hw 15 - triangle comments

To brianna...

I like your posts. Its clear that you read the books and thought about the author's used words. I agree with your opinion that people who read more dont necessarilly go out more and have a greater social life than those who stay home to play games. You answered questions you came up with from the readings and also asked yourself frequent questions relating to them, i find this to be a great strategy especially when preparing yourself to write an essay. You included great quotes and analyzed them carefully which was also interesting. For your essay to be completely solid, just try correcting any grammar mistakes because it is the little mistakes that hold your paper back. Your point about art being a hammer that we use to shape the world was interesting. Although i slightly agree, i dont agree that feed is a work of art, i find it to be a book full of hidden messages helping us to re-appreciate art. I dont think the book was meant to prove the authors message of kids being dumber these days correct when reading the book, but your right about parts of the book sometimes being a bit confusing. its hard to imagine a world we dont live in when in reality it is the exact same world we live in. I enjoyed reading your posts.

HW 14 - Second Text

The Television text was not as interesting as the Games text to me. It spoke about the changes made in television shows over the last 20 years. The author said that TV was seen as a downfall for us as we are said to surrender our minds to television whenever tuning in. It was interesting to read that we were in a corrupt time in our lives even during the Andy Griffith and Perry Como era.

The Games text had an opposite argument than Television, supposedly being good for us rather than bad. It was bold of the author to even try comparing video-gaming to reading. Ive always noticed the outbreak in game designing but i never thought about how much reading and text is included in the game and how one video-game shares the same concept as reading, including plot, characterization, setting, repetition etc.

These books contradict feed and its messages as feed is an aligory for modern teenage lifestyle, showing the habits and addictions we have picked up from digital media representation. The books mention how the bad is actually good for us. The author also states that reading only puts down human beings suffering from dislexia. He has two interpretations of digitalization because he says television time is worthless for us, because we only feel smarter and dont actually get smarter as we watch sophisticated shows like frazier. Then video games can actually make us smarter because read-ons are now included.

HW 13 - Feed B

Feed as an allegory was something special because it illustrated the reliance onto technology that we will have along the road if we continue to distract ourselves from the real world and continue to distract ourselves with latest inventions and such.

The thirst for technology as a child to obtain a feed so that Valerie may be just like all the other kids, and her later mission to 'fight' against the feed helps to lead to her rejection of a better and newer feed, ironically killing her slowly.

Feed can be seen as a work of art, just as a painting or a picture may paint a whole new picture within the viewers mind. For art to be used as a hammer, sounds a little too much, because a hammer's dents, reshaping what needs to be shaped, can never be reversed. A mirror shows what you truly are and how you are seen by the rest of the world. you might not like what you see, but unlike the hammer, you can always shape yourself up in more ways than one.

Feed is more of a mirror than the hammer, reflectively, its just showing us that if we continue to lead our lives in this "destructive" way, things will come down onto our world, much as a hammer would.

hw 12 - feed a

Feed is an allegory to modern teenage society. I think the authors goal of capturing modern teenage life through a futuristic lifestyle was accurate and understandable as it was easy to connect to the trends or digital media in which they go through.

The "feed" in the story is incredibly creative and moving because of Violet's taking. I think that the feed was created because the internet, chatting, and media is entirely on today's teenagers' minds. We almost have what is known to the book as the feed, only it isnt linked to our brains. We have blackberrys and Sidekicks that do almost all of those things only it isnt as high-tech as the feed is.

The feed was designed to make people smarter and have unlimited resources in they're hands. Not knowing what something was meant at that same second you could research it or define a word or find the answer to any question, ultimately something like that should make you smarter, except those kids were using they're resources for teen fads and going "mal". To be able to define words in a second made them lazier and never remembering them because they were never going anywhere, and when they're feeds were down they couldnt even carry a conversation on they're own, not being told what to say made them lost.

HW 11 - Self experiment 1

For my self-experimentation i had decided to go with digital fasting, not entirely but with certain digital devices. The reason i had decided to fast was because i was sort of forced to go that route, as my cellphone was shut off for a week and my ipod the battery shorted out. I were in school not texting people or fiddling with my cellphone, actually paying attention a small percentage more than before. I started to read my "feed" book everywhere i went on the trains and i actually finished it when told to only go up to 210. i personally consider this a huge goal for myself seeing how i haven't finished a novel in probably two years. No cellphone meant i was in bed earlier not texting hours into the night. I still kept up my television habit and aiming/fb, but i 'on those sites any longer than i normally would due to me being phone less.

