AP English Language Bloggers 2011-12

Twelve minutes of homework

2012-02-22T18:25:00.000-08:00

Time for homework. Put everything down; sit down and commit yourself to watching this TED talk by Shawn Achor. It only takes 12 minutes...but if you're like me, you'll watch it twice: once to let the content flow over me, and a next time to observe and admire rhetorical expertise, and then a third time to take notes. :) (This stupid trick is what I am using to make sure you read this. Quiz Friday.)

I'm sending you through the COOL SITE OF THE DAY link, because for some reason, I have was having trouble posting the actual TED talk link. If you don't watch TED talks...well, you should.

A MAN A PLAN A CANAL PANAMA

2012-02-18T00:00:00.000-08:00

Hey kids,
I came in today at the beginning of 5th period and saw that palindrome on the board and thought, "Uh oh." Teachers LOVE AP kids, and love showing them all the word tricks they've picked up over the years. I can't tell you how many times teachers -- mostly old guys -- will say to me, "Oh, you and I should change jobs for a day! Then you'd see what working is all about!" and they mean that I'd have to deal with squirrely kids who misbehave and know 1000 ways to avoid work. So then I ask them, "Well, what would you do with my kids?" and invariably they say, "I'd tell them stories!" And it looks like that is maybe what happened today.

Then I found a stack of writing prompts, and knew that the agenda that I had written on the board did not really happen.

I had hoped to collect questions from the King Kong passage so I could give you the MC questions that you had written, but that can wait. I hope you liked the King Kong passage. It's one of my favorites. Did 4th period see the cartoon??

The IMPORTANT thing is the weekend essay, and Chapter Two of Everyday Use. I want you to write an argument, identify the thesis statement, identify the evidence used to support your thesis, and write out your ENTHYMEME! This was on the board. More about the enthymeme can be found in Chapter Two.

This should feel familiar...it's the WARRANT in the Toulmin Method. If you forced me to tell you the difference between an enthymeme and a warrant, I don't think I could do it.

Here is the prompt, Question 3 from the 2009 exam:

Adversity has the effect of eliciting talents which in prosperous circumstances would have lain dormant. --Horace

Consider this question about adversity from the Roman poet Horace. Then write an essay that defends, challenges or qualifies Horace's assertion about the role that adversity (financial or political hardship, danger, misfortune, etc.) plays in developing a person's character. Support your argument with appropriate evidence from your reading, observation or experience.

So your work for the weekend is to write this argument, and then be prepared to deconstruct your own work, looking at the Data (evidence), the Claim (thesis), and the Warrant (Enthymeme, or underlying assumption that connects data and claim).

Bring the blue book to school on Monday! Please!

And have a nice weekend...a little work, a little rest, a little sunshine, a little more sleep...all of these things relieve stress.

Nonfiction Book Review

2012-02-08T22:12:00.000-08:00

This is still way out in the future, but I want to give you plenty of time to find a nonfiction book that you will really, truly LOVE.

Here's a link to a Shelfari page that I set up for you, and that I will be working on, but it's pretty darn good as is. Browse, young people.

Our Modest Proposal's

2012-01-24T18:02:00.000-08:00

We just wrote our very own Modest Proposal’s a couple of days ago in response to the Swift’s satirical cannibal idea. And I got to thinking, what if everyone wasn’t able to detect sarcasm as well others? What if there wasn’t sarcasm in the world!? (Humor would be so low!)
If that were true, think of our proposals! Some people wrote proposals that were completely opposite of what they believed to show how illogical it sounded in a somewhat rational way- which was pretty much what we were supposed to do- and kind of sold it.
I am not going to lie; I lack that rationality to be able to sense sarcasm sometimes, so listening to these proposals… I was thinking WOW! I remember one of them stated an idea about making camps for criminals so we can put the unlawful to work, rather than spend money on them in jails. Though it’s taking away their Constitutional rights, I must admit, I listened. This is not good, considering it was a sarcastic idea.
I like sarcasm, especially in humorous moments. In literature, it’s a little bit harder because you have to give it a good look, especially if you are prone to taking things seriously. The main reason why I am writing this blog post is because I think there is an importance to satiety in literature: because it not only allows someone to put greater emphasis and attention on an issue, but it also allows someone to let loose and not be so fancy when writing all the time

End

I am also having a mind block for our simple Modest Assignment, due tomorrow January 25th. 

Sentence HW for 11.18.11

2011-11-14T23:26:00.001-08:00

AP English Language Homework: due Friday. November 18

MLA heading, centered title “Fun with Syntax,” 12-point Times Roman, single-spaced, numbered, labeled, with one line left blank between each numbered item. Forbidden usages: multiple exclamation marks; words in all caps; bold type; any typeface other than Times Roman, and any size larger or smaller than 12-point.

Please review your notes in the “Voice Lessons” section of your notebook, and craft the following sentence structures:

1. asyndeton
2. polysyndeton
3. compound
4. complex
5. compound-complex
6. loose sentence
7. periodic sentence
8. anaphora
9. exclamatory sentence (following a simple declarative sentence, total two sentences)
10. rhetorical question (following a pair of sentences that utilize parallelism, total three sentences)

Sentences must be complete, and correctly punctuated (bottom line requirement: no glaring error); also, they must make sense! Sentence topics can be far-flung or random, but bonus points awarded for sentences that analyze portions of The Scarlet Letter or Ben Franklin’s “The Whistle,” or that are especially elegant, complex-yet-concise, surprising, or just flat-out gorgeous.

Oh gosh, I forgot to post this

2011-11-14T15:54:00.000-08:00

Nobody yelled at me, but many of you must have come out here to discover that I hadn't posted the most recent TSL prompt:

In the following passage from The Scarlet Letter, the narrator introduces the reader to the Puritan community of the novel. Read the passage carefully. Then write an essay analyzing how the narrator's description of the Puritans and their community suggests his attitude toward them. You might consider such elements as selection of detail, manipulation of language and tone.

The passage that you should look at: Chapter 2, paragraphs 1 & 2, which begins,

The grass-plot before the jail, in Prison Lane, on a certain summer morning...

And ends thus:

...There was, moreover, a boldness and rotundity of speech among these matrons, as most of them seemed to be,that would startle us the present day, whether in respect to its purport or the its volume of tone.

Forgive the delay.

COLDPLAY UNSTAGED

2011-10-26T16:50:00.000-07:00

Ok, I know that no one probably goes on here that much anymore, but I am watching Coldplay "in concert" on YouTube and I don't have a Facebook, but I wanted to get this out because they are my favorite band :)

http://www.youtube.com/user/coldplayvevo

2011-10-17T19:57:00.001-07:00

When do we get back our Annotated Webographies? O.o I need them. They're essential :) kThanks!

Meet Amanda Werner

2011-10-04T22:36:00.000-07:00

Amanda Werner was my student during the 2005-2006 school year, and was the Mayfair High valedictorian for 2007. She's finished her degree in American Studies at San Francisco State University, and is currently in her first year of law school (with a full academic scholarship) at UCLA.

Social networking is the rock n’ roll of the millennial generation. While some baby boomers have embraced sites like Facebook and Twitter, still many show concern over the effects they may have on our youth. These sites are seen as oversimplifying the art of communication, overstimulating already-distracted young minds, and overburdening our increasingly hectic lifestyles. While these are valid concerns—much like rock music-induced hearing loss was a valid concern of the previous generation of parents—focusing on such aspects misses the larger point; social networking detractors complain about the DJ while missing the party. Social networks have revolutionized human communication and social interaction by fusing the small town ideal with the dynamic nature of urban life, as well as allowing for the creation of the first truly global world.

The expansion and maintenance of social circles is one of the most obvious effects of sites like Facebook, Twitter, and now, Google+. Thanks to these networks, children today will literally never lose touch with anyone they meet, barring an active desire to do so. This new generation will grow up in a social system that forever binds them to anyone whose last name they ever bothered to learn. Every person they have known since kindergarten will be accessible at their fingertips; would-be estranged acquaintances will have access to the details of one’s life simply by clicking a link. At first glance, this scenario may sound like an Orwellian tale of technology gone mad, but this type of social system is not at all unique; it is, in fact, a return to tradition. Through social networking, we are operating in a virtual small town—a sphere in which gossip travels quickly, personal information is common knowledge, and every relationship is cradle-to-grave, like it or not. Rather than the cold and detached urban society that has proliferated in the last century—much to the traditionalist’s lament—in this new generation, each child takes their village with them, no matter where they venture in the physical realm.
In this sense, social networking has created a previously impossible fusion of the small town dynamic with global, urban living. Traditionalists have long argued that the values of tight-knit communities have gotten lost in the brief and meaningless social buzz of cities. Sites like Facebook and Google+ may mediate social interactions through a computer screen, but they allow people to form their own tight-knit communities, even if each is largely unique to the individual. Some may be put off by the forced conciseness of interaction on social networking sites, but these sites fundamentally fuel far more communication and interaction than would take place without them. While Facebook’s version of community may not be perfect, it brings us closer to the small town ideal than the past few generations managed to, and on a much larger scale

This scale should not be underestimated. Beyond creating tight-knit communities, social networking has further—and counter-intuitively—dovetailed that ideal with the first truly global generation in history. It does not merely allow people to easily interact with their counterparts across the globe, but social networking has allowed for our first taste of a global culture. Throughout the so-called Arab Spring, many young Americans noticed themselves identifying with the protesters in a profound way. While empathy has certainly crossed borders in the past, this phenomenon went far beyond human commiseration. Many American youth felt that their Egyptian contemporaries were not just similar to themselves: they were one and the same. While there are admittedly many arguments to be made about American privilege here, one must admit that Americans and Egyptians share more than just age and the ideals of youth, largely due to social networking and the birth of an internet culture. We share television shows, blogs, internet memes—a common language. The American and Egyptian cultures still stand in stark contrast, but today’s youth become multicultural through an Ethernet cable.

Social networking has managed to create a culture of contradictions—one that defies borders and customs while fundamentally rooted in traditional views of community. Much like Facebook’s Top News Feed, social networking has taken the best of all worlds and compressed it into the current paradigm. It is hard to argue with a paradigm shift, even harder to argue with revolution. Social networking critics can complain about the details all they want, but rock n’ roll was never about precision.

Our First Draft Questions

2011-09-27T20:44:00.000-07:00

• To what extent of the workforce and its industries can robots, machinery, and other technology displace?
• Is Facebook addiction truly a form of mental disorder?
• Is technology positively aiding the developing minds of students or negatively deteriorating the diminishing intelligence of students?
• Are virtual online worlds affecting the way we view things in our daily life?
• Has technology changed the way crime is carried out?
• What changes has technology done to our food?
• Has modern warfare, with connection of virtual reality and war video games, changed the human brain and emotions?
• What role has the Internet played in shaping the way teenagers learn in school?
• Does texting change our language development and how we speak?
• How doe use of the Internet affect a person’s physical health?
• Will increasing computing speeds affect humans physically and mentally?
• Does having a second life over the Internet change the way we act and perceive the world?
• Does the impact of technology affect human values, desires, and emotional responses?
• How do companies use Facebook and Twitter to market goods and services?
• Does technology in the world place promote productivity?
• Is technology helping the learning process of students and educators?
• Has technology affected or increased criminal acts or behaviors?
• Is the censorship or filtering of the Internet a good thing or does it infringe upon our rights of free speech?
• Does technology influence pop music and music in general?
• Can multiple online personas be the cause of multiple personality disorders?
• Does technology affect the way people are interacting with one another and is it changing what being social and anti-social means?
• Is the role of technology in today’s culture affecting Christian outreach, and what are the effects of these new methods on the traditional congregation?
• How does the development and increasing use of special effect technology in films, such as CGI and 3-D, alter people’s perception of reality?
• Does the original use of the stuxnet hacking worm reveal hidden political agendas of the US and Israel?
• To what extent does the Internet contribute to antisocial behavior?
• Since the introduction of modern technology into the medical field, have the intelligence levels of doctors dropped, and has the profession been “dumbed down”?
• Should cyberbullying be illegal?
• How will our culture integrate artificial intelligence?
• How is technology influencing art and the way art is defined?
• How do criminals benefit from technology?
• How does technology affect our perception of beauty?
• How efficient are security and privacy features on social networking sites?
• How doss the Internet affect people’s working habits?
• How has video game addiction affected the lives of the addicted?
• Do social networking sites and blogs cause people to develop different personas?
• Are Internet interactions leading us to de-value real-life relationships?
• Does the ability to be anonymous on the Internet affect the Internet community positively or negatively?
• Is technology affecting the ways humans respond to media related stimuli?
• Is the Internet and texting “dumbing down” the English language?
• Should artificial intelligence replace humans in the field of education?
• Does using computers lead to sleep deprivation?
• Has technology become more beneficial to the survival and quality of society than nature?
• Is technology use creating new psychological disorders?
• Is new technology and the Internet simplifying the language of writing as we know it?
• How are sleeping disorders related to the increasing use of technology?
• Will implementing technology into the human body completing change of our way of life, thinking and perception?
• Has the use of technology caused an increase in sleep disorders?
• Is technology an addiction to today’s society?
• Is technology improving our social lives?
• How does the great use of technology affect those whose economic situation prevents them from having access to it?
• Is technology affecting us emotionally and socially?
• Are social networks affecting the way we communicate today?
• Could multiple online personalities be considered a disorder or one of the leading causes of suicide?
• What types of Internet crimes are children and teens most prone to today?

The MultiVoiced Argument

2011-09-14T22:45:00.000-07:00

Multivoiced Argument: Technology and the Human Being

Objective
Using our summer reading as a springboard for further inquiry into diverse topics concerning the interface between the human being and the technology we have created to serve us, students will:
➢ try a range of invention strategies in a writers’ workshop setting
➢ review and analyze their authentic writing process
➢ experiment with new methods to get words on paper
➢ take a variety of writing pieces through a process that includes invention, drafting, revision, redrafting, peer review, conferences, author’s chair, and final editing
➢ conduct research, searching both electronic and traditional sources
➢ utilize Boolean searches to improve search results
➢ document sources using MLA citation methods
➢ publish a MultiVoiced argument that explores an issue from several points of view

Rationale:
The AP English Language and Composition Exam’s synthesis question requires students to read and consider several texts on a related issue and then develop a position in response to that issue, referring to at least three of the texts provided for support. Writers must effectively develop a position, synthesize and cite sources, and enter the ongoing academic conversation represented by published texts.
By writing a researched multivoice/multigenre paper, students develop an understanding of the various stakeholders situated around an issue, and write their way into the conversation by considering the range of positions that may be taken.

The Assignment:
Students produce a multivoiced argument (MVA) paper of between 2000-2500 words that, instead of building a “winning position” attempts to confront what is at stake and why. Relying on the pedagogical model presented by Cheryl L. Johnson and Jayne Moneysmith their book, Multiple Genres, Multiple Voices: Teaching Argument in Composition and Literature, this paper resists the traditional model of argument where the goal is to “[find] holes in the ‘opposition’s’ argument”. Rather than attempting to produce a document that presents “the last word” on a particular topic, students are empowered to give voice to diverse positions in their writing pieces.
These papers go through peer review and extensive revision in workshop; a unifying motif (the repetend) is layered in to create a cohesive research paper rather than disparate writing pieces that have nothing in common but a topic and a top-left staple. Finished papers are shared among the entire class in a 1-2 day Read Around. Students are encouraged to ask questions of the authors to clarify open issues and key points.
Because you are writing a MVA – a form that is utterly unfamiliar at this point in your writing careers – and to encourage risk and growth, assessment for this paper is mainly process, and includes reflective journal writing on the writing/research, and productive participation in workshop.

