Coldplay essay

I read the Coldplay essay on page 281. If I were to grade this essay I would give it a borderline B/A. The student’s introduction was skillfully written to hook the audience. He left out the name of the group but instead included his description of them, which is the topic of the essay. He goes on to tell which group he is talking about and explains his “case against Coldplay.” His transitions are good, he is sufficiently verbose, and he seems to know a lot about not only groups but music in general. He explains the other side of the argument so as to refute it, which was good as well. The problem with this essay is the lack of evidence. When one talks of something as subjective as music, it is a good idea to include the critiques of other accomplished and knowledgeable enthusiasts with your same point of view. I cannot dock him much for this, though, because the arguments he does present are well constructed and knowledgeable. The problem is that this essay sounds more like a rant of distaste than a “case.”

exellence vs. mediocrity

There are many criteria that one could use to evaluate the quarterbacks of the National Football League. The quarterback of a football team is without a doubt the single most important player on the entire football team. For this reason, the quarterback’s position is always a topic of much debate. I have heard countless arguments for each person’s favorite QB. The fact is that “like” is not a category, and there are plenty of plausible categories for the evaluation of this position. The first and probably most important is accuracy. A quarterback cannot possibly hope to be defined as great if he cannot complete a pass. Directly related to accuracy is the number of interceptions. This stat discloses a lot about how smart a quarterback is with his throws, accurate or not. Another aspect of a quarterback’s performance is the number of times he has been sacked before he could complete a pass. Mobility is crucial for this statistic because if a quarterback cannot evade pressure then his ability to complete the play is thwarted immediately. The QB rating is another important gauge of excellence in quarterbacks. This rating system has drawn some controversy, but overall it is considered to be a significantly accurate scope of a quarterback’s accomplishments. The final but still important thing a great QB must possess is a Super Bowl ring. No matter how awesome a quarterback looks on paper, he is majorly down-graded in the eyes of fans is he has not won at least one Super Bowl.
I do not know much at all about contemporary painters. I am not an artist and I do not hate art but I also have no specific interest in the subject. My girlfriend on the other hand is an art major, so I could ask her what are some criteria painters are held to to be considered good. Of course, it is obvious that a painter cannot be considered great unless his paintings are considered great, so I would have to search for works and critiques of the painter’s works. I could search museums, art galleries, ask art professors at IPFW, or even look online if I had to. One thing that I do know is that art is subjective, so I would have to collect many opinions about the same piece of art. Finally, I would have to keep in mind the credibility of my source because a professor of art holds more sway than a typical art enthusiast.

website design

The website that I reviewed was the website on bigfoot sightings. The first thing that one notices on the home page of this site is the pictures and the graphics. There is a big picture of North America and if you click on a certain region you can see the sightings for that area. Part of what helps the pictures catch the readers attention is the brilliant use of color. One link to expeditions is in green and another link to Canadian press is red. These two colors contrast with each other, bringing out each link individually even though they are side by side. The use of text on the home page is scant but effective. The font is large but not too large to over-power the graphics. Instead, the text supplements the pictures instead of upstaging them. Although, if one clicks on one of the graphic disguised link then the whole layout changes. Pictures are still a prevalent theme, but clearly these pages are made for information. The text is smaller but made the focal point of the page now. The pictures are still littered amongst the text but are obviously there for textual support.

Overall, this is a very effective website. Its use of links sufficiently chunks the information according to Sosnoski's standards, making the site easy to navigate quickly. The use of graphics grabs the web-surfers attention. Also, the brilliant use of color makes each topic its own entity. Even the computer illiterate could navigate this page.

To me this photo is the epitomy of the democratic race for a candidate for the presidency. In this picture Hillary is portryed as a trivial Rosanne type character. Hillary is pledging for no more personal attacks but making the same attacks as she speaks. The fact that the flag behind her dominates the screen tells us that the author thinks that Hillary is really pushing her patriotic value. Also, in comparison to the flag she is small and up-staged by the enormous flag, which iconically holds american ideals. Whereas, in front of it she looks like a petty mudslinger peddling nothing more than incediary remarks. I think that some of this goes on in every election, but it was definitely more of a prevalant mode between Barack and Hillary this primary.

pb wiki

http://thejustin5000chronicles.pbwiki.com/FrontPage

Making this wiki was definitely an extremely different experience for me. I have never even blogged before this class, so it is safe to say that I have never created my own blog page. For this reason, I felt at a bit of a disadvantage from other students who are used to myspace and such. Although, once I began it turned out to be quite an easy task. I am not sure that I have figured out all of the features, but I think I made a pretty good effort. It actually came kind of natural to me, since I am generally a very outgoing person. It was even (almost) fun . . . a little. I am interested to see what others have put in their wikis though.

