Other Individual Writings

This page will be a collection of our other writing of various subjects pertaining to technology. Some will be a review of a website and others will tell the advantages and disadvantages of peer communication sites such as YouTube, Facebook and MySpace.

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LEAH


On Nytimes.com I came across an article called Child Obesity Risks Death at Early Age, Study Finds, by Roni Caryn Rabin (http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/11/health/11fat.html?scp=1&sq=child%20obesity%20risks%20death%20at%20early%20age,%20study%20finds&st=cse). This article contains inserts, links and information that make reading and searching information convenient and easy to use. As it discusses different illnesses that are caused by obesity, the author inserts links to the article itself, related links to the side of the screen provided by the website, the clear information that is given throughout the article, and the corrections that are at the end of the article. An example for links inserted into the article is when it talks about diabetes, you can click on the word and it will take you to another web page with information on diabetes.


The inserted links are a great way to make an information search quick and easy. If you're reading Child Obesity Risks Death at Early Age, Study Finds, you may come across the sentence, "Youngsters with a condition called pre-diabetes were almost double the risk of dying before 55, and those with high blood pressure were at some increased risk." The inserted links are the words "Diabetes" and "High blood pressure". For those who don't know what they are or would like to know more can easily click on the words and a new screen will pop up with all sorts of information about the subject. It is very convenient and makes researching a lot more accessible. By clicking on the links and reading about diabetes and high blood pressure, it will make the reading a lot better to understand and can possibly even relate to the reader. This is only the start to an easy, convenient way of reading on Nytimes.com.


The website, Nytimes.com inserts related links on the side of the article where they take information from the article and put links for other articles with related information. For example, when reading about obesity, links that will show up in the related links will result in Feast Like the Greeks, In Obesity Epidemic, What's One Cookie?, and Screening the Hearts of Young Athletes. These links all have health and obesity related to the original article, Child Obesity Risks Death at Early Age, Study Finds. If you click on one of the related links, other similar links will show up in the related links column for that specific topic. Related links can show that there is more information on the subject and that more people have an interest in the subject so you can read many different articles and gain more and more knowledge of the topic.


Reading an article and getting information is important, but how clear the information is is even more important. If you read an article and the information is all over the place and not 100% clear then it will be difficult for the reader to understand and grasp. By doing research and getting all the points across clearly the information will be coherent. Also, having the inserted links within the article makes the information much more distinct because it allows the reader to expand their knowledge beyond the page they are reading. Reading the article Child Obesity Risks Death at Early Age, Study Finds had a lot of legit information and it can really grab the attention of the reader. Many people can relate to obesity and by reading what could happen because of obesity really makes the reader want to continue reading.


At the end of this article, there are corrections because the article had some false information. I'm sure it wasn't intentional but the author was able to go back to the article and do some more research for the correct information. It is very helpful that the author is able to add corrections because when you read an article, you want to be able to get information that you can believe and use. It makes the author look good when they have done their research and insert enough correct information into the writing. Having correct information benefits the reader so they do not spread the wrong information on to friends, family, or even school papers.


Searching the internet should not be a hassle and you should not dread doing research and looking up certain things. Certain websites make navigating around so simple and effortless by adding inserted links and related links into the article and webpage. The information that is provided for the reader has been researched and documented correctly as well. This article is very convenient and I would recommend to anyone who would like to learn about obesity and the dangers of it in young children. You will learn more than just obesity as well and the article makes you want to keep reading more and want to do some more topic-related reading.


Work Cited

www.nytimes.com

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/11/health/11fat.html?scp=1&sq=child%20obesity%20risks%20death%20at%20early%20age,%20study%20finds&st=cse

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 KATIE

Straight to the Point: Losing Weight


Are you the kind of girl that is always looking for the best and fastest way to lose weight? Are you constantly reading and researching the “best” diet pill or the best workout routine to eliminate those last couple of ponds. Swim suit season is approaching and I to have found myself once again researching how to lose weight and in the process I found a very interesting and appealing article. The article entitled “Diet Products” is a very appealing article that attracts many people in today’s society. Throughout the article the author caters to the three rhetorical appeals logos, pathos, ethos, thus making the article appealing to teens and young adults looking to lose weight.


For instance, the author appeals to logos in a straight forward way. Reading through the article you would never question the authors stand point on how everyone should lose weight. For example “Due to the cruel laws of physics, losing weight requires two things: 1. Pain 2. Hunger” this is the first statement of the article. The no nonsense tone of this first statement makes the reader think they’re going to get a straight forward answer to their questions. The article states that losing weight through pain and hunger is the natural way. Using diet pills and other products companies advertise to teens and young adults work, but only for a certain amount of time. Stating these two facts appeal to a young teen reader because those readers want straight forward answers. They don’t like to make tough decisions especially for a result they want quickly.


