Dear Julie,
I appreciate the way you wrote about finding Feed more interesting when you realized it was an allegory. I like your honesty in saying that at first you were just reading it to get through it, but then it started saying something to you.
Your major point seems to be that if we get more and more stuck in a digital world, we could end up like the society in Feed. I also like your use of the example of the artificial air factories that mean that trees aren't needed for oxygen.
I think the look on our faces when we were making videos demonstrated the cluelessness you predict we will have if with even more digital devices and technology in our lives.
One thing I think you could do if you were going to write more about this book is to talk about how the corporations are running everything because they make the digital devices. They are getting rich from the sales from all their brainwash marketing, and the only people left to challenge them are the poor people like Violet, whose father couldn't afford a feed until she was older and then only a cheap one. The trouble is the cheap ones can kill you.
I think you are right about this book predicting environmental disaster. As we know, most corporations have to be hammered before they will change their ways and make things that aren't terrible for the environment. Hard to believe that people in New York City are still driving SUVs and vans and mini-trucks all over this city.
As you suggest, this book should make us think about not only our overusing digital devices but also about what we are not doing now to create a better environment. Good job.
Devin
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
HW 15 - ABCDEF - Treasure Hunting for Aja
Dear Aja,
I really appreciate the insights you had into the book Feed and the fact that you presented them clearly.
I like the fact that you admitted that at first you didn't think of it as a work of art, but then you began to think of it as an allegory with symbolism in it, and then you could appreciate the art in it. You also rightly point out that certain parts of the symbolic story would make more of an impression on some readers than on others just as certain works of art say something more to some people than to others.
As you say, the fact that the book is an allegory for what could happen if we carry our use of digital devices too far makes readers compare and contrast their lives to what is happening in the book. Allegories can really make an impression because they are more than just a literal story. When you get the symbolism, you get a deeper understanding of what the author is trying to say. The book Animal Farm is an allegory story about animals on a farm who start out as a happy community and then get taken over by a dictator pig. The symbolic story is about communisn and Stalinism, and the simple animal story has a lot of impact because of the understanding that we get from the animal symbols.
I think that one thing you could do if you wanted to develop your idea of the book as a good allegory is to give examples from the book. For example, who does Violet represent to you?
You could talk about why you think M.T. Anderson has her die at the end.
Your post made me think about what struck me most about what I thought worked well in the book. I liked the way there were just suggestions about what this future world was like that made you realize it was an environmental disaster and that the poor people were losers even though they were the smart ones.
I also liked your ending of your post about Feed with the quote "Art is not a mirror with which to reflect the world. it is a Hammer with which to shape it." As you said, the book is a mirror because it shows us a side of our superficial life, but it is also a hammer to make us see the danger. Good job.
Devin
I really appreciate the insights you had into the book Feed and the fact that you presented them clearly.
I like the fact that you admitted that at first you didn't think of it as a work of art, but then you began to think of it as an allegory with symbolism in it, and then you could appreciate the art in it. You also rightly point out that certain parts of the symbolic story would make more of an impression on some readers than on others just as certain works of art say something more to some people than to others.
As you say, the fact that the book is an allegory for what could happen if we carry our use of digital devices too far makes readers compare and contrast their lives to what is happening in the book. Allegories can really make an impression because they are more than just a literal story. When you get the symbolism, you get a deeper understanding of what the author is trying to say. The book Animal Farm is an allegory story about animals on a farm who start out as a happy community and then get taken over by a dictator pig. The symbolic story is about communisn and Stalinism, and the simple animal story has a lot of impact because of the understanding that we get from the animal symbols.
I think that one thing you could do if you wanted to develop your idea of the book as a good allegory is to give examples from the book. For example, who does Violet represent to you?
You could talk about why you think M.T. Anderson has her die at the end.
Your post made me think about what struck me most about what I thought worked well in the book. I liked the way there were just suggestions about what this future world was like that made you realize it was an environmental disaster and that the poor people were losers even though they were the smart ones.
I also liked your ending of your post about Feed with the quote "Art is not a mirror with which to reflect the world. it is a Hammer with which to shape it." As you said, the book is a mirror because it shows us a side of our superficial life, but it is also a hammer to make us see the danger. Good job.
