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Post by Phillip Navarro on Apr 17, 2015 8:33:58 GMT
Andrew Romo
0987 extra credit
When I was young during Christmas we would go over to my grandma’s house around 8pm. When we show up to the house and notice that the Christmas tree is lite up but with no presents. So my parents would have me sleep and wake me up around 11:30pm when I would wake up I would head over to the living and to my surprise I saw presents under the tree. My parents would tell me that Santa came by as I was asleep. Growing up you tend to believe your parents with they tell you stories like Santa clause, you believe them because they are the people you look up to and trust. But when you’re much older to understand how things work it’s not a shocker. My parents put the gifts there.
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Post by jaredhamilton on Apr 17, 2015 21:20:39 GMT
Film Test #6 Code: 97ddd
1: What are the strongest arguments for the universe being a computational simulation?
The overall advancement of technology over the past 100 years is extremely surprising when comparing this time period to one 200 years ago. the rapid advancement of such technology shows a necessity for some fear in what the future holds, fears include whether technology will surpass man as the smartest belongs on the planet and then create sentience which will be used to dominate man kind. This possible fear could be used as evidence that our lives are already being dominated by technology and this world we live in is only a simulation in order to control us.
2: Do we read more or less today? Why? Explain your generational view on reading books
The majority of the population on earth tends to read less books due to the increase of technology. Books are stored online and not only do people read E-Books but many people don't read books at all in any form. the lack of book reading can be answered with the easy way of collecting information in our world today. when a question arises between a group of friends the first thing said is "Google it". instead of going to a library and reading and digging into the topic, this generation simply looks for the simplest answer and no more.
3. What technology do you use most? Explain your attraction to it.
The single most used piece of technology pertaining to me has to be my cell phone. on my phone i get internet, calls, texts, games, weather and a plethora of other informants or recreations. it is because my phone provides all the applications that i use it more often than anything else. not only is my phone always on my person but it is always active and ready for me to access whatever i need of it.
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brad
New Member
Posts: 9 
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Post by brad on Apr 17, 2015 22:40:22 GMT
97ddd
Question 1: What are the strongest arguments for the universe being a computational simulation?
The strongest argument for our universe being a computer simulation is based on the ideology that it is possible for humans to create such a devise in the future thus we have a reason to believe that we are a byproduct of a post human species.
Question 2: Do we read more or less today? Why? Explain your generational view on reading books
I read more today then I have previously. I was never interested in reading until I started being exposed to more books, I am now very interested in reading books. College played a big factor, causing me to read more books then I would have done beforehand. My generation has grown into a society were books are becoming obsolete and we are starting to love in a virtual world were we find most out entertainment through technology.
Question 3: What technology do you use most? Explain your attraction to it.
My iPhone is the technological device I use most. My phone is such an asset, I have access to the Internet, which allows to be reached or reach anyone. I have admittance to billions of websites with a countless number of information ready at the palm of my hand. One can easily see the connection of humans and technology has grown dramatically over the past couple of decades. The future of technology is on a radically increasing incline, and we have witness its beginning.
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Post by loring1004 on Apr 18, 2015 5:01:09 GMT
Lori Ng
Test 0987
1. Provide two or more examples of "Gumby Land" thinking in your own life or from someone you know. Feel free to tell it in story form.
I think the closest experience I have to “Gumby Land” is that there would be times when I would carry around a small version of the laughing buddha or rub the belly. The reason I would do this is because my parents would always tell me that rubbing his belly would give me good luck. I still do this something like when I go to the casino but as I’ve grown up, I know that it’s all mythical that it is good luck but a small part of me wants to believe otherwise. Other than this, I do no think I have experienced “Gumby Land.”
2. Describe two or more examples from your own life where you have been caught by "maya" and how did you extricate yourself from such a delusion? You may also use examples from others you know.
A time I have been caught by “Maya” was when I came across some of those optical illusions on the internet. These illusions made me think the picture is moving or vibrating but it’s not, it just seems like it. To snap out of the moment when I was staring at the picture would to just focus on one area of it and everything else becomes still. I eventually found out when I got a little older that it’s just the brain thinking it is. I’m not too sure if there is another time when I have been in those type of situations.
