My Final Blog post...I know, sad right

Did you like the blogs?
- Yes and no. I liked how easy it was to post things and such, but I didn't like having another thing to worry about in this ever growing and expanding world of social media. Perhaps I'm just lame, but I don't like social media, and so I didn't like that I had to start a blog for this class. I'll probably just end up deleting it (but I don't know how).   :)

Did you like posting assignments on your blog instead of turning a paper copy in during class?
- YES! Saves me time, I could do the assignment ANYWHERE as long as I had a computer with internet, and I saved paper = I saved a twig on a tree! Plus a lot of the assignments were really short and simple, and so it would have been dumb to have to do a paper assignment that you turn in that's only got one paragraph of stuff on it.

Have you enjoyed reading your peers' blogs? Was it useful to you to see everyone's responses to the assignments?
-  Sometimes. I didn't always having to read 4 of them (especially when we had a long post), but some of the stuff said was funny and got me to laugh.
- Sometimes it was helpful seeing their responses to the assignments. Often times the responses were a simple: Oh, I know how you feel...I've had the same problem... Basically the exact same stuff, but no solutions. But there were times that someone did give you some legit advice, and so that was helpful.

Analysis on one of my websites

I don't know if I'm going crazy or what, but it seems like the format for YouTube has just changed since the last time I was up there, and it's much better. But it's still not my most favorite.
- There's not a whole lot of strategic placing of things on the website (and there's a LOT on the main page). Yes, at the top center is the search box for what video you want to look up, but directly below it is a big add window that almost hides it because it attracts so much attention, and so unless you're looking for the search window you won't find it. So the website is awfully concerned with advertising, and I don't use YouTube to get products shown to me, I use YouTube to watch what I want to see. So I don't like that. Plus, there are tons of video links off to the right, and a tab of options on the left, and a whole bunch of who knows whats in the center. So it's organized and there's proximity, but there's just a LOT. But since I last got on, it seems like they've taken a few things off, so it's just a little less cluttered, which I like. They should just keep taking more off in my opinion.
- But I think the website has changed, because I think the color is different now, and instead of lots of stressful red, there's a fair amount of soothing really dark shades of grey.
- The rule of thirds (for composition) doesn't exist at all on YouTube, because it's all about showing as many video adds and choppy videos non-professionals have done as possible. So there's no real pattern to composition, because everything is just so random; there's no norm for YouTube.
- And there's TONS of repetition. Tons of video links that just go on and on down the page, but the size and style and color of the font remains consistent which I'm VERY grateful for, because if every video had a different font style and size, I would die just trying to read a few of them simply because there's so many videos links so close together.

4 Good and 4 Bad Websites

The Good Ones...
1. Wikipedia.com
-Do I really need to explain why this site is so great? :) No, you can't site it, but it's great for getting a general overview of ANYTHING in ANY language, and it's a great place to start if you need sources and leads to go off of when doing research.
2. cia.gov
-This website has EVERYTHING on it about EVERY country in the world. Excellent place for research on an international level (and if the world fascinates you as much as it does me, then there you go).
3. whitehouse.gov
-It's super simple to navigate, well organized, and it has a nice feel to it which makes it easy to read.
4. lockheedmartin.com
-First of all I just love this company, but second of all it has TONS of stuff in it and can go a million different directions, but it's all well organized and simple. Come on, who doesn't enjoy having pictures of airplanes flash by while you're reading something? :)

The Naughty Ones...
1. army.mil
-I know, ironic considering that I'm in the rotc, but it's just confusing and way too jumbled. It's tough to navigate and I feel it has way too much crammed into it.
2. newt.org
-This is Newt Gingrich's official campaign website, but it's not the first link that shows up when you google his name! (what does that tell you) Plus I hate the shade of grey that he uses as the main block.
3. bbc.co.uk
-I love the Brits, but I hate this website. I don't like the layout, the font used, the format in the articles, and I don't like that they have a big block of red at the top of each page (and it's a scientific fact that the color red causes you to be more alert and stressed - thanks but I don't like getting stressed).
4. youtube.com
-Someone will probably kill me for saying this one. :) Don't get me wrong, there's fun stuff on youtube, but I hate the format and layout of it. And I hate how many adds and video links there are on the main-page that you have to ignore. Sorry, but give me something that's add-free, simple and direct.

