Letters to a Young Contrarian: Take Away

I don't intend on finishing this book. It's not because I necessarily think that it's a bad read, I just couldn't find it interesting even though I know a lot of people in the class did! I think I just found his points really obvious and I couldn't understand what he was trying to prove. The way he words his sentences is also really strange and made me frustrated when I tried to interpret what he was saying. I wish I could say I enjoyed reading it, it was difficult to get through. But in a way I can appreciate that because I wanted to experience a challenge in this class. Maybe I'll pick this book up one boring night during my summer and read it. Maybe I just need to give it a second try!

What I've taken away from this class

I'm going to be completely honest, and I mean no offense by this, but I didn't expect for this to be one of my most useful classes - or at least from the beginning. Our projects weren't too difficult, they were something that I could have done on my own. With our generation being so technologically advanced, these projects (instagram, vine, podcasts) were all things that we could have figured out with our common sense. However, I did find myself enlightened by a few things that we went over in class. I was never informed about the Edward Snowden case, Ingress, Geocaching, the scholarly sources issue or what was going on with user agreements! I loved learning about that because it was topics that were modern and needed to be learned about, especially with my generation who cares less about educational issues and more about social media (ie everything that we went over in the beginning of the year). Overall, the class was awesome and I really enjoyed coming into class to learn more about what I can do with my major. Thanks for a great semester!

Letters to a Young Contrarian: Chapter 9

"I do not envy believers their faith. I am relieved to think that the whole story is a sinister fairy tale; life would be miserable if that the faithful affirmed was actually the case." (Hitchens, 55)

After taking my World Literature class and reading the ENTIRE book of Genesis, I think I would have to agree. I have nothing against the Christian religion, and maybe it's because this was my first time reading the bible and it was ridiculously long, but the bible has a lot of ridiculous expectations from humans. Fearing "God" was more important than praising "him" for the good things that he would offer for his people, please. People are also reluctant to believe in the powers of religion when it's constantly being shoved down your throat. Abortion is against the will of God, drinking and indulging will result in a lifetime in hell. "Do this and you'll be sinned, do that and you will be rewarded", it's all repetitive and tiring. People just want to live their own lives. For once, I think I actually appreciate this point that Hitchens is trying to make.

Letters to a Young Contrarian: Chapter 7

"We are an adaptable species and this adaptability has enabled us to survive. However, adaptability can also constitute a threat; we may become habituated to certain danger and fail to recognise them until it's too late." (Hitchens, 51)

Similar to my previous post, I find that when Hitchens tries to make points I often mistake his words for another meaning. He might actually be talking about the way evolution works on humans. How we evolved and adapted according to certain conditions that happen over time. I see the words "adapt" differently. When adaptability poses a threat, it often has to do with comfortability in relationships. It could be a friendship, or a romantic relationship. After some time one of or both of those people will get so comfortable that it becomes toxic. Ask any teenage girl who's been heart broken. She'll tell you that he was so sweet, she never saw it coming. She wasn't looking out for the signs of a stone cold killer (just kidding). But really! Like Hitchens like, "we may become habituated to certain danger and fail to recognise them until it's too late." Often times, people who are caught up in the honeymoon phase fail to see what comes next - reality. Life isn't sugar coated, and I'm glad Hitchens pointed this out. Or then again, maybe he was talking strictly neanderthals.

Letters to a Young Contrarian: Chapter 6

"You can't hope to change human nature...because nature is given." (Hitchens, 41)

I'm sure Hitchens means this in the most vague way possible, but with everything that is happening with Bruce Jenner - I can't help but form an opinion on gender equality. Most of the time I try not to involve myself with heated disputes on what is right and what is wrong. Of course I have taken a stance long before I realized the seriousness of the issue, and that is my belief on humans being born with their preferences, their feelings, what makes them happy. What makes one person better than another? Is it success, sexual preference, experience, what they choose to say and express? Hitchens is totally right, at least in terms of how I took his words. Nature is given, no one should try to change another person's nature.

