PLN 29

What matters in the world today is the new, limited edition, 24-karat gold-plated Playstation 3. This edition of the PS3 is made by a company called Computer Choppers, and is to start at $4999. The Computer Choppers Company also makes cases and covers for Blackberry ($1,199), Mac Book Pro, and a platinum plated iMac monitor. The company is also promising jewel encrusted versions of each item they currently make. This company is outrageous, who is going to buy gold plated or platinum cell phones or computers? Only the extremely rich, and American's will buy this product, because only the extremely rich can afford it, and American's will just use their credit cards and kids college funds. This company its self is a great example of what America has become. It shows that we are greedy and are willing to buy things that we don’t need. I would like to meet the people that are willing to buy things like this and are not Bill Gates, or royalty. The other reason I am so astonished by this company is how impractical their products are. 24-karrot gold is very soft, you can dig into it with your finger nails, so obviously you couldn’t use it anywhere that you didn't know it was safe. If you where to scratch it, spill coffee on it, or drop it you would waste thousands of dollars. Obviously, no average person is going to buy a gold plated Playstaion 3, or any other product sold by Computer Choppers.

PLN 28

What matters in the world today is that we are trying a little too hard to go green and save the environment. Yes, saving energy and fuel is important, but some of the new "green" inventions are ridiculous. Take for example the "Solar Powered Drink Coasters" (currently on sale for $14.00). This invention collects solar power all day, and then at night it will light up your glass and make your drink look radio active. This invention is completely pointless, how much energy or carbon emissions can a coaster give off. This invention along with some others, have made Yahoo.com's Tech Ticker Dumbest, Green Inventions List. Also on this list is the "Eton Solar Link Radio" this radio is an emergency crank radio, which can also run for a few hours on a full day of direct sunlight. It is equipped with a USB port, a cell phone charger and a clock. But if you were to need it in an emergency, there better not be water involved, because the Eton Radio is not water proof. Another invention on this list is the "Bedol Water-Powered Clock." This device is a digital clock, about the size of a tennis ball, which runs on a mix of water and lemon juice. This clock uses only a fraction less energy than a normal clock, and it doesn't even have an alarm. But, the most outrageous green invention in my opinion is the "Energy Curtain." This is a window blind that collects the energy from the sun all day, weather it is rolled up or down, and then at night it glows blue so you don't need to use the electric light. This sounds like a good idea, until you find out that to keep it from glowing at night; you have to completely cover it with a cloth during the day. This would be a hassle, because if you were to forget the cover, your blinds would be glowing all night and keep you awake. This curtain might keep you from using the lights, but what is the point. All of the inventions on the list either take the place of items that use no energy (the solar powered coasters) or barely use less energy than the supposedly non-energy efficient things they replace. I'm not saying that we should stop trying to be green, I just think that there are more effective and efficient ways of gong about it, than with water powered clocks and glow blinds.

PLN 27

The helicopter ejection seat, vertical propulsion coupled with spinning over blades, is currently in the top five worst inventions of all time. To most people it would obviously be a horrible idea, but this invention matters to the world to day because currently the Russian Kamov Ka-50/52 attack helicopters are equipped with this method of evacuation. The Ka-50 black shark and the Ka-52 alligator are the worlds first ever co-axel attack helicopters; co-axel helicopters have two sets of rotors instead of just one. The Ka-50 black shark has been in use by the Russian army sense 1995 and it along with the Ka-50 alligator, are the only helicopters to equip a zero-zero ejection seat. The initial idea of the ejection seat sounds ludicrous, but in the plans the Russians programmed the blades to be launched off with explosive charges in the event that the pilot pulls the ejection cord. In other words, an originally stupid idea is now the most advance helicopter safety system in the world. This ejection seat could end up saving thousands of lives, because it would allow for a quick escape, instead of having to get out of the cock pit, move to and open the door then jump out of a helicopter spinning out of control. By adding this system to helicopters everywhere, it would cut down on deaths, because most helicopter related deaths happen during impact with the ground. By ejecting out of the aircraft, fewer lives will be lost. I personally would not trust the system, because what if the explosives that blow off the rotors fail or malfunction. Or what if the rotors come off but the seat doesn't eject and you’re stuck in a falling helicopter that has no propulsion system. Even though I find some limitations with the current system, I believe it could be modified and used to save lives in the future.

