Part A - I had to give a little background of the purpose of the question so my friend would not get defensive and suspicious. I just told her that we were focusing on the concept of emptiness and asked her what she thought of emptiness. She was broad sometimes so I had to connect the questions back to her and asked the significance of the things she used to fill her emptiness. I was also trying to get away from the cliche answer, even though it came up, but she also gave me another answer.
So I asked her what she thought emptiness is and she said it was having no goals in life. I tried to connect the conversation to her so I asked her what goals does she have and she said at the moment, trying to get into college. I decided to dig deeper into the college thing so I asked her what is so significant about college and she said that it allows students to figure out what they career they want to pursue. We talked about careers for a while and she said most people pursue a career because they want the money. She emphasized a lot of money so I asked her why would people want so much money. She said people want to better the world and I told her that no one cares if you better the world (emphasis on the you). She said it does matter because people will ask her to continue to better the world and I asked if that is what she wanted. At first, she avoided the question but then she said yes.
It all comes back to the self; even if she said she did things for herself, she actually did it to get attention. I think people are pretty narcissistic, whether they do things to feel good about themselves or things so others can feel good about them. Basically, everything comes back to the self. I think her method of filling in her emptiness is typical. People create goals in life and when they fail to reach it, they look down on themselves. Goals are just another way to make the hole of emptiness bigger.
Edits 12/21/09:
Part B - There is this thing about my ponytail, that I never let it out. When asked why I never let my ponytail out, I usually just shrug and let the question slide but one time, I took the time to think about it. The initial reason why I tie my hair up is so that my hair would not bother me. But after tying it up for so long, people develop this urge to see it down. I thought about it and I think it is because I did not want to create this drama. People are like "lemme see yur hair down, leme see your hair down." And if I put it down, people would scream "oh my god, your hair is down!" So to avoid this, I leave it up. But one can also argue that I am seeking attention this way. I could just get over this drama; people do not stay on one drama, they move on. But it can also seem that I am trying to get attention by keeping my hair up and not let anyone see it down. And people tend to want what they cannot have, so if I do not let them see my hair down, it reinforces their urge to see it down.
I think having younger siblings is a good way to aggrandize myself. As an older sister, I have power over my younger siblings. I also realize that I seem to have more power over my brother (the youngest) than my sister. I tend to ask my brother to do me favors than my sister because I know that she would ask for favors in return. She has the right to ask me for favors but that makes me seem at the same level as she is so I think this is why I tend to ask my brother to do favors. Thus, my brother makes me feel "powerful," but I think it also has to do with age difference.
Saturday, December 19, 2009
Monday, December 14, 2009
Psychological and Philosophical Theorizing of Cool
Emptiness is neither a hole in specific shapes that can be filled up with anything, nor is it a stomach that accepts chewed up substances that drops into it; it is not a lock with only one key. In fact, I think emptiness is a hole that can never be filled, or a stomach that is never satisfied with anything that drops down into it. Common themes of existentialism is the idea of alienation and the encounter with nothingness. God is a stranger to huamns, nature is a stranger to humans, humans are strangers to other humans, and one is a stranger to oneself. If one is alienated to all these things including oneself, then how does one know how to fill that emptiness inside. What external values or internal values does one seek if one cannot even understand the world or oneself. Even when people seem to have everything, "they still feel empty, uneasy, and discontended." One may feel fulfilled for a short period of time, but one will grow accustomed to these physical things and feel empty once again.
Data suggested that wealth only gives a temporary feeling of happiness.
I think this can also be applied to emptiness; wealth (or whatever one seeks) only allows one to feel happy for a while. Psychologists call the idea of getting used to something in life, the Adaption-Level Phenomenon. A Columbian graduate described life as "a cycle of wanting, fulfilling, and wanting again" (Smith). Basically, we want something to fulfill the emptiness inside us but then after a while, we adapt to that "something" and we go back to wanting something else to fulfill the hole. She also said that "[if] you’re happy being unhappy, then congratulations, you’ve found a way to break, or at least cope with, the cycle." Does is apply to emptiness? If you are happy with the emptiness, or at least learn to accept it, you have found a way to cope with the adaption-level phenomenon cycle.
Now Louis Dupre, a philosophy professor at Yale University, argues that we find things to repress our feelings of emptiness. He says that we are too busy with life (family or work) to notice the absence and once family or work is gone, we feel the absence, the emptiness in our lives. But how do we know whether or not we are trying to fill the emptiness or we are repressing the feeling of emptiness? If John C. Thomas thinks that young adults are aggressive and violent because it is their way of coping with their emptiness, are they really trying to fill that emptiness or are they averting their attention away from their feeling of emptiness?
Buddhists believe that if we are in the state of emptiness, then we have reached a "state of conciousness." When we have reached that state, we are free from all sufferings (Wikipedia). Lama Zopa Rinpoche believes that realizing emptiness means knowing that our perception is merely an illusion (Chodron). Whatever we see, is only labeled by our minds and exists only through name or the label. Once we realize our emptiness, we reach the stage of enlightenment. Taoists believe that being in the state of emptiness is equivalent to having a "pure mind."
Data suggested that wealth only gives a temporary feeling of happiness.
I think this can also be applied to emptiness; wealth (or whatever one seeks) only allows one to feel happy for a while. Psychologists call the idea of getting used to something in life, the Adaption-Level Phenomenon. A Columbian graduate described life as "a cycle of wanting, fulfilling, and wanting again" (Smith). Basically, we want something to fulfill the emptiness inside us but then after a while, we adapt to that "something" and we go back to wanting something else to fulfill the hole. She also said that "[if] you’re happy being unhappy, then congratulations, you’ve found a way to break, or at least cope with, the cycle." Does is apply to emptiness? If you are happy with the emptiness, or at least learn to accept it, you have found a way to cope with the adaption-level phenomenon cycle.Now Louis Dupre, a philosophy professor at Yale University, argues that we find things to repress our feelings of emptiness. He says that we are too busy with life (family or work) to notice the absence and once family or work is gone, we feel the absence, the emptiness in our lives. But how do we know whether or not we are trying to fill the emptiness or we are repressing the feeling of emptiness? If John C. Thomas thinks that young adults are aggressive and violent because it is their way of coping with their emptiness, are they really trying to fill that emptiness or are they averting their attention away from their feeling of emptiness?
Buddhists believe that if we are in the state of emptiness, then we have reached a "state of conciousness." When we have reached that state, we are free from all sufferings (Wikipedia). Lama Zopa Rinpoche believes that realizing emptiness means knowing that our perception is merely an illusion (Chodron). Whatever we see, is only labeled by our minds and exists only through name or the label. Once we realize our emptiness, we reach the stage of enlightenment. Taoists believe that being in the state of emptiness is equivalent to having a "pure mind."
Saturday, December 12, 2009
Merchants of Cool
Corporations make 150 billion dollars from teenagers only and thus, teenagers are compared to Africa. The only reason corporations are able to make this much money off teenagers is because they need to look good. And since teenagers today have a larger population than their parents, it is easier for corporations to just target teenagers and make the maximum profit. Teenagers get their money from parents, who feel guilty because they do not spend enough time with their kids so they make it up using money. Therefore, I think the solution, or one of the many solutions, is to find another method to please teenagers without money.
The other problem is the number of advertisements teenagers are exposed to during their lifetime. Everyday, they see approximately 3000 discrete advertisements; they may not be aware of the advertisements but the advertisements are there. I think these discrete advertisements affect teenagers when they decide how to look cool. When they seek to look cool, their brain remembers these images from the advertisements, so teenagers imitate the images without consciously knowing where the idea come from. It is like a reaction they get from their brain (the bloop-bloop-bloop) when they think of ways to become cool. But I do not think the advertisements are the target of the solution. Advertising is the best way to inform the world of the useful and harmless products that are out there (if there is one). Yes, corporations are using advertisements to make profit, but I still think that if parents did not give their kids money, corporations would not be able to make money off teenagers. It is unhealthy to base parent-child relationships on money because if the money is not there one day, how else can the parent keep the child happy?
Advertising is one way corporations make money off young people. The other is to make "the market" feel like they have power, that they control what are in stores. When the guy found a group of kids and asked them for their feedback on what is cool, the kids felt that their opinion mattered, that they change the "hot" products. John felt that he was special when MTV went to his house to interview him and he fell for the trap; that corporations use one person to generalize the whole population. People on the streets felt cool when marketers of Look Look took pictures of their looks so they felt comfortable flaunting the looks. This is how corporations turn feelings into a weapon again teenagers. They make you feel important, significant, and then they grab all the information they can get out of you so they can make products you would like to buy to make you feel even more "good" about yourself.
The other problem is the number of advertisements teenagers are exposed to during their lifetime. Everyday, they see approximately 3000 discrete advertisements; they may not be aware of the advertisements but the advertisements are there. I think these discrete advertisements affect teenagers when they decide how to look cool. When they seek to look cool, their brain remembers these images from the advertisements, so teenagers imitate the images without consciously knowing where the idea come from. It is like a reaction they get from their brain (the bloop-bloop-bloop) when they think of ways to become cool. But I do not think the advertisements are the target of the solution. Advertising is the best way to inform the world of the useful and harmless products that are out there (if there is one). Yes, corporations are using advertisements to make profit, but I still think that if parents did not give their kids money, corporations would not be able to make money off teenagers. It is unhealthy to base parent-child relationships on money because if the money is not there one day, how else can the parent keep the child happy?
Advertising is one way corporations make money off young people. The other is to make "the market" feel like they have power, that they control what are in stores. When the guy found a group of kids and asked them for their feedback on what is cool, the kids felt that their opinion mattered, that they change the "hot" products. John felt that he was special when MTV went to his house to interview him and he fell for the trap; that corporations use one person to generalize the whole population. People on the streets felt cool when marketers of Look Look took pictures of their looks so they felt comfortable flaunting the looks. This is how corporations turn feelings into a weapon again teenagers. They make you feel important, significant, and then they grab all the information they can get out of you so they can make products you would like to buy to make you feel even more "good" about yourself.
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Art Project 1 on Flickr
My art is a mirror; like most people's. Now that I think about it, it is funny how we tend to mirror our problems, instead of making hammers. I personally think that hammers are hard to come up with so we mirror our problems. The guy in the video is in the subway station, listening to his iPod. He gets home, goes straight to his computer, talks on AIM, and plays MapleStory to escape his real world. In MapleStory, he can do things he normally cannot do in the real world.
Honestly, I was not really thinking when making this video. I was just having fun with the programs and techniques. But that is what technology is for: to have fun. This art does not make me think, or feel but it was boring. I think this art is just a reflection of my life, and to be bored looking at the video says something about my life (like the movie during the capitalism unit).
I had fun making this project. It was a compilation of my brother's and my ideas. He was also learning how to make animations so I think this project was a good experience for the both of us. I think this experience just shows how technology can bring people together; my brother and I got a little closer and it was our first project together. So I guess technology do good for people (after learning all the bad stuff about it).
Honestly, I was not really thinking when making this video. I was just having fun with the programs and techniques. But that is what technology is for: to have fun. This art does not make me think, or feel but it was boring. I think this art is just a reflection of my life, and to be bored looking at the video says something about my life (like the movie during the capitalism unit).
I had fun making this project. It was a compilation of my brother's and my ideas. He was also learning how to make animations so I think this project was a good experience for the both of us. I think this experience just shows how technology can bring people together; my brother and I got a little closer and it was our first project together. So I guess technology do good for people (after learning all the bad stuff about it).
Informal Research - Internet
"Cool (aesthetic)." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cool_(aesthetic). Wikipedia. Web. 3 December 2009.
This article defines the word cool in different contexts and discusses how the word applies around the world. It contains the theories of cool; two of we talked about in class: cool is defined as what is uncool and being cool is about not caring about being cool but you would still be caring. Being cool is another way capitalists manipulate us to buy cool products.
This page gives a lot of information on how the word cool and the usage of the word cool came to be. It is great to see how the word cool is brought up around the world and whether or not it is similar in the United States. I am also now aware of the types of physical items corporations produce and how these items reflect their views of "cool."
"Fog Machine | Disco Balls | Lava lamps | CoolStuffCheap.com" http://www.coolstuffcheap.com. CoolStuffCheap. Web. 7 December 2009.
As the name implies, a site that allows you to buy cool stuff at a cheaper price. Ranges from motion sensor spotlights to stick anywhere night lights.
Shows how capitalists label products as "cool" to get us to buy their products. I think that some of these products are useless, stupid, like the light up beer mug (why would you need that?) But this might be a good site for Christmas shopping (you never know).
DJD. "How To Look Cool on the Internet." http://www.writing.com/main/view_item/item_id/1554284-How-To-Look-Cool-On-The-Internet. Writing.com. Web. 8 December 2009.
A guide on how to look cool on the internet. Basically a list of things you should do to make yourself look sociable; even if you are not. Ranges from creating networks on websites to bragging about yourself in the "about me" section.
I was reading through the list and I was basically disapproving every one of them. I don't know if this person was making fun of the fact that people want to look cool on the internet, but everything that was listed was uncool. It is listed under the comedy section, about eight months ago, so I think this person was just being smart about it.
This article defines the word cool in different contexts and discusses how the word applies around the world. It contains the theories of cool; two of we talked about in class: cool is defined as what is uncool and being cool is about not caring about being cool but you would still be caring. Being cool is another way capitalists manipulate us to buy cool products.
This page gives a lot of information on how the word cool and the usage of the word cool came to be. It is great to see how the word cool is brought up around the world and whether or not it is similar in the United States. I am also now aware of the types of physical items corporations produce and how these items reflect their views of "cool."
"Fog Machine | Disco Balls | Lava lamps | CoolStuffCheap.com" http://www.coolstuffcheap.com. CoolStuffCheap. Web. 7 December 2009.
As the name implies, a site that allows you to buy cool stuff at a cheaper price. Ranges from motion sensor spotlights to stick anywhere night lights.
Shows how capitalists label products as "cool" to get us to buy their products. I think that some of these products are useless, stupid, like the light up beer mug (why would you need that?) But this might be a good site for Christmas shopping (you never know).
DJD. "How To Look Cool on the Internet." http://www.writing.com/main/view_item/item_id/1554284-How-To-Look-Cool-On-The-Internet. Writing.com. Web. 8 December 2009.
A guide on how to look cool on the internet. Basically a list of things you should do to make yourself look sociable; even if you are not. Ranges from creating networks on websites to bragging about yourself in the "about me" section.
I was reading through the list and I was basically disapproving every one of them. I don't know if this person was making fun of the fact that people want to look cool on the internet, but everything that was listed was uncool. It is listed under the comedy section, about eight months ago, so I think this person was just being smart about it.
