Defending my "Resume/Cover Letter" and Shortening the Hiring Process

*****Took the videos down for a while, just as a precautionary measure :)

I'm sick of filling out applications.  If companies didn't need to know every detail before they look at me, I probably wouldn't have become sick of it.  It makes it even worse when I need to physically put in every single time I've been unemployed for a day.

 

Unfortunately, that was not the case, so from now on, my welcome video for The RAW Loaf is going to be my cover letter!

My Cover Letter!

(Link:  http://youtu.be/NkaRGbxQCCI)

 

I'd be pretty shocked if an employer wanted to talk to me after seeing this video as my cover letter!  Perhaps the employer might see me as I want to be seen:  fun person who obviously put a lot of work in to making a lot of videos of which the cover letter is compiled.

 

Seeing that there is no "serious" side of this cover letter, I decided to make another video today that would be more along the lines of my resume, and allow a potential employer see me without me having to spend all that time filling out an application that won't even conclude in me getting any face to face time.  This video goes over my work history and my most powerful trait that I can bring to the table.



Defending the resume/cover letter

(Link:  http://youtu.be/w-1KTtclZv8)

 

This was actually the second shot at doing the "Defending" video.  The first time, a beam of light was on/around my mouth the entire time and I didn't notice it until I went to edit the video!  The sun going down over the horizon is what caused the bluish-ness at the end of the video.

 

This will either make or break me.  It's probably going to break me, I'll be honest.  I really don't care, though.  After the streak of bad luck I've had this year, I'm not afraid to try something new.  You can't lose what you never had!

A note on the minimum wage jobs - I probably would have taken one of them if I didn't care about them.  However, and a lot of people say I'm wrong for this, I don't want to get hired by a company only to leave them when something a little better comes along.  I understand that there is a lot of time, money, and maybe even training that goes in to hiring just one person, and it would be extremely hard for me to leave a job without giving it time first. #LoyaltyProblems

I know I'm definitely one of the hardest working people I know.  However, I really don't feel like it anymore eh.



 

It looks like I will be spending Christmas alone because I am stuck in Vegas due to the On Call position I have.  It will kind of suck if they don't call me over the next week.  I wouldn't even mind working if I knew I was going to work, but this sitting around waiting for a call is a bummer!  But I guess this is what I get for not being good enough for full time work.

 

Perhaps this is what I get for not being good enough to graduate college!

(If you are as annoyed by the focusing issues as I am, I apologize.  That Canon Powershot S110 is one decent little point and shoot, but apparently, it doesn't know what to focus on sometimes)

 



 



Irish Car Bomb Course

(Direct link:  http://youtu.be/9nCd-NB80to)

 

 

Just what is the Irish Car Bomb Course?

 

Necessities:

 

1 750ml Jameson

1 750ml Bailey's

5 12 oz bottles of Guinness

1 shot glass

1 pint glass

 

(obviously, more shot glasses and pints are needed if you aren't being an idiot and doing it alone)

 

Ultimately, the goal is to put down 10 Irish Car Bombs in 3 hours.  That is an Irish Car Bomb every 20 minutes.

 

It's really stupid.  But I made it and I have tried to do the course...twice.  In this video (I was drunk when I archived the footage, and I thought I lost a lot of footage, but I found it a couple weeks later, haha), I managed to put down NINE (9) Irish Car Bombs.  However, I only met the 20 minute time frame in the first half.  The second time, I think I only made it to 8.

 

I did this as part of a group project for my Sociology class.  I was shocked when I didn't get in trouble for showing it in class.

 

All of the songs in the video:

"Barroom Hero" - Dropkick Murphies
Duff Beer Song
"Friends In Low Places" - Garth Brooks
"Shots" - LMFAO ft. Lil Jon
"Gimme that Wine" - Lambert, Hendricks, and Ross
"Blame It On the Alcohol" - Jamie Foxx
Duff Beer Song
"Brass Monkey" - Beastie Boys
"I Gotta Get Drunk" - George Jones, Willie Nelson
"Caribou Lou" - Tech N9ne
Duff Beer Song
"Tequila Makes Her Clothes Come Off" - Joe Nichols
"Drink and Fight" Buck-O-Nine
"Party Hard" - Andrew W.K.
"Die for Metal" - Manowar
"Liquor, Beer, and Wine" Reverened Horton Heat
"Quiet Whiskey" - Wynonie Harris
"2 tha Bar" - Fojay tha Phantaztik
"Lovestoned" - Justin Timberlake
"Rock and Roll All Nite" - KISS
Scotsman Song - Bryan Bowers
"Tequila" - The Champs
"Gin and Juice" - The Gourds
"Mambo No. 5" - Lou Bega
"Gin 'n Juice" - Snoop Dogg
Duff Beer Song

Will I try again for a 10th?

Crazy Dance Fail Caused a Sore Groin - Personal Epic Split

(Direct link:  http://youtu.be/JD0_-d0zt6U)

Crazy Dance Fail Caused a Sore Groin - Personal Epic Split

 

This was one of those nights I'm not particularly proud of, but I'm glad someone recorded it.  I would have never dreamed of doing the splits - even if it was the easy way!  This happened over seven years ago...man, that was so long ago.

 

Fun fact about this night:  This was the first time I ever drank so much that I don't remember what happened.  The next day, I woke up and went downstairs, wondering why the insides of my legs hurt so much (and no, I don't get hangovers).  Everyone told me to watch the video.  I then learned why my legs hurt.

 

If this video gets over 15,000 views, I'll put up the video that was captured later that night! Here is a preview screen cap:

 

(Attack of the old school night-shot from 7-years-ago cameras!)

 

The RAW Loaf's New Welcome Video!

 

I couldn't believe how much content I have actually done with The RAW Loaf until I made this welcome video!  I decided to make this after watching episode 18 again because of the Alex Riley opening.  I thought that was the greatest thing I have ever done.

