Remediate Yo'Self

April 11th

For the Unit 3 project, I am continuing to expand my website on obesity.  The goal of my expansion is to offer my audience more information about obesity and prevention strategies.  For website improvement, I am adding pages to link to other pages.  For instance, the subtitles on my "What You Can Do" page link to other pages.  Also, I added a tab labeled "Childhood Obesity" to each page.  However, for the most part, the pages I created for the Unit 2 project will remain the same (except I will add a link to the references page at the bottom of each webpage). 

I would consider my remediations respectful of my original project.  While I am adding pages, assets, and links, the overall structure and message of my website remains the same.  The promotion of obesity prevention is still clearly present.  For navigation purposes, the users still use the top bar and click on the different tabs in order to visit different webpages.  In addition, there are more "Click here" links that will direct the users to outside sources of information.  Due to the arrangement of the tabs and the highlighted texts of the links, the accessibility of content and sources is quite transparent to the readers.  This makes it convenient for readers to search through my website.

Many of the guides online for borrowing and adjusting code are helpful.  For some initial guidance on understanding the basic of web design, I received help at Computer Science tutoring.  They recommended that I download Foundation and copy the codes of the templates that I want to use for my website.  Of course, a web designer can do this with any website, not just Foundation.  Also, I learned from trial and error how certain code commands affect my webpage.  As a result, I think that the best way to learn about the code behind different layouts is to experiment with them and make adjustments as you progress.

Million Dollar Idea

April 9th

My AWESOME idea: 3D PRINTERS FOR FOOD (is this too far off?)

I know that 3D printers are often used for mechanical engineering.  The printers "print" 3D individual components of an object and then the user can build it from there (I think that's right).  But what if we could program the printers to print full course meals?  That would be amazing.  All you would have to do is put in the ingredients and enter instructions into the screen and then bam!  Your meal is prepared.

While the 3D food printer operates the same way as the 3D printer, the purpose of the 3D food printer has been remediated.  Instead of using a 3D printer for engineering purposes, it would be for food purposes.  However, the idea behind the printer is the same.  Create a 3D version of something with its individual components.  

By changing the purpose of the printer, the audience changes.  Because the printer is for food, the targeted audience for the product expands.  Everyone eats food.  Therefore, this 3D food printer is applicable to everyone.  It could be for people who don't want to cook or for people who are challenged at cooking food.  It is no longer limited to mechanical engineers or to those belonging to the scientific community. 

I think this product could be the next big thing.  It is convenient and time friendly.  While the 3D food printer mocks the operating system of a 3D printer, the function of the product has been radically remediated and has expanded its overall audience.   

Question of Categories

April 7th

 

I think that you are asking us to do a respectful remediation of the argumentative research paper genre in regards to content.  You are not asking us to come up with an argument that is completely original and not based upon other sources that have already argued a similar point.  The design of our website is honestly up to us.  We can choose to follow the structure of a research paper or we could choose to deviate from the layout.  However, in order for our argument to be convincing, we still need to have a clear argument and supporting evidence for that argument.  The research process is the same, in my opinion, if you are executing a respectful remediation or a radical remediation.  What you do with the information you obtain is another story. 

As a student who is completing a respectful remediation, I am looking at other sources and assessing the structure and content of their websites.  From my observations and readings, I then start to construct my respectful remediation by deciding how to organize my content.  If I were trying to complete a radical remediation, I may first build the structure of my website to how I desire and then add content where appropriate.  The main difference between respectful and radical remediation is the order of steps you take.  However, I think many of the thought processes remain the same during the construction of both types of remediation.   

Interface Evaluations

April 4th

Comment on Greg's interface:

Shen Wu Tan said...

I think that the basic layout of your website is definitely user friendly for young children and the elderly. Your icons are visible and clear as to what program they link to. I also think that the programs you include are great for both children and the elderly. The brain games is good for keeping the mind sharp or for developing the brain in young children. Art is a great past time for children and reading is an educational process for them. Reading is also a common hobby of the elderly. Your website layout is suitable for your targeted audiences because the structure is self-explanatory and simple. Because these audiences may not be technologically literate, creating an interface with the least amount of complexity is important.

 

Comment on Matthew's interface:

Shen Wu Tan said...

Your interface is impressive. I know you are targeting individuals who are interested in Pokémon, which can range from young children to young adults. I don't know if your targeted audience is for both children and adults. I believe that since your layout is a little more complex, it is more appropriate for adults. For instance, you have three different steps for inputting text rather than having a keyboard that the user can simply press once. Also, some of your symbols may not be clear (like the pound sign to insert a #). I couldn't tell that the # sign function was for inserting numbers. As a result, you may need to place instructions somewhere on your interface for those who want to use it. However, as I said earlier, I think your interface is neat despite some complexities (which can be clarified with simple instructions that you included in this blog post).

