Photography By Jayden

Today I will be telling you about photography, because I am a photographer. I like to use high ISO film speed because I take more pictures of moving things like a fire or a bird. I would also pick a Fujifilm or a Nikon camera over a Canon, because Canon cameras cost 10 times more, and their cameras are made more for trips and taking pictures of sports. Fujifilm and Nikon are for taking pictures of anything, but you just have to have the right settings set. I say this because I use Nikon and Fujifilm, and I know they are a lot cheaper and can be used for taking pictures of anything.

I like taking pictures because taking pictures is like I am freezing a single second in time, and then that second is saved forever. I think that is important because you can never get that second back, but now it is saved in a picture. That is why I like taking pictures so much.

So what do you chose: Canon, Fujifilm, or Nikon?

Sims 3 for PC by Jacob

I’m going to be reviewing Sims 3 for PC. Sims 3 for PC is a game where you don’t just live a virtual life, you can design your own house and character on your computer. Sims 3 is one of my favorite games on computer too. You start off in a town called Sunset Valley, where it gives you an option to create your own character, with the options to adjust his strength, weight, and colour. Your character has a large selection of clothes that you can put on him, such as formal wear, swim wear, and many other wears. There is no end to the game; instead, you will eventually just die of old age. The real point of the game I guess is to live a life that you have more control over.

I love the game for its amazing graphics and its millions of choices for house design. If you have an eye for design, you would love this game. The colour choices are unlimited, and the patterns are fantastic. In the game, I have started out as a DJ manager at a grocery store, and two Sim weeks later, I was the manager of the store making thousands of dollars. I took my money bought three parks and made a mansion, but then I became poor and could not afford my house, and I had to sell everything I had. So it goes to show that you want to watch what you spend your money on in that game. This is why Sims 3 for PC is the game you should be asking for your birthday.

Note: This game is rated T for Teen.

NHL 13 by Tristan C.

Today I’m going to be reviewing NHL 13 for Xbox 360. NHL 13 is a hockey game with tons of game modes like Be a GM mode, Be a Pro mode, Online Versus, and plenty of others. The gameplay is in bird’s eye view, but with the Be a Pro game mode, it’s in 3^rd person. They updated the skating in NHL 13 from NHL 12, and the skating is much more realistic, but you can’t make sudden movements or you would have to much momentum and fall down. They also updated the goalies on how they move around when making desperation saves and poke checking. But they did not update the bots, which is really annoying because it’s really easy when you are playing against them. The bots do not play their positions correctly, and your goalie is a bot too, so you can score the same way on them over and over again. That is really all that is wrong about the game.

I really enjoy the online team play, because when you have a good match, you get experience points, which allow you to upgrade your player’s stats and make him better. You are able to customize your character on how he looks, his name, size, weight, and number; also you get to make a team with your friends and play against other online teams with the same skill level. I like to play Online Versus because you get to play one versus one. You pick a team and play against your opponent, and if you win, you get experience points and level up. I really have fun just making plays finding out new dekes, figuring out new ways to score, or making cool saves as a goalie.

I really enjoy this game, and I give it 8 out of 10. I gave it 8 out of 10 because the bots really bring the game down, and I hope they upgrade the bots of NHL 14. Also, I suggest that people who haven’t played NHL 13 before get to try it out, because if you like hockey, I bet you will like this game.

Halo Reach by Tristan

Hello my name is Tristan B., and I’m going to write about a video game called Halo Reach. Halo Reach is a first person shooter, and it can be hard at times. The objective of the game is that aliens have invaded a planet called Reach, and you are assigned to a team that is called Noble Team. I’m going to start by explaining the details on what and what not to do in Campaign mode.

First, you should not let Kat drive. Also, if you find a sniper rifle, you should pick it up and use it. Another tip is: if you have a sniper rifle, you should try to find a shotgun and change it out with your other gun. In other words, keep both the shotgun and the sniper rifle. Last, you should not try to jump off a cliff to assassinate an Elite. In conclusion, I really think you should try this game. It’s fun.

