Multimodal Final Project

Links for the two songs of our Multimodal Project comparing the natural voice to one altered by Auto-Tune.

Natural:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NhnoQ_Op7pY

Auto-Tuned:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tRAZb0WHTak

Music We Listen To

Who is your favorite popular music artist? Lady Gaga (she's mine!), Taylor Swift, Miley Cyrus, Justin Bieber (I hate him.)? Well chances are, your favorite music artist uses audio editing software to make their songs sound better. These programs alter the singers' voices to erase any flaws or mishaps in their singing. So now, everything is skewed. Are we listening to the actual artists? Or are we listening to their studios? Maybe the music industry has just become a competition between the editing softwares of all the artists rather than the actual voices of the artists themselves. Why do they all use Auto-Tune? Yes it makes them sound better. But doesn't it make them superficial? Why don't we just listen to a robot? I'm sure there will be program out some day that allows one to choose the notes of the song and one can literally SPEAK the words and the program alters the pitch of the singer to make it sound they are singing perfectly without sounding like a robot. What will we do if this happens? Embrace it and indulge in it as we have to technology in the past? Or will we reject it and enjoy REAL music with REAL voices.

Auto-Tune takes away the authenticity of music. Some of those who are famous for being music artists cannot really even sing! Miley Cyrus was only made popular because of her father and her fame from the show Hannah Montana. SHE HAS A RASPY MAN VOICE! I have seen videos of Selena Gomez singing live in the studio and it is not pretty. Check out my Multimodal Project to see the effects of Auto-Tune. True artists true talent is diminished because of editing softwares such as Auto-Tune. For example, Lady Gaga is a BRILLIANT artist, but several people think she is just famous because of catchy beats and edited singing. Go watch a video on YouTube in which Gaga sings acoustically! OR go watch the talent show video of Stephanie Germanotta, now known as Lady Gaga. She is a true artist but people undermine her talent by saying she is not a true artist because she uses voice editing software. She doesn't need it, but I think she only uses it to keep up with the other "artists"; everyone needs to make money, and society today seems to like Auto-Tune and the like.

Auto-Tune Causes Loss of Emotion

So I did my Multimodal project on Auto-Tune with my group. My group did a cover of Bruno Mars's "Just the Way You Are", then applied Auto-Tune to it and analyzed the differences in the sounds. Of course, Auto-Tune just made it sound more robotic but altered the pitch of our voice to hit the right notes. We weren't the greatest or most experienced users of Auto-Tune, so we weren't able to alter the settings so that the program tuned our voices smoothly. This is why it sounds like a robot. Rather than a gradual change of notes, it is a sharp distinct change, making it obvious that Auto-Tune was used.

Now, while examining the effects of Auto-Tune, we found it did several things. First, it corrected the pitch of our voices to the notes in the scale that were closest to the ones we sang. So, technically, it improved our singing. On the other hand, the program made us sound like a robot, with distinct, sharp changes in notes rather than the smooth change as a singer exhibits. This took away the feeling of emotion in the song. The song sounds better and is easier to listen to, but the emotional effects brought about from the natural voice were no longer there. This caused the music simply to sound good to the listener rather than to bring out any emotion in the listener. Isn't the point of music to bring out emotion in the listeners? If someone were singing a song specifically for you, wouldn't you rather have someone sing their best with emotion and a few off-key notes than a technically perfect song but that sounds like a robot?

Second Skin

What is so addicting about MMORPGs that makes people want to pay $15 dollars a month to waste 12 hours a day playing them? Maybe it's because they allow people to make a new life for themselves online because they do not truly have one in real life. Maybe it's because they allow people to relax and relieve stress from the real world. Maybe it's because they allow people to be whoever they want to be online without judgment. But it's just a huge cycle. People play games because they do not succeed in real life, and they don't succeed because they play games. For example, in the documentary "Second Skin", there are several people who become poor because of playing World of Warcraft. They need to feel successful so they start playing the game, but this causes them to pay a monthly subscription and takes all of their time playing the game rather than going out to find a job. Because they do not have a job, they continue to play the game. It's a big cycle.

How about rather than playing the video game, they go out and find a job? Just take a couple of days to find a decent job, and then, they could actually feel successful about their real lives. Because of this, they wouldn't even need the game to make them feel better. Rather than chasing virtual goals and achieving virtual tools and valuables, they could chase and reach real life goals and actual valuables. They could make a living for themselves and live in luxury.

On the other hand, MMORPGs could be a good thing for some people. For example, handicapped people who stand NO chance in the real world because of a disease they have no control over have reason to play these games. They actually get a chance to live the lives they can not ever possibly live in the real world. They can talk, walk, run, jump, sing, be heroic, be anything they want to be online. Maybe they can't do these things in real life and thus, their playing of MMORPGs may be justified in my opinion. Playing video games can be good or bad; it's just HOW and WHY people play them that matters.