 

For all interfaces:

 

It is important that interfaces for broader audiences contain understandable symbols for various features within an interface.  An interface user should be able to navigate the interface.  In addition, space and structure are also crucial factors that website designers should keep in mind.  Since both space and structure affect the efficiency of navigation, the ways that the designers manipulate both features are correlated to the user friendliness of the interface.  As a result, there should be a proportionate amount of empty space versus filled space.  In regards to structure of interfaces, the basic layout of the page usually contains the following: a header, a body of content, and a footer.  Within the body of content, the structure should be organized by features (for instance, voice recording should be divided from keyboarding).  Most interfaces must include at least those three basic characteristics.   

Interface for Elementary-aged Children

EMBED DRAWING HERE

The Politics of the Interface - Dreamweaver

March 31st

"Within the virtual space represented by these interfaces, and elsewhere within computer systems, the values of our culture -- ideological, political, economic, educational -- are mapped both implicitly and explicitly, constituting a complex set of material relations among culture, technology, and technology users" (Selfe 485).

My experience building a website with Microsoft Expressions was definitely shaped by the values of our culture.  The content of my website was of course built upon our culture's thoughts of obesity.  For example, American culture does not praise obesity whereas in other cultures having too much body fat is a sign of affluence.  Here, we think of the negative side effects of obesity.  As a result, my bias against obesity partially stems from the cultural norms that surround me, the pre-existing ideology that obesity is harmful and looked down upon. 

Selfe makes the claim that issues of "racism, sexism, and colonialism" are reflected through different interfaces.  While I believe this statement is true to an extent, it is difficult for viewers to see these issues.  These issues may depend on what content is included and what is excluded in a particular interface.  For instance, Reddit is based on upvotes and downvotes.  Posts that receive the most upvotes are displayed on the first page, while those with more downvotes are not displayed on the first page.  This allows popular posts to be more visible than less popular posts.  Another example is when a web designer chooses to build a website, but includes only information he wants to include.  Therefore, the viewers of this website are potentially exposed to the values of race, gender, and so on that the web designer has.  

One way to address these issues that Selfe and Selfe point out is computer-supported writing environments that are more democratic.  For instance, online discussion boards for students rather than face to face discussions eliminate regards for race, gender, age, and so on.  These type of environments are known as "linguistic utopias" where indications of race, gender, and class are minimized.

Response to Jason's and Elliots's HTML Basic Blogs

March 25th

To Jason:
The responses you posted on your blog provide good examples.  Many of your responses matched the responses I gave.  For example, our response to the difference between carrots and brackets.  Although you point out similarities between your code and the test.html code, you don't really point out differences.  Yes, much of the code is the same. However, since your website is probably more complex and has a different structure, there would be more command tags that the test.html code is probably missing. 

To Elliot:
Your answers to the professor's questions were short and vague. The questions were not answered in their entirety.  For instance, you say "After the 2nd step it still does not look like a website it has more content but it needs styling and color etc in it."  However, etc. is not clear.  Of course the readers can make assumptions of what you are trying to say, but your readers should not have to make suppositions.  For your last paragraph, you claim that your code is similar to the Dream Weaver code.  How?  And there are probably some differences in your code.  

HTML Basics

March 24th

A Web Page:

This basic webpage resembles the code I've written because it contains two important structure foundations: a header and a body.  The content that is visible is the text and the header division.  However, the staggered structure of the sentence "I am testing a lot of formatting things out with it" that was visible in the code is not visible in the browser.  Why?  Because you need to separate each line of the broken up sentence with the marker <p> to indicate a new paragraph line. 

A Better Webpage:

This page does look more like a web page to me.  While it contains more content, it is missing colors, a structure, and a rhetorical situation.  The structure is linear and travels up and down.  It is not eye catching to the readers.  In addition, the web page could use more assets obviously like images, videos, links, etc.  Finally, what is the web page's message?  What is the web page trying to convey?  The content of the web page is disconnected.

A Pretty Page:
 

It is definitely a better looking page.  The colors, the spacing, and the headers are more appealing to the readers.  In regards to the HTML tags, I notice that the carrots all indicate a divide of some sort whether it is a header or a paragraph or a footer.  Meanwhile, the brackets are used to indicate the aesthetic details of whatever content that is found between the tags such as the text alignment, font, and so on.  The brackets and the carrots work hand-in-hand it seems.  The declarations before the brackets are similar to the declarations inside the carrots.  The code before the brackets and inside the carrots are labels for the different aspects of the page (header, footer, paragraph).   

Compare and Contrast:

 

There are many similarities between the code behind my website and the code in my test.html and teststyle.css files.  Both codes have mark ups for headers, the body of the page, footers, dividers, paragraph indicators, and line breaks.  While both my website and the code in my test.html have many of the same declarations, my website contains a few different declarations that the test.html does not have.  For instance, the below declarations are in my website code, but absent on the test.html:

1. <meta name> refers to the internet tab name of the website
2. <link rel> indicates format of the web page (I think)
3. <script src> indicates the location that the content can be found
4. <li><img src> links to an image
5. <ul> used for orbits?

