2041

     30 years from now, a typical day for a college student would be completely different than it is today, here's what I think it would be like. My alarm clock wakes me up at 8:00 AM. It won't stop buzzing until I actually walk over to it and place my thumb on the biometric scanner, that way it actually can sense that I'm up and ready to start the day. I go to the kitchen type my order into a microwave-looking device and within a matter of a few seconds, out comes my eggs and toast. I go into the bathroom to wash up and use some of Colgate's toothpaste that now contains an instant teeth whitener. With this, whitening strips have become a thing of the past! After getting washed up, I go back to my room to get dressed and get ready to leave. I go into my walk in closet and pick out my clothes on the touch screen. A robot picks them out from among the racks and brings them to me. The robot then proceeds to make my bed as I head out the door.
     I head outside and get inside my hovercar. Ever since their invention, they have made getting from point A to point B a lot quicker. From my house in Cape Coral, it's only a 5 minute commute. Nature no longer seems to exist, instead everything seems to have been replaced with a mechanical version of itself. For example, the trees now look like something from the movie Tron, with bright blue lights. I park my hovercar and proceed to class. No longer do students have to carry around heavy textbooks, now everything we need can be download and stored on a device that is similar to a Kindle. The teacher gives us the day's lesson in the form of a hologram from the comfort of their own home. No longer are they required to physically be there in person. Once the day's lesson is over, I hop back into my car and proceed home.

Netflix

     Technology, it's becoming a bigger part of our lives with every passing day, with devices constantly being upgraded and updated in an attempt to make them more efficient at what they do. Since I grew up in a generation that was for the most part predominately technologically oriented, it makes it hard to imagine what people did before the internet made information so easy to obtain. You mean people actually had to read books to get information before the internet? That's crazy! All joking aside, this advent of technology has made our lives easier and more enjoyable, with the internet helping to fuel many recreational activities, with one of my favorites being Netflix.

      Netflix is a company located in California that is essentially a long distance movie rental service. By paying a monthly fee through their website, you are able to have a set number of DVDs or Blu-ray discs shipped to your house. You are able to keep the movies as long as you want, but you cannot get another movie shipped to you until you send yours back. Members can also construct a list of videos, that way Netflix knows which movies to ship out to you and in what particular order. In the past it was also possible to buy used DVDs from Netflix, but they have since canceled that service.

     In addition to their Disc rental service, there is another service Netflix provides, which I have grown to love. That service is the ability to stream movies and TV shows to your computer and even to your Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 as well. Not only has it become a great time waster, but it has also allowed me to watch some television shows that I haven't seen since my childhood, such as: Hey Arnold, Invader Zim, Angry Beavers, along with many other shows. Its a great piece of technology that will let you watch whatever you want on the fly from the comfort of your own home. It's great to just skim through when your bored and looking for a movie to watch. Although some shows and movies aren't accessible through the live stream yet, the selection they do have so far is quite vast.

BioShock: Rapture, what was supposed to be the ultimate utopia

     Dystopian elements are all around us, whether they are in the movies, books, television, music, art, or even video games. All however seem to share one same element, that being an oppressive society, where one usually loses their sense of freedom and individuality, under the disguise of a utopia. After reading Ira Levin's This Perfect Day, and discussing dystopian literature in class, I've become more aware of it. Now, not only do obvious choices such as Lois Lowry's The Giver come to mind, but now so does the The Matrix, along with many others.

     Another prime example of dystopian fiction in today's society is BioShock. Although BioShock is a video game, it gives its players a wholesome dose of just what exactly a dystopia is like with its great backstory and almost horrifying scenery. The game takes place in the fictional "utopia" of Rapture, which is located underwater somewhere around Iceland. From the initial scenes and audio logs throughout the game we are clued in to the story behind Rapture, as well as what went wrong to turn it into the hell that it is today. It was originally devised in the 1940's by millionaire, Andrew Ryan, as a utopia to get away from the oppressive government. Seeming to almost resemble a Las Vegas underwater, it seemed as a perfect place for a getaway.

     Soon after colonizing Rapture and getting it up and running, an astonishing discovery was made. After being bitten by a sea slug, a worker with a crippled hand was amazingly healed. After some in-depth research was conducted, it was determined that these sea slugs were infected with parasites that contained a type of unstable stem cells, which were lated dubbed ADAM, which allowed those infected to essentially have superhuman abilities, such as shooting fire or lighting from their hands. While this initially seemed amazing to the citizens of Rapture, little did they know that it would have such a horrific side effect. Over time, it eventually lead to physical deformities as well as mental instability. This still didn't seem to stop the population, however. People let their need for ADAM get the best of them, and soon a civil war broke out in 1959, which eventually led to the downfall of Rapture, the so called ultimate utopia. While just about everyone was killed from the violence, a group of deranged survivors still remained, waiting for more people to arrive.

      You start off the game as a man named Jack, whose plane just crashed into the Atlantic Ocean. Seeing a large building in the near distance, he decides to go investigate and finds an underwater device, which eventually leads him to the city of Rapture. Once he arrives there, he is helped navigate the city, by radio, by a man named Atlas. It is Jack's goal to maneuver past the ADAM-stricken, murderous psychopaths and the automated turret systems which are trying to kill him. Atlas helps Jack find some of the remaining "plasmids" which grant superhuman abilities and is told to kill Andrew Ryan, who is still the head of this now forsaken city. Only once Ryan has been destroyed can Jack be allowed to leave.