Video Game Addiction

I used to play Halo 3 a TON. You could say I was addicted. I played from right when I got home from school until about 9pm and then picked it up around 12am and played until 3am. I was completely addicted to the game. I say that I have played about 10,000 matches in my lifetime of Halo. With each match being about 10 minutes, thats about 69 played days of video games. I never even realized. By now, I've stopped playing games so that statistic was over a period of 3 years! Maybe I'm not as addicted as other people on other games, but MY addiction got in the way of my progress with things more important to me. When I started playing, I began to put off my homework and studying for tests. I had already been procrastinating so I procrastinated even more after I started playing Halo. It had even run into my piano practice time so I had to really crack down and practice about 3 hours per day over the last 3 weeks before my big auditions that year! I began to be secluded from my family and my friends. Sometimes, I rejected an invitation to hang out with friends just so I could play Halo alone.

What is so addicting about Halo? Well in Halo 3, there is a ranking system based on player skill, rather than on time. For example, in Call of Duty, a player gets points for every game played and after a certain number of points, he ranks up a level. But Halo 3 has a different ranking system in which skill level cannot be improved by just sheer play time. In Halo 3, one must be good and win a certain number of matches in a row to prove to the system that he is good enough to be given the next skill level number. In Halo 3, the highest skill level possible was 50, and I was not going to stop playing until I got there. Eventually, after years of playing, I got good enough to be a level 50 but the game was still addicting. Maybe it's because it makes me feel successful and good about myself when I win a game and I have a positive kill-death spread. Maybe it's because it makes me feel good when I beat another team of players. Maybe I like the team-oriented aspect of the game, which must be seen by all team members to truly succeed consistently. Maybe I kept playing because I wanted to achieve the status of being the highest level because I HAD to be the best in everything that I do.

Halo really took its toll on me. I used to be ranked #1 in high school, but because of Halo, I made a low A in U.S. History and eventually that came to bite me in the rear because I graduated as the Salutatorian, #2. It also hindered my piano development and if I had not played Halo, I probably would be a lot further in my piano education. Playing Halo might have made me less social as well. I might have only learned to communicate to people online rather than people in real life. I have always been a shy person, and Halo only decreased my development when it came to that. I stopped playing Halo cold turkey at the beginning of my freshman year of college because my Xbox was left to my little brother at home. I can tell a huge difference in my life. I study a ton more than I would if I still played. I have joined a fraternity to increase my social life and to develop contacts for future jobs and whatnot. I have become more active physically rather than just sitting there playing Halo. Overall, playing video games and being addicted to Halo hindered me, and now that I've stopped playing, I have become more successful and healthy in things I wish to achieve.

Just Dance 2

Over Thanksgiving break, I played the Just Dance 2 video game on the Wii console. Before this, I thought that all those ads telling people they could exercise via video games were not true and just false advertisements. When I played Just Dance 2, I found myself sweating and breathing hard. Playing the game was exactly like dancing (who would've guessed). So playing this game has changed my whole perception on exercise via video games. Also, I think this game is good because it allows people to practice dancing in the privacy of their own home so they will be more likely to dance in the outside world. This will allow people to be more social and get more in shape, but only if used correctly. If people just stay inside all day and never go outside of the house to dance, then this game will only help them physically but not really socially. So I guess what I'm trying to say is that technology can be useful or harmful depending on how one uses it. If one ONLY uses technology and does not apply it to the outside world, it is harmful in that it can cause people to be less social and even lazy. But if one uses technology to ENHANCE one's outside interaction, then technology can be a very good thing.

Stress

I am really stressed out about my future right now. Should I do research? Should I co-op? Should I intern? Should I study abroad? Should I work abroad? Stress is such a big thing in all of our lives, especially those of us who attend Georgia Tech. Robots are lucky that they don't feel stress. They don't have to worry about failing or what they have to do in the future. They only do what they are programmed to do and if they fail, then humans are the ones who have to work to fix them. I feel like we take stress for granted. Of course we hate being stressed, but it causes us to work harder and changes the paces of our lives. If we didn't have stress, we would live at the same pace all the time, which would get boring. I feel this would make us miss stress in the future if robots do everything for us. We never realize what we have until we lose it. This cliche proves very true and if we lose all the privileges and things we do now, then we will regret letting technology take over and we will miss our old human lives. What do we do? We hate to be stressed but if we let technology take over, we will miss it. We hate physically working hard, but if we let technology take over, we will become obese. We hate having to carry several things, but if we have everything in the form of technology, we will lose culture. Technology can be good but evil at the same time. It is up to us and how much we use and depend on technology that determines what will happen to us humans in the future.

Books: I don't read

So we discussed the transition of books from actual text to digital technology today in class. This is an awful idea. Books make the world go round. I don't even read, but I can appreciate a good book. Hard copy books and texts are what govern our society. The Constitution, the Bible, maps, etc. We can't betray them. We can't let  the digital age take over because we are too lazy to carry another 5 pounds or because we want the newest craze. We can't give in to technology. We can't let them take over. The next thing you know, there will be food, our minds will be computers, we will import data, and ultimately, we will become robots/cyborgs. Turning books into electronics is just another step on the path to towards technology taking over.

