Halpern, Sue. “Annals of Psychology-Virtual Iraq.” The New Yorker. The New Yorker, 19 May 2008. Web. 2 March 2010.
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Since the beginning of the war in 2001, there have been more than 1.6 million military personal deployed to battle in Iraq, and other Middle Eastern territories. According to a recent study by the RAND Corporation, nearly twenty percent of Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans are suffering from P.T.S.D. or other major depression disorders. In her 2008 feature article entitled, “Virtual Iraq” Sue Halpern discusses a twentieth century version of treatment that she believes should be used on all veterans. Virtual Iraq is basically a video game that is designed around each individual soldier’s experiences, and allows them to reconnect with their traumatic encounters and move on from them. She tells the influential story of Travis Boyd, a soldier who returned home from battle and was not remotely close to the person who left. He avoided large crowds of people, occasionally rode in cars with the door open to look for mortars in the road, and was frightened to walk outside in the dark. Halpern discusses how she and a team of scientists confronted Boyd with an offer to go through the treatment. She reports that his progress was extremely slow, but was clearly evident after a few weeks. Due to the Virtual Iraq treatment, Boyd is now capable of meeting new people, living a healthy life without assistance, and completely depression free.
After reading and analyzing the article, the author’s point of view, purpose, and values are clearly perceptible. Halpern is passionately worried about war veterans, and believes that they should receive the proper care they deserve for the work they put in. Her point of view is undoubtedly important seeing that she is considering the overall wellbeing of all the brave soldiers fighting for our country. In order to illustrate her seriousness on the matter, the author goes into great detail about Boyd’s story. She uses graphic illusions, detailed analysis, and effective personification to allow the reader to fully connect with his story. Once she has the reader’s full attention and compassion, she introduces the Virtual Iraq therapy. Seeing that she discusses the therapy when the reader is in a state of weakness and empathy, they are more likely to see the seriousness of the disorder and see the need for the therapy. This effective strategy allows Halpern to get her message across in a successful manner, and her audience is fully capable of seeing the need to care for all war veterans.
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Understanding The Business of Software
Stephenson, Neal. “In the Beginning was the Command Line.” Harper Collins. 9 November 1999. Web. 24 February 2010 .
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In late 1999, Neal Stephenson published his informative, yet extensive essay discussing the technological world of computer operating systems. He titled his essay, “In the beginning…was the command line” to illustrate that computers operate by the production companies typing specific in depth codes into particular command lines. This allows the user to simply click on an icon or a menu to make the computer perform the task they need it to. However, Stephenson believes that the user population as a whole would be much more empowered if we had the slightest comprehension of what we were actually doing. Throughout the article, he goes into a deep discussion on the history, overall purpose, and his hypothesis of the future of operating systems. He goes into great detail about the major computer corporations, such as Microsoft and Macintosh, and the software they produce. He discusses the manner in which each company goes about selling their products and the new forms of computers they produce. He also discusses the production of the free software companies such as GUI and Linux. In Stephenson’s opinion, the free software companies have the potential of overtaking the major corporations and controlling the world of operating systems.
After reading and analyzing the article, the author’s point of view, purpose, and values are clearly evident. Stephenson commends the free software companies for what they are doing and fully agrees with their overall message. All of the computer users around the world should have some say in what exactly their software does, and truly understand what exactly it does. His point of view is clearly important because he is making a bold statement and opinion about the future of technology and what its’ overall purpose should be. To allow the reader to get a better understanding of his overall message, he uses countless metaphors effectively throughout the article. These metaphors also allow the reader to understand what it is that computers really do. The reader is capable of seeing that the production companies do all the technological work, and install codes so that the user can easily do anything they need to. By the conclusion of the article, Stephenson hopes to have influenced the reader to desire to grasp a better understand of their computer, and have a greater understanding of the free software that is available for them.