 

I read some of those Youtube tutorials on how to grow your channel.  That convinced me that I needed to do this!

 

1st Unboxing Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PV_b0QMsVeY

2nd Unboxing Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s14PnmtZU1Y

Faker Than Wrestling: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6YZMfx8OVo0

The RAW Loaf Ep 8: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AORSFTM9zLY

The RAW Loaf Ep 16: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YAiJUJiPdhg

The RAW Loaf Ep 17: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9eZsPYH6W-I

The RAW Loaf Ep 18: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=af1U9JLjYKA

The RAW Loaf Ep 19: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=APsMa4fovlk

The RAW Loaf Ep 23: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RTh89n5HWYM

The RAW Loaf Ep 25: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-_tPNyLgZU

The RAW Loaf Ep 26: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-SlGV7w4okU

The RAW Loaf Ep 27: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fsa10EnToNw

Pretty Fly for a Goat Guy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WAVJWmnbU_I

And if you'd love to see @InZaneO mark out like balls, check out his first live WWE event!  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3YWc9BcCpT8

The RAW Loaf on Episode 226 - CM Punk - from Colt Cabana's The Art of Wrestling

 

(Direct link:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WW8VEb_UBrA)

 

The RAW Loaf on Episode 226 - CM Punk - from Colt Cabana's The Art of Wrestling

If you haven't for some reason, give Colt Cabana's Art of Wrestling a listen.  http://www.tsmradio.com/coltcabana/ or https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/art-of-wrestling/id385017460 

 

Logitech F310 Controller on Amazon Cyber Monday Sale!

Woooooooo!  It's only $12.50!

There are some styles of games that just don't work with mouse and keyboard.  For me, those are the old school 2-D side-scrollers (Super Metroid, Super Meat Boy ) and 3rd person (the newer Resident Evils and Dead Rising).

I purchased one of these F310 controllers years ago.  It lasted quite some time, but I think what I put it through made it eventually quit working.  I used to take it everywhere with me when I was a flight attendant, which means I wrapped the cord around it on average once a day for travelling.  Did that for well over a year and the cord simply was disconnected.  Average home use, however, I imagine it would have lasted until this day.

So pick one up if you have some gaming you do on your computer!  Try it out with some games...you never know, it just may be better than the old mouse and keyboard.  IT IS $12.50!  I mean, for that price, definitely a 63 out of 69.

The RAW Loaf Episode 27, Survivor Series, November 23rd, 2014 where Sting Returns!

The RAW Loaf Episode 27, Survivor Series, November 23rd, 2014 where Sting Returns!

http://youtu.be/fsa10EnToNw

A bit of a mix of #TheRawLoaf tonight.  Much more commentary than normal.  This was originally going to be a bare-bones episode due to time constraints, but boy howdy, did that not end up being the case!

If anything, at least I didn't like to you like so many other videos and make it look like I promised you the Sting return!  As always, I don't care if you laugh with me or at me, as long as you're laughing, that's all I'm worried about!

http://twitter.com/bloafx
http://twitter.com/inzaneo
http://twitter.com/kendra_tayler79
http://facebook.com/therawloaf

Subscribe!  Share!  Tweet!

The RAW Loaf, Episode 26, WWE NXT, November 20th, 2014 review/recap using YOUR tweets!

Again, using YOUR tweets!

(http://youtu.be/-SlGV7w4okU)

A couple people have asked what program I use to edit.  If you are anywhere near amateur level in editing, you'll notice some dumb mistakes in my work here.  It's all groovy.  I used Magix Movie Edit Deluxe 2015.  It was only $30 when I bought it.  Nothing fancy, that's for sure. 

You know what though?  It gets the job done, even if it is kind of frustrating.  I'd much rather use Avid or Adobe Premiere Pro, but hey, those you have to pay for every month.  Magix was a one time payment.  I also plan on upgrading my copy of Magix soon and then I'll do a full review of the program.

Here is where you can listen to episode 59 of Colt Cabana's Art of Wrestling podcast with Cliff Compton - http://tsmradio.com/coltcabana/2011/09/07/aow-59-domino-nigeria/

And always remember - if you love pro wrestling, make sure to subscribe to the WWE Network!

The RAW Loaf - Episode 25, WWE Monday Night RAW Recap/Review, Nov 17th, 2014

The RAW Loaf - Episode 25, WWE Monday Night RAW Recap/Review, Nov 17th, 2014

(Direct link:  http://youtu.be/o-_tPNyLgZU)

I thought I found a formula that wouldn't take too long to do and would help me get back in to the groove of things.  I thought wrong, haha.  This episode took over 11 hours to finish (however, I did get a late start), and this new way of doing the show took a bit of learning.

Since I can't watch the show now, I have resorted to tweets that use the hashtag #RAW.  I use them to tell you what happened on #RAW if it was important, or I just simply take a jab or two at the tweet!

Let me know if you think this works for the time being!

The Art Institute of Las Vegas Reviews: My Last Four Classes

Before I dropped out of The Art Institute of Las Vegas, there were four classes I would have had to take to finish.  The following is a list of them and the role they played in deterring me from graduating:

The Art Institute of Las Vegas Review: Registration Week

When I was a flight attendant for Comair, a lot of us noticed something was going down when pilots were quitting left and right.  Soon after, the company closed its doors.  There were many reasons why those pilots and many other employees were quitting - things within the company grew worse and worse.

A look at the recent history of Registration Week at the Art Institute of Las Vegas should be an indicator of a sinking ship.

The Art Institute of Las Vegas Review: Picketing

 

(The video version of this blog post if you would rather not read all of this.  This post does contain more information, however.  Direct link to video:   http://youtu.be/jhc08cXiKyc)

On Friday, October 24th, 2014, I picketed out front of the Art Instituted of Las Vegas.  The following led me to that decision:

The Art Institute of Las Vegas Reviews: Former Anti-Productive Policies

These are a few policies the school changed. When you see what they changed from, you will be flabbergasted!