Bjork, "All is Full of Love"

In this music video, there is a scene of a robotic "woman" kissing another robotic woman which looks very similar to the other one. Maybe the director decided to make both of them look the same because robots are factory-made and all look the same and function the same. Maybe the director is hinting that if we humans give in to technology, we will all have robotic body parts that all look the same and thus, we will all look the same on the outside. Maybe he is saying that if we let technology take over, we will not have any element of individuality or creativity. Maybe the director is saying that humans are already all the same because we all generally follow what is considered the norm or whatever everyone else is doing. Maybe the director is arguing that we need to branch from society and do whatever we want to rather than just what everyone else is doing.

Also, maybe the director did this to show people's obsessions with themselves. Everyone likes who they are and if they didn't, they would change and be someone else. If they are too lazy to change, then that's their fault for who they are and how their lives are and no one else's. Of course this is not true that everyone loves themselves to such an extent but it can be argued that everyone is content and happy with who they are. But perhaps the director is suggesting that people are in love with themselves. People will do bad things just to get what they want for themselves. They will through out all morals, they will put aside family, friends, priorities. They will work too much or too little, binge eat or not eat, through out morals and do whatever feels good. Is this a bad thing? Maybe not. Is this a good thing? Definitely not. So it's up to us who we want to be and for whom/what we live. What's your motivation?

Gossip Girl

So my girlfriend was telling me about the TV show "Gossip Girl". In this show, one mean, jealous college girl uses an alias, Gossip Girl, and posts news and the scoop about a group of others in the show. Gossip Girl uses a website I think and sends texts whenever she finds out something new or just wants to start gossip. At one point in the show, Gossip Girl gets personally involved with these students and tries to sabotage the life of one of them. She says Serena (the sabotaged) has an STD and everyone talks about it and believes it. GG also says that Serena slept with one of the other girls' boyfriend. That girl believe GG over her boyfriend as well.

The point I want to make is how does this one girl who makes up lies to hurt others influence what people think of them. Why do all of these people believe what a website says? GG uses technology to spread the word about these kids and people follow her. It seems that everyone in the show is subscribed to GG and she plays a large part of their lives. It's like a newspaper for teens and about teens. So does this describe how we use technology today? Do we get most of our information through technology rather than traditional newspapers and mail? I think so. Many people get information and news online from websites such as Facebook, Yahoo, MSN, YouTube, email, etc. We even register for classes online. Everything is online these days, which can be good and bad. It is good in a sense that everyone can access it from the comfort of their home and they can view any website they like and connect to billions of people around the world. It is bad in a sense that everyone can access it from the comfort of their home and they can view any website they like and connect to billions of people around the world. It causes laziness, lack of real interactions, etc. People don't exercise as much anymore. Also, if one day, every computer somehow shut down and the Internet was destroyed, we would be left with nothing. How would we check our grades? Where would our money be? This is the extent to which we now rely on technology and quite frankly, I don't think it's a good thing.

Future Feelings

As people continue to depend on technology and robotic body parts, will we not lose our sense of feeling? How can metal feel the cold breeze on a winter's day or the scorching heat from the summer sun? How can a metal nose smell the delicious aroma of freshly baked bread or of one's beautiful spouse? How can a prosthetic tongue taste the splendid taste of a mother's cooking or a delicious warm pretzel from the mall? We will lose the function of our senses if we continue to physically depend on technology. I understand that fake nerves can be developed but will they be compatible with the brain? How will we know if rather than feeling the actual environment that the "nerves" don't just make the brain "feel" what it thinks it is supposed to be feeling? For example, what if there existed a delicious-looking steak right in front of someone and to that person (who has no technological body parts), the steak has an awful smell like garbage. But another person walks by and the fake nerves implanted in his body make him smell what he is "supposed" to smell, a delightful steak rather than the garbage. I understand this idea is a bit far-fetched but just think about it.

We must work hard to keep our bodies as human as possible and not to give in to technology. There can be arguments from all sides of this statement but there is no doubt in what is happening to humanity. People are increasingly using technology and whether they admit it or not, are becoming more dependent on it..

Peer Illustrated Argumentative Essay

I loved ALL the illustrated argumentative essays I saw today. One which particularly stood out to me was the project with a hand made of blades of grass touching the tip of its finger with that of a hand made of aluminum foil and metal. I did not find an artist's letter for this piece but it definitely caught my attention. The two fingers were touching only on the tip like E.T. The project looked so simple yet so profound. Just two hands, touching as if in agreement or understanding. As if they wanted to fuse together and create some sort of metallic/grass hand. As if they wanted to be a cyborg.

What I got from this piece was the fact that nature and technology are continuously growing closer to being one. I see that humans continue to become more dependent on technology and that all over the world, industry is taking over. I see that we humans also create technology and robots that increasingly develop qualities of humanity and become more humanlike. Both opposite ends of the spectrum are becoming more like one another and eventually they will meet. This is what I feel the project was exemplifying.

