Entry #6: A Fall into a Liminal Space

     During my time on the internet, there have been many forms of uncanny media that have been done, from creepypastas (basically online horror stories) to analog horror (horror that tells its stories through VHS tapes to give it an uncanny yet nostalgic feeling). One part of this section of the internet that I find interesting yet weirded out by is the concept of liminal spaces. To most people it looks like this; a room with no people in it. Seems kind of odd, right? Why are people interested or obsessed with this? Well, there's more to it than meets the eye. What makes liminal spaces "creepy" is the fact that the pictures are of places that are usually filled to the brim with people, say like a school or a mall. These pictures get those locations and take them out of their desired context. Basically, imagine a mall at 4AM. Nobody is there, everything is quiet. It's eerie, looks unnatural, and feels otherworldly. 

     Besides showing a location at an odd time, they are also supposed to give the people looking at these images a sense of nostalgia and familiarity . Most of the pictures that are considered liminal spaces look like they were taken either from the 90s to the early 2000s.  When I look at some of these pictures, for example, I feel like I've seen these places somewhere in the past (The mall on the top reminds me of when I went to Metro Center back when it was popular and when Sears still used their old logo). Even then, pictures of these liminal spaces are subjective. Some people might think they are unsettling and nostalgic, others might see it as just a room.

     Liminal spaces are just one of the many interesting pieces of internet media. They show how places that are normal to the human eye can be made unsettling and uncanny with the right conditions. The absence of people along with the obscure times makes it look like a location might be frozen in time, while giving off a nostalgic effect. 
    

                        

Entry #5: Ducey's Solution to The Arizona Graduate Drought

    After reading Ducey: Why Arizona needs more college grads, I felt more relieved that the Doug Ducey and the Arizona government are doing more for education and helping people get into college or some sort of higher education. Compared to other states, Arizona is one of the lowest educated states in the country, so it's great to hear that the AZ government gave K-12 education $142 million in the state budget. The program "Achieve60AZ" is a goal that states that, according to Ducey, " By 2030, at least 60 percent of working age adults with a college degree or career training" (Ducey 3). He also stated the potential results if "Achieve60AZ" is attained, and the goals are pretty decent (Less poverty is something that should be a priority, so I agree with that goal). Ducey tells the state of Arizona that as a father, he wants his children to succeed in the future along with all of the children in Arizona, and I agree with that. When I have kids, I want them to be able to be able to get through school successfully and go to whatever secondary education that they want to go, whether it being university or a trade school. When I was in school, even though I was trying my best to get the best grades I could get, it seemed like people felt that school wasn't important and they would slack off. That and the fact schools here don't get a good budget for supplies made me feel that education wasn't prioritized, so I'm glad that there will be a change for the better. 

Entry #4: Nintendo's Brave Little Toaster: A Nintendo Switch Review and Personal Retrospective

    Launching in March 2017, the Nintendo Switch has been a very successful console, so much so that it is part of the top 5 best-selling game consoles ever. It's a very popular, and there is a reason why that's the case. Nintendo's console isn't just only playable on the TV; you can also play it anywhere. You can play it in your bed, your office at work, and even the toilet if you are so inclined (but I HIGHLY suggest you don't do that. That's gross). Along with this, there are many Nintendo games that are very popular with players everywhere, like The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Super Mario Odyssey, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Animal Crossing: New Horizons, and loads of more high quality games made by Nintendo. 

    I remember getting my Switch in Holiday 2019 (Which was a good thing to do considering what happens in March 2020). After eyeing it for a while and thinking if it was worth it, I finally caved in and bought it at Costco (If you, the reader, get a Switch on Christmas, I highly recommend buying it at Costco, if you have a membership). This was my first Nintendo home console that I bought in a long time (last one was the Wii), so I was pretty excited for it.  The first games that I got were Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (one of the main reasons why I bought the thing in the first place) and the Switch port of Dead by Daylight. I had my fun with both games, especially with Smash Ultimate, but I didn't get another Switch game until March 2020, in which I bought Animal Crossing New Horizons. I preordered the game a couple of months before, and I was eager to play the game because I played the previous game on my 3DS when I was younger and I liked it a lot. What I didn't expect during that month was the beginning of quarantine from COVID-19 and the fact that a LOT of people started to get Switches just to play Animal Crossing, which resulted in a scarcity of the console for a while. Later, I got Super Mario Odyssey, which I thought was a very high-quality platformer, I sunk a lot of hours trying to get all of the Moons in the game because it was very satisfying finding each one. After that, I started to play some games on the console here and there, but not as much as before. 

