Day # 5: Our First DOTCOM Reflection!!!

1. In Washington, D.C., I was exposed to all kinds of new information about media methods, the growth of media, and media ethics. My first lesson on media in D.C. came from the US State Department concerning the use of a new software interface called CO.NX. This software allows anyone from around the world, regardless of Internet speed, to access and discuss political events online .

Although this technology is new and still has its limitations, there is great potential in the use of web 2.0 technologies when attempting to bring awareness to the world of politics. I also learned a bit about media ethics from NPR ombudsman Alicia Shepard.
Mrs. Shepard explained that in a world in which the news has become an increasingly accessible and personal entity, it is also becoming increasingly more difficult to verify whether or not the news one reads on a blog or website is necessarily true. Finally, while in D.C., I became acquainted with Twitter for the first time, as well as Skype. If anyone wishes to use these web 2.0 technologies to communicate with me, my username for Twitter is "flagchicken" (after the DOTCOM mascot, Lenin) and for Skype it is david.sackstein92. (Even Mrs. Shepard friended me on facebook :-) )

2. In D.C., I learned a lot about my DOTCOM colleagues from other countries. They are all interesting, talented, kind, curious, and incredibly intelligent individuals. My first night in D.C. was an immersion experience as I was in a room with only Armenian students. However, my Armenian friends were accepting and patient with me, and they have generously given me the opportunity to learn some Armenian from them. Although the Azerbaijani students arrived late, I had a fantastic first impression of these DOTCOM colleagues. They, too, have been willing to teach me their language, and all of my foreign friends have been warm and friendly. This is my roommate, Niko, we enjoyed an interesting adventure today that I will have to blog about later :-) .

3. The most challenging aspect of the DOTCOM program so far has been the delayed arrival of the Azerbaijani students. Had these DOTCOMers arrived earlier, they would not have missed the valuable team-building activities that the American and Armenian students had enjoyed in D.C. the unfortunate tension upon the arrival of the Azerbaijani students was almost palpable. However, all of my DOTCOM friends are such excellent people that I am sure that we will all be a beautifully functioning group in no time at all. I greatly look forward to working with all of my DOTCOM friends, and by the end of the next three weeks, it will be as if there could never have been barriers between us.

4. It has been incredibly exciting and rewarding to meet my DOTCOM colleagues in person. I felt as if I knew them from their blogs and videos, but they are even more impressive in person! I have learned so much from them and about them. From my Armenian friends, I have been privileged enough to learn about the Armenian language and culture, and the same is true for the Azerbaijani students and their language and culture. From my American Friends, I have been exposed to their unique perspectives and beliefs. After all, every one of these unique individuals brings something special to the table. It has been incredibly interesting to learn about the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan from students from these countries. However, I feel that many of the most rewarding experiences are yet to come.

REEL ACTION FILMS!!!

1. My top choice for a REEL ACTION film is the theme of religion. I have always been fascinated by the role that religion plays in global society, whether it acts as a source of peace and spirituality, a source of diversity, or even as a source of conflict. Religion and religious diversity play a particularly special role in my life. My Jewish faith influences many of my decisions and provides me with a supportive religious community as well sense of spiritual stability and belonging. I have been involved in my local interfaith community for several years, helping to plan social action projects through the MICAH interfaith organization and through the interfaith club at my school, Breaking Barriers. I feel that the modern concept of religious “tolerance” is flawed, as we must not only tolerate the beliefs of others, we must learn to accept and embrace them. I would express this view in my REEL ACTION film.

2. My second choice for a REEL ACTION film is the theme of Race/Ethnic Issues. Once again, I feel that tolerance of others is not enough; we must learn to embrace and accept the diversity of the world around us. This is a particularly relevant issue to this program, as Armenian, Azerbaijani, and American students will try to pave paths of friendship between groups of people that have been in conflict for generations. We fear what we do not understand, but through the experiences we will gain through this program, a bright future of peace awaits us.

3. My third choice for a REEL Action film is the theme of Peace/War/Conflict. War and conflict result from ignorance, while peace is a product of understanding. As we grow and learn from each other in the DOTCOM Program, we will lay the foundations of peace and friendship and try to better understand each other and the root of our confusion. We live in a world constantly at war and in conflict. However, through our actions, we may be able to teach the world how to achieve peace.

90 Second Elevator Pitch!!!

MODULE # 7: THE END OF PHASE 1

A. What was the most fun/exciting part of the DOTCOM PHASE 1 project for you?

It has been very fun and exciting to learn about other DOTCOMers from their blogs, to read their interesting posts, and to watch the diverse selection of videos offered by my fellow DOTCOMers throughout the various modules.