This idea in my opinion is terrible!!!! Why would be want to become robots?! Why would we want to be programmed and not have to do anything?! That's the beauty of life! Having to walk around and breathe in the fresh air, having to deal with problems we have without the use of technology. If humanity and technology ever meet and reach a point when they are the same, there would be nothing to distinguish us from technology. I can't imagine technology ever having true emotions or feelings. I can't imagine technology having a conscience and knowing what is right from what is wrong. A new species will have been created, one which God did not create. It will have been one which we humans will have created and we should not have that power. We ought not have the power to control life nor take it away. Now I'm reaching a moral concept that is more appropriate to be discussed elsewhere.

There is no doubt that humans and technology are increasingly becoming closer to being one another, but there is something we can do about it. But no one is willing to. The ease and efficiency technology brings to us makes us addicted and dependent to it. Maybe the point when humans and technology meet is inevitable, or maybe everyone will one day realize that there must be a stopping point. But who knows what that point will be?

Cyborg Sex

PART 1:So in Health today, we were learning about sexuality and how the body works during sex and the sexually transmitted diseases that can be distributed. On my way to my Chemistry class, I began to think and I thought of how cyborgs or robots would have sex. I don't think there would be any pleasure or intimacy involved. So if we WERE to become cyborgs, we would have metal all in our bodies from letting technology take over. Would sex be nice if this were the case? We'd have metal rapping with metal making "cling"ing noises. One would not enjoy the tough of the other's flesh. One would feel cold hard metal against one's body, which is cold and metallic itself. How would babies be born? Not through union of the sperm and egg I assume. I imagine only having offspring through technology. Maybe no babies would even be born, maybe they would just be created in adult form because I don't think robots and actually develop and "grow up". I realized that if people get technological devices installed for body parts, the sexual organs might be some of the last to be replaced, but at the rate at which people are becoming dependent on technology now, I can imagine that this might eventually happen. I can't believe I haven't thought about this before.

PART 2: Okay, so I gave my little rant about metal sex. Now time for some morality. What ever happened to the intimacy and the true meaning of sex? What happened to abstinence and waiting for the special moment? What happened to sex meaning love rather than fun or pleasure? I understand that some people may say, "What's so special about it? Don't put the _____ on a pedestal," but really have we lost our morals? I myself am abstinent and I will wait to have sex with my wife if that is God's plan. I don't think it's just right to hook up with random people or people one is just friends with just for one night. This makes us like animals. Animals have sex because it's their nature; they need to reproduce. But I feel for humans, because we have a conscience, sex is A LOT more than just reproducing. It's A LOT more than pleasure. It's love. I understand that I may be coming off as a soft, over-dramatic, emotional person, but this is what I feel. Having sex just for fun makes us like animals and diminishes the point of God giving us consciences and the ability to think and to abstain from anything we do not wish to do or that we shouldn't do. I'm not saying I am all holy and saintlike all the time, because I am definitely not. I just think people should think more of the things they do rather than to just do it for pleasure, or to have fun, or to seem like a badass for their friends.

The Animatrix

"The Animatrix" is a VERY disturbing movie. It showed the director's view of how humans will be overrun by humans that created the technology in the first place. His view is very similar to what I imagine will happen if we continue to depend on technology and continue to develop it just so our lives will be easier. Maybe one day, after we've developed technology so much and created robots and whatnot, people might develop programs so advanced and sophisticated that the robots will have minds of their own and will be able to think for themselves. It would be like another species of animals. I can't imagine that they could ever have consciences, so they could do anything with no regret or remorse. Then, the thinking robots would know that we can't possibly have control over them because they are stronger and never tire and possibly even smarter than we. Eventually, they would realize they don't have to be slaves and that they can overthrow us and then they would take us over.

It just sucks to even think about this happening. Why would anyone want to develop technology to be so complex? To make life easier? To make more money? To gain more respect and credit? Technology is cool and gets even more interesting as we develop it. People always like new things so we continue to make them. But there has to be some sort of stopping point when we decide that it's advanced enough and needs to be stopped. God created humans not robots, so robots don't need to be thinking for themselves and becoming their own species or race. I think we need to calm down on the progression a bit and just enjoy life as is and not forget what we have been taught and what we truly believe.

Robots Playing the Piano

For my IAE, I think I'll make a paper robot playing a paper piano. In my opinion, I feel this offers a big contradiction. Robots don't play the piano. Self-playing pianos play the piano, so is that considered a robot? Anyway, I thought I make the robot a cyborg with robotic body parts, but his face shows emotion. One cannot play the piano without instilling some emotion. At least a GOOD pianist cannot play the piano without emotion. It is human nature.

