"Thought Control" by John Cloud (Blog 13)

In his article “Thought Control” written in the November 14 issue of Time Magazine, John Cloud talks about a simple school teacher, Peter Freer, who invented a machine that allowed humans to operate a screen just by concentrating. Freer’s inspiration to invent this contraption came from an event during his school teaching years with a student.  Freer noticed a student who seemed to not be paying attention to the class lesson, and asked the student a few questions afterwards. Freer asked the student what he remembered from Freer’s lesson. The boy told Freer that he remembered that there was a bird at the window, another student’s clothing selection, and only a few concepts from the lesson. The student was focusing, but only on the wrong things. Freer wanted to create a device that could tell a human when they are at focus the most. His invention was named the “BodyWave”. BodyWave picks up certain electrical brain activity and records the data onto a computer screen. The device is attached on to any part of a human’s skin. This information is then extrapolated into other forms of usage. Well-known industries are finding ways to implement the BodyWave into their works. For instance, NASA is using the device to measure the focus of a pilot, and NASCAR is using the device to measure the focus of a tire changer during a race. Even though a brilliant device has been invented, the BodyWave still has some major flaws. Two major flaws of the BodyWave are that it can only transfer data to a computer screen, and there is no alert system on the device that tells a human to start focusing again if they are off track.

Technology is very interesting. Microsoft has recently created a device that lets any surface a human looks at become a surface for a touch screen interface. Now, a man has created a machine that implements the mind with technology. This makes me wonder what the future holds in store for consumers around the globe. Technology and the brain are starting to literally mix into the equation. As fascinating as this all is, it also makes me very worried. Robots could start to replace workers, which would then lead to more losses in jobs. The world’s population soon will hit 7 billion people, and that means that there are more mouths to feed! Hopefully, all the new invention will be of great use to people all around the world. For instance, an invention like a device that creates food out of thing air would be useful for Africa. An invention that makes everyone friendly to one another would be useful too. All in all, I’m excited to see what the next big creation will be.

"When Panic Goes Viral" by Dr. Oz (Blog 12)

              In his article “When Panic Goes Viral” written in the November 7^th, 2011 issue of Time Magazine, Dr. Oz talks about how he believes that the world will soon face a catastrophic pandemic; however, with the world’s vast technological advances to communicate and the new profound intelligence on diseases, the upcoming pandemic will not be as damaging as older pandemics. Dr. Oz says that the world would have reacted a lot differently to the influenza outbreak of 1918 if there the availability of what people have today, like YouTube, Twitter, or Facebook. Viruses keep evolving, and the spread of disease between animals and humans is inevitable.  Dr. Oz suggests people to wash their hands frequently and dry them well in order to prevent catching any unknown diseases. Even though he believes that a pandemic will occur soon in the future, there are many safeguards that will prevent several deaths. For instance, there is the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which look over dozens of diseases to keep people safe and informed. The director of CDC, Dr. Thomas Frieden, also says that there are more resources than ever to control a disease’s spread.

              I never wanted to imagine what it would be like if a pandemic were to break out during my lifetime. The technology and knowledge that people have today always made me feel safe.  About two weeks ago, I read an article about a deadly virus that turns caterpillars into zombies. Caterpillars that were affected with the virus would climb to the top of a bush and commit suicide by just splitting in half. The virus would then spread to other caterpillars from the zombie caterpillars guts. Viruses are scary and I hope that a virus this dangerous does not get into humans. Although it would be a bit comedic to see someone climb up to the top of a building, and then suddenly burst into pieces in order to affect other humans with the virus. If this caterpillar virus got into humans, then I’d always be alert with an umbrella in hand.

"I Owe U" by Kristina Dell (Blog 11)

In her article “I Owe U” written in the October 31^st, 2011 issue of Time Magazine, Kristina Dell explains the issue regarding current graduate students having an immense debt to pay off. Students are taking out loans that are very difficult to pay back in the long run. The average amount of debt that a college graduate has is $37,000, which is 8% higher than 2010’s average. Dell says that many young people are focusing too much on getting into a well-known pricey college rather than a college that is reasonably priced and still accommodates the same education levels as a top tier school. To add onto this ongoing debt situation, there are not enough jobs for certain majors. For example, graduates may have a bachelor’s degree in anthropology, but there are very little jobs for the anthropology field. Thus, graduates with a bachelor’s degree in anthropology may have to resort to paying off their college debt by working at a low-income workplace like a fast food restaurant. Throughout the article, Dell had interviewed many college graduates who were suffering from student loan debts. One example was with Jeri Leigh McDowell who got in Tulane University. McDowell says that many people in her high school was impressed when she got accepted and attended Tulane, but she wishes that she would have just gone to a state university instead. McDowell currently works at a collection agency with a degree in history and anthropology, and has to pay of a debt of $90,000.

             This article has made me feel good about my decision to attend a community college first. I know that I am saving a lot of money compared to some of my friends who went straight to a 4 year university. I think college is way too expensive nowadays. America is already one of the lowest ranked countries regarding test scores, so I see no sense in making education more difficult to obtain by having it be so costly. The students suffering with student loan debt are to blame as well. Young people need to be careful about what they are majoring in. It would be very foolish for someone to go into a major with low chances of getting a decent paying career just because they love the subject. It would be great if I ever got the opportunity to attend a top tier school, but I would rather go to a school where I know the financial future outcomes will be positive. With these tough times in the economy, a dream school shouldn’t be a priority for future students. 

"A Generation of Bigots Come of Age" by Richard Cohen (Blog 10)

In his article “A Generation of Bigots Come of Age” written in The Writer’s Response text book, Richard Cohen explains how the U.S.’ younger generation is just as prejudice as the older generation. Cohen’s theory was based off of actual research. For instance, the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) has found that a majority of younger and older white Americans share the same biases regarding racial stereotypes. In addition, the ADL’s national director, Abraham Foxman, says that the younger generation who is supposed to run America in the future is racist to an extent where it is very problematic. This is all due to two reasons which are a lack of experience in history and affirmative action. Younger people did not experience the civil rights struggles in the 1950s through 1960s; the younger generation does not understand that African Americans were once always exposed to racism. And that is why various African Americans still see racism everywhere today. One of the ways to fix this problem is to correct the current affirmative action programs, and try to prevent the negative effects the programs have on people.

Even though America has a racist history, people should learn how to cope positively with change. History is everywhere; people cannot escape from history. Therefore, acting or behaving a certain way is no excuse when times have changed. The U.S is more equal than it has ever been and I believe it is becoming more equal as times passes. I agree with a lot of the information that is presented in the essay. I have strong reasons to believe that the media is also playing a harsh role to support this ongoing racial problem. There are many comedies out there that have racial stereotypes in it. Younger people are not able to handle this type of media. Some of them grow up to believe that this racial stereotyping is true.