Clay Shirky discusses how much time and effort goes into
things and how some people have time to do these things. Shirky begins the
article by describing how drinking gin was the original time waster of the twenties
century. He goes on to discuss the modern version, which is television. The
main argument of this article is that people will find time to do things they
want, but wont for things they don't like.
The cognitive surplus all the time spent on time wasters which could
have been used for something constructive. This article defines literacy not as the capacity to see the deeper meaning of a text, rather literacy is defined as
simply knowing and being productive with information given. The article is an argument that we
should use our time more wisely and matters because we should learn from it.
The article repeats the phrase “transform society” at multiple points throughout the writing. A strand of similarity is the phrase “taking
advantage of the surplus.” “Information
society knows without really knowing it” is a binary in the writing. A great anomaly stands out in the writing,
“millions of trillions of hours spent with free time, one percent doing
something productive that affects the person.”
Monday, November 11, 2013
Monday, November 4, 2013
Google Corrupting the MInd
The article tells how Google is making us less intellectually
sound or less of intellectual thinkers.
According to the article, the internet is making our thought processes
more and more robotic and machine-like. Technology is making us lazy as a
species. The article points out that we,
as humans, no longer take the high road, rather we opt to take the low roads or
easy way out. Carr talks about how the search
engines, like Google, are making our first instinct and thought to gather
information as fast as possible instead of taking time to analyze given
information. Carr’s thinking is similar to Socrates, although writing is to Socrates
as technology is to Carr. Carr uses a multiple notable studies to support his
points, including studies conducted by Harvard University. Carr also cites
various books providing more insight about the change in human behavior. Finally, Carr provides personal experience to
support his argument. All three sources
back Carr’s argument and strengthen the overall writing, therefore they are
effective. Carr’s “so what” is his point that there is an inverse relationship
and direct correlation between increases in technology and decreases in human
literacy.
Friday, October 11, 2013
Lupe
For my social media project, I have chosen to analyze the Twitter page of
Lupe Fiasco. I follow Lupe on twitter
and I feel that he puts a lot of things up that are deeper than the average
tweet. Lupe Fiasco posts pictures, retweets fans, and often quotes others or
his own personal thoughts. He also uses the page to advertise. Lupe seems to refrain from profanity, but is
not afraid to show emotion in a tweet. Lupe comes across as very mature, philosophical,
wise, and in some cases light-hearted from the content of his tweets. Lots of
his stuff evokes deep thought. Lupe
enjoys off beat subjects and bringing them to light. Lupe has a broad fan base
and uses his Twitter to educate, advertise, and entertain those following him.
Thursday, October 10, 2013
The Internet Tattoo
My life went public five
years ago. Five years ago I became a
facebook member and since then my life has been recorded online. I feel I
represent myself well. Although I keep
my account private, I still try torepresent myself in a positive image. The
pictures on my page are rarely updated and include appropriate pictures of
myself attending school events, athletic activities, and vacations. I do not
try to hide my true personality on facebbok or create a superficial look. I
want people to see me when browsing my page. I feel I provide an accurate
reflection. I don't feel I'm responsible to add to or update my profile.
I do feel the need to maintain a good image though. I edit my profile
minimally. I do not think I have set a
status in a year. I filter pictures and
other posts on my page because I do not want some things engrained in my
internet tattoo forever. I am currently
aiming to become a car designer. I feel
designers in general are a little out there, so I feel that my page is mild in
comparison to others. I would feel
comfortable with an interviewer browsing my page.
Monday, September 23, 2013
Making the Interpretive Leap, All Along the Watchtower
After shuffling songs a few times, I have landed my
final choice. I will be analyzing the
song “All Along the Watchtower”. Originally
preformed by Bob Dylan the song has since been covered by numerous
musicians. One of the most prominent covers
being Jimi Hendrix’s version which Bob Dylan is alleged to have preferred over
his original version.
The song is unique in the fact that it very
literally tells a story. The story is specific yet vague enough to be
interpreted in multiple contexts. "There must be some way out of
here" said the joker to the thief, "There's
too much confusion", I can't get no relief. Businessmen, they drink my
wine, plowmen dig my earth. None
of them along the line know what any of it is worth. "No reason to get
excited", the thief he kindly spoke, "There
are many here among us who feel that life is but a joke, but you and I, we've been
through that, and this is not our fate. So
let us not talk falsely now, the hour is getting late". All along the watchtower,
princes kept the view, while all the women came and went, barefoot servants,
too. Outside in the
distance a wildcat did growl. Two
riders were approaching, the wind began to howl.” The brief story clearly depicts two
characters in a predicament. The lyrics
and characters have been taken into multiple contexts and seen as everything
from their literal positions to the roles of biblical characters.