PLN 26

The book The Men Who Stare at Goats, by Jon Ronson, that was rescently made into a movie, matters today because it gives an insight into the secret workings of the American military from the 1970's to the present. The story is about a reporter, Jon Ronson, who travels the country researching a former U.S. military program to create super soldiers. These soldiers were hand selected from the ranks of the U.S. Special Forces. They were trained by many people who where masters, gurus and scientists involved with the new age movement. The goal of these "Jedi warriors" was to reach a state of ultimate tranquility, a state of mind where levitation, walking through walls, bending metal, and psychic spying can be achieved. The most powerful of these Jedi, were said to be able to stare at a goat and stop or burst its heart, just by using their minds; thus the title of the book is The Men Who Stare at Goats. The whole story is about Jon interviewing people involved with "goat lab" in an attempt to find out if it really existed, and if the U.S. military had really achieved supernatural powers. This book, is not a fiction book, it is based on a true story. That is why this book matters in the world today. If the U.S. military really did have psychic spies, then they would be able to find where Bin Laden is, they would be able to spy on people right here in America, violating our amendment rights. Obviously this is a very scary topic because "nobody would want to mess with an army that could do that."(walk through walls and kill things with their minds). According to the book the ideas came from Vietnam veterans, who did not want future soldiers to have to go through the same perils they did, so they devised the First Earth Battalion, or a unit of super soldiers. If these soldiers really did exist, they did not accomplish their goals, because if they had, they would still be around today. If this unit had existed, it was not very practical, because in the accounts told in the book, it took at the least two days for a Jedi to stare the goat to death, in that amount of time on the battle field, they would be dead. This story is still shrouded in mystery, and I personally want to believe that the army really did achieve these powers, because that would be really cool. If they did have people capable of the supernatural, I am willing to bet that we would never know the truth about it, unless we were there. So now I ask you, what do you think happened? Most likely, we will never know.

PLN 25

I recently saw a video form the World Science Festival featuring Bobby McFerrin. This video matters because the things that Bobby can get the audience to do, baffles the scientists. Bobby uses the pentatonic scale, which is the black keys on a piano, to get the crowd to sing with him. Bobby gives the crowd the first two notes, and then when he jumps to the third, the crowd follows with out him having the pitch given to them. Bobby then uses the whole scale to get the crowd to sing a song with him, which amazes the neuron scientists behind him. They can not understand how the crowd can sing a note that they are not given. Bobby explains that no matter where he is and no matter who is in the crowd, it always works the same way. That is the power of music; the human mind understands it and can follow without question. Unlike counting from one to ten, where not only do you have to know the numbers but what order they go in, music is very simple. Music is away to bring cultures together, like in my PLN 23, about the Tunak Tunak Tun video, everyone understands that it is music, even if we do not understand what the worlds in the song mean. I think it is really cool that music comes naturally to the human brain, because it means that no matter how different our views may be we are all connected by sound.