Read this article
In late 1999, Neal Stephenson published his informative, yet extensive essay discussing the technological world of computer operating systems. He titled his essay, “In the beginning…was the command line” to illustrate that computers operate by the production companies typing specific in depth codes into particular command lines. This allows the user to simply click on an icon or a menu to make the computer perform the task they need it to. However, Stephenson believes that the user population as a whole would be much more empowered if we had the slightest comprehension of what we were actually doing. Throughout the article, he goes into a deep discussion on the history, overall purpose, and his hypothesis of the future of operating systems. He goes into great detail about the major computer corporations, such as Microsoft and Macintosh, and the software they produce. He discusses the manner in which each company goes about selling their products and the new forms of computers they produce. He also discusses the production of the free software companies such as GUI and Linux. In Stephenson’s opinion, the free software companies have the potential of overtaking the major corporations and controlling the world of operating systems.
After reading and analyzing the article, the author’s point of view, purpose, and values are clearly evident. Stephenson commends the free software companies for what they are doing and fully agrees with their overall message. All of the computer users around the world should have some say in what exactly their software does, and truly understand what exactly it does. His point of view is clearly important because he is making a bold statement and opinion about the future of technology and what its’ overall purpose should be. To allow the reader to get a better understanding of his overall message, he uses countless metaphors effectively throughout the article. These metaphors also allow the reader to understand what it is that computers really do. The reader is capable of seeing that the production companies do all the technological work, and install codes so that the user can easily do anything they need to. By the conclusion of the article, Stephenson hopes to have influenced the reader to desire to grasp a better understand of their computer, and have a greater understanding of the free software that is available for them.
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Extra Credit: Rise of the Machines
Manjoo, Farhad. “Hey, Robot Ref! Are You Blind?.” Slate Magazine. 2 September 2008. Web. 10 November 2009
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Farhad Manjoo, the author of the Slate Magazine article entitled “Hey Robot Ref! Are You Blind?” believes that technology should be incorporated into every aspect of each of the Major League Sports. Throughout the article he explains how the use of computers and advanced technology should replace umpires and referees as the means of regulating sports. Manjoo states, “If video can help an ump determine whether a ball went over the fence, why can't it help with every other call a baseball umpire has to make? That's the lure of video—it promises a measure of certainty in an otherwise uncertain endeavor. Place enough high-speed, high-resolution cameras at enough points around the field of play and you'll eventually get at the absolute truth of any play” (Manjoo). In supporting his technological opinion, he offers the Hawk-Eye example of regulating high-profile tennis matches to ensure that every call is correct. The system is a kind of computerized official that uses video footage obtained from several different cameras to produce a 3-D simulation of the ball and the boundaries of the court. As the match is played, the system is displayed on a wide-screen TV above the court for the fans and officials to view.
After reading the article and dwelling on the topic, Manjoo’s standpoint, purpose, and point of view are clearly perceptible. He believes that the sport’s world should fully adapt and evolve to incorporate the advanced technology that is available. His point of view is unquestionably important seeing that the sports’ world has run into a major debacle on whether or not to evolve or not. Many critics believe that sport’s should be centered around the humanistic element it was designed around and technology should not play a role, but Manjoo is fully prepared with an in depth argument to counter-act them. In order to illustrate his seriousness on the matter, he speaks in the first person and uses effective illusions throughout the article. This emphasizes that the sports world as a whole is affected by the technology debate and there is no way around it. He uses detailed examples and illusions to allow the reader to visualize the assistance that technology truly can offer. His use of detailed analysis challenges even the most defiantly opinionated opposition to reconsider their opinion and fight for technology to become a primary aspect of sports.
Read this article
Farhad Manjoo, the author of the Slate Magazine article entitled “Hey Robot Ref! Are You Blind?” believes that technology should be incorporated into every aspect of each of the Major League Sports. Throughout the article he explains how the use of computers and advanced technology should replace umpires and referees as the means of regulating sports. Manjoo states, “If video can help an ump determine whether a ball went over the fence, why can't it help with every other call a baseball umpire has to make? That's the lure of video—it promises a measure of certainty in an otherwise uncertain endeavor. Place enough high-speed, high-resolution cameras at enough points around the field of play and you'll eventually get at the absolute truth of any play” (Manjoo). In supporting his technological opinion, he offers the Hawk-Eye example of regulating high-profile tennis matches to ensure that every call is correct. The system is a kind of computerized official that uses video footage obtained from several different cameras to produce a 3-D simulation of the ball and the boundaries of the court. As the match is played, the system is displayed on a wide-screen TV above the court for the fans and officials to view.
