(HW 14) Second Text...

In the television text by Steven Johnson, the author explains how television is actually good for us because it makes us think more. He explains how television is more passive than video games because some will make you work and think about what is going on while others just let you be a couch potato. With television a certain show can come out and then producers will come out with a similar concept. He talks about how prime time is like ER, Desperate Housewives, The sopranos and lost. But in the games text is about how games can be a waste of time and that people should read instead. He states that he doesn't think those who read only read and that's it. He proposed what if games came before reading and reading became the new thing. I feel like the feed is an allegory for all the digital equipment we use or even the media. The media can portray what the "ideal" body shape is, new hairstyle, new outfits and so on. As suckers in this world we are quick to find out how to get that body, or get that for cheaper. We are like sheep waiting for the Shepard to tell us what to do.


Everything about television or any digital device in the unit has been the opposite of what Johnson is saying. At first everyone was saying how digital has shaped us and made us more ignorant to whats around us. While other were saying its great because you can do a lot of things fast and connect with family and friends all around the world. At first, I was all for the digital life but now that I have learned and researched about it i feel like it takes away from time with my self or face to face interactions. In the book feed, all the characters are taking away from whats around them because of the feed. The feed gives them everything they need so that they don't have to do any work making them lazy. The feed gives them the latest updates on anything from hairstyles to the prices in the stores.

(HW 13) Feed B...

By far one of the best books that I have read. I haven't finished the book yet because directions were made unclear but as of now I can say I really enjoy reading Feed. Regardless of how it shows the type of teens we are and what we do with our lives I can say this was an eye opener. This book explains in detail using allegories of the typical teenager. M.T Anderson shows us by talking about these lesions and how it makes everything stand out. In the book lesions are cool and in. And if you have a lesion you in the group. They even say how some lesions are better than others and compare and contrast between each other.

I think that feed is directed to teenagers but it also is directed to adults. Some adults think they need to feel younger so they sort of "copy" in a sense what the young ones have or do. As an example my aunt likes to think she is young and tries to "get light" and dance in front of us. But my cousins look at her and are like "oh no". Why is it that adults feel the need to be "young" or look or feel young? There are certain things that adults should not get or have because they are just too old for it. In my opinion adults should act and show they are professional so that people would look up to them. When I see adults with piercings and tattoos i think to myself "your kidding right?". But when I see someone who is more conservative and private then I think to myself "wow". Some things just need to be left for teenagers.

After reading feed I think our society needs to be "hammered". There is so much that is going on in this world that we don't notice. What if this world were to be hammered and everything changed back to when there were no phones tv's etc? Then how would we live our life? What would we be doing? These questions pop in my head all the time and make me wonder how would it be different.

(HW 12) Feed A...

"We went to the moon to have fun, but the moon turned out to completely suck". The book Feed by M.T Anderson in my opinion is completely on point as to life of a typical teenager. The book feed is one big allegory stating what the typical teenager does or the daily routine. The first chapter is a must read twice because you might skip over what they say about teenagers. I agree that we as teenagers are oblivious to what is going on around us because we are so drawn into be accepted or trying to fit in.

I myself find it hard to withhold myself from all the new gadgets and what the celebrities and magazines show to be hot. Magazines conform us by showing us what celebrities wear and how we can "get the look" for cheaper. And of course to make it even more simple they give us the information on where we can get it and how much it will cost for the total outfit. I am drawn into magazines because of this but not so much to get the new look but to get the new color that's out. Just like in Feed, the girls get updates on the latest hairstyles which then they go back to the bathroom and change the style more than twice a day. It is the same with us. When one thing comes out, another one is to follow and when it comes out all the advertisements make you want the new one even though you just got the "old" one.

In feed, there are many allegories about teens such as the lesions, the "feed" and how it affects us today. Andy brought up the point of how he thinks lesions are like "body piercings and tattoos". After reading half of the book I started to think about the lesions and how its the "gotta have" thing now. And if you don't have it your "late" or not "in". Now a days piercings and tattoos are cool and now teens are getting them because of the influence around them. Where will those piercings and tattoos look like or how will the people who have them feel in 15 or 20 years?