***There is a policy that the school has put out this week that photographers are not allowed to do artistic nudes in the photography studio at the school.  This is news to me and won't do a bit on it since it is very new information, but it does beg the question:  Why does this "art" school forbid artistic nudes, one of the most widely known works of art in the photography industry?

The Art Institute of Las Vegas Reviews: Quality of Graduation Work

Here is an example of what the school expects out of its [film] graduating students:

The Art Institute of Las Vegas Reviews: Starter Kits

The Art Institute of Las Vegas issues Starter Kits to new students.  These are meant (I guess) to help students get acclimated to the school and give them some supplies to ease the study-struggle. 

Students do have the option to turn down the Starter Kits; however, I do not recall ever being told that was an option.  It is in the enrollment paperwork now, but I honestly only skimmed the paperwork back then and asked "Anything that is really pertinent I should know on this?"  Whoops.

The Art Instiute of Las Vegas Review: Holidays - The Little Vacations

Today is October 13th, 2014.  Most of the country is celebrating the Federal holiday of Columbus Day.  Others are celebrating Native American Day among other holidays.  In Nevada, however, we have Nevada Day.  For The Art Institute of Las Vegas, this means students and staff do not receive today as a free day, but Nevada Day on October 31st.

I have had a class on a holiday in most quarters.  This means there were days I didn't have class.  From what I understood, we would have extra work or lecture to make up for the class time we miss because of holidays.

 

Nope.

The Art Institute of Las Vegas Reviews: Projects without Training

Recently, an instructor was fired from The Art Institute of Las Vegas.  At the time of the instructor's firing, the instructor was teaching at least five classes.  I'm not 100% clear on the incident (I try to not post anything I haven't dealt with first hand), but the collection of stories I've gathered have matched up. 

The Art Institute of Las Vegas Reviews: A Class Like Every Other

Another big reason I have taken to posting these posts on AILV is because of the only class I was really looking forward to in the last year:  Short Form Media Production.

The Art Institute of Las Vegas Reviews: Angry Investor!

You can see the article I pulled information from here.

An investor is upset with the Education Management Corporation (EDMC), the corporation that owns The Art Institutes.  Why?  Well, EDMC's stock has been plummeting.  It isn't because business is slow.  It's because their business is poor.

The Art Institute of Las Vegas Review: The Art Grant

Recently, The Art Institute has been offering The Art Grant.  They are willing to give you up to $18,600 off of your tuition!  Whoa!!!

Here's the scary side of it - it isn't hard to get.  Here are some facts about The Art Grant:

The Art Institute of Las Vegas Reviews: Three Year Bachelor's Degree

The scheduling and offering of classes is by far one of the top issues students have with the school. 

In my experience, The Art Institute of Las Vegas offers classes almost at complete random and sometimes the courses offered quarter to quarter in succession.  For example, when I took Short Form Scriptwriting, they didn't offer the next class, Short Form Production, until four quarters passed.  I didn't take Advanced Camera and Lighting (a class I should have taken much, much earlier) until my 11th quarter.

The Art Institute of Las Vegas Reviews: Instructor Ratings

***No, sorry, I'm not rating or reviewing the instructors at the school.  The problems with the school are beyond that.***

The Art Institute of Las Vegas: Graduation / Finals Week Classes

This last Thursday was the Portfolio Show (rumor mill is saying employer turnout to these have not been great lately) and annual graduation for the Art Institute of Las Vegas at the Fashion Show Mall on the Las Vegas Strip. 

I didn't attend, but I do know that all full-time instructors from the school had to attend.  The ceremony also went over class time.  This means that all full-time instructors who had classes to teach didn't show up for an hour or two of class time.  I don't know if instructors let their classes out early to attend, but I do know the evening classes' times were infringed. 

Birth of a New Nation (Silent Short Film)

This is my last piece of work I made while attending The Art Institute of Las Vegas.  If you understood a part what I was trying to communicate through this piece, you'll know that I am extremely unhappy with my experience at The Art Institute of Las Vegas.  The part I was trying to communicate was the fact that The Devil came from and returned to the area where the Art Institute thermos and koozie were on the counter.

The Art Institute of Las Vegas Reviews: Confusion

In my Portfolio Preparation class, there were some issues that had me confused.

The Art Institute of Las Vegas: Exams

During my time at The Art Institute of Las Vegas, I have taken almost a few exams that were challenging.  What may have made these exams very difficult, however, was the fact that every other exam at the school before, during, and after those classes was really easy.

The Art Institute of Las Vegas Review: The Short List

Here is the list of blog posts and very short descriptions I have done on my experiences at The Art Institute of Las Vegas: 