    The Nintendo Switch is a very neat console to have. The portability of the console is probably the best part that I can point. I don't have to lug a bunch of wires to use it anywhere else (unless you plan to use it on docked mode at another place, then you would have to carry more). I brought it to many places, including friends' houses and school. The battery life is also long-lasting. I remember using it during a road trip and it lasted for the entire trip (this depends on what version of the Switch you get, because newer Switches have longer battery life). The Switch is also very accessible to people who haven't played too many video games, so everyone can have fun, which is something that I appreciate a lot. I have some nitpicks, however. Even though the console is the cheapest console in the current market, it is also the most expensive console. Let me explain. While other console exclusives that are on Xbox and PlayStation get discounted after a year or so or have really good discounts (like 40% or more), Nintendo games BARLEY go on discount. Most of the time, they are always at $60 and even if there is a sale, it's still pricey (They can be $10 or $20 off at times). Third-party games (games that aren't made by Nintendo), while priced decently, cost more than other platforms. Minecraft on Xbox and PlayStation, for example, costs $20, while on the Switch it costs $30. Another thing to consider is how powerful it is. The Switch is as powerful as an Xbox 360, which by today's standards is kind of outdated. Some games run well but there are some games that don't look too hot. This is the reason why I don't get a lot of third-party games on Switch. If I can have a better experience plating a game on my Xbox, which is more powerful, I would rather play on that. The controllers, also called Joy-cons officially, are the first controllers that I believe are only good in certain situations. They are good for games like Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and Animal Crossing, but not good for FPS games or games that require precise aim. Clicking down on either joystick feels off, like you aren't supposed to do that. If you get a controller for the Switch, get a Pro Controller. It is modeled after an Xbox controller and it will make most if not all games play better. 

    Overall, the Nintendo Switch is a interesting piece of tech to have. While it may not be the most powerful console compared to competitors, it compensates for that by having a great library of first-party exclusives and being portable.       

Entry #3: A Slanted POV about the Tesla Guy Buying a Little Blue Bird

    The concept of slanted reporting is interesting. You might think it's a synonym for bias, but it's a little different. Slanted reporting is when an author makes subtle hints that they lean towards one side, unlike bias, in which it can be obvious which side the author prefers. An article (and a very recent one at that) is the article "Here's what Elon Musk will likely do with Twitter if he buys it". In the article, the author explains the many possible changes that could come to Twitter, including no limit to free speech, unbanning people like Trump, and turning Twitter into a "everything" app, which could mean that it can be just more than a social media. Seems like just an article detailing possible results that could happen after the buyout, right? Well, if you look closely at the article, you might notice that the evidence the author uses is pointing this deal in a negative light. She uses heavy ethos by quoting people who oppose the deal, along with using negative words to show that what Elon is saying about his future plans are not right. This will impact the audience as it will convince people that Elon Musk is going to make the world a "worse place" to live in if he manages to do the things he claims with Twitter. This wording the author uses will make her not credible since if one pays attention to wording, it's obvious what side she supports, which can deter readers from reading the article or going onto NPR in general. I feel like it's important to to understand how to identify slanted or even biased media because in today's landscape, everything leans to a certain side. If one is to read a slanted media, people might think a certain way and not like it when people have a different opinion than them. This is why it's better to find sources that are in the middle and don't give off an aura of side allegiance. 

Entry #2: The Building Blocks of PC Building

    So even though I am going to talk about how to build a PC, I have a confession to make: I do not have a PC myself. I was going to build my own, but when I decided on that, I picked the worst time to do it, which is when GPU prices skyrocketed and they were selling for more than their MSRP (Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price). I gave up on that endeavor and just got myself a Xbox Series X. Even though that happened, I did read up on what parts a PC needs and how to build it, so for this post I will explain some of the parts that seem more complex.

1. The CPU (Central Process Unit) 

    Think of the CPU as the brain of the PC. When it is given an action to complete, it tries to decode it, and after that it executes it. It's kind of like how when you want to do an action, like move your hand, your brain sends messages to the nervous system, which then execute that movement. Basically, the CPU is the head honcho of all the programs of a PC, including graphics, calculations and memory. 

2. The GPU (Graphic Processing Unit)

    The GPU is one of the powerhouses of the PC (along with the CPU). GPUs help render graphics and can help with video rendering. This part is very important if you are gaming on a PC or if you are a content creator, but it can also be used for more artistic endeavors like 3D modeling. Depending on how powerful it is, the graphics might look better and run better with features like ray-tracing or increased FPS (frames per second). 

3. Motherboard

      I compared the CPU to the brain earlier and how it commands the other parts of the PC to do their job. The thing is that a human brain needs a nervous system to transfer those messages to other parts of the body. What is the PC's equivalent to the nervous system? Introducing the motherboard. The motherboard is a circuit board that connects every single piece of hardware that you are using in a PC. It also helps to determine what parts can be connected to your PC. 

4. Memory (RAM)

    
      You might think that when I mention memory, you think of the kind where it stores applications or files like pictures, but that's not the case. This type of memory, most often called RAM (Random Access Memory) stores the short term data that PCs need to operate. Programs are loaded into the RAM temporarily when it is being used.  What's interesting is that every time you turn off your PC, the RAM is reset. The purpose of RAM is to give computers quick access to temporary data so that it can run programs and process tasks. 

