Final Reflections

          Overall, I thouroughly enjoyed my time in Digital Citizenship. I had no idea what this class would consist of in the beginning of the semester, and I'm not even sure I could give a straight answer to that now because we have covered so much stuff. We explored so many aspects of technology and social media and art that I have gained an abundance of knowledge this semester. The lectures and short films taught me a lot about art and how it influences the world's population. For example, the Free to Play documentary opened my eyes to the world of gaming, which I didn't realize was such an influential area of the arts. I also loved reading Letters to a Young Contrarian. The fact that we had to blog about each chapter helped me get more involved with the book. I found myself excited to read it and I was always fascinated by the points Christopher Hitchens brought up. Blogging about the chapters also helped me develop my own thoughts and allowed me to comment on the controversial issues from the book. The Internet Art book was interesting, but I found that the in-class lectures on the chapters were much more helpful and engaging that reading the book on our own. That book just has so much information that it was difficult to take it all in, but having examples, videos, and pictures on the screen in class made the content seem more real. I learned a lot from the lectures and I always found them interesting.
          The projects were definitely my favorite part of the class. I absolutely love art and I love being creative, but since I'm not an art major sometimes it can be hard to include art into my every day life. This class allowed us to explore our artistic abilities and basically express ourselves however we wanted. The remix project was my favorite because I love editing videos. It was also cool to see the different issues and topics that my classmates decided to comment on with their own videos. That brings me to another part of the class that I loved: critique days. I think it is amazing that we all had to share our projects with the class because art is meant to be shared and it is supposed to spark some emotion or thought in other people. Sharing our projects in class allowed us to become more comfortable with our own work and we were able to get feedback from the class. Overall, I thought this class was amazing I don't think much needs to be changed for the next COM242 class.

1. LinkedIn Recommendations? No.
2. Swede Film Festival submission? No.
3. RunKeeper GPS art? No.
4. Course Survey completed? Yes
5. Digital Art: Chapters Intro-3? No.

Humans vs. Computers

          The last blog assignment was to comment on something covered in class, but unfortunately I couldn't make it to class on Monday. So I scanned through some of the links listed on the syllabus and I found that a recurring theme was computers becoming a part of humans. From Google-glasses to the interview from "Kim's Reports" about people wearing computers, I found that scientists are determined to push the boundaries of the relationship between humans and computers. The interview describes gloves that allow people to control computers with a swish of the hand, and also goes into detail about the glasses from Google. These glasses allow you to search the internet and video chat without needing an actual computer. The interview describes Google glasses as "a smartphone on your face". While this is a impressive invention that has taken technology to a whole new level, I am not a fan of the idea. 
          I researched reactions of people with Google glasses, and I found an article from the New Yorker  about a day in the life of a man with Google glasses. While the article described all the information the man found using the glasses, such as flight delays, news reports, and restaurants around him, it also described how his eyes began to hurt, he felt nauseous after wearing them all day, and people noticed him constantly flicking his head and swiping his lenses and speaking to his glasses. While getting tons of information with a simple voice command may be appealing to some people, it is easy enough to pull out your smartphone and check this information manually. I believe smartphones and computers can already do so much that we don't need to push them any further. I find it sad that people are too lazy to just read a newspaper if they want news updates. Do we really need information displayed in our everyday line of sight? If people spend all their time surfing the web on their glasses, how will they be able to pay attention to what is actually happening in front of them? People will start to miss out on life or even worse, Google glasses will become people's lives. Below is the link to the article I read.

http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2013/08/05/130805fa_fact_shteyngart?currentPage=all

Pinterest Project Week 3

          This week I finished my dream catcher! I spent this week finishing all the dangling strings and then hot-gluing them to the base. This was actually really fun because I got to make lots of different styles of strands with different materials. I didn't actually plan anything out, I just made one strand at a time and did whatever felt right. For a few strands, I took the same elastic wire I had used for the pattern on the base and I strung different colored beads through it. Sometime I just cut long strands of black or brown suede string and glued beads and feathers to the bottom. The strands that took the longest were the ones I started last week. These ones involved tying the colored yarn into a pattern to make an intricate design, but they turned out amazing. I basically just put together different strands of beads, feathers, and colored strings to make a chaotic but beautiful assortment of strands. Below are some close-up photos of the strands. 

          The whole process of creating the strands and attaching them to the base of the dream catcher took about 3 hours. Tying the strands like the one above on the far left became tedious and took a long time, but it was definitely worth it. I love the final product, and it honestly turned out much better than I thought it would. I was a little sad that I didn't have time to make another one because this one took longer than expected, but I may do it anyways just for fun.

Letters to a Young Contrarian CH. 18 & Envoi

          The last chapter of this book focuses on Hitchens' experience and analysis of the war in Bosnia-Herzegovnia, and while there are many insightful points that he makes regarding the international conflict, there is one passage that stood out to me. On page 132, he explains how the attitudes of the people of Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia-Herzegovnia, were surprisingly peaceful and confident. He says, "I saw the people at their best, being maltreated by people at their worst". He describes how the majority of the population did not allow "chauvinists" to take control and although people were being abused because of their race or their beliefs, they did not give in. I see this situation as an insight to the nature of man. I don't believe that there are good people and there are evil people. I believe all humans have good and evil inside them, and some choose to act upon one or the other. As seen in literature such as "Lord of the Flies" by William Golding, when someone commits to the evil within himself, he uses fear to manipulate others to do the same. Then as a group becomes predominantly evil, it is hard for other people to remain loyal to the goodness within. It is fascinating that the people of Bosnia were able to remain good, and they refused to let the evil affect them. This gives me hope in humanity; some people are strong enough to focus on the good parts of themselves rather than crumbling under the power of evil.
          The Envoi obviously is the conclusion to this novel, and Hitchens briefly sums up the advice he has given to the readers. My favorite piece of advice he revisits in the Envoi is "Never be a spectator of unfairness or stupidity". He explored this topic many times throughout the book, and I definitely wrote about is a few times because I think it is important. So as not to be repetitive, I will just quickly sum up why this advice is necessary. Civilization has thrived off of progress, and our world today would not be as successful as it is without people who have devoted their time to creating change. Change and progress are essential parts of any flourishing society, and if everyone sat back and accepted the "unfair" and "stupid" aspects of society, then we would live in a world full of unfairness and stupidity. People need to be willing to change the problems they see in the world, and they cannot be afraid of standing out or upsetting the masses. I think creating change is one of the most important things not only for individuals and their lives, but for the whole world.