Quality of Graduation Work:  A reel/portfolio of a student who passed the graduation board this year.
Vlogs/Videos Against For-Profit Colleges:  Educate yourself with some personal testimonies and news packages on For-Profit Colleges.
Not On Track:  How I haven't been taught how to use equipment.
Pan and Tilt Your Way to Success!:  Some basic things I have been taught multiple times in multiple classes.
Internships - An example of what I was offered, as well as some commentary on the concept as a whole.
Student Presentations:  Extremely poor presentations by students can last over multiple class periods, and the instructors approve.
Policy Changes:  An example of how the school changes things on a dime with no notification.
All the Small Things:  Look at the total cost of your education, not just the ridiculous tuition.
How Did They Get This Far?:  Students getting close to graduating and not knowing the basics.
Student Appreciation Day:  AILV giving out food instead of a great education.
Housing Transportation:  The school runs the shuttle when it is convenient...for them.
GT:  Example of how the Guided Tours from Admissions have no clue what they are talking about.
Stock Drop:  Look at how the Education Management Corporation's (EDMC - the parent company of The Art Institute of Las Vegas) stock is doing.
Bad Work = Good Grades: Why do I get A's on my projects if they don't deserve A's?
Faculty Equipment Knowledge: How does an instructor not know what he/she is suppose to know?
Unnecessary Class: This class should have been called "Study Hall" because that's what it was.
Plagiarism!:  A look at one student who was blatantly cheating, yet he was never kicked out as he should have been according to the school's policy on plagiarism.
Late Work Policy:  The school's late work policy and how it doesn't prepare students for the real world.
Am I Taking a Class or an Instructor?:  Instructors teach what they want to, not what they are suppose to teach.
How Important Is Class Time?:  One time, an instructor left one of my classes for a couple hours.
eBooks:  eBooks forced on students with no option and the eBook I paid for that I have no idea why I have it.
That Dam Hoover Damn!:  Just look at the picture :)
Online Classes:  Not taught anything.  Pointless.  They push online classes because the reward is huge for them.
Math Lab:  The shady history of math at AILV.  Math was harder in high school.
Unprepared Class Sessions:  Is a class properly taught without preparation?
Audio/Video Share:  In some classes, instructors want you to put your work where literally anyone with access to a computer at the school can copy or delete it.
Confusion:  "Logos are important!"  "Don't worry about your logo."
Gradution / Finals Week:  Wasting more time and money.
Exams:  Why have exams if they aren't a challenge?
Instructor Ratings:  Instructors know when they are going to get rated.
Three Year Degree:  How feasible is it to receive a Bachelor's Degree at The Art Institute of Las Vegas in under three consecutive years?
The Art Grant:  Is The Art Grant for the students or for the Art Institutes?
Angry Investor:  You know something is up when an investor is suing the company he has invested in.
A Class Like Every Other Class:  I had high hopes for this class, only for it to be degraded to be just like every other class.
Projects without Training:  Does it make sense to make someone do a project when you haven't taught them about it?
Holidays - The Little Vacations:  No class = no work or lecture!!!!!
Starter Kits:  You want to waste your money?  Get your supply kit today!
Former Anti-Productive Policies:  How were these even policies?
Registration:  A look at the sinking ship that is Registration Week.
General Education Courses:  Take a look at the vast variety of general education courses!
Guards or Gophers:  The school has a "security guard" who can only guard one of two entrances.  Job responsibilities are also quite odd for a security guard.
Student Mentors:  Shouldn't the student mentors be model students?
Faculty Shake Up = Excuses:  Is a mix up in faculty an excuse to not follow through with education?
Housing Costs:  Is the school providing housing for convenience or for profit?  Is it worth sharing a two bedroom apartment with three other people?
My Last Four Classes:  $6,000 in tuition for four classes where if I did gain any worthy amount of knowledge, it would have been by myself.
Picketing:  A video and post about my experience protesting the school.  The post has more information than the video.

The Art Institute of Las Vegas Reviews: Not On Track

I have been at The Art Institute of Las Vegas for two years and eight months with a set graduation date in December.  I have been in the Digital Filmmaking and Video Production program the entire time.  I have four classes after this quarter, none of which will be teaching me what I should have been taught way before now.

The Art Institute of Las Vegas Reviews: Audio/Video Share

One of the most irresponsible and absurd things I experienced at The Art Institute of Las Vegas is the fact that there are a handful of instructors who have students turn assignments in to what is called the "Audio/Video Share" or "A-V Share."  It's essentially a server at the school where students can put anything and everyone on one of the school's mac computers can access everything on it.  Since my third quarter, I have heard rumors that they are trying to get the windows computers on to the A-V Share, but that has been for two years now.

The Art Institute of Las Vegas Review: Unprepared Class Sessions

Perhaps one of the most annoying aspects of my experience at The Art Institute of Las Vegas is the fact that it isn't uncommon for instructors to not be prepared to teach a class or completely deviate from the syllabus we all sign on the first day of class.

The Art Institute of Las Vegas Reviews: Math Lab

In high school, I took one semester of Pre-Calculus.  It was the highest math I reached.  I don't think I ever received less than an -A in any math classes.  I ended up only taking the one semester out of two because that class switched over to a long-distance learning class and I found it pretty annoying.  I already had two years of math above what I needed to graduate, so I took another class instead of finishing Pre-Calculus.

The Art Institute of Las Vegas Review: Online Classes

The Art Institute's online classes were some of the biggest headaches I have ever encountered.  I no longer have access to them, but here is an example of a post a student made on message board of my U.S. History class (I saved this post because it was too classic):

"Monroe Doctrine was written by James Monroe (former president) after the Latin America fought for independence. The main purpose and focus for the Monroe Doctrine was to enforce that they European influence and to warn them that they couldn’t reestablish colonization. After all of the discretion, the European powers were to stay out of foreign affairs. The European powers to stay away from the American continents to declare U.S. to stay always from the American continents to declare U.S to stay our of the affairs of the European. To the end American influence in Europe & to end the European influence in America limits the influence in the Western hemisphere the Doctrine has affected American history since then because the Americans try not to have any problems with the Europeans just to reduce conflict."

Weird Al Inactive Music Video

The Rose and I made this music video.  I heard the song on a drive to Phoenix after the album release, and when I got home, I realized it was one of the songs off the album that didn't get a music video.

The song is "Inactive" off of Weird Al Yankovic's #1 Billboard Album Mandatory Fun .  It is a parody of Imagine Dragons' "Radioactive."  If you purchase the album, make sure to get the CD - Mr. Yankovic may not be releasing any physical albums after Mandatory Fun.

(Only one donut was harmed in the filming of this music video)

 

I wonder if Weird Al actually watched it when he favorited my tweet!  His account did!  Check it out here!

(Weird Al is one of the ones that favorited.  He didn't retweet, but I am not complaining one bit.  A favorite meant so much to me!)

