Crap! I am the Prodigal Son

When I ponder the multitudes of life's questions and paradoxes, I always chuckle to myself when faced with the irony of my own short-sightedness. The power of the human spirit, our transcendental ability of self-reflection, while being a characteristic unique to us, it nevertheless remains a perennial example of our imperfection. Empowering as it is to have the capacity to stand outside temporality, be it surveying history, or making predictions about the future, the human mind runs the risk of losing track of its own limitations and thus falls into the grave sin of hubris.
In my own life, I’ve often stood at the vestibule of past and future, contemplating the “what ifs” of the past that seem relevant to the future, trying my very hardest to not repeat history’s mistakes. But despite my best efforts, inevitably, I fail. It is in the realization of my failure in this area that the relevance of the Prodigal Son parable has come to my attention. Though I’ve always understood this parable to be significant, its meaning has always stood at an arms distance away; the emphasis placed on the jubilation of the father upon the return of the son rather than on the son’s delinquency. Perhaps it is a case of the over-anxious reader seeking the final denouement, the “happy ending,” rather than seeing that what leads to the climax is the crucial starting point；but whatever the case may be, I’ve always enjoyed the celebrated return of the son, rather than the truth of his ineptitude and failure.
“I am the prodigal son,” these words shock me into paralysis; the full weight of its truth causes bitter rage and animosity, disrupting the delicate fibers of my soul. Success is good; it makes me smile. Failure sucks; it triggers the gag reflex. Being the prodigal son carries with it the sting of failure. But whom have I failed? Myself? No, my instincts tell me otherwise. The Prodigal Son, in the parable, is a failure not to himself, but to his father. “I am the prodigal son, I have failed my father,” reciting this brings back flashbacks of countless Asian American stereotypes that I’ve spent my whole life pushing away. My father’s exact words were, “I am so disappointed… I feel like I’ve wasted my time with you.” In the parable, it seems as if the son has the fortune of facing failure without confronting any acerbic remarks from a disappointed parent; but unfortunately, my case is more like the “Guilt Tripped Prodigal Son.” I wonder if the son felt remorse for letting down his father; I know I sure do. But the point at which I must relinquish the parable’s jurisdiction in my situation is the very same point at which I choose to focus on following what Coelho calls, “The Personal Legend.” You see, I am the Prodigal Son because I’ve swindled my father’s time, dashed his hopes and stomped on what my mother called, “his greatest joy in life.” As seemingly over-dramatic as this painted image appears, such is the drama that plays itself out in my head. A father living his dream through the son feels the pain of failure in hearing his son’s unwillingness to live his dream. It is a pain once removed and twice felt; having one’s own dreams dashed is one thing, but to find hope again in another, only to have it dashed as well is a pain that few can bear.
The guilt of the son tears his innards apart; how can he left his father down? But the existential calling, the beckoning of one’s Personal Legend, is equally powerful, if not more so. It is not easy to live the life of the Prodigal Son especially when plagued with a guilty conscience, but then again life is short and one has to seize the chance for happiness if it presents itself.

Reflections on Blogging

Reflecting on the past eight weeks of PWR 2, I've come to the conclusion that blogging isn't altogether a horrible thing. My first reaction when I found out that we had to blog was one of great irritation. I've always thought of blogging as a very crude form of writing, child-like even. I no longer feel that way, because I've seen that blogs can be used not simply as online-diaries, but also as credible sources of information. I was definitely shocked to find that there are reporters that use the blog as a means of communicating up-to-date information on world events. I find it fascinating that people actually find blogs to be secure and credible enough to take seriously some of the information that gets passed along. As for personal use, I've found that blogs can actually be enjoyable to keep up; one can write with substance and style. I'm not quite sure how I feel about the use of blogging in academia, but my gut feeling tells me that it can't be an altogether horrible thing, because we used it in the class and it did not have a noticeable negative influence. The one concern that I have is that the blog might not be taken seriously because it has for many, the connotation of an online diary. A collaborative blog sounds interesting, but how different would it be then an online forum? That I'm not so sure about.

