TOW Post #7- Article: "All Can Be Lost: The Risk of Putting Our Knowledge in the Hands of Machines"

         Technology has become a huge part of everyone's everyday life. We rely on it for hundreds on things: directions, to answer our questions, as reminders, to hold important information, etc. But when does this all become too much? Graduating from Harvard and author of books and articles about technology, business, and culture, Nicholas Carr brings up this concern and more if this concern can become a risk for humans. In his article "All Can Be Lost: The Risk of Putting Our Knowledge in the Hands of Machines" Carr reveals his purpose in writing his article is to explain to people that relying on technology too much can be a risk by including data and examples that supports his claim, and using negative diction.

            Throughout his article Carr establishes his credibility by including data and examples to explain the negative effects of relying too much on technology. He opens up with a story about a deadly airplane crash, which was ultimately caused by technology. Carr then explains how "human pilot holds the controls for a grand total of just three minutes." Because most pilots are operating under autopilot, when it turns off and goes to manual operation unexpectedly, the pilots don't properly respond to the situation, most of the time causing the plane to crash. Carr then gives another example of the same situation, making readers think, Maybe relying too much on technology is a risk, yet a deadly risk at times.

In addition to examples he also quotes many psychologists such as Lisanne Bainbridge; “and a person’s skills ‘deteriorate when they are not used’ even experienced operators...” This quote does not only explain why we must not rely on technology to a point where we lose our skills, but it also establishes credibility for Carr; showing he knows what he is talking about.

           Carr also uses negative diction throughout his article which hints at how too much technology can be bad. He uses words such as “unreliable”, “insufficient”, “risk”, “sacrificing” and many other words that convey a negative tone. This helps Carr achieve his purpose because it makes readers lean more toward the negative effects of technology. Carr does achieve his purpose of explaining to people that relying on technology too much can be a risk by using rhetorical devices such as examples and quotes, and negative diction. 

       

Source:http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2013/11/the-great-forgetting/309516/

TOW Post #6- Visual Text: "World Wildlife Fund Advertisement"

             Global warming has always seemed to be a big concern for Earth. Scientists have been warning people that it is going to get worse each year if we don't do something about it; such as more environment safe cars, factories, and disposal techniques. Yet the way we do things seems to not have changed at all, more people need to take action on this issue. People may not listen to these scientists but they might be convinced to make a change if they see an effective ad: like the one above. The WWF (World Wildlife Fund)  is a great organization that promotes the taking a stand to stop global warming because it doesn't only affect humans but it mainly affects the animals of wildlife.
            In the ad above Earth is depicted as a melting ice cream scoop in a waffle cone. When we were children this would often happen to us; the melting ice cream cone, because we couldn't eat it fast enough on a hot summer day. We would then try to lick all of the drips of the melting ice cream that was coming down the cone, before it would reach our clean hands that were holding the cone. The WWF appeals to pathos by tapping into our childhood memories. When seeing this image we want to "lick" and or save the melting Earth before it's too late; really achieving the WWF's purpose of this ad.
            Not only does the WWF do well with appealing to pathos to their audience to promote the stopping of global warming, but the way they present the ad: regarding colors, lighting, and positioning. The background really brings focus to the ice cream cone because the black contrasts with the bright blue color of the earth and the light tan color of the cone. The color contrast will catch people's eyes quickly and bringing them to the focus and message of the ad. Not only do the color choices grab the attention of more people but also the extra lighting created on the ice cream cone Earth. The positioning of the ice cream cone also helps the WWF promote the stopping of global warming. Because it is positioned in the center it communicates that this problem is very important and should get a lot of attention, which is what the "center" position usually represents. With these smart choice strategies the WWF uses in their ad they are most likely getting more people to hop on board on doing something to stop global warming.



Image Source:http://www.thedailygreen.com/environmental-news/latest/environmental-ads-44102408#slide-2

TOW Post #5- Article: "Shrinking Hours"

         

            Therapy is a key solution to solving your problems, a way to get everything out to a person who is not biased. Usually people can go for two to three times a week for about a standard one hour session. But recently these sessions have been declining. Most sessions today are are 50 to 45 minutes instead of  full 60 minutes. Some people are wondering why these sessions are shortening and if it is good for the patients.

             In the opinion section of the New York Times Newspapers, writer Richard Friedman, who is the Director of Psychopharmacology at the Payne Whitney Psychiatric Clinic and the Weill Cornell Medical College, brought up this recent trend. He tries to bring up this trend to those who are running these therapeutic sessions and who decided to cut them shorter. Friedman uses terminology that therapist would understand, why shortening time might not be the best thing, and refutes his argument.

           Using high intelligence terminology establishes his knowledge and credibility to his audience. Because his audience are most likely to be therapist, he create a level of common understanding. Terms like "psychotherapy" and "therapeutic truism" shows that Friedman has a good foundation of knowledge of the therapist "world." This pushes his therapist readers to consider what he has to say about sessions being shortened.

           Friedman also mentions why shortening the time is not beneficial to the patients. He bring up that it takes many patients to reveal their true feelings a good amount of time into the session. When cutting the sessions short the patient might not get everything out that they would like to say. Also the shortening sessions are still being charged as a full session. He explains how "a therapist can charge for a 45 minute session if it lasts between 38 and 52 minutes; a 30 minute session can run anywhere from 16 to 37 minute," ripping off patients financially. On the other hand Friedman does refute the negatives of shortening session by say that there was "one small study showed that depressed patients responded more quickly to a brief course of interpersonal psychotherapy than they did to the antidepressant Zoloft." 

          In his article Friedman successfully achieves his purpose by making therapists aware of the consequences, good and bad, that come with shortening the sessions and that they should reconsider their recent trend through his credibility and examples that explain the pros and cons.