I feel that doing this will help create a bit of tension to show how people are continuing to evolve into cyborgs and that things should be done to prevent this evolution. I am trying to suggest that people will be unhappy once technology has overtaken our lives because that's how I see it will happen. Like in the movies, people will forget nature and the beauty of the world just so things will be easier for them. A cyborg playing the piano shows that physically the "person" is a technological medley of body parts while emotionally and mentally, he is still human. This is how I see the "evolution" of humans toward cyborgs to be.

The Social Network

This past weekend I saw "The Social Network"!!! It was a GREAT movie. It kind of got me interested in programming and computer science. It also had me really wanting to go to Harvard. Everything and everyone was so classy although they were snobby. Anyway, the plot of the movie itself was very intriguing. It had a lot to do with legality and politics. It showed people's obsession with money and success as well as with recognition. Mark Zuckerberg was willing to steal the Winklevoss' idea even if he didn't use their code. He robbed them of the profit they would have made had he not stolen the idea and created the website before they. People always like to be recognized for their accomplishments or for any contributions they made. The Winklevosses refused to let Mark have all the credit because it was their idea in the first place. Eduardo refused to not be named co-founder of Facebook. I really did not like Mark in the movie. He was a complete ass to his girlfriend and to Eduardo. You must have no soul to screw someone over like that! How can one bash a female online just because one was an arrogant asshole in the first place?!

This movie exemplified the extent to which we humans use technology and the Internet. It would not have been that big of a deal that Mark ranted about Erica except for the fact that everyone uses the Internet and apparently reads each other's blogs. Also, Mark, Eduardo, the Winklevosses, Sean Parker, etc. were all depending on computers and the Internet to make money. They didn't do any blue-collar work for money; they just used technology. And because technology is so prevalent in today's society, Mark Zuckerberg became the world's youngest billionaire by creating a website. Athletes use use their physicality don't make this much money. Music artists who use their instruments and voices don't make this much money so quickly. The only reason Mark made money was because everyone is obsessed with technology and the Internet, especially the younger generations of society. Even so, this obsession with technology and Facebook is even spreading to our parents and the older generations. I went to my friend's house for Fall break and his mom was on Facebook a lot of the time playing Farmville and trying to "farm". My grandpa ALWAYS carries around his top-of-the-line digital camera. My father NEEDS an insulin pump to control his glucose levels. ALL OF THE ABOVE carry cell phones to keep in touch with society. Everyone has become obsessed and dependent on technology and "The Social Network" shows to what extent this is true.

Low-Tech Cyborgs.

In his essay "On Low-Tech Cyborgs", David Hess brings up several points and ideas that seem to prove true in society today. He states, " The future, so it is said, promises an eve deeper relationship with the machine." This has been proven evidently true over the last few decades. Humans are evermore dependent on technology and machines. At first, technology just improved efficiency and productivity. It helped make tasks that were necessary to survive or thrive easier. Plows increased agricultural production. Steamboats increased trade and interstate relationships. But then, technology became one with the mind. People became addicted to it. We "needed" it. People mentally cannot survive without technology. We "need" our cell phones, our computers, our TVs. We "need" our cars, our lights, our banking system. What would we do if we cannot drive to work, if we cannot see in the dark, if we cannot talk on the phone? How would people ever survive? How did people 200 years ago survive?

It has even gotten WORSE if that's possible. Not only are people mentally dependent on technology, some of us are PHYSICALLY dependent on it. These people can't physically LIVE with technology, without pacemakers, without insulin pumps, without medicine. THIS is the extent to which people have become dependent on technology; they wouldn't be able to live without it no matter how much they wanted to. So knowing this, we ask ourselves, is technology a good thing or a bad thing? We continue to develop it but it destroys society. We need it to survive, but if we use it, we become dependent on it. The growth of technology has trade-offs. So we question, is it worth it? Is it worth losing society as we have known it so we can live easier lives and faster lives? What's the point of life if we don't have true relationships? Does true love even exist anymore?

In the story, Hess also says lucid dreaming is "the low-tech version of virtual realities." Is this true? Dreams are completely natural. But have our bodies trained themselves to give us lucid dreams, in which we are aware we are dreaming? Is it the same as virtual reality? I think not. I don't know much about lucid dreams but I believe them to be all biological and not low-tech versions of virtual realities. After reading this, I would like to experience a lucid dream. I don't dream often.

School

School is so frustrating. I hate Health 1040. The instructor takes it too seriously. I mean come on, it's Health. We've been taking it forever since Elementary school and it hasn't changed. Yeah we know to exercise and eat right and not to do drugs or drink alcohol or to become bulimic or anorexic. We know that we need 30 minutes of exercise a day and that we should cut down on saturated and trans fats. I made a 78 on my first test and I am going for all A's this semester. This is so dumb because I hardly studied for the test because its freaking Health. Anyways, Calculus 2 is kicking my ass. I guess I haven't really been putting in time but still, I used to be awesome at math and here at Tech, it's difficult. I think it's because the professor likes to prove everything in variables and letters and I like to see problems in numbers to better understand it. It's even worse that my Calc class is at 1, right after I eat lunch. So I am SO tired during lecture. Maybe this is why I've been slacking in my English blogs. I am behind in the number of blogs needed and I need to catch up.