Letters to a Young Contrarian: Chapter 5

"You can't achieve 100 percent control over humans, and if you could, you could not go on doing so. It is - fortunately - too much responsibility for any human to assume, not that this keeps the control freak from continuing to try." (Hitchens, 37)

I think I was just talking about this the other day with someone. I think it's great to motivate people to make a difference, but quite often they will use that as an excuse to act like a dictator. Most of the time, they will totally think this is okay. I find that you'll see this a lot in young girls, and I mean young girls. There's always that one girl who absolutely has to play the mom during recess when her and her friends are playing house. She is the one that wants to be in control, she is the one who proclaimed herself "leader" of the playground pack. If someone doesn't let this girl know that she's being a complete tyrant, she'll grow up to be the selfish bully that all know. There comes to a point where leadership its no longer in play and controlling behavior starts to take its place.

Project 4 (Final Blog Entry)

Here are some helpful nail art videos that anyone can do! Enjoy :)

Galaxy Nails

Neon Ombre Nails

Terms and Conditions May Apply

The fact that Google doesn't have it's original user agreement archived online does not really bother me all that much, even though I know it should. I'm sure the federal government could do more about how corporations are using and tracking our data, seeing as though they too have had their own issues with privacy settings. In a way, the advertising field has been a little shady with the way they reach out to customers and it creates a bad name for the big companies. For example, the whole Target scandal. When those products pop up on my Facebook timeline, it definitely freaks me out a little. How do you know I buy cat litter every other month, Facebook? Goods and services seem forced and very in-your-face these days, which is irritating. I think the federal government could do more, but ultimately it hasn't harmed me yet therefore I am not that concerned.

Project 4 (Week 2) + Challenges Faced

I only did two of the three nail designs (Neon Ombre and Galaxy) because each design took over two hours. I also spent at least 4 hours trying to find an appropriate iphone app that would allow me to combine and edit clips to create full videos. Most of the apps required me to pay extra money for certain features. Features that I was looking for included adding voiceovers, adding music, trimming and speeding up the clips, and being able to upload the videos at full length to youtube (3+ minutes). I finally found the perfect app and it was VivaVideo by QuVideo Inc. It was super easy to use and provided all of the necessities. The whole project took about 8 hours in total - that includes rallying my friends, finding inspiration, finding an app, filming and editing. I was able to complete the videos in two days. I think the hardest part of the project was not the nail art itself, but the whole editing process. Not only did it take me forever to find an appropriate app, but recording my own voice and applying it to a video was a new experience too!

Project 4 (Week 1)

For my instructional video, I am going to do a nail art video on neon ombre nails, galaxy nails, and spring rose nails. I've always been particularly good at doing nails, so I figured I would do a video on what I do best! I am no cosmetic professional, but that doesn't mean that I don't love seeing success in my work (and compliments are always nice too!). I have all of the necessary materials already, so all I need is some free time and preparation. These will both take about 2 hours each! I'll most likely use my friends as "hand models".

Here are some examples of what I have done on myself in the past!

Project 3

I used to make Vines in high school and even during my freshman year, so I was already familiar with the app. I wasn't very good at it, and realized that it was difficult to become noticed no matter how many irrelevent hashtags you put on the video. There's some kind of comedic touch that one has to have if they're going to be relatively close to being noticed. It's also pretty difficult for teenage girls to be noticed because lets face it - we're not all that funny.

But that's besides the point! It was kind of fun being back on vine again with Kyle, especially since they've made some changes to the way you can record videos. Although we were able to go back and edit clips in one vine (that's funny that we call it a "vine" instead of a short video or video clip), we still found it particularly difficult to record everything all in 6 seconds. For example, our instructional video. It was really hard to make all of the instructions fit in order to make sense. As I mentioned in my Project 3 statement, "The instructions were 'make a beat, make a rhythm, and add a melody'. Each step had a different clip, but this was a little hard to do since beats and rhythms need more than a couple seconds to establish what they are, especially if the beat or rhythm is slow". We had to do a few takes before we figured out what sounded best. 

Overall, I didn't feel very rewarded because I knew how to make vines before this assignment. But, I can appreciate vine artists who make extremely successful vines while staying within the time limit. It's challenging!