Source:http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/13/opinion/sunday/shrinking-hours.html?_r=0

TOW Post #4- IRB: Outliers Part 1

         
            When someone becomes successful and is well known for it, the question that often comes up is, why are they so successful? People on the outside, viewing the person and their success, often answer that question, based on how smart they are or what traits they have. These common answers are very surfaced based and do not accurately explain why people are successful. Fortunately Malcolm Gladwell shows and explains to us how we need to dig deeper below the surface to explain success.
            In one of his most popular books Outliers, Gladwell, who was honored by the American Psychological Society and the American Sociological Society, takes a look into the source of success and finds that it is more than the "surface" explanations. Now halfway through the book, Gladwell has really emphasized the exposure to "extraordinary opportunities" is key to success. Gladwell uses three very different examples and show that they all have one thing in common; they are all based off of the exposure to opportunities. 
           Gladwell compares The Beatle's success, Bill Gate's success, and Billy Joy's success. Each person and or group is very different but had all been exposed to an opportunity that got them to be so successful. Because The Beatle's got invited to perform in Hamburg (where they got recognized) they became successful. Because Bill Gates attended Lakeside Elementary School (a first elementary computer room) he became a billionaire. And because Billy Joy was around when the solution to programming problem emerged, he became a successful computer scientist. By bringing three very different situations and showing how they evolved from "extraordinary opportunities," Gladwell demonstrates one of the deeper reasons of success.
            Gladwell also uses data to support his reason for why people become successful. For example he includes a chart that shows the lists of professional hockey players and their birthdays, supporting how they are mostly all born in January through March: contributing to their success. Because Gladwell supports his findings  and comparing different situations, he successfully achieves his purpose.



Image Source:http://www.desicomments.com/desi/success/

TOW Post #3- Article: "The Case Against High-School Sports"

         

  High school is one of the most important four years of someone's life, it basically is the end of your childhood and the introduction of a new life chapter; adulthood. Unfortunately, high school is not an easy run through. With papers, exams, and projects, it's likely that students are often stressed. Fortunately, there is something that relieves the stress; sports. Today sports have become a huge part of American high schools.

            In The Atlantic 2013 October issue, journalist and graduate of Cornell University, Amanda Ripley, wrote an interesting article about how American high school sports are taken more seriously than academics. Throughout her article she tries to communicates to the superintendents of all American high schools that they should pay closer attention to how balanced sports and academics are. She incorporates foreign student perspectives and interesting statistics to bring up the question if sports and academics are balanced.

            Ripley focused on comparing American high schools to other high schools around the world. A South Korean girl named Jenny had moved to New York in 2011 and Ripley interviewed her about her thoughts on the American school. One of the first things that got her attention at  her new school, Shawnee High School, was that "sports are a big deal here". Many people in the United States wouldn't see high school sports as a huge deal when it comes to time and commitment, simply because we're use to it. On the other hand to foreign students it seems as if we praise high school sports. As Jenny continued talking to Ripley, she mentions how her classmates would play "pickup soccer on a dirt field at lunchtime," and if they were in the newspapers "it was usually for their academic accomplishments." Ripley also interviewed a german student who as well thought the same: that American students care more about sports than they do. Also Ripley mentions some shocking facts in comparative to other high schools around the world. She states that "more than 20 countries are pulling off better high school graduation rates" than the U.S. The average school pays about "$1300 per player (in this case football) but only $618 per math student." Ripley also includes this shocking fact that "93 percent of South Korean students graduate from high school, compared to 77 percent of American students." With these shocking facts and interviews from foreign students' perspectives, Ripley makes American superintendents rethink about how well their high school balances the importance of sports and academics.

Source: http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2013/10/the-case-against-high-school-sports/309447/

TOW Post #2- Visual Text: "FedEx Advertisement"

           In the world today, not only is it easier and faster to mail a letter or a bill, but it is also the same  for shipping packages. There are plenty of different companies, such as FedEx, UPS, DHL, etc., that say they offer the "most convenient" and "the best" service but are always competing with each other for the most customers. Commercials play a key part in gaining customers, whether through humor, heartfelt, or personal connections. However images are also important to helping a company gain more customers; even the most simplest images can reveal the most about a company to its customers. 
            FedEx is well known for its straightforwardness in their advertisement images: as seen in one of the most recent images above. Through this image, the company without a doubt communicates the goals of their service to the customers. Firstly, displayed in the image are hands of two people who are passing a vase effortlessly to each other through the FedEx box. This represents an important goal of FedEx's service: to make the customer's shipping experience facile. In a busy world today people do not have the time to spend hours with the process of sending a simple package. With this depiction through the image, FedEx easily attracts more customers to their service.
            FedEx used pathos through this image as well. One can see that the object being shipping is a vase that looks delicate and special, might be a vase passed down through generations, enhancing the special quality of it. Notice the way the two people people are holding the vase: with both hands having a good and careful grip of it. This really communicates to the viewers that FedEx handles their objects with care, and makes it their job to prevent any damage, definitely drawing in more customers. Through these definite rhetorical decisions made by the FedEx advertisement designers, the company is able to gain more customers each and every day. 

Image Source:http://www.coloribus.com/adsarchive/outdoor/fedex-express-vase-12992155/

IRB Intro Post: Marking Period 1

         
             For the first marking period I decided to chose the non-fiction book Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell. This book is about why the outliers, people who stand out from everyone else, are so different and how they got that way. Malcolm explains why most good hockey plays are born in the winter, why Asians are so smart, and much more. I selected this book, because my English teacher from last year read my class an excerpt from the book, and I found it very appealing. I enjoy learning new things and like how Malcolm explains why things are with his research. By reading this book, I hope to learn to look at success in a different way and gain appreciation for non-fiction.