Earthtime Video Response

BBC
Earthtime
response by Michael Babyak

Abstract:
This video talks about the impact that time has on the whole world. It also explores the ideas and theories of time and what if we could see time in a more nonlinear way. The video talks about how far back and forward time goes. It talks about measuring time's beginning and end and how we fit in.

Memorable Quote:
"Our knowledge of time lies at the very heart of humanity."

Evaluative response:
While this video had some good points I felt as though it was all over the place and not really focused. There seemed to be more questions asked then and answered. I wish there would have been more interviews with historians talking about how civilizations would think and question about time rather then just saying the same thing over again.

Personal response:
I think time is interesting because it is not something that we can usually physically see. It's all around us and effects us, yet we have no control over it. Time moves forward no matter what we do.

Cosmictime Video response

BBC
Cosmictime
response by Michael Babyak

Abstract:
This video talks more about the manipulation of time. And how science is now letting us see time. It also's bring up how can we think we know what time really is. This also talks about what time really is even though we think about it differently.

Memorable Quote:
"Time changes depending on relative speed."

Evaluative response:
This is another video that I don't really shows us what time really is. While it does explain esteins take on time, we see no indication that that is really what time is.

Personal response:
I really love the fact that this talks about how time can differ by your relative speed. If you really think about this then you can see how time is not as easy to understand as we think it is.

Extra Credit Response

Susan Blackmore
"What is consciousness?"
response by Michael Babyak

Abstract:

This article talks about how our mind and body connect and form our consciousness. The article goes in depth about theories explaining how everything comes together to form our consciousness.

Memorable Quote:

"Why should physical processing give rise to a rich inner life at all?" 

Evaluative Response: 

The author does seem to be pretty sure that all of the evidence explains our conciseness and why we are the way we are. It would be nice to see more facts proving it wrong instead of the whole article being for the theories.

Personal Response: 

I really liked this article because it seemed as though it was more phycological then all of the other ones that I've read. I find it interesting to link behaviorism as a way to gauge our conciseness. I think it's interesting to think about in the sense that it's something we are so used to, maybe even more used to then breathing, that we don't really put too much thought into how it works or what makes us conscious. This article on the other hand really puts together the research to make you think about it.

Smithsonian article response

Brian Switek

"How Scientist Are Recreating a Mating Call Last Heard in the Jurassic Period"

Response by Michael Babyak

Abstract:

This article is about how entomologists are making a set of insect wings that are preserved in stone chirp again. They used an expert of biological sounds to recreate on a computer what the insect would have sounded like based on the information they had stored in the fossil of the insect. 

Memorable Quote:

“I think if we were able to travel back in time to the Jurassic, we would hear a very noisy environment at night with insect calls perhaps similar to what we hear today but noisier to our ears, as many will be at low frequencies,”

Evaluative Response:

Although the author seems as though there way of replicating the sound is 100% authentic I have reason to doubt it. It seems like there's no real way to know how true the sound is unless we go back in time. The technology they used basically guessed what the sound of the insect would make but since the insect is from so long ago we really have no way to prove that the sound is right or not.

Personal Response: 

This article intrigued me because it deals with the past. It's something so far in the past too that we really have no clue about. I like when we uncover new things about time periods that we have little to no information about. Also it's interesting to think how life was like back then and by finding out the sound that an insect made, that's getting us one step closer to learning more about the world long ago. 

Sherry Turkle reading response

Sherry Turkle
"Life On The Screen"
response by Michael Babyak

Abstract:
This article informs readers about the possible direction in which we are heading via the internet and our community as a whole. It goes in depth and discusses MUDs and how now we are becoming so integrated with the web. The author really pushes the fact that our lives are becoming "digital" and how much more connected to computers/digital devices we will become in the future.

Memorable Quote:
"Computer screens are the new location for our fantasies, both erotic and intellectual."

Evaluative response:
The author seems to be really one sided about the whole idea of us becoming very integrated with computers. I would really like this article to have at least a couple of pages playing the devils advocate. Articles that show both sides yet are still opinionated help me understand what is trying to be said better. I also had a really hard time understanding the whole MUD thing. I get that it's essentially an online community but it still didn't make much sense to me.

Personal response:
Although this article confused me I think that the topic is an interesting one that is less talked about. We never really take a minute and stop to think about how technology is consuming us. In todays day and age I think that technology is so crucial to our every day life. Which is a big change if you look 10 or more years back. Obviously we are going to become more and more one with technology. It is fascinating to think how much more integrated with technology we will be in 10,20,30 years.

I am Exercise

I am a monster



I am crazy



I am the wind



I am common



I am cracked



I am an apple



I am happy



I am bright



I am soft



I am closed



I am saved



I am down



I am iron



I am fluffy



I am green



I am sour



I am permanent



I am time



I am fast



I am food



I am time. I am neither here nor there. I am everywhere you go. There is no escaping me. Wherever you try to run I will always catch up with you. You know I know you are aware of me. Yet you still try to stop me. You cannot stop me. I am everywhere. I effect everything. No matter where you run I will always be next to you. I am your greatest foe. One that you can never get rid of.

Identity Politics Reading Response

Hip-Hop Fashion
response by Michael Babyak

Abstract:
This article talks about hip hop and how the fashion has come about. The author brings up how african americans culture among other things have influenced hip hop fashion. Also the author takes the angle that african americans are the sole reason why hip hop fashion is the way it is today. The author shows through culture and influence we change effect entire fashions.

