Monthly Archives: June 2018

Trade War and Tariffs

Posted on by
Reply

For my topic I plan on talking about the tariffs that were put on Canada, Mexico, and the UN on June 1 of adding a 25% tariff on steel and a 10% tariff on aluminum in an effort to renegotiate the NAFTA deal and to try to make trade more “fair” between the US and its allies. I particularly plan to go into the possible effects that this could lead the United States and its ally’s economy and the potential jobs losses. These will be in an effort to show how this is not the way to do business especially with one’s own allies for the many negative effects it will cause if these tariffs hold for an extended period of time.
To do this I plan on making an animated infographic and a remix video. They will work well with one another as the animated infographic will be a short way of informing people on what a tariff is and how it can affect them as a consumer and or as a corporation. The infographic will be more of setting up the scene for the remix video so I don’t have to add that much background to the remix video. While the remix video will focus on the current news feeds and what has happened after the steel tariff were placed on US allies and how the countries affected by these tariffs are retaliating to fight against this loss in economic stance causing for looks like a trade war.

Chocolate and the Brain

Posted on by
Reply

For my project, I plan on focusing on the effects of chocolate on the brain. Eating has been viewed as one the most powerful motivators today. Whether its heart healthy food or junk food. If it appeals to their taste then it’ll be eaten. For most people, you find that junk food, more specifically chocolate, is enjoyed more than others. Which is why I plan on creating a website to enlighten others about the thing they love most. Today, chocolate is used with almost every consumable product available from ice cream to strawberries. Chocolate was not always as popular as it is now. It wasn’t until the 19th century that people started enjoying it as a sweet. It was first served as medicine and as an alcoholic beverage before they added a sweetener to it. Today, people have competitions in seeing who can best identify the type of wine before them, but more interestingly they have chocolate competitions in which contestants try and identify the amount of cocoa present along with other flavors. Eating chocolate can chemically make someone happier. I plan on using this information in forming a video mix to show a brief impact on the different types of the brain that chocolate effects. Also, I plan on making an info graphic showing the parts of a coco bean. After all, chocolate comes from a plant. We have all experienced how this bean can bring a smile to everyone’s face. And its good to know what you’re eating.

Mobile payment impacts to American society

Posted on by
Reply

In this Capstone project, I will talk about the how mobile payment makes a big impact on American people. I will list all the benefits that mobile payments are getting so popular right now and explain why people currently prefer to use mobile payment application to pay their bills instead of the traditional payment through bank company in the past. I will do Infographic file (at least 1400 x 800 pixels) & Remixed video (2-2:30 mins. long) to lead all the audiences to understand how mobile payment work and why it has potential to become the best payment solution in the future.

The reason why I choose this topic because mobile payment is a method of making purchases through mobile devices such as smartphones. It is based on the concept of a non-coin-based currency system similar to credit and debit cards. Mobile payment is increasingly used throughout the world, especially in Asia, Europe, and the United States. This new payment system is going to be the most widely used form of purchasing goods because of the benefits they bring to users. Those benefits include saving time and money, good security, improving an image of the company, etc.

This is an interesting topic for me because I am Computer Science major and I really like any topic that related to technology and society. Nowadays, people in American almost have one smartphone and that is the main point to develop more application in a mobile phone to make our life easier. Though me Capstone project, I hope people will understand how to use mobile payment in your life and why we should consider using this payment solution in modern life.

https://twitter.com/Jakenguyen205/status/1004621954635059200
https://twitter.com/Jakenguyen205/status/1004622348195004417
https://twitter.com/Jakenguyen205/status/1004622593817628672
https://twitter.com/Jakenguyen205/status/1004622811799777281
https://twitter.com/Jakenguyen205/status/1004623132760596480

The Fight for $15 Minimum Wage

Posted on by
Reply

For my Capstone project, I’ll be using a remixed video and animated infographic to present the case for the raising of the United States Federal minimum wage. The topic is too complex to boil down into one infographic so I felt that an animated one could prove to be more encompassing on skimming across several ideas to put them all together, and a remixed video that included the hard work people do in what’s considered “no skilled” minimum wage jobs would be prove to be the most effective form of getting the point across that minimum wage needs to be a living wage.

I chose this topic since it effects all of us, even the people who don’t make the bare minimum of what the federal law tells states and employers what they’re required to pay people for their time. There’s a lot of misconceptions surrounding minimum wage, including the idea that workers always have the ability to “climb the ladder” or how all minimum wage jobs are meant for teenagers.

If all of minimum wage jobs were meant to be for teenagers in high school, then staple fast food chains wouldn’t have 24-hour drive through. In fact, you wouldn’t have any workers at cashiers, movie theaters, or a host/hostess at restaurants during school period time frames or into the night.

The minimum wage was instituted by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt in 1938 and was done with the intention of producing a decent, living wage for workers as, and I quote, “It seems to me to be equally plain that no business which depends for existence on paying less than living wages to its workers has any right to continue in this country. By “business” I mean the whole of commerce as well as the whole of industry; by workers I mean all workers, the white collar class as well as the men in overalls; and by living wages I mean more than a bare subsistence level-I mean the wages of decent living.”