Step-by-Step:
Step 1: Identify an issue of interest.
• Assignment: Using the brainstorm list created in class on 9/14, narrow down a topic by Thursday, 9/22.
• Have a “rough draft” idea ready to take into the MHS Computer Lab on Tuesday, 9/20.

Topics from our recent brainstorming session need further refinement, but these are good starting points. Narrow and refine your topic as much as you can. The more specific the topic, the more focused the paper! Think “laser,” not “dim bulb.”

role of technology in education AI/robots/the human workforce
technology and the natural world music and technology
how is technology changing art? technology on and in the human body
friendly machines social networks & democratic movements
Google Apple
Microsoft Purchase of patents/intellectual property
sleep disorders and technology video game addiction
Wikileaks; technology and national security is the internet exacerbating ADHD?
the deterioration of civility online is technology dumbing down language?
free speech and the Internet personal boundaries and privacy
the “numerati” and data mining multiple online personas
technology and the medical field accelerating processing speed (Moore’s law and beyond)
how companies use Facebook and Twitter to market goods and services modern warfare/virtual reality and war games
impact of technology on human emotional response are social networks improving our social lives
Craig’s List Murders/criminal behaviors are there benefits to video gaming?
how secure is our network socioeconomic barriers to access

Step 2: Formulate a problematic research question to explore. Writers should not know the answer to their question yet; your research is to be directed by your authentic curiosity. Your job is to conduct an inquiry, not to shop around for sources that will confirm or deny something you already know or believe.
• Assignment: Statis theory worksheet (10 pts.); Question Analysis worksheet (10 pts.)

Step 3: Gather information that will answer your research question.
• Assignment: start research journal in your writer’s notebook. Keep careful records of your sources of information.

Step 4: Find and define your audience. (Who cares? To whom are you directing your argument?)
• Activity: Class Pass

Step 5: Develop the argument.
• Assignment: Write a dialogue between two “experts” in your field. (10 pts.) This writing assignment is not necessarily part of your finished paper. It is a thinking exercise; however, you may find that you have created something that you may want to develop further.

Step 6: Select genres to fit the audience and argument. You must be able to justify why the genre you have selected is appropriate for your audience/argument. [Caution! This will not work the other way around — do not speculate on the genres you will use until you have done the necessary legwork on your question first.]

Step 7: Write write write. Experiment with different styles and voices.
• Activity: Writers’ Workshop

Step 8: Develop a thesis. What do you want readers of your MVA to understand? How do you implicitly express a thesis?

Step 9: What is a repetend? Find a logical (artful?) sequence and a way to unify the genres. Are all pieces working in service to your research question?

Step 10: Document the research – your Works Cited page; your Endnotes.

Step 11: Revise, edit: Writers’ Workshop

Step 12: Two to three day read around with reader/writer Q & A sessions

Step 14: I am THINKING about inviting administrators, parents, teachers and peers to an evening Open House to showcase your work. I want to see good thinking, innovative approaches, and strong writing.

Direct Teaching:
Lessons presented during this project include:
➢ what is a writer’s workshop?
➢ invention strategies: brainstorm, cluster, list, freewrite, loop, cube
➢ writing as a recursive process
➢ characteristics of various genres
➢ the problem of the thesis
➢ finding and evaluating sources; internet search strategies
➢ documenting sources/avoiding plagiarism
➢ how to conduct real peer review/a real writers conference
➢ what does revision mean? what does revision require of a writer?
➢ unifying the paper (beyond the staple!)
➢ finding/fixing some common faults in writing: passive voice; subject/verb problems; pronouns and their antecedents; comma splices; run-on sentences
➢ fundamentals of academic presentation
➢ producing endnotes

Assessment:
Although this project is assessed primarily as a process piece, some aspects of your product will find their way into your final project grade: word count met, multiple genres selected, genres are justifiable in context of audience and argument, documentation of sources, and professional presentation. Assessment may seem a little more subjective than a traditional assignment; it is largely based on teacher observation recorded on checklists, the seating chart, stamped work, and my project journal.
I want to encourage you to take risks as a writer; playing safe for a grade is no way to grow. Also, I am looking at your time management (sleepy heads and chatterboxes, beware), the sources you find, your observation of deadlines, your respect for the conventions of writers workshop, the observable changes in your MVA over time (authentic revision), your reflective research journal, day-to-day assignments and activities, notes taken during teaching, and so forth. Further, I will be talking to you directly throughout this project about your work, so let me hear about your struggle and confusion (as well as your success), because that is where the learning will take place — at that point where you move beyond your current understanding and embark out into unknown territory. If you don’t have anything specific to say when I come to talk to you…well, that’s a bad sign.
I expect that we will be a little confused most of the time. It takes a while for these papers to take shape.

Step Six: Genres to Consider
Again, don’t get ahead of yourself by selecting genres before you identify your audience and formulate your argument. However, I would like you to review this list of genres, and to start bringing in samples that exemplify what is typical of these genres, and to file them in the folders I have set up for this purpose. Is this worth participation credit? You betcha.

Group One: Academic Genres
News articles Book/film reviews Classical argumentative essays
Biographical or autobiographical portraits Interviews A response paper
Case studies Sermons Proposals
Editorials Critical essays Commentaries
Feature articles Research reports Technical reports
Theory based essays Written debates Speeches
Mission statements Point/counterpoint
Group Two: Public Genres
Police reports Letters of public officials Memos
Blog posts Resumes Job applications
Email exchanges Letters Newsletters/phamplets
Lab reports, doctors’ notes, medical records Contracts: marriage, divorce, child custody Instructions/How to guides
Brochures Letters of complaint Field notes
Group Three: Creative Genres
Poems Adventures Newspaper “fillers”
Songs/ballads Children’s stories Screenplays
Plays, monologues, diary entries, dialogues Fantasies, letters to imaginary people, characters Lists: to-do, shopping, questions, etc.
Stories Telegrams Prophesies, predictions
Anecdotes TV/radio/podcast scripts Scenes from a play
Riddles Recipes or menus Slide show scripts
Advice columns Proverbs Personal letters
Group Four: Visual Genres
Graphs/charts Photos with captions Cartoons/Jokes
Posters Puzzles Graffiti
Web pages Bumper stickers Maps
Postcards Organizational charts; family trees Tarot cards, astrological charts

NOTE: List of genres taken from Multiple Genres, Multiple Voices: Teaching Argument in Composition and Literature by Cheryl L. Johnson and Jayne A. Moneysmith

The Sorting Hat

2011-08-24T11:23:00.000-07:00

I picked up three crates of notebooks on Friday, August 19 at 4:00 p.m. If you turned in a notebook by that deadline, and you have NOT received a drop notice from me, you are enrolled in the AP English 11 class. We are seating our largest enrollment to date, with 58 students.

Please maintain your Gmail account; we will be utilizing both Google Calendar and Google Documents this year.

Good work, Everybody. Send an email if you are uncertain, and I'll let you know.

UPDATE: I will be out of town Friday through Sunday, and unavailable.
NEWER UPDATE: All notebooks will be read, scored and returned on the first FRIday of school. My pace is five per day.

Lesser of two evils

2011-08-22T20:54:00.000-07:00

In Neil Postman's book he says that the television is the worst thing in our days. But Nicholas Carr says the internet is. So which one is it?
Personally I think the internet is the worse of the two and here is why. The internet can have everything that the television does. The internet has television shows on things like hulu just like the television. Also, you have daily news on the internet just like television. Also many other thing like commercials or ads. Not only does it have more stuff on it it also is more addictive and does more things to your brain as Carr says.
So the lesser of the two evils is the internet. We have incorporated the internet into our day-to-day life.

THE COVER OF THE BOOK!!

2011-08-20T16:40:00.000-07:00

So...I have a lil survey...

I was looking at The Shallows and I began to stare at the "water" within the texts... Quite ironically, it stops in the words "Our Brains"... Think about it...

Do you guys think it is:

Draining Down? or Filling Up?

I want to hear you guys' opinions before I share mine :)

I have this theory in mind that I want to share after I see the results of this survey!

Just put your vote in the comments.. Thanks!

Woohoo ! :D

2011-08-20T00:04:00.000-07:00

I feel like I’m Forgetting Something

2011-08-19T23:47:00.003-07:00

Earlier today I was cooking some frozen generic brand chicken nuggets in the toaster oven, and instead of waiting patiently for it, I decided to do some laundry to feel productive and distract myself. I thought it would make time go by faster. About five minutes later, the chicken nuggets weren’t done, so I went to go check the mail. As I’m sorting out the mail, I become distracted because of one addressed to me. I remember that they were probably CST scores. Although I absolutely hate CSTs with a burning passion, I was curious about what my scores were. I spent the next five minutes looking through the rest of the mail and my scores, completely forgetting about my poor, lonely chicken nuggets. Then I felt the need to inform someone about the events that took place. Texting away, I only remembered about my chicken nuggets when they were already cold. My attempt of “multitasking” has failed miserably, but my attempt at distracting myself worked.

Okay, bad example of multitasking. I know. However, Carr mentions how he cannot remain focus on a book until he gets distracted after a few pages. Was that not me as I was cooking my chicken nuggets? Although it may have been boring and “a waste of time” to watch some chicken nuggets cook, in the end I would have never forgotten about them. Maybe it was more of a distraction rather than my horrible attempt at multitasking.

Adding on modern technology, multitasking distractions have taken on a new level of complication. With modern technology, there are so many more things to get distracted by: The television, computer, cell phones, and video games.

Since I feel like having a light conversation, let’s talk about some of our multitasking mishaps, or how distractions have made us hope we get our last post or comment in before midnight, and how modern day technology has just added to the fire.

Also, if you were wondering, I just ended up running down the stairs and checked to see if they were still warm even after sitting there for a good half hour. I reheated them; this time I made sure to pay attention.

How Was Your Day?

2011-08-19T23:47:00.002-07:00

My day was the usual: Breakfast, silence, homework, people start coming home from work, noise, silence again. However, during some parts of the day, I get paranoid. I will hear weird squeaking noises from rooms you know no ones in, look through the peephole to see some stranger, or feel like I’m being watched. I know the likeliness of someone being in the house, the stranger being a criminal, or a ghost popping out and eating me alive is very unlikely. So why do I think about? I blame the news, as well as those suspenseful television shows I watch.

Whenever I watch the news, or read it on the web, it’s normally talking about how people have died, been robbed, abused, or harassed. Although most of them don’t take place locally, to me, it’s still a bit too close for comfort. Postman says that, “without a medium to create its form, the news of the day does not exist.” Therefore, without the media, ultimately, we wouldn’t know much about the murders, shootings, or shark attacks that power my paranormal senses. If I weren’t so exposed to the news, would I still hold this sense of paranoia? I probably would, but not as intense.

This reminded me of a documentary movie that Ms. Swieck allowed us to watch for extra credit. I don’t exactly remember much about it, but it mentioned how not many people locked their doors in Canada. It also talked about how the news there wasn’t as violent as ours. Whether this is true or not, I’m not sure, but it sure does make a lot of sense. The more violence we see on television, the more we think that it just might happen to ourselves one day. The less violence we see, the more safe we will feel.

It’s Friday, Friday

2011-08-19T23:47:00.000-07:00

I’m sure we all know where that comes from. Ever since the song came out earlier this year, it has become common to hear these words shouted out on a Friday. Why people recite lines from Rebecca Black’s song “Friday,” I’m not exactly sure, since I don’t follow in the said trend. A trend, is what is has become, and a part of our culture. It is just how Postman says that the media helps spread our culture.

Earlier this summer, Ms. Fletcher made a post that basically summarized most of the ways students started their posts (http://apbloggers11-12.blogspot.com/2011/07/june-mashup.html). Some of us may start our posts like this because we can’t really think of any other way to start. Others of us may see other people do it, and assume that it is the safe way to go. Another thing I noticed as well is that many people have ended their post with their question. I am not sure whether I can classify this as a trend or a common mistake, but I’ll avoid stating my strong opinion on this matter as to not get flamed or be seen as rude.

Technology has allowed for trends to spread more quickly than ever. Rebecca Black’s song, for example, spread like a wildfire once it got out to the general public, and who knows what will come along next.

Here and Now

2011-08-19T23:38:00.001-07:00

For my last post for this summer assignment, I'd like to address certain questions that has repeatedly popped up from the vast majority of blog posts.

"Is our society quickly progressing into the dystopian society that Huxley portrays in his novel?"

"Are we truly losing our thought process because of the internet?"

"Is society that absorbed in the influx of information that the media catapults at us?"

These questions are invalid. It is no longer a question of whether or not we will progress to what these novels project; it has become a question of how will we pick ourselves up and repair our society.

More parallels are being made between our society and Huxley's society with each passing day. Internet addiction and how our though processes have been altered is a serious issue that should be addressed immediately. These novels no longer give us a dim foreshadow of our future. These novels illustrate for us the society we currently live in, and just how much we have retrograded.

Carr's Concern

2011-08-19T23:30:00.000-07:00

Nicholas Carr's The Shallows presents readers with a multitude of information than puts the use of internet in a very negative light. He is generous in providing studies and scientific evidence on how the internet alters our brain for the worse and how its benefits are largely overshadowed by its repercussions. Carr's chapters persistently put internet usage at a lower standing than book reading and writing. He states that book's have increased the depth of people's thinking and awareness, whereas the internet has turned us into shallow thinkers who are unable to create even one profound thought. In addition, the afterword even calls people to join in his seemingly Luddite-like plight against the internets growing dominance in almost all aspects of life

Although he does raise several interesting points and arguments, his bias against books can be seen clearly. Being an author, Carr uses his book in an attempt to salvage and restart the influence of written works. He consistently argues in favor of printed literature by stating that is the most efficient way to learn. The rise of the internet threatens his occupation because the internet is causing individuals to no longer desire to read books and instead read short and concise articles online. Is my guess on the reasoning behind Nicholas Carr's point of view somewhat accurate? Or does he actually possess some concern on the internet's effect on us personally ?

What the Media Does

2011-08-19T23:22:00.000-07:00

As I was wrapping up my essays last night, my brother and I went on a Carl's Jr run. While we were driving, my brother was showing me new songs by his favorite rapper J. Cole. I later informed him that J. Cole graduated from St. John's University with magna cum laude. I expected to see a look of amazement on his face. Unfortunately, he wasn't shocked. Apparently, rapper Dwayne Carter or Lil Wayne graduated from Houston University. I know it is sad to say that myself and others believe that it is crazy to know that that rappers finish their education. The reason we think that is because they rap about how they are always struggling to survive and stay alive in the rough neighborhood they live in. It is a well known fact that it is harder to attend college when one is living in poverty. I am not implying that the reason people in the tougher parts don't college is because they're not capable, it is just that they're focus can't really be there.

In our society, rappers are meant to be seen as the most rebellious, raunchy people around. They are also seen to make music that influences young kids, boys in particular to commit crimes. I then asked my brother, "If they have all this intelligence, why do they rap about gang-banging and shooting? These are the things that make teenagers drop out of high school and do things against the law." My brother told me that is the only way for them to make sells. Our society has become so ignorant. The media has made people think about what is cool and makes you the baddest in town. Sadly, we follow it and listen to music that portrays it. So, rappers have to discuss those topics in their music because it seems as the only thing that sells. Then young kids go out and do the bad things rappers claim to do in the song because they look up to him or her. I blame the media for changing our opinions and how we act as a people. The media has ruled out rap that talks about anything else than gang affiliated activities.

America, we need to talk.

2011-08-19T23:11:00.000-07:00

Watch this video, mentioned by Andrew Postman in his introduction to his father’s book, Amusing Ourselves to Death.

