extra credit blog

I really enjoyed our topic for the class. Everyone can relate to identity in some way. I never got tired of writing or researching identity. The videos that we watched such as "Unknown White Male" was really interesting and has made me think a lot about my own identity. My favorite part of the class is the final project that I'm working on now. I really like how we could chose our media instead of writing another paper. I've written so many papers for my other classes so I'm really happy that I was given the opportunity to make a film involving identity. Some of my friends have complained about their topic for college writing 2 for being dry, boring and uninteresting to college-age students. I'm really glad I wasn't in their classes! Identity is something you can always find information about and affects us all.

final project questions/concerns

I'm actually pretty excited for this final project. I'm taking advantage of making this a film because frankly, I'm sick of writing. I plan to film my project with my Mac using a program called iMovie. I'm a little nervous about using this because I've only used this program a handful of times. However, I'm sure I can find someone within my dorm building if I run into any questions/problems. As far as if I need any clarification, I'm just wondering how I can send you my film once it's complete. I have used iMovie and converted a project into an mp3 and e-mailed and/or uploaded it online but I'm unaware of how to burn it on a disk. So please let me know which way you prefer to get this project. Other than that, I'm good to go!

in class klosterman vs identity.

1. One thing we connect identity to from Klosterman's reading is when he's talking about how he doesn't feel like he knows the people he interviews. We think this correlates to identity because sometimes people are 'fake' with who they are around certain people and Klosterman thinks that the relationship between an interviewer and an interviewee is fake. Klosterman always says that sometimes the interviewer asks questions a certain way so the answers go in a certain direction. We can connect that to identity because you may shift your identity a certain way while hanging out with a certain group of friends so you fit in. 2 & 3. Klosterman's overarching research question is whether or not we should stop asking questions. Klosterman says that we shouldn't stop asking questions because it's a way to find out more about people. We agree that it's important to ask questions to build relationships and get to know people on a deeper level. 4. An interviewer or reporter has a set plan on how they want a story to go before they even conduct interviews. With that in mind, they tend to steer the interviewee in a certain direction to fit their plan. Even if the interviewer doesn't say exactly what the reporter is looking for, there's a way to edit and manipulate one's words to coincide with yours without actually changing any words. One example we talked about what when an interviewee decides not to answer a question. With not answering, the reporter or interviewer can draw certain conclusions that may be false and publicize their idea on what the silence means. 5. Morris's argument poses a good point. If people were reasonable and say the media or interviews or what they were, they would avoid interviews all together. They would be able to see how easy it is for the media to manipulate and change the meaning of something you say to say something completely different. However, not everyone thinks like that and strive to be in the limelight at all costs even if that meant harming their reputation for something they didn't even mean to say.

something instead of nothing

Why do people answer the questions you ask them? Is there a unifying force that prompts people to respond? I thought these questions were interesting. I believe that not by saying anything, you are saying something. For example, if Susan's business is being portrayed in bad light in the media for something they are accused of doing, Susan may be asked questions by reporters. If she says nothing in response, reporters can turn that around and make assumptions out of her saying nothing.

Another thing i wanted to point out before we conduct our final issues deals with interview questions. I'm a broadcast journalism major and have spent the past few years conducting many, many interviews. One thing i've found is that preparation is very important. Preparing the questions you plan to ask can help the interview move smoothing. However, it's important to really listen to the interviewee for their responses. Some of the best material i've gotten for stories have been from spontaneous questions branched off of something the interviewee had said. Also, it's important in an interview to steer the conversation. If there's a stance or an angle you are trying to convey, you have to guide your interviewee in the direction sometimes. You have control over the outcome of the interview so if you end up with crappy material, it's because you didn't do your job thoroughly enough.

Simpson's vs. Gladwell. -in class

Homer tried to undergo many changes to fit in with the stereotype of "cool". When at the music fest, Homer bought a reggae hat thinking it would make him appear cool and hip. Unfortunately, that was not what the crowd saw as "cool" and it backfired. Homer was accidently hit by a cannon and was given a job opportunity with the traveling freaks. Homer saw this proposal as an opportunity to look "cool" so he took the job. After a while of traveling, he was damaging his body and his doctor told him if he was hit by one more cannon he would die. Homer decided that death was not worth being "cool". He wanted to be a good father and at the end of the episode he realized that to him, being a good father was considered "cool". We can connect this to the article because Gladwell talked about appearance when looking "cool" and dressing in the right fashion. Also, doing activities you usually wouldn't, like Homer traveling with the Freaks, would make you cool. In the end, Homer found out what cool meant to him and that was his family. Gladwell also points out that what is considered "cool" changes so rapidly. Homer found this out when jamming in his car to music he thought was cool but the next generation thought it was so uncool. Gladwell also points out that when he grew up LA was alot cooler than what it is today. Cool changes so fast and what you think it cool when you're a teen, its most likely considered uncool by the time you're an adult.

powerpoint is evil??