After reading the article and dwelling on the topic, Manjoo’s standpoint, purpose, and point of view are clearly perceptible. He believes that the sport’s world should fully adapt and evolve to incorporate the advanced technology that is available. His point of view is unquestionably important seeing that the sports’ world has run into a major debacle on whether or not to evolve or not. Many critics believe that sport’s should be centered around the humanistic element it was designed around and technology should not play a role, but Manjoo is fully prepared with an in depth argument to counter-act them. In order to illustrate his seriousness on the matter, he speaks in the first person and uses effective illusions throughout the article. This emphasizes that the sports world as a whole is affected by the technology debate and there is no way around it. He uses detailed examples and illusions to allow the reader to visualize the assistance that technology truly can offer. His use of detailed analysis challenges even the most defiantly opinionated opposition to reconsider their opinion and fight for technology to become a primary aspect of sports.
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Football and Dog Fighting: A Similar Mindset
Gladwell, Malcolm. "Offensive Play: How different are dog fighting and football?" The New Yorker. The New Yorker, October 2009. Web. 3 February 2010.
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In October of 2009, Malcolm Gladwell published his feature article entitled, “Offensive play: How different are dog fighting and football “in The New Yorker. Throughout the informative, yet somewhat controversial article, the author discusses two primary problems with twenty-first century football. According to Gladwell, the mindset and determination of modern day football players and the dreadful activity of dog fighting are fundamentally not that much different from each other. He states that the “gameness” and willingness of both football players and dogs to continue to compete no matter what the case are exactly the same. His primary examples used in the article are Kyle Turley, who received a dangerous concussion yet persevered through the pain and continued to play at a high level, and Michael Vick’s dogs that battled for their lives every fight. The connection is clearly portrayed in this manner seeing that both the player and dog will do whatever it takes for their team, coach, or owner. According to the author, this dog mindset was instilled in the players due to the evolution of the game and the fans appreciation for certain aspects of the game, such as hard hits and dramatic injuries. He relates this troubling aspect of modern football to “Dogmen and Dogfights,” by Evans and Forsyth.
After reading and analyzing the article, Malcolm Gladwell’s purpose, point of view, and values are clearly perceptible. The author is desperately worried about the future of football and the health of the athletes. His point of view is clearly important seeing that he is considering the overall well being of athletes as a whole and sports as a whole. In order to illustrate his seriousness about the manner, he speaks in a worried, yet compassionate tone throughout the article. This tone emphasizes that the matter truly is a serious issue and the proper changes need to be made to the league. Gladwell’s effective use of transitions from a dog fighting incident to the compelling story of an injured player periodically throughout the article allows the reader to clearly see the similarities. His descriptive analysis and use of heavy details allows the reader to see how truly wrong dog fighting is, and relate the story to actual football injuries. By the conclusion of the article, the author hopes to have influenced not only the reader, but also the athletic world as a whole to change sports before the injuries get even more serious than they currently are.
Read this article
In October of 2009, Malcolm Gladwell published his feature article entitled, “Offensive play: How different are dog fighting and football “in The New Yorker. Throughout the informative, yet somewhat controversial article, the author discusses two primary problems with twenty-first century football. According to Gladwell, the mindset and determination of modern day football players and the dreadful activity of dog fighting are fundamentally not that much different from each other. He states that the “gameness” and willingness of both football players and dogs to continue to compete no matter what the case are exactly the same. His primary examples used in the article are Kyle Turley, who received a dangerous concussion yet persevered through the pain and continued to play at a high level, and Michael Vick’s dogs that battled for their lives every fight. The connection is clearly portrayed in this manner seeing that both the player and dog will do whatever it takes for their team, coach, or owner. According to the author, this dog mindset was instilled in the players due to the evolution of the game and the fans appreciation for certain aspects of the game, such as hard hits and dramatic injuries. He relates this troubling aspect of modern football to “Dogmen and Dogfights,” by Evans and Forsyth.