The song was recently used in a movie trailer. The 2013 movie 2 Guns used the song in its trailer. The trailer did not use the original Dylan song, nor the famous Hendrix cover. The trailer uses a recent cover by Ed Sheeran and up-and-coming English rapper Devlin. The song and movie find similar parallels in the fact that each tells a story of a duo in a tight situation. I feel the song was a perfect match for the movie in its interesting lyricism.
The song was recently used in a movie trailer. The 2013 movie 2 Guns used the song in its trailer. The trailer did not use the original Dylan song, nor the famous Hendrix cover. The trailer uses a recent cover by Ed Sheeran and up-and-coming English rapper Devlin. The song and movie find similar parallels in the fact that each tells a story of a duo in a tight situation. I feel the song was a perfect match for the movie in its interesting lyricism.
Friday, September 13, 2013
Gatsby Soundtrack Analysis
I found the article very interesting, although there was not
much shared in it that I did not already know.
I am a huge music fan and I constantly read music news. I was very excited when watching the Great Gatsby
just to hear the music. I own the
soundtrack and I feel that the music chosen was interesting.
I feel that Jay Z was a great producer for this soundtrack
because of the lavish lifestyle he lives now.
Jay Z did not always live in such style however. Jay Z grew up with a rough life in lower
class living. I feel that his story
could easily compare to the life of Gatsby.
Because of this connection, I feel Jay Z simply had to make a soundtrack
to his life with a 20s flare, which is an effortless task for him.
I was very interested in the music on the soundtrack for the
Great Gatsby. I feel Jay Z picked the
perfect artists for the task. Including
The xx on the soundtrack on the album was a great choice. The xx make great music that I personally
find to make good background music. I
often study and work with their music in the background. Second, the use of Lana Del Rey was quite
fitting. She is a mellow yet rebellious
singer with edgy music. She could relate
to the character of Daisy. Other artists
used could be associated with the lavish life style such as Beyonce, Andre 3000,
and will.i.am.. The artists correlate to
movie great.
I found personal disappointment in some of the music
although I feel this was simply because the artist were recording music in a
genre other than their own which was unexpected. I guess the disappointment was caused by the
unexpected factor. With that being said,
I feel the 20s music was definitely incorporated well.
As far as the perfect song for the movie, I think “A Little
Party Never Killed Nobody” encompasses the movie theme extremely well. The song embodies the party theme of the 20s
perfectly. The song is used in the movie
during a party scene, perfectly fitting.
The mood of the Lana Del Rey song also fit the opposite mood of the
movie. “Young and Beautiful” shows the innocence
of youth and the mistakes made by youth.
It fits the movie.
Many lyrics in all the songs embody the story of the Great Gatsby. The rhetorical style was flawless. If one were to listen to the entire
soundtrack and the words of the songs all the way through, I feel that one
could and should imagine a story with a story line similar to that of the Great
Gatsby.
The music in the sound track was an overall plus for the
movie. The mood of the music fit the
movie. The artists embodied the
characters in some cases and had the skills to embody them in their music. The lyrics fit the story line to a tee. An overall great sound track to the Great
Gatsby.
Monday, September 9, 2013
Process and Product
I am a natural procrastinator. The first step in my writing process was choosing a commercial. I chose one the stuck out in my memory and revisited the ad and began analyzing all form of appeal in the commercial. Once I had analyzed the commercial the outline practically fell together itself. In my writing, I usually start by writing my body and important content, then the introduction, and finally the conclusion. I think that this process of using the outline made it easier to develop my body. I was confident in my writing because of all the analyzing I had done before outlining. I feel that multiple drafts are beneficial because I can take more time to step back and analyze my personal writing. I also feel the feedback from my peers was helpful. I feel the overall writing process we follow is beneficial to my writing whether it be analyzing, outlining, drafting, or the peer reviews.
