Interrobang

Mid August Report

noreply@blogger.com (Matt) — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 21:55:00 +0000

[August 14, 2009]
Found a new blog that is set to be up and running soon. It is called "Professor Hacker" and it looks pretty promising. You can learn more about it here.

Since I'm at it - here's a quick update about what's been going on with me:

I went to AEJMC in Boston and had a great time. Presentation went very well and was overall impressed by my first "AEJ" conference.

I visited Virginia Tech for a few days with some old college friends. I'd forgotten how beautiful it is in that part of the country. It was great to be back at Tech, although sad given it was my first visit to VT since the shooting tragedy of 07.

I'm currently back in VA for another week. Then it is back to Pullman and the start of the Fall 2009 semester. I will be spending the next week getting everything in order for the classes I'm teaching and hopefully getting a little work done on my dissertation.

Check back soon!

Increasingly Decreasing: Adding Bread

noreply@blogger.com (Matt) — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 00:42:00 +0000

[July 20, 2009]
It has been over a month since my last post. I am ashamed. Embarrassed. Busy.

So many things to mention, so little time. What I feel like writing about today has less to do with communication or academia and more to do with my other major focus of this blog: graduate school life.

Our plans to grow more of our own food and be more self-reliant, and thereby reduce our environmental impact are going quite well! You may recall an earlier post when we'd begun the growing process.

Our basil plants have really taken off and we've been enjoying fresh organic basil with a variety of meals, including basil stir fry and Italian meals. We are stoked about these because fresh basil is so much tastier than dried store bought herbs and its so easy to walk out onto the porch and pick a few leaves when cooking.

On to more difficult things. Last year's attempts to grow our own peppers were unsuccessful. This year we've got peppers and I've got proof! Check out this green bad boys coming in on 1 of our plants. My hope is the other plant will start producing some time in the next few weeks.

We've also grown our own peas. Our very first pea pod is forming and we are pretty stoked about that. Hopefully I'll snag a good photo of it soon.

All together, our grad student victory garden is going well! But wait, there's more!

Last night we finally got around to trying something we've been wanting to do for a while: bake our own bread. Last semester I had a student who gave a speech about the health benefits of buying local. As her prop, she contrasted a store bought loaf of bread with a healthier loaf sold at the Co-Op. The Co-Op bread had 6 ingredients. The other loaf was loaded down with preservatives and who knows what else. This got me thinking. I'd like to eat better bread. And so, Kelin recently bought a loaf of delicious bread from the Co-Op. I realized: why not do 1 better. Why not bake our own bread?!

So we set out with this simple recipe having never baked a loaf of bread in our collective lives! The bread was delicious and I'm hoping this becomes a habit and a staple. Our plan is to branch out to more complicated breads, and healthier ones at that. This recipe isn't the healthiest out there but it is a great starting point, makes a great loaf and is much healthier than many store bought alternatives. Soon we hope to do wheat bread. If you've never thought about baking before, I encourage you to give it a try. All you need is a pan and some basic ingredients!

Is the "Real-Time Web" coming of age during the Iranian election protest?!

noreply@blogger.com (Matt) — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 17:21:00 +0000

[June 15, 2009]
If you're not seeing it, you're not paying attention (to the right channels).

Over the past few days a storm of political unrest has been brewing in Iran, backlash questioning the legitimacy of the outcome of the Iranian election. Another controversy has been emerging online.

Upset about CNN's lack of immediate coverage of the election protest in Iran, many twitter users are calling the 24-hour cable network out for a major fail (for more: 1, 2, 3). #CNNFail emerged by an implied community of twitterers who've been covering the story both on the ground from within Iran and from the comfort of their computer chairs around the world. While this brings questions of influence and discord between mainstream and social media, (a major topic in my dissertation) something else struck me about what's been going on the last few days.

The real-time-web is an emerging topic in the online world today, a phenomenon whose potentiality and staying power are a Big (yes, with a capital B) "?". Right now you can choose your info source about the unrest: Mainstream media or Social media. And, no, not the social media we've known the last few years but a new stage of social media: the real time web (a topic so new at 11am PST this morning I couldn't find Wikipedia page on it... so I decided to start one).

There are, of course posts on the twitterverse on the topic. But twitter provides a narrow, text-based 1-medium knowledge-stream. There are also videos emerging on YouTube, blog posts, photos actively updated by protesters in the streets of Iran on Twitpic, etc, etc. There is a wealth of rich, multimedia news unlike anything we've ever before seen covering a live event of this historical magnitude. But how do we make sense of all this info as it races by us? Real time web search engines are currently offering the best ways for tracking this amalgamation of info streaming in, the likes of which traditional news cannot compete with.

To understand this mess of data, real time web engines pool from various sources such as micro-blogs, photos, blogs, etc., delivering a multimedia mosaic of what's important right now.

Some insightful examples are:

Twazzup (by far the best from what I can find)
Scoopler
SocialMention
OneRiot (webstream)
Oneriot (videostream)

So as you monitor the situation on the ground as it is happening, turning off and browsing away from the CNN's of the world and going in search of a way to follow what's going on in Iran in the social media age, ponder this question: Is the situation in Iran proving the value and potential of the real-time web? It seems to me historical events, our desire for a wealth of info right now about these events, and the inability of the mainstream media to fulfill those needs and social media have created an opportunity for the real time web to be thrust into a position to prove its worth. This could be a turning point for Iran, the world and for the real time web. For the RealWeb, it will come down to the ability of the various real time web searches to deliver.

Thoughts?

What other real time web tools are you using?

p.s., In no way to I mean to minimize the importance of what is occurring in Iran nor was it my attempt to discuss any controversy surrounding the issue. What is happening is profoundly important. There are many strong feelings and there is violence and human rights violations undoubtedly occurring. I am not a political commentator and I feel it is best to leave those discussions to those who are more informed than I am on these matters and to those spaces. I am simply attempting to discuss the intersection between history, the role of new media in struggle for social change, and news media.

(photo by blr85 from TwitPic)

Early Summer Summary

noreply@blogger.com (Matt) — Tue, 26 May 2009 00:31:00 +0000

[May 25, 2009]
Happy Memorial Day! Tomorrow I leave for a 1-week get away vacation with Kelin! I will be meeting her in England where we will be staying for a day and then off to Malta. It should be fantastic and I could very much use the break. I will have many photos and will be sure to post some when I return. Here's just a quick summary of what's been going on the last few weeks as the semester ended and summer has begun to get rolling.

