An Encounter With Jimmer

You know this guy, the one pictured on the right? That one, with the big #32 on his jersey: the one who scored 47 points against the Utes last night in Salt Lake, and who was featured today on the front page of BYU's newspaper, The Daily Universe. The guy named as one of the top point guards in the nation--All-American, and Mountain West Conference Player of the Week eleven times. Yeah--THAT guy.

I stood next to him in line today at the Cougareat.

No, I didn't say hi, or congratulate him on the team STOMPING Utah last night (a defeat from which, my roommate smugly insists, they will never fully recover). Before you immediately label me a coward, let me explain my reasons for failing to pipe up to this guy who can really "throw it down" on the basketball court--literally. 47 points in one game is nothing to sneeze at.

First of all, yes, perhaps some of it was me being a chicken. Honestly, I was kind of afraid I would geek out on him, something along the lines of "OHmyGOODNESSYOU'REJIMMERFREDETTEandI'mACTUALLYSTANDINGNEXTTOYOU!!!" I generally try to avoid embarrassing myself in such a manner. I did, however, allow myself a private smile or two, basking a little in the glory of the superstar standing next to me.

Interestingly enough, he seemed to be by himself; he didn't talk to anyone as he stood in line. "Well," I thought to myself, "he probably gets people coming up to him all the time and gushing all over about what a phenomenal player he is--maybe he just wants to be left alone for a change." I mean, how would that be? People staring at you all the time in public and constantly being approached by perfect strangers, who, adoring though they may be, are perfect strangers nonetheless. All anxious to be acquainted with Jimmer Fredette, BYU basketball superstar well on his way to becoming a legend, just so they can say to their friends that they said hi to him one day in the Cougareat or in their History of Creativity class. But what about Jimmer Fredette, person? Does he ever get tired of only being recognized for his athletic ability?

One of my younger brothers is one of the most gifted athletes I know, and we have been told by several people of expertise that he is one of the top-tier soccer players his age in the nation. But he gets so tired of people just saying to him, "Wow--you are SO GOOD at soccer." Yeah, so what? It is a major part of who he is, but that's just it--it's a part. He has thoughts and feelings and ideas and characteristics not all associated with soccer. Maybe Jimmer would like to have a conversation that didn't mention basketball at all for a change. Maybe he actually cares about something other than turnovers and shooting averages, if anyone took the time to ask. Athletes are people too.

Well, Jimmer, I don't know what it's like to be in the limelight like you do. I'll probably never experience anything remotely close to the feeling of leading a nationally ranked team to victory in front of thousands of screaming fans. I do admire your tremendous talent, of course, and offer my congratulations on all your athletic accomplishments in addition to everyone else's. However, if I were to be again in circumstances similar to those earlier today, and did actually have the courage to open my mouth to release a coherent utterance, there is something I would want to tell you:

I sincerely hope you have a nice day. From one person, one college student, one human being, to another.

Romantic Inception

This semester I have British Literary History in the Talmage Building at BYU. That's right--an English class in the math/computer science building. Weird. Whenever I go in there I feel a little self-conscious, half expecting all the math students to somehow sense that I don't belong, like the figures of the subconscious in Inception. Well, I've been to class twice and haven't been attacked/stabbed/shot at yet, so we're doing pretty good so far.

ANYway, we are currently studying the Rrrrrromantic Period of British literature. All this was sounding vaguely familiar...goodness knows it should, considering we discussed Romanticism in all three of the English classes I took last semester. Today, in particular, we were discussing the writings of Wordsworth and Shelley in regards to poetry/poets (taken from the preface to Lyrical Ballads and from "A Defense of Poetry," respectively). I shall now regale you with an excerpt from the excerpt we read today from Wordsworth:

"What is a poet? He is a man speaking to men: a man, it is true, endowed with more lively sensibility, more enthusiasm and tenderness, who has a greater knowledge of human nature, and a more comprehensive soul, than are supposed to be common among mankind..."

To this, my professor added, the Romantic poet was a "super-emo guy"--I mean, these people were sensitive. I was thinking, as we discussed this passage, that we as a lone English class in a sea of math instruction going on around us, were kind of like the Romantic poets in the midst of the Industrial Revolution. While the students in the other rooms around us were toiling away at the nuts and bolts of computer programming and multi-variable calculus and the kind of more everyday, methodical things, we were smelling the roses (or, to acknowledge Wordsworth, the daffodils) of culture and refinement.

Please don't shoot me now. You can still be cultured as a math major, I promise.

A Final Look Back on Digital Civilization

Wow--what does one say after a semester such as this? Looking back, I've learned so much from this class, both in terms of content and in terms of my classmates themselves, and I know that the principles I have learned here will shape my future as a student and as a citizen of the digital age. So, as a farewell to Digital Civilization, I present the semester in review in the three content areas we focused on in this class. These are the posts I'm most proud of that I feel met the learning outcomes the best.

Sad Day

Photo credit: jaliyaj

So I have to admit, I've kinda been avoiding the blogosphere lately. Why? I guess it's because I don't like going back to places where I know everything has changed and nothing is going to be the same anymore. It kind of depresses me. I am really going to miss this class--I feel like I learned something new every single day and was challenged in ways I've never been challenged before. But more than that, I will miss the people. My classmates (and my professors as well) are such a vibrant, intelligent, diverse, and talented group of individuals, and I will be sorry to lose the interaction I have enjoyed with them all semester long. Good luck to everyone--I am honored to have been a part of our journey together.

As Promised...

