SimplyLit

During the class I learned a lot more than I ever thought would be possible for me. I've said many times that I'm not a very big reader and it isn't my most favorite thing to do. Although this class is nothing but reading literature and reflection on it, I had a lot more fun than I initially thought.

Some of the topics that really made get inspired or angry were The Dumbest Generation and the section we did about books. First, we could be called the Dumbest Generation but with that I feel we deserve respect in being called one of the smartest too. We as a whole have come up with some amazing ideas and inventions that some of the past generations and even future generations might not ever thing about. When they called us "the Dumbest Generation," it just made me more motivated to prove them wrong. Maybe that was their point and it would have worked but it most likely wasn't.

Second, would be the book discussion we did during class. Yes, everybody argued about how books are so amazing and we would get very far without them. I agree a very tiny bit with the fact that we wouldn't get very far because books carry our past and history. Without them the generations coming wouldn't know much about our past and it would be total anarchy.

But, books aren't for everybody. We argued that books are so amazing and one of the most exciting things to do when you're trying to relax. To me that is complete garbage. There are so many other things out there to do that are way more fun and exciting and relating that sitting in a chair or wherever and reading a book of text. That to me is not fun at all but that is just my opinion. That is another thing I learned to do in this class was voice my opinion. I'm usually a very quiet kid in class and Intro to Lit really turned that around. Thank you!

Books

Literature is the story of ourselves, the record of who we are, where we came from, and where we’re going. Without them I feel like we'll be missing a part of ourselves but it wouldn't be such a disaster that we couldn't continue to live. We might end up having more technology and ways to do other things. Books give us a freedom that is so powerful that it's very close to becoming too much. To me reading books is nothing more than a thing to do and something to get your mind off of past evens. 

I feel if books weren't in our lives that I wouldn't miss them at all. I know everything (history) was stored through books and it was the link to the past. Overall, we would end up finding a new one to write down history and it wouldn't be such a big deal. I guess I would miss them a little even though I don't care for them too much. We still do use Encyclopedia's, Dictionaries, and so forth. It might get a little boring but we have some of the smartest people in the world and we could easily find another thing to do.

Metaphorically we burn books today by either spark noting them or making movies out of them. They turn the books into movies but they don't put all the details or full story into it. Spark notes is ruining the books too because therefore it skips reading the book and gives you the "summary" of the book. It's the lazy way to find out about a book without having to read it which to me is very lazy. 

I think there are a couple things that are dangerous about books. First, would be the bible. The bible has changed so many people's lives but we still don't know if that is exactly what really went on. The bible has caused several holy wars and it continues to be a spark to fights. Another would be the freedom book writers have. They can say whatever they want in books and most of the time wouldn't think twice about what they wrote. 

Hunger Games

The Hunger Games to me was a pretty crazy and different book. I don't usually read books like this because it's out of my norm and i am just not too fond of books in general. Overall, I wasn't expecting Katniss to fall in love with Peeta. In the beginning I didn't like how the book started out slow. I started falling asleep while reading it but when we started getting in depth in the book it started to get better. The Hunger Games were very exciting to read because you didn't know when something was going to change or get more interesting.

I don't feel the games should have ended in a tie. I didn't think that was a very good way to do it and it was different from the norm. They were both from the same district and I just didn't think it was fair the way it ended. It isn't something you should just change when for the longest time you were doing one thing. How is that fair?

I related this book to the Call of Duty game, "One in the Chamber" because you get one bullet to survive and if you kill another person you get that bullet back. If you don't you can only life because you only get three lives. It's hard wrenching and really makes you nervous.

One In The Chamber

Again, I really liked this book towards the end but not necessarily in the beginning. It really brought a new type of reading to me and I would love to read more books like this.

