Ashley Turzio

Considering the films that you have seen in the cluster and (not “or”) drawing on your own experience of films, television, and life in general does Hollywood portray women as suffering from “penis envy”?
After reviewing the films we've watched in class I do think that those movies have supported the "Penis envy" idea. For some reason the whole act of women being portrayed as strong and independent is a good thing but why does Hollywood emphasis this SO much as if we don't get it. We know that woman now possess the strength and knowledge it takes to take over in movies and real life. Why does Hollywood exaggerate when it comes to women’s roles in film? I mean it's always either a woman who is extremely HOT and is viewed as a sex object/love interest or a villain killing and blowing things up. Take the movie IRONMAN for example Scarlett Johansson plays as the Black Widow.
At first her character is set as a low level worker in the big corporation of Stark industries. Later as obvious as it seems you see Scarlett Johansson busting out moves no one would ever forget. Of course referring to the character she plays she must show off her moves but is it really necessary for Hollywood to emphasis this in every single movie that is put out there. I've yet to see a recent film where an average everyday woman is playing a strong role. Another example would be The Losers. Zoe Saldana plays the typical role of the hot girl with the gun. In my opinion if it wasn't for Saldana this movie probably wouldn't have been a big hit. Her looks and body are extremely over exposed in many scenes. The highlights of the film The Losers are mainly Zoe's assets, which is pretty degrading.
Penis Envy refers to Freud’s theory of psychosexual development. It’s when a female reaches the phallic stage and realizes she doesn’t have a penis. The female envy’s the male because of this. This happens during the ages 3-5. The young girls distant themselves from their mothers and devote their feelings and affections to their father. This is why young girls are usually closer to their fathers. They feel as if it’s their mother’s fault that they are put to a disadvantage (not owning a penis). I think the macho stereotype of men support the reason why Freud’s theory exists. Young girl admire men’s strength and want to be like them. The media benefits from this theory because they can continue pushing the stereo type.

DRAFT-not done

To be crucially honest. I feel as if watching Existenz was a waste of time. It does deserve respect for it's creativity. I can not say anything that I liked in the film....well, except for Jude Law. Existenz, was horrible in my opinion but I can understand why it raises some questions. To me Existenz did not make me think much like the Matrix did. The Matrix has philosophical view points. It also ties in with religion and personal feelings. The feeling of being controlled. People actually thought about The Matrix in the sense that they might have been living in it. A lot of people could relate to the Matrix especially the American audience who live under a not-so-great government. Maybe it doesn't seem similar to you but to me it does. If we lived in a world where freedom really does exist then would we ever have the feeling of being manipulated or controlled by the government. Would we even like the movie or understand the concept of the Matrix?
Although I hated Existenz I kind of agree with Cynthia Freeland according to the sense that The Matrix isn't really informative. It's like revealing something people have already thought of. Personally I always felt as if our lives are being controlled and while watching The Matrix I felt a connection with the Wachowski brothers. I know that it's impossible for there to be another world but it is something worth questioning considering the fact that most people have felt like they've lived in the Matrix.
Another part I agree with is when she spoke upon Trinity being the love interest of Neo. In the beginning of the scene she is introduced/known as the famous hacker. Neo is surprised that the famous hacker is a girl. I feel as if Cynthia Freeland already knew that Trinity's "hacker" identity will swiftly change to Neo's love interest. To back up her claim she adds in something I didn't notice. Trinity never actually did anything useful wit the computer. Her role as Neo's love interest is emphasized as you get further into the film and her "hacker" identity typically transforms. She explains how viewers(such as myself) don't notice the stereo typical roles that are being handed to us in a subtle and sneaky way.

Today we
-Shared Ideas for our film shoot tommorow
-Looked for videos based on our topic...(beauty)
-Split magazines to start out collage for tommorow's shoot
-Look for background music for film.