Read this article by Paul Krugman, or at least my favorite snippet:

I joked long ago that if one party declared that the earth was flat, the headlines would read “Views Differ on Shape of Planet.”

Check out this video featuring John Kerry.

And finally, read this quote by the great Isaac Asimov:

Anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that "my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge."

Now consider the radicalization of some political movements over the past decade or so, and especially the last few years. Some may think, “how is it that these people have any legitimacy at all? Why is it that people even believe them?”

There’s your answer. Neil Postman had your answer over 25 years ago. Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert have your answer every single day.

Just as Postman predicted (read pages 159-161 for him predicting exactly what is wrong with today’s media), much of today’s media is more focused on bringing us entertainment in order to boost ratings rather than bringing us the unbiased facts. What makes matters worse is that some of these organizations claim to be Fair and Balanced (and paint the picture that they are legitimate sources of news) when they are in fact only opinion shows (designed to be entertaining). To make matters even worse, these news shows aren’t catering to those who preach facts, because that’s not nearly as entertaining as those who preach baseless opinion.

And when your entire viewership tunes in every night to have their radical opinions enforced by your “news” show’s opinions, and facts are not part of the equation, we start to have serious issues and an uninformed public, and this uninformed public honestly believes that their opinions, based off of your “news” show’s opinions, are just as valid for discourse as anyone else’s facts.

This is a problem.

We can’t ignore it. We can’t pretend that we are powerless in the face of the media giants. We must call attention to these problems, we must give our attention to reputable and fact-based news organizations, and we must do our best to discredit any highly biased and opinionated source of information that claims to be a news outlet.

Consider yourselves warned, by Postman and countless others. Make the effort to promote a more genuine medial, for the sake of public discourse and the sanity of our society depend on it.

Afterthoughts

2011-08-19T23:06:00.000-07:00

While reading The Shallows, I truly realized the impact the internet has had on my brain. With Amusing Ourselves to Death, I learned the consequences of skim-reading as I tried and failed to grasp the meaning behind Postman’s ideas by simply scanning over the text. There was also that bit about television turning our world to a stage in Las Vegas, Nevada but eh. I just love my television. Brave New World did do its purpose to make me fear the unknown future technology will take us but it also made me grateful to live in a world where the concepts of family and individuality are still alive.

So we’ve finished the books and learned of the implications of technology on our way of life. What now? Well there is the history homework due on the first...

I will probably still skim-read and read in the form of the letter F but I’ll try to save that for browsing around Wikipedia late at night. As Carr mentioned in The Shallows: “There needs to be time for efficient data collection and time for inefficient contemplation”. (168)

As for television, all I can say is that it’s too late for me to quit. The future is still unknown and there's still a chance we might not make to graduation come December 2012. The future is to be feared, but right now, it’s Friday and there’s only a little over two weeks of summer vacation left, so I think I’ll entertain myself with whatever’s on television.

Bias and Prejudice in Today's Society

2011-08-19T23:04:00.001-07:00

In the World State of Huxley's creatioin there a caste system exists. From the worst of the worst to the best of the best in strict, rigid order. Even within people of the same caste system exists prejudice. The prime example of this is Bernard Marx who due to perhaps some incident at the time of his birth, was born smaller than most other Alphas. This in turn caused people of the same caste on him to ridicule or look down on him and for people of a lower caste to not treat him with the same level of respect as other Alphas.

In today's society it is undoubted that prejudice and bias exist as well. People I believe gravitate more towards beauty and eloquence when they try to search out friends. I find that someone who's appearance looks model-perfect tends to make friends and give a good impression to people on first sight much easier than say a person who is overweight. What I wonder is, just how far do the benefits of being an "Alpha" in our society go for? How about the prejudice and cons against overweight or ugly people as they try to succeed in society? Does a person's appearance really affect how a person succeeds in life? (Assuming same set of values and personalities to make it fair)

A New Perspective!

2011-08-19T22:41:00.000-07:00

As I think back to Amusing Ourselves to Death it had me thinking about how everything revolves around television and "image". "Indeed, we may go this far: The television commercials is not at all about the character of the products to be consumed. It's about the character of the consumers of the products."(128), this is very true about how our society is today. We no longer see people for their works, we see them how televison portays them. Thanks to television we have a new way of thinking and that is that we see how good people look rather than what they really stand for. For example, politics, we no longer see politics how we used to, with its long debates and what they stood for. In today's society it's all about how much audience appeal the politician has rather than how much he has achieved and what he stands for is worth it for him or her to lead our nation. With our new perspective we have come far from on how we used to think, image is everything now days and it's going to be hard to go back to the society we used to be.

What I learned

2011-08-19T22:30:00.000-07:00

This year's summer homework felt like a very stimulating education experience and an interesting project to get to know myself and the world around me. I felt as if I opened my mind and became more aware of society today. Though I was hesitant at first to complete the homework I'm glad I did because I feel as if I'm in control and I gained a valuable lesson.
In Brave New World, it feels like I took a step into a whole new dimension. One where stability is the main goal and the lengths people go to to keep it. I learned that in modern times we're not far off with many things that have the potential to be just like that world. Thanks to the many blog post, I learned of today's soma and what it feels like to be so dependent on something like how people in the book are dependent on soma. Huxley was disturbingly close to predicting what will happen in the future and his theory about how the things we love will hurt us in the end.
In Amusing Ourselves to Death, I learned about how we are always looking for something to amuse and entertain us, introduced to how the medium is the message, and that the presentation is sometimes more important to people than the depth itself. By adding a televising aspect to things it will ruin the tradition of things. An example is about how church is broad casted on TV all for the sake for more viewers and a chance to wow the audience.
Finally, in The Shallows, I understood what the Internet was doing to my brain. Firstly, I learned a lesson of how we think and process thoughts in our head and that our brain registers everything that happens around us. I became more observant by how much I go on the Internet and when I went on less and less it became easier and easier to concentrate and focus. How much control the Internet has over us is disturbingly high and that most people don't even realize it. By using myself as an example I noticed how often and how I always needed to go on even for simple things.
That is a brief summery of what I learned this summer. What did you learn? Did you become more observant of your surroundings? Feel as if your eyes have been opened to what is happening to you? Have you felt shallow? Amused to Death? Or, by using technology feel as if your in a brave new world?

Forget our brains -- the Internet is ruining our hearts.

2011-08-19T22:29:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, I was discussing Facebook with a dear friend of mine (because what else do dear friends do?), and the points raised in that discussion had me on the verge of deleting my account. Just the thought of two years of social interactions and awkward pictures being deleted sounded too good to be true. I wasn’t just deleting some data on some server in the cloud -- I was ridding myself of a terrible, terrible habit.

I ended up keeping my account, but only because I need it to communicate with certain people. It’s where I’m most accessible, for nearly everyone who I need to interact with has a Facebook account.

The interactions on Facebook are a poor excuse for true social interaction. My feed is contaminated with nothing but shallow attempts that are a disgrace to true social interaction. Sure, there are some good posts that have something great to share, but the majority is just shallow junk. The sad part is, it passes for interaction. It’s enough to keep close enough to people that they consider you an acquaintance, but not so close that any real friendships will be made.

My fear is that when much of the positive aspects of real-life social interaction (sex is no exception) are available within a few clicks, why would anyone want to waste time and effort on the real thing?

I don’t know why. Truth be told, there are certain connections that the Internet will never be able to replicate. I fear that the day I can find true love from the comfort of my own home is the day I never leave home again (nice try, OkCupid).

Furthermore, Facebook is promoting unhealthy habits of social interaction. Face-to-face communication in the real world isn’t done through a system of likes and comments, and expressing my satisfaction towards something in a real life situation often calls for more than clicking a Like button. Not only do I believe Facebook is hurting our communication skills, but I also believe that the way we interact and the information that’s being transferred is hampering our most basic social interaction skills and bringing out the wost in us. I can’t remember the last time I’ve gone a single day without seeing a “SOME PEOPLE ARE JUST SO DRAMATIC GOSH, LET ME PUBLICLY AND INDIRECTLY COMPLAIN ABOUT THIS PERSON WITHOUT MENTIONING THEM SPECIFICALLY I’M NOT GOING TO NAME NAMES BECAUSE ADDRESSING MY PROBLEMS HEAD-ON IS TOO MATURE, BUT YOU ARE ONE SKANKY GIRL SO YOU BETTER BACK OFF MY MAN HINT HINT NUDGE NUDGE GOSH SOME PEOPLE”

There’s a message function too, dear passive-aggressive friends. If you have some grievances to settle with someone, please refrain from telling the world of your problems before discussing your issues with the person who caused you all this grief. Facebook is only making it easier to avoid confronting our problems. Rather than apply the extra effort to do the more difficult (but right) thing, we hide behind our keyboards in the comfort of the flickering glare of our displays.

It all seems like a giant attention-fest to me... a pissing contest of sorts, except with Like buttons and farm games. It only makes me hate people (I’m not being vague in targeting a single person here, I just mean people in general) more than it makes me interact with them.

Before I diverge from the topic any longer, let’s settle this and make a few things clear. The state of “social”-ness of the internet today is pitiful. These aren’t healthy social interactions, and bad habits are being promoted as friendly interactions. Yet Facebook is entirely ubiquitous among our generation, and even our entire culture.

Really, the only winning move in the game of Facebook is simply not to play. We’re putting ourselves in this environment that does us more harm than good, and let’s not forget where all this data is going -- Facebook is a mess for privacy and personal data. All of your precious information is what’s funding this great experiment, and good luck getting it out of the cloud once it’s in. In addition to this, bad habits are being promoted as regular methods of social interaction become more scarce, and it's the people without the Facebook accounts who are the freaks. Once it has a hold over you, you're part of the system. And there really is no escape.

You can check out any time you like, but you can never leave.

How to Read 101

2011-08-19T22:27:00.000-07:00

““Digitial immersion,” wrote the lead researcher,”has even affected the way they absorb information. They don’t necessarily read a page from left to right and from top to bottom. They might instead skip around, scanning for pertinent information of interest.”

This was an interesting passage in The Shallows to me, that had intrigued me. Even though it was pretty much at beginning of the book, it was one of the tidbits of text that had stuck to my mind throughout the entire book. Does this really happen to people? I found it unlikely as it just seems so surreal to not read it the standard way that has been set for centuries.

After I had read this, some time after, I was reading some articles online where a sort of self-awareness came over me. I seemed to keep catching myself doing the exact thing that they have mentioned. I was just skimming over the article, full of disinterest, just looking for that sentences of point to get me interested into the article. This may just have been me on a subconscious level following what the researcher had mentioned.

Even without reading the passage this has usually happen to me when I am researching for something, which I feel is justified. It is to me a skill to be able to scan through a page or article to find the information that is necessary to fulfill what you need. Though, I may just be alone in this which is why I ask. Have you found yourself reading in such a way as described above?

Distractions

2011-08-19T22:26:00.001-07:00

This is a picture of that little, old lady continually blinking on the side of the Sparknotes page. Guaranteed this is from several or so months ago, it is still relevant. However, it's stuck as a still image so we won't be able to experience the distraction that was the blinking, old lady.

On a web page that’s supposed to transform a difficult text into an easy read, why are we still finding ourselves distracted? When did we suddenly start finding so many distractions? Is it at the same time our attention span jumped out the window?

While reading the assigned material, I constantly found myself getting distracted by the smallest things such as my cellphone peeking out from under my elbow or some random piece of paper with words written in red ink. I found myself having to rearrange such distractions as to keep my peripheral vision clear and my mind focused on the text.

The internet, which is supposed to be our distraction from reality, has distractions in itself. There are the several tabs we open, the bookmarks bar that allows us to easily access our favorite websites and then there’s that little “ping” from Facebook alerting us of a chat.

Distractions, distractions, distractions. Where does it all end? Alone, in the dark, in bed?

The Gentle Hum of Anxiety

2011-08-19T22:26:00.000-07:00

Patience is a concept that seems to be increasingly rare in today’s society. When I read The Shallows and Amusing Ourselves to Death and how they discussed the effects electronic media (namely the Internet and television) had on the human mind in terms of the capability to concentrate and retain memory, I realized how patience has seriously diminished in our civilization for similar reasons. Now that we expect all of our answers to arrive to us via search engine at an instantaneous speed, it is extremely frustrating when we are required to wait for something for any amount of time.

Every other electronic aspect of our culture has severed people’s patience as well; people are now able to record television shows, watch movies on Netflix anytime they want, use fast-passes in lines for amusement parks, or have any song from any artist be played with just a quick search on YouTube or music-sharing sites. Commercials for electronic products focus on how fast they can receive information rather than on the products themselves. Impatient people are slightly awed by those with the endurance to withstand long waits, because it seems inevitable that in a society where immediate satisfaction, nothing requires patience so nobody needs to be able to learn how to endure long periods of time without complaining.

Since the completion of reading the three books assigned to us for summer work, I’ve been working on trying to become less fussy about waiting for lengthy periods of time. I haven't been entirely successful, but the awareness of this issue has motivated me to try to get rid of the anxious feeling I get when I wait for something. I know that all of us have felt frustration while waiting for something highly anticipated, or even just regularly anticipated. When something on the Internet doesn't process as fast as we'd like, we begin to worry. When commercial breaks become too long, we become annoyed with how long it takes for the channel to return to the television program.

I decided the only way for me to learn patience would be to reduce my use of amusing distractions. I started trying to develop more cognitive skills by reading or deeply analyzing movies (I know films are a form of distraction, but movies with profound or intense plots are great to discuss). I began to feel more relieved as the once-constant buzzing of anxiety in the back of my mind became more and more quiet. Do you feel like your ability to wait is diminishing greatly as you use more intellectual technologies? If not, share the secrets of your forbearance. If patience becomes nonexistent in this society, one of constant technological progress to find quicker ways of obtaining knowledge, I fear humanity would be on its way to being so selfish for amusement that we would become as emotionless as the citizens in Brave New World.

Postman's Main Points;Can we think about what we watch first?

2011-08-19T22:24:00.000-07:00

As I concluded my summer reading homework this morning with Neil Postman's novel, Amusing Ourselves To Death, I went through my chapter summaries and reviewed the main points of some chapters Postman expresses in his novel being, as time progresses, societies and cultures are "undergoing a vast and trembling shift from the magic of writing to the magic of electronics," also the attention span and ability of people to read in the television based epistemology is declining, there is a transition from well explained reason to the idea of advertisement, writing has lost it's values due to communication and transition, and the differences between business and show business are immiscible. In each or a couple of his chapters what do you think he is trying to point out?

An aphorism that caught my attention was "The medium is the message." In your opinion, what does that mean? Another phrase that seemed interesting was "The news of the day," which was said to be created by the telegraph. Our news of day is the worldwide news broadcast everyday, 24/7, which informs us of the occurences, and problems our world faces. Neil Postman states, "without a medium to create its form, the news of the day does not exist." Do you agree or disagree with that statement and why or why not?

In closing, I agree with Postman's point that we have abused the medium of television, but i feel that we can do something to solve that. While many of us struggled to finish our summer homework today, I realize that a lot of it has to do with our extended engagement in technology. I, like Nicholas Carr, also challenge everyone to take a break from technology, and see what happens. Is that possible?

Is Life Really Becoming Simple?

2011-08-19T21:53:00.000-07:00

As I had read through The Shallows and Amusing Ourselves to Death, a strange thought and realization began to trickle into my brain. Has our life really become simpler with this new age of technology? We were born into this new age where new technology has spurted out which has managed to globalize the world and speed up things faster than ever. New inventions have begun making previous, tedious physical manual labor as easy as pressing a few buttons. With the spread of information through the internet new cutting edge methods have managed to cut down time on work.

