Tuesday, December 6, 2011
Looking Back on It All
I have never done a blog before until this class. I even had little knowledge of what a blog was. The blog was something different than how traditional school work has been done so I thought that was a cool thing to do. I lets people have different ways to the same overall outcomes which is good. Some of the posts were a little confusing though. A little more direction and instruction would have helped in some cases, but only minor circumstances. I am pretty computer illiterate so for people like me more guidance on how to set one up and use one, especially with all the images and videos we were assigned, would have been helpful. Overall experience with the blog though is a good one and I enjoyed it as I became better equipped to handle it.
My Trips Around The World
Analysis of "Society is Dead: We Have Retreated into the iWorld"
In Andrew Sullivan’s article “Society is Dead: We Have Retreated into the iWorld” he cracks down the modern world and how we have become isolates. Sullivan comments own his journeys through New York and the change he has noticed. From when people used to talk to strangers and meet new people on a regular basis. But now with iPods and MP3s it has become a closed world to individuals. People don’t live how they used to and turn themselves off to the world around them.
I don’t know what world Sullivan grew up in, but how he describes the old norm is not what I have ever known. Unless you’re from a small town you wont ever talk to a stranger on a daily basis. I think with the spread of iPods and personal music players people now have an outlet during their commutes or a simple stroll around town. Music has a huge role in people’s lives and it’s a form of entertainment. If people have their headphones in, it’s a choice and something they want to do at that moment. If someone wants to meet someone or have a conversation with another person they will make an effort to make it happen.
Analysis of "The Dumbing of America"
According to Susan Jacoby, the author of “The Dumbing of America,” with the advancements in technology, Americans are actually becoming less intellectual. In Jacoby’s article that was published in the Washington Post, she states that with the rise of personal computers and web surfing, there has been a steep decrease in percentage of college students who read novels for pleasure. Her research even declared that in babies who watched videos there is a proven fact that it made them less developed the more they watched videos.
I think Jacoby was a little one sided in this article. To me she seems against the rise and advancements in technology. Her case with the study of college students can be argued a different way. Just because personal computers and the web have developed since when they first started the study, doesn’t mean this made the students not able to read the novels, but maybe it’s a choice. Some people like to do other things than just sit and read a book like the old days. In today’s world technology affects almost all of what we do. If she wants to prove that in this study college students became less intelligent, then they should do a study on the modern college student’s intellectualism and see if there’s a different compared to 1984.
Sunday, December 4, 2011
Review of Profiles of Generation M2
In the video “Profiles of Generation M2” produced by Renato Perez, three teenagers between the ages of 13 and 15 talk about their usage of modern media and technology. The amount of time they spend on computers, phones, texting and video games was quite surprising to me. Especially their ages and how they spend the majority of their time on the computer or playing video games even when they are doing homework didn’t exactly disturb me, but did shock me. For parents to allow this kind of behavior is alarming and makes me ponder on what future generations will be like.
When I was growing up the coolest video game was a Nintendo. Even with that as an option, growing up with 3 other brothers and a neighborhood full of kids our same ages, we still chose to play games outside. I think with the change of technology we are going to see laziness increase in the generations to come. It’s up to parents to urge their kids to step away from the screens and buttons, and drive them to play sports and physical activities.
Friday, November 25, 2011
Review of "Shooter"
The movie "Shooter" was directed by Antoine Fuqua and is a Paramount Pictures production that was produced in 2007.
I picked this movie because it is one of my favorite movies and no matter how many times I have seen it, I can always watch it at least one more time. It's just a cool movie that is action packed and actually has a pretty good story line that goes with it. It has an all star cast including Mark Wahlberg, Danny Glover, and Kate Mora.
The movie is about a sniper named Bob Lee Swagger, played by Mark Wahlberg, who is framed by a "mercenary" type company that he assassinated the Arch Bishop of Ethiopia here in the U.S. Swagger must jump through hoops to figure out why he is being set up and try to prove his innocence.
The big idea throughout the movie is that there is a lot of strings that are pulled behind the government curtain. There are numerous government officials that give off the sense that the government can't be trusted to certain extents and that it hirers these "shadowy organizations" to do things the government can't.
Everything about the movie's style I like. It's just an action packed thriller that always has something exciting happening next.