Furthermore the author also does a very good job in attracting the audience using the appeal of pathos. Affecting a reader’s emotions, values and beliefs is a major appeal when dealing with anything. In this particular article the author uses pictures with very straightforward captions that appeal very much to emotion and value of a person. “It's very simple: if a weight loss pill, plan or exercise machine claims to make weight loss "effortless," it is a scam. Let's have science explain:” This statement used in the article appeals very well to the use of pathos. Not only is this a straightforward statement but it hits straight to the belief of a person. It’s telling you that all the companies with those diet pill are lying to you and all that what you’ve believed before isn’t true. The statement also states it’s going to explain to you why those companies are wrong. This would make a reader feel relieved that they are now going to be told the truth and want to read more.


The article not only uses straightforward captions to use the pathos appeal but also uses scientific reasoning to explain exactly what people believe to be true about losing weight and what is actually true. Along with those reasoning is pictures. This appeals to the emotion of the reader because they are not only finding out they’ve been lied to by all the diet pill companies but that they’ve been wrong all this time about everything they thought to be true about losing weight. I myself was shocked when I read the article. What I always believe to be the correct and fastest way to lose weight was completely wrong.


It also effects to the value of people because it talks about doing what’s best for your body and being completely natural. I would believe that most people value their body and want to do what’s best for it. Also many girls have been in situations where they have taken diet pills that are mentioned in this article and reading the reasons how they can help but then reading they ways they also don’t help you is very emotionally affecting.


Now to the last appeal used in this article to attract the audience is Ethos. Ethos is of course character of the speaker. The author in this article uses ethos in a very strong way. Bringing back up the point of the article being straightforward I believe is very necessary. It does connect with every appeal but mostly to this one. Being straightforward and honest with the audience says a lot about the author. It clearly makes it show how confident he is in what he is writing. He also uses the diagrams, and clear points to back up everything that seems to be opinionated. Therefore it makes the reader feel more reliant on what is being said. Though the author doesn’t have much other creditability in the article people have heard around about the same message. This article is different because it’s straight to the point and exactly what young adults readers want.
http://www.cracked.com/funny-4180-diet-products/

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STEVIE



Sarcasm


It’s the year two-thousand and ten: You turn on the television and what do you see? More than likely you’ll see sexual content, cursing, and vulgarity. These obscenities have become more and more prevalent as the years go by and it is such a shame. Children old enough to know how to turn on the television are now exposed to harsh programs, when all they used to see were clean shows like the Rugrats and Little Bear. To say that these vulgar shows don’t affect our youth would be a lie. However, our youth would rather be watching these vulgar shows than to be watching the news.


Here recently, the ‘Daily Show’ with Jon Stewart has been catching the eye of many youth. It puts a comical twist on politics and the news, while also having educational value. Many people agree that shows like the Daily Show have an educational value for youth. Mary Stange feels that the ‘Daily Show’ and other spin offs like it, such as the ‘Colbert Report’ are helping today’s youth consume more and more news. The comical spin that these shows place on the news helps keep the youth of today, like myself, interested in what’s going on in the world. I feel like these such shows help the youth spark an interest into what otherwise might be a boring subject to them.


Stange also makes a great point by saying that the youth would have to be somewhat educated on the news in order to understand Stewart’s humor. A great example of this was back in the beginning of Obama’s Presidency when he stated that he was changing the focus on the Iraqi War. However, when I watched the ‘Daily Show’, Jon Stewart pointed out that Obama’s so-called new focus, was almost word for word of what George W. Bush had spoken of in the previous months. This showed me that Obama’s big talk on ‘Change’ wasn’t really much of a change after all! This also reiterated Stange’s statement which was the fact that youth have to be educated on the news to understand Jon Stewart’s sarcasm. This is where I realized that the ‘Daily Show’ pointed out some inconsistencies of politicians and what they try and get away with. In my opinion, the more you know about the news and politics, the funnier the ‘Daily Show’ seems to be.


In May of 2006, an Annenberg Report found that people of the ages fourteen through twenty-two found that the majority of them used the Web as their primary source of news. I totally agree with this report because I get all of my news via Web, unless it’s Sunday and I read the newspaper. Applications on my Iphone also help me read and watch the news, such as Google, Yahoo, and MSN. Having all of these advances in technology help people read and hear of more information faster than they ever could have before. Another technology that I find astonishing is the use of text messages. Our local news station in Bowling Green has text message alerts. You can sign up for these alerts if you want to be alerted of severe weather, breaking news, or the stock market.


In August 2006, The Village Voice ran a story about how pundits had shown more interest in the political thinking of college students than they had since the 2004 elections. After this, MSNBC’s Chris Matthews put the former CBS News Anchor Dan Rather on the spot and asked him why young viewers chose Jon Stewart over him. Rather answered about how the age group wasn’t in his demographic. In all reality, I feel that young people choose to watch Stewart over Rather for a number of reasons. The main reason being is that the ‘Daily Show’ is on the Comedy Central channel. This channel appeals to most young people and it hosts a number of other shows that the youth are interested in. In my opinion, I’d rather watch almost anything on the Comedy Central channel , than to watch any old boring news station. The second reason I feel that the youth would rather watch Stewart is because of his sarcasm. Almost all the youth in the United States love to watch funny things, and they’d watch the news if it was made funny and exciting. This is exactly what Jon Stewart brings to the table.