Sunday, August 25, 2013
Crossfire
Notice & Focus:
Step 1: Stewart wore casual clothing. He stays unbiased throughout the show. Jon Stewart makes multiple clever comical remarks. Stewart also uses common language.
Step 2: Stuart’s attire is most interesting seeing how it makes him stand out. His lack of bias is also interesting because he was brought on the show to have his opinions publicly mocked, yet refused to let it happen.
Step 3: Jon Stewart’s attire was a subtle hint of his intentions. He dressed casually to appeal to the everyday type viewers. He used comedy to appeal to viewers emotions. Stewart used everyday language as to make his stance and argument comprehensible.
The Method:
Step 1: Stewart repeats the following:
Step 1: Stewart wore casual clothing. He stays unbiased throughout the show. Jon Stewart makes multiple clever comical remarks. Stewart also uses common language.
Step 2: Stuart’s attire is most interesting seeing how it makes him stand out. His lack of bias is also interesting because he was brought on the show to have his opinions publicly mocked, yet refused to let it happen.
Step 3: Jon Stewart’s attire was a subtle hint of his intentions. He dressed casually to appeal to the everyday type viewers. He used comedy to appeal to viewers emotions. Stewart used everyday language as to make his stance and argument comprehensible.
The Method:
Step 1: Stewart repeats the following:
“Please” six
times
“Stop” five
times
“Hurting
America” twice
Step 2: A strand Stewart uses includes
Bad
Hurting
Painful
Kills
Step 3: Stewart contrasts
Step 3: Stewart contrasts
Love &
Hurt
Good & Bad
Step 4: When looking at the repeated words and phrases in Stewart’s argument, one can see a direct coloration. Jon Stewart is pleading with the hosts to please stop hurting America. The biases aired on the show are slanting American opinions and Stewart is simply trying to expose them.
Step 4: When looking at the repeated words and phrases in Stewart’s argument, one can see a direct coloration. Jon Stewart is pleading with the hosts to please stop hurting America. The biases aired on the show are slanting American opinions and Stewart is simply trying to expose them.
Step 5: An anomaly during the whole show is
the fact that the hosts laugh at Stewart’s jokes directed at them. They simply try to shrug off his verbal accusations
without realizing that they are laughing at their own dilemma and exposure.
Thursday, August 22, 2013
First Post
I feel I was given a
solid writing foundation from my high school education. I studied the fundamentals of writing a
quality essay using varieties of unique topics.
I wrote a large quantity of formal essays in AP and honors English
classes, among others. I am a
procrastinator by nature, but I am trying to break the habit. I see myself as a somewhat flexible
writer. I have no truly concrete
preference in my writing environment or process.
As of now, I do not
have a standard environment in which I like to write. I have no real preference between writing
seated at a sturdy desk or lounging comfortably on my bed or couch. Noise is usually my foe when writing because
of the short attention span I possess. Although,
I have no trouble writing with soft, instrumental music, possessing minimal
vocals, playing in the background. In
addition, I have never favored pen and paper over a computer or vice versa.
I like to believe that
my writing process is fairly standard in my writing, but admittedly the process
changes and is usually dependent on the assignment. In any case, brainstorming is always my first
step. I usually jot or scribble my
immediate thoughts down in case I was to forget them further into my writing process. When writing a major assignment, I usually
hand write and type multiple drafts before publishing a final copy. In the case of minor assignments, I may go
through one, maybe two, drafts before my settling on a final piece. Other times when writing small assignments
such as this one, I usually make one copy and edit as I go and after the piece
is complete. I always proof my work
before turning anything in. I check for grammar
and make corrections to keep the writing flowing smoothly. I was taught by my former AP Language
Composition teacher to avoid the word “it” in all of my writing, and to always
use action verbs, when possible. I look
for comma splices and any “run-on sentences” and fix any upon finding them. I avoid contractions in my writing and fix
any I may have used during my revision. In
addition, I was taught that a set of eyes reading the work, other than the
writer’s own, are always helpful when revising and critiquing.
I have always found
that the most difficult parts of writing are starting and finishing just about
any essay. I always have to overcome
writer’s block when starting my introduction, so often times I begin with the
body portion of my writing. In contrast
to the challenge of starting, the challenge of ending is usually what I find
most difficult. I am always sure to
summarize the piece before coming to an end, although I have trouble wording my
conclusion as not to repeat or reuse the wording of my introduction.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)