Aside from declarations, the basic structure of my website and the test.html is derived from the same layout idea.  There is a header, a main body, and a footer.  That is the underlying structure for both my website and the test.html.  The additional declarations in my website is for added assets that the test.html is currently lacking.
 

Rhetorical Self-Evaluation of My Website

March 14th

My website focuses on the social illness of obesity.  I chose this topic because obesity is a physical social illness that I see everyday.  It is a global endemic, a continually growing problem (see what I did there?).  For my website, I decided to include 5 different webpages under the following tabs: home, about obesity, health effects, data and statistics, and what you can do.  Many of the websites I visited that were centered on obesity had similar tabs.  Through the various rhetorical techniques, I attempted to send an important message to my audience: obesity is a prevalent problem that leads to negative health effects and we can take steps to prevent it from further spreading.

As a reader scrolls through my website, he or she notices that I utilize ethos, logos, and pathos to support my claims.  For the webpages, I include many arguments that place obesity in a negative light.  I list the potential health disadvantages associated with obesity.  I state the high rates of obesity among men, women, and children.  I point out that obesity may lead to poor self-body image.  Nothing I say about obesity is positive. In order to support my arguments, I practice logos by providing my readers with facts that I received from reliable resources like PubMed and Center for Disease Control.  In addition, I refer to data, statistics, and definitions in order to clarify a concept to my readers or to back up a particular statement.  By practicing these strategies, I am giving myself credibility as a source because I am finding evidence that supports the ethos of my website.  To further persuade my targeted audience, I insert image assets to elicit feelings of concern, hope, and motivation from my audience. 

I chose certain images to align with the content of a section of my website.  For instance, I embedded the image below at the top of my health effects webpage:



This picture from faudzil.blogspot.com not only illustrates the topic of my webpage, it demonstrates what obesity looks like both externally and internally.  It conveys a clear message that victims of obesity can suffer from a number of serious health risks.  The image speaks the message.  Another asset I picked was a picture of a smiling family from upc.ardenthealth.net on my what you can do page: 



From this asset, readers may respond by thinking about their own families and feeling affection.  Underneath the image is a short paragraph explaining how individuals can help their families maintain or reach a healthy weight.  By inserting this image, I show my readers that obesity can affect their loved ones --this may add a motivational factor to my website and may convince a reader to take action.

The pathos of my website, I believe, creates kairos and prompts metanoia depending on the readers.  If a reader suffers from obesity and cares about their health, this may convince the reader to take action to fight against obesity.  However, if a reader falls within the normal weight range for their height, then the website will not have as great as a kairos or metanoia effect on him or her.  By offering a wide range of facts about obesity and complementing the facts with images, the readers may self-reflect about their own health and may or may not decide to make a lifestyle change.  While I would like to think that my website has the capacity to motivate a reader to practice a healthier lifestyle, I don't think my website is quite on that level rhetorically.  In order to do that, I would need to play around with pathos more and add more content. 

I believe that my site could've been more rhetorically powerful if I had employed more types of media.  For example, I could've created an entire webpage that was devoted to childhood obesity and inserted a video or an article on childhood obesity.  Instead, I solely relied on images for the rhetorical situation.  While the idea of adding videos and articles to my site did pop into my head, I do not know how to on Microsoft Expressions.  Also, I was frightened of trying to embed videos or articles for the fear that it would ruin the webpage layout I wanted to retain since a simple deletion of a divider can mess up the entire structure.

While my use of diverse media types is lacking, I did strategically set up my webpages to place an emphasis on the image assets.  By deliberately using two simple colors (white for the background and navy for the tabs), the reader's attention is immediately drawn to the colorful images on the pages.  Also, I usually sized the images to be larger to direct the readers' focus to them.  For my what you can do page, I used an orbit of three images to grab my audience's interest and to make my page more aesthetically pleasing.  The spacial dimensions of the website helped emphasize the images as well.  I placed images at different locations on some of the webpages (like the what you can do page and the what is obesity page).  The position of the images differentiates between the separate sections on the webpages and guides the readers to these sections of text.  The layouts of the webpages also all differed spatially.  Some pages have a single large image at the top of the page.  Some have smaller images dispersed throughout the page.  Others have surrounding text boxes around the centered images.  

Along with the assets, the ethos of my website is heavily dependent on the content and the linguistic modes.  The readers notice immediately that the text is in English; therefore, the website is geared towards English speaking readers.  The language is more formal and factual rather than conversational on most of the pages with an exception to my home page and my what you can do page.  My home page asks rhetorical questions and is directly addressing the readers.  The language on my home page also contains more emotional appeal because it provides an example of an obese child being taken away from their parents by child protective services.  In my conclusion, I add informality to my page by referring to the readers and myself in the 2nd person "We."  My what you can do page also refers to the readers in the 2nd person.  In contrast, my other pages are told from the third person and act to educate the readers rather than address them.

