Wow

I have realized that so many people can become famous with the website YouTube. Some of the many videos have made me laugh and I know that a lot more of them in the future will make me laugh also. One series that caught my eye, especially, is Dude Perfect Basketball Shots. In these videos, six guys do amazing basketball shots from anywhere. It still amazes me what the internet and a little confidence can do to a person.
One of the many shots that I remember from all of these shots is the one where they were trying to make a World Record. The “short guy” stands at the top of a football field while the basketball is below. He launches the basketball and in 5 seconds it is in the hoop. After every shot, they celebrate because they have just done another astonishing shot. I always wonder how a person would even figure out how they are good at this. I mean, normally, a person does not stand on a roof and say to a friend, drive the basketball hoop in your truck and I will try and make it in the hoop. I can not think of a person who would do that and come up with some of the things they try. Also, how could all of these friends be good at the same thing? Usually, one person is good at basketball and another is good at baseball or something like that. I question how these six guys got together like this.
The people that do these shots also have a website, dudeperfect.com, where it is all about them and their crazy adventures. This website tells about them and shows all their shots, even from the littlest one.

Ourselves Redefined

Rigor Redefined, by Tony Wagner, talks about the seven skills to survive in the work place and what the students of today need to learn. The seven steps are critical thinking, collaboration and leadership, adaptability, initiative, communication, analyzing information, and imagination. I believe that there are more then these seven steps to have a good job and a great education.
Some more skills that students need to have will probably be listening and doing the job right the first time. I have lost count how many times I have been asked to do something by my mom and not done it correctly. If the students of today can do what they are asked, the first time, then everyone will have a better outcome.
Critical thinking is a vital skill that young people need to have today. I believe that is the reason it is number one on the list. We, the students, need to see the problems of tomorrow and think about how to fix them. As one senior executive from Dell said, “Yesterday’s answers won’t solve today’s problems.”
Leadership is another central skill. If a person can not speak up and get the job done, then how will others know about the problem? Also, team works in companies have expanded into an international work. In a world where companies expand into China and Europe, the students must be able to take charge. I know that this idea is hard for me, because I am shy in some areas more then others. If there are more people like me, who are shy, then we might not be picked as the others who can stand out and make an impression.
In this world today, young students must be adaptable. BOC Edwards said, “People have to think, be flexible, change, and use a variety of tools to solve new problems,” If anyone wants to stay with the world, then change is the key focus. If the world does not change then how can we build up ourselves? So many moments I think of I have learned a lesson because the things around me have changed so I need to change along with them.

Ashley Flores

I had recently gotten a text message the other day about a missing girl. The message read, “My 13 year old girl, Ashley Flores, is missing. She has been missing for two weeks now. Maybe if everyone passes this on, someone will see this child. That is how the girl from Stevens Point was found, by circulation of her picture on TV. The internet circulates even overseas, South America, Canada and etc. Please pass this on to everyone in your address book. With GOD on her side, she will be found. I am asking you all, begging you to please forward this email on to anyone and everyone you know. PLEASE! It is still not too late. Please help us find her. If anyone knows anything, please contact me at: HelpfindAshleyFlores@yahoo.com. I am including a picture of her. All prayers are appreciated!! It only takes 2 seconds to forward this… If it was your child you would want to help her too.” As I read this over and over again, I think about all the different ways that technology has changed everyone’s life. I received this message as a text message, but it was said to be an email. Also, I can hear the voice of the parent who lost their child. I believe the most inspiring sentence in this message is the last one, “If it was your child, you would want to help her too.” I cannot imagine losing my child. That is a parent’s worst fear is to loss their child, as in losing them to a disease or anything like that. All I wonder is if this girl will be found before it is too late. Also, what happened that the parent needed to do something himself instead of waiting for the police to do something with the situation?
In the past, people have used word of mouth to get the information around. Like if the king was passing through or if someone was dying. Then the newspapers and town criers took over the field of getting news around; for example, Chicago Sun-Tribune and The New York Times. Finally the internet exploded as the number one resource tool. As the parent who wrote this, “The internet circulates even overseas, South America, Canada, and etc.” In addition, to the internet, text messages and calling people have taken over the way people find things out. How did this technology come up over night? I mean, the internet did not have a ‘baby’ phase; it was as big as it is now when it started. So how does something like that happen? I also wonder what new ways of news will be here in the future. Maybe, just maybe, these new technologies will let us know the information two seconds after it happened. Hope is all there is in the world; hope for new technologies to give us information, and hope that this girl will be found.