How I Resolved my Problem in the Writing Process

So one of my big problems was just sorting through all my info sources and knowing how to manage it all and find those perfect sentences and quotes to cite.
My big problem with this was that I simply wasn't studying and researching my topic enough. But when I finally just sat down for a few hours and went over things and really started to just study my topic at a very basic level that I really started to find stuff and actually learn quite a bit.
So my problem to begin with was simply a lack of effort. My solution was to hunker down, do some more research and study, and simply take it one bite at a time, and study the whole picture (rather than try to weed through it and look for specific things and nitty-gritty details).

Paraphrasing (not Patchwriting)

“We do not in everyday life reflect much on how one people’s ‘myth’ may be another people’s religion or episteme. What ‘we’ label ‘myth’ from other cultures then translates into the ‘that’s just a myth!’ formula that implicitly sustains the value of our own beliefs. Thus trivialized—though in different ways—both outside and within Western culture, ‘myth’ in common English-language usage today is the object of exoticizing amusement or dismissal; it is deprived of its associations with history, knowledge, and vision—what has made myth culturally valuable and has most fascinated scholars of myths and traditional narratives” (Bacchilega 25).

 

My Paraphrase

There is a lot of misunderstanding on what we (on an individual level) call a 'myth.' We may label someone's faith as a myth, or see other parts of cultures as simply a myth. What we define in English as a 'myth' is largely influenced by our history or cultural. A 'myth' is defined as on object that's not understood and seen as funny or easy to dismiss (Bacchilega 25).

A problem I've faced is just having to revise my thesis, and then trying to tie in my resources into it. And I've found it very difficult to go over ALL the material I have for resources and then pick just that right sentence I need. So yeah, it's stressful...oh well. :)

What did I learn about Research on Monday?

Well, to start off, I learned how amazing iPads are (even when I had to go through 2 or 3 of them because they kept malfunctioning on me). :)
But seriously, I was amazed with the online resources the library has. I had no clue BYU had such a database. So I'm glad to know that I can get online and anything I find there I can likely find in the library, and really just narrow down my research and such.
But to be honest, I also didn't like the library database search system, because I feel that it restricts how much information we receive. That can be a good thing (not getting too much info) because it helps us narrow down our research and sources, but I still like being able to Google something and get a bazillion responses, and then I can weed through the most popular ones. Or I enjoy going onto Wikipedia and then when I find stuff I want or need I look up the referenced source.
So as awesome as the library is, I still hope that I'll have the freedom to search anywhere I want, because whenever you restrict research, it's never quite as incompassing or as through as it could be (in scholarly language: It hinders my creativity). :)

The 'Syrious' Syrian Genocide

I'm really scarred to think about how many people Hitler would have killed if he lived today, because it seems like the international community doesn't care anymore about genocide. All they care about is making sure they don't offend anyone. But in Syria, it is a full-blown genocide, and it gets worse and worse everyday. And all the talk in the international community about punishing Syria, has been nothing more than just talk. Caught up in the wave of the Arab Springs, Syria's people are anxious to get rid of their tyrant of a leader, President Bashir-Al Asad, but he has no desires to leave and has cracked down hard on anyone who opposes him. He's already killed THOUSANDS of his own people, all the while telling the world that he's just trying to 'cleanse' his country of terrorists and such. But the world knows it's simply his lust of power that he's unwilling to give up. Even the Arab Leagues has disavowed Syria, but Syria still continues to kill dozens of its people everyday...and the world just keeps watching.

If the U.N. doesn't get its game face on and start intervening in Syria (with military action if necessary - and it sure looks like that's the only option left), then the killing will continue. I guess if the world is okay with watching people die that want freedom, then we should just keep doing what we're doing right now (which is nothing). But if the world has any good, decent, caring people left, who are willing to do something hard because it's right, then the U.N. should step up and actually live it's creed of promoting peace.

