Sunday, December 6, 2009
Final Draft
Well team, we have made it to the end of the line, here is my final draft of my paper and hopefully it accomplishes everything that I intended it too and gets a good grade!
Saturday, December 5, 2009
The Final Post
For me, one topic that we discussed during class really stuck out in my mind not only because of the personal connection but the common attribute this topic had was the one about countering. The fact that most people do not counter an argument or another person in general is amazing. Throughout the lecture over it I remember saying to myself how awful I was when it came to arguing or having a passionate side to my defense but rather that I take their point and just say no because I said no. Countering however, as Harris notes in his chapter is the disagreement of a viewpoint and having a real reply or counter to the person’s point of view or idea. The fact that this is such a common human reflex, there are examples of senators, world leaders, news broadcasters, etc that have the proof that arguing has taken over the intellectual side of things.
My writing has changed dramatically for the better after taking this class. Before this class, reading, typing, and studying were not my specialty and I despised the language because of previous teachers missing the point of showing the blessing of the language and different uses for it. My writing style has improved with the way I approach topics and back them up; I also am able to cite sources correctly in text thanks to this class. I have started reading more with blogs and the papers provided and have become addicted to the sites which allow me to do some more reading on a daily basis rather than spend time on facebook or playing around.
One example of how my writing has changed is the fact that now I cut out the extra fluff in my sentences while writing. After writing a piece I reread it like we did in class and checked for grammar mistakes and extra words. In terms of reading, now I go to different sites such as Daily Dish and World Newser in order to see different topics and viewpoints of people discussed on different topics.
My writing has changed dramatically for the better after taking this class. Before this class, reading, typing, and studying were not my specialty and I despised the language because of previous teachers missing the point of showing the blessing of the language and different uses for it. My writing style has improved with the way I approach topics and back them up; I also am able to cite sources correctly in text thanks to this class. I have started reading more with blogs and the papers provided and have become addicted to the sites which allow me to do some more reading on a daily basis rather than spend time on facebook or playing around.
One example of how my writing has changed is the fact that now I cut out the extra fluff in my sentences while writing. After writing a piece I reread it like we did in class and checked for grammar mistakes and extra words. In terms of reading, now I go to different sites such as Daily Dish and World Newser in order to see different topics and viewpoints of people discussed on different topics.
Monday, November 23, 2009
Second Essay Rough Draft
Here is the link to my second essay rough draft, I feel that it has more voice than my other one.
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Taking an Approach
In taking an approach, we are told to take all that we have been taught by Harris and do not exactly the opposite but rather apply them to the different approach he wants us to take as writers (Harris 74). What we have been doing as bloggers over the past semester is nothing in respect to “Taking an Approach”; what we are doing is forwarding what we get from our different sites and sources and respond to them and in a sense are adding our opinion to a story that has already been gnawed on by possibly millions of people. The next question that follows this is how then if we are just forwarding information and ideas around that we can take an approach and actually fulfill this duty to writing, and the answer is just to take an idea and put a spin on it or in essence just write it from a different point of view (Harris 75). Even though this seems similar to responding, it takes more effort to come up with personal ideas to support this approach; as Harris says, "To reshape, not replace or rebut." (Harris 74).
In my blog for example, it is evident that they try to take an approach (in respect to the news sites/ each other also) by adding either a question or a specific part of a story and make that the highlight of the topic. One site has its opinion blog which is basically taking an approach, while the other one has the day’s highlights and allows people to dictate them to the best of their abilities and react. For me to take an approach takes away some of the fire associated with the story or subject being discussed; if only one aspect is shown or the story has no background with it then there is information lost and a qualified opinion can be hard to conjure. In retrospect, the fact that the subject is being discussed and that now people are giving their views on a subject opens up a new and positive can of worms in which everyone with a blog can now see different points of views and either agree and tell why or disagree and elaborate on their feelings. Nevertheless, in terms of “Taking an Approach” The World Newer Blog does not compete with the New York Times in the sense that it is more specified and organized for what Harris is saying as taking the approach rather than forwarding, which is the key to what ABC News does in their blog for World News.
In my blog for example, it is evident that they try to take an approach (in respect to the news sites/ each other also) by adding either a question or a specific part of a story and make that the highlight of the topic. One site has its opinion blog which is basically taking an approach, while the other one has the day’s highlights and allows people to dictate them to the best of their abilities and react. For me to take an approach takes away some of the fire associated with the story or subject being discussed; if only one aspect is shown or the story has no background with it then there is information lost and a qualified opinion can be hard to conjure. In retrospect, the fact that the subject is being discussed and that now people are giving their views on a subject opens up a new and positive can of worms in which everyone with a blog can now see different points of views and either agree and tell why or disagree and elaborate on their feelings. Nevertheless, in terms of “Taking an Approach” The World Newer Blog does not compete with the New York Times in the sense that it is more specified and organized for what Harris is saying as taking the approach rather than forwarding, which is the key to what ABC News does in their blog for World News.
Friday, November 6, 2009
Forwarding
The Vast Majority
As I go through my classmates’ different news sources I see that we as a class have a common “fall guy” as I like to put it. The majority of the class seems to be interested in searching the known news sites such as CNN, ABCNEWS, FOXNEWS, etc. It may be the fact that the lack of televisions on campus force students to go to these sites, or maybe the commonality or recognition that comes with these news sites give a comfort to students that they can trust the material they are getting from their trusted news site. This, however, I see as a misconception due to the fact that different sites/stations have their different approaches and biases.
Hedges and Carr would both see this as the fallout from the advancement of technology. Both would perceive these methods of getting the news as I interpret it as a sign of the times; less radio and television, and more surfing the internet and doing less research. With online news, the reader has the option of what they want to read about. The web page is organized so that instead of having to read the whole paper to find out what you wanted to know, now you can just look under the organized tab or column and search for the specific article you were searching for. Nevertheless, Thompson would see this as the advancement of the human mind to be able to organize a system that would assist people to find out what they were looking for as quickly as possible. The ability to find out about the world in a matter of seconds is a revelation that we are more civilized as a nation and have more information to indulge our minds into.