What are we Waiting For?

Waiting on the World to Change, by John Mayer is a song about how we are just one person and how the world needs to change to stay in order. This music video shows different graffiti artists and why they do their art. They paint guns and bombs and all different stuff. These artists are speaking to the world with their art, they are telling their governments and society to stop war and violence.

The video starts out with showing the city at peace and the artists starting off the day with a new picture. How would the artists start off with something like a gun? What kind of messages are they trying to present? Each graffiti artist must ask themselves these kinds of questions to start their pieces. John Mayer sings, “They say we stand for something, but there is not way we ever could.” He is saying that one person cannot change something big like the world’s problems. But one group of friends can change something major. We just need to be heard and put our voices out there. Mr. Mayer also sings, “Now we see all the things that are going wrong with the world and those who lead it…” I believe that this means, that we can see others mistakes before ourselves. Maybe that is just the human being, to look at others before the one in the mirror. “To feel like we don’t have the means to rise above and beat it…” is another verse in the song. Again, Mr. Mayer is talking about how people feel that they do not have the courage to stand above the crowd and talk. “So we keep waiting, waiting, waiting on the world to change.” This is the chorus to the song. What is he talking about? What is he waiting for? Why could not we change the world if we wanted to, but can we?

“If we had the power to bring our neighbors home from war, would have never missed a Christmas, no more ribbons on the door…” In this phrase, Mr. Mayer is explaining how war can take away great things. But without having experienced war, a person can never know how badly it can be and what it can take away.

At the end of the video, the different images of what the artists are working on during the video. One is a nuclear bomb, and another is the word “Expected,” but it is being blown up. These artists have created images for people that live and learn by seeing the way people treat each other and this land.

Domination in the workforce

“This would be really weird,” by David Warlick talks about how women are taking over the workforce. I do believe this is weird because not to long ago, women were not suppose to work, they could work if they wanted to, but it was looked down upon. Women now represent 49.83% of the workforce in the United States. This number is expected to rise to about 50% by November. This puts hope in my heart looking at how much women have come over these years. Now that the subject is brought up, I think of how many kids that I know have stay at home dads, or full time working parents. When a little girl has a business woman for a mom, this shows that they can do anything they want in their lifetime. I always think back to an episode of “The Nanny” when Fran was a little kid and she wanted to be a business woman for Halloween. Her mother was frightened because she wanted Fran to be a bride. The two ideas show the difference between times and what has changed. Fran’s mother wants her to carry on the tradition and her way of thinking. Fran wants to start the next generation of living and thinking. I know that this was supposed to be a joke within the show, but still it can show the change.
The blog, “This would be really weird,” also talks about how many men have lost jobs in the years past compared to women. The reason for this is that more women have jobs in the fields that have not had to downsize. As for men, they have lost out. More men work in the field of construction and manufacturing. These areas have been roughly affected by the recession. The first question I asked myself from reading this is why are more men in those fields? Now yes, I understand that because of guys being made the way they are they can build up more strength and endurance faster then women can, but there should be some women thrown in there, otherwise it means that men are in for a real loss. Women have dominated health care and government, and these areas have not seen the losses that construction and manufacturing have seen. Now the average reader might question why I said “dominated,” well it is simple. I just have this video in my head, and I see my grandma in her kitchen showing my grown cousins how to do some simple things. My grandma’s kitchen is her territory and if someone messes with it, they are out of there faster than lightening. So, my point is, women take over things with great force and that the men have to stand aside otherwise they might get into a horrible debate.
Mr. Warlick asks the question, “As the conditions that we live, play, and earn a living in continue to change, are we going to be able to adapt?” A few other questions come up when I read this; first, will women start to take over the areas that they have not already? Then, will all women workers finally get equal pay to men? Also, will the men adjust to the domination of women in the workforce, or will they keep fighting for their jobs at certain companies?

Will the swine flu super heroes come too late?

We all know that the swing flu has become a worry to mostly everyone.Now the experts stated at The New York Times that the peak flu season will come in October this year verse the usual peak season arriving in January. 90 days is a huge difference between the expected flu peaks. How can we all be ready to prevent us from catching this epidemic? In order to protect people from this epidemic 50 million vaccines are being shipped to government warehouses in mid October. But how will we be able to get these vaccines from the government warehouses before the peak flu season hits? Experts say that the vaccines take 8 to 10 days to fully work its magic. At first the researchers of the vaccine thought it would take two shots to vaccine a person to get the job done. Now that they have used it, they have realized that one person just needs one shot. This is a rare case that there will be more vaccines available for people, but will people be able to get the shot in time. The people who are destined to get the swine flu be saved by the vaccine super heroes in time or will they be hospitalized.