 

***Update - I will be doing a short video showing you how I got the shot from behind the car soon! By 1/19/2015!***



The Art Institute of Las Vegas: That Dam Hoover Damn!

(Did someone make a typo?  Where was the proofreader?  That's quite the error if it was made in err.)

 

http://new.artinstitutes.edu/las-vegas/about  This post was made on August 30th.  LOL!

List of all the posts I have about my experiences at AILV

The Art Institute of Las Vegas: eBooks

One of the biggest topics during the quarterly town hall meetings when I was going to them every quarter was the fact that we were having eBooks forced on to us.  They are an automatic charge of $50 to have the eBook delivered to your school account.  There was no option to not receive it.  The deans were very insistent that this was the best way to go because it was saving us a lot of money.

The Art Institute of Las Vegas Review: How Important is Class Time?

Just how important is classroom time at AI?  Well, I know I make a few references around the blog posts, but I had one not too long ago that took the cake.

The Art Institute of Las Vegas Reviews: Am I Taking a Class or an Instructor?

I have hinted at it in a few other blog posts, but I thought I would clarify the title of this post.

In each class, the instructor provides a syllabus.  This syllabus is generally edited by the instructor to fit his/her needs for the class.  I say this very loosely because it is more taught along the lines of whatever the instructor wants to teach for the class.  A few times there was no plan for the class.  It was taught "to the needs" of the class.

The Art Instiute of Las Vegas Review: Videos/Vlogs Against For-Profit Colleges

One of the most dangerous action a student could possibly take would be to post online video of him/herself making complaints against The Art Institutes or any institution s/he partakes in activities. I thought I'd shake the blog up a little bit with some.  Here is a list of videos that I have found.  The only thing I don't appreciate about some of the things said is the emotion behind them.  I feel like points are made but with a little too much emotion.

The Art Institute of Las Vegas Reviews: Late Work Policy

In the last few weeks, I have seen a lot on the internet (then of course it's true!) about how The Art Institutes don't prepare their students for the "real" world.  However, I have seen this so many times, and with the school's late work policy, I can see why this statement is almost undeniably true.  The history for the late work policy has been pretty broad at AILV:

The Art Institute of Las Vegas: Plagiarism!

The school claims it has a staunch opposition against plagiarism.  I've even heard faculty stating students being expelled for it.  However, I know many students who have copied work multiple times and turned it in as their own. 

One instance took the cake, however.  In one of my classes, we had to make a commercial and a public service announcement (this could be one of many classes, actually).  One student tried to pass off some work he did as his own.

The Art Institute of Las Vegas Reviews: Pan and Tilt Your Way to Success!

I understand the importance of knowing the basics of any skill.  However, when we spend so much class time going over things over and over again, class gets boring and time is wasted.

The Art Institute of Las Vegas Review: Unnecessary Class

Last quarter, I took Web Portfolio, which essentially was pointless.  It was essentially a study hall.  A very expensive study hall.  A near $1,400 study hall.  We did get some pointers on how to have our websites look, though!

The Art Institute of Las Vegas Review: Faculty Equipment Knowledge

This week, one of my instructors told one of my classes that the doorway dollies (used to get smooth tracking shots in video/film) were not to be used outside.  They are to be used indoors only because of how the tires are made.  If rocks get into the tires, it'll wear them away quickly.

The Art Instiute of Las Vegas Review: Bad Work = Good Grades

Here is a screen capture of my report card for my last 2.5 years at The Art Institute of Las Vegas:

The Art Institute of Las Vegas Review: Stock Drop

This is more of an outlook at the Art Institutes as a whole, more specifically, their parent company, the Education Management Corporation (EDMC).  EDMC operates Argosy University, The Art Institutes, Brown Mackie College and South University.  AI schools, in 2011, made up more than half of all students under EDMC.

The Art Institute of Las Vegas Review: GT (1)

My "GT" (Guided Tour) blogs will be things I hear from admissions officers at the school giving guided tours.  My first blog on AI also talks about a Guided Tour experience.

The Art Institute of Las Vegas Review: Housing Transportation

I felt the need to post about the transportation to and from student housing.  Student housing about 3.5 miles away from the school.  It can be about a 10 minute drive if one hits mostly red lights along the way or a walk that takes about an hour.

The school has a vehicle that transports students to and from school.  It does this Monday - Friday in the mornings before classes, at lunch hour, and the dinner hour between afternoon & night classes.  Sounds nice.

The Art Institute of Las Vegas Review: Student Appreciation Day

(I was pretty much offended by the sprinkle of cheese I was given.  This was the first half of my fajita.)

Student Appreciation Day takes place on either the second or third Thursday of every quarter.  To show its appreciation, the faculty serves food to the students for lunch and dinner between classes.  To make time (?) for this, Student Appreciation Day cuts in to class time.  Since I started in 2012, they always:

The Art Institute of Las Vegas Review: How Did They Get This Far?

Today, in my 300 level class (I don't know why they bother to give the classes rank or structure at the school - I'm just months from graduating and I'm taking a 200 level class, and students can take 400 level classes in their 2nd or 3rd quarters), we were given an assignment to fill out some paperwork for our scripts we are planning on shooting.  I already have taken the Production Management and I already had the paperwork filled out (I thought it was due before class started).  Unfortunately, there were some students who didn't even know where to start.

The Art Institute of Las Vegas Review: All the Small Things

Today, I went to check out equipment for some homework I needed done.  I was informed there were no more CF(CompactFlash) memory cards.  This means that I have over $4,000 in equipment, but no way to record anything I want to shoot since there was no $30 piece.

The Art Insitute of Las Vegas Review: Policy Changes

On Friday, July 18th, 2014, I attended the first week of Portfolio Preparation.  In this class, one is suppose to have his/her portfolio critiqued and worked on to get ready for graduation (or at least that is what the name of the class makes it sound like).  I would have a more detailed description of what this class is, but the school's course catalog is missing from their website.