Devin
Monday, October 26, 2009
HW # 14 Second Text
In the first excerpt the author is making the point that television is more passive than video games but that “there are degrees of passivity.” The author represents how movies/television shows have increased the amount of effort that a viewer needs to follow a show in order to grasp the more advanced and accelerated plots that didn’t exist 30 years ago. According to him, the best television shows demand more cognitive thinking, and for those shows have multiple threads going on like “West Wing” and “ER,” the audience has to use some analysis and “fill in,” to make sense of information “that has been either deliberately withheld or deliberately left obscure.” The arrival of multiple threading, the author says, began in the early 1980’s in show called the Hill Street Blues. Earlier shows consisted of one to two main characters actions around one plot and conclusion that could be followed by a monkey, that is, without effort.
In the second excerpt the author is trying to make the point that although he considers reading to be more important than playing video games, he thinks that we might not be judging the cognitive value of video games fairly. He goes on to describe certain incredibly complex games like Ultima that require book-like guides to be able to figure out how to get to the next level. One interesting thing he does is to ask us to pretend that video games came before books in our culture and to consider how books might be judged to be boring and one-dimensional compared to the excitement and variety of skills like memory and hand-eye coordination needed for a video game. He ends up by describing how frustrating and even painful these games can be.
My reaction to the first excerpt about television becoming less passive over the years because of more series having multiple threads is that like any arts entertainment, that is, movies or plays, there are ones that are more intellectually challenging than others. Some television shows are more complex than ones in the past, and some are not nearly as clever as earlier ones (thank god for reruns of “The Honeymooners” and “Mash.”). I have not seen “West Wing” or “ER,” but I like “House,” which has multiple threads. As for the author’s statement that television is more passive than video games, it is true that
with television there is not the hand-eye coordination and there is not the same kind of active quick mental and physical participation needed to control the action. The problem is that it is impossible to compare television as a whole to video games as a whole. There are television shows that are challenging on Channel 13. Sometimes there are adaptations from great books like Oliver Twist. There are documentaries on the civil war and the history of Jazz. There is also a lot of garbage like Tyler Perry shows.
My reaction to the second excerpt about trying to judge video games fairly, giving then credit for cognitive value, and just not comparing them negatively to reading is that I think what the negative comparison is all about is the amount of time kids spend on video games compared to the amount of time they spend reading. The thing is that playing video games like watching television and going to movies comes under the category of fun. Reading a book comes under the category of doing something that is good for you. The perspective that I think is missing is the need for humans to have “down” time from school and work. Personally, I think that playing sports is even better than video and television even though I like watching football on television and playing Madden 09 from time to time. I have not played many video games that are not sports-related, but I did once play a game called Shenmue, which had amazing graphics and an amazingly constructed story line. I probably did get more out of playing that game than watching most television shows because I was so involved in the story. Reading is incredibly important for the development of our minds as the author says, and is a predictor of success in life unlike watching TV and playing video games. No matter how frustrating videogames are, they are still more entertaining to most kids than reading a challenging book.
The author of these excerpts who is making a case that television requires more thinking than it used to and that videogames can be challenging to the mind and have more dimensions that reading seems to be going in a different direction than the author of the book Feed. This book is a kind of horror story about a future where everyone has all the technology of today, TY, the Internet, Ipods, web games, implanted in their brains. Reading is totally unnecessary, and so thinking is very limited. The book is a warning against spending too much of the day on the Internet, on Facebook, texting, and listening to Ipods and letting electronic devices rule your life, but it is mostly about corporate control of people who are totally dependent on electronic devices. Steven Johnson is trying to say that television shows and video games have some good qualities and require some thinking, but he also thinks reading is much more important and chooses to write a book to express his ideas instead of creating a video or a script for a TV show. M.T. Anderson’s characters don’t even watch good television shows or play challenging video games. They are just into instant messaging and shopping. Steven Johnson seems to be giving some perspective on what can be positive about some forms of popular culture, but M.T. Anderson is giving perspective on what can happen if there is too much dependence on the Internet for information so that we don’t have to think anymore let alone read.
In the second excerpt the author is trying to make the point that although he considers reading to be more important than playing video games, he thinks that we might not be judging the cognitive value of video games fairly. He goes on to describe certain incredibly complex games like Ultima that require book-like guides to be able to figure out how to get to the next level. One interesting thing he does is to ask us to pretend that video games came before books in our culture and to consider how books might be judged to be boring and one-dimensional compared to the excitement and variety of skills like memory and hand-eye coordination needed for a video game. He ends up by describing how frustrating and even painful these games can be.
