Media Convergence Initiative

What Makes Miami So “Crazy”?

Posted on March 10, 2014 by brittney a. mckinney

Throughout my life, I have heard things about Miami–both good & bad–but always extreme. It’s either a really fun & exciting party town with a lot of things to do, or it’s a city of chaos that one is desperate to get out of. This Spring Break, I had decided to make the best of my last Spring Break (I’m graduating this spring) and take a short trip to Miami. I had no agenda. I just wanted to explore and see what the city had to offer. I wanted to experience the culture and get to know what the people were like.

After spending only roughly two days there, I got quite a culture shock to Miami & South Florida! As soon as I drove into Palm Beach County–EVERYTHING CHANGED. Suddenly, the land was saturated with housing developments and royal palm trees! (Goodbye countryside) Along with that shift, something else happened. The drivers started becoming increasingly aggressive! It was as if no one could allow there to be space between you & the next car. If there was a spot ahead of you then someone from behind would speed up and cut you off without using their turn signal. And if that wasn’t bad enough, then drivers would slow down when they got in front of you!

Everywhere you looked in Miami-Dade County, there were houses & palm trees. It seemed like housing developers had free reign over where they could build, i.e. everywhere. There was only one type of planning when it came to designing neighborhoods: stuff as many houses as you can into a small area and fill in the cracks with palm trees (so people have pseudo privacy). There were no forests, even though it looked like there were when driving above the city on I-95.

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Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 Mysteriously Disappeared

Posted on March 10, 2014 by aspiringauthor

It’s been a few days since Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 has seemingly vanished. With 239 people onboard, the plane went off the radar on March 8, 2014 and since then there has been no signs of where it may have gone. To add to the oddness, the pilot never sent a distress signal to the tower. This whole situation reminds me of the episode of the Twighlight Zone, “Odyssey of Flight 33,” in which an airplane goes back in time to the pre-historic age and then forward in time to the year 1939, which is still 22 years prior to the plane’s departure date. Granted, the plane is far more likely to have fallen into the ocean than to have taken a voyage through time, but the flight’s mysterious disappearance can’t help but cause some speculation.

On a far more realistic note, there were at least two passengers who were reported using stolen passports, so if anything comes to mind the plane may have been hijacked by these individuals. What alarms even more people is that these stolen passports were in the Interpol database, so it should not have been so easy for these two people to buy the plane tickets. Unfortunately, until the plane or any debris is found the true nature of the events that occurred on March 8 cannot be revealed. There are three dozen aircrafts and 40 ships in 10 different countries on the lookout for any evidence of Flight 370’s fate.

The whole situation is perplexing and Azharuddin Abdul Rahman, the director general of the Malaysian civil aviation department said on Monday that the airplane used for this flight was a Boeing 777-200, which is regarded as an incredibly safe vehicle. There seems to be no cause for the plane’s disappearance. Rahman was quoted saying this about the whole situation: “For the aircraft to go missing just like that … as far as we are concerned, we are equally puzzled as well.” Flight 370 may as well be roaming through different periods of time because at least that would explain what has happened.

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“The Internet Of Everything” The Next Big Step In Advertising Innovation

Posted on March 9, 2014 by rhinopm

At South By South West, there are a huge number of sessions dedicated to marketing. With the presentation of new technologies, there also comes a need to market them to the public. The latest innovations are actually just everyday things that we use but connected to the internet. For instance, automated cars and refrigerators. We are not talking about smart phone applications anymore though, these are practical devices that are able to monitor your daily life.

One such idea is a device that can monitor your heart rate, blood pressure, and a number of other body functions and offer suggestions to you as you do your grocery shopping. It can attempt to dissuade you from purchasing fatty, sugary foods that are high in cholesterol and suggest to you a healthy alternative. In doing so, advertising companies would have endless opportunities for product promotion. Brands would be able to create their own diet programs that would work with the device application.

Another possible innovation would be things like smart refrigerators, which would alert you when you’re low on a particular food product. These devices would be able to make a list for you and in the future, as more things become interactive, they could even order your groceries for you, to be picked up from the store. This is when vertical integration would really come into play, as the food companies would want to team up with the appliance companies in order to promote certain brands. For instance, your GE freezer might suggest different Ben & Jerry’s flavors when you are low on ice cream.