PLN 24

What matters today is a tower being built in India, called the Burj Dubai Tower, because it is going to be the tallest tower in the world, when completed. Construction stated on September 21, 2004, and the tower will officially open on January 4, 2010. When completed this tower will stand at 819 meters, or about 2768 feet, and will have used enough rebar to reach 1/4 of the way around the world. This tower shows exactly how far the world has come. First, the Wright brothers recorded the first powered flight, then there was the atomic bomb, then we landed on the moon, and now there is a tower 819 meters high. This tower is just another step towards the future; eventually someone will build a taller tower, or walk on Mars. In the mean time though, this tower will be able to hold lots of businesses, boosting India's economy. It will also inspire kids to believe that one day they could build something like it. Personally, I want to meet the guy who engineered it, because he has to be one of the greatest engineers of our day. To build a tower that size, not only would you need somewhere to put it, but it needs to be stable. You have to calculate wind speed to keep it from falling over and it needs to have an effective way to get from top to bottom (when completed the building will have the fastest elevators in the world). The building also would need to have allot of power, and be able to hold up all of the people within it (including the highest restaurants in the world). I would hate to be Babu Sassi. Babu is known as the man on top of the world because he operates the crane at the top of the Burj tower. Not only does he work, but he lives in the crane cab, because it would take to long to climb all the way up and down every day. So until the job is done the young man will be up there, making more than 30,ooo dirhams ($8,168) a month, compared to the 800 dirhams of the average worker. Obviously this tower represents how far the world has come and how far we will be able to go in the future.

PLN 23

I recently saw a video called "Tunak Tunak Tun" on Youtube, by one of the biggest pop stars in India, Daler Mehndi. This video is important, because it shows that America is taking some interest in other countries cultures. This video is a perfect example of the Indian culture, and the fact that it has 12,154,971 views, on Youtube is a great thing. I believe that every one should take the time to learn at least something about another person’s culture. Practicing this would expand world peace, because we would know more about each other, which would cause conflicts to become less escalated. Schools are already doing this; most colleges require at least a year and a half of foreign language class. By learning other languages, we learn more about the culture, which will lead to better understanding. I personally think this video is not only entertaining, but gives us insight to part of the Indian culture. I would recommend watching it several times, and studying the dance, the sound and the colors, because every time I watch it I notice something new. By noticing theses things we will understand the culture better. Thus I believe that this video is important, because it shows that people are taking more interest in each others culture, which will eventually lead to people understanding each other a littler bit better.

PLN 22

What matters in the article "Put forth our best writing selves" by Douglas Hesse, is the fact that the new versions of comunication, texting, twitter and email, could end up deminishing the writing ability of people today.

PLN 21

The article "iPhone App Translates Baby's Crys" by Ki Mae Heussner, Ned Potter and Liam Berkowitz, is extremely important. It is about the new application for the iPhone, that was released last week, by Barcelona-based Biloop Technologic which can supposedly use "sound analysis technology" to tell the emotion being expressed by babies. This new app. can supposedly identify the five emotional states of hunger, fatigue, annoyance, stress or boredom, making it easier for parents to give their babies what they want. If this works, it will make new parents lives way easier. They wouldn't have to continually guess at what their child is begging for. It will also bring more relief to the general public, because there will be less babies crying in restaurant, stores, or on a really long flight. This will also reduce shaken baby syndrome, where in an attempt to stop the crying, a sitter or other person shakes the baby and severely injures it. With this new technology babies will be calmed and less will be shaken and injured. This technology can also be used in other ways, such as in espionage to identify voices. Voice recognition security systems to make things safer, or in translating from one language to another by helping to understand the emotion and message the person is trying to convey. So in general, if this technology really does work, it will make everyones’ lives better.

PLN 20

What matters in the article "Giant Crack in Africa Will Create a New Ocean" co-written by the LifeScience staff, is that there could be a new ocean. The article states that according to scientists, what is happening in the desert of Ethiopia, is also what happens on the bottom of the ocean. Therefore, they have determined that the 35-mile rift through the desert will create a new sea. According to the article, it is the African and Arabian tectonic plates spreading apart that is causing the crack through the Afar desert. The crack began in 2005 and is causing great excitement in the scientific world. The scientists that wrote the article say that this is what is theorized to be happening on the bottom of the ocean, but seeing as they do not have the technology to reach the bottom of the ocean, they are very excited to use this new site as a "unique and superb ocean-ridge laboratory." Doing this will break a lot of new ground in the world of oceanography. There is also another subject, brought up by the rift, which has the religious world excited. Scientists say that this is also "splitting the Red Sea." They claim that volcanic activity under the Red Sea is causing it to split, and alarmingly fast. According to the article, there is also a rift like this under the Red Sea, and volcanic activity under the surface is filling the rift with hardened lava, or magma rock. This is raising the rift and splitting the sea into two bodies of water, but then more shifting of the tectonic plates lowers the rift again, back to one body of water. The scientists say that this is an extremely fast process and could happen and be over with in a span of just three days. This is affecting the religious world because it has proven that maybe there were other factors at play when Moses split the sea and saved the Jews. This is obviously something to watch closely, because if one of these rifts showed up under a city or poisonous gas was released from within the Earth, who knows what the consequences would be. Anyway you look at it, this new rift, whether it creates an ocean or not, will cause some great new discoveries.