3. How would “Feynman’s Imperative” help you to think more scientifically in the future? Now, how would Ivash’s caution help you in not being so cynical?
Feynman’s Imperative would help me think more scientifically in the future by using more of common sense and which case would have more of a possibility in a certain situation. On the other hand, Ivash’s caution will help me to not be so cynical by being more openminded. Always dismissing other people’s suggestions is being too cynical. It is good to be open to hearing what others have to say and new possibilities of the situation.
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Post by joserod004 on Apr 18, 2015 5:13:56 GMT
Jose Rodriguez
Phil 8 M/W 9:45-11:10
Test 1
Code: 11632
1. Drawing from the Star Trek metaphor, an experience I can recall where I reacted as Spock would be when I started working construction about four years ago. I decided to take a break and work after a year at Mt. SAC. The family was going through financial troubles which called for some sacrifices. I worked construction for about 3 years before returning to school and hated every day of it. I just found no interest in the trade although I was not bad at the work. I thought about quitting almost of every day on the job. Following those thoughts was often the “Spock” in me which would help me come to realization that I needed to be there for more important reasons than just my feelings toward the job. A time I reacted as Kirk would be when I chose visit a friend in San Francisco over going to work at time when money was tight. He was going through a hard time with his family and needed someone. I let his emotions affect my emotions which drove my decision to skip work. Reactions as Scotty often occur whenever I play sports. I can be extremely competitive and block everything, but aggression, out of my mind. It has gotten to the point where words get exchanged and threats are made. Sports tends to bring out a drive to be better than everyone participating.
2. An incident where I experienced an unusual experience would be a club soccer championship game in which my younger sibling’s team came back from a 3 goal deficit. They, be the home team and favored to win, were down by three in the first half but miraculously came back to win 4-3 in the second half. All four goals were scored due to mistakes of the opposing team. Russell or a skeptic could argue that the game was rigged and that referee favored the home team, denying the fact that the outcome of the game could have been luck.
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Post by joserod004 on Apr 18, 2015 5:15:40 GMT
Jose Rodriguez
Phil 8 M/W 9:45-11:10
Test 3
Code: 0987
1. A personal example of experiencing “Gumby Land” would be when I had a peer trying to convince me that Tupac Shakur is still alive. I was at jobsite in Thousand Oaks working with a guy who lived his life through music. Being a big hip-hop fan, he always brought up Shakur for some reason. I once made a comment about how the music would be different if Shakur was alive. This peer went off to question my statement by sarcastically asking, “IF?”, implying that Shakur is alive. He went on with theories and ended up interesting others around us during our argument. Another example would be growing up as I child playing sports and believing that it was my gear, especially my shoes, that made me play better. I grew up playing soccer throughout my childhood and always wanted the same gear as the professionals. Cleats where what defined my skill ability as I compared myself to professionals through the cleats.
2. An example from my own life in which I encountered “Maya” would be witnessing my grandmother’s reaction to my grandfather’s death a few years. It was difficult to get anything out of her for the first year after the event but suddenly she started acting normal. Normal as if her husband had never passed. She would set the table for two, say things like “when he gets back…”, and maintain his things, as if he were gone but only temporarily. She would later admit that she would create a world in her head in which things continued where they had left off as if my grandfather returned from the past life. This seemed to only be part of her mourning process as she progressed and eventually came to peace with her loss. Another example in which I encountered “Maya” would be the time in my childhood when I believed in professional wrestling. Growing up I would often idolize athletes and be heavily interested in sports. I discovered wrestling when I was about 8 years old and fell in love. It was a sport with more purpose of entertainment than anything I had seen before. I was into practicing wrestling moves and fighting with friends at school until I witnessed a kid actually get hurt when we were playing. I remember getting called into some office and getting lectured on how professional wrestlers were actors and not athletes and that all their skills were fake for entertainment purposes and that we should not be mimicking them. I continued to enjoy wrestling but as I began to grow up, I would think back on that lecture and eventually became distant from my strong belief in pro wrestling.
