Reflective: Thoughtful, Meditative, Contemplative, Pondering, Speculative, Pensive

So this being my final blog post for Digital Civilization, I can't say that I'm terribly upset.

I began this course with absolute hatred. Blogging being the main target of my distaste.

I just felt that it was annoying and useless for me to write 2-3 blog posts a week. Plus, it took me a long time to read all the information, do some self-directed learning, AND write an acceptable blog post about what I learned.

But as the class continued and I got the chance to meet more people in our class, I won't lie, I actually began to like the class.

Someone that I befriended in the beginning and made the class bearable was Erin Hamson. She and I were the only freshman in the course, at least I'm pretty sure we were. We sat together the first day and from then we were class buddies. We were in the same group for the mini book club project. Which we all enjoyed doing. We read the Marriage of Heaven and Hell. This project, while at first I thought was going to be a pain, I really enjoyed doing. My choice of project to do about the book was a photo project. It was a lot of fun to do and I feel like it expressed the point of the book well.
So thanks Erin! You really helped me survive this class. 

I feel like this picture expresses my initial feelings of the course very well.

So what have I learned from this class?

Way too much...

But at least it will help me as I acclimate to the whole college thing. 

Self Directed Learning: It took me a LONG time to get use to this. But it has definitely grown on me. I discovered I could find details about topics that I WANTED to learn about. A whole new revelation to me. I suppose an example of this would be my blog post about the Triangle Factory Fire concerning the Industrial Revolution --> The Girls

It also just so happens that this post is my most "popular" post. It seems like many people liked how I presented my information.  

The Web: The online world is HUGE. Even bigger than the planet it lives on. While before the class, I had accepted the fact that I would only be knowledgeable in what I had been taught to use, this class has expanded my options greatly. I can be a digital citizen. 

All in all, this class will be missed. I have enjoyed growing and learning with all our connections of history and the digital world. 

I have yet to figure out what I might blog about in the future..But I assure you, it will be spectacular.

Why?

I will begin by saying that this post is definitely more on the religious side.

Prof. Burton & Prof Zappala wanted for us to explain why we are invested in our Final Project and what makes us feel the need to successfully complete it.

Our Mormon Message is focused on families. 

For some odd reason, I feel a great need to write what I'm about to write.

A Long Day - Update on the Final Project

Current Time: 3:24 PM
Location: Multimedia Lab - HBLL

Mental Capacity: 5% and dropping..

Technological Capacity: -32% and exponentially decreasing

Our day here in the lab began hopeful and enthusiastic. Although my own enthusiasm has waned, we remain steadfast on our journey to complete the Mormon Message video.

We were able to edit and cut much of our footage and most of our clips have been separated into their respective categories.

With 2 different computers reserved and yet another computer with all our files, we were lucky enough to meet some very kind and understanding people who allowed us to switch computers.

We took different shifts to get food since we were all getting pretty low on physical energy.

Now, we are working on a computer that is connected through the same network to our main computer with all our work. We've hit a small technological obstacle and are just trying to think of what to do.

David, Ariel, and I are just going to push through..

In the words of The Sound of Music, "[We] have confidence in [us]". Not exactly a direct quotation..but close enough for me.

In Honor of The Day The World Got Brighter

There are 4 events that God saved to be the MOST important in the world. 1st of course being Christ's birth. The 2nd for Christ's fulfillment of the Atonement. 3rd for the 2nd Coming. 

As for the 4th...

December 2, 1992
A soon-to-be mother goes about her day. Thinking of what to make her husband for dinner. What groceries need to be picked up. Is there anything else needed for the new baby? She was expecting her first born daughter in just 10 days. All she ever wanted was to have at least one girl. She had been feeling a bit uncomfortable all morning. Some random pains every few minutes. Suddenly, realization set in...the baby was coming.

Later that day...
after being rushed to the hospital by her very excited husband, she was immediately put in a room and ready for the next few hours of discomfort..

5:03 PM
Hallelujah. Heavens open. Angelic choir. The world brightens. A baby girl has been brought into existence. They named her Shuan, a fitting name for a brilliant being. God saved this great event for the birth of the most spectacular Asian.

Nominations *drumroll please*

Historical Content

A blog that I have been consistently reading throughout this course has been Erin Hamson's --- >  Call me......Erin
She always has interesting posts about the historical content and brings a different opinion to the subjects. I especially like her post: Dual Personality of Enlightenment. She introduces her subject and what she will be talking about in the post, then goes in depth and it is very apparent that she has done her research. 

Another post that I found really interesting, especially since I don't particularly like the topic, was Kurt Witt's --> Hollywood responds to the Atomic Age. 

When I read most posts, I usually just skim and read the most important points. But with his post, I watched both of the videos all the way through and clicked all his links. It was well put together and concise. All in all, it was a wonderful, informative post that I enjoyed reading.  

Digital Literacy

Danny Patterson's --> Mass Text Email Program Written in Excel post I found really interesting. It's personal because he created it himself but also informative and useful since it would benefit many people as well. It introduces his program and explains how it works and the benefits gained from using the program. A well-explained and interesting post.

Mormon Message - Final Project

So, I have been delegated the website. It was actually bit more difficult than I had originally thought to make the website more appealing.

So there's a quick looksie at what our website is.

I actually had to create a whole new Google site because our original site wouldn't let me change the background and all that type of stuff. So our new link is https://sites.google.com/site/davearielshuan/
***Is it possible to change the URL?? If so, help please!***

There is more to be added still. I just put up some pictures of the cute kiddos and of the whole team. Hopefully by this weekend, we'll have a short teaser clip of the Mormon Message so we can get others excited too.