My website falls under the genres of propaganda and public service announcements.  I don't know what other genre it would be considered.  However, with a few adjustments, the website could easily be transformed into an informational source on a government sponsored website or on a medical website (like PubMed).  It could be used to explain the goals of an organization that is taking preventative measures to slow down obesity. 

With my limited skills of web design, I would say that I did alright producing the rhetoric of my website.  Although I consider my website rudimentary, with the short amount of time we had as a class and with my lack of experience, I think my website employs space, images, and text well to convey a message to my readers.  And I definitely believe that my website contains a lot of ethos, pathos, and logos to strongly present the rhetorical situation at hand. 

Peer Review of Website

March 12th

What do you think of my site?  All of my website pages are under the folder labeled "Tan" and then a folder labeled "English 355."

Self-Evaluation of Website

March 7th

Looking through my website pages, I believe that the message I am trying to present to my audience is clear. With the evidence and assets I include, the readers understand what I am trying to convey to them: that obesity is a prevalent problem in the U.S. and globally.  While I think I have some great sources and information, the structure of my website may not be the most aesthetically pleasing and purposeful (this is due to my lack of computer software skills).  I am struggling with some of the code behind the website design layouts.  For instance, for my "What You Can Do" page, the three images at the top of the website were supposed to act as a slide show and not just stack on top of each other on the page.  So, honestly, it just looks stupid and amateurish.  Also, there seems to be a lot of blank space on some of the pages that I want to fill, but don't know how to. So what's really holding me back is my lack of experience with web design and my technological illiteracy.  But I must give props to myself for trying to experiment with different Foundation design templates for my webpages.  And hey, this is a learning process for all of us. 

Rate Yourself

Rating Scores:

0: I haven't thought about this at all.
1: I've done some planning, but nothing started.
2: I've started this stage, but it's not 100% complete.
3: 100% done with this.

I would rate myself a 2.  I have most of my content.  However, I still need content for my data and statistics page.  I also need to edit some things for my website, especially the layout and sizing of my assets.  I have been editing things through the code on Microsoft Expressions, but when I open some of my pages with Dreamweaver, things do not always work out the way they do in Expressions. 

In regards to making my argument, I noticed that try to present my arguments with facts that align with my argument.  I don't really delve into the arguments of an opposing side.  This is probably due to time constraints. 

I have planned the layout of my website to have the links at the top of the page direct to my other pages.  That layout aspect is consistent with all of my pages.  Some pages have more assets than others in order to support a particular section of the page.  I have limited the colors of the page layouts.  Due to the colors of my assets, I do not want the colors of my pages to clash with the colors of my images.  Also, the lack of colors of my pages bring more attention to the images, which is what I want. 

Website Homepage

March 5th

Here is my homepage so far...

 

The ethos I am presenting in this page and my other pages is that obesity is a problem that is continually expanding globally.  I explain the pervasion of obesity with statistics and discuss the negative health effects of obesity. 

While I have some great data, what's really limiting me in presenting a more effective argument is my inability to change the structure of the website layout easily.  For instance, I am not sure how to embed video links  or links to articles into my website, which would really help my argument. 

Cloud Work

February 28th

Today in class, students were able to collaboratively create notes on a Google document while the professor used a white discussion board for lecture.  As the professor was lecturing, students were adding text, gifs, images, and memes to the "notes."  Sometimes, a student would delete an image one student pasted onto the document and then insert a new image.  Sometimes, text would be deleted and then reinserted.  While the students had the power to contribute content freely onto this document, the professor was the only one at the front of the classroom, taking notes on the white board.  As students, we were given access to this online document and had the ability/privilege to edit it as a whole. 

Cloud work enables us as a group to contribute our ideas visually to an audience.  Meanwhile, having a professor write on a white board is much more limiting.  The professor is the only one who is given the right to use this resource, unless students are told otherwise.  As a result, we tend to get one primary ideology of a particular topic whereas cloud work shows multiple perspectives. 

Although many students participated in editing the document, I decided not to.  My decision to not participate was for mainly two reasons: 1) I felt more pressure to listen to the professor's lecture and therefore, tried to direct my attention to the whiteboard and 2) any content I added could be easily deleted by another student.  Due to usual social structure of classroom behavior, I was persuaded to attempt to concentrate on the lecture given by the professor. 

Meme Responses to Althusser's Essay

February 26th

What confused Russ:

“It is necessary to add that this determination of the double “functioning” (pre-dominantly, secondarily) by repression and by ideology, according to whether it is a matter of the (repressive) State Apparatus and the ideological state apparatuses? Every life provides us with innumerable examples of this, but they must be studied in detail if we are to go further than this mere observation" (Althusser 81).

His response: "This passage just… confounds me. It’s taxonomy makes no sense to me, using terms like “pre-dominantly, secondarily” in the same line and context without differentiating the two. Did I miss a line earlier? And why does the next line end as a question? Just the phrasing throws me off and makes this hard to read. The next line intonates that this passage is a throwaway discourse for the audience, relating that this argument is fallible? I DON’T GET IT. THIS WHOLE THING MAKES ME FEEL LIKE A RUBE WHO NEEDS TO CATCH UP ON MY FRENCH PHILOSOPHY."

