Nikevolution

I think that it is great what nike does being the most known brand in the world. They give users the ability to go online and completely customize the color of their products from the ground up. They are giving the ability to not have an identical shoe to everyone else but rather have a much more personalized shoe. You can even engrave what ever you want on your shoe making it way more personalized than almost any other company. Shopping is definitely a part of our culture we as consumers buy things that satisfy our wants. We buy the products that are available for final sale based on a variety of reasons. I like to buy ed hardy, lrg, nike, puma, apple and any soccer related products. I don't feel that I am participating in a culture when I shop, I fell as if shopping as a whole is a culture. I like different products for there art work or technological advancements. I like wearing soccer related sports for my favorite clubs that I support. When I wear soccer related clothing I feel as if I am part of the club myself. My favorite soccer team is FC Barcelona and my favorite player is #2 Dani Alves.

Parable of Ring around the Collar

I was watching television when I saw a very funny bud light beer commercial.  The commercial takes place right after they crash landed and no one is in too good of spirits. A lady very excited says "It's allright I found a phone we are getting out of here!" Everyone is starting to pay some interest until some guy says, "We are going to be all right I found a fridge, It's full of buds!" Everybody gets really excited forgets about the crash and starts drinking to disco music. When you think everything is wrong bud light comes to save the day(according to the commercial).  The protagonist crashed the plane but then found beer to make up for the problem. Although making a very funny commercial this would be an absurd seen in the real world.  When you start watching ads you start realizing how they are so ridiculous and unrealistic. The average americans attention has shrunk to the size of the peanut making very weird messages the only way of making contact to your brain. I find pharmaceutical commercials the most absurd commercials on television. Half of the ad there is just someone talking about all the possible side effects and reasons you shouldn't take it, then seek advice from a doctor before taking the product.  That much information is enough for me to stay clear of that product. I think that if something could have that much negative side effects than it should be taken off the market. It all comes down to personal choice though, if you don't want something than don't buy it.

Deconstructing ad

The ad I chose to deconstruct has to do with a risk board game. The board game is shown very small at the bottom center of the map. The ad is titled  "Kick Some Global Butt" in a decent sized font under a huge globe. The globe is shaped in a butt making it humorous for anyone who is interested in geography. The ad is definatly more about humor than the actual product. I wouldn't buy the game for this advertisement it was more just for a funny  photo shopped picture. Any age group can play risk, it is a strategy board game. I have never played it and this ad wouldn't be the deciding factor on me buying this game. I don't think that this was a very successful ad.

Killing us Softly 3

The only ads that influence me to buy the product is apple ads. I have had every version of the iphone to date along with the ipad. When I saw the first commercial for the ipad, I though I have to get that. Apple is cutting edge technology and in todays society they are vital resources for information. If it is something I was not already interested than the ad delivers me no satisfaction. I buy things for their use not because they were in a great commercial. Ads subject women as an item in todays society, often in seductive or passive looks on their faces. Many young women give into the temptation of trying to look as perfect as the girls in the magazine. The video killing us softly 3 showed us how a lot of magazine covers are edited to give the models the perfect face and body. Only five percent of women actually have the perfect body making it unattainable for the others. Even the models that have that body are starving themselves to stay skinny. When women have eating disorders is when their is a problem with society. Jean Killbourne said women of color are often portrayed as animals in ads showing many different examples. Women of color are displayed as if they aren't human and not as desirable. Ads put labels on women making them the object and not human anymore. Women are portrayed in ads as being passive when the male is dominant. The only time a women is bigger than the man is when a black man is in it Jean Killborne showed. In a way ads show a lot of dominance to what society thinks. Advertisments are everywhere and wherever you go you are unable to avoid them. Killbourne said that the average amercian views 2000 ads a day. Ads have gotten so ridiculous that they have nothing to do with the product have the time. Advertisers just want you to tune in long enough to get what they are selling and buy their product. The longer we sit around and buy into the propaganda the more dignity we will lose as a culture.