Milblog reprise

I read a couple more of the soldier’s blogs, but they were definitely different from the last time I viewed the blog. The coming and passing of the anniversary of 9/11 brought out a different tone. The blogs I read were concerned with 9/11. It is kind of funny because that day came and passed and I did not really think that much of it. Nobody around me mentioned much of it either. In the blogs though, the soldiers seemed to be more impacted by this date. I think because they are so often surrounded by death that such an event hits home more.

Someone I know reminded me of Pearl Harbor. When the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor and thousands died F.D.R. said that it was a day that would never be forgotten, but today few remember that event when December 7 passes. If this is true for 9/11, then soon we will stop even realizing that the eleventh of September had any special meaning. The soldier in this blog seemed to think that we should remember, and maybe we should.

Political blog

Link: http://dailykos.com/
I read a few of the political blogs from this site. The author tended to have a very left wing point of view on many of the subjects. The media tends to be majorly democratic and it seems that the sites I looked at are no different.
A lot of the focus, on this site by this author especially, this week has been on McCain’s statements about Obama’s views and about Obama in general. The author attacked the logic of McCain’s claim that Obama called Sarah Palin a pig. Obama said about Palin, “If you put lipstick on a pig, it’s still a pig.” McCain stretched this to mean that Obama called her a pig, when, in fact, Obama said this before about certain views held by Clinton.
McCain also attacked Obama’s views on tax cuts. He claimed that Obama’s tax cuts would benefit only the rich. The author of the blog pointed out that experts say that, in fact, McCain’s tax cuts are more centered on the rich.
According to the author of the blog, these attacks are an attempt to drag Obama into “the mud” where supposedly McCain thinks he has the advantage. The blog criticized McCain for this, but in my opinion every candidate does this. Obama has ads on television that criticize McCain’s “small town” stances and his choice of Sarah Palin.
The blog also criticized McCain’s “small town values.” McCain’s use of this saying has been often charged as vague and nonspecific, but this blog counters that McCain has skewed the meaning to be something different. The author writes that McCain takes his view of small town values to a point as to demean Obama’s character. I think that he reads too far into McCain’s statement. There are those that disagree with Obama’s race, but I doubt that is what McCain is doing.
This blog was right in finding the fallacies in McCain’s arguments, but I think that its extreme leftist views were kind of ridiculous at times. Every candidate mud slings. It is the job of the public to check candidates when the claims get extreme. That is what happened here, nothing more nothing less.

Why use a website?

There are many reasons why a website is the best way to view this material. The most obvious one is the ease of access. I think that ease of access to vast amounts of information is the main reason anyone uses the internet. I mean, all I have to do is boot up and type in a URL. Another reason why a website is the best way to view this information is because of the vast amount of knowledge stored in it. There are hundreds of types of cars out there and thousands of trims. This website compiles them in an easy to find way. All I have to do is type in the year, make, and model and I have all the information that I could ever hope to have on that vehicle, from accessories to color to resale value. It is all there. If this was in paper form, the book would be huge, definitely not as easy to navigate, and doesn’t exist.
There are a cornucopia of advantages this site has over books or a presentation. First, information on this site can be viewed over and over in any order you wish unlike a presentation. I control what or how long I look at something, whereas in a presentation the speaker decides. Also, this website is free. If there was a book form it would most likely be in multiple volumes and would cost money for each. Unless I did a massive amount of footwork and went to each dealership for brochures, there is no way it would be free. Also, this website is updateable. Models of cars change constantly, and I do not want to buy a new book each year or visit an impossible presentation. There is just no comparison between this website and other forms of the same information.
To translate the knowledge obtained on this website into print or presentation form is almost a laughable concept. If it were a show or such, there would have to be multiple episodes and they would have to run almost non-stop. If this website was a book, it would definitely have to be a series of extreme magnitude and a new one would have to be bought as often as one uses the restroom. My point is not that it could not be translated to a different form, rather it is that it would be futile, exhausting, and a waste of resource.
A lot would be lost in the process of transferring this website to either of the different forms. First, the ease of access to the information would be lost. One would have to sit through days of presentations or flip through countless pages in books to find information that is a click away. Also, some of the information itself would be lost simply because it is impossible to cover all of this information in a speech unless it is your life. If this site was transformed into another form, it would most definitely lose its ability to add new information easily as well. One would have to buy another book or watch a new video; the whole process is just tir