Com 420
I re-organized a good deal of my new communication technology class. I felt like something needed to change and after thinking on it awhile I was struck with an idea late one night when trying to sleep. I got up, wrote it down and the next day began pursuing it. The quick of it is that I am going to have my students use various new media tools to track a technology related to their field of study over the course of the semester. Social media is evolving and there is more and more talk about: "how can we understand this behemoth of user activity and interaction online."

I want my students to immerse themselves in the real-time web, learning and using new media literacies that will allow them to gain first-hand experience with an array of new media platforms but will also teach them valuable and marketable new media skills (such as research using new media tools). I'm having them use diigo.com (a social bookmarking platform) and twitter.com, for example. With this new project students will also get active in these spaces and will become part of the conversation about their topic. Students will work in groups and there will be 3 presentations of the state of their research that reflect how the conversation around the technology they are studying (e.g., new developments, issues, incidents, etc) is developing and changing.

I am re-energized about this project after doing an assessment of the multimedia project I used to have my students do and deciding for a number of reasons that I was unsatisfied with how it was going. It has been great to have this much flexibility and freedom to design this class and I feel like I've learned from a number of valuable experiences that could only come with being able to develop your syllabus and your assignments as I have. So, having re-tooled the class in a number of ways, including the trending project I mentioned above, I'm excited to be going into summer session here in a few weeks and trying some new things.

New Media Research
Two project I worked on got accepted for presentation at AEJMC this August. One is about new media use and predictors of political participation and the other examined the interrelationship between bullying and user-generated content. Both projects are great pieces I feel and I am very proud of both. They are perhaps two of the best research papers I've done. If you are going to be at AEJ, I hope you'll come and check it out. I will post more when I get my hands on the final schedule on here and of course on my ePortfolio.

Garden
There is bad news on the garden front. The other morning I woke up to find all our pepper plants, our peas, our lettuce and some of our basils had been stolen by birds from off my front porch. There were little holes in the pots and I found a few feathers and 1 of the plants in the grass on the ground floor. I was pretty angry and sadenned about it because this is only our second year learning to grow food and it hurts to have that kind of a set back. It is a bit late, but I am trying to replant some pea seeds and went to the co-op and bought some replacement pepper plants that were a lot further along than were ours. The good thing is that these plants are organic and should make decent substitutes. The other good thing is that our garlic, some of our basils and some of our coriander were inside and so they are still going strong! I suppose I was naive to not realize that birds come and rob you of your plants. But it is a learning experience. And in that respect, gardening is like grad school.

Well, there is really much more I could talk about. But I have to get moving. There is still much to be done before I leave tomorrow from Spokane. Wish me a good trip. It will be good to get away for a little while and re-charge my batteries! See you when I return with a tan!
photo: WikiCommons

Green University Leaders

noreply@blogger.com (Matt) — Tue, 12 May 2009 16:28:00 +0000

[May 12, 2009]
We expect our colleges and universities to be beacons for innovation and progress. We should expect our campuses to be leaders in green innovation. I came across a great article the other day about the most "green" (a vague term, I know) college campuses. The article was unfortunately written in 2008. I'd like to see an update given how fast things are progressing in recent months. Still, there is some interesting info here. I'm pretty disappointing WSU isn't a nationwide leader in the campus greenolution. While we certainly can't compete with some of these schools, at least not yet, I do think there are some great things that go on here at WSU. For example, we have a culture of depending on public transportation and walking in this town. Recent efforts by WSU to go paperless in all internal communication are another example (although, admittedly driven by $ concerns rather than Earth concerns.. the impact is still the same). We also have a crop-share program here at WSU.

In terms of my own gardening with Kelin, we have had some good growth. Our beans are growing rapidly and our garlic seems happy. Our pepper plants are slow going but making their progress. It has been difficult weather for plants of late, with overcast skies and blustery wind. I hope you've started a garden and are having good luck! I've come to realize that growing garlic has got to be one of the easier things to grow and encourage you to give it a try if you are not quite confident in the greenness of your thumb. What do you think? Anything else very easy? Any updates on your end!?

ABD!

noreply@blogger.com (Matt) — Fri, 01 May 2009 17:22:00 +0000

[May 1, 2009]
And so it has come and gone! I took my written exams. Lost sleep and hair. Then, I took my oral exams this past Wednesday and it went great! I have passed and am officially ABD, or All But Dissertation. Which means, I have the hardest part ahead of me: writing the beast!

But with my great accomplishment comes what appear to be subtle changes. There is still a mountain to climb and so I have not yet felt a great relief. Perhaps it has not hit me yet that I'm officially a doctoral candidate, and no longer a doctoral student or that I've closed the book on the first 3 years of work towards a Ph.D. I suppose I've been busy these last few days. And so the changes must be subtle such as: I updated my email signature to "Doctoral Candidate," (above. The old photos below) and changed the graphics around on my ePortfolio and made a few updates. For now, I am enjoying these subtle changes and that feeling of accomplishment is beginning to emerge with time to reflect over the past 3 years. And with that, I'm looking forward to summer and beginning to solidify my dissertation topic. Thanks for everyone who has wished me good luck or congratulated me, either on here, facebook or twitter! I really appreciate it. More to come soon!

Lastly, Kelin and I have just about all our plants planted for the season. We still need to get our potatoes set up. We've had some bad weather the past week, and even some snow. We were tricked into thinking Spring had arrived to Pullman. I'll write about our gardening ventures soon and hope to have some photos. I am glad to see that others are growing Victory Gardens :) Enough about me, how are things coming along in your parts of the world?

Honor Earth Day: Grad Student Victory Gardens!

noreply@blogger.com (Matt) — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 22:09:00 +0000

Happy Earth Day! In honor of the 1 day of the year which we give a nod to our good friend for all the credit it deserves, I've got a few things to say. The fact is, grad students should be home gardeners. We are high-stress people, often couped up people sitting at our desks writing, studying and grading. We need to eat healthy on a budget and little distractions are always welcome.