My Research Questions:
Why has the world not intervened with force? What more must happen before they do?
What would it take to stop Syria? How big of a military force?
Are there any legitament options left besides military action? If so, what are they, and how does the U.N. do them?
If President Bashir-Al Asad left power, would that solve all the problems? Would there still be civil unrest (as there has been in the other countries that have experienced the Arab Spring)?

20 things that interest me (upcoming Issues Paper)

1. George Washington / The Founding Fathers
2. SpaceShipTwo
3. The Afghan War
4. The 12th Imam
5. The 2012 Presidential Election
6. U.S. Relations with China
7. The U.S. Military
8. Small vs. Big Government
9. The Constitution
10. Term Limits
11. Israel
12. Iran's Nuclear Program
13. The Roman Catholic Church
14. The Dark Knight series (can't wait for the 3rd one!!!)
15. International Politics / Conflict
16. Glenn Beck
17. U.S. History (from Revolutionary War to modern-day conflict)
18. Sherlock Holmes (love the movies!)
19. Music by Hans Zimmer
20. Russia

Love Letter: Samson to Delilah - in Technical textbook writing

Addressed to the one and only Delilah (which happens to be a very common species of flower),
   As you know, the golden locks of Samson (yours truly) contain incredible power. Many believe that the greatest power on earth is that of an earthquake (made apparent after the recent destruction of Haiti and Japan). But while these examples are shocking, they do not match the power of Samson. Due to circumstances that are not able to be explained with 'mortal' words, my (Samson's) hair gives me power that cannot be matched by any other mortal on the earth. As can be expected, my hair is something many want and would be willing to buy (the estimated price that the King of Babylon would pay for my hair is somewhere in the 5 billion camels range). Not only is the hair stunningly beautiful and long (the sun glints off of it, blinding my enemies, due to a natural marvel known as 'reflection'), but the God of Israel has promised me that if it is allowed to grow and never be cut, that I will have strength that cannot be matched. Modern-day movie makers have caught onto this idea by creating a film called "Tangled" where a girl has hair that can heal any ailment. Many ancient philosophers have misinterpreted me with Hercules. But Hercules is only a child when compared to Samson. And Repunzal's hair is only 1/10th and 3 quarters of an inch the length of Samson's hair.
I Samson share this with you Delilah (which bytheway is a pretty flower) because you create certain feelings inside of me (feelings that scientists and psychologists would call love). Love is an interesting feeling which is soft and warm (unlike muscle, which is hard and firm and impressive). So how a strong man like myself could feel so week by a tiny flower like yourself is quite interesting (most experts today only can draw conclusions (not facts) about love and how it works). But regardless, the scientific evidence that is present in my behavior shows that I pass all the qualifications of being a speciman in love with you (a flower).
That is all the data that we have at this time.
Your faithful observer,
Samson

My 5 Valentine's Day Similies

1. He loves her as a fat kid loves cake.

2. Their love for each other was like an ocean, that is frozen over.

3. Having your heart broken is like getting kicked in the face by an elephant.

4. Her nails were bright red, like the color of blood that was in the face of her ex-boyfriend (who she just slapped).

5. Love flies high in the sky, like the Hindenburg Zepplin that errupted into flames and crashed into the earth.

My 4th Speeding Ticket

To the Judge:
Your Honor,
Thank you for your time and patience with reading this letter. I appreciate it deeply. I am writing to you because I unfortunately received my 4th speeding ticket yesterday afternoon while trying to get home in a hurry after my grandmother had called me because she fell and needed help. The last 3 tickets I've received for similar reasons. I sincerely apologize. I don't speed unless it's an emergency. But with this 4th ticket, my license has been revoked and so it's now very difficult to help my family (my mother really depends on me giving rides to my 5 younger siblings while she's at work). If it is in any way possible, I'm asking for your help in reversing my license suspension. I would be deeply indebted to your mercy at this urgent time sir.