My reaction to the first excerpt about television becoming less passive over the years because of more series having multiple threads is that like any arts entertainment, that is, movies or plays, there are ones that are more intellectually challenging than others. Some television shows are more complex than ones in the past, and some are not nearly as clever as earlier ones (thank god for reruns of “The Honeymooners” and “Mash.”). I have not seen “West Wing” or “ER,” but I like “House,” which has multiple threads. As for the author’s statement that television is more passive than video games, it is true that
with television there is not the hand-eye coordination and there is not the same kind of active quick mental and physical participation needed to control the action. The problem is that it is impossible to compare television as a whole to video games as a whole. There are television shows that are challenging on Channel 13. Sometimes there are adaptations from great books like Oliver Twist. There are documentaries on the civil war and the history of Jazz. There is also a lot of garbage like Tyler Perry shows.
My reaction to the second excerpt about trying to judge video games fairly, giving then credit for cognitive value, and just not comparing them negatively to reading is that I think what the negative comparison is all about is the amount of time kids spend on video games compared to the amount of time they spend reading. The thing is that playing video games like watching television and going to movies comes under the category of fun. Reading a book comes under the category of doing something that is good for you. The perspective that I think is missing is the need for humans to have “down” time from school and work. Personally, I think that playing sports is even better than video and television even though I like watching football on television and playing Madden 09 from time to time. I have not played many video games that are not sports-related, but I did once play a game called Shenmue, which had amazing graphics and an amazingly constructed story line. I probably did get more out of playing that game than watching most television shows because I was so involved in the story. Reading is incredibly important for the development of our minds as the author says, and is a predictor of success in life unlike watching TV and playing video games. No matter how frustrating videogames are, they are still more entertaining to most kids than reading a challenging book.
The author of these excerpts who is making a case that television requires more thinking than it used to and that videogames can be challenging to the mind and have more dimensions that reading seems to be going in a different direction than the author of the book Feed. This book is a kind of horror story about a future where everyone has all the technology of today, TY, the Internet, Ipods, web games, implanted in their brains. Reading is totally unnecessary, and so thinking is very limited. The book is a warning against spending too much of the day on the Internet, on Facebook, texting, and listening to Ipods and letting electronic devices rule your life, but it is mostly about corporate control of people who are totally dependent on electronic devices. Steven Johnson is trying to say that television shows and video games have some good qualities and require some thinking, but he also thinks reading is much more important and chooses to write a book to express his ideas instead of creating a video or a script for a TV show. M.T. Anderson’s characters don’t even watch good television shows or play challenging video games. They are just into instant messaging and shopping. Steven Johnson seems to be giving some perspective on what can be positive about some forms of popular culture, but M.T. Anderson is giving perspective on what can happen if there is too much dependence on the Internet for information so that we don’t have to think anymore let alone read.
Monday, October 19, 2009
HW # 13 - Feed B
M.T. Anderson wrote Feed in the form of an allegory. The literal story is set in the future as he describes what life is like for a group of teens living with the feed, a combination of the Internet, television, cell phone and web games, implanted in their brains. The symbolic story is of today's generation of teens, who are becoming more and more reliant on digital devices. Teens who spend too much of the day on the Internet, on Facebook, texting, listening to their Ipod are in danger of letting electronic devices rule their lives. The literal story of Feed are these kind of teens' lives taken to the extreme when corporations market products continuously through their feeds, and thinking is not necessary because all information is just looked up on on their Google brains. Violet, Titus's girlfriend, who in the literal story received a cheaper model feed when she was seven instead of at birth because her parents were poor, was able to develop her brain and actually think about the danger of a world run by corporations that are only interested in selling and take no responsibility for the environment or problems in the world. In the literal story the ocean is so polluted that whales have to be in some kind of wrapper just to survive so that they can be hunted. In the symbolic story the author is showing what can happen when corporations have too much power and ruin the environment or control media like Fox Five News.
Feed is also a tragedy about a rich boy in love with a poor girl who dies at the end. Violet's criticism of the corporate power that is ruining people's minds and making them unaware of everything that is happening in the world except the latest upcars ends up killing her because the corporations won't give her a new feed transplant that would save her life because she isn't a good investment. The author probably wrote the story as a tragedy to showw the danger of where teen's lives today could lead if there is too much dependence on the Internet for information and too much time on video games, cell phones, and creating an image on Facebook.
