Books were probably the most revolutionary invention ever. They could keep track of things and teach knowledge of past generations and people to everyone who reads them. However, when books were first invented, they could only be hand-written, and therfore were very rare. Only rich people could afford them during this time. When the printing press came out, it changed all of this. Books could be mass produced and all of this knowledge could be passed around to everyone. History, skills, religions, and overall knowledge, could be transferred to anyone who would read the right book. It encouraged independent thought and led to more than a few revolutions and uprisings.
Children and teens don't want to read anymore, though. They're becoming way too lazy and are taking way too many things for granted. They're too busy moving their thumbs a couple of millimeters on an Xbox controller to care about reading. It's stupid, really. No one wants to learn, anymore, and our leaders are getting older and older. Pretty soon, it's going to be up to us and the only thing we're going to know how to do, is move our thumbs a couple of millimeters. It's scary when you realize that these 10-year old kids are going to be a part of our future, because a lot of them are just complete morons.
I think if parents would just make their kids read and pay more attention to school, instead of just letting them eat junk all day and get fat playing video games, maybe things wouldn't be as scary. Technology can be a great source of entertainment, but when kids spend their entire lives sitting there, it's just plain stupid. I was at least running around outside, when I was little. I might have played my bother's Playstation a lot of the time, too, but I at least read on top of this. All in all, books are the best source of knowledge because they don't require anything except the book itself.
Monday, December 13, 2010
Ch. 9
Magazines are just purely one giant advertisement block. Hardly any magazines ever have anything even remotely educational, besides maybe, National Geographic and Newsweek. Apart from these two, there are just countless fashion magazines with 70% advertisments. I suppose if someone wants to buy perfume, they could look at a random page and have a good chance at finding an ad for it because there are a lot of perfume ads in fashion magazines. Overall, I just don't see magazines as a good source for information.
The only magazine I have ever bought, and will continue to ever buy, I only purchase once a year. I buy the August edition of Sports Illustrated just to get the Fantasy Football player rankings. I won't even look at anything else in the magazine. I like watching sports, not reading about the personal lives of the players. The same thing goes for celebrities - why do people care? I just don't understand how there can be people that need to have every bit of information about celebrities. People that have to follow them on Twitter to see what kind of toothpaste Lady Gaga uses, or something strange like that.
Newspapers and magazines are disappearing and it's probably because of the things mentioned above and the fact that newpapers are too boring. We have television and the Internet, now. A simple, bland piece of paper with color photos and blocks of text on it can't compete with television, where some actually talks to you. This requires no reading and people don't like to read. The Internet is way faster than a newspaper and allows someone to multi-task at the same time, providing better chances for entertainment whil gathering information. Honestly, I don't see the newspaper industry lasting much longer, at least in a physical form. They have newspapers available for the Kindle and Nook, now. That might be the future of newspapers.
The only magazine I have ever bought, and will continue to ever buy, I only purchase once a year. I buy the August edition of Sports Illustrated just to get the Fantasy Football player rankings. I won't even look at anything else in the magazine. I like watching sports, not reading about the personal lives of the players. The same thing goes for celebrities - why do people care? I just don't understand how there can be people that need to have every bit of information about celebrities. People that have to follow them on Twitter to see what kind of toothpaste Lady Gaga uses, or something strange like that.
Newspapers and magazines are disappearing and it's probably because of the things mentioned above and the fact that newpapers are too boring. We have television and the Internet, now. A simple, bland piece of paper with color photos and blocks of text on it can't compete with television, where some actually talks to you. This requires no reading and people don't like to read. The Internet is way faster than a newspaper and allows someone to multi-task at the same time, providing better chances for entertainment whil gathering information. Honestly, I don't see the newspaper industry lasting much longer, at least in a physical form. They have newspapers available for the Kindle and Nook, now. That might be the future of newspapers.
Ch. 8
Apparently, the first colonists under British rule to come to the east coast of America, didn't have their own newspapers for something like 20 years. I'm just wondering whether the British just forbidded them from making their own, or if the colonists just didn't think they were necessary. Understandably, in the early stages, colonists really didn't pay attention to anything except their own local communities. Anyway, I remember from middle school doing a project on something called, "Common Sense." It was one of the first colonial newspapers that tried convincing the colonists to revolt against English rule. It actually ended up rallying a lot of colonists and made them more aware of what was happening in the other colonies.
Really, newspapers have the same function that they did back then. Newspapers are here to provide information to the common citizen. Newspapers are probably the least biased form of information out there, in a world where most of the news stations are obviously Republican-oriented. FOX, for example, cannot go a single minute without bashing the president for something, or just shows Glenn Beck putting a Hitler moustache on something. All in all, newspapers might not be as fast as television news or the internet, but it provides the most unbiased information.