PLN 19

What matters in the post "Teaching, Testing and Counseling" on the blog "Webblogg-ed", is the fact that teachers are going to be treated differently and their salaries changed depending on the test scores of their students. I believe that this is a totally fair thing. Teachers need an incentive to do their job and do it well. But there are some problems I see with this new method. One is that sometimes it is the kids’ fault, for not paying attention in class, or being difficult and "un-teachable." Kids like this could cause a problem, because if these kids don't learn, it is their own fault, and the teacher should not have to pay. Another problem is what if kids don't test well, or straight up don't get the subject. In my own personal experience, I did not understand parts of my math class last year, it would take me 15 minutes to work out a problem. But I guess it was the teachers method, or it just took time to sink in, because this year after summer vacation, I can do the same type of problems in my head and twice as fast as before. A third problem that I can find in this system, is that some teachers will now only focus on test scores. My school already focuses a lot on writing because the test results were so bad in that area last year. So now I am doing a lot of writing in almost every class but geometry. If this new system comes in to play then the schools will have a bunch of kids who test well, but it doesn't necessarily mean that those same kids learned what they were suppose to in the class. Obviously, this new system has flaws, and it probably won't work to the benefit of everyone.

PLN 18

The Nobel Peace Prize is given to the person who makes the greatest or most advances towards world peace every year. The newly elected president Obama, did really nothing to deserve this prestigious award, that once belonged to Theodore Roosevelt. In an article on Chicago's Sun Times website, there is a quote from Obama himself, that he is accepting the award "as an affirmation of American leadership." What matters in this article is the fact that President Obama does not deserve the Nobel Peace Prize. The article goes on to say that it is more of a "you’re not George Bush" prize. This is backed up by saying that the world hated President Bush, and that they love Obama. The article backs this point up with the fact that Bush was hit with a shoe the last time he went to Iraq. Now Obama my not deserve the peace prize, but I think he should make up for that by following in the steps of former recipients, like T. R. and do something within his time in office, that really does deserve this prestigious award. He would for sure be marked down in the history books if he followed through and did something great to make up for the undeserved house warming gift. By doing something that does deserve the prize he will become even more liked and admired by the leaders on the world stage. This would also improve the image of America in the eyes of the world because it would show we truly are one of the greatest countries on earth, and that we do good things for other countries who need help.

PLN 17

On Karl Fisch's bolg "The Fischbowl," there is a video by the name of "The Bionic Eye." This video matters because it shows the kind of environment Americans now live in. The Bionic Eye is a new app. for the iPhone or iTouch, and when held up to it’s surroundings the application displays the nearest places of interest; as in, restaurants, subway stations and other things. This is really cool because now we can find things quicker, but this technology points out a problem with American society. In the video when the man held up the device to demonstrate, the application found two McDonalds, three Starbucks, a Burger King, and a Wendy’s. Now most people would think that this is a great thing, but I took a step back and thought about the meaning. America is such a fat and lazy country these days that the people need a device to find the McDonalds, Starbucks, and Wendy’s, that are all so close together that 8 of them can be found on the screen of and iPod. This goes to show that America not only needs 4 McDonalds and 3 Starbucks all on the same block, but that we are so lazy that we need a device to find the one that is closest. In the video the man also said that the application is available to Russia, Britain, China, and Japan. I don't believe that theses countries will use this application as much, or at least not in the same way, as the U.S. These countries most likely don't need this application unless they are visiting a new place, and even when they do use it, there probably will only be one Starbucks, and McDonalds on the screen. Personally I think this technology is really cool, but eventually it will just end up contributing to the nation’s obesity problem. When that happens, we won't be able to fit into the tiny little, eco friendly cars, which are now being made. If all of this is added together, it really isn't iPod's fault. America needs to take steps to reduce its obesity and make it so that this application doesn’t find 4 of every fast food places all in the space of one screen.

