Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Day of the CAT

I got to the testing room at 5:15.  I'm well rested.  Ready to take my CAT.  I'm higly confident.  The proctor isn't there yet. So I'm able to relax.  I have my 2 pens, 1 pencil and my dictornary.  I see Doctor X come around the corner.  The proctor comes at 5:40.  We are let into the room.  I show the proctor my LaGuardia ID.  The tests are soon distributed to the students.  I'm familar with the prompt.  Thanks to all my time in Doctor X's class.  It's about media and deception.  I automatically think about the Truman Show and The Matrix.  I bring up scenes from The Truman Show were Christof plays with the audiences emotions.  Making them cry and fell sorrow.  In the Matrix some people don't know what is really real.

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Blog Entry 4.3

LaGuardia College
Aaron Straker
11/23/10

I think Google stops people from using their knowledge. In the blink of an eye, the search engine delivers useful information about pretty much any subject imaginable. Think about when you don’t understand something or your unsure where do you go. Most of the time you’ll go to Google to get the information. Without out even taking the time to think about what you’re not understanding. You could have probably gotten the answer if you just sat down and thought about the subject material. But google is so tempting because it has all the answers and it’s so easy to use. When you first go to the internet you most likely will be taken to google. You can access google through your computer, laptop, Cell Phone even IPod. Almost everyone has at least one of the devices. Nicholas Carr author of “The Shallows: What the Internet is doing to Our Brains” thinks that google is even making us shallow.
From personal experience I’d say whenever I don’t understand something I’ll run to google, which I’m sure many others do. I mostly go to google for my Math homework. If I can’t solve a solution I’ll search how to solve the certain math equation. While I could have taken the time to brainstorm, what is the question asking me? Nicholas Carr says “What really makes us intelligent isn’t our ability to find lots of information quickly”. Meaning you don’t have to run to google for information, because that doesn’t make you intelligent anyone can run to google for information. If you think deeply on your own without google search engine you’ll see yourself becoming a much better thinker and more intelligent.
Nicholas Carr says “If were distracted, we understand less, remember less, and learn less.” This is true if you’re using google. Once your on google you’re on the internet, there are so many distractions on the internet that you won’t even be able to use that information you just found. You can be doing homework but you take a trip to google, next thing you know your own facebook then later on YouTube. Now you’re so far away from what you were just doing. You might waste 1 or 2 hours surfing the web, when all you came for was for an answer to a question you didn’t know. Nicholas Carr says “The Net bombards us with messages and other bits of data, and every one of those interruptions breaks our train of thought. We end up scatterbrained. The fact is, you’ll never think deeply if you’re always Googling, texting, and surfing.” This is true especially when I’m doing homework, I’ll watch a YouTube video which is about 10 minutes long, and then I’ll answer one or two questions on my homework. Using google has many disadvantages you get your information, but you might easily get distracted away from the work your currently doing.
Nicholas Carr says “If you’re really interested in developing your mind, you should turn off your computer and your cell phone and start thinking. Really thinking. You can Google all the facts you want, but you’ll never Google your way to brilliance.” If everyone uses google for information they’re all going to get the same answer, not always the same but mostly similar. But if you sit down and think about something you might think of something different, and no one else might know about it.

Is Google Making Us Stupid???

LaGuardia College
Aaron Straker
11/23/10

I think Google stops people from using their knowledge. In the blink of an eye, the search engine delivers useful information about pretty much any subject imaginable. Think about when you don’t understand something or your unsure where do you go. Most of the time you’ll go to Google to get the information. Without out even taking the time to think about what you’re not understanding. You could have probably gotten the answer if you just sat down and thought about the subject material. But google is so tempting because it has all the answers and it’s so easy to use. When you first go to the internet you most likely will be taken to google. You can access google through your computer, laptop, Cell Phone even IPod. Almost everyone has at least one of the devices. Nicholas Carr author of “The Shallows: What the Internet is doing to Our Brains” thinks that google is even making us shallow.


