This video package was shot at Isom's Orchard in Athen's, AL. It was shot for a class project. All video, script and editing was done by me.
Thursday, May 5, 2011
Tough Mudder
This video was shot in Georgia during the Tough Mudder competition. The video centered mainly around my brother Patrick Rickabaugh and his wife Anna provided some of the intro photos. All other footage and photos were shot by me and the final product was edited by me.
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
'Dungeons and Dragons' players unite on campus to play
Dungeons and Dragons is a game often associated with the worst types of nerdy. It is seen as nerdy, weird and played only by the biggest of losers.
"[People that play] are geeks that will live in their mother's basement until they are 30 and sit behind books playing whatever card game is popular at the time with kids three times younger than them," said John Philips, UNA student.
This seems to be the general consensus among non-players. However, what stereotypes and public opinion fail to mention is that Dungeons and Dragons has remained a part of pop culture and society for over 30 years and continues to hold a dedicated fan base.
Dungeons and Dragons was created in the '70s before the video games of today existed. It can be played board-game style or role played. Each player creates his or her own character, documenting everything on paper. A "dungeon master" creates the quests and basis of each game. Actions depend on the situation of the story and can be infinite. Each player has special powers and abilities defined by the Dungeons and Dragons rule book. Basic rules can also be found online.
The rules may sound familiar, the pretty much are the basis of most role playing games today, like World of Warcraft. However, Dungeons and Dragons has one of the worst reputations of any game out there. One huge stereotype is that the only people that play it are old, but Leo Taylor is out to prove that false and is even working on getting a group together on campus.
"I have always liked different hobbies and I just kind of looked into the game. I had always heard bad things about it, that it was kind of nerdy, but I've always been a sucker for really complicated games, especially board games. I was kind of curious about it so I guess I just started," said Taylor.
The game has a wide fan base that posts regularly on the official website. The website includes everything the budding "noob" would need for getting started, including game synopsis, character explanations and interactive forums from other veteran players.
Getting involved in a game like Dungeons and Dragons is easier said than done.
"There's a group that actually meets on campus every Tuesday and Thursday but they've been doing it so long that it would be really hard for a new player to get involved just because of how advanced they are in their game," said Taylor.
The game is very group-oriented and is best played when all the characters start together. This is why Taylor is trying to get a new group together on campus.
"I wanted to play with a group that was more laid back so I put fliers around campus. I've already had people texting me like ‘Hey, when can we play?'" said Taylor.
While one of the stigmas of the game is that no one under 30 plays it, but Taylor claims he has never played with anyone over 30. His groups usually consist of fellow students and friends. While older people play the game as well, the Dungeons and Dragons community is incredibly diverse.
The game is even updated on a regular basis in order to maintain a younger audience.
"It's not a game that can be played by like pre-teen kids just because there are some harder mechanics. Video games are fun but you can get together and socialize and play together [with Dungeons and Dragons]," said Taylor.
For more information on joining Taylor's group, call 797-7935 or contact him on Facebook.
"[People that play] are geeks that will live in their mother's basement until they are 30 and sit behind books playing whatever card game is popular at the time with kids three times younger than them," said John Philips, UNA student.
This seems to be the general consensus among non-players. However, what stereotypes and public opinion fail to mention is that Dungeons and Dragons has remained a part of pop culture and society for over 30 years and continues to hold a dedicated fan base.
Dungeons and Dragons was created in the '70s before the video games of today existed. It can be played board-game style or role played. Each player creates his or her own character, documenting everything on paper. A "dungeon master" creates the quests and basis of each game. Actions depend on the situation of the story and can be infinite. Each player has special powers and abilities defined by the Dungeons and Dragons rule book. Basic rules can also be found online.
The rules may sound familiar, the pretty much are the basis of most role playing games today, like World of Warcraft. However, Dungeons and Dragons has one of the worst reputations of any game out there. One huge stereotype is that the only people that play it are old, but Leo Taylor is out to prove that false and is even working on getting a group together on campus.
"I have always liked different hobbies and I just kind of looked into the game. I had always heard bad things about it, that it was kind of nerdy, but I've always been a sucker for really complicated games, especially board games. I was kind of curious about it so I guess I just started," said Taylor.
The game has a wide fan base that posts regularly on the official website. The website includes everything the budding "noob" would need for getting started, including game synopsis, character explanations and interactive forums from other veteran players.
Getting involved in a game like Dungeons and Dragons is easier said than done.
"There's a group that actually meets on campus every Tuesday and Thursday but they've been doing it so long that it would be really hard for a new player to get involved just because of how advanced they are in their game," said Taylor.