Blo 19

Yesterday Fernando, Chris and I formed a group. We basically walked around and checked out the books. The lower level stood out to us because it was mainly Art work. We created a game that is pretty much similar to the game memory. There will be two stacks of cards. One stack would contain short descriptions of the photos. The person who picks up the card would read it to the other person. The person who's in turn would try to exceed in the game by matching the photo with the description. The more cards you have, the further you get in the game. This game is for everyone but it's mainly attracted to people who are interested in photography and art. This is a fun and great way to learn about specific artist. Although we mainly focused on the art in the library (by W. Eugene Smith) this can involve any artist you are interested in learning about.

Blog 20

Although I liked the film The Matrix I kind of agree with Cynthia Freeland according to the sense that The Matrix isn't really informative. It's like revealing something people have already thought of. Personally I always felt as if our lives are being controlled and while watching The Matrix I felt a connection with the Wachowski brothers. I know that it's impossible for there to be another world but it is something worth questioning considering the fact that most people have felt like they've lived in the Matrix.
Another part I agree with is when she spoke upon Trinity being the love interest of Neo. In the beginning of the scene she is introduced/known as the famous hacker. Ne o is surprised the the famous hacker is a girl. I feel as if Cynthia Freeland already knew that Trinity's "hacker" identity will swiftly change to Neo's love interest. To back up her claim she adds in something I didn't notice. Trinity never actually did anything useful wit the computer. Her role as Neo's love interest is emphasized as you get further into the film and her "hacker" identity typically transforms. She explains how viewers(such as myself) don't notice the stereo typical roles that are being handed to us in a subtle and sneaky way.

Final in the works....

For the final I will be working with Fernando and Chris N. We plan on doing a music video. We want our viewers to grab the concept of the video. We are delivering a message through images.
MUST DO-
1)Make sure we are all here!!!!
2)RESEARCH
2)CREATE
2)PLAN
2)SHOOT
3)Edit
4)Revise

We have two spots. One for the still photography and one to shoot in HD.
I have a camera and a tripod. Equipment wouldn't be an issue.
Each of us are going to have a different responsibility such as
gathering props, selecting settings and organizing equipment.
Right now we are gathering ideas and writing them down. I can't wait to see what we are going to come up with!!
I know that the three of our creative minds are going to come up with something great...IAM SO EXCITED!!

Blog 17

For the final project I plan to brainstorm and come up with different ideas during the weekend. I still don't know exactly what I want to do but I'm sure my partner and I would do a great job brainstorming together. I do know that it will most likely be a short video...=0)

(DRAFT NOT DONE)

(DRAFT NOT DONE)

I don’t believe we live in The Matrix. The reason why I don’t believe this is because in The Matrix there is no such thing as dejavu or the possibility of having a past life. I am a spiritual person and I believe in fate. At one point in the movie Neo has a dejavu. He saw a black cat twice, when he mentions it, the group (Trinity, Morpheus) automatically figures there’s something wrong. If you live in the Matrix and you have a dejavu then that means there is a glitch in the system. The Matrix is a computer based program, which means everything is a set up. Nothing happens for the sake of it. Everything is set up to happen the way they do. There is no such thing as fate. If everything is set up to happen the way they do then that means you are basically living as a robot. Even though life might seem that way sometimes I do think that there is a way to escape the feeling of living that way. In the book The Matrix it is said people just can’t believe something is true (unless your gullible) there is a justification for every belief. There just can’t be a possibility without the impossible. I agree with Nixon in that perspective. If we are living in a computer programmed world then who controls it? Is there a such thing as religion or believing in GOD?
The movie brings up a bunch of questions and to me it just doesn't add up. If there was a such a thing as the matrix then there is no afterlife. My views and beliefs doesn't compare to the Matrix world. I believe everyone learns from their experiences, upbringing and surroundings. In the Matrix it isn't like that. You are born in a pod of pink goo and something that seems like a robot grabs you and takes you into the real world. If I'm not mistaken it seems like there is no such thing as family. There is no such thing as values,beliefs,traditions or costumes. Everyone believes in something and if you don't have any beliefs then what makes you, you? Another reason why I don't believe we are in the Matrix is because in order to do the things Neo learned you must work hard and practice everyday. When Neo trained to fight the agents he learned through a computer based program although he did go through with the training it looked as if he was a natural.

