|
|
Post by Kayla on Mar 8, 2015 17:53:49 GMT
Film Test Questions #2
Question 1-We are all Scientists
Drawing from the movie “we are all scientists,” I do recall an event where I acted as a scientist. It was my 7th grade year when I was learning about reactions in science class. I was taught that mentos created a type of explosion with items very acidic based. Being the young child I was, I wanted to test out an experiment. So I decided to get mint mentos and fruity mentos along with a 2-liter bottle of Coke, Sprite, and Orange Crush. My friends and I decided to make bottle rockets to test out the experiment over the weekend. My dad had helped us research how to make bottle rockets, which we used as a guideline since we modified and improvised the directions to make it our own. We soon found out that the mint mentos did create an explosion, especially with Coke. My friends and I did mint mentos with all three sodas and fruity mentos with all three sodas and concluded that the mint mentos worked the best with the sodas but created the highest shooting bottle rocket with Coke. After we returned back to school that Monday, we shared our results with our teacher and showed pictures and ended up getting extra credit for testing it out on our free will. It was later seen that my friends and I were simply acting as scientists by testing out hypothesis to see which would work the best.
Question 2-Voodoo Voodoo
Drawing from the movie “Voodoo Voodoo,” I have used a “magical formula” in my life to make my reasonable wishes come true with an hour time frame. Whenever I said this formula, it seemed to have made my wishes come true. I would chant: “One two three, over a tree and back to me.” For example if I wanted a certain person to text me, I would say this chant and within an hour, that person would text me. I would say my wish in my head, say the chant so my mind was off of my wish for a moment, and then the thought would come back to me and I would wait patiently and it would happen. Now this chant didn’t work on everything or every time because I think I used and abused it but when I used it here and there, it always seemed to work. To this day, I will still say the chant and sometimes “-magical” things happen from it. I would explain why this worked today as a coincidence because it just seemed that things would happen whenever they occurred, but this chant made it seem to come sooner than expected. It can be said that in fact, it is a “magical formula” if only good things happen from this chant if it is used seldom.
Question 3-Calvin’s Shuffle
Calvin’s shuffle is an important metaphor and should be a guiding principle when claiming something for certain because without all the facts, in his case the cards, being laid out, there are many interpretations that can be made by the player and the observer. Simultaneously, each person plays both roles throughout the “game.” To defend your argument or stance, you must have ALL the evidence and facts laid out so you cannot be questioned with doubt. Furthermore, it is important to keep in mind that you must understand both views, in this case the players view and the observers view.
|
|
|
|
Post by Kimberly Rillorta on Mar 8, 2015 21:15:01 GMT
1. Drawing from the movie "we are all scientists" describe several incidents in your own life where you thought and acted scientifically. Be sure to detail how your thoughts or actions were scientific.
There are several ways that numerous individuals act scientifically on an everyday basis. I found myself thinking scientifically one day when I was laying on the “Black Sand Beach” in Hawaii. Previously in life I had only encountered beaches with beige sand which is what I was accustomed to. When I arrived at this beach with only black sand I was amazed at the change of color. Instead of just enjoying the beach for what it was I found myself beginning to think scientifically about how the black sand got there. I came up with several hypotheses for the black sand. Some of my ideas were instantly disregarded and others that were more realistic. After contemplating about several hypotheses I finally came to a logical explanation for the sand. There were big black rocks of basalt on the sides of the beach, and I came to the conclusion that the sand was just finely broken down pieces of these rocks. Through a process called weathering small fragments of the rock are broken off by water hitting the rocks and by wind. The rocks are broken down so much that they become sand. This is a time in my life where I thought scientifically since I came up with serval ideas and canceled each one out one by one until I came up with a reasonable answer.
2. Using the movie "voodoo voodoo" as your prompt, have you in your life ever used a "magical formula" (from prayers to mantras to chants to childhood rhymes, etc.) to secure what you wanted or to protect yourself, etc? Feel free to tell your recollections in story form. How would you today rationally explain how and why it worked?
