i must say, i was surprised by the ending of moby dick. i was prepared for some of what happened, but not all the events. i did appreciate the symbolism, how melville weaved a tale that was entirely connected, even if it did take a hundred chapters to get there :)
anyway, i was trying to employ the concept of the long tail and searching for moby dick related articles and things, when i came across this kickstarter project.. i thought that it combined the best of digital culture and moby dick. essentially, it is a a card game that allows one to relive the adventures on the pequod via different sailors and events. the images on the cards are really beautiful. and this project was funded!
what does this mean? i think it shows that no matter what the item is, there is always a market for it. it is just a matter of finding your market. like the wired article we read last week, people are often given a minute selection of books or music or movies, when really, they would read, listen or watch hundreds of thousands more than what is offered like on amazon or netflix. kickstarter allows people to propose new ideas and if enough people support it, then it can be created. imagine how the world would be if we could do this with everything-politics, entertainment, education.
have you found any cool moby dick paraphernalia? if you could create something based on a book, which book would you choose? i would probably do something children-related with ella enchanted because i loved that book dearly growing up. how does branching out beyond the work help others to understand the novels or themes? i think people manufacture games or clothes because they truly love the novels they're reading and it is a physical manifestation of their love and presents the opportunity for discussion.
Monday, September 30, 2013
Saturday, September 28, 2013
Science For Science's Sake
I 'm a little sad not to incorporate more links to other people's blog posts, but when I get an idea of something I want to write about, I'm going to write about it okay? Though before I start I do want to point out that there's a Moby Dick flash game that Mary Layton posted a link to and I recommend you all go play it for hours and hours with no moderation.
I've been going a little crazy while reading this whale story because in class we've talked a lot about why Herman Melville would write such a long story with so much detail about whaling. What could he have meant by it? What is it that he's trying to tell us about the world through his depictions of whales being slaughtered and boiled down into oil?
WHAT DOES IT ALL MEAN?
I've encountered this issue in many an English class and there have been many teachers who have asserted that certain texts are meant to mean certain things. There are way too many Jesus allegories that have been found and it is my assertion that sometimes we think way too hard about something that can be simple.
Are we closed minded to the idea that maybe it doesn't mean anything deeper and this guy is just really interested in whales? Maybe the story of Ahab is not so much the focus, but a vehicle for delivering his much-adored whale facts.
"But Heidi, this is a 500 page classic literary piece. There must be way more to it than just a whale story!"
You might be right. And I'm sure as Melville was writing, his beliefs and his code of living have seeped into the text to make it more than just a whale story. Let me tell you, though, that there have been times that I have written things or painted pictures with nothing more in mind than to write a simple story or to paint pictures of clouds and my teachers and classmates have read much more than what I intended. In some ways, this was good: I was able to see more in something that I had created. Their perception of meaning created more meaning in the subject for me. In some instances it was frustrating because they were creating meaning where I had not intended any to exist.
I also point to an example from my younger years: I, like many other children, loved to read animal books. I would drink up all the information I could from animal programs and animal encyclopedias. This love of inhaling information everywhere around me branched into other subjects and led for an inevitable need for frequent regurgitation of information. My mom, whether she wanted to or not, became well acquainted with a working knowledge of a beehive and the peak speed of a cheetah while chasing a meal as well as the other volumes of information I would repeat. (I actually really liked the chapters about the dissection of the whale and the harvesting of blubber and the process of turning that blubber into oil. I was genuinely interested in how the heck they would deal with the whale once they caught it. What I really need as a companion to Moby Dick would probably be a whale Eyewitness book.)
When you like to read a lot, it has to go somewhere. Melville clearly liked to learn about whales. He spent time on whaling ships and he read so much it would almost seem a waste not to spend entire chapters detailing the significance of a whale's blow hole and the peculiarities about the bones in the fins.
My friends and countrymen, couldn't we all use a little more science for science's sake? Some facts that will not make us wiser, but which will tell us everything we never wished to know about whales?
I say unto you, yea.
I've been going a little crazy while reading this whale story because in class we've talked a lot about why Herman Melville would write such a long story with so much detail about whaling. What could he have meant by it? What is it that he's trying to tell us about the world through his depictions of whales being slaughtered and boiled down into oil?
WHAT DOES IT ALL MEAN?
I've encountered this issue in many an English class and there have been many teachers who have asserted that certain texts are meant to mean certain things. There are way too many Jesus allegories that have been found and it is my assertion that sometimes we think way too hard about something that can be simple.
Are we closed minded to the idea that maybe it doesn't mean anything deeper and this guy is just really interested in whales? Maybe the story of Ahab is not so much the focus, but a vehicle for delivering his much-adored whale facts.
"But Heidi, this is a 500 page classic literary piece. There must be way more to it than just a whale story!"
You might be right. And I'm sure as Melville was writing, his beliefs and his code of living have seeped into the text to make it more than just a whale story. Let me tell you, though, that there have been times that I have written things or painted pictures with nothing more in mind than to write a simple story or to paint pictures of clouds and my teachers and classmates have read much more than what I intended. In some ways, this was good: I was able to see more in something that I had created. Their perception of meaning created more meaning in the subject for me. In some instances it was frustrating because they were creating meaning where I had not intended any to exist.
I also point to an example from my younger years: I, like many other children, loved to read animal books. I would drink up all the information I could from animal programs and animal encyclopedias. This love of inhaling information everywhere around me branched into other subjects and led for an inevitable need for frequent regurgitation of information. My mom, whether she wanted to or not, became well acquainted with a working knowledge of a beehive and the peak speed of a cheetah while chasing a meal as well as the other volumes of information I would repeat. (I actually really liked the chapters about the dissection of the whale and the harvesting of blubber and the process of turning that blubber into oil. I was genuinely interested in how the heck they would deal with the whale once they caught it. What I really need as a companion to Moby Dick would probably be a whale Eyewitness book.)
When you like to read a lot, it has to go somewhere. Melville clearly liked to learn about whales. He spent time on whaling ships and he read so much it would almost seem a waste not to spend entire chapters detailing the significance of a whale's blow hole and the peculiarities about the bones in the fins.
My friends and countrymen, couldn't we all use a little more science for science's sake? Some facts that will not make us wiser, but which will tell us everything we never wished to know about whales?
I say unto you, yea.