 There are other parts that you need, which include the PSU (Power Supply Unit), storage, system cooling, and an OS (Operating System like Windows or Mac), but these are a little bit more straightforward than the parts I talked about above. Even though this applies for PC, these parts also apply for other technology like phones, game consoles, and even smart TVs. I hope you learned a little bit about how to build PCs, so that maybe you can build your own PC someday. Anyways, I'll see you guys on the next blogpost!
    

 

Entry #1: So...Blogs. Why am I Writing a Blog In 2022?

     When I heard that I was going to do a blog as a project for English 102, I thought to myself, "Wow, this is something I would do in 2007". I don't mean that in a bad way, it's just that not a lot of people blog anymore, unless I just don't know anyone who blogs. Blogs, to me, are the old way of talking about yourself, but I feel like they have more to them than social media. With social media like Instagram and Facebook, you can summarize what you did in just 2-3 sentences. I thinks it's cool to have bite-sized posts about what you are doing on the daily, but blogs feel more in depth and personal. They can go into detail for a certain topic. For example, if I was, let's say a car blog, I can talk about things like how to build a car, the newest cars on the market, problems in the automobile landscape, and so many more things related to that topic. 

Digging through the internet, there are many blogs to choose from that talk about many topics. For my blog, however, I'll be focusing on video game blogs. One of these blogs is called Niche Gamer, a blog dedicated to not just popular games, but games that not a lot of people know of. I like this blog because it focuses on games that are not as well known as games developed by Ubisoft, EA, Activision, etc. The blog is organized based on the most recent blog published, which each blog naming the game talked about in the blog and the specific thing they are going to talk about (like game updates or tips and tricks). Another blog that is more mainstream is GameInformer. I use this blog often because it covers many releases of the biggest titles and covers gaming news that will be relevant to me, like Call Of Duty Will Remain On PlayStation For Three Years After Current Agreement, Jim Ryan Says. It also gets to the point on the subject, unlike the next blog site I am going to mention next. The blog is organized with a featured post and some other smaller posts, with things like podcasts and game specific articles (basically game updates and what to expect in the future of the game). The blog site that I mentioned before that I dislike is called Kotaku. I don't like how some of the writers are snarky and they post pointless articles on their website. They also tend to have bad opinions. Their titles on their articles are really good at hooking people to read them, however, for example this article called Hideo Kojima’s New Podcast Is Messy, But Damn If We’re Not Going To Listen Anyway (I used to fall for this, but then I decided to ignore their articles now). 

Overall, there are great blogs or there are terrible blogs, but it is up to you to decide which blog grabs your attention. 

Intro Blog: Hey, Hey, Hey!

     Hey y'all! My name is Aaron Lopez, and I am the proud owner of this blog here. I have lived in Arizona all of my life. I am fresh from high school, and even though I am kind of nervous, I am ready to take on college! You might be wondering "Aaron, why is your blog called 'Dive into Polygonal Nostalgia?'", and I have a good reason for that. The word "Polygonal" just sounds like the type of shape, but to me, it represents the shape that creates 3D models in games. To me, it also represents one of my favorite generations of gaming, which was when the PS1, Nintendo 64, and Sega Saturn were at their prime. The way that games looked at that time might look primitive, but to me it looks charming. Yeah if you can tell already, I am a nerd who loves all things gaming, which is why I want to become a game developer. I was always fascinated by games and the stories that they told, and the  experiences that it gave the player, so I want to create something grand that will be memorable to the gaming world. As for the Nostalgia part, I love looking throughout the past, specifically the 80's, 90's, early 2000's, and early 2010's. It was a simpler time back then, compared to now, where everything seems to be so crazy. When I was looking through the blog examples from past students that Mr. Nielson provided the class, it was a blast for the past to me. A lot of these blogs were made from 2013! From McDonald's pink slime to a (at the time) recent reaction to the reveal of the Xbox One and PS4, reading these entries made me feel nostalgic. If people ever see this blog in the future, I want it to be seen as some type of time capsule. 

    With that long passionate introduction out of the way, here are some more details about me. My hobbies includes gaming (Obviously), drawing, listening to music (especially rock), exercising, hanging out with friends, watching YouTube, and hanging out with my family. I don't really have a lot of pet peeves but one has to be people not planning ahead of time (it's super inconvenient and it makes me stressed at times). My favorite types of food are Italian food and Asian food.

Going more in depth with the music I listen to, I sometimes listen to EDM and rap, but I mostly listen to rock. Some of the bands I listen to include Three Days Grace (the albums with the original singer, Adam Gontier), Breaking Benjamin, Avenged Sevenfold, Seether, and Green Day. I have also started to listen to Linkin Park. My favorites out of all of them are Breaking Benjamin and Three Days Grace because I really love the way they sound and the way they make me feel at the moment. Here are two of my favorite albums (If you want to give them a listen, I'll leave a link for each one):

                             We Are Not Alone -Breaking Benjamin

                                  One X -Three Days Grace 

  

    I can go on and on about other stuff, but I think this was a good info dump about me. I hope whoever looks at this blog will be able to enjoy it! This is going to be an adventure!