Digital_Nation

Image Courtesy of http://meganmcmurtrey.wordpress.com/

    The PBS Documentary, Digital Nation, is a very interesting film that shows how technology has affected societies around the world. Everything from the use of computers in the class room, to video gaming cafes, are included throughout the movie. There's even a bit on how some virtual reality sites, such as second life, are being used to host virtual company meetings! You don't even have to leave your house to get to work anymore. How cool is that?

SuperBetter

    In the Ted Talk titled "The game that can give you 10 extra years of life", Jane McGonigal introduces a revolutionary way of thinking about video games. Instead of viewing video games as "a waste of time", McGonigal encourages us to see how these games can actually enhance our lives and make us feel better, and even healthier.  

The Good Consumer

    As a citizen of the United States of America, I believe it is safe to say that we all, at least for the most part, are living a life of high consumption. We are always seeking after "the next big thing", as if something of monetary value could actually fulfill us. It's almost scary to think of how much we really consume! In fact, a video called "The Good Consumer" plays off of this concept and brilliantly characterizes how our society has become so reliant upon the art of consumption.

Ethos in the Balance



Image via eng101online.com

    Writing has always been my passion in life, and is something I take very seriously. I always re-read my writing several times before submission, taking extreme consideration for how the essay personally portrays me as the author. Nothing irks me more than printing out a document, only to realize upon re-reading it that I didn’t fix all of my mistakes! Some might call this a very keen awareness of ethos, which is defined by Merriam-Webster as “the distinguishing character, sentiment, moral nature, or guiding beliefs of a person, group, or institution”. As a “perfectionist”, building a strong ethos and living up to my full potential as a writer has always been my goal, one that I have carried over into my college career.

Plugging Myself In

Image via the Wikimedia Commons

In the past decade, education and technology have both advanced quite dramatically, each suddenly becoming dependent on the other. When I started taking AP classes in high school, this fact became very apparent. Most of my homework demanded constant access to the internet, which was difficult because my family only owned one computer at the time (strange, right?). Eventually, my parents became very annoyed over being cut off from the computer and, luckily for me, it made convincing them to buy me a laptop very effective.