There are many different kinds of media available to people in modern society due to the fact that almost everybody now has computers. This fact opens up many different channels through which people can communicate with other people. It used to be that people separated by great distances could not communicate other than letters or a phone call, but now, with the help of computers, there are now many different kinds of long distance communication that greatly improve efficiency.
One of the most popular ways that people communicate now is through text messaging each other. If they have a question they need to ask their research partner, they just text them and they get a response right away. Another very useful tool and one that is increasing in popularity is skype, or any kind of web cam chatting program. This allows people to meet face to face, no matter how far apart they are, as long as they both have computers. They can talk and chat, which allows the exchange of ideas to flow faster, and they can also send each other links to websites that would be helpful with their project or they could send them a document like a powerpoint presentation or a word document so that the other person gets it right away, not just when they check their email next.
I think that advances in technology have expanded the area that people that someone would be able to work with. If there were a person in your research group in England, it would be no problem. You could communicate with them as if they were your next door neighbor. This project on Franklin’s virtues will let us get a taste of what we might have to do once we get into college and we will be prepared and skilled at communicating efficiently with people over a long distance.
Monday, December 12, 2011
Sunday, December 11, 2011
Reflection: The Character of Franklin
In the first lines of Henry T. Tuckerman’s “The Character of Benjamin Franklin,” Tuckerman says
The first phrase of “mortal remains of Benjamin Franklin” gives the sense that Henry T. Tuckerman liked Benjamin Franklin because he the word using the phrase “mortal remains” instead of just saying “Benjamin Franklin was buried.” It gives the reader the sense that Henry Tuckerman thinks that Benjamin Franklin’s body may have been buried, but his ideas, his legacy, lives on. It is also clear that Tuckerman admires Ben Franklin because at the end of the quote he says “a name as illustrious as it was endeared.”
He follows up that passage with
Bloom, Harold, ed. "The Character of Franklin." Benjamin Franklin, Classic Critical Views. New York: Chelsea House Publishing, 2008. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc.
Franklin, Benjamin, and Leonard Woods Labaree. The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin. New Haven: Yale UP, 1964. Print.
“Sixty – six years have elapsed since the mortal remains of Benjamin Franklin were placed beneath a tablet in the Friends’ Cemetery in Philadelphia; the granite obelisk which marks the last resting-place of his parents is a familiar object to all who walk the streets of his native city; but these graves, thus humbly designated, were, until a few days since, the only visible monuments of a name as illustrious as it was endeared.”
The first phrase of “mortal remains of Benjamin Franklin” gives the sense that Henry T. Tuckerman liked Benjamin Franklin because he the word using the phrase “mortal remains” instead of just saying “Benjamin Franklin was buried.” It gives the reader the sense that Henry Tuckerman thinks that Benjamin Franklin’s body may have been buried, but his ideas, his legacy, lives on. It is also clear that Tuckerman admires Ben Franklin because at the end of the quote he says “a name as illustrious as it was endeared.”
He follows up that passage with
“Its fame, however, had become so thoroughly identified with American institutions and life, that an artistic memorial is far more important as a tribute of gratitude and reverence, than as a method of keeping his example before our minds or his image in our hearts.”
It sounds to me that this guy Tuckerman has a crush on Franklin. In the very first paragraph of his work, he has already talked about how much of a great example Ben Franklin was; how important and loved he was in American society. It is easy to see why though; Ben Franklin was one of the most influential people of the time period. He had his hands in things from the French helping the Americans in the Revolutionary War, to the writing of both the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. He was like a more popular, more politically important Steve Jobs.