3. “Feynman’s Imperative” can help me think more scientifically by allowing me to think beyond the facts. It proves that one does not have to rely on proof or evidence in order to think scientifically. I can ultimately make decisions based on the information I already have which can support any scientific evidence by working off of the evidence of any opposing argument. Ivash’s caution could help me in not being so cynical by allowing me to not focus and limit myself based on what seems to be true. It allows imagination to become another important tool to how we approach certain situations.
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Post by joserod004 on Apr 18, 2015 5:16:32 GMT
Jose Rodriguez
Phil 8 M/W 9:45-11:10
Test 4
Code: 0932
1. I’ve had one paranormal experience in which I was at a family members house and a random event occurred which frightened one of my cousins and I. It was New Year’s Day which also happened to be her birthday. We were in the living room catching up when she mention her father which had passed away a few years back. Just seconds after she mentioned her dad, we heard a loud crash outside and loud dialogue coming from one of the bedrooms down the hall. We sat there in fear since we thought we were home alone. We walked over to check out the bedroom and there was a home video playing on the TV of one of my cousins childhood birthday parties with her father on the screen wishing her a happy birthday. She fell to her knees and began weeping, taking this incident as a sign from her father in the past life. Without telling her, I later realized that there was a car accident just a block away involving some power poles which shut the power of for a few seconds. That information allong with other evidence, such as unset clocks in the house, It was clear that due to electrical issues, the TV and VCR happened to turn on. As for the video, it turns out that my aunt spent New Year’s eve watching old home videos and never took the video tape out of the player. I would say that the Chandian Effect does apply as my cousin decided to relate the incident to her feelings of loss on a day in which her parents are just important as her.
2. Based on a horoscope I just read about my astrological sign, I would say that the information does pertain to me but not necessarily because it is true. I would say that I make the relation because it is what I want to hear but lack the assertiveness to admit myself. Hearing it from another source makes things more believable. As I read the horoscope, I would catch myself thinking of what possible aspects of my life this could make sense in. The information provided is so vague that it can easily correspond to anyone.
3. I believe that Aliens would find the idea of entertainment and fun as odd. They would not be accustomed to doing things for pure joy as they focus on doing things for a specific purpose. I believe this would definitely be the case in relation to technology. The idea of putting effort into technological advancements for the purpose of entertainment instead of exclusively focusing on the advancements of humankind would shock Aliens.
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Post by joserod004 on Apr 18, 2015 5:17:35 GMT
Jose Rodriguez
Phil 8 M/W 9:45-11:10
Test 5
Code: 97654
1. The neuroethical argument for vegetarianism argues that we should not be eating meat once we understand the central nervous system and recognize the concept of pain and accept that we naturally choose not hurt animals. It argues against those who choose to eat meat due to cultural reason yet understand that pain is not something that only we experience. Vegetarianism is a choice that reflect on one’s ability to recognize the pain that can be caused to other animals on this planet.
2. The remainder conjecture is the belief that those that are spiritually in sync view the physical and materialistic with greater ability than those who are not. It focuses on the importance of understanding the role science plays in our everyday lives corresponding to how we perceive events on in our lives. It goes over the bad habit of assuming things are miracles or caused by fortune without cancelling the science behind, hindering our consciousness and how we will perceive things in the future. For example, one can assume that surviving a horrible car accident was thanks to a greater power or a miracle without ruling out that surviving could have been caused by along technological and safety features in the car.
3. If there is a genetic connection between us and a grain of rice then we should live a more humble life. A grain of rice sharing a quarter of ones genetics proves that we are almost no much better than that grain of rice. The composition we share impacts the way one approaches not just other people but any surrounding objects or surroundings. The thought of only have 75% of genetics between ones way of living and the life of grain of rice should bring thankfulness and appreciating to be given the opportunity advance.