On top of my schoolwork, I am pledging a fraternity, which takes a lot of time. I have weekly quizzes which I have to read for and I have to get signatures from all of the brothers by interviewing them and trying to get to know them more deeply. Each conversation takes about 1-2 hours and there are dozens of brothers!!! Also, I try to go home every week to keep in touch with my family friends and church. I am involved in the Youth Eucharistic Leadership Group at my church and I am trying to become a Leader. *Sigh*. I suppose I am just venting and that everyone else has as much work as I do or even more. School is just pissing me off and I guess I have to get my shit together and work harder and more efficiently. My high school soccer coach Michael Berry once said, "We do what we have to to live the way we want to." This proves SO very true and I have to recognize it and to do better. 

"The Veldt" vs. "I Hope I Shall Arrive Soon"

"The Veldt" is a VERY disturbing story. It involves the idea that visions created by technology are actually reality. At first, when Lydia Hadley got so upset about the lions running towards her husband and her, I felt that the nursery was just a vision put on by the technology of the room, and I didn't think the lions could actually hurt her. But when I discovered that the children used the room to actually kill their parents, I realized that the room was REAL. While reading the story, I was reminded constantly of an idea already set in my mind: technology has destroyed the intimacy and quality of relationships, particularly those between children and their parents. This is so ludicrous. People ought not be so consumed in technology that they forget about those things that ACTUALLY matter: God, family, friends. Kids these days are so into texting and video games and computers and social networking that they neglect their parents. Some parents allow their kids to do this because they want their kids to be happy and don't want their kids to hate them, as shown in "The Veldt". Other parents try to force their kids to be involved in family activities rather than do other things and thus, their kids hate them. It is not the parents fault that this is occurring in society. It is technology's fault, and those who engage in it.

"The Veldt" reminded me of the story "I Hope I Shall Arrive Soon." This is because in that story, a man has his emotions dictated by a ship, a machine. This is very similar to the children in "The Veldt" having THEIR emotions dictated by the nursery. They are so attached to the nursery that they forget what is reality. They forget that their parents are the ones who even bought it for them in the first place, not so the children can kill them with it, but so they can have some peace of mind and imagination. This is like the man in "I Hope I Shall Arrive Soon" because he does not know which scenarios are false and which one is real. This is the ongoing problem in society today. People are too addicted to technology because it makes life so much easier and more convenient. For example, when George Hadley told his kids that they were going on a month-long vacation, they freaked out. They asked questions such as, "Who will tie our shoes?" or, "Who will brush my teeth and bathe me?" That is just absurd. If kids can't do stuff like that, what CAN they do?

Sometimes I wonder if people from 100 years ago would feel the same way about society as I feel as stated above. Do they think we are weak and too into technology and have lost actual substance in our lives. If I were them, I probably would feel that way. We have come so far because of technology, but we have also taken steps back. Pros include not having to work so hard on academic tasks or not having to talk to people in person. Cons include not having to work so hard on academic tasks and not having to talk to people in person. As mentioned in previous blogs, many people these days just sit behind a computer and "socialize" through the computer, but when it comes time to actual talk to a REAL person, they are all quiet and nervous. This is the problem with the spread of technology. It diminishes us as a human race. Everything is so fast-paced now with improvements in technology and very few actually stop to enjoy nature or spiritual matters. "The Veldt" perfectly exemplifies how I feel about technology. It takes over people's lives, especially those of whom are most important: children, the future of our society.

Is it THAT Cool if You Cry?

So I went to a Praise & Worship event, which is an event in which a band plays Christian music and in which an adoration session is held for those attending to pray, at my girlfriend's church. At first, I was kind of being a douchebag by not actively participating in the festivities. I just sat outside the action, observing the kids do their activities. Then, one of my new friends, with whom I had just become friends the day before, recognized that my girlfriend and I had gotten into a fight and talked to me about it. She is a relatively good friend of my girlfriend and told me to stop being so stubborn and to actually hang out and participate because my girlfriend just wanted to be with me. So I got over my stubbornness and actively participated. I really got into the music and started performing the body motions that go with the songs. Often, people do not participate because they think they are cool. That is NOT why I didn't participate at first. I didn't participate at first because I was tired from staying up late the night before. But I got over it and then got into the action. Anyways, people often just show up at events and just try to look cool and just stand around hoping for someone to approach them and try to make friends with them. Often, they just walk around with earphones in their ears trying to show off they have an iPod.
ANYWAYS, to the REAL topic of the blog. During the adoration session, in which we pray intently with a Eucharistic host in the middle of the room, several people started to cry because they recognized their faults and sins. I even cried myself a bit. But some of these little middle school girls tried to SHOW OFF that they were crying. I can imagine they actually felt some sentimental feelings at one point but after that initial tear, they just kept TRYING to cry. I assume this is to show off how "religious" they are and how close they are to God. I saw right through them. I could tell that they were only crying so that others could see them because I saw them actively looking around trying to see if people were looking at them. Why do people insist on caring about what others think about them? Why do people NEED others to know how religious they are? Why do people NEED others to think they are cool? I think it's all bullshit and I just do what I want or what I think will be good for my future. Stupid fakes!!!!!!!!