In Franklin’s autobiography, he says tells the story of how a man once wanted his axe as shiny as the edge was, so the blacksmith said he would do it if the man would turn the grinding wheel (Franklin 158). It took a very long time to even start making the axe shiny, and the man was exhausted and when the blacksmith told him to keep going because the axe was only speckled, the man replied “Yes, but I think I like a speckled axe best.” Franklin compared the story to virtues because
In Franklin’s autobiography, he says tells the story of how a man once wanted his axe as shiny as the edge was, so the blacksmith said he would do it if the man would turn the grinding wheel (Franklin 158). It took a very long time to even start making the axe shiny, and the man was exhausted and when the blacksmith told him to keep going because the axe was only speckled, the man replied “Yes, but I think I like a speckled axe best.” Franklin compared the story to virtues because
“this may have been the case with many, who, having for want of some such means as I employed found the difficulty of obtaining good and breaking bad habits in other points of vice and virtue, have given up the struggle, and concluded that ‘a speckled axe is best.’" (Franklin 158)
I think that the main thing that Franklin took away from this was humbleness. He saw that it is very hard to keep a strict moral life, and he says on page 159,
“I never arrived at the perfection I had been so ambitious of obtaining, but fell far short of it, yet I was, by the endeavor, a better and a happier man than I otherwise should have been, if I had not attempted it.”
Bloom, Harold, ed. "The Character of Franklin." Benjamin Franklin, Classic Critical Views. New York: Chelsea House Publishing, 2008. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc.
Franklin, Benjamin, and Leonard Woods Labaree. The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin. New Haven: Yale UP, 1964. Print.
Daily Journal #15
There are many problems that arise when working with people over a long distance. It will be a challenge working with the kids from Farmington for our Franklin virtue project. There is a possibility for many different kinds of communication issues.
There was this one project in my freshman year in introduction to engineering taught by Mr. Andrew Stevenson (I miss him). We were tasked with working with another school, whose name escapes me at the moment, in creating a new kind of locker shelf. We had to discuss different ideas that we thought would work, decide what we wanted to do, and then we had to come up with our final idea. One person in our group had to draw up our final product in Autodesk Inventor and then we had to have a final project where we presented it to our classes. This project is very similar to the one that we are doing now because we have to collaborate with another school over using any kind of media that we could.
Also, let’s be honest, you and I both know that I am turning this blog post in late, and I apologize. One good thing about doing this particular blog late is that I now know what kind of problems that arose during my project. The only real problem that I noticed was that some people did not check their emails that often, so it was hard to stay in touch with them the entire time. One of the best ways that I found to stay in touch with most of my group members was facebook. Whether it is a good thing or not, people tend to check their facebook all the time. If it is somewhere in plain sight, it is usually the best way to communicate with people, which is now facebook or some other kind of social media.
There was this one project in my freshman year in introduction to engineering taught by Mr. Andrew Stevenson (I miss him). We were tasked with working with another school, whose name escapes me at the moment, in creating a new kind of locker shelf. We had to discuss different ideas that we thought would work, decide what we wanted to do, and then we had to come up with our final idea. One person in our group had to draw up our final product in Autodesk Inventor and then we had to have a final project where we presented it to our classes. This project is very similar to the one that we are doing now because we have to collaborate with another school over using any kind of media that we could.
Also, let’s be honest, you and I both know that I am turning this blog post in late, and I apologize. One good thing about doing this particular blog late is that I now know what kind of problems that arose during my project. The only real problem that I noticed was that some people did not check their emails that often, so it was hard to stay in touch with them the entire time. One of the best ways that I found to stay in touch with most of my group members was facebook. Whether it is a good thing or not, people tend to check their facebook all the time. If it is somewhere in plain sight, it is usually the best way to communicate with people, which is now facebook or some other kind of social media.
Daily Journal #14
If I were alive during Franklin’s time period, it would be much different than what my life is like now. There was no indoor plumbing, cars, or electricity. If I were to be alive during the time period I would want to be the apprentice of Benjamin Franklin. This is because I am the type of person that likes science, and Benjamin Franklin was a very notable scholar and inventor. He invented many things from a popular stove to lightning rods. He also just seems like a very enjoyable person to be around. From his writing, I can tell that he is not that mean of a person and he has a good sense of humor, which would make it easier to be his apprentice.
My typical day would probably be getting up early (because it seems to me that everybody got up early then, then I would go to school. I think that if Benjamin Franklin were to actually have an apprentice, I would think that he would want one that could read, write, and one that would be good at problem solving as to help Benjamin when he needed some help on something. After getting out of school, I would go help Benjamin Franklin at his printing house for the remainder of my day, except for some time to go home and study what I learned in school today.