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Informal Research - Interviews and Surveys
Amber and I were cold so we decided to go into the corner store to interview people. The first person we interviewed was a woman; she looked like an undergraduate. She was unique in her own way because she was cracking jokes like "I'm cool" with the head movement and leaning her weight on one leg. Then she stood back up and said "just kidding." I would say that is a typical cool; you crack uncool jokes and then say "just kidding" to justify yourself, or to make yourself cool by knowing that what you said was uncool. Common answers she gave were when we asked her to define cool and she said "depends on what you define as cool". We asked her to define cool and she said "trendy," "calm," "chill." She also said that "it was okay for young people to look cool." It was funny when we were interviewing her because she did not know what to say when we asked her questions; she said she "never thought about it."
Then we asked another customer at the corner store. He said that "being cool is being nonchalant and indifferent." Being cool is not about worrying about being cool; "it doesn't have to do with cool anymore." When asked why he thinks teenagers want to be cool, he said "that it is a stage teenagers go through," like puberty and drama. He said he didn't know what was cool and whether or not nerds are cool but he did mention that he is surrounded by a lot of them. He took some time into thinking who is the coolest celebrity. He gave us her name and said that "she devoted her life to better people." Then we asked him who was the coolest person in his high school and he said that the person was "new, on the lacrosse team, and all the girls wanted him."
Lastly, we interviewed one of the guys that worked at the corner store, Anthony. He was biting his nails when we asked which celebrity is the coolest. He said "definitely not celebrities" and that it was "a hard question." His final decision was Cameron Diaz, because "she did a lot of charities." Being cool is about "contributing to society." He said that "cool is a positive thing; people think what they do is cool." When people do something and society approves, they keep doing it and think that it is cool. I asked him how does the think the word cool came to be and he said that "the weather is cool. You felt good" and you were cool if people felt good about you. When we asked who was the coolest person in his high school, he said his father before we finished but then changed his answer to himself. He was "well-known, did not gas, outgoing, and didn't fight with people." I asked him if his father was cool and he said yeah; his father taught him everything and gave him life. I told him that his mother gave him life too and he changed his answer to his parents are cool.
I interviewed my friend and I figured it was more interesting if I wrote it out:
Are celebrities cool? Duh.
Ew, how so? I mean in terms of tv show; 'cause the drama keeps you watching and you realize how good looking the celebrities are. Like in the new Taiwanese show "Hi My Sweetheart," are you watching that?
No... Alan Luo man cute. And the thing is man (mad) good.
So cute = cool? Nah, they ain't cool; 'cause they are a total different person. Maybe Taylor Swift and Carrie Underwood.
So they are cool? Yeah.
How so? 'Cause they man (mad) nice at singing and have nice personality, I guess, dawg.
So having a skill and being outgoing is cool?Yeah, dawg.
I interviewed one of my family members and I brought up the cool paradox. She said that people have different views on cool and that she does not know what makes someone cool. But she did say that she was cool; joking like anyone else would? I then asked her whether it was uncool to say that someone called him/herself cool and she said no. Then I told her that I was cool and she said that I was lying. I guess she then understood what I meant by whether it was uncool to call oneself cool.
Then we asked another customer at the corner store. He said that "being cool is being nonchalant and indifferent." Being cool is not about worrying about being cool; "it doesn't have to do with cool anymore." When asked why he thinks teenagers want to be cool, he said "that it is a stage teenagers go through," like puberty and drama. He said he didn't know what was cool and whether or not nerds are cool but he did mention that he is surrounded by a lot of them. He took some time into thinking who is the coolest celebrity. He gave us her name and said that "she devoted her life to better people." Then we asked him who was the coolest person in his high school and he said that the person was "new, on the lacrosse team, and all the girls wanted him."
Lastly, we interviewed one of the guys that worked at the corner store, Anthony. He was biting his nails when we asked which celebrity is the coolest. He said "definitely not celebrities" and that it was "a hard question." His final decision was Cameron Diaz, because "she did a lot of charities." Being cool is about "contributing to society." He said that "cool is a positive thing; people think what they do is cool." When people do something and society approves, they keep doing it and think that it is cool. I asked him how does the think the word cool came to be and he said that "the weather is cool. You felt good" and you were cool if people felt good about you. When we asked who was the coolest person in his high school, he said his father before we finished but then changed his answer to himself. He was "well-known, did not gas, outgoing, and didn't fight with people." I asked him if his father was cool and he said yeah; his father taught him everything and gave him life. I told him that his mother gave him life too and he changed his answer to his parents are cool.
I interviewed my friend and I figured it was more interesting if I wrote it out:
Are celebrities cool? Duh.
Ew, how so? I mean in terms of tv show; 'cause the drama keeps you watching and you realize how good looking the celebrities are. Like in the new Taiwanese show "Hi My Sweetheart," are you watching that?
No... Alan Luo man cute. And the thing is man (mad) good.
So cute = cool? Nah, they ain't cool; 'cause they are a total different person. Maybe Taylor Swift and Carrie Underwood.
So they are cool? Yeah.
How so? 'Cause they man (mad) nice at singing and have nice personality, I guess, dawg.
So having a skill and being outgoing is cool?Yeah, dawg.
I interviewed one of my family members and I brought up the cool paradox. She said that people have different views on cool and that she does not know what makes someone cool. But she did say that she was cool; joking like anyone else would? I then asked her whether it was uncool to say that someone called him/herself cool and she said no. Then I told her that I was cool and she said that I was lying. I guess she then understood what I meant by whether it was uncool to call oneself cool.
Monday, November 30, 2009
Photos & Questions
Adam:Why are you wearing that hat? I was offered to wear the hat and then get a picture taken with it so I took that offer because I felt why not. It's a nice hat, has the paws on the sides, ears on top... it doesn't hurt to wear it.
What made you wear that hat? I like the hat, some would say it looked "cute" on me.
So you wore it because you thought it will look cute on you? I also thought it would be comfy, and it sure was.
Alright, but you wore it because you thought it will look cute on you? Sure.
Wannieee: Why are you picking rocks? lol, for fun.What do other people think about your picking rocks? It was only me and my friends.
And what do your friends think of picking rocks? lol, nothing.
Is picking rocks cool? lol, yeah. It is.
Theresa (look familiar?):
Do your kids think you are cool? Ehh... haha, that's an opinionated question... which I never asked my kids... so I wouldn't know.
Do you think your kids think you are cool? Half and half; some kids like me better than others....
What makes you cool to half your kids? 'Cause i play with them, haha, show concern for them...patient with them....
Hm... so you have to give some sort of attention to them? Yep.
Monday, November 23, 2009
Story Comments and Analysis
Henry:
Your cool person shows her true self. She is not pressured by the higher authority and speaks her mind.
Rachel:
Your story seems to be about the cool looks and her attitude. From your story, cool means to be mysterious, have the "I don't care" attitude, and be distant from others.
Kate:
I like how you made the narrator a well respected kid and she is not cocky about it.
Carrie:
I like how you mirrored our society in your story; people are pressured to look cool and try to model others' thoughts on cool.
Jia Min:
Your story is about a cool person standing up to the fake cool person. It seems like the cooler person do positive things and the fake cool person is the bad guy.
Elements of cool are to resist the higher authority for the good, to be mysterious, to be distant from others, and to speak your mind or be yourself. In Henry's story, the girl was being herself when she told the teacher that she could not explain the way she thought and while doing this, she was resisting the higher authority (the teacher). In Kate's story, the girl was debating over whether or not she should resist the fake cool and stand up for the weaker ones, thus, becoming the real cool. Similar in Jia Min's story, her character stood up to the bully and saved an underclassman (someone lower than her). Rachel's and Carrie's cool characters were distant and just being themselves.
In all these stories, there were the hero, a loner (but in a cool way), and the revolutionary (like the hero). I would say Henry's character was more a revolutionary because she stood up against the teacher and set a revolutionary model. She was also a hero to herself because she did not let the teacher pressure her into doing something she did not want to. Kate's and Jia Min's characters was a hero to another person; they stood up to bullies and saved someone from getting hurt. Rachel's and Carrie's cool characters were loners, but loners with a distant, a mysterious, an "I-don't-care" attitude and this made them cool.
Your cool person shows her true self. She is not pressured by the higher authority and speaks her mind.
Rachel:
Your story seems to be about the cool looks and her attitude. From your story, cool means to be mysterious, have the "I don't care" attitude, and be distant from others.
Kate:
I like how you made the narrator a well respected kid and she is not cocky about it.
Carrie:
I like how you mirrored our society in your story; people are pressured to look cool and try to model others' thoughts on cool.
Jia Min:
Your story is about a cool person standing up to the fake cool person. It seems like the cooler person do positive things and the fake cool person is the bad guy.
Elements of cool are to resist the higher authority for the good, to be mysterious, to be distant from others, and to speak your mind or be yourself. In Henry's story, the girl was being herself when she told the teacher that she could not explain the way she thought and while doing this, she was resisting the higher authority (the teacher). In Kate's story, the girl was debating over whether or not she should resist the fake cool and stand up for the weaker ones, thus, becoming the real cool. Similar in Jia Min's story, her character stood up to the bully and saved an underclassman (someone lower than her). Rachel's and Carrie's cool characters were distant and just being themselves.
In all these stories, there were the hero, a loner (but in a cool way), and the revolutionary (like the hero). I would say Henry's character was more a revolutionary because she stood up against the teacher and set a revolutionary model. She was also a hero to herself because she did not let the teacher pressure her into doing something she did not want to. Kate's and Jia Min's characters was a hero to another person; they stood up to bullies and saved someone from getting hurt. Rachel's and Carrie's cool characters were loners, but loners with a distant, a mysterious, an "I-don't-care" attitude and this made them cool.
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Short Story 1
She walks into advisory, head up high, with nike dunks, skinny jeans, hoodie with the hood half on, and shades. As soon as one person notices her, conversations start to die down until the room got quiet. All heads turns towards her direction. She looks around the room, as if carefully choosing who to sit next to. She walks steadily, not too fast and not too slow, to a seat in the far corner away from everyone else. As she took her seat, heads turn around to their initial position and the volume in the room slowly increases. People start to talk about the new girl that just walked in with her dunks and shades. She just sits there with her hands in the pocket of her hoodie, looking off into the distance, deep in thought. Her skinny jeans outline her legs and it looks comfortable on her; it does not look tight like those that do not let the legs breathe, it looks just right. If she had chosen to wear a super skinny jean, her style would be ruined.
One of the popular girls skips over to her with a big smile on her face and offers her hand to the new girl. The new girl takes her hand out of her pockets and shakes it firmly. It was as if she was shaking hands with cold rubber, if rubber ever grows hands. The popular girl starts talking giddily like she was selling the best product in the world and you could tell she was trying to recruit people. After no more than three sentences, the new girl just smiles and thanks her for her time while the muscles on the popular girl’s face loosen. The popular girl stalks off to her group of girls who were waiting for her results. She flung her arms slightly as she walked away and it was obvious she was a little embarrassed, despite her pale face.
The new girl puts her hands back into her pocket and looks around the room to see a bunch of faces looking at her. As she makes eye contact with each of them, they look away and continue their conversation about her. Just as she was about to continue her thoughts from before the popular girl came to interrupt her, a dude comes over and sits next to her. He just sits there and stares, trying to get her attention. If you stare at people long enough, they will sooner or later notice and turn to meet the burning laser. But the new girl, she just looks straight at the door, avoiding eye contact with him. She knows that if she gives him what he wants, she would lose. The dude starts making faces and at that time, he did not look so pretty anymore. His nose was too big and so was his mouth. But even while she sees his doings out of the corner of her eye, she manages to not move a muscle. The next thing you know, he sucks his teeth, gets up, and walks away.
Nothing was catching her attention until she sees a guy on the opposite side of the room constantly scratching his head. There is a piece of paper in front of him and he is holding a pencil but has not found a way for the pencil to meet the paper. Every time he starts to move his pencil towards the piece of paper, he stops himself as if he is not allowed to touch the paper. The new girl walks past him and just as the bell rang for next period, she slips a card on top of his paper. Startled, he looks up to find someone in a hoodie with the hood half on, skinny jeans, and nike dunks walk out the door.
One of the popular girls skips over to her with a big smile on her face and offers her hand to the new girl. The new girl takes her hand out of her pockets and shakes it firmly. It was as if she was shaking hands with cold rubber, if rubber ever grows hands. The popular girl starts talking giddily like she was selling the best product in the world and you could tell she was trying to recruit people. After no more than three sentences, the new girl just smiles and thanks her for her time while the muscles on the popular girl’s face loosen. The popular girl stalks off to her group of girls who were waiting for her results. She flung her arms slightly as she walked away and it was obvious she was a little embarrassed, despite her pale face.
The new girl puts her hands back into her pocket and looks around the room to see a bunch of faces looking at her. As she makes eye contact with each of them, they look away and continue their conversation about her. Just as she was about to continue her thoughts from before the popular girl came to interrupt her, a dude comes over and sits next to her. He just sits there and stares, trying to get her attention. If you stare at people long enough, they will sooner or later notice and turn to meet the burning laser. But the new girl, she just looks straight at the door, avoiding eye contact with him. She knows that if she gives him what he wants, she would lose. The dude starts making faces and at that time, he did not look so pretty anymore. His nose was too big and so was his mouth. But even while she sees his doings out of the corner of her eye, she manages to not move a muscle. The next thing you know, he sucks his teeth, gets up, and walks away.
Nothing was catching her attention until she sees a guy on the opposite side of the room constantly scratching his head. There is a piece of paper in front of him and he is holding a pencil but has not found a way for the pencil to meet the paper. Every time he starts to move his pencil towards the piece of paper, he stops himself as if he is not allowed to touch the paper. The new girl walks past him and just as the bell rang for next period, she slips a card on top of his paper. Startled, he looks up to find someone in a hoodie with the hood half on, skinny jeans, and nike dunks walk out the door.
Monday, November 16, 2009
1st Constructivist Exploration of Cool
I happen to encounter the concept of cool a lot this weekend. I went shopping this weekend and when I would try on the clothes, my sister would tell me that it is ugly but I thought it did not look as bad. Her judgment and my judgment on the clothes are influenced by what other people think of as okay or as cool. She thinks flare jeans look nice because she spends time around people who wear flare jeans. I think skinny jeans look okay because people around me wear skinny jeans all the time. What we think of as cool is influenced by who we spend time with.
Andy told me to come into school with skinny jeans, nike dunks, a hoodie, and shades because I do not wear those on a daily basis. But he tells me to wear skinny jeans rather than flare jeans because people wear more skinny jeans than flare jeans. He tells me to get nike dunks rather than something from payless because rarely anyone wears things from payless and he tells me to wear shades because it looks cool. I think that people think that shades are cool because it seems as if the person wearing shades is mysterious, that they have something behind those shades and people want to figure it out so they hang out with people with shades. And people wear shades to get attention, to get people to hang out with them.
Princeton defines cool as ""fashionable and attractive" and "skilled or socially adept." That actually makes sense; fashionable and attractive, they know what the hot stuff is and thus attract people. Others are too caught up with their style; they constantly think about what they wear and thinks that people wearing the hot stuff are cool. And those people must be skilled at something - a sport - or they must be social to attract people and know what people consider "fashionable." It would be harder to remember someone if they were not good at something.
