My Ideal "Workplace"

Hahaha!!!! If money werent an issue in this world today, we would all be satisfied and have what we wanted. Wouldnt we? I know I would. I would be able to get whatever I wanted done because I would have everything I needed. Everythign in my possession would be ideal and just the way i want it, and I would be successful.
My work/study place would be exactly what I've dreamed of if money weren't an object. I would start off with my area being colossal and very spacious so that I have space to do whatever I want. I want to be comfortable and I dont like being crammed up, especially while doing work. Since I have ample space, I would need a whole bunch of accessories to beautify, personalize and make it my own. To ensure that I'm comfortable I would have multiple types of seating.My place would have couches for guests, love seats, a recliner for me, a spa chair for when its time to relax or take a break, and a chair that gives me massages. To add to the relaxing vibe, i would have lights that I could dim, candles and of coarse an indoor waterfall because the sound of water is so soothing to me. There would also be paintings of nature all over the white walls along with other homely decorations.. I would also have music with  surround sound playing in the background because music helps me focus. To occupy more of my space, I would add my personal refridgerator and bathroom so I would have to get up and leave the room.
I would have all of these things in my ideal space because it reflects me and would ensure that I am comfortable while doing my work.

The End of Public Space?

This article was very interesting because its topic was one that could be arhues different ways and be debated. The main ides and argument of this article is the struglle over public space. Another question that was posed was whether or not everyone should have the right to a public space. The Berkeley city council and Reagan Bush era students had an idea of building dorms on People's Park. In 1989, homelessness was also a questioned posed. The rights that homeless people had to the city and the park was also questioned. The People's Park was supposed to be a public place but Berkeley's city and city council believed that they should have restrictions or use the space for something else because they believed that with the homeless and others there it was a poor representation of the community. They told the public they only wanted to beautify the patk without removing the homeless, but ultimately volleyball riots occured and they did exavtly the opposite.
This article actually kept my attention because I was curious of what the outcome and solution to th eproblem turned out to be. A quote that drew my attention was, "what right did the homeless have to the city? And in the city, what right did they have to the park" (118). This quote is significant because I feel its the main focus of the article and Berekely city council. I believe that homeless people are entitled t othe same rights as any other individual. I also believe thay have all the right to the park because it is a public space where anyone is welcomed to visit. It seems as if shelters and other places arent available for them, so they have no other choice but to go to People's Park. Another quote that interested me was, "the university would lease a portion of the land to the city of Berkeley for a trial basis. The city dtermined that its portions of the park would be dedicated to uder-control; but it also began exploring ways to remove the homeless people who camped there. To aid in this effort, the chancellor pledged $1 million a year for 10 years to the city to help defray the costs of aid to the homeless and other services"(120). I think that if the homeless people arent bothering others or causing a problem, why remove them? Instead of spending money to get rid of them, they should just spend that money to ensure that they have their basic essentials to survive. Homeless should not be treated any differntly than anyone else.

My Study Place

Do you dread when the time to study comes? Well I surely do. I dread studying for any subject because it consumes so much of my time. When I study, there are many steps I take to prepare for the gruesome task. I have come to realize that my studying process isnt very effective if I am not comfortable in my studying environment. Now that I am in college, studying on my own has become much more difficult and much of a pass time. I must make sure that my studying is effective. I have also realized thay study habits and the perfect studying environment also helps me retain the information I need.

As of now, I am not too happy with my current study place. I often have to migrate to another space because I am not very productive in my current space. My current study space is an apartment I share with two of  my friends. This study place has its benefits and disadvantages. It has more disadvantages in my eyes and that is why I sometimes choose to do homework and study somewhere else. THe number one problem with my study place is that two of my best friends are located there. This is a big NO NO!!! I love my friends but they can be a big distraction when I am trying to be distracted. We love talking and laughing about everything that goes on in life. We can go on and on for hours about completely nothing. Another disadvantage is that I am the tidy one of the group. My area of the room is clean, but everything else is quite disorganized. When things are out of order I get confused and cant think properly. A well organized and clean place is essential for my studyig to be productive. In addition to not being as tidy as it could be, ther isn't much decoration that makes me feel motivated or happy to study. I feel like if we add color and excitement to the apartment it would be a much better studying environment. I hate studying in dull dark places. Studying is already boring, so I need to make sure I'm in a place that looks lively and inviting. I also think that I can get entirely too comfortable at the house. I can easily fall asleep, turn on the TV, watch a movie or go to the refridgerator and never come back. The only time studying is effective here is when we all do math together. We are all in the same math level and class, therefore we do math homework and study togethre. This is effective because we all can relate to a subject.