There are several examples of chants and mantras that human beings use in an attempt to protect themselves from inevitable occurrences. One childhood rhyme that is common for the youth to use is the rain song. Often times when it is raining a child will sing the song, “Rain, rain, go away, come again another day”. When the song would actually work it would make the child feel powerful and convince the child that the song had magical powers. It would appear as if singing this song had the power to defeat the nature of the universe. Another example would be when a person does the sign of the cross when entering a freeway or getting on an airplane. This is done by a person touching their forehead, then in between their chest, their left shoulder, and then their right shoulder. People do this in an attempt to protect their bodies from danger. Whenever a person exits the freeway or gets off a plane safely it would appear as if the sign of the cross is what protected them from endangerment. What people do not take account for are all the times when these songs, mantras, or rituals do not work. Normally you are more likely to exit the freeway safely then get in an accident. This means that the ritual of preforming the sign of the cross is going to seem that it not only works but is efficient. In reality there is a rational explanation for why the rain would stop or why the cross worked. It is just the odds that these circumstances would occur. Every even that happens is just due to probability and therefore no event should be viewed as mystical.
3. Calvino's shuffle is an important metaphor. Why should it be a guiding principle when claiming something for certain? Give examples.
The metaphor of Calvino’s shuffle has major significance to the process of how we learn lessons throughout life. With each new age brings with it new knowledge and understanding. We may believe that we are wise at the age we currently are, but in reality as a person matures they also learn new lessons and concepts about the world they are a part of. As human beings we should never feel as if we cannot learn more and never claim any information or ideology as certain. This is because information and ideas about life are constantly changing and evolving. What we think for certain at one age might change drastically or even completely at an older age. An example of this that relates to me could be my mindset on life itself. At some point in my past I had the mindset about life that it was difficult and troublesome. I would seem to encounter multiple problems that would result in me becoming frustrated with my life. I began to find myself not being grateful for the things I had since I was so exasperated and melancholy about life. Throughout time I gained a greater understanding about the lifecycle and the challenges that individuals encounter. I began to learn that throughout your life you will experience a wide range of problems and obstacles, yet how you react to your complications will be important to your happiness and overall well-being. It is possible to become upset by the difficulties in life yet this will only affect your mentality towards life detrimentally. If you do not allow your challenges to make you discouraged, and look at them with a positive mindset, then it will lead to a happier and healthier life. This is my mindset towards existence at the moment but Calvino’s shuffle illustrates that as a mature I will gain even more understanding of the subject.
|
|
|
|
Post by Jessica Martinez on Mar 8, 2015 23:45:28 GMT
Exam #2 Code: 999 Phil 8
1) We are all scientists The first and only time that I decided to cook lasagna felt completely as if I were working on an experiment because of all of the steps and observations that I had to go through. There are various combinations of ingredients that I had to put together but in the process I had to make sure that I was observant at the results. In order for it to come out good and not burnt I had to continuously check up on it to make sure that it came out the way it was supposed to. While I was preparing and mixing the ingredients, I used kitchen utensils, measuring cups, and anything else that helped me with how much to add to the lasagna. Using the mentality of a scientist allows us to get the perfect meal and that is what happened when I thought like one because the lasagna did not come out undercooked or overcooked.When a person cooks it seems like simply cooking but then it is visible that it takes some steps that scientists use on a daily basis.
2) Voodoo Voodoo Whenever my father or my brothers get sick or are going through a tough time my family prays together that is our "magical formula" because we find it to be effective. While I was growing up my mother always stressed the importance of prayers because she had noticed the great changes that it made in her life and her family's as well. We have been doing this for as long as I can remember and can honestly say that I notice the difference when we do it. It calms us down because we feel that by doing this it will help our chances of improving health or maintaining it. Prayers our powerful in our mind because whenever we feel that the worst has arrived in our lives, we are able to use it and have a better outlook in how our lives will turn out to be. It may not seem like much to others but the prayers that we have said have a lot of meaning to us and are our hope to obtaining what we once had and in this case our health.
3) Calvin's Shuffle Throughout life people think that a certain situation may be one way but then it turns out to be completely different. At some point people are thrown off by the way that they have been acting or by how people surrounding them have acted. It seems that sometimes people perceive things to be one way because they are comfortable with the way that it is and are blind to see what the things that surround them actually are. It is easy to see the nice things because people are okay with them but once they open their minds to other things they see what is actually there and realize that there is more to a situation than what they had been led to believe. It is difficult to see the problems and it shows that there is definitely a process that takes a while that people go through before seeing what is really there. |
|
|
|
Post by Julian Rodriguez on Mar 8, 2015 23:58:37 GMT
Julian Rodriguez
Critical Thinking
Film Exam #2: 999
1.) Several times when I acted as a scientist was when I trialed and experimented with different elements affecting how I sleep to try and achieve the skill of lucid dreaming. For weeks I kept a dream journal and tried different things such as meditating, stretching, playing music, and writing thoughts down before I laid in bed to go to sleep to see exactly what affected my dreams and capability to control my dreams the most. Acting and thinking as a scientist, I came up with a thesis, made experiments, revisions to those experiments, and came to a conclusion.