Vine

Our story is about two girls in a haunted library. The exposition is Liz and Maddie going into the library and browsing through the books. The rising action is when the books start acting on their own, and the climax is when they realize that the library is haunted. The falling action is Liz and Maddie running away from the library and the folders are following them. The resolution is when they look back and all the haunted objects are gone. It is supposed to look like a supernatural happening.
Working in a group was awesome and we got the work done really quickly. We all came up with different ideas for the videos and turned it into one interesting story. I filmed the clips and Liz and Maddie acted and moved the props around. It was really fun to film and we think it turned out great at the end.

Pinterest Project Week 2

          I got a lot of work done on my dream catcher this week. I started by following a string weaving pattern from Pinterest, by that ended up being more of a guideline than instructions. I used elastic string to create the center of the dreamcatcher, and I tied in some beads to make it interesting. This was actually very difficult because it required a lot of patience and I had to be very careful and gentle not to rip the elastic. A few times the elastic broke or I tied it in the wrong place and had to redo some pieces. I basically made up the pattern as I went along because it didn't look at all like the picture I was trying to recreate. This portion took about an hour.

 

 (the pattern I tried to follow)

          The next part of the project that I started was the strings that will dangle off the bottom of the dream catcher. I want there to be tons of strings with different textures and styles, so I've started making a few out of yarn. I am following the patterns of string friendship bracelets from Pinterest because I think it would be cool to incorporate the two projects together. So I have been braiding a few different bracelets to attach to the bottom, and this is probably the most time consuming part. I've spent about 2 hours on the bracelets so far. 

(my inspiration)

 (my version)

          Overall, I have already spend about 6 hours on the dream catcher. I was originally planning on making a few dream catchers, but I definitely underestimated how long it would take to make one. So next week I will finish this one and depending on how long that takes, maybe I will make another one.

Internet Art Chapter 4

          The first artist I researched from Internet Art chapter 4 was Heath Bunting. He is a contemporary internet artist from Britain, and explores connections between the internet, the physical world, and how humans can control these things. A famous project of his is "BorderXing", where he crossed many international borders and documented footage online. Also in his online project, he included successful and strategic ways to make these journeys between countries in order to help others embark on the same travels. This is interesting because he doing exactly what our "Intructables" project is all about: giving back to the internet and allowing others to learn from his experience. He then set up his website so only certain people could view his work, thus creating his own borders for the internet. I think it is fascinating how Bunting related the internet and the geographical world. Not only did he document the physical world and share it with the internet by posting footage of his journeys online, he brought actual parts of the real world online. He treated his website like it was its own nation, adding restrictions as to who can and can't see his project. It is a powerful message showing how all aspects of tangible and non-tangible life are interconnected. 
          Bunting also did a creative performance art piece called "King’s Cross Phone-In." He posted on his website different phone numbers inside King's Cross railway station, and what times people should call those numbers. Then at a specific time, people from all over the world were calling these phone booths and starting conversations with people inside the station. This project shows how technology has the ability to connect people even if they are unaware of it. It is incredible how Heath Bunting dedicates his time to using the internet as a tool to bring people together. Below is a photo of Bunting on his travels for "BorderXing", in Portugal. Below that is a screenshot of the message he sent out to encourage people to call the station in "King's Cross Phone-In".
          

          The next artist I researched was Shu Lea Cheang, a multi media artist from Taiwan. She participated in numerous art exhibitions that challenged digital censorship and property control. I thought this was interesting because it relates to what we viewed in the film about "Anonymous". Cheang collaborated with a few other artists to create a project called the "Kingdom of Piracy", which is basically a network that allows digital content to circulate freely without censorship. This could be considered piracy, hence the name of the project, and the Acer Digital Art Center in Taiwan demanded that the network change its name and provide links to artists featured on the page. But Cheang and the others fought and kept their system as it was. Another project by Cheang is "Burn", a project created to contradict piracy restrictions. It is an online site that includes download and upload links, and ways for people to share content. It's basic purpose is to allow users to share and access media online without any government interference, and I respect Cheang for this. She created artworks that stand up for what she believes in, and it is amazing that she is willing to speak out against the law through her art. It is similar to the Anonymous hacktivist group because Cheang uses the internet to try to make a change in society.

http://www.medienkunstnetz.de/works/kingdom-of-piracy/

Scientology

          The Church of Scientology has some very interesting beliefs regarding the spirit of human beings and alien civilizations. The more I read about Scientology beliefs, the more confused I got. I guess that could be considered a con of the Church of Scientology: their ideas are far-fetched and confusing to outsiders. But whatever the people of that church chose to believe, it has no effect on me. I don't think it is right for others to attack the church based on what they believe just because they disagree. So when Anonymous started targeting the Church, many were outraged. Anonymous did have a specific reason for their attacks, which was censorship. There is another con of the Church of Scientology: they restricted the public from seeing an interview with Tom Cruise. To those who believe the public has the right to see everything, this could provoke anger. In 1975, a few Scientologists came to Clearwater and established their headquarters, making the church in Clearwater caused it to become a religious headquarters where members of the church from all over the world come to worship. My overall opinion now is that Anonymous went a little far in the extent that they attacked the Church of Scientology, I respect that they stood up for their beliefs.