Why are nerds uncool? I was watching music videos the other day on youtube and there was a nerd on screen; people told me to close the music video. Nerds are people, who are extremely intelligent and society portrays them with huge thick rimmed glasses. People told me to close the music video when there was someone with thick rimmed glasses on a bicycle but not when there was someone "fashionable." Why do people hate on nerds?
Andy told me to come into school with skinny jeans, nike dunks, a hoodie, and shades because I do not wear those on a daily basis. But he tells me to wear skinny jeans rather than flare jeans because people wear more skinny jeans than flare jeans. He tells me to get nike dunks rather than something from payless because rarely anyone wears things from payless and he tells me to wear shades because it looks cool. I think that people think that shades are cool because it seems as if the person wearing shades is mysterious, that they have something behind those shades and people want to figure it out so they hang out with people with shades. And people wear shades to get attention, to get people to hang out with them.
Princeton defines cool as ""fashionable and attractive" and "skilled or socially adept." That actually makes sense; fashionable and attractive, they know what the hot stuff is and thus attract people. Others are too caught up with their style; they constantly think about what they wear and thinks that people wearing the hot stuff are cool. And those people must be skilled at something - a sport - or they must be social to attract people and know what people consider "fashionable." It would be harder to remember someone if they were not good at something.
Why are nerds uncool? I was watching music videos the other day on youtube and there was a nerd on screen; people told me to close the music video. Nerds are people, who are extremely intelligent and society portrays them with huge thick rimmed glasses. People told me to close the music video when there was someone with thick rimmed glasses on a bicycle but not when there was someone "fashionable." Why do people hate on nerds?
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Art Project 1
My art is a mirror; like most people's. Now that I think about it, it is funny how we tend to mirror our problems, instead of making hammers. I personally think that hammers are hard to come up with so we mirror our problems. The guy in the video is in the subway station, listening to his iPod. He gets home, goes straight to his computer, talks on AIM, and plays MapleStory to escape his real world. In MapleStory, he can do things he normally cannot do in the real world.
Honestly, I was not really thinking when making this video. I was just having fun with the programs and techniques. But that is what technology is for: to have fun. This art does not make me think, or feel but it was boring. I think this art is just a reflection of my life, and to be bored looking at the video says something about my life (like the movie during the capitalism unit).
I had fun making this project. It was a compilation of my brother's and my ideas. He was also learning how to make animations so I think this project was a good experience for the both of us. I think this experience just shows how technology can bring people together; my brother and I got a little closer and it was our first project together. So I guess technology do good for people (after learning all the bad stuff about it).
Saturday, November 7, 2009
Final Draft
INTRODUCTION:
We live in a world full of technology and digital representational devices - digital devices that represent an aspect of the world. Why, do we choose to allow ourselves to be hooked onto these devices instead of going out into the world and interacting with nature? Humans have this need for attention and to connect with others while we are surrounded by walls at home. I go on AIM everyday because there is never enough time to talk with them during the day and I find myself checking facebook updates. Another reason why digital representational devices are so addicting is that they are convenient. If we ever need to find someone, all we have to do is dial their cellphone number to be connected instantly. And for people who are uncomfortable communicating directly can make themselves comfortable by communicating through the internet. The internet allows students taking Snyder's or Manley's class to do their homework on blogger so students cannot use the excuse "I lost my homework" or "I left it at home."We can even escape from being ourselves by playing massive multiplayer online role playing games (MMORPG). Technology is sufficient to create portable computers (laptops) so that we are not tied to our desks. Digital representational devices are great assets to our lives that we become addicted to them.
Argument I:
We use digital representational devices to feel as if we are important. When I am on AIM, my friends and I are exchanging information about life. It is as if we are saying “ooh, listen to me talk about my day because I need someone to hear me out.” Like Henry said, we feel popular when we see a number of people chatting with us on the internet. And when we do not want to talk to someone, we often try to dismiss the person with “lol” or “rofl.” People say it so often that it is hard to believe what they are laughing out loud. It is times like this when the phrase laugh out loud loses its meaning and becomes a phrase tat is used when nothing else can be said.
In a short period of time, we can update people and it feels as if someone was there to care about your day. Even on Facebook, we have statuses so people can get an inside scoop on our life. Whenever someone changes their status, uploads a photo, or writes on someone else’s wall, all their friends would be notified. It is as if we are stalking people, finding a mutual interest to talk about on facebook and letting everyone else on your friends list know. AIM 7.0 is biting Facebook and has the same features, where we can comment on their statuses to show that we care or "like" the statuses. If we see someone comment or “like” the status, then we know that they have read the status, understood it, and then you feel connected to them.
Sometimes people just talk so that they can feel connected with others. Lauren was texting in social studies class during the first day of school and had a casual conversation that went like this:
“How was your first day of school?”
“Whack.”
“Me too.”
It was a casual conversation but it seems like we need to have a casual conversation. Casual conversations help us keep in contact instantly and we are able to feel significant. The feed allows Titus to watch Violet's feed efficiency so he is updated on how Violet is doing. Titus is literally connected to Violet through his feed which is connected to Violet’s feed; allowing Titus to track her feed status. People like to take pictures, capture moments but some people do it A LOT; in Michelle's post, they are called "camera whores." Once the picture is taken, we can look back on the pictures and reminisce; connecting with the photo and remembering the good times. Whether we do it through the internet, the phone, or using cameras, we are always tying to connect with people.
Argument II:
DRDs are efficient. I interviewed a mom on the street and she told me that she would get her son a cellphone because they needed to keep in contact. Cellphones allow us to keep in contact so moms can find their kids and kids can let moms know they are safe. Computers, IMs, and the internet allow people to feel more comfortable because there is a computer between the chatters (people like me). There is a computer in between the people chatting, making the conversation “less real” and us comfortable. This comfort causes us to say things that we would not normally say; we can say mean things because we would not be able to see their reaction.
Even colleges are accepting applications through the internet because it is green and more efficient. Applicants would need to use the internet to fill out the applications and it is to an advantage for those who are less organized with paper. Even homework can be done online (Snyder's and Manley's); it saves paper and homework can be checked anytime. The internet not only allows you to connect with people anytime, it also allows you to disconnect anytime. In the song "I love my computer," the artist loves his computer because he can flirt with people on the internet and stop anytime. If he were to do it in person, he would have to come up with excuses that allowed him to escape from those he did not want to be with. But doing it on the internet, he does not have to deal with the consequences or the aftermath; he is able to connect "in the most soul-less way."
Computers allow us to play MMOPRG; we can play any role we wish and do things we cannot in real life. When we want to disembody ourselves and immerse ourselves into someone else, we can entertain ourselves by casting magic on our screens. Even Wiis allow us to do something nice for our body by exercising and having fun at the same time. We get the best of both worlds because we are actually interacting with the pictures on the screen. People at work use computers to optimize the amount of work (for example, sending out a note) in a short amount of time. With email, people can receive messages faster than the traditional snail mail and they do not have to pay the postal office. Our technological advancements allow laptops to be created so people are not stuck at their computer desks with back pains. With laptops, Jakob (I, too) can chat and watch videos comfortably in our individual beds until we lull ourselves to sleep. In Feed, the corporations wanted to create air faster so trees were cut down to make air factories since air factories can produce air at a higher rate than trees. Digital representational devices make life a lot easier if we ever want to talk to someone instantly using a cell phone.
Argument III:
Efficiency sooner or later will cause us to become lazy. In Wall-E, people sit in portable chairs; they do not have to walk anywhere or even notice they are moving. They can be chatting on their screens all day without getting lost because the computer is wired to know exactly where people want to go. People in the movie are bigger than the standard size and we see robots carry their drinks for them. They do not need to get out of their chairs to pick up their food because the robots will deliver it to them. Whenever they want shade, they just have to clap their hands and say "shade", the shade will come in two seconds. Because of these luxurious services, the people in the movie are discouraged to exercise and encouraged to chat all day.
I interviewed my friend about IM-ing someone in the next room and she said that people who do so are either lazy, feels uncomfortable communicating directly, or they want to avoid situations that happen when communicating in person. Definitely, people are lazy; I get tired of getting up every five minutes to walk to the next room to talk for a minute and then go back to where I was. I also agree with her other two points; I personally find it easier to talk on AIM because I know people’s emotions will not get to me through AIM. If I know what I say will get the other person mad, I would hold my thoughts until I sign on AIM so when they get mad, I will not become their punching bag. In Feed Titus just wanted to know what Violet’s father was talking about and the father kept telling Titus to learn the meaning. We see that Titus was brought up not to learn or process the information, but to ask their feed for it. Similarly, Snyder’s theory #3 is that we are encouraged to google things we do not know simply because we just want the information and regurgitate it. We do not want to go through all the trouble to go to the library, pull out books, and put the pieces together to find the answer. With the internet, we can easily google the question and google will tell us the answer. Digital representational devices are discouraging us to exercise our motor muscles and our muscles in our brain.
Connections:
Another book that this addiction is demonstrated in is Uglies by Scott Westerfeld. At age sixteen, teenagers like Tally Youngblood go through an operation that makes them pretty. But what the Special’s intention is to install a chip in brain so they can track every citizen in the society. Tally wanted to conform and go through the operation until she met someone who knew the secret behind the operation. Similarly in Feed, the corporations were tracking Titus and everyone in the society and they all wanted the feed to connect through the feed. Corporations in this world advertise products and test how many we are willing to buy. Because we like to connect and conform, we fall for their trap and buy their products.
OPV:
Johnson says that the internet contains a lot of information and that whenever we need to know something, we could always rely on the internet. The internet teaches us how to work with applications and communicate with people in other parts of the world. We are always hunched over our computers, eager to learn what the internet has to offer us. Again, the internet is just discouraging us to think and encouraging us to google. When we hunch over our computer screens, we disconnect from our physical body and forget all about our physical needs. We sometimes forget to use the bathroom or we might even starve ourselves because we are so hooked onto the computer. Johnson always emphasizes how the internet helps us communicate with a group of friends but are we authentically connecting with them. We should not satisfy our need for attention or to connect using digital representational devices.
Significance and Conclusion:
After knowing what happened in Feed, Wall-E, and Uglies, no one wants to continue to be addicted to digital representational devices. In Feed, Violet becomes dysfunctional due to malfunction of her feed and Titus becomes distressed. As we continue to use digital representational devices, we learn to rely on them and when all technology fails, we are dragged down along with it. People in Wall-E lack exercise and if we let digital representational devices to spoil us, we would not have to get up to get our food or send a message. The internet is the corporation’s space and as we surf through the web, we constantly see advertisements. We stop to take notice of the advertisements and end up buying the product; that is how corporations make money off of us. Humans have this need for attention and to connect with others while we are surrounded by walls at home. If we ever need to find someone, all we have to do is dial their cellphone number to be connected instantly. But cellphones also eliminate all means of walking over to the person to speak directly, minimizing our exercise. Because of our need to communicate, the efficiency of DRDs, and the encouragement to be lazy, we allow ourselves to become addicted to DRDs.
Works Cited
Anderson, M.T. Feed. Somerville, Massachusetts: Candelwich Press, 2002.
C, Lauren. "Address." Social Studies Class. School of the Future, New York City. 9 September 2009.
DVD, Wall-E.
S, Andy. "Lecture." Social Studies Class. School of the Future, New York City. 15 September 2009.
--. "Lecture." Social Studies Class. School of the Future, New York City. 22 September 2009.
--. "Lecture." Social Studies Class. School of the Future, New York City. 2 October 2009.
--. "HW 18-Big Paper 1, Rough Draft." Weblog entry. ANDY 09-10. 3 November 2009. 5 November 2009. (http://henryvandy0910.blogspot.com/2009/11/hw-18-big-paper-1-rough-draft.html).
Z, Maggie. "HW 8." Weblog entry. Personal/Politics by Maggie Z. 30 September 2009. 5 November 2009. (http://personalpoliticsmaggie.blogspot.com/2009/09/hw-8.html).
--. "Interviews and Surveys." Weblog entry. Personal/Politics by Maggie Z. 22 September 2009. 5 November 2009. (http://personalpoliticsmaggie.blogspot.com/2009/09/interviews-and-surveys.html).
--. "Response to First Comments plus Other Comments." Weblog entry. Personal/Politics by Maggie Z. 19 September 2009. 5 November 2009. (http://personalpoliticsmaggie.blogspot.com/2009/09/response-to-first-comments.html).
We live in a world full of technology and digital representational devices - digital devices that represent an aspect of the world. Why, do we choose to allow ourselves to be hooked onto these devices instead of going out into the world and interacting with nature? Humans have this need for attention and to connect with others while we are surrounded by walls at home. I go on AIM everyday because there is never enough time to talk with them during the day and I find myself checking facebook updates. Another reason why digital representational devices are so addicting is that they are convenient. If we ever need to find someone, all we have to do is dial their cellphone number to be connected instantly. And for people who are uncomfortable communicating directly can make themselves comfortable by communicating through the internet. The internet allows students taking Snyder's or Manley's class to do their homework on blogger so students cannot use the excuse "I lost my homework" or "I left it at home."We can even escape from being ourselves by playing massive multiplayer online role playing games (MMORPG). Technology is sufficient to create portable computers (laptops) so that we are not tied to our desks. Digital representational devices are great assets to our lives that we become addicted to them.
Argument I:
We use digital representational devices to feel as if we are important. When I am on AIM, my friends and I are exchanging information about life. It is as if we are saying “ooh, listen to me talk about my day because I need someone to hear me out.” Like Henry said, we feel popular when we see a number of people chatting with us on the internet. And when we do not want to talk to someone, we often try to dismiss the person with “lol” or “rofl.” People say it so often that it is hard to believe what they are laughing out loud. It is times like this when the phrase laugh out loud loses its meaning and becomes a phrase tat is used when nothing else can be said.
In a short period of time, we can update people and it feels as if someone was there to care about your day. Even on Facebook, we have statuses so people can get an inside scoop on our life. Whenever someone changes their status, uploads a photo, or writes on someone else’s wall, all their friends would be notified. It is as if we are stalking people, finding a mutual interest to talk about on facebook and letting everyone else on your friends list know. AIM 7.0 is biting Facebook and has the same features, where we can comment on their statuses to show that we care or "like" the statuses. If we see someone comment or “like” the status, then we know that they have read the status, understood it, and then you feel connected to them.
Sometimes people just talk so that they can feel connected with others. Lauren was texting in social studies class during the first day of school and had a casual conversation that went like this:
“How was your first day of school?”
“Whack.”
“Me too.”