PLN16

What mattes in Dr. Wesch's video The Internet Has a Face is the fact that Youtube is changing the world. Youtube has changed the world in two different ways, represented in the video. First is that Youtube and the internet are causing humans to be less socially inclined. An example is of one of the girls who admits a bunch of stuff on camera that she probably wouldn't tell people otherwise, like the fact that she has joined a dating site, or that she is on drugs. Another is the guy who is giving a response to some girl, and does it over and over again. I find it lame to respond to a girl via recorded message, or to willingly admit things on the internet that you wouldn't normally tell people in person. The second reason Youtube is changing the world is it is bringing people together. At the end of the video it shows examples of movements started via Youtube. One guy even started a charity, and other people started movements that dealt with more political issues, even some court cases were supported. So I take this all back to my digital footprint essay, the internet is a two faced convenience. People do things on camera that they wouldn't do normally. But on the other hand, it can be used for good and change the world for the better.

PLN15

What matters on The Official Google Blog is the post "Our Googley Advice to Students: Major in Learning." This post matters because it gives a general description of what companies look for in employees. It does this by going over what Google looks for. For example, Google wants people with analytical reasoning, communication skills, willingness to experiment, people who are team players, and a passion for leadership. I connected these things back to PLN14, and the "Rigor Redefined" article, and the fact that the thing that companies are looking for have changed. My analysis of the requirements in both the Google article and "Rigor Redefined" is that businesses today want people who are more independent and out going. I can see why, business has evolved in the twenty first century, things are more interactive. With things like skype, e-mail, and txt, people are constantly communicating, and companies want people who can utilize these new technologies and get things done. In other words, it is the way of the future and if you don't take part you will be left behind. Thus why it is important to read articles such as these and learn about what it is going to take to succeed in the 2000's and beyond.

PLN14

There are several things that matter in the article "Rigor Redefined" by Tony Wagner. Number one is that students today may not be prepared for work in the twenty first century. According to the article the requirements for jobs these days have changed drastically, and students may not be prepared for these new jobs. Number two, is that some teachers aren't doing there jobs correctly or well. Two example of this from the article are the chemistry class, where the boys did something wrong and simply shrugged their shoulders; and the U.S. Government class, where the kid in the front mumbled the answer that no one else could hear and the teacher didn't even give the answer to the rest of the class. I am glad that none of my teachers are like that. All of these facts worry me, because I want to be prepared for my future, and I don’t want end up driving a trash truck. This is why I am so glad I go to Arapahoe. The teachers are good, the environment is great, and I know that they will prepare me the best they can because they want me to succeed. To sum up, students today would be a lot better off if they went to a school like Arapahoe, with great teachers, and basically a promise to prepare you for your future.

PLN13

From my own personal experience, I write better and faster when I use pen and paper. Although, now I use the computer more, I am becoming more proficient at creating good writing with the technology. So, I both agree and disagree with the study by the NSBA conducted by Virginia Berninger, because I do write well with a pen, but can do just as well with a keyboard. I know for a fact that my spelling isn’t very good, which is why I prefer the computer because of spell check. Though, when I use pen and paper I write much better essays and paragraphs. For this reason I am going to agree with the study. I do write better with a pen, but I like writing on the computer more. It makes me feel technologically advanced and I enjoy feeling superior to apes.

