Connection: Lit Circle Books

I read the book Cognitive Surplus and I connected it with the book, The Shallows: What the Internet is Doing to Our Brains. I am responding to Angela's Blog.

Similar to what she wrote, both book are about the internet, but the authors go about them in two different ways. My author, Clay Shirky, likes the internet mostly and all the cool things you can do with it, the gathering of people creates opportunity and change. The Author of the The Shallows does similar, reviews the internet, they both found the internet gets us closer and more frequently interacting with other people. The Shallows simply goes through how different site change and alter your brain, for example living with the internet you have a new schedule and new faster ways of finding things out etc. Our author says its better to be on the internet interacting than by yourself. It is emotional satisfaction as well as being in touch with others, even by watching a movie.

So the difference between the books is one is about all the cool features of different site and what good things have come out of them like charities, friendships, and improved sites and networks, Cognitive Surplus. The shallows is more that people living in this recent time have grown up with internet in their heads, there is not need for dictionaries, encyclopedias or books so the reliance on the internet is major. No need to talk to people in person anymore either because we have Facebook an aim. I am glad I read my book instead of that though, Angela's book seems really dry, I thought ours would be too but the stories inside were really interesting it turns out.

Cognitive Surplus Response

A main topic in my reading was the use of the adjacent possible. Connecting it to the protests in Egypt and all over the world now, the adjacent possible was blogging over the internet, as in the book how Korean teens used a website to organize a protest about the import of American beef. I found it rather funny we are less lonely when watching TV, it is true, and I just did not realize it. The adjacent possible was created through the invention of the internet, phone, media and more.

“This Behavior was readily apparent, but the other researchers had missed it because it didn’t fit the normal way of thinking about either milkshakes or breakfast” (13).

Shirky, Clay. Cognitive Surplus: Creativity and Generosity in a Connected Age. New York:

Penguin, 2010. Print.

This quote is a perfect example of challenging the status quo, Gerald Berstell saw what others could not. They were trying to see what could improve their shakes and instead of looking at the product, Gerald looked at the people and the time the shakes were consumed. This to the author was challenging the status quo, going against the norm, to get the answers. The authors says there were two main parts to the Milkshake Mistake, closed minded to the breakfast food options and totally thing it was the milkshakes fault for not selling. Gerald gets crowned with the honor of thinking outside of the box, challenging the status quo and figuring out, in a new way, how to sell more shakes.

Captured Thought: Walking in the Halls

A friend of mine on Facebook wrote a question as their status about "Do people in England walk on the left side of the hallways at school?" or for that matter the sidewalks in town too.

This is not really my original thought or idea but it got me thinking. I personally cannot answer that question because I have never been out of the U.S. So, I looked it up and I found that the norm is to walk on the left side but people walk equally on both. The people also said that it is just walking against the flow when you walk on the right side of the hall or sidewalk. So even though it was not my idea or a mind boggling one at that, it was a question I pondered upon. Of course to the people in the United State we think walking on the right side is the norm and the right way of doing things so to us its weird to walk on the left. But its a bit of thinking outside the box to think about people in another countries and their norms of walking.

Connection: Once and protest in Egypt

A few weeks ago we watched the movie Once. At first I thought it was terrible because the main characters do not end up getting together and I thought the story was left hanging in the end. But upon further discussion I found out they did that on purpose and that is why I did not like it at first, it was not as predictable as the other love stories. They challenged the Status Quo and they made the characters go their separate ways and that is what changed my mind about my the movie. It is a better movie knowing that now that they did that on purpose and the two characters just stay in love and live happily ever after.

This reminded me of a rather recent event that occurred in Egypt. The same situation occurred here too. If the people were going to take the predictable route, they would have been quiet and lived with their government the way it is and seemed to live happily ever after, because it would have been quiet. But no, due to the protest in Tanzania the Egyptian decided their government needed changed too and used the adjacent possible to protest all over Egypt. They challenged the Status Quo and took the unpredictable route and are rioting to get a better government. They are out on the streets lighting government building on fire and throwing things at military vehicles etc.

Even though Once is a much less violent these story than the Protest going on in Egypt, they are very similar. Both challenge the Status Quo and use their adjacent possible to either make a better film or get a better government. The insight on challenging the Status Quo gave me a better understanding and appreciation for the movie Once. Also gave me more insight on the protest in Egypt and Tanzania, which I saw on the news but did not care but now I realize it is rather important. Now I am more aware watching the news and appreciate the film Once more.

Metacognition: First Semester

Starting off in Humanities I thought it would be less reading and more about art. You warned us if we were in the class for that then we should leave because it is not all about art, and that is definitely true. I feel like I have learned more than can come to my head right now about analyzing essays, words and finding helpers such as organizing principles. We got taught the importance of creativity and learned how to go about interpreting it. We got taught vertical listening and dot connecting/creating. We pointed out key skills in other we could use for our own success such as in the movies; Falling Down Stairs and Born into Brothels. We got to learn deeper meanings that come from philosophy and also got to find the beauty in many different things from writing to art. We got to challenge our selves and keep creative journals by our Mindbook and kept tabs on our thoughts with our blogs.

I am really glad I took this class. It is not at all what I expected out of a creative English class, I actually learned a lot broader topics than just art and I am thankful for that. This class will help in the future when I have tons to read and won't think I'll finish or when I think I have no purpose here. This class gave me the skills to break down a big reading task or organize the impossible. This class so far has been an unexpected help with other life situations. It has opened my yes to other places around the world and I am very glad I took this class this year and am excited for what is to come.

Metacognition: Organization

For this project I organized my room. My sister and I actually share a room so this was a joint effort. I mainly just cleaned off my desk and the area where I do my homework. I usually do this at least once during the week because I go crazy trying to concentrate on homework when there are little things distracting me all over. So this was just a longer and thorougher version of what I do normally. I do enjoy cleaning up because I feel more organized because I am clearing a space on my desk and in my head. I can finally think straight after I put away things and throw things out. Afterwards I feel more calm because I usually listen to music while I clean and I have an area to work and focus instead of being distracted.

It is so true that a clean space = a clear mind because that is what it did for me. Walking into a clean room just makes everything in your head more clean. Thoughts are organized and everything is put in place and easy to access instead of being jumbled up.

I found out that Philosophy takes part in your everyday, even if you do not realize it. I also learned a easy way to clear, organize and relax my mind. This is a project I will definitely continue using in the future.

Change of Mind: The Universe

Well actually it started when I noticed Mr. Glass' quote on the board about how we are just floating in space right now. That kind of thinking scares me a lot. Thinking about how we are so small and we are going to die and will just be buried underground is scary. That is one reason I dislike Sophie's World because topics like death, life after death and thinking that we only have 100 or less years to do things makes me almost hyperventilate and get freaked out. Death is my number one fear and to talk about it is hard because my hearts starts racing and I get worked up over it and have to slowly calm myself. But thinking at how we live from an outside perspective is a scary topic we do not know much about. For instance we do not know if we are the only universe, we are not certain how our universe began, we can not answer questions about live after death, we can only assume based on religious and scientific beliefs.

Now after having that quote on the board and these discussions in class about our uncertainty I am even more scared/ freaked out. First of all, being atheist, I do not believe there is a heaven or after life and even if there was your body is still in ground and you do not live a second life. Philosophy discusses questions about that and what we can not back up scientifically we use religion as the answer. My sister is the type of person that asks those kinds of questions, why is a color named that or why is this that way, she thinks and is fascinated by philosophical questions while the people around her just get annoyed with her asking stupid questions and not knowing the answers. As for me I am the complete opposite of her and fear that type of deep thinking about the universe and death and the end of the world.