First thought

I am peer reviewing a colleague's draft of Project 3, and my first reaction is that this draft is very descriptive and intriguing. Helps create much visuals and I like how he put in personal experiences he has had in that area. Also, good choice of verb usage.

First thoughts

I've been thinking about my own draft for project 3, and I have to tell you (Prof. Lay) that this is probably the worst paper I have ever written. It's really messy with a bunch of thought going in a million ways. It needs to be much more focused and the point of my paper needs to be much more clear cut in order for the reader to understand the purpose of the piece of writing.

A sentence starts out like...

     A sentence starts out like an overly confident explorer wandering the jungles of the wild. With a big bag on his back, like the weight on a writer's shoulder to make his or her piece good. Sword in hand chopping down any trees or bushes in the way, like a writer having to tear down common beliefs in order to make way for his or her own thoughts to be put into the wild and to possibly be torn apart by a few lions, or critics. There's a sense of fright that develops in the sense that the writer, or explorer,  is entering uncharted territory and knows this... but still proceeds to do so anyways.

What's your relationship with your reader?

     Readers sometimes intimidate me. I definitely do care about what the reader thinks because if I didn't, I don't think I would be so intimidated. What's so frightening is the thought that the reader might challenge my personal ideas or way of writing. Once a paper is written, you never know who might read it and what that reader's personality is like. If he or she is stubborn and has thoughts conflicting with what has been written, then, in a sense, a battle begins; a war of words and/or ideas, and I'm no good at battles. On the other hand, if what I have written is being accepted and possibly even encouraged by a reader, then I feel at easy.
     In regards to how close I am with my reader, I like to make my papers and pieces of writing on a personal and informal level' as if I am talking to a friend. I think this tone really creates a sense of warmth and friendship with the reader and in essence makes me some what likable.

First thoughts...

(Home is like... [60 sec])
     Home is like a nest. It's nurturing and a place where I feel safe and relaxed... most of the time. Sometimes its a place even more stressful than the outside world; but for the most part I love my home.

[place] is not like...

     New York City isn't as glamorous as many people presume it to be. It might be known as one of the world's strongest market places as well as a city of fashion, fame, high education and all types of art, but it also holds a dark side. NYC is known as the city that never sleeps, but that's only certain streets and area that are always bustling. When walking along the streets of NYC, one should be careful in not wandering into dark alleyways or being lured in by a creepy looking bald guy who wants to sell you a fake Fendi.

[place] might be like...

    Though NYC has its scary side, it is also like what most people know it as. The area has beautiful landmarks and buildings and is known for its infamous fall fashion week held each September. When entering Manhattan, one can always find a variety of people from all walks of life who are pursuing ll types of careers. One can find elegant trendy little restaurants to dine in or could possibly rather eat at one of the delicious halal carts found at the corner of nearly every block (if so, might I recommend 53rd and 6th... it's absolutely delicious). Whatever one's desire may be, the city that never sleeps is more than likely to have what you're looking for.

Ink Shedding Quiz 3 [edited]

     Today, our cultures is all about immediacy and constant improvement. We want things not only to get done, but to get done fast and efficiently. The computer provides us with quick information on whatever topic we want; information right at our fingertips. Twitter, for example, is a result of human's desire for immediate news and updates. Its a site that helps increase the speed of how fast news spreads. Years before the computer, we couldn't get so much information as easily. Over the years, technology has become more advanced, with each new computer having additional features that the previous one did not.

Group Prezi Link

http://prezi.com/wtkidcwgyese/chapter-2/

Taylor Mali "Like You Know"

     One may think a video in which someone is acting out what they're saying differs greatly from a video in which all you see are the words of what that person is saying, but it really isn't so. From seeing Taylor Mali's spoken work video of "Like You Know", it doesn't differ much with his [unconventional] print text. Both methods seemed to have a lot of feeling to it. In the spoken word, you're caught up in Mali's hand movements and facial expressions as he goes on in saying his poem. On the other hand, in the print text video, you get caught up in the same way but instead, through the video's use of italics, font, font size, and positioning of the words. At first I didn't think that the print text version would be as interesting as the spoken word, but through the clever use of what a computer can do with font, the print text kept me just as interested, if not more, into the poem as much as the spoken word did.

Are you afraid to write?

     I'm not necessarily afraid to write, but instead, I'm afraid of the reactions or criticisms what I write may receive. It makes me a little uneasy thinking someone will read my piece of writing and will judge it; whether it be judging my grammar and word choice or my thought and ideas. That being said, I definitely don't take writing as seriously as Jacques Derrida. Writing is meant to be a way of freely expressing yourself and so it should be natural and fluid to the writer's personal style. Its about letting the writer's thoughts flow and staying true to themselves.

Reading Quiz 1 (revised)

1.)    In chapter 1 or Writing Space, Bolter is inclined to celebrate the end of print text. One comment Bolter makes in the chapter is that traditionally there is a distance between the author and the reader, saying the reader is "only a visitor in the author's cathedral" (p. 4). He then proceeds to say that now, in the late age of print, "digital technology seems to reduce the distance between author and reader by turning the reader into an author herself." He seems to approve of this through his tone and mentioning that this "tendency to magnify the author and to empower the reader" has already become part of our current way of writing.
    Bolter further celebrates the end of print text by mentioning the many benefits of word processors (p. 9). He implies that word processors demonstrate the ease of electronic writing in "allowing writers to copy, compare, and discard text." Anyone can do this with a pen and paper as well, but what he ends the sentence with is the mentioning of the ease of doing all this with just "the touch of a few buttons." (p. 9). By Bolter's word choice of "a few" buttons, he implies the ease of writing in the late age of print which would further imply him being inclined to celebrate the end of print text.

2.)     Bolter argues that "many critics accuse the computer of promoting homogeneity in our society" (p.11) but he disputes this notion by claiming that electronic reading and writing seem to do just the opposite. This lack of homogeneity the computer propagates is productive in that it relates to the people's "economic and cultural 'special interests'" (p. 12). Computers allow users to break down words and create new patterns of wording and phrases with ease. Though one may think that creating these new patterns can bring about some confusion and make the writing hectic and clogged, it doesn't seem to do so. It simply helps us to reorganize our thoughts and create multiple voices in order to speak and relate to multiple types of readers. The more readers the writing reaches out to and has an effect on, the more productive that piece of writing has been.

Is the machine using us?

     Before we can determine if writing is a technology, we need to consider what exactly technology is. From what was said in class, technology is a tool used for communication. With a definition like that, I definitely would say writing is a technology. It is a powerful tool in that it can potentially make an emotional impact on the reader depending on how good the work is. What we write could also potentially change the reader's point of view and way of thinking. The simple tool of writing has no combined with complex use of internet and brings up the question "is the machine using us?" The machine definitely does use us in the fact that it uses our writing. We put our letters and punctuation into a computer's system in order to define the structure of a website and make that site exist. Yet at the same time, we also use the machine by using the internet and these site to gain more information and knowledge about all types of subjects. Our use for the machine is definitely much greater than the machine using us. At the end of the day, all those sites are being used for the people's benefits.