Excel

I've enjoyed recently working with excel because I've discovered a lot of new things about the program that I didn't know before. I have found the "auto-fill" technique to be extremely fascinating and it certainly saves me a lot of time. I learned about the millions of different ways to format and sort data as well. The use of formulas is another handy piece of information that will especially come in handy outside of class. If I ever need to keep track of my payments, or any sort of account balance, in the future I can make a table in excel and easily keep track of everything. I like how simple excel is to use, and I haven't yet discovered something about the program that I truely dislike.

Copyright Presentation

I took a lot of valuable pieces of information from Josh Hardin's presentation on copyright laws. Before his talk, I was very unfamiliar with the regulations surrounding copyright and what exactly a violation entailed. While I knew copyright infringement was illegal, I had no idea that when 10 or more copies and/or a value of over $2500 is involved, a seemingly small criminal offense turns into a felony.

There are many issues surrounding copyright, and one in particular is still highly debated about. The Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) is a necessary law to have because it protects us from dangerous piracy and counterfeit scams that are becoming more and more prevalent today. While the ACTA exists for the right reason, for the safety of individuals, it is very controversial for several reasons. Not only are the terms in the agreement not clearly defined, but there is a high level of secrecy when it comes to discussion and voting. I think the benefits of the ACTA greatly outweigh the potential concerns, and while there could be some major tweaking especially in the vagueness and democratic aspect of it, I firmly believe that it's in place for a good reason and it's benefitting us.


Lisa's Blog by Lisa Amsler is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License.

My Trinity Network Diagram

Before the systems administrator, Jared Pack, gave us a tour of the server room inside Halsell I had no idea that it even existed, let alone how it all worked! Working on this network diagram helped me more clearly understand the Trinity network and how complicated it really is. Now, I realize the efficiency of the network services here on campus and I won't ever complain about it again.

Mystery Spot on Campus

I chose this mysterious location because it's a relatively secluded place that every student encounters daily, but they don't necessarily know it. I used Picnik to alter the image just slightly. I applied the polaroid effect which framed and tilted the image to give off the appearance of a polaroid picture. Then I used doodle sketch to change the composition and I faded the overall color. I wanted to alter the image in a way that would make it look like an actual polaroid picture in the process of developing because I like the real-life aspect of it. Can you guess where this mystery spot is?

Best Tech Tip

I really enjoyed having Joe Hatch come into our class and teach us a variety of computer survival skills. I learned a lot of relevant tips, such as how to keep my computer running smoothly. He mentioned the benefits of a program called CCleaner and the importance of running it after every browsing session. I had no idea how quickly junk accumulates and how easily hackers can access my stored personal information. I intend on erasing unnecessary stored files and my browsing history to avoid putting my computer at a greater risk of getting attacked.