HW 30

How does cool relate to our attempt to live in relation to this emptiness?

Feeling empty is uncomfortable and confusing. It is usually followed with self- doubt, lowered self worth and other negative emotions that no one wants to have. An immediate response to feeling empty is a desire to feel full, but accomplishing a sense of fullness is hard work.
Gaining a sense of fullness involves soul-searching, effort to improve yourself, and give back to the world. This takes serious time and energy. Balancing school, work, social life, and family take up so much time as it is, who has time for enlightenment?
Being cool is easier because it doesn't take as much time and energy. First of all, when searching for cool, one already has an idea of what they are trying to achieve. They can look at those around them and point to something they want. Trying to fill the emptiness is not this simple, whatever fills the hole cannot be bought at Abercrombie. Secondly, being cool is all about whats on the surface. No one has to know your true thoughts and feelings as long as your outsides match up. It's like that toy for babies, where one has to the shape into the right hole. Trying to force a triangle through a circular hole won't work, thus that triangle is uncool.
Even though achieving cool does not get rid of the emptiness we all have inside, it makes sure no one else can ever see it. Some people are so good at convincing people they're full AND cool, they can sometimes forget the hole is there. This is immediate gratification, which is the easy way out, but only lasts so long.

HW 29- Informal Research

1. "Dating Tips: The Essence of Being Cool Animal Magnetism Made Easy." Men's Health 2009: 2. Web. 9 Dec 2009. .

Men's Health is like Cosmopolitan for guys. The article is a guide to being cool in order to attract women. There is a big emphasis on the importance of moderation when displaying any of the qualities suggested; independence, generosity and optimism.

The article's simple tips for being cool are contradicted by the effort to read an article about how to be cool. The author acknowledges this and even pokes fun at it, but without being condescending. Being able to laugh at oneself is often brought up as a characteristic of cool. By doing this, the author leads by example by using light-hearted, sarcastic humor.

2) Gladwell, Malcom. "The Coolhunt." New Yorker 17 March 1997: n. pag. Web. 9 Dec 2009. .
This article is about cool-hunting. The author follows around the two best hunters in the business to find out exactly what the job entails.
There is a process to how something becomes cool,which called "trickle up" instead of trickle down. This means whats cool and in fashion starts in streets and works its up until it becomes mass produced and inspires high fashion designers. Cool hunters find the individual and market their look to masses, suggesting that originality can only last so long. The creator becomes the leader, the leader has followers, and pretty soon, you can't tell the difference.

HW 27

Informal research:

Part 1. Street Interviews- 12/2/09

-Alec, 16 was the first person I saw who didn’t seem to be in a rush and he was not talking on the phone or listening to music. He was easy to approach and agreed to answer my questions. I explained what the class was about and asked him who he thought was the coolest celebrity. His response was one that we had come up with in class as the top 5 most expected answers. “I don’t know, I don’t really think about it,” he said. I tried to get an answer out of him by suggesting he think of his favorite musician, but he just shrugged. I thanked him, and he kept walking. Even though I was so grateful that someone had stopped to talk to me, Alec’s answer left me dissatisfied. I was so sure a 16-year-old boy would have some opinion on pop culture and coolness. His lazy response only supported Andy’s argument that people don’t think, especially teenagers.

-Next I spoke to Angelo, 21. He was standing in a large group with other people who looked his age. As I scanned the group for someone to interview we made eye contact, so I took a deep breath and went for it. I asked him if he could answer some questions for a class I am in. When I mentioned that the class focused on the concept of cool the look on his face seemed to say, “oh shit, what did I get myself into?” I reassured him that the questions were pretty specific and didn’t require abstract answers. “Who do you think is the coolest celebrity?” I asked. He thought for a moment before telling me that it was Chris Forseborg. I had no idea who this was. “He’s a driver,” he explained. “Like a racecar driver?” I asked right before I realized that was a dumb question. Next, I asked him why he thought Chris Forseborg was cool. “Well, I’m a driver too” he said. I pointed out that there are many NASCAR drivers and asked why Forseborg. “He’s from the same town as me,” Angelo said. Just then his group start walking, and we had to say goodbye. Angelo’s answer was surprising for a couple of reasons. First off, his favorite celebrity was someone I had never heard of, which was weird because I am a slave to the gossip blogs. Second, he chose a celebrity based on how much they had in common. In class, we had discussed the separation between the idols and the worshippers. Idols are idols because they have been put on a pedestal by the worshippers, who are passive, only observing from a distance and not taking action. Angelo’s statement challenged this idea by showing a different relationship between the celebrity and the fan. He feels more connected to the person he admires because they have similar interests and backgrounds. He participates in what he finds cool, instead of worshiping from a distance.

