My 2001 Space Odyssey reflection

Stanley Kubrick’s 2001 Space Odyssey is an artistic and beautiful commentary, on technology, and what it means to be human. Inspired by a book and produced in 1968, with only 40 minutes of dialogue, this movie relies on powerful imagery and a timeless musical score to tell three separate yet intertwined stories. The first part takes us back to primitive times, where a group of apes discover the tools. The second part follows Dr. Heywood R. Floyd and his crew as they make a trip to a moon space station to discus an alien artifact discovered under the surface. The third and arguable most famous part follows astronauts Dr. David (Dave) Bowman, Dr. Francis (Frank) Poole and Hal, a super computer that not only runs the ship but also has human intelligence and possibly human emotions, as they travel to Jupiter. I toughly enjoyed this movie for two main reasons: first, the use of silence and imagery, second, the advanced ideas of humanity and technology.
The first aspect of this movie that really caught my attention was how Kubrick played with the visual and auditory senses of the audience. Most of this film lacks dialogue, but a great position of the movie contains a riveting score. Although not everyone has seen this movie, many recognize the score; it is jut that powerful, and when it plays against the images Kubrick gives us it makes for an outstanding experience. Another portion of the movie does not have dialogue or music; instead it is the sounds of the crew working and the ship beeping. In one particular scene, where Hal is shutting down the hibernating crew, there’s only the sound of the beeping life support machine, and the panics ringing as a display announces “Computer Error”. Although that scene is mostly silent, it is both suspenseful and meaningful, because the computer is never suppose to error and because we as the audience know it is not an error, Hal is doing it on purpose.
The second aspect of the movie that I found intriguing was the sociological and technological commentary. It’s socially relevant now more so than back in the 1960’s. The theme of technology taking control has been used and reused a lot in books, T.V. and movies, but Kubrick was one of the first to do it well. Hal controls the entire spaceship and when he malfunctions he murders most of the crew, humans relied so much on technology that they gave it all the power, it is only through his own resourcefulness that Dave stops Hal. It also shows arrogance on the part of man, believing that we can create foolproof machines, and than control them. I couldn’t help thinking, when they constantly said, “No Hal 9000 has ever malfunctioned” and that it’s ‘impossible’ for it to make an error, that they also described the Titanic as ‘unsinkable’. The social commentary was also interesting, what does make us human? Hal was given human intelligence and thought processes, he could make his own decisions and possessed the power to worry, a BBC reporter even wonders if he can feel emotion. If Hal can feel emotion, and think, and make connections with people, how far from being human is he really? Is it flesh and bone, and DNA that make us human, or is it something else? The scene where Dave is disconnecting Hal, he tells Dave he “is afraid”. It really makes you wonder, if we give a computer all the mental and emotional elements of a person is it really still just a computer? And if not, what should we do when it malfunctions? Blame the programmers, or the computer itself?
Stanley Kubrick’s film; 2001 Space Odyssey, is a beautiful cinematic feat, that can inspire, perplex, and captivate people over 40 years after its release. The way Kubrick uses music, and silence, as well as color and light is mesmerizing, while simultaneously reflecting on technology and the future of mankind, should be studied and praised even now. Although we as a society have lost mass interest for this type of quiet, artistic film, it still has much to teach us. Although it may not be as fast paced as a superhero movie, or as heart stopping as a horror flick, or even as easy to watch as a comedy, this film has the power to make a person stop and think about the world around them; and that is timeless.

putting all the pieces together

This last chapter i am going to be discussing is Compiling your Portfolio. I've written a lot of different things over the past view years, it would be really nice to have all those pieces in one place. It's hard for me to get organized but once i do i really appropriate the structure. A portfolio is also good becuase if you are writing something and think you have a previous paper that can help you out it will be easy to find.

I also thought the section on how to make a an online portfolio was very interesting. So much is done online that putting your portfolio online is really sensible. Also if you are a potential writter you could just send prospective employers to your website and they could see everything you have written.