After reading and analyzing the article, Malcolm Gladwell’s purpose, point of view, and values are clearly perceptible. The author is desperately worried about the future of football and the health of the athletes. His point of view is clearly important seeing that he is considering the overall well being of athletes as a whole and sports as a whole. In order to illustrate his seriousness about the manner, he speaks in a worried, yet compassionate tone throughout the article. This tone emphasizes that the matter truly is a serious issue and the proper changes need to be made to the league. Gladwell’s effective use of transitions from a dog fighting incident to the compelling story of an injured player periodically throughout the article allows the reader to clearly see the similarities. His descriptive analysis and use of heavy details allows the reader to see how truly wrong dog fighting is, and relate the story to actual football injuries. By the conclusion of the article, the author hopes to have influenced not only the reader, but also the athletic world as a whole to change sports before the injuries get even more serious than they currently are.
Friday, January 29, 2010
Enhanced Heroism
Kern, Douglas. "Our Asterisked Heroes." The New Atlantis: A Journal of Technology and Society. A New Atlantis, June 2004. Web. 23 January 2010.
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Has improved technology and genetic engineering experiments enhanced the world of sports, or completely eliminated the humanistic element of heroism that was key in its origin? In his feature article entitled “Our asterisked heroes,” Douglas Kern analyzes and discusses this preeminent question. Throughout the intriguing article, Kern explains the disturbing roles in which performance enhancing drugs and the twenty-first century’s cornucopia of medicine play on sports. According to the author, baseball’s pastime was solely based on individual talent and hard work and the success that was achieved from it. Instead of hard work, he states that today’s athletes and future athletes have the convenient option of using performance enhancing drugs and other medical practices to reach greatness. However, should modern-day greatness truly be compared with that of the legends? Should today’s achievements and ground-breaking records really be included with those of the all time legends? According to Kern, every athlete that took supplements at some point in their career should have an asterisk by any record that he/she breaks. By using the asterisk, every devoted fan can clearly see where these twenty first century imposters rank amongst the natural born greats. True heroism can easily be viewed by this technique and the legends can earn the respect they truly deserve.
After analyzing the article and dwelling on the topic, Douglas Kern’s overall purpose, message, and values are easily perceptible. The author is a clearly a devoted sports fan that enjoys viewing and commending feats of human excellence. He gives credit where credit is due and doesn’t mind discussing where it is not due. The author’s purpose and point of view are unquestionably important seeing that he is considering both the sport’s world and the entire world in his discussion. If today’s “heroes” significantly overpass yesterday’s greats, then they will simply be forgotten about and thrown under the bus. If in the near future a supplemented athlete hits two hundred homeruns in a single season, or someone uses the numerous twenty first century technology to develop the world’s fastest computer, no one will ever stop and wonder who did it first. Kern’s effective writing skills, detailed examples, and intriguing sub-titles assists in conveying the message to the reader to question where true heroism lies. True heroism is found in the greats of our pastime that achieved greatness first and based on the talent they were born with, and they deserve the respect they rightfully earned.
Read this article
Has improved technology and genetic engineering experiments enhanced the world of sports, or completely eliminated the humanistic element of heroism that was key in its origin? In his feature article entitled “Our asterisked heroes,” Douglas Kern analyzes and discusses this preeminent question. Throughout the intriguing article, Kern explains the disturbing roles in which performance enhancing drugs and the twenty-first century’s cornucopia of medicine play on sports. According to the author, baseball’s pastime was solely based on individual talent and hard work and the success that was achieved from it. Instead of hard work, he states that today’s athletes and future athletes have the convenient option of using performance enhancing drugs and other medical practices to reach greatness. However, should modern-day greatness truly be compared with that of the legends? Should today’s achievements and ground-breaking records really be included with those of the all time legends? According to Kern, every athlete that took supplements at some point in their career should have an asterisk by any record that he/she breaks. By using the asterisk, every devoted fan can clearly see where these twenty first century imposters rank amongst the natural born greats. True heroism can easily be viewed by this technique and the legends can earn the respect they truly deserve.