The game is very group-oriented and is best played when all the characters start together. This is why Taylor is trying to get a new group together on campus.
"I wanted to play with a group that was more laid back so I put fliers around campus. I've already had people texting me like ‘Hey, when can we play?'" said Taylor.
While one of the stigmas of the game is that no one under 30 plays it, but Taylor claims he has never played with anyone over 30. His groups usually consist of fellow students and friends. While older people play the game as well, the Dungeons and Dragons community is incredibly diverse.
The game is even updated on a regular basis in order to maintain a younger audience.
"It's not a game that can be played by like pre-teen kids just because there are some harder mechanics. Video games are fun but you can get together and socialize and play together [with Dungeons and Dragons]," said Taylor.
For more information on joining Taylor's group, call 797-7935 or contact him on Facebook.
Florence Animal SHelter photoslide
The following is a photoslide done for my Media Convergence class. The topic was the Florence Animal Shelter.
Cheating and technology can go hand in hand
Cheating has always been the unspoken elephant in schools. Teachers don’t want to experience it, and students don’t want to get caught doing it.
Just like schools have evolved over the years, so has cheating. What started as writing answers on your hand changed to taping a sheet on the inside of your shirt. Now, some students are using technology to get ahead on tests.
“I’ve heard of students in the first row texting the answers to the students in the back row, but I can’t see how that would work,” said UNA professor Dr. Jim Martin.
Many teachers are taking action on cheating from the very start by banning cell phones and Internet surfing in class altogether.
An article from takepart.com stated that cheating is at an all-time high with even the teachers getting involved by giving out answers prior to the test or even changing wrong ones while grading. However, with more effort to elude detection comes even more effort to detect it. Caveon is a company dedicated to detecting cheaters and educating teachers on how to catch them in class.
Even with more preventative actions taking place in schools across the nation, cheaters still get through.
“In my advanced reporting class, I had one student whose beat was fraternities and sororities,” Martin said. “He wrote an acceptable article with two different sources about the activity. However, for whatever reason, The Flor-Ala did not publish it. Two years later, unbeknownst to me, one of the young ladies in the class turned in a fraternity-sorority story. I didn’t recognize it and The Flor-Ala ran the story. They assumed that since The Flor-Ala didn’t run it once they wouldn’t run it again.”
Instances like this are not completely uncommon at UNA, but Martin believes that just as easy as it is to cheat with technology, it is even easier to detect it.
“If I suspect a phrase or quote of being suspicious, I’ll usually google it,” he said.
While the university is tight-lipped on previous plagiarism cases that have gone to trial, their policies are more than clear. In fact, all professors are required to include the university’s plagiarism policies on the syllabus at the start of the year.
While cheating cases are not nonexistent at UNA, Martin feels they are significantly less common than at other universities.
“I honestly believe that most students [at UNA] are honest and hardworking. Other universities may have more of a problem [with cheating],” said Martin.
While cheating will never really be eliminated from educational settings, it is clear that teachers and faculty will not sit back and let it happen. Steps will continually be made to further educate on how to prevent cheating.
UNA student wins competitive global scholarship
Ray has received the Critical Language Scholarship for the second consecutive year. The scholarship is designed to fully immerse the student in a desired culture. Nearly 500 students are chosen from around the country.
"The scholarship process was definitely harder the second time around," said Ray. "Of the 30 people that were in my group last year, half of them reapplied and only three were chosen again."
The scholarship process is intensified for intermediate-level applicants. Two years of study in the desired language is required. Students must complete four essays, which each have a word limit, get several personal references and complete an Arabic evaluation.
Once Ray was notified of her acceptance, she had to immediately begin written and oral assessments to decide her placement. Ray will not find out her placement until nearly April, but she has requested to be placed in Tunisia again to improve not just her knowledge of the language but her dialect as well.
The trip is anything from a vacation, though. Students are required to spend about five hours a day in class, another five hours studying and working on homework, as well as embarking on a chosen cultural activity. Ray chose to study belly dancing while she was in Tunisia, and even had to perform on stage at the end of the year.
Along with her studies, all the students went on cultural excursions. Ray went on three different trips, one of which was the Kush desert.
"A lot of Star Wars was filmed in Tunisia, and I didn't know that," she said. "It was really bizarre because you'd be walking through the desert and suddenly you'd see this big set from Star Wars."
While the trip greatly improved her Arabic, Ray also made some lifelong acquaintances while she was there.
"There was this café I would go to every day, and in time the owner and I became friends," said Ray. "He considered me like his daughter. On the last day, he opened up the café for breakfast for me and had gone out and bought me breakfast and had this huge basket of beautiful gifts for me."
