11-18-Blog Post

 Read Ch. 8 (PGS. 168-189) 400 Word Blog Post explaining how the reading is relevant to your group multimodal assignment.

The envision reading assignment focused on different mediums of writing, and the rhetoric they can hold. It covered a range of objects, including those outside of “traditional” writing, such as image collages. I feel the last few pages regarding multimedia projects were the most relevant to our multi model assignment, though reading about the styles of decorum was interesting and relevant too.

It made clear that there are three such styles of decorum: the “grand” style, which uses formal structures and many rhetorical devices; the “middle” style, which is less ornate than the grand style, and has a more leisurely pace; and the “plain” style, which is the least formal and the closest to spoken language. Over the reading I realized that our assignment will more than likely be in the plain style, since it will have some elements of parody and probably won't come across as super professional. The website may be in a different decorum style, however, perhaps middle.

Additionally, while I hadn't really thought much about it, the reading made it more obvious to me that our multi modal assignments will definitely contain elements of rhetoric. Knowing that, we'll have to pay special attention to them. Our topic (for now) involves animal cruelty, so there will undoubtedly be many elements of emotion involved with it. But including logos and ethos will also enhance the point of the video, and in my opinion, care should be taken to involve all three rhetorical elements. The tone of the video will be important as well, and I think we should try to avoid making it too emotionally charged.

Overall, the chapter made me think about how different media can be considered forms of writing, including this project. We'll have to take special care to make our arguments clear, especially with any rhetoric used. The website will also play a crucial role in the presentation of the final assignment, as it will set up the stage for viewing the video. We'll have be stringent when setting up the final version of the website, with clear attention to ease of navigation, presentation of the assignment topic, and of course the inclusion of the video.

Blog Post for 10-26

Write a three hundred word response to the readings discussing how ones position in the world shapes how he or she might feel about identity, society and culture.

One's position in the world affects a lot of things about how one thinks, feels, and reacts. In fact, it's probably an important of what makes us unique.

To generalize a bit though, when it comes to our views about society... someone who is in a well off position probably views their society much more positively than someone in a less than stellar position. This of course makes sense – though shouldn't be taken for granted. Our views on society are only one part of our identity, however. Identity is a very complex topic that is formed by a wide variety of factors (though opinions on society are also shaped by different topics.) Obviously there is an identity related to the geographical location one grew up at. The identity of being a citizen of one's country, a resident of a town or city, and a sense of belonging to a specific area. The culture of one's country also shapes identity, especially cultural norms.

Of course, through the reading, it is clear that our responses to images of crisis are also shaped by our positions in society. A crisis that hits close to home will be felt more than one that seems to be far away, though images can help bridge this gap by bringing the scale of crises straight to us.

Additionally, when we see a crisis in a country with similar technology and culture to ours, such as the Japanese tsunami, it comes as more of a shock to us because we don't typically think of these things happening to more modernized countries. This isn't to belittle or demean the catastrophes that happen to other countries, of course, but at first glimpse they may hit us less due to cultural and societal differences.

Research Paper - Annotated Bibliography

Annotated Bibliography

Vance, Ashlee. “3-D Printing Spurs a Manufacturing Revolution.” New York Times. 13 Sept. 2010. Web. 17 Oct. 2011. <http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/14/technology/14print.html>

This article by the New York Times showcases some of the newer uses that 3D printing is finding, and gives several examples of those uses by businesses. Some of these products include prosthetic limb casings, furniture, and even jewelry – all of which contrast sharply with the more traditional use of 3D printing in rapid prototyping. The article then goes into brief detail of the 3D printing process (remarking that it's nothing like paper printing), and brisks over some of the technology's trends. In the end, the article solidly backs up its title by showing ways this technology can, and is, leading to a change in manufacturing. While many of the applications presented are by small businesses, it doesn't escape the writers that larger companies are also looking into 3D printers.