HW 11 my experiment...

For the experiment I decided I would try not to have my phone on while I was reading. I never turn off my blackberry not even overnight so you can imagine how I felt. At first I just put the phone to the side and started to read but once I felt it vibrate it killed me to wonder who just sent me a text message. So right away I checked and answered the text back. Then I told myself "okay sam you can do this, put it on silent". I ended up putting it on silent and throwing it to the other side of the bed. As I kept reading I saw the bright red light flashing and I wanted to know who was texting me. It lasted maybe 2 minutes before I grabbed it and answered back. After a few tries I started to get annoyed and just turned off the phone and put it away. I ended up reading for an hour straight but of course I thought about how many messages I missed. I noticed that even the little things like the red light flashing I noticed from across the bed. I noticed that I was very distracted and it took me a few tries to actually get me to give up on my blackberry for an hour. When I turned on my phone I had a lot of missed text messages from friends and I felt out of the loop for a few. It amazes me how for an hour you can feel like you missed something for days. I think for the next experiment I would like to either try and digitally fast for longer or engage myself in all the electronics for hours to see if I get tired or bored from the technology.

HW 10 internet...

I am most intrested in cellphone usage because I am one of the many that are addicted to my cellphone (blackberry). It amazes me how many people depend on it and use it for different reasons.

http://teachingtechnology.suite101.com/article.cfm/fair_cell_phone_use_in_schools
This article is about the pros and cons of having a cellphone in schools. There are many reasons as to whether cellphones belong in school or not. The article states that with a cellphone students can take pictures of projects and show parents, but what are the chances of us students actually doing that? It also says that with cellphones in schools students can send out text messages to each other during a test giving each other the answers. Lastly, the article says that students should reach an agreement with parents and teachers about cellphones in school.

http://unews.utah.edu/p/?r=062206-1

Using a cellphone and drunk driving the same thing? While reading this I couldnt believe that officials would actually go this far as to the usage of cellphones. I first thought that drinking and driving was worst than using a cellphone and driving but now that i see it can be very harmful. People get so into what they are doing on their cellphones that it can be a hazard to others on the road. Now that I read this article I am totally against my mom even using her blackberry at a red light. You never know what can go wrong at any moment. In connection, I was on the express bus on my way home and the driver started to read her book while on a read light. The lady behind me told her the driver if she thought that was the right decision. The bus driver began to get frustrated and didnt understand why until the lady told her she had a young baby. I couldnt believe something so little turned into something so big in minutes. Drivers must think carefully before making any decisions while on the road.

http://www.rense.com/general63/FACTS.HTM
Not a well written article but straight to the point about how far technology has come. It explains how 10 years back we had the big cellphones that resemble bricks but now they are as small as can be. Not only have cellphones come along way and impoved but accecories such as bluetooths came out making it easier for us. Where will all this technology be in anohter 10 years?

(HW 9) Response to Comments....

Video comments.... Larche and Chloe were not able to post their comments on my video for some reason. So their comments are below as well as my reply to them.

From Larche,
I liked your video, It seemed like you were really into what you were doing-reading and listening to your ipod. I sometimes do that to. It was like you were in three places at once. You were lost in your book, while into your music , and then into the conversation you were having on your phone. Sometimes it can be hard to juggle all three or just focus on one.I have to agree that no being able to express ourselves through words was hard. But I think that one of the points of this assignment was to express how we communicate digitally and I think you really showed that in your video. The question you asked " what would happen if I didn't have a cell phone or an ipod then what?" really made me think because that was what my video was about. I probably would I have been forced to do something more productive. I think that if we all gave up our digital equipment we could be doing more to stimulate our minds, like reading. You had good insights overall.

