Presentations

Wow...I have been really enjoying all of the student presentations we have been having in class. I am so used to watching all mechanical engineering students present so its nice for a change to see how other students present and style that they use, I get great ideas how to improve myself. Its interesting to see how some people interpret a piece of art while what I was seeing completely different. This is a great way to change up the class. I'm loving it ..... :o)

Running Barefoot

I enjoy running as much as my body and this heat will allow me to do. I just got a great new pair of sneakers that I actually got fitted for because I was having a lot of pain in my feet and legs in my previous pair of shoes. I felt I could run faster and more comfortable since I have changed over to these sneakers.

Today in class we went sort of off track and began talking about this tribe that goes running numerous miles with no shoes. This was very interesting to me since I complain when I have a pair of shoes that I feel are uncomfortable and when these people are running with no shoes on and winning races!!! I must be a baby to be complaining about hurting feet.

I came across many articles saying that running barefoot is actually safer then running with shoes. "It allows you to run with the proper technique, instead of the heal-toe technique used when wearing sneakers." said by Ken who runs all of his races with no shoes and says now that sneakers only slow him down. I don't know if I would ever be able to handle the pounding of the cement in the city of Boston on my bare feet!

Stop Texting!

well after finishing up a crazy birthday weekend I'm exhausted and realized that I haven't posted in a while....on Friday i got to go to my first red sox game ever a few rows behind home plate it was amazing!!

In class this week when we talking about virtual relationships it got me to start thinking about how my relationships have changed a lot from when I was a freshman to now just like technology is changing. I have realized and as well my roommate that when we meet people and exchange numbers they always text us but four years ago it was always a phone call since we really didn't use texting. It really bothers me actually texting people it begins to be awkward when you talk to people since you are so used to having this computerized conversations constantly ....

Already we have discussed in class how men and women have conflict in relationships for numerous reason and i feel having conversations through texting only worsens the problem..in the beginning of relationships every one relies to much on texting...how can you tell how a person really is if you never hear their tone of voice ..but only reading text...i think we all need to stop using texting after just meeting someone and stick to the old school phone call

1st Impression

okay so I'm very frustrated right now I am having so much trouble trying to figure out how to use 2nd life...I would think I would be able to figure it out since I use a computer everyday and have played video games/computer games for many years but I have only been able to create my character and walk around I'm not quite sure how to communicate with people..so far I am having a bad experience and wish it was more user friendly...i feel I am wasting my time trying to figure out how to use this I wish it came with a manual or something!!! If anyone has any tips to make this any easier please help...ill be posting again once I have messed around with this a little longer ...frustrated.....

Freaky Dolls

Guys and Dolls was very disturbing to me; I was very uncomfortable believing this to be true. I started to think what if I met this guy and I was really into him, but then I found out that he did or has an obsession with these dolls..i think i would be totally freaked out and probably end the relationship completely....but why??? why does this freak me out so bad .... then I was thinking how is this much different that having a relationship over the Internet which today many people do. Basically both consist of having this fantasy relationship without stepping into the real worlds at all if you don't want to.

But who would want this "perfect" relationship. I mean you would never have to worry about the things that we have to worry about in relationships such as cheating, lieing, arguing, stealing, and all of the things that could possibly pop up in a relationship... come on now no one has a perfect relationship without bugging each other at least once in a while. But with these dolls "she" would never do any of that. I feel it take a lot out of the relationship and also the fact that she doesn't talk back and she is mainly used for sexual pleasures. I feel the type of people interested in these dolls have complete control issues; this is an easy scape goat for them and they can have complete control over all aspects of the "relationship".

If these dolls were created for women, I know I would never be interested in them, I need more out of a relationship than just sexual pleasure I enjoy the challenge :)

Happy Birthday Mr. President

http://video.aol.com/video-detail/marilyn-monroe-sings-happy-birthday-to-john-f-kennedy-1962/2292133501

Click here to view the video

After watching the video of Marilyn Monroe singing Happy Birthday to JK Kennedy it was clearly obvious why people viewed her as a sex icon. She sang in a very seductive voice and wore this dress shown to the left, it was extremely form fitting. You were able to see that she clearly had some sexual relation with JF Kennedy. He states "I can now retire from politics after having had Happy Birthday sung to me in such a sweet, wholesome way" , which i didn't interpret to be wholesome in any way it was much more erotic.

