Current Event #7

Interactive Art Installation Allows Public To 'Paint' Vancouver Skies

Those who attended the 30th anniversary of the Technology, Entertainment & Design Conference in Vancouver, Canada, were privileged to see a giant art display called 'Skies Painted With Unnumbered Sparks'. During the day the display almost blended in with the city's blue skies. At night, the display transformed into a canvas of multiple designs and colors. The canvas spanned at about 745 feet, which is almost half the size of the main section of New York City's Brooklyn Bridge. 

The designs that were designed in the beautiful canvas were not created by artist, but by visitors. The awesome art display was made possibly by Janet Echelman and the help of Google's Inc.'s lab artist Aaron Koblin and his team. Visitors were asked to log into a special website that allowed them to select a color and then finger paint their artwork. As the visitors would paint, their artwork would instantaneously reflect on the giant canvas above. It was possible for hundreds of people to paint at the same time, causing an array of colors and designs.

This art display seems really cool. It looks like a huge colorful constellation. I think its a really creative idea to have visitors interact with the display and be able to add their own artwork to the canvas. It must have taken a lot of hard work and determination to create something so amazing! I wish I could be as artistic and creative as the artist who created this. I would love to go to Vancouver, Canada and encounter this beautiful sight.

This could be connected to the drawings we are making with our Russian literature. The artwork that we are creating is nowhere close to as astonishing as this, however. We have to put our creativity into our drawings, though. I'm not very artistic, but I could be creative.

The heading of the article says, "Interactive Art Installation Allows Public To 'Paint' Vancouver Skies" (Liu). By using this heading, the author captures readers attention. In the heading, the author put quotation marks around paint. which hints that the public is not literally painting the skies. This makes the reader curious and wanting to read more on how the public could paint the skies. As readers read they are informed that "with the help of a special website and some finger painting skills", the public can paint the canvas above them (Liu). The heading impacts the readers desire to read the article, leaving them interested in the topic.


Liu, June.  "Interactive Art Installation Allows Public To 'Paint' Vancouver Skies."  Dogonews.  Dogo Media, 13 Apr. 2014.  Web.  13 Apr. 2014.  <https://www.dogonews.com/2014/4/13/interactive-art-installation-allows-public-to-paint-vancouver-skies>.

Dooley, Kevin.  "Christmas #25."  Photograph.  Flickr.  Yahoo, 18 Dec. 2008.  Web.  13 Apr.  2014.  <https://www.flickr.com/photos/pagedooley/3121844717/in/photostream/>.

Current Event #6

School bans girl who shaved head to support friend

Delaney Clements is young girl who is battling cancer. After reclining chemo therapy all of her hair had fallen out, leaving her bald. To support her friend, Kamryn Renfro, shaved her head. However, Kamryn's in Colorado suspended her from school because the haircut violated the school's dress code. The dress code is said to be designed to to promote uniformity and a non-distracting environment.The school said she must stay at home until her hair grows back out. Kamryn's mother posted on Facebook that it is clearly stated in the school's handbook that students may not have shave heads. She never thought her 9-year old daughter would do something as courageous as this. After being bombarded with feedback from parents across the county, school officials at Kamryn's school decided to allow her to come to school, even while flaunting a shaved head.  

The situation that young Kamryn Renfro is in, is similar to the situation Antigone finds herself in after burying Polyneices. Both believe that they have done nothing wrong, but others say otherwise. They are both punished for what they have did. What Kamryn did was brave and courageous. Antigone actions were also brave and courageous. 

I don't understand why Kamryn was suspended from her school for simply trying to support her friend with breast cancer. I'm sure her shaved head was not causing any commotion at the school or done any harm to anybody. I understand that it is against the school's rule, however, her suspension was unnecessary. The rule itself is questionable. How is a shaved head distracting to others? The little girl shaving her head was her way of being there for her friend. Instead of immediately suspending her, school officials should have examined the circumstance. 

"School bans girl who shaved head to support friend." Tweentribune. Concordia University, 27 Mar. 2014. Web. 30 Mar. 2014. <http://tweentribune.com/tween56/school-bans-girl-who-shaved-head-support-friend>.

maf04. "Breast Cancer Awareness." Photograph. Flickr. Yahoo, 12 Oct. 2011. Web. 30 Mar. 2014 <http://www.flickr.com/photos/13323015@N00/6237594287>.