The Persistent Popularity of Moby Dick
How on earth did Moby Dick become so popular? I can't imagine a reader in the early 1900s picking up an old copy of Moby Dick, reading it, and then thinking, "This is fantastic! I must tell all of my friends to read it!" Even taking into account the fact that many readers of Moby Dick during that time period identified with the story, how did it ever gain enough popularity to be so widely referenced? And how has its popularity endured into our time?
I know a lot of people who do not have the attention span to read a Jane Austen novel. How would our generation ever connect with Moby Dick enough to press forward through the hundreds of pages with no plot to get to the end of the story?
And yet, even though most of us have not read Moby Dick, we all know the basic story. I am fascinated by that. What is it about Moby Dick that persists through the years?
My personal opinion is that people like the idea of the story more than the story itself. After all, a story about a revenge-obsessed captain chasing a white whale sounds rather exciting. I think that it is this idea of Moby Dick that captures people's imaginations. The reality of Moby Dick, including the hundreds of pages of descriptions of blubber and whale skulls, doesn't matter to most of the general population. I believe that we have created our own version of Moby Dick, one that we can relate to, and decided that the details of the original are irrelevant.
What do you think? Do you have any ideas about how Moby Dick is still so popular over 100 years after it was originally published?
And yet, even though most of us have not read Moby Dick, we all know the basic story. I am fascinated by that. What is it about Moby Dick that persists through the years?
What do you think? Do you have any ideas about how Moby Dick is still so popular over 100 years after it was originally published?
Wednesday, September 25, 2013
Strengthening bonds with others through video games
I really connected with Dr. Burton's lecture today. Specifically, I really enjoyed him telling the class about how he and his sons bonded with each other by playing video games together. I have experienced similar bonding with my family as we play games. Our game of choice-- Super Smash Brothers, Melee.
My brothers and I specifically enjoy playing this game together. We have even created our own rules and traditions for the game. Our favorite version is to all play as the same character. Only the person who wins gets to move on to the next character in line. Whoever gets to the end first wins. My mom even plays with us on occasion, which adds to the fun. I enjoy playing this game with my brothers because it gives us a chance to spend time together doing something that we all enjoy. This is one of the only times that my brothers and I spend together. They are both more into sports, and I am your typical English major who enjoys getting lost in a good book. However, because we have this tradition, we have been able to connect with one another and have fun together as a family.
We talk a lot about how digital culture can be isolating, but I think it's good to remember the positive sides of it as well. In my case, my brothers and I have been able to bond in ways that simply wouldn't have happened without digital culture. Have any of you had similar experiences with your friends or families?
Oh the Whiteness
I wanted to take a post to talk about the significance of "white" in Moby Dick so far, at least from what I'm interpreting. Shelly also posted her interpretation in case you want her perspective about Moby as Diety.
I started talking about my views in class and I just wanted to reiterate them here. I've tried doing a few simple searches to see if I could get some supporters to back my white whale ideas but the searches didn't turn up much. I even tried a couple searches through the sources at the BYU library but apparently I've already lost all the MLA database savvy I gained last semester from my literary criticism class because I was unsuccessful there as well.
But look at this passage for a minute:
In chapter 69 the killed and hung whale is described thus: "The peeled white body of the beheaded whale flashes like a marble sepulchre" There is also the mention of the white bones of the dead whales.
In his chapter about whiteness, after describing holy associations with the color white, Melville (as Ishmael) states: "The elusive quality it is, which causes the thought of whiteness, when divorced from more kindly associations, and coupled with any object terrible in itself, to heighten that terror tot he furthest bounds."
He goes on to name some scary white things like sharks and polar bears.
To me, Melville's descriptions of Moby Dick are certainly divorced from holy associations. In my sightings of the color white, it's also strongly associated with death. He almost seems to be a ghost of a slain whale come to seek revenge on his killers.
This strange, unholy whiteness is reiterated in the chapter about The Albatross, the white ship that the Pequod encounters. When the crew of the white ship tries to communicate, their speaking horn falls overboard and they awkwardly pass by each other in silence. If whiteness is associated with death, does this show Ahab's inability to listen to what the dead might be trying to say? His monomania with killing Moby Dick prevents him from perhaps hearing the dead whales crying out against him.
Is the author against whaling, then, that he would send spectral dead whale symbols after his Ahab for revenge?
It's difficult to tell! On the one hand, he seems truly interested in the business of whaling. He finds no problem with eating a whale by the light of its own oil. He goes in to great, non-judgemental detail about the process of using the different parts of the slain whale. He seems, like Ishmael, to enjoy whaling and the occupation of being at sea.
On the other hand, he seems to almost worship the whale. Is it not true devotion to spend an entire chapter specifically on the spout of the whale? On the tail? It was especially in his observation of the whale community during a hunt that I felt like Melville was stuck in a very strange place where he was trying to kill the whales and love them at the same time. Pg. 347: "Like household dogs they came snuffling round us, right up to our gunwales, and touching them; till it almost seemed that some spell had suddenly domesticated them. Queequeg patted their foreheads; Starbuck scratched their backs with his lance; but fearful of the consequences, for the time refrained from darting it"
Can someone view these whales with such a degree of affection and still appreciate the business killing them in herds, then dissecting them for their oil?
To me, Moby Dick could be read as the white ghost whale seeking revenge.
Also, a real life white whale! But not a sperm whale.
I started talking about my views in class and I just wanted to reiterate them here. I've tried doing a few simple searches to see if I could get some supporters to back my white whale ideas but the searches didn't turn up much. I even tried a couple searches through the sources at the BYU library but apparently I've already lost all the MLA database savvy I gained last semester from my literary criticism class because I was unsuccessful there as well.
But look at this passage for a minute:
In chapter 69 the killed and hung whale is described thus: "The peeled white body of the beheaded whale flashes like a marble sepulchre" There is also the mention of the white bones of the dead whales.
 |
| I feel that this version of the cover is both white AND unsettling. And in the creative commons that's right yes. |
In his chapter about whiteness, after describing holy associations with the color white, Melville (as Ishmael) states: "The elusive quality it is, which causes the thought of whiteness, when divorced from more kindly associations, and coupled with any object terrible in itself, to heighten that terror tot he furthest bounds."
He goes on to name some scary white things like sharks and polar bears.