PWR 2 Reponse Article War Games

After reading the article on War Games, I was thoroughly disturbed by what I just realized--that is that games like "America's Army" are actually created for the purpose of increasing enlistment in the US Army. Originally I just thought it was a game created by war-savvy individuals endorsed by the Army, but to have the main motivation behind a video game to be for increasing the ranks of the Army's enlistment is frightening. The comment about what happens in the Middle East ends up showing in the Kuma War game a week later, is a testament to the absurdity of this War Game phenomenon. Personally I've always felt that games aren't a bad form of entertainment, provided that the player understands that the game is after all, simply that, a game. Even more violent FPS(First Person Shooters) and fighting games I believe are not altogether bad, they're simply geared for more adult audiences. But to liken these types of War Games to Electronic forms of Journalism is to make a severe categorical mistake. Journalism informs, that is its purpose, despite what medium is used; games, however are meant to entertain. To say that a medium that is primarily used for entertainment, can alternatively be used for the spread of information is either very naiive or very presumptuous.

Brainstorming MidQuarter Presentation

Invention - I think what I am going to try to do to try to incorporate some originality into my presentation is to do some acting out of certain scenarios. Since my research topic is now more focused on the influence of technology on social networks, I think it might be interesting to do some small skits illustrating typical users of online social networks.

Arrangement - I'm going to try to keep the structure as simple as possible. I want most of the focus to be on the illustrations that I am presenting rather than just explaining everything to the class.

Style - I'll probably go for a more semi-formal style that's more like a low-key educational presentation.

Memory - I'll know my stuff.

Delivery - As for delivery I don't forsee the need for any multimedia aid, maybe a picture or two, but I would like to practice presenting without relying or being aided by PowerPoint.

Brainstorming MidQuarter Presentation

Invention - I think what I am going to try to do to try to incorporate some originality into my presentation is to do some acting out of certain scenarios. Since my research topic is now more focused on the influence of technology on social networks, I think it might be interesting to do some small skits illustrating typical users of online social networks.

Arrangement - I'm going to try to keep the structure as simple as possible. I want most of the focus to be on the illustrations that I am presenting rather than just explaining everything to the class.

Style - I'll probably go for a more semi-formal style that's more like a low-key educational presentation.

Memory - I'll know my stuff.

Deliver

TimeLine

I'm not as on top of my schedule as I would like to be. Recently I just decided on changing my topic to another more interesting topic and I think I have to some more digging to find more material for my new topic. I should have time to do catch up this week since I don't have anything due towards the end of the week.

PWR 2 (Response Article)

In the article Does PowerPoint make us stupid?, the question is raised as to whether or not, the medium of PowerPoint is dumbing down our culture. The article begins with the account of David Byrne a famous vocalist, composer and photographer who is said to have turned the use of PowerPoint into an art form. Byrne compiled and published a book in which he argues that PowerPoint has brought the end of reason. This book has stirred a serious debate with regard to the use and value of PowerPoint. Visual Artists seem to believe that PowerPoint serves as a "dumbing" function serving only capture and lull people into believing anything that's put on display. Their claim is that ideas are lost to pointlessness through the use of gratuitous use of PowerPoint. It seems that most of the arguments made in the article are of the sort that associate the use of PowerPoint to the use of a gun. Just like it is not the gun that kills, it is the person that is using the gun that kills, the same goes for PowerPoint. The responsibility of the presentation is on behalf of the user; PowerPoint in and of itself is simply a medium of communication that allows the user to present his or her ideas in a way that best suits what they hope to communicate. My personal take on it is that PowerPoint can be useful if used appropriately; to put it quite simply, the responsibility lies soley on the user.

Week of April 11th (Presentation Reflections)

I thought that this week's presentations were very solid and engaging for the most part. I thought that the use of Power Point was very helpful. In addition I was very surprised by the varieties of presentation styles, some more formal and structured, while others were more engaging and dialogue-like. It was also fascinating to see how everyone used different types of introductions and conclusions in their presentations. I think the time we spent in class practicing different types of introductions was useful bcause it gave us practice for this week's presentations. Overall I very much enjoyed this week's presentations, and I'm looking forward to see the entire class improve in our ability to present and deliver.

Blog Post (Oral Presentation Reflection)

For my presentation this week my goal is to be able to communicate in three minutes the importance of my research topic. Though three minutes is short, I believe the gist of my argument can be communicated to the class. My intention is to start out the presentation with some picture that would most likely be familiar to the class. The picture will probably contain someone using their cell-phone. Or perhaps I will have a slideshow of images, perhaps five to ten, showing various technologies that I would say most modern Americans "rely" on. From there I will propose the question to the class by asking how many students own cell phones. I will follow this question up with how many students own laptop computers. The purpose of asking these questions is to illustrate the prevalence of these technologies for people our age. The body of my presentation will be setting up the main points that I will attempt to explore more deeply in my research. I think the Lunsford reading was helpful in that it reminded me of the importance of stating my purpose, remembering my audience, and adhereing to a structure in my presentation. I will provide a quote from an article that I found on the topic of the "intrustion of technology" into our daily lives. Finally I will end my presentation by explaining how I got interested in this subject and pose the question: How many of you can remember what life was like prior to cell-phones and the Internet?