While all this is occurring, the number of manual labor is cut down with these new inventions and in turn new inventions that require critical thinking and in-depth knowledge of programming has risen. If this trend continues, what if developing your brain to specialize in using these new technologies is the only way for a person to become successful in this world. What I am getting at here is as less people are unable to use their physical ability due to being replaced by easy to use machines; they will in turn have to develop their brains to be able to use such technology.

Sure technology makes thing easier and simple in your social life; the same cannot be said for such work-related jobs that require high specialization in a machine. This can actually complicate lives as with a single screw up you could end up having to pay a fortune for a broken machine or worse fired easily if the job you have really is so simple. Looking at life as a whole, does new technology really dull the brain and simply matters so?

Let's be honest here, people.

2011-08-19T21:34:00.000-07:00

Many of us (myself clearly included) are scrambling to finish our summer homework assignment the very night it’s due.

I certainly could have started earlier. I actually made my first post in June... So, what the heck happened?

Soma, happened, dear friends. Soma. The lifestyle I spent so much time reading about, the same sort of behavior I was supposed to be on the lookout for, the very lines I was reading out of Brave New World last week -- that was me. Perhaps that was all of us.

I was high on life. I was high on the lack of responsibility. After months and months of late nights doing homework, to have a summer of academic freedom was the greatest drug I could possibly imagine.

Yet I knew it would come to an end. I squeezed every last drop out of my summer, living every second of those carefree days to their fullest (even if that meant I’d pay for it later). I didn’t want to come to terms with the truth. That was hard, that required effort, and most importantly, that meant I would have to stop living in a homework-free paradise as I did before. I knew I had to make the choice between facing the tough reality of my dear summer’s demise or living in my land of carefree happiness.

What did I end up choosing? Well, you’re reading the result.

I chose to wake up and get some work done, because I knew it would be better for me in the long run.

In Brave New World, the citizens are entirely unaware of what has happened to them. This is what makes Marx, Helmholtz, and John so special -- they can see the blatant apathy and blindness of their fellow people. They know that living with soma as their only source of happiness is living life with false pleasure. John is nearly killed trying to “save” some drones from themselves, but they’ll never see the point -- they were conditioned and drugged not to.

There’s a certain sense of pleasure derived from working towards a goal, overcoming challenges, and achieving things through one’s own merit. The people of Brave New World will never know this pleasure, and given their own circumstances, they may never want to. But in our world, it’s important to heed the warnings of the three authors and remain ever aware of the powers of the things we love the most. We have the power to achieve and succeed, just as we have the power to fail miserably. Indeed, we are in control of our technology and our world if we so choose to be... It is only when our technology becomes our world that the difference between the controller and the controlled becomes unclear.

Back to Square One?

2011-08-19T21:12:00.000-07:00

“To read a book was to practice an unnatural process of thought, one that demanded sustained, unbroken attention to a single, static object… They had to train their brains to ignore everything else going on around them, to resist the urge to let their focus skip from one sensory cue to another.” (Carr 64)

I am guilty of skimming – of reading in the form of the letter F. I’ll skim anything from my Facebook Feed to the simple instructions of boiling soup from a packet to the posts on this blog.

So it is not surprise that when I came upon this passage, I was indeed skimming. However, these words seemed to jump out of the text to recapture my attention. After deciding to read more than what I considered was the minimum, I found that I completely agreed with the text. While reading, I try to put myself in a quiet environment where distractions are a mile away but somehow, I still find a way to become unfocused. Even though I would clear my peripheral view of any distracting objects as to focus solely on reading, my mind would still find a way to run away. I would read the text without understanding its content because I’d already began to think of other completely irrelevant things. Not long after, I would find myself skimming -as if I was reading a celebrity article on Yahoo and not an assigned book from my English class.

After flipping back a few pages to fully understand the passage, I discovered that Carr was describing a culture at the beginning of the printed word, not of this day and age. I found it ironic that our culture has come back to square one because of technology’s impact on our attention span.

Was it really a reservation full of savages?

2011-08-19T21:03:00.000-07:00

Why was there a savage reservation in the first place? As I look back onto Brave New World, I wonder how did the savages end up on their own reservation?

In my opinion I believe that the society before the World State was created, was a society much like ours today. However, when the construction of the World State began, some rebelled and started their own society. This new sub-society kept all the same morals and ethics, such as family, marriage, and living together, that we find as acceptable today. They kept many of the inconveniences that the State removed in their utopian society. This group of rebels was secluded from the rest of the people who joined the State, therefore, as the World State progresses it became the dominant society. I think the State inhabitants referred to these rebels as savages, because they were exposed to these inconveniences that their society thought of as revolting, including items such as disease, family, and the wild animals that lived with them.

What are your opinions to how the savage reservation was created?

the other antidepressant

2011-08-19T20:58:00.001-07:00

Soma: the universally distributed, extremely craved, and standard medication for the citizens of the World State. As seen throughout the novel, soma is taken whenever an "emotion" other than a disillusioned happiness is felt. Lenina takes soma when she is distraught. Bernard is encouraged to take soma when he starts talking about rebellion. Soma, is even taken as an aphrodisiac, as seen in the community orgy that is mandatory for all Alphas to attend.

However, soma is not the only antidepressant present in the novel. Another prominent antidepressant that is displayed in the novel is sex itself (though it may be soma induced). The government encourages infidelity and openness about the activity. Through rhyming poems and short stanzas, citizens of the World State view sex as nothing more than a fun activity to relieve stress and maintain a healthy attitude.

Normal as it may be in the World State, openness about sex in today's society still remains a taboo. Somewhat. In pop culture today though, more songs and images are being about sex as a regular thing that the "cool kids" do. Gone is the shame of even saying the word aloud; it has been replaced with slogans and campaigns that try to encourage it instead. Distribution of condoms in schools, catch phrases such as "have safe sex, use protection" almost reflect the normality that this activity has accumulated. Ultimately, sex, as it is in the World State, has become an perverse antidepressant of sorts.

Once again, readers see the Huxley's futuristic world is not absurd in the least bit. Instead, more and more parallels are being drawn as our morals and values liken the World State each passing day.

Finally Done

2011-08-19T20:54:00.000-07:00

The last couple of days I have been writing, reading, thinking, and finally finishing the homework. I found myself not being able to be concentrated and while being on the computer doing homework, i started to search other websites and watch videos or listen to music. Ironic how I would be writing about technology and its negative contributions that make us more lazy and makes us procrastinate. Reading books about technology and how it can change the world in a bad way has made me realize that. These three books have each shown there own examples and different points of view on how technology has or had changed the world. My mindset has been changed. Before while doing homework I had music in my ears or a TV or a computer on which allowed for background noise. As i do my APUSH homework , I have no noise. I go to the bookstores with my sister and do homework where it's nice and quiet. There's even a coffee shop. This environment has allowed me to work and continue working.

So i have noticed that this summer homework and the last two days of rushing and finishing it has caused me to work harder and avoid those temptations of the internet. How has your mindset changed? Do you remain the same or have these books changed you a little?

A coincidence? Hmm, maybe not.

2011-08-19T20:45:00.001-07:00

Today I watched the movie Limitless. I must admit, I only chose to watch it because of Bradley Cooper. Eeeep! Anyways, I had no idea that the plot of the movie would have any similarities to the society depicted in Brave New World. In the movie, Bradley Cooper embodied a character of an unsuccessful writer named Eddie. Eddie was at the lowest point of his life when his ex-wife’s brother bumped into him and offered him a nootropic drug, called NZT, which would activate certain circuits of the brain. One can only access about 20% of his or her brain, but with this drug, it allows people to access 100% of their brains. NZT brings out a happy, worry-free life. As Eddie had said in the movie, “I knew what I needed to do and knew how to do it.” However, once a person takes one dose of this drug, she or he must not stop. Without it, one may experience headaches, depression, and no surge of brilliance.

Sounds familiar? As I watched this movie, I couldn’t help but make connections between the life Eddie had chosen and the lives people in the World State were conditioned into having. The purpose of the NZT had similar intentions as the soma in Huxley’s society. By now, we all know that the soma is used in the World State to achieve stability. Unlike in the World State where everyone was given rations of their soma, rage occurs within the society in Limitless just to get a hold of NZT.

Was the resemblance between Eddie’s addiction towards NTZ and people’s dependency towards the soma in the World State just a coincidence? Or could it be that Eddie’s addiction insinuates a future way of life in our culture? Will there soon be a creation of such drug like the soma that would be enforced in our society? Maybe Huxley’s prediction of a dystopian society is developing sooner than we think.

What's Happened To My Mind!

2011-08-19T20:45:00.000-07:00

In the beginning if the summer, I had one set of views and opinions. I would think "people are dumb, technology doesn't change our brains". Then I started The Shallows and I thought "maybe technology is messing my mind up!" but then I figured out my own set of values. I found it so interesting how Nicholas Carr stated how technology shapes the structure of our minds. I realized that everything shapes our mind. Due to what Carr calls neuroplasticity, our very structure of our brains change with experience. I could see how this was. With excessive use of the internet I was distracted and visited pointless websites, and it only got worse once I received my laptop. However, due to the amount of complex reading and analyzing I had to due, I began to gain concentration and the ability to analyze books and make connections. Since I'm not on the computer as much, only to visit the blog, I don't feel the need to visit the computer all day long. I've learned to immerse myself in a book and to just relax and listen to music and talk to my brother. Through my journey of this summer reading, I've experienced what it is like for the structure of my thought process to change by not using technology as much as I used to.

subliminal messaging

2011-08-19T20:38:00.001-07:00

In Nicholas Carr's novel The Shallows, the main theme presented throughout the novel is the fact that the internet is destroying our thought processes. Instead of drawing conclusions by making connections about various pieces of information, we are bombarded by direct messages. The information is short and to the point. Cognitive thinking is not required and as each new piece of information is written so that the reader can understand what is being presented without having prior knowledge of the situation.

Upon reading The Shallows, I noticed that the digressions spread out through the book seemed relevant, but still awkwardly inserted and out of place. However, as I continued reading about the evidence and claims at how the internet is distorting our thinking pattern, the placements of the digressions started to make sense. I was exercising my ability to make connections; in order to better understand the chapters preceding and seceding the digressions, I had to connect it's somewhat random context to the text around it. By doing so, Carr's points were much more clear, and one appreciates his effort to make his readers exercise their minds by drawing connections while reading about how this ability is slowly diminishing.

Take it or Leave it

2011-08-19T20:27:00.000-07:00

So this is my last post to end my summer homework. I am sure all of you are glad that you have finished. As I look over all of the books, I find all the connections that I can relate to. After reading all these books, I get into heated discussions with my family on the topics of television, the Internet, and technology and how it is effecting us. Now I find myself trying to turn off the TV for once during my free time. Instead of asking "Google", I try to find the question myself. I want to try using Google as a last resort. I told my sister, after reading Amusing Ourselves to Death, to stop letting the TV teach my niece. I know these are just theories of the authors, but I wanted to take this information and use it. My final question for you is: Does technology keep you entertained and happy? If so, will you use the information you learned and apply it to yourself? Are you going to take it or leave it?

The Creation of a Modern Utopia

2011-08-19T20:10:00.000-07:00

Throughout the book of the Brave New World, a nagging thought, a question has plagued me with insufferable curiosity. The whole setting, world that Huxley had built was incredibly intricate and complex. Yet there didn't seem to be that spark that really made me think that this future could actually come true for us. The idea of producing babies in such mechanical fashion and having a totalitarian society where the government has the power to brainwash children seems a bit too much of an unrealistic utopian world.

The question that has been nagging me is probably a foolish question. Is a Utopian society possible in the world we live in today? Sure one could say that if it was possible wouldn’t a Utopia have existed yet? What I really want to know is, what are the conditions to create a true, bonafied Utopia where everyone is happy and fulfilled. The society that exists within Huxley’s world seems fake to me. Especially with the heavy usages of drugs to keep the citizens happy and to erase and problems they may have. So, in short, is a modern day Utopia possible? If so, just what conditions must be met to make it into reality.

Creepy..

2011-08-19T19:49:00.000-07:00

"Everyone belongs to everyone else."

You can find this being said throughout the book of Brave New World. When I first came across this, I was somewhat creeped out but I was also interested. I thought well what if that applied to our world ? Experiment Time !(:

My plan was to speak to as many people as I could, until I got tired, and see what I would get out of them. What do I mean when I say "speak"? I mean go up to random strangers (yes, I know that's dangerous) and look them directly in the eye and say the infamous quote "Everyone belongs to everyone else" and enjoy their reaction. So my first victim was at the mall, and it was a lady. I went up to her and said, "Excuse me miss, I just wanted to let you know that everyone belongs to everyone else," with a guilty smile pasted on my face. She non-chalantly replied with an I know and walked away.

Is it just me or is that a little creepy? I began to think, what if our world really did live by that motto ? Utter chaos? Or pure peace? I guess the joke was on me.

The Blame Game

2011-08-19T19:08:00.001-07:00

These three books assigned to us over the break were all centered around technology and its harm to society. First my opinions were “people are being dumb, technology has no blame what so ever”. Upon reading The Shallows I started to think “wait, maybe technology really is threatening our minds!” and then I came to my own conclusion. Yes technology is changing our minds, that much I agree with Nicholas Carr, but it is also society that is to blame for the state of our minds.

We don’t have to go online and surf the web, it’s our choice to spend hours hopping from page to page. The computer is an easier way to receive information, but easy doesn’t always mean facts with quality. I think society realizes what technology does to our minds, especially the internet. It’s caused us to lose concentration and focus, yet it’s our choice to keep our computers on while studying. Society has given in to the internet my looking to it for everything and not bothering to read much books. If society really wanted to keep our tools of analyzing and concentrating for long periods of time, it could do it. We could turn everything off and just read all it takes is repetition. For myself I found it easier to comprehend Carr’s arguments as the summer progressed. People have become weak minded and unwilling to turn of the electronics so they start to play the name game and have made technology a scapegoat. Technology does have a part since it does change the structure of our brain, yet we as a whole hold a bigger blame since we have the choice to preserve our fading abilities and to turn of the computer.

Ethics on Airwaves

2011-08-19T19:07:00.001-07:00

On page 16 of Amusing Ourselves to Death, Postman makes an argument that television is most dangerous when it tries to pass itself off as a carrier of information, and that “the best things about television are its junk.” In chapter 10, Postman supports this argument in terms of educational information, which turns learning into entertainment and make the two concepts inseparable. However, I didn’t agree with Postman’s statements saying that only informative television was a threat to our culture, while mindless entertainment on television was acceptable.

While it is true that television programs like “Sesame Street” try to pass off learning as entertainment, which alters children’s minds to deem the two concepts complimentary, television that doesn’t try to teach academic skills often try to teach moral values, similar to the conditioning in Brave New World. These lessons are usually based on common sense and honesty, almost acting as public service announcements. In fact, it is very difficult to find a “family-friendly” show that doesn’t try to teach proper social behavior. In an age where technology dominates, it seems that most children are raised more by their televisions than by their experiences in reality. I personally don’t like fable-like television shows because they are often extremely predictable, but they seem to be equal to the educational television shows in that they both distribute information out to viewers. But are these television lessons of proper social behavior harmful to our society as well?

Postman says that any television program that tries to present information as entertainment is wrong for our society values. Do you agree with Postman’s statement about how uninformative television is “good”? Is the distribution of moral values through television as harmful as the distribution of educational information?

Lurking Dangers

2011-08-19T18:24:00.000-07:00

With common use of the Internet, the world has become smaller in a sense, in that distances no longer pose a threat to the distribution of ideas and information. The flow of beneficial information is undisturbed by geographical barriers with the introduction of the internet. But with this new proximity to each other, we become vulnerable to a wide variety of dangers.