To me, Melville's descriptions of Moby Dick are certainly divorced from holy associations. In my sightings of the color white, it's also strongly associated with death. He almost seems to be a ghost of a slain whale come to seek revenge on his killers.
This strange, unholy whiteness is reiterated in the chapter about The Albatross, the white ship that the Pequod encounters. When the crew of the white ship tries to communicate, their speaking horn falls overboard and they awkwardly pass by each other in silence. If whiteness is associated with death, does this show Ahab's inability to listen to what the dead might be trying to say? His monomania with killing Moby Dick prevents him from perhaps hearing the dead whales crying out against him.
Is the author against whaling, then, that he would send spectral dead whale symbols after his Ahab for revenge?
It's difficult to tell! On the one hand, he seems truly interested in the business of whaling. He finds no problem with eating a whale by the light of its own oil. He goes in to great, non-judgemental detail about the process of using the different parts of the slain whale. He seems, like Ishmael, to enjoy whaling and the occupation of being at sea.
On the other hand, he seems to almost worship the whale. Is it not true devotion to spend an entire chapter specifically on the spout of the whale? On the tail? It was especially in his observation of the whale community during a hunt that I felt like Melville was stuck in a very strange place where he was trying to kill the whales and love them at the same time. Pg. 347: "Like household dogs they came snuffling round us, right up to our gunwales, and touching them; till it almost seemed that some spell had suddenly domesticated them. Queequeg patted their foreheads; Starbuck scratched their backs with his lance; but fearful of the consequences, for the time refrained from darting it"
Can someone view these whales with such a degree of affection and still appreciate the business killing them in herds, then dissecting them for their oil?
To me, Moby Dick could be read as the white ghost whale seeking revenge.
Also, a real life white whale! But not a sperm whale.
Sunday, September 22, 2013
it's a small world
wednesday's class really struck me as well, heidi...i especially loved the virtual choir video and mentioned it to several people throughout the day. surprisingly (to me), they had already seen it! i think that says something in itself.
the idea of crowdsourcing really stuck with me because it's something we experience every day, and i highly doubt the majority of the population knows what it means. it is when an individual obtains information or ideas for a specific project or task by employing others (unpaid or not), especially via the internet. we talked about it in a variety of different ways-creative, business and academic. i was somewhat shocked to learn the hierarchy of crowd laborers (drones, commonly skilled, experts). mostly, i'm just constantly amazed at how expansive digital culture is and how much i don't know about it! even learning about websites like threadless and kompoz is a new experience for me.
i was mulling these ideas particularly this weekend as my husband and i finished a DIY project that was inspired and created via...you guessed it, crowdsourcing. cory found the idea on pinterest, a platform that allows one to pin different ideas, crafts, recipes, you name it. we then used google to look at many blogs to formulate a blueprint of what we were going to make and what supplies we would need. and thus we created our pallet headboard! none of this would be possible without the internet and the ideas of others, allowing us to design our own version of a pallet headboard.
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| incidentally, the pillows were inspired by pinterest too! |
when dr. burton mentioned manuals we've found online that allows us to do things ourselves, i was thinking that that is probably my favorite aspect of the internet. i love being able to look for whatever i need on the internet, which i've realized i do everyday. in fact, i can see the generational gap between my mom, grandma and i through recipes. my grandma uses only her cookbooks. my mom has tons of cookbooks, but tries to type her recipes on the computer and finds them online occasionally. and i go to various blogs or google to find recipes every day. now, i'm not exactly collaborating with anyone when i look for recipes, but i do find them from other people and post them on my personal blog (with sources). and pinterest, i think, is a whole community devoted to making the world a more beautiful and delicious place. do any of you experience crowdsourcing on a personal, business or educational level?
Saturday, September 21, 2013
One Side of the Story
This post is a response to the video we watched in class of a Deaf girl hearing for the first time. It focuses on the extreme joy that she feels as she is able to hear simple things that we take for granted, such as the sound of her own laughter. However, I feel videos such as that one only show one side of the issue.
I have studied American Sign Language for five semesters. As I learned about Deaf culture, we discussed cochlear implants extensively. It is a very controversial topic for Deaf people. To condense a very complicated discussion into a nutshell, Deafness is considered a cultural identity rather than a disability. There is a whole culture around being Deaf that is more than simply not being able to hear. Cochlear implants are problematic for several reasons. Perhaps the most significant is that they actually have a very low success rate-- especially for people who have been born deaf. This means that people who have cochlear implants are in between two worlds: they don't fit into the hearing world because they still have difficulty hearing and speaking, and they don't fit into the Deaf world because they have rejected that identity in favor of being accepted by hearing people. Additionally, when cochlear implants are inserted, what little hearing a deaf person started out with is completely destroyed. This video, The Sound and the Fury, shows a couple of different families struggling with the decision of whether or not to give their children cochlear implants. It's really very eye-opening.
Now, the reason that I bring this all up is that I think it's easy to be exposed to only partial information-- one side of the story, if you will. Technology and digital culture are great and they have improved many people's lives. However, I think that we need to be careful when researching issues to make sure we are getting all of the facts, rather than just one person or group's opinion. This can apply to any topic, such as politics or education, not simply cochlear implants. However, we need to make sure we are making informed decisions, no matter what the topic.
Now, the reason that I bring this all up is that I think it's easy to be exposed to only partial information-- one side of the story, if you will. Technology and digital culture are great and they have improved many people's lives. However, I think that we need to be careful when researching issues to make sure we are getting all of the facts, rather than just one person or group's opinion. This can apply to any topic, such as politics or education, not simply cochlear implants. However, we need to make sure we are making informed decisions, no matter what the topic.
Wednesday, September 18, 2013
Other Uses
I really feel like last class was a mind-broadening experience. It really got me thinking and on the train ride home from school all I could think about was what I could do more than what I'm doing now in any way, shape, or form. I usually try and find projects to work on in my free time (if I have any) that are thoughtful and creative, like painting or writing. When I'm bogged down with work or school I usually end up spending all my free time watching cartoons because I can't handle anything else.
Sometimes, though, I'll get a creative spark and finish a project. I really liked talking in class about how so much technology that used to be inaccessible is now something you can pick up at the store. I've gotten really into Adobe Illustrator because you can make any kind of custom merchandise you can imagine if you turn your art into a vector. Adobe products are a little expensive, but with it I've made some really cool presents for my family because I'm a broke student and can't afford anything else:
This was for my sister and her husband. I took two halves of a heart and made a tattoo-style logo with their names because Bobby works as a tattoo artist. I had the design put on mugs for them, and I think I got a deal so each mug was just $5.00. Super cheap but also thoughtful present. It's a few steps up from macaroni necklaces.