Baumgartner and Morris, of East Carolina University, feel that such shows like the ’Daily Show’ will have an adverse affect on youth. They both feel like Stewart’s show will cause a sense of apathy among the youth towards the news and politics in general. In a way I agree with them because I could see how many youth would take Stewart’s jokes and turn them into negative thoughts. For example, if a teen has always admired President Obama and then watched the ’Daily Show’, which talked about all of the things the President has neglected to do, I could see where the teen might have a different opinion of Prsiedent Obama after watching the ‘Daily Show’.


I feel that the “Daily Show’ is simply just more opinionated than the regular news is allowed to be. Think about it; most news stations bring you news and that is it. Jon Stewart brings you the news along with his commentary and sarcasm. In my opinion, shows like Stewart’s help keep a political interest in today's youth like myself. When you turn on your television, you will find depressing news about the job market decreasing and Health Care reforms. Jon Stewart can make even the most depressing topics seem interesting, and I’d rather watch him than anyone on NBC.


Overall, I agree with Mary Stanges article about The “Daily Show’ Generation and how shows like the ‘Daily Show’ have an impact on today’s youth. Some might consider Stewart’s show corrupt and outspoken, but I consider it very educational to youth in many ways. During these times, people should do whatever it takes to help keep youth informed, even if it means more shows like the ‘Daily Show’ and the ‘Colbert Report“. The ‘Daily Show’ is obviously educational to its viewers considering they were better informed than those that watched David Letterman or Jay Leno. Stange’s article makes so many good points and she also tries to show that youth are far from apathetic. In my opinion, youth aren’t apathetic because they wouldn’t watch shows like the ‘Daily Show’ nor would they read the news online if they didn’t care. I think youth, like myself deserve more credit than we are given and people need to realize we aren’t apathetic just because we don’t always watch the news.
 
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ANNA
 


Cracked.com is not for the ill-humored or for those sensitive to vulgarity. Cracked.com allows its authors to “make fun” of something while still making a valid point about different subjects such as stereotypes by nationalities or hidden messages that painters didn’t really know they painted I find that rather amazing. Although the language may be not mother approved, Cracked.com offers educational value by talking about things we should have heard of at least once in our life.


Nick Coffin wrote an article about believing medical advice from people who well, aren’t qualified to give advice. He’s right. Why believe your friend when he or she says you’re dying of brain cancer because your head is hurting? I’m sure most of us can take a few Tylenol and be over our head hurting in a decent amount of time, but not according to your self-proclaimed doctor.


In another article an author had written about France and how they are notorious for being in wars. Most people know that, but what most people don’t know is that the French are actually good at winning their wars. In almost 150 wars they have lost less than 50 of them. You go, guys.


As mentioned in the beginning, I came across an article that talked about stereotypes by nationalities. While in the U.S most people still find it hard to believe that Kentuckians actually have cable t.v, shoes and yes, even more than two (unrotten) teeth. While we have our own stereotypes here among us, we also have them outside of our country. Another stereotype mentioned that Russians are “drunken-aped men,” because of their liking of alcoholic beverages. While for some that statement holds true, it doesn’t for the entire population.


Another stereotype mentioned is that Brits have the worst teeth in the world. This one has even been show in the media. I bet, “Do I make you horny, baby?” sounds strangely familiar. Believe it or not, research and tests have proven that Brits actually have the best teeth in the world with only an average of .06% decay for their population. Sorry, Austin Powers.


What website titled Cracked.com could have educational value without some kind of humor? While browsing the website one day in English class I came across a link that had mentioned animals and how they care for their young. After clicking on the link it had needless to say, the most adorable pictures of animals and their young; ranging from a white tiger and her cub to a dolphin and her calf. What was the very last picture? A human was holding her child upside down by his ankle. I believe that’s enough said. The humor is not only shown in the pictures themselves, but also in the way the articles are written. Each author has his or her own humor and they show it through their writings.


The pictures in the articles play a big role in wanting to make you read their work. In each article there are several title bars which count down to the number one of whatever the subject is. Aside from having a picture for each title bar, there are also other pictures for the different count downs. An example that you can find on Cracked.com is “The 7 Most Disastrous Typos of all time” and “6 Terrifying Diseases that Science Can’t Explain”. The pictures also serve as a sort of humorous tool, but if you’re the type of person that has to see something visually, the pictures allow you to get the article even better.


The designers of the website make the articles easy to find because they have a search box on the top right of their page. Also, the home tabs have a link directly to all of their articles, dated back from 2005. Another thing that makes the articles easily accessible is the “Popular” and “Greatest Hits” links that are on the home page. There is also a link to the videos, but I have yet to explore those for myself. I recently discovered the “Craptions” link on the home page. This link takes you pictures and videos that are commented on by members of Cracked.com. Because people have quick links it’s possible that people may go directly to one part of the website every time they visit instead of reading around. If someone has a favorite part of the site it may keep them from reading other particular styles of writings.


We all enjoy having a good laugh, but being able to learn something with meaning and a twist of humor is even better. Most people aren’t willing to browse a website of nothing but intellectual value that they’ll never understand. So why not browse a site about our past, everyday, and the future. While learning new or maybe not so new information, you can take it in with a new appreciation.