Current Event #5

Marathon Spelling Bee Finally Has A Winner

In February, a spelling bee that was held between two Kansas City area students, Kush Sharma and Sophia Hoffman,  ran out of words after the two students continuously went without misspelling any words. The marathon spelling bee finally came to an end after 29 more rounds when Sophia Hoffman misspelled the word "stifling". After Sophia Hoffman misspelled the word given to her, there was a lengthy break to listen to the audio of the round and verify that Sophia had heard the word correctly.

In the 29th round Kush was given the word "definition" to spell. After given the word, he promptly spelled it correctly and won the bee. Kush is now going to move on the the National Spelling Bee in Washington,  in May. Sophia is excited for coming so far in the spelling bee and hopes to compete again next year. Kush said he, too, would compete again.

This spelling bee event could tie in with the stem words we have. Spelling the words isn't that difficult for me, though. The definitions are hard to memorize. I think that its crazy that the first spelling bee that was held ran out of words. I think that Sophia should still win something for doing such a great job and coming so far. This is the first time anything like this has ever happened. The word "stifling" doesn't even seem like a difficult word to spell. I feel sorry for her, since she came so fare and got defeated by a word as simple as "stifling". Especially since Kush was given the word definition right afterwards.

By using quotations throughout the article, the author gives direct evidence of how the students felt about the prolonged spelling bee. It states in the article that both students became close friends through the journey. Kush stated in the article, "I was pretty sad when [Sophia] got [a] word incorrect...[however,] that's the game...it's going to come down to one person, whether you're friends or not." (Draper). By adding this quotation the author, showed directly how Kush felt about the competition coming to an end, with him being the winner. 

Draper, Bill.  "Marathon Spelling Bee Finally Has A Winner."  Tweentribune. Concordia University, 13 Mar. 2014.  Web.  16 Mar. 2014.  <http://tweentribune.com/teen/marathon-spelling-bee-finally-has-winner>. 

Somthingstartedcrazy.  "Spelling bee."  Photograph.  Flickr.  Yahoo, 20 Jan. 2008.  Web.  16 Mar. 2014 <http://www.flickr.com/photos/somethingstartedcrazyy/2207832497/in/photostream/>.

Current Event #4

Cute Circuit Debuts Wearable Technology

CuteCircuit, a company well known for light-up designs, have came up with 'wearable technology'. Stars like Nicole Scherzinger and Katy Perry have been seen proudly showing off this new creation. CuteCircuit has received some public recognition and got the opportunity to debut its wearable technology at The New York Fashion Week. The New York Fashion Week was the first time wearable technology has been featured on a runway at a major international fashion week.

Each outfit has some type of technology that is built into it. A plain-looking skirt could be transformed into a unqie piece of clothing with a live video feed featuring a tiger. Another dress could have the illusion of it erupting in flames, similar to the dress worn by Katniss Everdeen in The Hunger Games. In addition, there were shirts with live tweets and even the world's first interactive handbag. Some dresses had LED's embedded inside. CuteCircuit's technology allows the wearer to be in full control of when to shine. This allows the outfit to be both for a serious day at work or for a night out with some friends. 

On the runway, CuteCircuit also demonstrated their HugShirt. It allows people from two locations to send and receive hugs. The shirt has built -in sensors and actuators, which allows it to have the sensation similar to that of a real hug. In order for a hug to be sent both participants must use Bluetooth technology. The receiver could either own a HugShirt or have it sent to them using a special computer software. 

I think that this is really cool and creative. I would love to own an article of clothing from CuteCircuit's wearable technology. Technology is being incorporated into various aspects of our daily lives and it's really advancing. The only problem I see with there being built in technology inside an outfit is the risk of electrocution. What if someone gets stuck in the rain by accident and end up being electrocuted? Also, I'm not exactly sure how the HugShirt really works, but I think its kind of weird. I don't think that a shirt could ever imitate the sensations of a hug. It just wouldn't feel the same. It's a really cool concept, but it could never stand in the place of a real hug.

I can't really connect this to what we're doing in class since we're talking about the Holocaust. However, I remember that during freshmen year we discussed a lot about technology. We even created technology current events. Technology is really advancing. Lately, there has been a lot of inventions and creations involving technology. Wearable technology never crossed my mind, that's why its such a unique and creative creation. 