As far as connecting with other people, my Hall RA is actually a Film major and we all agreed that to have a connection like that would be useful seeing as to how we are trying to create a video. So I'm  hoping I'll be able to catch her sometime this week to tell her about our project, ask for some advice and tips, and invite her to our presentation.

The clock is ticking faster and faster it seems!!

Two Point. Oh!

Does anyone remember classrooms with chalkboards?

Has anyone NOT seen or used a SmartBoard?

Web Traffic

So the basic idea I've gathered from Web 2.0 is trying to "harness the power of the crowd", which seems to mean creating a web traffic jam. Trying to gain a large audience to whatever a user decides to put out on the web. I'd like to demonstrate this idea by comparing it to "vlogs" [video blogs].

A video blog concept is typically the same as any old blog like this one. But vlogs have seemed to expand to mini webisodes for entertainment and not just a cataloging of knowledge and ideas.

An example of a vlog webisode series would be the popular Youtubers --- SMOSH
Each video they post is intended for entertainment and they gain a huge audience with these videos that many people are interested in.

An example of a vlog that shares knowledge is Michelle Phan's make-up Youtube series. Although what she shares with the world isn't necessarily life-changing (to most) and will help solve the world's problems, she gets an enormous amount of traffic. Many people go to her Youtube page to learn how to do certain styles of make-up and she is very well-known in the web world. As I skimmed through her various videos, her view counts went from 500,000 to 3 million.

Popular blogs/vlogs that generate a big audience basically have those readers/watchers in the palm of their hand. I have a friend that basically religiously watches Michelle Phan's videos and gets all her makeup advice/tips/aid from her.

I found it amazing that regular, run-of-the-mill, ordinary people could become basically big stars.
I'm sure many have heard of the "teenage dream" - Justin Bieber [insert groan here], his career was launched by Mr. Bieber posting videos of himself singing online.

The main principle behind trying to gain a wide audience is to be consistent and diligent. If you were to look at any big blog/vlog, you'll notice that they consistently and regularly post.

Web traffic isn't a difficult thing to accumulate, it just takes the determination to get it. 

Little Kiddies

So last Saturday (November 20), David and I headed up to Salt Lake and got to interview his little niece and few neighborhood kids. Might I say how much fun little kids are! They just have a wonderful, different perspective of the world and their innocence is so sweet.

As David got the camera all set up and was making sure the sound was working, we explained to his niece of what he would ask her.

The funny thing was that she was talking all excitedly beforehand but once the camera turned on, she clammed up. It seems that all kids are a little camera shy. But David adjusted really quickly we were able to help warm the kiddies up a bit more.

It was such a great experience and it makes me more excited for our project.

Now, we are trying to decide on a name for our project...
I don't know why but the phrase "Let's play house!" keeps popping up in my head. Does anyone remember being young children and wanting to play house with a mommy and daddy and maybe even a cat or dog. I'm not sure if it matches exactly with our project but I suppose we'll discuss more later.

Tech Babies

Dalton's blog reminded me of this comic.Interestingly enough, this is what typically occurs with kids.
Another interesting thought that came to mind as I read his blog is how the different generations of youth was influenced by the media.
In high school, I would think each year how the new "freshies" seemed to get worse and worse each year. As I examined how the media has changed throughout the years, I've come up with a theory as to why those "freshies" seem to digress. Whatever is played on the radio, shown on TV, or put on the internet, kids WILL somehow be influenced. If the younger children actually think what is in the media is how the older 'kids' act, then they will idolize that particular behavior. Now, some of the media-inspired behavior does exist through all ages but those behaviors will become more wide-spread, as time has shown. Just a theory..

Baby It's Cold 'Inside'

Did you know the Romans innovated a cooling system for their outdoor theaters and even the Colosseum?
Sure, they were just awnings, but they fact they worked in an awning for the entire Colosseum is impressive.
It was known as the valerium. It consisted of a canvas-covered, net-like structure made of ropes, with a hole in the center. This roof covered two-thirds of the arena, and sloped down towards the center to catch the wind and provide a breeze for the audience. Sailors, standing on special platforms, manipulated the ropes on command. 

Ingenious.  

How's it going? -- the Final Project

So for our final group project, we are creating a Mormon Message video.

Here's the link to our Google Site --> Mormon Messages Final Project

After much discussion, we have decided that we will focus our video on Family. More specifically, love in families. We plan to interview little children and ask them certain questions and record their responses. David and Ariel found a wonderful talk by Henry B. Eyring, "Our Perfect Example"
David showed us "Out of the Mouth of Babes" today and it got me excited for the plans we have for this project.

On a side note, I'd REALLY like to thank David and Ariel for listening to my ideas and not immediately casting them aside. As a freshman in this course, I've felt farther behind than my peers and I feel that my group is very welcoming of my thoughts and ideas. I don't think they even know how great it is that I'm not immediately just labeled as that "dumb Freshman".

Neopets!

So I realized that I haven't done much "Create" digital labs. I looked around for different things I could create online but didn't find many that were of much interest. Then, I suddenly remembered...NEOPETS!
Note: I have not played this game in YEARS but even after years of inactivity, I signed back on and had the time of my life and probably wasted precious homework time to play the games to gain neopoints. Well worth it.
Neopets is a website where users can create these "neopets" that are basically weirdified versions of real-life animals.