The fact of the matter in which I write this paragraph over shows the difference one class and chapter in a book can make. The reason why these news sources are popular are because we are forwarding the information given to us by different web pages, and word of mouth along. As you are reading this, I am forwarding to you what people have told me and doing what Hedges and Carr might see as adding to the downfall of human nature by the blogging and technological world.
I revised the whole last paragraph as I had a whole different aspect on how people got their news. Rather than see the obvious fact that the news is forwarded from one source or person to another, I was stating my idea as whoever is giving the news is the firsthand witness to the event. As Harris tells us that we are just forwarding information and not changing it, it surprises me how different sources forward information but yet change it when they have no right to do so. If the story is being used on a opinionated program then by all means tear and do whatever you want to do to the story, but when it comes down to reporting the news, the facts are all that should be given.
As I go through my classmates’ different news sources I see that we as a class have a common “fall guy” as I like to put it. The majority of the class seems to be interested in searching the known news sites such as CNN, ABCNEWS, FOXNEWS, etc. It may be the fact that the lack of televisions on campus force students to go to these sites, or maybe the commonality or recognition that comes with these news sites give a comfort to students that they can trust the material they are getting from their trusted news site. This, however, I see as a misconception due to the fact that different sites/stations have their different approaches and biases.
Hedges and Carr would both see this as the fallout from the advancement of technology. Both would perceive these methods of getting the news as I interpret it as a sign of the times; less radio and television, and more surfing the internet and doing less research. With online news, the reader has the option of what they want to read about. The web page is organized so that instead of having to read the whole paper to find out what you wanted to know, now you can just look under the organized tab or column and search for the specific article you were searching for. Nevertheless, Thompson would see this as the advancement of the human mind to be able to organize a system that would assist people to find out what they were looking for as quickly as possible. The ability to find out about the world in a matter of seconds is a revelation that we are more civilized as a nation and have more information to indulge our minds into.
The fact of the matter in which I write this paragraph over shows the difference one class and chapter in a book can make. The reason why these news sources are popular are because we are forwarding the information given to us by different web pages, and word of mouth along. As you are reading this, I am forwarding to you what people have told me and doing what Hedges and Carr might see as adding to the downfall of human nature by the blogging and technological world.
I revised the whole last paragraph as I had a whole different aspect on how people got their news. Rather than see the obvious fact that the news is forwarded from one source or person to another, I was stating my idea as whoever is giving the news is the firsthand witness to the event. As Harris tells us that we are just forwarding information and not changing it, it surprises me how different sources forward information but yet change it when they have no right to do so. If the story is being used on a opinionated program then by all means tear and do whatever you want to do to the story, but when it comes down to reporting the news, the facts are all that should be given.
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Times v. Newser
As I read the The New York Times and compare it to the other blogs that I have been reading, it is interesting to see how both are written about the same subjects yet the content seems to be filtered in a much more biased sense. It may be that I prefer one organization over the other, but the differences in the language used cannot be overlooked; and even the order of the different stories on their page. It does boil down in fact to who the editor’s and publishers are, but that does not make a difference as both blog companies are trying to entertain the same type of audience that each other compete for.
The World Newser is the same as the times in the fact that the main focus is the different news that affects our daily lives and allows people to respond to it. The New York Times has a specific writer do all the work on one blog so that it can be opinionated and also in my opinion controversial or stirs up the viewer’s mind. The relationship can be seen as separate but equal in the sense that there is the same topic with the same focus in getting the audience to react to the story, but the way both blogs approach the method of presenting different things are interesting in the sense that they are not afraid to form their own opinions and ideas for people to disintegrate.
Both blogs can be seen as working as a part of the press sphere as Jarvis called it by the fact that they are done by multiple persons and are aimed at the individual person rather that an audience as a whole. The “me” factor as I mentioned in my previous blog is a major component of today’s news and as evident in The World Newser blog the stories are put out to create a deep personal reaction from the reader and how it, as in the story, affects them in any sort of way. Rather than talking about the economy as a whole as done in previous years, the blogs that are written today are intended to give the audience an chance to let their side of the story come out and let them complain about prices or how they lost their job, etc. Nevertheless, the ecology of news has changed dramatically and both blogs have proven the theory of the news world’s transformation and as Sullivan so blatantly describes as the personal touch to every day events.
The World Newser is the same as the times in the fact that the main focus is the different news that affects our daily lives and allows people to respond to it. The New York Times has a specific writer do all the work on one blog so that it can be opinionated and also in my opinion controversial or stirs up the viewer’s mind. The relationship can be seen as separate but equal in the sense that there is the same topic with the same focus in getting the audience to react to the story, but the way both blogs approach the method of presenting different things are interesting in the sense that they are not afraid to form their own opinions and ideas for people to disintegrate.
Both blogs can be seen as working as a part of the press sphere as Jarvis called it by the fact that they are done by multiple persons and are aimed at the individual person rather that an audience as a whole. The “me” factor as I mentioned in my previous blog is a major component of today’s news and as evident in The World Newser blog the stories are put out to create a deep personal reaction from the reader and how it, as in the story, affects them in any sort of way. Rather than talking about the economy as a whole as done in previous years, the blogs that are written today are intended to give the audience an chance to let their side of the story come out and let them complain about prices or how they lost their job, etc. Nevertheless, the ecology of news has changed dramatically and both blogs have proven the theory of the news world’s transformation and as Sullivan so blatantly describes as the personal touch to every day events.
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Sullivan, Jarvis and Michael?!
Andrew Sullivan and Jeff Jarvis see the new news order hand in hand I believe. Both admit that news is changing rapidly, as Sullivan says a blogger must change his opinion or story “hourly” as more information comes out. Unlike the ways of old as Jarvis would say where the news came from the world, through a specific number of news organizations and reporters, and then out to the people, now anything that happens related to the news can go up immediately without any editing, revisions, or filtering of biases. Sullivan will attest to being part of Jarvis’ new press sphere as he is a significant blogger and has many followers who read and look forward to his opinion on a weekly basis.