Right now, it’s mostly a waiting game for advertisers. They must await the day that these new technologies are actually available to the public, but now is the time that they prepare for the marketing renaissance.

Posted in Entertainment, Science and Technology | Tagged Advertising, Innovations, Internet Of Things, marketing, Smart Devices | Comments Off

Malaysian Airlines Airplane Goes Missing During Flight

Posted on March 9, 2014 by amanda decarlo

A Malaysian Airlines Airplane filled with passengers from fourteen different nationalities including four Americans has gone missing. Officials are not sure where the plane could have gone. It just disappeared and the airplane cannot be located via radar or GPS.

Officials are not sure how the plane even went missing. They haven’t ruled out foul play, and think a terrorist could have hijacked the plane. Some even suspect that an explosion from some type of bomb could have caused the plane to go off the radar. According to a quote from a source cited in an HuffingtonPost.com article, “the aircraft is likely to have disintegrated at around 35,000 feet.” This would further explain why there is no debris. Many other vessels in search for the plane have been vigorously searching for the missing plane, and still haven’t found anything.

Other officials think that there may have been two individuals who falsely used passports, and their plan was to fly from Beijing to Europe without going through any checks or procedures. The problem with finding the aircraft is that there are a lot of oil slicks between Beijing and Vietnam. However, a group from Vietnam is investigating an oil slick off the Gulf of Thailand. America and China have also sent ships to search for the missing airplane.

This is a very mysterious situation. There was no bad weather, so the disappearance of the plane is deliberate or at least a by product of of some malevolent deliberate action. Hopefully, the plane will be found so that the truth of the matter can be revealed.

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Customer Service: Just Because it’s Fast Food Doesn’t Mean it’s Not Important

Posted on March 9, 2014 by alyssakelly

I have been working in a restaurant ever since I have started working. If there is one thing I know I am good at, it would be customer service. Some simple things that you should know about customer service: the customer is usually always right,make them want to come back again, enhance their visit, and always kill them with kindness. It’s not that hard, you just have to know how to fake it I guess.

I know it is not always easy to be nice when you have your own issues bothering you. I am not one to complain much either at a restaurant because I know how it feels to be on the other side. But the other day I went to a Taco Bell and the woman taking my order was just plain rude. While trying to order I changed my mind because I couldn’t substitute something for what I wanted. This woman huffed and puffed because she had to delete what I previously said. Mind you the order was not even completed. She was also rude when I asked questions and was unsure what I wanted. I get it, it’s Taco Bell not a five star place.

Just because you are at a fast food place does not give you more of a reason to be rude. I don’t mind unenthusiastic, you don’t have to be, but if it is to the point of me being uncomfortable ordering there is a problem. I work at a fast-casual breakfast place and people get mad or change their orders all the time. You know what I do? I listen and fix the problem and move on. The meaner you are, the more unhappy a customer will be and that means your boss as well.

Like I said, just because it’s fast food doesn’t mean it’s not important.

Posted in General | Tagged Fast food | Comments Off

Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 Disappears Mid-Flight

Posted on March 9, 2014 by jumarshall17

A Malaysia Airlines flight carrying 227 passengers and 12 crew members disappeared Saturday, March 8, after departing from Koala Lumpur destined for Beijing. There were no reports of bad weather and no sign of why the Boeing 777-200ER would have vanished from radar screens about an hour after it took off from Kuala Lumpur.

The 11-year-old Boeing, powered by Rolls-Royce Trent engines, took off at 12:40 a.m. from Kuala Lumpur International Airport and was apparently flying in good weather conditions when it went missing without a distress call. The last time Air Traffic Control had contact with Flight MH370 was when they were 120 nautical miles off the East coast of the town of Kota Bharu. Flightaware.com, a flight tracking website, shows the plane flying northeast after its takeoff from Kuala Lumpur, climbing to 35,000 feet before disappearing off of radar.

