"I'm Bond, James Bond"

Taedo Choi
Manuel A. Perez Tejada
Engl 1101 B1
September 8th, 2008
“I’m Bond, James Bond”
“I’m Bond, James Bond” is a famous line that aptly depicts the character of the charismatic childhood role-model for various audiences. Wholeheartedly experiencing the great Bonds, such as Sean Connery and Pierce Bronson, jump and dive to create the heart-beating scenes, the audiences undergo unfamiliar tingling feeling made possible through the awe of visual and audio enhancements. With the unobstructed mind of a child, I also witnessed the amazing effects of the 007 actions and gizmos that introduced to me the world of creativity and hobby of watching films. However, the sleepless hours spent watching films unveiled the hobby to be time consuming.
Fully equipped with rocket launcher, automatic machine guns, thermal detector and invisibility system, 007 automobile exemplify the highly advanced technologies which are some of the inspiring origins for creativity. Not able to afford such extravagant items, I substituted those with my highly imagined and intangible apparatus. “Pow! Pow!” With my “handmade” handgun, I claimed the enemies to be dead. Among my peers, 007 role-playing caught on and soon we were all 007 agents out in a mission to save, capture or destroy. Through the imaginations, my youthful mind with infinite potentials had expanded further in creativity. Furthermore, the films’ gallant and heroic plots, usually of Bond running to complete his mission at the verge of death, created hype for an adventure. Being imprudent elementary students, my brother and I set out on our bikes and pedaled continuously for five hours to moderately simulate the ventures of James Bond. After completing the arduous adventure, my amplified confidence encouraged me to pursue further. As youth, I felt the startling but inebriating effects of the 007 films; however the time has dulled my creativity and crave for adventure.
Finding my creatively-enhanced self on the couch watching the 007, I realized the uncontrollable allurement of the film that misappropriated my time for study. Unlike James Bond who completes his tasks with unwavering successes, I procrastinated on my own works while watching the agent completes his. To mend the concern, self-control was needed to straighten the habit of jumping onto the couch and turning on the newly released 007. Calculating the times I have spent watching movies and receiving “F’s” on assignments, I regretted that 007 enticed me to gaze my eyes upon the colorful screen instead of the black and white pages in the textbook. Recently, I have been searching for atonement of the past through the black and white pages. However, the argument can be made that the movies with some useful knowledge and bits of practical pedestal for ideas are not waste of time. Nevertheless, I deemed myself a 007-holic rapt by the film to disregard the gravity of studying.
Although the 007 films have exposed me to the world of creativity, its’ time consuming characteristics impeded me from advancing further academically. In accordance to Yin and Yang, the 007 series had positive influences of exposing creativity and adventure but also had negative influence of hindering my study through time consumption. Originally based on novels, the series of films has reached the entire globe through successful distribution. Watching the most recent 007 film at the theatre, I attempted to once again experience the creativity and adventure that motivated my youth. Like the times I have viewed the world of creativity with a Golden Eye, numerous youth will experience the great console through the Quantum of Solace.

Eric Martin

Manuel A. Perez Tejada

English 1101

September 7, 2008

The Anchor

            The digital media often frightens me. When I arrive at my dorm, I turn on my computer and squander my time on the Internet. I check my e-mail, talk with friends on Facebook, search for songs on iTunes, and watch random videos on YouTube in an endless limbo while my schoolwork grows in the background. This cultural outlet steals hours from my day and enervates the determination that defines who I am. It is naïve for me to harshly criticize a resource I depend on for information, but every time I read a webpage, I feel as if my ability to concentrate disappears. Fortunately, I discovered an anchor to hold me to my true passions. It is something made of ink and paper, not of wires. It is the novel Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand. By closely examining how the heroes relate to my own character and the novel’s intrinsic quality, I discovered a treasure that enables me to focus on my schoolwork in a world that attempts to distract.