The Art Insitute of Las Vegas Review: A Heads Up

I know there are many complaints about this school online, and these series of blogs (with the label "AILV") will not differentiate.  I think it is only fair to have an opposing look at anything that is advertised as a perfect institution. 

The Art Institute of Las Vegas Review: Why I'm Doing This

My name is Sean Corcoran and I am a former (as of 27 Sep 2014) Digital Filmmaking and Video Production student at The Art Institute of Las Vegas.  When I was told I wasn't good enough to graduate after maintaining a 4.0 GPA for the 2.5 years I've attended this school full time, I took a step back to think about some things (they also made a huge change in the film and audio program's graduation process without notifying anyone).  If pretty much all of my work is no good for graduation, then why have I never received less than an 85% on any of my projects?

Lucky Christmas Commentary and Review: BLoafX Reviews

Lucky Christmas Commentary and Review: BLoafX Reviews

One of my Twitter buddies, @TeamSterlo, sent me the movie Lucky Christmas (Hallmark) for me and @InZaneO to watch and review.  We ended up recording us watching the entire movie and I did a "Best Of" of our commentary.



If this video gets over 690 likes, we'll make sure to upload the uncut version of our commentary!

Make sure if you want to watch this "gem" to click on one of the links below!  And let us know if you'd like to see more videos like this!

      

DVD or Amazon Prime!

 

You can even Flattr my blog to support!  Thanks!

Thank You Werid Al for "Word Crimes"

Visit Funny or Die's page to view all of Weird Al's videos in one spot!

I'm willing to bet so many people are so mad at Weird Al for this.

 

 

The only thing that could have made this better was some actual examples thrown in there, but I know he'd probably get sued over that.  I did a search on Youtube and this girl's video was the first to pop up.  She isn't the best, but I won't denounce her for that.  She obviously knows a LITTLE about editing. 

 

I know when I started I sucked (I still do!) but pretty much everyone gets better over time.  I know there are a lot better videos out there than hers, so go find them if you care that much!  Don't hate on her - as Colt Cabana would say, ride the Happy Bus!  Degrading her takes away from you praising someone or something somewhere else (unless you are Demiurge or D3 and you are stealing money from people!).

(She also touches a bit more on just ignorance/stupidity as a whole)

 

The fact that Weird Al in the last decade has used many more of these motion graphic videos than actual videos (or a mix thereof) isn't the greatest.  I think he has an awesome on screen personality and it isn't conveyed when he isn't there!

 

Weird Al's "Word Crimes" video receives a 49 out of 69, mainly due to the fact it's another motion graphics video.  The song I'd be willing to give a 67 out of 69 though!  I just feel there was so much room for more comedy if shot in contrast to "Blurred Lines."

 

 

Also, at 2:19, I always see "Cunnilingus."  Does that make me a bad person?

 

NAO!  Make ur teachurz lern u sum Anglesh!

 

 



Marvel Puzzle Quest Round 2: BLoafX Reviews

Marvel Puzzle Quest Round 2:  BLoafX Reviews

***Update:  On August 3rd, their servers crashed.  About two hours later on the forums, they stated "We are aware of the downed servers."  The servers were down for over 24 hours.  When I logged back in on August 5th, I received 3 gold recruit tokens.  Whoa.  Looks like they are learning a little bit.***

Before I go into this, just take a look at the ego-blasted smug look of one of Marvel Puzzle Quest's newest characters, She-Hulk.

Marvel Puzzle Quest is a very simple, yet intriquing and simple game.  I have spent hours upon hours playing this game.  After a couple months of playing, I created a little review video encouraging people to spend a few bucks on the game.  You can view it here.
 

It's now a few months since that video was made, and my opinon on the game has changed very immensely.  Although the game is still fairly fun and addicting, the actions of its creators/publishers have ruined the game for me and many others.

I set out to create a video to counter my one suggesting people to give some money to the game.  It was pretty interesting how the moment I decided to shoot this was at a timethe weather felt like I did about the game!  You can view the video here.

I didn't hit nearly as many points that I wanted to in the video.  After the hail started, I kind of lost track!  So here is the full list of complaints I have:

1.  No announcements in game.  Clearly, they have the capability to do this with some announcements that they have made, but whenever an update is made, everyone logging in should know about it, not just those who go to the forums.

2.  Nerfing.  Nerfing is when they weaken a character with the intent to make it more fair.  However, is this fair to anyone who spent money on a character that has been nerfed?  I know Spiderman (Classic) was the one that made a lot of people upset.  He is a three star character, meaning that all the upgrades to him costs 1250 HP, which if you were to buy the $20 HP pack, it would cost you $8.70 ..... FOR JUST ONE POWER.  ONE POWER out of THIRTEEN (13) power spots!

This means to make Spiderman max out to full power after receiving one cover, it would take 12 cover packs.  The cost of this buying the $20 packs would be $120 (If you received 3000 HP instead of 2900 HP, it would only cost $100).  If you are rich or overly addicted and bought the $99.99 pack for 20,000 HP, you would pay $75...FOR JUST ONE CHARACTER! 

Not to mention that there are eighteen 3-star characters and four 4-star characters.
Not to mention all of the ISO-8 you need to pump those characters to higher levels.

So, it is pretty understandable for a person to be pretty upset if this character they paid $75 and all of a sudden isn't even half his worth any more.  D3/Demiurge does nothing to make up changes to people who have spent plenty of good money on these characters.

And yup.  True healing.  Go figure that one out and tell me how that works out.

3.  Customer Service.  I mean, does it even exist at Demiurge or D3?  It did at first.  Like I stated in my first video, they were great at first.  Answers usually within the day.  Now, I'm lucky to hear from them within a week.