There is an apparent mystery surrounding the disappearance of this flight. According to Interpol, two passengers used stolen passports on board the plane, one from Italy and the other from Austria. Interpol has the passports recorded in its Stolen and Lost Travel Documents database and confirms that they were used by passengers on board Malaysia Airlines Flight 370. According to CNN, the two passengers who used the passports in question appear to have bought their tickets together.The tickets were bought from China Southern Airlines at identical prices, paid in Thailand’s baht currency, according to China’s official e-ticket verification system Travelsky. The ticket numbers are contiguous, which indicates the tickets were issued together.

The missing Malaysia Airlines plane had suffered damage in the past, airline CEO Ahmad Jauhari Yahya said Sunday. The aircraft had a clipped wing tip, but Boeing repaired it, and the jet was safe to fly.

If in fact, the plane is found and all passengers and crew members are dead it will go down in history as the deadliest airline disaster since November 12, 2001, when American Airlines Flight 587 crashed into a New York neighborhood, killing all 260 people on board and five more on the ground.

Posted in Business, World News | Comments Off

Top U.S. Fast Food Chains

Posted on March 9, 2014 by jessicafsmith1002

How much do Americans love their fast food? This much: $254,541,589,000.

That’s the amount the NPD Group says we spend to buy food that’s quickly thrown together and put in a wrapper, then held in one hand and downed in record time with a soda chaser while driving our cars. In a land of 316 million people, $254 billion last year works out to $800 for every man, woman and child, or around $2.20 a day, enough to buy you only half a Big Mac. McDonald’s is by far the most successful fast food chain in the known universe. QSR magazine said Americans bought more than $35 billion worth of Mickey D’s in 2012, nearly three times more than second place finisher Subway, at $12 billion.

The Top Ten are as follows:

1. McDonalds

2. Subway

3. Starbucks

4. Wendy’s

5. Burger King

6. Taco Bell

7. Dunkin’ Donuts

8. Pizza Hut

9. Chick-fil-a

10. KFC

I was a little surprised to not see Chipotle in the top ten because it is so popular and people love it. The only reason I can think of, explaining why its not in the top ten, is that they are not in every single country, like McDonalds, and they are not cheap. I think the cost of their food hurts them a little. I think that’s the case for Chick-fil-a as well. Although they made the top ten, number nine, I think the cost of their food is the reason they are low on the top ten list, but just being in the top ten is really good! I don’t think the fast food industry will ever have to worry about disappearing. They have become a part of, almost, everyone’s lives!

Posted in Economy, General | Comments Off

Would Melo be a good fit for the Chicago Bulls?

Posted on March 6, 2014 by christie jauch

Derrick Rose is already out for the season with a knee injury, and the chances of him playing basketball again is a toss up. Head coach Tom Thibodeau of the Chicago Bulls has to be proud of himself for signing point guard D.J. Augustin to fill in the point guard spot. Augustine has made an immediate impact for the Bulls and the team has their fifth win in six games played. D.J. Augustin is currently averaging 12 points a game with 5 assists and his teams was on a roll Wednesday night after defeating the Detroit Pistons 105-94. In that game, Augustin scored 26 points.

Now just imagine if Carmelo Anthony was playing for Chicago with a solid Bulls defense. I believe Anthony would be a good fit in my opinion because he’s proven to be a solid shooter from just about anywhere on the floor, he can be reliable to make shots in moments of the game, and he’ll bring energy to this Bulls squad for just being apart of the team. If Derrick Rose were to return next season, just look at how scary this team could be with Carmelo Anthony. Having Derrick Rose, Mike Dunleavy, Carmelo Anthony, Taj Gibson, and Joakim Noah is scary for a starting lineup. Oh, you can’t forget D.J. Augustin!. He’s playing at a high level and was a good steal for Chicago. If I were to ask 10 people why would Carmelo be a good addition to this team, a majority would say because he can score. Yeah, I think we all know that. Look at it from this angle, Melo would bring lots of energy to this team. Why do I say this? Have you ever seen how pumped Taj Gibson and Joakim Noah get when playing basketball? For those who haven’t seen how energetic they get, take a look at Bulls game when you get a chance. I’ve never seen players who play a game like it’s their last game they’ll ever play. Carmelo Anthony can score a lot of points and that’ll pump this squad up even more. This team plays with a lot of heart and passion. Yes, defense wins games but a team must have some type of offense that can score. Adding Carmelo Anthony would give the Bulls an extra player who can put a lot of points on the board. There’s no doubt in my mind Melo would be an impact to this team if he ends up playing for the Chicago Bulls.