Personally, I don't read the newspaper. I might look at it during elections or to play Sudoku, but it just isn't worth my time. It may be informative and unbiased, but it's not nearly as fast as the internet. It's really boring, too. I don't see a way in making the newpaper more fun to read, but maybe when I get older, I'll start to read it more. Right now, I need entertainment, and the newspaper just is not a good source.
Really, newspapers have the same function that they did back then. Newspapers are here to provide information to the common citizen. Newspapers are probably the least biased form of information out there, in a world where most of the news stations are obviously Republican-oriented. FOX, for example, cannot go a single minute without bashing the president for something, or just shows Glenn Beck putting a Hitler moustache on something. All in all, newspapers might not be as fast as television news or the internet, but it provides the most unbiased information.
Personally, I don't read the newspaper. I might look at it during elections or to play Sudoku, but it just isn't worth my time. It may be informative and unbiased, but it's not nearly as fast as the internet. It's really boring, too. I don't see a way in making the newpaper more fun to read, but maybe when I get older, I'll start to read it more. Right now, I need entertainment, and the newspaper just is not a good source.
Ch. 7
I would never watch a silent movie. I wouldn't even watch a black and white film. I understand that without these eras, we wouldn't have the movies we have today, but today's films are just so much cooler. Now, we have all these special effects that can enable directors to do nearly anything they can imagine. I doubt Avatar could have been made way back then. I just find those old movies boring.
The type of movies that I like are action films. I want to see special effects and explosions when I pay something around $8.00 to see a movie. In my opinion, if something doesn't blow up or there's no fight scenes, it's not worth watching. As far as reading reviews, I might do this occasionally. I'll only look at these if I'm really unsure whether I want to go see someting, though.
One thing I was really surprised at, was the amount of advertising and sponsorship that goes into some films. In films, the main source of advertising would probably be through actual product placement. In movies, you'll see products all the time and not even think about it. I guess we're just so used to seeing these things, we don't even notice them, half of the time. The only thing I don't like about this, is when the dialogue will blantantly be changed around just to mention a product name. I forget which movie it was, but sometime last year, whenever this type of car would show up, one of the guys in it would make a quick statement about the horsepower or top speed. That kind of stuff just interferes with the movie.
The type of movies that I like are action films. I want to see special effects and explosions when I pay something around $8.00 to see a movie. In my opinion, if something doesn't blow up or there's no fight scenes, it's not worth watching. As far as reading reviews, I might do this occasionally. I'll only look at these if I'm really unsure whether I want to go see someting, though.
One thing I was really surprised at, was the amount of advertising and sponsorship that goes into some films. In films, the main source of advertising would probably be through actual product placement. In movies, you'll see products all the time and not even think about it. I guess we're just so used to seeing these things, we don't even notice them, half of the time. The only thing I don't like about this, is when the dialogue will blantantly be changed around just to mention a product name. I forget which movie it was, but sometime last year, whenever this type of car would show up, one of the guys in it would make a quick statement about the horsepower or top speed. That kind of stuff just interferes with the movie.
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Chapter 6
Apparently, there was a time before cable. I don't see how people would have been able to get by with just 5 channels and really poor reception. As long as I can remember, we've had cable, though. I actually remember a time when people could even "steal" pay-per-view shows. In particular, an uncle of mine used to "steal" wrestling PPV's by taking a screwdriver and twisting some kind of screw in the cable box. Anyway, cable was such a good invention and provided so many people who couldn't receive broadcast waves in rural areas with a good source of entertainment. It also gave people who could, even more channels and entertainment.
Throughout the time that television has been created, there's been a lot of shifts between wireless and wired broadcasting. Cable would be considered wired, and things like satellite television and the early forms of broadcasting would be wireless, I guess. In modern times, it's really just been competition between cable companies and satellite companies. They both are able to deliver modern day television and programming to pretty much anywhere in the world. It just seems to me that satellite and cable companies aren't being as competitive as they could be. Prices have sky-rocketed since 2000, for cable and satellite companies. I remember my parents only having to pay maybe 50 or 70 dollars
Probably the newest form of wireless programming, though... would have to be the internet. A lot of telelvision shows are streamed online. A lot of people think that nobody's going to watch TV anymore, but right now, networks make sure to put some kind of delay between airing a show on TV and streaming it to their website. I've found the shows that I watch to have something around a week delay. I think that as long as netowrks keep doing this, people will keep watching TV. Although if this changes and networks reduce the delay time, then people might not see a need for television anymore. With the invention of wireless internet and WiFi coming with almost every laptop, people could probably start watching programs on their laptops wherever they go.