PLN12

What matters in the article "Footprints in the Digital Age" by Will Richardson, is that he has researched and confirmed what was said in my Digital Footprint essay. He is worried about his kids future just as I am worried about my future. The only thing differnet is that he made a list of ways to stop the problem. He baisicly said that to make sure that your digital footprint has a good influence in the future, you have to post and do good things on the internet. This means that things have to be spell checked, read for good gramar and made to have a good reflection of you. I agree with him, if someone in the future Googles me and the first five things Google comes up with are not good, or even worse, nothing is found; it would send the mesage that I am not technalogicaly savy. Nobody wants a persn who doesn't use the internet, or can't operate a computer past playing solitare. That is why I think there should either be a law that prevents people from using digital footprints to judge you, or a law that sets standards for the internet, and thus eliminating the problem all together. I am more in favor of the first law, because although it is unpractical, it keeps our First Amendment rights intact. I hope that the article by Will Richardson will have more of an affect on people than my digital footprint essay.

PLN11

Karl Fisch's video "2020 Vision" intrigued me. Through the video I wondered about how this would affect my future. I soon realized that the video was not just about the class of 2020, but about the world. The fact that Google might accomplish all of those things, and become worth $1.5trillion makes me want to go out and buy Google stock shares. Another interesting thing that caught my eye during the video was that it claimed Obama would still be president in 2018. My question is, did he loose his second race for office or is he to be only the second president in history to take three terms? I then started wondering, if this is all predicted for 2020, who is going to accomplish all of this? I remembered Mr. Fisch's other video "Did You Know" and how it predicted that most of the jobs that will exist for my class, don't exist now. I had finally discovered how this affects me, it is going to be people my age or a little older who do all of these amazing things. Be it the GCam, Gcast, GPanles, the first working quantum computer, iMagine, or eyeMagine(which I think is the coolest of all because it is a computer screen projected on your retina) people my age, maybe even me, will be accomplishing these great technological feet’s. This could be true because my class is to graduate college somewhere between 2017 and 2022. This gives me hope for the future, but I am also saddened that it can not be my class that has a chance to experience all of these things as we grow up and go through high school. Another thing that the video made me think about is my great grandma Polly. My mom and grandma Paula always tell me how she has lived through the age of inventions, she has seen the invention of the T.V., the microwave, a ton of things that we now take for granted today. I started wondering if I was going to be saying the same kind of thing about my parents, or my children about me. All of the wonderful things this video predicts really make a person think about how it will affect them, but that is the story of Americans, always thinking about ourselves.

PLN10

On Karl Fisch's blog, The Fischbowl, the post, "Who Ya Gona Call" shows exactly what this world has come to. The story about how Ms. Orf found an old friend on Facebook, and is going to use Skype so that he can talk to her business class about being an entrepreneur is a prime example of how the internet can be used. This shows that, by using the internet, as it is today, it is possible to find anybody, anywhere, and then have a conversation with that person wherever they are. I personally think this can be a good thing, and a bad one at the same time. Take pedophiles for example; pedophiles use the web to stalk children and whoever else they want, and things like Facebook are being used as their tools of evil. The web is good though because it can be used to do things for education, like what was described on Mr. Fisch's blog. This all ties back into the digital footprint essay we did for class, the sites on the web that are intended to help us, can have a down side too. I would like to see an age where the internet is completely safe, and yet can still be used to its fullest extent, but that is probably not going to happen for a very long time.

PLN9

On the blog Weblogg-ed the post “Don’t Don’t Don’t vs. Do Do Do” by Will Richardson, talks about the internet policies at schools. He had an experience at a school where the students and teachers were all given an 8 page packet on what not to do on the internet, which basically said do not use the school internet for socializing. He then claims that having blocks on the web prevents students from interacting with other students, experts, and other teachers that would benefit the students learning. He also said that if students were taught from an early age how to use the internet responsibly, they would not sit around and play games instead of learning. I agree with Mr. Richardson, because I do not normally play games on the internet anyway, and being able to chat with other people about a subject we are learning in class would be really cool. It would be like the web cam Mrs. Smith has set up for the kids who are sick, but instead of being at home we could talk with someone from another country, that would help immensely with foreign language credits. All in all I agree with Mr. Richardson, because kids can’t get a full experience with a computer if they cant use it to it’s fullest extent.