My ideal study place is in the library, USU, or environment where everyone is focused and ding the same thing as me. The environment is more scholarly and school-like and I feel like that is why I enjoy studying there. There are also chairs and tables in which I can sit in rather than a comfortable bed where I can go to sleep. I want to get my work done and go home to fun. I think that is why I stay so focused and get work done while on campus. My study is effective in a place where I dont know anyone and I dont have any distractons. All I need is a bunch of strangers surrounding me and some music and I am just fine!!

Disneyland

1. What is remediation?
Remediation is the action of recreating a world from a film or television show or movie with things such as lights, sounds, music, characters and much more. Remidiation makes a person feel like they are in a film or in  another world.

2. In what ways is Disneyland a narrative place?
Disneyland's park is a narrative space because no matter where you go in the park, there is a story being told. Stories are told by the rides, gift shops, performances, characters and much more. The whole park is just many stories folded into one.

3. In what ways is Disneyland designed to "remind visitors of the media that surrounds them"?
Disneyland's architecture and features are based off of popular television shows and films. Disneyland keeps us with these things and designs the park in a way that the visitors can have a good experience and feel as if they are part of the media. With the way that this park is set up many generations can reminsce and pass down films that were made.  These films will always be around because the park is made in a way in which you cant forget them.

4.In what ways does Disneyland promise an "authentic emotional experience"?
Disneylad promises an "authentic emotional experience" by having the park appeal to immediacy of physical presence. The rides offer sound, light and tactile sensations, the animated characters roam the park and the themed architecture give visitors exhilaration of being surrounded by media. They want to make it feeland seem so real. They are passing down an experience and making visitors feel like they are in the film.

5. Why does Disneyland want to offer it patrons a chance to "enter into" their films?
Disneyland wants to offer its patron a chance to "enter into" their films so they can have an authentic experience and atually feel like it is real and not a fantasy.

Does Disneyland make you feel like you are part of their family and experience?

Lack of Communication Thesis/Intro

Are you addicted to texting, Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr or any other social media websites? Well I am and so are other people that I know. People may think that these websites are a way of finding old friends and keeping in contact with them. This is true in a sense, but social media websites and texting can cause alack of communication. Although texting and social media websites can hep you find old friends, it can also e frowned upon because it discourages communication and actual face-to-face interactions amongst individuals. It is an easy way out of spending time and talking to the people youlove.

The Fight Between Humans and Robots

Chelcee laid on the couch in boredom watching TV and stuffing her mouth with Slim Jims and a 42 ounce Big Gulp. She reluctantly watched an advertisement about a new advancement on flying cars and robots. Chelcee began to feel worthless and frustrated. She wanted to change the channel and started to panic because the remote control was too far away. Chelcee felt even stupider once she remembered she had a voice activated TV in which she could change the channel without even lifting a finger. She realized that her everyday routine of sitting on the couch jobless and having everything mechanically done for her was getting far beyond boring.

Chelcee said aloud, "Gosh with these robots and technology taking over I’m not too sure what my purpose of life is."

While Chelcee was depressed in her house the outside life was very active. Chelcee sat in her house depressed, fat and totally reliable on technology. It was the year 2030 and robots and artificial intelligence had become so advanced that man kind's purpose had become questionable. These advancements were both beneficial and harmful to humans. With robots being able to do everything, Chelcee and everyone else enjoyed having everything done for them. On the flip side, this was also harmful because humans could not get a job or do anything in the outside world since robots functioned better than them and were so competitive.