D. Dimitrov, K. Schreve, and N. de Beer. "Advances in three dimensional printing – state of the art and future perspectives." Rapid Prototyping Journal, Vol. 12 Iss: 3, pp.136 – 147. 2006. Emerald Insight. Web. 15 Oct. 2011. <http://www.emeraldinsight.com/journals.htm?articleid=1558305>

This research paper examines 3D printing as a whole, looking at both commercial and industrial applications. It gives quite a few examples of these uses, and reviews a range of fields that the technology is used in, such as architecture and medicine. After this review, the article details some conclusions about the strengths and weaknesses of 3D printing for rapid prototyping, and looks at several primary research topics within 3D printing. In the end, the article concludes that the technology will definitely stay within its use in design, but its greatest potential growth lies with rapid prototyping.

Makerbot Industries. MakerBot Industries, 2009. Web. 11 Oct. 2011. <http://www.makerbot.com/>

This site is the homepage of the 3D printer supplier MakerBot Industries, and has a wealth of information about their product and the company. Their product, the MakerBot, is unique in being a 3D printer that is home assembled, and has found a large following among hobbyists. MakerBot Industries was a key company in bringing 3D printers to this very audience, and their site features much information attuned to home hobbyists. It's made abundantly clear that they're a key player in the home movement for 3D printers, and their site is an excellent resource for this.

Freeform Construction. Loughborough University, 2011. Web. 11 Oct. 2011. <http://www.buildfreeform.com/>

This site is the home page of the “Freeform Construction Project,” which seeks to research the use of 3D printers in concrete printing for fabrication of construction pieces. They remark that the demands of modern architecture are reaching the point where new technologies are needed – such as additive manufacturing via 3D printing. The site covers, naturally, what the project is about and the technology they use, along with a full listing of publications and media pieces about the project. Overall, the project is an exciting application of 3D printing that strays outside of the more traditional use in rapid prototyping.

BotMill and BotMill Blog. BotMill. Web. 10 Oct. 2011. <http://botmill.com/>

Botmill.com is another home site for an important 3D printer manufacturer, geared toward both hobbyist and consumer markets. Their site and blog contains several articles and news segments about the overall industry, and is a good resource there. It also contains several videos about their specific 3D printer and printing process. Overall, the site is a useful repository of information about this specific company and their endeavors into 3D printing.

“3D printing creates 'something out of nothing'.” Reporter. Daniel Sieberg. BBC News. 23 Dec. 2010. Web. 1 Oct. 2011. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/world_news_america/9318390.stm>

This video by BBC, while about a year old, is an excellent overall summary of 3D printing and the process essential to the entire technology. It delves briefly into the history of 3D printing, giving a small segment to Makerbot industries and their impact on the 3D printing market. Another important part of the video is its focus on the trends of the technology. Some facts from this section include the pricing of 3D printers – it's on the decline - and that there are plans for large 3D printers with the ability to print multiple materials.

Barnatt, Christopher. “3D Printing.” explainingthefuture.com. Web. 24. Sept. 2011. <http://www.explainingthefuture.com/3dprinting.html>

Explaining the Future's page about 3D printing is an excellent collection of information about the technology, focusing on both the process of 3D printing and the applications it holds today. The page also goes into detail about the impact the technology could have in the future, going on to speculate on some of their future uses. It also breaks down current technologies used in 3D printing, from fused deposition modelling, the building of an object through deposition of a material that then cools, to selective laser sintering, the fusing of a powder via a laser. All of these processes rely on building a 3D object through 2-dimensional slices.

Bak, David. "Rapid prototyping or rapid production? 3D printing processes move industry towards the latter." Assembly Automation, Vol. 23 Iss: 4, pp.340 – 345. 2003. Emerald Insight. Web. 22 Sept. 2011. <http://www.emeraldinsight.com/journals.htm?articleid=874909>This article is a research paper that addresses the fact that 3D printers are primarily used within industry for rapid prototyping. It then goes on to explore some technologies that may cause an expansion beyond this use, and covers them in detail, along with some advantages 3D printers have. Some of these new developments include new materials that are more heat resistant, and others that are much closer in properties to glass. The paper also details the economics of mass production through 3D printers, and why it is still too pricey for large companies to mass produce items with the technology.