It was a casual conversation but it seems like we need to have a casual conversation. Casual conversations help us keep in contact instantly and we are able to feel significant. The feed allows Titus to watch Violet's feed efficiency so he is updated on how Violet is doing. Titus is literally connected to Violet through his feed which is connected to Violet’s feed; allowing Titus to track her feed status. People like to take pictures, capture moments but some people do it A LOT; in Michelle's post, they are called "camera whores." Once the picture is taken, we can look back on the pictures and reminisce; connecting with the photo and remembering the good times. Whether we do it through the internet, the phone, or using cameras, we are always tying to connect with people.
Argument II:
DRDs are efficient. I interviewed a mom on the street and she told me that she would get her son a cellphone because they needed to keep in contact. Cellphones allow us to keep in contact so moms can find their kids and kids can let moms know they are safe. Computers, IMs, and the internet allow people to feel more comfortable because there is a computer between the chatters (people like me). There is a computer in between the people chatting, making the conversation “less real” and us comfortable. This comfort causes us to say things that we would not normally say; we can say mean things because we would not be able to see their reaction.
Even colleges are accepting applications through the internet because it is green and more efficient. Applicants would need to use the internet to fill out the applications and it is to an advantage for those who are less organized with paper. Even homework can be done online (Snyder's and Manley's); it saves paper and homework can be checked anytime. The internet not only allows you to connect with people anytime, it also allows you to disconnect anytime. In the song "I love my computer," the artist loves his computer because he can flirt with people on the internet and stop anytime. If he were to do it in person, he would have to come up with excuses that allowed him to escape from those he did not want to be with. But doing it on the internet, he does not have to deal with the consequences or the aftermath; he is able to connect "in the most soul-less way."
Computers allow us to play MMOPRG; we can play any role we wish and do things we cannot in real life. When we want to disembody ourselves and immerse ourselves into someone else, we can entertain ourselves by casting magic on our screens. Even Wiis allow us to do something nice for our body by exercising and having fun at the same time. We get the best of both worlds because we are actually interacting with the pictures on the screen. People at work use computers to optimize the amount of work (for example, sending out a note) in a short amount of time. With email, people can receive messages faster than the traditional snail mail and they do not have to pay the postal office. Our technological advancements allow laptops to be created so people are not stuck at their computer desks with back pains. With laptops, Jakob (I, too) can chat and watch videos comfortably in our individual beds until we lull ourselves to sleep. In Feed, the corporations wanted to create air faster so trees were cut down to make air factories since air factories can produce air at a higher rate than trees. Digital representational devices make life a lot easier if we ever want to talk to someone instantly using a cell phone.
Argument III:
Efficiency sooner or later will cause us to become lazy. In Wall-E, people sit in portable chairs; they do not have to walk anywhere or even notice they are moving. They can be chatting on their screens all day without getting lost because the computer is wired to know exactly where people want to go. People in the movie are bigger than the standard size and we see robots carry their drinks for them. They do not need to get out of their chairs to pick up their food because the robots will deliver it to them. Whenever they want shade, they just have to clap their hands and say "shade", the shade will come in two seconds. Because of these luxurious services, the people in the movie are discouraged to exercise and encouraged to chat all day.
I interviewed my friend about IM-ing someone in the next room and she said that people who do so are either lazy, feels uncomfortable communicating directly, or they want to avoid situations that happen when communicating in person. Definitely, people are lazy; I get tired of getting up every five minutes to walk to the next room to talk for a minute and then go back to where I was. I also agree with her other two points; I personally find it easier to talk on AIM because I know people’s emotions will not get to me through AIM. If I know what I say will get the other person mad, I would hold my thoughts until I sign on AIM so when they get mad, I will not become their punching bag. In Feed Titus just wanted to know what Violet’s father was talking about and the father kept telling Titus to learn the meaning. We see that Titus was brought up not to learn or process the information, but to ask their feed for it. Similarly, Snyder’s theory #3 is that we are encouraged to google things we do not know simply because we just want the information and regurgitate it. We do not want to go through all the trouble to go to the library, pull out books, and put the pieces together to find the answer. With the internet, we can easily google the question and google will tell us the answer. Digital representational devices are discouraging us to exercise our motor muscles and our muscles in our brain.
Connections:
Another book that this addiction is demonstrated in is Uglies by Scott Westerfeld. At age sixteen, teenagers like Tally Youngblood go through an operation that makes them pretty. But what the Special’s intention is to install a chip in brain so they can track every citizen in the society. Tally wanted to conform and go through the operation until she met someone who knew the secret behind the operation. Similarly in Feed, the corporations were tracking Titus and everyone in the society and they all wanted the feed to connect through the feed. Corporations in this world advertise products and test how many we are willing to buy. Because we like to connect and conform, we fall for their trap and buy their products.
OPV:
Johnson says that the internet contains a lot of information and that whenever we need to know something, we could always rely on the internet. The internet teaches us how to work with applications and communicate with people in other parts of the world. We are always hunched over our computers, eager to learn what the internet has to offer us. Again, the internet is just discouraging us to think and encouraging us to google. When we hunch over our computer screens, we disconnect from our physical body and forget all about our physical needs. We sometimes forget to use the bathroom or we might even starve ourselves because we are so hooked onto the computer. Johnson always emphasizes how the internet helps us communicate with a group of friends but are we authentically connecting with them. We should not satisfy our need for attention or to connect using digital representational devices.
Significance and Conclusion:
After knowing what happened in Feed, Wall-E, and Uglies, no one wants to continue to be addicted to digital representational devices. In Feed, Violet becomes dysfunctional due to malfunction of her feed and Titus becomes distressed. As we continue to use digital representational devices, we learn to rely on them and when all technology fails, we are dragged down along with it. People in Wall-E lack exercise and if we let digital representational devices to spoil us, we would not have to get up to get our food or send a message. The internet is the corporation’s space and as we surf through the web, we constantly see advertisements. We stop to take notice of the advertisements and end up buying the product; that is how corporations make money off of us. Humans have this need for attention and to connect with others while we are surrounded by walls at home. If we ever need to find someone, all we have to do is dial their cellphone number to be connected instantly. But cellphones also eliminate all means of walking over to the person to speak directly, minimizing our exercise. Because of our need to communicate, the efficiency of DRDs, and the encouragement to be lazy, we allow ourselves to become addicted to DRDs.
Works Cited
Anderson, M.T. Feed. Somerville, Massachusetts: Candelwich Press, 2002.
C, Lauren. "Address." Social Studies Class. School of the Future, New York City. 9 September 2009.
DVD, Wall-E.
S, Andy. "Lecture." Social Studies Class. School of the Future, New York City. 15 September 2009.
--. "Lecture." Social Studies Class. School of the Future, New York City. 22 September 2009.
--. "Lecture." Social Studies Class. School of the Future, New York City. 2 October 2009.
--. "HW 18-Big Paper 1, Rough Draft." Weblog entry. ANDY 09-10. 3 November 2009. 5 November 2009. (http://henryvandy0910.blogspot.com/2009/11/hw-18-big-paper-1-rough-draft.html).
Z, Maggie. "HW 8." Weblog entry. Personal/Politics by Maggie Z. 30 September 2009. 5 November 2009. (http://personalpoliticsmaggie.blogspot.com/2009/09/hw-8.html).
--. "Interviews and Surveys." Weblog entry. Personal/Politics by Maggie Z. 22 September 2009. 5 November 2009. (http://personalpoliticsmaggie.blogspot.com/2009/09/interviews-and-surveys.html).
--. "Response to First Comments plus Other Comments." Weblog entry. Personal/Politics by Maggie Z. 19 September 2009. 5 November 2009. (http://personalpoliticsmaggie.blogspot.com/2009/09/response-to-first-comments.html).
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Big Paper Revised Draft
We live in a world full of technology and digital representational devices - digital devices that represent an aspect of the world. Why, do we choose to allow ourselves to be hooked onto these devices instead of going out into the world and interacting with nature? Humans have this need for attention and to connect with others while we are surrounded by walls at home. I go on AIM everyday because there is never enough time to talk with them during the day and I find myself checking facebook updates. Another reason why digital representational devices are so addicting is that they are convenient. If we ever need to find someone, all we have to do is dial their cellphone number to be connected instantly. And for people who are uncomfortable communicating directly can make themselves comfortable by communicating through the internet. The internet allows students taking Snyder's or Manley's class to do their homework on blogger so students cannot use the excuse "I lost my homework" or "I left it at home."We can even escape from being ourselves by playing massive multiplayer online role playing games (MMORPG). Technology is sufficient to create portable computers (laptops) so that we are not tied to our desks. Digital representational devices are great assets to our lives that we become addicted to them.
We use digital representational devices to feel as if we are important. When I am on AIM, my friends and I are exchanging information about life. It is as if we are saying “ooh, listen to me talk about my day because I need someone to hear me out.” Like Henry said, we feel popular when we see a number of people chatting with us on the internet. And when we do not want to talk to someone, we often try to dismiss the person with “lol” or “rofl.” People say it so often that it is hard to believe what they are laughing out loud. It is times like this when the phrase laugh out loud loses its meaning and becomes a phrase tat is used when nothing else can be said. In a short period of time, we can update people and it feels as if someone was there to care about your day. Even on Facebook, we have statuses so people can get an inside scoop on our life. Whenever someone changes their status, uploads a photo, or writes on someone else’s wall, all their friends would be notified. It is as if we are stalking people, finding a mutual interest to talk about on facebook and letting everyone else on your friends list know. AIM 7.0 is biting Facebook and has the same features, where we can comment on their statuses to show that we care or "like" the statuses. If we see someone comment or “like” the status, then we know that they have read the status, understood it, and then you feel connected to them.
Sometimes people just talk so that they can feel connected with others. Lauren was texting in social studies class during the first day of school and had a casual conversation that went like this:
“How was your first day of school?”
“Whack.”
“Me too.”
It was a casual conversation but it seems like we need to have a casual conversation. Casual conversations help us keep in contact instantly and we are able to feel significant. The feed allows Titus to watch Violet's feed efficiency so he is updated on how Violet is doing. Titus is literally connected to Violet through his feed which is connected to Violet’s feed; allowing Titus to track her feed status. People like to take pictures, capture moments but some people do it A LOT; in Michelle's post, they are called "camera whores." Once the picture is taken, we can look back on the pictures and reminisce; connecting with the photo and remembering the good times. Whether we do it through the internet, the phone, or using cameras, we are always tying to connect with people.
DRDs are efficient. I interviewed a mom on the street and she told me that she would get her son a cellphone because they needed to keep in contact. Cellphones allow us to keep in contact so moms can find their kids and kids can let moms know they are safe. Computers, IMs, and the internet allow people to feel more comfortable because there is a computer between the chatters (people like me). There is a computer in between the people chatting, making the conversation “less real” and us comfortable. This comfort causes us to say things that we would not normally say; we can say mean things because we would not be able to see their reaction. Even colleges are accepting applications through the internet because it is green and more efficient. Applicants would need to use the internet to fill out the applications and it is to an advantage for those who are less organized with paper. Even homework can be done online (Snyder's and Manley's); it saves paper and homework can be checked anytime. The internet not only allows you to connect with people anytime, it also allows you to disconnect anytime. In the song "I love my computer," the artist loves his computer because he can flirt with people on the internet and stop anytime. If he were to do it in person, he would have to come up with excuses that allowed him to escape from those he did not want to be with. But doing it on the internet, he does not have to deal with the consequences or the aftermath; he is able to connect "in the most soul-less way." Computers allow us to play MMOPRG; we can play any role we wish and do things we cannot in real life. When we want to disembody ourselves and immerse ourselves into someone else, we can entertain ourselves by casting magic on our screens. Even Wiis allow us to do something nice for our body by exercising and having fun at the same time. We get the best of both worlds because we are actually interacting with the pictures on the screen. People at work use computers to optimize the amount of work (for example, sending out a note) in a short amount of time. With email, people can receive messages faster than the traditional snail mail and they do not have to pay the postal office. Our technological advancements allow laptops to be created so people are not stuck at their computer desks with back pains. With laptops, Jakob (I, too) can chat and watch videos comfortably in our individual beds until we lull ourselves to sleep. In Feed, the corporations wanted to create air faster so trees were cut down to make air factories since air factories can produce air at a higher rate than trees. Digital representational devices make life a lot easier if we ever want to talk to someone instantly using a cell phone.
Efficiency sooner or later will cause us to become lazy. In Wall-E, people sit in portable chairs; they do not have to walk anywhere or even notice they are moving. They can be chatting on their screens all day without getting lost because the computer is wired to know exactly where people want to go. People in the movie are bigger than the standard size and we see robots carry their drinks for them. They do not need to get out of their chairs to pick up their food because the robots will deliver it to them. Whenever they want shade, they just have to clap their hands and say "shade", the shade will come in two seconds. Because of these luxurious services, the people in the movie are discouraged to exercise and encouraged to chat all day. I interviewed my friend about IM-ing someone in the next room and she said that people who do so are either lazy, feels uncomfortable communicating directly, or they want to avoid situations that happen when communicating in person. Definitely, people are lazy; I get tired of getting up every five minutes to walk to the next room to talk for a minute and then go back to where I was. I also agree with her other two points; I personally find it easier to talk on AIM because I know people’s emotions will not get to me through AIM. If I know what I say will get the other person mad, I would hold my thoughts until I sign on AIM so when they get mad, I will not become their punching bag. In Feed Titus just wanted to know what Violet’s father was talking about and the father kept telling Titus to learn the meaning. We see that Titus was brought up not to learn or process the information, but to ask their feed for it. Similarly, Snyder’s theory #3 is that we are encouraged to google things we do not know simply because we just want the information and regurgitate it. We do not want to go through all the trouble to go to the library, pull out books, and put the pieces together to find the answer. With the internet, we can easily google the question and google will tell us the answer. Digital representational devices are discouraging us to exercise our motor muscles and our muscles in our brain.
Another book that this addiction is demonstrated in is Uglies by Scott Westerfeld. At age sixteen, teenagers like Tally Youngblood go through an operation that makes them pretty. But what the Special’s intention is to install a chip in brain so they can track every citizen in the society. Tally wanted to conform and go through the operation until she met someone who knew the secret behind the operation. Similarly in Feed, the corporations were tracking Titus and everyone in the society and they all wanted the feed to connect through the feed. Corporations in this world advertise products and test how many we are willing to buy. Because we like to connect and conform, we fall for their trap and buy their products.
Johnson says that the internet contains a lot of information and that whenever we need to know something, we could always rely on the internet. The internet teaches us how to work with applications and communicate with people in other parts of the world. We are always hunched over our computers, eager to learn what the internet has to offer us. Again, the internet is just discouraging us to think and encouraging us to google. When we hunch over our computer screens, we disconnect from our physical body and forget all about our physical needs. We sometimes forget to use the bathroom or we might even starve ourselves because we are so hooked onto the computer. Johnson always emphasizes how the internet helps us communicate with a group of friends but are we authentically connecting with them. We should not satisfy our need for attention or to connect using digital representational devices.
