Tunnel Vision

I have always considered repetition an immensely valuable tool in creating effective speeches.  Our reading on TED talks only backed up this thought and I have found it useful first hand.  However, seldom do I practice in the same exact setting with similar amounts of pressure as the final presentation.  I trust my content and my abilities to convey my message, but tend to get lost in the repetition—the very thing that gives me strength and confidence—in that I focus only on getting my speeches perfect.  In short, repetition is invaluable, but also (in my case) promotes tunnel vision.

This tunnel vision leads me to my more apparent weaknesses in my presentations.  My lack of consistent eye contact serves as my largest flaw, though is only part of my larger problem.  I find myself wrapped up in my presentations to the point where I forgot to hold on to the remote during my civic artifact speech.  Concentrating on my words the way in which I practiced allowed me to specify my points, but surely hurt my delivery.

I could improve my comfort and eye contact by going to the exact room at which I will present.  For example, I should have used the our classroom to get used to the environment prior to the final presentation.  Furthermore, I need to put less stress on repetition and more on connecting with the audience.

First, Let Me Take a Selfie

Time frame: 1980s-Present

Thesis:  Though the introduction of smartphone cameras has empowered people to become their own photographers, it has largely led to the devaluing of memories and social events easily captured by their smartphones.

People are now more inclined to record a concert than see it with their own eyes.  The photographing populous—previously wielding only film cameras or large, complex cameras geared toward professionals—enjoyed the ability to capture moments in the 80s and 90s, but never abused the power.  However, hiring skilled photographers for special occasions or relying on lengthy film processing times are now a thing of the past.  Changing tides (the introduction of high-quality smartphone cameras) have rapidly changed how the public thinks about these moments.  Precious film was used previously to emphasize important occasions in decades past.  Smartphones enable the average consumer to take thousands of photos—potentially of entire events or meals.  These consumers may see recording the event as a way to recall fond memories, but more and more frequently have used these photos as evidence that they have attended an event.  Recording these memories, rather than taking an event in for all its worth, has led to the depreciation of these social events in the present day.


http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2013/dec/13/death-of-photography-camera-phones
http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-16483509
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/06/03/smartphone-photography_n_7503180.html
http://time.com/3811490/smartphone-photography-at-woodstock/
http://photography.about.com/od/historyofphotography/a/photohistory.htm

Seeing Paradigm Shifts

Many significant paradigm shifts happen over long periods of time, making it difficult for us as eighteen-year-olds to identify them.  However, celebrities' use of acquiring political power to gain publicity is a paradigm shift that is highlighted today.  With advances in technology and social media, it appears more and more seems within our grasp.  For some, that can even mean the presidency.  Laying on the foundation of actors like Ronald Reagan and Arnold Schwarzenegger, more and more big names are willing to get involved politically.  Think back to my civic artifact presentation and you will see Chuck Norris advocating registering to vote.  He has donated tens of thousands of dollars to republican candidates and serves as the honorary chairman of "Trigger the Vote".  Moreover, rapper Waka Flocka Flame announced that he would be running for president in 2016.  This announcement in 2013 surely caused substantial ruckus on the Internet, but many overlooked the fact that Waka Flocka is under the age of 35—he cannot run for president until the year 2024.  I cannot go without mentioning Donald Trump who is still in the running for the Republican presidential nominee.  

The way we get and absorb news has also experienced significant shift.  Back in the day of the paperboy, news was primarily relayed by newspaper or radio, and television to an extent.  Other than NPR, radio as a news outlet has generally lost its viability.  Similarly, newspapers are not as prominent as they used to be.  Television news stations and social media now dominate the sphere of news influence.  The use of media players in homes and cars lead to news radio's demise, while electronic publications contributed to the downfall of myriad newspapers.

Social media and technology's influence spreads throughout politics and news, contouring the path of the future and ultimately results in multiple paradigm shifts.  

Who to Trust

Aristotle's three appeals—logos, pathos, and ethos—used in conjunction leads to the formation of truly comprehensive rhetoric.  The talk of ethos in RCL has highlighted how in today's society, many have forgotten to question societal norms and beliefs.

Actors and celebrities are depicted by the media as trustworthy, intelligent, and influential citizens.  Take Morgan Freeman for example.  Consistent roles as knowledgable characters in myriad movies have convinced to trust Mr. Freeman without knowing his true motives, viewpoints, or character.

This illegitimate ethos is not exclusively reserved for the famous.  It has misconstrued the views of countless people around us.  Recall that blindly passionate friend arguing about his political views.  Having participated in a discussion for my biomedical engineering seminar about US race relations, I conversed about the relaying of viewpoints associated with controversial issues.  When people are misinformed, they are likely to adopt the strong (,not necessarily true,) assertions of those around them.  Humans are frequently too afraid to admit that they simply "do not know" and resort to investing ethos in those who believe they are right.

So who should we trust?  Shouldn't something as important as credibility be harder to forge?

The answer lies in being informed.  Being truly informed by reading newspapers, watching the news, and filtering through the swamp of information on the internet is one of the only ways to prevent yourself from investing falsified ethos into those who don't truly deserve the responsibility.  Simply relying and adhering to "slacktivism" to appear as though you are informed does not do anyone any justice.

Most importantly, it is crucial to understand that admitting "I don't know" is not a sign of weakness or stupidity.  However, it proves equally important to want to change that "I don't know" to "I want to learn".

Photo courtesy of: We Are Movie Geeks

Options, Options

Feliciano Lopez, US Open 2014

When I hear the word "passion," a couple of things spring to mind.  Other than cliché college essays... science, photography, and tennis are involuntarily elicited from the happiest corner of my brain.  The science of taking tennis photos, playing tennis while researching the science of photography, playing tennis with scientific photographs—I could produce an infinite amount of posts.  Unfortunately, this is not a "passionS" blog, and the ideas mentioned earlier simply apply to too niche of an audience.  So, I have narrowed my options to the following subjects:

1.  "On the Way to Class"

 Instant film photography is a wonderful thing.  Along with instant gratification, the perfect imperfections of every shot make instant photography more than a novelty.  With this blog, I would take one photo with an instant film camera (Polaroid 250 Land Camera, Polaroid 600, or Fujifilm Instax Mini 8) on the way to one of my classes and analyze the result.  The first  post or two may deal with some of my existing photography to explain some of the fundamentals and science of my cameras and the chemical processes.  

2.  "Nature Can Do That?"

From adhesives inspired the principles that allow geckos to swiftly traverse slick panes of glass to specially texturized tennis racquets that mimic sharkskin to reduce air drag—nature pushes us to innovate and galvanizes the world.  In this blog, I would explore the surprising and useful products that would not exist without a kickstart from Mother Nature herself.

3.  "Absolutely Smashing"

Tennis is a game that is simple to pick up, but nearly impossible to master.  What interests me just as much as playing the game, however, is the rest of the game that players seem to keep on the back burner—racquet and string technologies, the big and small tournaments around the world, the professional players and their stories—the list goes on and on.  I could talk about tennis for days and I just might with this blog.

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So, what should I pick?  I'll probably be thinking about the topic for this blog the entire bus ride home for Labor Day weekend.  I know I won't be writing about all of my interests combined .  Luckily, in choosing a topic, I know I might be able to make one of my passions one of yours.  At the very least, I'll post plenty of photos, videos, and more to keep you entertained.