Killing Us Softly

I thought that the video presentation Killing Us Softly 3 was fairly effective in conveying its purpose. The speaker of this production used many effective strategies to capture her audience’s attention. She integrated many successfully placed signposts to signify her transitions. She included many visuals in her presentation that added a helpful visual aid to the audience. The speaker’s presentation of herself was also a plus. All of these combined aspects of her speech caused the viewer to really consider his/her attitude on women in advertising. Most people, after watching Killing Us Softly 3, would have to seriously ponder on how women should really be portrayed in our society, whether they agree with the speaker or not.
The first thing that makes this video so effective is the proficient use of language to help guide the audience though the speech. The speaker used many deliberate pauses throughout her speech to signify important information or to allow something to sink in. For example, she paused during certain ads and photos to allow the implications provided to have a little time to really be understood. This was effective because it made the viewer stop and actually comprehend what these ads are telling us beyond the product itself. The woman in this video also used a few definite signposts that indicated a change in topic for a smooth transition. She used words like “first” and obvious topic sentences to lead us through the presentation. The effect is an easy to follow guide through her presentation.
Another aspect that made this an effective production was the use of visual aid. The integration of ads, videos, and commercials was especially crucial in this presentation, being that its purpose was to convey problems with the media. In fact, this video would have been quite ineffective without visual aid. The onslaught of ads portraying skimpily clad models and close-ups of sexual parts of the female figure helped to make the speaker’s argument that much more real. It is hard to argue that women are portrayed correctly, when all one sees is ad upon ad of barely covered breasts and thighs. The speaker made it seem as though advertisements such as a woman wearing daisy dukes, strutting through cars bouncing in rhythm with her buttocks is the norm. Whether the viewer actually agrees or not with her accusations, the incorporation of the aforementioned visual aids definitely helped her argument.
A third reason why the presenter’s argument was so effective is the way she presented herself. She was appropriately dressed in an ensemble sure to show no signs of cleavage or such parts of the body she is arguing against showing. Also, she used a friendly but somewhat serious tone with the audience. She made a few simple jests at times that lightened the mood and helped the audience to stay interested; while, her informative and more serious side let the audience realize that this was not a joking matter. Her movement was minimal, but her almost constant eye contact with her audience made the speech more personal. All of these things helped the speaker get her perspective across in a very effective way.
There wasn’t just one very memorable part of the speech for me. Instead, it was a steady stream of devices used that are the most unforgettable. Her use of advertisements that many people have seen makes her argument more real and easy to remember. A lot of people have already seen these ads so they definitely will remember them. Also, because these are real life commercials and such, the audience can really see how women are seen in the media.
As you can see by these many reasons, Killing Us Softly 3 was a very effective presentation whether one agrees with the speaker or not. It makes one think of the values that the modern media is actually portraying as common values. It is often times very hard to persuade one to think as yourself, but if you can get your audience to at least rethink if they are correct, then that is one step forward. This presentation most definitely does this and in that way is extremely persuasive.

Milblog

This assignment was a different sort of experience for me. The milblog turned out to be a blog site for soldiers. I thought this was an intriguing concept. I do not really think a lot about what the people over in Iraq are going through or what they are like. In that way these blogs sort of opened my eyes to a whole new world. In one respect these people are just like every other person I would meet. They write, they play games, they joke, they blog. On the other hand, the military lifestyle has definitely infused something different in these men and women. A couple blogs stood out to me in this manner.

The first blog I found that peaked my interest was a string of poems. Whether they were gramatically correct or even up to professional grade was none of my concern. While this person had the normal drive of someone interested in poetry, their purpose was more war oriented. Each poem depicted a different seen of suffering caused by war. Each stanza elaborated on the lacerations, dismemberments, faith, and mental shock found in wartime. This is the kind of stuff you do not see on the news or in movies; this was a real first hand experience. This blog really helped me gain a new understanding and sypathy for our wounded and dead soulders

The second blog I want to talk about is completly different from the first. In this one, someone had compiled a series of pictures and remarks about them. Some were funny and some were just matter of fact. One was a picture of a giant tanker of gas with a hose attached. In the caption, the soldier went on to joke about how gas was free there for them. I found this funny and sort of ironic since so many people in the U.S. would kill for a free tank of gas. It was also nice to see that a person can grasp some humor amidst all that chaos.