-The last guy I interviewed was Danny, who looked as if he was in his 40’s. I asked him who he thought was the coolest celebrity. For the second time that day I heard those dreaded words, “I don’t know.” As I was about to give up, Beatrice chimed in. “Well what do you think is cool?” she asked. Without missing a beat, Danny responded, “answering questions on the street,” and flashed us a smile. We giggled and thanked him, then headed back to school. Danny was cool. His witty comment and smooth exit made up for his first answer.

Part 2: Family Member

Everyone in my family and anyone close with my family knows my grandmother as GG. She says being called grandmother makes her feel old, but for all I know she could be 25, since nobody knows her real age. GG has a fabulously young spirit, but is wise and classy. She lives by the idea that “you can be as dirty, crazy and fucked up as you want to be, as long as you sound smart and look together.” With this mentality, GG went from a poor girl in Brooklyn, got away from her emotionally abusive husband, and is now one of the top interior decorators in the city. She is one of heroes and one of my best friends, not to mention the coolest person I know. She is nice to everyone, charming, beautiful, smart, and successful, which basically sums up all the traits of cool. She leaves impact on almost everyone she meets and has a solid gold lighter, GG is far more than just a cool grandmother, she is an iconic being.

Part 3. Friend Interview

Ian O’brien, 18 is from London, and recently moved to NYC. I thought it would be interesting to get the perspective of who wasn’t American, so I gave him a call. I asked him if he notice a difference in what American teens find cool versus what britsh teens do. “To be honest, the basics of it are the same because media and pop culture are so global now all the messages are the same, everyone want to be black, all the girls wanna be thin…” He seemed bored by his own response, and tried to think of something else to say, then he remembered a big difference he had observed. “In the UK its cool to hate everyone, over here if you’re generally nice person, its good, in the UK that’s considered a pussy.” This is exactly why I don’t like England. I don’t find rudeness cool, and according to my class anyone who is mean for no reason is a tool. Ian prides himself on being English, but he’s one of the sweetest, most loving people in my life, which contradicts his original statement. Maybe he’s just being Americanized.

HW #14

The excerpts I read focused on the affects of TV and video games  on our intelligence. It is often said that watching a lot of TV or playing hours of video games makes you dumber, but this author argues the opposite. The author takes focus off of the criticized content, for example sexuality and graphic violence, and looks at the screens' impact on our cognitive skills. 

Playing video games is interactive. The player makes choices based on what is being presented on the screen. Even though they may be involved in what's going on on the screen, the same part of the brain are being used as they would be in making choices in real life. 

Though watching TV is not an interactive activity, it also uses the cognitive functions of the brain. Watching television shows they have multiple plot lines a complicated stories require the viewer is make inferences and analyze what they are watching. This means even though the body is not physically active, the brain is because it is constantly working out the messages it receives from the screen. 

These readings offered me a different perspective. When discussing the affects of TV and video games, I often focus on the content. Analyzing the images we see only looks at the surface of the relationship between man and screen. I understand the similarities in brain function between reading a book and watching a show like the Sopranos. In shows with many main characters, and unresolved conflicts, one episode does not offer all the answers. This kind of program hold my attention, and stays in my mind once it is over. When trying to figure out what will happen next, I look for evidence in past episodes, which is the same process as making inferences about books in school. 