Gardening
My hope is that this year you will start growing your own food! There is no time better to start than Earth Day. With even the Obama's starting their own garden, it is clear that Victory Gardens are making a comeback. While we were fighting Fascism in WW2, today we are fighting climate change (not to mention the recession).

Last year Kelin and I tried to grow food for the first time in our lives. Her mother is a gardener and once I was throwing the lacrosse ball with a friend and accidently missed the passed... it ended up in a neighbor's garden. That's about the extent of our experience. Our efforts last year were unsuccessful. We tried to grow various pepper plants and although we got the plants to grow, by the time the peppers started to come in it was too late in the season and we lost them. This year we are trying our hand again, and are going for a bit more variety. We got our hands on a cool little book titled "Don't Throw it, Grow it!". And, with some internet research and re-thinking our practices, we are hoping to have better luck this year. The major challenge is that we are moving this summer and so we can't start a garden in her yard. So, right now we are doing windownsil gardening. We are taking a sustainability approach, and are re-using waste from products.

We've used an old egg carton as a seed starter (right)

We're also keeping our milk cartons to grow garlic and other plants in (top). We also plan to grow some herbs, potatoes, corriander, and almonds (if we can get these almost plants to start growing!). We are a bit late in the season, I know... but spring comes late to the Inland Northwest. Wish us a better growing season than last year. So far, the garlic is taking off which is a good sign and some of the green onions we planted last fall are coming up! I hope you'll try and grow something this season - for better health, to reduce your impact on the enviroment, to save a few dollars, or just for simple stress relief. Even if you are living in an apartment like us, you can grow your own food! A few resources you might find helpful are:

I will keep you posted on our progress this spring! Let me know if you've any questions about what we're doing. Also, are you new to gardening like us? What are you trying to grow? I'd love to hear any feedback or tips!

Post Written Exam Update & Introducing Grad School Twitter Trend

noreply@blogger.com (Matt) — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 03:39:00 +0000

[April 20, 2009]
It has been quite a while since my last post. I took the written portion of my preliminary exams and it was certainly a challenge. Hours typing in front of a screen in a room with no windows isn't quite my idea of fun! The plan seems to be that I will take my oral exams a week from Wednesday. I'll let you know how it goes. If all goes well, I'm ABD which stands for All But Dissertation.

Kelin defended her thesis and it went very well. She graduates in about a month so things should start winding down soon with the start of summer just over the horizon. We've both decided we could use a break to recharge our batteries and are taking a trip to Malta this summer. If you're not familiar with Malta, it is a small island in the Mediterranean sea. Cool, huh!? I know. We'll be there just over a week and I intend to return with a nice suntan and full batteries to begin working on my dissertation and plan for teaching this summer.

One of my goals with this blog is to address what I see to be a lack of cohesion among the grad student population on the internet. With this in mind, I've created Gradsphere - a widget from tweetizen.com that focuses on popular hashtags grad students use. I hope you'll find it useful for finding other grad student twitterers and trending popular topics in the grad school community. I encourage you to check it out: in the below blog post, or by clicking the 'Gradshere: Follow Grad School Twitter Trends' link in the tab at the top of the page.

Please tweet the link: http://interrobangblog.blogspot.com/2009/04/gradsphere-grad-school-twitter-trends.html

Any thoughts or comments?? Is there a popular hashtag I missed?!

Photo by: that kat chick

The Gradsphere: Grad School Twitter Trends

noreply@blogger.com (Matt) — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 00:15:00 +0000

The Gradsphere
Follows Twitter trends using common grad student related hashtags (#). Every time you use a hashtag that the Gradsphere follows, it will be tracked on this page. You can also post directly into the Gradsphere by typing your post below with appropriate hashtag.
If you have hashtags you'd like to see added to the Gradshere, please let me know.

Thought Salad

noreply@blogger.com (Matt) — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 04:01:00 +0000

[April 7, 2009]
I have been far, far too busy of late. I just have not had time to take a few minutes and blog. Everything has been put on hold while I study for my prelim exams which begin this Friday. Hopefully things around here will be back to normal soon. I appreciate your patience, apologize for the lack of new content, and thank you for your continued interest.

Kelin's thesis defense is this Thursday. The word around town is that she's written a fantastic piece on the rhetoric of torture. I look forward to reading it as soon as I get done with all this studying.

Kelin and I will be heading off on an out-of-country trip this May. It is evident that both of us could use a much deserved break. I will tell you more about the trip and where we're going when I get through these exams and have time to give the very exciting topic the attention it deserves. For now, enjoy the suspense...en a fantastic piece on the rhetoric of torture and I look forward to reading it soon.

After her defense, we hope to get a few new ideas in motion the two of us have been talking about for some time now. I hope to have exciting news on that front sometime early this summer.

In watching Nightly News this evening and wolfing down a home-made burrito, I saw the below segment and thought I'd share. It is alarming and thus worth watching. Do you find this as worrying as I do? I suppose there are so many issues on the table right now, it seems no 1 issue can get the attention it deserves.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Facebook: Ever Evolving (and so are your privacy settings)

noreply@blogger.com (Matt) — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 06:23:00 +0000

[March 30, 2009]
There’s been a lot of chatter about the “New Facebook” lately. A lot of people like it, many people don’t. Whether you like it or not –what matters is to see what Mark Z and his team are doing. In many ways I find it very smart but also very sneaky. Yes, people are complaining that the new interface is trying too hard to mimic the fast-paced micro-blogging world that Twitter has popularized. And I agree with their sentiment.

For Facebook to remain relevant they need to be a trend setter rather than follower. They should stick with what they do best which is social networking not micro-blogging.

What you might not have noticed about the new Facebook is the change to your privacy settings. You might be surprised to learn that you’ve opted in to a few new settings without even knowing it. If you’re into that whole “privacy and anonymity” thing you may want to update your privacy settings.

The most intrusive of all settings is this new caveat that allows outside applications to see information about you that your friends can see. As you like know, your Facebook profile lets outside companies garner data about you through the applications you use.

But now those annoying applications your friends add that let them take a quiz telling them what kind of Sesame Street character they are, can also see your data. Yes, the applications you use are no longer limited to accessing your information. They can access the information of your friends too. This means these apps are potentially peeking through the eyes of your friend’s profile and gathering up information about you (see screen grab below. Too small? Click image to enlarge).