It is hard to imagine what life was like back then. To us, it seems very strange, but to them, it seems perfectly normal; they do not know any other life than the one that they were living then. I bet if they came to the future, to our time, they would think it was just as weird as we think theirs is. It is all about the perspective.
My typical day would probably be getting up early (because it seems to me that everybody got up early then, then I would go to school. I think that if Benjamin Franklin were to actually have an apprentice, I would think that he would want one that could read, write, and one that would be good at problem solving as to help Benjamin when he needed some help on something. After getting out of school, I would go help Benjamin Franklin at his printing house for the remainder of my day, except for some time to go home and study what I learned in school today.
It is hard to imagine what life was like back then. To us, it seems very strange, but to them, it seems perfectly normal; they do not know any other life than the one that they were living then. I bet if they came to the future, to our time, they would think it was just as weird as we think theirs is. It is all about the perspective.
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Daily Journal #13
I do not think that the “American Dream” has changed much over the last several decades, maybe even farther than that. Most people came to America from Europe to start a new life; to get at chance to make a name for themselves in a new frontier. The same could be said about recent times. Many people want to invent something new, and now with the new frontier that modern technology brings us, it opens up many opportunities for people to make money and a legacy. At the root of most people’s dreams for their futures, no matter how grand and seemingly unobtainable they appear to be, there is always a want to find a spouse, have kids, be able to provide for their family, and to leave something behind that they want to be remembered by. This is evident in the kind of people that are celebrities in America today. Most of them are not great scientific or philosophic minds. Instead, most of them are wealthy people, well, there is also the kind of celebrity that does ridiculous stunts to get the attention on them, but that is a totally different topic for another blog.
One good example as to why this is what the “American Dream” is, is the way that somebody becomes a celebrity. Even though Steve Jobs and Bill Gates were both great inventors, they were not very well known until they started their companies and started to acquire their large amount of wealth. Most people that go to college aspire to use what they study in the future to change the world for the better.
The only difference between the American dream of today’s society and one of a few generations ago, there is a different standard of being “Successful”. In today’s world, with the more and more of the wealth being controlled by a certain few, and therefore creating wealthy people even wealthier, to focus has seemed to shift more off of getting a job so one’s able to provide for their family to being getting as much money as one can in their life, which is not always the best thing, because “Money can’t buy you happiness.”
One good example as to why this is what the “American Dream” is, is the way that somebody becomes a celebrity. Even though Steve Jobs and Bill Gates were both great inventors, they were not very well known until they started their companies and started to acquire their large amount of wealth. Most people that go to college aspire to use what they study in the future to change the world for the better.
The only difference between the American dream of today’s society and one of a few generations ago, there is a different standard of being “Successful”. In today’s world, with the more and more of the wealth being controlled by a certain few, and therefore creating wealthy people even wealthier, to focus has seemed to shift more off of getting a job so one’s able to provide for their family to being getting as much money as one can in their life, which is not always the best thing, because “Money can’t buy you happiness.”
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Reflection: Franklin's Virtues/ Deism
The virtues that Franklin laid out in his autobiography reflect the beliefs and ideas of deism. I think this because all of the virtues sound they have a religious undertone to them. Deists did not necessarily believe that there is no “God”, it is more like a belief that God is not tied down to a particular religion because they find it hard to believe in something that’s only basis is based on divine revelation (Quinn). Deists seem to be more of the rational people who look at religion in a logical way, instead of a faith based one. They believe that God simply made the world as we know it, and just stepped away and let people settle their own problems and survive on their own (Quinn). I think that this has to do more with the fact that since they are more analytical than most people, they would have a hard time believing in miracles, which are what some religions base their faiths on.
It is a well known fact that Benjamin Franklin was a very famous Deist. It is very evident in the passage we read from his autobiography. In one instance he quoted Addison's Cato, "'Here will I hold. If there's a power above us, (And that there is all nature cries aloud through all her works), He must delight in virtue; and that which He delights in must be happy'" (Franklin 154). The fact that he quoted this shows that he is definitely a deist because he, like Addison, believes that there is a God, and the way you can tell that there is one is by looking at the world around you. All of the things in nature are proof to His existence.