2.) Like in Voodoo Voodoo, I too have come up with a magical formula that I have used in my life. Whenever I have Chinese food and reach for a fortune cookie at the end of my meal, since I was a child, my sister and I came up with a rule that we must break the cookie in half, eat one half of the cookie, read the fortune, discuss it with who we are eating with, then eat the other half. We thought that this would increase the likelihood of the fortunes coming true for us. Of course, now I would rationally explain the cookies as having phrases that are very generalizable and easily applicable to everyone at some point in their life. Secretly, however, I still do this; breaking the cookie in half, eating, reading, and eating, hoping it might actually work.
3.) I once had an unpleasant coworker who made it difficult to work with. I wondered what is was that happened to this person that made them so rude and bitter towards everyone they came into contact with. Every now and then this person would act completely off the wall, really making me concerned for this person. Months later, after I was no longer working at this place, I ran into this person at a small gathering. I immediately thought I had the worst luck. This person, however, apologized to me for anything they might have done to offend me. The person also confided in me a very personal story that completely explained the person's past actions and behavior. It turned out I had just misunderstood the person.
|
|
|
|
Post by melissasalazar on Mar 9, 2015 4:22:40 GMT
999
March 4, 2014
1. When I was younger I learned that if I did not want to go to the school the following day, I had to play the “sick role” the day before. The day before the one I wanted to miss I had to show that I was not feeling well, so the next day it won’t be sudden when I “feel sick”. I learned after a couple of times doing this, that this was my way to miss school. Now thinking about it, my mom probably learned that this was my trick and just didn’t want to deal with me at the time. Then, I thought that my trick worked because I had tried it so many times and it had worked.
2. I think I’ve used “magical formulas” all of my life. Beginning from when I was little and got a scrape or bruise. My mom would tell my sister and I a saying in Spanish, and the scrape wasn’t suppose to hurt anymore because she said the “magic” words. Even today I tell myself mantras to ease my nerves. For example, there are those days that everything just feels off, so in order for me to not feel too off I have to think some positive words. Whether the words I think of actually work or not, it make my nerves calm down a bit.
3. I think it is part of human nature to think that we are always right. It is difficult to think that we can be wrong, but if we learn that we can be wrong it will be of benefit to us. Sometimes my sister tells me things and because she is younger, my brain immediately denies her words. So, when I am told something by my sister I will try to accept it into my brain because not everything is certain and I can change the way I think.
|
|
|
|
Post by Phillip Navarro on Mar 9, 2015 5:05:33 GMT
Test 2 999
When I was around 7 I was really into batman, I would watch all the batman cartoons that came on TV in the mornings. I thought he was the smartest person in the world. One episode batman was fighting with poison Ivy, she created a potion that would get batman sick. It worked and batman was out of commission for a couple of weeks until he made an antidote. I was amazed at how he created the antidote and using the glass tubes and bubblers. One day I asked my parents to buy me a lab kit with glass tubes and bubblers I figured I can make an antidote and cure people In case they get sick. I didn’t have any chemicals so I decided to grab all the soap in my house and mix it in my glass tube. I made sure that I poured an equal amount of liquid soap into my glass tube. Everything was measure and documented. I grab a little bit of my mom’s food coloring and poured it in my glass tube. After a couple of hours I came up with the “Phil, Jil, the cat and the Fil cure” thank god I didn’t have any buddy tried it but at the time I believe I created something amazing. I thought I was a genius now I look back and laugh at what I tried to do.
I recall a time when I was in the fourth grade, a friend and I would play video games after school for hours. We enjoyed playing shooting games and fighting games. Every chance we had we would have our parents take us to target or toy’s r us to buy a new game. We would play the story mode and take turns trying to beat the whole game. One day we got stuck on this really hard level, we just couldn’t beat it. We took turns but we kept failing over and over. Finally it was my friends turn as I was watching him play I decided to go grab a soda from the kitchen, I was gone no more than 5 minutes and I heard my friend shout for joy “yay!” I rushed back to the room and asked what happened; he said “I passed the level”. Next time we came across a difficult level that we couldn’t pass I would step outside the room where we were playing and come back in 5 minutes. Each time I would step out the room it would work, we would beat the level. So we decided that whoever is playing when we get stuck on a hard level we can’t pass one of us has to step outside. What’s funny is that it would work 90% of the time. Now that I’m older I realize the reason it would work is because you get to focus more and while your alone you get into a zone and don’t have pressure from anybody else.