Kai on Ellen

"Brevity, laughter, surprise, irony, and a short title, youth, talent, music, and minority presence". Those are the coding units to a successful viral video. My favorite viral video is actually a series of videos by Ellen Degeneres where she brought a young boy named Kai who's probably around 5 onto her show. He sings along with Bruno Mars songs and not only is he cute, but he's actually really talented! Laughter, youth, talent and music are all included when this cutie named Kai sings his heart out.

What do you do?

This is a hard question. If I was shrunk to the size of a nickel and was tossed in a blender where the blade starts moving in 60 seconds, I would first panic because who wouldn't panic if they were about to be made into a smoothie? I would then utilize everything in the blender to make a giant mountain of fruits. It's a blender, we're making a smoothie right? I'm hoping it's fruit that I could easily climb on, something that I wouldn't slip on. I would then climb for dear life. But if I were a nickel, wouldn't I jam the blender? Or am I still a human, because if you can put beef through a food processor you can certainly process Darla.

Collaboration

Although I didn't need The Internship to help me realize this, willingness to accept is important when trying to understand one another in a group project. It's easy to look someone in a collaboration and assume that we can analyze their weaknesses, but we also have to give them a chance to show off their strengths. For the young interns in the movie, it was difficult for them to accept the older generation of men as they did not have the same knowledge in technology as the kids did. At Google, this kind of knowledge seems especially important. I've always wanted to work for BuzzFeed, so I followed the path of media studies in communications. My sister always told me to set myself apart from everyone else. If there is no spice to what I have to offer, what makes me any different from all of the other candidates? Same goes for Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn's characters. They may have lacked the knowledge in modern day technology, but they excelled in face-to-face communication and sales. If "Team Lyle" didn't give them a chance, they never would have gotten a chance to see what they could bring to the table. 

I thought the film depicted Google's core values very well. Under Google's #5 "Don't take success for granted", the core values suggest that one constantly thinks like an underdog. I always appreciate someone who is well-rounded and humble about their success. People who brag about how awesome they are are probably the most annoying people on the planet - just like that British guy in the film. They depicted the challenging but energetic work environment very well, and I hope the Google offices actually have giant slides and napping pods. The goals in the core values are all very ambitious. "Think big and take risks" is a great quote to live by if one expects to go any where in life. To support one another in the work environment as well as with personal goals is also one of the best aspects that Google has as well, and this is also heavily influenced in the movie. 

Depiction of The Internship

I love how The Internship depicts Google's corporate culture. At first, I thought the only fun and innovative company was Apple until we watched this in class. I always knew Google was modern, in fact it is a corporate king. But I also always thought that Google was a try-hard and a little overwhelming. With Google+, taking over Youtube, creating their own email servers, it's a lot to take in. I remember when I went to a weekend conference in high school and representatives were speaking on Google's behalf, trying to have an influence on my fresh young mind. I just thought they were kind of nerdy and were trying too hard to seem him with us fifteen-year-olds. This movie shed a new bright light on my perspective. Yes, Google is pretty nerdy. The giant floor-to-floor slides and nap pods were still the coolest things I've ever seen in a business environment. By creating a childish environment, it really lessens the stress that circulates in the office. They're totally okay with being nerdy and the lifestyle that they provide for their employees seems like a place where I would want to retire.

The fact that Google bases their operations on data, even human resources, is fantastic. I do not think they're dehumanizing their employees. Google is totally with the times and they are really pushing our advancement in technology for future generations. Google is already such a big influence on our generation that they don't really have to try too much harder for us to adapt to their benefits. I already have a gmail account with them that I use to access Youtube, and Google Docs is the coolest thing that has been introduced in a while (in my opinion). The Internship just pushed me a little closer to supporting their corporation. 

Internet Art: Chapter 1

Vuk Cosic was an internet artist who contributed in making polemical statements and gestures to attack the norms of art establishment, especially in regards to access to technology. Before becoming an artist, the Belgradian native was an archaeologist thus giving him the motive to express his interest in history through internet art. In socialist Yugoslovia, Cosic thrived to make a change in the dominant post Soviet Union culture through activism. When he first came across the world wide web, he was immediately interested in becoming involved, he knew that was what he wanted to do. Art first his work consisted of mailing images to other artists across the web. After some time, Cosic's HTML skills became so advanced that he had set up his own website for his web-based artwork. This was called "Net.art per se". He used this website to act on media and scepticism towards putting a price on media when it should not be.

