Finished!

Hello All!

So I just finished up my research blog (finally).  Feel free to go check it out.  The URL is : http://massiveresearchpaper.wordpress.com

It is also posted under the blogroll

Enjoy

The Chrome Age

I <3 Legos

 

Graham, Jefferson. “Google’s Happy Holidays End With $5.7B Revenue.” USA Today. 23 January 2010. 

I’d like to change the pace up a bit today. With everyone blogging about Haiti, as tragic as it is, I wanted to end the semester with a happy article.  Google’s great fortune struck my fancy as just that.  At the end of the fiscal quarter, Google owe’s a large portion of it’s success to AOL.  Surprised?  I was.  I was unaware that Google also ran America Online.  In any event, the happy tone took a downturn when Graham wrote, “Net income, however, tumbled 68% to $382 million, from $1.2 billion a year ago.”  Apparently when he titled it “Google’s Happy Holidays End,” he meant it.  

For the upcoming quarter I have some suggestions for Google.  To start, Google Chrome should be advertised more widely.  As a Yahoo user myself, Google just lacks the many of the extras Yahoo has, or so it appears.  A friend of mine introduced me to the Chrome program, which contains many of these same features for free!  Given this fact and its user-friendly interface I myself have even been converted to a Google user (while the habit of typing yahoo.com still isn’t quite gone…).  If this product was made more public, I believe the sales of Google’s paid services would increase.  

Go get ‘em Google!  I’m rooting for you!

A Tip for Cell Phone Owners Everywhere

Cauley, Lesley. “$50 Cell Service May Start Price War.” USA Today. 16 January 2010.

Ladies and Gentlemen, it has arrived.  The plan we’ve all be waiting for is now offered by Sprint!  The new $50 price on Sprint’s new cell phone plan Lesley Cauley anticipates will start a price war between the competing cell phone carriers.  While Lesley does have the logical appeal and facts to support her argument (because everyone seems to be an expert on cell phones today) her ethical appeal lessens when she says “some analysts” instead of a specific group or analyst.  Being the kind of person who would go check on the analysts myself, it would be nice to have a name so I could examine the data on my own.

In terms of emotional appeal; though, Cauley did a wonderful job of connecting to her readers.  She took the approach of trying to save her peers money, which of course everyone responds to.  This helped to connect with her as a writer and hear her message.  Thanks to this, I will certainly be keeping my eyes open for a newer cheaper cell phone plan, which I’m sure parents everywhere will appreciate.  Thanks for the heads-up Lesley!

Where’s the Heart?

Gomez, Alan. “Floodwaters Close Roads in Washington.” USA Today. 9 January 2010. 

The torrential downpours continue today in Washington state. Alan Gomez writes this article in 

Alan Gomez

 

 response to the negative effect these floodwaters are causing on traffic.  “Highways south of Seattle are covered with water, paths through the mountains are covered by avalanches or mudslides, and Amtrak rail lines are also blocked,” he says.  I, personally, struggled to put an exact word to Gomez’s tone, and quite frankly that’s because it sounds so blank.  Yes, I realize it is supposed to be an informational piece, but there are just so many places he could have worked some emotional appeal into his article.  He could have focused on the damaged homes, the stranded and separated families instead of the mere inconvenience of traffic. 

I agree in the fact that word needs to be spread about this, but I disagree in the way it was presented.  The absence of heart in this article greatly demeans its message and lessens the impact.  It’s a shame, because so much more could have been done with this, and simply wasn’t.  Oh well I guess, but I certainly won’t be reading any of Gomez’s articles in the future.

RIOT!

Hello All,
So I got my Vignettes back today and wasn’t exactly satisfied with my grade. I recieved a 72%. I just thought I’d post them up here (new page up top) and get some feedback from some other readers. Thankyou.

Book Two Has Touched Down

Cowing, Keith L, and Frank Sietzen Jr. New Moon Rising: The Making of America’s New Space Vision and the Remaking of NASA. Seattle, WS: Collectors Guide Publishing Incorporated, 2004. Print. 

After it’s much anticipated arrival, Amazon has at long last shipped me my second book, New Moon Rising: The Making of America’s New Space Vision and the Remaking of NASA.  This book, in comparison to last, was a great deal more informational.  Stuffed to the brim with facts and details, this was also quite a bit easier to read than my previous memoir.  Presented in a journal-like manner it was simple to flow from subject to subject and not as long winded as John Glenn’s Memoir.  

New Moon Rising: The Making of America's New Space Vision and the Remaking of NASA

 

I find myself reminded of impromptu-day in class when reading this.  Its informational basis reminds me of the articles we had read before our essays concerning school reformities.  I find the tone similar; dry but not boring.  

Another strong component in the success of this text is the reliability of its authors.  Both Sietzen Jr. and Cowing are columnists of multiple aeronautical magazines or websites and they know their facts better than anyone. Not to mention, the DVD supplied with the text is a phenomenal visual resource and supplies a great deal of information backing up the writing.  The combination of all of these facts make for an easy, informational, yet fun read.

Book One Down!