Now in days violence is all around us. It's in the streets, it's in our daily news, its even in our living rooms. Do you realize that as you are reading this, someone out there is dying a brutal death, a baby is being mistreated and someone is getting raped? In a world where everything is at the extent of our reach how are we ever going to stop violence? As you read along, you will come across my beliefs on media being one of the sources but not the primary cause of violence.


Television came out in 1927. In 1948 prime time scheduling began and there were only four television networks available. “In 1950, only 10% of American homes had a television and that 10% of people were mainly wealthy. By 1960 the percentage had grown to 90%. Today 99% of homes have a television and most of the children have one in their bed rooms". If most children have a television in their room then who’s controlling what they are watching?

I think the problem here isn’t the media having an influence on the children but the parents who allow their children to watch anything at anytime they want. I agree with television having some sort of an influence on small children but it’s up to the parents to teach them how to distinguish the difference between the media and reality.

In the early days programs such as The Queen's Messenger was aired on WRGB in 1928. In the fifties shows like The Adventures of Superman, I love Lucy and Death Valley Days were very popular. Now in days shows like The Bad Girls Club and Seducing Cindy are well known. Everyone relies on television for their source of information and entertainment. Television has become a significant part of our everyday life. It's utterly impossible to imagine life without it.

Back then shows like Leave it to Beaver and I Love Lucy were very innocent compared to The Bad Girls Club. The Bad girls Club is a huge example of what television has turned into. It’s a reality show with a bunch of “Bad” girls terrorizing the house, fighting in clubs, and having sex with different guys. It’s on during the day and certain times at night. It just proves how kids are able to watch something like this and actually think it’s OK. The parent’s might not notice what their kids are watching since it’s on the Oxygen channel. Kids are imitating what they see and then we wonder why the rate of teen pregnancy has gone up.

There has been a lot of controversy about the violence in T.V shows. Violence and nudity is shown in a lot of video games, television programs, ads, films and music lyrics. Some people feel that there is too much violence exposed in the media. Many scholars believe that T.V is the number one cause of the rise in violence. Turn on your T.V at any time of day and you can bring a murder scene right into your living room. Most likely, as many Americans, you've grown accustomed to it and even expect this to happen. Now watch it through the eyes of a child and think about how common it is for us to watch violence on any program. What do you think a child would absorb from the media if we view violence as "normal"? Many studies have made the claim that the media is the main cause of violence.

"Scientific research is clearly showing that watching violence makes people more violent – and not just at the time they watch the violence, that is, not just on the school yard as children, but years later, as adults. Many of us are already concerned about our society and our culture today – what happens when this generation grows up?"said Sen. Sam Brownback. If the main cause of violence comes from the media then what do we do, Throw out our television?

To answer that question, I personally believe that as grown ups we should be able to separate the media from reality. I never heard of an adult going on a killing spree just because he saw it on t.v. It is more believable for a young kid to get influenced by t.v, especially if the parents don't teach him/her the difference between reality and the media. Regardless of the negativity associated with children watching television there are people who believe television is good for kids. According to an article written by Carey Bryson, She writes how healthy viewing habits can be beneficial to children that watch t.v. "Three quarters of parents do not feel guilty about their child watching television and when appropriately managed and supervised, believe it or not it can have a positive influence in a child's life," according to psychologist Tanya Byron.



