And…….. I’M DONE!!!!
Kinks? Ironed. Bugs? Swatted away! Working in popular browsers? So far so good. I think I’ve got this thing finished. So, drumroll please… HERE IT IS!!!
Not The Most Average Thesis
I seriously need to thank my good friend Zach for helping me through this. He helped me with laying out the code I would need to create everything, helped me iron out the kinks, and helped me get this thing working in popular browsers (yes, even you, IE… Seriously, Internet Explorer caused so much of a headache). However, just so you know, it works BEST in Safari and then Firefox and Chrome….and then IE. Elements and type might shift a little depending on what browser you have and what version of it you are running. Otherwise it should work fine. However, if it does explode for you, please please PLEASE leave a comment and let me know what browser, version of it, and if Mac or PC so I can try and figure out what the deal is. If possible, screen shots would be great.
Anyways…
Even though this is a tad late, here is what everything looked like in the BFA show:
Thank you for reading my ramblings!
The end! (for now)
Updates I forgot to Post
Hello, this post is dedicated to a couple days I forgot to post anything due to any number of things. Excuses aside, here are the days I forgot:
March 7:
I don’t think I actually had to post for this day because it was during break but just incase…
If memory serves me correctly, I was putting the final touches of my design for print for the BFA show. After all of that I spent SO MANY HOURS matting and cutting board. I must have went through at least 20 X-acto blades. My back was on fire and I was using my basement as a spray booth so all of those fumes were going to my head a bit too. Not the smartest thing I’ve ever done but it went a lot faster that way and protected everything from the elements. So that was pretty much a good chunk of my spring break.
Also a quick pointer: Old carpeting works GREAT as a cutting service! I don’t have a huge cutting board at home so I improvised on the fly and it worked like a charm. 
April 4:
During that time I was still coding. Not much to really say about that. I had worn myself quite nicely into a coding groove and was moving right along.
Another pointer: When coding, find something to watch that you can be amused by but you don’t need to be invested in it to get what’s going on (IE, don’t watch movies or shows that have a linear story line that requires you to know what happened previously). My favorite show for this is Archer. It’s hilarious and almost makes me forget that I’m doing work while being entertained. I highly recommend it.
And that’s it!
Ironing out the kinks
I have the coding completed!!!!! Now I just need to iron out the kinks and bugs that were there from the beginning that I was going to get to later or came up due to different browsers and what not. But in any case, the end is near.
Almost done!!!!!!!!!
It seems that I forgot to post last Wednesday. The days and weeks have kind of been a big blur… I can hardly believe I have less than three weeks until graduation. I think I’m still in denial about it even though it is so close. I’ve just been so focused on working and getting things accomplished and finished that everything else has escaped all possibility of me being able to hold onto it for very long. At any rate, I might just finish this whole thesis project on time. As of this moment, I have the main coding completed!! I still need to code some other sub pages but the main ones are all good. However they aren’t connected to each other yet so I still have some nitpicking and other finite finicky things to deal with, but the end is near!!!!!!
Now I just need to finish everything else. x_x
More coding!!! Yay.
See? Code! SO MUCH CODE.
Lots of code.
And more code!
And now headache.
…I’ve coded 12ish pages. Another 45-50ish to go.
More headache.
And coffee!
x_x
Coding coding coding.
This past Friday I had a lovely four and half hours with my friend Zach who was giving me a quick refresher course in html and css (and a little java too!). Since then, I’ve coded two pages! Yayyyy!!!! …which isn’t actually that much because I have another 56ish to go. So, I’ll be doing that from now on. Wish me luck and easy going with minimal headaches (hopefully).
Lastly, I’ll try to get a photo or two of my thesis in the gallery space, so you’ll probably see that up soon. Anyways, have a happy early summer (seriously, where did Spring go?)!
Spring “Break” is now over.
Hello again, as the title mentions, my break wasn’t much of one. To sum it up, the only thing that changed about my week during break was that I didn’t go to class. In any case, I have been busy! Just yesterday I installed my thesis in the gallery. After many hours and nursing pain laden fingers back to health (T-pins are a menace and must be stopped!) not to mention matting everything before hand, it is all up and ready to be viewed by the general population this Saturday! It will look like this!
Anyways, I hope to see you at the BFA show this Saturday at 7pm. Stay tuned for more updates when I finally get to coding everything. YAY.
Complications…
Not with my thesis though. My computer’s graphics processor (NVIDIA made faulty ones and Apple instead of recalling them hedged their bets instead that things would work out… they did not. So, theoretically they will pay for it but there is also a good chance that they will try to weasel their way out of it. How they handle this will greatly effect if I buy any more Apple products in the future.) died and ruined something else so it is now on its way to Apple. This is why you are getting an update today instead of yesterday. Yesterday I was frantically trying to troubleshoot and then eventually had to drive my poor computer for diagnoses to Toledo to one of the Apple stores. After that I felt like I had lost a dear friend and forgot all about the blog post. So! When I get my computer back (in 5 to 7 business days), I will post pictures of what my thesis will look like in the BFA show. Wish me luck with my computer!