According to Javin Strategy and Research, 1 in 10 consumers in the U.S. had already been a victim of identity theft by 2009 and in 2008, there were 10 million victims of identity theft in the United States. In addition, 33% of teenagers have been a victim of cyber-bullying. By using the Internet, skilled hackers have the ability to steal confidential information and distribute them to others. remaining anonymous and untraceable as they do this. Malware and viruses have also become rampant and easily transmittable onto a person’s computer. With each click on a link, we progress further into this minefield of dangers and with prolonged use of the Internet, our chances of falling victim to these dangers increase.

With consideration for all of these dangers, what should be the age requirement for using the internet and how do you tell if a person is ready to take on these dangers alone?

Clockwork

2011-08-19T18:15:00.000-07:00

In The Shallows, Carr writes about the theory of the clock. About how the clock changed the way we see ourselves and the way we thought in general. He also described how we plan our entire lives based on the clock. Stating that people think of themselves, the entire universe even, as functioning like "clockwork."
After reading this passage on page 50 I realized how much this statement is true. In a clock, all the gears and such work together to perform one specific function, to keep the hands moving forward. I began to think of it and how it applies to us. Each of us could be our own specific gear and we are working together to keep moving forward in our lives and forward the society in general. Has anybody noticed this also?
Carr also wrote about how the clock changed the way we think and see life. That because of the clock, our days have been condensed so we can plan it all the way down to the millisecond. The clock became one of the first pieces of technology that we started to depend our entire life on. Carr writes how with the clock you can always know the time used, spent, wasted, and lost. You can know what you achieved and how productive you are or can be. It made me wonder, is this the reason why our lives feel so rushed? People always talk about how there's never enough hours in a day. Pick one day where you don't look at the clock at all. How will it feel? Will you feel stressed or more relaxed?

Plato and Socrates

2011-08-19T18:10:00.000-07:00

    You know how we are moving from a book based era to an internet based era? Well at first I was angry about this and didn't want it to change and then I thought of how Carr brought up Socrates and Plato.
    Plato and Socrates were in a very similar dilema. plato wanted to convert from oral tradition to written, while Socrates was greatly against it. Socrates believed that it would affect our memory and eventually lower our memory span. Of course Plato disagreed and believed it would act on the conntrary. Plato was right. Our memory has increased since the discovery of books. But I couldn't stop thinking that we are exactly in the same situation. If you replace books with the Internet and oral tradition with books, and Socrates with Carr and Plato with Prointernet users.
    Carr believes we will have several consequences from moving to Internet like attention span decreasement, and a change in reading. But maybe, just maybe, the Plato is right again. After all, history does repeat itself.

Our Present Day Soma

2011-08-19T17:55:00.000-07:00

While reading Brave New World, I started to think what soma would be in our world.

In Brave New World, Lenina took soma to forget bout her problems, "Lenina felt herself entitled, after this day of queerness and horror, to complete and absolute holiday. As soon as they got back to the rest-house, she swallowed six half-gramme tablet of soma, lay down on her bed, and within ten minutes had embarked for lunar eternity" (140). We do the same for technology.

Something that everyone uses and cannot imagine life without. Isn't that technology? Everyone uses technology; computers, cell phones, and television. In Brave New World soma gives them the relief of the real life. Well doesn't technology do that to us, too? When we're tired or stressed, don't we go straight to the TV or laptop to be entertained. Well that's what I do. We watch a funny movie on Netflix to forget about our problems. Technology is the present day soma. Isn't it?

What do you do when your tired or stressed, do you go to technology? Is technology your soma?

No longer oblivious...

2011-08-19T16:30:00.000-07:00

After long days of hardwork and sleepless nights, I finally turned in my notebook this morning. I believe I can speak for all of us when saying that it's very relieving to no longer be stressing. Now that I am done, I took the time to reflect on all the books and the whole theme of this assignment. I can honestly say that all three of the book opened my eyes in different ways. I now considered ideas I wouldn't have even thought of. I am no longer oblivious of the harm technology is causing.

Brave New World took me through a journey of a dystopian world that on the surface seemed so different from ours. I remember thinking that this book was going to be boring, but fortunately I was mistaken. In reality, I realized how much our world was similar to this Huxleyan society. Our world is filled with technology, promiscuity, media manipulation, and other issues. What Huxley feared for our future is becoming a reality, we are losing our intellectual minds by being controlled with our "soma's" artificial satisification. We are slowly losing our sense of humanity.

Amusing Ourselves to Death gave me a better of understanding of the realities of television as a medium. Television seems to provide simple entertainment for boredom, but in actuality it is "amusing us to death" with the countless amounts of irrelevant information it gives. Postman helped me see that television is both changing the way our society thinks and its public discourse; our abilities to think with complexity are vanishing as a result of television's "entertainment".

Finally, The Shallows helped me open my eyes and see how unaware I was of the danger technology is causing. I became conscious of my addiction to the internet and technology in general. Carr is warning us about losing our intellectual minds and having artificial intelligence instead. Carr is challenging us to make an impact and change our society's cultural current. We need to start control our use of technology.

Overall, I am glad I read these book because I have learned so much vital information. It is time for me to change my habits with technology and hope that our society does not become like Huxley's dystopian society. But in order to prevent this from happening, we must all stop allowing ourselves to be mesmerized and controlled by technology.

Addicted to Companionship

2011-08-19T16:22:00.000-07:00

As we continue our use of the internet, its grip over us grows tighter. One way it has done that is through social networking sites. I think most of our population has reached a point of connection where it is reasonable to say that we’re addicted to companionship.

One of the comforts of having a phone is that you’re guaranteed to never be alone. You can call or text anyone you please, and phones with internet access have brought this to a whole new level. We can now use Facebook or Twitter wherever we are, and this leads to us using social networking sites more often than ever.

One of the less-talked-about consequences of the use of social networking sites is the diminishing value of solitude and silence. I did not see it until now, but the people of Brave New World hated solitude, and social networking sites may be leading to this.

There are, of course, still people who value time for quiet contemplation; however, more people are leading increasingly social lives. Between face-to-face chatter and online banter, there isn’t much, if any, alone time left in the day. If we’re constantly surrounded by others, what will happen to individual thought?

The Much Needed Warnings

2011-08-19T16:16:00.000-07:00

Throughout this summer reading these books and all the summer homework that came with it really seemed like quite the challenge. In the end it really did prove to be a challenge. I'm not the typical AP student &the class, in itself, was truly a challenge. I underestimated myself & the work.

In Nicholas Carr's book, The Shallows, he states that from using the internet our minds are beginning to function differently. Carr explains how some people are not capable of reading books for long periods of time because they've become so used to the fast paced world the internet has provided for our society. For me personally this really hit home because I find myself not being able to concentrate on things for longs periods of time anymore, like I used too. This has been something that has been on my mind a lot recently especially before reading the books. It was nice to read this & know that there is a reason behind why I was questioning myself. I feel like the internet has an extremely tight grip on our society & it could get dangerous in the future. Carr was completely right to make a book such as this explaining the warnings we ma face.

So, has anyone else experienced this madness that is falling all around us? Do you find yourself in any of the situations Carr & Postman provide for us?

A Change...

2011-08-19T15:47:00.000-07:00

Throughout Neil Postman's book I found that he constantly did a good job of proving his point. When I was finished with the book I really found myself almost convicted. I really felt as though I needed to cut back my time watching Television & to take a step back &look around me. In the end, I felt like I needed to stop procrastinating & get my priorities right. For me these last two books, including The Shallows by Nicholas Carr, were although a hard read, an overall eye-opening read.

Do any of you feel, like this as well? Do you feel like things are going to change in your life because of these books? Have they impacted you in anyway at all?

Overall, I think Mrs. Fletcher's theme of these books is definitely displayed throughout them loud & clear. I want to thank her because they were a good change in my genre of reading & really opened my mind to more than I was expecting to see.

Those darn "electronic readers"

2011-08-19T15:42:00.000-07:00

Before I read The Shallows, I was determined to practically beg my parents for an e-reader once I got my AP World History exam results in. But then I came to the realization that it wasn’t the same as reading a real book, so I forgot about e-readers. While reading the book, the chapter entitled The Very Image of a Book Carr talks about e-readers, and how difficult it is to stay focused while reading with one. “ An e-book is no more a book than an online newspaper is a newspaper.” (103)

I told myself that I will never buy an e-reader, a few months ago I let myself get amazed buy the trendiness of the Kindle, but The Shallows has made me dislike them even more. The whole point of a book is to become a part of the story, and with e-readers you can’t do that. This week, my parents decided to get matching Android tablets, I was against it, but they said they wanted to use it for the newspaper, or books. What is so hard about buying a newspaper every Sunday or buying a book? The feeling is not the same at all. I will forever be a supporter of books and I will not submit to the e-reader trend.

Alex Fletcher Speaks to You

2011-08-19T15:35:00.000-07:00

First of all, GOOD JOB KIDS on getting all of this work done. I am happy to receive your work today and appreciate the effort it took for you to get it done and in on time. Take a deep breath, take a short break, and then get busy working on the rest of your homework. I am working right alongside you. Work that is worthy of you is a beautiful thing; many spend their lives doing work that is meaningless and absurd; often, the worker is required to wear a ridiculous hat as well. So whatever it is, learn to appreciate good, legitimate work.

I'll see you on Day One, ready to go. If I have to drop you because of your incomplete or inadequate work, you will hear from me next week. So, No News is Good News.

I haven't been hovering over the blog or my inbox today. I went out and had a summer day. I tend to keep my distance on a due date like today, but I will be heading up to Mayfair to pick up the notebooks within the next 90 minutes or so.

I will stop scoring the blog at midnight tonight. You can continue to write to one another or to me, or explore ideas if you wish, but I will stop counting these conversations as summer homework. The posts shift from extrinsically and intrinsically rewarding, to simply intrinsically rewarding.

Finally, please note: Our district tech department is converting our email service this weekend from MS Outlook to Google. (*Fletcher leaps up to do the wave*) The school email will be down for a while while they make the conversion, and they've asked us to take the weekend off from email. So any email you send me after 4:30 today...probably won't see it until Monday.

Again, Kids: thank you so much for this fantastic blog, and the notebooks that are all stacked up at Mayfair right now. I'm going to go pick them up right now!

If I See It, I'll Believe It

2011-08-19T10:14:00.000-07:00

Why is written word more believable than spoken? In Amusing Ourselves To Death chapter 2, Postman shows a scenario of a college student writing his thesis and he cites people and what they had said, not just from written documents. The graders found this unacceptable saying you are not a reporter. The student argues that if he has witnesses to back up the statement, then it is the truth. The student believes that "the form truth is conveyed in is irrelevant to accuracy". The graders say "would you rather receive a certificate stating you passed your thesis, or just take our word for it?"

Postman later writes "truth is linked to the biases of expression". I started to notice how with the evolution of communication and technology has come with the change of how the truth is conveyed and believed. Back in the times of oral communication, the truth was what someone told, so hearing was believing. Once the printing press came books came is was reading was believing. Writing a book took a lot of effort and research, at least to write a good one, so people naturally believed that the facts in a book were more believable. Why can't society believe the truth that is spoken orally. Are we just going with the flow of the evolution of communication and technology, or are we still feeling everyone are liars and holding to that animal instinct of cautiousness.

Amusing Ourselves to Death thoughts

2011-08-19T02:35:00.000-07:00

Postman declares that television is destructive to societies throughout the novel. Postman states that television cheapens everything such as News and even religion. The main point in the novel is that television decreases intelligence and our ability to think rationally and critically. It argues that a once print based society in which everybody of all social classes enjoyed reading has changed into an image based society in which reasoning was not necessary at all times. Postman also says that television has also been reduced to just mere entertainment. It does not display real discussions because it doesn't appeal to avid television watchers.

The entire time I was reading this novel, I felt as though I was being attacked. I would have agreed with Postman in the idea that humans are decreasing in intelligence, but the Flynn effect disproves this because our IQ scores are actually ascending. I don't think Postman gives everyone associated with television enough credit; however he is right when he says that image has become one of the main factors today when it comes to media. Overall Postman thinks television will continue to decrease our society's intelligence and values.

Do you agree with Postman? Does television truly have all the negative effects mentioned above?

Google: the Walmart of the Internet

2011-08-19T01:00:00.000-07:00

Many people look at Walmart and think "monopoly". It has everything. It is putting many small mom-and-pop stores out of businesses because it can afford to make cheaper prices. Many people get upset at this because it damages capitalism.

Is Google doing the same thing? As Carr writes in The Shallows, Google's goal is to be the perfect search engine. It has figured out a system that makes it the fastest and largest searching storage of information on the web. Everything is on Google. It finds exactly what you're looking for in a fraction of a second. Other search engines such as Bing and Yahoo try to compete but simply haven't had nearly the success of Google.

It's also had copyright troubles. It charges people to read scanned in books, and will only settle for copyright payments if the author speaks up. Will it find trouble in this area?

Is Google turning into a monopoly? Will the founders accomplish its goal of being the perfect search engine?

Modern technology.. "Gift from God or Gift from Satan"

2011-08-19T00:07:00.000-07:00

With the blog coming to a close, I want to question everybody on whether he or she believes that technology is more of a blessing or a curse. Almost all the students that have participated in this blog have weighed the positive and negatives of modern technology.

Modern technology is considered positive because technology gives us conveniences and luxuries that make our lives easier. Technology of today allows faster communication and provokes more interaction between people. Ideas and the exchange of ideas are able to create more advanced theories. On the other hand, technology has negative effects as well. Our minds are becoming simple-minded and unfocused with the endless brief information being fed to us on the internet. Our culture is based on images rather than language and literature, which can be considered negative because our brain is not being used more insightfully or analytically. The biggest negative effect of technology is the growing dependency of technology. The more we are dependent on technology, the more humans are not able to function independently. People are dependent on technology to converse with other people. Some are dependent on technology to entertain them.

In my opinion, modern technology is a blessing and a curse, but when weighing the pros and the cons, I think it is more of a curse. I think that we don’t need Ipods, the internet, or television to survive. I believe that shouldn’t be dependent on these technologies and it is a curse on us that we can’t stop being dependent. Modern technology of today is like a drug to the mind. What is your opinion?

Huxley's Braven New World Resembles to The Giver

2011-08-18T22:56:00.000-07:00

Is it just me or does Huxley's Brave New World resemble to The Giver by Lois Lowry.

In both of the books, the societies are kept away from secrets from their worlds . In the people in the book The Giver, do not know the world outside of their very own small society. And in Brave New World, the people do not know anything about God and the past. They both are also expected to follow the rules they are given. if they break the rules, then they will be punished. Also, they both are controlled by something and someone. In Brave New World, the people are controlled by soma. And in The Giver, the people are controlled by the jobs and parents they get. Also in The Giver, they're controlled on what they can or cannot see, color.

In both books they are expected to be the same as everyone else. They are also expected to have an easy life without complications. In the Brave New World, the people take soma and in The Giver, their whole life is planned out.

Leashed Pets

2011-08-18T21:57:00.000-07:00

A quote that interested me from Nicholas Carr's The Shallows was when he stated, "What are smartphones if not high-tech leashes?" As electronic devices continue to become more portable and easier to use, we become increasingly reliant on their abilities rather than attempt to solve problems ourselves. They become, as a result of this dependence, necessary for most tasks, even to relieve us from coping with unpleasant feelings, such as boredom. Our attachment to these portable electronic devices make them resemble Brave New World's soma, in that we turn to their ability to entertain us or disconnect us from our surroundings whenever we are faced with unpleasant circumstances. Also, the more we are exposed to and use the internet, the more we grow fond of it and our ability to “run away” from it permanently becomes weakened, similar to how dogs become bonded to their owners after being with them for an extended amount of time. In addition, dogs, although they cannot see their leashes, know that they are being guided and controlled, and similarly, Carr aids in showing us the magnitude of influence the Internet have on our decisions and thinking. Smartphones and iPods act as leashes in that the keep us near to the Internet and its influence and if some individuals try to disconnect, as Nicholas Carr writes in The Shallows, they feel lost and removed from society. Furthermore, this influence that the Internet has on us leaves us with the unsettling thought of who or what is really in control in our society and if we are like pets, who is our owner?