The title of this article alone is a bit ridiculous to me. how is it that someone can honestly think a Microsoft Office program is "evil"? The author gives little detail of such a name calling. He says that for students, Powerpoint is substituting a presentation and little is accomplished when students are assigned a powerpoint presentation. I do agree, however, that they make a speech/presentation much easier on the presenter because it allowed little bits of information to help move you along. The slides become a crutch if you forget your place in the speech. Where I disagree with the author is that he considers it a bad thing. Powerpoints allow the audience to visually see what the speaker is saying and acts as a reinforcement of the information. If you miss a statistic the speaker just gave, typically you can glance at the slide and see what you had missed. I also think powerpoints are vital for teachers. In a lecture setting, powerpoints help the students grasp the important context that the professor is trying to get out. Powerpoints also allows students to take accurate notes to ensure that when studying, you have the right information and materials to do so. I think that little of what powerpoint offers is evil, in fact, I think powerpoint is very useful.

in class google questions

1. when the author says that his mind is "changing", he is talking about the effect that google has on the function of his brain. The more we use the internet to research and find information, the quicker our brains expect to find and understand information all the time. He allutes to the fact that at one point, people had to spend time looking up data in books and at the library whereas now we can hop online, google the topic and find it in minutes.

2. Since Carr is a writer, he finds using the Web to be very helpful. He says that he can conduct research that at one point took days to complete, in a matter of minutes today. Outside of work, Carr finds the Web great for entertainment and often finds himself watching videos, listening to music and reading blog posts.

3. Carr and his friends believe the internet is shaping their ability to focus. There was a time where sitting down and focusing on larger pieces of writing was no big deal. Thanks to the internet now-a-days, however, they find it difficult to focus for lengthy periods of time to read. I think this is an example of how medium is shaping it's users because its not only affect their learning capabilities, but its also affect their chances of success in life.“I now have almost totally lost the ability to read and absorb a longish article on the web or in print" (Carr p. 6).

4. We think the Carr's biggest concern in reguards to the internet being everywhere is that it's becoming our everything. "The Internet, an immeasurably powerful computing system, is subsuming most of our other intellectual technologies. It’s becoming our map and our clock, our printing press and our typewriter, our calculator and our telephone, and our radio and TV" (Carr p. 18) We think Carr is referring to the fact that we as a society are putting all of our "eggs in one basket". We are relying on the internet for way too much.

google

Our reading this week about whether or not google is chipping away at our minds was an interesting theory. I think the idea that google is teaching its users' brains to expect learning in a short period affects more of the older crowd. To my generation, the internet is all we know. I feel that from day one of school how to use a computer. We've never really had to use our brains to it's full capacity like the generations before us. I think the internet is a wonderful tool and I learn so much from spending a few hours online researching various topics. I'm not sure that if we didn't have the internet that I would take time to look up information I'm interested in learning more about. For older generations who are still slowly learning how to use the computer may not understand because they grew up learning a different way. They spent their time in school gathering information from books in the library to write a paper whereas students today spend half the time googling the research and type their papers.

Billy Sim - group answers

1. The most interesting implication is that in today's society people seem to rather live their lives online. Online, people can be whoever they want despite who they are in real life. In the writing, the author wanted to live his life through the game Sims instead of living in reality. Online you can say and do things without it actually affecting the person you are in reality.

2. We can relate Klosterman's piece of writing to Slumming, the writing we read a few weeks ago. They relate because the characters in both stories think the 'grass is greener on the other side'. People seem to think that no matter how well they have it, living another person's life must be better. Whether it's online or on the streets, people look for outlets to escape their own lives.

3. When Klosterman argues about children thinking like computer, we feel he is talking about emotions and social interaction. On computers, children don't necessarily have to express their emotions and don't get experience with face-to-face social interaction. The children of the future may find it hard to socialize publicly because we are familiarizing them too much with the usage of computers. In the real world, while technology is important for success, if you lack the social skills to interact with others and share ideas, you will not be very successful.