The possibility of taking risking in school.

Mr. Jeff Krause teaches American Literature. He has assured his students that they will get an “A” in his class; it all depends on their final project. What a concept? If every teacher did this and let their students take the risk and not have to worry about grades, then just image what kind of world we would live in right now. Then imagine how much breath our teachers would save telling us that they are not going to tell us how to think. I personally do not want to be robots that the teacher sculpted. In Mr. Krause’s, “The Possibility of More” he has thought about the flip side of this idea, that some students are going to do as little as possible He has made the students schedule three meetings in which they are to talk with him about their final projects. I would think that these “do nothing students” would tell Mr. Krause what he wants then try to get him off the topic so the meeting will end as soon as possible. YES, students think about what they can do and still play the game of school. Then again, if they want to do nada, then they will take the disapproval from Mr. Krause and get on with their life. No, this blog is not about the do nothing students but we have to consider all points when taking on an experiment like this.
Mr. Krause had told the students to play to their strengths and to explore. I think a student needs to take risks and explore the world around them. Then they are able to discover new ideas and subjects and they will learn more in the end. In the weeks to come I hope to take Mr. Krause’s idea, but mold it to fit my own learning style. Mr. Krause’s title “The Possibility of More” asks the reader a question the moment they read it. What is more? What kind of Possibility is he talking about? Once I read “The Possibility of More” I wondered when I have actually stepped out of my comfort zone in school. If this idea is a reality that is worth carrying out, then it must be good.

Taking a Look at Ourselves

“The New Literacy,” by Clive Thompson is about looking at the Internet in a good way instead of a tool that is killing the ability to write. “ The Machines are using us,”by Michael Wesch is explaining the affects of the Internet and what we can rethink to keep gaining knowledge. Clive Thompson and Michael Wesch both inform us the Internet can be used for useful ways. As Michael Wesch said that “we are the machine” and when we link onto a website “we are teaching the machine.” How strange that a machine can learn…but then again, he did said that we are the machine, so are we then teaching ourselves when we go onto the net? Clive Thompson’s article explains the irrational comments that some people said about the Internet. Then again, Mr. Thompson quotes a Stanford professor when she said, “I think we are in the midst of a literacy revolution the likes of which we have not seen since Greek civilization.” Could what this professor be true, that we are seeing more writing and better writing because of the Internet?

Clive Thompson brings up an interesting pint when he quotes a Stanford professor, Professor Andrea Lunsford, when she says, “I think we are in the midst of a literacy revolution the likes of which we have not seen since Greek civilization.” One can believe this observation because today, the Internet can show people what is going on in the world in less then three minutes. This is not only because of the speed of the world wide net, but also because of how much people are on the computers these days. In Greek times, people wanted to write to express their feelings and today, people want to write to talk to friends and communicate. The key word is “want.” The public now and days can use their voices by putting what they think on their phones or web pages. Then, intensity the whole world can see what that person’s opinions are and what they think. The more the community can observe these different opinions, the more the can gain knowledge and know what is going on around them. One thing that is important to many people is standing out, and if everyone else agrees, then it is not an opinion but a fact, and then they cannot stand out with their thoughts but only with their physical appearance; and what fun is that? Seriously, if no one is listening why talk, write or post anything at all?

Michael Wesch presents many fascinating facts and thoughts. When he is saying that we are the machine and we are teaching the machine, one thinks about Click. How the remote is remembering what Adam Sandler wants to do and every time that event happens, the remote speed up time or slows it down. For example, when he dog was going to the restroom, Adam Sandler wanted to speed things up, so he pressed fast forward. Every time after that event, the dog would go to the restroom quickly. A fact that Michael Wesch informs everyone is that every half-second a blog is created. When thinking about this, one wonders what all those blogs could be about. Are they sharing information or just chatting with another blog. Michael Wesch makes a person think about the word “rethink.” What is one suppose to “rethink?” As he goes on with what he thinks the world should rethink, one really reflects on these things, for example, ethnics, privacy, love, family, and (the big one) ourselves. Can he really believe that just because he tells people to “rethink” that they are really going to do it and take a look at themselves before they look at someone else? Maybe this is what he was referring to, looking at ourselves and judging us, before judging anyone else. Then, this circles back to the machine being us and how we are teaching ourselves to take a look at what is around us.