Note: This game is rated M for Mature. The contents of this game may not be appropriate for all ages. 

Call of Duty: World at War By Davion

Call of Duty: World at War is an Xbox 360 and a PS3 game. There are three modes you can play in: zombies, campaign, and multiplayer. In zombie mode, there are four players. Each player also has a good biography. The players’ names are Dempsey, Takeo, Nikolie, and  Dr. Richtofen. They have to survive together in zombie land for as many rounds as you can. My longest round is 500. It was really hard, but mods help.

You can use mods. There are choices to get certain mods. You can find one to your own liking on youtube.com. What are mods? I will tell you. Mods are helpful because they make it so you can do stuff you are not really allowed to do, like fly, have all the guns, and stuff like that. 

An Easter egg for getting a song on the zombies map called Derise is to get all the brains in a green jar glowing. Thanks for reading.

Note: This game is rated M for Mature. The contents of this game may not be appropriate for all ages.

Blackberry Z10 By Lexie

 Released February 5^th in Canada.

BlackBerry has released a new phone called the Blackberry Z10. The Blackberry 10 looks like the iPhone, but it is much bigger. Blackberry has upgraded the App store and its camera. The App store now has 70,000 apps, and they claim they have also got 1000 of the most popular apps for smart phones. You can buy music on the app store, and you can buy or rent movies on it too. The camera is amazing from what I have seen; it has a feature where you can edit a photo if someone is blinking in the picture. 

The Blackberry 10 has a hub where you can see all your messages and notifications. Also BBM has free video chatting and calling over wireless internet. During either of those communications, you can do a screen share, which is when you and your friend can both see one of your guy’s screens. You can both control where you want to go and look through too.

The Blackberry 10 is a good phone, and probably one of the best Blackberrys.

Blackberry 10 By Dawson

The Blackberry 10 is not a very well built phone in my perspective, because when you want to find out about it the website crashes. Also it has rounded edges. If you’re old enough to have a phone, you shouldn’t need to have rounded edges on your phone. The storage space is good, but you have to keep restarting the phone. You can do still shots with the camera, but little kids are usually running around. So what about action shots? I ran around when I was little. So moms, I wouldn’t buy it if I had an active child. You can get more apps than previous Blackberry phones, but you probably have to buy almost everything. According to a reviewer in a video I watched online, the Blackberry 10 has little charging ability: you take it off the charger at 9, and it will be dead in 4 hours. What if you’re on a trip is 6 hours and you need your phone?

I personally like Android phones because you more storage space on an Android than a Blackberry first off, and on an Android you can have Facetime.

Blackberry has Blackberry Messaging and video chat, but the Blackberry 10 is thick, who wants a thick phone? It would be hard to carry places. Androids are nice and thin and easy to carry places. You can get Androids in different varieties and sizes, but Blackberry 10 you can only get in one size, and one size only, which I find not very creative. What if your friend has a Blackberry 10 and you do too? You have the same phone as your friend.

How to Get Started in Minecraft By Joey

Hello readers, I am writing this post on behalf of Minecraft.

Minecraft is a Virtual 3D block game that has no circles. It has multi player and single player, and there are a lot of multi player servers out there like vistacraft.no-ip.biz. It is a really great server. Single player is great and there is a lot of stuff you can do in it like, mess around with Redstone, build a house, cut down a tree, kill some monsters at night, harvest a sheep’s wool, build traps for your friends, and build a city. The possibilities in Minecraft are endless. In Minecraft, this is what your normal skin looks like until you get a new one. You can get a new one by going to the site at the bottom of this post. This characters name is "Steve" and it is the very first skin you get in Minecraft. In Minecraft you can also go in Creative mode which allows you to have unlimited resources.

Also, if you go into single player and click "More World Options" you can make the level a flat land which allows you to find villages more easily. In the last Minecraft update, there were jungle and desert temples added. There is also a new monster boss in Minecraft called the Wither Skeleton.