Sullivan admits also that in the end when you are writing a blog, that you are actually writing about yourself. This comes back to the “me” factor as Jarvis mentions the way that news has become more of a personal matter. As we mentioned in class we have become the news in the sense that iPod’s, cell phones, laptops and all the other technologically advanced equipment we use are what make the news possibly in today’s world. Without these tools Sullivan would not be able to get the information he needs to write his blogs; which would mean he would not been able to spread his opinion out; and finally meaning he would have to wait for the main news source to give him his information for him to formulate an opinion.
Going back to the main point, the fact of the matter is that Sullivan supports what Jarvis is saying not only by saying it in his article that we read; but the fact that his article came out and he is able to speak the way he does is physical proof of his retaliation against traditional news sources. Nevertheless, Sullivan’s words, Jarvis’ diagram all point back to my opinion and the main factor for this whole debate; and that is that the news has transformed with the technology age. Now, the news is anything that anyone puts online that they believe is significant, even if it their dog going the bathroom in their car. The old news was the important headlines of the day, it varied from a presidential decision to a war overseas, and it shook the country and everyone paid attention to it. Now, anything is news and anyone can comment on it which I believe has diluted the quality of news stories that are now out in the world.
Sullivan admits also that in the end when you are writing a blog, that you are actually writing about yourself. This comes back to the “me” factor as Jarvis mentions the way that news has become more of a personal matter. As we mentioned in class we have become the news in the sense that iPod’s, cell phones, laptops and all the other technologically advanced equipment we use are what make the news possibly in today’s world. Without these tools Sullivan would not be able to get the information he needs to write his blogs; which would mean he would not been able to spread his opinion out; and finally meaning he would have to wait for the main news source to give him his information for him to formulate an opinion.
Going back to the main point, the fact of the matter is that Sullivan supports what Jarvis is saying not only by saying it in his article that we read; but the fact that his article came out and he is able to speak the way he does is physical proof of his retaliation against traditional news sources. Nevertheless, Sullivan’s words, Jarvis’ diagram all point back to my opinion and the main factor for this whole debate; and that is that the news has transformed with the technology age. Now, the news is anything that anyone puts online that they believe is significant, even if it their dog going the bathroom in their car. The old news was the important headlines of the day, it varied from a presidential decision to a war overseas, and it shook the country and everyone paid attention to it. Now, anything is news and anyone can comment on it which I believe has diluted the quality of news stories that are now out in the world.
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
The Sphere
After reading Jarvis’ “The press becomes the press-sphere” I am a supporter of what he has to say about the current news media and the new definition of the press. It is hard to believe, however that we have changed the integrity and type of news media that we get now a day. With the evolution of technology we have changed the way reporters, and we ourselves get news and information related to or in reference to some sort of event happening in the world. As Dr. Mark Bauerline said yesterday in his lecture here at the University, the world was the news, the news was given to everyone in the 60’s and 70’s by Walter Cronkite.
As I said before, I support this new model for the new press-sphere as we can see that the news has evolved much of the past two to three years. Rather than getting everything from the television or finding out about different events in the newspaper, now anybody can get on a social networking site or one of the news cable sites and find a vast amount of knowledge available to read. The sources for these stories are not centralized like it used to be to one news source. Now anyone can send in information or as the new phase in modern day news is known as the U-Report. Anybody who has a camera and sees something related to the main story affecting the country today is a valuable witness and can send in their aspect of whatever is going on. Earlier when the news first started being published it was one reporter and his camera man out in some foreign land or whatnot and getting the only images that will be seen around the world.
The news is constantly changing; and as much as I enjoy having multiple news stories come at once every hour; I still miss the old ways of the news where there was one evening news report about everything going one without any bias and then it was done for the night. With the new age in the press-sphere, comes the burden of multiple viewpoints that most likely don’t represent the news story as it should be and instead is propaganda. As much as I miss the old style of reporting and news stories including their sources; I agree with Jeff Jarvis 100% that the press-sphere has changed and it has destroyed all ways of old.
As I said before, I support this new model for the new press-sphere as we can see that the news has evolved much of the past two to three years. Rather than getting everything from the television or finding out about different events in the newspaper, now anybody can get on a social networking site or one of the news cable sites and find a vast amount of knowledge available to read. The sources for these stories are not centralized like it used to be to one news source. Now anyone can send in information or as the new phase in modern day news is known as the U-Report. Anybody who has a camera and sees something related to the main story affecting the country today is a valuable witness and can send in their aspect of whatever is going on. Earlier when the news first started being published it was one reporter and his camera man out in some foreign land or whatnot and getting the only images that will be seen around the world.
The news is constantly changing; and as much as I enjoy having multiple news stories come at once every hour; I still miss the old ways of the news where there was one evening news report about everything going one without any bias and then it was done for the night. With the new age in the press-sphere, comes the burden of multiple viewpoints that most likely don’t represent the news story as it should be and instead is propaganda. As much as I miss the old style of reporting and news stories including their sources; I agree with Jeff Jarvis 100% that the press-sphere has changed and it has destroyed all ways of old.
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Experience with the Times
The news is usually presented in a form that makes us as the viewer immune to what is actually going on in this cruel world we live in. With the recent events that have been occurring and the multiple news sites and sources I have been going to, it is very interesting to me how the New York Times differs from the other organizations not just in presentation, but in method of distributing their work. Personally I am a man of all events, I enjoy the mysteries and state of the world outside of the United States and inside also; there is no favorite of the two and the Times makes sure that there is no difference in organization besides separating the two in the two obvious classifications. I have noticed of course the headlines on the front page whether it is about the Balloon Boy Hoax, multiple bombings and attacks in Pakistan, or about the Northwest Flight 188 who lost contact with the ground for approximately an hour and a half, but also some of the side stories that the Times intentionally sidelines but tries to add emphasis to the piece by bolding the title or allowing more space on the side that the other stories have.