From personal experience I’d say whenever I don’t understand something I’ll run to google, which I’m sure many others do. I mostly go to google for my Math homework. If I can’t solve a solution I’ll search how to solve the certain math equation. While I could have taken the time to brainstorm, what is the question asking me? Nicholas Carr says “What really makes us intelligent isn’t our ability to find lots of information quickly”. Meaning you don’t have to run to google for information, because that doesn’t make you intelligent anyone can run to google for information. If you think deeply on your own without google search engine you’ll see yourself becoming a much better thinker and more intelligent.


Nicholas Carr says “If were distracted, we understand less, remember less, and learn less.” This is true if you’re using google. Once your on google you’re on the internet, there are so many distractions on the internet that you won’t even be able to use that information you just found. You can be doing homework but you take a trip to google, next thing you know your own facebook then later on YouTube. Now you’re so far away from what you were just doing. You might waste 1 or 2 hours surfing the web, when all you came for was for an answer to a question you didn’t know. Nicholas Carr says “The Net bombards us with messages and other bits of data, and every one of those interruptions breaks our train of thought. We end up scatterbrained. The fact is, you’ll never think deeply if you’re always Googling, texting, and surfing.” This is true especially when I’m doing homework, I’ll watch a YouTube video which is about 10 minutes long, and then I’ll answer one or two questions on my homework. Using google has many disadvantages you get your information, but you might easily get distracted away from the work your currently doing.


Nicholas Carr says “If you’re really interested in developing your mind, you should turn off your computer and your cell phone and start thinking. Really thinking. You can Google all the facts you want, but you’ll never Google your way to brilliance.” If everyone uses google for information they’re all going to get the same answer, not always the same but mostly similar. But if you sit down and think about something you might think of something different, and no one else might know about it.

Sunday, November 21, 2010

Sleep Dealer

Aaron Straker
LaGuardia College
11/20/10

Sleep Dealer is a science fiction movie that came out in the year of 2008. Sleep Dealer deals with the many things that can happen in the future. Mostly consisting of the new technologies being created everyday. These technologies are changing the very world we live in today. Sleep Dealer is a very complex movie which connects with other science fiction gems, such as the Truman Show and the Matrix. All of these movies make you think about what will happen in the future.

Sleep Dealer and the Matrix have many similarities such as there virtual worlds. There was a war in the Matrix. It was the machines/agents vs. the humans. The only time the humans were able to fight the agents was when they entered the Matrix. Neo and others were able to enter the Matrix through machines. There is something similar to this in Sleep Dealer. In the movie the workers do virtual labor. The characters have nodes which allows them connect into the virtual world. But in order to get them you need to get them installed. These nodes are metal objects which are placed inside the human body. This enables them to go online and do work. Neo also has something similar in the back of his head after he took the red pill from Morpheus. They also have Virtual Wars in Sleep Dealer. Fighter pilots can shot up Iraq in this virtual world. But sleep at home every night. This also happens in the Matrix. They’re able to fight the agents in the Matrix/Virtual Reality but sleep in the real world. In the Matrix and Sleep Dealer they both plug themselves into the virtual world. While there actual body is still in the real world. If you get hurt inside the virtual worlds your body in the real world will be affected this happens in both movies.

Sleep Dealer also connects with the Truman Show. In the Truman Show Truman is own television for almost all of his life. Truman doesn’t know that he’s on television though. The people who are watching the show laugh and cry at what Truman is going through. They all watched Truman grow up and know all his memories from his childhood. Similar in Sleep Dealer where Memo girlfriend sells her memories. Also memories which involve them together. So anyone who wants to see it can purchase his and her memories. Something that is a bit weird selling your past.

Sleep Dealer and the Matrix have many differences. Sleep Dealer you get connected to the system to get online. Also so you can work and make money. It’s a must to get connected. That is why Memo goes through hell to get the nodes installed. He actually gets mugged while trying to get installed. In the Matrix you have the choice to get installed. It isn’t necessary you actually have the choice. Morpheus gives Neo the choice of the blue pill or the red pill. Blue pill you wake up and forget and red pill you’ll see the truth. Neo takes the red pill. He wakes up then he later gets connected into the Matrix.