Graham-Rowe, Duncan. “'Gadget printer' promises industrial revolution.” newscientist.com. NewScientist, 8 Jan 2003. Web. 22 Sept. 2011. <http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn3238>

This article is relatively old (about 8 years), and focuses on the concept of using electric-sensitive polymers in 3D printers to create devices with fully integrated electronics. The idea is quite novel, and if it were successfully implemented, would add a new dimension to 3D printing. Unfortunately, given the age of the article, it seems that the implementation has yet to be perfected yet, or the electronic speeds are too slow. Nonetheless, the article and topic serve to highlight the fact that 3D printers have a wide range of applications, and can be used in more novel ways than fabrication of a static object.

Graham-Rowe, Duncan. “3-D Printing for the Masses.” technologyreview.com. M.I.T., 31 July 2008. Web. 22 Sept. 2011. <http://www.technologyreview.com/Infotech/21152/?nlid=1244&a=f>

This article mainly focuses on one company (Shapeway) and the 3D printing service it set up. Customers pay the company to 3D print a custom design, who in return ship it out to them, though there are of course design constraints. This an interesting service, and shows one way 3D printing may change the way people acquire goods. It's also a service that has been replicated by other companies since this article, all of which seek to make 3D printing simple and accessible to everyone.

Brandon, John. “What is 3D printing? A beginner’s guide to the desktop factory.” digitaltrends.com. Digital Trends, 27 June 2011. Web. 22 Sept. 2011. <http://www.digitaltrends.com/computing/what-is-3d-printing-a-beginners-guide-to-the-desktop-factory/>

This particular article is a summary of the appeal of 3D printers as they stand today, and examines them from a hobbyist standpoint. However, it also acknowledges their use in rapid prototyping, and some of their business applications. For the hobbyists, it then compares several 3D printer models and the process one would use to operate them, going into detail to contrast them to more traditional manufacturing methods. It then ends on current trends in 3D printing, noting that prices continue to decline, and that the technology has the potential to expand far beyond hobbyists.

“The Printed World.” economist.com. The Economist, 10 Feb 2011. Web. 22 Sept. 2011. <http://www.economist.com/node/18114221?story_id=18114221>

"The Printed World" covers the basics of what 3D printing is, and some of the many applications it has today. It compares and contrasts what 3D printing could bring to manufactured products, including the elimination of having to throw away excess waste, and decreased time and money in rapid protoyping. Finally, it goes on to speculate on the impact 3D printing will have on industry, and commercial goods as a whole. There are numerous examples within the article of 3D printing being used commercially, though one of the more significant is the creation a car body by the company Stratasys.

Research Freewrite

 Research Freewrite

    3D printers hold an alluring promise at first glance – they allow one to take almost any computer model and make a real life object from it. This concept is something that many have strove to achieve, yet 3D printers aren't ground-breakingly new. That isn't to say that they're old, indeed, relatively speaking, they're a fairly new technology. However, in their current state, 3D printers are limited in several ways: in the scale that they can print, the material they can print, and their speed. All of these, however, are setbacks that are being actively researched so that they can be overcome. In the future, 3D printers may cause drastic changes to both ordinary people and businesses. This is my main hypothesis, and I hope to be able to research just what kind of changes they might bring about, along with their current uses.

    To investigate this topic, I hope to use recent scientific papers on the technology and operation of 3D printers, conjectures on changes we might see in the future, and the opinions of organizations and people that use the technology today. Additionally, I am interested in the standpoint of hobbyists that use 3D printers, and how the 'every day man' acquires the technology. To do this, I will need to investigate and look into communities online that focus on 3D printers, and also scout out businesses that sell the equipment. I have already found several articles about the hobbyist use of 3D printers, and one scientific paper on the subject of 3D printing.

    I think the hardest part of this assignment, in terms of research, will be uncovering the professional opinion of businesses that use the technology. I am not very good at cold-calling companies, and I'm unsure of just how interested they will be in my topic. However, I think if I present things well enough, this will be less of an issue.