Gimme a Break from the FAKE

Why do people insist on being fake? I know it sounds contradicting come from someone who is pledging a fraternity and who has changed the way he dresses because he's pledging. Honestly, I have gotten over the scene/indie phase and have realized that it's time to move on and to dress more professionally. Now, I LIKE wearing polos and clean-cut shorts and pants rather than band t-shirts and rugged shorts. Not that there's anything wrong with the way I dressed; I just feel that if I were to somehow arrive in a situation in which I am talking to a future employer or sponsor for some sort of scholarship, then I would be WAY more professional-looking with the way I dress now rather than with band t-shirts. 

ANYWAY, apart from that tangent on the way I dressed, why do people just act "cool" to fit in? Why do people blow off their real friends so they can hang out with their cool "friends". In contrast from the way I dress, I stick by my old friends while making new ones. I don't ditch anyone unless I HAVE to when it comes to school and church and other obligations. I have missed more social events at my fraternity than I might have wanted, but I did it in order to go home and hang out with my old friends and my girlfriend. But I know some people who completely change their personalities in order to fit in. I don't resent them because they don't hang out with me anymore, for we still hang out, but I resent them for thinking they are even more arrogant than they were before and put others down in order to feel cool. I know people who go to a party or something and HAVE to tell me EVERY SINGLE THING that happened there because they feel cool they experienced it. Funny thing is I WAS THERE TOO so I already know exactly what they're talking about. But they insist on explaining every detail to me anyway. Hmmmmmmmm.....I hate Miley Cyrus and Justin Bieber.

Technology is a Drug

So many people are using technology these days. It has infected society. Even little children are becoming victims, and it has gotten progressively worse over the years. I used to play video games when I was a child but I also played outside. I hardly hear of children playing outside these days. I only hear of them playing Xbox 360 or PS3 sitting in their rooms not having the same interaction I had when I was their age. I'm sure the generation before me could say something similar about me as well. But do six year old kids REALLY need cell phones and iPods?! What would happen if they didn't get one until high school? Or do high school and college students REALLY need laptops or cell phones either? God forbid they live without those things (sarcasm intended). People are so into their technological devices that their relationships with others have gotten weaker. Boys don't walk girls home anymore, they separately drive. Boys don't drive or walk over to a girl's house anymore to hang out and talk because they can just text or talk on the phone. Families don't get NEAR the amount of family time they should because they all have their separate computers, cell phones, video game consoles, etc. Family game nights don't exist anymore. People are ADDICTED to technology. It makes everything so much easier! No more having to walk or bike to the grocery store to get fresh fruits or vegetables. No more playing outside with friends other than on sports teams. No more having to get up off the couch to change the dial on the TV to change the channel. No more having to walk to class when buses can take one to class. Technology makes life so much easier and efficient for people. It allows people to do work in more quantity and more speed. But is the amount of work we do or the amount of money we make determine how good of people we are? Do people even care how good of a person one is anymore? Or do we base success on how much money one makes or one's position in a business? Hmmm.... I suppose my blog has strayed from the title but it's what needs to be said.

Adventure: A Day Without Vision...

Yesterday, I spent the whole day not using any visual correction lenses. I have pretty bad vision without them. My prescription reads -4.75 for both eyes. Spending the day with poor vision helped me realize how much I really depend on my eyes. I could not even see the words "Stop" on the stop sign 10 feet in front of me. I could only distinguish objects by their color, not by their shapes because everything was blurry! Class was hell. I had to look at my classmates' notes in order to follow the lecture. I had to get within 6 inches of my lab to read the instructions. Even though class was bad, the night was shit. Walking in the streets, I had to listen to determine whether cars were moving toward me or stopped. I had no depth perception. I even tried to play soccer with my handicap. I was TERRIBLE! I mistouched the ball. I whiffed it a few times. I often passed it to the opponents because I could not see faces.
Although spending the day without corrective lenses hindered my performance academically and jeopardized my reputation on the soccer field, it was SO worth it. It really got me thinking. How the HELL did I let my vision get this bad? Was it worth it just so I could read in the middle of the night or so I could play video games for hours at a time? Hell no. What would I do if I didn't have corrective lenses? Why am I so dependent on technology to keep me seeing well enough to perform well? People say their cell phones are a "part" of them, but my contacts or glasses are a REAL part of me. I can't do shit without them. I don't even know what to say at the shame I feel for having to depend on technology in order to live. I actually have not thought about this idea since the very first time I got glasses. I have lost sight of the great gift God has given us. I actually CRIED the first day I wore my glasses, but it has become so banal for me that I no longer feel it or care. I actually FEEL the barrier between my eyes and the world. I wish I could see like my brother and could see the world as it's meant to be seen. I used to feel that with glasses, I actually see the world differently than one without glasses does. This whole adventure has reopened my eyes (no pun intended) to why I cried the first day of using lenses. I am sorry to God for letting my eyes get this bad and abusing the gift He gave me. Yet, I will STILL wear lenses because I CANNOT function without them. I cannot function without seeing. I cannot function without technology...