One day Chelcee secretly organized a city meeting to discuss the issues that were occurring in their city. She was fed up with being useless, but she couldn’t let the government know because they too were robots, but the really aggressive, power greedy kind. On a Wednesday morning, Chelcee and plenty of other humans secretly filed into an abandoned hall down the street from her house. Somehow word about the secret meeting escaped. While Chelcee and her peers were discussing how to eliminate robots from their community, the robotic government officials busted through the door with weapons. Chelcee and her peers got up and held up their foldable chairs in defense. The government officials charged at the humans with their weapons and this is when the brawl began. Of course humans were so accustomed to robots doing everything for them that they did not know how to fight or defend themselves. We all know how this ended. The government officials demolished the humans and gained all the power they had desired. Most of mankind was extinct. The individuals that were left became slaves for the robots. By the year 2050 all humans had become extinct because they could not adapt to the fast life that the robots expected them to. Unfortunately robots won this battle.

The Veldt

In the article The Veldt there was a family of a husband, wife and two kids that lived in a super advanced house that did everthing for them. These people have no roles or responsibilities in life because everything was done for them. This short story seems as if it takes place in virtual reality. Nothing seems real. The parents begin to notice that their children are behaving suspiciously and call in a psychologist to try and pinpoint the problem and fix it. Their house is so fancy and advanced that they ae uncapable of doing anything for themselves. Their children also have a special nursery in which they can be involved in any scenario. The parents see this nursery as a  dangerous veldt in Africa. They believe this veldt is dangerous because their children disappear  for hours at a time and they always see and hear lions in this scenario. The parents begin to fret and forbid their children to go back to this place. To get away from everything the family decides to go on a vacation and actually experience things in the real world and do things for themselves.
At the end, one last time, the children invite their parents into the veldt and it seems that they disappear.


I didnt really understand this story but I believe the main idea or message it was trying to get across is that us humans depend on technology and other advancements so much that we have become incapable of doing things on our own. It was amazing to me how in this story these people lived inthis special house and did absolutely nothing for themsleves. As evidence of this, the mother starts to feel bad about herself. She begins to cry because she realizes that she doesnt have enough to do and that is why she has so much time on her hands to think and worry. She also realizes that she has become useless when she says, "That's just it. I feel like I don't belong here. The house is wife and mother now and nursemaid. Can I compete with an African veldt? Can I give a bath and scrub the children as efficiently or quickly as the automatic scrub bath can? I can not" (10). I feel that this is a good justifying example that humans have become to dependent and advancements in this world. I was always told that too much of one thing is good for nothing. These parents just tried to do something nice for therir kids by giving them a nursery, but it turns out that the kids take advantage of it and it backfires on the parents. The children start to misbehave, keep secrets and disobey they parents. I feel like this is a parallel to children using the Internet for social media networks.


Another idea that caught my attention was when Mr. McClean tells them what the problem is. He says "You've let this room and this house replace you and your wife in your children's affections. This room is their mother and father, far more important in their lives than their real parents. And now you come along and want to shut it off. No wonder there's hatred here"( 16). I agree that this is the reason for the hatred and misbehavior. You cant just give someone something and then try to take it away and not expect them to react. This story demonstrates how people are attatched to technology.

The Exprience Machine

In this article, Harvard philosopher Robert Nozick shares his ideas about the value of one making their own choices. He supports his idea tha making your own choices is valuable by creating a scenario of being able to live through an experience machine. Robert Nozick presented the question of whether or not someone should plug int an experience machine for life, preprogramming their life experiences. He compares and parallels his idea of the experience machine with the Matrix. After this he gives three reasons on why someone should not plug into the experience machine, elaborates, and connects it back to his main idea tha making choices for yourself in life is very valuable.
A quote that caught my attention and made me want to respond was when Nozick said, "All the time you would be floating in a tank, with electrodes attatched to your brain. Should you plug into this machine for life, preprogramming your life's experiences?"I totally agree with Robert Nozicks ideas about the experience machine and making choices. I would not plug  into an experience machine for life.Just the thought and sound of preprogramming your life's experiences sound unatural and plain ole boring. Picking your experiences, planning them ahead of time is boring and ruins the purpose of live becausee you aren't really living ut the experience, you are just there. Who wants to plan their life out and be plugged up for two years at a time? BORRIINGG!!! With being plugged up to an experience machine you are sure to get what you want in life, but evrything is predictable, lacks thrill and you arent able to actually interact in real life. Although your brain neurons are stimulated and these experiences are indistinguishable from the real world, you cant make choices or change anything after it is already planned and your plugged in. I also answered the question, "Why not plug into the experience machine?" I agree with all of Nozick's reasons on why a human shouldn't plug into the experience machine. His reasons are that a human needs to do things rather than just experiene them. A person needs to be a certain way to be a certain type of person. I agree with his last reason the most. If a human decided to plug up to the experience amchine they would be limited to the plans that thet made.  They wouldnt be able to make choices  and connect with reality. These people wouldnt be real people. They would have no personality or character. Life would be boriingggggg!!!!!
I would like to ask the author if he would ever plug up to the experience machine?
If you had to be plugged up, would you do it at time intervals or stay plugged up for life?
Thesis: The purpose of life is making choices that will allow one to connect to reality and create yourself while doing it.