Calvinos metaphor explains that even though you are given a path you’re not certain if it’s the right one to follow. The deck of cards will show you a positive or negative message, but until your last card you won’t really know the outcome, one card can change everything. A person comes to a crossroad they can go in any direction, each direction has a brief description of where each road goes. Just because you have been given information and have an idea of where each road leads you never truly know until the last card.
|
|
cjoo
New Member
Posts: 8 
|
Post by cjoo on Mar 9, 2015 5:58:10 GMT
Critical thinking class code: 999
1. From the movie, “We are all Scientists” describe several incidents in your life where you thought and acted scientifically. Be sure to detail how your thoughts or actions were scientific.
When you are a child, you believe in magic and mythical beings and creatures. My mother likes to say that I was born old. I was stubborn and precocious for my age and when my parents first introduced me to the idea of Santa Claus, I was absolutely flabbergasted. An old, fat, white man dressed in red, who drove a sleigh pulled by flying reindeers? It was scientifically impossible. Reindeers don’t have wings and have dense bones. Don’t even get me started on the guy coming down my chimney at night. I didn’t even have a chimney! Plus, I was sure that it counted as breaking and entering. Some people might say that I missed out on the “wonders of childhood” but I do not think of it that way. In a way it taught me to think before I act or say anything.
2. Using the movie “Voodoo, Voodoo” as your prompt, have you in your life ever used a “magical formula” (from prayers to mantras to chants to childhood rhymes, etc.) to secure twhat you wanted or to protect yourself, etc.? Feel free to tell your recollections in story form. How would you today rationally explain how and why it worked?
Though I do fancy myself as a rational person, two Christmases ago, I began to seriously doubt it. My best friend got me an eight ball fortune teller and told me that it always predicted the truth. Obviously I was very skeptical and I dismissed it as a fluke. Still I was curious if it really did work, and decided to test it out. I asked if I was ever going to get a job in the summer and the eight ball answered “it is certain”. I thought the chances of me getting a job were high anyways so I asked another question. Will I get into a fight with my mother tomorrow? It answered, “it is decidedly so”. I thought that it was strange. My mother had to reason to be mad at me. I did all my chores, my grades were good, and I kept my sass at a minimal level. Something about it made me feel uneasy and I made a promise to myself that I would be extra careful around her as soon as a I got home. The next day, I broke my mother’s favorite tea cup on accident and that was when we got into a huge fight. She blamed me for my clumsiness and I retorted that she was overreacting and said it was just a cup. The eight ball was right! After that I decided to consult the eight ball for my “important decisions”. For example I would ask if it was okay for me to socialize when I had a quiz coming up or whether I would be able to get A’s on my upcoming tests. It was always right! I don’t really have an explanation for it but perhaps it is a psychological thing? Perhaps if I had gotten the answer, it made the decision-making easier? It’s quite a willful thing; it seems reason can be broken down my eight ball. I once asked whether I would be accepted into the university and it said, “As I see it, yes” and recently I got an acceptance letter. Could it be possible my eight ball is really a “magical” artifact?
3. Calvino’s shuffle is an important metaphor. Why should it be a guiding principle when claiming something for certain? Give examples.
In order for something to be certain, it must be inspected from all angles. It is important that it be checked out from all perspectives as well. For example, my history teacher in high school, Mr. Brummett held up a book and asked the class what color the book was. The book was black so we answered black. He asked if we were sure. We nodded and agreed unanimously that the book was indeed black. Mr. Brummett disagreed with us and told us the book was red. The book was definitely black. He then flipped the book and the book was red on the back! He told us that history was always such a tricky and controversial subject because the evidence was often erased and/or rewritten. I learned from Mr. Brummett that perspective was often the key in finding out the truth. If something is going to be certain, it must be seen in all viewpoints; I believe it to be critical in the way we mature intellectually and emotionally. I was so sure that the book was black because black was all I could see at the time. If was so certain, I would have double checked and made sure the entire book was indeed black. It was a valuable lesson and I think my class would agree that it definitely put things into perspective.
|
|
