POST 4: iRack Video on MADtv

POST 4: CLASSWORK

 Add the following video to your blog in a new post and view it

(search for 'MADtv - iRack including blooper' on You Tube)

MADtv: 'iRack'

 

#POST 3: INDIVIDUAL WORK ON 'THE IDEA OF PROGRESS' VIEWED THROUGH HIGH TECH PRODUCTS

First of all, I have chosen a video which shows the positive and the negative impact of
technologies in our lives. I am going to concentrate only on the positive ones (just the first minute).

I think that it is important to give a definition of the idea of progress because the video is based on it. It defends the theory that advances in the sectors of technology, science and social organization can produce an improvement in the human condition. People can become happier in terms of quality of life (social progress), through economic development (modernization), and the application of science and technology (scientific progress). 
In fact, we can see all this improvement in the video. 

We discussed in class all the negative points of high technology, but technologies have a very important impact on the world and can produce radical changes in our daily life, our way of living, communicating or seeing the world. There have been so much progress during the 21st century.

Social progress: democracy in several countries (certainly not enough), freedom to think, express freely our opinions, human and women's rights have evolve and this has reduced the differences between women and men, not in all countries but in many of them Homosexual marriage has been accepted in many countries and by many societies.
Each person has the right to believe in what they want. The world is facing globalization and constant development, the principal  barriers of borders have disappeared, from now on we can find people of different nationalities in almost all countries, people can travel
everywhere all around the world People mingle, countries have developed and with them technology. We can see in the video that travelling has become very easy, which contributes to our comfort. All these means of transportation to move in a country, city (train, subway) or to be able to travel at the other end of the world very fast (plane). All these progress favour the variety, mixture of the cultures, Languages are not any more a barrier in communication because more and more people know more than one language, often three... We are more and more educated. Education is more and more accessible to everybody. Furthermore, the video shows that new technologies are a means of learning that can be very effective.

We also see in the video a girl who plays with a windmill, which can make us think about renewable energies which are a very impressive technical progress. All these energies, who are going to save our lives and will allow the world to continue to live normally after the end of our fossil fuels. It helps to slow down climate changes. It also shows one of the most important progress according to me: the medical one. Indeed, we have discovered numerous vaccines, many cures to diseases which seemed incurable , the expectancy of life has never been so high. Medicines saved numerous 
people and continue to do it every day. Nothing more important than the health for the human being... 

In this video, we can see that the little boy has an "electric" leg that allows him to do activities like other boys who are the same age. He can practice really simple activities like running, practicing sport, walking and it would be very hard for this boy if he did not have this leg. Thanks to the technologies, he will have a common life like
all other boys. Except the fact that he does not have a real leg. Technology has the "power" to help needy people, because we can also see a man who lost his view. Thanks to medicine he is able to differenciate colors. The discovery of the world, with the help of all this progress, we can travel in our universe, that can improve our competence as far as concerned life and for our future. It is just fantastic! We discovered other planets, from the ignorant man in his planet to a generation of discovery. Now we can travel to space, universe... Man is also able to know how the moon will be in a few years or the weather for the next five days...

Communication became international. Everybody can speak with all the people in the world. Have the possibilities to see each other, speak all these things can be done even if we are in another part of the world. Social networks allow to keep in touch, share, maintain relations and this despite the distance. We can share videos, photos and opinions. We can express ourselves and inquire about everything that happened. With all these technological devices we do not need newspapers any more, we can receive all the news live thanks to smartphone. The advantage is that we are always connected with the whole world. The
exchange of information is really active, more and more technology makes us an easier life and allows us to communicate in every situation.

In conclusion, all the innovations and ideas of progress make a better society, more developed, and always active. Our life style is changing and we can become more productive by using technologies devices.

#POST 2 : WHEN TECHNOLOGY IS TOO MUCH OR... MISSING

Description

This video is structured around two main narrative voices and a character illustrating what the voice-over says while a singer often merely repeats or comments on what's just been said (as in a Greek chorus).

The setting is a Christian home and church, so this particular context is very meaningful.