I can admit that I am a bandwagon reader in the sense that I do fall for the webmaster’s tricks and go and read the main stories; if it is in bold and appeals to some sort of sense I have, then I read it. I do not do much searching on the Time’s web page for other stories that relate to whatever I was reading about. Unlike other news organization’s websites, the Time’s organization is awful and not as clear as for example CNN’s web page where the headline is obvious and they group together similar headlines. Nevertheless, I can say that reading the New York Times has allowed me to become more vigilant about the different news stories that are going on in the world. I have become more involved with searching websites for different information as with the New York Times in paper, the site also could provide you with countless of stories that do not make a difference or has no meaning for you to read it until you get to the story you spent so much time looking for. In all honesty, I can say that I do respect some of the smaller pieces that are written as some of them do try to make a point about an issue that is either about to become a major factor for society, or the increase of something that will eventually become personally relevant.
I can admit that I am a bandwagon reader in the sense that I do fall for the webmaster’s tricks and go and read the main stories; if it is in bold and appeals to some sort of sense I have, then I read it. I do not do much searching on the Time’s web page for other stories that relate to whatever I was reading about. Unlike other news organization’s websites, the Time’s organization is awful and not as clear as for example CNN’s web page where the headline is obvious and they group together similar headlines. Nevertheless, I can say that reading the New York Times has allowed me to become more vigilant about the different news stories that are going on in the world. I have become more involved with searching websites for different information as with the New York Times in paper, the site also could provide you with countless of stories that do not make a difference or has no meaning for you to read it until you get to the story you spent so much time looking for. In all honesty, I can say that I do respect some of the smaller pieces that are written as some of them do try to make a point about an issue that is either about to become a major factor for society, or the increase of something that will eventually become personally relevant.
Friday, October 23, 2009
My Choices
My blogs are The World Newser, and theatlantic.com. It is very ironic that these are the two blogs that I am using as they are opposite views of the political spectrum. It is a shame when I think about it, how different ideals are manipulated to form ideologies and thoughts and they are on different web sites that have to be researched by a person interested in the subject. It shows how the internet could be used in an incorrect way and even if non intentionally give people wrong information.
The World Newser is a fairly popular blog as it is part of ABCNews’s website and is part of their major newscast in World News with Charles Gibson. The author is the staff of World News who in a sense just put up the news stories of the day or interesting statistics involved with current events and let whoever is on the site take a crack at it and give their opinion. The purpose of the blog is to show different people what is going on in the world and allows them to give their two cents worth of opinion and have a full conversation with others about it.
The Atlantic on the other hand is a very similar blog compared to The World Newser; however, it is geared up toward a more focused group than the other blog. The fact that it is a twist on typical conservatism and Andrew Sullivan is not your typical conservative has in my opinion he gives more of a liberal viewpoint than that of the right side. Furthermore, the blog is not updated as much as The World Newser and thus shows the specific topics that the authors (Sulilvan and team) really feel is significant to their viewers.
The World Newser is a fairly popular blog as it is part of ABCNews’s website and is part of their major newscast in World News with Charles Gibson. The author is the staff of World News who in a sense just put up the news stories of the day or interesting statistics involved with current events and let whoever is on the site take a crack at it and give their opinion. The purpose of the blog is to show different people what is going on in the world and allows them to give their two cents worth of opinion and have a full conversation with others about it.
The Atlantic on the other hand is a very similar blog compared to The World Newser; however, it is geared up toward a more focused group than the other blog. The fact that it is a twist on typical conservatism and Andrew Sullivan is not your typical conservative has in my opinion he gives more of a liberal viewpoint than that of the right side. Furthermore, the blog is not updated as much as The World Newser and thus shows the specific topics that the authors (Sulilvan and team) really feel is significant to their viewers.
Thursday, October 22, 2009
The Vast Majority
As I go through my classmates’ different news sources I see that we as a class have a common “fall guy” as I like to put it. The majority of the class seems to be interested in searching the known news sites such as CNN, ABCNEWS, FOXNEWS, etc. It may be the fact that the lack of televisions on campus force students to go to these sites, or maybe the commonality or recognition that comes with these news sites give a comfort to students that they can trust the material they are getting from their trusted news site. This, however, I see as a misconception due to the fact that different sites/stations have their different approaches and biases.
Hedges and Carr would both see this as the fallout from the advancement of technology. Both would perceive these methods of getting the news as I interpret it as a sign of the times; less radio and television, and more surfing the internet and doing less research. With online news, the reader has the option of what they want to read about. The web page is organized so that instead of having to read the whole paper to find out what you wanted to know, now you can just look under the organized tab or column and search for the specific article you were searching for. Nevertheless, Thompson would see this as the advancement of the human mind to be able to organize a system that would assist people to find out what they were looking for as quickly as possible. The ability to find out about the world in a matter of seconds is a revelation that we are more civilized as a nation and have more information to indulge our minds into.
Even though my fellow classmates use the internet and television more and more every day, there is no doubt that word of mouth is still a valid and popular method. This should excite people like Hedges and Carr to show them that the ways of old has not changed and that there are still original ways of getting the news. So in retrospect the methods of obtaining news has changed in the fact that it is more accessible; however, it has not depleted the ways of the past in which nobody gets their news from word of mouth.
Hedges and Carr would both see this as the fallout from the advancement of technology. Both would perceive these methods of getting the news as I interpret it as a sign of the times; less radio and television, and more surfing the internet and doing less research. With online news, the reader has the option of what they want to read about. The web page is organized so that instead of having to read the whole paper to find out what you wanted to know, now you can just look under the organized tab or column and search for the specific article you were searching for. Nevertheless, Thompson would see this as the advancement of the human mind to be able to organize a system that would assist people to find out what they were looking for as quickly as possible. The ability to find out about the world in a matter of seconds is a revelation that we are more civilized as a nation and have more information to indulge our minds into.