Renewable energy revolution

Posted on by
Reply

For my capstone project I wanted to discuss the recent rise in popularity seen in the renewable energy field. This interested me because it’s something I’ve discussed before and have a fairly good working knowledge of already. My uncle also works with hydro-power in dams and is something we’ve discussed before and I found it interesting and worth learning more about. Typically when discussing renewable energy it refers to solar power, hydro-power, and wind power as an alternative to fossil fuels. Not only is renewable energy cleaner and healthier for the environment and for human populations, but also there is no danger of running out of renewable energy sources. In fact one of the most popular topics for the argument against renewable energy is that it is aesthetically unappealing, meaning neighborhoods and homeowners dislike viewing wind turbines near their property or other similar cases. However I find the good it can bring far outweighs the burden of personal preference for scenic views. I plan on going further in depth with my topic by using a Remixed Video and an Animated Info graphic. I feel like it’s a good topic to represent visually and using landscapes, however as an alternative I may create an Info graphic describing the different types of renewable energy sources and their specific benefits if I’m unable or unsatisfied acquiring footage and music for the remixed video. There are many organizations dedicated to alternative energy such as the CEBC (clean energy business council) and specifically, Washington state and Oregon are known as some of the greener states and is some of the leaders in alternative energy.

I look forward to discussing it more in my project and seeing all of your projects as well!

Homeless in America

Posted on by
Reply

In this capstone project, I will discuss the epidemic of homelessness in the streets of America on my website. My website will include infographic file and live-action video remix. The infographic will depict the topic that back up by statistical information, the remix video will display live images of homeless people and their life. Infographic file together with the powerful tool of remix video can effectively bring out homeless issue that I want to present in this project.

Of many choices of social/cultural topics out there, I chose my project to be about homelessness because I heard about it frequently on the news and it has always been a social problem in United States. In 2017, homelessness has reached an all-time high since the Great Recession. According to the National Coalition for the Homeless, a private non profit organization, homelessness can be caused by lack of employment opportunities, decline in available public assistance, substance addiction, mental instability, foreclosure, etc.

More often, homeless people face many dangers, such as exposure to extreme weather, getting killed or hurt by people, and catching diseases. While our government is still trying to solve this social problem, we can help the homeless people individually in many different ways. There are many organizations that aim at helping the homeless across America by providing shelter, hot meals, baths, haircuts, and water. Portland Rescue Mission and NCH are just to name a few. This project will give me an opportunity to conduct an in-depth exploration of the homeless issue.

Service Animals vs Pets

Posted on by
Reply

Today, there is controversy because people confuse service animals with emotional support animals or pets and think that their pet should be allowed in public spaces that allow service animals. However, service animals have been specially trained to enable disabled people to have better access to public services, to work safely, and to participate in social activities they may not have been able to enjoy alone. Service animals are defined by the ADA as “any dog that is individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of an individual with a disability, including a physical, sensory, psychiatric, intellectual, or other mental disability.” Miniature horses that are specially trained to assist a disabled person can also be considered service animals, but they do not receive the same considerations under US law that service dogs do. Organizations like Service Dog Certifications offer an identification card to service dog animals, but some argue that such certification allows people to purchase vests for poorly trained dogs, which may put other service animals and the public at risk. They say many of these pets do not have the same depth of training as service dogs and may cause problems in public places. Currently, individual state laws define the requirements of training for various classes of service animals. For my project, I would like to provide an animated infographic to compare service animals with pets or emotional support animals, and a compilation video showing some of the tasks that service animals can complete.

History of Feral Cat Colonies in Pacific Northwest

Posted on by
Reply

For my capstone project, I will be discussing history and facts about feral cats that live in the Pacific Northwest. To do this I will be using the following media objects: an infographic file and a remix video. I like the idea of using an infographic file and a remix video because I can use one to define the other. I would like to design a relative infographic that shows my topic clearly as well as leads into my remix video. I will be using Premiere and Illustrator to design my media objects.

I chose my topic because I am very interested in the organization called FCCO, or Feral Cat Coalition of Oregon. In 1995 the organization was created as a non-profit spay/neuter program. They have helped more than 90,000 cats and remain the only organization in the area dedicated to providing services for feral and stray cats, at such high levels. In fact, they just celebrated their 20th anniversary on May 5th, 2018. They are famous for their vast TNR program, Trap-Neuter-Return, that has made great stops in the ever growing feral cat population in the Pacific Northwest, simply by neutering or spaying them, rather than killing them outright.

In 1998, after the introduction of a mobile clinic, they officially changed the organization’s name to FCCO, rather than the original name of FCCP, Feral Cat Coalition of Portland, and it has remained that way since. The organization has grown thanks to thousands of dollars in donations and has been able to provide care and services across the state of Oregon and even some counties in Washington. With such a meaningful worth ethic I am excited to do further research, including a tour of the facility itself!