Portfolio

Claudia Rodriguez

Emily Miller

ENG 091

21 October 2011

2 Stroke vs 4 Stroke

If there is more than one type of thing, then there is a high chance that there is going to be a debate on which is better. A very mainstream discussion between dirt bike riders is whether two stroke or four stroke bikes are better. Though many riders agree that four stroke bikes are better, there are still some that prefer two stroke bikes. There are quite a few of complaints when it comes to two stroke bikes. One of the main reasons they are going “extinct” is due to the fact that manufacturers have almost completely stopped updating their engines. Another reason is the way that AMA (American Motocross Association) has changed and is now formed. Consequently, they wear out quickly due to lack of a dedicated lubrication system. Additionally, they require that you use premix oil. Without it, it makes them run dirty and loud which can be undesirable for riders. Pursuing this further, they cause environmental damage and don’t easily convert from motocross to trail. Undoubtedly, they are less expensive, but aren’t that great when it comes to quality. A Yamaha YZ250 2-stroke would cost $7150, and a YZ250F 4-stroke would cost $8150. On the other hand, four stroke bikes are basically the exact opposite. They have a smooth delivery and more torque, which every rider cherishes. Other great things about these type of bikes are that they have a clean burning, are quiet, and have more moving parts. A useful thing is that it pulls stronger in tight corners. It’s more of an all around type of bike and has easy maintenance. It’s able to dominate on any track and terrain, plus it’s easier to operate. A thing that saves time with this bike is that you don’t have to mix gases and there is less rebuilding because the engine is constantly being improved. The only con is that it costs around a thousand dollars more, but if you’re a dedicated rider, that shouldn’t be a problem.

Word Count: 325

Claudia Rodriguez

Emily Miller

ENG 091

5 November 2011

Video Game Ratings

There are three main video game ratings in the gaming community. One of them is M for mature, the next one is T for teen, and lastly E for everyone. First, in order for a video game to be rated M, it must have content with intense violence, blood and/or gore, sexual content, and/or strong language. You must also be at least the age of 17 to be able to purchase a game with this rating. Some examples of video games that are rated M are Gears of War 3, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, and Assassin’s Creed Revelations. Analyzing Gears of War 3’s content, this game is rated M for having blood and gore, intense violence, and strong language. The next rating is T for teen. These types of games carry content with violence, suggested themes, crude humor, minimal blood, simulated gambling, and infrequent use of strong language. Games with this rating are Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3, Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter, and Batman: Arkham City. The reason that Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter is rated T, is because it’s content consists of blood, language, and violence. The last rating is E for everyone. These games are really clean, but still have content such as minimal cartoon, fantasy or mild violence and/or infrequent use of mild language. Some examples of video games that are rated E are Kinect Adventures, World of Outlaws: Sprint Cars, and Family Game Night 4: The Game Show Edition. World of Outlaws: Sprint Cars is rated E and has content with mild suggestive themes and mild violence. There are a lot more ratings, such as EC (Early Childhood), E10+ (Everyone 10 and older), AO (Adults Only), and RP (Rating Pending.) Though it seems easy to rate a video game, it’s actually a very long and careful process.

Word Count: 316

Claudia Rodriguez

Emily Miller

Eng 091

November 18, 2011

Moving To Tolleson

One event that has affected me was moving to Tolleson. If you have moved before, you know it’s not always easy to get used to a place that is new to you and completely different than where you were before. I moved this year, some time in late August or the beginning of September. It’s been around two and a half months. My family and I were excited to move into a bigger, more comfortable house. The only bad thing was having to switch schools. This wasn’t really a big effect for my siblings because they’re in elementary school, but it was for me because I’m a junior in high school, consequently making things more difficult more me. The high school I now attend is Tolleson Union High School. The first thing I was worried about was the fact that the school didn’t offer three of the classes that I had been taking at Mesa High. I had to choose new classes and start all over, which was overwhelming because it’s high school. The next thing I was worried about was being in a completely different place in the curriculum. Unfortunately, the classes were ahead of what I was learning at my other high school, so I had some catching up to do in order to understand lessons. The last thing didn’t really involve school, but instead knowing where things were located, not only stores, but in my new home. It took me around a month to know where the basic stores were like Fry’s and Target. I didn’t really worry about making friends because after moving a lot, making friends seems pointless if you’re moving around and switching schools every three years or so. I do have people I talk to, but it’s not the same. Tolleson Union’s environment differs very much from Mesa’s, but I’ve gotten used to it.

Word Count: 324

Claudia Rodriguez

Emily Miller

Eng 091

October 4, 2011

How To Transfer An Xbox LIVE Account

You have just gotten your first Xbox 360 because you’ve realized how much better it is than a PS3, and you don’t really want to begin with nothing. You then decide to ask someone for an account that you can have or buy and get one. Either that, or you’ve known that Xbox is the way to go and bought a newer, up-to-date console. So, now all you need to do is transfer your account onto your console. Fortunately, transferring takes only a few, minor steps. But before you begin the actual process, you must make sure that the console you’re transferring onto has enough Gigabytes or Megabytes for you to transfer the account, as well as game updates, add-ons, apps, etc. Next, you’ll need your Windows LIVE ID, which is your email address and the password. If there is more than one account on that email, know which one is yours. You can identify this by the gamertag. The most important thing for this process to succeed is to make sure you have an Internet connection. Once you have all of that figured out, turn on your Xbox. You can either push or touch the middle of the ring on the Xbox. (The newer Xbox 360 has a sensor, so all you have to do is touch it!) It’ll light up green. If it lights up red, you are experiencing a ring of death and might want to get that checked. The other option is to get your controller and hold down the guide button, which is the big circular button in the middle. Once it’s started up, press the guide button on your controller and go down to “Recover Gamertag.” As you go on, it’ll ask you for the information you should already have. Once you successfully enter that, the process of transferring your account will begin. For it to recover, it’ll take around 10 minutes, maybe more or less. After that long wait, you’re finally ready to play online, compete and communicate with other gamers around the world.

Word Count: 357