Technology’s Always Been Here

My friend Karmann and I were watching a TV show on ABC.com last night. We noticed that the same five commercials kept getting repeated, so at one point we became bored enough to start analyzing them (the commercials would come on every five minutes so you can understand our boredom). What we realized is that most of the commercials were advertising some newfound version of a piece of technology like the Galaxy S7 edge. We began wondering why most commercials did this. Back when we were kids, we remembered seeing commercials for little kid versions of laptops and cellphones. It seems like, even when we were children, the advertising industry has been dominated by the idea of technology. However, when we were kids, we had to have the imagination for most of it to be fascinating, whereas nowadays, it seems as though imagination is being taken out because the “adult” technology thinks for us instead. We just thought it was interesting that the more imaginative, interactive technology is being pushed out while computers that can think for people are being pulled in. 

Following Music

Light post to round out the week before break...

Out of all the negatives technology brings, I think that there is one positive that really has some feats. Through social media, blogs, articles, and different subscriptions through email, I have the ability to hear about my favorite bands in such a short timespan. Not only that, but I can also find new bands to look into through suggested posts and things of that sort. Whether I am scrolling through Tumblr or checking my email, I typically come across an update on at least one of the music groups I follow. To throw in an anecdote, a few weeks ago I received an email about the Lumineers releasing a new album (which, by the way, will probably be wonderful).

If it weren't for this email, who knows when I would've found out? I don't shop all that often, so I wouldn't have seen an ad in a store or something. Technology saves the day for me, yet again. Not to mention that all of these bands that I keep track of are listened to through technological devices such as my iPhone and MacBook. Music is an everyday feature in my life, and therefore technology will continue to be as well. Although, somedays records are preferred, and my phone and computer go out the window...

Changes to Yik Yak

If you are interested in Yik Yak and college campuses in general, check out this piece, along with the other sources it links to.

Admit it: We've abandoned our minority students across America

When I was younger, my whole family lived in Newark, New Jersey. They were all immigrants: my grandmother, all of my aunts and uncles, several of my cousins, and my mother were all born and raised in Colombia. There was a difference between the life I lived with my mom and white dad in rural West Virginia and the life the rest of my family lived in inner-city New Jersey, however, and I realized it even from a young age.

But the consequences and implications of my Hispanic family members living in inner-city New Jersey went beyond the fact that they lived in a rough, crime-ridden area. Living in inner-city New Jersey meant that not only were they forced to live in a crime-ridden area because it’s all they could afford at the time (even while working two jobs); it also meant that my cousins were getting a subpar education. It meant that not only were the streets dangerous, but the schools were as well. I remember hearing my aunt crying to my grandmother on many nights because she was worried about what could happen to my cousins at school, especially my cousin Sergio, who was being targeted for recruitment by gangs as early as sixth grade. I remember my aunts and uncles being concerned about the quality of education my cousins were receiving at Newark Public Schools, and in addition, being concerned about the quality of the school buildings themselves. My cousins would talk about how gross and unsanitary the bathrooms were, and how parts of the buildings and had mold growing on them.

It is important to note that the Newark Public School system is overwhelmingly black and Hispanic. Currently, white students make up less than ten percent of the Newark Public School System (Zielinski). So when I found out that the drinking water in Newark public schools has become so bad that the schools are shutting off the water to avoid poisoning the students, I was not surprised. But I’m also furious. I’m completely and utterly outraged that this issue hasn’t (and won’t) make national headlines, and it IS because we have a tendency to brush tragedies that mostly affect minorities under the rug.

What’s happening in the Newark Public School System is outrageous, and the same things that are happening in Newark are occurring in predominantly non-white areas all across the country. It’s happening in Detroit, certain parts of Chicago, and Compton. It’s happening two hours away in Baltimore. Right now, students in Newark can’t drink water from their school water fountains because if they do, they’ll get lead poisoning. We are POISONING our students in 2016. In America. And yes, it’s mostly our black and Latino students that we are poisoning.

Let’s be real for a second— if the predominantly white students in Loudoun County were being poisoned due to the amount of lead in their water, the issue would be fixed as quickly as possible. Furthermore, there is no doubt in my mind that if the problem could not be resolved quickly enough, the federal government would most certainly send aid to Loudoun County Public Schools.

So why is the federal government turning a blind eye at the black and Latino seven year olds who are drinking lead-contaminated water? Why is Newark’s mayor saying that the water is “perfectly safe” when it clearly isn’t? What if my cousins and I were younger, and it was my cousins who were being poisoned by lead while they attended elementary school (and for all we know, maybe they were)? Why do most students in predominantly white areas have access to the fundamental right of safe drinking water, but those in predominantly non-white areas are expected to drink lead-contaminated water?

Sources: http://thinkprogress.org/health/2016/03/10/3758749/newark-school-lead-water/

Another use for Twitter?

Take a look at this article. While this kind of analysis isn't as clear cut as it seems, what does it show?

From the piece: "Louisiana is home to the people who tweet derogatory slurs with the highest frequency in the country, according to a new analysis from online apartment-finder Abodo. Searching from a list of pejorative terms for women and black, Latino, LGBTQ, overweight, and intellectually disabled people, Abodo found and mapped millions of tweets published from June 2014 to December 2015. About one in every 87 tweets from Louisiana contained a slur traditionally used against these demographic groups, with Nevada, Texas, Maryland, and Delaware rounding out the top five. Wyoming came in last, with about one-tenth as many such tweets as Louisiana."

Stick with the article long enough to see West Virginia's starring role...

Big Hero 6: From the Silver Screen to the TV Screen

I am SUPER excited that Big Hero 6 is getting it's own TV show on Disney Channel, especially from the same group that worked to create Kim Possible. As a self-proclaimed comic book nerd, I know that Disney channel will have quite a bit of material to create interesting episodes. I am even happier because it will mark a change in diversity in some of the cartoon females on the channel, but then again Disney has always seemed to do better with role models of color on their shows than in their movies.

Another point of interest(happiness) for me is that how Big Hero 6 may work to help children understand other emotions that they deal with on an everyday basis, much like Inside Out has done. In addition, it may also work to help children, as well as some pre-teens, recognize that mental illnesses are just as serious as physical ones.

Changing the Shape of Technology

Does anyone ever think that all technology looks pretty much same? I have noticed that many of our electronics are, for the most part, stiff plastic with a screen. This article says “Graduate students have developed a stretchy, light-up fabric that mimics an octopus skin.” The application of this technology could allow us to interact differently with computer or phone screens, or it could even be worn if you want to. The possibilities range from “A stretchy, touch computer screen, or wearable tech – say, a color changing jacket. Or a mood robot.” I personally would love a color changing jacket, or they could even make pants that change color at the press of a button. A completely bendable computer screen would be insanely portable and very useful. Since this technology “allows robots to change their color and it also allows displays to change their shape,” future technology could have a whole different look.