Terrorist Have Rights!!!!

There will be more to come for todays Web Log, but I thought this picture was fitting with the recent events taking place and the Supreme Courts unconstitutional ruling.

(picture taking from rushlimbaugh.com)

Criticism and Lessons Learned

Criticism and Lessons Learned
Keith Engel ©

Recently, I learned a valuable lesson in critics and criticism. This valuable lesson is, the reasons these people are critics lies in the fact that they are not doers or action takers. Critics are people who feel comfortable in their own little shell because they are not risk takers and they themselves don’t have to face the criticism of some action taken. Thus, they feel superior in the comfort zone they have created for themselves and are willing to shoot down pretty much anything if it doesn’t fit there exacting standards. The word critic though should be synonymous with hypocrite, and in fact both have the same root crit. The reason being is that a hypocrite is an individual who states one thing, but his actions don’t coincide with his statements. A critic like wise is a hypocrite because they state one thing, but don’t take any action at all to back up the statements.

All this was learned in the matter of a fifteen-minute period over the Internet on June 28, 2006. I am a video game player, I have been since I was very young, and always will be in some form or the other. Yet, for those who don’t follow the video game industry, it is in a period of change currently. The old systems that have been out for over 5 years are being phased out, and the new systems are on their way, with the Xbox 360 already released.

The Xbox 360, and the soon to release PS3, will feature the ability to play in High Definition, or the ability to play in a higher resolution over TV then was previously possible. High Definition is nothing really new to anybody who has played computer games and had the option to play in High Definition for years. Yet, for many these are new concepts to grasp, and likewise difficult to understand the difference between the two with out screens showing the difference.

Thus, I made the decision to attempt to capture this effect of SD image quality vs. HD image quality. The method I used was to capture the same scene of a PC game in 640x480, SD, and 1024x768, a HD format. Then pasting these images into a photo editor to keep them at there true definitions. While I was doing all this, I began to realize that the images for SD was missing a crucial feature that is part of the SD image quality, the scan lines of the actual screen. These lines though not noticeable when viewing a picture from a distance, are noticeable when a person is closer to the screen. Thus, I needed to produce this scanning by product of SD. After finding a program, Photo Shop was not used, and instructions on how to produce this effect, I proceeded to begin to apply them to my SD images and then resize the images. A mistake I found out after doing some further tests with the process of the scan lines. Anyway, after presenting my pictures to an Internet community board, it didn’t take long for the critics to come and begin ripping these pictures apart.

I am all for the scientific method, so I presented my evidence and methods to the community at large. Yet, not one of the critics who stated the images were not properly produced proceeded to do their own tests and present their own proof. Why should they, it’s easier to criticize my own work then put forth the effort of doing the work or presenting their own images, and face the critics as well. Eventually, I did retool some of the images for the SD image based off of my own tests and the realizing that the effect was inaccurately produced. Criticism that is warranted and rational I can take, I can’t take critics or other individuals who are unwilling to produce their own work and show the person they are criticizing a better method of producing a product.

A Writer's Responsibility.

Responsible and Ethical Decisions
Keith Engel ©

I love being a writer for it is the joy that sings to my being. This joy of being a writer stems from the preference of choice. The writer has choice in every aspect of his work. The most important choice is the one of subject material. It is making this decision of subject material that is of such a great joy. The writer is not bound by anything except his imagination and his grasp of source material when it comes to what to write about on a given subject. Yet, as stated being a writer is about choice, the second most important choice for the writer is if there is a subject to make into a piece of writing, should you actually write about that subject?

The answer to this subject is determined by the sense of responsibility and the ethical fortitude of the writer. It is the understanding that whatever you put to paper will affect others beyond yourself. This consideration of the affects a piece will have on others isn’t the superficial individual’s response to your piece. No it is a deeper sense of responsibility and ethical consideration that goes into the writing or presentation of a subject. It is an understanding that taking any type of action will eventually lead to an effect. Another way of putting this is, that despite ones good intentions the greatest harm can result from these intentions. I use this as a guide and scope in my own writing and the subjects I choose to write about or material I should present. It is the classic example of knowing a secret of a friend, and being faced with the choice of sharing that secret.

Unfortunately, it seems that not every writer has this understanding of ethical and responsible behavior when it comes to writing. I remember in my journalism courses how instructors stressed to use certain words for certain circumstances, such as suspect when describing a criminal. There is in fact a book that covers all of these words and issues created by the Associated Press. The reason for the books existence is to make the writer aware of how to avoid legal matters, liability, when writing a story. There is an entire section in the book dedicated to the legal matters and copyright issues in writing. Yet, after recent events and the type of reporting being done by recent big name publications, perhaps the AP should consider adding a section about responsible decision-making and ethical repercussions of subject material in stories being written.