After knowing what happened in Feed, Wall-E, and Uglies, no one wants to continue to be addicted to digital representational devices. In Feed, Violet becomes dysfunctional due to malfunction of her feed and Titus becomes distressed. As we continue to use digital representational devices, we learn to rely on them and when all technology fails, we are dragged down along with it. People in Wall-E lack exercise and if we let digital representational devices to spoil us, we would not have to get up to get our food or send a message. The internet is the corporation’s space and as we surf through the web, we constantly see advertisements. We stop to take notice of the advertisements and end up buying the product; that is how corporations make money off of us. Humans have this need for attention and to connect with others while we are surrounded by walls at home. If we ever need to find someone, all we have to do is dial their cellphone number to be connected instantly. But cellphones also eliminate all means of walking over to the person to speak directly, minimizing our exercise. Because of our need to communicate, the efficiency of DRDs, and the encouragement to be lazy, we allow ourselves to become addicted to DRDs.
Works Cited
Anderson, M.T. Feed. Somerville, Massachusetts: Candelwich Press, 2002.
C, Lauren. "Address." Social Studies Class. School of the Future, New York City. 9 September 2009.
DVD, Wall-E.
S, Andy. "Lecture." Social Studies Class. School of the Future, New York City. 15 September 2009.
--. "Lecture." Social Studies Class. School of the Future, New York City. 22 September 2009.
--. "Lecture." Social Studies Class. School of the Future, New York City. 2 October 2009.
--. "HW 18-Big Paper 1, Rough Draft." Weblog entry. ANDY 09-10. 3 November 2009. 5 November 2009. (http://henryvandy0910.blogspot.com/2009/11/hw-18-big-paper-1-rough-draft.html).
Z, Maggie. "HW 8." Weblog entry. Personal/Politics by Maggie Z. 30 September 2009. 5 November 2009. (http://personalpoliticsmaggie.blogspot.com/2009/09/hw-8.html).
--. "Interviews and Surveys." Weblog entry. Personal/Politics by Maggie Z. 22 September 2009. 5 November 2009. (http://personalpoliticsmaggie.blogspot.com/2009/09/interviews-and-surveys.html).
--. "Response to First Comments plus Other Comments." Weblog entry. Personal/Politics by Maggie Z. 19 September 2009. 5 November 2009. (http://personalpoliticsmaggie.blogspot.com/2009/09/response-to-first-comments.html).
We use digital representational devices to feel as if we are important. When I am on AIM, my friends and I are exchanging information about life. It is as if we are saying “ooh, listen to me talk about my day because I need someone to hear me out.” Like Henry said, we feel popular when we see a number of people chatting with us on the internet. And when we do not want to talk to someone, we often try to dismiss the person with “lol” or “rofl.” People say it so often that it is hard to believe what they are laughing out loud. It is times like this when the phrase laugh out loud loses its meaning and becomes a phrase tat is used when nothing else can be said. In a short period of time, we can update people and it feels as if someone was there to care about your day. Even on Facebook, we have statuses so people can get an inside scoop on our life. Whenever someone changes their status, uploads a photo, or writes on someone else’s wall, all their friends would be notified. It is as if we are stalking people, finding a mutual interest to talk about on facebook and letting everyone else on your friends list know. AIM 7.0 is biting Facebook and has the same features, where we can comment on their statuses to show that we care or "like" the statuses. If we see someone comment or “like” the status, then we know that they have read the status, understood it, and then you feel connected to them.
Sometimes people just talk so that they can feel connected with others. Lauren was texting in social studies class during the first day of school and had a casual conversation that went like this:
“How was your first day of school?”
“Whack.”
“Me too.”
It was a casual conversation but it seems like we need to have a casual conversation. Casual conversations help us keep in contact instantly and we are able to feel significant. The feed allows Titus to watch Violet's feed efficiency so he is updated on how Violet is doing. Titus is literally connected to Violet through his feed which is connected to Violet’s feed; allowing Titus to track her feed status. People like to take pictures, capture moments but some people do it A LOT; in Michelle's post, they are called "camera whores." Once the picture is taken, we can look back on the pictures and reminisce; connecting with the photo and remembering the good times. Whether we do it through the internet, the phone, or using cameras, we are always tying to connect with people.
DRDs are efficient. I interviewed a mom on the street and she told me that she would get her son a cellphone because they needed to keep in contact. Cellphones allow us to keep in contact so moms can find their kids and kids can let moms know they are safe. Computers, IMs, and the internet allow people to feel more comfortable because there is a computer between the chatters (people like me). There is a computer in between the people chatting, making the conversation “less real” and us comfortable. This comfort causes us to say things that we would not normally say; we can say mean things because we would not be able to see their reaction. Even colleges are accepting applications through the internet because it is green and more efficient. Applicants would need to use the internet to fill out the applications and it is to an advantage for those who are less organized with paper. Even homework can be done online (Snyder's and Manley's); it saves paper and homework can be checked anytime. The internet not only allows you to connect with people anytime, it also allows you to disconnect anytime. In the song "I love my computer," the artist loves his computer because he can flirt with people on the internet and stop anytime. If he were to do it in person, he would have to come up with excuses that allowed him to escape from those he did not want to be with. But doing it on the internet, he does not have to deal with the consequences or the aftermath; he is able to connect "in the most soul-less way." Computers allow us to play MMOPRG; we can play any role we wish and do things we cannot in real life. When we want to disembody ourselves and immerse ourselves into someone else, we can entertain ourselves by casting magic on our screens. Even Wiis allow us to do something nice for our body by exercising and having fun at the same time. We get the best of both worlds because we are actually interacting with the pictures on the screen. People at work use computers to optimize the amount of work (for example, sending out a note) in a short amount of time. With email, people can receive messages faster than the traditional snail mail and they do not have to pay the postal office. Our technological advancements allow laptops to be created so people are not stuck at their computer desks with back pains. With laptops, Jakob (I, too) can chat and watch videos comfortably in our individual beds until we lull ourselves to sleep. In Feed, the corporations wanted to create air faster so trees were cut down to make air factories since air factories can produce air at a higher rate than trees. Digital representational devices make life a lot easier if we ever want to talk to someone instantly using a cell phone.
Efficiency sooner or later will cause us to become lazy. In Wall-E, people sit in portable chairs; they do not have to walk anywhere or even notice they are moving. They can be chatting on their screens all day without getting lost because the computer is wired to know exactly where people want to go. People in the movie are bigger than the standard size and we see robots carry their drinks for them. They do not need to get out of their chairs to pick up their food because the robots will deliver it to them. Whenever they want shade, they just have to clap their hands and say "shade", the shade will come in two seconds. Because of these luxurious services, the people in the movie are discouraged to exercise and encouraged to chat all day. I interviewed my friend about IM-ing someone in the next room and she said that people who do so are either lazy, feels uncomfortable communicating directly, or they want to avoid situations that happen when communicating in person. Definitely, people are lazy; I get tired of getting up every five minutes to walk to the next room to talk for a minute and then go back to where I was. I also agree with her other two points; I personally find it easier to talk on AIM because I know people’s emotions will not get to me through AIM. If I know what I say will get the other person mad, I would hold my thoughts until I sign on AIM so when they get mad, I will not become their punching bag. In Feed Titus just wanted to know what Violet’s father was talking about and the father kept telling Titus to learn the meaning. We see that Titus was brought up not to learn or process the information, but to ask their feed for it. Similarly, Snyder’s theory #3 is that we are encouraged to google things we do not know simply because we just want the information and regurgitate it. We do not want to go through all the trouble to go to the library, pull out books, and put the pieces together to find the answer. With the internet, we can easily google the question and google will tell us the answer. Digital representational devices are discouraging us to exercise our motor muscles and our muscles in our brain.
Another book that this addiction is demonstrated in is Uglies by Scott Westerfeld. At age sixteen, teenagers like Tally Youngblood go through an operation that makes them pretty. But what the Special’s intention is to install a chip in brain so they can track every citizen in the society. Tally wanted to conform and go through the operation until she met someone who knew the secret behind the operation. Similarly in Feed, the corporations were tracking Titus and everyone in the society and they all wanted the feed to connect through the feed. Corporations in this world advertise products and test how many we are willing to buy. Because we like to connect and conform, we fall for their trap and buy their products.
Johnson says that the internet contains a lot of information and that whenever we need to know something, we could always rely on the internet. The internet teaches us how to work with applications and communicate with people in other parts of the world. We are always hunched over our computers, eager to learn what the internet has to offer us. Again, the internet is just discouraging us to think and encouraging us to google. When we hunch over our computer screens, we disconnect from our physical body and forget all about our physical needs. We sometimes forget to use the bathroom or we might even starve ourselves because we are so hooked onto the computer. Johnson always emphasizes how the internet helps us communicate with a group of friends but are we authentically connecting with them. We should not satisfy our need for attention or to connect using digital representational devices.
After knowing what happened in Feed, Wall-E, and Uglies, no one wants to continue to be addicted to digital representational devices. In Feed, Violet becomes dysfunctional due to malfunction of her feed and Titus becomes distressed. As we continue to use digital representational devices, we learn to rely on them and when all technology fails, we are dragged down along with it. People in Wall-E lack exercise and if we let digital representational devices to spoil us, we would not have to get up to get our food or send a message. The internet is the corporation’s space and as we surf through the web, we constantly see advertisements. We stop to take notice of the advertisements and end up buying the product; that is how corporations make money off of us. Humans have this need for attention and to connect with others while we are surrounded by walls at home. If we ever need to find someone, all we have to do is dial their cellphone number to be connected instantly. But cellphones also eliminate all means of walking over to the person to speak directly, minimizing our exercise. Because of our need to communicate, the efficiency of DRDs, and the encouragement to be lazy, we allow ourselves to become addicted to DRDs.
Works Cited
Anderson, M.T. Feed. Somerville, Massachusetts: Candelwich Press, 2002.
C, Lauren. "Address." Social Studies Class. School of the Future, New York City. 9 September 2009.
DVD, Wall-E.
S, Andy. "Lecture." Social Studies Class. School of the Future, New York City. 15 September 2009.
--. "Lecture." Social Studies Class. School of the Future, New York City. 22 September 2009.
--. "Lecture." Social Studies Class. School of the Future, New York City. 2 October 2009.
--. "HW 18-Big Paper 1, Rough Draft." Weblog entry. ANDY 09-10. 3 November 2009. 5 November 2009. (http://henryvandy0910.blogspot.com/2009/11/hw-18-big-paper-1-rough-draft.html).
Z, Maggie. "HW 8." Weblog entry. Personal/Politics by Maggie Z. 30 September 2009. 5 November 2009. (http://personalpoliticsmaggie.blogspot.com/2009/09/hw-8.html).
--. "Interviews and Surveys." Weblog entry. Personal/Politics by Maggie Z. 22 September 2009. 5 November 2009. (http://personalpoliticsmaggie.blogspot.com/2009/09/interviews-and-surveys.html).
--. "Response to First Comments plus Other Comments." Weblog entry. Personal/Politics by Maggie Z. 19 September 2009. 5 November 2009. (http://personalpoliticsmaggie.blogspot.com/2009/09/response-to-first-comments.html).
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Big Paper 1 Suggestions
Henry:
Nice introduction, straight to the point and to the thesis.
I see you used your outline for your first paragraph and fleshed it out minimally; I think it is still strong enough.
Good evidence in your second paragraph. I just think that you should connect it back to your thesis.
You talk about wanting to connect before everyone could afford internet and after it. But then you got off topic and talked about how video games can create another identity of someone. I suggest find another evidence if possible, stay on track and keep your thesis in mind.
I like your conclusion and how you raised another question. I would say remind the reader of all your arguments.
Lastly, write a connection, a OPV, a significance paragraph.
Nice introduction, straight to the point and to the thesis.
I see you used your outline for your first paragraph and fleshed it out minimally; I think it is still strong enough.
Good evidence in your second paragraph. I just think that you should connect it back to your thesis.
You talk about wanting to connect before everyone could afford internet and after it. But then you got off topic and talked about how video games can create another identity of someone. I suggest find another evidence if possible, stay on track and keep your thesis in mind.
I like your conclusion and how you raised another question. I would say remind the reader of all your arguments.
Lastly, write a connection, a OPV, a significance paragraph.
Carrie:
Your thesis: The internet takes out the choice of direct communication and allows people to create another identity.
I just wanted to clarify, when yu say phone, you mean phone phone or IM phone?
I agree with your paragraph about online conversations. "Lol' and "JK" do not mean what they are intended to mean and they are used to change the mood of a conversation so people do not feel offended when certain things are said.
I remember a time when Titus and Violet did use their Feed to communicate because they were mad at each other. How did that affect their relationship? Maybe you can incorporate it in your paragraph about their love.
I think that the same paragraph is out of place; the paragraph before and after it talks about unintended fake-ness. You should move it towards the beginning.
Good draft, I understood your arguments well.
I remember a time when Titus and Violet did use their Feed to communicate because they were mad at each other. How did that affect their relationship? Maybe you can incorporate it in your paragraph about their love.
I think that the same paragraph is out of place; the paragraph before and after it talks about unintended fake-ness. You should move it towards the beginning.
Good draft, I understood your arguments well.
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Big Paper 1 Rough Draft
edits 11/4 8:52PM
We live in a world full of technology and digital representational devices - digital devices that represent an aspect of the world. Why, do we choose to allow ourselves to be hooked onto these devices instead of going out into the world and interacting with nature? Humans have this need for attention and to connect with others while we are surrounded by walls at home. I go on AIM everyday because there is never enough time to talk with them during the day and I find myself checking facebook updates. Another reason why digital representational devices are so addicting is that they are convenient. If we ever need to find someone, all we have to do is dial their cellphone number to be connected instantly. And for people who are uncomfortable communicating directly can make themselves comfortable by communicating through the internet. The internet allows students taking Snyder's or Manley's class to do their homework on blogger so students cannot use the excuse "I lost my homework" or "I left it at home."We can even escape from being ourselves by playing massive multiplayer online role playing games (MMORPG). Technology is sufficient to create portable computers (laptops) so that we are not tied to our desks. Digital representational devices are great assets to our lives that we become addicted to them.
We use digital representational devices to feel as if we are important. When I am on AIM, my friends and I are exchanging information about life. It is as if we are saying “ooh, listen to me talk about my day because I need someone to hear me out.” Like Henry said, we feel popular when we see a number of people chatting with us on the internet. And when we do not want to talk to someone, we often try to dismiss the person with “lol” or “rofl.” People say it so often that it is hard to believe what they are laughing out loud. It is times like this when the phrase laugh out loud loses its meaning and becomes a phrase tat is used when nothing else can be said. In a short period of time, we can update people and it feels as if someone was there to care about your day. Even on Facebook, we have statuses so people can get an inside scoop on our life. Whenever someone changes their status, uploads a photo, or writes on someone else’s wall, all their friends would be notified. It is as if we are stalking people, finding a mutual interest to talk about on facebook and letting everyone else on your friends list know. AIM 7.0 is biting Facebook and has the same features, where we can comment on their statuses to show that we care or "like" the statuses. If we see someone comment or “like” the status, then we know that they have read the status, understood it, and then you feel connected to them.
