Weekly Blog Post 2

The Internet obviously has one of the biggest--if not THE biggest--influences on the world today, and more and more people gain access every second. It allows me to talk to my relatives in the Philippines--practically on the other side of the globe from me. We can post blog entries, poetry, pictures, etc. and automatically have a sort of "copyright" on them. Plagiarism is harder to accomplish--theoretically, at least. Personally, however, I don't really want to talk about how wonderful the Internet is (even though I do agree with that fact). I'd rather err on the side of old-fashioned and discuss its downfalls.
I'll start off by saying that I don't want to denounce the virtual world--it's a fact that I can't get by without being on Facebook at least once a day and checking my e-mail at least once every couple hours. They're my lifelines; I find old friends and keep in touch with distant family that way. It's quite a useful thing, and I hope it stays around for a long time. People can use the Internet as a tool to help display their personalities better, to do things they couldn't do in "real life." However, this isn't always a good thing. The Web is probably the place where I see the most passive-aggressive behavior out of my fellow humankind. Many tend to grow a large amount of self-esteem and "courage" to say whatever they feel once they're hiding behind a computer screen.
I suppose the part that got to me the most was the end when the video listed all the items that need to be rethought. It could be said that life is all about rethinking; I wouldn't argue with that. However, some of the things mentioned were a bit ridiculous to me. Rethinking love? Isn't that a bit of a stretch? The Internet offers new ways to find love with online dating and other forms of social networking, but that doesn't change what love is. Maybe I'm confusing rethinking with redefining, but I think they can be fairly synonymous.
Lastly, humans will never be machines, and therefore, I don't particularly enjoy that metaphor towards the end of the video. To quote an old commercial (for Sea World, I think), "There are some things you will never be able to download." You can industrialize a vast majority of jobs, items, etc. but not the entirety. You can even digitize something as beautiful as music. However, there will always be someone not satisfied with that. We can't be machines all the time. Sometimes it's good to just be a human.

Weekly Blog Post 1

"The purpose of a writer is to keep civilization from destroying itself." -- Albert Camus

There’s definitely something to be said about the written word. Before humans had the idea of putting their ideas, thoughts, feelings, etc. down on paper, these things were transferred over generations via word of mouth. Because of this, stories became twisted across their journey between different people. This wasn’t necessarily on purpose; interpretations became dissimilar, or the teller would simply forget a few details. One could also just flat-out lie. When something was written, it could be passed on exactly as the original writer intended (unless, of course, someone else was very good at editing). There is—seemingly—less room for error. Psychologically, we tend to accept anything published in a magazine, book, newspaper, or reputable online source as truth because of what it takes for it to reach that point. It must be approved by not only the writer but a series of editors and other superiors. Historians, etc. learn about the past from artifacts—and that can mean pots, bones, or recovered texts. It is true that (non-fiction) writing can be easily fabricated—A Million Little Pieces by James Frey, his not-so-factual account of his struggles with drugs and alcohol. However, they still sell that book in various stores throughout the country; it’s still regarded as a great work of fiction. If a precious diamond was discovered to be actually made of glass or something else ridiculous like that, it would immediately be denounced. Writing takes much more to lose its credibility, and that’s definitely saying something.
I chose this line because of how true I think it is—particularly when I think of rhetoric in the context of music. When I was growing up, Michelle Branch was one of my favorite singers. She told a personal story of when she visited a Spanish-speaking country (the name escapes me right now). She met a girl who did not speak or understand English; she took a guitar and sang one of Michelle’s songs in perfect English. She was amazed. Writing, rhetoric, is one of many things that are universal—everyone can relate to it, and it can bring just about anyone together. Without this art, I firmly believe civilization would indeed implode upon itself.