HW 8 - comments

Jin's video...
good stuff. i liked how you made your video showing two different perspectives. You allowed the viewers to see both what you are seeing and how you are viewed by them while actually doing the activities. You said in your text that you thought it was creepy to see yourself speaking so you stood quiet (haha) that allowed me to check out your faciall expressions reacting to you on Facebook. It seemed to me as though only reading facebook updates and feeds was boring yet you chose to continue to do so instead of changing the website or activities all together. I like how you said you dont like how you spend your time on facebook when you can be out connecting with your "community" yet you being on facebook becoming aware of all of your friends/family's news helps you stay ahead of what is happening within your own personal community without having to leave your home. i think that it is sometimes easier to do it this way. If i wanted to connect with my own community myself without going out i guess i could turn on my television set to a decent channel and not my usual picks of sitcoms and whatnot. Or visit news-related websites like Yahoo or CNN instead of constanly on social-networking sites. Some ideas i can throw by you to help further your future blog posts are to include maybe small clips of you actually doing the activities you mentioned like playing the wii. It was a great video. the link to the website really screamed creativity.

elias's video...
Good stuff. i liked how you pretended to not be on camera the entire time (haha). I liked how you moved from activity to activity in very little time, getting everything you needed done swiftly. This shows me, through the eyes of a first-time viewer not an average friend, that you are used to being on those digital devices very much and that you spend much time on them to be able to multi-task so easily. I liked your point in your text that stated you like that school and homework keep you distracted from wasting your time from things like web-browsing. But imagine if in your video you spent the computer time actually getting school work done, Me as a viewer would never be the wiser. It was funny to see that what you were doing on Facebook was visiting MY profile (lol). Overall it was a decent film, short and expressive. Good stuff.

HW 10

The first website i read on, was saying the cellphone use causes cancer, which was the links main argument. They also mentioned how it can also change your DNA physically through your body, by rearranging strands. They said that the radiation coming from cellphones are invisible and yet they are small amounts that run through signals and incoming/outcoming waves.

The second link i read about was saying that out of the entire world, approximately 6 billion people total, 4 billion human beings have personal cellphones. The U.S. seems to be one of the most concerned countries when directing safety from constant cellphone use. I guess Americans have a larger cellphone addiction than we realized.

The third website i ran into talked more about how cellphone radiation is more of a scare than anything. Cancer can literally come from anywhere so why judge cellphones. All websites agreed that radiation comes through different forms. This website was the one to mention how there is also good radiation in this world too, such as daylight. Yet there are still some that can drastically kill you, there are even science terms used for the type of exposure found, for the good and the bad.

(website 1)
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/health/sfl-cell-phone-risks-091609,0,4780750.story

(website 2)
http://detroitnews.com/article/20090916/LIFESTYLE03/909160366/1013/Tips-to-cut-potential-cell-phone-risks

(website 3)
http://gadgetwise.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/07/09/are-cell-phones-harmful-to-young-children/

Me in the Mornings (Sunday morning, not schooldays) from chris roldan on Vimeo.

Some thoughts and feelings i have when watching my video is that i made a pretty basic video that tells me what Digital activities can be done by myself in only a matter of four minutes. it seems to me that i work my way around a laptop and the cablebox pretty easily, which tells me im on it so much ive made my routes on the laptop a habit. and Links have been saved and information has been saved into the laptop by me. leaving a trail. My little sister is only two, but once she is at that age where she cant keep her hands off a computer herself, ill be much older and definately not living with her anymore. so yes, when she is at that age, i think i would rather her be using the computer so that i can keep in contact with her more easier. It shows that my only priorities at the moment, on a natural sunday morning for me, is to see who has commented to me or responded to me that i have missed while being asleep. Which were probably the same people who i spoke to that put me to sleep just before i went to bed. It makes me realize how dependant i am onto these electronics as a person because it has been encoded into my everyday routine. i didnt even go strait for the kitchen for a bowl of cereal, i went right towards my living room and to the living room computer. Im not so sure what the wii analogy means, but i know that as an electronic device itself, it does not make things easier because it also provides internet service, and such.

HW 7 - Interviews

I interviewed my mother briefly asking her how she feels about digital media and how does it make life easier for the deaf community, if it does. Just as i had assumed it did. She is always on her cellphone, which is a sidekick. She is on her aim practically all day, texts just as much as i do as a teenager. To have a modern television seems like a priority almost, because only certain ones provide certain features such as CC, closed captioning. For my mother being deaf, ive been around my share of deaf folks. So i know for a fact that every single one, when having a cellphone, will own a sidekick because of its features as well. It provides TTY-RELAY. Which is a texting operator based system that provides free phone calls to other people. ive used this feature over the phone trying to communicate with my mother plenty of times back in the 90's. A man has to come and install this in your home, its actually alot of work. so to see that system installed in a cellphone as small as a sidekeick, which is portable btw, is quite interesting. As you could imagine deaf people dont make phonecalls much so they text each other very often. Aim is basically the same thing. Just picture it as a phonebook instead of a buddy list. The internet is a huge thing too, because in order to own a VP, videophone, they have to have a web-modem installed. The VP is a phone that runs through your television that allows you to talk through the television by seeing each other. Deaf people have this and communicate with the VP through sign-language, obviously. I have these things in my home so im very familiar with them. If my mother could trade it all, id say definately not, it wouldnt even be an option probably. it has been embedded into her everyday life.