In the moment....

Today for my Art & Technology class we went to the MFA, to view art work from many different time periods, some of which included:Renaissance, Egyptian and Pre-Christina Era. I felt as if I was running (literally running) through different time periods. In each room I felt a different atmosphere, some felt very soothing while others felt as if I was in castle and didn't want to make the wrong move. When I walked into the room with the Impressionist paintings I was in awe. My favorite artist in this room was Claude Monet; I really enjoyed how he worked with light. When looking at his paintings I felt at ease and comfort. Within all of his paintings I felt happiness in the atmosphere I experienced when viewing.

Then I came across this painting by Monet on the Internet which I don’t think the MFA had but I think this painting is absolutely gorgeous and wish I got to see in person. I love all of the bright colors, also gives me a feeling of happiness. I really enjoy going over the MFA to see the paintings that we discuss in class, I am able to get the full understanding of the piece of art work really seeing it in person, we are very lucky to have a teacher who is so motivated to allow us to experience this. I look forward to more field trips :)

Life on another planet?

After watching the man who fell to Earth, I felt very uneasy. I was having trouble figuring out if David Bowie was a person or if he was an alien. This made my mind start to think about if their if life on another planet or are there aliens walking around here on Earth? It has already been discovered that there is water on Mars, which at one time before been a large mass of water and who knows possibly life...

check out this technology

http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid1155362683?bctid=294968812

When the creator meets the creature…

When Dr. Frankenstein arrives in Chamounix, he is very uneasy and unable to sleep. He stated: “I remained many hours at the window, watching the pallid lighting that played above Mont Blanc, and listening to the rushing of the Arve, which ran below my window.” He was still very depressed about the guilt he put on himself from the death of his brother. A few days into the trip, Dr. Frankenstein decides to travel to the summit of Montanvert alone, to hopefully rid of his depression state. Once he reaches the top, he feels a sudden joy of life. But at the same instant he spots a figure in the distance that resembles a large man coming towards him extremely fast. He soon realized that it was “the wretch whom I had created” referring to Frankenstein the monster. Dr. Frankenstein at first confronts him with hatred and anger and refers to him as the devil. “Begone, vile insect! Or rather stay, that I may trample you to dust!” But the monster responds back very calm and understanding. Dr. Frankenstein begins to try and physically attack the monster from all of his built up frustration. The monster is looking for a parent/friend figure, stating “every where I see bliss, from which I alone am irrevocably excluded. I was benevolent and good; misery made me a fiend. Make me happy, and I shall again be virtuous.” The monster has gone through a lot in his travels from fear and hatred from society. Imagine how you must feel when anyone looks at you, they are looking at you with disgust….He would like to feel welcomed and compassion from Dr. Frankenstein, his creator, his father, his parent. He asks Dr. Frankenstein to accompany him to discuss his travels through live so far. Dr. Frankenstein agrees, as if it was his duty to do so…”I felt what the duties of a creator towards his creature were, and that I ought to render him happy before I complained of his wickedness”

Who's That?

Last Thursday I had the opportunity to view firsthand how art and technology are connected at the Collision1101: super artificial exhibit in JP. The theme that caught my eye (literally) was the “Mirrors and their associated curses to identity.” “Who’s that?” created by Tim Murdoch included mirrors, springs, motion sensors, wires, and electricity; with my knowledge from my mechanical engineering background, I found this exhibit to me intriguing because I was unaware how technology was going to connect to art. The artist said: “the idea for this work came about from the simple fascination that a reflect image is “slippery” and seemingly detached from the surface plane of the mirror.”