When you first start your world in Minecraft, what you want to do is chop down a tree and make some tools for mining and resources. Once you have done that, you are ready for getting other resources. If you are a beginner in Minecraft, you can only get iron with stone pickaxes or better, gold with iron or better, and diamonds with iron or better. Once you get everything you want, you should probably cut down a few more trees so you can make a house and a chest for your stuff. In SuperFlat land there are only four levels of blocks: the first three are dirt, and the fourth block level is bedrock. If you want to ever find diamonds in Minecraft, you need to generate a normal world with mountains and find a cave that goes down to level 12. You can find out what level you are at by pressing F3. The proper axis for level 12 is the one that would say y: 12.000.

On SuperFlat Land you can NOT find trees, but you can if grow them when you are in Creative Mode. You can also make trees grow by going into Create New World and click More World Options, then click the option of making the type of world generation and go to "Custom Layouts," then "Presets," and then go to "Miners Heaven." With this generation, you can find trees on SuperFlat Land. This also makes it so there are ten Dirt block levels, two-hundred and sixty-three Stone block levels, and one Bedrock level. In the new 1.5 Beta Update for Minecraft, there is going to be a lot more Redstone resources and also a Nether Quarts.
　
Get New Skins at www.minecraftskins.com

Check out my Blog at Minecraftblogershome.weebly.com

Comments appreciated!

Uncharted 3 Review By Isaac

Uncharted 3 is a game for the PS3 where you are looking for treasure that your uncle has hidden and left clues for you to find it. This game is first person perspective where you shoot and find puzzles for secrets passages and sometimes treasure. In some puzzles, you have to step on bricks and in others you turn statues to face certain ways. The main characters name is Drake. When he was a child his family kicked him out onto the street and he had to fend for himself. Soon after that he starts stealing. He stole a wallet from someone once and then they become partners in trying to find the treasure.

What I like about this game is that you have three modes of play to choose from: campaign, multiplayer or co-op. also you can play online against other people that play this game online. You can also find golden guns on co-op or multiplayer. Golden guns are more powerful than regular guns. My favourite part is playing online and leveling up. Also I like customizing. This game is similar to Call of Duty Black Ops 2 because there is shooting, campaign, mode and online play. Black Ops has better graphics, but this game has better missions and that you don’t always kill.  Black Ops does not have any puzzles to solve either. This game replaces killing sometimes with a combination of searching for treasure and figuring out clues. This is what makes this game better . If you like what I have written, then you should try out Uncharted 3.

Note: This game is rated T for Teen. The contents of this game may not be appropriate for all ages.

Assassin's Creed III Review By Owen

Hello blog readers. Today I’m going to be writing about Assassin’s Creed III for the Xbox 360. Assassin’s Creed III is another game to the famous series Assassin’s Creed. In this series, the user plays as a bartender named Desmond who is abducted by Abstergo Industries and placed in to a machine called the Animus, a machine that lets you access your ancestors memory. Assassin’s Creed III takes place around the American Revolutionary War. The role you play is a Native American named Connor who lost his mother when his village was burned to the ground. What you do in the game is you go on missions to kill followers of your father, Haythem, who is the leader of the British Templars.

The game play is in 3^rd person, but it is not a typical shooter. It is more of a adventure type game, although it does feature muskets and flintlock pistols.

I like the game because it connects to some historical events. For instance, the game features the Battle of Bunker Hill, the Boston Massacre, and other moments in history. I also like the fact that you have a bow and other weapons that you have not seen in any other Assassin’s Creed game. The game also has some humour in it too. In one scene you go see a character named Achilles and the first time he says he does not want to train you, then the next day he apologizes but yells "GET THE HECK OFF MY LAND!!!"
　
I think that the game is based on actual historical events because there is no way that the makers of the game would just take an actual war and put it in a game to make it more popular. I think they based it on historical events because they ran out of ideas so they made a game about assassins.
　
If you are interested in history, this game offers in a fun and easy way to relive history. And I recommend that the reader buys this game.