The Wonderful Workings of Katherine Chipman

So my designated peer's blog to evaluate is Katherine Chipman
Her blog is: Learning...Expanding My Horizons

Another Reflection

Unrelated question: does anyone else think of the song from Mulan anytime someone says "Reflection??"

So the time has come again for me to reflect the past few weeks of Digital Civilization.
I've found that I have enjoyed some of the topics more than the last midterm. For example, the Industrial Revolution was a period I really had fun looking up facts for. Something I've realized as this class has continued, I can look for things about the historical periods that I'd actually be interested in studying and learning about more.
I think the problem I have sometimes is that I will spend 2+ hours researching and learning about the different class topics, but I won't be able to come up with anything I would be remotely be interested in blogging about. I figure why should I write a whole blog post about something that I really have no desire to blog about. I suppose I should still write something but how can I expect anybody to read my post if I have no interest in the topic at hand. For example, the Atomic Age, the most recent topic. While most would probably call me crazy for not finding anything interesting about it, but to me the Atomic Age = science. And I have no passion or the slightest interest in the science. I looked up how the Atomic bomb came to be and how Einstein helped progress the invention of it. I researched how the Atomic Age molded society into what it was today. But it didn't spark any fire in me to write anything about it.
I love the freedom that this class gives to allow me to research topics so that I can look for details that I would enjoy reading about. But sometimes I don't know how to relay the topics that I haven't seen any interest in.

As for computing concepts, it's been really interesting learning about all the different info Dr. Zappala has researched on. I find it really entertaining to see that he enjoys what he is teaching so much and it makes my learning experience that much better. Same goes to Dr. Burton with digital literacy and historical concepts. It's really nice to see teachers truly enjoy what they are teaching.

I think I am still trying to understand how I actually learn the best. Even though the class is more than half-way through, the process to understanding my self-directed learning is going to take much more than a semester. But I do believe that this class has helped speed up the process a bit.

Money Money Money...Must Be Funny

There is really nothing about economics that appeals me. I didn't even know what it really was until I took a personal finance class in high school. As I read the different articles about different economy theories, I realized that my misunderstanding of the economy is perfectly A-OK.
I had always thought that the economy was just there. Laissez-faire policy, literal translation: to leave alone or allow to do. The government just allows it to run on its own unless a national crisis occurs (kinda like now..). Well I noticed that throughout our nation's history, the economy has drifted to and remains heavily in control by the government. It is a constant debate in politics and many Americans vote based on how the candidates will help improve the economy.

Example:

Reaganomics::

President Reagan promised to lower taxes and domestic spending. He produced the 4 pillars to his theory

1. Reduce government spending,
2. Reduce income and capital gains marginal tax rates,
3. Reduce government regulation,
4. Control the money supply to reduce inflation.

The main idea behind Reagan's ideas is that "big-boss" companies and corporations were hampered by government intrusion.
While his general ideas were good, in reality, deficit spending increased greatly. The national debt went from 700 billion to over 3 trillion US dollars. Government spending had been cut but most of these cuts came through social programs like Education and Welfare.
Reaganomics did create income growth and that fact is now used to argue the plan worked and should be returned to.

What if...

Before my dreams to become a teacher, I had once hoped to become a psychologist. Mainly because I like to know, understand, and help with others' problems. I hadn't realized how much actually went into psychology.
There is SO much that goes into psychology, a lot of which is interesting. I will try and contain some of my excitement and try to inform only what is necessary...

"Talking of Michelangelo"

 

As I read, The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock, by T. S. Eliot, I couldn't help but think about how much it relates to our topic of study: Modernism.

Contagious

So last night I was in the "No Shhh" Zone of the HBLL with some friends studying.

All of a sudden, a guy a few feet away at a computer started laughing. For the first few moments, no one paid much attention. But after about 3 minutes, people started noticing. Note: it was not any normal "ha ha ha" it was hysterical wheezing like "hee hee hee haw haw haw!"
After about 5 minutes, EVERYONE in the library was looking at this guy and laughing along. No one was really sure but his laugh was so contagious that no one could help but laugh too. It was probably one of the best moments of my life. Everyone was in hysterics laughing along with this guy even though they had no clue what he was laughing about. Although almost no one knew each other, we all joined together through laughter.

My friend and I were sitting in a spot where we could see what was on his screen.
What was he dying of laughter from?

4 Stars

 The Marriage of Heaven and Hell

by: William Blake

I decided to post book reviews on both Shelfari and Amazon

I gave the book 4 stars because while it was an entertaining read, I found myself only reading the words and not actually taking in the information because I couldn't follow what Blake was trying to say.
The 4 stars are merely personal belief, not because of the content or it is poorly written.

I would recommend this book to anyone, religious or not. It is an entertaining and humorous read. Blake's Proverbs of Hell are widely known and after reading them, it is easy to understand why.

It honestly took me about 30 minutes to read it through the first time. Of course you would have to read much more in-depth to understand the content but it is worth it.

I decided I would also load my create photo project pictures into an album on Facebook for others to see.
Link here: TO FACEBOOK AND AWAY!

Prezi is Messy

So at 10:05 pm October 19, 2010, I finally finished my photo project for my create project about my book.
It took me awhile to get the hang of things with all the different frames and fun ways for the path to go. I finally got going at a steady pace about a hour later.  

At 11:53 am October 19, 2010, Prezi decided that it would stop loading my pictures and just break down on me.
I'm pretty sure I almost broke down into a tired, stressed ball of frustration on the floor.
For about half a hour, I tried to fix what was wrong and get everything going again but it just wouldn't work.
I gave up and went to my former tool (and successful) of presentations - Microsoft PowerPoint

Although I agree that we all need to embrace the future of technology, but I will NOT be using Prezi again.
Too much hassle.
I'm happy with my Microsoft Office.