The pinnacle of trashy customer service occurred in the last weekend of May.   That Friday night, the servers went down and no one could play...for pretty much the whole weekend.  This is capped off by absolutely no response from anyone.  The forums were flooded with complaints.

How would any company just not respond to this?  The servers were down.  Nothing was working.  The new Daken covers were not being passed out.

And how did the developers handle this situation?  They handed out 2,000 ISO-8 and 100 HP.  Essentially nothing. 

Why would anyone give money to the game after this incident?  I can't think of any incident that I have experienced personally that has been so poor in customer service.  It's like they were hoping to just ignore the problem and it would go away!

3a. Customer Service Example

It has gotten to the point where I have given up on trying to explain all of my problems to D3.  Recently, they raised the level caps for all of the characters (to raise more money, no doubt).  This caused all of my characters to get knocked out for 24 hours.

You can read that last sentence again.  I didn't mistype anything.

So I simply took these three screen shots:

(click to enlarge, eh) 

I attached them to an email and stated "Just look at the screen shots" and clicked send.  Their response?  "How many characters were affected?"  Really?  It seemed pretty apparent to my that all of my characters were affected.  I tested out some lower leveled characters to see what would happen, so you can see that the vast range of my characters were affected.

Plus, why is there no concern of the 24 hour death period?

 (Click to enlarge - email from D3 I didn't bother to respond to, lol)

4. IT IS SO BORING

I still play at least one match a day to keep my daily rewards going and somewhat enjoy the game.  It has a Pokemon "Gotta Catch them All!" feel with collecting the covers.  However, I have greatly reduced the amount of hours I put into the game and I surely won't be giving any money to any game based under this model ever again (unless it is a one time fee like many games on Steam are).

The game use to be lots of fun.  There use to be many "themed" PVP events, i.e. Females Only, One Star Only.  Not so much anymore.  Now it's almost the same 'ol battles every time, just with a different featured character.

And they use the same 3 through 9 day events over and over.  If people are paying on a monthly basis, shouldn't they be getting some new events every once in a while?  Not to mention their extreme inability to end events at different times.  Either 9:00 A.M. or 9:00 P.M. for me for the PVPs.  This could work out for those of us in North or South America, but for places around the world that end at extremely odd hours, this sets them at a disadvantage.

5.  Player Vs. Player Opponents

It use to be that you would start off fighting low leveled teams and work your way up.  It is now 12:35 A.M. on July 14th, 2014, and I just played my first match in Heavy Metal.  Iron Man 40 (60), Thor (94), and Black Widow (94)...the most predictable team until I get in the top 25 range when I have to start fighting level 160 3-Stars.  There's no progressing to a higher level - there's essentially two levels of difficulty.

6.  Black Widow (Original)

True Healing made her a lot less useful.  After everyone started complaining about always having to fighting her, winning a cover for her became very rare (for me, anyways).  After they weakened her, she started appearing just as often as the other characters.  People are still using her just as much.

So we are back to square one.

7.  Bugs and Crashes

I'm speaking from complete ignorance here, but how is this game not seemless?  Why are there bugs?  The layout of the game is a simple one, yet it crashes plenty and has bugs often.

I've played a lot of Fallout: New Vegas.  The game has an extremely detailed world with thousands of elements in play.  The game crashes on me every 5-8 hours of game play.

I can completely accept this.  A game that is barely decimals complicated should have no issues, but Marvel Puzzle Quest crashes just about as much as New Vegas does.

Conclusion

If you're still on the fences, just visit their forums here.  Before you spend any money, I highly encourage you to browse the forums and wait for the company to improve their game and their service.  It almost has only been downhill since I started.  Give the game a go though.  It's fun.  Just don't waste your money on it.

And please Flattr me!!

And calm down, I wouldn't sue someone over such a miniscule issue :)  Just caught up in the moment!

The RAW Loaf Misfires for WWE Money In The Bank 2014!!!

The RAW Loaf Misfires for WWE Money In The Bank 2014!!!

Well, it would have been impossible to get a review / recap video up in time for Money in the Bank this year.  So I went out and bought some fireworks, made a "W" for WWE, wished Jack Swagger my best, and lit the fountain!

Didn't turn out so hot :(  So make sure to check out other fireworks I blew up in SLOW MOTION on my Aimless BLoafX Youtube Channel!

Here is a link to the blog with the fireworks and Aimless BLoafX channel: http://bloafx.blogspot.com/2014/06/cheap-fireworks-in-slow-motion.html

Cheap Fireworks in Slow Motion!

Cheap Fireworks in Slow Motion!

Well, I was able to blow up some fireworks back home this year.  Nothing fancy (first day) but some of it actually kind of turned out a little cool.

I also want to highlight the surprise of the night - the "Crazy Crack-Ups" mini-fountain.  It costs $0.75, but boy howdy, this thing sparked and cracked for dang near a minute and a half!  I wish I had more time to concoct some crazy contraptions with this little bugger. 

(Small, but packs a long, price-worthy punch!)

The slo-mo video stopped TWICE (my Powershot S110 stops after two minutes of slow motion is shot) and finally ended in the third video.  It was stopped for a bit before I realized it stopped the first time.



(This is probably my favorite video of the bunch. Watch the hen land on its feet - and then die!)

Since there is no sound, make sure to play some majestic music while you watch the videos.  Also make sure to bump up the resolution to 480.  Unfortunately, a point and shoot's slo-mo has to take a hit somewhere, but it looks pretty terrible in 240 where some browsers will play, depending on your internet speed and hardware.

Make sure to check out my Aimless B-Loaf-X channel to see some other slow mo fireworks!  Also, the WWE Money In the Back episode of The RAW Loaf completely botched, so I made a "W" for WWE out of fireworks and tried to blow it up!

How Important Is Flattr?

It is important enough for me to send out two letters two Colt Cabana and Tim Kreider.