To my mother:
Hi mom. I miss you dearly and hope you come home soon. You may have heard that I recently received a speeding ticket (unfortunately, it's my 4th). I'm very sorry. I was not trying to speed or anything. I was trying to get Ben to his soccer game on time, and because he got hurt trying to get ready on time, we got a late start so I was trying to hurry (his coach did say if he's late he won't play). Yes, I feel very sorry, especially because as a result of getting pulled over we were REALLY late to the game, and Ben's coach told him he won't play for the next 2 games. I'm sorry. I promise I won't speed again. It was just a really stressful day and the cop had little sympathy for us. I hope this doesn't discourage you or distract you on your vacation. I miss you like crazy and hope you get home safe and sound. Again I'm very sorry.

To my classmates:
Hey guys, you wouldn't believe it, but I got my 4th speeding ticket today. I was simply going with the flow of traffic (and you know how crazy drivers are down here in Utah), and some cop who was having a bad day and was on a power-tangent decided to pull me over. He even took the box of Krispy Kremes I had sitting on the front seat, saying that they were distracting me and dangerous while driving (even though the box was closed and sealed). Guys, I'm telling you this is not fair. The only reason I get pulled over is because I drive a red convertable, and so cops are super biased against it, so they single me out for "speeding" when I'm only keeping up with the flow of traffic. Come on, it's more dangerous to go the speed limit than it is to just keep up with the flow of traffic (you guys know, you've been on the streets). If they were truly concerned about speeding, they would crack down on everyone, not just my car.

15 Examples of Rhetorical Tools

1. Personification
"Dave, my mind is going," HAL says, forlornly. "I can feel it. I can feel it."
-This is a quote Carr uses from 2001: A Space Odyssey where the computer HAL has human-like feelings and responses. It's effective because it shows how depending on technology too much may lead to it being more human than us.

2. Personification
even the adult mind "is very plastic."
-This shows the mind having the characteristic of being "plastic" and changeable (even on the move). This isn't effective because it comes from a quote that's a little too technical for the common person, and a bit hard to totally understand.

3. Figurative language
The internet...[is] becoming our map and our clock, our printing press and our typewriter, our calculator and our telephone, and our radio and TV.
-This lists many different common everyday items we use, helping to illustrate how much we can do with technology. It's effective because it shows just how wide-sweeping computers and technology are becoming, and how much some people depend on them.

4. Diction
gewgaws
-Example of idiosyncratic diction because it's jargin from the computer world, and it's effective because even though I've never heard it before I understood it from the context, so it shows that the author knows the atmosphere's slang (and is therefore well educated on the subject).

5. Imagery
the crazy quilt of Internet media
-Example of imagery because the word "quilt" helps show how encompassing technology is becoming and how much it touches and effects in our life, so it's and effective use of imagery.

6. Taylor created a set of precise instructions - and "algorithm," we might say today
-Example of allusion because it's referring to a past experiment, but also uses analogy because it uses the commonly known word "algorithm" to explain this example from the past. I'd say effective because it shows the author's knowledge of the topic well-enough to explain it in modern-day terms and comparisons.

7. its legions of programmers are intent on finding the "one best method"
-Diction showing that the technological world is starting to overcome humanity, and the word "legions" helps give it a spooky, overpowering feel, so it's effective.

8. Google's headquarters...the Internet's high church
-Figurative language being used to explain just how important and critical some people view technology. Perhaps a little ineffective because it's perhaps a bit too extreme (comparing Google projects to religion).

9. What Taylor did for the work of the hand, Google is doing for the work of the mind.
-Metaphor showing the comparison between 'then' and 'now'. Effective because it shows quite accurately that both projects (though quite different) are similar.

10. In Google's view, information is a kind of commodity, a utilitarian resource that can be mined and processed with industrial efficiency.
-Personification because it's describing knowledge as something that can be found and collected as easily as we may collect and mine an earthly mineral. Effective because it shows how revolutionary Google is thinking (which shows how this could be the beginning of machines becoming too smart).