B. What was the most challenging part of the DOTCOM PHASE 1 project for you?

The most challenging part of DOTCOM so far has probably been choosing individual videos from the vast collection available on YouTube.com. I try to pick videos that are relevant, relatively funny, and interesting, and this can be quite challenging (but REALLY entertaining).

C. What is one specific suggestion you have for the DOTCOM PHASE 1 project, when we do this project again?

I feel that it is very important in the future for there to be a method of direct communication between DOTCOMers such as a social network or DOTCOM chat room. I am just now beginning to friend other DOTCOMers on facebook.com, but I feel that this process would be much less awkward had I been in direct contact with others through the program. The blogs were informative and interesting, yet they lacked the personal connections established through social networking and other forms of direct communication.

Other than that, I think the DOTCOM PHASE 1 has been excellent and I want to thank all of the other DOTCOMers involved for making it so, as well as the DOTCOM organizers. In particular, Dr. Rob Williams has helped make PHASE 1 exceptionally fun and informative.


2. Second, find the FUNNIEST video you can find on YouTube, embed it in your blog, and tell us why you find it so funny.



This video is funny because of the absurdity of the claim that Miss South Carolina makes. America, one of the world's wealthiest countries, rarely suffers educational weakness due to a lack of resources. But what really Makes it funny is Jimmy Kimmel's analysis, which manages to poke fun at Miss South Carolina's claim without belittling the individual. After all, we all make mistakes, especially when we are nervous and are forced to think on our feet in front of a large audience. This video is funny because everyone can relate to a situation in which he or she felt uncomfortable and said something regrettable.

MODULE # 5: A Very Persuasive Ad!

This beer commercial requires us to use all three parts of our triune brains. Our limbic brain responds to the serene and natural landscape and makes us feel calm. We also find the dogs cute which causes another series of affectionate emotional (limbic) responses. Our neocortexes are constantly interpreting the more complex information throughout the advertisement. For example, it is the neocortex that allows us to understand the dialogue between the two men and allows us to interpret the writing at the end of the ad and the subtle symbols of the commercial. When the scruffy dog jumps and bites the "preppy" man, our reptillian brains respond with a quick adrenaline rush and we are forced to jump. Our limbic brains find the entire commercial hilarious, and we sympathize (or at least I did) with the man who was bitten (particularly because of the location of the bite).

This video also does a fantastic job of using various persuasive techniques:

1) SYMBOLS: symbols such as the American glorification of the "simple" life, and the use of dogs, man's best friend, target the American male population who equate dogs being man's best friend with beer being part of a manly life.

2) HUMOR: this video is very humorous, which causes the viewer to both remember the ad and to be temporarily distracted from the negative effects of alcohol.

3) PLAIN FOLKS: there is actually a contrast between the extravagant, "preppy" man and the simple man. This video glorifies simplicity and it is the simple man who successfully gets the beer at the end of the commercial. He is the hero of this ad, and because of this, viewers want to emulate him.

4) DIVERSION: this ad focuses very little on alcohol or its effects. When one views the commercial, his or her attention focuses on the plot and humor of the advertisement, not how the use of the product will affect the individual.

5) WARM FUZZIES: the advertisement uses dogs, a symbol of loyalty and friendship, to show how a loving pet can best please his master by getting him beer. The dogs are both cute, and symbolic creating a very persuasive argument to buy the advertised product.

THE BRAIN!!! (Module # 3)

This video does an excellent job of explaining why humans have a natural affinity for certain qualities that we define as "cute". When we see the images and hear the sounds produced by the animals in this video, our limbic brain processes this information and responds with an emotion, usually affection. I think that the instinctual desire to care for these animals comes from our instinct to care for our young, and this trait is located in the primitive reptilian part of the brain. Our noecortex is responsible for our ability to process the information bubbles that explain the "Science of Cute" throughout the video. Thus, this video is very demanding on us neurologically as it causes us to use all three aspects of our triune brains.

Module # 2

Note To Followers:

I will be out of town this week participating in a Habitat for Humanity (building a house) project in South Carolina. I will not have access to the internet until I return on Monday, February 23. I hope to put up many photos and videos when I return :-) . I added a video of the presidential inauguration to my first post and links for watching TV shows online as well as a Dave Matthews Band music video in this post . ENJOY!

-DOTCOM David S.

BOOKS

I have always appreciated literature and its effect on he world around me. My favorite books include the Ender’s Game series, the Harry Potter series, and several of Shakespeare’s plays, although it is hard to narrow my favorite books to a short list. As I mentioned in an earlier post, I recently finished reading Adventures of Huckleberry Finn in English class and I greatly enjoyed this book. I found it interesting how a book seemingly about a boy and his hilarious journey down the Mississippi River could subliminally highlight issues such as religious morality and racism (although I do not find this the most outspoken book against racism). I have also recently finished reading Aristotle’s Nichomachean Ethics in philosophy class. I valued his focus on the pursuit of knowledge as a tool to help an individual lead “the Good Life”, however I did not appreciate his opinions concerning the lower classes of ancient Greek society and their inability to pursue happiness. I have always loved to read in my free time, and I take classes in school that will give me the best oppertunity to combine my school work with my love of reading.