I think that Franklin ended up coming out of this whole experience a better person. This is because, for one, it is hard to follow a strict code for an extended period of time, and the fact that he could stick to it shows that he is a strong willed person, and he went on to talk about how he started improving on other virtues, he had a hard time on the virtue Order because he was very busy. He also claimed that he was smart, so he was able to keep track of his things in all of his clutter, and that it was difficult to work with other people while also working with his and their schedules (Franklin 159). After many years of following this strict moral code, Franklin says “But on the whole, though I never arrived at the perfection I had been so ambitious of obtaining, but fell far short of it, yet I was, by the endeavour, a better and happier man than I otherwise should have been, if I had not attempted it; as those who aim at perfection writing by imitating the engraved copies, though they never reach the wished-for excellence of those copies, their hand is mended by the endeavour, and is tolerable while it continues fair and legible” (Franklin 159).
Franklin, Benjamin, and Leonard Woods Labaree. The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin. New Haven: Yale UP, 1964. Print.
Quinn, Edward. "deism." A Dictionary of Literary and Thematic Terms, Second Edition. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2006.Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc.
It is a well known fact that Benjamin Franklin was a very famous Deist. It is very evident in the passage we read from his autobiography. In one instance he quoted Addison's Cato, "'Here will I hold. If there's a power above us, (And that there is all nature cries aloud through all her works), He must delight in virtue; and that which He delights in must be happy'" (Franklin 154). The fact that he quoted this shows that he is definitely a deist because he, like Addison, believes that there is a God, and the way you can tell that there is one is by looking at the world around you. All of the things in nature are proof to His existence.
I think that Franklin ended up coming out of this whole experience a better person. This is because, for one, it is hard to follow a strict code for an extended period of time, and the fact that he could stick to it shows that he is a strong willed person, and he went on to talk about how he started improving on other virtues, he had a hard time on the virtue Order because he was very busy. He also claimed that he was smart, so he was able to keep track of his things in all of his clutter, and that it was difficult to work with other people while also working with his and their schedules (Franklin 159). After many years of following this strict moral code, Franklin says “But on the whole, though I never arrived at the perfection I had been so ambitious of obtaining, but fell far short of it, yet I was, by the endeavour, a better and happier man than I otherwise should have been, if I had not attempted it; as those who aim at perfection writing by imitating the engraved copies, though they never reach the wished-for excellence of those copies, their hand is mended by the endeavour, and is tolerable while it continues fair and legible” (Franklin 159).
Franklin, Benjamin, and Leonard Woods Labaree. The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin. New Haven: Yale UP, 1964. Print.
Quinn, Edward. "deism." A Dictionary of Literary and Thematic Terms, Second Edition. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2006.Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc.
Monday, October 24, 2011
Daily Journal #12
Well, this is an odd question to ask. There are many different directions I could take this. Well, obviously I’m going to take the route that gives me the most words so that I can finish this blog as fast as I can. If I were to write my own rules for what was right and what was wrong, it would look fairly similar to what they are currently. I think that you should basically be able to do whatever you wanted, as long as it did not infringe upon anyone else’s rights. I think that would cover most things like murder, theft, and things like that. I think that eventually I would change my rules a little by little until they are basically the same as they are now just because of the fact that I believe that the rules that people make are ones that every person thinks are fair rules just because it is the way that most people think. Granted, there are a few crazy people out there that would not agree with some of the rules that are only there to protect them, but that will always happen. It is simply human nature to want to set up a set of rules and guidelines as to help us discern right from wrong. Most people would agree that there would be no murder, no stealing, nothing like that, which shows that rules for some things don’t have to be written down or explicitly stated for people to believe. There are some more intricate things that would need their own rules due to their complex nature. Thinks like how banks should act and how we should handle our economy and other complicated things that do not fall into whether or not it hurts someone else, directly, or indirectly.
I think that businesses should be required to pay all of the taxes that they are supposed to, especially big businesses that make billions every year but they somehow manage to slip through some loopholes *cough* G.E. *cough*cough*.
I think that businesses should be required to pay all of the taxes that they are supposed to, especially big businesses that make billions every year but they somehow manage to slip through some loopholes *cough* G.E. *cough*cough*.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)