HW #16 Big Paper 1 Outline

Thesis: Digital representative devices are losing the traditionalism that we have and brainwashing us with the word "efficiency".

Arguments: (The Bad)

DRD has replaced our old ways and filling us to use less, making us lazier.

Using instant messengers such as aim, skype, msn to communicate is good but it prevents us to speak the words that we want to say as truthfully and with feelings. The messengers are like walls, "mediums" (Yu Xi) that allow us to not face the problems or what our instant reactions would be if we were talking with that person face to face. I can tell that person that there is nothing wrong even though there is and the person would think there isn't. Comparing to that, if I am with that person and talking to s/he, she can detect there might be something wrong from my mood and facial expressions. The digital lets ourselves do what we want; suppressing our feelings if we want to or saying what we think but the person would end up interpreting wrong. Using those digital may avoid us trouble but it can end up with more trouble if we say things that we are blocking. So I think it is best to talk with that person in reality and facing those problems because there are more interactions and communications with gestures, expressions and the feelings from our voices.

DRDs are also isolating ourselves physically in our room. We surf the web, looking at the things other people have experienced and put it as one of our experiences and knowledge. It is efficient to surf on the web to get all the information and it is faster and less expensive than travelling there to find it ourselves.

DRD has lessen each generations writing skills and language skills.

In school, we need to write essays with the grammar and spellings that are correct. Even though we are still using our pencils and pens, we are changing that to using the keyboard and mouse to do our writing. We type because we think it is faster and programs such as Microsoft Word help us lessen our work by providing us the dictionary and spell checking. This connects to Feed because the teenagers have the Feed to do all the things for them. If they need to write, the Feed would get it for them. The teenagers are not doing this themselves, they are turning dumb because it is the Feed that is doing all the work for them. They are being consumed by the Feed and I think they are more of objects for an experiment than they controlling Feed. We don't need to fix everything that we write unlike the past where they have to memorize more of the grammar and vocabularies. Then texting came out, and others such as blogs, we can shorten the words of how we write them. For example, "what" can be turned into "wat" and "lol",and "rofl". This connects to how Feed is because the teenagers there would say "shit", "brag", "mal", and other slang words rather than the actual words. In a way I think it is because we want to get through the conversation faster because we have to wait for their responses then write our responses. Unlike talking with each other face to face, words just pour out faster than the texting machine can go. This makes us lose what the school is trying to teach us, to write sophisticated and be a professional. Our manners in talking has lessen because of the way we learn from each other (depends who we are learning it from); and when popular sayings come, we begin to say it, which replaces what is actually the appropriate way to say it. I think because of that, our behavior and our standing in the society has changed because the adults are not trusting the younger ones with how our language skills and writing skills are going toward. Now, to prove ourselves, we need to work harder or the future for the younger generations wouldn't be great.

Like in Wall-E, we are being controlled and brainwashed by the DRDs.

In Wall-E, Earth has become a trash land and machines that were build, Wall-E were made to clean up the mess. But all the humans have boarded on a spaceship where even though a human pilot is piloting it, actually, it is a robot that is doing all the work. The humans on the ship was drawn as fat people who are always sitting on the chair. Even though there is a pool and a gym, no one noticed it because the technology has everything in front of them so they do not need to move around. This connects to how we are, in reality because we have all the information that we needed from the computer and we sit there, let them find it and we have it. We are walking less because there are automobiles to bring us there and if robots were built and everybody has them, I think it will be like Wall-E. In the past, we walk almost everyday to get information and we are living shorter because we are not exercising as much as we would in the past. We have to work to get everything and build it by our hands. Now that we have technology to do it for us, we just need to sit back. I think the trash land in Wall-E are connected to real life because we are becoming trash as well since we are not using the resources, or having any big solutions to fix it.
In Feed, the Feed is the one brainwashing us because whenever they want or think about something, the Feed ads pops up, and tells them which one is a good product. But think about it, we build the Feed but now it is the Feed that is controlling us. The technology is telling us which is better rather than us seeing the actual thing. We order it online, expecting that it will be great but once we get it and used it, we start getting bored. Like shopping for food, I would see my mom look over the vegetables and fruits for a long time before deciding. She will walk here and there, wondering what would be good. But in Feed, we are not physically there to look at the product, and with the comparing price and functions button, we can see which is better than which. Like Titus in the end, he was buying random things or of the same color pants in a fast speed, which made me think how our minds are just helping with the big corporations. For rich people like Titus, they don't really care about what they are buying rather than thinking whether it is cool or not. But since I am poor, I think its better to take longer time to buy so I can fully understand what I am buying.