Questions About George Orwell's 1984

1. What is the significance of the posters that read: BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU? Who is BIG BROTHER?
These posters were significant because they warned the people that they were being watched so that they would  be on their best behavior. These posters were like a Panopticon in a sense because the people knew that they were being watched but didnt know by whom. BIG BROTHER is the Police Patrol.

2. Where do you see evidence of panopticism in this novel?
Panopticism is demonstrated in this novel through the idea of BIG BROTHER (Police Patrol) watching everyones move and snooping in their windows. The telescreen and Though tPolice also work as evidence. These three things work together as a way to get control over people's behavior.

3. What is the telescreen, how is it used and what is its purpose?
Te telescreen is like a dulled mirror with a voice. The telescreens purpose was to recieve and transmit information that it heard. It is a Tv that gives off information but also a camera that recieves information from what people say and do in front of it. I believe its purpose was to monitor what people say.

4. What is the significance of the Party slogans: WAR IS PEACE, FREEDOM IS SLAVERY, IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH?
These party slogans are significant because they show what these people have come to believe and how they are trained to live. From these slogans, one can assume that these people like to fight, they have no freedom and not knowing things is the best in terms of where they live.

5. Who are the Thought Police and what do they do?
The Thought Police is a system who watch and listen to everything people say. They can wire any individual at any given moment. People had to be cautious of what they said because they could be heard at any moment.

6. What is the Two Minutes Hate and what is its purpose?
The Two Minutes Hate is a time of the day where people watch a film about a certain party or watch them and then express their hate for them. The purpose wastir up hatred towards Goldstien and Eur/Eastasia, but it could also serve the purpose of detecting disloyalty in the party members.

7.Why does Winston begin writing int he diary?
Winston begins writinginthe diary to release his thoughts on paper instead of having them in his head and risk getting caught by the Thought Police, although he has to think to write. He is writing to remember past events that he has stored away in the back of his head. He is expressing things he had bottled up inside for many years due to the mind control the Thought police had over him.

8.How would you feel if you lived in this world?
If I lived in this world I would be a very unhappy, confused and paranoid individual. With being watched and monitored all the time I wouldnt know how and what to think due to the risk of getting in trouble. I would be unhappy because I wouldnt have freedom and I would be subject t o behaving under BIG BROTHER'S rules and expecttions. I like to think freely, terefore I think I would get into alot of trouble with the Thought Police.

9.In what ways is our world like this world?
Our world is like their world because in asense the government and media are trying to control the way that we think and what information we can access to. Recently there has been talk about the government propposing a network cencorship. They want to control the information that we take in. I believe they are trying to keep us ignorant to things that they dont want us to know because they feel that we will become to strong and smart or findout something that we wont like. The media, such as Fox news is biased in the way they present information. They are trying to brainwash us and only feed us the information they think we need to know.

10. Do you think its possible that our world could become like this one in the future? In what ways?
I do believe that in the future our world will be kind of like this one. I dont think it will be this extreme though. I see the government monitoring what we do on the Internet and limiting the information we can have access to. I feel like the media and government will continue and try to brainwash and get us to be the perfect little society in their eyes.

Bonus: What is Orwell's purpose in writing this novel?
I think Orwell's purpose of writing this novel is to reveal how everyone in society wants to have a sense of control and power over someone.I think he also wants to show how the government is corrupt and abuses their power by taking advantage of people and making them live in fear.

Bonus II: What is totalitarianism?
Totalitarinism is a form of government where the ruler is a dictator and has total control over everything. THe dictator isnt restricted by any laws or the constitution. Totalitarianism is an unfair disaster!!!!

thesis

Artificial minds and intelligence can both benefit and harm our society because its advancements can be used to improve humans quality of living, but it can also present conflict or competition in the real world if humans do not balance them.

