Article of the Week: Week of 2/23

Los Angeles Times - Virtual reality isn't just for video games


     VR, virtual reality, is technology that allows its user to be set in a new computer generated environment. Although VR isn't completely developed with its rather slow and clunky systems, the hopes for it are high. Virtual reality systems can be expected to make a huge impact on the way we see or make movies, train our workers, invest, and communicate with others. Although uncertain when exactly such systems will be successfully up and running, developers have supplied some companies and people with beta systems to give the public an idea of what they can expect.

   The author's purpose in writing this article is to inform the reader about the developments and expectations for virtual reality technology. The purpose is easily identified when the author goes into detail about virtual reality in instances such as, "In another demonstration, a fight scene between two robots played out in 360-degree video, inviting users to look left, right and behind them to follow the action," "VR's greatest potential could turn out to be in movies — but it could also turn out to be best suited for video games after all, or for military simulation training," and "VR could be used in combat simulation for the military, or in natural disaster drills for police, firefighters and paramedics." The author gives the reader examples of what virtual reality systems can currently do, but then also gives examples of what these systems could do sometime in the future. This shows the author informing the reader on the current state of VR and the developments the creators hope to make.

     The topic of virtual reality developments is rather important because it really does open a whole new set of possibilities. Just a few advancements include, “combat simulation for the military, or in natural disaster drills for police, firefighters and paramedics.” With these new systems, people would no longer be spending tons of money to recreate situations to train their employees—we’d be saving money. Even if you ignore the money-benefit from VR, it still gives us the benefit of just making our lives easier. Virtual reality would allow people to view something in depth (like a car or house) before they decide to manufacture or invest in it. Not only that, it would act as a more advanced phone, allowing people to have conversations that include avatars whilst being miles away from each other. In a sense, it’s important because it’s so convenient.

Immersive: To absorb deeply; engross
Positive connotation because it suggests a great interest or fascination.

AoW Impressions for 2/20

     I think it's safe to say that I learned more about events going on in today's world than I did the first time we tried this out. Whether it's because we've become more efficient at doing this or because more things have happened in the world, it was a pretty interesting class period. A lot of the articles were about the sort of feud between ISIS and Egypt. Egypt bombed Libya's ISIS and killed 40-50 people. In return, ISIS beheaded 21 Egyptian Christians and has threatened even more countries. However, 63 countries have agreed to fight ISIS if necessary. On the downside, people from a known 90 countries are traveling to ISIS locations to join their ranks.

     One of the articles I found particularly interesting was the one from Jenna. Her article talked about a Russian father who sent his son away to live with a relative in hopes of ridding him of his homosexuality. The relative attempted to actually have him exorcised by a witch -- which didn't work. Afterwards, the father had the son admitted into a rehab facility where he was drugged to the point where he could no longer remember the names of his friends. Thankfully, the boy was rescued (in a kidnapping manner but whatever) and is safe. This is an important article or topic for the world to hear because it shows what people will do towards those they discriminate against. In the case of this Russian boy, it's important to note that he was lucky. In a country where gays are being hunted and killed or tortured, he really was lucky to have been rescued instead of facing the same fate.

Nausea: Week of 2/16

Do you like what you are reading? Why or why not?

Pages: 0-70

     Nausea has left me confused. Not in the way that I don't understand the story--I get that. Normally when I read books, it doesn't take long for me to decide on whether or not I'll like it. That hasn't really happened with Nausea. I started off really liking it. I liked the idea, the style, the descriptions. Then there was that one part that seemed to really make it go down hill, a part that was much more boring than the previous pages by a landslide (all in my opinion). Since then, it feels like the story hasn't fully recovered. While it's bounced back, it hasn't reached the same interesting state that it was in at the beginning. It's disappointing and leaves me not being able to say if I really like it or not.

     The thing I like most about this book is the wording or style of writing: lots of description. Description is a very important part of the book as the main character is describing everything and everyone around him. With this, you hear his opinions and thoughts as he analyzes these people, objects, and feelings. This produces some interesting observations--some interesting quotes. The observations made aren't always positive (I don't think this book even knows what positive is) but some of them are very relevant and leave you feeling very "wow". 

     The book has reminded me of a movie I watched sometime ago: "It's Such a Beautiful Day". The movie was about a man named Bill living a very monotonous life until he finally began to lose his grip on reality and his memory. It seemed like a really happy movie from the title and then it just kind of hits you with Bill. Both this book and this movie deal with the same topic of existentialism. It's great--it's interesting. The observations are being analyzed with the idea of existence on mind, making them extra depressing but also extra interesting. In Nausea, a lot of the focus is on time and what you do in that time (so far).                    