Thus ends my modest rant.
If I had written this a hour ago, the entire post would be in CAPITAL letters and there would be exaggerations to the errors of Prezi.

The Marriage of Heaven and Hell

The book our group chose to read was The Marriage of Heaven and Hell by William Blake. It was originally published through "illuminated printing" which was using etched copper plates to print pages that were then colored by hand. Only 9 copies are known to exist.
This book is satirical in nature and was actually entertaining to read his thoughts on religion and morality.
My favorite, and what Blake is best known for, is his "Proverbs of Hell" which contain 70 axioms.

The short book follows the theme of

"Good is the passive that obeys Reason. Evil is the active springing from Energy."

Blake satirically mocks ancient prophets, apostles, and even Jesus Christ but not to discredit them. It adds humor to religion and supports his view that "for every thing that lives is Holy."

 

I made a Wordle with the Proverbs of Hell section of the book. As seen, some of the most recurring things are God and man. Blake's 70 axioms are both humorous and good principles to follow.

I created a Microsoft PowerPoint of my 9 favorite and what I believe to encompass the entire book's message. [I then uploaded the PowerPoint to slideshare and it took away all my fun custom animations. bummer]

Proverbs of Hell: Shuanified

View more presentations from shuan8pai.

The Great Debate

The question that has haunted this Earth for centuries...

What 'd Ya Say?

So I'm sure many people have used language translators before but the best one that I've used is Google Translator.

I'm currently mentoring an 8th grader boy who only speaks Mandarin. Although I have grown up speaking Mandarin in my home, I can not compare to someone that has lived in China their entire life until very recently. I'm helping him in history since he cannot read English and does not understand what his teacher says.
There are a few words that I was unable to translate, but I headed straight to Google translate and he understood immediately after just typing a word or phrase in.

It really is amazing how quickly, efficiently, and, most importantly, correctly online translators are becoming.

As I showed Ching, the 8th grader, how to go about using Google translate, he realized this would help him greatly when trying to read any of his lessons. He is a brilliant kid and only lacks in the knowledge of the English language.

There are 48 languages available for users to translate. With a wide variety, anyone in the world can use Google Translate with ease. You can even translate websites! This tool is extremely useful and I've used it many times throughout the years and have seen how it has changed and evolved to what it is today.

Another reason Google is supreme over Yahoo.

Chained To A Tree

Open the Box

I have recently discovered Pandora radio. It is an internet radio that allows the user to type in an artist or song or genre she likes and it will generate a radio station with songs that are related to what was typed in.

Above is a screen-shot of my current radio station. I originally typed in Michael Buble and it generated other songs that it thought I would enjoy such as "Brown Eyed Girl".
The idea of Pandora internet radio was to create an in-depth analysis of music and bring together songs not by their titled genre but by what the songs sound like themselves. They call it The Music Genome Project®.
What I also love about Pandora is that you don't HAVE to listen to what they give you. You can always change it to a different song that you'd like to listen to just by searching for it.

I introduced this internet radio to my roommate Katie and she absolutely loved it. She likes to listen to "oldies" and she didn't like listening to the radio before since she couldn't find stations that played music she liked. Now, she just types in whatever she likes into Pandora and she's got a great list of music she enjoys listening to.

Pandora gives me much joy. Instead of having to find songs I like on Youtube or listening to my small playlist of music I'm in the mood for, Pandora does it all for me. It's great! I highly recommend Pandora to everyone

Mini-Book Club Book List

For my book list, I tried to look for books about a specific person or event that was included in the historical periods provided. Personally, I learn and understand history better when I'm following a story through that period.

Uprising by Margaret Peterson Haddix [Historical Fiction]

 In the spirit of my last blog post, this book follows 3 girls whom lives' were tied to the Triangle Factory. These 3 best friends come from different backgrounds but all are fighting for rights for the women working in the factory. It includes the horrible working and living conditions. This book documents the working girl's life and what occurred the day of the Triangle Factory Fire.

The Kingdom of Matthias: A Story of Sex and Salvation in 19th Century America by: Paul E. Johnson & Sean Wilentz [Non-Fiction]

I almost scratched this book off just because of the title, but then I started reading the description and reviews. It follows Matthias the Prophet and his influence in 19th Century America. It documents the Second Great Awakening and includes some detail about the rise of new sects during this movement (such as the LDS church). This book basically follows a cult leader's journey and experience. (Side note to my book club pals: I'm leaning toward this book)

The Great Labor Uprising of 1877  by Philip S. Foner [Non-Fiction]

This book is about the Railroad Strike of 1877 when railroad workers in Martinsburg, West Virginia walked off the job to protest a 10% cut in their wages. This strike scaled upward to violence. It is an interesting and detailed account of the strike and how it affected America. 

Iron in Her Soul: Elizabeth Gurley Flynn and the American Left by Helen C. Camp [Biography]

Follows the life of Elizabeth Gurley Flynn, a hardcore labor movement activist. She helped organize many labor unions. She also joined the American Communist Party and became a chair in the party.

The Girls

During the course of the Industrial Revolution, many events and inventions changed the world. The cotton gin improved the process of collecting and separating cotton. Interchangeable parts made items such as machines much more easy to assemble and fix. The shift from agriculture to the factory system caused a great population shift from the country to cities. 