Response to "We Are Legion"

          I really enjoyed this film, and it was entertaining as well as informative. For the most part, I agreed with what the Anonymous groups were doing, and what they were trying to do. I believe a healthy society has people who are willing to stand up for what they believe in. Some of the silly little things they did, such as forming swastikas on children's games, were a little ridiculous. But I truly don't understand how some people can get so mad over little things like that because it's just an internet game and most little kids playing probably won't even know what a swastika is. But regarding the larger scale movements of Anonymous, like protests and their involvement in Wikileaks and the Egyptian revolts, I fully support them. If everyone just laid down and accepted what the government says is right or wrong, then no nation would progress and grow. Just as Hitchens says in Letters to a Young Contrarian, expressing your beliefs and not being afraid to contradict the government is essential to a successful community. Personally, I think the citizens of a nation have the right to know everything their government is doing. Especially in America, where our government is supposedly "by the people, for the people", the people should be aware of what is going on. Wikileaks allowed the public to learn what is going on in the elite of our nation, and if people choose to avoid Wikileaks because it is destructive, then that is their choice. But as a whole, I think Anonymous is a great idea and everyone who participates is very brave. The film did say that legal consequences are inevitable if you break the law, so members of Anonymous can't complain about facing jail time and fines for their actions. If they are willing to face the consequences for the sake of standing up for what is right, then all the power to them. Nelson Mandela had to spend time in prison for his actions and because he was determined and persistent, he ended up being one of the most successful leaders in South Africa. It all depends on how strong you feel about your beliefs and how far you are willing to go to make a change.

Pinterest Project

          For my Pinterest project, I decided to make dream catchers. I've always thought dream catchers were really cool and I found this the perfect opportunity to make some of my own. I found pictures of some on Pinterest that I thought were incredible, and I want to base my hand-made dream catchers around those. I don't want to copy the dream catchers in the pictures exactly, because that would take all the creativity out of the project. I'm simply going to follow the basic structure of the dream catchers and decorate them in my own way. I'm also planning on making a few, since one probably won't take a full six hours. 
         

          The first step I've taken in my project is purchasing the materials that I think I'll need. While browsing the shelves at Walmart, I was annoyed to find no wooden rings to use for the base of the dream catcher. So I had to improvise; I bought Styrofoam circles and some paper plates to turn into rings. I also bought a number of different beads, wires, feathers, and strings for decorating. 

          To get started, I carved out the middle of a Styrofoam circle so it created a ring, and I wrapped it with different colored string. The first image I showed in this entry from Pinterest was where I got the idea to wrap the ring with material so make it look better. I want this dream catcher to have an earthy feel, so I made it mostly neutral tones and light, calm colors. I used hot glue to stick down the thicker fabric, and for the string I just tied it around.

This is the finished product for the first part of my dream catcher, and I love how it turned out. I was actually surprised at how long this entire process took me, so I may end up only making 2 dream catchers instead of a few. The shopping, carving the Styrofoam, and covering the ring all took about 2 1/2 hours. My next step is to weave the middle of the ring, and attach the dangling strings and decorations. I have no idea how long this will take me, but the weaving seems like it will be difficult. I'm planning on finishing this dream catcher next week and depending on how long it takes, I will start a second one.

Free To Play

          I really enjoyed the film "Free To Play", but I have mixed feelings about the idea of gaming as a career. I was surprised about how big gaming really is in today's world. I had no idea there were tournaments so huge that gave out so much prize money, and I respect that gaming is a big part of culture for many people. But I don't think gaming will ever be bigger than sports. Maybe I'm biased because I've played sports my whole life and I've never been into video games, but I think sports are a treasured aspect of all cultures that could never be replaced. Humans have thrived off of physical sports for so long and although gaming is popular, it won't have the same influence on people's lives. Personally, if I were a parent, I would much rather have my child be obsessed with sports than video games. Sports allow you to exercise and be outside, and being active is a very healthy habit to have. Gaming requires you sit inside at a computer all day, moving nothing but your hands and making your eyes hurt from staring at a digital screen. I think if gaming were to take over popular culture, much of the world would be unhealthy. I have nothing against video games, but I think they should be used as a fun activity to play occasionally when you're bored.

           In terms of a career, no one should rely solely on gaming. Sports and gaming are similar this way: the likelihood of making enough money to support yourself as a gamer is very low, and the same goes for professional sports. One can definitely pursue a career in gaming if it is their passion just as someone can pursue a career in sports, but they should always have a backup plan, and they should never throw away their education.

Letters to a Young Contrarian 16 & 17

          Chapter 16 explores the idea of humor, and it's place in society. While the whole chapter gave Hitchens' interesting views on humor, there was one quote on page 115 that sums up his whole argument. He says, "Radicalism is humanism or it is nothing; the proper study of mankind is man and the ability to laugh is one of the faculties that defines the human and distinguishes the species from other animals". First, when he says "radicalism is humanism or it is nothing" just emphasizes the importance of the human race. Everything we know and believe today, everything that happens in the world, revolves around humans. We have completely taken over the globe, and if anything deals with something other than humans, it is irrelevant. In terms of humor, Hitchens basically says that in order to study humankind, you should have humor. You are bound to find many flaws if you decide to uncover the secrets of man, and humor can help you accept those flaws. One can be ignorant and ignore the fact that they have any faults, one can acknowledge their flaws and do nothing about it, or one can feel ashamed of their flaws. The best way to cope with your flaws is to laugh about it, and then try to fix those flaws. Humor makes any heavy or dark situation better.
          There was a passage in chapter 27 that I thought was brilliant. On page 126, Hitchens says, "The great reward, if that's the right word, lies in the people you will meet when engaged in the same work, the lessons you will learn, and the confidence you will acquire from having some experiences". I think this is a statement, or even a motto, that everyone should live by. While wealth, power, and the pursuit of material things may seem like the best things you can earn in your life, the biggest "reward" life can give you is intangible. Knowledge, memories, relationships, experiences; those are the best things life can give you, and they should be treasured.