Cell Phones

Now that that the hands free law is in full effect not much change has happened on the road. Everyday I drive, I see numerous amounts of people talking on their cell phones while at the wheel. If you can multitask, then there is no reason why you shouldn't be able to use your cell phone while driving. It could be more dangerous trying to just get your bluetooth device to work while driving, then just talking on your phone. The law has made a positive impact bringing in more revenue for the state in tickets.
I disagree with Goodwin, a person can multitask driving and talking on the phone with no problems. If you can't multitask than don't talk and drive! Cell phones are evolving humans to adapt to a more demanding world. Vacations have vanished unless you travel outside of cell phone service. Where ever you are someone can get a hold of you with a click of a button. Email, voicemail and text messages are all common ways of receiving alerts. Even if the message is not urgent people will sill bother you whenever they feel like it. The world is getting more high tech, making everything more convenient and much easier to do. We use technology for virtually everything, from checking the news to social networking. I embrace technology seeing that it has made communication much simpler than in the past. I go on the internet regularly and think it has made a positive impact on society. Technology can bring families further apart however thanks to social networking websites. With websites like facebook, twitter and myspace people can stay in touch without every speaking to each other. With these new social networking websites everyone is a lot less personal leaving brief messages. A tweet once a month rather than a phone call can lead people even more out of touch. On the other side technology can help answer questions a lot faster. If you forgot where you placed your keys you can send a simple text message out. Within seconds you can get a response with a answer where you misplaced your keys. If we put community first we would put down our technology and meet in person. It is still important to have a physical relationship rather than just socialize over the internet with your family and friends.  Text messaging is very simple and thanks to my iphone texting is quite convenient. When texting you can get a quick answer rather than bugging someone with a phone call. Texting is the new instant messaging and with unlimited plans texters don't have to worry about a three hundred dollar phone bill. The age of cell phone users is getting younger by the year. Six year olds now have cell phones to keep the paranoid mom a little more at ease. With cell phone users varying at every age, it is apparent that technology is changing the way that the youth grow up. The age gap for what kids are being exposed to is getting younger and younger. If you want to get on the band wagon then you are going to need to join the technological advances the world is facing. I do think that cell phones are evolving people to stay less in touch with who they really are. There is less time available for personal reflections thanks to always being on the internet. Like we saw in the Amish community technology is not affecting their lifes. They are not going to interrupt a conversation at dinner to answer a phone call. The only phones in the villages are in the middle of the village making it inconvenient to receive phone calls. They don't have cars making it hard to leave their village keeping family close. They still have really important values that we lost with the rise in technology.

Technology

The booming rise of technology is evadible anywhere around the glob on any corner.Everything in todays market has become portable and convenient to carry. Leaving behind the stone bricks on desks laptops are becoming the size of disks. Laptops are small enough that you can fit some of them in your pocket. We have also left cords and wires behind with the technological advance of wireless technology. Once a phone had to be plugged into the wall, where now it can be brought anywhere with the inventions of cell phones. With the world becoming more and more high-tech the possibility for anything awaits around the corner.

Disney

The video on Disney World is basically what you would see today without the new rides they have. I have been to both Disney Land in Los Angeles and Disney World in Florida. The one difference I would have to say is the size between the two parks. Disneyland only has two parks compared to Disney Worlds four different parks as well as two water parks. They both stay true to the Disney imagination and whichever one you visit you will leave satisfied.

Why We Travel

We travel to get away, to experience something different from our normal day to day perceptions of life. We travel to find something new about ourselves, to put ourself into a foreign setting will bring out childish senses, so in essence you will have to use more basic skills to navigate around the culture. If you are traveling in Brazil and they are speaking Portuguese, it is going to be harder to communicate with the locals. All of a sudden a trip to the market can be the most daunting task you've ever come across. While traveling, you can learn much more than than through pictures in a book. We learn through experiences and there is no better way than through traveling.