Another artist that I found interesting was Olia Lialina's project "My Boyfriend Came Back From The War". This was a dramatic and romantic narrative that was based on a background of war. How she created this project was by using framed programming, which basically means taking HTML and dividing it into subdivisions on a single web browser. This was considered to be "new media art".

Letters to a Young Contrarian: Chapter 2

I love the passage on irony that Hitchens chooses to discuss when he refers to Rainer Maria Rilke, a Czech Republic born poet who was most commonly known for his transitional work from traditional to modern poetry.

"Don't let yourself be controlled by it, especially during uncreative moments. When you are fully creative, try to use it, as one more way to take hold of life." (Rilke, page 14)

I found this quote to be particularly capturing because of the time period where Rilke wrote some of his best work. To be unique was a risk, and for Rilke to express himself through his particular creativity was "one more way to take hold of life", one more way to set himself apart from the rest of the imaginative artists of his time. I admire artists who are bold, and that may be one reason for why artists are always looking for something to spark a controversy. Great epic heros were always looking to make a name for themselves, but that will only happen when a brave individual is willing to take that chance. Same goes for Rilke of his time, and modern artists of today.

"Used purely, it too is pure, and one needn't be ashamed of it; but if you feel yourself becoming too familiar with it, if you are afraid of this growing familiarity, then turn to great and serious objects, in front of which it become small and helpless." (Rilke, page 14)

Rilke's work focused on unpopular conversation topics, things that most people would be too uncomfortable to talk about - even now. He wrote some pretty initimate material, some having to do with blind disbelief, solitude, and anxiety. "One needn't be ashamed of it" he says, to face the irony of a situation. Or in other words, to be different from the general norm. Turning back on your beliefs will only bring you closer to being another blank figure in a crowd of unoriginal thinkers, "small and helpless".

Internet Art: Introduction

I am an individual of the newest generation, I am a contributor, and I am also a consumer. Being a part of the many people who will change this world in a whole new perspective, it is no surprise that I am constantly following the new, up and coming technology trends. It can be argued that PCs are the original kings of central processing units, but The Mac is what changed the all around accessibility of CPUs. Despite the many rumors that have been spread about Steve Jobs, it his him and his former partner Steve Wozniak that I thank for the advancement of technology that we have been blessed with today. 

The introduction of Internet Art by Rachel Greene references the two technology kings on page 17, "Though Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak, the co-founders of Apple, had released several Apple models in the 1970s, they were unable to compete with the PC until they developed the Macintosh in 1984. The Mac introduced clickable icons on the screen whereas PC interfaces required users to type instructions." (Greene, Internet Art) Although it was only the beginning, introducing the visual representation of the computer (otherwise known as the desktop) was a definite game changer. 

In a interview with the former HP manager, we can really tell how much heart he put into his work and the amount of appreciation he has for his life now. Not be be biased, but Wozniak was definitely the brains of the two partners, while Jobs had the business thumb and high energy to keep up with the emerging technology. Although the Apple I (Wozniak's first desktop computer debut) was his original design, it was the Apple II (which Wozniak designed all on his own) that really set off the success for Apple Computers. It was Wozniak that really made it possible for ordinary people to use desktop computers. (http://www.foundersatwork.com/steve-wozniak.html)

Jobs paired up for Wozniak after a friend mentioned in conversation about a guy who was into technology like he was, so they agreed to meet up. "Steve and I weren't similar personalities, which was strange, but I'm the sort of person that goes along with anyone that wants to talk technology." said Wozniak. It's funny, because I feel like all of my best friendships start off like this - I guess partnerships do too. 