Posted in Entertainment, Sports | Comments Off

So long Oscars 2014… Hello MTV Movie Awards 2014

Posted on March 6, 2014 by chelsiesloan

After a successful Oscars ceremony this year, last Sunday night there was no surprise that “12 Years a Slave” won best picture of the year. It looks like the MTV Movie awards have the same taste in movies. This year three Oscar-nominated films “12 Years a Slave”,”American Hustle and “The Wolf of Wall Street” are among the movie of the year nominees for the 2014 MTV Movie Awards.

The male and female performance categories also include the same Oscars nominated actors such as Sandra Bullock for “Gravity”, Amy Adams for “American Hustle”, Bradley Cooper for “American Hustle”, Leonardo DiCaprio for “The Wolf of Wall Street”, Chiwetel Ejiofor “12 Years a Slave”and Oscar winners Lupita Nyong’o and Matthew McConaughey for “Dallas Buyers Club”.

Of course with it being the MTV Movie Awards will include some less formal Oscars categories for example the “Scared as-…Performance”, “Shirtless Performance”, and “#WTF Moment”.

The MTV Movie Awards will be live on Sunday April 13 at 9/8c.

Down below is the complete list of nominees:

Movie of the year

12 Years a Slave
American Hustle
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire
The Wolf of Wall Street

Best female performance

Amy Adams – American Hustle
Jennifer Aniston – We’re the Millers
Sandra Bullock – Gravity
Jennifer Lawrence – The Hunger Games: Catching Fire
Lupita Nyong’o – 12 Years a Slave

Best male performance

Bradley Cooper – American Hustle
Leonardo DiCaprio – The Wolf of Wall Street
Chiwetel Ejiofor – 12 Years a Slave
Josh Hutcherson – The Hunger Games: Catching Fire
Matthew McConaughey – Dallas Buyers Club

Breakthrough performance

Liam James – The Way Way Back
Michael B. Jordan – Fruitvale Station
Will Poulter – We’re the Millers
Margot Robbie – The Wolf of Wall Street
Miles Teller – The Spectacular Now

Best kiss

Jennifer Lawrence and Amy Adams – American Hustle
Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Scarlett Johansson – Don Jon
James Franco, Ashley Benson and Vanessa Hudgens – Spring Breakers
Shailene Woodley and Miles Teller – The Spectacular Now
Emma Roberts, Jennifer Aniston and Will Poulter – We’re the Millers

Best fight

Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues – Will Ferrell, Paul Rudd, David Koechner andSteve Carell vs. James Marsden vs. Sacha Baron Cohen vs. Kanye West vs. Tina Feyand Amy Poehler vs. Jim Carrey and Marion Cotillard vs. Will Smith vs. Liam Neesonand John C. Reilly vs. Greg Kinnear
Identity Thief – Jason Bateman vs. Melissa McCarthy
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug – Orlando Bloom and Evangeline Lilly vs. Orcs
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire – Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson and Sam Claflin vs. Mutant Monkeys
This is the End – Jonah Hill vs. James Franco and Seth Rogen

Best comedic performance

Kevin Hart – Ride Along
Jonah Hill – The Wolf of Wall Street
Johnny Knoxville – Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa
Melissa McCarthy – The Heat
Jason Sudeikis – We’re the Millers

Best scared-as-s*** performance

Rose Byrne – Insidious: Chapter 2
Jessica Chastain – Mama
Vera Farmiga – The Conjuring
Ethan Hawke – The Purge
Brad Pitt – World War Z

Best on-screen duo

Amy Adams and Christian Bale – American Hustle
Matthew McConaughey and Jared Leto – Dallas Buyers Club
Vin Diesel and Paul Walker – Fast & Furious 6
Ice Cube and Kevin Hart – Ride Along
Jonah Hill and Leonardo DiCaprio – The Wolf of Wall Street