Socrates and Carr

2011-08-18T21:50:00.000-07:00

Books are similar to the internet in the facts that they both can transfer and exchange information more efficiently than direct oral speaking. Both have also faced skeptics in their peak of success. Socrates argued that books would substitute memory, and lead to a loss of inner depth. Books did destroy oral culture, and replace it with print culture (page 55). Books were able to store and spread ideas better than oral culture, why try to remember something when you can just document it in a book and simply remember where you wrote your idea? Carr later mentions that Socrates was wrong about the writing effects about books (pg 195), but Socrates was wise to warn us about the importance of memory. But now we know how important literacy is.

Carr discusses the dangers of excessive internet and media use in The Shallows, he argues that the internet can lower memorization skills as well as comprehension. Several test were done to prove the negative effects of the internet, many of them prove that the internet does indeed lower memorization and comprehension skills. However, as we used the books to help us remember ideas, we can also use the internet to save and share ideas. Perhaps now everyone must learn to be "internet literate" to be successful in our society. Major successful companies run on the internet, or at least have a website, so learning how to operate a computer may be very beneficial to your future success.

The internet has changed the way we think, we now think in a more index-type fashion. Rather than bother to remember what something means, we remember where to find it. The internet and the library can work in the same fashion, they can both act like very immense indexes.

Some people will always be skeptical to new ideas and "fashions" in the ever-growing media. Socrates was skeptical about with written word, Carr is skeptical about the internet. There will always be people that are skeptical to new ideas. Fighting against the current will only result in a waste of effort, I agree that the internet is drastically changing the way we think, but there is not that much we can do about it.

Question Time: Is having a good memory worth having if anyone can just search it up on Google? (I suppose you need memory for tests, but I was thinking more of if you were done with college, and school in general)

Overall

2011-08-18T20:30:00.000-07:00

After reading and completing the assignments for these three books, I laugh at my mindset at the beginning of the summer. I assumed that I would hate Brave New World because of all of the promiscuity and how the society would be so warped in comparison to modern society. I rather enjoyed the novel, and even though I see the issues of this controlling environment, I understood how it could have happened, and enjoyed the story very much. I was told by countless seniors that I would grow extremely bored by Amusing Ourselves to Death, but I found every bit of it interesting, and wished that I was assigned more writing than what was. I hadn't had anyone tell me about The Shallows, so I wasn't quite sure what to think of it. Once I read it however, I was enlightened.

Were the books similar to what everyone told you they would be?

Dudes, slow the heck down

2011-08-18T20:18:00.001-07:00

Everytime I log back on here, there's like a JILLION new posts. Where were you kids back in July and June when I had more time on my hands?

Blissful Ignorance

2011-08-18T20:07:00.000-07:00

I was rereading Brave New World the other day and I noticed something that I haven't noticed the first time around. On page 220 Mustapha Mond made a comment of how people in their society are blissfully ignorant. They are unaware of age or illness, laugh at the idea of having mothers or fathers, question the idea of wanting to have children, or anybody to feel strongly about for that matter. Mond tells John the Savage that they feel that way because they are so thoroughly conditioned.

It got me thinking, are we like that too? Is society today kept in blissful ignorance? A few hundred years ago or even a few decades ago is something we don't know one hundred percent about. We could be kept in blissful ignorance to keep us happy and maintain stability in our society too. It doesn't have to be in history though, it could even be today. We can be kept purposely in the dark of things that are happening here or all around the world. Any tragedies or things kept out of the norm can be hidden away from us. Unknowingly living by the saying what they don't know wont hurt them.

Or, is it that we are not kept from knowing, but do we choose blissful ignorance instead of knowing. In Amusing Ourselves to Death, Postman wrote about how we see problems going on in the world but do not react to it. He wrote how we would talk about it briefly but do not work towards fixing it. Do people even learn more about it? If there is unrest in our world most would ignore it and calmly say that it will soon blow over. Consciously or unconsciously choosing to live in ignorance so we don't experience the unrest ourselves?

New Shapes and Postitions for Older Media

2011-08-18T16:16:00.001-07:00

"A new medium is never an addition to an old one, nor does it leave the old one in peace. It never ceases to oppress the older media until it finds new shapes and positions for them." - Marshall McLuhan

The Internet has not only redefined older media, like television and books, it has also led to the creation of newer technologies. Before, we would have to go to the library and carry a book home if there was a story that we wanted to read. Now all that we have to do, is pull out our eBook, go online and purchase it. We don't even have to leave the comfort of our homes. EBooks, or eReaders, have modernized books by bringing them into the digital age, and have compacted them from half a pound to only a few small megabytes.

Since the Internet has gained popularity, a new form of language has been born, texting. Similar to the leet speak used by hackers in the early nineteen nineties, texting has changed the appearance of our conversations. Instead of using long eloquent paragraphs to explain our emotions, we have reduced these feelings into a few short letters. Lol and omg can be found littered across the thousands of text messages sent each year.

Communication, has also changed as a result of the Internet. Our parents used to write letters to friends and relatives to tell them about new exciting events. Now we can send an email, that instead of taking a few days, they will receive it in a matter of seconds. So I ask, is this world that we have let come into place better than the one that it has replaced? Is our addiction to this technology healthy, or are we destined to become slaves to it, like the people of the World State were to soma?

The Quicker the Better?

2011-08-18T15:47:00.000-07:00

As i was reading The Shallows, i began to notice that i was skimming through a chapter. I remembered something i had read at the beginning. Nicholas Carr described how Philip Davis, a doctoral student at Cornell, had once taught a friend how to use a Web browser. He exclaimed how he was "astonished and "even irritated" when the friend stopped to read the text that was on the web page. He said that when on a web page, there is no need for reading rather just clicking on the hypertexted words is good enough. (7)

I wondered if this doctoral student who was becoming "irritated" from someone simply reading information on a webpage, what can be said about us? Homework, projects, and essays. Are these all done quickly just to get the job done and move on. Of course this doesn't apply to everyone, but at some point this may have crossed our mind on taking the easy way out. Through the Internet and how quickly and easily we get all the information we need, is it hurting us and causing us to be less creative and give less effort into our work? Or is it helping us understand the topic better with so many ideas and opinions offered on the web?

The Future

2011-08-18T15:01:00.000-07:00

After finishing all three books, I must say reading them has had an impact on my life. I realized that technology is affecting us everywhere we go. We cannot escape from our increasingly modernized world.

The book that was most interesting to me was Brave New World. The world Huxley created was like a prediction of our world today. Today, we have new forms of entertainment that most of us are addicted to. It was almost as if technology became our soma. Whenever we're bored or when we have some free time, we don't go out and play, we go on the Internet. We watch TV. We play video games.

Every aspect of our society is based on technology. It is hard to even survive without technology. Carr analyzes the effects the Internet has on our brains. He fears that our world will someday become like Huxley's dystopian world. Do you think our world will someday become as uniform as Huxley's World State?

The Impact of Internet. What will Become of It?

2011-08-18T13:16:00.000-07:00

"Our use of the Net will only grow, and its impact on us will only strengthen, as it becomes ever more present in our lives." (92) This quote from The Shallows got me kind of scared because I knew that the Internet’s impact on my life was already strong.

Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, YouTube. So many options to entertain ourselves on the Internet, whether it be social networking or watching online videos. It got me to thinking: am I one of those people where the Internet has a strong impact in their life? I realized that I WAS one of those people Carr described and I can't help it. My daily summer routine consisted of checking Facebook notifications, going on Tumblr to look at all the pretty pictures, and checking my email even if I didn’t have any.

Why is the Internet such a huge part of our lives? Why is it practically our culture? What will become of it if the Internet’s impact on us only strengthens?

Happiness Over All

2011-08-18T11:41:00.000-07:00

For some reason upon finishing all of the three books and reading posts such as mine, my view on the television, internet, and technology has not changed. After reading how Postman downgrades the television constantly in his book, Carr describing how the internet is rewiring our brains, or how every student is looking down upon technology, I have yet to change my mind about technology. I will still continue to use the internet as much as I do, play Xbox as much as I do, and use my phone as much as I do. And I'm not saying I use them for hours and hours. I play basketball. I have an outside, social life. But as I was saying, what is wrong with being entertained? What is wrong with living a happy life? What is wrong with communicating with people? I know some people abuse entertainment and that is their decision. If they want to watch television all they, then so be it. But all I am saying is, why take somebody's happiness away. If they enjoy it, let them enjoy it. Let them live their life how they want to and let them be happy. I know I will. And do not take this out of context. I am talking about adults and technology.

YOU KNOW ITS BAD, but why not?

2011-08-18T09:24:00.001-07:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9IJTO1_hfwE

After reading the last couple of pages of Amusing Ourselves to Death, I decided to turn on the TV and flipped through couple channels, I watched Family Guy. The Intro song amused me because it seems clear that the TV producer knows its a bad show, but people enjoy and get a good laugh out of it. People are chuckling at rude and prejudice comments that the characters say. I, personally, chuckled a little myself. But why can I not avoid watching shows like the Simpson, Family Guy, or American Dad. It just makes people who are already happy more confident and the sad depressed people more sad. (if that's possible) It seems really money-like that the TV producer continue to create this. Furthermore, creating such a popular show allows for more jobs because they need imagination and creativity. However, my question is even though they say rude and hurtful things, why do we still watch it, what makes it that good?

Our Shallow Memories

2011-08-18T00:56:00.000-07:00

Chapter 9 of "The Shallows" all deals with memory. The very beginning of the chapter states that writing down information causes people to be less dependent when it comes to memorization. It makes sense because if you have something recorded down, there would be no reason to memorize it if it was always available. I'll always have something written on my hand to ensure I don't forget anything. I constantly write little notes here and there to help me remember things; however it may be a good idea to start memorizing things without the aid of notes or the internet. If not, we may become even lazier since we will always have the idea that we could look something up.

I'm not completely reliant on notes and information that can be easily accessed through the internet. If the time arises for me to memorize something like math formulas, I will have them memorized(but end up forgetting all of them after the test is over). Just the fact that I have such quick access to information makes me not want to remember things. My habits are making me lazier.

Do any of you write down reminders and notes at all? What kind of effect does constantly looking up information rather than trying to memorize things truly have? It sounds far off, but the internet may cause memorization to be a thing of the past.

"Our Youth is Starting to change our Youth!"

2011-08-18T00:32:00.000-07:00

The title of this post is an excerpt taken from a song by MGMT simply called The Youth. The reason why I choose those lyrics is because I feel it expresses my feeling towards this subject quite accurately.

During my time in playing the lead role as Willy from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, I interacted with much younger children who played the parts of the kids who received the golden tickets, Oompa Loompas, the street children, etc. While off the stage I noticed that in between cast calls they would pull from out of their pockets Blackberries, iPhones, and other "smart" devices. One kid even brought his iPad one day. Mind you these children were, at oldest, 7 and 8 years old. As I watched them text and game away, I felt discomforted (for one because my phone was worth .05% of theirs) and two because I had not acquired an iPod until I was 12 and a phone had not graced my pockets until the second semester of last year! So to see 8 years old running around with devices that I had not acquired until quite recently (but also put mine to shame) made me slightly self-conscious.

Now this made me wonder: "Why would kids be interested in such devices?" and in addition "Why would adults GIVE them these technologies?" These technologies that put us (internet users) so far into the future, that connect us and entertain us! Now surely they must not be aware of the vast applications of the internet, and surely these gaming apps must be strong motivators! (Likened to a next gen Gameboy) Right? But then I remember seeing them text one another as well as their friends. On social networks that I wasn't aware of until middle school! But they're just children, right? They couldn't possibly know what we know, but four years earlier? Right?

Wrong. Kids (to us young adults) have all the technological advances that we have! Of course they do! They live in the same era as we do after all, don't they? Now I thought of how they would've heard of these crazy gadgets in the first place and I thought "Well I know from personal experiences that whenever I get something ,my brother immediately wants it as well, whether or not he truly knows how to use it." This can be extremely frustrating but can also explain this increased knowledge of technologies in the younger generations. So perhaps when older siblings bring home smartphones the children ask for their birthday, Christmas, etc. and the parents happily oblige.

Now we as young adults being youthful and enjoying our lives, simply embracing the technology of our day and age, are changing our youth (the young-er generation) by doing so.

I believe this could present itself to be a serious problem being that children growing up with the internet literally in their pocket might be more susceptible to the problems described by Carr. Now don't get me wrong I am a huge fan of the internet. Why as I type this I currently have two other tabs open: one for reddit and one for facebook. My leading argument against Carr is that you CAN control how the internet affects you. I firmly believe the internet is a tool and cannot corrupt a person's brain simply on its own merit. It is up to you as a person to keep your mind healthily stimulated and regulate how much you use the internet. So if children who are to young to make educated decisions for themselves are given access to it then they might fall victim to the negative side effects of browser exposure. Essentially what I'm saying is that "With great internet, comes great responsibility." Once you learn to be responsible, I believe you can be trusted with the internet at your disposal (in the form of smartphones, iPods, etc.)

A look back.

2011-08-18T00:09:00.000-07:00

As I finished reading all my books for AP English this summer I reflected on what I had read and how I can learn from the three books and maybe incorporate some of their suggestions into my daily life. All three books promoted the message of certain forms of technology including television and internet, being the negative factors in our society. I took into consideration maybe taking a break from watching television for a few weeks or not going on the computer for a month but then I decided against it. Although these books do explain the negative things that can happen if people continue to let technology absorb their lives I believe at this point there is no turning back. Me and many others have become dependent on our phones for the use of communication with the world and television in order to watch entertainment and keep us up to date with world. Changing my lifestyle now would seem ludicrous because once I let go of technology I become an outsider in this world of ours. I believe our society is at the point in which going back to the literary age and unfolding the grasp technology has over us has become obsolete. I know people may say that people have a choice whether they choose to unplug ourselves and try and avoid technology, but is it worth the risk of being a lone wolf to society?

Life in Technicolor

2011-08-17T23:48:00.000-07:00

In the Prologue of The Shallows, a movie critic states "'doubts can be rendered feeble in the face of the certainty of the medium.'" (Pg 4) Carr mentions how cinema "projects its sensations and sensibilities not only onto the movie but onto us, the engrossed and compliant audience." This particular passage reminded me of the feelies in Brave New World, and how the citizens of the World State were so immensely captivated by the technological advancement of a feely rather than its plot.

The feelies in Brave New World are described as having bright colors, synchronized sound and scents, and tactile overtones. Huxley wrote the novel in 1932, and the first feature length film to come out in both synchronized sound and color was three years after Brave New World's publication. In 1962, a film called Scent of Mystery was released with scents. The plot of the film was extremely simple, since it mostly revolved around the technological process of releasing odors rather than giving the audience a plot to watch.

Recently, many movies have been coming out in 3-D, and some are made purely for the purpose of being 3D rather than being made for an interesting storyline. It is interesting to note that this year holds the record for the most sequels released (27). It seems as though Hollywood believes that the story isn't as significant as the plot, but that releasing movies in IMAX or with an overwhelming amount of special effects is more important. Plots in movies can be just as innovative as literature. By serving us simple plots, does our capability to understand more complex storylines and concepts diminish? By making films seem more realistic with 3D or life-like explosions, are we prone to believing that what occurs in films is just as existent as reality?