What really caught my eye is when I looked into the mirror when they were turned on and vibrating, I was only able to look at myself for a split second because I began to feel very sick (almost feeling very drunk). Then as I moved a little closer and tried to stare into my own eyes for a longer period of time, I was then able to view and illusion taking place of another eye forming in my eye. It looked like an eye inside of an eye, creepy! I found this very amazing by the way the mirrors were vibrating and reflecting light “the image from its surroundings while at the same time opened a perceptual hole through the surrounding”, which was the artist’s idea for this work.

The conditions he was working in to create this piece, with lots of vibrations from the outside construction going on outside his apartment is ironic to were this piece was located for us to view, which was inside of a train station where trains were traveling created more vibrations. I feel I can relate to this myself from living near a train station for the past two years.

This was my first art exhibit that I was able to see how technology and art are related, I found it very amazing and am excited to learn more and see more exhibits firsthand this semester.

If you go to http://www.timmurdoch.com/ you can view more of his awesome work.

Something Wonderful

A miracle, is a fortuitous event believed to be caused by interposition of divine intervention by a supernatural being in the universe by which the ordinary course and operation of Nature is suspended, or modified. It is derived from the old Latin word miraculum meaning "something wonderful".-Wikipedia

I view my life as a place where miracles can and have occurred, yet not everyone believes this to be true. I believe it is possible to make positive changes if you really believe in yourself. If negative people changed their way of thinking and found the power within themselves a miracle could possibly happen to them as well!

My good friend Derrick Ashworth is the most amazing, happy go lucky guy, I always can go to him for a good laugh when I am down or just need someone to make me smile. He is a great foot ball player; while practicing on a warm summer night two years ago, he had gotten bitten by a mosquito which was nothing out of the ordinary. Thinking nothing of it he went through his next week as he always did. He soon became very sick with a high fever and soon found out that the mosquito that had bitten him the week before infected him with Eastern Equine Encephalitis know as “Triple E”. He began to get worse and then went into a coma, and lost large amounts of weight; he no longer look like the Derrick I knew. The doctor had told us that he didn’t think he would last much longer at the rate is body was weakening.

As time went on friends and family stood by his bed providing with him with as much possible positive energy possible day in and day out. Then I remember I got a call that he had woken up and his body was making a complete turnaround. I believe this to be a miracle, even the doctor said it was a miracle, with the help of his positive attitude and the strength from his family and friends he was able to pull through. The ability of his body that had the natural healing ability to me proves to be a miracle.

Would you rather see your family die or would you rather die yourself?

This question was asked to the class which always plays over in my head...
"Would you rather see your family die or would you rather die yourself?"

This is something that really hits hard for me. Last summer, over summer break I was in Martha's Vineyard for our annual family vacation ….while me and my father were swimming in the cold ocean at South Beach my father died of an unexpected massive heart attack. Ever since this disaster my family has turned completely upside down... making me feel that I lost my whole family that day…nothing will ever go back the way it used to be and thats something that I have to deal with everyday.

Sometimes i look back and wish that why was my dad taken and not me? I feel I have become alot stronger after this experience but then on the other hand would have it been easier if I was gone?

Robots vs Humans

Robots are apart of our current technology, which aid us by making task more efficient. But what are these robots really capable of, are they just like humans many people wonder? Obviously the physical features are clearly different such that robots are made of metal or other types of materials which do not represent the same feeling as a real human body. But the question was presented, what if both the human and the robot were behind a sheet, would we be able to tell the difference? I believe so...humans have a spirit and soul which people can feel the energy from depending on their mood. Also humans have the ability to cry and express their feelings at any given moment in time, while robots would need to be programmed to do so which wouldn't allow them to show feelings.

I feel that once robots are able to create humans then they will have power over us, but until then I feel that humans have the upper hand over robots. Also another difference is that humans are able to think but robots do not have the ability to think for themselves. They are programmed to think and act the way we want them to. When a robot dies from either a dead battery or a manufacturing defect, or which ever the case may be, they are dead and no longer function and that is the end of their life. All is left is metal. While on the other hand I believe that we humans are here on earth for a purpose to serve for whatever we may believe it to be, and following our death that there is some sort of after life after going through all of the struggles we have had to experience on earth.