The Tourist

Tourists are rather interesting on what activities they decide to partake in while on vacation. The stereotypical tourist is the one with the guide books out, not willing to take a chance at missing what the city has to offer. The increasing problem we suffer with modern day tourism is the rapid rate of globalization, cities are loosing their identities in order to keep up with the modern world. You can find a nike store in just about any country around the globe, walk into a Mcdonalds for a fattening meal, or get sucked into one of Disney's attractions globally. While these phenomenon's may be ruining the whole vacation idea, there is still a positive side for the tourist. Some places are not giving into globalization and stand proud for remaining unique. Whether, you go on a vacation for relaxation, sightseeing or just to get out of town your tour is up to you.

ads Over the Ages

Everywhere you look on cars, buildings and televisions advertisements are there and you can't possible avoid them. Everyone is trying to sell their ideas and there is no better way than through advertisement. Over the Ages ads have drastically changed to keep up with the current trends. Currently ads have become a lot more risque because that is selling in our current culture, our society has shown that the more risque the more profit, we are built around profit. Back in the day the ads were more innocent because it would have been socially unacceptable to run the ads of today. The bottom line is advertisements typically have the first two seconds to catch the viewers attention, once that time is passed and the viewer does not engage in the ad then they have lost a potential client.

The Loss of a Creature

According to Percy we let society get in the way with our experiences to new places. He thinks that you can't truly experience something through tour guides or walked paths. If you want to truly experience it you have to go off the beaten path and become a pioneer. If you take a tour guide you are going to presume that it is going to look and feel like the post card, but that  may not be the case and can dissatisfy many. When going on a trip Percy suggests doing everything that society doesn't want you to see and than perhaps you will discover something great.

Tracks 1

The Disney made Celebration town impacted society on many different levels of income. To live in Celebration it doesn't matter about your current economic situation. There is real estate for sale depending on if you want to buy a one million dollar house, or  if you want to rent an apartment for six hundred dollars a month. All the houses were built close together so it doesn't matter what kind of house you live in everyone is part of the community. All homes in celebration are walking distant from downtown so if you want to get a bite to eat or watch a movie you can easily meet friends and family. This town also has a postal office and state of the art public school. There is many politics going on in this town with the way the public school is run. Many parents got together and complained that the education is a joke and that Disney should change the curriculum. Disney had a good idea to make a futuristic city but it already is seeing complications. Nothing can be perfect especially when a town is built being heavily profit driven. I think it is going to be interesting to see what happens to this town over the next century. I found it very funny that this was a real town where residents live. I hope that this town can work through their problems and that it can be a model for how cities should be built.
       
The second essay was about how the lower class residents loved to call the starlite mobile park their home. It isn't the best of neighborhoods and located amongst  a junkyard but starlight mobile park is a tight knit community. Everyone is friends with everyone, they have block parties and all the kids play together. One of the residents moved out to a neighborhood in the suburbs but moved back. One man had lived there for 23 years and couldn't see himself living anywhere else. Starlite is completely different from Celebration but the idea around community is the same. The one similarity is it doesn't matter where you live if the community is subtle you will be happy.


The last essay we read was about how people materialize objects in catalogs. They think that since they see it in  a magazine that they should buy it. That isn't always necessarily what you need. Objects can't ultimately make you happy. What makes people happy is their own personal demeanor and relationships with friends and family. Once someone gets carried away being materialistic is the point when they start becoming unhappy. A warning sign for this is once you start worshiping the objects that is dangerous behavior. 

House Hunting

My idea of a home is somewhere that is relaxing that you come back to time and time again. I am going to be traveling the world with my brother an up and coming aspiring young musician. Life on the  road is a new place every night  and traveling is tiring and exhausting. What I call home is the timeswhen I am sitting down listening to my brother play music. Wherever he plays on stage there is always a new fan to be made and people keep wanting to here more. Wherever we travel and play his fans will welcome us in to the venue and at that point in time when the music starts that is home. A family of fans coming together for the enjoyment of good music. Later in life when I will reside somewhere on top of the hill to watch the horizon. I will have a nice house that can host all my family and friends and that is what I will call home.