The point I am trying to make here is that films can influence social, political, and intellectual thought. If we are given more simple plots with more advanced technology, will we be thinking less profound thoughts as well? Do you think that movies will be like the "feelies" in Brave New World? If so, will we be rendered passive by watching them, like the citizens in the World State or will we be intelligent enough to blur the line between reality and imagination?

Time for a Technology Fast!

2011-08-17T23:41:00.001-07:00

I took the liberty of doing a technology fast, as mentioned in Andrew Postman's introduction to Amusing Ourselves to Death, for the day of August 17. It didn't last a full twenty-four hours. Also I was getting too distracted, and needed to contact Jacob Gutierrez for help with some homework (and because he's awesome).

Technology fasts are a great idea. They help one realize that he isn't chained down by technology. I did make a slight adjustment with my technology fast that others didn't. I didn't look at a clock throughout the duration of my fast. It made it more difficult, but also more interesting. There are many clocks throughout my house, so it was a challenge. Shockingly, my grandpa was supportive of my fast and even covered the clock on the microwave for me when I went to re-warm some leftover pizza.

Before going on my technology fast, I made sure to stick Post-It notes on everything having to do with technology in my room. It made it easier, since they reminded me of caution tape, but there sure were a lot of Post-Its.

R.I.P.
Here lies
All of the Trees that Tyler Wasted While Going Through His Technology Fast

Having a technology fast, including clocks, was an overall dull experience, but it wasn't very hard at all to do. Not knowing the time throughout the day was interesting. At first, I had thought that it would make me more paranoid about not knowing how much time was left in the day, consequently making me more productive. I was horribly wrong. I became more and more easily distracted throughout the day, almost as bad as when I had technology to distract me. As I became increasingly distracted from my homework, I decided to take a break. Without the temptations of technology, I was able to think clearly for the first time in a while.

It was an overall enlightening experience, but I think I might tone down some of the extremities if I decide to do it again. How were some of your technology fasts, if you took one, and did you find yourself constantly looking at the clock, anticipating the end of it?

Lenina and I

2011-08-17T23:14:00.000-07:00

When I look back at Brave New World, I think about Lenina. She doesn't see the world the way we see it. Of course our world is different compared to theirs. To me I see a lot of similarities not just their world but the people in it. Lenina, I believe we are so much like her. She doesn't notice how bad the world is. Lenina can't see the government control and media manipulation. Is this happening to us? She takes as much Soma as much as People take Prozac. Many people take now a days take their "Soma" to be happy, and the government made it legal to keep us happy. It seems like our society has the seperate classes, the Alphas and Epsilons. Many of the lower class may be or are stuck with the lower paying jobs. It is not that they have to have lower paying jobs, but they feel like they have to. They are stuck with what they have. Even marriage seems overrated in our society. There are people out there like Lenina who go around sleeping with men and women. We compare our society to theirs, and we can find the similarities. The main question is are we like the people in it?

"Go for it" -Ms.Fletcher

2011-08-17T22:57:00.000-07:00

With this week winding down, all the procrastination has caught up to us. Everyone is trying to get there last minute opinions in, including me, and reading these blogs entries daily sends me into a state of redundancy. It's alot of Carr this and Postman that, Soma here manipulation there...which is the whole point of this blog site: to a certain extent. Go beyond the horizons of just reading and analyxing these books. Blogging is supposed to be fun!

At any rate, that's not really my point. While on SparkNotes trying to grasp a better understanding of Brave New World, I noticed an article in the margins (those darn distractions) that was titled "Death to Cursive!" Me being the avid handwriter that usually writes in cursive, I clicked on it and spent the next four minutes reading an article that was pretty much dissing cursive. I was appalled and disagreed to the fullest with what this author was saying, but I thought it was intresting so here I am. He started off by saying "Its dumb and stupid." (Well I thought he was "dumb and stupid for saying that because they are two words that mean the EXACT same thing.) He when on to say its a waste of time to teach and how awesome computers are and whatnot. Everything in my notebook was written in cursive, so I am glad I was taught how to do it and quite frankly I don't think that teaching it should be stopped. Do you? He also mentions how technology is getting faster and smarter everyday and schools need to learn how to adapt.

What does this have to do with any of these books you ask? NOTHING ! Other than the fact that I came across the article trying to further my knowledge of Brave New World. I blogged about this because [I'm cool] and I wanted to open everyone's eyes to the things that are going on around the world that don't have to do with these novels. Feel free to express the vivid emotions I know are running through your mind as my entry comes to an abrubt end...

Forever Young

2011-08-17T22:49:00.000-07:00

“All the lines in her face, the flabbiness, the wrinkles. And the sagging cheeks with those purplish blotches.” This is how a horrified Lenina describes an aged Linda. At first when I read it, I wondered why Huxley would make a society oppose aging and then I realized it’s very similar to our world now. Every beauty commercial about a product that woman can reduce the number of wrinkles in her face and look young. They advertise anti-aging creams as though they are the fountain of youth. I don’t think it’s a big deal to age. I do say this now while I’m young but I’ve never looked an aged person and have been repulsed. I don’t think these products are to help people feel attractive more than it is propaganda and yet many have fallen into their money-making trap.

Irrelevant Information

2011-08-17T22:47:00.000-07:00

In chapter five of Amusing Ourselves to Death, Postman points out how quickly society becomes captivated by a piece of news that has nothing to deal with them, yet we talk about it constantly as if we are actually living out the events. I’m constantly on Yahoo! reading articles and then holding a conversations about them later as if I can actually relate. Therefore, does that mean we are now that easily distracted with the newest piece of irrelevant information that we don’t take heed to actual problems surrounding us? I believe so. I wasn’t aware that taxes went down, a valuable piece of information, but I was very much aware of the newest gossip that appears on my screen.

The Shallows: A Modern Silent Spring

2011-08-17T22:12:00.000-07:00

During the twentieth century, Rachel Carson wrote a book that threatened to redefine society's opinion about DDT's effects on the environment. Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane, or DDT as it is commonly referred to as, was used in the nineteen hundreds as a pesticide to control the large mosquito population in the United States. However despite its beneficial qualities, DDT cause a large reduction in the wildlife population. Silent Spring, by Rachel Carson, called society to question whether or not the benefits of DDT outweighed the problems that resulted from it. As a result of her novel and growing concerns, in 1972 the use of DDT was banned in the United States.

Just like Silent Spring called people to action, Nicholas Carr is doing the same with his new novel, The Shallows. However this time, it is not a pesticide that threatens society, it is our new communication technology, the Internet, that does. Not only has it redefined older medias, but it has also caused us to change the way that we think. Carr poses the question, what is the Internet doing to our individual brains? At the same time, he also asks, is it altering society as a whole? I believe that like Silent Spring, The Shallows will draw to attention the growing problems of the Internet, and cause people to stand up to this new technology. And as a result, it will no longer control every aspect of our lives.

The Sweet Sounds of Technology.

2011-08-17T22:10:00.000-07:00

I woke up today and i decided that i would take on the challenge to go a day without technology. You may be wondering if i went a day without technology today then why am i on this very computer writing this blog? Well let me tell you how my day went. I turned off the television, turned off my phone; I turned off my computer and any other gadget I had that would disturb my challenge. As i started my day I did it as usual, I took a shower, I got drressd and almost unconsciously I walked over to the computer. I was close to turning it on when I caught myself and remembered that I had a goal. As my day went on i struggled greatly each and every moment because i am so mentally and physically attached to all my technological devices that it called out to me with it's sweet sounds wanting me to pick it up just for an instant. I thought just for a moment it wouldn't hurt would it? Then again I remembered that today was no technology day. So instead of going on the computer I decided to do something that our ancestors did which was to read a book. Reading a book sounded great; besides doing the summer work that was assigned it was nice to pick up a book that wasn't assigned and just explore its many pages. So I was reading the book and all of a sudden I found myself having trouble focusing on the words so I decided to take a break and I wandered around the house for a while trying to ignore the urges that called me to the computer, the urges to check my Facebook and my emails, the urges to just play a simple game like Minesweep. Long story short I never got back to reading that book today. In the last digression that Nicholas Carr wrote in The Shallows he wrote something that relates to my addiction to my gadget and that is, "I have to confess: it's cool. I'm Not sure i can live without it."

Naturally Unplugged

2011-08-17T20:11:00.000-07:00

I was going on vacation this meant no internet, for FIVE days. I was in panic briefly and then I realized I only use the internet for amusement purposes, nothing more substantial. I relaxed. During an eight hour car ride there was no radio, no DVD player, not even our GPS could find a signal properly (but that's partly because it is picky), just 400 miles of road up until the mountains. My mother, brother and I just had pleasant conversations the whole ride up with small periods of napping on my part.

Once we got to our campground, we rushed to find spots and as usual my brother and I were spot keepers. It would have been oh so convenient had our phones have reception in between the two mountain ranges but alas, there was none so it made keeping track of spots difficult. I was thrust into a full out technology fast.

While reading The Shallows, I found a relevant quote to my situation, " people experienced time as a continuous, cyclical flow. To the extent that time was kept, the keeping was done by instruments that emphasized this natural process."(41) We lived by the sunlight. We went inside due to the cold and we woke up with the cold before dawn. It was extremely dark at night and the whole sky would light up with stars. It was refreshing to have the sun and nature rule us, not the clock, because up there it was a completely different atmosphere.

So Who Should I Believe?

2011-08-17T19:54:00.001-07:00

Neil Postman mentions three examples of truth telling in Chapter Two of his book. He discusses truth telling in oral culture by describing the people of Africa; he states the memorization is key for having a rich oral culture. He says that the leader or chief would listen to both sides to the dispute, then he would offer one of his many metaphors to hopefully resolve the argument. He later mentions truth telling in a courtroom, with lawyers and judges. Courtrooms are based entirely on print, so usage of metaphors would be completely useless. Law books and citations are the only way to provide a relevant response to legal disputes, according to Postman. The third is that of Ancient Greece. Grecian society many composes of oral culture, spoken in the form of rhetoric. Postman states that Socrates may have lost the case because he was not prepared, and spoke to the audience inconsistently with the truthful matter, and therefore failed to win their appeal.

He later describes that truth must be adorned to appeal to the jury. Simply stating the truth is not enough to appeal to anyone. People find very trivial biases during the search for the truth that may drastically change the outcome. This is why the printed word is more believable than the spoken one. When heard the truth directly, people may become nit picky, and find insignificant ways that make you seem like a liar. With the printed word, the author is able to revise mistakes or change words before anyone reads it. However, this concept can work with lies as well. What we might believe as the truth may actually a well dressed lie. This is why people dress well for courtrooms, to hopefully win some appeal from the audience.

Unfortunately, a lie can be much more meaningful than the truth if it well dressed. We as humans are very biased creatures. Say, for example you were part of the jury in a courtroom, and the two people testifying are a well dressed man, and and obnoxious alcoholic. Most of us, including myself, would began siding with the well groomed man rather than the drunk in the beginning of the case, because we are that biased. But why not? The drunk man is annoying, and we do not like him, we would much rather be alongside the more intelligent looking man.

Are we, as humans, that biased? Are we that susceptible to a well dressed lie?

My Soma

2011-08-17T18:14:00.000-07:00

As I am looking over Amusing Ourselves to Death, I think about all the technology that influences me. One thing I thought was interesting was the radio and music. In the 60's and part of the 70's, music was a way for activist to "stick it to the man" or make the world a better place through peace and love. Music got people to spread kindness and love. That got me thinking about music today and how it is influencing us.

As Postman connected television to Soma, I connect Soma to music. All that music in my Ipod is like a walking gramme of Soma. I listen to music when I don't feel like listening or just having a bad day. Without knowing it, I'm singing to songs about love, sex, and crime. We all know in Brave New World, Soma is what keeps them happy. Postman concluded that television is what keeps us happy and entertained. Now music is what keeps us entertained on a long drive to anywhere. Does anyone know what they are singing when they listen to the radio or their Ipod? I know I dont because it is catchy. A good example of a catchy tune is "Last Friday Night or T.G.I.F" by Katy Perry. Of course it is obvious what she's saying, but is she unintentionally influencing us to party. Even "Pumped Up Kicks" by Foster the People with their lyrics of murder. Or Jimi Hendrix's famous song "Purple Haze". I thought it was catchy and a great tune, until I realized what he was talking about.

So here is my question for you: With their great songs ad catchy tunes, is today's music leading us to be something that we are not?

Escaping Reality

2011-08-17T10:15:00.000-07:00

Soma is given to the people of the World State in Brave New World to keep them unaware of how corrupt their society really is. They take soma to become happy and forget about their worries. Something that bothered me was that soma was "served with coffee" (Chapter 5-Part 1). Why is soma urged on the inhabitants so much like if they were pastries?

In our world people abuse substances like alcohol, drugs, and even food as a way to escape from reality. Often times when people are faced with depressing situations they turn to alcohol and drugs to try to get rid of the pain. Others eat their stress away. They feel as though these substances will help them forget their undesired emotions, yet they all have lasting consequences.

What are some other reasons for the people of the World State taking soma? In your opinion are there any other forms of soma in our world?

The Sound of Settling

2011-08-17T01:49:00.000-07:00

Does the presence of music in media influence us to accept television and the internet as our ways of distributing information and entertainment?

On page 88 of Amusing Ourselves to Death, Postman states that "...almost all television programs are embedded in music, which helps to tell the audience what emotions are to be called forth." He also describes how music is placed in the news to prevent negative emotions from viewers. Are we really so unintelligent that we need music to tell us what emotions to feel? By trying to prevent certain emotions from surfacing, could music on the news be analogous to soma in Brave New World? If television and film were devoid of music and sound effects, would people really retain interest in such media? In other words, would Jaws still be suspenseful without its dramatic soundtrack? Could James Bond still be classy without a suave theme song? Is a television show still gripping without emotional music playing in the background? Since it acts as a glue of almost all media we desire, music could very well be a modern-day soma or form of conditioning.

The absence of silence on modern film and television led to a fondness for distracting sound. For example, Carr mentions on page 14 of The Shallows how he grew to love computer noises. "Listening to the beeps and clangs was like overhearing a friendly argument between a couple of robots," he admits. As charming as this passage was, I was dispirited realizing that these beeps are somehow comforting to us. The click or pop from the computer usually informs us of something "urgent" like a security system notice or an instant message notification. We are relieved to solve whatever issue it hands us, giving us a sense of accomplishment as well as a love for computers.

As fearful humans, we feel the need to have background noise. Silence could convey deep thought without distraction, but now it is considered an omen of isolation. We believe its only cure is to drown it with distraction provided by noisy electronic media. We no longer know the peaceful stillness Nathaniel Hawthorne describes on page 166 of The Shallows. This proves our culture is subsiding, and it seems we've accepted our fate and settled in this amusing yet deteriorating society.

Lack of Reverence in the Entertainment Industry

2011-08-17T00:31:00.000-07:00

In the middle of chapter six in Amusing Ourselves to Death, Postman comments on how newscasters ask the audience to “join them tomorrow.” “We accept the newscasters’ invitation because we know that the “news” is not to be taken seriously, that it is all fun, so to say.” Not just the news but movies and video games , have managed to undermine serious or grave situations by transforming it into entertainment. Many have become desensitized to murders or other grievous subject matter so much so that we have made war into video games and also unfortunate events into comedic movies.

When I originally saw the trailer for the movie 30 Minutes or Less, I laughed and put it on my list of movies to go see. That was until I learned that a woman was upset because that funny event of being strapped with bombs and forced to rob banks actually happened to her brother and it was fatal.

