I recently watched a video called "Did you Know?" on youtube and it was pretty amazing. Some of the information was pretty surprising and some not so surprising. The video talks about technology and how it affects us today. Our lifestyles have changed due to new technology and it seems we are all trying to play catch-up.
The information that surprised me and concerned me was that by 2049, it is predicted that a computer will have the computational capability to exceed an entire human species. A $1000 computer at that! Whether it will get that far, who knows? The human brain is a complex thing. What concerns me is that the computer will be smarter and people won't have to use their brains anymore. We rely on computers and other forms of technology enough as it is. What I found amazing is that students are currently being prepared for jobs that don't yet exist. It's not too surprising, knowing what the economy is today and more jobs will have to be created so future generations will have a chance in this life time to make a living.
I didn't grow up with the same technological advantages as kids do today, and I am ok with it. Frankly, I feel that technology, as fast as it is becoming is not always a good thing. Too many people misuse technology now, and who knows how far it will go before it gets out of control? Don't get me wrong, technology has made life simpler. For example, rather than reading a map, you can just a GPS for the car and as you're driving, it tells you where to go. On the negative side, too many will rarely look at a map anymore. Today's children may not even know how to read a map. As I have been told many times, and this I firmly believe, technology is a blessing and a curse.
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Monday, October 12, 2009
Music
Micheal Jackson is one of the major pop icons of the 1980's. That also happens to be one of my favorite time periods where music is concerned. I have many fond memories of my childhood in the 80's. For example, my mother was an arobics instructor for the Richard Simmons Academy Asylum. I was in the gym's small play room with babysitters, and I heard Michael Jackson's hit song "Beat It" pounding through the ceiling. I started dancing to it along with a few other kids in the play room. I used to have babysitters come to my house and the first thing they ran to was the t.v. set. MTV was pretty popular at the time and one of the first music videos I ever saw was Michael Jackson's "Thriller." I was scared by it at first, especially when he turned into a werewolf! Now, when I see the videos and hear the songs, I am reminded of my childhood.
Saturday, October 3, 2009
2009 Writing Awards Ceremony
On Wednesday, September 30th, my composition 227 class had the opportunity to attend the 2009 Writing Awards Ceremony. It was located in the CASL building and it started at 5:00pm. There were refreshments of doughnuts, cookies and cider offered, which was nice because I had just come from my job, and was a bit hungry.
I strolled in the room where I sat with a few of my classmates. The atmosphere was very relaxed. I observed that the winners brought some family members and friends with them which I thought was a great support to them. Unfortunately, not all of the winners were able to attend due to class and/or work schedules, so it was a smaller crowd. As the professor and host of the ceremony made a speech, I could feel the expectation in the air as the winners were preparing to accept their awards. A few read some pieces that I thought were very interesting and enjoyable.
The piece in the fiction category that stuck out the most for me was called "Point Of No Return" by Holly Carlisle. The piece was about a woman marrying into a situation where there was domestic violence. I have a good friend who was in that same situation for a short while. She left him, thank goodness. I feel that my friend would get some insight reading a story like that to know that she isn't alone.
In the poetry section, the poem that caught my attention the most was "Tornado Township" by Carl J. Garfield. As he read it, I could almost hear the tornado sweep through, but what I thought was great was the fact that the poem was in a tornado shape, it was a great visual! Another poem that caught my eye was Amal Algahmi's "Hitchhiker." It was short, sweet and to the point.
These pieces were just a few of many. Some of the winners chose not to share their pieces, which I thought was too bad because I was curious to find out what they were about. In the research writing category, I would have liked to have found out what winner Lauren Crawford found in "Winding The Toy of Morality: Defining The Existential and Hedonistic Morality of A Clockwork Orange." It's understandable that some people are shy, however, when and if they become famous writers, they may be required one day to read a piece.
All in all, I enjoyed the ceremony and the pieces of writing that I heard. The winners received certificates and had their pictures taken at the end of the ceremony. Hopefully, next year there will be more attendees.
I strolled in the room where I sat with a few of my classmates. The atmosphere was very relaxed. I observed that the winners brought some family members and friends with them which I thought was a great support to them. Unfortunately, not all of the winners were able to attend due to class and/or work schedules, so it was a smaller crowd. As the professor and host of the ceremony made a speech, I could feel the expectation in the air as the winners were preparing to accept their awards. A few read some pieces that I thought were very interesting and enjoyable.
The piece in the fiction category that stuck out the most for me was called "Point Of No Return" by Holly Carlisle. The piece was about a woman marrying into a situation where there was domestic violence. I have a good friend who was in that same situation for a short while. She left him, thank goodness. I feel that my friend would get some insight reading a story like that to know that she isn't alone.
In the poetry section, the poem that caught my attention the most was "Tornado Township" by Carl J. Garfield. As he read it, I could almost hear the tornado sweep through, but what I thought was great was the fact that the poem was in a tornado shape, it was a great visual! Another poem that caught my eye was Amal Algahmi's "Hitchhiker." It was short, sweet and to the point.
These pieces were just a few of many. Some of the winners chose not to share their pieces, which I thought was too bad because I was curious to find out what they were about. In the research writing category, I would have liked to have found out what winner Lauren Crawford found in "Winding The Toy of Morality: Defining The Existential and Hedonistic Morality of A Clockwork Orange." It's understandable that some people are shy, however, when and if they become famous writers, they may be required one day to read a piece.
All in all, I enjoyed the ceremony and the pieces of writing that I heard. The winners received certificates and had their pictures taken at the end of the ceremony. Hopefully, next year there will be more attendees.
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