The author uses promotive language throughout the entire article to advance her point of view. The author states in the first sentence of the article, "CuteCircuit, a company known for its exquisite light-up designs dubbed 'wearable technology', has slowly but surely, been making its way into the mainstreammarket" (Liu). The word exquisite describes to readers how admirable this new line of fashion is, which advances her point of view. In another sentence the author describes the creation as, " haute couture" (Liu). Describing it in such a manner furthers the authors point of view that CuteCircuit  is the most fashionable design out there. 

Liu, June.  "Cute Circuit Debuts Wearable Technology At New York Fashion Week."  Dogonews.  DOGO Media, 2 Mar. 2014.  Web.  3 March 2014.  <https://www.dogonews.com/2014/3/2/cute-circuit-debuts-wearable-technology-at-new-york-fashion-week>

Art Comments.  "Miss Sixty Fall 2007 New York Show."  photograph.  Flickr.  Yahoo, 1 Feb. 2007.  Web.  3 Mar. 2014.

Holocaust

Nazi Medical Experiments

At the time of the holocaust, many German physicians performed painful and deadly experiments on many concentration camp prisoners. The medical experiments that were conducted could be separated into three categories. The first category were experiments designed to assist the survival of Axis military personnel. To measure the highest altitude from which troops of damaged aircraft could parachute to safety, physicians in Dachau performed high-altitude experiments, using a low pressure chamber. In addition, many prisoners became victims of freezing experiments aimed towards finding a treatment for hypothermia. Prisoners were also used to test methods of making seawater suitable for drinking. 

The second category of experimentation was directed towards developing and testing medications and treatment procedures for injuries and illnesses.Scientist tested immunization mixtures and sera for the prevention and treatment of contagious diseases such as, malaria, typhus,tuberculosis, typhoid fever, yellow fever, and contagious hepatitis. Prisoners were exposed to phosgene and mustard gas in order to test possible remedies.

The third category of medical experiments were performed to improve the racial and visionary principle of the Nazi worldview. The most widely known of these experiments is that of Josef Mengele at Auschwitz. Josef Mengele performed experiments on twins. Mengele, along with some others, conducted serological experiments on Gypsies, in order to form a conclusion on how different "races" combated infectious diseases. The research was intended to recognize Jewish inferiority.

Those that the Nazi leaders considered to be racially or genetically undesirable were put through countless amounts of horrendous experiments, among these were sterilization experiments. Scientist tested their methods in their attempt to form an efficient and inexpensive technique for mass sterilization.


Raymond, Nicolas.  "Caduceus Grunge Symbol."  Photograph.  Flickr.  Yahoo, 24 April 2013.  Web.  20 Feb. 2014. <http://www.flickr.com/photos/80497449@N04/8677835416>

"Nazi Medical Experiments."  USHMM.  United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, 10 June 2013.  Web.  20 Feb. 2014.  <http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10005250>.

Current Event #3

Bionic Arm Gives Hope To Amputees

The bionic hands that amputees use today cause them to not have any feelings in their arm. They could be holding a baby's hand without knowing whether or not they're crushing the child's hand or not. Prosthetics that are used today are not connected to the nervous system. Scientist have come up with a bionic arm that gives amputees the ability to use it like their natural arm. 

In order to make this possible, scientist found a way to connect the nerves to the end of the bionic arm. Sensors that are attached to the arm could detect and receive signals from anything it comes in contact with. A computer algorithm developed by the scientist converts the signal into an impulse that is capable of being translated by nerves. The wires from the sensors are connected to the amputees nerves; this allows the signal to be sent to the brain.

The newly developed bionic arm has been successfully tested but is not ready for commercial use. Scientist wish to make some more improvements to the arm. As of now, the arm is not portable and works with many external cables. This prevents usage of the arm outside of the lab. Additionally, the team of scientist want to enhance the sensitivity and feeling of finger movements. Essentially, the bionic arm is the first prosthetic device that is able to connect to the nerves. The device has yet to be tested clinically and peer-reviewed. 

Personally, I think that the improvements that scientist have made to the bionic arm are astonishing! There are many individuals in the world who are arm amputees. Could you imagine not having any sense of feeling in your arm? This would improve the lives of arm amputees. They would now be able to gain the feeling that they have lost in their fingers. Life would be much easier if they could use their bionic arm like their natural arm.

The author of the article supports their claim by comparing the currently used bionic hand to the newly developed one created by scientist. It states in the article "Current prosthetics do not connect to our nerves, so picking up an egg feels the same as picking up a rock" (Radihika). This shows the improvements made to the bionic hand and how much more advanced it is now. The author also shows how the new bionic arm would improve the lives of arm amputees by stating, "Imagine if you had no feeling in your hands...this is the problem many amputees face...[but] all this could be changing soon" (Randhika). The authors claim is further supported when the author declares this new bionic arm as, "the next breakthrough in prosthetics" (Randhika). 