Calling Suburbs Home

Many middle class hard working families reside in the suburbs. Block by block neighborhoods are united together as one community. I personally think that the suburbs are a great place for families to grow up and raise their children. Most suburbs are located next to schools so kids can meet friends that live in the area rather than be isolated out in the county. Generally houses in the suburbs don't have as much property as out in the county, so there is a lack of privacy. Houses are stacked right next to each other in the suburbs so it is a matter of opinion if you like space or neighbors. People who live in the suburbs can feel more of a sense of community. It is not uncommon to see block parties in neighborhoods where neighbors discuss things and have a good time. In the suburbs there is also a lot of political tension where signs of opposing candidates can be spotted on front yards. Whether you live in the suburbs or country either can be a great place to call home

Fencing,Props

Porches in east LA are often huge hosting large families to come and relax after long days. Families socialize and spend their day hanging out on the patio making the setting right for long conversations. Mexican families in East La love their huge yards to  have parties. Often huge white picket fences circle the property to show off the once american dream. The yard is the safe haven where anyone can come and just relax. The yards of Mexican families are turning into living rooms with sofas and chairs. Fences work as a front door where it is the difference from public to private territory. Graffiti makes a huge part in east LA lighting up walls with vibrant spray paint. My childhood was spent entire summers in my backyard swimming in my pool. I had a huge backyard where all my friends would come and enjoy swimming in under the hot sun. Everyone always felt welcome and their was always a lot of people swimming. My experience was a lot different than living in east LA but never the less it was an awesome childhood.  I walked across the street everyday to school. My neighborhood was a little community where all my friends lived. Everyday was spent playing street hockey or running around with friends. I enjoyed my childhood very much and remember a lot of good times I had.

Last Stop Kmart

 All ones desires can be fulfilled with this vast variety of inventory in this supercenter. All the while this quite lucrative attraction can deliver hefty profits. Kmart is not able to keep up with the corporate scums we know of as Walmart. Walmart has a high price of low cost to meet the demands of their customers.  They underpay their workers, have sweat shop factories in China paying workers under $2 a week. Next time you buy from walmart think about why the price is as cheap as it is. I don't know too much about the business behind Kmart but I'm guessing like any huge corporation it too probably is heavily money driven. I went to a Kmart recently off Cleveland Avenue and absorbed what this phenomenon was all about. This store looked as if it hadn't been remodeled since the mid 1970's. A trip down the isles looking up at florescent lights gives a crazy psychedelic feeling. This was a debacle to my head causing massive headaches. Could I already have had enough kmart shopping just from the interior design of the building? I had to keep going to see what all this rave was about. They really had just about anything you wanted from; sporting goods, fishing and hunting gear, food, drinks, candy, books, school supplies, toys, electronics. You could walk in planning on buying a binder and come out with a bb gun. Really I didn't think kmart supplied these types of inventory? Kmart is the one stop mart that I will go to only if I am in the area and need something quick. As of a Walmart I would never step foot inside that corporation of evil. Another place I have been to that is a cultural landscape is a venue such as the HP Pavilion in San Jose. Many different people come through depending on the type of event. It could be the host for a Sharks game where fans bleed teal and will expect nothing less than victory. If that does not interest you than maybe a lacrosse game or a huge touring act coming through town may. There is always different types of people that come through this arena and that is what makes it so unique.

Introduction

Hello my name is Ryan and this is my second year at the Santa Rosa Junior College. This is also my second online class and it seems to great to be true.  I am eager and determined to start improving my writing through structured essays. My favorite sport is soccer and I will be attending the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. My favorite team is FC Barcelona and I plan on attending many games in the future.