I'm excited about all the different collaborating efforts online that we talked about. I've looked into Threadless before (since I like designing stuff). What really inspired me was talking about music collaboration. I really like singing but I've had trouble figuring out what to do with it.
That got me thinking about how (well duh) I could collaborate with my husband (who likes writing music). We've talked about it before but never really finished anything. He wrote me a song for my birthday last year:
Chris likes to write chiptunes, which is like the music they would write for Gameboy and other early gaming systems that couldn't handle elaborate, symphonic music. As electronic music has become more popular, you can hear elements of the chiptune style in popular music, like Lady Gaga's "Starstruck."
I thought that kind of connected with how we talked in class about different ways to use technology. I mean, who would have thought to take chiptunes and play with them so much that you get a whole genre? I always assumed we would just move on to orchestrated video game music when we had the hardware for it.
So on the train home I tried to write some lyrics and Chris and I are going to see if we can make anything cool. We have a robot love song we need to finish.
Sometimes, though, I'll get a creative spark and finish a project. I really liked talking in class about how so much technology that used to be inaccessible is now something you can pick up at the store. I've gotten really into Adobe Illustrator because you can make any kind of custom merchandise you can imagine if you turn your art into a vector. Adobe products are a little expensive, but with it I've made some really cool presents for my family because I'm a broke student and can't afford anything else:
I'm excited about all the different collaborating efforts online that we talked about. I've looked into Threadless before (since I like designing stuff). What really inspired me was talking about music collaboration. I really like singing but I've had trouble figuring out what to do with it.
That got me thinking about how (well duh) I could collaborate with my husband (who likes writing music). We've talked about it before but never really finished anything. He wrote me a song for my birthday last year:
Chris likes to write chiptunes, which is like the music they would write for Gameboy and other early gaming systems that couldn't handle elaborate, symphonic music. As electronic music has become more popular, you can hear elements of the chiptune style in popular music, like Lady Gaga's "Starstruck."
I thought that kind of connected with how we talked in class about different ways to use technology. I mean, who would have thought to take chiptunes and play with them so much that you get a whole genre? I always assumed we would just move on to orchestrated video game music when we had the hardware for it.
So on the train home I tried to write some lyrics and Chris and I are going to see if we can make anything cool. We have a robot love song we need to finish.
Online Rating Systems
I loved Victoria's post about Fandoms. I am a little embarrassed to admit that I, too, have my various fandoms. I was really interested by Victoria's comments about shipping and how things can get super inappropriate at times.
I first stumbled upon fandoms when I was in junior high school. I used to love reading Harry Potter fanfiction (don't judge me! It was like 10 years ago!) Something that I noticed straight off and have remembered since is that almost every single story had a rating on it. The ratings would generally come with an explanation of why the story got that particular rating: for example, language or sexual content. I remember thinking that it was really helpful to have that rating system as a guide so I could know which stories to stay away from and which ones would be okay for me to read.
As I think about it, many other things around us are assigned ratings as well. Movies, obviously, go through quite the process to be assigned ratings. Video games and some music CDs are also assigned ratings. Online content is interesting in that the author is the only person to assign a rating. Movies, video games, and the like are assigned a rating according to an existing system by authority figures.
The most notable exception seems to be books. I remember as a young girl wondering why books weren't assigned ratings like movies are. I read through many of the books in our small-town library very quickly, but I was nervous about branching out to "adult fiction" because I was worried that I would come across inappropriate material by mistake. A rating system for books would have been very helpful to me as an adolescent.
I personally think that ratings are very helpful. I think that there are a lot of benefits to having a ratings system in place. What do you think? Why don't we assign ratings to books? What are some of the pros/cons to a rating system that is assigned by the creator vs. an outside source? I would love to hear some of your thoughts.
As I think about it, many other things around us are assigned ratings as well. Movies, obviously, go through quite the process to be assigned ratings. Video games and some music CDs are also assigned ratings. Online content is interesting in that the author is the only person to assign a rating. Movies, video games, and the like are assigned a rating according to an existing system by authority figures.
The most notable exception seems to be books. I remember as a young girl wondering why books weren't assigned ratings like movies are. I read through many of the books in our small-town library very quickly, but I was nervous about branching out to "adult fiction" because I was worried that I would come across inappropriate material by mistake. A rating system for books would have been very helpful to me as an adolescent.
Saturday, September 14, 2013
Digital Culture: my weaknesses and strengths
This post was inspired by Ash's recent post. I loved reading about how she has seen herself interacting with digital culture. Her post also got me thinking about how I have interacted with digital culture myself.
Creating has always been my greatest weakness when it comes to digital culture. I have always been reluctant to share my thoughts and ideas with faceless entities. I can still remember when I was first experiencing the internet and how careful I was told to be about not sharing my identity. My mom wouldn't pay with a credit card online for years and years. I think as a result of this, I always have a niggling doubt at the back of my mind telling me that it's wisest simply to observe. That way there is no possibility of negative consequences.
Connecting is another aspect of digital culture that I struggle with. Even though I have a Facebook page, I am really pretty terrible at updating my status or responding to others' comments. Even though I have a cell phone, I am similarly unreliable at answering texts. I vastly prefer to pick up my phone and call my friends. I prefer to read comments left by others at the end of news stories, but I never feel tempted to type back and connect to people whose views I agree or disagree with.
Consuming is my strongest point when it comes to digital culture. However, it took Professor Burton's lecture in class on Wednesday for me to realize how much I actually consume. I have always assumed that since I don't really do the whole social media thing, I was keeping myself pretty well isolated from the world of digital culture. Even my phone is one of the old flip phones from before iPhones got so popular. However, now I see how very mistaken I was. I am connected to digital culture all the time. I get on my computer every single day. If I ever need to look up instructions of how to do something, I consult the internet. If I am curious about the plot of a movie but don't want to actually take the time to watch it myself, I consult Wikipedia. I consume digital culture every day of my life. It is a bit mind-boggling to realize how much I have been connected to it without ever realizing.