Webcams

So my group and i are doing a project, we are creating a website about webcams. We choose this because webcams have gotten a lot of bad press but they can be sued for good. Our website has tabs for parents and kids and teens to show them the positives of webcams and how to use them efficiently and safely. I think this is a good idea because webcams are everywhere and if you're stupid about them it can lead to disaster. But if used correctly it can help you to stay connected with people who are far away and make your life easier.

New Ways

For my latest blog entry i read chapters 47-49 in my previously mentioned book. I love working with and reading about all different forms of media. Spoken word is for sure my favorite. I'm on the Forensics team, have been since i was 11, that's 8 years of speech competition. Lets put it this way; i'm not shy in presentations. This group project we are doing has us setting up a website. Ours is about webcams, and although i am in charge of designing it and are very good with computers and stuff like that i'm more excited for the presentation.
Honestly though, i love all different medias. The computer helps you to find all of them, you can see people in video talking, or making how to movies, or writing blogs. I love computers, that's why i'm taking a computer course, they are the present, but also the future. That is what is so amazing about them. This project is really exciting for me because we are planning to mix a lot of them. We will have writing on the website and little videos, which will all help tell our story.

Alls well that ends well

Hello cyber world, today i'm writing about chapters 28 and 29 in my English book The Norton Field Guide to writing. Chapter 28 is all about how important the beginning and endings of your papers are and i couldn't agree more. I do forensics speaking and when i'm doing something like a prose i know how important it is to begin strong and catch the audiences attention but also end strong so they are left on a high note emotionally.

Chapter 29 was all about how to guride your reader and that too is very important, when you give a speech you want to give a road map to the reader and the same goes for a paper. You can sue your title or thesis to show the reader where you are headed and it is always better to know where you're going. I also belive you have to make transitions strong because they are like little bridges between ideas.

Compare contrast repeat

Although i had already learned about the subject of tonight's reading they were very important. Being able to compare and contrast as well as dividing and classifying are very important in reading and writing. Cause and effect is also very important, you can than determine if someone is making a bad judgment call or too much of a stretch. Also writing about somethings cause or it;'s effect can really help the reader. I think when you are writing these are all things you have to keep in mind so that your writing is focused and easy to follow for the reader. Which is very important because if the reader can't follow what your saying you message does not get across. And of course you must always keep your purpose in focus because it will help you to sue all these devices.

Reading Extreme

From the chapter reading it seems like reading at the college level is practically an Olympic sport. You have to stretch by previewing and reading is the actually activity where as your cool down is when you go back and annotate. I understand that it is important but who has the time? I usually do these things quickly or subconsciously. I flip through originally to see what i'm getting myself into, than read, and than i think about it a bit or i have a reaction. When ever i read a bout reading it always makes it sound like it is some big process, like i consciously have to sit down and go "alright and now i shell reflect". It makes it sound a bit silly, but i do like annotating to a certain extent. I like it when it's on my own terms, when teachers make you turn in an annotated paper i think it goes to far, because i might not need to annotate as much as someone else to be able to remember anything important. I hate things like that, where it's one size fits all, i'm a good reader and i need notes less. But it is important to have reading skills.

just the facts ma'am

After reading the about analyzing a text i can't say I'm very excited about it. There are two types of papers that i find fun/get excited to right: creative papers like narratives and stories, and research papers where you are trying to convince the reader of your point of view. From the time i was young teachers always said the strongest parts of my paper were my 'voice' and it's a God thing i had that because before computers and spell check my grammar and punctuation were awful. But i like to but my personality into my writing, which is pretty difficult to do in this type of situation. I have to write a paper analyzing something, no real creativity there, and my opinion on the subject is no real part of it, so no real convincing. I do have to find different levels on which to analyze whatever it is, but to me that is more a use of intelligence than creativity or personality. And i use intelligence in every other class.
All in all I'm not thrilled about this assignment but hopefully i can make it fun for myself or at least interesting. It's not like all those sample ones were boring to read, I'm just not sure how much fun they would be to write. They one about the painting got Hotel California in my head, which was a bit annoying after a while but it is a good song. I was glad i read it though because i had been confused on how to write one of these things so now at least i have many examples to draw from so that is a plus. I always work better when i have an example.