Conclusion:

We are being "ignorant" (Andy S.) and we are just looking at the things on the surface and what's in front of us. We looked forward to the future but we have forgotten whats in the past. We use whats efficient to replace what's old, and we replace whats new with whats boring. These digital representative devices that we use let us forget a lot of our past, pushes us to use our lives to go faster, convenient and...efficient.

HW #15 Commenting

Hw #12

Yu Xi:

I can see in your post for 14 that you use the "word" medium a lot for technology and I thought that was cool.

I thought your first and second paragraph was talking about isolation, just to yourself and not others there physically with you. Like ignoring other's messages and trying to not listen to it because it might disrupt our own lives. Then in the third paragraph, you said that same thing plus that "some things should be said out loud" because through a "medium" (^-^), we are only doing the easier way out and to "not deal with it."

Yes, I agree with you how it the book is rather exaggerating on the one side argument that Anderson is perceiving. But I'm wondering if he is only saying about America? What about other 1st world places? (I'm mixing this with the Extend idea)I can also see how we all liked to be in our own bubbles; worrying about our problems first instead of others. We want to block them out because we already find ourselves stress enough.I can connect that sometimes because we don't want to face our emotions that we want to write it online so as the other person don't need to look at us. Using a medium, we can wait before our true words come out and can be replaced with something else. But facing with each other, sometimes honesty slips out so in a way, we don't want to deal with so much trouble or some of the reality.

I thought that what you wanted to say is develop enough that I can see what your arguments/points are. This post has a lot of insights and I'm glad that I am your partner.

Always wonderful to read your post. Hope to read more next time~ =D

Hw #13

Na Lin:

I thought it was interesting how you call it "parasite feeding" and how you presented Violet as the humanity in the book. =D It was a cool idea you've came up with from the book.

I think your points on the book was how technology is taking away our "humanity" like it did to Violet, how technology feeds on us more than we feed on them and how because of our actions are being used first that mistakes happened and then our thoughts/answers comes in after that.

I agree how if Feed was made into a film, a lot of us would think how stupid the kids were int he film but actually its a mirror of us teenagers. As well as that even though we created the technology, the technology advanced our humanity, our humanity is still going to decline because we're being sucked in by the technology; the technology that we've created are killing us as well.
(Adding the "E" letter here too) Your insights have sparked me a lot that no one forces us to choose to use the technology. Because we choose it, it can already be a mistake like Violet (or was it her Dad?) that chose to put the feed in her brain. I agree that technology has flaws and we've been carelessly thinking that there are technicians that would help us but actually we need to pay more than the amount of help that we would get from the technicians. Like how it was in the book; Violet and her dad protested on the phone but a point that I saw was, why not just take out the feed? and be a "nature" person instead? But anyways, I think that because we've created this whole digital system, that mostly everybody is using it that we've already lost many of the natural things and the feeling of wanting to be with the wilderness and etc. I believe that the teenagers now have lost a lot of the insights that we should look upon (like the teenagers in Feed) and I wonder when would we realize what's happening to us and the younger generations.

Well just to say, I thought you could develop on "by pass the rule of perfection" as I don't really understand it much. And also do you think that we are losing our humanity also because unlike a big technology like Feed, we have more smaller technologies but are we being consume (our minds) by the technology?

Always happy to read your intriguing post. Hope to read more next time~ =D

Hw #14

To Na Lin:
Well I think you could have read the twilight series because its better than Harry Potter xD. And your point on how we all started out as strangers and then to friends was interesting.

I thought your main points were that in games, we can be more of ourselves than reading books and learning other ways to learn other things. Also how socializing with strangers can be knowledgeable because we are learning what their lives are and other facts/opinions they have.

I think I have to disagree with you about taking away a book from a person and they would not get as much reaction as you would get from a kid playing a game. When reading picture books like the kids do or an interesting book, like I would if I am reading and then gets distracted or stopped by someone, I would get really mad at a point. And those kids that got stopped would throw a tantrum. Also I think there are other ways of learning besides books like learning from games and television. Though I keep thinking that games and television are more of a social interaction than more of the intelligence part.