According to Facebook’s privacy statement, applications must respect your existing privacy settings meaning if you limit who can see your updates to only your friends or your network then that information when used by the application will not be broadcast beyond the audience you’ve specified in your settings.

If you’re like me, then this reaching in by applications might make you feel uncomfortable. To limit the amount of information they can gather of you can go to your settings drop down menu, click “privacy settings,” then “settings” from the tab above and unclick the check boxes below “share my name, networks, and list of friends, as well as the following information:” (Again, I say LIMIT because I don’t believe you can completely stop applications from getting your information unless you block each and every one).

On the whole, since its inception Facebook has shifted their focus from being about delivering resources for members to being about delivering members to companies. And this is understandable. Advantages of Facebook’s colonization strategy include new revenue opportunities through partnerships and added value to having a Facebook profile. But for you the user, it means an ever changing relationship with Facebook.

Tumble

noreply@blogger.com (Matt) — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 06:29:00 +0000

[March 25, 2009]
I think a tumble weed just rolled by. Yes, we have those out here in the Inland Pacific Northwest. There has been a lack of activity here of late and I do apologize. I am studying for my exams which are in a few weeks and there are just so many things going on my life has gotten a little crazy.

Everything blog related has been pushed back a little. I've got a few things I am working on though and hope to get up soon.

I just finished my video for the YouTube and the 2008 Election Cycle conference and think it turned out very well. I'd like to get it uploaded somewhere but don't want to put it on YouTube (ironic.. I know). Any suggestions? Also, I have 2 papers that are being submitted to conferences and the deadline is April 1.

In the meantime, if you are a twitterer I encourage you to follow @TheOnion.

Via their twitter account I came across a pretty funny story today that seems to be my life these past few weeks titled "Everything Taking Too Long." Check it out if you could use a study break, a good laugh or both.

Until next time...

Solar Power Trash Compacter!

noreply@blogger.com (Matt) — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 23:05:00 +0000

We have returned from a fun but short break in Portland. In Portland I saw this trash receptical that uses a battery powered by solar power to compact trash. This innovation allows the city of Portland to reduce the number of times it needs to do collection, meaning less consumption of gasoline. How innovative! This big little idea really shows what people are capable of when they put their mind to thinking about how to cut back on the damage being done to the environment. It also shows how the solutions are not just grand scale things but incremental steps that can be taken in the logic of our day to day lives. Although I must say... relying on solar power in Portland!?

Anyhow, I do love Portland! Has anyone seen these machines or something similar anywhere else?

This week is 'make it or break it week' for me while all my students are likely off somewhere warm enjoying their spring break. I've got to catch up on my exam preparation or I'm toast.

It is pretty late in the day but I realized suddenly that today is St. Patrick's Day. I can't believe I forgot. There is not much green here in Pullman this time of year and I'm just so busy so I guess that's why. Anyhow, enjoy 1 of my favorite songs for celebrating St. Patty's Day! The song is "Marie's Wedding" by The High Kings. This video was from their PBS special.

Erin Go Bragh!

How to Get Over Being Sick!? Some Tips For Recovery

noreply@blogger.com (Matt) — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 17:09:00 +0000

Last post I discussed how to avoid getting sick. I always try to avoid putting chemicals into my body if I can help it. So today I’m going to quickly summarize a few drug free ways of fighting sickness once you’ve caught it. As for me, using these remedies I've put this cold I had to bed.

For colds, flu, fevers and sore throat up your intake of: garlic, ginger, lemon, honey, cayenne, thyme, rosemary, sage, and Echinacea. Be sure to look up the properties of these, and anything else you consume so you can have a greater understanding of how they impact your body. You should also be aware of any allergies or health problems you may have that would be impacted by adding any new substances to your diet.

For Colds and Flu in General

Make Echinacea tea and add a little honey.
Add garlic and ginger whenever possible - such as in soups.
Add fresh pine needle when heating soup or make tea from it. Yes, pine needle - it is very high in Vitamin C . Do not take pine needle off your Christmas tree (if it is that time of year). Many trees are treated with chemicals or even spray painted to make them look greener.

For Coughs

Make an infusion with thyme. To do this, place 1 teaspoon of loose thyme in a mug (such as found in the bulk section of your grocer, or the herb and spices section). Fill with very hot water, clover completely and let stand 10 minutes. Be sure to cover! Strain out the thyme using a small strainer and pouring your infusion into a fresh mug if you like. Tip: brew with Echinacea. Simply pop open a cap of ground Echinacea and add it to the thyme before adding water. Drink multiple times a day.

For Sore throats

Let 1 teaspoon of honey melt in the back of the mouth and trickle down the throat.

For Nausea

Consume mint. Mint tea is one popular option.
Consume ginger. You can buy ginger tea, or make it yourself. Here's how.

These are all natural ways of trying to combat a virus. If you find the above steps ineffective, you need to do what you’ve got to do to get better. That may include over the counter drugs or seeing a doctor. You simply can’t afford to be sick for any extended period of time when in grad school.

Best of luck in staying healthy. Winter is almost over and I'd hate to see you dragged down by a late-season cold! If you have anything you find successful to recommend I’d be happy to try it in the future!

Kelin and I are off to Portland, Oregon for two nights for our Spring Break. See you when we return!
photo by: visualpanic

How Do You Avoid Getting Sick?! Some Tips for Immune Boosts

noreply@blogger.com (Matt) — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 15:56:00 +0000

[March 11, 2009]
Recently a friend of mine and I were talking about how I never get sick. And it is true. I rarely if ever am sick. And just as my luck would have it, the very next week I caught a cold that just won’t seem to go away. Staying healthy, energized and avoiding getting sick are essential factors at determining one's ability to prosper in grad school.

Unfortunately, many grad students have poor insurance coverage as provided from their TAships or RAships. The best way to stay out of the doctor's office and to avoid big spending on over the counter medicines is to avoid getting sick. Late nights, little sleep, quick meals and heightened stress levels. Does this sound like your life?