In response to Larche,
Thanks for taking the time out comment my video. Sorry that it was such a hassle to comment. I am not sure what is going on with my blog. When I read your comment it made me think about how I could have changed the video a little so that it wasn't just focused on one thing but rather different locations and what not. When you said that I was lost in my book while listening to music, I was actually getting distracted because my phone would keep vibrating from messages or I would change the song that was on because the shuffle was bad. I agree that without these gadgets we would do something productive instead which is a great thing. I would rather spend my time engaging in a book at the park than wasting time on things that are making me lazier. Lastly, a question that I wonder about is how did all these gadgets come about? When I was younger I didn't think about cellphones and now I'm addicted. Is this really helping our generation keep in touch or rather drawing us father apart?

From Chloe,
Hey Sam, I'm glad that we agreed to do this. I feel like it will benefit the both of us as we are mature high school seniors. Your video was straight to the point and not messy. Thanks for doing it in general.

I wish you would have wrote a little of your own analysis of your video but that is okay I can still write about it. I noticed how in your video your not only being digitally stimulated by your ipod but your also reading! I feel as if maybe you use your ipod to help you focus on certain things, to help keep you sane and relaxed. Since sometimes being digital stimulated helps you block out and be in your own zone so maybe this is why your ipod helps you read and be focused on the book without distractions. Although there was only one distraction in your video which was your black berry. The only thing that can take away your focus is another digital device.

I think everyone has concluded how certain digital devices keeps us sane and stress free. We see this in a lot of peoples videos like mine. Most of the time when people read or do there homework they listen to their ipod to help them focus and not get distracted by others people's nonsense. This happens to me a lot in study hall (my Tuesday advisory choice). Everyone listens to their ipod and I noticed it actually gets people to actually be more focused to do their homework. Probably because they have two choices. To talk to people and be unfocused or listen to their ipod where they can't really communicate and listen to people so they do their work in the rhythm of the music they like most.

Unlike most people, I cannot read and listen to music at the same time. Although I do listen to my ipod while I sketch or paint. It is a relaxer and I wonder how physical we are being effected, could this be a benefit to our selves to be able to focus on things more? I feel like this is really weird because we always speak about how digital stimulation distracts us but can it be true that in some way it actually helps us focus more?

Thanks again for helping me out and I'm always here to leave you comments back when you need it. <3 See you at at school

In response to Chloe,
Aww!! Thanks for commenting on my video. I am ALWAYS here to help you. We are both are on the same page as far as being on our game this year so I am glad to help. I see that you said it would have been helpful to write some insights from my video, I did but my blog has not been fully working so I am sorry for the inconvenience. I totally agree about the blackberry. It is so distracting because as I am reading I would feel it vibrate and then cant help but to look to see who text me. It is so bad that sometimes I will put it on silent and still look at it to see if there are any new messages. I agree that the ipod relaxes people and helps them get work done. I like listen to soft music while I am doing homework because it just helps me get into the mood. Lastly, I also wonder about how we say that they distract us but can it also help us in someway? There are pros and cons to having these digital devices but I think it is they way you use them that determines whether it is a pro or con. Like when we were interview strangers at the park. They mostly use it because of work which is a pro but a con is that sometimes it can take away from actual interactions in person. Thanks for everything gurlie! :)

(HW 8) video comments...

Larche,
Your video was cool! You showed how you use your technology such as your ipod and phone. While watching this video I was noticing the faces you were making which showed how you were intrigued by the gadgets. I agree with the point you made saying that you wouldn't want your children using technology as often as we do. You stated that it is unhealthy and is a waste of time. I started to think about the children who are overweight from not getting enough exercises because of distractions such as video games. In your video maybe you could have showed us what you were doing. It would gave us an idea of what is going on. In general good video.

Chloe,
I loved your video! Before I even watched it I knew it would be unique and funky. It was great how you showed yourself on the train and how you use your ipod to entertain yourself. You also mentioned how you "pretend" to change the song on your ipod just to avoid weird people staring. I totally understand how you feel. I myself try to pretend like I'm doing something on the train even though its just nonsense. It was so funny how you added your boyfriend to the video and how he is reacting to the video game. I think you should have expanded on your time spent on your sidekick and explain how you use it for homework as well. GREAT video Chloe! Keep up the good work!