I thought you could have develop the difference of Johnson and Anderson's book because I think its me that I don't see much of the contradictions. And I thought you could develop what other ways are can we use to learn or get knowledge from. Or talk about the emotion IQ that Johnson was talking about.

Your post made me consider about my own life because I use the computer more than playing games or watching the television. I learned a lot from watching anime and the chinese shows but I thought reading was fun and imaginative as well. Like manga, its a book and I bet a lot of people would start yelling at me if I disturbed from reading (if they are a manga fan).

It was nice reading your post. Hope to read more next time~ =D

To Yu Xi,

I thought your post was very knowledgeable (xD, I forgot the word but yea...) and your last paragraph about the consumerism/media/advertisement that Feed had put out was a point that I forgot (._.>bad jia min) and you have put a very interesting ending sentence.

I think your main point was that you agree with Johnson on most part and that you think the television shows now and the games have developed into a way that lets our brain to work our more and pushing us to think about what are the shows talking about and how can I defeat this level to go on to the next. (I agree with you too =D)

I thought your post is kind of connected to Na Lin because Na Lin also say that games are letting us to become smarter and be more social. I also agree with you that the television shows (though I rarely watch them now) has affected how we think. And as well as games how that affect us to do "fast analysis" and then be able to predict what the next move will be. By moving our brain neurons that the games and televisions have give, we become smarter (in a way).

I thought you could have develop the other idea that Johnson had give about the social interaction and the Emotional IQ because a lot of what you are saying are talking on the intelligence part. But overall, I thought your post was very interesting to read.

Your post has also made me think about how Johnson is helping the media and the demands to go up for the sellers. By telling us to play with more games and watch more televisions, we are being suck into the media world and losing the feeling of books and all.

It was great reading your post. Hope to read more next time~ =D.

Hw#14 - Second Text [Everything Bad is Good For You By Steven Johnson]

The main point in the game excerpt that Steven Johnson keeps repeating is "probing". In video games, we must probe to progress to the next stage and using game manuals and coming up with strategies, we can get smarter. Because our mind are thinking up ways to solve the game and since the game has a story, which has an order that allowed us to be more organize, finishing the puzzle step by step However, that can also be applied to the real world because we are thinking up more ways and the organization that is in it helps us improve.

In the television excerpt, it is about how watching television can bring up our emotional IQ and learning socializing skills; our way to identify others expressions quickly because we keep seeing it in the shows, where the “raw” expressions that the actors or real people have put out. It can help us know what we should say or not say when an expression comes up (like politicians have to be careful with what they say) and helps us with connections and relationships to be better. And as for Internet, it is an advancement of both the games and the television where we can get more information and “learning new ways to connect”. Johnson talks about how people learn the complexity of the applications, and enjoying the process of figuring out how the applications work.

*Truthfully, I can get some of the general arguments that Johnson is talking about but I’m not completely sure if what I am getting in the excerpt is correct.*

I think I agree with the arguments that Johnson has placed out in the game excerpt. At first when he explained about the books, and the contradicting about the books, I thought it was interesting. The argument said, “Books are also tragically isolating” but I thought a lot of the times, in the libraries, don’t they have read aloud? And they discuss the book? So I thought that the argument (he thought of?) doesn’t prove our “isolation” with books.

I hadn’t really thought of games as a way to have our mind think deeper, to think about the strategies and answers in how to solve these game puzzles and move to the next level. I was surprised that Johnson’s seven year old nephew only learned a short time in the Sims game and he knows about changing the tax and etc. After reading that chapter, I think by replacing reality with games and games with reality, we can learn more, imaginatively but not too much because I still think playing too many games would still hurt our bodies. However, comparing with being in a class (if the class is boring) than I rather learn the materials from the games because we can virtually experience it.