Along with friends, Ray keeps in touch with her teachers, tutors, host family and other students from the trip. She even stayed with one of her speaking partners on a trip to New York recently.
While she would be happy with any of the country options, Ray and those deciding where she will stay are keeping their ears and eyes on the escalating conflict in the Middle East.
"Egypt is still on the table as an option but that may change by April," Ray said. "The area in Tunisia I stayed is in the suburbs is right outside the city where most of the conflict is happening. While I would be OK being in an area like that, I would never place myself in a dangerous situation. I would never do anything to jeopardize my scholarship."
Because the scholarship is through Washington D.C., restrictions are made upon illegal activity.
"My parents don't want me to be in danger, but I was surprised at how supportive they've been," Ray said.
Ray won't be leaving for her trip until the summer, but there is one thing she missed on her stay that she intends to stock up on.
"All I wanted the whole time I was there was coffee," said Ray. "I kept telling everyone all I wanted was a big coffee. So I'll definitely be bringing a coffee pot and lots of coffee."
http://www.florala.net/news/article_98194668-4474-11e0-8e1a-00127992bc8b.html
'Soda Pot' could be medical marijauna
"Canna Cola or "soda pot" as its better known is the newest creation out of California that combines soda and THC, the chemical found in marijuana.
The soda was created in order to give glaucoma patients an alternative way to take their medication.
"A lot of people simply don't want to smoke," said co-brand developer Clay Butler in an interview with ABC news. "It's very easy to take your medication in the form of a cookie, soda or brownie, and you can do that without drawing attention to yourself."
The drink is being featured in a 12-ounce can and will be available in five flavors. It will cost between $10 and $12.
The drink is first being introduced in Colorado before it will expand to the California market and beyond. However, some students doubt the likelihood of it making it to Alabama.
"That kind of thing would never pass state by state. It would have to pass at the federal level," said Flor-Ala political columnist Evan King.
Surprisingly, this is not the first marijuana soda in creation, but Butler believes his unique bottle designs and marketing will set the drink apart from the other "mom-and-pop, hippie-dippy and rinky-dink" drinks.
On the heels of the release of this drink is a law making its way to senate entitled the "Brownie Law" which will increase punishment for those that combine the drug THC with candy-like products such as brownies and soda.
The law is intended to reduce the chance of selling to minors.
Butler firmly believes, though, that "adults have an inalienable right to think, eat, smoke, drink, ingest, decorate, dress any way they choose."
The drink, only available to glaucoma patients with a prescription, will be introduced in February. If it reaches past California, it will only be sold in 15 states, as these are the only states with medical marijuana legalized.
http://www.florala.net/life/article_c4136510-2f2e-11e0-b39f-00127992bc8b.html
The soda was created in order to give glaucoma patients an alternative way to take their medication.
"A lot of people simply don't want to smoke," said co-brand developer Clay Butler in an interview with ABC news. "It's very easy to take your medication in the form of a cookie, soda or brownie, and you can do that without drawing attention to yourself."
The drink is being featured in a 12-ounce can and will be available in five flavors. It will cost between $10 and $12.
The drink is first being introduced in Colorado before it will expand to the California market and beyond. However, some students doubt the likelihood of it making it to Alabama.
"That kind of thing would never pass state by state. It would have to pass at the federal level," said Flor-Ala political columnist Evan King.
Surprisingly, this is not the first marijuana soda in creation, but Butler believes his unique bottle designs and marketing will set the drink apart from the other "mom-and-pop, hippie-dippy and rinky-dink" drinks.
On the heels of the release of this drink is a law making its way to senate entitled the "Brownie Law" which will increase punishment for those that combine the drug THC with candy-like products such as brownies and soda.
The law is intended to reduce the chance of selling to minors.
Butler firmly believes, though, that "adults have an inalienable right to think, eat, smoke, drink, ingest, decorate, dress any way they choose."
The drink, only available to glaucoma patients with a prescription, will be introduced in February. If it reaches past California, it will only be sold in 15 states, as these are the only states with medical marijuana legalized.
http://www.florala.net/life/article_c4136510-2f2e-11e0-b39f-00127992bc8b.html
Spoiler alert: New ‘Harry Potter’ movie delivers
Few movie previews have given me sheer chills of anticipation the way “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” did. So, needless to say, my bar was set incredibly high walking into part one of this epic two part finale.
Yet David Yates’ meticulous direction leaves viewers emotionally and visually enraptured until the last nail-biting cliff hanger.
Like many of the Potter films, key parts of the film were rushed, including the beginning. Yates speeds through the introduction of the movie with an eagle-eye montage of Harry, Ron and Hermione setting their affairs in order.
