Extra Credit

I have to admit that coming into this class I did not have very high expectations. My college writing I experience was not a very good one. We wrote paper after paper on one topic, the shootings at Kent State in 1970. It was a very boring class that I had trouble going to and had difficulty getting the assignments done. Fortunately, I think this class was much more interesting. I liked the topics on the paper with identity and even some of the blogs were interesting. I was able to blog every week and the papers came pretty easily for me to write. Overall I had a good experience in the class and it definitely changed my opinion that not all writing courses are bad.

Final Project Concerns

I feel that the biggest obstacle I will have to overcome will simply be the length. I'm going to have to make sure that the interviews I conduct will have to go into detail about my topic. I really haven't actually interviewed someone in quite some time so it will be a fairly new experience but I think that I will be able to have fun with it. If I am able to conduct successful, in depth interviews I think that the paper will turn out just fine. So overall, I think my biggest obstacle is to obtain enough relevant information to make the paper interesting and to give me something to analyze and write about.

Something Instead of Nothing

This article by Chuck Klosterman was very similar to when we read the Sims article. He takes something so simple such as a video game, or in this case an interview, and analyzes it in a whole different way than anyone else would think. He asks the questions why do we even care enough to conduct these interviews with people we dont really care for and really for no benefit for themselves. Its a typical Klosterman article just because it goes so deep. I don't know if I agree with it because it is just an interview. I'm more of a simplistic person I don't know why these people want to interview and I don't think there is a real reason of exactly why they do. There really isn't any benefit to themselves its just human nature. Although I think that Klosterman may take some of these questions to a ridiculous level, he definately knows how to make them interesting.

Simpsons/Coolhunters

Both the article and the show demonstrate that cool is being sold to you. In the Simpson's episode, the festival that Homer went to had ads and flyers everywhere showcasing the "cool" things.

Also, in the article he talked about how you can't really force trying to be cool, and in the Simpson's episode, that was exactly what Homer was doing with the cannon.Cool can't also just be "explained", for example how Homer just stumbled onto being hit by the cannon.

Gladwell also mentioned in his article how it's the cool people that decide what is cool and that was reflected in the Simpson's episode well with the Smashing Pumpkins, Cypress Hill, etc.

The Cool Hunters

This article is interesting because I think the author expected to find different results than what he did. When he started the writing I think he thought that cool hunting would be more of a science and that he could learn how to do it himself. After talking to DeeDee and Baysie I think that he realized that finding these new trends is more of an instinct or an art form. He wrote that he expected to be able to write an encyclopedia on cool before he started this research. Then he stated how he thought cool was more of a moment to moment thing, which I believe is true. I also believe there are many forms of cool, he only really covers what DeeDee and Baysie see as cool. They were looking for the trends that Reebok would have been interested in but I think that he should have stated that they don't define cool. The people define cool and not all people are in the demographic that Reebok is interested in.

Google Stupid Questions

1. Carr says his mind is changing by the way he gathers information. He used to be able to read articles in depth and want to investigate and find out more about the subject. Now he finds himself having a hard time reading more than a few paragraphs without losing his concentration.


2. He says that researching through the internet is obviously much faster than researching through a library. What was once done in days and weeks can now be done in hours.


3. Carr talks about one his proffessors that once was an avid reader who now does all his readings through the internet. Another example is the author who switched from writing with a pen to with a typewriter. After switching it was apparent that this author's writing style significantly changed.


4. We think that Carr is worried that we will rely on Google too much and that it will do all the thinking for us. He fears that eventually we will lose our original thoughts.

Google

Nicholas Carr starts the article by pointing out that he used to be a ble to sit down and read books or essays somewhat easily. Now after his extensive use of the internet he finds it very difficult to keep his attention during a reading. After asking other writers they also seemed to have the same problem. I have always had trouble paying attention during long readings but I have also always been exposed to resources through the internet. I have never really had to do extensive research. All the information I have ever needed has been at my fingertips. I understand how the internet could ruin one's patience. Someone who once had to spend days looking through books and research can now have everything they want in seconds. Who would want to go back?