In Madison Square Park i interviewed several different groups of people asking them the same questions "how many hours a day are you on the computer, or your cellphone?" and "Do they and if they do have kids, how many hours a day do they allow them on the computer?" In the end i got all the same answers, but from different groups which was interesting. I asked an older gentlemen who was obviously a businessman, i asked a middle-aged woman with no kids, i asked two austrian women who were only here on vacation, and then three kids who were probably my age. the businessman was probably the most cooperative and least nervous, he said he only allowed his child on the computer for a 1/2 hour a day, thats it. The woman with no children was on her cellphone all day. The tourists said they wouldnt be able to picture themselves without theyre phones, but they also werent familiar with myspace and facebook, that or they just dont participate in those networking circles.

I asked my brother abt his take on digital media, he is only 2 years older then me so we're basically in the same generation. i asked him what he mostly does on the computer and he said mostly research up on upcoming new videogames because he likes to play games alot. He has an aim, and a myspace. His cellphone is always on and off (bills), and he loves videogames the most out of all digital electronic use. He says he isnt addicted but from an outsiders perspective, like my own, he is the perfect example of teenagers being swooped into this generation of technology. For amusement, not for purpose.

HW 4 - First comments

To Michelle...
Thanks Michelle for actually taking the time to read my post. I appreciate your insight and sharing the connections you made between my opinions and elaborated them into your own. It was helpful to read on about your idea on my discussing Movie Theatres and changing they're ads to keep up with modern values. Due to your insights it made me think that maybe i could've revolved my post not only around computers /internet but maybe around other distractions of mine, like television or texting/IMing. You also gave me a dead flat visual of how your life seems due to distractions of your own. Taking in your thoughts and connecting them to my own, i think that everyone (possibly) tries to overcome the same distractions while being distracted by the same exact technology. The thought of people lining up in front of the Apple store for that brand new iphone in the pouring rain when they can easily order it online or reserve it, or even take the chance of coming in AFTER WORK and not calling in sick seems selfish of us. It seems as tho we, as a whole, try to compete with each other over not only what items we possess, but who is the first to obtain them. Also, we love to discuss who purchased less over whom. You and I both stated that we share the same problem of being distracted while trying to do productive things. Its funny how we like keep ourselves updated with the fastest web-browser out there when seemingly we only slow our own pace behind by doing other things with our internet speed.

To Wright...
Thanks Wright for commenting my blog. i appreciate the comments you left and actually making connections to the things i had said. it was helpful to know that my thoughts on whether Andy himself on the computer leaves him distracted much like we are, because it lets me know i wasnt babbling and was actually leading somewhere. If he were to do this, maybe his generation to our generation isnt so much different? Your comments, including others as well, encourage me to expand my writing or thoughts and perhaps even share some of my main ideas in class. Tracing back to my post, a follow-up question came up in my mind, "Why do we allow ourselves to be distracted so easily?" i could just as easily log onto facebook or aim after i finish my hw, but it seems like the curiousity of being "hitup" by friends leaves me on the edge haha

H.W 3 - 1st blog post

My first homework assignment was to brainstorm about the good vs. bad of digital media and how it has become an obsession or stream of importance in our lives. When i hear of "electronics" the first to come to my mind was a computer, which then led me to the internet, which is what im doing my homework on right now as i type. I guess it can have positives like me being able to post my homework and email it instead of writing it on a looseleaf paper which id have probably forgotten to write out anyways. But another problem with doing homework on my computer is that it is such a distraction at the same time. On my web browswer, i have "blogger.com" but i also have a tab "facebook.com" next to it. while on AIM same time. Blogging homework assignments seems like a great concept too and more efficient both for the student and teacher, im guessing, but im just wondering whether my teacher is trying to grade homework on blogger.com with another site in another tab, being distracted just as much as i am. not trying to read 40 different sheets of answers.

At the same time of doing my homework i watch television at the sametime. at the moment im watching the Video Music Awards, and i thought about how half these artists all have a hit here or there that includes myspace or facebook in there songs. Reality shows or voting shows all have polls on the spot that consist of people texting to cast they're vote. Whenever i watch ESPN there are quotes from players announcing theyre trades from teams or contract renewals, whatever it is, on via twitter. they would say things like "this just in, allen iverson has officially announced his 1 year contract renewal just moments ago on via twitter." Movie theatres, before the original slogan used to be "dont spoil the movie by adding your own soundtrack" meaning not to have your cellphone ring aloud during the film, or definately answer. Now after the original message, they also have a new one that i have yet to memorize, stating not to text during the movie because the keyboard creates an annoying sound to others, and means that a bright light will bother people around you, the light coming from your cellphone screen. Emailing is definately more of an obsession with adults than it is with teens. Adults constantly email friends, family, co-workers, and so on. My mother, who is now a stay at home mom because of my new baby sister, doesnt leave the home much these days. So for my last birthday she didnt have a chance to get me anything, which i understand, but she sent me an e-greeting birthday card for my birthday. (SMH)

i can easily trace A to B than back to A or connect to C but truth is it goes only so far. Videogames, computers, texting, IMing, or watching Movies all day. i still dont even know what a "digital phone" is that cable companys offer so much. Digital media just might not be 100 percent an addiction, its just we choose not to get off.