In the television excerpt, he said by watching reality shows, soap operas, and dramas, we can learn more about people’s expressions, which can help us be ready for whatever its going to happen. I thought the emotional IQ was an interesting point and knowing others feelings can help me understand what the others are thinking; feels more prepared to face them. All of us are living in this world together so we should try to understand each others feelings and watching television to learn that isn’t bad. Shows such as the one that shows not actors but real life people and their lives are great examples to show their “raw” feelings. I agree with what Johnson said that we are watching the shows, performed by people, with amusement as the performers are performing (p.o.v) of “humiliation”. Television helps us access with others matters quickly. A quote that I thought was interesting: “Television is our culture’s principal mode of knowing about itself”.

As for the internet excerpt, I don’t think I have much of reactions because it’s already known that internet is a resource full of resources. To socialize, we use chatting and texting, we download programs and applications to use. We go online and go to the famous Google and we can get what we need. However, his evidence of how fun it is to use the applications was interesting. Because it is interesting so we want to try it. In the excerpt’s last paragraph, he said that “we’re finally learning new ways to connect”, which I believe is true. Because we isolate ourselves around the Net, we get to connect elsewhere instead of with actual people. With these “social networks”, everybody is creating “new possibilities for strangers [each other] to share ideas and experiences”.

I think the base point of this excerpt is that the digital is good and in Feed, the digital is bad. Games, television and the net make us smarter but Feed is making us dumber. In the excerpt, Johnson tells us to influence our kids to learn to like reading but in Feed, its all about Feed and the Feed doing the work. The kids doesn't need to do much but wait for the Feed to give them the answers. Another contradiction that Johnson had was the way we think in the game and the organization and meaning that comes along helps us develop our brain neurons into thinking more. And in Feed, Violet is mostly the only teenager that thought deeply about the world dying and other teenagers and most of the adults are just following along the Feed. Then in a way, I think buying video games costs money just like the Feed and that both the games and the Feed is glued to our brain once we start playing it. Feed and games are addictions to a lot of the kids in the society. I think the games and Feed help us socialize but when we talk to each other about what strategies or what to buy, I still feel that we are talking on the surface of it.

Feed is like an application but in the book, the program Feed wasn’t explored much but is use a lot. The people that have them use it to buy things and use it to search for things but they don’t explore the program itself. That makes the people rather dumb because Johnson said that by exploring the programs, the cranks and nooks; it can help us to be smarter. By thinking how they can twist the application to their will then they will have a chance to think “wow, I can do this” because in Feed, it is more that the Feed is controlling the people and not the other way. The kids that have the Feed are taking the Feed for granted and the punishment that they would have is the malfunctioning (well except for Violet’s case, it’s a bit different because she’s smarter than others. Although she did want a Feed so it’s a question mark, how we want this but think its bad).

A parallel that I see is that Johnson and Anderson both talk about “connecting to each other”. In Feed, everybody’s mind is instantly connected, or never disconnected from the Feed in their brain. If they want to find something that instant, they can find it and when they want to talk to someone they can connect to them at that spot. However, because we don’t have Feed in the reality, but with the Net, we are connected as well. Everybody is connected with each other if they want to, like with Facebook, aim, and Twitter. "Virtue of being participatory" is what Johnson's one of the three fundamental and related ways. We participate in connecting with each other through the Net to find more stuff to learn about or just to enjoy about. I’m sharing my thoughts right now through this blogger to connect with others as well.

I still don’t know which side I agree on, whether on Johnson’s side that digital is good or on Anderson’s side, that digital is bad. I think it’s bad if we use it for too long, not 24/7, which will damage our bodies but I can’t stop using the digital because it’s already pasted in our life. Like a story, we are following this thread of life where technology can’t leave us completely alone or we won’t know what we should do though it might take us a long time to figure that out. Reading Feed and the excerpt, I see that the good and bad sides are always going to be there, and for anything else. But I wonder if there are more aspects besides those two. If we do have Feed in the world, how would the Net be replaced? Would we still be using the computer? I don't think so and people said that using our fingers and hands a lot, we wouldn't get arthritis too much so using computer can affect how our muscles (since we need to type on the keyboard). In a lot of Johnson's points and Anderson's messages, I agree with them but I think i am stuck, wondering what's going to happen.