The Ron and Sammy Show

For my blog about reality TV I chose to watch the season finale of Jersey Shore. Personally, I've been watching it all season and I actually like the show. I don't exactly think it's real people in real situations all the time. For example, people like to see Mike "The Situation" Sammy and Ronnie get into fights and start drama. During the final episode this happens and everybody loved it. Here is a little video clip of it happening. I couldn't find the video of Mike fighting with Sammy but i found another great example of Ronnie and Sam fighting. That had to hurt. This is what people want to see. After this fight when you looked on Facebook is was what everybody was talking about. It's interesting and it makes the show. But in other episodes I feel it could be scripted or even badly played out. It always seems that there is a fight or something that shouldn't happen.
As for competition I didn't really notice any besides in the begging when Mike and Ronnie were fighting over Sammy. Sometimes Vinny and Snooki get into it and end up trying to mess with the other person but I don't see too much competition within the show. As for intelligence I don't see any at all. They do what they want, they say what they want, and they don't care. They don't need to use any smarts besides using their brains to make a good decision or not but usually that doesn't happen.
This show is all abuot sex appeal. They go out every night in the tight little outfits and try to show off all their attributed. People watch it just to see Jwoww or Sammy look good or Snooki make a fool out of herself and accidentally flash people. The three guys always do their GTL and the girls just flaunt over their bodies.
During the season finale the big issue was that while Sammy went home to get away she contacted another guy to meet up with. While one night at the club Mike found his friend and it ended up being the guy Sammy was suppose to meet. When Mike told Ronnie about this guy things started to get ugly again. Then Mike calls up this guy and he tells Ronnie that him and Sammy made out. Of course it started to get ugly but in the end everybody sat down for their last sunday meal and everything went well after.
In this reality TV show I really liked Vinny and Pauly D. They were the only people in the house that I felt weren't fake and said what was on their minds. They made the show more fun and gave everybody some good laughs. I enjoy watching this show most of the time. The only time I don't is when Ron and Sammy fight but i don't think anybody likes that. What makes the show alluring is the fact that it's funny and most of the time real. People have been through those situations before and they like to relate to the show. The role of me as the viewer would be to watch them get drunk and fall on their faces and try to find out what is going to happen next season.

Big Brother is Watching

I agree that Orwell probably meant that BB is the controlling force. After all, it's very impractical to have a dictator, at least one who have absolute power. However, my personal belief is that it is YOU who are BB. That it's everyone in the society who by themselves eventually will make the society become what he predicted. That we "want" to be controlled.

I feel as if we have most definitely lost our privacy in today's world. I feel we have lost our privacy because our government snoops into every little thing we do. In class the other day we discussed a question that involved should our county have cameras in public areas so we can keep our country safe. The only thing that concerns me about this is that we basically already have cameras in most public places and it's starting to become overwhelming. This is an example of how we are losing our privacy. Google maps is another example of how we can lose our privacy. Any person in the world can find another by just typing in an address or name to find where they live, their phone number, etc. I just think that's ridiculous to a point where it's unsafe and terrifying.

Yes, privacy does still exist in some parts of our lives. As long as we are careful and don't do anything STUPID than we shouldn't have to worry about some of those things. Privacy is a virtue and we can't take advantage of that.

We are never really going to be truly safe no matter what freedoms we lose. Their is always ways to get passed those things. The war in Iraq is a great example. There are all those soldiers over there fighting for our freedom that are mostly willing to go over when the Taliban is full of kids under the age of 15 who have full independence with a weapon on their choice to KILL us. To me that is completely ridiculous and utterly terrifying because kids don't have the thought process fully developed yet.

Extra Credit Blog #3

Its finally day seven and I can get back to my normal way of life with technology. It taught me some lessons and in the beginning I enjoyed the peace and quiet. But after awhile it was harder to get through the day without, what we consider, the necessities. I think after this challenge I'll be more appreciative of the things I have and not take them for granted.

Extra Credit Blog #2

It's day six and I have one more day to go. Usually, you find things out over Facebook or someone texts to tell you. Now I don’t have that. Everyone is talking about things that are posted on this person’s page and how this couple broke up and whatnot. I feel out of the loop. Not texting, watching TV, or using the computer is so much more difficult. I went into this challenge expecting to get through it with no problems. I was wrong. I can’t wait to get back to my technology.