I am interested to continue to learn about digital culture. More importantly, I am interested in actively learning about it rather than passively being influenced by it without even realizing.
I am interested to continue to learn about digital culture. More importantly, I am interested in actively learning about it rather than passively being influenced by it without even realizing.
Enter Starbuck
This is the moment we've been waiting for, team. Our mascot has been revealed! Chapter 26 finally introduces the first mate, Starbuck. I'm glad he's our namesake because he's got it all:
1. Brains and courage in the correct combination. His attitude for whaling was described thus by the narrator
"...I am here in this critical ocean to kill whales for my living, and not to be killed by them for theirs..."
"...he thought, perhaps, that in this business of whaling, courage was one of the great staple outfits of the ship, like her beef and her bread, and not to be foolishly wasted."
2. A dark past - his father and brother were both killed by whales, yet he persists in the whaling business anyway.
3. Great skin. "His pure tight skin was an excellent fit"
Getting through this book is slow going for me right now, particularly the cetology chapter. I do really like the descriptions of dining time, though. Especially Dough-boy getting harassed by the harpooneers! And poor Flask has to eat so quickly because he comes in last and leaves first. These lively moments make my husband say, "what? what?" when I start laughing while reading. Then I have to go back and read the passage to him.
Aw man how am I going to get through this book in one month. I can barely keep my mind on food long enough to eat.
1. Brains and courage in the correct combination. His attitude for whaling was described thus by the narrator
"...I am here in this critical ocean to kill whales for my living, and not to be killed by them for theirs..."
"...he thought, perhaps, that in this business of whaling, courage was one of the great staple outfits of the ship, like her beef and her bread, and not to be foolishly wasted."
2. A dark past - his father and brother were both killed by whales, yet he persists in the whaling business anyway.
3. Great skin. "His pure tight skin was an excellent fit"
Getting through this book is slow going for me right now, particularly the cetology chapter. I do really like the descriptions of dining time, though. Especially Dough-boy getting harassed by the harpooneers! And poor Flask has to eat so quickly because he comes in last and leaves first. These lively moments make my husband say, "what? what?" when I start laughing while reading. Then I have to go back and read the passage to him.
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| I'm just going to stop here for a minute and take a break. It's cool, I'll still get the reading done. |
Aw man how am I going to get through this book in one month. I can barely keep my mind on food long enough to eat.
my digital culture
it is interesting for me to analyze my own digital presence as we talk in class about consuming, creating and connecting. this class is already pushing me to consume, create and connect more on the internet than i do. i am also recognizing my own habits, misuses and under-utilization of the world wide web.
consume-i'm not a very good consumer in that i don't explore what digital culture has to offer. i am the one who is always the latecomer to new social media, who won't update their facebook to the newest version until it's forced on me, and who never downloads new apps on her phone. i consume a lot of digital media, meaning i constantly have my iphone in my hand, but i NEVER get sucked into youtube-watching marathons and i spend more time looking for something to view on netflix than actually watching it. already in this class, i've had to watch various videos and check out many different websites. in our milton class, we are listening to paradise lost via audible and reading milton on kindles.
create-i have a personal blog, which i update once every month or few months. my goal was to journal all the fun things my husband and i do because i don't keep a written journal (bad, i know). after talking about subcultures, i realize i have the chance to create new identities, memes, websites, videos, rants...whatever i want! this is pertinent to me because my husband and i are looking for jobs and he has been especially diligent in building up his linkedin profile and you know what? he has already had multiple companies contact him and ask for interviews, just because he has fidgeted with an online business profile for himself (for the record, he just texted me as i wrote that to tell me he has 321 connections...).
connect-this is my favorite use of digital culture because the internet does wonders at allowing people to connect! cory and i facetime our grandparents and parents every sunday...aside from family group texts and emails. i have a twitter, instagram, facebook, pinterest and now google+! those are the apps that i check most regularly and allow me to stay in touch with friends and family. as weird as this sounds, i don't think i'd be married to my husband without digital culture because the first four months we seriously dated, we were in separate states. instead we had facetime, skype, text, phone, email, facebook, twitter and voxer (a walkie talkie app) that allowed us to always be in communication.
i would be intrigued to see how digital culture has affected relationships. my great-grandmother (106 years old) spent a summer apart from her husband (then-boyfriend) and they got to talk on the phone once or twice and wrote letters to each other. another thing i am looking forward to learning about is the effect digital culture has on various generations. i know my mom always complained to me about my phone, but now that she has an iphone and an ipad and a laptop she is both gratified and appalled at what she can do. she is currently addicted to houzz. do you guys have a particularly small or large digital presence? i am looking to make mine look more professional, i guess. i've enjoyed all your posts so far-i too, had an embarrassing first email address/screen name (littlepinkalien2). and heidi, i thought the video was a little outdated. our class should make a newer version incorporating some of your suggestions!
Thursday, September 12, 2013
The Machine
I was excited to see Kristen's blog post about the reliance of XML on HTML. The video we watched for class made a lot of claims in an interesting way. It was interesting to see the creator type his essay within the source codes of different websites. At first I thought he was altering the code in an interesting way and would show us the results, but he just kept moving on to the next thing. I didn't feel like he made a very good argument for his points. He really just presented his essay while jumping around the internet.
The creator of the video claimed that we are teaching the machines and they are using us. I felt like there were a lot of things he could have talked about to expand on this idea. He could have given examples, like, "The average American spends such and such amount of time on the internet a day," or "Such and such number of new iPhones were sold within the first ten minutes of being released" to try and show that technology controls our buying habits and what we do with our time. He could have talked about how disposable cameras are a museum item because of the difficulty posting such pictures to our Facebook accounts.
But this creator did not. He simply stated that, "Machines are using us." I feel like this is very similar to the claim that we must "Save Rock and Roll" from unidentified, imaginary threats. (The link is to my personal blog. You are welcome to explore it. I mostly talk about my fish.) Without any facts or further explanations, I feel that this video is incomplete, or at least unhelpful. I'm really surprised this came from a professor.
Sorry for the late post. My husband and I are working on fixing my laptop which is suddenly having a fit.
The creator of the video claimed that we are teaching the machines and they are using us. I felt like there were a lot of things he could have talked about to expand on this idea. He could have given examples, like, "The average American spends such and such amount of time on the internet a day," or "Such and such number of new iPhones were sold within the first ten minutes of being released" to try and show that technology controls our buying habits and what we do with our time. He could have talked about how disposable cameras are a museum item because of the difficulty posting such pictures to our Facebook accounts.