I would highly recommend this movie to anyone who likes action with a conspiracy twist similar to those of the Jason Bourne series.
I picked this movie because it is one of my favorite movies and no matter how many times I have seen it, I can always watch it at least one more time. It's just a cool movie that is action packed and actually has a pretty good story line that goes with it. It has an all star cast including Mark Wahlberg, Danny Glover, and Kate Mora.
The movie is about a sniper named Bob Lee Swagger, played by Mark Wahlberg, who is framed by a "mercenary" type company that he assassinated the Arch Bishop of Ethiopia here in the U.S. Swagger must jump through hoops to figure out why he is being set up and try to prove his innocence.
The big idea throughout the movie is that there is a lot of strings that are pulled behind the government curtain. There are numerous government officials that give off the sense that the government can't be trusted to certain extents and that it hirers these "shadowy organizations" to do things the government can't.
Everything about the movie's style I like. It's just an action packed thriller that always has something exciting happening next.
I would highly recommend this movie to anyone who likes action with a conspiracy twist similar to those of the Jason Bourne series.
Thursday, November 3, 2011
Dr. Flyswithhawks Lecture
Since I was absent on 26 October I can only comment on Dr. Flyswithhawks presentation.
Dr. Flyswithhawks is a very powerful speaker and obviously very educated. Her stories of growing up and the challenges that she faced were very surprising to me. Before hearing her and reading Reservation Blues, I had no idea that life on a reservation was like that. I could definitely tell she is very passionate about passing her knowledge on and her life stories. I got this feeling when she started to compare reservations and how Native Americans were put into them, to Adolf Hitler and what he did with the Jewish communities in Europe. Thats a comparison that you don't hear on a regular basis. The way Dr. Flyswithhawks presents herself and how she talks, I can tell that she seems to be a strong woman and determined to educate people on these events that are going on in our country. It really makes me ask the question, why do we spend so much money on foreign aid to other countries, when we should focus on fixing these poverty stricken reservations that our own country men and women have lived on for generations? After listening to Dr. Flyswithhawks, I have a whole new perspective on the Native American people and I am now aware of the fight they continue to struggle with day to day.
Reservation Blues by Sherman Alexie was a very interesting read. There is a strong message in the novel about reservations and the problems they face. His writing style is one that I found to be confusing at first, but once I caught on it was effective. The confusing part was when he skips around from situation to situation, but somehow he relates them eventually. The story line and everything was very interesting. All the characters had an important part throughout the novel which made me remain interested in every problem that every character faced because I wanted to see how it ended. Music and dreams are a huge part of the novel as well. The different dreams the characters had seemed to help explain what just happened or gave me insight on what to expect. Overall I thought the novel was very good and Sherman Alexie is a very powerful writer.
Dr. Flyswithhawks is a very powerful speaker and obviously very educated. Her stories of growing up and the challenges that she faced were very surprising to me. Before hearing her and reading Reservation Blues, I had no idea that life on a reservation was like that. I could definitely tell she is very passionate about passing her knowledge on and her life stories. I got this feeling when she started to compare reservations and how Native Americans were put into them, to Adolf Hitler and what he did with the Jewish communities in Europe. Thats a comparison that you don't hear on a regular basis. The way Dr. Flyswithhawks presents herself and how she talks, I can tell that she seems to be a strong woman and determined to educate people on these events that are going on in our country. It really makes me ask the question, why do we spend so much money on foreign aid to other countries, when we should focus on fixing these poverty stricken reservations that our own country men and women have lived on for generations? After listening to Dr. Flyswithhawks, I have a whole new perspective on the Native American people and I am now aware of the fight they continue to struggle with day to day.
Reservation Blues by Sherman Alexie was a very interesting read. There is a strong message in the novel about reservations and the problems they face. His writing style is one that I found to be confusing at first, but once I caught on it was effective. The confusing part was when he skips around from situation to situation, but somehow he relates them eventually. The story line and everything was very interesting. All the characters had an important part throughout the novel which made me remain interested in every problem that every character faced because I wanted to see how it ended. Music and dreams are a huge part of the novel as well. The different dreams the characters had seemed to help explain what just happened or gave me insight on what to expect. Overall I thought the novel was very good and Sherman Alexie is a very powerful writer.