With the need of more factory workers, women became a driving force in the working society. Lowell Mills, which began in 1814, employed girls from the ages of 13 - 30. Other such mills started appearing elsewhere in the United States. Many of the girls that left home to work in these mills were forced to by family's money situation.Working conditions were hard. There were usually about 80 girls and machines packed into a room. It was hot and humid in the rooms and they were often never ventilated so girls would faint from the heat and bad air. The hours were long and grueling. Typically 12 to 14 hours was a normal work day. They were often not allowed many or sometimes any breaks. In Certification Woman's blog post about the Lowell Mills, she posted a typical work day schedule:

4:30 a.m. Wake up call
5:00 a.m. Work began
7:00 a.m. Breakfast
7:30 a.m. Back to work
12:30 p.m. Dinner
1:00 p.m. Work resumed
7:00 p.m. Workday ended
10:00 p.m. Lights out

 

 Many deaths occurred from the terrible working conditions. One tragedy that occurred and helped change working conditions and safety regulations was the Triangle Factory Fire.
March 25, 1911, near closing time, a fire broke out at the top levels of the factory. Many workers were of course women. Many factors came in when determining why 146 of the 500 employees died.
- The doors were locked to the rooms where the girls worked so many died trapped inside.
- The doors all opened inward so the crowd of oncoming girls did not allow for the doors to open.
- The one fire escape collapsed
- There fire safety was only 27 buckets of water.

Many girls leapt 9 stories to their death. It was said that onlookers watched as girls would jump from the top levels and hit the ground with a thud.                                

 

 It is such a horrible event and it is even more terrible to think that so many young lives had to be ended for better working conditions to be put into place. So many of those deaths and other such work-related deaths could have been prevented if the simple thought of humanity was there.

   

Dii would like to GO!

So I've decided to make this Digital Lab post on Diigo since it was a totally new web tool to me.
Here's a video that diigo has to introduce you to it's website.


Diigo V5: Collect and Highlight, Then Remember! from diigobuzz on Vimeo.

Diigo allows us to bookmark, highlight, and add sticky notes to any web page. Because all this information is added to the 'cloud' , it allows us to access the web pages we have bookmarked AND it will still contain all the highlights/sticky notes added.
I have found this comes in mighty useful when doing research and I need to keep tabs on what sources I have visited.
Personal Example:
I have a paper for my Book of Mormon class that needs educational sources. As I have searched throughout the web for these sources, I've found that rather having 50 different tabs open, I can just bookmark them to diigo and life is MUCH simpler.
I introduced Diigo to my roommate, Katie. She was very excited when I told her about how she could keep all of her web pages bookmarked and could go back to them later. Like me, she had always kept multiple tabs open to remember her sources. It has completely changed both of our methods at source tracking.
I must say, Diigo is an AMAZING tool. I didn't think I'd be using it much, but I have found that it keeps things much more organized.
So, go Diigo go!

The Mexican Fisherman

The radio special about the fishermen reminded me of The Story of the Mexican Fisherman. It's a short story and takes 2 minutes to read.
A quick synopsis: an American investment banker visiting a coastal Mexican village encounters a fisherman. He asks how the fisherman lives his life. The fisherman responds he fishes and relaxes by the coast. He asks why the fisherman does not try to turn his fishing hobby into a monopoly and make millions. The fisherman asks what will happen after he makes his millions. The banker says he will retire and relax by the coast.
Note: My short summary does not do the full story justice.
But the basic moral of the story is why work so desperately for a life of luxury if you are content with the life one already has?

In today's world, people are constantly looking for ways to earn more and more money. I'm sure we have all been told, if you do what you love, it won't matter how much money you make. But what is one of the first things people look for when exploring jobs? The salary. I understand though that all the factors in the world might make it difficult to not pay attention to how much money will be earned.
While there are many people that enjoy their choice of career, there is still a good percentage of people that dislike their job.
I found this interesting site with Money Statistics. A table containing satisfaction/happiness with their career is posted toward the bottom of the page. It's interesting to see that more people are "very happy" with a higher income than those with lower incomes. Money is a key factor in today's society.
The popular quote: "money doesn't buy happiness" is a true yet false statement. . .I think this image sums up mostly my point.

Reflection So Far...

This digital civilization class has definitely been an interesting journey so far.
When I signed up for the class, all I knew about it was that it was called Civilizations 2 : Letters. I had absolutely no clue as to what I would be learning.
Let's just say I experienced some culture shock once I finally sat down in class and learned what we'd be doing.
As a freshman, I suppose I knew that college would be much different. A new place, a new atmosphere, and a totally new learning method. In high school, we studied what we were given to study, we read what we were given to read. While we were still able to hold our own opinions on different matters, usually through the readings we were assigned, our opinions were lead a certain way.
Since the start of this class, I've noticed that I learn in a much different way then before. Forcing myself to look for scholarly articles/websites concerning the class topic has given me the chance to expand my knowledge and views on different matters.
As for the digital literacy labs, I was worried beyond belief. I didn't think I'd be able to grasp what the different labs consisted of. But since looking into the labs, I've found myself much more aware of the different tools available to me. I feel much more web-savvy.
I won't lie, I did not enjoy this class at first. The idea of starting a blog was mortifying. I had always made fun of those with blogs and how all bloggers wanted was attention. But my view has changed slightly and I understand now that a blog isn't just for putting up silly pictures and describing in full detail how awesome/awful one's life is. There are many intellectually sound blogs out there that offer interesting viewpoints.
All in all, this class has expanded my view of the world and has taught me how I learn best. I'm interested to see how much I'll learn/grow throughout the semester.