Maybe the fact that there is no solution given at the end by the author except an ironic one is because the idea is that people should think for themselves and not just be fed information.
The ending is ironic because when Violet finally dies from her low quality feed, Titus is crying.
Immediately, his feed comes on saying, "Feeling blue? Then dress blue." The feed senses his mood and immediately starts to sell him blue jeans at a great price. That is a tragic and comic ending that forces the reader to think about what can happen with technology gone crazy and people gone crazy on technology.
I think the artistic design of this book as an allegory and a tragedy with a lot of comedyis highly successful because the author has something important to say to young adults (although adults could get alot out of it too) and he really gets his message across.
Feed is also a tragedy about a rich boy in love with a poor girl who dies at the end. Violet's criticism of the corporate power that is ruining people's minds and making them unaware of everything that is happening in the world except the latest upcars ends up killing her because the corporations won't give her a new feed transplant that would save her life because she isn't a good investment. The author probably wrote the story as a tragedy to showw the danger of where teen's lives today could lead if there is too much dependence on the Internet for information and too much time on video games, cell phones, and creating an image on Facebook.
Maybe the fact that there is no solution given at the end by the author except an ironic one is because the idea is that people should think for themselves and not just be fed information.
The ending is ironic because when Violet finally dies from her low quality feed, Titus is crying.
Immediately, his feed comes on saying, "Feeling blue? Then dress blue." The feed senses his mood and immediately starts to sell him blue jeans at a great price. That is a tragic and comic ending that forces the reader to think about what can happen with technology gone crazy and people gone crazy on technology.
I think the artistic design of this book as an allegory and a tragedy with a lot of comedyis highly successful because the author has something important to say to young adults (although adults could get alot out of it too) and he really gets his message across.
Sunday, October 18, 2009
HW # 12 - Feed A
To me Feed is more than a tragedy about what can happen if the digitalization of our lives goes too far, it is a horror story. First there is the horror of actually having the Internet and other digital technologies implanted in the brain. Today, we are aware of the negative effects of too much usage of digital devices while in Feed the teens' lives are totally taken over by technology. For example, we know that there is a danger now of trying so hard to be cool on Facebook that teens give an unreal picture of themselves and spend too much time trying to impress others instead of developing skills that really would make them feel good about themselves. In Feed forget about becoming individuals and devloping potential. Most teens seem to have been selected genetically by their parents, have their feed chips takeover a lot of their thinking, and become direct marketing targets for corporations, which run ads in their brains all day long. The main character Titus says "It was like I kept buying these things to be cool, but cool was always flying just ahead of me, and I could never exactly catch up to it." It's in the interest of the corporations which have all the power to keep teens feeling in an incredibly direct way that they have to keep making purchases to try to be cool. They can literally break in on teens thoughts without having to waiting to run an add during "The Simpsons."
Then there is the horror that more than one-fourth of the population is not wired with a Feed because they cannot afford it and are at a disadvantage at school without the knowlege feeds and because the corporations are against individualist thinking that is against bombarding the brain with commercials. In the book Titus's girlfriend had an inferior feed implanted because her parents couldn't pay for a better model. She ended up dying because of her low quality feed and she wasn't in line for a transplant of a better one bnecause she wasn't considered to be a good marketing target. I think this is an extreme of a problem today of teens whose parents can't afford a computer or maybe can't always make payments for their kids' cell phones.
There is also the horror of what has happened to the environment. Atmosperic conditions have resulted in the development of artificial clouds because the corporations obviously haven't had to worry about pollution. In fact, the ocean is so dangerous that whales have to be covered in plastic to survive. Also, women can't give normal birth anymore, and all babies come from test tubes. It seems that parents can pay to have certain genetic traits for their kids. Nutrition also seems to have had a set back because Coke is the drink of choice for teens. This extreme in the book of what can happen when corporations don't have any government anti-pollution controls seems like a lesson for us today. As a teen using technology now, I don't always unplug devices or give much thought to the energy I am using. Also, I think that using my i-pod on the way to school and sports and other activities probably gets in the way of my thinkin about the environment, for example recycling and other "green" actions like using fewer takeout cartons and cups.