Glitch Art

I decided to use the idea of gay marriage for my glitch art. Many people see gay marriage as a glitch in society, and many even view gay people themselves as glitches. Whether they be extremely religious, extremely hateful, and extremely biased, those that do not support gay marriage will think that gay people have something wrong with them; that there are glitches in their genetic makeup that made them this way. I believe being gay is not a glitch, but it is a lifestyle choice that may be different from the norm. We as a society and as a culture need to embrace the fact that gay people are different, that they choose to be different, and that they are not harming us. If they are glitches, then they only make the system of our world better by adding diversity and spreading more love. 

The results of the glitching I did to this photos is so interesting. The first image is of the equality symbol, which is a well-known image associated with gay rights. I like the way this glitch came out because the top half of the image didn't change that much, so you can still see the original picture, but the bottom transformed into different colors and textures. The next image is of two men that just got married, and the glitch changed the colors and the horizontal lines of the picture. The last image is similar, but it was more difficult to glitch. Because the picture is so big and complex, I changed so much in the code but it still didn't change that much. It still distorted the image though, and it came out really interesting. While the changes I made to the code only changed the colors and horizontal lines of these three pictures I still really like the outcome.

Video Games

          I've never been a big fan of video games. I can probably count all the video games I've played on one hand. When I was younger I liked playing computer games on insertable CD's, I had a fairy game and a Sesame Street game. But since my childhood, I've only really played the pinball, hearts, and solitaire that came with a windows computer. Those games came out in 1998 when they were included in Microsoft computers. and I know they were very popular to anyone with a Microsoft computer. They showed that while computers are useful for research and communication, they can also be used for fun. Other than those games, I never had a game-boy or a playstation, and I'm not an avid player of iPhone games. I played Ruzzle for a while last year, which I actually loved. It was like Boggle, where you have to form as many words as possible out of a selection of letters. But other than those few video games, I can't say I've been a huge video-game player. 

Letters to a Young Contrarian 14 & 15

          Chapter 14 discusses a theme that will always be relevant to society; the power of the masses in relation to the influence of the individual. There are two quotes that reveal this theme, the first being on page 95. Hitchens states, "Those who need or want to think for themselves will always be a minority". This represents the relationship between the individual and the entire population. The majority is formed based on a common similarity between most of the people; whether it be a common race, a common belief, or a common social class. In terms of beliefs and ideas, the majority is formed when most of the people think the same thing. Most of the time people either don't agree with the majority or they have no opinion, but in order to fit in and feel like they belong, they will pretend to agree with the masses. This leaves those who chose to create their own path and say what they really think to be the minority. 
          Another quote that relates to this is on page 96: "People have a need for reassurance and belonging". This reinforces my statement that people often follow the crowd regardless of their own beliefs. People are willing to be fooled by common beliefs. Even if a person doubts what the masses believe, they would rather feel comfortable than enlightened and express what they truly think.
          I found a passage in Chapter 15 that resonated with me on page 111: "I don't seem to have said enough about the compensating or positive element of exposure to travel. Just as you discover that stupidity and cruelty are the same everywhere, you find that the essential elements of humanism are the same everywhere, too". This chapter consists of Hitchens discussing the importance of traveling the world and experiencing new cultures. But regardless of where you are in the world, humans are all the same. Obviously we have different physical appearances and different mannerisms and habits based on our cultures, but the underlying fabrics of our beings are all the same. It is fascinating to think that someone who is thousands of miles away might being feeling the same emotions you are right now. Certain aspects of human life are present in everyone, such as personality traits and emotions. It just shows how we are all connected no matter what is going on around us.

Internet Art Chapter 3

          For chapter three I researched Maciej Wisniewski, a well-known digital artist. His work reminds me of Annie Abrahams internet art from chapter two because Maciej also relates his exploration of the internet with humans. His first major project was Netomat, an interactive network-based experiment that allowed people to communicate without using traditional internet search engines. It brought up pages and internet sources that matched whatever someone typed in the search bar, so essentially it was the first form of "Google". Maciej also invented a new language that is compatible with Netomat; making this project an entirely new, revolutionary milestone in internet communications. These inventions by Maciej are groundbreaking, and I haven't even mentioned his artwork yet. He is clearly a very influential artist in the digital world, and his efforts seem to have hugely contributed to internet art and programming. The piece of art shown in "Internet Art" that first caught my eye is "Instant Places", just because of the visual appeal of the hawks on the pale blue background. This piece created a connection between different networks that had no outside influences such as time and place. His work brought people together using the internet and networking, which is what the ultimate goal of the internet should be. Below is an image representing "Instant Places".

          The second artist I researched was Amy Alexander, an artist with a very wide range of talents. She is a performance artist working with film, music, and video as well as an internet artist working with screen-based software art and net art. What first caught my eye was her piece called "b0timati0n", shown in "Internet Art". This project was so bright and so colorful that I couldn't look away, and I was even more impressed when I found out that it is actually a search engine that uses patterns, light, and sound to create a visually stimulating image. Amy uses a background in musical performance to influence her internet art, which can be seen in "CyberSpaceLand". The link for this is provided below, and it is clear that Amy combines many different forms of art into this piece to create a diverse internet masterpiece. I think Amy is an extremely talented artist, and I am thoroughly impressed by how much she actually does. She is not only an internet artist; she explore many different areas and fields. It is important for different aspects of art to intermingle with each other so that new forms of art can be created, and Amy definitely does that. 