If so, your lifestyle is not exactly the formula for successfully avoiding getting sick. Throw in occupational hazards - such as handling dozens student papers who are less cautious about their health than perhaps you are - and you're a grad student who is really in for a fight. So, it is time to share your strategies: How do you avoid getting sick?

Here’s my (well… quite often) successful method for avoiding getting sick:

Handling papers - If you can afford to, keep your students' work at your office and grade it all there. Either way, never eat while grading. Yes I know, it is tempting to snack and grade. But this is your best chance for picking up that bug your student turned in with his assignment. Always thoroughly wash your hands after handling any student work.
Handwashing - Get OCD with handwashing. At the very least, always wash hands before eating. After washing your hands when using a public bathroom, avoid touching the door handle by holding the paper towel to open the door.
Eat healthy - Of course a healthy diet is key. And that is one of the reasons I advocate so strongly on this blog that you take the time to prepare your meals fresh rather than fast food, frozen meals, and ramen noodles.
Mega Multi-vitamins – We all hate taking pills but you’ve got to do it. And yes, I'm talking those crazy multivitamins that cover all your basics and give you 3, 4 plus times your daily value of Vitamin C.
Garlic - Ever heard that one about the person sucking on garlic to keep from getting sick?! While it is a great idea because many believe it has many positive health benefits including as an antibiotic. But sucking garlic? Now that's gross. Good thing there are plenty of other ways to up your garlic without burning a hole in your mouth! Simply eat it with everything! Chop it up and put it on your salad and your soup. Add chopped garlic to almost any dish before you cook. You'll get your garlic dose without the pains of the all-at-once method
Echinacea - Many believe it boosts your immune system and help break up mucus when you are sick. Some people say you should take Echinacea only when you start to get sick because if you take it every day it becomes ineffective. Others think it should be taken every morning. Personally, I don’t take Echinacea daily. I reserve this wonderful herb for the moment I start to feel the slightest thing coming on, or if I know there is something going around.

Like I said, I incorporate many of the above tips into my everyday diet and rarely get sick. But a particularly bad bug is circulating this semester and I've had a lingering cold for about a week now. So help me out! I'd like to know what routines you keep to avoid getting sick as a grad student? Post below by clicking "comment".

In case you do get sick, in my next post I will discuss some simple and natural ways of fighting off a virus and ask for your help!

photo by: A*Kang

Twitter Use, The News & Things to Come

noreply@blogger.com (Matt) — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 18:08:00 +0000

[March 9, 2009]
I recently came across a study by Pew Internet & American Life Project that analyzed use of twitter and other status update sites among Americans (Thanks to Phil Johnson for sharing this on his blog). If you're a twitter enthusiast or are new to the service and would like to know more about it, I strongly encourage you to read the summary and report (click the PDF at the bottom).

Here's a note of interest from the report. In my dissertation I will be looking, in part, at the relationship between twitter use and mainstream media use. Pew found that twitter users do not use news significantly more so than non-users, but the avenues through which they seek news differ:

While Twitter users are just as likely as others to consume news on any given day, they are more likely to consume it on mobile devices and less likely to engage with news via more traditional outlets. Twitterers are less likely to read a printed copy of a newspaper, but more likely to read a newspaper online (76% vs. 60% of non-Twitter users), and more likely to read a news story on a cell phone (14% vs. 6%) or on a smart phone (17% vs. 7%).

Not particularly surprising, but it is telling about the media consumption habits of young adults given that they make up a significant portion of the twitter community. More and more we see the future of news and information delivery as being mobile.

As you know, my last post discussed the relationship between new and old media as tools for news media and wondered aloud about the implications of the adoption of new media technologies such as twitter on political discourse in America.

I've been thinking along this vein a great deal lately. I've got a blog posts I'm working on about the use of new media in the lacrosse community. It is looking to be a longer piece and my hope is to have it out sometime next week.

Lastly, I've had a bit of a cold lately. In its honor I'm putting together a post about avoiding getting sick and fighting colds. As grad students, getting sick is not something we can avoid and I've got a few insightful tips I've learned over my many years in school. Look for that to come in the next few days here.

Well, it is off to studying for my prelim exams all day today. It is a good day to be stuck inside. This morning here in Pullman, WA we got hit with a big snow storm and I'm watching the snow accumulate outside as I type this. Here's a snapshot from about 11am PST. We've gotten quite a bit more in the last hour and it is coming down thick now!

Twitter's Mainstream Media Surge: New Media, New Problems?

noreply@blogger.com (Matt) — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 05:24:00 +0000

[March 4, 2009]
This past week appears to have been in many ways Twitter's mainstream media coming out party. Almost everywhere I turn I'm seeing Twitter integrated somehow into a newscast (e.g., see 1600 on MSNBC). This looks to be a reaction to the events of conservatives reportedly twittering during Obama's speech last Tuesday. Is the news media adopting Twitter good or bad?

The other night the Daily Show had an interesting and very funny piece critiquing mainstream media's adoption of Twitter (and new media at large) as a desperate attempt to reach their audience. Particularly, Stewart's statements about the potential implications of the adoption of new media for new media's sake on the political discourse in this country were very interesting and in many ways a valid critique. We are witnessing a drastic shift in the mediascape and Stewart is right for us to concern about the potential ramifications of the adoption of new communication technology in news media. He is right to be disapproving of those who have uncritically welcomed the integration of these technologies into news.

While it is too early to conclude whether the shift to new media will serve or diminish democracy, we must admit one thing: If the move to new media in the news industry does fail then we are all partly to blame. We cannot blame the news media for experimenting with new models, for seeking to engage their audiences, and for working to move past old modes of communication that we as a society are rejecting at the macro level. We also cannot blame them for the declining role of these old mediums in our society. They did not start the so-called new media revolution. They are its victims - and if they suffer so does their ability to enact their important duty as watchdog. New media tools enable a power to reach, engage and meet the needs of diverse audiences the likes of which we have never before seen in the history of mediated communication. But can they replace the functions mass media is so well designed to fulfill? No. And for this reason we are to blame if we let the news media die. They are too important to our country. Blogs and niche-based on-demand news will not succeed as a viable surrogate to the 4th estate.

I applaud news media organizations for experimenting, for exploring a robust media strategy. It cannot be said at this time whether this adoption will in the end be good or bad. I just hope the news media can find the ways to continue to reach their audience in these new spaces and in this new media environment in ways that meet the needs not just of the individual audience member but of our citizenry as a whole.