Then there is the horror that more than one-fourth of the population is not wired with a Feed because they cannot afford it and are at a disadvantage at school without the knowlege feeds and because the corporations are against individualist thinking that is against bombarding the brain with commercials. In the book Titus's girlfriend had an inferior feed implanted because her parents couldn't pay for a better model. She ended up dying because of her low quality feed and she wasn't in line for a transplant of a better one bnecause she wasn't considered to be a good marketing target. I think this is an extreme of a problem today of teens whose parents can't afford a computer or maybe can't always make payments for their kids' cell phones.
There is also the horror of what has happened to the environment. Atmosperic conditions have resulted in the development of artificial clouds because the corporations obviously haven't had to worry about pollution. In fact, the ocean is so dangerous that whales have to be covered in plastic to survive. Also, women can't give normal birth anymore, and all babies come from test tubes. It seems that parents can pay to have certain genetic traits for their kids. Nutrition also seems to have had a set back because Coke is the drink of choice for teens. This extreme in the book of what can happen when corporations don't have any government anti-pollution controls seems like a lesson for us today. As a teen using technology now, I don't always unplug devices or give much thought to the energy I am using. Also, I think that using my i-pod on the way to school and sports and other activities probably gets in the way of my thinkin about the environment, for example recycling and other "green" actions like using fewer takeout cartons and cups.
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
HW # 11 - Self-Experiment 1
Two days ago (Monday, October 5th), I conducted our class experiment: a 24 hour period with absolutely no use of technology, no I-pod, no TV, no computer, and no cell phone. When I took the subway to go to school in the morning I could not play my I-pod while skimming through the free AM and Metro newspaper's sport sections as I always do. This meant that I was forced to listen to the conversation next to me about someone's prostate examination. I never appreciated before all the bad stuff that an I-pod filters out. During morning classes there was no reason to miss digital devices but come lunch time my cell phone is often an necessity whether for finding the location of friends, making arraingements for rides to Randall's Island for soccer practice, or merely giving my mom an update on how my day's going or requesting that she meet me to give me a little cash for lunch when I notice that I am completely broke. The rest of the school day went without a hitch until it was time to leave the building at 3:10. I always listen to my I-pod on the way to dance class several blocks away. I didn't experience my usual calm from the music while waiting for class to begin. After class it was nerve wracking not being able to use my cell-phone to check on my ride to Randall's Island for soccer practice. I waited in the cafe about a half block down the street from my dance class where my dad usually picks me up at 6:00 to drive me to practice. I had to wait for about half an hour, until my mom arrived looking really peeved, but worried at the same time, to tell me that my dad was picking me up that day a little late to go to practice. I had forgotten to tell them that I was doing an experiment where I could not use my cell phone for the day, and apparently she had left me many voice mails.
Soccer practice is always rigorous and I depend on my I-pod to pump me up after two hours of grueling dance class. I also depend on my music to wind me down after practice on the way home. I had to face facts. I love my I-pod. Arriving home around 10'oclock, my immediate reaction was to climb the first flight of stairs to turn on the computer for some sports updates on ESPN while dinner was getting ready until it hit me, " Crap, I still have to wait until 7:30 in the morning before I can use this." This no digital stuff was really affecting my flow. After dinner I completed my homework (a little faster than usual) and climbed the 3rd and final flight of stairs to my room where my TV awaited me. Blankly staring at me, almost mocking me, it dared me not to watch the end of Letterman and the opening routine of Craig Ferguson to get rid of the mental and athletic stresses of the day. But my conscience told me not to cheat on the experiment so I read a couple articles from an old ESPN magazine as I wandered uncomfortably off to sleep. I think Tuesday morning was the happiest waking I've had since Obama's election last November. This experiment taught me a lot about how much I depend on digital devices for the rhythm of my life. I thought this experiment was going to be a walk in the park. I was very, very wrong.