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Post by nadiag on Apr 18, 2015 6:19:26 GMT
Nadia Garcia
Test Number: 97ddd
1) What are the strongest arguments for the universe being a computational simulation?
The strongest arguments for the universe being a computational stimulation include the hypothesis that the world we live in is an “illusion and has tricked us to believe otherwise.” In addition to that Neuroscience has a theory that “the brain is assimilated and what we see, hear, touch and smell is not correlated outside from our nervous system.” So no matter how real something might appear to us, we cannot trust it because it might not exist and it is just an illusion.
2)Do we read more or less today? Why? Explain your generational view on reading books.
It seems that we read less today as in books, newspapers, informative magazines or anything that is more than four pages long and does not include pictures. As I compare myself now to when I was growing up, I notice that I had more free time to sit down, pick a book and read it without any distractions. However, now, we all seem to be distracted by something and it usually tends to include technology. My generation and the generations after us are growing to be visual, interactive and hands on learners. We enjoy technology and love to use it. So although we are able to download a book off of our phone and read, it rarely happens because we know that we can do other things that interest us. Just as I’m sitting in front of my laptop tying the answer to this question, I can easily open a new tab and become distracted on something else. It never stops. Yet, we do not completely abstain from reading anything at all, we tend to read but not more than 100 words. We are used to reading short text messages, captions on picture, statues from our friends news-feed and other short sentences fro our social media. If its “too long”, we tend to skip it. We do read just not like before.
3)What technology do you use most? Explain your attraction to it.
The technology that I use the most is my phone. It is always with me and is a device that people can easily get a hold of me, which is something that is necessary now. I believe that that is a reason I am attracted to my phone and also because I can have access to any information that I need, whenever I need it. If I want to find the recipe for something I can and if I do not want to read the directions, I can watch a video or look at pictures instead. There are so many options available for us and so many thing to do and that is why I think I use it the most.
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Post by Julian Rodriguez on Apr 18, 2015 6:36:45 GMT
Test #3 Test Code: 0987 1.Provide two or more examples of “Gumby Land” thinking in your own life or from someone you know. - One example of “Gumby Land” from my own life and experiences goes back to my childhood where I was at a hard time in my life. When I was about 9 years old I found myself in need of some type of truth, I wanted to know why and how life could be so cruel to people. During this time my parents were in an abusive relationship and my older sister and I were stuck in between the fights and arguments. I often questioned myself how bad came to be and why people hurt others, I knew god created good but what had created evil? I repeated the words my mother told me in my head “god created the world and everything around us”. After repeating this over and over I realized god created the universe and the good but he also created the bad. I came to the conclusion that god created everything in its entirety. For the time this continued to make sense in my head until I later on began to question the reason as to why I would pray to this god when he can grant prayers but he chooses to ignore the person’s prayers. Another example of this is when I later on decided that there could be no god. The same thoughts I had as a child continued to be on my mind up until I was in middle school when I became more aware of more tragedies going on around the world from human trafficking to forcing an innocent child to kill. After realizing and becoming aware of these things that are happening I came to the conclusion that there could be no god who would allow such things to happen therefore there is no god in my own opinion. Although I do believe that there is no way I can 100% prove that there is no greater being.