Viewers are prepped for coming events with quick shots of a ministry takeover, wizards in hiding and a murder within the first 10 minutes.
It is clear this film is not going to be a campy romp with Harry and the gang. Instead, Yates pulls on the heavy desperation that litters the pages of “Deathly Hallows” and uses it as inspiration for the first in his two-part film.
The escape from the Dursley’s and the wedding are rushed as Yates condenses it down to two quick shots of action and one quick shot of dancing before he jumps right into the trio on the run.
When it comes to Yates’ depiction of the three’s journey through the wilderness of Great Britain, nothing is rushed. Every emotion and feeling is intensified.
The feeling can be most felt as Harry, Ron and Hermione stand in the dank and dark halls of Grimmauld Place.
Hermione utters the fateful line, “We’re alone.” While this line is accurate of their current situation, it also bodes true of each character.
Yates so embodies their loneliness that viewers find themselves feeling their despair. Yates intensifies this with dark and bare backdrops, far away cinematography, very little orchestration and minor discussion.
The first half of “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” is a slog through very little action and heavy speculation, and Yates does a beautiful job of taking this material and turning it into something beautiful.
However, for a book that is light on action, any action present should have been taken advantage of, but just like “Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince,” action sequences are rushed and unfulfilling. From the battle with death eaters as Harry escapes to the capture at the Malfoy Manor, I was left wanting more.
Even Hermione’s torture is edited down until it is a mere cut on the arm. Yet the unforgettable seen with Dobby makes up for any rush.
I left the movie with tears streaming down my face as did the majority of my fellow moviegoers.
This film was an emotional roller coaster beautifully filmed and edited.
Even those who are Potter virgins could enjoy the film for its sheer art and story. And those that have read the books will appreciate this film for its honesty.
http://www.florala.net/life/article_084c3c48-fdbb-11df-8ea9-00127992bc8b.html
http://www.florala.net/life/article_084c3c48-fdbb-11df-8ea9-00127992bc8b.html
How do ice cream shops survive the winter months?
Ice cream is one of those fundamental treats that every person enjoys. Whether it is something as simple as vanilla or the ingredient-packed rocky road, ice cream has many forms to love. However, one of the biggest draws of ice cream in the summer time is the biggest downfall in the winter. It is for this reason that many ice cream shops have to think of clever ways to sell the icy treat in the winter months.
The B & D Waterwheel Ice Cream in Killen has a fairly simple strategy for handling decline in customers. For certain times during the year, the shop closes its doors altogether and reopens in more favorable weather.
The B & D Waterwheel Ice Cream in Killen has a fairly simple strategy for handling decline in customers. For certain times during the year, the shop closes its doors altogether and reopens in more favorable weather.
While big chain restaurants have by now developed a formula for operating in the cold weather, it is the local shops that suffer the most. It is because of this that clever marketing strategies are devised in order to maintain customers and profit.
Frostbite, which features frozen yogurt instead of ice cream, took a similar approach. The shop shortened hours by opening one hour later and closing one hour earlier. In addition, the shop runs special promotions in the winter time that are not offered in the warm months.
“In the summer there’s no need to run promotions, people just come in and get their yogurt. In the winter we offer discounts. We do 10 percent off to certain people, like if you like our Facebook. If you buy something at Montague’s you can get 10 percent off. We also do a double punch Tuesday to customer loyalty cards,” said Jamarkis Wess, Frostbite employee.
Many frozen novelty shops pull in customers with special limited time flavors. Cold Stone Creamery offers a flavor of the month every month. Frostbite too offers special seasonal flavors like pumpkin pie, eggnog and peppermint stick.
Frostbite keeps customers up to date on their flavors of the day by posting regularly on their Facebook. Fans of the page can even post suggestions for flavors and combinations. One fan of the page posted:
“I made the most amazing combination tonight: apple pie with cinnamon toast crunch/caramel/Graham cracker crumbs, red velvet cake with Oreos, and mint chocolate with Ande's mints. Not all together, but separated. Delicious!”
One thing many shops have in common is that very few of them offer any hot items on the menu to bring in customers. Some like MaggieMoos in Huntsville and Cold Stone Creamery have introduced products other than ice cream like coffee, fruit smoothies, and milkshakes, but almost none of them have introduced hot items. It seems the frozen treats will sell well enough without help from warmer treats.
“I love ice cream. I don’t care how cold it is outside. There is something about ice cream that just makes me happy,” said John Howard, UNA alumnus.
Wess feels similarly about Frostbite’s product.
“People are going to come in the winter because we offer a quality place, a quality product and it doesn’t hurt that the frozen yogurt is a little healthier too.”
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