Billy Sim - Group Questions

1. We thought that it was interesting that people in real life would like to view themselves from a different point of view and sort of live their lives through a computer. Its also interesting to see how Chuck, in reality, was someone who didnt value many material things and when he created his Sim Chuck he strived to be very rich and materialistic, therefore his real life identity was different from his simulated one.

2. We connected Klosterman's piece to the vanishing story. Like the man who tried to change his identity and lead a new life, it corresponds to the concept of the Sims game by creating a new identity and living your life in a different way.

3. We don't agree that the statement about children thinking like computers is true. Unlike being cold and rational like computers, humans still and will always have emotions and humans still act upon those emotions.

Simulated Reality

I personally have never played the original Sims game but do have experience with the SimCity game and understand the basics of the game. I remember playing the game and feeling almost sucked into it as if I was the actual mayor of the city. It gave me a chance to be someone else for however long I played. It was like I was able to escape my own reality and enter a completely new one, one that which I could control entirely. I think this was the same way that the author felt when he got hooked into the regular Sims game. The difference with Chuck was that he did not see his Sims character as similar to that of his ownself. Sim Chuck was materialistic whereas Chuck in reality did not have many belongings, not even a bed. As Chuck continued to play the game he found out that with all the items he purchased for his character, he still seemed to not be entirely happy. Even after he bought him the nicest T.V., an expensive bed, and all the furnishings for his house that he still could not bring his character out of a depression. When he talked to the creator of the game he soon realized that the Sims game concept was not entirely materialistic. That even though he bought all these things his character would not be happy. Once he found this out he decided to sell all these things and lived more like he would in reality and I think he found greater success in the game.

Final Draft

A final draft in writing terms would be the revision of a previous draft that was not as well thought out or organized. Is there a final draft on the level of an individual? I think the answer is yes in some cases. In situations like job interviews, first dates, and business meetings I think that most people like to make themselves look good to make a good first impression. People dress nice, and tend to think about what they say before they say it. In contrast to when your around a group of friends you have known your whole life, your girlfriend for the past however many years, or your immediate family when you tend to not think before you speak and the real you comes out. I think in some cases that yes there is a final draft of someone when the situation calls for you to make a good first impression on someone or a group of people.

Slumming

This week's reading is very different to say the least. It talked about the rich and wealthy now pretending to be homeless for kicks. Those who once had everything in the world give it all up to spend the nights as bums. They claim that this lifestyle is the new wealthy. They compare the similarities between the homeless and the wealthy. That both are never tied down whether there traveling in private airlines or shopping carts. I think that these people were just tired of the boring monogamous life that they were living. They always had anything they wanted and for once they just wanted to have nothing. They wanted a new perspective on life and what could be more different than being homeless. Eventually, this caught up to them when they witnessed the realities of being homeless. One of the couples witnessed a murder which lead to the other couples deaths.

Vanish - Evan Ratliff

This weeks reading was the most interesting yet. It tells the story of Evan Ratliff's attempt to abandon his life and disappear without being found. Due to social networking, blogging, and information on the internet Evan was unsuccessful. This shows a lot about how much of your personal life is actually put out for people to see on the internet. The strangers even found out who is cat sitter was. Its quite shocking because Evan used a lot of technology that I would not have been able to figure out. He disguised his IP address, used gift cards, and created a new identity. As soon as he slipped up and became lazy, Evan was quickly found. It makes me think twice before accepting facebook friends who im not sure who they are and posting different information on my personal life. If someone who intentionally wanted to vanish couldn't for more than a few months, it makes me think how could you get away without all the prior planning? If something happened and I needed to get away I wouldn't know how to do all of this off the fly and it shows how little privacy you really have.

Am I a Writer?

I believe in a sense that we are all considered writers. It may not be our profession our even a passion of ours but in a way we all express ourselves through writing. Whether its the assignments that are given to us in this class or texts and social networking communication. The level of our writing may be significantly worse than those who are professionals but it still should be considered writing. I think I or anyone else should be considered a writer if they write on a consistent basis. For the past fourteen years of schooling I have written many papers or essays on a consistent basis which therefore constitutes me as a writer.

Questions 2-16

1. Being literate today means being able to navigate around and actually do what is required with modern technology. Juts being able to do the basics would probably make you literate in that area, especially in looking at older generations.