PNL8

In PLN8 I am going to compare two of the videos from Dr. Wesch with one from Mr. Fisch. This is hard to do because Mr. Fisch's video and one of Dr. Wesch's deal with the development of technology, while the other video is made of facts from students' lives. Now the only thing to compare is something that all three videos share, and that is the fact that they all share facts about life and how it will be in the future. The video from Dr. Wesch "A Vision of the Average Student" showed us how the average college student lived and gave us facts about their daily routine. While the video from Mr. Fisch showed us how technology and the current students of America would interact. Like how the average student today would have a job that doesn't even exist right now. Then in Dr. Wesch's video "The Machines are Using Us" shows how technology could eventually be bad and become smarter than the human race. The connection between the three videos is that all three of them prove that students use technology that will either help or hinder them in the future, and it all depends on how we use that technology.

PLN7

What matters in the post "This Would Be Really Weird" on the blog 2¢ Worth, by David Warlick, is very similar to what mattered in PLN 2. This blog post is about how women are becoming a larger percent of the work force and losing fewer jobs than men. The statistics that David brought up was that women make up 49.3% of the work force right now (expected to be 50% by November), and that sense December 2007 about 75% of the jobs lost have been held by men, and 25% of them by women. This worries me for the same reasons as PLN 2 did. I am worried that if I don’t do really well in school and go to a great college, I might lose out in the job race to a girl. This is a problem because one, I wont have a job and two, I don’t like losing to girls.

In PLN 2 the article talked about how women are taking more spots in colleges too. I was wondering if that fact directly leads to women having and holding more and more jobs. I want to have the job I want when I’m older, and I want it to be a good job, but if someone else, be they women or man, beats me out for it… well that would just not be good.

I am not saying that women should give up their jobs to men and just go home; everybody deserves a job that isn’t at McDonalds. But this being an all boys L.A. class, I want the guys to start doing better. If this trend keeps up all men will have left is professional sports. But women are even taking over sports, look at Danica Patrick; she is going to be driving NASCAR next year.

The fact that women are taking more and more jobs worries me about my future and what job I will get.

PLN6

On the blog Stager-to-Go the post “Another Radical Obama Supporter” by Admin, talks about Laura Bush’s reaction to President Obama’s speech to the school kids of America. I agree with Ms. Bush on her point of view; it was good for Obama to send a message to the kids of America. I also believe parents should have the right to keep their kid from watching it, but the speech he gave was all about “stay in school” and isn’t that the message parents try to give their kids anyway? I also thought that it is a good thing Ms. Bush approved of the speech. It is basically her accepting him in his new role as the President of the United States. This is good for the country to see that the former president’s wife is in approval, it gives the country a positive look on the future for Mr. Obama. This matters for the future because we are now more accepting of the new president, and maybe he will get some things done and make the country better.

PLN5

What matters in Clive Thompson’s article “The New Literacy” is the fact that technology is good. This article has totally contradicted the movies by Mr. Fisch and Dr. Wesch, because in those videos, it is predicted that technology is bad and will one day take over the world. In this article though, it was found that technology has improved literacy skills of today’s society. People constantly twittering and updating there facebook, it has caused us to write more often. According to the article we are writing far more and with better quality then the generations before us. This is good for the future because it will help our communication skills, and if we ever find life on another planet, those skills just might keep us from being vaporized. It would also be good if the trend continued. Because then the generations after us will be even better than we are personally. All of this adds up to the fact that as, race humans are becoming smarter and smarter, we can just hope that what Dr. Wesch predicted will not come true.