Working working working working.
Did I mention I was working? I’m trying to get this “done” by Friday for the BFA show. As you might imagine, I am working on that right this second and have been. A lot. In fact I’m tired. So I’m going to keep working so that I can eventually sleep and you will get a real update after Friday.
The After Valentines Day Wednesday Update
After Valentines (or Singles Awareness) Day, if you’ve had fun stuffing your face with chocolate or just having a normal day, it’s time to sit back for another update! This time I have been figuring out the designs for the other grayed out choices. I wanted the format to be similar to the main one but more drawn back since it is not the main story line.
As this progresses, I’m wondering how I should “finish” it for the BFA show. I still have a ways to go and I don’t really want to rush the story because it won’t have an impact because it won’t be believable. Also, since the BFA show is right around the corner, I’m having trouble with deciding how I should display these pages on the wall. Should I connect all of them with wire or arrows or something, should I just make one big poster, or matte each page separately or…? Also, I’ve been toying with if I should just abandon making this online and really just get into the poster idea. Either way, I have some decisions to make. If anyone has an ideas, I am open to suggestions!
Lastly, for your amusement (and close to the topic): The Daily Show: The Vagina Ideologues
Quick Update
As the title says, this update shall be a quick one. My last post I developed the style I am going with for the majority of the project. Since then, I’ve been doing more of the writing part. Yes I already did a LOT of writing previously but none of that really fits anymore so I essentially had to start over for that as well. In the coming week I’ll likely post what I will be entering into the BFA show (I’ll have to change it a little from what you saw last but no huge changes). I shall keep you posted!
And before I let you go, here is an article!
It’s the most unbiased article I’ve found (and this happened a couple of weeks ago). To quickly summarize, possible republican presidential nominee states in an interview that a woman who gets pregnant by being raped should keep the pregnancy and not have an abortion because it is a gift from God. Thoughts?
Happy February Update!
Happy February everyone! It’s Wednesday, which means it is time for an update on my thesis progress. Last post I discussed my new direction and this one you will see what I have come up with so far!
This first image is what the home page will look like. It draws you in with a little information explaining that it will essentially be a story about something a lot of women do at some point in their lives. It doesn’t come out and say ABORTION because I’m hoping I can interest people who would never have this discussion to begin with to take part in the site without scaring them off right away. Also, as you might have noticed, there isn’t any pink. This is a women’s issue, yes, but many times this is a family issue as well and having others take part is essential to starting a dialogue and removing the stigma surrounding this issue.
The second page reveals that this is indeed about terminating a pregnancy. It starts out by saying that the story the viewer will be encountering is average. It gives a few statistics which builds up to how this story will shape out to be.
The third page is where the user becomes the woman dealing with this hypothetical situation and is presented with the first set of choices. It starts out reiterating some of the facts but more in a story sense. It also gives some more information as to what the most common abortion experience is. Since this story is about what is the most average, the user’s story will be that of a woman deciding whether or not to terminate a pregnancy within the first 9 weeks of gestation. Also, in these choices, three of them are grayed out; this is to signify which portion of the journey is the main part of the story. The other paths are still clickable and will relay information about why a person might choose this and what might happen.
This sequence of events is essentially how the rest of my thesis will pan out. There will be information, choices, grayed out areas and a main story. I don’t want this to come off as too pushy or preachy. As discussed in previous posts, I don’t want my message to be too bold. However, with the use of typography I can say bold statements with it and its usage without offending people and shoving an ideology in their face. This story is just meant to show what the most average abortion experience is and nothing more.
You should check out this site.
I just discovered this amazingly powerful site dedicated to helping rape victims come to terms with and try to get past their sexual assault experiences through photography and the words their rapists said to them. If you have a moment, check it out.
Problem… AVERTED!!!
If you recall my last post (or if you don’t, scroll down!) I was having issues with the scope of this project. It was just too much for one person in such a small amount of time. So I talked it over with Jenn and I have come to the conclusion that I will narrow it and create my website as if it were a series of posters that follow one path of a hypothetical woman going through an unplanned pregnancy. At first I designed this boring layout (see at the end of the post!) because I wasn’t sure at that point what I was doing. Now my new plan of action is to make it “bold” without being BOLD, add color, and stay clear from the pinks and such of the stereotypical portrayal of anything feminine. If you are wondering what happened to the choices, they are still going to be there in a way. The main path will be the one the user will follow but the other options will be grayed out but still clickable so that the user can get an idea of what might have happened differently.
As you can see my old idea was pretty muted and sterile looking. It was also too forward and seemed like it was accusing the viewer when they may or may not consider anything to do with abortion. It also can come off as though the site is trying to talk someone out of having an abortion. I don’t want any of that. I want it to be neutral but also engaging and colorful.
Thesis Update!