THE Stick of Power and Glory

It's the moment you've all been waiting for!! No, not the Digital Civilization event. And no, not the end of finals or Christmas either. It's the OTHER moment you've all been waiting for! Announcing...the unveiling of my paper on Brian Regan!! Ta-daa! Please, enjoy.

Linguistic Elements in the Humor of Brian Regan

This was fun to write, but admittedly not as well done as some of the other things I've written. Speaking of which, while I have your attention, I would really love some feedback on another paper I wrote awhile ago--I consider it the crowning achievement of my freshman year. :) I've been thinking about perhaps getting it published somehow, and would appreciate some suggestions as to where and how to do so.

This paper, explicating my Theory of Inherent Attraction, was done for an assignment in my freshman Honors writing class; we had to sell an intrinsically worthless item on eBay, basically off the power of our writing alone. I chose a stick. Mine was the highest-selling item in my class ($9) and the paper accompanying it received an A. I'd love to hear what you think.

Theory of Inherent Attraction

P.S. I've never met anyone who has refuted my Theory yet. :)

Come One, Come All...Making Connections

I think I'm actually getting better at this whole "Connect" thing; maybe it's a sign that I'm becoming more socially competent! Anyway, I've been a little surprised at how easy it has been to invite people to our big event on Thursday night and how much interest people have shown so far. (Not that I doubted the collective awesomeness of my Digital Civilization class; I just had less confidence in my own abilities to spread the word.) I have found that if you are passionate and excited about something, it is easier for other people to get excited too. Here are some of the things I've done to spread the word and share the love.

1. I asked Dr. Burton if I could make a pitch to the other class I'm taking from him, which I have on the same day as Digital Civilization. We've been using the same learning objectives of Consume, Create, and Connect in that class, which made it a little easier for me to customize my approach to that particular audience. I told them that this class has really revolutionized my approach to learning, and I believe that digital literacy will be critical for students to be most effective in the digital age. That same day I also pitched to my American Lit class with Dr. Phil Snyder, who knows Professor Burton and endorsed attending the event (he says he might come too!) I gave out all of my flyers that day--I was pretty proud of myself. 
2. I brought up the class and our event in conversations with friends and acquaintances whenever I could, and invited everyone to come. There's a guy in my ward who's a computer geek and knows all about open-source software and writes code and runs LINUX on his computer and the whole nine yards. He expressed a lot of interest when I invited him. I've also talked to coworkers, roommates, and friends who have said they would like to attend.
3. I have yet to make my online pitch/invitations, but just this evening I talked to my mom on the phone and told her that she could watch the event video streamed live on JustinTV.com, as Dr. Burton describes on his post (Thank you, Eric Collyer!). She plans to attend. After I finish writing this post I'm going to get on Facebook and send some personal invitations to old roommates and friends from back home to see if they would like to come or, if possible, watch it live via video stream.

I am getting excited for this event. Honestly, I have done my best to base my approach on the fact that I believe this information to be useful, and not just on the fact that there will be milk and cookies at the end of the presentation. This is something I care about that I believe will be worthwhile, because it certainly has been for me. Like I've said before, learning is discourse; let's get as many people as we can involved in the conversation.

So You Want To Make Your Own Mormon Message?

Photo credit: Stef48 

The journey has been long, but well worth it. Here are some tips for making a Mormon Message of your own.

1. Come up with an idea. Decide what you want to do and how you want to do it. Do you want to illustrate a gospel principle through a conference talk? Make a Mormon music video? Know someone with an incredible story of faith? Decide on the message you want to convey and the tone you want your video to have. We decided to do something along the lines of the classic Mormon video, "Out of the Mouths of Babes," and interview little kids about love in their families. See the contest website, lds.org/videocontest, for more ideas, rules, and guidelines.
2. Decide on a plan of attack. Evaluate your ideas and resources--make sure you will be able to accomplish what you want to do in the time frame allotted.
3. Gather your materials/people. Find a camera and make sure you know how to use it. If you don't, find someone who does. Having a friend or relative with video making/editing expertise will help you immensely in the process. Our group is very grateful for the help of Dave Potter's sister, a recently graduated film major, who lent us her camera and generously allowed us to draw on her expertise. Keep in mind that for all distinguishable locations and for all persons in the video you will need to have signed location and model releases.
4. Film. Make sure in the process that you continually evaluate the intended purpose of your message and that the footage you take will convey what you are trying to get across. Also, you may only use music under the categories listed on the contest website, and any copyrighted material (such as logos on people's clothing) is not allowed.
5. Edit. This part takes a LONG TIME, so keep that in mind. Our group used the program Final Cut Pro, available on the computers in the BYU Harold B. Lee Library Multimedia Lab (mmlab.lib.byu.edu), which was handy because there's a technical assistant in there who can teach you how to use the program. You could also use another program such as iMovie, which is a little bit simpler than Final Cut. We had huge issues with downloading and transporting our files--make sure your hard drive is compatible with the computer you will be working on, and that you will have enough space to save your files. Helpful tip for BYU students: Reserve the same computer for the entire time you will be working on your project and save yourself a lot of hassle. Ugh. Back up your project in a couple different places, if possible.
6. Upload your finished video to YouTube. You submit your Mormon Message by putting the video URL on the electronic entry form (available through the website).Contest judging begins February 1st, 2011, and you will be notified if there are issues with your video or if you have been selected as a finalist. 

A project like this takes quite a bit of time and effort--not gonna lie. But I have learned so much and don't regret my time invested at all. It is my hope that even if our video is not selected as a finalist that we will be able to share it and use it to uplift others and help them to feel the Spirit each time they see it.