Lastly, I should state that these recent developments are very interesting and of personal relevance to me, specifically as they relate to my preliminary exams. I am exploring the shift that has taken place recently in how technologies are being adapted by media to reach audiences and adapt to changing culture. I will be watching in the next few weeks to see how this sudden jump into Twitter life by the media plays out and whether or not it lasts.

I encourage you to watch the segment here for yourself posted below. I'd like to know your thoughts. You can comment here, or contact me on twitter. But first...

Comments Issue Update
It looks like everything is back up to normal with comments on this blog. I just ran a test post a short while ago and everything went through just fine. Thanks to the people at JS-Kit for your very quick response and all your help!

The Daily Show With Jon StewartM - Th 11p / 10c

Twitter Frenzy

Daily Show Full Episodes
Important Things With Demetri Martin

Political Humor
Joke of the Day

Errors with comment system!?

noreply@blogger.com (Matt) — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 17:57:00 +0000

[March 3, 2009]
Just a quick note. I noticed that my blog, specifically my new comment system from JS-Kit appears to be having some errors. Blogger is not registering new comments either on the 'Recent comments" widget. Also, new posts are not registering under individual posts. The comment counter is remaining at '0' on posts where comments have been made.

You can still read comments by clicking "comment" or on the comment counter. You can also still leave comments - feel free to do so. I am looking into this error and hope to have it fixed very soon. Thanks for your patience.

Off to teach!

A Quick Update: Get Zen!

noreply@blogger.com (Matt) — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 05:21:00 +0000

[February 27, 2009]
I am underwater with work right now. Oddly enough, it has been raining heavily here in the high desert the last few days. Just today it turned to snow and we had a power outage. In all of this I've been running all over the place trying to find articles I need for my preliminary exams. In all my rushing around today I accidentally ran my blender with a piece of the lid in the blender and ruined a bunch of my dinner. Even worse - I never get sick and I've caught a cold!

These are exciting times in our otherwise quiet and secluded nook of the continent we call the Inland Pacific Northwest. The University of Idaho's renowned Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival is this week and weekend. I tried to get tickets to see Bobby McFerrin who is one of the performers but tickets were sold out. I was disappointing. (Insert joke referring to McFerrin's famous song from years ago: "Don't worry, be happy" here).

Although things are hectic, it is indeed happy times. I've got good news to report. A paper I wrote about young adults' use of YouTube for campaign information and their perceptions about their civic engagement was accepted to the "YouTube and the 2008 Election Cycle in the United States Conference." This looks to be an informative and exciting event.

There are some particularly innovating things about this conference that I find intriguing. The first is that the conference created a social networking site some months ago. The second of note is that the conference requires that presenters create YouTube video summaries of our research projects. So I have an interesting and exciting challenge on my hands: How to engage people while telling them a summary of my research about YouTube and the election in video format? I'll be brainstorming this weekend for ideas while I watch the annual Konica Minolta Face Off Classic on ESPNU. Feel free to drop any suggestions my way! This should be interesting.

Also, I am currently finishing writing up a study with a grad student colleague on that data we collected last semester about young adults' media use and the 2008 election. My hope is to submit it to an upcoming conference. We are in the final edits stage.

Well that's all for now from my end. There are some great discussions going on online and I wish I had more time be engaged with them right now. Let me pass one gem your way:

I've added a new site to my 'recommended' blog roll below called Zen Habits (http://zenhabits.net). This is a well-written resource for insight about how to live a simple, well-balanced life. Here is a quote from their about page,

Zen Habits is one of the Top 100 blogs on the Internet, and covers: achieving goals, productivity, being organized, GTD, motivation, eliminating debt, saving, getting a flat stomach, eating healthy, simplifying, living frugal, parenting, happiness, and successfully implementing good habits.

I encourage you to check out Zen Habits if you're not already a reader. There was a great article recently posted titled "Then Essential Money Skills for a Bad Economy"

Well it is off to the store. I need more printer paper...

Simple Décor: Livening up your apartment with Rasterbator

noreply@blogger.com (Matt) — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 07:23:00 +0000

[February 24, 2009]
It's time to talk décor, interrobang style.

When you're in grad school you need all the inspiration you can get. Having appealing and lively surroundings can go a long way in this department.

When I moved across country I chose to live by myself for the first time in my life. I'd always lived with people who decorated our apartment so I never worried too much about how things should look outside of my bedroom. When I came to Washington I wanted to decorate my place but didn't want to go all out seeing as I wasn't sure how long I'd be living in it (Turns out I've been here 3 years, but at the time I was only expecting to stay a year). Because I was moving by myself I didn't want to buy a ton of stuff to move around to my next place. Also, the terms of my lease are such that I'm not aloud to put any nail holes in the walls. I figured my options were pretty limited but I wasn't about to live in an uninspiring, half-heartedly decorated apartment.

I'd browsed poster sales on campus in the past and never found anything worth spending the money on. What I really wanted was something personalized and rare that was evolved beyond 'college decorations' and that would give my apartment some serious character. Then a friend told me about Rasterbator.

If you haven't heard of Rasterbator I strongly urge you to check it out. What it is, is a program you can use on your computer that takes any image you want and blows it up into a large poster. The poster can be made quite large, big enough to nearly cover a wall from floor to ceiling. If I can suggest one easy, fun, customizable and fairly inexpensive way of decorating your space it is this!

My experience
As I said, I knew I needed to live somewhere where I could be inspired. So I planned out what I wanted the theme of my apartment to be. I've always been into counterculture, so I chose a few iconic figures and events and blew them up to be larger than life. I settled on people or events that I felt would incite the passion within (see photos).

I took my PDF files up to school and printed them, saving paper and my printer's lifeblood of ink. I had to pay 4 cents a copy but it was well worth the ink and paper I was saving as it can be quite the drain on your resources to print these things yourself if you are making more than 1 or 2 (Some universities allow students to print for free). The printers are black & white at our campus so I chose black and white photos to stay true to the original prints. Then all I needed was something sturdy to stand on, some tape and plenty of free time one weekend. It can be quite tedious to put piece after piece of paper up and make sure the whole isn't crooked.