But this creator did not. He simply stated that, "Machines are using us." I feel like this is very similar to the claim that we must "Save Rock and Roll" from unidentified, imaginary threats. (The link is to my personal blog. You are welcome to explore it. I mostly talk about my fish.) Without any facts or further explanations, I feel that this video is incomplete, or at least unhelpful. I'm really surprised this came from a professor.
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| Good job, video creator, you know how to use the "view source" function! |
Sorry for the late post. My husband and I are working on fixing my laptop which is suddenly having a fit.
Wednesday, September 11, 2013
Who Are We Coming Across As?
I really wasn't sure what to blog about today but after reading Professor Burton's post, following his link to his playlist of digital culture videos, and poking around I came across a Amber Case's TED talk, "We are all cyborgs now." Being the sci fi nerd I am, I was intrigued and quickly clicked on it.
Amber is a cyborg anthropologist who is interested in the interactions between humans and technology. She crams a lot of interesting topics into that short 8 minute clip, I suggest you watch it since I will not be covering everything in this post and all of it is very interesting.
I'm going to focus on two of the points she brings up: your second-self and the need for self-reflection.
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| Courtesy of secondlife.com |
Most everyone, whether you like it or not, has a digital presence today. Case calls it your second-self. We present the second or digital self in a similar way that we present our selves in our analog lives. She says we must learn to maintain our second-selves just as we maintain our real selves i.e. brushing teeth, getting dressed, etc. Another aspect of having a second self, also similar to analog life, is going through adolescence. She says it's just as awkward and maybe even a little worse than regular adolescence because a record of it is kept on the internet forever.
I know I experienced this changing adolescent period of my second-self. Little did I know how annoying/embarrassing life would be down the road when my 7th or 8th grade-band-geek-self chose my first real email address: trumpetfreak27. With everything nicely linked together (email, youtube, blogs, calendars, etc.), it took me a long time to switch over to a more "adult" email address. It was a bit of a hassle to change everything and I still find myself periodically going into that old account to find something. Luckily, things are improving everyday and it's getting easier to switch things around in your digital life.
Case also talked about the lack of self reflection that is taking over our society and culture. Because we experience something called "ambient intimacy," a state of being where we have to ability to connect with anyone whenever we want, we rarely slow down, unplug, and allow ourselves to quietly reflect on who we are. It is important to take time to figure out who you are, what you are learning, how you are changing and growing, Also need quiet time to create goals and develop long-term plans. Once you have done these things Case says it is easier to present your second self correctly, that it will be a better likeness of your analog self.
It's hard for me to turn off distractions and just be with my own thoughts. I'm so used to filling up my spare time with music, books, tv, movies, etc that I have to consciously force myself to take a break. One of my favorite places to think about things/contemplate life is in the shower. I'm able to let my mind wander and have often been pleasantly surprised by an epiphany.
Do any of you have favorite places to unplug? What works for you?
Ease Your Way In, The Water's Fine*
*Apparently I'm saving my posts as drafts instead of actually posting them...
So far I'm really enjoying Moby Dick. Reading the other posts, it looks like the Ishmael/Queequeg relationship has been pretty well covered. I too am interested in and wonder what will come of their friendship in later chapters. Victoria and Cheri have written a great posts, check them out.
I want to focus on the etymology and extract portion of the book. I will admit to skipping my fair share of prologues when reading for pleasure. I am especially guilty of this when it comes to reading Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series... When I start a book I am overly eager to get into the story and the characters, I don't need a play-by-play of the last hundred years of history to understand that one group of people is at war with another and why it's such a big deal that these two people are friends-let's get on with the story. But, seeing as I'm reading this book for a class where the professors specifically told us not to skip the etymology and extracts, I, wishing to receive a passing grade at the end of the semester, complied.
I have to say that I'm glad I did. It is interesting to me how Melville presents things-it sets up the tone of the book and gets you ready for the rambling and tangential nature of what is to come.
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The dizzying array of quotes about whales astounds me. Call it a product of growing up with the internet, but I can't imagine how long it took to find all of those quotes without the help of Google or [insert your preferred search engine]. The range of his sources from the Bible to Shakespeare and various books about whaling is impressive. Seeing a sampling of the many times a whale is mentioned throughout literature highlights mankind's fascination with them and, I assume, provides us with examples of the different perspectives Melville plans to employ.
What was your favorite whale quote?
Mine was " The whale is a mammiferous animal without hind feet," Baron Cuvier (xlx) - It's short, simple, to the point, and mammiferous is such a great word!
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| Obligatory picture of a whale |
So far I'm really enjoying Moby Dick. Reading the other posts, it looks like the Ishmael/Queequeg relationship has been pretty well covered. I too am interested in and wonder what will come of their friendship in later chapters. Victoria and Cheri have written a great posts, check them out.
I want to focus on the etymology and extract portion of the book. I will admit to skipping my fair share of prologues when reading for pleasure. I am especially guilty of this when it comes to reading Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series... When I start a book I am overly eager to get into the story and the characters, I don't need a play-by-play of the last hundred years of history to understand that one group of people is at war with another and why it's such a big deal that these two people are friends-let's get on with the story. But, seeing as I'm reading this book for a class where the professors specifically told us not to skip the etymology and extracts, I, wishing to receive a passing grade at the end of the semester, complied.
I have to say that I'm glad I did. It is interesting to me how Melville presents things-it sets up the tone of the book and gets you ready for the rambling and tangential nature of what is to come.
What was your favorite whale quote?
Mine was " The whale is a mammiferous animal without hind feet," Baron Cuvier (xlx) - It's short, simple, to the point, and mammiferous is such a great word!
Humans + Technology = "The Machine"
I am intrigued by the idea that we are the machine when thinking of technology. I don't think we are "the machine" exactly. I think a more accurate statement would be to say that we are a part of the machine.
I see the relationship between technology and people as being a cyclical process. Take for example, the website Wikipedia. Someone uses technology to create an entry for any topic. A different person can use technology to go and view the entry. This same person can also edit the entry. This improves "the machine," making the available information more accurate. Any number of people can then use the technology to learn about whatever topic the entry is about. This is only possible because of the combination of technology and human effort involved in creating the entry. I see much of the web and digital culture as being involved in a similar process.