Most surveys and articles I've come across are comparing kids who watch a lot of t.v to kids who don't watch it all. Obviously most of the kids who don't watch a lot of t.v come from families who can afford to keep their children occupied in different activities. As a way to really acknowledge the differences between kids who watch a lot of T.V and kids who watch a minimal amount of educational programs researchers would have to run an experiment over time. There is no way most of these studies are completely true if experts are comparing kids who live in very different environments. Kids who watch a little to no T.V have all sorts of fundamental things to do that have nothing to do with the impact of television and as a group they belong to families much wealthier than those who watch hours and hours. In order for experts to really examine the influence of T.V on kids they would have to do a long term test on two kids who live in the same type of environment, stick one of them in front of the T.V for hours a day (which I doubt any parent would allow) and the other kid would go along his/her normal everyday no-t.v routine. Then, I would agree with the media having a negative influence on kids.

Matthew Gentzkow and Jesse Shapiro, two economist from the unversity of chicago conducted a recent study for long term affects on television and children. They proved that television can affect children in different ways depending on where you lived and when you were born. If you were born in 1948 and lived in Denver when television became popular in 1952, then your brain would be less "damaged" then a kid born in Seattle, 1948 (where TV had already begun broadcasting ).They also compared test scores within the same city for kids born at different times and found no distinction between their test scores and education.

Gentzkow and Shapiro got ahold of the 1965 test score data for 300,000 kids. They looked for any major effects of television exposure and found that there were no vital test-score differences between kids who lived in cities that were exposed to TV earlier than others. When it came to homework and drop out rates there were no changes at all. If anything, the data revealed a small positive improvement in test scores for kids who got to watch more television when they were young. Also, kids who spoke English as a second language benefited a little and did well on test scores based on reading and common knowledge.

Since the main concern here is the influence of television on young kids then I believe parents should limit the amount of time kids watch t.v. They should interact more with their children. Children mimic what they see and can spend more than thirty two hours weekly in front of the t.v, while only spending thirty in class. If the children are watching t.v more than they are learning, then they are bound to be influenced by it. Parents should keep their child occupied with productive activities. There are activities that don't require spending. It's a matter of being creative and taking a part in your child's learning. Another option parents can consider is keeping the television out of bedrooms. This would limit the amount of time spent on watching t.v and would also keep the parents aware of what their children are watching. But like I mentioned in the beginning television can have an influence on children but it is not harmful if the parent's are aware of what the kids are watching.

Film paper

(I want to finish my paper today. Going over my notes I took while watching the movie is helping me with writing the paper. I plan to watch the movie again(or at least try) and come up with a conclusion)


In this paper I would explain how lighting, setting, special effects and the style of acting is portrayed in the film Sunrise. The film came out in 1927 by F.M Murnau. It is the considered to be one of Murnau's best work because of it's cinematography techniques. Sunrise was the first and only film to win the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for best picture award in the category of "Artistic Quality of Production".
F.M Murnau wanted this movie to be powerful (as it is) he tied in human qualities, relationships, psychological issues and society. Sunrise relies on the visuals to show a story. Special effects such as superimposition is the scene in which the woman from the city was layered to appear above the husband, this represents the woman constantly invading the husbands manipulated mind. Her face in the sky reminds him of the evil scheme to kill his wife. While the husband is having his secret rondevous with his mistress. The music and Crosscutting technique is used to cut back and forth showing the woman in the fast paced, busy city, while the music in the back ground is exciting and loud. The camera shifts back to the wife who is home crying over the baby. The music is melancholic and low. The contrasting and constant back and forth shots of the "tramp" and his wife add to the adverse relationships that makes up the theme in the film.
(to be finished)

The goal for this week is to gather up as much info as I can to start a rough draft. Today I watched Leave it to Beaver. I never watched the show before. I really liked it. It's shocking how life during that time was so different and innocent. Compared to T.V shows now in days it's so graphic and revealing. People didn't curse as much in shows back then. Now it's the complete opposite people curse so much on T.V. I want to find out when and why T.V transformed into what it is today.

Blog_11

What did you say you were going to do?

