Blog Post #8

     I  honestly never really thought that much about antiwar. I always felt that war was a touchy subject to go into and I always thought why we always had to resort to that. Of course, I'm completely against war as I see no point in it. Two countries fighting each other violently against certain issues that are either pressing and concerning or frivolous and unnecessary. However, I'm aware that sometimes war is just unavoidable and maybe is our last resort. I'. curious as to why antiwar isn't as frequently discussed as the news.

    Regarding this site on Antiwars, It was made clear that Antiwars are a bit of a controversial topic and most political figures take it lightly. There was actually an article that outlined this regarding that if there was a case where the US would fight in a new cold war,  then who would we be fighting it with? The article touched on what Biden said, denying that he was "fighting China out of aggression, but of competition." It went on to explain why picking a fight with China would prove more than the US to handle, as it wouldn't just fight China, but Russia as well. and it further supports my reasoning of why wars to me are somewhat unnecessary and can be easily avoided depending on the situation.

    Just in case my certain reason for antiwar wasn't enough, now through discovering a website regarding Realism and Restraint, There are so much more reasons as to why wars are not just unnecessary, but arguably complete nonsense. Each reason is explained in good depth through articles such as "War is Big Business" and "A Half-Century of Conflict is Enough." These explain how certain organizations make a profit from these wars and how people are needlessly trying to reignite the fire of conflict. There are also articles that make suggestions of how to avoid these needless conflicts. There's this one article about American Exceptionalism where it outlines why the US's own states need to be shown respect, and that goes for its neighboring countries. 

    My thought as a whole on why there are very few of these types of antiwar people being vocal is probably because of the subject of the war itself. War can be a touchy subject for certain people, but it is a pressing issue that needs to be further discussed. After all, war can cost a lot of money, and possibly a lot of brave lives as well, so this should hopefully end up on the news one day if people are willing to listen and talk about it.

Blog Post #7

    I thoroughly enjoyed all of the EOTO Presentations and I thought that all of the topics discussed played a big part in technological history and entertainment. However, if there was one presentation that truly spoke out to me, it would have to be the one about video games. Though I knew a good majority of the facts that were presented, I couldn't help but feel super invested in it, and that's to be expected as I'm a Game Major. 

    I always found the history of video games to be truly fascinating. Sure TV shows and filmmaking were a good source of entertainment, but I feel that Video Games were a true hallmark of entertainment and advancing technology and I firmly believe that it still holds true today.  Ever since the first video game with the first computer, the Apple I, the industry just kept growing, especially with arcade games. The arcade era holds a bit of nostalgia for me even though I wasn't born anywhere near that time, but it's because it gave birth to recognizable characters that we know and love such as Pac-man, Mario, Donkey Kong, and more.

    I remember someone saying this expression: "Sometimes you have to fail in order to succeed." I feel this holds true for the Gaming industry. Thanks to Atari and its overproduction of slightly below mediocre games, this caused the legendary gaming crash of 1983 as video games were doing horrible in the stock market, but thanks to Nintendo and their Super Mario Bros, the industry was able to rise from the ashes and get even better. This even brought other competitors like Sega to join the industry and rival Nintendo, creating several platforms over time. Even Sony and Microsoft took part with the Xbox and PlayStation. As they are still relevant today, I'm happy to have such an immersive form of entertainment as video games becoming its own billion-dollar industry.

Blog #6 (Key Post)

    The iPhone could be considered one of the greatest technological advances of our time, along with many other technologies like the telegram, telephone, radio, and others made to improve co communication. The iPhone is a great source of communication for almost anywhere and is basically a tiny personal computer in the palm of your hand. You are able to control it with just a touch of your screen, proving it to be a great impact on digital culture, and even our culture as a whole.

