Thursday, December 18, 2008

Speaking in Bubbles

Going back to The Persuaders, the film we watched two breakout sessions ago about the cultures of marketing and advertising, the clip embedded in title addresses public advertising.  The man in the video created the bubble project as a way to inspire dialogue about public advertising, giving the people the chance to talk back to the advertisers and get their voice in the public realm.  While he believes that the corporations win with the bubble project because it brings attention to their ads, it also gives the power back to the people/ the consumers, allowing them to respond to product given to them.  How does allowing people to add their own comments and language to the ad change the carefully crafted image/message the "persuaders" in the media put out?

(When you click on the link give the video a second to load, the page will initially look like there's no video but if you give it a minute it will buffer and appear)

Wednesday, December 17, 2008

Is information obtained in an altered mindstate valid?

In experiments done with psychedelic mushrooms, a significant number of patients reported having a positive spiritual experience with the drug. Because knowledge was gained in an altered state of conscious, is it valid?

Tuesday, December 09, 2008

Genetic Testing on children... To see which sports their bodies are better suited for

So I saw a news report on 9News about this topic then went to research it more and I found this article writen by the New York Times. It basically talks about a genetic test that can be performed on children to which sports they are likely to excel in. All I am asking is you take a look at this article, possibly do more research if still not understanding the article... and respond.

The Power of Slang

As we begin our look at Language as a WoK, we are going to consider how a specific language can define a culture, and in this instance, a generation. As part of the Slang Assignment (if you haven't been introduced to it, you will), we want you to consider and use the following slang from the decades listed below. Also provided is an online slang dictionary that will help you find any words that you are having a hard time finding.

1920's
1930's
1940's
1950's
1960's
1970's
1980's

Slang Dictionary

If you wish to print these lists for your use, please do so at home. They are long and would be a huge waste of paper. Have Fun...