Even though my fellow classmates use the internet and television more and more every day, there is no doubt that word of mouth is still a valid and popular method. This should excite people like Hedges and Carr to show them that the ways of old has not changed and that there are still original ways of getting the news. So in retrospect the methods of obtaining news has changed in the fact that it is more accessible; however, it has not depleted the ways of the past in which nobody gets their news from word of mouth.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
News Sources
Recently since living on campus my methods of hearing/finding out about different events has been by word of mouth and online sources. News is a major part of my life, not only in the sense that I spend the majority of my free time looking at news stories and researching specific topics discussed on the news but because it affects everyone and everything in today’s world. Finding out different news has changed significantly since I was a child; from radio and little television coverage, to the internet and 24 hour news channel coverage.
It is amazing how my methods of obtaining information have changed with the enhancement of technology. When I was little, the daily news report on the radio was the way I found out about events around the world and in the country. The five o’clock local news was always my source for the weather and anything important going on here at home. As I continued growing up my grandma, may she rest in peace, used to watch the CBS Evening News with Dan Rather and honestly got me hooked on the news. For the record I am not a big fan of Dan Rather but that is another conversation or debate if you wish and most of you know the reason why. Anyways, as I have grown up my sources have evolved with the rate of technology in the sense that as cable news took off and the internet gained popularity, I have been sucked into the black hole that technology has created and do not go to my traditional sources to get my information and news. As much as I miss my original sources of getting news the new ways have proved effective here on campus; due to the fact that I do not have a television on campus I check online and try to get my news by word of mouth. Ironically though, Facebook has proved as an effective alert if something is going on as people chatter about it in their statuses.
In the end, I can say that my sources though scattered are still as effective as getting it from one of the news channels on television. As a side note, I was to dedicate this blog to my grandma who passed away on Friday, she raised me and is now with the Lord, Rest In Peace Tita Souad, I love you.
It is amazing how my methods of obtaining information have changed with the enhancement of technology. When I was little, the daily news report on the radio was the way I found out about events around the world and in the country. The five o’clock local news was always my source for the weather and anything important going on here at home. As I continued growing up my grandma, may she rest in peace, used to watch the CBS Evening News with Dan Rather and honestly got me hooked on the news. For the record I am not a big fan of Dan Rather but that is another conversation or debate if you wish and most of you know the reason why. Anyways, as I have grown up my sources have evolved with the rate of technology in the sense that as cable news took off and the internet gained popularity, I have been sucked into the black hole that technology has created and do not go to my traditional sources to get my information and news. As much as I miss my original sources of getting news the new ways have proved effective here on campus; due to the fact that I do not have a television on campus I check online and try to get my news by word of mouth. Ironically though, Facebook has proved as an effective alert if something is going on as people chatter about it in their statuses.
In the end, I can say that my sources though scattered are still as effective as getting it from one of the news channels on television. As a side note, I was to dedicate this blog to my grandma who passed away on Friday, she raised me and is now with the Lord, Rest In Peace Tita Souad, I love you.
Monday, October 5, 2009
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Final English Essay-Again
Here is my English Essay again as I see that I needed to put a new title on it rather than revised draft.
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Slightly Enhanced Version
Here is the link to a slightly and definetly not close to perfect English Essay.
Monday, September 28, 2009
First English Essay Rough Draft
Here is the link to my first English essay in college!!! I hope it is decent.
Sunday, September 27, 2009
An Overview
When we started class I thought that blogging was a way for smart people to throw their technical ideas around on the internet; little did I know that it was for everyone even people like me who use the internet for its basic uses. Over the past few weeks I have developed a new respect for the blogging world as it is an art to me, not a way for geeks to show their technical genius by giving advice that the common man would not know. I can now get online and express my feelings freely (well certain feelings) and instantly to a crowd who will either accept me or criticize me. Either way the fact that I am able to write things and “publish” them is amazing.
The great thing that really made blogging very interesting to me is how easy it is to blog and post whatever I wrote in a matter of seconds. The one issue that I have with blogging is that if I make a mistake or say something wrong, it is public so anyone can rip what I say in pieces and make a public spectacle of me. Furthermore, blogs aren’t as reliable as articles or other pieces that have been edited or revised by multiple people.
Throughout the past five weeks I have not changed my internet habits as much, and my view hasn’t changed much either on reading and writing on the web. I still do not have a different view on pieces on the web because I have not read as many blogs as I should. For me the pieces that I read are on news websites such as CNN.com or abcnews.com and they are edited and go through a system to make sure they are accurate. Nevertheless, I can say that I see the arguments that some people make that writing has changed compared to newspaper writing as writing on the internet is easier. I think that writing for a newspaper is more competitive than online because if you want to be published online you have to do your best because of the limited space; if you write for an online website you are able to put as many articles as you want online.
The great thing that really made blogging very interesting to me is how easy it is to blog and post whatever I wrote in a matter of seconds. The one issue that I have with blogging is that if I make a mistake or say something wrong, it is public so anyone can rip what I say in pieces and make a public spectacle of me. Furthermore, blogs aren’t as reliable as articles or other pieces that have been edited or revised by multiple people.
Throughout the past five weeks I have not changed my internet habits as much, and my view hasn’t changed much either on reading and writing on the web. I still do not have a different view on pieces on the web because I have not read as many blogs as I should. For me the pieces that I read are on news websites such as CNN.com or abcnews.com and they are edited and go through a system to make sure they are accurate. Nevertheless, I can say that I see the arguments that some people make that writing has changed compared to newspaper writing as writing on the internet is easier. I think that writing for a newspaper is more competitive than online because if you want to be published online you have to do your best because of the limited space; if you write for an online website you are able to put as many articles as you want online.
Friday, September 25, 2009
High School Learning Article
Saturday, September 19, 2009
What is Really Happening to us?