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Ad Analysis
I chose the Kenneth Cole ad from The Contemporary Reader in between pages 100 and 101 to analyze. The ad has a man and woman pulling one another towards each other and we can assume are about to kiss. The ad is for men and women fragrances. We only know this because in the bottom right hand corner it tells us and has two little containers that when I first looked at it, didn't really know what they were. Something also unique about the ad is the man and woman are both in what seems to be undershirts, and I don't recall the last time I wore cologne only when I had an undershirt on.
With just that little evidence above we can state that the company is using sex to sell this product. On top of the symbol alone, the marketer put the slogan "WEAR ME OUT." From here we can say that the two were most likely out at a bar or social gathering and all because one of them at least were wearing the fragrance it attracted the other. So the company is telling the consumer to wear the fragrance, and you will attract the opposite sex. Based on the suspected age of the actor and actress, the target audience is most likely young adults.
These kinds of ads are everywhere we look. Sex is in my opinion the most popular hook for advertisers to use. In this ad for Dior perfume, they are using a few different hooks, but the main one being sex by having a half naked women as the eye catcher. What is also going to draw in the consumer is it's a well known celebrity, Natalie Portman. Some consumers may assume as well that the advertiser is referring to the magazine Playboy by naming her Miss Dior. Playboy is a huge sex symbol in our culture today. The target audience for this ad is more than likely young women and Natalie Portman fans.
Both ads are classic examples of how advertisers use sex to sell their product to the consumer. In my opinion I believe the Dior ad is the more effective, simply because they are using a celebrity to back it up. The Kenneth Cole ad is better in the sense though that they have a slogan in it to spark the consumer's prediction of the future with this product, so they do have a better overall message. These types of ads can be seen anywhere from billboards to television.
Work Cited
With just that little evidence above we can state that the company is using sex to sell this product. On top of the symbol alone, the marketer put the slogan "WEAR ME OUT." From here we can say that the two were most likely out at a bar or social gathering and all because one of them at least were wearing the fragrance it attracted the other. So the company is telling the consumer to wear the fragrance, and you will attract the opposite sex. Based on the suspected age of the actor and actress, the target audience is most likely young adults.
Both ads are classic examples of how advertisers use sex to sell their product to the consumer. In my opinion I believe the Dior ad is the more effective, simply because they are using a celebrity to back it up. The Kenneth Cole ad is better in the sense though that they have a slogan in it to spark the consumer's prediction of the future with this product, so they do have a better overall message. These types of ads can be seen anywhere from billboards to television.
Work Cited
Dior . Web. 18 Oct. 2011. <http://d1535dk28ea235.cloudfront.net/preset_65/ natalie-portman-miss-dior-perfume-ad.jpg>.
Sunday, October 9, 2011
Luxury To Me
Depending on who you ask, luxury can mean a number of different things. My understanding of luxury is multiple things. The first is owning the nice, fancy top of the line products that we associate with celebrities. For example, a Rolls-Royce is the vehicle that a lot of famous people own so therefore we associate it with success and fame, but also because of the price. Most luxurious items are very expensive. It's that well known brand that everyone knows that has been titled a fancy top of the line brand that I associate luxury with. Luxury also means things that make your life easier. We have all heard that saying "We don't have that luxury." An example of this is when I was in Afghanistan we lived in a mud house and operated from there. We had to wash our clothes in a well and had no electricity for 7 months. Little things like a washing machine and electricity were luxuries we didn't have or things that make our lives simple here in the states.
For the understanding with the famous brands, it goes to an extent until it becomes excessive. This excessiveness is achieved when a person only buys these fancy brands and items and doesn't settle for anything less. To me that's going a little overboard and I feel sorry for those people because they have no control over their lives anymore and almost belong to the company that they have devoted their lifestyle towards. I think the threshold is owning some of these luxurious brands, but not thriving on owning everything that people think is luxurious and the hottest new thing as soon as it is available.
For the understanding with the famous brands, it goes to an extent until it becomes excessive. This excessiveness is achieved when a person only buys these fancy brands and items and doesn't settle for anything less. To me that's going a little overboard and I feel sorry for those people because they have no control over their lives anymore and almost belong to the company that they have devoted their lifestyle towards. I think the threshold is owning some of these luxurious brands, but not thriving on owning everything that people think is luxurious and the hottest new thing as soon as it is available.