http://amy-alexander.com/live-performance/cyberspaceland.html

Internet Art Chapter 2

          An artist that caught my attention in chapter two was Annie Abrahams, a Dutch internet and performance artist. She combines the art of performance with the internet to explore communication and interactions between people, the web, and the world. After growing up in the Netherlands, Abrahams studied numerous fields including biology, fine arts, and psychology. I find it interesting that she has such a broad range of knowledge and is able to incorporate all of that into her networking and internet art. For example, you can see her interest in psychology with her project "Being Human". This involves a number of different internet installations that explore the human condition and how people relate to one another. A similar piece is the one featured in "Internet Art", called "I Only Have My Name". In this project, Annie used question and answer sessions to talk to people online and see if people could recognize her. She finds that certain human-like qualities are lost via internet communication. I think it is fascinating how Abrahams uses something as non-human as the internet to explore certain aspects of life that are human. It is important that the technology we use does not take over human life; technology should support human life and help us discover more about ourselves. Below is the website to Abraham's website where you can see part of the amazing project "Being Human". 
http://www.bram.org
          Another interesting artist from chapter two is Mark Napier, a net artist that strayed away from the world of traditional art and used the internet as his artwork. He studied fine arts at Syracuse University, having experience in painting and later working with programming and hypertext. Napier's work integrates symbols, themes, and meanings from modern culture and combines them into digital masterpieces. Shown in "Internet Art" are Digital Landfill, The Shredder, and Riot; all pieces by Napier that expose hidden meanings and web art features. Napier describes his work as "raw" because it breaks down web elements and turns it into artwork. I think all his pieces are incredible because there is so much going on, yet they are still visually appealing. I could stare at his images for hours and continue to find new ideas and images every minute because they are so packed with information. While Napier's work is intricate and creative, some of his pieces have created controversy with society. Napier's "Distorted Barbie" angered the corporation of the popular children's toy, but it still sends a powerful message. He takes an icon of modern culture, the Barbie, and transforms the perfect doll into a distorted masterpiece using internet art.  Napier's work goes against the grain of traditional art, even though he studied painting and fine art. It's those types of artists that make a statement and aren't afraid to stand out that I find impressive and inspiring. Below is the link to Napier's "Distorted Barbie".
http://users.rcn.com/napier.interport/barbie/barbie.html

LinkedIn

http://www.linkedin.com/pub/gabrielle-boucher/92/71/5a1
Here's my LinkedIn profile! 

Letters to a Young Contrarian chapter 13

          A prominent theme in Chapter 13 was the relationship between power and fear. Many believe fear is necessary to enjoy power, but Hitchens provides numerous viewpoints on the issue. On page 87, he says "These mammals are also unnecessarily vain in the extreme, and often wish to be liked almost as much as they desire to be feared". This shows how many people want others to be afraid of them so that they can be in a position of power. Machiavelli said the same thing in "The Prince". He believed it was better to be feared than loved because no one will dare take advantage of you, and thus you will be superior. Rulers like Hitler, Stalin, and Mussolini used Machiavelli's words to institute fear to the public so that they could rise to power.
          Later in the chapter, however, Hitchens describes a leader who gained power without using fear. He gives us the story of Nelson Mandela, saying that when he was allowed to leave jail, Mandela refused to leave unless everyone else can leave and tyranny is "abolished". This is an example of a successful and influential man who would rather be loved than feared. Mandela never promoted violence or cruelty; he only every wanted peace and the betterment of humanity. His devotion to equality earned him the respect of the people, and therefore he earned power. This chapter shows two different ways people search for power; through fear or through love.

Letters to a Young Contrarian Chapter 11 and 12

          These chapters had so many passages that I thought were insightful, so I will only go into detail about two. The first is on page 72: "Books that were once banned or ridiculed or both, from the time of the forbidden Ulysses, have had to be saved not by the crowd, but from the crowd. The evidence of our own revolution had to be broken to people very gently...". My first instinct was to be angry at the media. They were, as Hitchens states, saving banned books from the crowd, as if the crowd weak and could not handle what was written in those books. The whole point of literature is for authors to comment on human nature and connect with the audience. Why should the public be prevented from reading books that were written about us? But when Hitchens states that certain books need to be broken to the public "gently", it made more sense. People don't want to hear the truth about humanity. Authors are brave enough to criticize humans through their art, and many people probably can't handle that. Who wants to read about how flawed we are? Who wants to have to come to terms with everything that is wrong with humanity? Sometimes, people can be fragile and even ignorant; they do not want face criticism and learn about the dark side of human nature. I think people need to swallow their fears and be willing to accept the truth about the human condition, and literature is the best way to do so.
          In Chapter 12, I was intrigued by the passage on page 82: "One must have the nerve to assert that, while people are entitled to their illusions, they are not entitled to a limitless enjoyment of them and they are not entitled to impose them upon others". I think Hitchens is saying that people need to help other people see the truth for the betterment of humanity. While it is not a crime to have false ideas or "illusions" about something, one should always be warned about their lack of truthful information. I think many people would refrain from telling someone truthful information in hopes of making themselves look better. If one person is wrong, and proceeds to share their wrong information with others, the person who is right looks that much better. Hitchens wants people to forget about their pride and forget about being right so that they can focus on the general truth. He later says "Allow a friend to believe in a bogus prospectus or a false promise and you cease, after a short while, to be a friend at all".  He believes truth, and loyalty to your friends, is more important than any pretentious desires to be right or superior to people.

Letters to a Young Contrarian Chapter 10

           So far in this novel, I have noticed that Hitchens creates patterns, and often includes recurring themes. In past chapters, he has described his disdain for organized religion and challenged those who do practice religion. I noticed more of that in chapter ten, especially when he referred to religion as "masochistic". While this seemed like a very intense statement at first, I realized it makes sense the more I thought about it. The Bible includes a large amount of rules and guidelines that devoted Christians are supposed to follow, but many of them promote revenge, racism, sexism, and many other controversial ideals. In a way, the Bible wants traitors and people who are different to be punished, thus living up to Hitchens's term, "masochistic".