    All of this objectively came from the mind of one man, and that man was Steve Jobs. He was a high school dropout who created the first Apple computer with the help of his friends Steve Wozniak and John Wayne. In the late 1970s, they made great sales numbers with their office computers, otherwise known as the Macintosh. These sales further encouraged Jobs and  Wozniak to continue innovating, priding themselves on creating better, faster, and cheaper products for the public. Unfortunately, the power struggle between these executives caused Apple to slow down and for Jobs to depart from it, only to come back after Apple bought his company Next Inc and became the CEO. It was after Jobs introduced the iMac and the iPod that was the start of Apple Inc's soon-to-be-found success: the iPhone.

    The iPhone did very successfully at the time, and with Apple's continuous innovation to the phone and adding/upgrading features over the years, the success of the iPhones continued basically creating the start of the "smartphone era." After the first iPhone, they wanted to focus on finding a way to make their phones faster, cheaper, and be sold in more countries, and all these questions were answered with the introduction of their newer model: the iPhone 3G, allowing 3G support and releasing in 2009, and it just kept going uphill from there. From 2017, over 2 billion iPhones have been sold, proving that Apple didn't just make a successful phone that became a part of mainline communication, but it also became a main part of our culture, and will hopefully continue to be part of our culture for years to come.

    In my opinion, I feel this invention truly changed our world for the better. We can communicate from almost anywhere now. Sure, the same thing could be said for the old flip-phones and keyboard phones, but it feels revolutionary for the internet and communication to be literally right at your fingertips. Also, the touchscreen can make it easily accessible for basically everyone and is objectively easier to use. It's also somewhat cheaper than other competitors. 

    Despite how great the iPhone is, there are admittedly some downsides. One would be how the company might be advancing a little too fast. Model iPhones are being released year after year, and though it seems to have some new specs, it is virtually the same with nothing really "groundbreaking" like in the past. This is definitely seen with current smartphones. Also, the removal of the headphone jack can be frustrating for people with wire headphones, basically forcing you to buy their AirPods or wireless earbuds. Finally, it can be a bit addicting for people. Not just iPhones, but with any smartphone. We spend way too much time on our phones every day, so while it may encourage wireless communication, it can be really damaging for social communication.

Blog Post #5

     Regarding the iPhone, I feel that the innovation and idea that Apple was trying to accomplish were revolutionary. Sure it did have a slow start at first, but it caught on quickly, and it wouldn't be before long until other competitors hopped on the trend of new generation phones. You can see how iPhones have evolved into our generation.

   

At the start of it all, Apple. inc came up with the new idea to further improve the phone, as people mostly used flip phones and blackberries of different brands, of which they were only useful to call or text at the time. This is when apple developed the first iPhone. While it didn't have all the basic functions, it incorporated new features such as touchscreen technology, different applications, and of course, being able to go on the internet. It was also the first phone to have its own camera. Going off of this, my theory states that many people were more of the later adopters than the early ones.

    The reason I think that people were later adopters is because of the timing in which it was released and the main selling points the iPhone had. As stated before, this technology could be considered pretty advanced for its time. During this time, Flip phones, sliding phones, and phones with keyboards were all the rage, so people would be wary of the change. It wouldn't be possible for the iPhone to get super successful overnight. Plus, people could have a hard time trying to figure out how it works first-hand. Some people might not even like it because of how the new applications and internet access can make people stay on their phones longer and focus less on the outside world, leading to a lack of Social Interaction.

    However, I do think there is a key positive for people who were able to adapt to it, and that would be improved communication. With the new specs, the iPhone provided, people, have the opportunity to interact with others from almost anywhere in the world. It also encouraged people to make new applications that can improve interaction in some ways and even profit off it. This can also make the internet super accessible for people who don't have the technology or the funds to browse it.

    For my final thoughts, I feel the positives and negatives are balanced yet slowly tilting to the negative side as all of us use our phones pretty much daily, so it can vary on how beneficial phones can be. Communication technology is a helpful resource that is very much needed in our current society, but it should matter that we strike a good balance between online communication and social communication.