"Human" Robot?

Is it possible  to create a "human" robot? In what ways?

• I think this is an  oxymoron. I feel that creating a robot with human characteristics is possible. All of the characteristics will be programmed, so I think there will never be a genuine 'human" robot. They were made to function like a robot and that is how they will opearte.

What does it mean to be human? What sets us apart from machines?

• Us humans are set apart from machines because we have emotions and feelings. Our physical appearance, body structure are different. We are vulnerable and also capable of getting sick and experiencing death.

What can machines do better  than humans and why? Why?

• Machines can perform hard or tedious tasks because they are designed to do so without complaining. They are better at manual labor, they have the perfect structure, anf they dont have needs or get hungry or sick.

Can a robot love?

• I dont believe robots can love because they are machines that arent programmed with emotion. A robot wouldnt be able to make such a personal connection with someone. It is possible that they can be programmed to love, but it just wouldnt be real.

If a robot could love, could a human love it?

• If a robot could love, I dont think a human could love it without complications. A human would develop more feelings than the robot. It wouldnt be the same as the connection between two real people.

Panopticon

In the article Panopticon there were a lot of interesting points brought up. I agree with the idea that the Internet is a dizzyingly free zone. On the Interet you have the freedom to say and do anything that you desire. I view this a a good thing because everyone is entitled to their freedom of speech. Such freedom on the Internet can be viewed as a god and bad thing. Some people may view Internet freedom as a bad thing because there are some who take advantage of and try to form a social power. People do and say things on the Internet that they usually would say in a face-to-face interaction. I also agree that the Internet gives people a sense of social power because I have seen it happen on social media networks such as Facebook and Twitter. There are many individuals that have a Facebook or Twitter account who have a lot of friends and acquaintaces. Once they become popular and gain a certain number of "friends", "followers", "likes", and "retweets" they believe that they have accomplished something and gained power just because someone noticed them. I believe the internet gives people fake confidence and a higher social status on the Web. People can act as something they are not. The Internet is a good and bad thing because of the freedom it gives people, and this is why the government is talking about a network cencorship. I oppose this network cencorship because in my eyes the Internet does more benefit than harm. It helps [eople out and gives them the information that they need.With network cencorship in mind, the panopticon strategy is an interesting idea but I'm not sure how I would feel knowing that someone is watching my every move. I feel that everyone is entitled to, at least a little bit of freedom even if they are inprisoned.

Artifical Minds

This article raised many good questions. "Can computers think? Could machines be built to have minds as we do?" (69). I do not feel that computers or machines can be built to have minds like human beings, but I do feel that at the rate that technology is advancing, I think that computers and machines will get pretty far. Things such as arfticial minds are being created, but although they are quite efficient, I dont think they will ever be as efficient as the human mind. I agree that artificial intelligence poses a threat to humanity, as shown in movies such as The Matrix, and The Terminator. Although they pose a threat, machines will never be able to function like humans because they will not have a real mind that is capable of thinking. There is a difference betwee programming a function and being made with it. Machines also serve a good purpose. They have their disadvantages and advantages for society. It helps society in many ways but at the same time if we don't balance our real and virtual lives it can be seen as a bad thing.

Aspects of the Self

As soon as I started reading this article, I was drawn in by the first line and took the side of the writer. I agree that the virtual world creates a different being compared to a being  in the real world. Technology and other types of media seem like they influence a persons intersts and shape who they are as a person. Nowadays technology is evolving and becoming so advanced that it has become a part of society's culture. With technology and the virtual world becoming so advanced, it has become a controversy on whether or not there is a difference between machines, such as surrogates, and real live humans. I agree that machines and humans are becoming very similar but a surrogate is a prime example of how they're different. Machines don't experience real life and in my opinion they live a boring life without thrill. This article argues that we are different from machines because we have emotions and can actually experience something and have a bond or connection. I believe it is good to have knowledge about technology because it can be beneficial for some things, but we shouldn't abuse and use it for the wrong things. Media has created a virtual world and we all just need to realize that there needs to be a balance between technology and real life. If machines keep improving and trying to be like people, I feel like they are going to take over and there will be some type of conflict between them and humans.