Hedges knows these are bad days for newsrooms because he is not blind like the rest of us. Every day, a news organization or a famous newspaper reports losses or the need to shut down after numerous years serving its customers and giving them what they need, the real stories. Hedges believes that “the rise of the corporate state, the loss of civic and public responsibility on the part of much of our entrepreneurial class and the intellectual poverty of our post-literate world, a world where information is conveyed primarily through rapidly moving images rather than print.” (1). Basically, he is saying that technology isn’t the only reason that we are losing this institute of journalism slowly, but because we are too stupid to figure out what we are about to lose, and that giants such as Time Warner, and GE want to get their hands messy with the worlds events, especially politics. Hedges does an excellent job of countering the most common excuse about people using the newspapers’ websites; however, the time spent is much less that what it would take to read a newspaper and the internet is the easy way out, the shortcut to get what you want and get it fast.
Clive Thompson unlike Hedges sees the internet revolution the way I see it, the way most of my fellow classmates see it, and the way most people in America see it; it is progress. Unlike past generations, writing is a daily part of most teenagers’ lives. Instead watching television or doing something unproductive, most students get online and start typing and talking with one another and with people all around the world. As Thompson points out through one of his sources, Lunsford, the writing that is done on these sites do not translate into scholarly papers that are turned in at school. Rather than this being the decline of the literate America; maybe we are experiencing the revolution of our generation in which we are able to comprehend more at a quicker pace and continue practicing becoming more intelligent through the use of the internet via Facebook, CNN, etc.
Hedges and Thompson would most likely get into a duel over the pros and cons of the internet with both sides making valid points. Hedges shows us how as a nation; we are losing a valuable part of our culture that has withstood the test of time until now. Thompson on the other hand doesn’t go into this topic but shows how the excuse that Hedges makes, which basically is online journalism and social networking is actually a pro for us as a society and that it is helping us evolve with the time and increasing our intelligence rather than decreasing it and making us illiterate. While Thompson seems to be talking more formally, Hedges seems to be reaching out to a larger audience that can help slow down the fall of the newspaper/print media age.
Clive Thompson unlike Hedges sees the internet revolution the way I see it, the way most of my fellow classmates see it, and the way most people in America see it; it is progress. Unlike past generations, writing is a daily part of most teenagers’ lives. Instead watching television or doing something unproductive, most students get online and start typing and talking with one another and with people all around the world. As Thompson points out through one of his sources, Lunsford, the writing that is done on these sites do not translate into scholarly papers that are turned in at school. Rather than this being the decline of the literate America; maybe we are experiencing the revolution of our generation in which we are able to comprehend more at a quicker pace and continue practicing becoming more intelligent through the use of the internet via Facebook, CNN, etc.
Hedges and Thompson would most likely get into a duel over the pros and cons of the internet with both sides making valid points. Hedges shows us how as a nation; we are losing a valuable part of our culture that has withstood the test of time until now. Thompson on the other hand doesn’t go into this topic but shows how the excuse that Hedges makes, which basically is online journalism and social networking is actually a pro for us as a society and that it is helping us evolve with the time and increasing our intelligence rather than decreasing it and making us illiterate. While Thompson seems to be talking more formally, Hedges seems to be reaching out to a larger audience that can help slow down the fall of the newspaper/print media age.
Thursday, September 17, 2009
The Dumbest Generation?!
Hodges starts off his piece by squeezing lemon juice on America's most recent and sensitive cut. Hodges explains how the country now has become so lazy that even political campaigns have shifted their tactics to accommodate this decrease in literacy. He explains his reasoning and gives examples as recent as the past presidential campaign in which key terms where what defined the person and what they believed in. Hodges says that companies and candidates have, "catered to a nation that now lives in a permanent state of amnesia," (1) this "image-based society" (2). Hodges defines America as illiterate because "It cannot differentiate between lies and truth" (1).
The part of Hodges' article that confused me the most was that of how the transformation has affected Christians and in general the consumer culture. As both of these subjects seem seperate to me, Hodges says that because the use of television and images that truth and fact are now not an option and the people who are part of this deception are using force to get their message out. I am not sure where he got that or is going with this idea but nevertheless, it is included in his piece.
Hodges and Carr both highlight the key to what technology is doing to people in general all around the world. They both indicate how now with the advances in technology people are in need of constant stimulus. The fact that people cannot sit down and think, as as Carr sees in 2001: A Space Odessy, and Hodges sees as an illiterate is a red flag that we are slowly degrading ourselves abd that sooner than later we will not be able to comprehend the smallest things as Hodges noted about parents and their children. He notes that the little things are starting to be difficult for people such as filling out forms about themselves or getting scammed by false deals and unrealistic benefits.
The part of Hodges' article that confused me the most was that of how the transformation has affected Christians and in general the consumer culture. As both of these subjects seem seperate to me, Hodges says that because the use of television and images that truth and fact are now not an option and the people who are part of this deception are using force to get their message out. I am not sure where he got that or is going with this idea but nevertheless, it is included in his piece.
Hodges and Carr both highlight the key to what technology is doing to people in general all around the world. They both indicate how now with the advances in technology people are in need of constant stimulus. The fact that people cannot sit down and think, as as Carr sees in 2001: A Space Odessy, and Hodges sees as an illiterate is a red flag that we are slowly degrading ourselves abd that sooner than later we will not be able to comprehend the smallest things as Hodges noted about parents and their children. He notes that the little things are starting to be difficult for people such as filling out forms about themselves or getting scammed by false deals and unrealistic benefits.
Monday, September 14, 2009
Are We Slowing Losing our Touch?
After reading Carr’s piece about the fears he has that search engines and the internet is making is stupider, I realize that I am not the only one who has noticed a difference in the way I function; and not only myself, but also everyone around me and even education itself. Nicholas Carr answers this question as follows, “If we lose those quiet spaces, or fill them up with “content,” we will sacrifice something important not only in our selves but in our culture.” (7). Carr believes that the internet is taking away different parts of our brain and making them have desolate spots which are ignited only by a new event on the internet such as breaking news, a new email, instant message, or text on our phones. The sense that slowly piece by piece we are being stripped of our intellectual attributes and becoming machines and trading spots with the machines we created as he compares us to the final scene in the book, 2001: A Space Odyssey. He believes that we are using our minds differently by being able to navigate on the internet but becoming so dependent on websites such as Google that we are losing that skill of searching things in libraries for example or critical thinking.
