Prezi Presentations 10/17/11

1st Prezi:

• hypertext- more natural way to write?
• hypertext- associates 2 things not previously connected
• we don't think in essays, we think randomly (associatively)
• hypertext is how our minds work vs. conventional writing

2nd Prezi:

• hypertext makes reading more natural
• a link between two different things; connects ideas in a nonlinear fashion
• visually, it creates a cloud, a network (association)
• does it lead to a destination? => of thought, of knowledge
• have we associated knowledge or learning as a physical journey & destination?

Prezi Presentations 10/12/11

1st Prezi (Briana, Leah, etc.):

• computer- processes info vs. machine

2nd Prezi:

• evolution of writing machine- changing technology improves writing
• codex=>printing press (creates society that understands writing; revolutionary, but tedious)=>computer (biggest revolution; interwoven society; almost all have access)=>social networking=>blogs
• how does this evolution impact the standard of living? the economy? poverty level? communication? societal norms? how does this impact comprehension?
• does society become more literate due to this evolution (interaction w/ text or literacy)??
• the way we think changes, but is language changing with it?

Jacques Derrida 10/12/11

Are you ever afraid to write? Do you take writing as seriously as Jacques Derrida?

Yes, I am sometimes afraid to write. I am incredibly averse to conflict, rather angry conflict. When I write, whoever reads what I am writing can't see my facial expressions, or hear the tone in my voice or even see the gestures I make when I talk. I'm afraid in the same way Derrida is- who am I, what authority do I have to challenge, or attack someone else's thoughts, ideas or arguments? I do get scared beacause I  do take writing seriously on a certain level- it's a safe space for me to put my thoughts down. Thoughts don't stay in my head, so I have to write or say them to remember. Therefore, writing is sacred- it's my thoughts, my mind. Writing is like bearing my soul- one can know exactly what goes through my mind if one reads a particular piece of my writing. Because this is true for me, I assume (probably wrongly so) that the idea of writing as a sacred space is true for others & their writing. It's like I'd be attacking the very thoughts inside someone's head; invading the only sacred space (sanctuary) some may have.

Taylor Mali 10/7/11

Differences between spoken & written poem?

The poem itself seems to be a comment on society today in the oral form, yet it seemed to have a deeper meaning in the other form. It seemed to become more of a critique of society; it questioned why society has become this way and how did it get there?
Spoken word allows the privelege of the speaker to heavily infuse his/her own intentions and meaning into the words spoken.
The textual writing space presented the words as a conversation- questions addressed to everyone (the audience) that are intended not to be answered, but to be responded to with action, with change. The textual writing space transforms the spoken word into a call for action (engagement) rather than just a passing comment.

FFW- Is the machine using us? 9/28/11

Wow. I feel like that was an epic evolutionary idea that I just experienced but haven't processed fully. Wesch said the machine is us, so asking if the machine is using us is interesting. I don't know what to think, or how to process that really. Robotics? Intelligent life? or what is it? how to process & understand the word/use of machine...the web? other people taking advantage of us, our blogss, our online lives- our lives in general?? to put it simply, I have this odd paranoia that says yes, the machine is using us...but another part of me doesn't care...

1st group Prezi

A link to my first group's Prezi can be found here.

True Confessions

In Chapter 6, "Diction," Trimble talks about different aspects of writing. He breaks it down like so:

• conciseness
• vigorous verbs
• freshness

Definitely, I need to work the most on conciseness in my writing. I tend to think in circles, and I express myself better orally rather than writingly (that's probably not a word). This usually shows in my writing, and often I don't have the patience or attention span to edit properly. Soooo yeahh.