Soccer practice is always rigorous and I depend on my I-pod to pump me up after two hours of grueling dance class. I also depend on my music to wind me down after practice on the way home. I had to face facts. I love my I-pod. Arriving home around 10'oclock, my immediate reaction was to climb the first flight of stairs to turn on the computer for some sports updates on ESPN while dinner was getting ready until it hit me, " Crap, I still have to wait until 7:30 in the morning before I can use this." This no digital stuff was really affecting my flow. After dinner I completed my homework (a little faster than usual) and climbed the 3rd and final flight of stairs to my room where my TV awaited me. Blankly staring at me, almost mocking me, it dared me not to watch the end of Letterman and the opening routine of Craig Ferguson to get rid of the mental and athletic stresses of the day. But my conscience told me not to cheat on the experiment so I read a couple articles from an old ESPN magazine as I wandered uncomfortably off to sleep. I think Tuesday morning was the happiest waking I've had since Obama's election last November. This experiment taught me a lot about how much I depend on digital devices for the rhythm of my life. I thought this experiment was going to be a walk in the park. I was very, very wrong.
Monday, October 5, 2009
HW # 10 Informal Research Project
http://serendip.brynmawr.edu/exchange/node/1742
The Effect of Video Games On the Brain
This article makes a case about video games as a cause of emotional and agressive behavior while playing the games and suggests that they could cause longer lasting agressive behavior. First the author talks about personally observing two brothers playing a non-violent video game. When the younger kid won, the older kid went crazy and started kicking him. Later the younger was losing playing by himself and started screaming and crying. I'm not sure I would blame this behavior on the video games. These kids might get upset about striking out at baseball or playing miniature golf badly. The article talks about studies that show that playing violent games increases anxiety and hostility. Since studies have shown that violent television can does this, it makes sense that more active involvement in video games would cause more anxiety and hostility. The interesting part of the article talks about a study in Tokyo that showed that people who played video games a lot were showing a decreas of activity in parts of their brains (prefrontal regions) and that the under use of these parts of their brains might be the cause of their agressive behavior and inability to concentrate especially since this lack of brain activity continued after the game playing was over. Then the author asked a question about whether the brain was perceiving the video games as real. There are other studies that show how the cames make blook pressure and heart rate go up the way they do when the body senses danger. People blame listening to violent rap songs, violent movies, and violent television for agressive behavior because they have the power of suggestion. It seems to me that since playing violent video games involves the players in the dangerous action, they would influence behavior more negatively than the rap songs, the movies, and the televison. Instead of observing, they are doing. I would not be surprised if studies show these games to be dangerous one day. I would rather have my kids play sports game and develop some skills instead of shooting people in games.
http://www.ehso.com/ehsome/cellphonecancer.php
Cell Phones, Cancer and Brain Tumors. What is the Real Story?
This is a fairly long article about whether cell phones can cause brain cancer. Because cell phones give off radiation and radiation can cause cancer with strong doses, there have been news reports and one Swedish study that cell phones could be dangerous if we use them next to our head for long periods of time. The article describes a Japanese study, a Danish study, and a British study that all say cell phones have not been found to cause brain cancer. Also a doctor at Columbia University thinks that the Swedish study was not that accurate because it relied on subjects remembering cell phone use ten years before. The part of the article that describes the kind of radiation cell phones emit seems to give the best evidence about cell phones being safe. It says that cell phone radiation is non-ionizing, meaning that it cannot "be absorbed by tissue and break molecules apart." Ionizing radiation like the kind medical X-rays give off can penetrate tissue and cause cancer. But then the article says that there is a doctor at the University of Washington, who thinks that cell phones could cause benign brain tumors. Having read this article I am not too worried about getting cancer from using my cell phone, but from looking at its radiation chart for electical devices I would definitely not use heating lamps, go into tanning booths (not that I've really been tempted by them) or have too many medical X-rays. I wouldn't stick my head into a microwave oven either.
http://www.ehso.com/ehshome/cellphonecancer.php
British Researcher Says Facebook A Brain Drain
This article had an eye-catching headline, "This is Your Brain. This is your Brain on Facebook. Brain Tumor Specialist-Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in NY/NJ can help." The article says that this could be a future ad based on government testimony in England by an Oxford neuroscientist who thinks that online social networking could be dangerous for our brains and behavior. She predicts that "the mid-21st century mind might almost be infantilized, characterized by short atttention spans, sensationalism, inability to empathize and a shaky sense of identity." I have to say that my reaction was that this seemed like an extreme view, and I expected that the rest of the article would have scientists who disagreed. I was wrong. A UCLA scientist said that the social network sites carry risks for the brain, and a Stanford University researcher thinks that even if people knew for certain that online social networking was harmful to the brain, they would continue using it. This article is short on real evidence because it does not mention results of any studies. Also the mention of the words "brain tumor," in the headline seems a little sensational since there is not mention specifically of brain tumors being caused by these networking sites. This is ironic since the article is accusing the sites of being sensational. Still the risk of shorter attention spans seems real, and makes me think even more about how we need balance between time on and off the computer.