Blog Post for Friday Sept 22

 Find five sources to support your Research Topic and write about three sentences outlining the content of each article. 

http://www.emeraldinsight.com/journals.htm?articleid=874909&show=abstract

This article is a research paper that addresses the fact that 3D printers are primarily used in industry for rapid prototyping. It then goes on toexplore some technologies that may bring this divide to a close, and covers them in detail. Additionally, it covers the economics of mass production through 3D printers.

http://www.economist.com/node/18114221?story_id=18114221

This article covers the basics of what 3D printing is, and some of the many applications it has today. It also compares and contrasts what 3D printing could bring to manufactured products, including the elimination of having to throw away excess waste. Finally, it goes on to speculate on the impact 3D printing will have on industry.

http://www.digitaltrends.com/computing/what-is-3d-printing-a-beginners-guide-to-the-desktop-factory/

This particular article is a summary of the appeal of 3D printers as they stand today, and primarily looks at them from a hobbyist standpoint. However, it also acknowledges their use in rapid prototyping. It then goes on to compare several 3D printer models and the process one would use to operate them.

http://www.technologyreview.com/Infotech/21152/?nlid=1244&a=f

This article mainly focuses on one company (Shapeway) and the 3D printing service it set up. Customers pay the company to 3D print a design they make, and then have the company ship it out to them – an interesting service. Its primary goal is to make the concept of 3D printing simple and accessible to everyone.

http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn3238

This article is relatively old (about 8 years), and focuses on the concept of using electric-sensitive polymers in 3D printers to create devices with fully integrated electronics. The idea is quite novel, and if it were successfully implemented, would add a new dimension to 3D printing. Unfortunately, given the age of the article, it seems that the implementation has yet to be perfected yet, or the electronic speeds are too slow.

Research Topics

Locating two research topics... it'd seem an easy task. But finding the two I wanted to research was actually trickier than I'd thought it would be. The first topic I settled on involves a relatively new piece of technology, the 3D printer. Specifically, the main question I wish to investigate is what impact 3D printers will have on the world as they become more affordable and precise. 3D printing is a concept I've found interesting, and the possibilities it offers are fascinating. Of course, 3D printing has been in industrial use for a while now, but in the near future we may see home 3D printers coming to the market as they become cheaper. The impact they could have on both industry and the consumer would be wide reaching. People could build things in their homes – toys or parts, almost anything they could think of, instead of having to go out and buy them. This would, naturally, impact business greatly, but I think we would see businesses adapt to its every-day use if it becomes that common.

The other research topic under consideration regards the recent retirement of NASA's space shuttle. How will this impact the US space program – already under heavy budget cuts – and international interests in space? As the US government looks more and more to private companies, will we see space become more open to people? That's a bit of a long shot, at least in the near future, but I definitely feel the impact it will have on other countries will be great. Already, it is impacting the space station, as the US has to rely on Russia's rockets until its replacement is done.

Rhetorical Image for Analysis

Thesis: This image was used at the front of an online debate regarding marriage and family, demonstrating what would appear to be a stereotypical family, with undercurrents of nostalgia as demonstrated by the color choice and rhetorical pathos the image presents. The context of the image is also important - as it showcases what at one time was the "ideal" family, and uses the ethos of the site the debate was staged at. A third rhetorical appeal, through logic, uses the apparent happiness of its occupants to advocate an interpretation of the image that the ideal family has changed over time.

Image Candidates for Rhetorical Analysis

Here are some of the candidates I have selected to possibly use in my rhetorical analysis essay...

From NYTimes. (Associated page: http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2011/08/30/shotgun-weddings-vs-cohabitating-parents)

From LATimes (Associated Page: http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-alabama-tornado-20110831,0,4840434.column )

Blog Post for Monday Sept. 5

Read Envision In Design Pages 383-391

Respond to the essay on pages 386-389 in 300 or more words.

The essay listed above makes a clear case for Dove's campaign for real beauty, and cites numerous facts to detail the issues they tried to tackle. The campaign is a surprising one for a beauty-product company at first glance, but also begs the question of its success. Was it able to eliminate the fact that companies making beauty products, like Dove, were creating a host of issues with the way women looked at themselves through their pushing of an idealized version of beauty?

Part of the campaign relied upon other companies seeing the success it brought, making those companies want to bring about a change in how they showed beauty. The hope was that the change would be a more realistic one, in turn helping the problem of beauty seeming hopelessly out of reach to the average woman.