I was never really into video, but in the few times I have played them I found it very difficult. Not only does it require a lot of hand-eye coordination, but the play must also find strategies to completing the game. It is like a digital puzzle. 

The author of the reading argues that the brain is actually being exercised while watching TV or playing video games. Feed is about how the brain is made practically useless because all the screen stimulation. But the authors are using evidence from two different aspects of digitalization. The author of the reading is not suggesting that TV should be the only means of becoming more intelligent. His argument is much less extreme than the one presented in Feed. Feed also focuses on what the messages do to the viewer, but the reading focus more on us, and how our brains work.

HW #13: Feed B

It is very important that FEED is a book. Every other strong creative aspect of it, such as teenage narrative and symbolic representation of the present would have been lost if was presented a movie or podcast. By telling his story in print, Tobin pries the reader away from the internet, making his message more dramatic, and forcing the reader to prioritize and make their own choices.
FEED is both the mirror and the hammer. It must be the mirror first. If an artist has any hope of shaping the world, they must first understand what they want to change and why. The author also makes it clear to the reader what must be changed. The author's role as the hammer is not so clear because he does not simply state how to fix the problems. I think the message of the book lingers in minds of the readers because there it not a traditional happy ending or a magical solution. By making readers think, the author or artist is influencing the world on a much deeper level than just providing a good story.
Looking at FEED as a work of art, the process of conveying the message and making it relevant is a team effort between the artist and the observer. Without the potential for affect on the reader/ viewer, the piece is irrelevant. While the artist has the job of creating something tangible, the viewer's job of processing, analyzing, and questioning is equally as important. Without both roles actively working, we cannot change and grow as a society.

HW # 12: Feed A

The story of FEED clearly represents the internet age and screen-attached teenage dumb asses that are experiencing it to the fullest. I imagine adults (particularly those born during generation X) reading this and shaking their heads disapprovingly. "Tsk, tsk, these children are supposed to be our future, but instead they are a bunch of YouTube junkies and Tivo heads," they say to themselves, "we are fucked." But are we really? I hope not.
When Andy asked if we would get a "feed" if we could, I wasn't sure how to answer. I didn't want an Iphone at first. The idea of a touch screen scared me, it was too advanced and made things to easy. Using such advance technology to do such frivolous things, such as playing digital beer pong, made me nervous. Now it feels like an extension of me, a part of my brain that I turn off during movies. It is frighteningly close to a "feed" and as much as I would like to think I would hold up without one, I probably wouldn't and would be so excited once I could use it completely hands free.
Being a teenager is confusing because we developing a sense of self while battling raging hormones and our parents. Having all sorts of easily accessible media around telling us what to like, what to believe, and so on makes life easier during such a strange and hard period. This is why teenagers today cling to the internet. Without constantly receiving messages, we are left alone with our own thoughts, which can be really scary. Like drug and alcohol use, technology is an easy way to numb out true feelings and feel part of something without being too exposed. Most people grow out of heavy partying once they have to live in the real world, and I think my generation will have a similar experience with the internet in the future.

HW #1: Relations with the Digital World

The idea of growing up without internet, on demand TV, or a cell phone is so strange to my generation. Without high speed connection or 3G service I feel disconnected and vulnerable. I often ask myself how I became so dependent on technology? Or is it necessary to detach? But then I am distracted by a new facebook notification.

I have had almost unlimited access to all aspect of the digital world since I got an Iphone. Not only can I text and talk, but I can also access internet, music and games whenever I want. While I enjoy how easy it is, it is also frightening how advanced and excessive technology has gotten. Still, I can't help but cling to my phone, and check it religiously. I am connected to a screen 24/7. 

I know it's not great for me, but is it really that bad? Is it interfering with my life in a serious way? All the digital stimulation can be a distraction, but I have ADD (right after typing this I started playing solitaire on my phone). I wonder how much each factor contributes to my inability to work efficiently. How much has digital accessibility contributed to the nation's shrinking attention span?