BBC worldnews.  "Bionic Hand Restores Amputee's Sense Of Touch."  Online video clip.  YouTube.  YouTube, 6 Feb. 2014.  Web.  18 Feb. 2014.  <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o6RJKvCc-tM>.

Case, Amber.  "Bionic Prosthetis."  Photograph.  Flickr.  Yahoo, 11 Aug. 2010.  Web.  18 Feb. 2014.  <http://www.flickr.com/photos/caseorganic/4883688638/in/photostream/>.

Radhika.  "Bionic Arms Gives Hope To Amputees."  Youngzine.  Youngzine, 16 Feb. 2014.  Web.  18 Feb. 2014.  <http://www.youngzine.org/article/bionic-arm-gives-hope-amputees>.

Current Event #2

"Pink, princess-y and sexy too soon"

Melissa Atkins Wardy reaches an epiphany as she goes shopping for her 6-month year old daughter's first sippy cup. She realizes a gender division between girls and guys in the toy aisle. Certain toys like building blocks or fire trucks were only offered for boys and toys like cooking sets were only offered for girls. This epiphany led to Atkins Wardy starting a business selling empowering T-shirts for girls and boys.

Atkins Wardy was hoping to address a major issue in today's society; the issue of gender stereotypes. Society has placed a definition on how girls should act and how guys should act. This gender differentiation leads to an even bigger issue; the sexualization of young girls. The princess culture and pink toys are always focused on fashion and beauty or how a girl can please someone else by either keeping a clean house or looking perfect. Kids grow up too fast by being introduced to adult concepts of sexuality. Young girls are restricted from developing on their own and expressing who they really are.

I could make a connection to this article and the book that I am currently reading, The Woman Warrior. The book describes what the Chinese culture is and what it's like growing up in that environment. In the book, the narrator talks about how the Chinese prefer having sons instead of daughters. There is a higher value placed on boys than there is for girls. Young girls are raised to be servants. In this article, it talks about how girls think they have to act a certain way because of the stereotypes. In the book, the young girls are, in a way, forced to live up to those stereotypes. Raised to be servants and have babies. 

This article makes me think of how I was raised. I rarely played with dolls or other toys that were classified as "girly". So, I was labeled as a tomboy. Now, I consider myself much more girly. Reading this article was definitely an eye opener. When I was younger, I was simply being myself; expressing myself differently from what society labeled as "girly". I have lots of younger cousins that play with dolls and other girly toys. Now I'm kind of concerned about the things they are being exposed to at a young age by playing with these toys. I don't want them to think they have to live up to what society thinks is "girly". They should be able to express themselves the same way I did when I was younger. I also don't want them to grow up too fast by being exposed to these things, as the article described. Being a woman doesn't mean looking a certain way or cooking, cleaning, and making babies. There is much more to being a woman. 

The article is written from the point of view of a mother of two. Throughout the entire article she stresses the fact that as a mother you wouldn't want your kids growing up thinking they have to be a certain way because of what society has labeled it. This impacts the overall effect of the text because you're reading the article from the point of view of a concerned mother. In the article it explains how the stereotypes "teaches children there is only one way to be a girl and one way to be a boy" (Warllance). 

To go more in debt and support this statement the author interviews the author of a book titled Redefining Girly. The author stated, "When you have a little girl like mine who is obsessed with the ocean and giant squids and insect infestations in homes, she's considered weird or odd or a tomboy when in fact, science and things like that should be considered girly" (Wallance). Another statement that has an impact on the text states, "I, along with so many other parents, am frustrated about the definitions of what's girly and what's not, and the separate products and clothing offered to girls and boys" (Wallance)

Wallace, Kelly. "Pink, princess-y and sexy too soon." CNN. CNN Newsource, 31 Jan. 2014. Web. 1 Feb. 2014. <http://www.cnn.com/2014/01/31/living/redefining-girly-melissa-atkins-wardy-parents/index.html?hpt=li_c2>.

Ло. "Donna wanna growing up!". Photograph. Flickr. Yahoo, 8 Dec. 2009. Web. 1 Feb. 2014. <http://www.flickr.com/photos/37167854@N08/4169829054/in/photostream/>.