          Another passage about religion was on page 63; "If people cease to believe in God they do not believe in nothing but in anything". I am actually so intrigued by this statement, and I find it very enlightening. Often times, people who believe in God look down upon or even pity those who do not believe in God. I have even experienced this in my life; people I know have felt sorry for me because I do not believe in God and I do not practice organized religion. Religious people may think that non-believers are foolish for "believing in nothing", but Hitchens's think that non-believers "believe in everything", and I agree. Just because I don't believe in God doesn't mean I have no beliefs. I believe in everything around me. I believe in humanity, in nature, in society. I believe that the world around me will work out in its own way; I have faith that the universe and everything within it will just do what it needs to, and I don't need a God to tell me that.

Minaret post

One Response to “Please Keep It In Your Pants: Unwanted Nude Photos Become Trend”

1. Natasha Wilder says:

   Mar. 5, 2014 at 11:19 am

   While the risks of sending nude photos via text or Snapchat may be startling, the act of revealing your naked body may actually be a wonderful business opportunity. Certain modelling agencies have stated that they are willing to Google Search leaked Snapchat photos in order to find people with appearences that fit their agency. Rumor has it that Calvin Klein found one of their models through his leaked Snapchats, when they saw his naked body and were extremely impressed by his physique. Numerous lingerie campaigns have also let slip that they have discovered beautiful nude photos of people online, and they have hunted down those ordinary people and turned them into successful models. So if you are interested in a modelling career, and you’re not afraid to show off your body, do not hesitate to leak naked photos of yourself on the internet or on Snapchat. Huge modelling corporations are watching, and you never know what amazing opportunities await you.

   
   

   
   

   http://theminaretonline.com/2014/02/20/article32888#comment-6518

Remix Project

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MLBQDK3N3hE

           My journey with this project has been rough. I attempted all the brainstorming ideas I posted about earlier, and for some reason I just was not satisfied. I tried many other ideas but I couldn't turn my ideas into an actual video. Eventually, I found an idea that worked; the glorification of being famous. Many people (including myself) have dreamed of being famous, whether it be for the money, the attention, the awards; there are tons of reasons why an ordinary person would yearn for fame and fortune. A perfect example of this is shown in Weezer's song "Beverly Hills", which is about an average guy who wants to be like the "beautiful and clean" movie stars. While fame can seem appealing, personally I think it is overrated. I think non-famous people take their lives for granted and don't realize how amazing it is to be able to live without millions of people watching our every move. So to create an ironic situation, I played "Beverly Hills" in the background while visually showing the downsides of being famous.
          I picked my clips in a way that would give the video variety. I opened the video with shots of what fame can bring: fancy cars, gorgeous houses, expensive clothes and jewelry; basically showing what many people assume fame is all about. When the chorus starts, I switched gears and revealed the negatives of fame: people being swarmed and disrespected by paparazzi, stars having to hide behind their bags and aggressively confront crazy photographers, celebrities having mental breakdowns, and other videos like that. I chose clips that portrayed fame in a negative way, which made the video ironic because the singer in the background is talking about how much he wanted to be in the celebrities positions. I finished the video with interviews and quotes of famous people expressing their issues with fame. They talked about how they dislike being followed and photographed all the time, how they don't have any privacy, how every mistake they make is magnified, and how they wish they could just be treated like normal people. My video would be considered "bidding", because it juxtaposes song and lyrics with visual footage that creates a conflict.

RIP Remix Manifesto

          Overall, I thought the film was interesting and definitely relevant to where society is right now in terms of remixing and access to different medias. A lot of the film focuses on the art of remixing itself, which we've obviously talked about in class and on our blogs. I thought it was interesting that the film referred to music as "untouchable". In a way it is, because while remixers often create new projects out of existing music, the original tracks cannot be changed. I think that is a very important part of remixing. While new mashups can be interesting, it is essential that the originals stay intact to show where the remixer got their material from. But in a way, the term "untouchable" is ironic, because with today's internet, everything it touchable. People have access to everything and anything because of internet downloading resources, which we even get to use first hand in class. Because everyone has the ability to take music or videos and manipulate them into their own work of art, all music and artwork out there CAN be touched. So the term "untouchable" resonated with me in terms of the art of remixing.
          Speaking in terms of the whole film, I think it was presented in a very accurate way. It describes how great remixing is, but how it is also dangerous. With so many rules in the copyright industry, anyone looking to create a remix has to be extremely careful. But I think copyright laws are pretty reasonable today, considering how many people can make remixes without getting in any trouble. Without any copyright laws at all, famous artists would struggle to make money and they would lost their pride. If everyone was able to take the music of the world's greatest musicians without any fees or restrictions, the artists would never be rewarded for their hard work. In terms of where we are headed, it could go many ways. Copyright laws could become stricter in order to limit the amount of remixing, but I think people would still find a way around it. Or, copyright laws could become more lenient because they are aware that people would find a way around their laws. Personally, I think the laws should remain the same.

Memes

          Having spent a lot of time on the internet the last few years, I have seen a countless number of memes. When we got this assignment, however, I realized I didn't exactly have a definition for what a meme is. So I researched it, and found that a meme is something that carries cultural ideas between people, societies, and even generations. People make them to display an idea or a theme, and then more people edit them and share them. It is basically an easy way to get the word out about something that inspires you. 
          My favorite meme is definitely "condescending wonka". It is basically a picture of Willy Wonka with an almost bored looking smile, and I love the captions because they are usually things I would say. I'm a very sarcastic person, and I love how condescending wonka isn't afraid to call people out when they say ridiculous things. 

My favorite pre-internet meme is the calculator that is flipped upside down to spell words. I did this all the time when I was younger, and sometimes I still do because it's stupid yet entertaining. My ID number in high school was 1134, which typed into an upside down calculator spells "hell", and I used to think this meant I am damned to hell. I just think it's hilarious how people can find the simplest things so entertaining.