Extra Credit Blog #1

Its been five days of not using technology.. Let me say its not as easy as I expected. On the first day, I didn't have too many troubles. It was relaxing not constantly worrying about who texted me and what not. I had much more time to myself and got everything done that needed to. Day two was a little more difficult. I started wanting to go on facebook and check what everyone was up to and text my friends. Not watching television and missing some of my favorite teams play made it even more difficult. On the the third, fourth, and fifth days I just wanted to relax, watch a movie, and text everyone. I started to really miss talking to the people I used to talk to every day, and its only been five days! But I only have two more days to go. It amazes me how people can go without technology in today's society where everything is based upon that.

Thank you for the extra couple days

My Feed

Four of the advertisements that would most likely be featured on my feed would be:
1. http://www.stubhub.com/?genre_id=0&gcid=C12289x486&keyword=10115843&creative=5850277870&isGen3HP=1&gclid=CNiYiKy0mKcCFQjd4Aod413Mcg 
Stub Hub would be one of my top choices. I love checking to see the many events featured in our area. This is a simple and easy way to find out the countless number of shows or sports occurring in your region. Having the opportunity to go see my favorite band or sports team is an advantage to me and this makes it so much easier. It lists the most popular events and also the most popular in your region. With their cheaper prices and their limitless occasions, this is definitely the place to purchase your tickets and will be well worth it. 

2. http://www.mountaindew.com/ 
Another advertisement I would most likely put on my feed would be Mountain Dew. Growing up and having much of this around has made me have a weakness for this drink. I’ve been drinking Mountain Dew for a while now and have at least one a day. With their catchy commercials and constantly coming up with new product ideas what’s not to love? Here is one of the commercials that I really enjoy.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9VYLCP0JeIU 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tt6C6P3bJq8 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4vjuLxyo-p4 

3. http://espn.go.com/ 
The third advertisement would be Espn. Being a boy and involved in sports my whole life has me very passionate about them. Usually you’ll see me watching basketball, baseball, football, hockey, and whatever else you can think of. Espn is one of my most visited websites. I am constantly checking up on scores, stats, and the upcoming events. 
4. http://store.nike.com/us/en_us/?cp=USNS_KW_0611081618&l=shop%2Chome#l=shop,home 
My final advertisement is Nike. Their clothes are accommodating for everyone and their prices are reasonable. They have a wide selection of clothes, shoes, and even accessories. Along with that, they always have good advertisements. With their slogan “just do it” seen everywhere it is a popular brand among society. Their commercials are seen everywhere and enjoyed by all. 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YsoP6bjADic 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=obdd31Q9PqA 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w04xmH2SOLA 

I feel as though we need technology in our lives and without it we would feel like we are abandoning our roots. Mostly everybody in our generation has some sort of cell phone or technological device. I feel as though if we didn't have these items we would be lost because we don't know how to do things the old-fashion way and we would struggle. I'm not saying we couldn't do it, I'm just restating the fact that we are lazy and we would have a problem with this.

To go a day without our cell phones, computers, television or other things we use on a daily basis may seem easy at first until you take the task upon yourself. But to go and spend one year in the woods without your everyday means would then seem impossible. To live a life of solitude is just what Thoreau did.

Living in the middle of nowhere with no distractions can be calming and can teach you alot about yourself you may not have known. It would give you a better look on life and show you what you truely have. To have to go a year with hardly any necessities your use to having can make you appreciate things much more.

Here is a link to a video that I think everyone would enjoy. Just for some laughs :-) Life Without Technology - Hilarious

The Dumbest Generation

Today in class, we were presented with a little "quiz". We were asked five questions about subjects from today that many people know such as sports and characters on tv. Then came the challenging part, five questions from historical occurences. As you can imagine, much of the class got the first five questions correct.. as for the last five not so much. At this day in age, we are reffered to as the dumbeset generation.. This quiz has truely shown me why we tend to say that. I wouldn't go to the extent of calling us the dumbest generation but definitely the laziest. We have everything basically handed to us and it's always right there in front of us. All we need is a little motivation and we are some of the smartest most talented human beings. What do you guys think?