HW #13 Feed B

I thought Feed was more like a mirror that reflects a hammer shaping this society (that is in his book) that parallels to our society, which was interesting to read. The book is a mirror that is reflected on how technology affect our lives more negatively than positively. Then it adds the hammer where it constructs new things like the Feed and going to the moon. I thought having the Feed idea in the book was good, a work of art, showing our obsessiveness in technology though a bit too much since I think having a digital 24/7 is tiring. Also, Anderson gives us this ending, this tragedy but he doesn't really give us a solution to at least stop this tragedy from happening. Because Feed has not been created yet so I don't think it would be as big as the tragedy but would there be hope for a solution for the our society yet that allows us to use the amount of digital that we want but not to break down easily?

The characters that Anderson has build reflect how the teenagers in our society are but such ones like Violet, made me think about how the ratio between the ones that don't think about this world tragedy (where Violet ends up in a sort of a coma because of technology) are larger than the others like Violet that does think. I feel that his writing was in a young adult voice but then I think his messages was directed to both adults and young adults. His way of writing is funny and because it has a lot of teenager word slangs and others, it makes it more real and feels as if I am in there, thinking how Titus's teenager mind is like. He write it very figuratively that makes it more of a hidden note but as the story progresses, the messages reveal more and more, which makes the story interesting but saddening as well.

Reading his book makes me aware of what technology can do, especially one that are so influential (the Feed) that can end as a tragedy, which I think Anderson wrote successfully on. If Feed does exist and it malfunctions like Violet would, I think that means that we ourselves are destroying our own because we created this. I think even though all of us want development but we do not really think about it well enough that would make us safer. Another point that I saw that made the book art is the ignorance (which we spoke about in class) that we all have such as Titus's father who keeps disagreeing with Violet about the world ending and the Feed is a really good technology. It seems to say that we are ignoring what's bad but wants to receive what's good. Once we know that a big news such as the world ending are hard to take it in and this ignorance of ours are going to punish us; in a way like how Titus is starting to malfunction as well towards the end and how the popularity of lesions are cutting up our body, making our body to become a toy and also making us an amusement or disgust to others.

HW #12 - Feed A

At first, when I read the pages of Feed in class, I didn't really understand what was going on. Especially the pages of Ads and the presidents speeches. Even though I read them, I didn't get what the author was trying to convey and as well as the language that the characters are speaking in. Because the characters have the Feed, I think the language that they are speaking and the words they use are deteriorating or less smarter than I thought. They keep saying words such as "shit", "brag" and other slang words, which I think it connects to how the teenagers in reality use as well. Since we have the technology we needed such as the spell check and grammar check button on the program (Microsoft Word), our grammar when speaking and writing start to get worse. I think that the author is trying to tell us that digital makes us dumber rather than smarter because it is the digital is the one that are the smart one so we are only smart when we know how to use the digital. But what we want to find using the digital is the digital's work, not ours.

When I had the group discussion, a few people said how the ads page and the president's page are showing how the teenagers are clueless of the world because the digital is distracting them. We are being "spoiled" by technology so we don't know know what the big world outside of the small world that we are in. In the book, it was only Violet that keeps saying that the world is going to be destroyed, going to end but the rest of the others are ignoring that fact even though it happened right in front of them. They don't think about it but instead, enjoy the technology, the Feed, to help them entertain themselves before they died or be malfunction by the Feed, like Violet at the end. I thought it was unfair how Violet was the one that got the sad tragedy; even though she got the Feed later than she should, it showed how we need it in order to keep it up with the society, the advancement of the world. I think technology is advancing but its causing the rest, the natural things to slowly die. I feel as if I am being masked by the technology that I am not aware of what is going on in the world or how technology is killing us. Additionally, we are not doing much about it but waiting for something to happen.

Thus I think we are not living in a meaningful life. Most/Some of us have to work to get the money to survive, to buy the technology that we need. We use up our strength and time to not think about other things, like in the Feed for what the teens can do. We cut up our body parts, like the lesions in the book, to stay with the popularity. It seems as if we are born into this world, then waste our life period because of the technology, and gain not as much as we can gain if technology is not there. But it also seems that we can gain more for the future generations with the technology even though the world is being destroyed. I agree with what Anderson was trying to say about the teenagers and our ignorance about what actually happened that is replaced by some other stuff (I guess technology? and people in the past hiding the truth). Though I think Anderson is a bit exaggerated in the book.