 

I hand wrote a letter to Colt Cabana letting him know about it because I feel it could help him out.  He does this awesome Art of Wrestling podcast every week and doesn't charge for it.  I think Flattr will be a way for his listeners who don't have money to splurge on his merch but can give him some cents on the dollar (or a cent of a cent, depending on how many they Flattr).

Mr. Tim Kreider wrote the article "Slaves of the, Unite!" and I went to Flattr him on his website, and he had no Flattr button.  Awesome article about how most creative-types are suppose to work for free and get "exposure" in return.  I also liked how he talked about how much work it is to do what he does, but most people don't see it as work for some reason.

I strongly believe everyone, especially creatives, need to start putting their foot down and demanding money for their services.  I know it won't happen, but we can slowly push in that direction, and maybe ask some people to Flattr us as we go.  If you haven't seen my blog on Flattr, you can see it here.

Flattr Me, Will Ya!?

I was listening to the radio on my way to school one day and I heard about Flattr.  Essentially, it allows one to micro-tip a website, blogger, vlogger, etc.

If you are tired of being slammed with ads (I know I am, and I would love to have no side ads on my website), this could be a step to helping rid of them (Flattr is nice and supports using it with ads :).  This excerpt is taken directly from their website and explains simply how you can use it:

"When you're registered to flattr, you add money to your account and set a monthly budget. During the month you flattr creators by clicking the Flattr-button next to their content. At the end of the month, your monthly budget is divided between all the things you flattered and sent to the creators."

(The two buttons you'll see on my blog)

So, as a Supporter, you put in $4.07 (that was the current minimum in USD at the time of this writing, minimum of 3 months to a maximum of 7 months), Flattr is based in Europe so they go by the Euro), go and Flattr 100 Creators, and at the end of the month, each of those 50 get a part of the $4.07.  It's not a lot (a little over 8 cents a piece), but those little pieces add up.  You don't even have to worry about Flattr-ing too many Creators either - it'll send parts of a cent!  It's as simple as liking a video on Youtube/Instagram...you like the video/pic and, if the Creator has their account connected, it'll Flattr the creator!

I just added five months to Flattr.  It was $20.40.  Think about how little this actually is.  For the next five months, my $20.40 will go throughout the internet support the creations that I like and want to see more of!  You can even adjust how much per month after you deposit!

(Budget can go as low as 2 Euros/month)



This awesome service doesn't come free, of course, but only an additional 10% of the money (not figured in above example) you put into your Flattr account is given to Flattr.

Creating takes a lot of work, time, and sometimes money.  Just look at my recent upload for my review on WWE Payback.  That took almost 10 hours to create, from the start of the PPV till upload (to create a 14 minute video)!  At the time of this writing, I had 273 views.  If each viewer just sent a half a cent, that's a whole $1.37!  That's not much, but that's a whole $1.37 I didn't have and I could use it for more videos (in The RAW Loaf's case, I would buy more white T-shirts!).

Please support this innovative creation!  I'm excited!  You'll see the Flattr button at the top of my blog at all times.  I know there are plenty of Creators you've watched or read all over the internet (videos, photographs, stories, reports, etc.) that have had to quit that you would have loved to see more of, but trust me, upkeep on equipment and life can take its toll.  So go support them and spread the word!

24 The RAW Loaf - WWE Payback Review/Recap 1 June 2014

24 The RAW Loaf - WWE Payback Review/Recap 1 June 2014



Hornswoggle vs. El Torito in a Mask vs. Hair matchSheamus (c) def. CesaroRybaxel def. Cody Rhodes and GoldustAlexander Rusev def. Big EBo Dallas (Bolieve) vs. Kofi Kingston is flatlined by KaneBad News Barrett (c) def. Rob Van Dam
Daniel Bryan submits title when Brie tells Stephanie McMahon she quitsJohn Cena def. Bray WyattPaige (c) def. Alicia FoxThe S.H.I.E.L.D. (Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins, and Roman Reigns) def. Evolution (HHH, Randy Orton, and Bautista, or Bluetista, or Bootista).

How long did this take?  Too long!  The show started at 5:00 P.M.  Uploaded at 3:00 A.M.  Is all of this work worth it?  I mean, I'm not making any money on this.  I just want to know how many people are actually enjoying this work I'm doing!

Anywho, here's probably the reason everyone came:

 
I'd make it for sure!

Clark County Wetlands Park in Henderson, NV

Clark County Wetlands Park in Henderson, NV (east of Las Vegas)

 

On a whim today, I visited Clark County Wetlands Park.  I found it just searching around on Google Maps.  After I saw "Free" I took off in that direction!

 

When heading east down Tropicana, it's past Boulder Highway a bit (the last light you'll hit is on Steptoe).  There is a brown sign on the left.

 

There are two parking lots.  The first on the first left turn is small (holds maybe 12-15 cars), but it is a bit of a walk to anything.  There were no cars here when I went.

 

The visitor's center closes at 3pm (opens at 7 a.m.).  Perhaps that's why there were only a few cars here.  I spent about 2.5 hours wandering around and only saw 5 other people on a Saturday.  Not too shabby if you're looking to get away.

 

Since it was mid-day, the abundance of wildlife wasn't out and about.  There were some turtles, fish, various birds, rabbits, and something that sounded like it was giving birth (but never appeared).  Make sure you have pants/long sleeves if you plan to take the trails near the water - the bugs sure were hungry!

Also be sure to take water with you....

 

I put together a little video that I decided to make while I was there.  Not the best, but it'll give you a gist of what is there.  Shot with my Canon Powershot S110.  It's a point and shoot, so it's not the best, but it is still nice for what it's worth!

 

You can visit my Clark County Wetlands Park album on Photobucket if you'd like to see some more pictures not included in the video.  I have put some of my favorites below.

Completely random squirt gun on a path



A link to Amazon with the camera I used

Canon PowerShot S110 12MP Digital Camera with 3-Inch LCD (Black)