Final Drafts?

Is there a "final draft" to who we are? I can't say there is. As humans, we naturally evolve by who we surround ourselves with. We adapt to a change in environment and pick up habits from new friends. While I feel there is so much changing going on in our lives today as college students, maybe once we are settled down, married with children and start a career we are closer to a final draft. However, life has unexpected changes like the death of someone you are close to or losing your job that may make you change the person you are to adapt to these changes. I don't think there will ever come a day where we can say this is the final me, this is my identity, this is who I will be for the remainder of my time on earth. It is true that we are creatures of habit but there are just some things in life that are beyond our control and it is in our nature to change with them in order to survive.

Billy Sim

I thought this week's reading was really interesting and thought provoking. I enjoyed the section when the author talked about the character he built on Sims. He wanted the character and house to look exactly like his. He brought up some really interesting ideas. He said he thought that maybe he did this because he wanted to learn more about himself through his virtual self and/or just wanted to watch himself live.
We often times look forward to something in the future or refer to the time period after we graduate college to be 'starting our lives'. When in fact, our lives have already begun. To think the author may have created a similar character as himself on Sims so he can watch himself live may possibily be linked to a mental illness or carry traits of a socially awkward individual. Although that comment was only a joke, he's not alone.
Whoever thought making a game about living was very clever. As a society, we are always curious about how other people are living. Anytime you check out at the grocery, you can get an inside look into any star's life. We are obsessed with living without actually taking the time to recognize that we are living.

Slumming

"Insanity," Inky would say, "is the new sanity."

This was a very interesting reading assignment, to say the least. First of all, it amazes me that million, or billionaires, would ever participate in a weekend get-a-way that consists of cheap alcohol, inside-out dirty suits and public indecency. However, it's no surprise to me that even people who could buy all the things in the world is not satisfied. This supports the idea that money can't buy happiness; sure, it can buy you fur coats and "social status" but what's the importance in that? Always being cautious of what fork you are using to eat your salad or what social events you should make an appearance at, doesn't that get old. In a high social group, one may feel judged or always under a microscope and that someone is always watching your every move, waiting for you to mess up. Does that constitute a good life? Living large?? Apparently to Inky and Packer, it's not enough. It's a cool idea to live a double life. I think it's pretty common for people to day dream about living a different lifestyle. For me, I daydream about being a millionaire, like I'm sure most of you do. And while of course, if I earn millions one day, I'm not going to be disappointed, I also will keep in mind that money and fame isn't everything. Like Inky says, "Nobodies are the new celebrity."

am i a writer?

I have manyy roles in life: i'm a sister, a daughter, a girlfriend and a student. I do not consider one of my roles to be a writer. I would not define myself as a writer although I enjoy writing. I get somewhat excited when I'm assigned a paper in a class because I feel that writing comes easy to me and it's the best way for me to express me thoughts and abilities. Thus, if I had the choice between a multiple choice exam or an essay exam, I'd pick the essay every time. However, I don't think that makes me a writer. I don't own a journal or a diary and probably never will. I've never written a book and don't really have an interest in doing so. And I can't say I haven't had any of my writing published because I have but that still doesn't make me a writer. When I think of someone being defined as a writer it sort of makes me think of facebookers. Facebookers are normal people who go about their day but when anything exciting, traumatic, thought-provoking or dramatic happens to them, they automatically think of the perfect facebook status to share whenever they get to the nearest computer. I think writers are in many ways similar to this. In their spare time they write. It doesn't have to be for a class or because someone told them to do it, they write because they want to. It can be about random thoughts, new ideas or a fiction story they make up off the top of their head. No matter what they are writing, they do it because they want to share it. They may never show anyone their pieces of writing but they want to share they creative abilities with the paper and pen they use. There doesn't have to be a particular point to writing when writers do it therefore I don't consider myself a writer.

vanish

This was quite a manhunt. Evan Ratliff went to extreme measures to make this hunt a fun one. I thought his idea to pay for things through Visa gift cards was a great idea although paying in cash would work just as well. With things attached to money, you often wonder if it's rigged, in this case to ensure its truth, I think it was a good idea that $3,000 would come out of his own pocket. This lets people know there is an incentive for Evan not to be caught. One thing I found interesting was that months prior to the event, Evan got his motorcycle license. This allows Evan to be more mobile. It would definitely be hard for anyone to pull off disappearing, but I guess it would only depend on if anyone was looking for you.

literacy and voice- in class

4. finding one's voice: Finding something you are passionate and knowledgeable about and be willing to express those thoughts and views with others. Anyone can obviously forge their voice if they are heavily influenced by something or someone else. What makes it originally is by taking the information and opinions of others you've gathered and interpreting it into what you think it means. Its how you put that information out there that makes it your voice.