Our conversation in class today however, makes Carr’s argument difficult to swallow; these websites do make us lazier, but allow us to be able to take in more information quickly and be able to store it in our heads. With a click of a button we are able to jump from one culture to another and learn about them. Unlike the old methods of doing research on other countries/different regions or whatnot by getting the most recent library book available which could be an outdated copy, you can go online and explore the world firsthand and get immediate updates if necessary. Nevertheless, on a personal note, I have to agree with Carr that our way of thinking and translating the information we get has changed; now the thought process is if the information is not recent as in the last five minutes recent, then its old news and we need to move on to another site/activity to do.
Our conversation in class today however, makes Carr’s argument difficult to swallow; these websites do make us lazier, but allow us to be able to take in more information quickly and be able to store it in our heads. With a click of a button we are able to jump from one culture to another and learn about them. Unlike the old methods of doing research on other countries/different regions or whatnot by getting the most recent library book available which could be an outdated copy, you can go online and explore the world firsthand and get immediate updates if necessary. Nevertheless, on a personal note, I have to agree with Carr that our way of thinking and translating the information we get has changed; now the thought process is if the information is not recent as in the last five minutes recent, then its old news and we need to move on to another site/activity to do.
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Harris' Introduction
Joseph Harris takes reading and writing to a new and more personal level than I possibly could have imagined. It is the probably the blatant way he tells us that we aren’t really reading books but rather getting the information and “forwarding” it to either another source or just writing it down in different words. Harris does not believe this is the true way to read; rather, when reading and writing you need to understand what you are reading and writing; it is a matter of diving into the text and researching what you are dealing with in a way. He mentions how there will be a personal bias or what I see as just the readers’ beliefs included in the response to a piece. Furthermore, Harris makes writing out to be a social activity rather than a personal one as is the common thought with most pieces written.
Sullivan and Harris have a decent connection I believe when it comes to the writing as a social activity. When I think about blogging, everyone is able to read what is being written by the specific blogger and comment on it which makes it more personal for the interested readers out there. In addition to this, blogs are flexible unlike the kind of writing Harris is talking about and are capable of being transformed to give the audience a better understanding and even examples through other sources. Nevertheless, most writings go back to what Harris was saying, which is that a main document being repeated again, and includes an idea that was evoked by the piece or your understanding. In the end, I believe that Joseph Harris was telling us that what we do is rewrite information and add a personal spin to it; the goal is not to lose focus of what the original piece is but to react to it after understanding it thoroughly.
Sullivan and Harris have a decent connection I believe when it comes to the writing as a social activity. When I think about blogging, everyone is able to read what is being written by the specific blogger and comment on it which makes it more personal for the interested readers out there. In addition to this, blogs are flexible unlike the kind of writing Harris is talking about and are capable of being transformed to give the audience a better understanding and even examples through other sources. Nevertheless, most writings go back to what Harris was saying, which is that a main document being repeated again, and includes an idea that was evoked by the piece or your understanding. In the end, I believe that Joseph Harris was telling us that what we do is rewrite information and add a personal spin to it; the goal is not to lose focus of what the original piece is but to react to it after understanding it thoroughly.
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Internet Habits
As I compare my internet habits with those of my fellow classmates, it relieves me that everyone has the same general habits. It may be that we all are part of this new digital age so we have the same habits, or it may be that the internet has once again connected us through unorthodox means. While looking through the list that was complied on the board I realized how social networking sites are the number one place where most people spend their time. For most people other forms of entertainment came in a more mature form as reading the news websites, listening to music, and reading blogs and whatnot.
I was intrigued in all honesty that the internet habits we share are similar; how could it be that people from different walks of life who never knew each other have similar habits? Then it struck me that even though we come from different backgrounds, society has gotten the best out of us. As I kept looking at the list of websites, it struck me how what we read online is actually reflected in our reading and writing skills. Most of us go to some sort of website that requires us to read; whether it’s a news site, social networking site, entertainment site, or blogging site, we read at a pace that will allow us to achieve getting the most information we can at the least amount of time as possible. The way information is relayed out to us now on news sites and other places online has transformed our brains in a way to be hyper and be ready for updates ever so often and to look for key words. Now when we read books we are hyper in a sense to get the main point of what we are reading so that we can translate it into a useful sense. Nevertheless, there were some websites on the list that were just for fun or relaxation such as Pandora.com, megavideo.com, youtube.com, and a few more. Even though the internet can be a major portal for information, it still is used for entertainment. It is funny as I reread this that I can even put this online when only a few years ago having internet was a luxury rather than a commodity that now almost every student has.
I was intrigued in all honesty that the internet habits we share are similar; how could it be that people from different walks of life who never knew each other have similar habits? Then it struck me that even though we come from different backgrounds, society has gotten the best out of us. As I kept looking at the list of websites, it struck me how what we read online is actually reflected in our reading and writing skills. Most of us go to some sort of website that requires us to read; whether it’s a news site, social networking site, entertainment site, or blogging site, we read at a pace that will allow us to achieve getting the most information we can at the least amount of time as possible. The way information is relayed out to us now on news sites and other places online has transformed our brains in a way to be hyper and be ready for updates ever so often and to look for key words. Now when we read books we are hyper in a sense to get the main point of what we are reading so that we can translate it into a useful sense. Nevertheless, there were some websites on the list that were just for fun or relaxation such as Pandora.com, megavideo.com, youtube.com, and a few more. Even though the internet can be a major portal for information, it still is used for entertainment. It is funny as I reread this that I can even put this online when only a few years ago having internet was a luxury rather than a commodity that now almost every student has.
Monday, September 7, 2009
It's either I'm addicted or I have no life...