But, several years later, I don't think the goal the company sought out to accomplish has happened. Indeed, we still see beauty product ads pushing their idealized version of women in ads, whether the ads are for makeup or clothing. I personally can't say whether there's been a shift in these idealizations, but the versions presented nowadays still exhibit the traits the company was trying to get rid of. Namely, that female beauty is based on being ultra-thin, having perfect skin, and perfect hair.

Take this ad by L’Oreal, featuring Indian actress Sonam Kapoor.

Note her hair, skin, and thinness that we can gather.

Of course, the model in this poster is Indian, not Caucasian, which does show a shift towards being more open about race in these types of advertisements. But that alone is not all of what Dove set out for in its campaign. Women are still being bombarded with messages about the way they should look and act, in order to be beautiful.

Thesis Analysis of an Image

Find an image and make a thesis statement about it covering its elements of rhetoric.

This image is used with the headline “tornado-ridden Tuscaloosa ready for Bama football” and establishes clear rhetorical elements of pathos – with the juxtaposition of a football jersey over the wreckage from a tornado, and also of logos, with the expectation that the town has more than survived the disaster.

Image taken from  latimes.com.

Blog Assignment 2

Find an image or an ad and rhetorically analyze it using the terms ethos, logos, pathos and kairos.

 

The image I've gone ahead and selected for this particular blog post is a movie poster for Captain America: The First Avenger, which is incidentally one I saw over the Summer. The movie itself was.... well, not what I expected, but that's a different story.

About the poster itself: the very clear focus of it is Captain America, who takes up the full height of the poster, yet his face is oddly very high up and not what we're drawn to. Instead we focus on the text after a bit. However, the presence of the main star, Captain America, is an appeal by ethos – after all, a super-powered hero who works for good (or just America) has some ethical authority. Another appeal I see from it is that of pathos, as the grittiness and overall darkness of it gives off the feeling that the situation he's in is pretty serious. Indeed, another pathos appeal comes from the background, as the thick dark clouds suggest dark times and a grave situation.

If we look at his outfit, we'll see more of the grittiness, and the fact that it's marred, scratched, and torn up. Clearly he's been through a lot, and logically he would seem to be quite a tough guy because of it. This logical appeal is the logos of the poster, though it is, I think, the least used appeal of them all.

But, these appeals mostly give the impression that the movie will be of a serious tone, such as that of another comic book movie, The Dark Knight. This is where the kairos of the poster comes into play: the Dark Knight showed that a serious and dark comic book movie could work - and be a success. The poster is tapping into that, and if you compare it to a poster for The Dark Knight, you can see the clear resemblance.

First Blog Assignment

Think about what kind of visual images you see on a day to day basis. What kind of images do you see everyday? (ads, Facebook, newspaper, tv, computer etc.) How are these persuasive, what makes an image more effective or less effective? 

 

The kind of images we see every day really depends on what type of media we choose to expose ourselves to. For me personally, the majority of the images I see are online - they're mostly ads and complimentary images with articles. Online ads have to be persuasive in one thing: getting you, the viewer, to click on them. Unfortunately for ad makers, most people suffer from a sort of fatigue regarding online ads, and as such, ignore them very easily. This then lends itself to ads trying their utmost to be eye catching, sometimes with flashing lights.

Take this ad: the “start your free trial” button flashes (not shown), while there is a scattering of six movie titles in the banner and a bright red section with the main text.

In terms of persuading a viewer's thoughts or mindset though, online ads don't do much. However, I think the images that are used with online news sites tend to be much more persuasive in this regard. These types of images are presented to enhance the article, and add to the persuasiveness of what the viewer is reading. Good persuasiveness here relies on a good tie to the article and strong scenes. An example of this, at least to me, is in the image below.

This image was the front picture of an LA Times article reporting on the civil war in Libya. Specifically, it covers the destruction of one of Ghadafi's symbols in a victory for the rebels. This is reflected by the people in the image, and the feeling of triumph it contains. The article can be found here http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-libya-tripoli-20110824-20110824,0,5290849.story (image not immediately present)