I said I was going to look for a claim and research information on why I believe my claim is correct. My claim is that I believe only certain types of T.V shows have an effect on children. I believe most adults are able to seperate the real world from the media.

What did you actually do?
What I actually did was research resources and sites to look for information based on my claim.
http://www.turnoffyourtv.com/
I found a video which I thought was interesting on site
http://www.evolver.net/node/35563
Also another article I found in site
http://www.leaderu.com/orgs/probe/docs/violence.html
http://www.cybercollege.com/violence.htm
http://www.christiananswers.net/q-eden/edn-f012.html

Blog 10

Why I said what I said to Joshua.
As my response to this post of the dodge cars I mentioned a couple of things. For instance I spoke about his ideas and his way of expressing his view of this ad. He compared the cars to the military. I thought that, that was a great observation and comparison. He wrote that the military consist of leaders and action. In this Ad it is obvious that the middle yellow car is in charge. The cars are said to be extremely fast and full of force. Another interesting observation was the quote he included that was said by Bush. “You are either with us or against us”... It’s also included in the Ad as well.
Why I said what I said to Johannes....
I like the Ad he picked. It shows how women are being used. I would like for him to expand on the whole gender issue. I want to know more of his opinion and whether he thinks it's fair that women are often being shown as sex objects to sell products.

Blog 10

Why I said what I said to Joshua.
As my response to this post of the dodge cars I mentioned a couple of things. For instance I spoke about his ideas and his way of expressing his view of this ad. He compared the cars to the military. I thought that, that was a great observation and comparison. He wrote that the military consist of leaders and action. In this Ad it is obvious that the middle yellow car is in charge. The cars are said to be extremely fast and full of force. Another interesting observation was the quote he included that was said by Bush. “You are either with us or against us”... It’s also included in the Ad as well.

Blog 09

1) Thesis- A statement, a fact that you are later trying to prove in an essay.
For example, if you chose a topic on children and the internet. Your thesis can be,
The internet is dangerous for children to use.
Then explain why. Back up your statement with facts to prove your thesis.
http://www.sdst.org/shs/library/thesis.html
2) Research- A search for facts on a topic. A search for knowledge, enlightenment. While researching topics you can use the internet or books. You can search for biographies, topics, terms, quotations etc…
3) Argument- A verbal altercation, dispute, disagreement. An exchange of verbal opposition.
4) Claim- To establish something is true or factual, a right to something. “He claimed his property”
5) Reasons- To agree with someone, a cause, belief, action, conclusion. “The reason why this happened is because….”
6) Evidence- An indication, Proof of an action.
7) MLA citation- Acknowledge information used in a research paper by writing author’s name, title, page.


For the media midterm assignment we are being asked to investigate the phenomenon of television and the effects it may have on children. We must research the demographics of these towns and the type of programming that existed during that time. We must compare and contrast children who watched a lot of T.V to those who did not have access to the T.V.
In my opinion I think there is a huge difference between children who are glued to the T.V then to those who don’t. Instead of watching T.V I think parents should keep their children occupied by doing educational and productive activities. Watching too much T.V can affect the mind in a negative way, especially young minds. It can lead to lack of vocabulary, education, laziness and even obesity. I think this midterm is going to require a lot of research and statistics. I am going to look for information on the internet, magazines, news articles, books, etc…

So far I really like this class and the cluster in general. Iam very comortable with schedue. The best aspect of the cluster is that we get out at 2 and sometimes 12:30. The professors are cool and laid back unlike the usual up tight, serious professors I usually get and this is what makes the classes much more fun. The assignments aren't extremely difficult they are mostly based on the students insights and opinions about certain topics. One of my favorite things about the classes is that we have group discussion(especially on mondays). At first I was a bit unsure about taking a cluster because I was afraid of not getting along with the students since we are together in every class. But overall Iam glad I took the cluster.The students are great, the assignments are comfortable and I love watching movies!!