In Atlas Shrugged, the heroes are the men and women who devote themselves to their jobs and passions. They are people who shun society and its distractions in order to pursue their aspirations.  For instance, the protagonist Hank Rearden invests ten years of his life at the cost of alienating his family in order to develop a new metal that is stronger, lighter, and cheaper than steel. He does not mind the fact that people consider him to be callous and greedy; his invention gives him a sense of self-worth that no one can steal. I identify myself with this character because I too ignore friends in order to pursue my passions for mathematics and physics. For example, I turn down parties in order to prove theorems for homework, and I shut myself away in my room on regular occasions in order to study mechanics. When I see Hank Rearden, I do not see a meaningless name on a piece of paper, I see my potential as a human being. Furthermore, the way the heroes of the novel act and think often compels me to push myself to my absolute mental limits. For instance, when I read about the long nights Dangy Taggart spent working at a railroad outpost while attending college, I feel an immediate urge to follow in her footsteps by reading a physics textbook into the late hours of the night. My similarities with the heroes of Atlas Shrugged convince me that I too am one of the novel’s heroes, and this conviction strengthens my determination to study.  

            The novel Atlas Shrugged is more than just piece of literature; it is a symbol and product of one person’s focus and determination. Every page embodies one woman’s efforts and years spent writing, revising, and editing. Each and every word is carefully chosen and correctly spelled. Each idea builds flawlessly on the next absorbing the reader into a singular drama and philosophy for endless hours. Reading her novel always reminds me that I am capable of more than I could imagine. I often doubt my abilities as a human being during the middle of the school year. For example, I might believe that I am not smart enough to pass a test or focused enough to complete a project. I start to fear my inadequacies, and this fear prompts me to run away by wasting time on Youtube or Facebook. To actually hold and be enthralled by someone else’s masterpiece, however, inspires me to cast my fears away and put forth the effort no matter the cost or the result.

It is hard to commit oneself to their work. Writing essays for English, proving theorems for math, and understanding theories of science are feats that demand time and effort. The largest threat I face is a fear of failure. This fear leaves me vulnerable to the distractions of the digital media. Atlas Shrugged, however, reminds me of who I am and what it takes to be me. 

Scintillating Satie: A Somatic Stimulus

“Spectacular.” “Amazing.” “A Triumph.” All of these words are used by MSNBC in a review of Britney Spears’ album Blackout. None of these words represent how I feel. In recent years, the music industry has transformed into a monstrous abomination, milking its uninformed victims of their money, minds, and creativity. Perpetuating disgusting sexual stereotypes and immortalizing undeserving, fawning attention whores, today’s “music” is less about expression and more about fulfilling self-righteous yearnings. The unbelievably complex, timeless artistic works of Erik Satie shield me from the unsubstantiated music of today

Erik Satie, born into the Paris bourgeoisie in 1886, was rather unappreciated for much of his early life. His avant-garde, left-field music never saw the light of large public concert halls or glamour of a public performance. Soon leading a life of poverty, Satie persevered. Only motivated by the sheer love and appreciation for self expression, Satie continued to pursue his musical aspirations. Eventually his compositions were discovered, and later adored, by scores of Paris’s hippest social circles. Unafraid to challenge social and musical norms of the time, Satie remained an enigma to the masses, while superficial music continued to proliferate throughout the continent.

Satie’s music delves into the deepest confines of the soul, leaving neither a crack nor crevice unexplored. Regardless of external circumstances, nothing is more satisfying then sitting back and letting go. Letting all the troubles, trials, and tribulations of the modern human dictation simply vanish. Satie’s intricate lyrical passages, coupled with melancholy convoluted bass lines allow me to boundlessly inquire. To question societal ranks and biases. To question why we live and how we live. To question the validity of our being. If only popular music could do that.

Satie’s revolutionary music remains relevant to this day. His undeterred, unbreakable love for passionate musical articulation, as misunderstood as it may have been, as poor as it may have left him, is truly admirable. Satie motivates me to challenge societal norms, no matter how accepted they may be, and to never allow the shackles of society to imprison my artistic expression.