Question

Question to the class: How many times a day do you check your email?
Communicate via cell-phones?
How much of your important information is stored digitally?

Presentation Brainstorm (Post 4) PWR 2

For my presentation next week, I will most likely use some powerpoint slides as a means of structuring my presentation. As an introduction I will this idea of "enslavement via technology" by presenting a picture of someone I would consider to be a typical modern day technologically dependent individual. From there I will raise the question to the class as to what they think this picture is trying to convey. My introduction to the topic will cover:

1. My own exposure to the topic, how I got interested in this problem.
2. Why I think it is important.
3. What my stance is on it.

The body of my presentation will tackle some of my initial questions while researching this topic:
1. How have youth reacted to the infusion of digital technology into mainstream culture?
2. How have adults reacted?
3. In what specific areas have the use of certain technologies completely changed the way we do things?

Post 3 (PWR 2)

I find Dibbell's position to be a difficult one to determine in this piece. While coming from the stance of a traditional pen and paper writer, Dibbell seems to be more confused and disoriented as to the meaning of the term "writer," which he believed he had come to understand over the years, rather than trying to drive home the point that "true" writing is the craft that he practiced as a youth. I believe that in a subversive way he is trying to do the latter, but it seems that he doesn't want to take a definitive stand on this point; probably because he realizes the reality is much more complicated than that.

Post 2 (PWR 2 )

For this project, I think I would like to do research comparing the digital pop culture world in Japan and the digital pop culture world in America. Having studied Japanese for a number of years, I've come to find a great number of similarities between modern Japan and modern America. In particular I'm specifically interested in studying how the mainstream Japanese pop culture, is affected by the technology and digital media that is gaining greater exposure by the day. I suspect that comparatively, the influence of digital media and such technology is far more prevalent in Japan than in America, but I could be wrong.

http://www.ppp.am/ppp_e_gijiroku_2002_10.html
(interesting page from JAPA ( Japan as Popculture Assoc)

For my second possible topic, I would be interested in studying the progress of information technology and how that has in the last decade began to influence changes in language, culture and ways of thinking. I find it fascinating that information "design" is quickly becoming a very important and very valuable area of research. I don't know much about information technology but I will do some more research.

http://designforum.aiga.org/content.cfm?Alias=df_informationdesign
(some articles on info design)

I think as of now, I am leading more towards doing research on information design primarily because I know less about the subject, and I would like to find out more.

My first Blog Post (PWR 2 E-Rhetoric)

Hello blog, or do you have a name? I find this to be a very strange medium, the blog, and I'm not quite sure what to write about. I always found the blog to be a little pretentious--I mean you are writing so that the rest of the world can see how you're feeling, what you're doing, or what you're currently thinking about. But I do see the value of blogging for the sake of keeping friends and family up to date with what is going on in your life; but in a way it seems that if you get too used to it, eventually you end up detached from the rest of the world. For some reason, I find the blog to be an intrusion of my privacy. I feel more forced to write in a certain way, and to reveal certain things about myself through this blog. Another question I have: What's with this "blog" word anyways, and it's even more questionable gerund form "blogging." I understand that the word originated from the word "weblog" and I find that to be a little less irritating than the this wannabe chic word "blog." Well back to the point, I never got into blogs because I got sick of watching my sister get so engrossed in "blogging" that it seemed to consume her life. It’s bad enough that you start pouring out your life and posting them for all to see, but once you get into blogging apparently you also develop simultaneously the habit of reading the blog’s of everyone you know! Perhaps it’s a personality thing, but I like to communicate one on one with people, through hand-written letters, e-mails, phone-calls or the old fashioned in-your-face chat. I will try to suspend judgment regarding the use of blogs for the purposes of this class, because I do see the value and perhaps the need for this communication media. Perhaps I will learn and gain something from this experience of being forced to communicate through this media. Perhaps I will grow to appreciate the "blog," and choose to integrate it in my daily life. Who knows?

Kevin ~out