All my work for Media class is posted on the BlackBoard it is due every sunday at 11pm. For English class everything is due on he date he says. The first major thing I'll be working on this spring break is the mid term witch would be explained on thursday. For American Film class our first assihnment is due Mrch 23 and so far everything else such as exams are posted in the syllabis next to due dates. We will be going on a trip on April 13. I think I would be fine with my classes so far they seem pretty interesting.

Living in the Matrix

Are we living in the Matrix?

I think so, with the uprising of technology these days it's hard to believe otherwise. After watching the movie The Matrix (just once) and reading about it there are many key elements to this movie. For instance the names of the characters in this movie all have a meaning to it. The name Neo who is played by Keanu Reeves means "one" as in "The one,” Who is a reference to Jesus. His main role in the film is to save the people just like what Jesus did for us (according to Christianity). Trinity is Neo’s love interest. Morpheus who is played by Laurence Fishbourne is Neo's mentor, captain of Nebuchadnezzar. His name according to Greek philosophy represents the god of dreams and in the film that is exactly what Morpheus does for Neo, he wakes him up from his dream. I think this implies on the real world and has a lot of significant meaning to it. Just like in Plato's Allegory of the cave the prisoners are fine with watching shadows on the wall until someone is released and finds out the truth and goes back to save the rest of the prisoners. As he tries to do so, the prisoners are listening to him talk about the outside world and claim that he has gone insane. The prisoners don't believe him because according to them the world they live in (which is entrapment) is the only world there is. That's the only world they know.

Personally I think if I was presented with the choice of living in the Matrix or finding out the truth. I would much rather choose the red pill and see how far the journey goes. I think for Neo it’s only logic that he chose the red pill because in his dreams he was being looked for. His dreams represented reality what he was living in was all a dream and the people surrounding him were oblivious, slaves of the Matrix. For Morpheus, Neo was considered special the one who was going to change the world and save everyone. The only reason why I would of took the pill is because of curiosity and the adventure. Sometimes I feel as if we are living in the Matrix. People are letting technology control them. More and more people are being influenced by the media. Some people can’t even survive a day without their cell phone and I think that’s just crazy. Sooner or later if this becomes drastic there will be no such thing as individuality. People would rather be on the internet or watching T.V rather communicate with each other. I have many questions about the matrix and it’s meaning but for one, Was there a reason why the oracle was a grandmotherly black woman?. I thought the oracle would have been some type of illusion or computer from outer space or something. I never would of thought of her as an old woman living in a typical building in the city.

Matrix_Quiz

The pill I would choose is the red pill because I would be interested in what's out there. I think alomst everyone would choose the red pill.At first wile I was watching the movie I said to my self Oh no I would of took the blue pill to save the trouble. After the dreams Neo had I think it made sence for him to choose the red pill. Neo according to Morpheus was "The One" and later in the movie he proves it. If I was told that I was "The One" I would definately escape the Matrix and help the people wake up. I think any person would want to be concidered "Heroic" but it's up to them to realize that it takes strength and bravery to be a hero.To me, having the choice of taking the red pill or blue pill would signify, If you took the red pill you want more in life and are brave. If you took the blue pill then you are either a coward or fine with living in bliss.

Are they out to get you?..0.o

The Truman Syndrome is a mental illness in which people believe their lives are being watched. Those who suffer from the "Truman Syndrome" believe their every move is being monitored just like in the movie. I find it interesting that after the movie came out people are suddenly feeling as if their lives are being recorded. I mean, I know there might have been a mental illness similar to this before but what I'm trying to figure out is, after the movie came out, how is it that people are suffering from this delusion? It makes me realize how much people let the media control their mind. If the movie never came out would their ever be a such thing as the Truman syndrome? This reminds me of a discussion we had in today's class about the sapir whorf hypothesis and how language comes before thought. If you don't have the word for it then you don't think it.
I think people might feel as if their life is being recorded because now in days many people want to become famous. Reality shows have become so popular and the people who get on these shows are regular people who eventually became famous. So when others see that, they believe they can be in a show as well. I read an article about the Truman Syndrome on psycologysyndrome101.com. I think it's a legit site because it has links to other sites that are related to this topic.

