PS4

Gamers' world was shaken by the released of the new PS4. 

The new PS4 has been greatly compared to Xbox One. 

No doubt, both are peculiar on it's own. 

As for me, I am more of a PS4 person as I have the whole collection of Sony's Playstations which include PS2,PS3 and PSP. 

What I like about the PS4 is it has a sleek design because of its angular shape and two-halve design.

Besides that, the PS4 has powerful consoles. 

The console itself is built around computer processing and graphics processing units custom-built by Advanced Micro Devices Inc. Sony says the PlayStation 4 has 10 times the processing power of the PS3. That should translate into higher screen resolution (up to 1080p) and faster frame rates (up to 60 frames per second), meaning more detailed environments, more realistic lighting, smoother animation and huge online multiplayer matches, according to First Post Technology. 

Personally, I think a good gaming experience is influenced by good graphics. I believe Sony has improvised the graphic for PS4. According to First Post Technology, Killzone,” from Sony’s Amsterdam-based Guerrilla Games studio, shows off the new technology most impressively. Purely from a game-play perspective, it’s a fairly generic first-person shooter, with humans battling the dictatorial alien Helghast for control of a divided planet. But wow, is it beautiful, from its vast, breathtaking landscapes to the finely tooled details of individual firearms.

Chromecast

According to Janko Roettgers of Gigaom, Chromecast is a $35 streaming dongle that plugs into your TV’s HDMI port. You can use it to stream online videos from YouTube, Netflix and elsewhere, and use your computer, mobile phone or tablet as a remote control. It doesn’t have any kind of separate app store or user interface on your TV. Basically, everything gets controlled from the PC or mobile device.

As a consumer who uses HDMI cable to connect my PC to the television when watching Netflix, I think Chromecast is a great invention. Because my HDMI cable is short, I often have to walk to the screen where to control the movie I am watching. With Chromecast, which is remote free, I can control the movie I watch in the palm of my hands. I can save the trouble walking back and forth to my computer. The absence of the HDMI cable also will make my house look tidier, rather than having cables intertwined with each other. Also, I think the the absence of cable also helps prevent accidents from tripping over cables. Family with small kids should consider replacing their HDMI cable with Chromecast. In my opinion, Chromecast is selling at an affordable price for only $35. 

MoJo - Mobile Journalism.

What is Mobile Journalism?

According to KGW, Mobile Journalism has two meanings, one is as news-gathering technique by our reporters; the other, as a news and growing news platform for audience to get their news on the go, via our mobile news apps.

Mobile Journalism is encouraged, and taught to student journalist. So, why MoJo is on the rise? In this contemporary era, the majority has gadgets such as smartphones and tablets. These gadgets increase mobility in receiving information causing audience to demand up-to-the-minute news. According to BBC reporter, Nick Garnett, the distinct advantages of MoJo are flexibility, speedy turnaround, mobility and affordability. 

I was given an opportunity to go on the field, and report using smartphone. In my opinion, I like the convenience of reporting with a smartphone without having to transfer pictures to my computer. I like the convenience of reporting using only one tool, which means it saves the hassle of carrying huge cameras and camera stand. However, reporting on smartphone was a little odd for me as I am used to writing and uploading pictures using computer. Also, typing on the phone was not as smooth as doing it on the computer. Not to mention, the screen on the phone was a lot smaller which made typing a lot slower. To me, I felt there was no flow reporting using the smartphone. Regardless, I believe with practice, I am able to report using my smartphone efficiently. 

An evening with Brian Stelter.

On Tuesday at 7 p.m., Brian Stelter, gave a talk in Gannet Hall, University of Missouri-Columbia.
Brian Stelter is currently a media reporter for The New York Times. Also, this year, New York Times best-selling book known "Top of The Morning" was published by Brian Stelter. The boo is about the morning television rivalry between the "Today" show and "Good Morning America".