The Lazy Fair

One of the things that has been grilled into my brain in almost every history class I have ever taken is the laissez faire policy.
What is this you ask?
Well, in French, it literally means to leave alone. This policy favors individual self-interest and competition. It opposes the regulation of commerce. So, in a sense, it is a "Lazy Fair".
A fair is known to have many games to play that claim that for a "small" price to pay for a few chances at winning a grand prize, usually a stuffed animal. Self-interest and competition both apply here. There is the competitive spirit when playing these games. The prize is wanted based on the person playing the game, wanted for "selfish" motives.
The Lazy Fair encourages economic individualism and aims to protect the individual's rights.
The goods and services provided are made for profit, not to satisfy needs. It is not only mere coincidence that the plethora of products available in today's market is what the public wants. In order for any profit to be made, production must be aimed toward what the public wants and needs. Remind anyone of a common fair? The game vendors all shouting to come play their game. That's exactly how our nation's marketplace works. The products call out for the people to come buy buy buy.
There has been a lot of talk of the Lazy Fair lately. Whether or not the nation's money is being used "properly" is a huge issue. The question now is, should the Lazy Fair get a new keeper? should the Lazy Fair be put under control?

An Empire of Learning

The Royal Society of London, established on November 28, 1660, emphasized the "improving of natural knowledge". They "pursued knowledge through direct experiment". Basically, they looked toward the future in gathering knowledge instead of embracing "old theory". Throughout the years, this Royal Society was able to produce many innovations and contribute in the advancement of science and technology. This Society still flourishes today.

What's interesting to me concerning this society is how much this DigiCiv class relates to it. In this class, we are learning about the past and how we've been able to advance to this present state, but we are also trying to embrace the many technological tools available today. We are improving upon "natural knowledge", which in today's world is typically based around technology.

In the Royal Society packet, it mentions a "Christian virtuoso". It described this virtuoso as a "man of birth, means, merit, brains, and leisure". I couldn't help think of politicians when reading this. Although not all politicians must be a "man of birth", a requirement to become the President of the US is to be a natural born citizen. To have means would be having the power/ability to fulfill the roll of being a politician. I would assume means would equate to money. Brains, that's a given. What US citizen would want an average student leading/representing him? Leisure, the tabloids always have some picture or article whenever the President does something that the 'regular' people do. It's interesting to see how the "Christian virtuoso" applies to life in today.

What intrigued me the most about this Royal society was the "cabinet of curiosities". The article describes it as "a closet or small room in which were arranged, and proudly displayed, antiquarian objects, scientific specimens, anything whose interest might arouse interest". It stated that the history of museums began within these cabinets. It's a fun fact to know the origins of how museums came to be.

I Can See Clearly Now

Many scientific studies are done daily. The studies that are actually published, to my surprise, are often tweaked to "appeal" to the readers.
An interesting article I found that explains this Transparent Science talks about how much these studies actually disclose their information.
"In an ideal world, science is objective: the results of an experiment should be evaluated without massaging the data or manipulating them in any way."
I use to believe that whatever a scientific journal/article published was 100% open. As I read more about transparent science, I became aware that most studies published are what the public wants to hear/know. Either that or the study tries to shock the public and often only discloses the things that would get their point across to their audience.  
It's really interesting to learn how much the world has changed. While there is so much more information out in the open, the legitimate resources available  might not be able to be trusted to be totally disclosed.
In the article, it states that in 1997, only 1% of scientific journals actually had a disclosure statement. 
Makes me wonder how clear everything actually is. Is anything transparent these days or is it all behind a blurry window?

A Penny for Your Thoughts?

The brain really is a mystery. Does anyone ever stop to think about how we think?

John Locke's An Essay on Human Understanding delves into the difference of thought process between simple and complex ideas. The steps that each person takes to come to a precise thought. He mentions senses and other factors that would cause us to think a certain way. He also notes that the mind began as "white paper, void of all characters, without any ideas."
David Hume wrote another essay concerning human understanding called An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding. In his essay, it focuses on cause & effect and how that applies to human thought processes.

When comparing and contrasting the two essays, it's clear to see that both have somewhat similar ideas of thought. Although Hume writes concerning human reason rather than a focus on ideas. How every person comes to a certain thought or idea is rather interesting.

Naturally..

As I read about Thomas Hobbes' Leviathan in Wikiquote. One sentence stuck out in my mind.

"Hobbes finds three basic causes of the conflict in this state of nature: competition, diffidence and glory. The first maketh men invade for gain; the second, for safety; and the third, for reputation. "

In my Philosophy 150 class, we're discussing human nature and psychological egoism.
Psychological egoism is basically stating every thought and action we do is purely for selfish reasons. Keep in mind, "selfish" is not a bad thing always. 
Hobbes' 3 causes of conflict would seem to fit perfectly into what psychological egoism is.

Competition: This is easy. Of course everybody enjoys winning. The term "take one for the team" could be argued that one is selflessly helping out their teammates but more often than not, that one will be praised for their aid.

Diffidence: A lack of self confidence. How can anybody call this selfish? When someone is too shy to do something or take an initiative, isn't that selfish? He won't take action because HE doesn't feel confident or comfortable.

Glory: My junior year in AP Literature, we talked extensively about reputation and what can happen if you gain a good or bad rep. All in all, I think everyone can agree glory is ultimately for selfish reasons.

Human nature is a curious thing. Whether or not you agree with psychological egoism, it is interesting to think of the intentions we have when making a decision.

Food for thought.

What I Learned...