Glenn, John, and Nick Taylor. John Glenn: A Memoir. New York, NY: Bantam Books, 2000. Print. 

So I’m quite proud of myself.  Not only did I have my first book for my upcoming research project at my house in the bookshelf already, I finished reading it today, well before the deadline. 

John Glenn: A Memoir is written from the perspective of John Glenn, the third American astronaut to go into space.  John lived an incredible life and I greatly enjoyed reading about his nostalgic youth and colorful adulthood.  My favorite part of this memoir;  though, was the integration of the multiple modes of discourse throughout.  Its astonishing that just earlier this year I may not have picked up on the way he weaved through these, and honestly I believe he didn’t realize he was doing it himself.  

John Glenn: A Memoir

 

Anyways, John used countless descriptive pieces to depict his travels in space and experiences in The Marines.  He used narration to talk about the conversations he had with family members about his decisions and his career.  He used process analysis to describe his transformation from Marine to Astronaut.  He even used compare contrast portions to describe the differences between missions and between The Marines and working for NASA.  He manage to work nearly every mode in, in some way or another.  I was quite impressed.  Not to mention the fascinating content of the book made a good read.  I highly recommend to any fellow geeks out there like myself.

Slow News Day Apparently…

Rubin, Rita. “Breast Feeding May Lower Moms’ Risk Factors.” USA Today. 3 December 2009. 

Today, upon December third, the News may have been the slowest it has ever been.  With interesting articles running dry, I decided to read about breast feeding.  Yes, Yes I did.  As I struggled to read through this piece, I took into account the SOAPSTone of the article.  Rita’s 

Baby that may or may not have been breast-fed

 

subject, breast feeding’s effect on mothers, was well described at the very least.  She did an accurate job of depicting the new research that has been done studying its possible positive effects.  As for the occasion, well it didn’t really make a large impact either way.  The point remains the same.  Her audience and purpose were well considered and that was reflected in the tone.  Her motherly diction is directed towards other parents or mothers-to-be who seek knowledge about her topic.  Keeping this in mind, she was able to keep her article informative but also close to home with many parents.  Unfortunately for myself, I am certainly not part of her intended audience, and thus struggled to read through the article.  And lastly, as the speaker, Rita portrayed herself as a knowledgeable mother, one who knew her facts and wanted the best for her child.  While this article may not have been to my taste, I believe she addressed her purpose and audience quite well.

The Benefits of Arguments

Kiely, Kathy. “Blitz of Health Care Ad’s a Windfall for TV Stations.” USA Today. 27 November 2009.

The title of this piece seems to say it all…the constant attempt at healthcare reform within the national government today has lead to a quite noticable increase in income for TV stations all across the nation.  Kiely focus’ the main portion of her article on TV stations in Arizona, her home state.  A sense of community pride and hope has been threaded throughout this piece, influencing not only her tone in a positive light, but also her emotional appeal by helping her readers draw connections to their hometowns. 

Logically, Kiely also succeeds with flying colors.  She includes facts such as when she quotes Arizona Senator Kyl and writes, “there has been more than $3.3 million worth of media ads purchased in Arkansas by groups from outside our state.”  Not only do these facts help to strengthen her argument, they also assist in aiding her ethical appeal by citing such credible figures. 

Given her fantastic combination of ties to home and to-the-point facts Kiely has managed to create a well written review of the effects of the reform process has on America.  She; however, did not include any pieces of evidence of the disruption this process may cause and thereby weakens her ethical appeal just slightly. All in all, her article hits home and accomplishes the job she had set out to do.  Congrats Kathy.

Moonmen in Training

Marshall, S. William. “The Wet Side of the Moon.”  The New York Times. 19 November 2009.

So maybe I’m just a huge geek, but reading this article might just have made my day.  According to NASA, water has been discovered on the Moon.  First of all, wow.  This phenomenal discovery is unbelievably exciting.  Researchers say that they are now working on building a self-sustaining human settlement on the Moon.  I’m honestly shocked, though, that this news hasn’t been broadcasted almost everywhere as the greatest scientific discovery in this century.

An artist's rendering of a "Moon House"

Water is a key part of life here on Earth, and will become a key part on the Moon as well.  Marshall said it best when he wrote, “we can drink it, breathe it (through electrolysis), grow with it, and even fuel rockets with it.”  This discovery is groundbreaking and has made a giant leap in man’s quest to explore the unknowns of the universe, to break down the sciences, and know all there is to be known. 

I am personally extremely excited about this discovery of water on the Moon.  Again, maybe I’m just a giant nerd, but I think it’s a huge step for people everywhere to begin building a settlement on the Moon.  This is huge!  According to Marshall, NASA announced this weeks ago, though.  I was very surprised to be just hearing of it now.  Isn’t everyone else excited?  The world was ecstatic when we put our first man on the Moon, now imagine having a whole community living there!  I am very interested to see how this “Moon Colony” plays out.  Good luck to NASA, their work on this project is vital to the advancement of the human race and our conquest throughout the universe.

Hopefully I can find enough information on this to do my rescarch project. (DIBBS)