Allegory of the cave

The Allegory of the Cave explains how the prisoners mistaken what they see and where they are placed as reality. In the book Socrates puts prisoners in front of a wall and displays shadows on the wall, So the prisoners can realize that there is more out there than what they see. The prisoners don't notice that what they see on the wall is actually what's going on behind them. One of the prisoners makes an attempt to escape and when he is finally free, he is scared of what he sees because everything is new to him. If all his life he was standing in front of a wall, how can he possibly survive in the real world? I think Socrates wants to show how it's not about the situation you are put in it's about how you can get out of it. To Plato it's not about the material world, it's about ideas and the way of thinking.

Truman's_reality03

After watching the movie The Truman Show I noticed how it relates to the world we live in. In the movie Jim Carey plays as a character named Truman and his whole life is a T.V show. He doesn't figure it out until he's in his mid age and realizes his whole life is a set up. The people who are running the show (Christof) have total control of Truman's life. From the moment he was created he was recorded. Sometimes it's hard not to feel the same way as Truman. In a world where everything is through technology and privacy is limited it's hard not to feel as if everyone knows about you or who you are. With things like the internet and cell phones anyone can be able to track you and find out information about you. The question is, How can we stop letting devices like the cell phone from controlling our lives?
This reminds of one point of the movie when Christof says "He could leave at any time. If this were anything more than a vague ambition, if he was absolutely determined to discover the truth, there is no way we could prevent him" I think it's a matter of realizing your reality and figuring out whether you are comfortable with it or not. If you are unsatisfied with reality then you have the power to change it. Life is what you make it. Truman put his mind on changing his "reality" and made an effort. I think this relates to people in prison "career criminals". The prisoners who's been in jail for a long time don't know anything about the outside world, only what they hear.
They adapt to the life as a prisoner and when they have the chance to be free, they commit another crime and go right back in. It's scary for them to go back out on their own when all they know is life in jail. With Truman he had the choice to stay in his "prison" or escape and live a normal life in an unknown world. After he realizes his whole life was a set up he makes an effort to escape even if it caused him to lose his life. Truman succeeded and moved forward, he didn't let anything get in his way. He was strong willed and he figured out what was best for him. With that type of ambition I believe you can over come any obstacle.

Cyborg

Technology and what it stands for….
In a world where we’ve become so dependent on technology we ask ourselves, Can you survive without it? Every Morning before putting two feet on the floor I wake up to check my messages. It’s become so severe that there’s no such thing as writing letters or visiting a friend without knowing if their home or not. Now in days with devices like cell phones it’s so easy to get caught up in someone else’s life and forget about your own. I think about how technology effects human beings in both positive and negative ways. In my opinion the negative value of Technology out beats the positive use of it. I realize that soon there will be no such thing as privacy. It’s so easy to find information about someone that it’s become impossible to live a private life.
I remember my mother telling me stories about growing up in the Dominican Republic with no cell phone, Computer, IPod or T.V. “It’s better that way” she’ll say. People were more in tune with one another; we interacted more and helped each other. It would be simple things like walking over to a neighbor’s house to have coffee and just talk. Now in days people don’t even know who their neighbors are! We barely communicate and it’s all about the cyber world. People rarely visit each other or write letters. Sometimes I wonder if I’m contributing to the “cyborg” world. I mean I do have a cell phone but I hate using it. I am a very private person yet I love to communicate. I rather speak to someone face to face, it shows more emotion. You cannot have a serious conversation through a text it’s just unheard of yet people do it and that is why it get’s lost in translation. In my opinion people are slowly turning into "cyborgs". So I wonder, can this be stopped?