discover, and think of new ideas on your own when there is an entire audience (both in the class and on the World Wide Web) to help expand your education and deepen your connections?

How to Use Google Reader:

1. Sign in with your Google Account. If you don't have a Google account, go ahead and create one.

2. Navigate to Google Reader.

3. Click on "Subscribe." 

4. Copy and Paste the URL of the blog you wish to follow.

5. Press "Add" and the blog should come up in your Google Reader feed.

Note: There are many ways to connect websites to your Google Reader. Wherever you see the RSS button, you can click it and it should automatically link to your Google Reader as long as you are logged in.

You can follow the news, blogs, and various other websites in Google Reader. It helps you stay up to date with all of your interests. Pretty cool!

"Totally like whatever, you know?"

Here's an awesome rendition of Slam poet Taylor Mali's "Totally like whatever, you know?" using typography. Check it out!

Writing Tips: Capitalization

Capitalize these:

Internet
World Wide Web
Facebook
iPad
iPhone
Twitter

Never capitalize these:

website
webpage
web
email
tweet

Punctuation Basics: The Comma

The Comma

1. Place a comma after a full date (Month, Day, Year) or a location (City, State).

Examples:

• On October 31, 2012, many little kids all over the United States will go trick-or-treating.
• Last night in San Fransisco, California*, thousands of baseball fans took to the streets to celebrate the Giants' World Series victory!
• *This rule only applies if it is in the format of "City, State" or "City, Country" or "State, Country."

 2. Commas & Clauses

• Dependent Clause, Independent Clause
• Examples:
• At my birthday party on Wednesday, I ate a really yummy chocolate cake.
• If Clark and Lois dress up for Halloween, I hope they think of using a Superman theme for their costumes.
• When Bennett got down on one knee to ask for her hand in marriage, Meredith was shocked.
• If you fix the plumbing, we will agree to the rental agreement.

• Independent Clause, [conjunction] Independent Clause
• Molly is the singer in the band, and Desmond wants to marry Molly.
• The taxi never came, so we took the subway.
• Wait for me at the library, or walk and meet me at the science building.
• I love opera music, but he loves rap music. I'm not sure how far this relationship will go.
• *Exception to this rule: When two or more verbs share the same subject, they do not need a comma. We distinguish these from two independent clauses and call them compound predicates.
• Examples:
• She washed the dishes in the sink and vacuumed the rugs in the den.
• He read the morning news and drank his coffee.
• **Independent clauses must include a conjunction. If a comma is included without a conjunction, we call that a comma splice. 


• Independent Clause [no comma] Dependent Clause (*If a sentence begins with an independent clause, you do not need to include a dependent clause.)
• Examples:
• We will agree to the rental agreement if you fix the plumbing.
• Meredith was shocked when Bennett got down on one knee to ask for her hand in marriage.
• However . . . if the dependent clause is just an aside or after thought, you do need to include a comma.
• At last he arrived, when the ice cream had melted.
• I'd like to sit at the front of the roller coaster, if you don't mind.

Instructions for Class - 10/4/12

In case you missed the announcement on Tuesday, Dr. Knutson will be wandering hither and yon today, so class will be held online rather than in our regular classroom. You will receive credit for class attendance by submitting comments while watching the live broadcast. Read the following instructions carefully so you'll be able to participate: 

Viewing the Broadcast

Dr. Knutson will be broadcasting class using Google+ Hangouts On Air. In order to view the broadcast, you will need to go to Dr. K's Google+ page. The broadcast will begin at 1:35 and will be in the form of a live YouTube video in Dr. K's stream. Please be on time to view the broadcast—don't wait until 1:35 to open up your laptop. 

Submitting Comments

We'll be using Twitter and Twubs to track class discussion. Twubs is a great tool that collects tweets with a common hashtag in one place and allows you to follow the conversation that will be happening among your classmates. If you have a Twitter account, use the hashtag #cs404 to submit your comments. If, for whatever reason, you don't want to have a Twitter account, you have two options: (1) Set up a Twubs.com account and post your comments directly on the #cs404 Twub page, or (2) Email your comments to the TAs and we will post them for you on the page as soon as we receive them. Whatever method you choose, please be watching the Twubs page during the broadcast so you can actively observe and participate in the conversation.

Meet the TAs: Audrey

Name: Audrey
Major: English, Minor: Editing
Year in School: Super Senior
Where did you grow up?: Houston, Texas
Mission: No
Hobbies: Interior design, fashion, event planning, dancing, yoga, genealogy, sports (particularly baseball, football, basketball, and lacrosse), cooking, and the arts
Favorite Internet Meme: Ryan Gosling 
Favorite Book (Non-Scriptural): The Help by Kathryn Stockett, Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl, The Blithedale Romance by Nathaniel Hawthorne, Tender is the Night and The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Favorite Musical Artist: Beyonce, Brad Paisley, Mason Jennings, Edith Piaf, The Beatles,Ingrid Michaelson, etc.
Musical Instruments: Piano
Languages: English, some Spanish
Other Things You Might Want to Know About Me: I spent my summer living in Washington, DC where I worked for R&R Partners, a government and public affairs firm.

Meet the TAs: Kayla

Name: Kayla
Major: English, Minor: Sociology
Year in School: Senior
Where did you grow up?: Japan, UT, TX, FL, CO, MO
Mission: Nope.
Hobbies: Snowboarding, wakeboarding, horseback riding, canyoneering, cooking (not baking!), piano, watching movies ...
Favorite Internet Meme: Rage comics, "Nailed it!", Feminist Ryan Gosling, English Major Armadillo, etc.
Favorite Book (Non-Scriptural): Tess of the d'Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy, Four-Quarters of the Orange by Joanne Harris, Bittersweet by Shauna Niequist
Favorite Musical Artist: William Fitzsimmons, Bon Iver
Musical Instruments: Piano
Languages: English, some French
Other Things You Might Want to Know About Me: During Spring/Summer 2012, I did a field study in London, UK where I studied 16th- and 17th-century astronomy, literature, and religion. It was a blast!

http://kayla.ishappynow.com/