After analyzing the article and dwelling on the topic, Douglas Kern’s overall purpose, message, and values are easily perceptible. The author is a clearly a devoted sports fan that enjoys viewing and commending feats of human excellence. He gives credit where credit is due and doesn’t mind discussing where it is not due. The author’s purpose and point of view are unquestionably important seeing that he is considering both the sport’s world and the entire world in his discussion. If today’s “heroes” significantly overpass yesterday’s greats, then they will simply be forgotten about and thrown under the bus. If in the near future a supplemented athlete hits two hundred homeruns in a single season, or someone uses the numerous twenty first century technology to develop the world’s fastest computer, no one will ever stop and wonder who did it first. Kern’s effective writing skills, detailed examples, and intriguing sub-titles assists in conveying the message to the reader to question where true heroism lies. True heroism is found in the greats of our pastime that achieved greatness first and based on the talent they were born with, and they deserve the respect they rightfully earned.
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Modern-day Mindset: The Path to Destruction
Berry, Wendell. “Faustian Economics: Hell Hath No Limits.” Harper’s Magazine. The Harper's Magazine Foundation, May 2008. Web. 31 Dec. 2009.
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In May of 2008, Wendell Berry published his feature article entitled, “Faustian Economics: Hell Hath No Limits” in Harper's Magazine. Throughout the controversial, yet influential article, Berry disproves the fallacy that the sky is the limit. He states that the majority of today’s society lives in a limitless, indestructible, and delusional world. According to Berry, the Industrial Revolution instituted the outlook that all of the world’s problems will be answered by advanced technology, scientific breakthroughs, and improved knowledge. However influential this time period may have been, he believes that this mindset should be completely eliminated from today’s society. His primary example used in the article is the case of the declining natural resources available for us to live off of. The limitless selfishness is clearly portrayed in this manner, because we continue to use up the resources at a steady pace. Instead of slowing down the use, we put our fate in technology’s hands to discover a new source of energy. Berry relates the current economic struggles to Christopher Marlowe’s play entitled Tragical History of Doctor Faustus. He relates society’s limitless mentality to the play’s primary theme of a limitless hell. If we continue to live selfishly and not consider the future the world that we call home will eventually become hell.
After reading and analyzing the article, the author’s point of view, purpose, and values are clearly evident. Berry is passionately worried about the future of man-kind and dedicated to making it very clear that society needs a dramatic change. His point of view is undoubtedly important seeing that he is considering the overall well-being of all of humanity. In order to illustrate his seriousness about the matter, he speaks in first person plural throughout the essay. This emphasizes that everyone is a part of the problem and everyone is affected by it. Berry’s effective use of detailed examples and word repetition challenges even the most defiantly opinionated person to analyze the manner in which they are living. He challenges the reader to consider whether or not they are truly one of the selfish individuals he speaks of. If so, he attempts to get them to see that the world does have limits and boundaries should be set. By the conclusion of the article, Berry hopes to have influenced the reader to see the change, make the change, and spread the change that is necessary for the survival of both us as individuals and us as a whole.
Read this article
In May of 2008, Wendell Berry published his feature article entitled, “Faustian Economics: Hell Hath No Limits” in Harper's Magazine. Throughout the controversial, yet influential article, Berry disproves the fallacy that the sky is the limit. He states that the majority of today’s society lives in a limitless, indestructible, and delusional world. According to Berry, the Industrial Revolution instituted the outlook that all of the world’s problems will be answered by advanced technology, scientific breakthroughs, and improved knowledge. However influential this time period may have been, he believes that this mindset should be completely eliminated from today’s society. His primary example used in the article is the case of the declining natural resources available for us to live off of. The limitless selfishness is clearly portrayed in this manner, because we continue to use up the resources at a steady pace. Instead of slowing down the use, we put our fate in technology’s hands to discover a new source of energy. Berry relates the current economic struggles to Christopher Marlowe’s play entitled Tragical History of Doctor Faustus. He relates society’s limitless mentality to the play’s primary theme of a limitless hell. If we continue to live selfishly and not consider the future the world that we call home will eventually become hell.