Sometimes people just talk so that they can feel connected with others. Lauren was texting in social studies class during the first day of school and had a casual conversation that went like this:
“How was your first day of school?”
“Whack.”
“Me too.”
It was a casual conversation but it seems like we need to have a casual conversation. Casual conversations help us keep in contact instantly and we are able to feel significant. The feed allows Titus to watch Violet's feed efficiency so he is updated on how Violet is doing. Titus is literally connected to Violet through his feed which is connected to Violet’s feed; allowing Titus to track her feed status. People like to take pictures, capture moments but some people do it A LOT; in Michelle's post, they are called "camera whores." Once the picture is taken, we can look back on the pictures and reminisce; connecting with the photo and remembering the good times. Whether we do it through the internet, the phone, or using cameras, we are always tying to connect with people.
DRDs are efficient. I interviewed a mom on the street and she told me that she would get her son a cellphone because they needed to keep in contact. Cellphones allow us to keep in contact so moms can find their kids and kids can let moms know they are safe. Computers, IMs, and the internet allow people to feel more comfortable because there is a computer between the chatters (people like me). There is a computer in between the people chatting, making the conversation “less real” and us comfortable. This comfort causes us to say things that we would not normally say; we can say mean things because we would not be able to see their reaction. Even colleges are accepting applications through the internet because it is green and more efficient. Applicants would need to use the internet to fill out the applications and it is to an advantage for those who are less organized with paper. Even homework can be done online (Snyder's and Manley's); it saves paper and homework can be checked anytime. The internet not only allows you to connect with people anytime, it also allows you to disconnect anytime. In the song "I love my computer," the artist loves his computer because he can flirt with people on the internet and stop anytime. If he were to do it in person, he would have to come up with excuses that allowed him to escape from those he did not want to be with. But doing it on the internet, he does not have to deal with the consequences or the aftermath; he is able to connect "in the most soul-less way." Computers allow us to play MMOPRG; we can play any role we wish and do things we cannot in real life. When we want to disembody ourselves and immerse ourselves into someone else, we can entertain ourselves by casting magic on our screens. Even Wiis allow us to do something nice for our body by exercising and having fun at the same time. We get the best of both worlds because we are actually interacting with the pictures on the screen. People at work use computers to optimize the amount of work (for example, sending out a note) in a short amount of time. With email, people can receive messages faster than the traditional snail mail and they do not have to pay the postal office. Our technological advancements allow laptops to be created so people are not stuck at their computer desks with back pains. With laptops, Jakob (I, too) can chat and watch videos comfortably in our individual beds until we lull ourselves to sleep. In Feed, the corporations wanted to create air faster so trees were cut down to make air factories since air factories can produce air at a higher rate than trees. Digital representational devices make life a lot easier if we ever want to talk to someone instantly using a cell phone.
Efficiency sooner or later will cause us to become lazy. In Wall-E, people sit in portable chairs; they do not have to walk anywhere or even notice they are moving. They can be chatting on their screens all day without getting lost because the computer is wired to know exactly where people want to go. People in the movie are bigger than the standard size and we see robots carry their drinks for them. They do not need to get out of their chairs to pick up their food because the robots will deliver it to them. Whenever they want shade, they just have to clap their hands and say "shade", the shade will come in two seconds. Because of these luxurious services, the people in the movie are discouraged to exercise and encouraged to chat all day. I interviewed my friend about IM-ing someone in the next room and she said that people who do so are either lazy, feels uncomfortable communicating directly, or they want to avoid situations that happen when communicating in person. Definitely, people are lazy; I get tired of getting up every five minutes to walk to the next room to talk for a minute and then go back to where I was. I also agree with her other two points; I personally find it easier to talk on AIM because I know people’s emotions will not get to me through AIM. If I know what I say will get the other person mad, I would hold my thoughts until I sign on AIM so when they get mad, I will not become their punching bag. In Feed Titus just wanted to know what Violet’s father was talking about and the father kept telling Titus to learn the meaning. We see that Titus was brought up not to learn or process the information, but to ask their feed for it. Similarly, Snyder’s theory #3 is that we are encouraged to google things we do not know simply because we just want the information and regurgitate it. We do not want to go through all the trouble to go to the library, pull out books, and put the pieces together to find the answer. With the internet, we can easily google the question and google will tell us the answer. Digital representational devices are discouraging us to exercise our motor muscles and our muscles in our brain.
Another book that this addiction is demonstrated in is Uglies by Scott Westerfeld. At age sixteen, teenagers like Tally Youngblood go through an operation that makes them pretty. But what the Special’s intention is to install a chip in brain so they can track every citizen in the society. Tally wanted to conform and go through the operation until she met someone who knew the secret behind the operation. Similarly in Feed, the corporations were tracking Titus and everyone in the society and they all wanted the feed to connect through the feed. Corporations in this world advertise products and test how many we are willing to buy. Because we like to connect and conform, we fall for their trap and buy their products.
Johnson says that the internet contains a lot of information and that whenever we need to know something, we could always rely on the internet. The internet teaches us how to work with applications and communicate with people in other parts of the world. We are always hunched over our computers, eager to learn what the internet has to offer us. Again, the internet is just discouraging us to think and encouraging us to google. When we hunch over our computer screens, we disconnect from our physical body and forget all about our physical needs. We sometimes forget to use the bathroom or we might even starve ourselves because we are so hooked onto the computer. Johnson always emphasizes how the internet helps us communicate with a group of friends but are we authentically connecting with them. We should not satisfy our need for attention or to connect using digital representational devices.
After knowing what happened in Feed, Wall-E, and Uglies, no one wants to continue to be addicted to digital representational devices. In Feed, Violet becomes dysfunctional due to malfunction of her feed and Titus becomes distressed. As we continue to use digital representational devices, we learn to rely on them and when all technology fails, we are dragged down along with it. People in Wall-E lack exercise and if we let digital representational devices to spoil us, we would not have to get up to get our food or send a message. The internet is the corporation’s space and as we surf through the web, we constantly see advertisements. We stop to take notice of the advertisements and end up buying the product; that is how corporations make money off of us. Because of our need to communicate, the efficiency of DRDs, and the encouragement to be lazy, we allow ourselves to become addicted to DRDs.
We live in a world full of technology and digital representational devices - digital devices that represent an aspect of the world. Why, do we choose to allow ourselves to be hooked onto these devices instead of going out into the world and interacting with nature? Humans have this need for attention and to connect with others while we are surrounded by walls at home. I go on AIM everyday because there is never enough time to talk with them during the day and I find myself checking facebook updates. Another reason why digital representational devices are so addicting is that they are convenient. If we ever need to find someone, all we have to do is dial their cellphone number to be connected instantly. And for people who are uncomfortable communicating directly can make themselves comfortable by communicating through the internet. The internet allows students taking Snyder's or Manley's class to do their homework on blogger so students cannot use the excuse "I lost my homework" or "I left it at home."We can even escape from being ourselves by playing massive multiplayer online role playing games (MMORPG). Technology is sufficient to create portable computers (laptops) so that we are not tied to our desks. Digital representational devices are great assets to our lives that we become addicted to them.
We use digital representational devices to feel as if we are important. When I am on AIM, my friends and I are exchanging information about life. It is as if we are saying “ooh, listen to me talk about my day because I need someone to hear me out.” Like Henry said, we feel popular when we see a number of people chatting with us on the internet. And when we do not want to talk to someone, we often try to dismiss the person with “lol” or “rofl.” People say it so often that it is hard to believe what they are laughing out loud. It is times like this when the phrase laugh out loud loses its meaning and becomes a phrase tat is used when nothing else can be said. In a short period of time, we can update people and it feels as if someone was there to care about your day. Even on Facebook, we have statuses so people can get an inside scoop on our life. Whenever someone changes their status, uploads a photo, or writes on someone else’s wall, all their friends would be notified. It is as if we are stalking people, finding a mutual interest to talk about on facebook and letting everyone else on your friends list know. AIM 7.0 is biting Facebook and has the same features, where we can comment on their statuses to show that we care or "like" the statuses. If we see someone comment or “like” the status, then we know that they have read the status, understood it, and then you feel connected to them.
Sometimes people just talk so that they can feel connected with others. Lauren was texting in social studies class during the first day of school and had a casual conversation that went like this:
“How was your first day of school?”
“Whack.”
“Me too.”
It was a casual conversation but it seems like we need to have a casual conversation. Casual conversations help us keep in contact instantly and we are able to feel significant. The feed allows Titus to watch Violet's feed efficiency so he is updated on how Violet is doing. Titus is literally connected to Violet through his feed which is connected to Violet’s feed; allowing Titus to track her feed status. People like to take pictures, capture moments but some people do it A LOT; in Michelle's post, they are called "camera whores." Once the picture is taken, we can look back on the pictures and reminisce; connecting with the photo and remembering the good times. Whether we do it through the internet, the phone, or using cameras, we are always tying to connect with people.
DRDs are efficient. I interviewed a mom on the street and she told me that she would get her son a cellphone because they needed to keep in contact. Cellphones allow us to keep in contact so moms can find their kids and kids can let moms know they are safe. Computers, IMs, and the internet allow people to feel more comfortable because there is a computer between the chatters (people like me). There is a computer in between the people chatting, making the conversation “less real” and us comfortable. This comfort causes us to say things that we would not normally say; we can say mean things because we would not be able to see their reaction. Even colleges are accepting applications through the internet because it is green and more efficient. Applicants would need to use the internet to fill out the applications and it is to an advantage for those who are less organized with paper. Even homework can be done online (Snyder's and Manley's); it saves paper and homework can be checked anytime. The internet not only allows you to connect with people anytime, it also allows you to disconnect anytime. In the song "I love my computer," the artist loves his computer because he can flirt with people on the internet and stop anytime. If he were to do it in person, he would have to come up with excuses that allowed him to escape from those he did not want to be with. But doing it on the internet, he does not have to deal with the consequences or the aftermath; he is able to connect "in the most soul-less way." Computers allow us to play MMOPRG; we can play any role we wish and do things we cannot in real life. When we want to disembody ourselves and immerse ourselves into someone else, we can entertain ourselves by casting magic on our screens. Even Wiis allow us to do something nice for our body by exercising and having fun at the same time. We get the best of both worlds because we are actually interacting with the pictures on the screen. People at work use computers to optimize the amount of work (for example, sending out a note) in a short amount of time. With email, people can receive messages faster than the traditional snail mail and they do not have to pay the postal office. Our technological advancements allow laptops to be created so people are not stuck at their computer desks with back pains. With laptops, Jakob (I, too) can chat and watch videos comfortably in our individual beds until we lull ourselves to sleep. In Feed, the corporations wanted to create air faster so trees were cut down to make air factories since air factories can produce air at a higher rate than trees. Digital representational devices make life a lot easier if we ever want to talk to someone instantly using a cell phone.
Efficiency sooner or later will cause us to become lazy. In Wall-E, people sit in portable chairs; they do not have to walk anywhere or even notice they are moving. They can be chatting on their screens all day without getting lost because the computer is wired to know exactly where people want to go. People in the movie are bigger than the standard size and we see robots carry their drinks for them. They do not need to get out of their chairs to pick up their food because the robots will deliver it to them. Whenever they want shade, they just have to clap their hands and say "shade", the shade will come in two seconds. Because of these luxurious services, the people in the movie are discouraged to exercise and encouraged to chat all day. I interviewed my friend about IM-ing someone in the next room and she said that people who do so are either lazy, feels uncomfortable communicating directly, or they want to avoid situations that happen when communicating in person. Definitely, people are lazy; I get tired of getting up every five minutes to walk to the next room to talk for a minute and then go back to where I was. I also agree with her other two points; I personally find it easier to talk on AIM because I know people’s emotions will not get to me through AIM. If I know what I say will get the other person mad, I would hold my thoughts until I sign on AIM so when they get mad, I will not become their punching bag. In Feed Titus just wanted to know what Violet’s father was talking about and the father kept telling Titus to learn the meaning. We see that Titus was brought up not to learn or process the information, but to ask their feed for it. Similarly, Snyder’s theory #3 is that we are encouraged to google things we do not know simply because we just want the information and regurgitate it. We do not want to go through all the trouble to go to the library, pull out books, and put the pieces together to find the answer. With the internet, we can easily google the question and google will tell us the answer. Digital representational devices are discouraging us to exercise our motor muscles and our muscles in our brain.
Another book that this addiction is demonstrated in is Uglies by Scott Westerfeld. At age sixteen, teenagers like Tally Youngblood go through an operation that makes them pretty. But what the Special’s intention is to install a chip in brain so they can track every citizen in the society. Tally wanted to conform and go through the operation until she met someone who knew the secret behind the operation. Similarly in Feed, the corporations were tracking Titus and everyone in the society and they all wanted the feed to connect through the feed. Corporations in this world advertise products and test how many we are willing to buy. Because we like to connect and conform, we fall for their trap and buy their products.
Johnson says that the internet contains a lot of information and that whenever we need to know something, we could always rely on the internet. The internet teaches us how to work with applications and communicate with people in other parts of the world. We are always hunched over our computers, eager to learn what the internet has to offer us. Again, the internet is just discouraging us to think and encouraging us to google. When we hunch over our computer screens, we disconnect from our physical body and forget all about our physical needs. We sometimes forget to use the bathroom or we might even starve ourselves because we are so hooked onto the computer. Johnson always emphasizes how the internet helps us communicate with a group of friends but are we authentically connecting with them. We should not satisfy our need for attention or to connect using digital representational devices.
After knowing what happened in Feed, Wall-E, and Uglies, no one wants to continue to be addicted to digital representational devices. In Feed, Violet becomes dysfunctional due to malfunction of her feed and Titus becomes distressed. As we continue to use digital representational devices, we learn to rely on them and when all technology fails, we are dragged down along with it. People in Wall-E lack exercise and if we let digital representational devices to spoil us, we would not have to get up to get our food or send a message. The internet is the corporation’s space and as we surf through the web, we constantly see advertisements. We stop to take notice of the advertisements and end up buying the product; that is how corporations make money off of us. Because of our need to communicate, the efficiency of DRDs, and the encouragement to be lazy, we allow ourselves to become addicted to DRDs.
Monday, November 2, 2009
Online Suggestions
Henry:
Do you have a source for the numbers in your first paragraph? I think that it is a good evidence to have for your paper.
What I got from the first paragraph is that most American teenagers have a facebook and most of them use it on a daily basis. Facebook allows people to communicate through instant messaging, quizzes, and notes. Conversations on facebook take longer than direct conversations so people feel as if they are still connecting even when they are not talking.