The Effect of Video Games On the Brain
This article makes a case about video games as a cause of emotional and agressive behavior while playing the games and suggests that they could cause longer lasting agressive behavior. First the author talks about personally observing two brothers playing a non-violent video game. When the younger kid won, the older kid went crazy and started kicking him. Later the younger was losing playing by himself and started screaming and crying. I'm not sure I would blame this behavior on the video games. These kids might get upset about striking out at baseball or playing miniature golf badly. The article talks about studies that show that playing violent games increases anxiety and hostility. Since studies have shown that violent television can does this, it makes sense that more active involvement in video games would cause more anxiety and hostility. The interesting part of the article talks about a study in Tokyo that showed that people who played video games a lot were showing a decreas of activity in parts of their brains (prefrontal regions) and that the under use of these parts of their brains might be the cause of their agressive behavior and inability to concentrate especially since this lack of brain activity continued after the game playing was over. Then the author asked a question about whether the brain was perceiving the video games as real. There are other studies that show how the cames make blook pressure and heart rate go up the way they do when the body senses danger. People blame listening to violent rap songs, violent movies, and violent television for agressive behavior because they have the power of suggestion. It seems to me that since playing violent video games involves the players in the dangerous action, they would influence behavior more negatively than the rap songs, the movies, and the televison. Instead of observing, they are doing. I would not be surprised if studies show these games to be dangerous one day. I would rather have my kids play sports game and develop some skills instead of shooting people in games.
http://www.ehso.com/ehsome/cellphonecancer.php
Cell Phones, Cancer and Brain Tumors. What is the Real Story?
This is a fairly long article about whether cell phones can cause brain cancer. Because cell phones give off radiation and radiation can cause cancer with strong doses, there have been news reports and one Swedish study that cell phones could be dangerous if we use them next to our head for long periods of time. The article describes a Japanese study, a Danish study, and a British study that all say cell phones have not been found to cause brain cancer. Also a doctor at Columbia University thinks that the Swedish study was not that accurate because it relied on subjects remembering cell phone use ten years before. The part of the article that describes the kind of radiation cell phones emit seems to give the best evidence about cell phones being safe. It says that cell phone radiation is non-ionizing, meaning that it cannot "be absorbed by tissue and break molecules apart." Ionizing radiation like the kind medical X-rays give off can penetrate tissue and cause cancer. But then the article says that there is a doctor at the University of Washington, who thinks that cell phones could cause benign brain tumors. Having read this article I am not too worried about getting cancer from using my cell phone, but from looking at its radiation chart for electical devices I would definitely not use heating lamps, go into tanning booths (not that I've really been tempted by them) or have too many medical X-rays. I wouldn't stick my head into a microwave oven either.
http://www.ehso.com/ehshome/cellphonecancer.php
British Researcher Says Facebook A Brain Drain
This article had an eye-catching headline, "This is Your Brain. This is your Brain on Facebook. Brain Tumor Specialist-Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in NY/NJ can help." The article says that this could be a future ad based on government testimony in England by an Oxford neuroscientist who thinks that online social networking could be dangerous for our brains and behavior. She predicts that "the mid-21st century mind might almost be infantilized, characterized by short atttention spans, sensationalism, inability to empathize and a shaky sense of identity." I have to say that my reaction was that this seemed like an extreme view, and I expected that the rest of the article would have scientists who disagreed. I was wrong. A UCLA scientist said that the social network sites carry risks for the brain, and a Stanford University researcher thinks that even if people knew for certain that online social networking was harmful to the brain, they would continue using it. This article is short on real evidence because it does not mention results of any studies. Also the mention of the words "brain tumor," in the headline seems a little sensational since there is not mention specifically of brain tumors being caused by these networking sites. This is ironic since the article is accusing the sites of being sensational. Still the risk of shorter attention spans seems real, and makes me think even more about how we need balance between time on and off the computer.
Sunday, October 4, 2009
HW # 9 - Video Project GHIJK for Aja
Thank you for your nice comment, although I think you are giving me too much credit for staring at a screen. I think you also give me too much credit for having good balance in my life.