When I read the articles online about how we were called "The Dumbest Generation," a couple quotes stood out to me. First was this quote from the Newsweek article: "When the tasks are at all challenging, there is a big drop in performance with multitasking. What kids are doing is learning to be skillful at a superficial level." I feel like we don't stop performing when we have to multi task but we aren't very comfortable with doing it. I know for a fact It's hard to do more than one thing at a time. I can't listen to music and read or watch TV and read at the same time. Some people just aren't good at it. It's not like we don't want to or we're lazy it's because we aren't all comfortable with doing so. 
Another statement that caught my attention was "The jury is still out on whether these technologies are positive or negative" says Ken Kosik of the University of California, "But they're definitely changing how people's brains process information." our generation is filled with all sorts of electronics to fit our needs. Having all the information you can possibly need is just one click away. Search engines such as google, yahoo, ask, or msn just to name a few is everyones answer for everything. Students dont need to know what the largest lake is, or who our allie was in WWII. All they need to do is type it into the computer and you have an answer in less than a second.
I am going to post a video in this blog about some people doing some pretty dumb things. This is mostly our generation but it's not exactly what we were talking about in class. It's to kinda make things a little interesting and have something to talk about. DUMB

Blog #2

First, I am going to talk about the Documentary "Second Skin." It is unbelievable that these people can let a video game rule their lives. I loved the documentary because it really showed us a different side of gamers. I just can't get over the fact that this game dictated their sleep patterns, eating habits and working ability. When you get that far into a down fall you know you have some issues. What do you guys think about this? I seriously think they need some help to get away from these games. It's really just a game and when a gane dictates your life when you have thoughts of suicide YOU NEED HELP.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with a little time to yourself to maybe play a video game or have some fun with whatever, but you need to know the boundaries. I play video games, and I know when to stop. It isn't that hard. I don't understand how they have so much difficulty stopping the game. These guys would have a great life if they put time and effort into their actual lives instead of their virtual lives.
For example, I found a video on Google about a kid that was playing WOW and totally freaked out over something so stupid. During this freak out his brother taped the whole thing. If this offends anybody, I apologize in advance. WOW Freak out

I didn't exactly find a specific quote from the video that I would be able to discuss but I have a couple examples that would get this discussion going. In our book, "Culture Jam" on page 43 and 44 there is a passage that sums up how ridiculous gaming can get. "Sometimes I go out," she'd say, but she didn't mean "out" out, she meant "out" of that chat group and into another site somewhere else on the Net. She was reluctant to sleep because she might miss an interesting thread. One time my friend saw her on the street, and she hadn't showered in four days."

When you get to the level of not showering and your personal hygiene is at risk, there is a serious problem. What do you guys think about that passage. It's almost unbelievable to me but I can see it happening. Another example of this is that my friends play COD Black Ops continuously. Every time I talk to them they are either playing or taking a 5 minute break from playing. It's another serious issued besides computer gaming. Now when I read that passage in the book, I got really annoyed with what she was doing. I can't believe someone could do that to them self. I can't go a day without a shower and she went 4 DAYS!!! Get a hold of yourself!
The book and the video are tied together because of what this lady is saying. In the movie and book they both seemed to have obsession and over doing it. Losing their jobs, committing suicide, gaining weight, and not keeping up with personal hygiene is a big problem with me.


There was one more thing that really bothered me to even listen to at the time during the video but was also briefly discussed in the book. These people are being sucked into a fake world because they think they can get whatever they want. One guy said, "I don't have to worry about having that nice car." Well maybe if he didn't waste all of his time playing WOW he would have a good job and be able to by himself a really beautiful car instead of dreaming about it. That would make a lot more sense than dreaming about a whole new life where you can have anything you want. It's just completely ridiculous to me and I just don't understand. The thing is, I guess I can't understand what they are thinking unless I was them.

