Chap 9: Scientfic Images

When i thought about scientific images, the first thing that came to mind was DNA and the impact it has had in so many different ways. The overall advancements in the science of DNA has impacted our lives i ways that most of us don't even realize. I really like the example of DNA because I just find it so vastly amazing how scientists can alter and modify such small molecular structures in our bodies. And these tiny modifications can change and benifit our lives on Extreamly large scales. For example, just the advancements in the health industry are tremendous due to the reserch and technology of DNA alterations. Every vaccine, drug, and medicine are all devloped and used all through the invent of DNA studies. Ofcourse, along with all the scientific advancements in DNA and all the benificial and really good things that have come from DNA technology, there are many political issues that have manifested as well. The most notable probably being Stem Cell reserch, which while having many staunch supporters and proof of success, also carries many critics that feel stem cell reserch is morally wrong and somehow inhumane and unessesary. I personally feel that the simple benifits and overall good that the reserch would do outwieghs the possible dangers or problems that may occur from the use of stems cells to treat sickness and disease. i guess its just hard for me to understand why people wouldn't want to use stem cell reserch if it would almost certainly help develope a cure for MS for example. Its sad to me to think that horrible and devistating diseases like MS and so many others are denied a possible cure due to certain political, social, and religious groups and their ideals.

Chap 8: "What Happens in Vegas, Stays In Vegas!"

I went to Las Vegas this last weekend for one of my girlfriends 40th birthday party. Holy @!&$#!!!!!!! is about all i can say about that place in two words... well... with a side of "OMG" i guess. Vegas is truly one amazing city, and wheres a more perfect place to go while attending a mass media class in college. Not only is Vegas built on Sex, Drugs, and Rock'n'Roll, but the entire city is in some way or another driven by pastiche. I mean where else can you go and visit Saudi Arabia, Greece, Egypt, Italy, New York, and Paris all in one city?
On the subject of pastiche, its hard to find a better example thatn Vegas. I went there with my girlfriend and 5 other couples. On Saturday night they all wanted to go see a show. My girl and I had planned on going at first, but upon futher intoxication from the free cocktails at the blackjack tables, we decided to split from the pack and go have a nice romantic dinner somewhere. So we left Egypt, which was where we were staying, and "hit the strip!" By the way, if anyone reading this hasn't ever been to Vegas, or hasn't been in the last 5-6 years, I HIGHLY recommend going. So we leave Egypt, walk across the Brooklyn Bridge and on the way past New York, and as we aproach the Parthanon in Greece, we happened to look up and see the Eiffel Tower peircing the neon sky. So I asked Jenn, "You wanna go to Paris and have a few glasses of wine and a nice romantic dinner?, and then we'll go kiss atop the Eiffel Tower?" Whats a better way to spend the night? Granted we are in Vegas, but the minute we walked into Paris, it truly felt like we were somewhere else. Everyhting in there was made to mimic everything in Paris. We went to an amazing french restaurant in Paris, shared an awesome bottle of 2003 Pinot Noir, and ate a filet minon that was out of this world. What made the night even better is on our way out we decided to put a $20 bill in a "wild cherry" $1 slot machine. Played down to 4 dollars and then hit $360. We sat and played and drank and laughed for the next 2 hours, and ended up winning $1200 dollars. Paris was good to us that night, and so was the Eiffel Tower.
Thank God for Pastiche!!!!

Ch. 7 Advertising, Consumer Cultures & Desires

I can't help but always notice the abundance of these relationship companies like "Match.com", "E-Harmony.com", and "Singles.net". The ads are always popping up and with this assignment, i thought it would be fun to look at the differences in how they advertise and they're different strategies to attract people to they're websites. Match.com's ad was just a girl laying on a lawn and smiling like she is just blissfully happy and there isn't a worry in the world. Eharmony's website is a good-looking couple laughing with eachother while hugging. Singlesnet.com's website was a younger pretty girl looking sexy with a somewhat seductive look as well. Im not positive but i think that because i searched singlesnet.com and match.com on Google, that google knew that me being male and looking for a dating service made it to where the ads that came up were ones with women. If i were a woman looking up dating services, would google automatically tell the ad company my gender, and pop up the appropriate ad? Eharmony seems to me like they might cater to an older group of people.
http://www.match.com/index.aspx
http://landing.singlesnet.com
http://www.eharmony.com

Learning Outcome #3

Gosh... where do you begin when you try to correlate the connections between the growth and changes of mass media, and the growth and changes in american society. When I first started thinking about what one single element of mass media might have been the most influencial, I immediately thought about the internet. But as i thought more about it, i asked myself "what has really influenced me and changed my views of life in terms of media?" The more i thought about it, the more I basically looked back to the good ol' fasion Television. Granted I feel that the internet has overall influenced and changed our society in more ways than television, but when it comes to mass media and its influence on our society, I feel that TV takes the cake. The diversity in all the different news channels has developed into "left wing", "right wing", far left, far right, bla bla bla... Yet most all of them claim to be "unbiased". WTF? All of these different news channels have changed the way we view the world in whole. The shear convenience and accessablity of media through television has progressed peoples opinions and views of our society, and our relationships with other societies.

Learning Outcome #2:

For the learning outcome # 2, i wanted to talk a little bit about the economic impact that mass media has had on society. About 5 years abo I hired a financial advisor when i started my heating and airconditioning company. The initial consultation was probably not very different than it would have been say 20 or 30 years ago. The normal questions like "How agressive do you want to be?", "When is your ideal reetirement age?", etc... Ever since I started paying attention to my retirement, and inturn my finances, I've realized how much the media can effect the economy, and how fun and easy it can be to actually invest your own money. I began to somewhat educate myself about the basics of the stock market, how to pick growth stocks, and how to cut my losses as they approach. I became a huge and loyal Jim Cramer fan. I started by watching his now famous "Mad Money" show on CNN. Then, after learning how highly educated and critical Jim Cramer was, I bought 3 or 4 of his books. There are highly complex and legitimate reasons to by or sell a stock. One effect that i noticed media had among the many, is that every time Jim Cramer would recommend to buy or sell a stock, that stock value would subsequently either go up or down. Because it is so easy and available for people to personally trade stocks via the internet, it is just as easy for people to be influenced on what stocks to trade or sell via the media and internet.

Learning Outcome #1-

With so much media and advertising being crammed down our throats these days, and the overwhelming abundance of the different types and styles of media, I decided to comment a little about newspapers and magazines. Growing up there were always newspapers and magazines in our house. My grandfather read the news paper everyday i think. There are elements of a newspaper and magazine that i feel are much more convenient than say the internet or television. Having a newspaper thrown on your front porch every morning from someones car window. If people don't have immediate access to a computer or television, it is often not hard to find a newspaper lying around somewhere. Walk in to any random coffee house, and you're sure to find atleast 2 or 3 newspapers lying around, and usually a few different types of newspapers as well. This allows the average person to grab up a paper and read the sports column, check the stock market, see the breaking news and headline stories, etc... With all the talk of the newspaper dying off due to the internet, i still feel that the newspaper will always have its place in modern media. I mean who is going to carry around they're laptop so that they can check the latest and greatest news stories, or sports scores and market crashes. Its really nice sometimes to just throw in a couple quarters and grab a paper and relax once in a while. In a nut shell, even though its true that paper sales have dropped significantly with the explosion in laptops and free wifi everywhere you go, i feel that the old-fasion newspaper will always be around.