More negative effects of the internet…

For my chemistry lab, I have to log onto a website and create 3D models of compounds. This would be an easy lab if the servers of the website did not crash every time I tried to log on. It’s been about 3 days since going to lab, and I have yet to start my lab because I cannot log on to the website. The lab has become a pain because the technology that is required to do it does not work. Every one in 1211-K is having troubles with the lab. Luckily, we have two weeks to do it, but I would think that a technology school would be able to solve this issue quickly.

Are there negative effects of the internet?

The internet is an open domain where anyone can say anything basically and have a slim chance of any consequences, right? I know from personal experience that you need to be careful when posting things to the internet for others to see. If you know that people read your blog, then you should censor what you say especially if it’s going to hurt one of the readers. Blog wars can cause so much trouble and nonsense. It’s childish. One person writes something mean and the other person fires back. It’s a back and forth fury of words that leads to nothing. If you have a problem with someone, you should just talk to them face to face rather than posting hurtful words for everyone to see.

Even though the internet gives you free reign of what you do and what you say, it doesn’t give you the right to be hurtful towards others especially if you know the other person is going to see it.

This weekend, my roommate, a friend and I trekked over to Emory to see the Rushdie exhibit. We woke up early to eat breakfast and walk to the North Avenue Marta station. Walking over to the station, I became cranky from the heat and the amount of walking we had to do. I was not excited to go see the exhibit.  We eventually got on the Southbound train to Five Points and then the Eastbound to Inman Park. We eventually made it to the library at Emory and walked into the exhibit. My mood immediately changed after stepping foot through the rotunda. It was much different than I expected it to be. I was interested to go to the different parts of the exhibit. My favorite part of the exhibit was the interview section of Rushdie. In the Proust questionnaire, Rushdie was asked where we would like to live. He response was “I would like to live on bookshelves–forever.” He is interested in sports and music also. I thought it was cool that he helped write a song with U2.  Salman Rushdie is a very interesting man. Emory did an excellent job in archiving Rushdie’s digital collections and putting them on display. It was cool that there are interactive parts of the exhibit, where you get on a computer and see the different drafts of three of his books. It was also cool to see the sketches of his book covers. Emory put up an exhibit that showcased Rushdie and made him interesting to people who have never heard of him like me.

Death of Books?

While watching Live with Regis and Kelly last week, Kelly featured a book, It’s A Book by Lane Smith. The book focuses on a monkey who is reading a book. The donkey sitting across from him asks if it can Tweet or connect to the WiFi. The monkey’s response is always “it’s a book.” Lane Smith addresses an issue brought about by the new technologies of the Kindle, Nook and iPad. An individual can download a book off the internet and upload it on their book reader. There are many advantages to the book readers like size, and accessibility. The readers are about the size of a medium size book and are about a centimeter thick. They have the capacity to hold more than one book on them, and a person can download whatever book he wants off the internet. A trip to the book store is not necessary. There are disadvantages to the book readers also. How are you supposed to annotate a book when you can’t put pen to paper? Some of my best ideas come from annotating books. You write down a thought and then more thoughts come from your initial idea. What about that new book smell? You don’t get that anymore with the book readers. You get that smell of plastic or burning when it overheats.

Actual books with pages will remain my choice of how I want to read. I don’t mind that they are heavy at times. I love looking at my bookshelf and seeing that it’s filled with books that I’ve read in the past. Each book has a memory attached to it. Siddhartha by Herman Hesse reminds me of my month long journey throughout Vietnam. The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares reminds me of middle school summers. Let’s try to keep the books alive and continue the memories attached to them.

As I sit here pondering if I should do my homework, watch Jersey Shore or do both at the same time, I constantly refresh the pages of my Facebook and Tumblr blog. I have this need to know what is happening in the lives of my friends back home or the ones in the virtual world. I always want to be updated on what is going on. The Internet gives oxygen to the fire of my addiction of always wanting to know; it is “timely, relevant and easy to process” (Born Digital 242). I’d rather refresh my tabs and scroll the pages until I find something new than do my calculus homework (or be productive). For Digital Natives, the internet has been accessible and easy to use, and with the new technological advances, it’s even more accessible. Look at GA Tech, wherever you go on campus, you are able to log onto the WiFi that is provided. You never have to leave the virtual world. This addiction may cause grades to drop or worst. You could possibly just want to sit in front of your computer instead of going outside  and enjoy the sunlight with friends. I know for me, some days I’d just rather sit inside and be alone with my computer than make the effort to be bubbly and social. It makes it easy for people to become recluses. This technological surge may cause more problems than foreseen.

Goals for English 1101

My goals for English 1101 this semester are to improve on my writing style and to be able to confidently discuss and communicate my thoughts to my peers and others. I don’t want to sound like a robot in my papers. I want others to read my papers and know it’s written by me. Being able to communicate clearly is necessary for everyday tasks.

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