11. Ambiguity is not an opening for insight but a bug to be fixed.
-Analogy trying to compare ambiguity as a computer bug/problem. Ineffective because ambiguity is too big a word, and would be more effective if substituted with a word that more people know.

12. The human brain is just an outdated computer that needs a faster processor and a bigger hard drive.
-Metaphor showing how the human mind can be seen simply as a computer, something that can be improved simply by adding something too it as easily as updating a computer. Effective because obviously our minds are a bit more complex than computers, and we don't want machines to become so much smarter than us that our minds become obsolete.

13. Socrates bemoaned the development of writing.
-Allusion referring to how people used to complain about the written word way back when. Effective because it addresses a counter-argument (of how someone always opposes progress, so computers are not only good but revolutionary), but also ineffective because he addresses this, but doesn't really solve it either.

14. we risk turning into "'pancake people'" - spread wide and thin as we connect with the vast network of information
-Imagery comparing people to pancakes, easily shaped and spread however information (technology) wants. Effective because it's very vivid and shows us helpless we are when we depend too much on network information.

15. Their thoughts and actions feel scripted, as if they're following the steps of an algorithm.
-Imagery showing from a futuristic movie how much more human-like machines become than people, and how much more machine-like humans become due to technology that develops too quickly and that we depend on too much. Very effective because this is how Carr started his paper (and how he ends it). And because this comes from a 'futuristic' movie, we can't help but wonder if it's a prophecy of doom for us if we don't slow down and change (if the movie got other things right, then why wouldn't it get this right too?).

My Found Poem - Jacob 7:26

the time passed away
     like as it were unto us
a dream,

we being a lonesome
     and a solemn
people,

wanderers

cast out from Jerusalem,
     born in tribulation,
          in a wilderness,
               and hated of our brethren,
which caused wars and contentions;

wherefore,
     we did mourn out our days.

Blog Post #3 - Is Google Making Us Stupid?

1. What's the author's intent? - To help us see that in an effort to become smarter by using virtual intelligence, we are actually causing harm to ourselves. These electronic 'helpers' are really hurting us.
What is the author trying to persuade the audience to think/do/feel? - To feel just how machine-like and autonomous we become as we use and depend more and more on technology.

2. What are the specific rhetorical tools the author is using?
-Personification = ""Dave, my mind is going," HAL says, forlornly. "I can feel it. I can feel it.""
-Imagery = "Once I was a scuba diver in the sea of words. Now I zip along the surface like a guy on a Jet Ski."
-Metaphor = "we risk turning into "'pancake people' - spread wide and thin as we connect with that vast network of information accessed by the mere touch of a button.""
-Pathos = "I'm haunted by that scene in 2001...its childlike pleading with the astronaut - "I can feel it. I can feel it. I'm afraid" - and its final reversion to what can only be called a state of innocence. HAL's outpouring of feeling contrasts with the emotionlessness that characterizes the human figures in the film, who go about their business with an almost robotic efficiency. Their thoughts and actions feel scripted, as if they're following the steps of an algorithm. In the world of 2001, people have become so machinelike that the most human character turns out to be a machine. That's the essence of Kubrick's dark prophecy: as we come to rely on computers to mediate our understanding of the world, it is our own intelligence that flattens into artificial intelligence."

3. What is the audience reaction? - Wow! This is true! The more I use electronic 'helpers,' the more impeded I become. The more dependent we become on technology, the less human we remain.
Does the reaction correlate with the author's intent? - Absolutely!
Was the article effective of ineffective? - Very effective

4. Bonus

Nicholas Carr writes about technology, culture, and economics.

Nick has been a columnist for The Guardian in London and has written for The Atlantic, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Wired, The Times of London, The New Republic, The Financial Times, Die Zeit and other periodicals.