So why do people so quickly justify using such devastating events into entertainment? I’ve heard plenty of times “it’s just a game” or “it’s just a movie.” I’ve used it myself. So do you believe using tragedy as entertainment is immature or all in good humor?

Of Memes, Hackers, and Social Networks: How the Internet has Permanently Affected Our Culture.

2011-08-16T22:58:00.001-07:00

Hello AP Bloggers. Look at the picture. Now back to me. Now back at the picture. Now back to me. Sadly, you probably read that with the Old Spice Guy’s voice. Why is it you ask? It is because OldSpice has created a very clever and entertaining ad campaign that people will remember. It is also because OldSpice is one of the many companies out there that have “leaked” onto the internet in order to promote its product effectively. It is very common to see things on television “leaked” onto the television nowadays, but now the tables are now turning. At the internet’s zenith (so far), phenomena that have previously been internet-exclusive, are now leaking back into reality, not only television. Unlike television’s leakage, which I will liken to a broken water main, the internet’s leakage is hard to detect, like a natural gas leak. Despite being hard to notice, the internet has, and most likely will, have a larger affect on our culture than that of television; in the past decade, where the internet has begun leaking, we have experienced more frequent shifts in culture and ways of thinking than we have in twentieth century, where cultural trends tended to be limited to decades. These more frequent fluctuations are caused by the internet’s leakage and its prominence in our culture. If you need help believing that the internet has affected our culture, take a look at memes, hackers, and social networks; these examples will help guide you.

A meme, by definition, is an idea, behavior, style, or usage that spreads from person to person within a culture; however when this phrase is used on the internet it usually refers to images, videos, or events that are either popular or infamous. Many memes originated from television; the “Xzibit” meme is the perfect example of one of these memes. Xzibit was the host of MTV’s (excuse the language in the title) Pimp My Ride, a show where Xzibit would take someone’s run-down car and repair it and customize to suit the person’s favorite hobby (e.g. If you enjoyed fish, he would build an aquarium inside the car).

http://knowyourmeme.com/i/177/original/800px-Sup_dawg.jpg

The original image parodies the plot of the show in a humorous, simple manner that makes it easy for admirers to create their own image. This meme has leaked back into the world through Xzibit’s own reactions to this spontaneous act of comedy. Memes are also leaking back into the real world through television; advertisements are now referencing memes or blatantly using them to promote a product. As I type, a movie based on the fictional adventures of several viral video characters is in the early stages of production. I believe that in the next few years, we will be using and referencing memes in everyday life.

Despite light-hearted nature of memes, the internet has also become a breeding ground for crime. Everyday people have now succumbed to hacking websites, causing issues for those who run the site and for those who use the site. This new act of terrorism has, scarily enough, attracted many to join forces and create hacking cells. One prominent group of hackers is the group LulzSec; Lulzsec has hacked a variety of businesses, such as Fox, PBS, and Sony (causing the internet difficulties that all PS3 gamers loved). During their hacking spree, they have leaked both inside secrets and personal information, and they have used this data to wreak havoc in the real world. In the near-future, these terrorists may be able to hack onto secret government sites and end up causing chaos in the public, violence, or maybe even a war amongst countries. The internet not only has bred crimes exclusive to the internet, but it has been used by criminals in real life. Recently rioters in London have used websites to coordinate attacks on local businesses. No matter how many hilarious pictures the internet may produce, there is no hiding this ugly practice that was born on the World Wide Web. Now if you excuse me, I must change the passwords on all my web pages.

The internet’s scariest affect on humanity is not concrete, but is an abstract consequence that is locked deep within our minds. It has not only impacted the way we interact with others, but it has changed the way we think about ourselves; I am talking about social networking sites. Websites, like Facebook, have accidentally altered the definition of some words, such as friends, and in turn, these scarred definitions change the way we react the word in real life. We may either end up referring to too many people as our friends or we may end referring too few people as our friends; these errors may end up causing distress to the mistaken person. Social networks, in addition to all forms of electronic media, fail to project a person’s tone, which could cause unwanted drama in one’s life. I have typed several humorous statements amongst my post; were you able to find the messages? The worst consequence social networks have had on man’s mind is that it either causes our minds to be susceptible to statements or it causes our minds to become to ignorant; by being exposed to such a dynamic group at once, it can either cause a person to frequently change their opinion on a topic, thus having no real opinion at all, or it can cause someone to become so sensitive about their opinion that they will go to extreme measures to defend it. Now this can apply to a variety of situations, ranging from who to vote for on a TV show, to choosing important life decisions. I know that this phenomenon has existed for all time, but social networking has drastically augmented this response. Social networking can indeed take a toll on the human mind.

Understand that I am not bashing use of the internet; I understand that social networks have a plethora of positive uses and the World Wide Web can provide instant relief to a troubled mind. I am merely saying that the internet has become a part of humanity forever. How else do you believe that the internet has become one with our culture?

Synthetic Memory

2011-08-16T21:00:00.000-07:00

Lately I’ve been feeling a little forgetful. It seems that whenever I have something on my mind that I want to remember or tell someone, I forget later. Thankfully I have the internet to help refresh my memory. If this sounds like you then you are probably one of the many people including myself who rely on the internet to help remember interesting facts or information. As I was reading The Shallows I came across a quote from a writer named Clive Thompson who addressed this topic. He said that “[he had] almost given up making an effort to remember anything because [he] can instantly retrieve the information online (180)” This relates to me in many cases. I don’t feel the need to try and remember interesting facts about basketball or facts about an historical event because I can easily go online and find it. Since technology is so fast at retrieving information about any topic at the click of a button it’s no wonder why a person would choose to use it instead of their own personal memory.
My question for you is do you find yourself using the internet too look up certain information that can be easily remembered? Do you think that one day the internet will replace our memory of information as a whole?

All I've Learned

2011-08-16T20:12:00.000-07:00

After finishing all of my books a few days ago I realized just how much I can take from what I've read. While reading *Brave New World* I realized just how blessed I am to live within this type of society where I do have the concepts of family and belonging. From both *Amusing Ourselves to Death* and *The Shallows* I came to realize just how much that I'm relying on technology within my day to day life. All three of these books have cause a huge light bulb to go off in my head, especially *Amusing Ourselves to Death* and *The Shallows*. After reading those two books I realized that it may not be so bad to hop of the computer, turn off the television and just sit down and read a book for the fun of it. My question for my fellow AP bloggers is one that will allow you to reflect on the time that you've spent with these three books: have the books that we were assigned to read changed your life in any way (i.e. spending more time with a book instead of a computer/TV)?

Different Views on Life

2011-08-16T20:09:00.000-07:00

Towards the beginning of Brave New World Lenina made a comment referring to the savages in the reservation in New Mexico. The comment was, "But how can they live like this?" (109) She also went on to describe their attire and their culture and furthermore commented, "I don't like it." (109) This quote was interesting how Lenina was horrified at how the savages acted and looked because in our society today they would most likely be known as Native Americans or Indians. Lenina is startled at their appearance, while today they would not be looked or talked down upon. The savages who would be considered normal but fading away are Native Americans whose roots deeply affected our nations history. These peoples are considerably normalin our society today and had a huge impact on American history, while in Huxley's book the are known as simply "savages."

On the other hand you can understand why Lenina is so shocked because if you were in their shoes and saw something very out of the normal you would be astonished as well. They live in a utopia where everybody knows everybody and everything is usually normal, but if the savages were to be released then the utopians would be in for a rude awakening. To put it in perspective it would be like seeing a girl enrolled at an all boys school; it just would not look right or fit in with the whole picture.

Technology over Nature

2011-08-16T17:57:00.000-07:00

In Chapter 6 in Brave New World, I found Lenina's rejection of nature quite interesting. While Bernard and Lenina were on their way back to his rooms, Bernard asked her to look at the waves from his helicopter. She responded, "But it's horrible!...Let's turn on the radio. Quick!" (90) She also described the radio's noise as "lovely."

While Bernard wanted to look at the sea in peace, Lenina just wanted to go back to society, where "everybody's happy nowadays." (91) She felt desperate to escape the unknown world, and eager to return back to society. She found nature to be threatening and unnatural while she found technology to be safe and normal. Maybe she was one of those that were conditioned to hate nature. Even if she was, her reaction served as an example of the World State controlling the likes and dislikes of people.

This actually made me think of today's society, and how many people would actually choose technology over the nature of the Earth. Many people are so addicted to technology that they don't realize how much they love it. I don't think they would even be able to do a 24-hour technology fast. Do you think people would choose technology over nature?

Does Crime Exist?

2011-08-16T16:01:00.000-07:00

A quote from Brave New World provoked thought in my mind; the quote was, "Quick, Quick! Quick! Something's happened. I've killed her." (208) To begin with i wasn't sure if John had actually killed Linda but i believe that it was an overdose from soma that had killed her. the drug that she was starting out on was to strong for her and she died. However John, the savage may have killed her by accident by shaking her unresponsive body so violently. These are only a few theories and ideas and if anybody has other ideas as to why and how she died, please explain.

This caused me to start wondering if there are crimes and consequences in Huxley's society. Because John may have killed Linda I was wondering if he would be penalized and have to go before a court of Ford's for a decision. If there were crimes in the society then who would be the judges, jury, and possibly the executioner? Would there be minimum penalties like paying a small fine or would there also be large penalties such as 25 years to life in a savage reservation or the death penalty for the degree of the crime? Are there police and other types of law enforcement that Huxley did not hint at in his book?

I believe that the savage, John was penalized and was put onto the island isolated by himself for the possible murder and trying to influence the citizens to rebel against the soma, but i am not sure. I am just wondering if crime exists and if so who prevents it and who decides what to do with the convicted?

Skim Reading

2011-08-16T13:55:00.000-07:00

When reading the chapter “The Juggler’s Brain” in Carr’s The Shallows the study by Jakob Nielsen interested me. Nielsen’s study brought to light the way we read text on a website, he found that “The vast majority skimmed the text quickly, their eyes skipping down the page in a pattern that resembled,roughly, the letter F.” (134) I think we can all relate to this study because it’s difficult to read line by line when on the Internet. When we read online we hardly ever grasp the information, the large amounts of distractions the web has makes it almost impossible to actually learn something when reading text on the web.

To make matters worse, Internet browsers such as Apple’s Safari, Mozilla’s Firefox, and Google’s Chrome contain a search feature that allows the user to find any specific letter, word, or phrase they want to find. As I read more on skim reading I realized how often I use the search feature when on a website, I found it easier to simply press “Command + F” on my keyboard and type in any word or phrase I’d like so I wouldn’t waste any time reading pieces of irrelevant text.

How many of you actually read line by line when on a website? What is your opinion on skim reading?

NBC News

2011-08-16T07:34:00.001-07:00

I thought this article I found this morning on MSN is appropose to this blog. Check it out.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/44156412/ns/health-fitness/?gt1=43001

The Pros and Cons of the Internet

2011-08-16T00:22:00.000-07:00

As The Shallows is coming to an end, I am still not sure of what to think of Mr. Carr's ideas. I do agree with the fact that the computer has "Human Elements" and our mind is just like a computer except more obsolete. I do not agree though that the Internet is a bad thing. It is helpful for research papers and unanswered questions, but a book is just as resourceful. A book is published by and actual author, who went to college, while the Internet has links that are posted by everyone. Is a book better than the Internet? I remember when I didn't know a word. When I asked my parents what it meant, they told me to, "Look it up in the dictionary!" Since the dictionary was huge, my question would just go answered. Now all I hear is "Google it!" Is google just adding to our laziness? Are we just adding fuel to the fire? I don't think the Internet is bad, but it's not good either. What are the pros and cons of the Internet? Of course, I am a reader such as you, but with the internet right in the palm of your hand, it is hard for people not to fall victim to Sparknotes. Do you think Carr is right? Is a book so hard to read because our attention span is becoming shorter because of the Internet? Should we take advantage of the Internets resources rather than pick up a book and read? I would love to hear each of your thoughts on the subject.

Our Internets!? No Way...

2011-08-15T22:08:00.000-07:00

The topics discussed in The Shallows are quite fascinating. One topic that stands out in my mind is when Carr talks about how the addition of spaces changed reading. This change was quite profound. Our culture and even our architecture has changed because of spaces. The addition of spaces not only changed our culture but even the wiring of our brains.

As the new age of the Internet is changing our minds. There could possible be a new change as dramatic as the addition of spaces in written language. Undoubtedly, the Internet has already started to affect our minds. But, as the Internet develops more and more, it is increasingly possible for writing to become obsolete. It would become just another tool that the ancients used. Similarly to how we see hieroglyphs today.

Nevertheless, let us go deeper into this quandary. Following logical reason and the natural evolution of technology, it is very likely that our hallow Internets will be replaced. Our vast and expansive internet, cast to the side like writing. Even though it is impossible to guess what the successor to the internet will be. There is one thing for certain, the successor to the internet will change our brains just like the internet did. What will the successor to the internet really do to us? How will it change us? But, all of these questions stem from one extremely import question; Will our hallow Internets on day be replaced?

Moral Values and Priorites

2011-08-15T21:33:00.000-07:00

Near the end of Brave New World reporters found John "the Savage" repeatedly whipping himself. The citizens of the society actually encouraged John to continue whipping himself. The people of Brave New World seem to encourage violence and blood. They seem to lack the compassion that we so thoroughly exercise. It also seems that our younger kids are also more spoiled and violent than we were (at least in my opinion). Technology seems to make us more ignorant and violent, instead of recognizing more positive ideas such as family values. Does anyone else think that technology can make people, especially younger kids, become more violent and spoiled?

We can agree that the internet can process and transfer information at a breakneck pace. Information seems to get lost in the crowd, so to speak. Maybe we have lost sight of the significance of certain priories. Take the recent death of a person for example, maybe Osama Bin Laden or Amy Winehouse. News of these people has been lost in the sea of more recent, and in some cases less important, news. Even important news, can be replaced with a funny viral video or some mindless celebrity gossip. Most, if not all, news may only bask in the limelight for only a few days. Other news will take its place, and previous news will have been forgotten. Have we lost sight of what's more important?

The Push to Become Green

2011-08-15T21:30:00.000-07:00

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, the three R's, this phrase was something that I grew up with in elementary school. In Brave New World, the society has recycling down to a science and yet, they’re still pretty wasteful. Everything they own is only used for brief periods of time before it is chucked. It is taught to the children of the society at a young age that, “We always throw away old clothes… ending is better than mending… the more stitches the less riches…” (49) Their clothes have no value to them other than allowing the masses to see what their status is. At the other end of the spectrum though, the World State uses the phosphorus from the bodies to nourish the earth, they have developed a double standard.

In our society though, a few years back, Canon River Blues brand jeans would give you a brand new pair of jeans in the same size for free if it became torn. Society is starting to waste less money creating new things because we're recycling old items and transforming them into something new. For example, there are tablecloths made of recycled plastic; and in our house, when an article of clothing becomes to raggedy to wear we turn it into a cloth used for cleaning.

While striding to deter the communities use of plastic bags, the city of Long Beach's stores have started charging for bags and pushing the public to buy reusable bags for shopping a much more environmentally friendly option. I personally think the bags are quite nifty as well as cheap. Don't get me wrong, our society is still wasteful. We aren't pursuing the opportunities to develop cheap, clean, safe energy as much as we should. Some developed countries use excessive amounts of water and uses up many natural resources each year but it's becoming more regulated and better conserved. We are creating new habits in order not to fall back into a deep set tradition and only time will tell if this trend will last.

As we develop new technologies and become less wasteful, do you believe we will become more eco friendly than the World State or is it already better? Will we fall back into old habits?