Writing and Technology Essay -- Writing Technology Technological Paper

Writing and Technology "The fact that we do not commonly feel the influence of writing on our thoughts shows that we have interiorized the technology of writing so deeply that without tremendous effort we cannot separate it from ourselves or even recognize its presence and influence (Ong, 317)." In this modern age of computers, disposable pens, and mechanical pencils, it is easy to forget that at one time writing was not so simple or convenient. Most of us have ". . . become so used to composing virtual prose at a keyboard . . . (Baron 36)," that the thought of writing anything out by hand with a pencil, or any other implement, would not even cross our minds. The experience of trying to invent my own writing implements has given me a better appreciation for those who came before and the steps that brought us from hammer and chisel to keyboard and monitor. I began my search for writing implements by heading to my apartment complex's "wilderness area," also known as the dog-walk. My first idea was to find some flowers. I figured I could smear them onto a rock or piece of wood like a kind of paint. Flowers being in short supply around my complex however, forced me to look elsewhere. I did find a shrub with some berries so I tried to use those instead. I got a handful of berries, found a rock and got to work. The berry idea proved to be very impractical. It was extremely messy. My hands became gross and sticky and the words I wrote looked like nothing more than a bunch of unintelligible smudges. Another problem with this idea was that any rock with a surface big enough to write on was too heavy to move anywhere. It is not an impossibility that some of the first writing was recorded on large rocks or cave walls in this wa... ...rmation for posterity. Why spend many painful hours carving away when you can just have an oral tradition? It is the business world and man's desire for monetary gain that has been the driving force behind the development of writing technology. Thank you business world! It has been great typing this paper on the computer. I don't want to think about how long it would have taken me to etch this entire thing onto my branch. Works Cited Baron, Denis. "From Pencils to Pixels." Writing Materials. Eds. Evelyn Tribble and Anne Trubek. New York: Longman, 2003. 35-53. Baron, Naomi. "The Art and Science of Handwriting." Writing Material. Eds. Evelyn Tribble and Anne Trubek. New York: Longman, 2003. 54-61. Ong, Walter. "Writing Is a Technology that Restructures Thought." Writing Material. Eds. Evelyn Tribble and Anne Trubek. New York: Longman, 2003. 315-337.

Barry Lopez “Learning to See”

The article by Barry Lopez â€Å"Learning to See† is a masterpiece of the author’s feelings during his numerous trips into the wild. It is a valuable essay included in the collection â€Å"About This Life. † Furthermore, it is a manifestation of sincere adornment by the nature on the whole and the author’s reasoning on it, in particular. In fact, the article was not that spontaneous for the author, because Barry Lopez got through a long process of reasoning on why people should learn to see the features of nature as being put in deeply in their minds.The author makes emphasis on that the nature can be vividly recollected through positive vision. It is something to get through personal feelings, not just to take a photograph. Going over this thesis statement, Barry Lopez encourages a reader to get into the matter of his article. In fact, it is dedicated to an individual’s reasonable impression of any photo exhibition which once made the author reflec t his own ideas on why people are apart from the gist of nature as such.The author is highly motivated to answer the question of why personal reflections on what an individual can see is more precious than reflecting such episodes of nature or life events on a photograph. The author is at a dead-end when meditating between what he saw and what he wanted to write down to a notebook (Lopez, 2010). The question is that the wanderer and writer, Barry remarked a difference between what a painter or a photographer sees and what he/she draws thereafter. That is the conclusion which Barry Lopez comes to in his rumination on the value of the scenes around.The reasons to state such a strong conclusion fall into the author’s personal meditation on what he once saw at Robert Adams’s exhibition â€Å"To Make It Home: Photographs of the American West, 1965-1985† performed at the Philadelphia Museum of Art in June 1989 (Lopez, 2010). Looking at these photographs, Barry remembe red eventually his trip to Arctic when he was as close to a polar bear as never before to fix all details of such an encounter (Lopez, About This Life, 1998). However, Barry provides some ambiguity in his assumptions.Thus, after he has been closer to a polar bear, he admits that it is more convenient to fix details of nature in memories and on a sheet of paper than through photographs (Lopez, About This Life, 1998). In its turn Barry convinces then in the value of photography, as he is a photographer himself. Hence, there is a scope of values and assumptions represented in the author’s discussion. It is seen when Barry Lopez compares clarity of what is described on photographs and paintings with a spectacular story told to him in the childhood (Lopez, About This Life, 1998).The aesthetical feature is amplified many times in Lopez’s meditation. As might be seen, Lopez’s discussion lacks more facts from the real life about how people described their feelings from what they saw. Conversely, Lopez focuses strictly on his own experience. It is possible to assume such reasonable conclusions, as: taking advantage of what memories give would complement the way photographers choose the right foreshortening in order to bring a numinous atmosphere of reality to viewers.As for me, a value assumption on the Lopez’s essay is that it has many things to do with teaching people to nuzzle close to the nature every now and then so as to never lose this connection. The article’s argument could be exceeded by dint of what have the applied art and artistic thought at large achieved so far. Thus, the essay is of aesthetic and teaching value. Reference Lopez, B. (1998). About This Life. New York, NY: HarperCollins. Lopez, B. (2010, May 27). Learning to See. Retrieved June 6, 2010, from About This Life: http://www. barrylopez. com/_i_about_this_life__i__44670. htm