Best shirtless performance

Jennifer Aniston – We’re the Millers
Sam Claflin – The Hunger Games: Catching Fire
Leonardo DiCaprio – The Wolf of Wall Street
Zac Efron – That Awkward Moment
Chris Hemsworth – Thor: The Dark World

#WTF moment

Steve Carell, Will Ferrell, Paul Rudd and David Koechner – Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues
The Channel 4 News Team’s afternoon is no longer a delight as their speeding van filled with bowling balls, scorpions and hot oil takes a tumble on the highway.

Johnny Knoxville and Jackson Nicoll – Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa
Johnny Knoxville and Jackson Nicoll manage to strike fear into a room full of unsuspecting beauty pageant-loving parents thanks to a bump ‘n’ grind dance routine to a Warrant classic.

Cameron Diaz – The Counselor
Having sex in a car is pretty much a rite of passage, but having sex with a car? Cameron Diaz’s Malkina gets down and dirty with a bright yellow Ferrari to show the world how it’s done.

Leonardo DiCaprio – The Wolf of Wall Street
Leonardo DiCaprio’s portrayal of excessive Wall Street player Jordan Belfort takes a turn for the insane when he takes his Lamborghini for a spin.

Danny McBride and Channing Tatum – This is the End
Danny McBride shows an apocalyptic world, and uncomfortable theatergoers everywhere, that there’s no better pet than a scantily clad Channing Tatum.

Best villain

Barkhad Abdi – Captain Phillips
Benedict Cumberbatch – Star Trek into Darkness
Michael Fassbender – 12 Years a Slave
Mila Kunis – Oz The Great and Powerful
Donald Sutherland – The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

Best on-screen transformation

Christian Bale – American Hustle
Elizabeth Banks – The Hunger Games: Catching Fire
Orlando Bloom – The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
Jared Leto – Dallas Buyers Club
Matthew McConaughey – Dallas Buyers Club

Best musical moment

Backstreet Boys, Jay Baruchel, Seth Rogen and Craig Robinson – This is the End
Jennifer Lawrence – American Hustle
Leonardo DiCaprio – The Wolf of Wall Street
Melissa McCarthy – Identity Thief
Will Poulter – We’re the Millers

Best cameo performance

Robert De Niro – American Hustle
Amy Poehler and Tina Fey – Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues
Kanye West – Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues
Joan Rivers – Iron Man 3
Rihanna – This is the End

Best hero

Henry Cavill as Clark Kent – Man of Steel
Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man – Iron Man 3
Martin Freeman as Bilbo Baggins – The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
Chris Hemsworth as Thor – Thor: The Dark World
Channing Tatum as John Cale – White House Down

Voting is now open at:

http://www.mtv.com/ontv/movieawards/2014/movie-of-the-year/

Posted in Entertainment, General | Comments Off

Deland Dog Parade rocks Mardi Gras!

Posted on March 3, 2014 by singhkev

If you are a dog lover of any age, then the Deland Dog Parade is the place to be. The parade will take place on March 1st at 11:00am, and will feature several floats and acts, as well as dogs of all shapes and sizes!

Immediately following the parade will be a Mardi Gras themed festival with music, dancing, dog races and carnival rides for the kids. The winners of the float will be announced on the main stage located on West Indiana Avenue around 12:30 (immediately following the presentation of Royalty). The festival will continue throughout the day until 4:00 pm. The carnival for the children will be on West Indiana Avenue and will offer a merry-go-round, castle mania obstacle course, flying elephants and candy truck, as well as food for children. On East Indiana there will be pony rides, a bounce house and a giant palm tree slide.

To save the memory, there will also be a merchandise booth open at 10:00am that will sell t-shirts, cups, beads and koozies. There will also be a judging cometition for the dogs and the categories include Best Run For the Roses Bonnet – King & Queen, Dog and Owner Look Alike, Best Group Costume and Most Original Costume.

Whether you own one pet or 10, this event is sure to be a fun and happy adventure for the owners and the dogs alike. This is a cannot miss event!