There are also many differences between Sleep Dealer and the Truman Show. With The Truman show everyone sees his memories. Also his entire childhood and life. Since he was on television until he was 30 years old. In Sleep Dealer you get the chance to actually sell your memories or not. Someone can view them or not. But you know what is going on when someone is looking at parts of your life. Unlike the Truman Show.

Thursday, November 11, 2010

Blog 4.1

The internet and mobile devices can be used as teaching tools. Our current generation can be called the iGeneration. Preteens and teens are constanly plugged in. There's nothing wrong with using technology to learn.

They are many websites that can be used to learn. For my writing class there is grammarbytes.com. It teaches you how to use verbs, commas, fused senetences and much more. There was also a freerice.com which helped improve someones vobulary and grammar. For my reading class there is backboard hich helps students with reading comprehension. There are many other classes that have the internet as teaching tools. My math class has educosoft.com. Where you can do your hw and take quizzes/tests. There's also tutorials online. For the iGeneration mostwork is online. Because if it isn't kids wont do it. Since they're already online they'll have a better chance of doing the hw. But there is a problem when the kids multitask. When a student is on facebook and on youtube while doing there homework they shouldn't except a good grade. Teens have to forget about there social lives while they're doing homework.

Students shouldn't be allowed to multitask with there work. This is a new generation called the iGeneration where everything is very different. Homework is mostly done online same for talking to your friends.

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

CLASS BLOG: Blog 13: How to do One Thing at a Time

CLASS BLOG: Blog 13: How to do One Thing at a Time: "             In the passage 'How to do one thing at a Time' by Nancy Jones, Nancy explains that in this century and generation multi-tasking..."

The author doesn't present a claim. But they're saying don't multi task it's better to do one thing at a time. The author has many grammatical errors probably from rushing. Reading over his/her work will help. I think mostly this author needs to take his/her time and look over the essay.

Thursday, November 4, 2010

Blog 3.5 McDonalds

If teenagers keep on eating McDonalds on a daily basis they won’t be able to do as much physical activities. According to the very generous U.S dietary guidelines, 1,340 calories represent more than half of a teenager's recommended daily caloric consumption. Meaning some of these calories won’t get burned and will be stored as fat. If teens keep on doing this they’ll be storing fat on a daily basis. Also if the teens don’t participate in any physical activities they will have an even bigger chance of coming obese. McDonalds is one of the reasons why many teenagers and adults are obese. Imagine a teenager having these meals 3 times a week or even more. That's 4,020 calories. McDonald’s meals use to be 680. That's much more than it used to be. Physical activity among teenage boys and girls has dropped optimally because of these special meals.

Obesity has always been high in the United States. Everywhere you turn there's a McDonalds. In my neighborhood there’s a McDonalds. Someone could say in almost every neighborhood they’ll be a McDonalds. This is why so many teens have it because it’s everywhere there’s no avoiding McDonalds. There are other fast food places like Subway, Checkers, Burger King and Wendy’s. When someone eats McDonalds are any other fast food place they consume more calories than usual. McDonald’s meal use to be 680 calories. But then was raised to 1,340 calories. McDonalds now has the option to supersize your meal. Customers are always encouraged to supersize their meals. The regular coke is 16 fluid ounces when supersized it's 42 fluid ounces. When French fries are supersized there more than double the weight of the original order.

If teens keep eating like this soon some will be obese. Some won’t but they won’t be as strong as they used to be. They won’t be able to move as fast as they use to. "Completing this jumbo dietetic horror is the fact that the easy availability of such huge meals arrives in the same years in which physical activity among teenage boys and girls drops by about half." If someone was to eat McDonalds for a month breakfast, lunch and dinner. Like what was done in Supersize me you could get very ill and probably die. Or get some sort of heart condition. The main point eating too much fast food without exercise isn’t healthy for anyone.