Memorable Quote:
Hip-hop music and fashion have attained an essential position in culture, though they oscillate on the periphery of conformity and general acceptability, but because of the notion of outsider status, and building upon the popularity of rock music, hip-hop has been admired and emulated by teenagers of most ethnicities and social classes


Evaluative Response:
The author's angle on hip hop fashion in some cases makes it sound like that is the main fashion that african americans have. When clearly this is not true and almost stereotyping. While the author does state that is it their " main identity", I think this is a risky thing to say. African americans don't rely just on their hip hop fashion to be their only social identity. It would have been interesting to compare and contrast with other social identities that they have.

Personal Response:
I thought that this article was interesting because I think it's something that is often overlooked nowadays. People do not really discuss it. Not being an african american or having african american friends also makes it harder to get information such as was found in this article. I love how a minority can influence an entire fashion. It's very interesting how our community and world works. To sit down and really think about it is when you become fascinated with how the world works.

5. Five Easy Pieces

Max has very soft hands
He throws a ball
Disney World is like a zoo
Why would you be throwing a ball in Disney World?
Dogs like to play fetch

6. Observing the Ordinary

I wrote about the giant window art piece in front of the academic center. It intrigued me because of the colors and shape. The movement in the wind is able to move this piece of art. It is not like most pieces of art. Stands out from the rest. Unique. Weather changes and interacts with the art work. Metal clashing with glass type material.

Poem:

Disconnected from everything else
Standing by itself
A work of art

Unlike the rest
Still fitting in
Motivated by wind
Still fitting in

Metal and color
Blending together
Always the same

Art

12. Emoticon Exercise

14. Clothing line

Max has a rough life. Nothing really ever seems to work out for him. Socially, Professionally, Romantically, Max just never gets any luck. The only thing that he has going for him is his white hat. He cannot remember how he got it. But no matter what happens to Max, as long as he wears the hat he is able to be blissful about what happens to him. Instead of being negative and down, Max is happy. This allows Max's life to have a Ying/Yang aspect. The white hat offsets what happens to him on a daily basis. Max cherishes this white hat because he knows that if it disappeared one day then he would be nothing. Without the hat there would be nothing to motivate Max to keep pushing himself to make it through the day.

13. Identity For Sale

Video Camera
High end video camera that can record 2k resolution videos. Very film like images are able to be produced from the camera.

Blu Ray of Blade Runner
Heavily used copy of the greatest sci-fi movie ever made, Blade Runner. Also includes the directors cut on the blu ray.

Pillow
Very soft pillow. Has seen lots of use. At that point where it is broken in so much that it is almost the perfect pillow in terms of comfort.

10. Response to Hope Poster

I feel as though it is wrong for Shepard Fairey to be accused of copyright infringement. To me he clearly took an image and altered it so that there was a completely different meaning/message from what was intended. This in itself is good enough reason for him not to be accused of copyright. If you take something and then give it a new meaning then I believe you are not copyrighting the material. You are remixing the material in a way that should be accepted by the general public. Instead it seems as though right away fingers are being pointed, rather then sitting down and thinking about the matter.

9. Response to April 19 and 24, 1905

The first thing that popped into my mind was that in life we often come across “a fork in the road” where we have two choices to make. Both choices can lead to very different outcomes. Oftentimes it can be difficult to make a certain choice because of this. Small little details can have a huge impact on the outcome. Similar to the butterfly effect. The second reading connects the two pieces together with the common question “Are we in control of our own fate?”. It compares the two different type of people, the ones who take action and control of their own lives, and the ones who live life as though it is a routine. By having these two types of people the outcomes can become different as seen in the previous story. I think that this is a very interesting topic that I wish was more commonly brought up in movies. One of my favorite movies is Adjustment Bureau and I believe that it was so successful because it directly addressed the question of us being in control of our own fate. 

8. Response 14 April 1905

When reading this I felt it was a remind and metaphor for the way life works. It reminded me of the whole circle of life idea. The imagery reminded me of this. How everything we do is a circle. I feel as though this short story had a similar message that the movie Cloud Atlas had. The whole we repeat everything and when we die we come back as someone new but still repeat certain aspects of our previous life. I almost feel as though Cloud Atlas was directly based off of this story. This does also make me think of why it is important to learn the history of anything because since we are in the constant circle it will eventually come back around. So learn from your past to figure out where you will be heading in the future. 

7. Response on Prologue

This short story felt very much like a jumbled together version of what goes on in a persons head as they go about their day. By saying how all of the random objects start appearing out of nowhere I get the impression that these are similar to things that are on the person’s mind. The quote from the story that really struck me was “Ten minutes past six, by the invisible clock on the wall.” I think this speaks strongly about our lives. No matter what we do time is always moving forward and we cannot stop it. Everything is in constant motion. 

11. Survey Response

I thought that the Can you read faces? survey was a little pointless. The title was misleading as it really did not have much to do with your ability to read faces. It was more focused on what personality type (introverted or extroverted) you prefer by analyzing two different faces. My result was that I prefer extroverted such as the general audience does. I do agree with this result but I thought that the way it was calculated was weird.

3. Memories in 3

We went to film our last shot on the train tracks. As were were filming, a train comes by and the conductor tells us that we cannot film there and he had to call the cops. We quickly ran to the car and got away.

On a cold morning in February we packed up our film gear to shoot our film. The location we were going to was the bad part of town. When we got there no one was on the streets because they were still sleeping. Time went on as we began filming and the streets filled up with people. We only needed one more shot.