In the talk, Stelter emphasized on doing what you love. As for him, he started a website name "Nintendojo" when he was younger. Later, during his 2nd semester in college, he started "TVNEWSER", a blog covering the television news, something he was passionate about. "TVNEWSER" started as a hobby then it became a job because it received high hits. What made "TVNEWSER" unique was the website has a few peculiar features that other news outlets do no have. One of them is the Anonymous Box. This box allows to comment anything whether if its news ideas or complains. According to Stelter, the box eventually became a tool for his news story as the readers were generating materials for the blog. Besides the Anonymous Box, the website has a Scoreboard where it displays hourly ratings for news shows. When Brian Stelter was a senior,  The New York Times called because his website was beating them on stories. The New York Times offers to hire him when he graduates.

I have learned from Stelter that the 21st century publications are limitless in comparison to the past. In order to get something to be published, all u need is the Internet connection. This has made me realized how technology has contributed to the distribution of news. Besides that, another important thing that I learned from Brian Stelter is digital identity. So, what is digital identity? It means sharing your identity on the Internet such as sharing what you produced Google and Facebook. Having a digital identity also means you have done a variety of things because your identity is shown on Google search. Moreover, digital identity can also be personal such as sharing photos on what you are doing. By doing that, you are showing the audience you are human too.

I have also learned that journalism is going every direction. It can be shorter or longer news stories, some are predictable and some are creative. In my opinion, there isn't any fixed scheme for journalism as long as news is produced accurately and truthfully. In addition, I learned from Brian Stelter that my generation are people that are more comfortable with the Web, which I could not agree more. It made me realized that promoting my work on the Web is encouraged as people are getting tech-savvy. Brian Stelter made me realized that Twitter is also a form of news, and it is not weird to communicate with audience via Twitter. This is because more people are getting more comfortable with the Web. Not to mention, Twitter gives journalist more freedom as it can be published without editors. Because people are getting tech-savvy, the use of tablets are increasing which contributes to the demand of news wherever and whenever. Brian Stelter said, "Mobile means more news."

Another interesting knowledge that I have gained from Brian Stelter is the quantity of your work is more important than quality. This is because quantity will make audience to notice you. Brian Stelter also emphasized on getting your audience first. He told us that our goal is not to get a job at The New York Times but to get your audience. Having audience is the first step because eventually, doors will be open when you have people noticing your work. Besides quantity vs. quality, I learned that I should not be shy in promoting myself and my work. I should not be afraid to publish my traffic score because this proves that I have audience. Eventually, audience will attract more audience in viewing and noticing my work. One last tip Stelter gave was we should explore and try on things that we are passionate about. "It is better to fail than not try," Stelter emphasized.

The Soul for Black Culture Awareness Week.

In the United States, 19.4 percent of African-American adults are current smokers.  

In relation to the statistic, an event known as Black Culture Awareness Week 2013: The Soul was held at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2013, in the Black Culture Center of University of Missouri-Columbia. 

In the event, University of Missouri - Columbia's Wellness Resource Center's representative gave a talk on how the tobacco industry target minorities, especially African-Americans. 

The talk was conducted by Ryan Manganelli, 21, the co-president of the Wellness Resource Center. In his presentation he talked about stress, and how it drives to the use of tobacco and alcohol. 

In the presentation, statistics on African-American using alcohol and tobacco was presented. Manganelli said 15.5 percent of African- American women are current smokers. 

Ryan Manganelli presenting on how stress affect the use of tobacco on Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2013 in Black Culture Center of University of Missouri-Columbia.

Elizabeth Brown, 20,  a junior in University of Missouri-Columbia, was one of the many who were present for the event. She was at the front row, and was curious on the approach of countering smoking among African-Americans.

"I was interested to find out  the techniques used to approach the minorities on the use of tobacco," Brown said.

Elizabeth Brown, 20, was present for Black Culture Awareness Week 2013: The Soul to find out how they approach minorities on the use of tobacco. Taken on Tuesday, Nov 5, 2013 in Black Culture Center of University of Missouri-Columbia.

The event has attracted many African-American students, and has provided informational knowledge on the use of tobacco.