BLOG #6

 Group 5 presented multiple technologies, but the smartphone presentation really stuck out to me. There were three specific facts that stuck out to me. For one, Group 5 shared that more than 5 billion people own a smartphone. That’s over seventy-four percent of the world's population.  Second, of the 5 billion who own a smartphone, three quarters admit to being addicted to their phones or being on it during most of their waking hours, including their reduced sleeping hours. Third, as the group shared, it’s no surprise that a tool which has drastically changed how we communicate, work and play is so popular. It seems like only yesterday we were stuck with iPods. 

BLOG #5

The reason we don’t hear about anti-war stories in the mainstream news is because the mainstream stations, as all stations have their own agenda, focus only on news that  will attract their audiences, and pay for advertisements. My dad reminds me often that the popular national media and all media generally will report the stories they believe in, and not necessarily the news or facts.  He tells me It is better to listen to various channels to get an opinion from all sides so I can decide on my own and make more informed decisions.

For example, recently my cousin returned from a ten-month Naval deployment in the middle east, which, according to my Aunt, was the 3rd longest deployment in Naval history.  His location was top secret, and my Aunt could only communicate with him sporadically via email. I did not realize my cousin was deployed this long, as probably most Americans did not as well.  

This is probably true for the thousands of other American soldiers that are deployed around the world. Since there is no direct US-based military conflict in the press every day, and most Americans get their news from mainstream media, and if the mainstream media isn’t reporting these stories, there is no basis for anti-war feelings from most Americans.

Just take a look at the stories on the Antiwar page today. Like the American Conservative site, this too has a very conservative perspective. 

Kremlin: New Territory will be Treated as Russia

Whitehouse sent multiple threats to the Kremlin Via Backchannel

USAF General: Killing the Enemy Makes Life Better

Iran protests turn violent. Counter Rallies Surge

Saudi Lobbyist Oversees Millions in GOP Donations

South Korean President Calls US Legislators 'F**kers

All these stories are focused on military issues or potential conflicts such as Iran, Saudi Arabia and South Korea,

Now compare this to MSNBC, a more liberal news source:

DeSantis flunks American history test with nonsensical slavery rant

Why Trump’s latest weird rhetoric about Obama matters

The truth Stacey Abrams told about early pregnancy is being called an 'outright lie.'

Nearly half a million Canadians without power as Fiona makes landfall

What Republicans are threatening to do if they retake the House in November

Not a single story about War, Russia or Iran. These stories are focused on mainly politics and overall anti-republican views.

On the same hand looking at Fox News, a more conservative news station, and like MSNBC, much more popular than the Antiwar and American Conservative sites. There headlines today are:

Dem rips into president as key group of voters turns toward GOP, admits Trump had 'compelling' message

Neighbor who sat with man before he allegedly killed 'Republican' teen speaks

Meghan Markle allegedly threatened to dump Harry if he didn't issue statement

North Korea fires missile into sea as US aircraft carrier arrives in region

  

Most of their headlines are anti-democratic party focused, and of course pro-republican party focused. They do offer one story regarding North Korea missile testing. The only war story of these two popular news outlets. And again this is not a conflict directly related to Americans today, so not top of mind to Americans.

This is another reason that there are not as many anti-war concerns in the public.  Today, Americans are more concerned about inflation, the stock market and their own cost of living. These issues impact them more directly, than where our soldiers are currently deployed.

While I, and likely most Americans, are anti-war in regards to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, it seems more Russians are anti-war because, understandably, they are currently and directly involved in the most reported war at this time.

 

BLOG #4

 https://www.pcmag.com/news/a-visual-history-of-apple-ipods

Before the iPod, music was a hard business to get sold on. Thanks to bulky CD players and radios it was hard to listen to music out of the house, let alone catch a band. Luckily, in 2001, Steve Jobs had the brilliant idea of making tunes mobile, and developed and released the iPod, a portable music player that could download digital tunes.

There was a huge limitation on this, however. The original iPod had a very limited storage space, so listeners were only able to own a couple songs at most. Over the next two decades, this would gradually change. With each iteration of the iPod, its storage capacity and operating system would be updated. This, of course, meant that people would be spending about one to two hundred dollars every year, just so that they could listen to more songs. There have been more than 8 kinds of iPods, released from 2001 to 2012. After that, Apple modified the portable music device into something more.

While the iPod was first released, it flew off the shelves. Technology had once again revolutionized our lives. However, it became even more popular with the innovations in music itself. As our generation learned to try new genres, artists were no longer afraid to experiment with their work. Many dived off of their original plans and turned to new beats. This caused good and bad results, but ultimately it was for the better.

If it wasn’t for the iPod and its many spinoffs, I firmly believe that the music industry would not be where it is today. The innovation of downloadable music may have created some illegal pirating sites, but now artists are able to share their talent with anyone around the globe, while making a hefty profit. Apple became the number one tech company for a long period of time, and still is considered to be so by many people. 

Plus, this led to artists being able to gain popularity without performing in person. Concert tickets are now in high demand, and the word of music is expanding even further. Live music is overall a once in a lifetime experience, and should be taken if given the chance. However, having the ability to listen to your favorite artists, on the go, with no limits besides pricing is pretty cool.

More than anything, the iPod was key to evolving our means of communication. Due to it’s resounding success, Apple turned to releasing new products, such as the iTouch and the iPod shuffle. Ultimately, Apple created the iPhone, a device that combined all of their previous products into one. With this, the name of the game was forever changed. If the iPod never took this turn in evolution, the iPhone may have never seen the light of day. Most people may think that so many iPod iterations are useless and unwanted, but the truth is that each one played a critical role in developing the iPhone we have today.