You say that people have cellphones so they can connect and find people. Then you go into texts and how people do it in school, from one classroom to another. Even outside of school, people use texts instead of calls. I would suggest you broaden your paragraph and talk about cellphones and you can also talk about texting in your paragraph. Otherwise, I would find another example that shows addiction to texting, like the lecture on 9/9 I think, when Lauren was texting and it was only a casual conversation.
You did a nice job explaining your evidence but it was only one evidence. You need more evidence showing the addictiveness of video games. Maybe bring Johnson into your paper.
Kate:
Cut: "This mass trash epidemic had caused the total evacuation of human kind" and "The cruise was supposed to be up to 5 years but wound up being around 500 years."
Even the older generations know nothing of what is outside of their screens.
The most anyone would do being active is to (can talk about wii) play video games and even those have you staring at a screen being passive.
In your first paragraph, you say that people are so stuck onto the screen that they do not notice the world outside the screen. Examples you used are the captain who did not know what a plant was, he did not know how to read "manual," and even we are inserting ipods into ourselves; closing out our connection to nature.
I thought of an opposing pov for you but I don't know if it'll work. You say that everything on screen is fake but I can argue that unlike some applications (AIM, facebook), webcams are more "real."
I don't know if you think that you have developed enough evidence in your second paragraph but if not, I would suggest talking about Feed and m-chat, etc.
I actually don't know what your last paragraph is going to be about. You have 3 separate paragraphs at the end and it all seem to support your arguments you have already mentioned. Your second to last paragraph could be evidence for your nature argument.
You could talk about how corporations are brainwashing us for your third argument. You already talk about how it is seen in Feed, you could talk about how it applies to your life.
Do you have a source for the numbers in your first paragraph? I think that it is a good evidence to have for your paper.
What I got from the first paragraph is that most American teenagers have a facebook and most of them use it on a daily basis. Facebook allows people to communicate through instant messaging, quizzes, and notes. Conversations on facebook take longer than direct conversations so people feel as if they are still connecting even when they are not talking.
You say that people have cellphones so they can connect and find people. Then you go into texts and how people do it in school, from one classroom to another. Even outside of school, people use texts instead of calls. I would suggest you broaden your paragraph and talk about cellphones and you can also talk about texting in your paragraph. Otherwise, I would find another example that shows addiction to texting, like the lecture on 9/9 I think, when Lauren was texting and it was only a casual conversation.
You did a nice job explaining your evidence but it was only one evidence. You need more evidence showing the addictiveness of video games. Maybe bring Johnson into your paper.
Kate:
Cut: "This mass trash epidemic had caused the total evacuation of human kind" and "The cruise was supposed to be up to 5 years but wound up being around 500 years."
Even the older generations know nothing of what is outside of their screens.
The most anyone would do being active is to (can talk about wii) play video games and even those have you staring at a screen being passive.
In your first paragraph, you say that people are so stuck onto the screen that they do not notice the world outside the screen. Examples you used are the captain who did not know what a plant was, he did not know how to read "manual," and even we are inserting ipods into ourselves; closing out our connection to nature.
I thought of an opposing pov for you but I don't know if it'll work. You say that everything on screen is fake but I can argue that unlike some applications (AIM, facebook), webcams are more "real."
I don't know if you think that you have developed enough evidence in your second paragraph but if not, I would suggest talking about Feed and m-chat, etc.
I actually don't know what your last paragraph is going to be about. You have 3 separate paragraphs at the end and it all seem to support your arguments you have already mentioned. Your second to last paragraph could be evidence for your nature argument.
You could talk about how corporations are brainwashing us for your third argument. You already talk about how it is seen in Feed, you could talk about how it applies to your life.
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Big Papper Outline 1
Thesis: DRDs are addicting. Carrie is "married to her phone." Henry thinks that Facebook is not a drug for him but to others, it is.
An aspect of DRDs people use to get attention or to give people attention is the internet through computers. From personal experience, I use AIM because I want to be updated from friends and it is the best way for me to keep in contact with them while I am barricaded at home. Why AIM and not phone? Maybe it is 'cause I have trouble communicating with others through phone and AIM allows me to hide behind the screen. I know that Facebook is boring and stupid but I find myself going on Facebook to get updates from friends. Lauren had a casual conversation one day and we were wondering why we like to have casual conversations. We thought that casual conversations help us keep in contact instantly and we are able to feel significant from causal conversations. In a short period of time, we can update people and it feels as if someone was there to care about your day. Even on Facebook, we have statuses so people can get an inside scoop on our life. AIM 7.0 is biting Facebook and has the same features, where we can comment on their statuses to show that we care or "like" the statuses. The feed allows Titus to watch Violet's feed efficiency so he is updated on how Violet is doing. People like to take pictures, capture moments but some people do it A LOT; in Michelle's post, they are called "camera whores."
DRDs are efficient. Cellphones, for example, allow us to keep in contact so moms can find their kids and kids can let moms know they are safe (Interview). Yu-Xi said that computers, IMs, and the internet allow people to feel more comfortable because there is a computer between the chatters (people like me). This comfort cause us to say things that we would not normally say; we can say mean things because we would not be able to see their reaction. Colleges and Universities are going green and they are accepting applications online so applicants would need to use the internet to fill out the applications. Even homework can be done online (Snyder's and Manley's); it saves paper and homework can be checked anytime. In the song "I love my computer," the artist loves his computer because he can flirt with people on the internet and stop anytime. He does not have to deal with the consequences or the aftermath; he is able to connect "in the most soul-less way." Computers allow us to play MMOPRG; we can play any role we wish and do things we cannot in real life. Even Wiis allow us to exercise and have fun at the same time. Laptops are made so people are not stuck at their computer desks with back pains; they can settle comfortably in bed. People at work use computer to optimize the amount of work (for example, sending out a note) in a short amount of time. In Feed, trees were cut down to make air factories because air factories can produce air at a higher rate than trees.
Efficiency sooner or later will cause us to become lazy. In Wall-E, people sit in portable chairs; they do not have to walk anywhere or even notice they are moving, the computer knows where they want to go. People in the movie are bigger than the standard size and we see robots carry their drinks for them, they do not need to get out of their chairs. Whenever they want shade, they just have to clap their hands and say "shade", the shade will come in two seconds. I interviewed my friend about IM-ing someone in the room next to yours and she said that people are either lazy, feels uncomfortable communicating directly, or they want to avoid situations that happen when communicating in person. Snyder points out that we are encouraged to google things we do not know; we just want the information and regurgitates it. This is seen in Feed, too; they just want the information, not to learn or process it.
Conclusion: DRDs are addicting because they allow us to seek and provide attention. They are efficient and this efficiency inevitably causes a universal laziness in our society.
An aspect of DRDs people use to get attention or to give people attention is the internet through computers. From personal experience, I use AIM because I want to be updated from friends and it is the best way for me to keep in contact with them while I am barricaded at home. Why AIM and not phone? Maybe it is 'cause I have trouble communicating with others through phone and AIM allows me to hide behind the screen. I know that Facebook is boring and stupid but I find myself going on Facebook to get updates from friends. Lauren had a casual conversation one day and we were wondering why we like to have casual conversations. We thought that casual conversations help us keep in contact instantly and we are able to feel significant from causal conversations. In a short period of time, we can update people and it feels as if someone was there to care about your day. Even on Facebook, we have statuses so people can get an inside scoop on our life. AIM 7.0 is biting Facebook and has the same features, where we can comment on their statuses to show that we care or "like" the statuses. The feed allows Titus to watch Violet's feed efficiency so he is updated on how Violet is doing. People like to take pictures, capture moments but some people do it A LOT; in Michelle's post, they are called "camera whores."
DRDs are efficient. Cellphones, for example, allow us to keep in contact so moms can find their kids and kids can let moms know they are safe (Interview). Yu-Xi said that computers, IMs, and the internet allow people to feel more comfortable because there is a computer between the chatters (people like me). This comfort cause us to say things that we would not normally say; we can say mean things because we would not be able to see their reaction. Colleges and Universities are going green and they are accepting applications online so applicants would need to use the internet to fill out the applications. Even homework can be done online (Snyder's and Manley's); it saves paper and homework can be checked anytime. In the song "I love my computer," the artist loves his computer because he can flirt with people on the internet and stop anytime. He does not have to deal with the consequences or the aftermath; he is able to connect "in the most soul-less way." Computers allow us to play MMOPRG; we can play any role we wish and do things we cannot in real life. Even Wiis allow us to exercise and have fun at the same time. Laptops are made so people are not stuck at their computer desks with back pains; they can settle comfortably in bed. People at work use computer to optimize the amount of work (for example, sending out a note) in a short amount of time. In Feed, trees were cut down to make air factories because air factories can produce air at a higher rate than trees.
Efficiency sooner or later will cause us to become lazy. In Wall-E, people sit in portable chairs; they do not have to walk anywhere or even notice they are moving, the computer knows where they want to go. People in the movie are bigger than the standard size and we see robots carry their drinks for them, they do not need to get out of their chairs. Whenever they want shade, they just have to clap their hands and say "shade", the shade will come in two seconds. I interviewed my friend about IM-ing someone in the room next to yours and she said that people are either lazy, feels uncomfortable communicating directly, or they want to avoid situations that happen when communicating in person. Snyder points out that we are encouraged to google things we do not know; we just want the information and regurgitates it. This is seen in Feed, too; they just want the information, not to learn or process it.
Conclusion: DRDs are addicting because they allow us to seek and provide attention. They are efficient and this efficiency inevitably causes a universal laziness in our society.
Monday, October 26, 2009
HW 15
Henry:
I appreciate your short summary, whereas mine was long and boring.
Johnson sees video games, TV, and the internet as opportunities to learn and improve skills constantly used in life. You believe that blood and violence fit into the mood of some games; you would not see details about the violence in words in games like Halo. It is actually nice to listen to a different view on the digital world, especially if that view is not criticizing the digital world. Johnson sees digital devices as a positive contribution to society while Feed bums down the idea of digital devices. Anderson forces us to rebel against corporations by using less digital devices while Johnson just educates us about the good stuff of these devices.
You say that books do not encompass all the other mediums but I think that picture books are a great way for kids to learn. Kids can read a sentence and look at the picture to figure out what the sentence means. I don’t know if you would say that it is the best medium but I am just saying books do incorporate other mediums.
While your post was a great summary, I feel that it does not incorporate your feelings and does not spark any new ideas. I would like to know how this excerpt has affected you.
Your experiment reminded me of my experiment to test whether music distract people from what they are supposed to be doing. While we think that music is supposed to distract us from doing our work, my experiment found that music has no affect on our study habits. But my experiment should not be enough to make any conclusions. IT seems, from yur experiment, that multitasking did not work that well for you. What does that say about what Johnson said about multitasking to train our muscles? Do you think it worked for you or did you not do enough of it?
Please comment back so we can raise new insights.
Jacob:
Good point about the subconscious and conscious categories. But I think increasing your AQ by watching TV is also unconscious; we do not notice our social skills getting better.
Johnson's purpose was to disprove assumptions made by people who have more faith in books than video games. He argues that video games, TV, and the internet play a part in our intellectual development. Video games help us think logically using to-do lists. TV improve our social intelligence and forces us to think about relationships. Lastly, the internet holds a large amount of information which can be accessed easily.
Johnson and I agree with you that we are pretty superficial. He says that multitasking is a good skill but it does not allow us to think deeply about what we do. Like as I am doing homework and chatting on AIM, I am not really digging into the information from the homework.
I think Johnson's argument about video games makes sense. Before books would exist, people would look at video games and see them as educational because it trains the muscle in the brain. Then when books are enter the world, people would see it as a bad thing because reading isolates one into the book. I can also see your point of view though; video games and the internet are illegitimate methods to interact. People who read books are those tend to do more community service (the book?), allowing them to actually interact with flesh and blood rather than through DRDs.
I appreciate your short summary, whereas mine was long and boring.
Johnson sees video games, TV, and the internet as opportunities to learn and improve skills constantly used in life. You believe that blood and violence fit into the mood of some games; you would not see details about the violence in words in games like Halo. It is actually nice to listen to a different view on the digital world, especially if that view is not criticizing the digital world. Johnson sees digital devices as a positive contribution to society while Feed bums down the idea of digital devices. Anderson forces us to rebel against corporations by using less digital devices while Johnson just educates us about the good stuff of these devices.
You say that books do not encompass all the other mediums but I think that picture books are a great way for kids to learn. Kids can read a sentence and look at the picture to figure out what the sentence means. I don’t know if you would say that it is the best medium but I am just saying books do incorporate other mediums.
While your post was a great summary, I feel that it does not incorporate your feelings and does not spark any new ideas. I would like to know how this excerpt has affected you.
Your experiment reminded me of my experiment to test whether music distract people from what they are supposed to be doing. While we think that music is supposed to distract us from doing our work, my experiment found that music has no affect on our study habits. But my experiment should not be enough to make any conclusions. IT seems, from yur experiment, that multitasking did not work that well for you. What does that say about what Johnson said about multitasking to train our muscles? Do you think it worked for you or did you not do enough of it?
Please comment back so we can raise new insights.
Jacob:
Good point about the subconscious and conscious categories. But I think increasing your AQ by watching TV is also unconscious; we do not notice our social skills getting better.
Johnson's purpose was to disprove assumptions made by people who have more faith in books than video games. He argues that video games, TV, and the internet play a part in our intellectual development. Video games help us think logically using to-do lists. TV improve our social intelligence and forces us to think about relationships. Lastly, the internet holds a large amount of information which can be accessed easily.
Johnson and I agree with you that we are pretty superficial. He says that multitasking is a good skill but it does not allow us to think deeply about what we do. Like as I am doing homework and chatting on AIM, I am not really digging into the information from the homework.
I think Johnson's argument about video games makes sense. Before books would exist, people would look at video games and see them as educational because it trains the muscle in the brain. Then when books are enter the world, people would see it as a bad thing because reading isolates one into the book. I can also see your point of view though; video games and the internet are illegitimate methods to interact. People who read books are those tend to do more community service (the book?), allowing them to actually interact with flesh and blood rather than through DRDs.