Take this nice Nausea quote with you:

"There are moments when you have the impression that you can do what you want, go forward or backward, that is has no importance; and then other times when you might say that the links have been tightened and, in that case, it's not a question of missing your turn because you could never start again."

Book Talk for Dr. Bird's Advice for Sad Poets

Dr. Bird's Advice for Sad Poets by Evan Roskos
Young Adult

Transcript:
    Dr. Bird's Advice for Sad Poets  is probably the best young adult book I've ever read. This book tells the story of James, a high schooler suffering from severe anxiety and depression. A lot of this stems from the fact that his parents are both physically and emotionally abusive towards their son. While it is YA, you could also maybe consider it to also be a mystery novel. James is trying to figure out why his sister, the only one he could really talk to, was kicked out of the house. Meanwhile, he's also trying to help himself cope with his own problems.

     The mood of the book fluctuated between sad and happy a lot through the book-- it never stayed as just one. This made the book really cool because while it could make you laugh it could also make you cry. This book is abut relatively negative things so it was nice how the whole book wasn't just completely depressing

     This was probably my favorite book because there are so many enjoyable things about it. The mystery around James' sister is compelling and reading about him trying to help himself is equally as interesting. He narrates with a lot of humor and his unique takes on everyday things like trees. Though, my absolute favorite thing about this book has to be Dr. Bird. Dr. Bird is an imaginary pigeon in James' head that acts as his therapist because he can't afford a real one. I thought that was pretty creative and added a happy tone to the book because she often speaks with bird puns. Overall, this is a really great book and I really recommend it.

TKAM: Week of 1/12

How would you prove or disprove that one version of To Kill A Mockingbird is more affective in delivering its message than the other? Be sure to provide specific pieces of evidence to support your opinion. 

     Overall, "To Kill a Mockingbird" was a pretty good movie. However, in terms of how well it did in delivering the original message of the book, I thought it was pretty bad. This can be blamed a a few reasons, one of which being the fact that the movie was obviously not directly from Scout's perspective. The book is narrated by Scout-- we hear everything from her. Everything in the book has been interpreted by a child but we don't see that in the movie. The movie shows us exactly what's going on around the characters, meaning nothing is really interpreted and told to us the same way Scout did. In other words, we're given the plain old facts in the movie (which isn't bad). I thought this took a lot away from the message of the book projected onto the movie. A lot of the book's message was showing you how these events in a child's life were affecting the way she thought and grew up during the narration/thoughts.

     Another major fault that prevented the message from coming across is the fact that they cut out a lot of things. The many scenes left out did not affect one single message as there are a variety of messages in the book that the movie did not cover. Take the absence of Mrs. Dubose for example. In the book, Mrs. Dubose serves to support the message of courage and even a bit of not judging people. In the movie, she's racist for what was probably less than a minute before she never appeared again. Without her, the message of bravery is not emphasized as much and we even miss a little development in Jem's character. Was this a great loss? Incredibly so.

     As I mentioned before, there were many scenes left out that impacted different messages. The message of stereotyping (both gender and race) was emphasized way less in the movie when these scenes/characters were completely cut out (so sorry, Aunt Alexandra. You will be mildly missed). Just with that To Kill a Mockingbird in its book version becomes far more efficient in delivering the wide variety of messages, all equally important. While the movie may have failed at delivering the message, I have to appreciate the fact that it finally put a face on Arthur Radley. The book may have described him but there's nothing like watching the movie and having your interpretation of the character completely crushed.

Nothing like it.

   

   

Requiem for a Dream: Week of 1/26

Pages: 100-202

     I am definitely not enjoying what I'm reading.
     In the best way possible.

     Requiem for a Dream has proven itself to be truly dark, twisted, and just really depressing. But, what more could you expect from a book centered around hopeless dreams and drug addictions? It makes you feel so bad it's good.

     Probably my favorite thing about this book is the characters. The characters are really really enjoyable. I've said it before and I can't say it enough: they're realistic. They contain the same things you'd see in people around you. Not to mention they're very interesting. Sara in particular has peaked my interest throughout the book. Sara is the quintessential example of what it means to not be needed. Her husband died years ago and her only son has moved away. Not only that, but he seems to hate her. He doesn't need her. With no one to care for or quite frankly spend any time with, Sara must find other means of happiness.

