"Back to the Mac Event"

Weekly Technology Article

            Last week one of the most anticipated events of the year was held. What was this event you may ask?  It was Apple’s Mac filled “Back to the Mac Event”.  This event was held in the company’s headquarters in Cupertino, California.  Steve Jobs talked about tons of new products from a software called Garage band to updates on the Mac OS X Lion.

           

One of the first things Mr. Jobs talked about was an update on iLife, called the iLife 11’.  iLife is a group of software applications that includes iPhoto,iMovie, iDVD, GarageBand and iWeb. The new iPhoto has a cleaner overall look and allows you to view photos in full screen.  Better audio editing is now included in the iMovie.  Lastly, Garageband has the qualities of a music instructor and there were no changes to the iDVD.  All of this software is free with the purchase of a new Mac.

           

Mr. Jobs continued on to the release of the new Mac OS X software.  Apple stuck with the cat names and named their new software the Mac OS X Lion.  Even though the software is not being released until the summertime Mr. Jobs didn’t hesitate to give a few sneak peeks.  It will have a lot of the features of iPad. For example, it will have a Mac App Store. It will work exactly as the regular App Store except that all the applications will be for the Mac.

The Back to the Mac Event was wrapped up with Steve Jobs unveiling of the new MacBook Air.  The new laptop will be offered in 11-inch and 13-inch versions. The prices will start a $999 and go all the way up to $1,299.  This laptop will be the lightest and thinnest Mac ever at only 2.3 pounds and0.68 inches at its thickest point.

To me this is probably the best Mac event held in history.  There were so many new products featured.  Me, never having owned a Mac before was intrigued, by all the new features  that Steve Jobs offered.  I also liked how sleek the design of the MacBook Air is.  So overall I liked everything about this Mac event.   

Works Cited

Helft, Miguel. "Updates From Apple's Mac-Focused Event - NYTimes.com." Technology - Bits Blog - NYTimes.com. 20 Oct. 2010. Web. 23 Oct. 2010. <http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/10/20/live-blogging-apples-mac-event/?scp=1&sq=back tothemac event&st=Search>.

"ILife - Do More with Photos, Movies, and Music on a Mac." Apple. Web. 20 Oct. 2010. <http://www.apple.com/ilife/>.

"Mac OS X Lion." Apple. Web. 23 Oct. 2010. <http://www.apple.com/macosx/lion/>.

By: Jordan Amari Walters

"Reading History Essay"

“Reading History Essay”

      To me literacy is simply the ability to read and write. In our lives we apply literacy everyday. Whether we are doing homework or reading the newspaper we are using literacy. The roots of literacy were planted when we were all children. When our parents used to sing us lullabies or read us stories. These roots are continually nourished as we read more books and learn new things.

      Both my mom and my dad were the first people who influenced me to start reading. They always stressed how important reading was and that it was essential to becoming a good student. At first, I wasn't buying it. I didn't really enjoy reading until I started kindergarten. In kindergarten, we would read books like Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs and Clifford the Big Red Dog. Reading books was like entering a whole new world full of exciting people and places. That's when I brought my love of reading home, getting my parents to read my favorite fairy tales, Beauty and the Beast and Cinderella before bedtime.

      My interest in books continued all through elementary school. In my school, Lindenwold School 5, we had D.E.A.R. For those of you who don't know, D.E.A.R stands for Drop Everything and Read. During D.E.A.R we were allowed 15 minutes before the end of the day to read any book of our choice. This granted me plenty of time to catch up on Judy Blume's Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing or E.B Whites Charlotte's Web.

      The love I had for reading had held strong all the way up until middle school. In my middle school, John Paul II Regional School, I began to lose interest in books. They just seemed boring in comparison to hanging out with friends or going to the movies. Don't get me wrong though I still read books, but just not as many as I used to. In fact, middle school is where I read one of my favorite books of all time. It was And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie. This book had me hooked like no other. It drifted me away from comic fiction books and pulled me more toward mystery books.

      Now that I am in high school I plan on getting more into reading. This year I would really like to read books like The Scarlet Letter, To Kill a Mocking Bird and The Time Traveler's Wife. Besides books you can almost always catch me reading magazines. Whether it be Seventeen Magazine or Teen Vogue there is always one in my hand. I definitely consider myself to be a literate person otherwise I wouldn't have been able read all the books that I have.

      At this moment in time I feel like reading is a very important part of life. Reading helps you learn new things and grow as a student. Currently I am reading Kaffir Boy by Mark Mathabane. Literacy is important because it helps you survive in the world. Without literacy you wouldn't be able to do simple everyday tasks such as reading the newspaper or writing a letter. Literacy has helped me in my life because it has made me learn things that I wouldn't have been able to without it. Literacy is like a tree because the more you read the greater your knowledge expands just like the more you water a tree the more it grows.