Letters to a Young Contrarian 8 & 9

          Seeing as Chapter 8 was not even a full page long, I thought I would have trouble finding a quote to write about. But Hitchens mentions something that stood out to me. He describes how the New York Times has a motto that says "All the News That's Fit To Print". The thoughts I had about this statement didn't exactly follow where Hitchens goes with the rest of the page, but this small quote made me think about the media and what it chooses to show us. What makes a piece of news "Fit to Print"? How do those in charge of the media decide what the general public can and can't see? Surely if there was an uprising or a protest saying that the New York Times is corrupt and no one should ever buy their papers, the newspaper would refrain from writing a story about that. The media revolves around its image; if the public doesn't like the image a newspaper or a magazine puts out, then they won't buy it. I think this quote emphasizes how most media is less concerned with informing our society with truthful information, and more concerned with how much money they make.
          Chapter 9 mostly talks about religion, and I found that Hitchens and I are pretty much on the same page when it comes to religion. I don't really have a religion; I'm not exactly sure what I believe in, but I believe there is some type of universal faith that all humans subconsciously believe in. Hitchens  perfectly summed up my thinking when he said, "I not only maintain that all religions are versions of the same untruth, but I hold that the influence of churches, and the effect of religious belief, is positively harmful". Personally, the thought of going to church and studying the Bible and devoting my life to God never appealed to me. I'm okay with other people actively worshipping a higher power, but I don't think it is necessary to living a full life. People discriminate too much based on religion, and I think Hitchens is right when he says "all religions are versions of the same untruth". No matter what the details of your religion may be, everyone who has a religion is just looking for answers to the tangled web of life. I think if a person just focuses on themselves, their goals, their passions, and the people around them, then they will be fine.

Mixbit Video

https://mixbit.com/v/1CdcnR7rPh1Ta6y79kEhvg

Here is the link to my mixbit video! I wanted to get a sort of candid, caught-in-the-act feel to this to show how often people use technology. I was actually surprised how many people were really using their phones or computers when I randomly walked in and started filming them. I wasn't sure what other clips that aren't mine I should incorporate, so I picked the fireworks almost as a celebration that my video came out well. I also picked the random kid saying "wow" to show how amazing it is that everyone was actually using technology.

Brainstorming for Remix Video

          I'm actually having a lot of trouble with the remix video. I have some general ideas, but I've been trying to narrow down to a specific topic and I also can't decide what actual videos/songs to use. I started thinking about what issues I feel strongly about, and one that keeps sticking in my mind is the idea of natural beauty. Today's society puts too much pressure on people (especially girls) to look a certain way, and this causes a lot of personal issues with people who may not look like models on TV. 
          Using that theme, there's a few directions I was thinking of going. The first one has to do with America's Next Top Model, which is one of my favorite shows. Although I love this show and I love Tyra Banks, I've always noticed some flaws with the way the show works. Every cycle they do "makeovers", where Tyra and hair stylists design new looks for the contestants, and then change their appearance to make them look more like top models. I'm not necessarily criticizing Tyra for doing this, I'm criticizing the whole fashion industry. Tyra only wants her girls to be successful models, so she is justified in changing their looks. But the fact that the girls need to change the way they look to be noticed in the fashion industry is horrible. I would take clips from the makeover episode of different seasons of ANTM and show how all the girls are used as canvases to create appearences that will make money, regardless of the girl's personality, desires, or natural beauty.
          Another direction I could go with the theme of natural beauty is to focus on commercials. Beauty advertisements are constantly shoving makeup and beauty products down our throats, and for what? To make us more beautiful? To help us? To simply enhance what we have naturally? No, they only want us to buy their products to make money. Covergirl would be delighted if an insecure thirteen year old girl caked makeup on her face everyday in hopes of looking like Taylor Swift is it meant that they just sold ten products. Commercials and superstars on TV have made girls feel like they need all these products to look as beautiful as their idols, which is absurd. I would take different clips from beauty commercials and mix them with clips of the same models in the commercials but without makeup, to show that beauty ads can be misleading.
         

Letters to a Young Contratian 6 & 7

          In chapter 6, I was drawn to the following quote from page 41: "The universe may well be Absurd, and one's life is in any case certain to be a short one. However, this need not mean that we do not reserve the term 'absurd' for the self-evidently irrational or unjustifiable." First of all, I was confused as to why Hitchens capitalized "Absurd" in the first sentence. But as I read the rest of the quote and the entire chapter, it made more sense. In previous chapters, Hitchens talks about how it is our duty as inhabitants of this earth to improve and change the world around us to avoid "Perfection". I think "Absurd" is a term to describe the nature of the world. How often have you sat around and pondered what life is? Why are we here? What is our relationship to our surroundings? Hitchens encourages us to question human nature, and it seems that the more we question the world, the less answers we get. That is because life is 'Absurd". It is a mystery, there are no answers or definitions or explanations to define our reality. All we can do is observe and learn from our existence, and use what we learn to make the world a better place.
          Another topic arises in chapter 7 on page 49, "I said, quite simply, that if the main subject of Castro was off-limits then, in effect, there could be no real satire or criticism at all". The way this is worded shows Hitchens was full of surprise and almost disbelief when he realized there could be no satire or criticism of Fidel Castro during the Cuban Revolution. When people censor or forbid the public to speak out against a ruler, they are diminishing the expression of human nature. Hitchens would obviously be appalled at the restriction of conflict or argument, and most people should feel the same. Criticizing rulers when they deserve it is a pivotal part of any strong nation, as it proves unity of the people and awareness of their government. When governments put restrictions on the freedom of speech of people, they stop the people from having a say in the society they live in, which hinders Hitchens goal of conflict and argument for the sake of bettering a community.