After doing so much but accomplishing so little, I’m realizing that I could probably fine tune my thesis a bit. I am currently splitting my thesis into 3 parts with two parts within the three. The main three are Rape, Unplanned Pregnancy, and Planned Pregnancy with the two within the three being minors and adult women experiencing these. I started out with Rape and Minor as part one of six and this is what I have so far:
It doesn’t look like much but to give you a different perspective…
This is over 12 feet of information all in 4pt font listing the various choices a person might make if they were in this situation. I’m no where near done with this section. You may also notice that I am half way through another tier of information and I will need many more for this to be complete. I honestly think I could do a great thesis just on rape alone and what survivors of rape do and the choices they make. What do you think? Another update coming in a week!
Controversial Super Bowl Ad
As most of us are likely aware, the Super Bowl is coming up fast! When thinking of the Super Bowl a lot of things come to mind such as getting together with friends and family, tailgating, beer, junk food, and abortion. Yes, you read that last word right. This article does a fairly unbiased job of spelling out what’s going on.
Do you agree with my thesis’ query that bold ads (possibly an understatement in this case) do little more than scare people away who do not already agree and reaffirm the beliefs of those who do? What are your thoughts?
Thesis post!
ABORTION. Could I have picked a less controversial subject to do my thesis on? Well, actually, it’s not JUST abortion. My thesis is more about how the two main sides (pro-life and pro-choice) have chosen to do their advertising and how I have discovered through a lot of research that it just doesn’t work. The pro-life side primarily uses shock tactics to get their point across (such as those mutilated fetuses on signs) and the pro-choice side uses a lot of language many would consider profane (such as, “My CUNT, My CHOICE”), bright and bold pink buses, very bold type, coat hangers to symbolize botched abortion attempts, and more. What I primarily noticed about these strategies is that they are both very bold and very far away from the personal lives of the people that are targeted to take a side. From what I’ve seen, when a person sees a crowd of protesters (or even just a few picketers), if he or she is not on board already with that group, that person does their best to sidestep away (or change course completely).
Most can agree that a mutilated fetus is a disturbing thing to see, however, it is still just an image, usually unaccompanied by any information (factual or otherwise), and does not apply to the vast majority of the population. Neither does a woman yelling about the privacy of her reproductive organs. Minds that are set are very hard to sway which is why my thesis is taking a new approach with the use of storytelling, facts, and with as little bias (zero is the optimum number) as possible. This way, people are not confronted and pigeonholed as murderous whores or misogynist woman haters if they do not agree. They are left to make up their own minds with a different variable free of religious and political discourse among other things.
So with that, I’m creating a website that will lead the viewer in the role of a pregnant woman. There will be different paths to start from (such as underage/adult and planned/unplanned/rape) and depending on what a user chooses, the story will vary and what happens will determine the ultimate fate. The user will go through many things, some helpful and hurtful depending on how easy or difficult she or he allows their theoretical life to go. A possible flaw would be that some would just let themselves have a happy, planned, healthy pregnancy without trying out other options to see how other things could happen. However, like life, I will have things go wrong from time to time based on the national percentages that are also based on a number of other things such as social and economic status.
I’m hoping that storytelling based off of the shared experiences of women from all around the U.S. + facts will give people a new perspective they may or may not have considered before. After all, it is far easier to think that you are not like this or that, that this could not happen to you, that you would act a certain way no matter what, that there is something wrong with person A, B, C and so on. In fact, I’m hoping that after going through the site once, people will be curious as to what the options are and what would have happened differently if one or many things changed. This would be the best outcome because the viewer would be exposed to more and gain a more thorough insight into what can and does happen to the women experiencing these things everyday.
And that’s that (for now). I will be keeping you up to date on my progress so you will be the first to know when this site goes live. Further more, if you would like to participate in my thesis, you may do so by sending me your own stories (tell your friends and family too!) regarding pregnancy (even if it was just a “scare” where you thought you were pregnant and what you did afterwards) to: mypregnancystory@gmail.com
Remember, this is to be as close to real life as possible.
- If you had a happy, complication free pregnancy, send it.
- If you had a planned pregnancy, send it.
- If your pregnancy was planned but you chose or were forced to have an abortion for whatever reason, send it.
- If your pregnancy was unplanned but you chose to continue, send it.
- If you chose to utilize adoption services, send it.
- If you immediately and chose abortion due to unplanned pregnancy, send it.
- If you were coerced to keep or end a pregnancy, send it.
- If you were raped, send it.
- If you tried to give yourself an abortion (herbal, drugs, objects inserted into the uterus, other methods), send it.
- If your decision regarding your pregnancy introduced you to social stigma, ostracism, depression (postpartum, after and abortion, after rape, sexual assault, and just in general), whether you experienced suicidal thoughts or attempted it, etc.
Thank you.
This is my first post. Hmm.
Hello, this is my first time at really keeping a blog. This will primarily deal with my thesis and progress on it. From time to time I may post an article or image that relates that you may or may not find interesting, so stay tuned!