My meme in response to Russ' confusion:



I have no answer for Russ' confusion b/c I am confused as well.  I honestly feel that by juxtaposing the oxymoronic words "pre-dominantly" and "secondarily," the writer is trolling with us.  It's as if he is trying to make us question our intellect by talking in this vague, riddle-like language.  Or maybe the writer is confused himself.  Maybe he does understand the definitions of those two words and that something cannot be dominant and secondary at the same time.  Or it could've been a simple typo that was overlooked.  However, I agree that the juxtaposition of these two words offsets the argument that the writer is trying to make.

What confused Marc: Beneath Ruling Ideology

His response: '"Beneath Ruling Ideology' is something I am unfamiliar about.
I am aware that it involves different classes, but to what extent and what is their ideology on the whole matter of Repressive State Apparatus vs. Ideological State Apparatuses."

My meme in response to Marc's confusion:



The author is trying to say that an ideology usually belongs to a ruling class.  Because of the class' power, those within the ruling class have some control in the Ideological and Repressive State Apparatuses.  To a certain degree, the ruling class has dominance over those who does not have as much power.  Their ideologies tend to be heard more and can overpower the ideologies of the lower classes. 

Althusser's Ideology and Ideological State Apparatuses

February 24th 

For today's class, we read an essay by Louis Althusser titled "Ideology and Ideological State Apparatuses (Notes Toward an Investigation)."  Although the paper was supposed to be about how subjects are affected by an ideology, I did not initially know that the essay would be discussing a topic of rhetoric.  At the start of the essay, Althusser introduces the concept of ideological state apparatuses (ISAs) and provides some examples of ISAs like the government, prisons, courts, and so on.  Because of this introduction, I honestly thought that the writer would be discussing his views on politics to which I responded by rolling my eyes.  However, as I continued reading, I learned that Althusser merely utilized this type of introduction in order to exemplify his main point: we are all subjects. 
  

"In this preliminary remark and these concrete illustrations, I only wish to point out that you and I are always already subjects, and as such constantly practice the rituals of ideological recognition, which guarantee for us that we are indeed concrete, individual, distinguishable, and (naturally) irreplaceable subjects" (Althusser 85).

The passage above indicates the inevitability of our exposure to various ideologies.  We are constantly exposed to different messages in the form of different mediums without even realizing it.  For instance, ads we hear on the radio or see on television, the content material we learn in our classes, the social networking sites that we visit -- these are all examples of ideologies.  In regards to my website, I am both the subject of ideologies on obesity and the lecturer of an ideology.  I create an ideology on obesity by taking from other ideologies that I have read and researched.  Because I am aware that my subjects may not always be in agreement with me, I refer to specific assets and other argumentative examples to support my ideology.  I also have applied this technique to my other class assignments, specifically my rhetoric 301 class that I took last semester.   

Although I clearly understood the passage on page 85, I did not completely comprehend the statement below and how it tied back to the topic of rhetoric: 

"To my knowledge, no class can hold State power over a long period without at the same time exercising its hegemony over and in the State Ideological Apparatuses" (Althusser 81).

I initially believed that Althusser was using this essay as a way to push his belief of social status onto his subjects and did not understand how it related to rhetoric.  However, when I was listening to the lecture in class today, the professor talked about control of the web and other media sources.  He pointed out how everybody can have access to internet and anybody can post their ideas to this open web.  This point can be directly associated with Althusser's claim above.  By taking advantage of social media and posting our two cents online where it is accessible to any reader, we are trying to assert our power by attempting to persuade a particular audience to believe our ideology.      

Visual Analysis Valentine

February 14th 

     The expectations of Valentine's Day in the western society are shaped by our culture.  For instance, we were raised to believe that on Valentine's Day men are supposed to buy women flowers and chocolates and treat them to a nice dinner.  When a boyfriend or a fiancé or a husband deviates from these expectations, many people would believe that the boyfriend is not doing Valentine's Day "right."  However, who decided that Valentine's Day must be spent in a particular manner?  Somebody had to create a rhetorical situation for the holiday in order to make the claim that Valentine's Day should be a day dedicated to treating our significant others.

     There are three arguments about the rhetorical situation: 1) Bitzer's theory that the rhetorical situation controls the rhetorical act 2) Vatz's idea that the rhetor controls the rhetorical situation and 3) Consigny's perspective that rhetoric is an art of topics that encourages rhetors to explore various contexts.  While both Bitzer's and Vatz's hypotheses are black-and-white, Consigny's perspective falls under a gray area.  I agree with Consigny that rhetoric is a subjective matter that is both controlled by the situation and by the rhetor to a certain degree.  For instance, the website 1800flowers.com and cracked.com demonstrate the rhetorical situation of Valentine's day conventions such as cards, flowers, etc.  Both, however, send different messages.  The 1800flowers is trying to convince the viewers to send flowers to a loved one.  While the other site cracked.com provides examples of what not to do on Valentine's Day.  Although both rhetors of the website control what they say about Valentine's Day, social standards about the holiday have affected their arguments.  For instance, the 1800flowers.com is telling you to fulfill a social expectation by purchasing and sending flowers.  The cracked.com website is telling you what not to do because the examples given contradict social norms. 

