Feed Final (Reflection Essay) cont.

If I were to have a feed, it would probably contain information related to the things that I am interested in, such as the latest video games and pop music, along with many other things. It would contain these things because I have shown interest in them before by purchasing such items. This tells me that American culture is defined by consumerism. People who live the good life in America buy things that they are interested in. They do this mainly because of advertisements.
Media affects me in several ways. With all of the advertisements out there on television and other places, it is hard not to be persuaded to buy something. I guess that I rely on technology, because most of the every day activities that I do require some sort of electricity. However, one thing that does not affect me that much is popular culture. I do NOT own an iPod or MP3 player, nor do I listen to a lot of popular music. Crazy, but true. In ways, we as people mold media because we choose what to buy, but on the other hand, media can persuade people to buy things too.
There is a moral to the story "Feed". It is that technology can and/or will eventually destroy us. M.T. Anderson conveys this moral through how the advancements of technology have destroyed the world and have begun destroying people (lesions). A clear example is Violet. It is the feed that caused her to lose control of her body. If it weren't for the feed, she would NOT be in that situation.
In the story, people are nothing without the feed, at least compared to those who do have it. The feed gives people many things and allows them to basically have the Internet in their heads. Without the feed, a person would not be able to do "common" things with people who have the feed, such as m-chatting. It would put them out of the loop. If I were not to have my feed, (hypothetically speaking of course) I would not be able to access the information on the latest products I like.

My project displays many of the things that I currently like. If it weren't for advertisements, I probably would not like these sort of things, possibly because I would not know about them. Like I said before, it is media that influenced people to do/buy certain things because of their claims that the thing is "hot" or "hip". My "feed" may only contain these things because I was told through advertisements that these items were cool or "all the rage". However, people do like different things, so there is a uniqueness to all of us.

Feed Visual Essay:
Conformity vs. Individuality: Going along with a group, or being yourself...

Everybody is the same.

The images tell a story of how uniqueness, and individuality are important to people.

The message is to be yourself, regardless of what is considered cool or hip. The pictures I selected were meant to show how being an individual is better than being like everybody else. I was thinking about the feed when I chose this topic. Being an individual (not having the feed) is better than being like everybody else (people with the feed). Sure, you won't be like everybody else, and you won't be considered "cool", but you will be yourself instead of a mindless zombie who only thinks about shopping and buying stuff. These are meant to influence people to develop the power to become themselves, the way they want to do it.

The feed takes away a person's uniqueness, which is a very valuable thing. If a person, in the story, had a "feed", they have the ability to be part of a group, because of the large majority of people who had one (70%).

This is all about fitting in.

Near the end of the story, we learn that Violet's father got a feed for Violet when she was 7 so she would be able to fit in with others when she grew up. Violet's father was rejected a job, based solely on the fact that he didn't have a feed. He did not want his daughter to go through that too.

(I wasn't thinking of this when I began the Visual Essay, but symbolically, being like everyone else (having a feed) will destroy you; destroy your uniqueness, for in actuality, feeds are bad for people, as they are not organic and your body rejects it -lesions-. In Violet's case, it actually destroyed her.)
I, personally, have done things/changed things about myself in order to fit in. I have developed a value of trying my best to be Lathe, by doing the things that I think are fun, and not those of people around me.

My parents have influenced me to be this way, because they always told me to be myself.

I feel that the value of individuality is as important as the air we breathe. If you are not you, then you have lost yourself. Being yourself is the way to go.

Feed, part II

Missing The Feed: In this chapter of the story, Titus explains why he misses the feed. He explains that the feed has so many good things about it, such as the fact that everyone can be "super smart without even working"(p.47). The feed is also a big part of Titus' life because EVERYTHING is on the feed, and that makes it so convenient. Based on what Titus says, it gives me the interpretation that corporations that made the feed are very powerful. The corporations hold "all the marbles" because of the want or "need" for the feed.

Boring Boat: Titus sees a picture of a boat on the wall of his recovery room. He says that the picture is boring because it looked like nothing was happening, and nothing was going to happen. This is similar to his situation, because he is just sitting there, doing nothing. Later on, in the chapter, "Missing the Feed", Titus calls the picture even more boring because there were no people on the boat. This tells me that Titus as a person needs something to be going on, otherwise he thinks it is a waste of time or just plain boring. He also doesn't know how to apreciate simple things.

