I would have to admit, I was a bit skeptical when I first heard that this class was going structured toward online blogging. Mainly because I was afraid of what others would think of my writing, mainly in comments. I also had doubt on how this new writing medium would affect my writing.
As we progressed through the course I found that the audience did in fact have an impact on my writing. I was more aware of who my writing was intended for. Instead of writing for one person to read, my writing was more focused toward a wider range of audience. The comments received also helped me in my writing. The comments brought up many questions which made me analyze my thoughts even further.
I found the discussion topics to be very interesting. It seemed that with every comment made, a new topic would emerge, which brought up many questions and thoughts. Although I was afraid to share my thoughts in discussion, I was still very engaged in what others had to say. The interesting topics compelled me to not miss a day of class. As matter of fact, I believe this is the only class that I have attended every day.
In my opinion, the most challenging part of this course would have to be the group projects. Mainly because of the time and effort that was put into these projects. Although challenging, our project has taught me a great deal about many of the keywords we studied in class. I have learned to analyze different forms of mediums more deeply. In addition to the knowledge gained, working with my group members was very enjoyable.
In retrospect, this course was very exciting overall. It has brought new perspective toward the average writing class. I believe many students would be interested in a class similar to this one. Maybe the University should add a writing course structured solely toward online blogging.
P.S. It would have been great to see you present your project on Google Earth!
Thanks for everything.
Saturday, September 13, 2008
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Land
The OED (Oxford English Dictionary) defines land simply as “The solid portion of the earth's surface, as opposed to sea, water”. It is derived from the French origin term lande meaning “heath” meaning “uncultivated wasteland”. However this definition can be expanded and interpreted in many ways in terms of economics, ownership, and territory.
Land can be a very complicated and controversial issue in terms of land purchasing. Many questions come to mind when thinking of this issue, such as: Who has the right of say on who can own and purchase land? Can anyone own land? When was land first distributed as property? Was it back when dinosaurs roamed the earth and fought for territory? Dating back to the 7th century, the term land was viewed as political boundaries, separating territories. This brings up the term Native land, or in other words, homeland.
Homeland refers to ones native country or nation from which they originated. Seven years ago to the day, The United States was attacked by terrorist and as a result, The Department of Homeland Security which is “responsible for assessing the nation's vulnerabilities.” was created (in 2002). Analyzing the title, “The Department of Homeland Security”, it seems as if it means the protection of one’s native country; the protection of Native Americans, but it is really only assessing the vulnerabilities of the United States.
Property such as houses and apartments that are rented can be seen as a form of landed property. Wikipedia defines this as the “property that generates income for the owner without the owner having to do the actual work”. This interprets land as a form of capitalism by itself. This issue can be pushed even further into different mediums such as virtual reality. For example, in the virtual world of second life, it is possible for virtual land to be purchased and marketed as a form of capitalism. In the presentation for “Second Life”, we were brought to an art gallery of some sort. In this gallery, there were art work, but in order to view the art, we would have to pay. This can be interpreted as landed property on a virtual surface. This brings up the issue of land ownership and private property.
In this day and age, land purchasing and land ownership is not uncommon. People can purchase land all around the United States for low cost. Upon purchasing land, it can be then called private property. Private property is defined as “property owned by an individual”. What one person was determined to own the majority of land on earth? It would limit where people could go. Is this the same as imprisonment? Looking back on AmericanSingles.com, the limiting features practically provoked users into subscribing. This medium can be described as another form of landed property. The website owned by Sparks Networks is practically another form of capitalism itself. The site was setup at some point, and then the company relied on users to actually subscribe to the sites membership. No work was being done.
Technology has expanded the definition of the term land in many ways. A term once used to describe the surface of the earth is now used to mark territory and convey ownership not only in the real world, but in virtual worlds as well.
Wikipedia.com
OED
US Land and Ranches
Homeland Security
Land can be a very complicated and controversial issue in terms of land purchasing. Many questions come to mind when thinking of this issue, such as: Who has the right of say on who can own and purchase land? Can anyone own land? When was land first distributed as property? Was it back when dinosaurs roamed the earth and fought for territory? Dating back to the 7th century, the term land was viewed as political boundaries, separating territories. This brings up the term Native land, or in other words, homeland.
Homeland refers to ones native country or nation from which they originated. Seven years ago to the day, The United States was attacked by terrorist and as a result, The Department of Homeland Security which is “responsible for assessing the nation's vulnerabilities.” was created (in 2002). Analyzing the title, “The Department of Homeland Security”, it seems as if it means the protection of one’s native country; the protection of Native Americans, but it is really only assessing the vulnerabilities of the United States.
