Blog # 5

I don’t think I could ever live a life of solitude as Thoreau did.  Yes I could probably live without my technology and comforts of everyday life but the loneliness I could not.  I hate to be alone and do store yourself away all alone with nothing to do and no one to talk to I would go insane. 

What verse will you contribute:

So this is a completely different subject but I feel it is important to talk about.  I truly believe that one person can change the world.  Your thoughts, words and actions can not only affect your life but everyone around you as well.  I you feel strongly about something you should stand up and fight for it because we all have a voice.  I don’t think most people understand that everything they say and do leaves an impact on another person.   As far as my verse I don’t exactly know what it is yet but as long as I can make just one person’s life better along the way it was all worth it. 

Blog # 4

I don’t really think this whole thing has anything to do with a certain generation.  In my option I think that most Americans are dumb.  Young and old we do not seem to care about education as much as other countries do.  Most of us do not want to learn things just to learn them but to get a higher paying job that’s all we think about.  When I was in high school my History teacher told me a story that really opened my eyes to American ignorance.  Mr. Hollenshead was taking a trip to Haiti to adopt a child.  While traveling through the villages he met these native children.  The children’s ribs were clearly visible from starvation and they were drinking out of a dirty stream.  They began to talk to Mr. Hollenshead in their native language he replied I don’t understand.  Then they began to talk in another dialect still Mr. Hollenhead looked at them confused.  They spoke French, Italian and Spanish before they looked at him and said huh you cant speak Spanish either?  Why is it that the peasant children of one the poorest countries of the world can speak so many different languages when most Americans can barely speak English?     

Blog #3

I think this whole video game addiction and virtual world thing is quite interesting.  I was trying to understand why people get addicted to these types of games.  Is it because they can be a completely different person or is it to be the person they really are.  I was doing some research and came across this article called 5 Creepy Ways Video Games are Trying to get you Addicted. 

http://www.cracked.com/article_18461_5-creepy-ways-video-games-are-trying-to-get-you-addicted.html

So its pretty much about video game companies paying behavioral scientists to make sure that customers stay addicted.  You can keep the gamers playing if every once in a while you give them a stimulus or reward.  For example the brain can make people feel the same enjoyment getting material items in a game as you would in the real world.  If we work all this time to get an item such as a sword it gives our brain the same stimulus we would receive if you bought a new pair of shoes.  Another tactic is giving small rewards through a game is supposedly as addictive as a slot machine.  I think this is crazy that these companies are using these techniques to brain wash people.  Although this is a pretty good marketing scheme is this wrong to do?

http://www.google.com/imgres?q=addicted+to+video+games&hl=en&sa=X&biw=1366&bih=653&tbm=isch&prmd=imvns&tbnid=_KY2EmLZsv0bkM:&imgrefurl=http://rachelnico.wordpress.com/2011/01/04/dangerous-video-games/&docid=54oYQ6skKGZ9iM&w=400&h=500&ei=DY1yTpGKL-j40gHHl9XmCQ&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=1124&vpy=122&dur=534&hovh=251&hovw=201&tx=160&ty=113&page=1&tbnh=149&tbnw=118&start=0&ndsp=19&ved=1t:429,r:18,s:0

Blog #2

This weeks reading were all very interesting and controversial.  My favorite quote from the text on p.11 was "Most American have everything they could possibly want, and they still don't think it's nearly enough.  When everything is at hand, nothing is ever hard-won, and when nothing is hard-won, nothing really satisfies.  Without satisfaction, out lives become shallow and meaningless."

I found this cartoon that I think does an amazing job of explaining this quote:

I think it is true that we focus way to much on material goods bringing us happiness.  As a result we are never truly happy because no one can ever have everything.  Our lives are sheltered and slightly meaningless when we  let material items and money and greed rule our lives.