Oh the Monstrosity !

In this article from CNN, Microsoft co. made a big announcement. An anouncement so exciting there is a possibility it could make a grown man cry. Microsoft has announced that it will begin creating xbox games without controllers. Hmm. How can you play a game without a controller? It is called "Project Natal." There is a camera that captures the player's three dimensional movement. The player's movements control the game. Natal also identifies faces, voices, and takes voice commands. The release date and price are currently unknown.

This is great news for all gamers. This creation will build the xbox fanbase and will undoubtedly increase the xbox 360 sales. Now anyone can play these games. There won't be controls so they will be easy to learn and will create fun for the whole family. Maybe this advancement will have a positive effect on Sony's Playstation franchise as well. Sony could develop a similar device and the gaming wars will become more intense. The problem Microsoft could face with this actually could be sales. A gizmo like this could cost well over $100 and with the limping economy this could very well be a problem.

The future of gaming is unknown but I hope it continues to take steps in the right direction. I am the owner of a Playstation 3, but this news does make me a little jealous of xbox 360 owners. Overall, Natal should be a hit with both extreme gamers and occasional players.

[beep]

The electric blue tape sharply contrasts with the pale, ashen skin of the man's face. It draws the attention straight to the tape over the mouth. This is key because my article has to do with word censorship on television. The "x" over his mouth is symbolic also. An "x" over eyes in cartoons means death so the "x" on his lips is like censorship killing his voice or freedom of speech.

Images are in many ways different compared to writing. The images can convey meanings and a visual that the reader might otherwise not think of. The bad thing about an image is that it only goes so far. A writing could keep going and going and have many different descriptions. Overall, I believe the writing is better because when you write you know exacty what you are saying and an image might not be able to capture all your ideas and thoughts on the subject at hand.

Shaking infants is fun now??? I don't think so.

I recently came across this article written by Charles Arthur. He writes about an iPhone app called the "baby shaker." The app shows drawings of babies and cries. The only way to stop the baby from crying is to shake the iPhone until red Xs appeared over the babies' eyes.

WOW. I was stunned upon hearing this. Why would Sikalosoft create this? Why would Apple let this happen? Some would say this is comparable to violent video games. NOT AT ALL. There is a difference between games like Grand Theft Auto and an app where you kill babies. I agree with Arthur when he says this is distasteful. It makes me sick to see something like this and something must be done to make sure this never happens again. Either reprimand the people at Apple and Sikalosoft or get the people at Apple more help to screen these apps. There is absolutely no reason that this was added monday and caught wednesday. It shouldn't have been there in the first place. I feel terrible for the parents that have experienced something like this in their own life and for them to see it in a game is uncalled for.

mmmmm mushy mush

Upon reviewing this advertisement of Hulu, I realized how persuasive it really is. This commercial was created by Hulu FOR the general public. Many people are too busy these days to watch every episode of their favorite tv shows. This ad tells the viewer that they can watch their shows online, for free. The ad is meant to persuade the viewer to go to their website and watch television shows. Alec Baldwin repeatedly says that television softens the brain. He also makes many food references to the brain, such as: cottage cheese, ripe banana, and " mmmmm mushy mush."

Baldwin later says that he is an alien and the goal of Hulu is to "gelatinize" our brains, in order for Baldwin to feed on them. It is humorous because Hulu is just making a joke and saying that instead of entertainment, television is used to rot our brains. I believe Pathos is present because Baldwin uses our emotion of happiness to persuade us. He is being "serious" in a comedic way. I thought this was effective because emotions are very strong and persuade us to do things in the heat of the moment we otherwise wouldn't do. Also, I really like comedy so the commercial related to me. This analysis is different from my earlier analysis in that I actually know what an analysis is and so I can create a better one compared to my earlier attempt.

I really enjoyed this advertisement and believe it is very persuasive.

What my dinner helped me learn about myself

My refrigerator is far from full (my cupboards are in the same situation) but I still learned a bit abut myself today. The first thing I saw was the frozen dinners. I was thinking "why would I need frozen dinners? Can't I just go to mirror lake and get something?". Then I finally realized why i need those. There are three reasons. One, I am impatient. I want things done quickly. I don't like to wait around for something to happen. Two, I am sometimes not satisfied. Occasionally, I will keep wanting more and more and realize that I should relax a bit. Three, I am lazy. Sometimes I just feel like laying around and doing nothing.

Another thing I found interseting was that on a shelf I have a wealth of condiments and sauces. I believe that this shows that I like to be prepared for anything. It has happened many times in the past that something happens that I am unprepared for and I suppose I have finally learned. After I thought about these things I learned a lot about how some of your actions are based on your unconscious thoughts.

Passage-Based Focused Freewriting

In the article, "Brave New World of Digital Intimacy", I found a very interesting sentence. It says, 'You could also regard the growing popularity of online awareness as a reaction to social isolation, the modern American disconnectedness that Robert Putnam explored in his book
“Bowling Alone.”' Most of the article is about how Facebook changed and how it affected the users and their knowledge of friends' lives. I found this sentence strange because it is trailing off from the main message of the article. Why do you think this is so? I believe that it adds to the message because people do join websites like Facebook in order to connect with friends or family. When you are lonely these websites help to feel like you're with these people.

Thoughts on people and technology

I strongly agreed with the Time Magazine article, "Time's Person of the Year: You". I think that anyone can shape his/her destiny just by taking advantage of the technology he/she has. Technology is changing and the world is changing with it. We are in control of what we learn and what we say. This technology helps all people to connect to each other, and I believe that is very important in today's world.