I didn't know there were special sites for blog searching. So I'm pretty happy that Brandon showed me different websites for such a task.
I've tried out BlogPulse and IceRocket and I find them very useful, even fun. I started typing in random words and entertained myself by reading some silly posts. I think I will continue utilizing these sites in the future to find things that will pertain to my posts.

LeeAnn taught me about wikis which I only have small knowledge of. I just know that my CS 142 class has a wiki that I constantly check. Wikis are really useful in organizing information. In my computer programming class, it helps by posting a schedule and explaining all the labs and projects that need to be done by a certain date. It's much easier and world-friendly by posting everything on the Internet.

Supreme Apostles

While studying the Protestant Reformation, I found this site that was very interesting. http://www.gotquestions.org/Protestant-Reformation.html <--
My sophomore year of high school, I took World History and first learned about the false doctrines the Roman Catholic Church were preaching. I learned that the Church claimed apostolic succession. Basically, apostolic succession is the belief that the 12 disciples of Christ passed on their authority to their successors. The 'supreme apostle' (or the Pope) being Peter.
These false doctrinal teachings spurned Martin Luther's 95 Theses and resulted in the Protestant Reformation.
In many ways, this relates to Joseph Smith and the restoration of the gospel. In his search for the true church, he found that there were none and he was the one to restore the church. One can even compare the 95 theses to the Book of Mormon. The 95 Theses was meant to reform and the BoM was meant to complete the full and everlasting gospel. But both brought about a change to society and religion.

Message Me

My group assignment project is: messaging.
I decided I would look into 4 different versions of messaging: MSN Messenger, Skype, Facebook Chat, & Text Messaging.

: The first type of digital messaging I experienced and used regularly was MSN Messenger. I was about 12 years old and thought it was just about the coolest thing ever created. By adding a contact by their e-mail, you could chat with them whenever they were online. The small emoticons were fun to use and gave the conversation some 'excitement'. You could post a status message and organize all your contacts into groups to easily access your "Best Buds" or "Family" or "People I'd Rather Not Talk To". Another positive to using MSN was that it was also my e-mail account so it seemed like an extension of e-mail into instant messaging. It had the best of both worlds. If anyone would like to know all the features of MSN, here's a link to the website that explains all its details and fun stuff: http://windowslive.com/desktop/messenger

: One type of messaging that I really enjoy and would encourage anyone to get it is SKYPE! Unlike Stickam, which is a video chatting community that allows any viewer to come in on your webcam conference, skype is much safer. Each user has a name and the only people that can find you are those that know your name, username, or e-mail. For added security, they cannot see whether you are online until you accept them. Skype allows for video chatting, phone calls, or instant chatting. Basically, skype is my favorite mode of messaging. It is safe, efficient, and fun to use! Here's a link to all the juicy details: http://www.skype.com/intl/en-us/features/


: Of course everybody knows Facebook. Facebook allows 3 different ways of talking: messages, wall posts, and Facebook chat (basically instant messaging). I have utilized all 3, I assume most people have. Messaging is useful when you'd like to share private matters or just wish to have a private conversation that extends over a longer period of time instead of instant. Wall posts are fun to do. Not many serious matters are posted on walls since they ARE public to everyone that sees the page. Facebook chat is useful in that it is instant chatting. I don't think many people need a separate link to facebook since it is probably already bookmarked on most people's browsers.






: A form of messaging that I'm pretty sure everyone has or knows is text messaging. It's simply and easy to use. Just type a quick message to a friend or parent and send it. How difficult is that? I really don't think I need to go in depth about texting.



With all the new forms of messaging now available, I've noticed that many problems have arisen that were not present before the new digital age. Now, people can video themselves doing inappropriate things. "Sexting" is another common problem that the effects can last a lifetime and beyond. Some things can be misinterpreted when read instead of heard and some friendships can become ruined. I remember when I was younger, I'd tell me friends to "Call me". Now, it has evolved to "Message me". But now, even that has to be clarified whether through text or Facebook or whatever other type of messaging is there. In the future, what will "Message Me" transform to?

Say What???

As we discussed the combining of many works by Erasmus of Rotterdam, I was reminded to an interesting fact my BoM teacher (Charles Swift) told our class.
Quick Bio::Erasmus of Rotterdam
He basically examined many manuscripts and brought them together to one great piece of literary masterpiece.
If you'd like to know more, here are some links.
http://www.historyguide.org/intellect/erasmus.html
http://www.greatsite.com/timeline-english-bible-history/erasmus.html


The interesting fact::

Hot off the Press

As I read about the different topics about the history of movable type, I thought of how much the printing press has changed the world.
I wonder what it must have felt like to hold the first newspaper or book. To look at words upon a page that was uniform and neat. The eloquence of handwriting changed to the professionalism of printing.
I looked up the meaning for the phrase "hot off the press". It is quite literal to its meaning. Basically, newspaper use to be printed with a hot metal press which involved molten lead that was formed to each letter. Figuratively, the phrase means an updated piece. If holding a new newspaper 'hot off the press' is anything like getting a load of laundry out of the dryer, I imagine it's a wonderful feeling.
If you compare that method of printing to perhaps printing a paper today or even publishing a blog post, I feel the effect is not as moving. Yes, I must say I have felt the sense of triumph after completing a difficult essay and finally hold it in my hands. But, is there an awe to it as it was back then?
It's interesting to see the transformation of printing type and how it has affected how we view and feel a printed work 'hot off the press'.

iHuman

As we discussed the Renaissance Humanism movement in class today, it reminded me of a psychology theory I studied called the Humanist view. Both containing the root word - human, they also have similar aspects yet still differ in minute ways.
The Humanistic theory in psychology is a very optimistic view. It is basically focused on the individual and how the individual can solve their own problems. It's a view that is supposed to uplift the human spirit. As you can see,  it focuses on the individual. Instead of studying what humans did, it studies the humans themselves.
Humanism began around the 14th century after the Dark Ages. Francesco Petrarch who is credited to coining the concept of the Dark Ages is also known as the "Father of Humanism". As I 'googled' humanism and began searching what it truly is, one phrase really struck me. "A return to.." for some reason stuck in my mind. The whole phrase was, "a return to favor of the pagan classics". This got me thinking that the basis of humanism is exactly like it's root word: human. It is a return to what makes people humans. A revelation of personal independence and individualism. Isn't that the basis of all humans, being an independent?