Wozniak was really the birth mother of the numerous user-friendly personal computers, but his Reed College dropout partner was also an incredible marketer. "Apple initially marketed the computers for $666.66 each. The Apple I earned the corporation around $774,000. Three years after the release of Apple's second model, the Apple II, the company's sales increased by 700 percent, to $139 million. In 1980, Apple Computer became a publicly traded company, with a market value of $1.2 billion by the end of its very first day of trading." If that's not impressive marketing skills, I don't know what is. (http://www.biography.com/people/steve-jobs-9354805#apple-computers)

Project 1 experience

I almost forgot what it was like to represent myself. This project brought me back to show and tell in elementary school where we would bring in things that we loved. Unknowingly, that was a representation of ourselves.

Before starting project one, I thought it was going to be a piece of cake - something that I could knock out in less than a week, I was totally wrong. This was probably one of the most aggravating assignments that I have been given. While most projects have a certain agenda to follow, this project did not. I thought I would like having a little bit of freedom, and I love Instagram! I then began to understand how narcissistic I am when it comes to posting pictures that “represent me” on social media.

The most difficult part of this assignment was definitely making sure that there were no body parts that appeared in the image. I would hold something up to the camera to take a picture of it and then realize that my hand couldn't be in the shot. It was hard to depict my friends and family without actually having them in it.

However, this project did manage to increase my creative outlook. I now have more appreciation for unique self portraits, especially when they don’t physically feature the artist. 

Instagram ideas

1. stuffed animals
2. dunkin donuts
3. baking
4. my converse next to my boyfriend's converse
5. palm trees
6. chipotle
7. doodles
8. netflix
9. longboat key
10. my jewelry
11. boo
12. makeup
13. family gatherings
14. crafting
15. pizza
16. rain boots
17. gelato
18. seafood
19. desserts
20. bonsai
21. candle
22. perfume
23. pasta
24. crepes
25. wine
26. something to represent my mom
27. buzzfeed
28. manatees
29. music (headphones?)
30. pacsun (work shirt?)
31. fuzzy socks
32. cozy blankets
33. cooking supplies
34. running shoes
35. sweatpants
36. lao flag
37. spongebob
38. hello kitty
39. bird cage
40. avatar the last airbender

Letters to a Young Contrarian: Preface, Introduction, Chapter 1

"The noble title of "dissident" must be earned rather than claimed; it connotes sacrifice and risk rather than mere disagreement, and it has been consecrated by many exemplary and courageous men and women" (Page 1)

The dictionary definition for dissident is "someone who dissents", which means that a dissident is someone who goes against the majority with their opinion, especially important public figures - which is what I am assuming Christopher Hitchens did. He mentioned in the preface an example of what some reviewers would say about him, "Hitchens, whose previous targets have even included Mother Teresa and Princess Diana as well as Bill Clinton" (Preface) Hitchens is saying that the title "dissident" is noble as if it is a good thing . His mindset must see past the anger and disgust of critics, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. He's just very confident in his opinions and finds pride in disagreement. 

I can also agree with Hitchens when he admits, "I attack and criticize people myself, I have no right to expect lenience in return." (Preface) While most people dish the criticism but can't handle being served, Hitchens understands how the world goes 'round. As we all should, he knows how society works, therefore does that make it okay for all of us to criticize? 

Bonsai

I think this is my favorite picture of all pictures from this project. My dad was such an enthusiast for plants, more specifically Bonsais. He loved them almost as much as he loved his kids! When he wasn't out working, he was in the greenhouse spending time on a hobby that helped him quit smoking. When he passed, we kept his plants (about 100!) in memory of his legacy. While most people see this plant as a tangled mess of branches and green leaves, I am reminded daily that my dad still lives on through the natural life that he left behind. 