4. Its more ambiguous to find your voice amongst the crowd, especially when you are active in so many mediums. There are a more influences now than ever that affect your "voice" and they are more easy to access than ever before. Its harder to make a unique voice but having a personal voice is still possible.

5. Obviously voices that dont follow the rules or are on the outside of normal are more authentic than others. People who dont just ramble off all the same word garbage as everyone else seem to be more authentic. Only the people who go directly with the flow seem to have become caught up and less authentic with the devloment of technology.

6.It seems like people use imitation of other to shape what people think about them. They are doing this to shape their outward sense of self in order make others think things about them. The idea being that others will like what they have said and they will be more relateable. Mimicry also show what we identify with and shapes our self to things similar to that.

Why Write?

When asked the question, "why write?", I think to myself that there a number of different reasons to write. People write to educate, to entertain, to enlighten, and to express one's self. All these are different reasons to write but I think all these authors have one common thing and that is that they are inspired to write. Even in a class such as this where we are recpuired to write, we are looking to pass this class and further our education. I believe all writers must have some inspiration as to why they write about what they write. Whether they write about biology, sports, or legal issues; all writers must have some kind of inspiration.

Why I Write.

In this week's reading, Joan Didion talks about her reasoning behind writing. She states that her inspirations come to her through things that puzzle her. Things that make her think why, who, what, and where. I think this was a very good perspective on writing. It makes it more interesting for the audience and for the writer as well. This style of writing gives people the effect of what she called "white space". White space allows for the audience to draw up there own conclusions and make their own assumptionsof what is going on with the character or the story. This style like she stated is not abstract, it just allows for the audience to draw their own opinions. There are no double meanings when she talked about the lights on the bevatron. She literally just wanted to know if the lights were on in the bevatron. I think its a simpler form of writing but is just as effective.

Obama speech edits

As a group we noticed that a lot of Obama's edits added a mixture of emotion and accountability to his speech through the edits. He often tried to convey to the audience that his statements were not broad generalizations, that they were from real people with feelings. Obama made many attempts to unify American belief on politics, that no matter which party one is from, everyone can agree to values such as good will. On top of this, Obama tacks on his own political agenda to these 'unifying' statements. For example, adding on "that only government can ensure" to an example of something that everyone stands for.

A & P Questions

1.)We think that the ending of the story kind of sucked for Sammy. he ended up not catching the girl's attention and subsequently did not have a job. The end of the story was both liberating and frustrating because you put yourself out there and get shot down by the girls and don't have a job.

2.) We disagree with Porter, because Sammy put himself out there honestly and got nothing out of it.

3.)Sammy changed his own identity from being a reserved person but then came out and spoke up in front of the girls.

4.) The purpose of the details in the story is to bring meaning to Sammy's decisions in the story. If there were not any details we would question the decision making of Sammy. On the other hand, he might not have wanted to end up like his friend who was 22 and was already married and had kids.

5.)If we were Sammy, we wouldn't have made the same decision because it was a such a small thing for him to quit his job and be left out in dust.

A&P

This weeks reading took place inside a grocery store. It told the story of the store clerk and three young girls who entered the store wearing nothing but bathing suits. I enjoyed this reading much more than I did the others because it was more of an entertainment read. The outcome for the clerk ended unfortunately because to impress the girls he quit in front of them to his manager who embarassed the girls. The girls ended up not seeing this act and the clerk was left jobless and in no way did he accomplish his goal of impressing the girls. I liked the story because it was told in such great detail. I liked how the author described each girl and her own personality. There was the chubby one with the two piece, the tall one, and there was the queenie. He could tell she was the leader just by the way she carried herself. I found it interesting how in the few minutes that the girls were there and the little time the clerk had spent watching them, that he could develope such a bond with them to where he would quit his job in their defense.

Rhetoric Appeals

In the introduction, the writer trys to seem credible by saying that he is the Senior Staff in the File Department at the African Development Bank. This is an example of ethos because he is trying to show that he is an important and credible person. He also tries to appeal to the reader by saying that the operation is confidential. We think that this makes the reader feel important and more willing to cooperate. The writer mentions that this transaction would have no risk since he is an insider which makes the reader feel safe about going through with this. These are both examples of a pathos appeal.