Blog #4

    I'm actually glad to be writing about this topic as I realize the concern of online and offline privacy. A fact about myself is that I'm more of an introvert, meaning that I like my privacy and of course, would prefer to keep my private life private like most people. I don't really like being the complete center of attention that much, but as I'm online, almost anyone can somehow get my information like other people to get other's information without even meeting them. If that's the case, I might as well constantly shout my name and private info in public.

    This issue makes me very self-conscious of what I do, and it doesn't even matter whether I'm in public or in my own home. Someone, be it the government or the police department, is always watching me, collecting information on every single move I make. I don't think the technology used to collect such information is bad. In fact, it can prove how effective it is when tracking down criminals or other bad people pertaining to such. It could potentially save lives if it is in the right hands and used effectively, but the government using it on private citizens and collecting data on their lives is not okay. This type of thing makes me fear for my family's safety.

    What exactly should the government be doing with these issues?  The solution, at least in my perspective, is a bit complicated. I know them collecting information on us is probably unavoidable, but they should try and pass a law or guideline that prohibits misusing private information. This shouldn't just be about the government either, it should also pertain to the many websites on the internet that take your information and sell it to companies and bombard you with advertisements. Looking at you, Google. Google and Facebook are prime examples, and they've been doing it for years all without facing any consequences. You can learn more about it here. 

    Luckily, there are ways that we can protect our personal information online. One way is using personal Identity Theft Services which are effective in protecting your information as you do your online business. Also, you should use private search engines such as DuckDuckGo. It is also ideal to not put too much info on the internet and not save your information on any website where it could be easily accessible. Make sure your private life stays private.

Blog Post #3 (Key Post)

     After much personal deliberation and taking all eight values of free expression into account, I feel that the most important one that resonated with me would be 4. Individual/Self Fulfillment, also known as Self Actualization. I feel it's the most important not just because it encourages the freedom m of speech and expression, but allows one to freely establish an identity for yourself as you use it in the real world.

    As the first amendment has outlined, you are allowed freedom of

speech, freedom of religion and from religion, freedom of the press, and freedom of petition. I've thought of what all of these rights have in common, and that each one is a form of expression. There are different kinds of people in the world who have different religious beliefs, different ideas, different values, etc. I am of course no exception, and knowing this, I feel it should be very important that people should be allowed to express their ideas. To me, this value encourages you to express it all without the government controlling it, as all these personal values make up who you are, and you should be allowed to be yourself.

    Just imagine if you will, a world where this particular value of free

expression did not exist. As the blue states: "Free speech enables individuals to express themselves and thereby create their own identity..." The government prohibits you from being able to freely express your ideas, or at the very least, limits what your ideals are and how/when you can express them in some way. This would leave you unable to create your own identity and have an artificial one forced upon you by the government. This to me could make one feel as if they're living life for the government which sounds very unpleasant.

    I would also argue to an extent that this value of expression is actually vital to the other seven values, as if this one didn't exist, there would be no point for the other values to be established. The values "Marketplace of Ideas" and Stable Change wouldn't work if you weren't allowed to freely express your ideas by speaking your mind, and being unable to speak

your mind means that people won't "discover the truth" as Milton implies. As for the second value, people won't make unwise decisions regarding elections if they aren't allowed to express their opinion. Without this value, we can't tolerate other ideas if we only live by the government's ideas, we can't promote innovation, and especially check on the government's power and criticize it freely.

    In this world, there are a lot of people who are struggling to find themselves, trying to figure out their beliefs and whether or not their ideas could get them by in this country, but they don't have to worry as it is my firm belief that this value provides reassurance to be confident in their identity and personal values and not to be afraid to express them to the world. I'm sure that this expressive value encourages you to establish your own identity while reinforcing the other seven ideas that help to give you freedom. If you would like to learn more, follow the links below. 

Links:

Source 1

Source 2