Edit, Undue, Right Click, Spell Check

This chapter on editing and proof reading was very good for me to read. Proof reading and editing our my Achilles heel. I hate how people often attribute bad punctuation or spelling to laziness, that was little to do with it. I never really learned about commas or semi colons, don't get me wrong, i have had many classes since middle school that have done the whole "what's wrong with this sentence" work sheet. What i mean i i don't remember learning about it when i was in elementary school. I know i learned the multiplication and division tables in third grade though, and i don't even like math.
When i was younger i always thought it got in the way of real writing, i fully understand that if you read something with a lot of errors you tend to tune out, but my brain moves faster than i can type or write error free. It also really annoys me to have to go back and read what i rote but i do it, because i have something to say and i know people will listen better if all my commas are in the right place.

First times always a little rocky

There were many points made in chapters 24 and 25 that i agreed with. One is not revise what you write for yourself. I think to many people i n this society have that problem, i get so annoyed if i write a quick post on a friends wall and they correct my grammar. It's a wall post of Facebook, not a paper to be turned in for a grade.
I also really agreed with the list of questions you need to ask someone who is reading your story. You need to know that they understand and that all the points you were trying to make came through. I think that is really hard for some people, to make sure people understand what they were trying to say.
I read the section on rewriting but i can't say its really for me. I rewrite paragraphs and ideas, but i have never rewrote a whole paper from a different point of view or genre. Actually it does sound pretty interesting for an exercise, but i wouldn't do it on a paper to paper basses. That would e a fun assignment though, write something than rewirte it for a different genre or point of view or only dialogue or something. It reminds me of the acting exercises we use to do at theater school.

Just Enjoy

After reading all about different ways to formulate ideas i think that listing is best for me. I like to just write things down my own way with little structure. Free writing has too much pressure, knowing there was a time limit would freak me out. Clustering or an outline feel too structured. But reading about all of them made me think about how some forms i think would screw me up would really work for someone else, everybody has their own style which is cool.

I definitly agree with the book when it says you should write your first draft in one sitting. Something i hated in school was when your first or second drafts would be graded, i never thought they were meant to be, especially hte first. To me me that has always been jut a jumble and sort of like raw clay to be given more definite shape with the second draft.

My favorite of all the narratives was Potato Chips and Stars, mostly because i could relate to Rose talking about getting lost in books, that's how it was always been for me. I keep saying how much i love narratives, it's beucase you get to pull people in and you're don't have to change their minds or even teach them anything, it's just there. And you might want them to learn or think differently after reading it but even if they don't it's okay, as long as they enjoyed it.

Turning the Key

For me writing has always been like driving a car. You just turn the key and it starts. Now i know a lot of people are saying, "But Meg, it's not that simple! There is a lot more going on than just you turning the key!". Well, I know that, the way i see it is as long as the car starts I'm good. My behavior towards my writing has often followed the same philosophy: I put pen to paper and it just happens.
Now of course, my "car" is not perfect, I sometimes get my ideas out there so fast that i don't pay attention to accidentals like grammar or punctuation, but i digress. Reading these chapters was very enlightening to me, because it was like seeing all the gears in the car. Some of these elements, like stance and audience, have always been instinct. In contrast the section on genre really gave me a lot to think about.
Chapter 6 really got me excited though, because narratives are my favorite form of writing. And i also love to read and really enjoyed the sample stories, especially the one about the man and his father. I'm big about last lines, that comes from forensics, I've seen how powerful they can be. And his last line, "I am trapped there still." really reached me and had me reeling even as I closed the book 12 pages later.

Early Hours

Next semester I'm going to try not to have an 8am class. This is class is cool but very early. I want sleep.
This blog is going to be a chronicle of my time and readings in English 103. I plan to make it as interesting as possible.