PLN4

There are two things that matter in Dr. Wesch's video "The Machiens Are Using Us". One is that using email and txt gives us a fasle sense of reallity. There is no emotion involved in what Dr. Wesch reffers to as a simulated conversation. This worries me because it will cuase people to use txt and email to convers because they don't know how to relate when face to fac with a person. Seccond and final is that as we try to make the "simulated conversation" more realistic the machines could use that programing to begin to think for it self and have conversations with other machines and humans. Eventualy the machiens would rule our live, because as the computers are programed to be smarter and smarter, they will eventualy out smart the human population and rule the world.

PLN3

What mattered on the Denver Post blog by Howard Pankraz is that the smoke from the California wild fire is steaming into colorado. According to the blog, it is causing breathing problems for some Coloradans. This is bad for people with asma or other breathng condtions and could end up adding to the total death toll of the fires. The other reason that this is bad is that if the smoke has made it to Colorado and is affecting us, wouldn't it be bad for the states inbetween, like Utha and Nevada. We need to get these fires under control before the death toll gets higher and California burns in to the sea.

What matters to Tait

Everything that matters to me is in the picture above, friends, sports, singing, family and my dog. These things are all important to me for different reasons. Family is important to me because they will always be there for me. My mom and dad will do just about anything I ask of them, and my grandparents are just happy to be around me. My cousins are some of my closest friends. All of these people love me and I love them because they are family, and that’s what families do, they love each other. Another part of my life represented in the picture above is sports, of witch I play two, wrestling and baseball. Over the last year I have reached the panicle of my pre high school sports carrier. I was captain of the Powell wrestling team last year and placed 2nd in districts. Over the summer I played on two baseball teams, my Cherry Creek AYL team, who I have played with for seven years finally won the Little League World Series. Then I also played on the freshman summer team Arapahoe. Our record wasn’t very good but we had a lot of fun, and it exposed me to the high school competition level. The other thing that matters to me and is school related is singing. In the collage above is a picture from the Powell Pops concert last year. I was in choir all three years at Powell under the direction of Ms. Kathy Summers and ending my carrier there in the Jazz Choir. I’m also in concert choir this year and so far its turning out well. The next thing that matters to me is my friends; my friends will always be there for me no matter what. They are always fun to hang out with and a good source for a laugh. The final thing represented in the collage is my dog. He should probably be considered part of the family but he is just a little to cool. His name is soda and he is all of 15 pounds not including the fluff. He is my bud who I play with when I’m bored and he doesn’t care who I am or what I do, as long as he gets fed. That basically sums up what matters to me, and I say just basically because a picture is worth a thousand words, and I don’t even have all my pictures up there.

PLN2

What matters to me for the future, education, and the world in the genre of gender differences is the fact the girls are getting more opportunities than boys. According to the articles we read on Friday, “Quite Gender Gap Hits Collegiate Balance” by The Post Editorial, about how the populations at colleges and the high paying desirable jobs are being taken over by women. That worries me for my future, because I want to get into college and get a good job. Now don’t get me wrong I’m all for women’s rights but it really worries me because I might not get the job I want when I’m older. Like being the CEO of a company or being part of a big law firm. I have decided that my personal goal, for when I am older, is to graduate at the top of my class and prove that not only girls can be success full these days.

PLN1: Did You Know

What mattered to me, in Karl Fitch's video "Did You Know", was the future. Something that worried me was the fact that in 2049 the average $1,000 computer is predicted to be smarter than the whole human race. What does that mean? Will computers control our lives and everything around us? That is a scary thought. The world would be completely different. We would have computers do everything for us. They would get us food dress us, and everything else. We would all be fat from lack of movement and exercise. Something else I'm sacred of for the human race is that we will be over populated. To many people not enough resources. both of these would affect the world majorly. the computer would control most of everything. While at the same time there would be way to many people on the planet. This will affect me because i will still be alive in 2049, and I'm not sure if I'm going to like being told what to do by a computer or being crowed all the time. That's why i recommend everyone watch this video, it gives you something to think about.