Exploitation vs. Empowerment

I wish I could say that I had stronger feelings about public exploitation in the marketing industry. I tend to normally be a very passive person as it is, not really showing my concern or confronting an issue that might bother me. The only thing that I did find a little sad was when that young lady was talking about being a “#1 Hunger Games fan”. It is true, some people are putting in more effort to be noticed and appreciated in comparison to people like me, who tweet about pizza and retweet dog videos. When Jason Calicanis talks about being one or two steps behind celebrities when it comes to our contribution towards the digital world, I can’t really say that I consider myself to be anywhere near the same fame level as Jennifer Lawrence or Tom Brady. Yes, ultimately we all share the same network – some just have more fans than others. Although I am a personal publisher whether that be Facebook or Twitter, I am still an audience. But then again, so is Brady. If anything, I would agree that the UGC 2.0 (user generated content) is in a whole new ballpark when it comes to empowerment. Referring back to BuzzFeed, BuzzFeed offers their users a chance to put their best foot forward and contribute to their world through “BuzzFeed Community” where anybody can write a post and have it be viewed by other BuzzFeed visitors. It’s a whole new way of marketing their business (through non-marketing) as Calicanis would say. Allowing the public to be their own voice makes it easier for the companies to get an insight on what consumers really want.

Youtube channels

As you all know, I am proud to say that I am a religious follower of BuzzFeed in every form of media that they provide – especially their YouTube channels. If I have any free time (especially in the mornings and during homework breaks), I like to sit down and update myself on all of their channels (all four: violet, blue, yellow, and video) and see what kind of topics they have to discuss. The main reason why I am so interested in BuzzFeed’s entertainment is because majority of their videos are actually relatable, super interesting, informative and entertaining! It’s rare to find all of those benefits at once. The writers and actors are average people who share similar characteristics yet differ uniquely from one another. I feel like they’re my friends who I keep up with through videos and articles – if that isn’t creepy enough. Today I just scrolled through a BuzzFeed article on “The Butt Of Every Football Player In The Superbowl, Ranked” because it was humorous and amusing. I also recently watched a video on their BuzzFeedVideo channel about women experiencing what it was like to wear a hijab, and the misconceptions about women who actually wear them every day. I learned that wearing a hijab does not necessarily mean that woman is under male oppression, quite the opposite actually. A woman can be beautiful and intelligent without physical image. One topic was so ridiculous and the other was actually really important to be aware about – both were equally interesting. That’s what I look for from YouTube artists, being able to relate.

Googley goo

Isn't it funny how during my last blog post, I wrote about how simple a Google search could be and the digital footprint that I have already left behind? It’s crazy and actually really creepy how you can basically Google anyone and figure out some seriously personal things about them. I would be lying if I said I have not “googled” my friend’s parents just so I could find out their home address and send them a surprise gift. Home address! Just imagine I weren't their friend and just a stalker? Google is terrifyingly informative, and I’m starting to see why people are so concerned about their privacy rights. I remember during my senior year of high school it was so important for me (as well as the rest of my graduating class) to make sure I deleted every possible picture that could be considered harmful, placed all of my accounts on private, just in case college admissions came across my online profiles. Not only was it important at that time, it’s especially encouraged for people my age now to make a good impression through our online presence. Although it may look “cool” to have a picture of you holding up a red solo cup in a crowded sweaty dorm room, it doesn't exactly feel too cool when a hiring professional views that socially offensive image and crosses you off the list of possible employees. I’m definitely a cautious consumer when it comes to keeping my social media private. Professionals may be watching, but so is my mom! 

What is a Darla?

Hello world!

This first blog post serves as yet another addition to my digital foot print along with my graduation speech, tweets, old Facebook statuses and high school records that can be found through a simple Google search. Scary, right? At the moment, I can easily identify myself as a second semester sophomore, 19 year old Asian-American college student from the “cah-pahking” in “hah-vahd yahd” state of Massachusetts. Things that are not considered to be as easily identifiable are my goals, intentions – even hobbies! That is where this class comes into place. As a communications major who hopes to participate in the deep, vast sea of online media, my initial feelings were pure enthusiasm! When I finally decided to settle on Communications, I have been quite eager to take Digital Literacy. Although I couldn't have told you what the course was about prior to our first class, I knew that it was a requirement for my major. I thought, “if Digital Literacy is a requirement, than it definitely must be beneficial for me in my future career” and that was certainly enough to excite me. After completing this course, I hope to gain the knowledge that I have discovered to be missing in times of confusion, uncertainty, and the indescribable frustration of writers block. I hope to strengthen my creativity skills and have the words flow out of me sounding natural and genuine. I hope to set myself apart from all of the other cookie cutters in the online world. Ultimately, I just want to learn how to be cool.