     In order for these websites to be convincing, a rhetor needs to meet certain requirements.  They need to demonstrate integrity and be receptive to their audience's needs.  They need a comprehension of what the rhetorical situation is and how to align with the features of the situation.  Then the rhetors must manipulate these features in order to make a persuasive argument. 

My Website Topic: Obesity

February 10th

     My website for this class will be focusing on the social illness of obesity.  I decided to discuss the prevalence of obesity worldwide and its negative effects on society.  In addition, I intend to provide the website readers with information about the health risks and causes of obesity. 

 

     I chose this topic for my website because obesity is a problem that is present everywhere now, not just the United States.  Other social problems such as hunger and contaminated water are not issues that every country faces.  However, obesity has been a growing problem that affects children and adults.  Why is it growing?  Maybe it's because of the rapid spread of fast food chain restaurants.  Maybe it's because of our sedentary lifestyles.  Maybe it's because we do not understand the concept of moderation.  The bigger the better, right?  The movie "Supersize Me" begs to disagree. 

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I1Lkyb6SU5U

 

     Obesity is a problem that cannot be ignored.  We see it everyday, every passing hour.  Sometimes on the news, I hear about a young child who is severely obese and is taken from his or her parents by child protective services.  And I think to myself "How could've the parents let this happen?  At the age of five, the child is over 140 pounds."  That's so unhealthy.  Below is a link to an article about the heaviest five year old girl.  

 

http://www.medicaldaily.com/143-pound-5-year-old-girl-taken-away-parents-heaviest-child-ever-recorded-three-times-normal-weight 

 

     If this is where society is heading, we will be the instigators of our own destruction.  That's why we need to take preventive measures to slow obesity.  It's not possible to completely stop it, especially at this stage.  Yet, by taking individual actions - - by teaching healthy eating to the young generation, by consuming in moderation, by being more active -- we can make a difference.

Obesity Website Ethos

February 8th 

     For today's blog post, I will compare the following websites listed below. 

1. http://www.who.int/topics/obesity/en
2. http://www.cdc.gov/obesity
3. http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2013/07/how-junk-food-can-end-obesity/309396
4. http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/11/health/childhood-obesity-drops-in-new-york-and-philadelphia.html?pagewanted=all&_r=
5. http://www.cnn.com/2012/02/03/living/overweight-pets/  

     All of the listed websites above focus on a common topic: obesity.  All of the websites agree that obesity has a negative effect on health and most of the websites agree that obesity is spreading (except the New York Times).  I noticed that the government sponsored websites such as WHO and CDC offer various facts about obesity and how the readers can get involved to slow the endemic.  On the other hand, the news websites tend to focus on a particular topic related to obesity rather than providing the readers with more general information about the social illness.  For instance, the Atlantic website discusses how junk food can end obesity and the CNN website emphasizes how the obesity endemic has affected domestic pets in the Unites States.  On the news websites, the articles about obesity are categorized under a "Health" or "Living" tab.  This implies that these websites are not solely focused on this particular social illness, but offer other news that may catch the readers' attention.    

     The five websites all employ a similar color scheme.  They use white backgrounds, dark print, and solid colored headings.  The sites also utilize tabs with different labels for organizational purposes.  Four of the five websites display images that are related to obesity; for instance, images of food, overweight animals, and weight scales are present.  Often times, the images are inserted under the title of the website with the text following afterwards.  In addition, the news websites tend to have many advertisements while the government websites do not.  As a result, the layout of the news websites sometimes shifts the attention of the readers away from the main topic.   

     After examining the five websites, I believe that my website will end up looking similar to the CDC website.  The website contains links to obesity related topics such as statistics, prevention programs, and resolutions and includes images that complement the topics.  I also want to include much of the information that is available on the CDC website about obesity.     

Website Logo

February 5th 

Website Logo

     For my website, I intend to focus on the social illness of obesity.  I want to emphasize how obesity is becoming a global endemic; it is not just prevalent in the United States nowadays.  The logo below is to send the message that obesity is a growing problem (that phrase acts as a pun).  In order to send that message I decided to place the text on a globe to show its prevalence around the world.  I also chose a wide text for the word "Obesity" to correspond to the definition of the word.  So, those who suffer from obesity have a BMI that is too large; therefore, I purposely chose a large text.   The placement of the text is placed in the middle of the cartoon globe to show that obesity is not specified to one particular region of the globe, but to most regions.  What I would like to do with this logo in the future is to curve the word "Obesity" and place the word around the globe multiple times.  However, I am still experimenting with Photoshop and was unable to curve my text. 