P.S. This post made me think of the song Human by The Killers. So, indulge me...

A Reflection

Today marks the official one week anniversary of my first week starting college. I couldn't think of anything to write about for this post, so I figured I'd just write about how I even came to this certain point in my life.
BYU has not always been my "dream school". Actually, I had not seriously started considering it until my senior year of high school. As with all things, I had to pray and keep looking at the pros and cons. As I continued my study of BYU, I noticed 3 things:
1 - No one was unhappy with their choice to attend BYU
2 - A spiritual presence was a driving force in the education
3 - Creamery ice cream is delicious.
So, considering all those things and the campus tour sealed my fate. I ended up only applying to BYU & BYU-Hawaii.
Now onto my choice of major. Mathematics & Math Ed. I've always toyed with the idea of becoming a teacher. Along with dermatology, psychology, and engineer. But I found that I truly enjoyed teaching others. Why math? Why follow a common Asian stereotype? I just like math.
The story of how I chose my minor is somewhat interesting. I started taking computer science courses because 1) they could get rid of 2 necessary credits with only one class in high school. 2) it pertained to a psychology major I was interested in during the time. I actually grew to really enjoy the classes.
So with a major in Math and minor in Computer Science, I'll basically be living in the Talmage building with all my courses and math/cs labs.
There's some insight to how I became a BYU Cougar.

Delusional Analytics = Philosophers

Before I start this post, I must say, philosophy = perfect bedtime story.

So all civilization had to start somewhere right? Well we're not starting from the beginning. In fact, we're starting in the middle. The Renaissance to be more specific. I guess starting when "rebirth" occurred is the best place to start [ insert quizzical look ].

 According to Wikipedia (which I deem a credible source of information), the Renaissance occurred roughly between the 14th and 17th century and beginning in Florence, Italy. As many know, the Renaissance influenced, to name a few: art, politics, literature, science, philosophy, and religion. While it is a major point in history, I believe it was just a moment in time when people realized that they were stupid and needed to become 'enlightened'.

On to the New World, or also known as the Western Hemisphere. While some 'credit' can be given to Columbus for taking the courage to travel through unknown waters, he didn't discover the New World first. But since it follows the time-line, we'll discuss very briefly of his 'triumphs'.
Columbus used his puppy-dog eyes to get the Spanish king and queen to pay for his voyages.
Planned to go to India and bring back silks and other such treasures.
Landed in the Americas.
Killed off many natives.
Took a lot of gold.
The End.

Against poplar belief, the Copernican view was greatly rejected. The heliocentric view of the universe, which is basically saying that the Sun was the center of the universe instead of Earth (geocentric or Ptolemaic view). SO, basically a guy named Aristotle came up with the idea that the Earth was the center of the universe. Pope believed. Laid basis of that religion for many years to come. Copernicus comes up with his theory. Galileo comes out 'bashing' the church's belief system. A whole lot of hoopla. Now, with modern technology...we know. I COULD write a thousand word in-depth explanation of all the info I have read and gathered, but I don't even want to write about it much less would any other person like to read about it.

                                                                          ^^
                                                                           ||
That's Copernicus. -----------------------

Now we move onto an invention that has really been revamped throughout history. The movable type. Although created first by a Chinese man, we'll focus on Johannes Gutenberg that really got it 'moving' [ insert cheesy smile]. Around 1450 is when this movable type emerged. Obviously it became a major source of printing any type of newspaper, book, document, fliers, birthday invitations... (maybe not B-Day invitations but who knows?) Basically, moving type = awesome. I mean, can you think of any sort of modern day technology that could resemble the moving type?? (Hint: You're using it to read this)

And then there is Leonardo Da Vinci..What else can you say about him than being one of the best multitaskers ever. He was a painter, sculptor, architect, musician, scientist, mathematician, engineer, inventor, anatomist, geologist, cartographer, botanist and writer. Uhhh..yea. Go Da Vinci! I think everyone can agree that the world would definitely be different if Da Vinci didn't do the things he did. Although he probably would've still changed the world someway if he joined any profession. Example: if he was a plumber, we'd probably have floating toilets or something else ridiculously cool.

So by now civilization has advanced in all areas of life. With all the changing times, the thought of a perfect existence HAD to come to mind. A Utopia where all is run smoothly and very minimal or even no errors would occur. The book written by Sir Thomas Moore: (summary: http://www.bookrags.com/notes/uto/PART6.htm) gave a vision and story of a Utopia. A rather interesting excerpt about their love of learning gave an insight to perhaps how they are able to continue in such peace. Or the townspeople could possibly just be geeks. Perhaps that's the message: Only a nation run and inhabited entirely of geeks can be a true Utopia.

And thus comes a pause in the journey of civilization.
Finally..