Baby Boomer vs. Generation X - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 3 Words: 900 Downloads: 1 Date added: 2019/10/31 Category Society Essay Level High school Topics: Baby Boomer Genertation Essay Did you like this example? The workforce is a fierce, competitive market today. Multiple generations fight for a spot in a company to secure a job; each demonstrating different characteristics that prove they are the best in the business. Baby Boomers earned the nickname by the 2.4 million births within the years of 1941-1964. Generation X, born from 1965-1984, is known as the latchkey children, since their parents were forced into the workplace, leaving them alone at home(Odavia).   In the workforce, two generations that show dramatically different styles of performance are Baby Boomers and Generation X. Baby Boomers and Generation X grew up in diverse settings. Boomers were born with parents being home all the time and television being the main form of technology. Generation X grew up with minimal knowledge of computers, but the room was available for improvement with technology. Claire A. Simmers, Ph.D., chair of the management department at Saint Josephs University in Philadelphia states that   The fastest growing group of users on Facebook is Baby Boomers and the older generation (quoted in Training). Although Boomers use Social Media as often, the skills do not relay to work. Janet Winner, Ph.D., manager of instructional design for Training Solutions, explains that When we train someone in a self-instructional situation, we have to make sure that we provide the training tools to ease them into the new media, whether its using an online course or sitting them at a computer lab and making sure they know how to log in (quoted in Training). Baby Boomers are more technology savvy t han most generations give them credit. At the same rate, Generation X is the first generation to grow up with technology. Due to this, Gen X cares more about work rate than hours spent completing a task. To Generation X, technology may not always be helpful. According to Jean Kruise, Generation X prefers direct and immediate communication of any kind. Generation X uses technology in their work, but may not always use it. They prefer the older ways of communication, instead of emails and phone calls. No matter how much technology affects workplace lives, preferences will always work over the new technologies of the world.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Baby Boomer vs. Generation X" essay for you Create order Due to the generational differences, Baby Boomers and Gen X possess different learning preferences. According to Susan Milligans article Wisdom of the Ages, Conflicts often arise from different learning styles, especially as they relate to how information is acquired and used (26). This knowledge can help the generations realize everyone learns differently; but, they must come together as a whole. Baby Boomers are a very sociable generation. The learning style of a Baby Boomer is they prefer to be apart of interactive, or group learning. Boomers also need time to practice applying any new skills they may learn. Finally, they link learning to new ways to add value. At the same time, Gen X has a different learning style. Gen X uses more technology, creating a better understanding of the situation at hand. Hands-on learning is popular with Gen X. Most learn better being involved in the work, rather than reading or writing information down. Gen X prefers skill-based learning, to make lea rning fun (Milligan 26). Jan Baker, Senior VP of human resources at Autodesk says she hosts coffee mornings so staff can brainstorm together (quoted in Milligan 26). The two generations differ in learning styles; therefore, each works appropriately for the generation.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Baby Boomers and Generation X have different reasons for working. Baby Boomers are considered the perfect generation. Many Boomers are in the workforce because of new jobs created for the enormous number of Boomers.   For example, new technologies were being created, so businesses needed more workers to work within companies. Employers created different and sometimes random jobs for Boomers. There were 2.4 million Baby Boomer births, so 2.4 million jobs were needed to be filled. Some older generations believe the Baby Boomers have not lived up to the standards set by the G.I. Generation (Ovadia). Boomers perception of the workplace was shaped by what is seen on television. Boomers saw television as the real life and that any and all work was going to be identical to what was on television. In some cases, this was true. On the other hand, Gen Xs reason for working is different. Generation X is known for the lack of motivation within the workplace. The ma in reason Gen X works is to provide for themselves. Gen X has been called latchkey children (Ovadia). They were left to fend for themselves as economic changes drove mothers into the workplace (Reynolds). This experience created a lot more independence within Gen X. Generation X struggled to find jobs due to the Boomers had filled most of the positions within workspaces. As mentioned in Dan Reynolds article Across the Generations. Generation X lacks ambition. If a group of Gen X is put together in a work assignment, not a lot of success will come out of the group.   The reason for work from Gen X is to pay bills, eat, and live.   Baby Boomers and Generation X workplace goals differ in drastic ways. In conclusion, Baby Boomers and Generation X are not at all similar. Each generation has had historical events that impacted technology preferences, learning preferences, and reasons for working.   Each generation shows how their background defines the workplace. Hope for the future can be seen when bosses of companies come together to overcome generational differences.