Technically, we could say that humans invented technology in the first place, which means that humans are 100% of the machine. However, I think that is over-simplifying things a bit. People were only able to create the technology that we have because of the technology that existed beforehand because of the people who created it, and so on and so forth. You can see why I think of it as a cyclical process :)
Thus, the machine is comprised of humans and technology working together. Without these two parts working together equally, "the machine" would eventually cease to work as it should. This would likely cause the collapse of civilization as we know it, but that's a story for another day :)
Monday, September 9, 2013
lover of language
i knew this book was going to be long, and even our professors warned us that most of the action happens at the end of the work. and albeit, nothing truly dramatic happened, i was impressed by melville's use of metaphor, diction and imagery. from what i understand of his life, he was never really successful as an author. he had a relatively normal life, traipsing around eastern america. thus, i was pleased by the lack of cliches and multitude of clever musings.
several of my favorites include:
page 2-"Inlanders all, they come from lanes and alleys, streets and avenues--north, east, south, and west. Yet here they all unite. Tell me, does the magnetic virtue of the needles of thecompasses of all those ships attract them thither?"
what a beautiful thought that humans have this magnetic pull to the compasses on the ships, an ingrained wanderlust. this is especially applicable as ishmael writes his own antidote to depression is to travel the seas.
page 29-"In summer time, the town is sweet to see; full of fine maples--long avenues of green and gold. And in August, high in the air the beautiful and bountiful horse-chestnuts, candleabra-wise, proffer the passer-by their tapering upright cones of congregated blossoms."
i love the metaphor of the trees as chandeliers, "tapering". i think i can read 130 chapters of writing like this!
page 75-"With a prodigious noise the door flew open, and the knob slamming against the wall, sent the plaster to the ceiling; and there, good heavens! there sat Queequeg, altogether cool and self-collected..."
now this little anecdote isn't brimming with literary devices, but it is vivid and creates a perfect image in one's mind of ishmael's panic and queequeg's unperturbed self-meditation. i think it also describes their relationship, as queequeg seems experienced and unbothered whereas ishamel is still nervous and somewhat submissive.
several of my favorites include:
page 2-"Inlanders all, they come from lanes and alleys, streets and avenues--north, east, south, and west. Yet here they all unite. Tell me, does the magnetic virtue of the needles of thecompasses of all those ships attract them thither?"
what a beautiful thought that humans have this magnetic pull to the compasses on the ships, an ingrained wanderlust. this is especially applicable as ishmael writes his own antidote to depression is to travel the seas.
page 29-"In summer time, the town is sweet to see; full of fine maples--long avenues of green and gold. And in August, high in the air the beautiful and bountiful horse-chestnuts, candleabra-wise, proffer the passer-by their tapering upright cones of congregated blossoms."
i love the metaphor of the trees as chandeliers, "tapering". i think i can read 130 chapters of writing like this!
page 75-"With a prodigious noise the door flew open, and the knob slamming against the wall, sent the plaster to the ceiling; and there, good heavens! there sat Queequeg, altogether cool and self-collected..."
now this little anecdote isn't brimming with literary devices, but it is vivid and creates a perfect image in one's mind of ishmael's panic and queequeg's unperturbed self-meditation. i think it also describes their relationship, as queequeg seems experienced and unbothered whereas ishamel is still nervous and somewhat submissive.
Sunday, September 8, 2013
Queequeg and Ishmael's "Friendship"
Hi Everyone!
So, I've read through chapter 18 now, and the thing that fascinates me the most thus far is the relationship between Queequeg and Ishmael. Ishmael seems to think that he and Queequeg are great buddies, yet he is so condescending of his friend that any form of equal friendship is impossible.
Probably the most problematic thing for me was how Queequeg's character was written. Queequeg's broken English is demeaning. His character is overly simplified into the stereotype of the friendly, naive savage. I was willing to give Hawthorne the benefit of the doubt, thinking that perhaps these depictions of non-white people may have been common to the time period. However, after a quick Google search I stumbled upon the History News Network, which had an article titled "What should we make of Nathaniel Hawthorne's Racism?" As I skimmed the article, I found this lovely statement by Hawthorne himself to a friend which convinced me that he is indeed a racist: “I have not, as you suggest, the slightest sympathy for the slaves; or, at least, not half as much as for the laboring whites, who, I believe, are ten times worse off than the Southern negroes." Here is a link to the website if any of you are interested in reading further: http://hnn.us/article/97175.
I will be interested to see how this relationship continues to develop through the story. However, I must confess that I do not have high hopes of Queequeg ever being treated like a real person rather than a curiosity to be gawked at.
Did any of you interpret the relationship between Queequeg and Ishmael differently? If so, I would be interested to read your take on it.
So, I've read through chapter 18 now, and the thing that fascinates me the most thus far is the relationship between Queequeg and Ishmael. Ishmael seems to think that he and Queequeg are great buddies, yet he is so condescending of his friend that any form of equal friendship is impossible.
Probably the most problematic thing for me was how Queequeg's character was written. Queequeg's broken English is demeaning. His character is overly simplified into the stereotype of the friendly, naive savage. I was willing to give Hawthorne the benefit of the doubt, thinking that perhaps these depictions of non-white people may have been common to the time period. However, after a quick Google search I stumbled upon the History News Network, which had an article titled "What should we make of Nathaniel Hawthorne's Racism?" As I skimmed the article, I found this lovely statement by Hawthorne himself to a friend which convinced me that he is indeed a racist: “I have not, as you suggest, the slightest sympathy for the slaves; or, at least, not half as much as for the laboring whites, who, I believe, are ten times worse off than the Southern negroes." Here is a link to the website if any of you are interested in reading further: http://hnn.us/article/97175.
I will be interested to see how this relationship continues to develop through the story. However, I must confess that I do not have high hopes of Queequeg ever being treated like a real person rather than a curiosity to be gawked at.
Did any of you interpret the relationship between Queequeg and Ishmael differently? If so, I would be interested to read your take on it.
Answer Your Own Questions
Thank you girls so much for your introductions! Here is a little about myself (Heidi) :
- I love buffalo wings so much it should be a crime. One of my favorite things to do is to go to Applebees with my husband during happy hour when the wings are half off. Then we drown them in buffalo sauce and have a spicy happy feast.