NEWSPAPERS/MAGAZINES

I am a subscriber of Newsweek Magazine, TIME Magazine, National Geographic Magazine, Poplar Science, and Popular Mechanics. I enjoy TIME and Newsweek because they are both an excellent way to stay informed about the world around me. These magazines highlight political news in particular, although there is an occasional article about health or science. National Geographic is one of my favorite magazines because it highlights nature, science and world cultures in a way that most other publications do not. I read Popular Science and Popular Mechanics to satisfy my love for science and how things work. I get the majority of my daily news from various news websites online as well as on a weekly basis through the Sunday Boston Globe.

MUSIC

Music is quite possibly my favorite medium. I play violin, viola, bass, mandolin, banjo, guitar, ukulele and piano. I play violin, viola and bass in my school orchestra and I am classically trained in these three instruments as well as the piano. I love to learn new instruments and I taught myself how to play the ukulele, mandolin, banjo and guitar. I have played a few of these instruments in small ensembles and I have even played an electric violin in a rock band. I listen to every type of music, although I have lately focused on classical music and rock. My favorite band is The Beatles, although I have recently gotten into Dave Matthews Band for their musicality and use instruments not normally found in modern popular music (such as violin and saxophone). I usually listen to music on my mp3 player because of the portability and convenience of this music format. I occasionally listen to radio, and Internet radio, and the occasional CD when in the car.

Here is Dave Matthew's Band Playing Ants Marching, I hope to add a video of my friends and me playing this song later...

Ants Marching lyrics - Dave Matthews Band lyrics

Ants Marching Video - Dave Matthews Band Music Videos

Music Videos by VideoCure

TELEVISION

I am a pretty busy kid and I find it difficult to regularly follow any TV shows. My favorite shows are South Park, which I frequently watch online now that every episode is posted on the South Park website, The Simpsons, which I have been watching with my dad ever since I was a baby, and House, MD, which I enjoy because I want to be a doctor, and because the medical cases on the show are often bizarre and outrageous. I have been recording episodes of House on my computer and watching them when I have free time ever since I installed a tuner card on my computer.
-WATCH SOUTH PARK EPISODES ONLINE (view at your own risk :-D)
- WATCH THE MOST RECENT EPISODES OF HOUSE ONLINE

VIDEO GAMES

I have recently been too busy to truly enjoy the gaming experience. However, when I have free time, I like playing video games either with my friends on their game systems, or on my Nintendo Wii. I enjoy both the classics, like Super Mario Bros. for the Gameboy, as well as the most recent titles such as the latest edition of EA’s Madden Football. I prefer games that have a social, multi-player aspect to them, as it is always more fun to play with friends than to play alone. Foe this reason, my favorite games at the moment are Super Smash Bros. Brawl for the Wii and Madden, which can be played on any of the three major game platforms as well as the two major handheld devices. I have also recently gotten into playing simpler games on my iPhone, which has as online store in which many of the applications are free.

COMPUTERS

Computers have revolutionized the ways in which the modern world works and plays. I use my computer and programs such as MS Word, PowerPoint, and Excel, to complete school assignments. I use programs such as Finale, and Garageband to write and edit music. I use programs such as iMovie and Windows Movie Maker to edit video for both school and for outside of school projects—the capabilities of such versatile machines are endless. I use computers to access the Internet, to record my favorite TV shows when I don’t have the time to watch them (I installed a tuner), and even to learn new languages (through software such as Rosetta Stone). I use computers to buy and enjoy music and videos—computers are both a tan efficient tool and a source of infinite entertainment.

INTERNET

The Internet is one of modern society’s most versatile tools. Because of this, it is incorporated into many aspects of my life. I own a phone with Internet capabilities, which ensures that the Internet is never far from my fingertips. I can always check my e-mail, check facebook, or look something up quickly on google. I use the internet for downloading music, watching online videos on sites such as youtube.com, for keeping in touch with my friends on facebook.com, tuenti.com (like a Spanish version of facebook), or through e-mail, for watching TV shows such as South Park online, and, most importantly, as a source of globally shared knowledge. If I ever have a question, there is at least a 95% chance that there is an online answer. The Internet has become an invaluable tool, aiding me in the pursuit of both work and greater knowledge, as well as in leisure time.

MEDIA PREFERENCE

1. Music
2. Internet
3. Computers
4. Books
5. Magazines
6. Television
7. Video Games