2.Describe two or more examples from your own life where you have been caught by “maya” and how did you extricate yourself from such a delusion? - One example of when I was caught by the “maya” was when I was 17. At the time my bed had a pull out bed under where my younger sister was sleeping one night that I woke up at about 3:00 AM. This had not been the first time that I had been awoken by what sounded like a man’s voice. When I opened my eyes I automatically felt pressure on my chest and could not seem to be able to speak, it had not been the first this has happened and remembered that I was told that if I thought a bad spirit was within my presence I needed to speak up and tell it to leave, as I attempted to speak the pressure on my chest grew and a knot in my throat began to form. I began to panic for a split second until I was able to convince myself that there was no spirit in my room, I felt a small relief and was able to say the word “leave”, but as soon as the word slipped my mouth I felt a greater relief in my chest but it came crashing back down on me when I turned to look at the pull out bed where my younger sister was sleeping. This specific pull out bed was made to only be pulled out from the bed and pushed back in, but what frightened me so much was that the bed was being pulled at a diagonal, which is impossible. I quickly jumped out of my bed, picked up my younger sister from the bed and set her on mine while I repeated the words “leave us alone”. Whether this was my mind playing tricks on me I do not know but what I saw and felt that night was unexplainable. Another example that has to do with my previous story is something that happened to my older sister. After my experience with my younger sister, my older sister experienced something very similar. One night at about 3:00AM, around the same time from my experience, my sister woke up and claimed that she had heard a mans voice just like me. Although she did things differently, she did not open her eyes at first but instead she layed there and acted as if she was asleep while she tried listening for the voice once more, as soon as she claimed to have heard the voice she attempted to do as I did and say “leave”. But the second she opened her mouth she felt as if someone was chocking her, she turned over on her back thinking she would be able to breath better on her back but as soon as she turned around the pressure on her neck grew and forced the words out of her and opened her eyes at the same time. She claims to have seen an angered face of a pale man around his late 40’s in front of her face until she was able to finish saying the word leave. I have yet to be able to make sense of this myself given that there are more stories but one possible answer would be that after these two occurrences we began telling each other what we have felt and seen that our minds could’ve made up the stories.
3.How would “Feynman’s Imperative” help you to think more scientifically in the future? Now, how would Ivash’s caution help you in not being so cynical? - “Feynman’s Imperative” would help me think more scientifically in the future by me now being able to understand that the goal of science is not to tell weather something is right or wrong. The whole point of science is to tell how likely or unlikely a certain situation or action will happen. This will also help me think more scientifically in the future in the manner that I will be able to stop myself from going straight to a conclusion based off of what I know and actually look for other probable answers before I decide on my opinion/point of view. Ivash’s caution can help me not be so cynical by making me understand that although something may be out of the ordinary I should still consider it because no one ever knows what can or cant work until they try it.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - RESPONSE TO damariselenes's answer to question number one of film exam #3: "I understand how you feel in your disappointment for a supposed "all-loving" and "all-powerful" God who would possibly let all the bad things happen in life... especially those bad things that happen to good people. Its important to realize that things happen in the world, not because God wills them or allows them to, but that they are the explicit result of human being's actions and behavior. It is also helpful to consider that there is a certain statistic that bad things will occur: heart attacks, death of a family member, declined accepted from a hopeful job or university. When these things happen, it is not healthy to hold in blame, guilt, or a sense of bitterness against a God for having such occurrences happen personally to you, but one must understand that they just happen--however unfortunate it is. Concerning something to what your mother said and what you thought as a child, I like to believe it is not God that created good and evil, but man (as in mankind and the human psyche). It is best to come to terms with the misfortunes in one's life, and allow time to heal the wounds they create and allow it to make you stronger."
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Post by EricOlivares on Apr 18, 2015 6:49:15 GMT
Video Test #5 1. explain the neuroethical argument for vegetarianism. do you agree or disagree with it?
the neuroethical argument for vegetarianism comes down to the question do the things we eat feel pain. that the reason we eat certain animals is because we believe that this certain animals we consume are so dumb that they could not perceive or even feel pain but there are certain animals people wont eat because these animals shown to have an higher intelligence than other animals like dogs, monkeys, dolphins. so the argument for vegetarianism is that they do not cause pain to the things they eat because the things they eat do not perceive pain. do I disagree with this or do I agree with this? I do believe the animals we eat do perceive pain but I do not think that people do not think the animals we eat do not perceive pain. I think its more of an ignorance because as long as we get that certain steak or hamburger we crave we really do not ask where it came from or how the animal was killed because our need has been satisfied. I think of the quote "out of sight out of mind" when think of this we really don't care how the animals were killed or how they were treated before death because as long as our food craving is satisfied nobody really asks questions.