So our assignment for this next blog was to write down a list of what our internet habits are and what times of the day do we get on. As I review my list, I see that there is no list; it is me just getting on Facebook, not finding anyone to socialize with and then just going to my comfort which are the different news websites were I read about how the world a horrible place and we are all in for it in the long run. Furthermore, there are the occasional moments where I check my email to make sure that I don’t miss out on something important involving one of my classes or the university as a whole. This is how my weekend looked for the most part.
Saturday
11:17 A.M. www.facebook.com
• Check for messages, posts or requests.
11:19 A.M. www.cnn.com
11:20 A.M. www.foxnews.com
11:22 A.M. www.abcnews.com
11:45 A.M. gwwebic.louisville.edu
• Checked email
12:29 PM. Skype- talked with a friend
2:03 P.M. www.facebook.com
• Check for messages, posts or requests.
2:15 P.M. www.cnn.com
9:37 P.M. www.facebook.com
• Check for messages, posts or requests.
11:29 P.M. www.goarch.org
11:34 P.M. www.foxnews.com
11:35 P.M. www.facebook.com
• Check for messages, posts or requests.
Sunday
4:06 P.M. www.facebook.com
• Check for messages, posts or requests.
4:14 P.M. www.cnn.com
4:17 P.M. www.cbsnews.com
4:20 P.M. gwwebic.louisville.edu
• Checked email
5:13 P.M. www.facebook.com
• Check for messages, posts or requests.
5:14 P.M. www.fmylife.com
5:23 P.M. mylifeisaverage.com
8:12 P.M. www.facebook.com
• Check for messages, posts or requests.
8:18 P.M. www.megavideo.com
• Watched a movie
1:35 A.M. www.facebook.com
• Check for messages, posts or requests.
1:37 A.M. www.youtube.com
• Listened to music
As you can see it this past weekend was not exactly the most productive of weekends on the internet, but I did manage to use up a lot of my time either reading the news or checking my useless Facebook account. Nevertheless, I do realize that there were some moments where I went to a website that was useful such as the ones where I watched movies on and chatted with my friends.
Saturday
11:17 A.M. www.facebook.com
• Check for messages, posts or requests.
11:19 A.M. www.cnn.com
11:20 A.M. www.foxnews.com
11:22 A.M. www.abcnews.com
11:45 A.M. gwwebic.louisville.edu
• Checked email
12:29 PM. Skype- talked with a friend
2:03 P.M. www.facebook.com
• Check for messages, posts or requests.
2:15 P.M. www.cnn.com
9:37 P.M. www.facebook.com
• Check for messages, posts or requests.
11:29 P.M. www.goarch.org
11:34 P.M. www.foxnews.com
11:35 P.M. www.facebook.com
• Check for messages, posts or requests.
Sunday
4:06 P.M. www.facebook.com
• Check for messages, posts or requests.
4:14 P.M. www.cnn.com
4:17 P.M. www.cbsnews.com
4:20 P.M. gwwebic.louisville.edu
• Checked email
5:13 P.M. www.facebook.com
• Check for messages, posts or requests.
5:14 P.M. www.fmylife.com
5:23 P.M. mylifeisaverage.com
8:12 P.M. www.facebook.com
• Check for messages, posts or requests.
8:18 P.M. www.megavideo.com
• Watched a movie
1:35 A.M. www.facebook.com
• Check for messages, posts or requests.
1:37 A.M. www.youtube.com
• Listened to music
As you can see it this past weekend was not exactly the most productive of weekends on the internet, but I did manage to use up a lot of my time either reading the news or checking my useless Facebook account. Nevertheless, I do realize that there were some moments where I went to a website that was useful such as the ones where I watched movies on and chatted with my friends.
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Sullivan's Reasons For Blogging
As I am reading this piece written by Andrew Sullivan, I see how even though he has many reasons to blog, it seems like he has an inner battle with himself over what the reason is that he blogs. First and foremost like many other bloggers, Sullivan says, "Blogging is therefore to writing what extreme sports are to athletics: more free-form, more accident-prone, less formal, more alive." (2,3, iii). Furthermore, he explains how in the past the pains of publishing work used to cost time and money but now there is no trouble with that thanks to blogging as he says, "Every writer since the printing press has longed for a means to publish himself and reach—instantly—any reader on Earth." (3,4, ii-iii). Nevertheless, it is evident that blogging is a more personal form of writing that he sees as a portal to a writers core in a way. With blogging allowing a person to write what he/she thinks immediately and unedited true thoughts come out but with a risk. "Writers can be sensitive, vain souls, requiring gentle nurturing from editors, and oddly susceptible to the blows delivered by reviewers." (3, 6, i-ii). In the end, I believe that Sullivan is telling us that the freedom associated with blogging is the reason for its popularity; there are risks involved; however, it is worth it because the pros out due the cons. Rather than going through the process that the past technology required us to, everyone can keep an online diary to keep their thoughts and dreams alive.
Saturday, August 29, 2009
My First Blog!
As I am writing this, I cannot believe that I am actually writing a blog. I always thought that a blog was something for a computer programmer or someone who works at Microsoft to use instead of email, but it seems that blogging is for everyone. It was fairly simple to make the blog, just follow the directions in the wizard set up to help you create the blog, then blog away! After creating the blog, I decided to explore the different features affiliated with Blogger and was amazed to see how you can set your blog to be translated in different languages, add links, use a search engine for last minute ideas/research, and allow the whole world to see what you are thinking about a certain subject or topic in general. This really changed my view of what a blog is and how useful it can be. Blogging in a way is like having a public diary, people can write about different events that occurred throughout their day and whatever they have on their minds. Creating a blog in my opinion, is so much easier than Facebook and MySpace; there are however pros and cons for both. With blogging you have the option of showing everyone in the world what you want them to know without any restrictions; Facebook and MySpace have privacy options in place in order to block you and your content from people you don't want reading your information. With blogging, you get to express your feelings and ideas in a written sense so everyone can read what you are trying to say. Furthermore, you have to reread and revise your blog to make sure that there aren't any mistakes because if there are any and you have them published, everyone will see them and can point them out in front of everyone who reads the blog. Well, I think that covers most of my thoughts, until the next one!
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