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Second Text
Johnson starts off by giving us the typical view on the bad side on things like our food. Then he gives us the typical view on what people think of books vs. video games. Obviously, people say that kids should be spending time reading books rather than spending time playing video games. Statistically, the number of people who read books for pleasure has been declining. People think that video games is a worse option compare to reading books and Johnson thinks that this is because books came before video games. First, people think highly of books so when video games are invented, people see this opposition as a bad thing. Johnson proposed a theory that if video games were invented before books and video games were thought of as a good thing, then by the time books are wide spread, books would be seen as a bad thing. Video games and books each have their pros. Books convey messages and make the brain work to process and to retain information conveyed from the books. Our ability to pay attention and memorize the story line is becoming more of a challenge for us. On the other hand, video games help us develop a different mental skill that is as significant as the skills we obtain from reading books. Video games may not be entirely a bad thing. What is heard and seen about video games is different than actually experiencing playing the video game. Video games are hard to complete; their virtual tasks are more closely related to chores rather than an entertainment. People have to end up spending their wallet on walkthroughs to guide them through the games. Johnson makes a comparison between walkthroughs and cliffnotes; stating that they are essentially the same thing. He brings up the questions “why would anyone want to constantly play games that irritate them to a point where they have to buy walkthroughs” and “why are complicated games so fun?” He talks about how his 7-year-old nephew learned something from SimCity 2000 and this makes him wonder “why kids learn better from video games rather than from their class.” The answer has to do with how the video games capture kids’ attention. Video games trigger the brain’s reward circuitry, making people happy. If there is no stimulus triggering the reward circuitry, dopamine level drops and people get disappointed. There are a lot of rewards in video games; they force you to unlock rewards after rewards. People tend to want what they don’t already have or what is not yet there so it motivates them to do what is necessary to reward themselves. The rewards are what keep the kids into the screens. Video games force you to make decisions, to learn the rules that are not given to you, and to find the way around the rules. Johnson calls this probing; he says that you have to probe to progress in the game. Probing forces gamers to create a to-do-list naturally, creating stepping stones throughout the game. Johnson introduces another word; telescoping is when gamers keep their ultimate goal in mind while solving the smaller obstacles. He reminds us that telescoping and multitasking are not the same thing. In telescoping, the obstacles are connected to the ultimate goal while in multitasking, the actions are not. Johnson thinks that solving challenging games are more fun than just reading for fun.
Johnson believes that there is a difference between intelligent shows and shows that force you to be intelligent. TV’s complexity is composed of multiple threading, flashing arrows, and social network. Starsky and Hutch has one thread leading to the plot, Hill Street Blue has more than one thread leading to the plot, and The Sopranos have more than one plot. TV shows like The Sopranos train viewers to juggle more than one plot. Flashing arrows are also known as the hints to the plot. More arrows equate to less analytical thinking. TVs capture viewers by leaving out flashing arrows so the viewers can do the thinking and fill in the details. Reality shows force social interactions among contestants, the audience, and the viewers. Whether you are on the show or watching the show, TV tests and improves your AQ. TVs are a great source getting to know someone emotionally. Johnson uses Nixon as an example to prove the power of TVs. TV forces us to practice keeping track of the multiple relationships going on on shows; the more we do so, the more our neurons fire and we become more skilled in keeping track of multiple ideas. Lastly, Johnson talks about the internet. The internet contains a vast amount of information and welcomes us to access them. The internet allows us to learn how to operate computers and to socially interact with a broader group of people. Johnson sees us hunching over our computers as our eagerness to learn the information the internet has to offer. He thinks it is better for people to write about themselves rather than watch other people live their lives. As we write articles on the internet and IM with other people, we are learning how to work with the applications. The internet allows us to connect with more people and exchange more ideas.
I feel that Johnson sometimes contradicts himself and he knows it. In the beginning, he says that video games are better than TVs because video games cause you to be active while TVs cause you to be passive. Then he talks about the pros of TV. Towards the end, he contradicts those pros by saying that we are better off writing about our lives on the internet instead of passively watching TV. It is not a bad thing, but it gets confusing when you are trying to figure out what is worth doing and what is not.
The excerpt ends the internet section on a good note. Johnson says that the internet is a great development because we are able to connect through a large group of people. Without the internet, we are limited to interacting with people in the room. Johnson speaks highly of the internet, knowing the insecurity of the internet. He constantly says that we are able to socially interact with people and it reminds me what we already discussed. Are we really connecting with other people? Connecting through the internet leaves out our voice, our tone in the conversation.
Anderson sees that m-chatting are depriving us from human face to face interactions. And even if two characters are able to see each other, they still use m-chat to avoid any unwanted feelings; like the time when Violet and Titus did not want their conversations to be awkward, so they decided to use m-chat. Johnson does not address this point but he thinks that electronic chatting allow us to reach someone that we cannot reach without the internet. We are able share ideas with people on the other side of the word through the internet. Anderson view the internet as a downfall while Johnson view it as an asset to interacting socially.
Johnson believes that there is a difference between intelligent shows and shows that force you to be intelligent. TV’s complexity is composed of multiple threading, flashing arrows, and social network. Starsky and Hutch has one thread leading to the plot, Hill Street Blue has more than one thread leading to the plot, and The Sopranos have more than one plot. TV shows like The Sopranos train viewers to juggle more than one plot. Flashing arrows are also known as the hints to the plot. More arrows equate to less analytical thinking. TVs capture viewers by leaving out flashing arrows so the viewers can do the thinking and fill in the details. Reality shows force social interactions among contestants, the audience, and the viewers. Whether you are on the show or watching the show, TV tests and improves your AQ. TVs are a great source getting to know someone emotionally. Johnson uses Nixon as an example to prove the power of TVs. TV forces us to practice keeping track of the multiple relationships going on on shows; the more we do so, the more our neurons fire and we become more skilled in keeping track of multiple ideas. Lastly, Johnson talks about the internet. The internet contains a vast amount of information and welcomes us to access them. The internet allows us to learn how to operate computers and to socially interact with a broader group of people. Johnson sees us hunching over our computers as our eagerness to learn the information the internet has to offer. He thinks it is better for people to write about themselves rather than watch other people live their lives. As we write articles on the internet and IM with other people, we are learning how to work with the applications. The internet allows us to connect with more people and exchange more ideas.
I feel that Johnson sometimes contradicts himself and he knows it. In the beginning, he says that video games are better than TVs because video games cause you to be active while TVs cause you to be passive. Then he talks about the pros of TV. Towards the end, he contradicts those pros by saying that we are better off writing about our lives on the internet instead of passively watching TV. It is not a bad thing, but it gets confusing when you are trying to figure out what is worth doing and what is not.
The excerpt ends the internet section on a good note. Johnson says that the internet is a great development because we are able to connect through a large group of people. Without the internet, we are limited to interacting with people in the room. Johnson speaks highly of the internet, knowing the insecurity of the internet. He constantly says that we are able to socially interact with people and it reminds me what we already discussed. Are we really connecting with other people? Connecting through the internet leaves out our voice, our tone in the conversation.
Anderson sees that m-chatting are depriving us from human face to face interactions. And even if two characters are able to see each other, they still use m-chat to avoid any unwanted feelings; like the time when Violet and Titus did not want their conversations to be awkward, so they decided to use m-chat. Johnson does not address this point but he thinks that electronic chatting allow us to reach someone that we cannot reach without the internet. We are able share ideas with people on the other side of the word through the internet. Anderson view the internet as a downfall while Johnson view it as an asset to interacting socially.
Monday, October 19, 2009
Feed B
I think Anderson's use of allegory was excellent; using the feed to portray that we are always connected to digital devices. Anderson compares instant messenger or text to m-chat; in the book, we see characters m-chatting even when they are next to each other. I think that Anderson's message is that we use digital chatting devices to avoid tensions in the atmosphere, like characters did in the book. Anderson's use of tragedy creates a mood for readers, knowing death will approach if the use of digital devices continues. This scares the readers and forces them to reconsider the ways they are using digital devices. I feel that his use of special and self-aware narrator is not as effective as an ignorant narrator. If the narrator continues to be ignorant, I think the narrator will represent more of the population of digital users and maybe... just maybe, it will have more of an impact on the readers. I don't think that emphasizing problems and not proposing solutions is the way to go but I am starting to think that Andy has a point. Using digital devices is inevitable when digital devices are becoming more efficient. Just when I decided to cut down on using the computer and learn the stupid side of facebook, I find myself on facebook more often. I want to spend less time on the computer but it is hard to do when homework is done on the computer; I would have to spend more time on the computer, reading people's blog and coming up with insights. Maybe there is no solution to this digital era and the use of digital devices will continue to increase. I think that this book is targeted at a general audience; everyone needs to be aware of the downfall of digital devices. Parents are saying that they will buy their kids laptops because everyone else is getting laptops. Kids and parents need to learn that the "hot" stuff are not always the good stuff and going with the flow is not necessarily a good thing. Feed is successful in the way that it does a good job describing the crisis we are in right now but is unsuccessful that the nothing is done about the crisis.
I believe that a mirror cannot be a hammer; if they are the same and a piece of art is reflecting the World, then the piece of art would only be reinforcing the World as it is. The World cannot be shaped any different as it is reflected. I think that Feed is a mirror; it is an allegory of the world today but I think it can be perceived as a hammer. If a reader is affected by the book and decides to take action on the crisis, then the book has been a hammer and has shaped the reader's actions. I would want my art to be a hammer, but it would probably turn out to be more of a mirror instead.
I believe that a mirror cannot be a hammer; if they are the same and a piece of art is reflecting the World, then the piece of art would only be reinforcing the World as it is. The World cannot be shaped any different as it is reflected. I think that Feed is a mirror; it is an allegory of the world today but I think it can be perceived as a hammer. If a reader is affected by the book and decides to take action on the crisis, then the book has been a hammer and has shaped the reader's actions. I would want my art to be a hammer, but it would probably turn out to be more of a mirror instead.
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Feed A
I remember talking briefly to Jacara about the book and she said that the allegory of the book is nothing like the world today. She said that we do not sound as stupid as the book makes us seem. But I can see M.T. Anderson's point of view. When I was reading the book, I noticed that the characters kept saying "like" and used a lot of slang. I got annoyed by the continuous use of the word "like" and it did make them sound stupid. Jacara and I agreed that m-chatting is similar to instant messaging and texting. <-- texting is not even a word in the dictionary.
We rely too much on technology to help us think. In the end of the book, Titus asks Violet's dad numerously to just tell him what "eloi" is. Similar to us, we want information immediately and just ask for the knowledge, the answer, without actually understanding the answer or learning the knowledge. We take the knowledge and regurgitate it (Snyder). When we have questions, we rely on Google to give us the answers when we type keywords into the search box.
I liked how Anderson used the feed in the brain as an allegory to our interaction with digital technology. It is as if communication devices are attached to us and when we need to use them, it is convenient. Titus and his friends use m-chat while we use instant messengers and texts. I also remember when Violet was able to track Titus's feed and Titus was able to watch Violet's feed efficiency. This is like facebook, myspace and/or twitter; we check people's facebook and myspace pages to see what they are up to and we follow people on twitter to stalk them.
[edits]
In the book, trees were cut down to make air factories because air factories were efficient in making air. Everything in the world is about efficiency; the world enters the industrial era because people industrialization increases efficiency in making profit. Even in the digital world, emails are used because they are faster at sending messages than postage mails. Facebook, twitter, and myspace are efficient because they allow you to stalk more people in less time. Texts are created to send messages when you cannot make phone calls in meetings or when you want too be sneaky in class.
The lesions can be seen as plastic surgeries in this world. Quendy and Calista went overboard with the lesions and people in this world go too far with plastic surgeries. The characters in the book got lesions for this one guy who was not even worth it. Both, the characters in the book and people in the world, get plastic surgery to just get attention.
Violet's dad got Violet a feed because everyone else had it. This reminds me of the woman I interviewed in the streets; she said that she was going to get her son a laptop because everyone else had one. People are living under the influence and always want the new stuff. In the book, the characters are notified of the new stuff through their feeds. I think this shows the obsession and bad habits we have in the consumption of new products. The same woman also said that she was going to get her son a cell phone because they needed to get into contact. Cell phones are great digital devices to make sure your family is safe but people get addicted with the texts.
We rely too much on technology to help us think. In the end of the book, Titus asks Violet's dad numerously to just tell him what "eloi" is. Similar to us, we want information immediately and just ask for the knowledge, the answer, without actually understanding the answer or learning the knowledge. We take the knowledge and regurgitate it (Snyder). When we have questions, we rely on Google to give us the answers when we type keywords into the search box.
I liked how Anderson used the feed in the brain as an allegory to our interaction with digital technology. It is as if communication devices are attached to us and when we need to use them, it is convenient. Titus and his friends use m-chat while we use instant messengers and texts. I also remember when Violet was able to track Titus's feed and Titus was able to watch Violet's feed efficiency. This is like facebook, myspace and/or twitter; we check people's facebook and myspace pages to see what they are up to and we follow people on twitter to stalk them.
[edits]
In the book, trees were cut down to make air factories because air factories were efficient in making air. Everything in the world is about efficiency; the world enters the industrial era because people industrialization increases efficiency in making profit. Even in the digital world, emails are used because they are faster at sending messages than postage mails. Facebook, twitter, and myspace are efficient because they allow you to stalk more people in less time. Texts are created to send messages when you cannot make phone calls in meetings or when you want too be sneaky in class.
The lesions can be seen as plastic surgeries in this world. Quendy and Calista went overboard with the lesions and people in this world go too far with plastic surgeries. The characters in the book got lesions for this one guy who was not even worth it. Both, the characters in the book and people in the world, get plastic surgery to just get attention.
Violet's dad got Violet a feed because everyone else had it. This reminds me of the woman I interviewed in the streets; she said that she was going to get her son a laptop because everyone else had one. People are living under the influence and always want the new stuff. In the book, the characters are notified of the new stuff through their feeds. I think this shows the obsession and bad habits we have in the consumption of new products. The same woman also said that she was going to get her son a cell phone because they needed to get into contact. Cell phones are great digital devices to make sure your family is safe but people get addicted with the texts.
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Self-Experiment 1
I have been trying to cut down the time I spend on the computer so I wait until 9PM to sign on AIM and expect to sign off at 10PM. But it always seems as if there is not enough time to finish what I have to do on the computer so I end up signing off at 11PM or 12PM. Sometimes, I feel that I need to be on AIM, to talk to friends, to connect with the outside world, so I cannot wait until 9PM. But particularly today, I was studying and I felt that time was passing by so slow, that I needed to start working on something else using the computer. When 9PM came, I did not feel like using the computer. Maybe it was the boredom from studying or something, but I felt tired going on the computer. I think that if I did not have to use the computer for HW, I would have spent less time or not have used the computer at all; I would have spent my time starting conversations with my mom or my little brother (maybe even studying some more) and actually be in the house mentally (not just physically) rather than connecting to something outside the world (the computer).
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Informal Research - Internet
- Secret Service Probing Obama Assassination Poll on Facebook
- How much electricity does my stuff use?
- Radiation Scare from Mobile Phones
What happened to Freedom of Speech? This guy just said something, even though it was offensive, but I thought he had the right to say these things. If he (or she) is going to be put on trial for saying something, what does that say about our country and the First Amendment? Now, if we were to cut down half an hour of laptop a day, we would save 0.7kWh/mo., $0.13 a mo. and $1.56. Maybe we should cut down some more? That is enough to power a 42" ceiling fan on low, wouldn't you want to keep cool? I also noticed that a Nintendo Wii uses less power and costs less than any other video console. Best pick, you get to exercise while being sucked into the digital world. My sister used to tell me that cell phone radiations cause brain cancer. But now, we don't even know if it does. Scientific research are so untrustworthy.
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