HW #11 Self Experiment 1

My experiment was when I got home, for the next 3 hours is to not be near the computer or use the computer for less than five minutes. I started thinking what I can do but then I started playing the piano for around 2 hours. I think I was concentrated on it and only paid attention to the computer when it was 5 minutes before I went to pick up my sister. Since I was learning a new song, it took me more effort and concentration on remembering the notes that I didn't really mind not being near the computer. Even though the piano is an electronic piano, I think it is better than staring off whats in the computer. Then I read after the 2 hours of playing and was concentrated on that as well. And the experiment ended.

In a way, I think the piano and the reading was more enjoyable for me from the experiment. In analyzing this, I think the effect on going away from the digital but different from the electronic piano, I think it is more tiring. Enjoying and practicing on the piano for a long time is tiring but there's success, or accomplishment because I did it myself. As for going on to the computer, and for example, on google, we google the stuff we need but it is the program of the google system that does the researching for us. We just sit there and wait for all the answers that they have to come. The only work we need to do is read a couple of the sites and the answers are there. We might be thinking about it but most of the work is done for us. I don't think it feel as accomplishing and exploring the answers physically (such as going to the library and finding the book). I think that I always need some time away from the computer to get my other interests to burn my boredom away.

HW #10 Anime/Manga

I think anime/manga is digital in a lot of ways so I decided to go with the digital topic of anime/manga:

http://www.crunchyroll.com/forumtopic-307309/is-anime-bad/?pg=0

In this crunchyroll forum site, the post was about this article that somebody wrote talking about how anime is extremely bad. The article also said that anime should be kept away from children because of its violent and sexual scenes. That anime should be censored away from children because most of the anime series are for adults to watch (late at night...). And lastly, part of the reason is because asians believe in buddhism and paganism. o.O

Reaction to the above site: Shocked!

The most interesting part (the shock part) was that "Anime is the wicked, malicious force behind a wave of murders sweeping the world?" That sentence was, I thought has surprised me because I sort of believe that watching anime can teach people some lessons, values about life. Even if they do show about murders and wicked malicious forces, don't everybody in their country who makes cartoon do that as well? Rather than showing it with real life actions, isn't it better to show it in drawings, which I think is less scarier than real life actions (the horror movies...). Don't we all need some entertainment, the murder scenes and other actions scenes to get the plot moving?

Additionally, the post said that "Japan cartoons aren't just for children" and then to the point of "Asians do not believe in G-d.... They follow primitive religions like Buddhism with its litany of evil, perverted beliefs" and I'm like "what?!". My response to this piece is that its very interesting how people can think so negative about anime. Since anime, there are a lot of genres even for the adults, it doesn't mean that we don't believe in G-d so that point was confusing and is racist, saying that we are building evil, perverted beliefs because most Asians believe in Buddha or Paganism??

http://omgili.com/jmp/jHIAmI4hxg8mJYZqZ2iuwVEsy60LBHcV_NXjT5O2MqsM63pE16fR3xJOdOgTz2wVklvLogHG8EhC7xM5qLCYENa0vstXlUYVd_KhgvHGklSu5zgTsnuI9K.aFzJJMicK2jFYbp3.tHUjznAhcDhMt.JEhMLLG_3R08.Gy50knHnZdme6dXSMBEerGS2ul2KD

The post (again with the forum) is really simple because the person listed all the arguments she had such as that anime is dominant for the male to watch. That perversion happens because of the lolicon anime series, then the men staring pervertedly at the children. As well as Japan has immoral values since the adult anime series does not get censored and is shown to everybody in Japan. This article also connects to the above article about the violence and the sexual scenes. 

Reaction: Hmmmm.....

The most interesting part was the arguments the person gave out and how the different anime genres affect how the "perversion of men" looks towards the lolicons (little kids especially), and to the women. She also said, "(3) Anime is morally reprehensible because kids are exposed to adult content openly in Japan" and I didn't really know what I thought at first. I think anime is good to watch if you know what series to watch but then as for the adult anime films; just don't touch those stuff then. I think it's shown openly because the companies need to make money but the bad thing is that getting too much explicit shows for the children to watch, shouldn't the adults help to stop that?

A lot of the arguments that she put out makes sense, and showing the bad side of anime but I am still interested in it, for the values that some of the series teach such as One Piece, D.gray-man and Kateikyoushi Hitman Reborn.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manga#History_and_characteristics

Since this article is wikipedia, there are a lot of things such as the history, the art, and how Japan rose, spreading the manga around the world. 