Nick is a member of the Encyclopedia Britannica's editorial board of advisors, is on the steering board of the World Economic Forum's cloud computing project, and writes the popular blog Rough Type. He has been a writer-in-residence at the University of California, Berkeley, and is a sought-after speaker for academic and corporate events. Earlier in his career, he was executive editor of the Harvard Business Review. He holds a B.A. from Dartmouth College and an M.A., in English and American Literature and Language, from Harvard University.
- http://www.nicholasgcarr.com/info.shtml
The article was published in The Atlantic Monthly 302.1, July/August 2008

My Views on Peer-Editing

Alrighty folks, here's the dealeo,
I like it most of all when people who grade my papers are just honest about it. I appreciate people that don't want to be offensive...but please understand that if you don't tell me what my mistakes are, I can't fix them. So please just be open and honest with me. :)
With that being said, I do still appreciate it when you can show me something that I did correct, and not just show the multiplicity of errors. But of course, if there are nothing but errors, then please just be blunt and rip the band-aid off. I may be upset for a moment, but in the end I'll be grateful. :)
Thanks! You guys rock! As one member on my mission told me (in a little broken English): You are [all] stud and legit in one glass! ;)

5 Grammar/Punctuation Errors in my Op Ed Draft

1.  I use my Facebook to help me keep track of people from my Mission in Russia...
- The error is that "Mission" should not be capitalized.
- I use my Facebook to help me keep track of people from my mission in Russia...

2.  General Authorities have recently even started saying how important it is that we share the gospel with Social Media.
- The error is that "Social Media" should not be capitalized.
- General Authorities have recently even started saying how important it is that we share the gospel with social media.

3.  notice that several in your class aren’t paying attention, and instead have the blue glow of a computer screen on their faces.  
- After the word "attention" there should be a semicolon. The following line after "instead" is an independent clause.
- notice that several in your class aren't paying attention; instead, they have the blue glow of a computer screen on their faces.

4.  I have a Professor, who will not let ANYONE in a class of 600 use a computer.  
- The comma after "Professor" is not necessary.
- I have a Professor who will not let ANYONE in a class of 600 use a computer.

5. Why? I’m sure it’s because he has caught so many students getting distracted with tweeting or facebooking, and because they’re not paying attention they’re not doing well in the class.  
- The error is the sentence structure following the comma after "facebooking." It's a jumbled phrase that doesn't sound right. It would be better if the comma was replaced with a semi-colon.
- Why? I'm sure it's because he has caught so many students getting distracted with tweeting or facebooking; as a result, students are not paying attention and are therefore not doing well in the class. 

Fallacy Example...from Sesame Street :)

Burt walks into a room to find Bernie holding a banana in his ear. Burt asks him what he's doing.
Burt: Bernie why is that banana still in your ear?
Bernie: Listen Burt, I use this banana to keep the alligators away.
Burt: Alligators! Bernie there are no alligators on Sesame Street!
Bernie: Right! Doing a good job isn't it Burt!

This is an example of Post Hoc Fallacy, because Bernie is superstitious and believes that holding a banana in his ear will keep alligators away. When Burt points out that there are no alligators, Bernie simply attributes that fact as proof that his banana theory works.

To see this clip:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fXLTQi7vVsI    

Ethos, Pathos, Logos Examples from Pride and Prejudice

Ethos:
1. "My dear cousin, being, as I am, to inherit all this estate after the death of your father, I could not satisfy myself without resolving to choose a wife from among his daughters."
2.  "My dear Miss Elizabeth, my situation in life, my connection with the noble family of de Bourgh, are circumstances highly in my favour."

Pathos:
1. "Believe me, my dear Miss Elizabeth, that your modesty adds to your other perfections. But you can hardly doubt the object of my discourse, however your feminine delicacy may lead you to dissemble. For, as almost as soon as I entered the house, I singled you out as the companion of my future life!"
2. "I must attribute it to your wish of increasing my love by suspense,  in the usual manner of elegant females."

Logos:
1. "My reasons for marrying are:

  First, I think it a right thing for every clergyman to set the example of matrimony in his parish.

  Secondly, that I am convinced it will add very greatly to my happiness.

  And thirdly, which perhaps I should have mentioned first..."
2. "Consider that it is by no means certain that another offer of marriage may be made to you. You cannot be serious in your rejection."