We can notice on various occasions that the main character is addicted to high-technology products, mostly smartphones.

He is shown as a family man unable to communicate with his wife, except through texting

He is also shown as a church-goer incapable of attending worship without all his phones vibrating all the time, making him look like he's full of the holy spirit.

Finally, he is depicted as a computer geek whose life has become extremely complicated instead of having been simplified.

Interpretation

Basically, this video means that high technology has become a religion for many people, even Christians who are not supposed to be materialistic. It is a humorous way specially with the voice over or for example when the man write to several people on different phones to exaggerate and to show the abuse of technology which is used on excess. 

Then, in a Christian lifestyle, quite a few church-goers and believers tend to focus more on materialistic issues rather than spiritual ones.

We can add that technology reigns supreme for many people who revere it as a God enlightening his followers. We have lost human contact because the guy prefer texting his wife than talking to her face to face. There is no longer communication that is not virtual, we do too many things at the same time, we live in a virtual world. This document shows and talks about the idea of progress. We are part of a generation that lives with the new technologies and it can be a bad things if they are used wrongly, they create addictions and dissociate men from their families,friends...

The question is, is this a real progress for humankind ?

Description

Two people are stuck on an escalator in a place that seems literally empty/deserted probably in a mall. The man looks upset/annoyed. He might be an office worker walking to his job. The woman claims that she is already late, so for her, this is the last straw. At one point, she's about to cry and asks for a phone, then she screams for help. In short, they both look helpless, clueless, powerless and even hopeless.

Interpretation

 We can relate this situation to a fairly common one in real life : getting stuck in an elevator. The difference however, is  that in this situation, people have the right to panic/freak out/feel panicky whereas on an escalator, there is no reason whatsoever to be scared.

This video points out the increasing dependence of human beings on technology. If it goes missing, it is as if a crutch had been taken away from them, so these two people cannot even walk up the stairs, which would be the normal thing to do. We could think that technological progress makes humans lazy or at least less prone to take initiative and think by themselves, less inclined to make efforts.

Post #1: A Cartoon

This document is a cartoon by Chapatte published in the international Herald Tribune. There's no date on it, but it seems to be modern because of the Cannes logo. Indeed, this cartoon is about the idea of progress: it shows a current issue and describes an incident that affects the modern society : the piracy (In that case for movies). 

What catches the attention is the Cannes logo in the top left hand corner and the red carpet in the middle. Then we see 3 characters in the foreground : two celebrities and a fan who seems to be a fanatic geek because of his t-shirt,he's the only one who talks. One of the famous actress is posing, the other one(obviously a film director) looks angry and is signing an autograph to the fan. In the background we can notice more fans, photographers, and two celebrities walking up the stairs. The cartoon is made up of a caricature, and includes a logo of Cannes and a balloon where the geek says that he loves all the movies from the film director and that he pirated them all. It is very ironic because piracy is an illegal thing. 

The journalist means that nowadays everything is pirated it is not only a bad thing for the movie industry but it's also ilegal, Nevertheless everyone is concerned about this topic : from old to young people.He aims to make us react and criticize this generation. He wants to make people concerned about illegal downloads .The message put across by the author is that people should pay to have the right to watch a movie, or listen to a song. He's trying to make people sensitive to this cause. Several associations are trying to fight against piracy .In our generation where we have access to everything, this very simple practice has become practically a normal thing. Nowadays not many people buy movies or CD music legally.

I personally think that it's well designed and can make us react but it can also be taken more in a funny way than seriously.From my point of view it's more complicated to make people change their minds, their habits. Especially because there are many people that download illegally.It's naturally a problem, a current issue. In my opinion it's more about education. For example, If a young teenager sees his parents downloading films, music or whatever he will find this normal and do it himself. Nowadays I think the topic is so common that it is not strong enough to convince totally the readers. But i agree with the author, piracy should not  be allowed, even if it facilitate things a lot.

This topic is obviously related to the idea of progress: because piracy has to do with the evolution of society, modernization. It's a current issue because of the new technologies. I don't think things are developing in a more positive way. They are considered from the same point of view in Spain. Nevertheless people are still pirating...