Website Traits

Necessary Traits for a Public Service Announcement:
1.) A message against or for something
2.) An argument as to why the viewer should support the message
3.) Text
4.) Physical layout
5.) Color contrast
6.) Pathos element

Optional traits:
1.) Rhetorically convincing visual image
2.) Sound
3.) Other sources of media like videos, music, etc.

For my site on obesity:
1.) Home page introducing the topic and why it is becoming a social illness
2.) Fact page that lists the causes of obesity
3.) Fact page that discusses the health effects of obesity
4.) Get involved page that suggests what steps people can take to prevent obesity

Error 404 page

Here is my Error 404 page so far…

Webpage Creating for Dummies

January 27th

     Before the start of this class period, I have never attempted to create a webpage for myself. And when I say create a webpage, I don't mean the programming behind it. I mean using a software program like Dream Weaver or Angelfire or anything remotely close to those programs. As someone who was probably born in the wrong generation (I should've been born in the era of typewriters), I struggle with anything technological. I even sometimes have trouble working with Facebook, which is the only social network profile I own. When I first found out that our class would be creating a webpage, I died a little bit inside. Although we are not producing the code behind it, my mind still refused to process the fact that we would be experimenting with Dream Weaver. It also did not help that when I tried to save the HTML form of Dream Weaver, only the confusing coded part of the program appeared. So, to be honest, I am a little worried right now for my webpage. However, I believe that once I play around with Dream Weaver more I will start to acquire the skills I need to develop and complete our first project. Once I learn the various functions of the program and how they work, I think that even a technologically illiterate person such as myself can become familiarized enough to accomplish a finished webpage.  At least, I hope so. 

The Matrix Rhetorical Analysis

January 26th

     In the movie "The Matrix," two worlds exist: the virtual world controlled by the matrix and the mechanistic reality.  The human world that the protagonist Neo is familiar with is an illusion.  While the matrix portrays a world of normal human activity, the reality is that society is in fact controlled by machines who breed humans for energy.  Throughout the movie, various types of modes are utilized to distinguish the two different worlds. For example, in the matrix world, the sky is blue, the cities have tall skyscrapers, and there are many people walking the streets to complete mundane tasks.  Cars honk, lights flash, conversations are heard.  The people are dressed in clothes and not covered with plugs and other devices.  In the mechanistic reality, there is no sky.  There are no cities filled with people strolling the streets.  Instead, the world is covered in darkness while people are produced in a gelatin pod. Machines that spin and fly and kill have taken over. Only sounds of metal clanking and machines operating are heard.  In this world, there are no daily commonplaces and tasks for humans to execute.  The movie producers utilize opposing visual and auditory modes to emphasize the difference between reality and the matrix illusion.    

     As viewers progress through the movie, the question of what is real and what isn't is brought to attention multiple times.  When Neo is brought to a reality that is novel to him, he cannot at first comprehend the truth. For years, he lived in a world that was programmed by a system.  A system that is programmed to falsely portray a normal human life.  Then all of a sudden, he is brought to a world that contradicts everything he knows and understands.  When Neo is introduced to the matrix, he realizes the enormity of the situation. The visual images that he witnesses are disturbing.  He sees humans trapped in their gelatin pods.  He sees the killer machines. He sees the extinction of cities and the takeover of technology.  Everything around him is dependent upon technology. For instance, neon code against a black screen seems to always be present.  The main characters depend on installations of software programs to learn martial arts or how to fly a helicopter.  The transportation from the matrix to reality is through phone calls.  The agents are the gatekeepers of the matrix, protecting against human "viruses" that are set out to free others. 

     Although the matrix world is a lie, it is much more appealing than reality.  In the matrix world, humans appear to be free.  Many humans are dependent on the matrix system and ignorance.  As I was watching this movie, I compared the matrix society to our modern society.  While machines do not have ultimate control over us, they play a vital role in our lives.  We rely on technology for everything: work, school, communication, etc.  Soon, we'll probably have robots washing our clothes, driving us to work, cooking our food.  I believe that one of the messages of this movie is to not allow technology to change us.  In one of the ending scenes, Trinity even states "The Matrix cannot tell you who you are."

     This particular quote got me thinking about the "The Design of Web 2.0" article we read for class.  In the article, the writer informs us of these templates that allow you to build your own website and homepages and whatnot.  However, instead of enabling you to create a personalized homepage, the templates have many design limitations.  Often times, the templates have physical layouts already prepared for the users.  Although this prearrangement may be helpful, it restricts the user to reveal who they are through design media.  Similar to the matrix, these templates control our ability to make our own decisions.  

  

Black and White vs. High Contrast

January 15, 2014

     As our class learned from the Winterowd reading, the framework for discourse includes both an addresser and an addressee.  Within this framework exist other components that affect the communication between the two: context, message, contact, and code.  Although these components are universal, they can each be manipulated to relay a different message or to address various targeted audiences.  For instance, if we change the code of a message from English to Spanish, those who are not native Spanish speakers will not be able to read and interpret the message and vice versa. 