     Sara is able to occupy herself with the comfort of food and television. Eventually, we discover that she sees the fridge as a sort of entity. It mocks her; tortures her. But nonetheless, it speaks to her. The television is a substitute for her happiness. She realizes that she's not happy. If she can't experience happiness in her own life then why not watch the TV? The television provides her with hours upon hours of shows and movies with happy endings. She feels happy for their happy. It comes to a point where she seems to desperately want to have the same fictional happiness in her real life. She tries to connect every happy thing to someone or something she knows. It kind of really makes you feel bad for her. She's truly unneeded so she has to find happiness in a TV screen.

     When Sara is first being introduced, there is a great focus on just how much she relies on food and television to keep her occupied. The reader can use her old actions and feelings (old meaning when she was relying on certain comforts) to juxtapose her actions and feelings when she gets a call saying she may be on an actual TV show. The change in her character makes her that much more interesting, especially since the change happens very fast. As soon as the call giving her the great news ends there is a quote that sort of sums up her change of character very well:

"...an event of such prodigious proportions and importance that it infused her with a new will to live and materialized a dream that brightened her days and soothed her lonely nights."

     Just from reading the quote you can tell the possible future ahead of her has made her feel alive. Now she finally has someone to take care of and really work for: herself. And while that may seem inspirational-- the idea that you don't need someone in your life to feel happy-- it ultimately leads her to a terrible state. A drug addiction that has spiraled out of control and needs other drugs to calm. Paranoia, a terribly low weight, and other effects of a drug addiction. As you read further on, Sara's character becomes darker and darker. It's terrible, really. But, it's also really well written and her character has a lot of depth. It feels almost impossible for her to not be the character you fear for the most.

Comments: Bela | Gianna | Leanna


 

Requiem for a Dream: Week of 1/19

Are the characters realistic? Do they seem like they could be real people?

Pages read: 0-100

     I've been enjoying Requiem for a Dream quite a lot for a multitude of reasons. The plot is interesting, dark, and maybe even a little twisted. A nice addition to the story is the fact the characters are very realistic, making the negative events in their lives a little more horrible because you can see how easy it happens to someone.

     Requiem doesn't really have a main character. Throughout the book, different sections focus on the four main characters: Marion, Sara, Tyrone, and Harry. Basically, each character gets the spotlight at some point. The thing that makes the characters really enjoyable is how realistic they are. Though, as I've said before, it does make it a bit more dark. The four characters all share one thing in common: they have a dream they're willing to do anything for. Marion wants to be a successful artist. Sara wants to lose weight and be on television. Tyrone wants to get out of the bad neighborhood and live somewhere peaceful. Harry wants a nice business going and to stay with Marion. These are all very realistic hopes and dreams people can have, but it gets much more complicated for the characters.

     Just like in real life, there are obstacles the characters much overcome to achieve their dream. Marion, Harry, and Tyrone all have to overcome their drug tendencies and the bad neighborhood before they can really get anywhere. And just like in real life, the obstacles are much harder to overcome than anyone can really imagine. To get out of their bad neighborhood, the trio needs money. Money that they get from selling the purest heroin in town. When they sell, they can't help but try it. Throughout the book, you notice how Harry often says he only needs to sell one more pound before he and Marion can get away. However, he says this plenty of times and the last pound never truly appears.

     Sara holds a dream that many people have: her weight loss. If she were to lose some weight, then she could look good on TV in the red dress she's only ever been thin enough to wear once. If she could wear that dress, people would like her. She'd be thin and pretty. Most of all, the dress is a homage to her late husband. Sara has one problem that prevents her from losing weight. To her dismay, she's rather addicted to eating. If she doesn't eat, she can feel the refrigerator taunting her. To counter this, she takes diet pills. Though she has overcome her need to eat with pills that suppress her hunger she must now overcome her new drug addiction. Little does she know that her diet pills are actually dexedrine tablets (a stimulant drug).  Although it hasn't been explicitly stated that she now has a drug addiction, there are a few signs. She a pops a pill when she feels like it. If she doesn't, she feels nervous and paranoid they'll suddenly stop working. Her son, Harry, is familiar with the drug. He and his friends take them for a quick high, so he worries for her.

     Overall, the characters' dreams and obstacles make them realistic. The dreams they have very good intentions but they desire them so much they're willing to do anything to get them. In effect, they end up digging themselves deeper into a pit that they can't get out of...Something that isn't uncommon today.


Comments: Sara | Lacey | Mitchell