After reading and analyzing the article, the author’s point of view, purpose, and values are clearly evident. Berry is passionately worried about the future of man-kind and dedicated to making it very clear that society needs a dramatic change. His point of view is undoubtedly important seeing that he is considering the overall well-being of all of humanity. In order to illustrate his seriousness about the matter, he speaks in first person plural throughout the essay. This emphasizes that everyone is a part of the problem and everyone is affected by it. Berry’s effective use of detailed examples and word repetition challenges even the most defiantly opinionated person to analyze the manner in which they are living. He challenges the reader to consider whether or not they are truly one of the selfish individuals he speaks of. If so, he attempts to get them to see that the world does have limits and boundaries should be set. By the conclusion of the article, Berry hopes to have influenced the reader to see the change, make the change, and spread the change that is necessary for the survival of both us as individuals and us as a whole.
Thursday, January 14, 2010
A Little Insight
Sergey Brin, the creator of Google, said, “As we go forward, I hope we’re going to continue to use technology to make really big differences in how people live and work.” Over the past century, nearly every aspect of life has been positively affected by advanced technology and new inventions. Correspondingly, the culture and overall way of life has greatly benefited from these innovations. Along with the majority of society, I am extremely grateful for the numerous advances, and I am incredibly interested in the progress and the future. There are various topics in which I am interested, ranging from the sports world to the diverse world of medicine. Over the past few decades, every major league sport has been bombarded by the use of technology and changed the manner in which each game is played. Whether it is a negative or positive effect, each sport has altered nearly every aspect of the game due to this substantial technological progress. Seeing that health is one of the primary issues of the modern world, I am also interested in the updated vaccines, cures, and medicines that are continually being discovered. The aspect of innovation that intrigues me the most is the junction at which sports, technology, and medicine intertwine.
Since my plan is to major in exercise science and to later become a physical therapist, I enjoy researching and reporting technological issues in this genre and plan to design my blog around these ideals. I have been involved in sports my entire life and my most predominant hobby is watching and researching athletic activities. Over the years, I have witnessed first-hand the takeover of technology in sports and I am extremely excited about researching the matter in more detail. Advanced technology plays a vital role in modern day sports and has both positive and negative effects on the game. Every sport, besides baseball, now incorporates a high definition instant replay system that takes the responsibility of getting nearly every call correct. Also, athletes have become so fascinated with technology that taking steroids and growth supplements have become the normal way of reaching a higher level of success. However, does technology such as instant replay and supplements truly assist the manner in which sports are plays, or does it completely eliminate the humanistic element that sports were originally designed around? Another aspect of advanced technology that intrigues me is the intersection of sports and medicine. I am truly excited about researching and reporting concussions, broken bones, torn ligaments, and other major injuries, as well as the advanced manner of treating the injuries.
Since my plan is to major in exercise science and to later become a physical therapist, I enjoy researching and reporting technological issues in this genre and plan to design my blog around these ideals. I have been involved in sports my entire life and my most predominant hobby is watching and researching athletic activities. Over the years, I have witnessed first-hand the takeover of technology in sports and I am extremely excited about researching the matter in more detail. Advanced technology plays a vital role in modern day sports and has both positive and negative effects on the game. Every sport, besides baseball, now incorporates a high definition instant replay system that takes the responsibility of getting nearly every call correct. Also, athletes have become so fascinated with technology that taking steroids and growth supplements have become the normal way of reaching a higher level of success. However, does technology such as instant replay and supplements truly assist the manner in which sports are plays, or does it completely eliminate the humanistic element that sports were originally designed around? Another aspect of advanced technology that intrigues me is the intersection of sports and medicine. I am truly excited about researching and reporting concussions, broken bones, torn ligaments, and other major injuries, as well as the advanced manner of treating the injuries.
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