Note: This game is rated M for Mature. The contents of this game may not be appropriate for all ages.

What is Literacy? by Patrick

To answer this question, I went to this website called this IS literacy.ca created by the Child Youth Network of London, Ontario. This group is trying to help people understand what literacy is and it’s trying to develop people’s level of literacy. According to their About link, they explain that literacy is the skills, knowledge, and abilities to understand other people's ideas and to express our own ideas to other people. This website is trying to help people understand literacy by trying to get them to do literacy on their own.

How does this website do this? There are different links for specific groups of people, such as parents, children, teenagers, and professionals. In these links, you can find homework tips for kids, book reviews, like The Hunger Games, video game reviews, like NBA Jam (PS3), and websites, like an online library and a skateboard magazine.

Literacy is a highly difficult concept. This website has good navigation and it helps so you do not get confused or lost in the in the site. I would like it if the concept was easier to understand, but this website helped me understand what the word literacy means. The things I liked about this website were that there was a good variety of sections to look at, and there are lots of things you can learn about. I would use the skateboard magazine and the video game reviews too, in case I was looking for a new skateboard magazine to read, or a new video game to play.  If you’re looking for something interesting, look at the links on the website.

JRC E-books by Dylan

At June Rose Callwood, they have made a new e-book section on their website. Although there are many books on it, there aren't many books that would be approved for a grade 7 or 8 reading level. Their e-book feature includes books like Juice, by Eric Walters and other selections. I did not find this website easy to use and it does not go on mobile phones. This feature should be used by people who have tablets or laptops to go mobile. To improve this website, they should have an app for Android or iOS devices.

The Cell Phone Game By Prachi

Wherever and wherever we go, we always carry a cell phone. Either if we are with our friends or out on a dinner or even at home on a couch, we always have our cells with us.

The time we spend with our family and with our friends is precious. We should spend our time with them wisely, but you are texting away when you are out with them. You are missing what is personal. You are not seeing their expressions or hearing their tone of voice.

So, I have created a game so we can enjoy every moment with the people we see but don't really see. The game is...

Whenever you are out with another or a group of people, put all of your cells in the middle of the table or somewhere. Don't pick up the phone if it rings or someone just texts you. Don't answer it. Whoever does should have to pay the restaurant bill.

Step into the Gaming Vortex By Aadyn

Step into the Gaming Vortex and experience thrilling live action PC gaming with Hakaro and Dark Relic. The PC Gaming Vortex is a video blog series reviewing MMO games such as Dungeons and Dragons online, World of WarCraft, Star Wars the Old Republic etc... As a veteran in gaming I enjoy reliving old stories and adventures of the past.

The PC Gaming Vortex was created to show case lesser known MMO games that get overlooked but are lots of fun. They combine lets plays and tutorial aspects to have an experience where viewers go on an adventure as well and learn things along the way. For more information, visit the PC Gaming Vortex Facebook page and their YouTube Channel.

http://www.youtube.com/user/ThePCGamingVortex

If You Love Tech, You'll Love Gizmodo! by Mr. Durston

Click here for Gizmodo!

For those of you who do not already know, Gizmodo is a technology blog that is part of the Lifehacker media family. It offers many posts per day on technology, reporting the latest news and product reviews on all your favourite devices like iPhones/iPods/iPads, Andriod devices, computers, laptops, and software...and even the mighty Zune!  (What on earth is a Zune, you ask? Click here to learn more about the Zune player and innovator of the squircle). Gizmodo offers both text articles and videos, which often demonstrate new devices and software, so you can always be in the know when a new device is released.

Why I love Gizmodo so much is that it is a one stop location on the web for getting news on all things technology. Secondly, there is an abundance of stories posted multiple times a day. It is more than one person can read, so I can choose the stories that are most relevant to me. Lastly, Gizmodo defines technology fairly broadly, so the content is not confined merely to computer related stories. For instance, check out this story on the 3D printing of an Aston Martin for the movie Skyfall . Any way you look at it, it you are interested in new technology, then you should give Gizmodo a try.