Facebook's Importance

Facebook is a revolutionary Internet networking service available for free online (www.facebook.com). It is a feature rich web site that allows you to interact with other Facebook users in a multitude of ways. I created my Facebook account over three years ago and have, as a result, become familiar with all it's major features. Facebook has become increasingly popular as more and more people become aware of its features. As of now, Facebook allows it's users to instantly message each other, post comments on each other's profile page, share pictures and videos, create groups of users with similar interests, make event notifications and invitations, and much more. These features have led to Facebook becoming an important service that I use in everyday life

Facebook is important to me for many reasons. It allows me to stay in closer contact with my friends and family. This is important because many of my friends have gone to different colleges and I would otherwise be unaware of happenings in their lives. Facebook also allows me to stay up to date with upcoming events. For example, I am often invited to attend club meetings via Facebook event notifications. Additionally, Facebook allows me to instantly message my friends, family, and classmates in order to quickly chat. This is important to me because I often need to ask quick questions related to homework or upcoming events that need to be answered quickly. Because all these features are available in one place, it is convenient to readily use them.

It is likely that I was first drawn toward Facebook because my friends were already starting to use it. I was drawn to the content that they were uploading. Once I made an account and started uploading content of my own, more and more of my friends joined and began to upload themselves. I was drawn to the content being uploaded by people I knew. This concept behind Facebook's social networking is the primary reason I joined. It directly related to my life and would often affect decision I would make. If I saw that a bunch of my friends were attending the premiere of a movie, I would consider trying to go to the movie with them. Without Facebook I would not have know they were even going. This makes Facebook important because it helps me to not lose touch with my friends and contacts that I no longer see in person. However, because more and more content is always being uploaded, some people are “addicted” to their Facebook.

These people check Facebook for new content when they should be doing other things like homework or paying attention in class. They benefit less from Facebook because they miss out in other things. Even so, those who spend excessive time on Facebook can have stronger relationships with there Facebook contacts due to the extra time and effort put into these relationships. I find that the casual Facebook user, who only checks their account for updates 2-3 times a week, benefits far more because they still spend time doing more beneficial and interesting activities. Facebook is important because it allows for a wide variety of communication between its users. Since, users can upload there own content, millions of people are attracted to the site and are more aware of what is going on in their friends lives. Spending excessive time on the site can have some disadvantages but the benefits tend to outweigh them. In general, the benefits that come from belonging to a social networking community, rich with various forms of communication, make Facebook an important service for many of its users.

Digging Up the Internet

Digg.com is a place where people can discover, share, and discuss media they find on the web. Once someone submits an article, it is voted on by Digg users, or “diggers”. This way, the best articles are “dugg” up, and poor articles are “buried,” leaving only the best user submitted content for viewing. Along with each article is a comment thread, where diggers can discuss and add on to what others have submitted. Because the user base of Digg is so large, articles from all fields and topics are dugg up from the internet, so everyone can find something they are passionate about. Even though it has its problems, Digg.com is a prominent media source that provides relevant news, entertainment, and a portal to other resources on the internet.

Digg.com is a great place to keep up with current events and discuss topics brought up on the site. Because Digg links to other sites, like blogs, it is usually one of the first sites to release news. When Governor Palin was selected to be Senator McCain’s vice president, I first heard about it through Digg. In the discussion thread for the article, the pros and cons were discussed about the choice of the Alaskan Governor. Some diggers linked to other, more credible news sites which gave a more in depth debate on the topic. Digg also kept up with the Democratic and Republican National Conventions, and the United States’ efforts to help people in the path of hurricane Gustav.

Digg.com is also a great portal to find other things on the net. Not all of the articles are serious debates about politics. Many of the submissions are comical, making Digg a great website for entertainment as well as news. Particularly funny web comics and internet memes, such as lolcatz, have become popular with the help of Digg. It is also a great place to hear about new technologies or discoveries. Diggers keep close track of all new Apple technology, and the Large Hadron Collider has often been a front page topic.

However, Digg has some detractors to its reliability and quality. Many of the users are politically biased toward liberal views, which is obvious in the dugg political articles. While the Republican National Convention was going on, almost all of the political articles were bashing or trying to discredit Governor Palin. Another problem with Digg is the comments users post. For every insightful, well spoken comment, there are fifty incompetent ones. However the comments can be dugg or buried, allowing the poor ones to be hidden and the good ones to be read.

Digg is a great way to stay in touch with current events and internet culture. It is a great place to find funny or interesting entertainment. However, it is very biased and does not always have interesting things dugg or commented. Overall, Digg.com is a great media source for up to date news, entertainment, and links to other interesting sites.