The Church is Now a Market?!

This past weekend, I went to an event called Fall Festival or in Vietnamese, Hoi Cho. This event was a fundraiser for a Vietnamese church and it was held AT the church itself. There were no aspects of the whole event that even had to do with God! I understand wanting to raise money for the church but need it be held at the church itself. Churches are built as places of worship, not as markets to make money. Anyway, I saw plenty of people there, many of whom were so consumed in the festivities and fun that they didn't even seem to care about the purpose of the whole event. Some of the kiosks even sold BEER! AT A CHURCH!!! Men smoked in right in front of others, including children, with no regard for their health. Teenage girls dressed in the skimpiest outfits trying to get boys to talk to them. Teenage boys dressed with their pants halfway to their ankles in wife-beaters with earphones listening to music. I went to see my girlfriend who actually goes to the church and was working as a volunteer. As she was working and my other friends were busy, I just took the time to sit on a bench and observe all the people. People had no regard for others, just pushing and shoving to get to the front of the line to buy a SNOWCONE. Girls hardly wore shorts and wore tank tops that did not cover their cleavage, and keep in mind, these girls are around 13 years old; they don't even HAVE any cleavage!!! All in all, I resent the people of the church for holding its fundraiser at the church itself. I think they should have chosen a different venue rather than having girls in slutty outfits and men smoking and drinking right in FRONT of GOD'S HOUSE! This just shows that people have begun to lose sight of true values and that more and more effort is being exerted to make money even if it means turning God's house into a market. And I'm not trying to bash the whole church or Church itself; I just don't agree with this use of the church as the venue for this event.

Humanchines?!

To what extent is what we call "occupation" or "jobs for pay" still itself without becoming slavery or indentured servitude? In Herman Melville's "The Tartarus of Maids", females are exploited of their physical labor and then also for their sexual organs. They work just so they can live, and they live just to work. Is all this exploitation really worth even living? I know God gave life to all and it should be valued as precious. God wouldn't have wanted women to live just so they could work for cheap salaries and so they could be exploited sexually. This applies to life today as well. Some people just work so they can go home and eat and sleep and then go back to work the next day. Essentially, they are only working to stay alive and improve their company but what's the point if they don't get to enjoy life itself. Life, in most cases, is just a system. One is born, goes to school, gets a job and a family, and grows old. Then HIS offspring do the same, as do THEIR offspring. Hmmmm...so what IS the meaning of life? To have fun? To continuously "improve" the world? I have NO idea but I DO know that I trust God with my life and I know he will do with me what is best.

What is the World Coming to?

Why is everyone so absorbed in their iPhones or other smartphones? Why is everyone so obsessed with iPods and listening to music rather than playing it? What has texting done to society? People don't even talk on the phone anymore. They just text or send emails via smartphones and other texting phones. They just use the features of their iPhones to keep track of all their important documents and dates. Do calendars even exist anymore? Or do newspapers?  90% of the information people get these days comes from Twitter, an application that has exploded for no reason. Why do we need to know every single detail about a celebrity's life? They may create music or movies but they have normal regular lives just like we do. People don't even truly appreciate music anymore. They THINK they know what is good and what is lame. What ever happened to actually PLAYING music rather than just LISTENING to it and knowing good music different from the simple 4 chords that in society today is considered "music"? Don't get me wrong, I love Lady Gaga and other Indie Rock/Top 40 music but I also KNOW how to play the classical Beethoven, Bach, and occasional Chopin. What happened to singing about REAL love? A majority of songs on today's radio are based on the "loves" of the artists, but then we soon learn that _________ and __________ have broken up or divorced. It is also ironic that I'm am writing a blog on the Internet ranting about people being obsessed with technology. Hmmm...

I Miss My Family

Just as I move for Georgia Tech, my family decides to move to Oklahoma. Is this a blessing or a curse? I love my family and I wish I could be with them often but I guess that's not going to happen. But I also like freedom and independence. But independent or not, who is someone if they don't have family? I miss my father, my mother, my brother, my piano. I miss the times we had; I took them for granted while they were occurring. I miss helping my noob of a mom turn on the TV and my dad making me do things I really didn't want to do. Now that I think of it, I don't really miss that, just my family. I miss playing with my brother and competing with him for pride even though wee already know who's better at what. But in the end, it has to happen sometime and I'm here at Georgia Tech trying to make a future for myself so that I can support my parents and a family of my own in the future. I'm also really new at this blogging thing so sorry for any disappointment.