Reaction: Weird...

The part that was interesting was how "manga" means "whimsical pictures" and I agree it is odd because it is different from America manga since their faces are much more human looking. As for the manga and anime, their eyes are bigger, which is odd. However, I think a lot of their art is very fancy. I thought their art was weird at first when I started reading it but after that, I think a lot of their art pieces are prettier in a way than the America cartoon. Since a lot of the times when I visit a comic store, there are mostly males and the America cartoons are mostly dominant by males.

As I was reading the manga in wikipedia, I learn a lot of new things such as a British person was part of the beginning of the manga world. There are also so many manga artists that there are so many mangas selling, which I think is good since there are so many genres. More jobs in a way but also the negative comments such as the two articles above. I think I rather be in the good view of the manga because it is an entertainment created for us and the ones who created the art pieces should be complimented since art is a wonder and imaginations for us all.

HW #9 Commenting Back

Na Lin:

Hey Na Lin,

thanks for reading my post =] I'm really glad you took your time to write me back and appreciate you agreeing with what I said. Your tone has a onee-san tone xD.

ah~ Thanks for the need improving point, I should have "shown a bit more of what you're getting by using these technology. Thank you for enjoying watching this video. The only part I liked was the anime pictures being there. (I took bad pictures).

You made me see new things such as creating ourselves a character that is just like us because we want to become better. And then when you said "self-to-be" it reminded me of shugo chara!; that we want to become what we want in our mind but why do that? Why not accept who you are the way you are? Do you think yourself is wrong because you are influenced by others, thinking that the others don't like the way you are, wanting to become loved and not lonely, then you have to go and change yourself? Then you said to test "how different your lives can be" and true that whenever we play game, we would create a character that we pick the styles the way a little to a whole lot different from us.

Your video was showing how we are trapped, or caged in in this digital world and I'm about talking the same thing as you, that we are isolated by this digital plus sticking to the electronic for too long is bad for you. We're both looking for more of the negative sides of the digital more than I thought and that we're both agreeing how kids are getting more and more of the digital as the age keeps getting younger and younger. For example, I got my computer when I was in 5th or 6th grade and now for my sister, I have to let her play the computer and sometimes use it for homework even though she is only in 4th grade.

You and I both talk about how the digital affect the kids. Do you think it is also because of the parents fault. In a way I see it, because the adults need to go to work, they would leave the child at home, when it's appropriate age and let them play the PS3 or wii or the computer that the adults bought back so the kid won't be lonely. However, when, for example again, if the kid need to get glasses because of the digital, I can see that adult would blame it on the kid for playing around the digital. However another point, is that is digital another way to comfort the neglected children? Are the digital helping the children get the attention they needed because the parents doesn't have time to give them? If it is, then digital is not a bad thing if we are alone.

Lauren:

To Lauren:

Thank you for watching my video and complimenting me on the unique way I have executed my video. Also that it is "cute", thanks ^o^. You also have a warm tone in your post, and I feel very happy reading your comment. xD

Your point that I should expand my feeling of awkwardness was very helpful because I should have explain it more clearly so you would understand what I am saying. I actually didn't really know why it is awkward but I think because I am showing this to others (plus strangers) that I didn't feel like letting people know what I do. 

You made me thought about why "others seem to love to flaunt their possessions?" And that made me realize how different people are in sharing their private things with others. We want to use the digital, to get new friends such as Facebook but people like me, I don't want to share what's too private or something (Jia Min's a shy person) and then those people who love to show their private life to tell others about themselves more. And then when you said how on the outside we look very concentrated or zone out and then in the inside, you are enjoying it, I think it is true. But why are we not able to show that in the video or why are we not able to see the enjoyment on the outside as we are enjoying it in the inside?

It seems that both of us are thinking about our little sister, or children a lot and how digital would affect them heavily. We both are concern what would happen to the little ones when we are experiencing the influence under the digital. We are both looking at how it would effect and cause us with using our digital.

Like I said before, both of us seem to talk about the emotions that presents us on our face when using digital and how much effects digital has put on the people (especially the little ones). However we both seem to love the digital that we have, for you its the wii and for me its the anime/manga and my computer (<3).>

Ciaossu~ ^0~