Week 4 EOC: My App

My app would be called Dutch. To most Millennials, including myself, I had never heard the term "going Dutch" before. To those of you who don't know, "going dutch" basically means "split the bill". So imagine you're going to a restaurant with a group of friends. Now, you're all very capable of supporting yourself financially, but supporting the whole group and their bill would be a whole different story, hence the Dutch app. It would work in a way that you enter your bill amount and choose to split it accordingly after tip. You may choose the amount of people splitting the bill and you may also decide to allot more or less money to different "Dutchers". The second aspect of the app would be a social media part. Using GPS, Dutch can track other Dutch users who wish to be seen on a map. If you're looking to go out for lunch but don't want to eat alone, this App is perfect for you. It's a plutonic way of meeting someone new through a quite social gathering event that is eating. Dutch allows people to split bills without feeling obligated to take charge of the bill, meet new people through eating, and also the App will have specials for participating restaurants who wish to do business with Dutch.

Week 3 EOC: Making Money for Good

The YMCA, or Young Men's Christian Association, is one of the biggest non-profit organizations in the world. "Worldwide, the Y serves more than 45 million people in 119 countries.  Ys across the U.S. play an integral role in strengthening the leadership and youth programs of the Y around the world" The YMCA prides themselves in integrating themselves into the community and giving people of all shapes, sizes, color, age, a chance to be active. "The Y is guided by four core values: caring, honesty, respect and responsibility." Not only is it a recreational center for all, it is used to better the youth, provide a place to hang out besides the streets, as well as promote healthy living.




http://www.ymca.net/organizational-profile

Week 3 EOC: My Demographics

I identify myself with the Millennial Generation. I was born in 1994, a time where technology was becoming more accessible into the home. I remember the Super Nintendo and my parents' old IBM computer complete with AOL dial up internet. Although I was exposed to technology in my adolescent years, I did not have the chance to have an iPad as a babysitter. So I believe that I was still able to grow up and not be dependent on some sort of technological device to provide my entertainment. I still went outside, played with the neighborhood kids, and did what kids do best and just enjoy life and be stupid. It really wasn't until high school where technology became an integral part of my life with the advent of smart phones. I'd like to think that I had a somewhat Generation X upbringing, as my parents identify with that generation, and I had both a mixture of X and what is now called Generation Y.

Week 2 EOC: Boston Consulting Group - Video Games

“The Chinese government recently lifted a ban on home video game consoles, opening up the market for manufacturers like Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo to sell their respective hardware. “ (http://www.ign.com/articles/2015/10/15/china-to-earn-an-estimated-22-billion-in-2015-video-game-revenue) . China is a huge market for sales in any category and gaming is quite popular around the globe. Opening up the gaming market to China is a huge plus for all three major game giants.

“At the same time NFC (near-field communication) technologies are also becoming more affordable, possibly allowing the wider development and production of toys-to-life experiences.” (http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2015/jul/23/16-trends-that-will-change-the-games-industry) NFC is an up and coming technology to be introduced into mainstream society. It’s used in credit cards to make quicker payments as well as cell phones to help share contacts. In gaming, with the rise of mobile gaming, players will be able to utilize other user’s inputs and get special accessories to make the game more interactive.

“Pachter, a well known game analyst who recently delivered a speech at the DICE Europe said that PlayStation 4, the number one selling game console, will now likely sell around 120 to 130 million units in it lifetime. Xbox One, on the other hand, will sell roughly around 100 to 110 million units. Wii U was also predicted to sell around 20 million in its lifetime.“(http://www.latinpost.com/articles/81272/20150923/ps4-xbox-one-wii-u-lifetime-sales-predicted.htm) This quote summaries the popularity of the current generation of gaming. Sony has always been a top seller for the market and these predictions show where consumers are in.

Overall, I think the video game industry is still increasing, especially now that China is open to the gaming market. Playstation is the star, Nintendo is the question mark, and Xbox is the dog.

Week 1 EOC: Great Customer Service

My most notable positive customer service experience was at a restaurant called Yojie located in Summerlin. Upon entering, my friends and I were greeted instantly as we seated ourselves. The restaurant consists of a walkway for the servers and about 15 seats on each side of the walkway. Each seat has its own electric burner, as this is a Japanese personal hot pot style restaurant. The décor in the restaurant is modern and contemporary. Once seated, the server immediately asked us how we were doing and if we were first-timers. You definitely could sense genuine enthusiasm in the server, as he was one of the owners of this restaurant. He assured us that we were really in for a new and different dining experience, and to cut to the chase, it was. I personally never had hot pot of any sort, let alone a personal hot pot styled restaurant. For those of you who are unaware of this “hot pot” style restaurant, it’s a style of eating found in some Asian countries where vegetables and meat are cooked in a community fashion; it is much more of a social gathering than just simply gaining nutrition. Now, you may think it is a little weird to be paying to cook your own food, but really, it is a great experience. I love food that’s supposed to be hot, very, very hot. So you dip the thin slices of meat into the bubbling broth in front of you for a few seconds, dip it in raw egg, and the hot meat cooks the egg almost instantly; I must say that it was quite delicious. At this restaurant, I was treated very well and never got such a great level of service, politeness, and quality in terms of food and the experience I got from that.

Week 1 EOC: My Voice

Music is an important aspect of my daily life. Like how food, water, and rest are essential to survival, music must be added to that list in order for my daily survival. To me, music is much more than an organized collection of sounds. I believe it is a whole different language and I use it communicate to others without words (as I do not sing well). Music, if played in the correct context, will set the mood. It can turn up the party that extra notch or wind it down and help one relax. One’s emotion can be well transmitted to the listener without even saying a word and that’s what I find beautiful about music.

My musical background extends to my youth back in New York City starting with the piano. That was the first instrument I learned to play. At that moment when I was able to start playing simple songs, I felt that I could change the world with what I was playing. Today, that statement of changing the world is a bit of a stretch but I do think that I can change the mood of whoever shares a musical moment with me. That is why I attend AiLV to further my skills in the audio field so that I can help myself and others depict the emotion they feel through music.