Using Technology

Horray Awkward Video Post!! :)

Well I lied....there will not be a continuation. It seems unnecessary anyway. ^^

Taking Sides

Taking Sides

Tony Horwitz has an encounter with a waitress at the Capitol Restaurant who seems frustrated about the whole flag situation. She comments how no one would have noticed if the flag was taken down in the middle of the night without telling anyone. In her final statement to Tony, she argues that "as soon as you make an issue of something, everyone feels they got to pick sides." I completely agree with this statement as I have recently found myself in a situation to "pick sides."

My friend, Andrew asked me to help him study for calculus. I was glad to help even though we had different calculus professors. Andrew asked me how to prove a mathematical statement. I gave him what I believed to be the answer while he argued with me regarding a different answer. He made an issue out of not knowing a mathematical proof (when he really did know it), I took one side, and he took another. Thus, conflict was created. Needless to say this bickering of ours only lasted a few minutes but nonetheless, the issue was announced and just as the waitress said, we felt like we had "to pick sides."

Arguing with Confederates in the Attic

Tony meets a woman named Frances Ward who knows quiet a bit about the misplaced statues. She, or anyone else for that matter, does not know the true reason for the mix-up or if it was even a "mix-up" at all. However, Mrs. Ward wonders why the statues were even put up in the first place. Was is to remember "a lot of Southerners dying for nothing"? In her parting statement to Tony, Ward concludes a possible reason being to tell everyone that they "shouldn't make such a fuss about these old symbols".

Ward claims to her audience, Tony that people should move on with there lives and "forget it". She uses a philosophical appeal by questioning the true intentions behind the confused statues to grab the intellect of her audience, Tony and to get him thinking. Ward's thought process can even be seen as a stream of consciousness which proves to be a very effective thought puller and therefore a successful argument strategy.

No Water, No Wake

Lake Alatoona

Acworth, GA

In the wee little town of Acworth, Georgia, the local lake appears to be sucked dry from the state-wide drought in this picture. To any person foreign to Acworth, this picture makes the drought look absolutely devastating. However, little does the audience know that Lake Alatoona is drained every year to help give Alabama drought relief. While Tennessee refuses to help Georgia's drought problem, the little water Georgia has left is spared to Alabama who continues to demand more.

The argument: Acworth, Georgia as well as other Georgia areas are suffering severely from the drought.

The audience: The general public as well as politicians.

The appeal: No water, no wake. The lake is as dry as can be.

Communications Diary

The Diary of Standard Communications for Twenty-Four Hours
Basic, everyday conversation is excluded

August 2oth 2008,

• 1:00pm - Written communication to self: writing due dates for upcoming homework assignments
• 1:01pm - Written/Electronic communication to a friend: TEXT MESSAGE! ^^
• 1:30pm - Nonverbal communication to a friend: Caught my attention by waving in my general direction with a smile upon her face :D
  
• 2:30pm - Written/Electronic communication to a friend: Email and instant messaging
  
• 2:45pm - Written/Electronic communication to a professor: Email regarding music minor
• 3:30pm - Written/Electronic communication to a professor: Email regarding this blog :D

August 21th 2008,

• 8:00pm - Written communication to self: writing notes in Math1502
  
• 1:00pm - Written communication to self: writing notes in AE1350
• 3:00pm - Nonverbal communication to a stranger: A stranger approached me with a flyer
• 4:00pm - Nonverbal communication to a group: Eye contact and musical expression in band