Pitfalls of the read-write web

Both of the articles were concerned with the growing use of sites such as myspace and facebook by today's young adults. Most of the "adult world" views these websites as and what some participants post as derogatory, profane, and perhaps dangerous. The members of these blog-based communities view these sites as a mode of expression and overall just a way to have fun and talk to friends. Almost every teen that uses these sites would argue that it is their right to display whatever they want on "theirspace." Most adults on the other hand think that some guidlines, moderation, or at least consequences should be enacted. Who is right?

I personally do not have a myspace, facebook, or any other type of account. I have a personal distaste for such displays of privacy, but I see how others can find a sense of ownership in such a thing as a myspace profile. You can broadcast yourself as you want to be seen and see what others think of themselves. Also, one can chat with friends and compare silly quotes or pictures that he/she found with a friend. On the other hand, what some people choose to display on these sites can be at the least crude, rude, and politically and morally wrong.

Like I said, I do not have such an account of my own, but on occasion I will be with my friends or my girlfriend while she is on her myspace. I find what some people post to be quite disturbing. It would be a lie for me to suggest that I have not heard of teen sex and drug abuse. In fact, at this age it is kind of the norm for at least some degree of these things to happen around you, no matter who you are or where you are from. It is a different story when a 13 year old girl can post half nude pictures of herself online for millions to see. I have seen blogs about acts of violence, pot smoking, drinking, sex, and that is only the beginning. Worse, some boys openly harass girls, most that they do not even know, for sexual favors. The girls are far from innocent, though. Online a woman's body is viewed as a commodity, and that is only the fault of the girls that, for some reason feel the need to post pictures of scantly clad bodies. Is this for attention? If so, there are plenty of more constructive ways to get attention.

In my opinion, it is completely fair game for employers to look at a potential employee's blog page. It shows vital character information that would be almost impossible to attain in an interview. Maybe the fear of possible job turn-downs will help some of these kids to grow up. In reality, I know it will never stop because kids have always been doing these things. The difference is now its broadcasted to millions. I will not participate in it. I cannot say "stop," I can only suggest that members of these sites watch how they portray themselves.

Sosnoski reading

There were a few things that I took from the Sosnoski reading. I thought that it was interesting how the author had broken down the characteristics of hyper text reading, and later elaborated on the details of each characteristic. I guess this caught my attention because I had never thought of the internet as a structured text before this article. The author indeed proves that, while indeed more freeform, the internet has a unique structure with a quite useful purpose. Sosnoski described hyper-reading with eight different terms, the most intersting of which I found to be filtering, skimming, pecking, and imposing.

From the time a student begins his/her first literature class, he/she is taught to not only read the whole text in order but to also infer certain intentions that the author had. This form suggests something different though. According to the author hyper-readers filter out a higher degree of the information available. This leads to a sort of skim reading, which goes against everything I have been taught in formal reading. Some types of hyper-reading trespass into what the author calls pecking, a sort of grab bag mentality of picking and choosing peices of information. Doing this causes the reader to then impose his/her own intention for the text. According to what my previous instructors have said, an author has or should have a specific purpose in mind before and while writing, and to say that the reader can extract tidbits here and there and construct his/her own purpose seems a bit off for me. I guess that is why Sosnoski's seventh charcteristic of hyper-reading is de-authorizing. It is definitely different to see a work as just mere information than a form of expression of purpose.

Although this form of reading may seem sort of forbidden to me, I definitly see its benefits. For instance, to even write his essay Sosnoski had to research many different scholar's opinions on his subject. In this way hyper-reading becomes very useful. To read completely through all of these works would be exhausting, time consuming and unnecessary. Instead one could use hyper-reading by means of a search engine to obtain vast amounts of information a whole lot quicker than has ever been possible through written forms. The problem with this as the author demonstrates is that the author plays less and less of a role in interpretating the purpose for this information. This also opens the gates plagiarism to run rampant.
I believe that through all of the pitfalls that are attached to hyper-reading it has a definite purpose. As Sosnoski alludes to, I think that with a little educated coaching through the process hyper-reading can be a valuable asset to the multiple forms of text.