How it works
Basically, the Rasterbator software takes your image file and creates a PDF out of it. You print the pages of the PDF file which are arranged in order. Then, you simply adhere them to the wall (for a more detailed explanation, click here. You can use Rasterbator two different ways, accessing both here. They offer a software app that you can download, or you can create your rasterbated image on their website. I used the software. Rasterbator allows you to decide how many pieces of paper your image will fit on (so, how big you want your final product to be) as well as the dot size of your image (how detailed the image is). The more detailed, the more ink and the larger the file size. The online version has limits, but the software doesn't. I can't recall exactly what dot size I settled on after experimenting with a few different things. I suggest experimenting and finding what works for your image.

Looking for inspiration or simply more examples? Browse the rasterbator gallery to see creative examples of images that have been rasterbated.

So check it out, and let me know what you think, what your experience is, or if you have any tips or similar ideas to share.

Until next time...

Don't Go Hungry Tonight Recipe: Moroccan Chicken for 2

noreply@blogger.com (Matt) — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 04:59:00 +0000

[February 18, 2009]
I'm back from Phoenix and the Western States Communication Association conference. My presentations went well over all. I didn't get many chances to twitter while I was in Arizona. My internet connectivity was limited and since I only have twitter on my laptop and iTouch I just didn't get around to it much. But I had a great time. When I get some of Kelin's photos downloaded I'll post them.

Well it is about time for the second installment of my series providing easy, quick & inexpensive meals for grad students called "Don't Go Hungry Tonight".

As I said, I'm starting with very easy recipes and we'll work our way up from there. This week's recipe is just as easy as last week's (link) and is also a chicken dinner. It is so easy it should take you no more than 5 minutes to prepare this meal and about 10 to 15 to cook it!

But don't worry. Don't equate ease of preparation with a lack of taste when it comes to this recipe. In fact, Moroccan chicken is almost addicting. I know, I know. Sounds weird. Try it and you'll see what I mean! The taste is distinct from most of the meals I prepare. The other day I cooked this recipe after not having had it in a few months and found myself wondering why I don't have it more often. I also realized it was the perfect meal for my second post in this blog series !

Kelin got this recipe from a recipe book her Mom gave her. I'm not sure exactly the book title.

Moroccan Chicken for 2
(You can easily cut this recipe in half if you're cooking for one)

Simple Ingredients:
2 chicken breasts (switched from thighs)
1 garlic clove (crushed)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Directions:
1. Rinse chicken with cold water, pat dry. Mix garlic, olive oil, salt and spices - rub over chicken.
2. Heat vegetable oil over medium-high heat.
3. Add chicken - cook, partially covered, turn after 5 minutes until cooked through and crispy on both sides. 10-15 minutes.
4. Let stand for 5 minutes - option to cut into slices.
5. Serve with rice and your choice of veggies

Note: If you don't have any garlic on hand, substitute 1/4 tsp garlic powder - a little more if you're a garlic fan like me.

A few of the spices in this recipe are not your everyday spices. Turmeric is a great spice that goes in many dishes (more about turmeric). It is a spice that does not have a particularly strong taste. Sometimes I like to put some turmeric in with the rice when making instant rice. It gives it a hint of flavor and can be a fresh twist every once in a while. Ginger is very healthy and used in many Asian dishes.

Check out other recipes in this series.

Have a recipe you'd like to see posted here? Please contact me and I'll try it out. If it's good and fits our guidelines of inexpensive, not too complicated and takes less than 30 minutes to prepare, I'll post it (giving you credit of course!). Also, if you try this recipe, or make a variation to it I'd really like your feedback.

graphic by Kelin

Presenting political utility of social media research at WSCA

noreply@blogger.com (Matt) — Sat, 14 Feb 2009 00:39:00 +0000

[February 13, 2009]
It’s Friday the 13th! This weekend Kelin and I will be traveling to Phoenix, Arizona to attend the Western States Communication Association annual conference. We’re looking forward to thawing out for a few days and to enjoy the conference. I will most likely not be blogging until next Wednesday, unless I can find some free time to drop a quick update. I will however be twittering throughout my trip. So feel free to follow me on twitter. I’ll be tweeting hash-tag #WSCA anything WSCA related.

If you aren’t familiar with my research I focus on social media, specifically the political utility of social media. I’m presenting two papers at the WSCA conference. Kelin and I are presenting a paper we wrote about political discussion in facebook groups. I’ll also be presenting a paper about the relationship between social network site use for political information and other forms of media for political information. Both presentations will take place Monday, February 16th.

If you’d like to see the full details of my presentation schedule including times and locations please click here. If you’d like to read these papers you can find them on my ePortfolio or on the Social Science Research Network. If you’re going to be there feel free to say hello! Here’s some inspiration while I’m gone. If you’re tired, worn out, doubting your decision to be in grad school, or homesick I’ve got something for ya. Check out the Free Hugs Campaign and grab a hug… or at the very least, a smile knowing something as silly and cool exists in our strangely beautiful world.

graphic by Kelin

Update! GradShare Opening Postponed Until Feb 16

noreply@blogger.com (Matt) — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 06:48:00 +0000

[February 12, 2009]
Last week I made a post discussing a new website for grad students called GradShare that was set to open Friday, February 6th.

When Friday rolled around I tried to join the site only to find I could not create an account. The site appeared to still be restricted to the original group of universities chosen to test out the site before ProQuest would be opening the site to the general grad student public. If you recall, I made a brief mention of my troubles on my post last Friday.

After trying again on Monday and finding the site still wouldn’t work I put on my journalist hat (the one I set down after my first semester of my Master’s degree) and decided to inquire about the situation.

I scoured the internet and found no article or blog post discussing why the site hadn’t opened as scheduled. All I found were more articles like the one in the Chronicle of Higher Ed I read about the scheduled Feb 6th release date. So I decided to contact Gradshare myself and get to the bottom of this mystery. If you’re a dork like me a site like GradShare comes highly anticipated and a delay is worthy of investigation!

This is the explanation I promptly heard back from a representative of ProQuest, the company that runs GradShare:

“We were aiming to release a number of new features and to open up the site to all US graduate schools on February 6th, but the updates weren’t quite ready. We think it’s important to offer you a quality service so we need a few more days to get everything right.”