You've made me think that even though I get a lot more physical activity than a lot of people who play video games and are on facebook etc., I think I maybe get too much physical activity with so many hours each week spent with soccer/dance training, and soccer games. I don't have that much "hanging out" time which can be healthy as well.
I also like your question about who has a say about the balance in our lives. We're teenagers, so we are beginning to express our independence. But, I think that when we teens tend to overdose on the usage of digital devices that parents should get involved enough to point out that we need more time spent on physical exercise and seeing friend and family face to face.
As you suggested, can we even answer the question "what is the perfect balance in our lives?" I'm not sure that we can but I do think that you should be able to know yourself well enough by this time in your life that you should be alert to overuse of digital devices. Say when you realize its already 4:30 in the morning and your eyes are bloodshot with purple bags sagging under them, and you remember that you spent 3 hours online, followed by 3 houes of video games, followed by 4 hours of television. Time for a slight adjustment in lifestyle.
Thanks, Aja, for giving me more to think about on the subject of balance in our lives.
You've made me think that even though I get a lot more physical activity than a lot of people who play video games and are on facebook etc., I think I maybe get too much physical activity with so many hours each week spent with soccer/dance training, and soccer games. I don't have that much "hanging out" time which can be healthy as well.
I also like your question about who has a say about the balance in our lives. We're teenagers, so we are beginning to express our independence. But, I think that when we teens tend to overdose on the usage of digital devices that parents should get involved enough to point out that we need more time spent on physical exercise and seeing friend and family face to face.
As you suggested, can we even answer the question "what is the perfect balance in our lives?" I'm not sure that we can but I do think that you should be able to know yourself well enough by this time in your life that you should be alert to overuse of digital devices. Say when you realize its already 4:30 in the morning and your eyes are bloodshot with purple bags sagging under them, and you remember that you spent 3 hours online, followed by 3 houes of video games, followed by 4 hours of television. Time for a slight adjustment in lifestyle.
Thanks, Aja, for giving me more to think about on the subject of balance in our lives.
HW # 9 - Video Project GHIJK for Julie
Thank you for your very nice comment on my video, despite the fact that it was anything but scintilating. I know how utterly bored you must have been watching me watch a computer screen, as far from an oscar worthy performance as it gets.
Your comment about suggesting that I try to balance the time I spend with technology the way my brother does really did give me something to think about. I thought about how I am actually to a certain extent quite selfish with the way I spend my time. My life is so scheduled with soccer, dance, and school that I don't know when I would fit in community service. On occasion I help out the younger players in the soccer academy, and that is a pretty satisfying experience.
I also really thought about your comment that "the digital world is making everything seem so fake." It's ironic isn't it that the newer and newer generations of video games try to make the experience as realistic as possible. But, it never can be a "real" experience. There is something to be said for these games. When I play FIFA 09, I am constantly learning new tactics and skills that I can apply to my real life game.
The idea of having balance in your life I think means having mental and physical activity and also having fun and having time for others. Some people get too much physical activity (yours truly), but many technology fanatics don't get nearly enough.
I think we are both saying in our own ways that we need to keep our use of technology in perspective in order achieve that "balance" that we seem to crave. Is it even possible for a person to achieve that "balance" in their life? What would be your definition of "absolute balance?"
Thanks, Devin
Your comment about suggesting that I try to balance the time I spend with technology the way my brother does really did give me something to think about. I thought about how I am actually to a certain extent quite selfish with the way I spend my time. My life is so scheduled with soccer, dance, and school that I don't know when I would fit in community service. On occasion I help out the younger players in the soccer academy, and that is a pretty satisfying experience.
I also really thought about your comment that "the digital world is making everything seem so fake." It's ironic isn't it that the newer and newer generations of video games try to make the experience as realistic as possible. But, it never can be a "real" experience. There is something to be said for these games. When I play FIFA 09, I am constantly learning new tactics and skills that I can apply to my real life game.
The idea of having balance in your life I think means having mental and physical activity and also having fun and having time for others. Some people get too much physical activity (yours truly), but many technology fanatics don't get nearly enough.
I think we are both saying in our own ways that we need to keep our use of technology in perspective in order achieve that "balance" that we seem to crave. Is it even possible for a person to achieve that "balance" in their life? What would be your definition of "absolute balance?"
Thanks, Devin
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