Maggie, I really liked how you analyzed a little bit of each of the links so that it was like a summary and I knew what to expect when I clicked on each. It was also nice because you kept it neatly organized, flowing from one bullet to the next with ease.
Essentially you criticized the links you provided. You mentioned how the first link was stupid and an over-reaction, how the second one effected income, and how the third one wasn't very official, since there is constant contradictions with these surveys and you can't really trust them very much. To expand, the first link talked about an online poll asking about Obama being assassinated and if it should happen. This man was even considered to be put on trial to the full extent of the law, something that is an over-reaction for sure. The second link showed the usage of electricity in the average American household, and what percentage of the bill came from what. Lastly, the final link discussed cell phone usage in connection with cancer, something that the video acknowledged but minimized.
From the way you reacted, I am reminded of the average teenager. Most teenagers would react to these links the way that you or I did, dismissing them or finding them to be stupid. This would support theories that youth does not see fault in the way they use electronic devices, since we reacted that the studies were either wrong or that they showed we aren't as bad off as older generations say we are.
I think that you can draw a lot from these links. To start, you can see how the internet violates or pushes the Bill of Rights. I mean, if people are ready to prosecute somebody just because of something they said, what makes the world any different now from the way it is in some dystopian future of a sci-fi movie? Freedom of speech comes first in respect to the situation, even if it concerns the president. This person did not threaten Obama, and that is what people have to realize instead of looking at it as a threat. The second link is interesting. I mean, I can't even count how many times I have been told to get off of the computer because it will cost too much, or that I should turn off all of my stuff to help save some money. What does it matter at this small of a value? People also don't use these devices as much as people speculate we do, since the relation to other things is so drastic. Why don't they make other things around the house this convenient, this fuel efficient? As for the third like, it is really just an opinion piece. I can take in this piece as what it is, one guy telling us what he thinks about cell phones links in relation to cancer. This is something nobody can truly prove because for the individual we might have different ideas on the affects that the devices have and how they change our lives on a health level.
From here I think about the way I use technology on many levels. Do I act without thought and say stupid things that get me in trouble, like the first link dictates? And if so, is anything I do less or more punishable and is that going to make it worse that I said it? The energy statistics were a bit of a relief to me because I didn't feel so bad about being on my computer all of the time when I'm at home. If I am on and I do stuff with it and I talk with others all night long, I don't feel the same self-consciousness that I am wasting energy then I did prior to reading this link. The third link also relieves me, because now I don't feel as worried about developing cancer from using a pice of hardware like a phone. I can use it normally and weigh the options and side-effects on a more well balanced scale and have a true choice between using the phone excessively or not.
Thank you for the links, they surprised me and led me to places I did not think I would head to, and I am very happy to have traveled this path.
Keep up the good work,
Henry
Additional analysis, My train of thought:
HW 10-
First link- This is so stupid. Granted, I understand why people are upset, but isn't like he was threatening to do it, he was simply asking whether he should be or not. I know it isn't the best idea but prosecuting him "to the full extent of the law" is in my opinion very stupid and pointless because he didn't do anything wrong but instead voiced his opinion and asked that of others in a public forum.
Second link- Top contender for the title currently held by heating? Cooling. Nobody talks about how much power we spend on those things we also "need". Granted, in comparison to computer and such, we do need heating more. But I find it interesting that either people do not actually use the computer nearly as much as people think, or scientists make them a lot more efficient for their power. Plus, for only a 76 cents a month you can use a computer for three hours a day, which can help to get other readings, where even using it for say 9 hours a day still only costs you 228 cents. Why don't they devote their time to doing this with heating and such?
Third link- I like this one because it shows something different than the others, it isn't about the fact of how much damage cell phone usage causes, but rather it is about how everybody will feel about this and the emotions. Emotions are wild and hard to control, they are a variable we cannot account for and yet this man predicts that emotions on damage caused by cell phones is more harmful then the actual damage. I also like how you point out that this research is untrustworthy, and I agree with you there, because every new poll or study shows the opposite of the one before it so how do you know what to believe?
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