We Enter a Time of Calamity: When the old guy speaks in this manner, it made me think that he was trying to say that the feed is causing the troubles in the world, and that the "calamity" the world is in is because of the feed. The time has come where the feed is not good for people anymore. This is what I think. The lesions that everybody has been getting is probably because of the feed as well. These lesions are not good... For that, I agree with the old man in saying that the people have entered a time of calamity. Also, near the end of the story (I read ahead), [SPOILER ALERT] Titus' mother has lost so much skin that Titus could see her teeth even when her mouth was closed. This creeped me out, because it made me think she was turning into a skeleton. Let me point this out... NO SKIN = BAD, SKIN = GOOD!!!

Ocarina of Time
This game should be very well known to a lot of people, because it revolutionized gaming. This game was the first Zelda game for Nintendo 64, released in 1998. As with the other review, of Majoras Mask, this game is also in the Collectors Edition collection of classic Zelda games released for the Gamecube. It is also the first game of the Zelda franchise that was 3D. Lets get to the review, shall we? This game is pretty much the origin story of Link and the whole "Legend of Zelda". Like all other Zelda games, you play Link, the protagonist of the Zelda franchise. In the game, you roam across the land of Hyrule as you search for three Spiritual Stones that Princess Zelda herself asks you to find. These three items are said to open the doors to the Temple of Time, where the Master Sword waits. The true reason for going through all the trouble to get these items is to ensure that the land remains at peace. You have to do many other things later in the story, but because the story is complex, I will not go to any lengths to describe it, because I would be giving too much away to those who have not yet played the game. What I will tell you is that it is your duty as the chosen of the Master Sword to free the land from the grasp of an unthinkable evil, Ganondorf.

You collect an assortment of tools and items that help you progress through the game. They vary from a bow and arrow (very useful) to magical beans (not so useful). The game itself is very long, so you get your money's worth if you were to buy the game. There are some side quests that you can do, such as one that allows you to get a very powerful sword after trading certain items to people across Hyrule.

You also have the Ocarina of Time, which plays a very important role in the game. Throughout the game, you learn different songs that have their own powers, such as one song that allows you to change it from day to night or vice versa. Very interesting...

For being a game released over 10 years ago, it still retains its grandeur, as the game said to be the best Zelda game of all time. I can't say much about the flaws of the game, because they are very small and there are very few of them.

Like I said before, the game has a very deep story and keeps you interested and glued to your T.V. until the very end. I give it an astounding 100/100. :]

Feed

The book, "Feed", that I am currently reading in my English class, delivers some interesting ideas of what the world may be like if technology ruled our lives. Not exactly, because in the book, the people who created the "Feed" are in control of the people, but if it weren't for the Feed, they would have no power. There are a few things that I noticed at the beginning of the book, particularly the language used. There are words used, such as "unit" or "null" that are words that mean the same as "man" and "bored" respectively. I believe that the author of the book, M. T. Anderson, chose these words to help reinforce the type of world that it is in the story. The words seem futuristic in a sense, maybe just because I have never heard these words used in the context that they are in (I am so null, unit). There are other words that when I heard them, I thought that the people were lazy for using such words. For example, people call a girl friend "girlf" which is a shortened form, I guess. Why not say girlfriend? Is it because it is one more syllable? I just don't understand...
The final thing that I want to talk about is the names of the characters. Some of the names reminded me of planets or moons (outer space names), such as Marty (Mars), Calista (Callisto- one of Jupiter's moons), and Titus (Titan- one of Saturn's moons). I think that the author used these names to also reinforce the futuristic setting of the story, and the advancements of people.

Shazam! :)

Tennis Pro. in the Making...

Today was my tennis team's tournament amongst ourselves to determine the ranks or "seeds" of our players. I went up against some really good players... lucky me, right? Well, out of the 4 matches that I played (first person to 6 games wins) I came away as victor in two of them. The other two I got beat bad... Its okay though, because I learned a very important thing, humility. Also, by playing against some really good guys, I believe I got a little better at the sport. I love tennis, and am happy to be on a team with a good bunch of guys.
Okay, that's it for now.
Thanks for listening, and have a good day!

Today was a beautiful day. Sunny skies, and a calming breeze helped me relax on this Friday, as well as knowing that I have some time off of school. Lying on the brown grass of my backyard law, I stared at the clouds as they moved slowly across the sky. As a strong gust of wind came in my direction, I reached for my fleece that lay by my side to keep warm. Life for me was good, as I had zero worries. Throughout the day, I saw and heard many kinds of birds as they scurried from place to place. Thinking now, I believe that it would be nice to be a bird. Peace, freedom... and the ability to fly. Totally awesome right? Well, anyway, after my "cloud and bird watching adventures", I returned to my abode and relaxed in front of my television set. Nothing too strange today. Maybe I will have better luck in that department tomorrow.