Throughout the time that television has been created, there's been a lot of shifts between wireless and wired broadcasting. Cable would be considered wired, and things like satellite television and the early forms of broadcasting would be wireless, I guess. In modern times, it's really just been competition between cable companies and satellite companies. They both are able to deliver modern day television and programming to pretty much anywhere in the world. It just seems to me that satellite and cable companies aren't being as competitive as they could be. Prices have sky-rocketed since 2000, for cable and satellite companies. I remember my parents only having to pay maybe 50 or 70 dollars
Probably the newest form of wireless programming, though... would have to be the internet. A lot of telelvision shows are streamed online. A lot of people think that nobody's going to watch TV anymore, but right now, networks make sure to put some kind of delay between airing a show on TV and streaming it to their website. I've found the shows that I watch to have something around a week delay. I think that as long as netowrks keep doing this, people will keep watching TV. Although if this changes and networks reduce the delay time, then people might not see a need for television anymore. With the invention of wireless internet and WiFi coming with almost every laptop, people could probably start watching programs on their laptops wherever they go.
Chapter 5
Television has been around since the late 1940's and is still around today. It's changed quite a bit from it's earlier days but, it really was meant for entertainment and that's still what it does today. Earlier on, there were a lot more family-oriented shows. The whole family could sit around and watch a lot of things together because nearly everything was appropiate for everyone. Now, there are a lot of ridiculous shows and movies on TV that are definitely not appropiate for kids. Instead of being able to sit down and watch a show together as a family, parents have to keep their kids away from the television and watch adult shows without their kids.
Also, with there being so many adult shows and movies on television, it's become really hard for parents to monitor what their kids are watching. Certain regulations and things have been put into place by the FCC like, V-Chips and the type of programs being allowed to be aired at certain times. It's still not working, though. Kids are still watching crap that they really have no business to be watching. The fact is, it's too hard to monitor children 24/7 and make sure they aren't watching what they shouldn't be.
Even kids shows today, are shifting towards a more mature content. I remember being a kid and being able to watch cartoons on Nickelodeon and Disney. Now, there's like seriously no cartoons. They've been replaced by shows like, Hannah Montanna and iCarlie. The only cartoon that I still see on is Spongebob. Everything's been replaced by live actors and actual stage sets. Even worse, littler kids that are like 8 or 10 have nothing else to watch except these new shows about 16-year old teens. I just feel like it's not appropriate for kids, anymore.
Also, with there being so many adult shows and movies on television, it's become really hard for parents to monitor what their kids are watching. Certain regulations and things have been put into place by the FCC like, V-Chips and the type of programs being allowed to be aired at certain times. It's still not working, though. Kids are still watching crap that they really have no business to be watching. The fact is, it's too hard to monitor children 24/7 and make sure they aren't watching what they shouldn't be.
Even kids shows today, are shifting towards a more mature content. I remember being a kid and being able to watch cartoons on Nickelodeon and Disney. Now, there's like seriously no cartoons. They've been replaced by shows like, Hannah Montanna and iCarlie. The only cartoon that I still see on is Spongebob. Everything's been replaced by live actors and actual stage sets. Even worse, littler kids that are like 8 or 10 have nothing else to watch except these new shows about 16-year old teens. I just feel like it's not appropriate for kids, anymore.
Chapter 4
The telegraph is what pretty much gace birth to the radio. With improvements upon the telegraph, radio was finally made. When radio first came out, it wasn't intended to play music. The music industry actually didn't even like it and wanted to get rid of it. They didn't see the potential of radio to be used as it is today but when they did, it became a huge hit. I just found it interesting that something as simple as sending a few beeps in morse code via telegraph could lead into something as huge as radio, which can broadcasting any series of noises to virtually the entire world.
Early radio, at least in the 1920's and such, featured a lot of stories and shows. This was before television came out, so this was people's main source of entertainment. Today, there aren't any shows besides talkshows. People listen to it mainly on the way to work or whenever they're in the car. Radio is also mainly used to listen to music. In my opinion, the actual radio hasn't changed much, but rather the music has. It's still a good source of entertainment on the way to work or during a long roadtrip or something.
All in all, the radio is still a great medium for music. Instead of having to go through all the trouble of buying an iPod and some expensive car that plays iPods and stuff, you can just get a normal car and turn the radio on for music. You can even buy satellite radio and get that installed for even better music without as many commercials, or without any commercials at all, I wouldn't know because I just use normal radio. As someone that listens to a very specific genre of music, classic rock, I can just tune to a specific station.
Early radio, at least in the 1920's and such, featured a lot of stories and shows. This was before television came out, so this was people's main source of entertainment. Today, there aren't any shows besides talkshows. People listen to it mainly on the way to work or whenever they're in the car. Radio is also mainly used to listen to music. In my opinion, the actual radio hasn't changed much, but rather the music has. It's still a good source of entertainment on the way to work or during a long roadtrip or something.
All in all, the radio is still a great medium for music. Instead of having to go through all the trouble of buying an iPod and some expensive car that plays iPods and stuff, you can just get a normal car and turn the radio on for music. You can even buy satellite radio and get that installed for even better music without as many commercials, or without any commercials at all, I wouldn't know because I just use normal radio. As someone that listens to a very specific genre of music, classic rock, I can just tune to a specific station.
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