- I crossed an item off my bucket list this summer - See Jimmy Eat World live! They are my favorite band. I've been listening to their records for a long time but I'd never seen them live because I had a no-concerts thing for a while. It's complicated. I kept stalking their tour date page to see when they'd be touring in America again and as soon as a Salt Lake date came up, I bought tickets. They played my two favorite songs and now I can die happy. Except I shouldn't until later because my husband would be sad.
- Why did I even come up with this question. I don't know the answer. Let's say Nicholas Nickleby for arguments' sake. I saw the movie when I was younger and I thought Nicholas was cool and hardcore so I named my car after him. I finally read the book this summer. It's stupidly long, but worth the read. Dickens has a lot to say and he says it well.
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| I have short hair now but I don't have any pictures of it yet. But this is what I look like. |
I also love Moby Dick's portrayal in Matilda ;)
Introduction
Hello fellow members of Team Starbuck (Starbuckers?)
I have never read Moby Dick before, but this I've wanted to read it since I was about 12 years old because of watching this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ir0HU1nNcEI. I have high hopes for this novel because this clip makes it look so appealing. :)
I am an English major. I will graduate in 3 semesters. I served a full time mission in Nauvoo, Illinois and have been home for just over a year. My favorite color is sunshine yellow because it's such a happy color. I love playing cards and board games (especially when I win!) but I'm not actually that competitive.
Also, you should all know that I have never been very big into social media. I have never tried blogging before, so please be patient with me as I figure it out. In fact, I generally don't post much on any social media sites, including basic ones like Facebook. I think this class will be very helpful by giving me good motivation to actually actively join in a dialogue with others.
I look forward to getting to know all of you better this semester!
I have never read Moby Dick before, but this I've wanted to read it since I was about 12 years old because of watching this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ir0HU1nNcEI. I have high hopes for this novel because this clip makes it look so appealing. :)
I am an English major. I will graduate in 3 semesters. I served a full time mission in Nauvoo, Illinois and have been home for just over a year. My favorite color is sunshine yellow because it's such a happy color. I love playing cards and board games (especially when I win!) but I'm not actually that competitive.
Also, you should all know that I have never been very big into social media. I have never tried blogging before, so please be patient with me as I figure it out. In fact, I generally don't post much on any social media sites, including basic ones like Facebook. I think this class will be very helpful by giving me good motivation to actually actively join in a dialogue with others.
I look forward to getting to know all of you better this semester!
an introductory post about me :)
happy sunday, team starbuck! i am kind of new to this whole blogging for a class thing...but i'm hoping i will be more tech-savvy by the end of the semester. a girl can dream!
i, too, am slightly intimidated about reading moby dick and sharing insightful comments on a (semi) permanent and public forum! luckily the chapters are somewhat short, or maybe that's the small font. regardless, it will be an adventure and a book we can all cross off our "famous works read" list.
a little about myself...
i'm a senior, majoring in english, minoring in communications...graduating in april 2014! i've been married for about a year and a half to cory, a lover of swimming, salmon and technology. he is almost done with school too, graduating with a degree in japanese and minor in communication disorders. we have no idea where we will end up after graduation-this fall we are applying for lots of jobs!
these are my dogs! sienna, our chocolate lab puppy, is crazy...in fact, i had to search through pictures to find one that wasn't a documentation of her doing something naughty-like chewing up rolls of toilet paper or dragging her ceramic food bowl through the dog door, effectively breaking it in half. i love her to death though. she's a little over one year old and we got her august 2012.
ella, a cocker spaniel, is nine years old and my parents' dog! they sent her on a plane about two weeks ago to our house because they are moving and couldn't handle a dog with all the traveling/packing etc. so she's the newest member of our family and is still adjusting to a new lifestyle (she doesn't get to sleep on our bed all day and eat our table scraps). it's the rough life. and yes, we have yellow suede couches.
these three creatures make up most of my life, besides school and working as a secretary at the department of visual arts! i LOVE cooking, am trying to get back into running, new girl, big bang theory and downton abbey, and going to farmers' markets/yard sales/thrifting to fund my obsessive decorating habit.
in answer to our lovely captain's questions:
1. this is probably the hardest questions for me ever! noodles & co. indonesian peanut saute. curry. sushi. pumpkin ice cream.
2. is it sad i don't have a bucket list? i've had a list of baby names i want to name my kids since i was thirteen. creepy, but true. and i want to build and decorate my own home!
3. ella enchanted was my childhood favorite book. i love pride and prejudice and louis l'amour books.
Saturday, September 7, 2013
Team Starbuck FTW
Captain Heidi/Oatmeal(?), thanks for the welcome!
I, too, am a bit intimidated by the whale of a book (pun definitely intended) we have to read this semester. Intimidated, but also excited to finally join the ranks of those dedicated souls who have completed Moby Dick and are able to lord it over their friends and enemies...
A little about me:
My name is Ariel Letts–yes, like the mermaid and no, I wasn't named after the movie. I'm from Florida and studying English. I love all things science fiction and watching television is my hobby. I just finished up an internship in LA and am having withdrawals so please forgive me if I bring it up more than is strictly necessary. I am also an avid Twitter-er, that's my main source of news, so feel free to follow me: aletts01
Fun facts about me, as requested by my captain:
1. I'm pretty positive I could eat mac and cheese for the rest of my life and be perfectly happy
2. It's a cliche bucket list item, but I've always wanted to go skydiving
3. I never get tired of Jane Eyre, more on that here
I am excited for this class and look forward to getting to know all of you!
Friday, September 6, 2013
Call me Oatmeal
Hello and happy semester start to you! Welcome to team Starbuck.
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| This is probably him. I know nothing about Moby Dick yet. |
I'm personally a little intimidated by this book, no lie. I wish to overcome this intimidation by getting overly excited about Moby Dick. Even if I don't really get it on my own, I can do my best to read and then come to class with questions.
In case you didn't get everything in the emails and the syllabus (I know I tend to skim things that are more than a paragraph) our assigned blogging days are Wednesday and Saturday. Please make sure to post something about yourself so that I can get to know you! I'm sure you've heard the same "What's your major?" "Where are you from?" questions on campus and you are welcome to answer those. What I would like to know is:
- What is your favorite food?
- What's a cool thing on your bucket list?
- What is your favorite book?
I would also like to know why, but you don't have to get crazy.
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