5. With today's technology, we are exposed to so much knowledge, opinions and voices. We think its impossible to have an 'authentic' voice because anything and everything can influence your ideas. Anything you write was influenced by something else. Especially as college students, when we are assigned a paper, we may take into consideration the views and opinions of the person grading the paper. In my gender and communications class, my teacher is an extreme feminist so when I'm assigned a paper about my opinions about topics that come out of feminist movements, I'm more likely to be influenced by my teacher's voice rather than my own.

6. In today's society, imitation plays a huge role in our lives. I can't tell you how many papers or discussions i've been involved with about 'who is your role model'. As a society, so many of us want to mimic someone we may see on tv, in movies or even a stranger on the street. In the writing aspect, many papers require sources. We are required to include sources of other people's voices, knowledge or life experiences. No matter who you see or what you do, you are influenced by someone or something else.

joan didion- why i write

I thought this article was very interesting. It made me think back to things I've written in the past and how my intent was always to get the reader to see my stance on a subject. I'm not sure that I agree with her when she says writing is always used to persuade but I certainly see where she is coming from. When we research a topic we are about to write about, we typically search things we already know about the subject. Or if we have a strong opinion about a topic we are more likely to spend more time research the side you agree with than the side you disagree with. While both sides could be represented in a paper, you write with your heart and with more knowledge on what you believe and you write purely on facts you've gathered about the other side. Even if it's not a research paper, even if its just a paper like the one we recently turned in, our personalities, views, and opinions are all throughout it whether you mean it to or not.

I also like the way she describes herself as a writer. "By which I mean not a “good” writer or a “bad” writer but simply a writer, a person whose most absorbed and passionate hours are spent arranging words on pieces of paper."

Why Write? in class assignment

There are many types of art forms and one of them happens to be writing. There are many uses for writing and help an individual express themselves. Some write to say things they normally couldn't say outloud, some write in journals as a way of therapy, some write to get noticed (such as an author), while others write only when forced to do so. I think writing is a very unique way of expressing yourself whether it be through a blog such as this or a fiction story you write solely for fun. It can be very helpful in exposing one's vocabulary, practicing grammar and puncuation or researching and expanding on a new idea.

What Obama did to the draft

Vince feels that Obama made the changes so his speech didn't make it seem like he is talking down to the audience, making his speech more personable. Vince also agrees with Obama's changes and feels that it makes his speech sound more relateable. Obama attempted to put himself on the same level as the people he is talking to. For example, when he added 'of us' to the first line.

I feel that Obama's changes are a bit manipulative. You can make anyone agree with what you are saying by the way you say it. In this case, I feel like Obama is trying to appeal to the audiences emotions more so than the content of the speech. The blogger states that the President repeadedly added feelings and thoughts to specific people or groups of people. I think there is a time and place for appealing to one's emotions, but I don't agree that in a speech given by the President is appropriate.

A&P group review

1. Sammy was a bit upset and frustrated with his decision of quitting his job. He did it with the intentions of becoming the young girls' hero but, as we out, that wasn't the case. His boss also said that you don't want to do this to your parents and, as sammy said, was true. So, at the end we think that he realized he made a quick decision that he probably should have thought more about it.

2. We feel that Sammy did not quit his job for the right reason. Sammy wasn't living meaningfully because the meaning was not interpretted by the girls. He wanted to be their heroes, however, it really doesn't affect them longterm like it would Sammy.

5. We both agree that we would not have quit because it wasn't that big of a situation. We can understand if the boss was being extremely rude to the girls, but he had to tell them they couldn't come into the store again unless they are in clothing. We think that's a very reasonable request.

A & P

I really enjoyed Updick's piece. The way he described the girls was unique and very entertaining. It had a 'cool' way of describing what he saw and it was very creative. I also think it was very brave yet stupid of him to quit. He was young and needed that job so to go to that extreme over girls in bathing suits shows how young of a man he really was. The last sentence of the story, i feel, shows a sign of regret. And who knows, he may have even felt that way if the girls were still outside waiting for him. I don't know what exactly the point of the story was, whether it had a point or if it was just purely entertainment but I did enjoy it.