Property such as houses and apartments that are rented can be seen as a form of landed property. Wikipedia defines this as the “property that generates income for the owner without the owner having to do the actual work”. This interprets land as a form of capitalism by itself. This issue can be pushed even further into different mediums such as virtual reality. For example, in the virtual world of second life, it is possible for virtual land to be purchased and marketed as a form of capitalism. In the presentation for “Second Life”, we were brought to an art gallery of some sort. In this gallery, there were art work, but in order to view the art, we would have to pay. This can be interpreted as landed property on a virtual surface. This brings up the issue of land ownership and private property.
In this day and age, land purchasing and land ownership is not uncommon. People can purchase land all around the United States for low cost. Upon purchasing land, it can be then called private property. Private property is defined as “property owned by an individual”. What one person was determined to own the majority of land on earth? It would limit where people could go. Is this the same as imprisonment? Looking back on AmericanSingles.com, the limiting features practically provoked users into subscribing. This medium can be described as another form of landed property. The website owned by Sparks Networks is practically another form of capitalism itself. The site was setup at some point, and then the company relied on users to actually subscribe to the sites membership. No work was being done.
Technology has expanded the definition of the term land in many ways. A term once used to describe the surface of the earth is now used to mark territory and convey ownership not only in the real world, but in virtual worlds as well.
Wikipedia.com
OED
US Land and Ranches
Homeland Security
Friday, September 5, 2008
A Guitar and my Identity
Two years ago I decided that I wanted to learn how to play the guitar. I spent hours a day practicing until my fingers were blistered and drenched in pain. Each day I progressed and became noticeably better. After a year of concentrated practice on a friend’s guitar, I decided it was time to purchase a guitar of my own. I browsed through musicianfriends.com and found the Schechter C-1 Plus. This is the first and only electric guitar I own which is why it has a lot of meaning to me. Although I was unable to take the actual picture of my guitar due to the lack of a camera, I was able to find an image on the web.
From the image, you can see that the colors on the body are very appealing. The sunburst shades of orange combined with the dark border line gives the guitar an aggressive look. In addition to the body, most of the features are a metallic chrome color, such as the knobs and pickups, which also makes the guitar appealing to potential customers. The superficial design on the fretboard looks somewhat like small spacecrafts, giving the guitar a unique look. The neck of the guitar is the perfect size for the hand to grip around. The guitar as a whole is shaped as an axe, which is where the slang term for a guitar, “axe”, came from.
Although guitars can be a form of art with attractive designs and features, the real art in a guitar comes from the creative sounds it produces by plucking of the strings. The vibrations in the strings are received by the pickups, which sends the signal to an amplifier which produces sound. These sounds, depending on what is played, can bring out different emotions and feelings in people.
Not just anyone has the ability pick up a guitar and start playing. It takes time and practice, which requires patience. Whether playing as a hobby or professionally, guitarist of all genders and racial backgrounds understands the complexity and lengthy process it takes to become good. It takes a lot of passion and desire in order to be a decent guitarist. With enough desire, even people without hands have learned to play the guitar.
The more I played, the more my skill level increased, and I began to play my own style of music, which became a part of my identity. Because of the countless hours I have spent playing my guitar, I have integrated into one with it. I now perceive music in a different way than I did before. I get an amazing feeling when I play; the sounds bring out all emotions within me.
Although the object in the picture is not my actual guitar, I look at it a see a symbol that represents my personality. It’s like the guitar and I are one. It has become a part of my identity.
From the image, you can see that the colors on the body are very appealing. The sunburst shades of orange combined with the dark border line gives the guitar an aggressive look. In addition to the body, most of the features are a metallic chrome color, such as the knobs and pickups, which also makes the guitar appealing to potential customers. The superficial design on the fretboard looks somewhat like small spacecrafts, giving the guitar a unique look. The neck of the guitar is the perfect size for the hand to grip around. The guitar as a whole is shaped as an axe, which is where the slang term for a guitar, “axe”, came from.
Although guitars can be a form of art with attractive designs and features, the real art in a guitar comes from the creative sounds it produces by plucking of the strings. The vibrations in the strings are received by the pickups, which sends the signal to an amplifier which produces sound. These sounds, depending on what is played, can bring out different emotions and feelings in people.
Not just anyone has the ability pick up a guitar and start playing. It takes time and practice, which requires patience. Whether playing as a hobby or professionally, guitarist of all genders and racial backgrounds understands the complexity and lengthy process it takes to become good. It takes a lot of passion and desire in order to be a decent guitarist. With enough desire, even people without hands have learned to play the guitar.
The more I played, the more my skill level increased, and I began to play my own style of music, which became a part of my identity. Because of the countless hours I have spent playing my guitar, I have integrated into one with it. I now perceive music in a different way than I did before. I get an amazing feeling when I play; the sounds bring out all emotions within me.
Although the object in the picture is not my actual guitar, I look at it a see a symbol that represents my personality. It’s like the guitar and I are one. It has become a part of my identity.
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