Fair enough, I say. This representative also informed me that ProQuest is now planning on opening GradShare this upcoming Monday, February 16th to the grad student community.

So it appears our mystery is solved. The release date was pushed back and the rescheduled opening day is set for Monday of next week.

I apologize for misreporting in my earlier post. It was obviously inevitable given the circumstances. I hope you all are as curious as I am to try out GradShare. All signs indicate that this will be a quality community website, and one worth waiting for.

I also received a comment about PhinisheD, a community site for grad students I’m not familiar with. Thanks for the comment! I tried to Google it but the site appears to be down. If anyone is familiar with this community, I’d like to hear your thoughts and opinions about it.

Embracing the Recession: Start a Tradition this Valentine's Day

noreply@blogger.com (Matt) — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 07:17:00 +0000

[February 10, 2009]
It is fast approaching: Valentine's Day. Anyone living in 2009 knows that romance and the hustle-bustle of the world today are two forces that share no common goals. As a too-busy person planning Valentine's Day in a no-love economy you've got to be creative and thoughtful.

I saw an article yesterday that said consumers will spend an average of $20 less this Vday. That got me to thinking about Vday for us at the lower rungs of the ladder.

Now, I've never been one for the consumerist Vday. So for me, that people are cutting back this year is not much of a game changer. In fact it reinforces for me the importance of Valentine's Day: To celebrate and strengthen your relationship. I hope it will for you too.

So here is a simple suggestion to think about in these tough economic times. Start a tradition this Vday. There is no better time to do it. Find something romantic, fun, new and different that can be made a tradition. The best traditions are not carved in stone. A tradition is not repetition. The best traditions are things that follow a structure but undergo a little alteration every year to keep them fresh and unpredictable.

Here is a simple example: buying roses every year is tired repetition. It is nothing special because your significant other expects it and it looses its magic after a few years. You've got to be more creative than that. If you live somewhere warm (not like me!) you can make it a tradition to do something outdoors every year that involves just the two of you: A nighttime picnic with wine one year, roasting marshmallows over a fire one year, etc. See, the tradition is still there but it is ever changing within the broad rules of the tradition. If you're creative, you can make something that sticks to a common theme. If your partner really likes to dance, think of all the places you can take him/her for a dance. No, no… don't think of establishments. Think of locations and/or times. Sunset by the lake for example.

Now, I don't like to give away my Vday strategies. There are some crafts that a man is wise to keep a hush on so as not to give away proprietary information that differentiates him from the lot. But I'll give away part of what I like to do, and it is very simple but something we both look forward to: I like to prepare a surprise desert. It is simple but something new and challenging to look forward to every year. The surprise desert beats giving those worn out old chocolates in a new box. And the desert is a treat that we share, as opposed to her just nibbling alone!

When you've got a tradition set in place, you'll find it actually saves you a lot of the uncertainty that comes with Vday every year. And, it will be something for the two of you that belongs to you both and that you both have to look back upon over the years with fondness.

I think the fact that people are cutting back this year on Vday is a good thing. It means being more creative, less contrite and more 'real' with your Vday gifts and actions. It means having to focus on the purpose of Valentine's Day. Anyone can order flowers and have them delivered. They've got services that do that. But what don't they have services and products for? What original things can a person do that makes the day unique? Think! Thoughts about Vday this year?!

I know I’m always looking to learn something new and I'm sure the readers are too! How do you keep Valentine's Day interesting and original?! Has the economic situation inspired you to do anything different this year? Suggestions? Experiences?

photo by: nickyfern

1st Dissertation Committee Meeting: Alas, The Journey Begins

noreply@blogger.com (Matt) — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 20:34:00 +0000

This morning I had my first dissertation committee meeting. The purpose of the meeting was for my committee to get informed about my course work, get an idea of where I want to go, and to brainstorm a few ideas, then to set up times for us to meet and discuss our plans. I think it all went pretty well, although I felt a little silly because I don't think I addressed their questions very well.

When I got home I contemplated how it went, and realized I have some thinking to do. While doing said thinking I burnt my grilled cheese sandwich! As the smell of blackened bread and pepper jack cheese reached me I had only one thought: I should blog about this. Weird how I've gotten so into blogging lately. So, I sat back down and here I am. Just sort of telling you how it went. Interestingly enough, after the meeting I immediately got on Twitter on my iTouch and posted "That was Scary!" I don't think it was so much scary as a realization that yes, this is real. I am actually working on these things now after years and years of preparation. So my next step is to schedule meetings with each member to plan out what I'll study for my preliminary exams. The plan is to take them before the end of the semester.

I can say one thing. I looked sharp in my new glasses. Yes, I failed to mention that I've got a new pair of glasses courtesy of the "good doctor" as he is known. I like them a lot. They sort of represent my graduation from regular grad student to 'grad student who is going to have a crazy life preparing for prelims and dissertation for the next 1.5 years so he better look smart while doing so!' I'm going to try to do a better job and take more photos of myself during the approaching crazy time because I think some day I'll look back on it with fondness and laugh.

I've got a few ideas brewing for upcoming posts. I hope to finish one in particular up this weekend for next week. Tonight Kelin and I are going to try a new recipe in my wok (which is something I want to blog about sometime... the wok that is). It is General Tso's chicken. It looks delicious and has gotten great reviews on recipezaar.com. I'll have to let you all know how it goes. It isn't too complicated. For the Super Bowl we tried a lime chicken nacho recipe that was a great alternative to our usual beef chili out of the can nachos. We both really liked it. Thanks for all your readership since the new Interrobang began. We're growing rapidly here and I'm really glad!

Just a reminder, GradShare is, according to reports, supposed to open today. I tried to join it here a minute ago though and it still says my university isn't participating. This means they haven't opened the site to the general university public. Disappointing. Does anyone know the meaning of this!?

A fellow grad student is coming over here shortly to work on doing the results for a proposal I wrote up last semester. The paper's about the political utility of social media in the 2008 election. I don't want to give it away, so that's all I'm going to say at the moment. I think it is going to be a great study and I believe it is the best lit review I've written. Our plan is to submit it to AEJMC. Wish us luck!

Well, time for some burnt bread.