The Cat's Cradle
Inspiring Quote: “Of course this is not the whole story, but that is the way with stories; we make them what we will. It’s a way of explaining the universe unexplained, it’s a way of keeping it all alive, not boxing it into time. Everyone who tells a story tells it differently, just to remind us that everybody sees it differently. Some people say there are true things to be found, some people say all kinds of things can be proved. I don't believe them. The only thing for certain is how complicated it all is, like string full of knots. It's all there but hard to find the beginning and impossible to fathom the end. The best you can do is admire the cat's cradle, and maybe knot it up a bit more.” (Winterson)
What do Ya know?
The x-men could be real...
Transgenesis is an emerging field of study within neuroscience at the present. By insuring an extra gene into an organism before it procreates, the gene sequence and properties are embedded into the organism through the DNA structure. The Human Genome Project started in 1984 and ended in 2003. Its purpose was to map out individual genes and corresponding properties within the human genome. However, it all turned out to be a lot more complicated than first expected. There are many other factors that contribute to genetic influences on personal abilities and personality traits. However, let's pretend that the Human Genome Project had discovered a gene for super intelligence… Let's pretend that gene was placed in a human (unethical- but this is merely hypothetical to prove a point). This human conceived a child with another human. Thus, the child inherited the additional intelligence gene making them a mutant in the human population. It is pretty interesting to consider… the concept of actual X-men is possible. At the present, only mice and cats have been given a phosphorescent gene that makes them slightly glow in the dark through the process of transgenesis.
It isn't Nature Versus Nurture… Consider &
Recently, researchers have discovered that we all have an epigenome that wraps around the genes and chromosomes in our DNA. This epigenome has a switch that is triggered by sustained stressful events. Much like the RNA of a protein, once the shape is changed, it influences the personality/behavioral disposition of the individual (example: higher levels of anxiety or nervous tendencies). These behavioral dispositions are caused by changes in the epigenome influenced by situations and the environment. These behavioral tendencies, shifted by events, can be inherited for generations down the line. This evidence epitomizes the fact that out lives are not merely influenced by nature or nurture, but rather in tandem.
http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/epigenetics/intro/
http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/epigenetics/intro/
Should Pluto Be a Planet?
Do you believe in second chances? Should Pluto be a planet again? I have always had an affinity for astronomy and contemplating space. There was a musical artist in the seventies who created interesting themed albums. His name was Alan Parsons. In one of his albums, he includes a recording from Frank Close, an astronomer at Oxford. He says,
When you look into a night sky \ You see the stars far away \ You're seeing them because of the light \ Which travels from them to you \ Now it takes time for light to travel here \ So what you're doing is seeing the stars as they were in the past\ The amount of time it has taken for the light to reach us \ And the further and further away those stars are \ The further back in time you are looking \ Now you are seeing a star that is say six thousand years ago \ Imagine somebody on that star looking at us \ They would be seeing us as we were six thousand years ago \ Which of those two is now? \ So space and time are linked together\ As we are looking across space, we are looking back in time. (Temporalia)
There are many interesting theories in astronomy. Even if you do not like the numbers involved in quantum physics, you can appreciate the theories of parallel universes and String Theory. The App below lets you follow Pluto and asteroids in the Kuiper Belt… pretty awesome mission.
http://pluto.jhuapl.edu/epoapps/
When you look into a night sky \ You see the stars far away \ You're seeing them because of the light \ Which travels from them to you \ Now it takes time for light to travel here \ So what you're doing is seeing the stars as they were in the past\ The amount of time it has taken for the light to reach us \ And the further and further away those stars are \ The further back in time you are looking \ Now you are seeing a star that is say six thousand years ago \ Imagine somebody on that star looking at us \ They would be seeing us as we were six thousand years ago \ Which of those two is now? \ So space and time are linked together\ As we are looking across space, we are looking back in time. (Temporalia)
There are many interesting theories in astronomy. Even if you do not like the numbers involved in quantum physics, you can appreciate the theories of parallel universes and String Theory. The App below lets you follow Pluto and asteroids in the Kuiper Belt… pretty awesome mission.
http://pluto.jhuapl.edu/epoapps/
What is Nothing?
This is a video from Frank Close, an astronomer who worked at Oxford, who spoke about nothing. It is an intriguing video to watch and think about. Where were you two years before you were born? It is strange to think about. The accuracy is uncertain, but the postulation is possible… which makes it all the more enthralling.
Parallel Universes. String Theory.
The concepts behind String Theory, parallel universes, and multiple dimensions in space are fascinating. This TED talk shed a lot of light onto the current astronomy-related discussions.
Public Relations:
Technology & Culture
Critically analyze this advertisement. How do you think public relations has changed as a field of marketing in the past twenty years? What do you notice about the connections the Android company is trying to make in this clip? How is PR different from journalism?
The Power of the Subjunctive
If we could get past the negative connotations that pervade the existence of grammar in schools, we might be able to see grammar as the building blocks of our language- the building blocks of our expression and understanding of the world. Take a look at this video where the ideological premise of the subjunctive is analyzed in a way that lends insight into the power of language on interpretation and perspective.
How to read literature like a professor book review
American Indian Perspective
In class, we discuss connotations. We discuss stereotypes. We talk about the danger of the single story and dissect the implicit messages that perpetuate certain ideologies throughout history and within contemporary society today. Watch this video. Tell me how labels can hold connotations and identify what those connotations are. What are the differences between the titles given in the video and the image provided at the end of the video?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7KxUaN_-aq4 What do you think?
Culture Jamming & Banksy
the_story_behind_banksy.pdf | |
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Culture Jamming is the process of using mass produced and socially recognizable images with particular and popular connotations and in a subversive way manipulating these images to create different connotations that offer a different perspective or critique of society.
Barbie culture
As I am gathering additional research for "The Yellow Wallpaper," I am increasingly aware of the current conceptualizations revolving around feminism and agency for girls and women. I came across this promotional video for Barbie. What discrepancies do you find in this ad? What are some of the pros of this type of advertising and its subsequent contribution to this working definition of third wave feminism? What are some of the negative aspects in this kind of advertising and what internal contradictions does this add to the working definition of third wave feminism?
Modernism Versus postmodernism
What do I do in my free time since I do not have a TV? I study literary theory and research or sleep… or go on long walks and contemplate the meaning of life… Nonetheless, when I was pursuing my undergraduate studies, I became increasingly interested in the concepts revolving around postmodernism (and its influence on educational policies and curriculum). Watch this video. Tell me what you think. Do you agree with the perspectives? Do you disagree? How do you think society at large could be influenced differently considering the lens through which we understand it?
This is Indiana.
John Green. Kurt Vonnegut.
High School Bucket List
The Bell Curve of Motivation
The Hijab & Feminism
I think culture is a bridge that can bring us together or separate us depending on how we study culture. A common misconception in contemporary American society is the importance of the hijab in Islamic culture. This article attempts to give a perspective that is often overlooked in many ways when discussing feminism and the role of feminism in cultures in American classrooms.
Views. on. Slam.
It's the "I" Word
Ideologies.
It's About How you Say it
Stress before a test?
This is Water
This is by far my favorite commencement speech. However, it also unravels the truth behind the real value of studying language arts. It is intelligent and humble. It is relatable and relative. It is a speech that is comprised of myriad messages conveying important lessons.