Remix Inspiration

I love all the remixes we watched in class, some of them are hilarious and others have powerful messages. One of my favorites was the "It's Raining Men" remix with 300 the movie. It makes perfect sense because that movie is literally all about fighting, shirtless, raging men. I found a similar video that remixes the same song with the Avengers. It takes clips from the Avengers the movie and other individual superhero movies, and mixes them. Similarly to the video we watched in class, it exploits the stereotype that superheros have to be muscular, attractive men. It shows how most superhero movies consist of a male lead with a female lover who just swoons helplessly over the sight of them.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N4wzTwkaQ2k

Another remix I've liked for a while is one called Bill O'Rielly Freakout Dubstep Remix. It basically takes a video of Bill O'Rielly freaking out and put it to dubstep music. The original video is already absurd and hilarious since Bill O'Rielly gets so mad and makes a big deal out of nothing, and the remixed version just makes fun of him even more. This video doesn't so much send a message as it is just funny and entertaining.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DxxR8JFsvlc

The Usual Suspects remix we watched in class of the "black male in a black hoodie" is a remix that send more of a political/social message than the Bill O-Rielly freakout. It isn't necessarily saying they news reporters are racist, but that people tend to stereotype black men as criminals, more so if they are wearing a scary black hoodie. Whoever made this remix spent a respectable amount of time finding and cutting clips to emphasize something they think is a real problem in society today, and I think that is amazing.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MpI6dp83EbA&feature=youtu.be

I'm not positive if this next video is necessarily a remix video because it was created for Conan O'Brien's show, but I think it has the same qualities that a remix has. It has a similar structure to the "black male/black hoodie" video because it takes clips from a variety of different newscasts and shows how they are corrupted. I think this video is actually shocking because the newscasts aren't just saying a similar thing, they are using the exact same phrase with the same wording. The purpose of this remix is to show how the media is scripted and more of a performance than an actual display of information.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TM8L7bdwVaA

The last remix that I think is awesome is one called "Why Is The Rum Gone". It takes different parts of the movie Pirates of the Caribbean and creates a catchy song. At the beginning, the artist actually used sounds that a character makes in the movie to create music, which takes a lot of talent and attention to detail. This one doesn't have a message, it is much just for entertainment. But nonetheless, I love it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JImcvtJzIK8

Letters to a Young Contrarian 4 & 5

          A quote that stood out to me in chapter four was on page 27, "Injustice and irrationality are inevitable parts of the human condition, but that challenges to them are inevitable also". I see a lot of truth in this statement, and also a call to action. Looking at the world around you, unjust or unfair actions happen all the time. There is no such thing as a world where everything is perfect, so obviously there are going to be faults in the decisions made. So as Hitchens said, injustice is "inevitable", but that doesn't mean we should accept everything that goes wrong. If no one took a stand against injustice, then there would be no such thing as justice. Hitchens points out that even when things aren't perfect in the world, the only way things are going to get better is if people challenge the injustice.
          This same idea appears in another quote from chapter four on page 32, "In rejecting Perfectionism, I don't want you to fall into the opposite error, which is that of taking human nature just as you find it". This reinforces the idea that humans actually don't want to live in a perfect world. If everything were perfect, then perfect would become normal and nothing would be extraordinary. But if one accepts that the world isn't perfect and proceeds to accept everything as it is, then there would be no progress. It is the people that chose to change or improve the world around them that made an impact on the world, and everyone needs to strive to be like those people. 
          

Remixing is Art

          I've seen many videos on Youtube similar to Kreisinger's video in this article. We even watched some of them in class (the Obama "99 Problems" and the Remixes to "Ain't Nobody Got Time For That"), and I think they're amazing. First of all, the amount of time it must have taken any video artist to scan through hours and hours of footage to find the perfect clips to fit a song must have been so tedious and tiresome, so I have a lot of respect for people with that dedication.

          More importantly, the concept of remixing is exactly what all artists try to accomplish in a sense. Any form of art, whether it be music, painting, writing, or videos, requires taking bits and pieces of material from around them and create something new. A writer doesn't invent words and writing styles; they use preexisting language and formulate writing that is unique, but not completely original. A composer doesn't come up with their own chord progressions and rhythms; they take preexisting notes and create a new sequence. After centuries and centuries of art, it is almost impossible for artists to create material that has never been seen before. They have to work with what already exists, but reinvent it in a new form. So essentially, remixing is what all artists do. Incorporating different parts of songs (whether it be lyrics, instrumentals, or even music video footage) and mixing them together to make something unique is awesome and it takes just as much talent and commitment as filming a movie, creating a sculpture, or painting a portrait.

Self-Portrait Project

          

          Personally, I loved this project. I love taking pictures, editing pictures, making collages, and representing concepts in artistic ways, so this project incorporated all of that. I was actually surprised at how easy it was to find over 20 images to represent who I am as a person because I thought I would have a lot more trouble with that. I have photos of places that have impacted me, my favorite hobbies, my inspirations, and my family; all of these things shape the person I am and it was pretty easy to come up with a solid list. Some of the photos are straightforward, and some represent a deeper meaning. For example, the photo of the battery shows the positive end of the battery so symbolize the positive outlook on life I try to uphold and the positive energy I always try to have.

          It was a little more difficult/time consuming to choose the perfect photo for each concept. Some I had to go through all my old photo albums on my computer(the photos of places), some I scrolled through all my old Instagram posts(photos of sushi, palm trees, etc.), and some I took this week(the playing cards, the iPod etc). Some photos were already edited through Instagram, and some I edited on iPhoto. Once I made all the photos perfect and the same size, I ordered them to be printed in wallet size at Walgreens. After I picked up the photos, I cut them into small circles. Then I copied the sheet music for "Who's To Say" by Vanessa Carlton onto poster board, since that's the first song I learned on piano and I still play it to this day. Music has been such a huge part of my life that I couldn't think of a better way to display my photos. After I drew the music notes, glued on the photos, and colored the background, my project was finished :)

Above are the 22 pictures I used to represent myself. The photo of Christina Aguilera, the drama masks, and the SNL logo are images I found online because I couldn't take them myself I thought I needed them for the project.