   

Blog 3- Low-Tech Fence Cuts Down on Problems

In his article, "Low-Tech Fence Cuts Down on problems", Kevin G. Hall explains about a three mile fence that was established in New Mexico. Not only was the 15-foot-tall fence put up along Columbus, New Mexico, but to the west of the city, a vehicle barricade was introduced as well. Since the fence has been put up, there has been less of a flow of illegal immigrants and drugs into America. James Johnson, who owns 157 square miles of farmland in the area, likes the fence. "I think the fence is a very good idea. It will not work in all areas, but there are very strategic areas where it will do a good job", exclaims Johnson (Hall 689). This low-tech effort is having a much greater impact than the so called "virtual fence" that the Department of Homeland Security attempted to install, which used sensors, radars, and cameras to track traffic along the boarder (Hall 690). So far, the blockade has been effective, as the number of immigrants and illegal drugs, such as cocaine, has decreased since its installment in 2007. Although it seems that the fence has brought these numbers down, it is likely that those crossing the boarder are just taking another route around. 

     The topic of immigration is a controversial topic that is often brought up and that many people have strong feelings about. I think the author did a good job presenting his viewpoint with facts to back his claims up, although I wish he would have possibly talked about the opposing side of the argument.  I was surprised that something so simple as a man-made fence would have better results than a high-tech fence established by the Department of Homeland Security. While I agree that activities such as human trafficking and drug smuggling are wrong, I don't think a mere simple fence will solve anything. I think the root of the problem needs to be addressed, not just slightly slowed down.

Works Cited

Hall, Kevin G. “Low-Tech Fence Cuts Down On Problems.” Perspectives on Argument. Ed. Brad Potthoff. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson, 2009. 689-690. Print.

Visual Argumentation

     Argumentation is all around us. We are bombarded nonstop by the media's visual arguments everyday in the form of television, magazines, newspapers, music, the internet, and even on billboards. Their goal is usually to either to get you to buy their products or attempt to sway your stance on an issue. They accomplish this by portraying the people in their ads as stylish and successful by using their products or by presenting jaw dropping pictures and statistics if they are trying to sway an individuals opinion on an issue. A good example of visual argumentation are some of those beer commercials that they always air nonstop during football on Sundays. The ads usually showcase a group of young and healthy friends relaxing and having a good time while drinking a few beers. These ads are misleading as the companies are trying to get you to believe that if you drink their beer you will always have a good time and be surrounded by a plethora of friends, which we know doesn't happen. To try and differ your opinion on an issue, a company may show some shocking facts that really make you question you stance on a subject. For example, an ad against cigarettes might display a fact such as "around 100,000 kids start smoking a day worldwide". That fact is certainly one that would open your eyes!



     The picture shown at the top of this page is an example of visual argumentation at it's finest, that being in the form of a bumper sticker. We all see quite a few of these everyday, but do we stop and think about the point that they are trying to get across? Whether it is a bumper stick about Obama, one about Darwin and evolution, or one similar to the one posted above above that pokes fun at global warming, they are all displaying a visual argument. This bumper sticker posted above pokes fun at the existence of global warming and is essentially saying its just as real as a unicorn. While each individual has their own stance on this issue, its quite clear what side the creator of the sticker is on and what message they are trying to get out to the public. Next time your out on the road pay attention to the ads, bumper stickers, and billboards that you see and think about the message that each is trying to get across.

Points to a Successful Argument

     What exactly is an argument? Most people seem to associate the word argument with two people shouting at each other, but there is more to an argument that just that. Argumentation is all around us in everyday life, even if we don't always notice it. A few examples constitute of: public debate, negotiation, internal argument, and even visual argument in the forms of bumper stickers, posters, etc. Arguments are much more than just a simple shouting match!

     According to Perspectives on Argument, a good argument should contain most, if not all, of the following: an issue, an arguer, an audience, common ground, a forum, and audience outcomes. I believe the 2 most important factors are the issue and the common ground between the two opposing sides. The issue is the most important part of an argument, because without an issue there wouldn't be anything to argue about in the first place! A common ground for the two differing sides also plays a huge role in an argument as well. It gives both parties an area of the subject matter to hone in on, something that they both could relate to. Without a common ground, arguments usually tend to instead turn into fights with nothing being resolved as a result of that.

     Although I am not one for arguing much myself, a good argument can certainly grab my attention. A good example of this would be the Presidential debates of the 2008 elections. I was flipping through the channels trying to find something to watch and stumbled upon the debate and was quickly drawn in.  While at the time I certainly didn't know a great deal about politics, my attention was certainly captured as both John McCain and Barack Obama exclaimed good points to the issues they were discussing. Their argument was a success as it produced a change in the audience, me, and made me want to explore further into politics.

      Arguments aren't just a verbal fight, they are much more than that. The two opposing sides are trying to sway the other to share their same point of view. This needs to be done however in a respectful manner. While one side doesn't agree with the other it doesn't mean that they are wrong or that their ideas are worthless, you need to be respectful to their point of view, even if you don't agree with it. The arguers both need to have an open mind to attempt to see the other side of the issue so that a compromise might be in near future.