2. what is the reminder conjecture? give example of how it works
the Reminder Conjecture is when we see something that looks so unbelievable that nothing could explain it so we presume it to be supernatural or transcendental. so basically when we see something so amazing that we jump or rush to conclusions. example of this is crop circles people jump or rush to conclusion that an extraterrestrial made because that the only solution they can come up with after looking at all the variable because they came to the conclusion that a person or a group of people couldn't possibly have the time and coordination to make something so big and without a single mistake. so people believe without a doubt that it completely impossible for some person or group of people to create this crop circle so people just jump to most supernatural or transcendental solution and in this case aliens.
3. if there is a genetic connection between us and a grain of wild rice, how should such information influence or impact our world view?
most people would be surprise that us human beings have a genetic to a piece of food such as wild rice and this piece of information should have a great influence or impact on someone's world view. it should change our way our way of thinking and how we look at the world and all that inhabit it because after hearing this information people will start to understand that every organism started and evolved from something just some organism just continued to evolve more than others. so this should make people think in a broader scope of things when thinking about the organisms of this planet.
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Post by Julian Rodriguez on Apr 18, 2015 6:55:14 GMT
Jessica Martinez Phil 8 Code: 0922
1. Have you ever had a paranormal experience? Or, do you know of someone who claims to have had one? How would you explain it rationally? Does the Chandian Effect apply?
My cousin, his girlfriend and my brothers would always stay up late talking in our front yard because they enjoyed spending their time that way. However, one day my cousin’s girlfriend screamed and one of my brothers ran up to her. It turned out that she had seen a man floating towards the wall that would be between our house and the neighbor’s house. She said that the floating man turned around to face her and just ran straight into the wall. One way that I could explain it is that because they had been staying up so late the tiredness had just gotten to her. She was probably seeing things that she would not normally see because she was tired and her mind was not acting the way that it normally does because she would continuously sleep late. Another thing that they would do when they would talk late at night was tell each other about scary things that have happened to them or that they have seen in their life. It might have been that everything collided which may be the reason that she saw a man floating and going through a wall.
2. Think of your own astrological sign and find a horoscope that pertains to you. Does it fit? How would a critical thinker explain it?
I do not normally tend to believe in things just because they happen to relate to me in that particular moment but in this case I lean more towards actually believing in the horoscope. I have read the horoscopes every now and then and by chance, because I do not actually look for it, and they seem to relate to what I am going through. Honestly, I am not sure how it is possible that it says what I am going through but it mentions certain aspects that completely go along with what is happening in my life. It may not entirely fit with everything but for the most part it definitely states what my problem is and how I should resolve it or that it will resolve on its own. I have been attentive with what the horoscope mentions to see if it has been correct and as I said before it has been for the most part.
3. If an intelligent alien did indeed visit this planet and came over to your house, what do you think he would find most odd about human behavior?
I think that the thing that an alien would find most odd would be the beliefs that human beings have. Every human has their own values, their own religious beliefs, or just a different belief from others. Humans themselves sometimes cannot explain why they feel so strongly about certain issues or topics and aliens might find it odd that there is no way to change their mind about what they believe. Humans may have similar beliefs or believe in one thing but for the most part, humans have their own belief that others may not necessarily share with them. It may be odd to them because of the strong connection that humans have with a simple belief but for us it seems like a typical thing that we grow up with or learn to accept.
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"In response to Jessica Martinez's answer to question number two of film exam #4, I would say it is the overall generalizability of the horoscopes that can be massaged by any person to fit their situation in life. However, I will agree that it may fit some people better than others, and this I would argue, is simply a matter of probability. There is no way the zodiac positions in the night sky can have any influence on one's life, but, the skill of a good and persuasive writer can make it appear to one that it is. People are hired for this ability to persuade people and make them feel correlations with the broad statements they make. All of this aside, it is quite entertaining when some horoscopes really do seem to appear exactly at times in your life when you find it most relative and applicable."