BLOG POST #3

BLOG POST #3 — Write a post based on the directions above. This is a KEY POST of at least 500 words. Be sure to think about hallmarks of a good blog post — links to sources, visuals, point of view. Be expressive and share your thoughts! Make this one special!

Speech is what makes us. It defines who we are, what we believe in and how we go about life on a daily basis. We should be proud of what we stand for, and be able to share our beliefs with those we love and cherish. Thus, we share our ideals though what we call "Values of Free Expression". All eight go over a different form of communication, each created to satisfy a specific niche in society. Some speak more to some than others, and there are good reasons as to why 

With that, I believe that the most important Value of Free Expression is  Individual Self-Fulfillment. In a world filled with constant drama and chaos, it's very likely that you haven't been concerned about yourself while you fear for everyone else. Your health, physical and mental, is crucial and should never be easily neglected. We should be free to "express ourselves and thereby create our own identity." Every person has their whole life to live, so we should all get the chance to live it to the fullest.

    After looking through all of the Values of Free Expressions, I realized that there was one that resonated with me more than the others. That one being the Marketplace of ideas. It states that "when truth and falsehood are allowed to freely grapple, truth will win out. And the grappling makes the truth even stronger." Truth is a very important concept for me, and for the world. I have always tries to be honest with others, but in the past, I could never find it in me to be honest with myself. I would lie and think of ways to get out of some sticky situations. But I realized that while the consequences would hurt, it's almost like ripping off a band aid. It is better to get rid of it now than hang on to it forever like extra baggage.

    With the recent controversy over the Supreme Court's ruling of Roe V. Wade, people quickly took to the streets to protest against their decision. This isn't the fist time this has happened. If you look back on our history, you'll see countless protests over laws established by the government. It's important that the voice of the people is heard, so that our leaders may, in return, give us a safer and better place to live. This is why I believe that The Value of Free Expression that is most popular today is Freedom of Speech. With everything that has been happening recently, it's important that people can express their beliefs and points of view. It's imperative that we all know that while our lives matter, so do others. Congress doesn't just affect us as a singularity, but our entire population as a whole. With all of our voices, change is possible.

All of us have aspirations and dreams, and we simply can't achieve that if we are chained down by society's expectations. It is vital that our voice is clearly heard, so that we can change these rules and pave the way to the future that we want. 

BLOG POST #2

BLOG POST #2   About the history and workings of the U.S. Supreme Court using this 20-minute video as a jumping off point — Part I and Part II.  —OR—  Read this overview about the Supreme Court created by the History Channel:  SCOTUS History   Reflect on these questions:

• What did you learn about the Supreme Court that you didn't already know?

• What is the most important take-away point about the Supreme Court?

• What was the most surprising thing you learned?

• How did the video change the way you thought of the Supreme Court?

I have never been one to keep up with politics. No matter how much news breezes past my head, the information never seems to retain in my head. There is always chaos and drama regarding this topic. However, as I was reading the history of the Supreme Court, I found myself becoming invested yet again in this mysterious field.4

#1: I didn't know how frequently the number of positions on the Supreme Court were adjusted. It makes sense, due to how they must have had to balance power, but I found out that used to be made up of only five members for a time. For a group that overlooks such important decisions, it shocked me that such a small amount of people had such say for a time.

#2: I learned that no matter how you slice it, this group has been making the most important decisions for us for a long time. Recently, their decisions have caused a lot of drama and uncertainty for the future. But, it is crazy to see just how long they have been looking over us, deciding how we should be living. 

#3: I was shocked to read that Chief justice John Marshall serve the Supreme court fore more than 30 years of his life. I can't imagine the pressure for someone his age, let alone being in that position for that long. Doing more research, I learned that he stayed in his position until he died, which shook me even more.

#4: I learned through the video that no justice has ever been impeached, except for Samuel Chase in 1805. I also learned that they only impeach based off of breaking good behavior. It really changed how I looked at the Supreme Court, as it means that everyone there was able to keep their cool through these tough times and prevail with an answer.

BLOG POST #1

BLOG POST #1  Tell us about your TOP FIVE SOURCES OF NEWS AND INFORMATION. Link to them so we can check them out. Write ONE PARAGRAPH for EACH ONE telling us why you like them and why you would recommend them to us.

#1: NBC / NBC Nightly News: Being my most watched source of information, NBC delivers news with both the casters opinions and thoughts from professionals. The scriptwriting keeps the viewer calm, no matter how pressing the topic, and always updates immediately if there is a new break in a case.

#2: Youtube: Most people prefer to watch their news than listen to it over a radio or read the newspaper. Luckily, there is a site which not only alerts others to issues, but allows others to post their responses and express their thoughts. 

#3: TED Talks: These professionals have so much knowledge on their specific subjects and are lowkey very entertaining to listen to. They can lecture about their topic forever, so you can be sure that they know what they are talking about. Some even have a high amount of energy and motivation, boosting up the morale of the audience and listeners.

#4: New York Times: This site is updated constantly, with breaking news and daily features. While some may not see the importance is small articles that do not cover big stories, I find it both interesting and relaxing to see people cover these topics. It appeals to a small group of people, but actually takes in more than you would imagine.

#5: Apple News: With new iPhones rolling around, Apple has included a news feature. It automatically notifies owners of major events or articles that may be of interest to them. It's a great way to keep the public notified of what is happening.