Blog Post #11

In Sociology, we read an article about an Italian family named the Rosetos. It was about this Italian family that moved from Italy to Pennsylvania whom created this close knit group of people mimicking that of an Italian family in Italy with all sorts of problems. These people were heavy smokers and grossly overweight, but they were actually all in great health despite all their glaring flaws. Researchers could only contribute their health to their happiness found in community. Denmark is Roseto. Hygge is the idea of doing community for community. There is no selfish gain, and it allows not only for a release for these people but an opportunity for them to find real happiness. The articles that talked about Denmark not being a “real” happy place were comparing Denmark to other places, and that is why they say they are not happy because they are comparing. Denmark, I believe had created a Roseto type effect and that is why they are so happy.

Blog Post #10

I think of behalf of Dan Price this is admirable. A boss who is not only going to listen to the needs of his workers but is also going to take a pay cut so others can make more is noble. My church holds a conference called the Global Leadership Summit, and one of the speakers said, “If you do not know what to work on as a leader, everybody else does.” Dan Price did just that. He listened to the contentment of his workers, and he thought about what would make their lives more fulfilling and “happy”. He was a good boss to do what he did, and I truly believe it will raise the quality of life at his company exponentially; however, the principle of the hedonistic treadmill comes into play here. You have the people who worked for years who frankly want more than that, and you will have the people who also expect more money in time regardless of it being larger than a 100% increase in their pay. I applaud Dan Price, but I believe it will still leave the egoists unhappy.

Blog Post #9

I have always been fascinated by the idea of what a higher power does from a psychology standpoint. In my experience, I truly believe the “we all need something bigger than ourselves” is the key to happiness. There is something to write about with regards to how when your life is in service to others there is little to no time for you to be self absorbed. There is no time to think about all your issues because it is occupied by the concerns of others which is beautiful. I think I would like to write about a blend of the key to happiness is finding something that is bigger than yourself and living your life in service to others which could be an extension of finding something bigger than yourself. The video did a good job of displaying the 40% of intentional activity that determines your happiness, and we have a lot of forces working against us with genetics and circumstances; however, if we find something bigger than us, we pay little attention to things that we are predisposed to.

Blog Post #8

Stupid Apps

There is an App for just about everything. If you want to create an App, it is probably too late because someone has already had the idea. I think the Apps can be extremely useful, but I do believe these stupid Apps could have some bad repercussions. Apps when used correctly can help you time manage, figure out the weather, and even help you figure out with what you have in your cabinets what dinner to make. You have a handheld genius in your pocket if you allow it to just be a smartphone; however, with the power Apps have, it can be abused. The problem with stupid Apps is in the hands of a young, pliable mind there is no cognitive ability to tell real from virtual therein lies the problem. Children are attracted to these fun, stupid apps because well, they are fun. It is a source of mindless entertainment which at some point in the day, we love to experience. If a child think imaginary girlfriend is enjoyable, they learn little about how stupid that App really is. My problem is not with Apps because they have great potential, but I have a problem with the hands Apps fall into.

Blog Post #7

Instagram Star

The essay I want to write about is how technology has done its job, but now we are misusing it to do things it was never intended to do. This article talks of how this girl from Instagram had a hard time pulling herself away from the obsession that is Instagram. She found herself finding her identity in how many followers she had while comparing herself to everyone else on the internet. Seeking real human attention and connection through the internet, was not what technology was created for. Social media is a wonderful example of a piece of technology that could be seemingly harmless. You have the opportunity to share with your friends and family what is going on in your life. You get to connect with people you have lost touch with; however, we have made social media larger than life. The fact that Essena O’Neill felt she had to publicly announce her removal of all things social media is a wonderful reason as to why technology is not fulfilling its purpose anymore. Technology is supposed to free our time to do the things we love not to rob us of our time to look at unreal images to feel inadequate.

Blog Post #6

Sources

I chose “Coal, Steam, and The Industrial Revolution: Crash Course World History #32” by John Green. It is a youtube video in which John Green does a lot of segments of history. I chose the source because he talks in specific about how the industrial revolution started a 100+ years ago, but we have never stopped industrializing. The reason it is reputable is because John Green is not the only writer. He has help from his old teacher, Raoul Meyer, who is a history teacher. Two very educated men writing this videos. The reason this video helps is it because it highlights why technology was originally created. John Green hits on how the industrial revolution never ended; therefore, my point about how technology has fulfilled its originally purpose because it has never stopped being produced.

I also am thinking about using a journal entry found in The Futurecast by Raymond Kurzweil called “The Age of Knowledge.” I chose this source because of how eloquently this author writes. The article is about how technology has changed our society and made our lives easier. The author is an inventor and what the article states the “authority on artificial intelligence.” The author knows what he is talking about, and a lot of this article is strictly factually based. I would possibly use this in the article because he talked of the first industrial revolution was to make us more physically able, and the second revolution which we are in now make us more mentally capable. I would talk of how we succeeded in the first but halfway did the second.