My feelings about gaming aren't completely against it.Gaming can be a fun bonus to your life when maybe you do something good and you feel like you need a break. It isn't bad to play games for "fun" sometimes but when it starts ruining your eating habits and your personal hygiene it needs to stop!

Introduction

Hi everybody,

       My name is Chris Russell. I'm a sophomore here at Shippensburg University and I am majoring in Accounting. With my Accounting degree I hope to get into Law School somewhere and become a lawyer and practice Corporate Law. In this class I am interested in raising my knowledge of graphic novels. I have already read Fahrenheit 451 in high school but that was the only graphic novel I can relate too. I really like that book, so I believe I'll like the other novels we read as well. The last book I read was a pretty long time ago. I believe it was Beowulf my senior year of High School. Overall, it was pretty good book and I would consider reading it again. The type of pop culture I am interested in would most likely have to be sports and music. There is nothing else I would rather do than watch or play sports and listen to music. The music I listen to is mostly Eminem, Lil Wayne, Kid Cudi, Joey Galaxy, etc. Movies are a favorite too and most of my favorite movies are newer. Inception is one of my new favorite along with The Town and Taken. When I'm not watching movies or playing sports I either watch television or play some video games. I usually watch ESPN or anything sports related. My video games consist of Call of Duty and of course mostly sports games. I really don't have much of a background with literature because I was never a big reader. When I had to do something for myself it was either to relax or hang with my friends. To me literature is pieces of writing from the old times that are analyzed and taught to newer generations. 

      My parents' names are William and Donna Russell. I also have an older brother named Robert. He has a handsome little boy named Saige that I adore very much. I only have one pet but I couldn't ask for a better one. He's a German Shepherd named Bandit and will be turning two years old in May. I am 20 years old and I'm a bank teller for National Penn Bank. I've been working as a bank teller for almost a year now and I love it very much. The relationships you make with your customers is one of a kind. I currently live in Frackville, Pennsylvania but not many people know where Frackville is so I will give you some information about it.

     Frackville is a borough in Schuylkill County, PA and is near Interstate 81. It's 7 miles north of Pottsville and 4 miles South of Shenandoah. It's also 55 miles from Harrisburg and 45 miles from Wilkes-Barre. Frackville sits in the middle of Northeastern Pennsylvania's historic and proud Coal Region. Coal mining has been a big think in the area. Many of Frackville's residents are employed at local factories, retail outlets, a Federal Prison, and two State Prisons in the area. Many commute daily to the cities of Pottsville, Hazleton, Allentown, Reading or Harrisburg to work. Since Frackville is so close to Interstate 81 it is a popular stop for travelers.

     I attended North Schuylkill Junior-Senior High School in Fountain Springs, PA and it's one of the best high schools in the area. During high school I played three sports; football, basketball and baseball. My favorite sport is baseball because it's my best sport. I've played baseball for 15 years ranging from Local baseball teams to an AAU travel baseball team called the Schuylkill Express. I've tried to play baseball in college but my senior year of high school I needed elbow surgery and it ended my baseball career abruptly.

     My interests are mainly sports because that is what I was always around. My father played baseball and my brother was a two sport standout in football and baseball. I love to listen to music and have a great time with my friends. My roommate is one of my best friends here at Shippensburg and will continue to be for a very long time after. His name is Christian Pascuzzo. I also have a girlfriend at home and her name is Ciara Mateyak. Ciara brings out the best in me and always makes sure I'm doing what I'm suppose to. I couldn't ask for anybody better!

     More of my interests are watching movies, playing video games, and watching Professional sports. My favorite sports teams are the Phillies, Eagles and the Flyers. The team I love the most are the Duke University Blue Devils Basketball Team. I've been watching them ever since I was a little boy and they will always be my favorite team.

     That is basically everything about me that I can think of. If I remember anything else I want to share with you I will post it right away. Have a great day!

Chris Russell