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Tattoo Me Again and Again
Critical Writing Question 1
A tattoo is a big decision that should be thought about, not a spur of the moment thing. Even though in that moment it seems like a really cool idea to get that "friends forever" or whatever it is you choose, just remember, a tattoo is there forever, sometimes not your friends. I believe though that getting a well thought out tattoo and good reasoning behind it can benefit a person in many ways. The first and most obvious, is that you are able to show the amazing art form that only some people have mastered. Second, is that you're expressing your personality ever day through your ink. And finally tattoos can represent a significant time or event that happened in your life that you want to keep reminded of. If somebody wants a tattoo, I say think about it for awhile, but once your convinced, go for it!
I have many tattoos and every one of them have a different meaning to me. The very first tattoo I got was a design that a friend drew for me that represented my heritage and where my family came from. I remember the artist saying that tattoos are addictive, but of course I shrugged and said that I was only going to get a few. As soon as that one healed I was already thinking of my next one. Here I am a little over 5 years later and most of my upper body is covered with ink. All of my tattoos though have a meaning to me, whether it's that time in my life I don't want to forget or showing the things that mean the most to me, like family.
I have no regrets of any of my tattoos. Every one of them was thought out for a period of time and designed until I knew that that was the tattoo I wanted. I've had the same artist do all of my tattoos because I like the way he presents the art and the time he takes to do all the detail that goes into them. I can't wait to get another tattoo, the only reason I haven't lately is because I haven't designed the exact tattoo that I want.
So in conclusion my advice out there to anyone thinking of getting a tattoo, is to not let anyone else tell you yes or no, but rather think about, and if you want it the next step is preparing yourself for the pain, but trust me it's worth it.
Below are links to 2 major tattoo companies that have had tv shows about them and if you click on them they advertise their shop and products immediately.
http://hartandhuntington.com
http://woostersocial.com
Below is an image of some of Angelina Jolie's tattoos. Even celebrities get ink done.
A tattoo is a big decision that should be thought about, not a spur of the moment thing. Even though in that moment it seems like a really cool idea to get that "friends forever" or whatever it is you choose, just remember, a tattoo is there forever, sometimes not your friends. I believe though that getting a well thought out tattoo and good reasoning behind it can benefit a person in many ways. The first and most obvious, is that you are able to show the amazing art form that only some people have mastered. Second, is that you're expressing your personality ever day through your ink. And finally tattoos can represent a significant time or event that happened in your life that you want to keep reminded of. If somebody wants a tattoo, I say think about it for awhile, but once your convinced, go for it!
I have many tattoos and every one of them have a different meaning to me. The very first tattoo I got was a design that a friend drew for me that represented my heritage and where my family came from. I remember the artist saying that tattoos are addictive, but of course I shrugged and said that I was only going to get a few. As soon as that one healed I was already thinking of my next one. Here I am a little over 5 years later and most of my upper body is covered with ink. All of my tattoos though have a meaning to me, whether it's that time in my life I don't want to forget or showing the things that mean the most to me, like family.
I have no regrets of any of my tattoos. Every one of them was thought out for a period of time and designed until I knew that that was the tattoo I wanted. I've had the same artist do all of my tattoos because I like the way he presents the art and the time he takes to do all the detail that goes into them. I can't wait to get another tattoo, the only reason I haven't lately is because I haven't designed the exact tattoo that I want.
So in conclusion my advice out there to anyone thinking of getting a tattoo, is to not let anyone else tell you yes or no, but rather think about, and if you want it the next step is preparing yourself for the pain, but trust me it's worth it.
Below are links to 2 major tattoo companies that have had tv shows about them and if you click on them they advertise their shop and products immediately.
http://hartandhuntington.com
http://woostersocial.com
Below is an image of some of Angelina Jolie's tattoos. Even celebrities get ink done.
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Get Real Ad
I thought the Get Real ad on pg. 49 was the most powerful ad out of the 4. It portrayed a woman who was a skeleton in a dress, but in the mirror she saw what she was aspiring to be. She saw a beautiful woman, but in real life she was just a skeleton in a dress. I thought it was a well thought ad with the image portraying perfectly what maybe people with an eating disorder really think they look like in the mirror. I also thought how it had the caption shortly explaining the dangers of an eating disorder and giving the readers a helpful source for people with eating disorders.
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