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Post by leiannvergara on Apr 20, 2015 1:21:32 GMT
Test Form: 97ddd
1. What are the strongest arguments for the universe being a computational simulation?
The strongest argument for the universe being a computational simulation is that the technology is advancing to a great degree in today’s society. And with these advances, technology can only get better and more improved. We have created devices that allow us to talking to people with little to no effort, unlike before we would have to wait for a response 3 days later. With these technological advances we are also creating a world that will be technology driven in the future. For all that we know we may be living amongst robot without our knowledge.
2. Do we read more or less today? Why? Explain your generational view on reading books.
I think that we still read a lot today because the advancements in technology and the Internet. The World Wide Web has provided us with reviews of books and recommendations from friends that have encouraged other people to pick up a book. However, some people are not reading a physical book but they are using an electronic device. Today, I think that people are using electronic devices to read because it also allows them to connect to the Internet and check their social media accounts instead of just having a book. Electronics allow for the all in one use of reading books and other convenient uses for it.
3. What technology do you use most? Explain your attraction to it.
I use my phone the most because it is my way of connecting with my friends. I use it to also go on social media accounts and feed my boredom. Most of the time I am using it to just check on what’s going on in the world and talking to some family members who live on the other side of the world. It also allows me to do some research without having to sit in front of a computer. My phone just allows me to have a great convenience on the go.
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Post by asdfjaiilee on Apr 20, 2015 2:56:59 GMT
Johnerson Li
Film Test 6
Code: 97ddd
1. What are the strongest arguments for the universe being a computational simulation?
The idea of the universe being a computational simulation is one that may seem very unlikely and wild at first thought, but when we take into account that our central nervous system is constantly creating a simulation based off of external and internal stimuli and then constructed virtually for us to interact in, then it becomes flawed to say that what we perceive as our world is absolute. Perhaps our brain power is insufficient enough to realize that what we perceive as "reality" may really be a simulation that is one (or more) level above what we can comprehend. The same argument can be said about the human dream state. When we are in a dream, the dream feels almost just like reality, if not more real. It is very difficult to sometimes tell the difference. Since humans sometimes have such difficulty telling the difference between what is a dream and what is reality, who is to say that there is not an overarching simulation that spans over everything we ever knew, beyond our wildest imaginations?
2. Do we read more or less today? Why? Explain your generational view on reading books
It is my belief that we read more today, but not in the same way that people would normally define "read". A lot of people would argue that kids (and even adults) today read less because many things have become transcribed into digital format. I believe that we "read" more, but in smaller packets of information. The emergence of smartphones and tablets, as well as the diminishing size of some laptops have made reading a more portable activity. This is because most people carry their phones with them wherever they go (I couldn't say the same for a book). Pair that along with a shortened attention span and you have people constantly browsing their devices for little snippets of information. Yes, the argument does hold that books have become a diminishing medium for readers, but that isn't to say that they aren't available in digital format for your iPhone/tablet/ or Android phone.
3. What technology do you use most? Explain your attraction to it.
The technology I use the most would probably be either my tablet or my computer. Before, I would sit on my computer for hours browsing the net and playing games, but I've learned that though at that time, I was making the conscious decision to do that, it was probably not the best thing to be doing. I use my tablet as an easier-to-access entry point into all my virtual needs. It's surprising how fluid and powerful you can feel with all your apps (and the doorways they enter into) at the tip of your fingers. I use my tablet for music, apps, homework, and just for using the internet as well. Most times I will opt to use the tablet over the computer because when I am on my laptop, I feel constrained to the space where it sits, whereas I can be more active with my tablet.
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Post by asdfjaiilee on Apr 20, 2015 3:03:52 GMT
leiannvergaraI agree with you on the notion that the phone or any easily portable device for that matter is the most convenient way to access social media, as well as the web. With all the information you can possibly access available through the internet and in the palm of your hands, there's really even less reason to sit idly in front of a computer for hours. The computer may have greater processing power and a wider array of applications that cannot be run on a phone or tablet, but when most of the basic necessities are compacted into simple mobile applications that you can take anywhere on the run, the convenience factor may have a stronger magnetizing effect than anything else. That may be why you always find people with their eyes glued to their phones in public, because there is an endless stream of information right at their fingertips.
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