     Next, let's compare the two images below as another example of rhetorical manipulation.    

     

     Figure 1- Black and White

Figure 2 - High Contrast

     While the images both include a boy eating a watermelon, the background color of the setting has been altered - a change to its code.  In Figure 1, the dim colors of the image convey a more depressive mood.  When a person studies the image, he may suppose that the picture was taken in the late fall or early winter.  In Figure 2, the bright colors elicit giddiness from the onlookers.  They may also think that the picture was taken during the summer time.

   These examples demonstrate to us how changes to a discourse situation can completely alter the context and significance of a particular message.  It shows that communication between the addresser and addressee depend upon alterations of context, code, message, and contact.  

Metanoia and Kairos

January 17, 2014

     As I sit in the Avery 105 computer lab, I notice the various types of rhetorical strategies that the room applies to send a particular message: feel free to use the computers provided, but please respect the equipment.  On all four of the walls, there are posters that provide us with instructions as to how to log into the computers, how to open Microsoft Word, and to keep your USB extension hooked up.  Lined up along the walls are rows and rows of wide screen Apple Macs attached to small keyboards.  The arrangement of the multitude of these high tech computers lures students into the space, while the posters give us directions as to how to use the computers properly.

     In the computer lab, there is a sign that reads "Silence Your Cell Phone."  There is also a rule prohibiting open lid drinks and food.  Both the poster and rule blatantly hint to students that quiet behavior and keeping your station clean is encouraged.  In addition, the arrangement of the room - the computers facing in opposite directions - discourage social interaction with other students and coerce me to refrain from verbal communication.   This causes myself and other students to focus on a specific assignment or project that we may be currently working on.

     From a figurative standpoint, the students are being addressed by the Avery computer lab to appropriately utilize the resources that the lab offers for academic purposes.  In order to deliver this message, the lab uses tangible code such as posters and rows of open computers.  One of the means that Avery attempts to relay the messages to WSU students is through electronic emails, ads, and notifications.  Additionally, print media such as fliers and consultants are used as forms of contact as well.  

     All of these methods of contact and code elicit a feeling of kairos from me.  Here, the Avery lab is providing me with up-to-date computers that have the latest software programs that my home laptop lacks.  The lab offers me the opportunity to take advantage of these computers to complete assignments that require newer programs and to print assignments.  On the other hand, the computers also give me a feeling of metanoia.  In the lab, I am surrounded by advanced technology while back at my room I have a five-year-old Dell PC that is starting to break down on me (granted, it does not help that I am very talented at catching viruses).  Due to the benefits that the Apple Mac computers offer, I regret that I do not own one of my own.  I also regret that I do not know how to use all of the versatile software programs that Macs offer like Photoshop.  So, despite the great academic resources that the lab delivers, my relationship with the Avery lab is bittersweet. 

Affordances and Constraints

January 22nd, 2014

     Today, my group and I talked about the visual mode and the affordances of this media technique.  We decided to discuss the visual components of something on WSU campus - the televised ads in the Compton Union Building.  While the ads use bright colors, screen movement, and entrance locations to attract the attention of passerbys, there are still limitations to these types of advertisements.  For example, the ads must rely solely on visual components; there is no sound, there is no face-to-face means of persuasion, and space is limited.  The ads are dependent on the students stopping to take the time to read the text.  As a result, those who decide to utilize this type of advertisement have to work under certain constraints.  And what are those constraints?  Relying on only visual, spatial, and linguistic modes to lure their viewers.  The ad makers are responsible for creating an ad that is appealing to the public eye through both visual and spatial manipulation.  They are also playing around with the linguistic mode when they select particular diction and arrange the words in a specific manner that is persuasive to their targeted audiences.  

About Me

 January 13, 2014

     Greetings fellow English 355 classmates!  My name is Shen Wu Tan, but you can call me Shen (FYI, the "h" is silent).  Currently, I am an English major pursuing minors in Anthropology and Editing/Publishing.  I also intend to earn the Professional Writing Certificate, which is one of the main reasons I decided to enroll in English 355.  Also, as someone who is extremely technologically illiterate and should've been born in the era of typewriters, I thought this class would be healthy for me.

     I believe that this multimedia rhetorics class will introduce me to the various forms of electronic publishing formats including blogs.  Since my generation is living in an age of flourishing technology, this class will allow me to learn and understand how to use these types of new media.  To me, new media refers to means of electronic/online publishing.  The term excludes the older, traditional ways of publishing such as print newspapers and magazines.  Nowadays, one does not need to pick up a newspaper to become exposed to the daily occurrences that happen on a local or global scale.  Instead, if internet is available, a person can simply search the internet or download a news app onto their smart phone and read or watch the news from different networks.  As our society becomes more dependent on this new media, the realization of the enormous role that technology plays in our everyday lives dawns on me.  Consequentially, in order for my writings to avoid oblivion, it is crucial for me to learn how to utilize the new media to my advantage.  I hope this class helps me to do so.