SchooBlog!

The Autumn of the Multitask

This article was very intriguing as it followed a catchy narrative line, yet also included some astounding facts about a process many of us take for granted. The long-time comparison between our human brain and a computer processor is an excellent one. Recently I learned that High Definition Video would be nearly impossible without the use of a multiple core processor that can handle both high quality video and sound at the same time. By forcing our single-core brains to do multiple, unrelated tasks we ask for nothing but trouble. Like a computer if we push ourselves to hard by opening to many programs at once we should know what to expect. The simple term used in the article “bottlenecking” is also used quite frequently used in the video and computer industry when processors or network switches become overloaded. Like with a human, the hardware becomes overwhelmed and the flow of traffic is immediately interrupted.
I was surprised to see that nothing is said about the alternatives to multitasking such as planning ahead, managing time wisely, and not over committing one’s self. As a country we also face the multitasking dilemma. Its obvious to me that the term “The Attention-Deficit Recession” used in the article applies quite nicely to the current national state of affairs. Many of us are to busy getting not enough done to become involved politically or even with our own community. Multitasking works like a Swiss Army knife, it’ll get the job done but when it comes to being truly productive it just doesn’t cut it.

Rome Exhibits

Viewing artifacts that are thousands of years old and come from a completely different culture has a very subtle effect on one’s appearance of them. Because of our materialistic nature we often take time to notice the precise craftsmanship or the value of an object but neglect its true meaning and context. When analyzing Material Culture it becomes clear, “The common assumption underlying material culture research is that objects made or modified by humans, consciously or unconsciously, directly or indirectly, reflect the belief patterns of individuals who made, commissioned, purchased, or used them, and, by extension, the belief patterns of the larger society of which they are a part.” (Schlereth 2) For this reason it is imperative that we take a closer look at how the objects are produced, used and idealized so that we can gain a genuine perspective on day-to-day life. Fortunately the exhibits from the Louve included some very detailed background about Greek and Roman cultural practices that would have been hard to visually extract without having a background in cultural art.
The first object that seemed to stand out as an easily understandable cultural icon was a Military Diploma from 221 A.D. Diplomas were always awarded by the emperor and consisted of two bronze slates welded together with tin and bound by cords. Because of the importance of authenticity, one external side of the slates was engraved with the names and seals of seven Roman citizens who had witnessed the ceremony while the other side contained the name of the recipient. If broken apart the interior was to reveal the main text of the diploma however it was often truncated or only partially engraved. The ramifications of the document were not only monetary but also inherently decided your social class somewhat like a modern day degree from a university. If you joined the military as a non-citizen, receiving a military diploma would entitle you to citizenship. The informative value of documents such as a Military Diploma that simply speak for themselves is fascinating considering they provide written clues about social structure. From this object we could speculate that the Romans placed a high priority on authenticity but when we look closer and notice that the text is truncated we might assume that so many people were receiving them that they lost their authenticity. One aspect that seems to go unquestioned however is the importance of the military to the Romans. The Roman expression “Domi Militiaeque” means “at home and on the battlefield” and from what one of the placards said all Roman citizens were involved with the military during their lifetime.
Sarcophagi also played a symbolic role in the culture of Rome and Greece. Often they were purchased without any inscriptions and then custom engraved for the family or individual. One particular display consisted of fragments of a Marble Sarcophagi inscribed with two theatrical scenes, comic and tragic theater.  The deceased most likely a teacher, poet, or well-rounded actor, was undoubtedly an intellectual, culturally involved member of society. Because of the date of this piece, the 2nd quarter of the 3rd century A.D., according to the placard we can infer that the deceased was most likely involved in the popular, and somewhat crude comedy of the time yet I would imagine the individual was well respected. Although there are only small fragments left of this 18 centuries old sarcophagi its clear that it was inscribed flawlessly, a job that must have been more common than it is today considering the machinery now used. One aspect of this that seems to be undocumented is whether or not professional carving and designing of sarcophagi was strictly a man’s job or if women were involved in it also. Another question I had was how we know that tragic and comic theater was depicted. To me it just looks like two plump men with grumpy faces and long robes.
The only object there I thought I truly would love to take home was a marble Candelabrum from according to the placard, the 2nd or the 4th century A.D. Unfortunately only the base (approx. two feet tall) was found in a Syrian sanctuary on the Janiculum Hill. This excavation site consisted of at least two different temples built to worship the Syrian God Juppiter Heliopolitanus. (Temporini & Haase, 594) The top section, which was built more recently seemed to be of slightly lesser quality than the solid marble, triangular bottom. Inscribed on the lower section are three different gods, the sun god, the moon goddess, and the galloping bull. The placard stated that these are the three principle deities of the Syrian Pantheon. It also defined candelabrum as being relatively popular in civic, religious and private settings and usually placed in gardens. What I really liked about the candelabrum was its elements of symmetry, triangular base, and the galloping bull on the side. In my eyes this made it a powerful symbol of the Roman Empire because it depicts the day (sun god), the night (moon goddess), fertility (galloping bull), and order (symmetry).
As a whole the various exhibits gave me the sense that the Romans were a very technologically and philosophically advanced culture and that many of their daily activities such as work and school are comparable to those of today. The way the Romans worshipped the various gods also reminds me of how people worship celebrities and musicians. Large events such as chariot and horse races, gladiator events, and theatrical performances have gotten slightly less brutal but otherwise have changed very little. Romans bet on horses, worshipped charioteers, gladiators, and philosophers, and magistrates and emperors funded events for political gain and popularity. One key difference is that according to one of the placards, 10% of the empire’s population was slaves; this invariably caused for cheap labor, a clear advantage in terms of building an empire.
While viewing the exhibits I was surprised to see very few cell phones out even though they are not allowed. There were a few different middle school classes there at the same time and I noticed a couple of the kids just couldn’t keep it in their pocket. Much like drivers who talk on their phone while on the interstate, some people where walking around listening to the information hearing device and not looking where they were going. As I slowly wandered around, bumping into people here and there it was evident that the other museum visitors were culturally diverse; just as I would expect in Seattle nearly every minority and subculture was represented. Altogether this experience was very enlightening; I studied Greek culture in middle school and all I remembered was that they worshipped some ridiculous gods. This writing intensive trip to the museum sparked some new interest and was a very practical approach to understanding mass culture and media.

Works Cited:
Schlereth, Thomas. Material Culture Studies in America. Nashville: American Association for State and Local History, 1982.
<http://academic.reed.edu/humanities/110tech/MaterialCulture.htm>.

Temporini, Hildegard, and Wolfgang Haase. Aufstieg Und Niedergang Der RöMischen Welt. Berlin: Walter De Gruyter, 1978. 08 May 2008 <http://books.google.com/books?id=pYA4Zy8_Uu4C&pg=PA594&lpg=PA594&dq=Syrian+sanctuary+Janiculum+Hill&source=web&ots=DoVubY_8LP&sig=k5qPMNjsuLQZN1Zt70VZYCgOLy8&hl=en>.

Media Journal Paper

In my life media has undoubtedly become something I have a hard time living without. Whether its texting a friend about where we should meet for lunch or previewing a new release we just received at work, I find myself being influenced by media every hour I spend awake. While this may not be shocking, I do find it surprising how many people have the same routines I do. We get up in the morning to the alarms on our cells phones (if not an early morning phone call or text).  Then we hop on a bus lined with ads and read our various forms of media while we listen to another form of media. Some of us go to a job where our main purpose is to deliver media. We often go to bars and restaurants that have a plasma screen in the corner. When we get home we turn on our television or get on the internet to check up on what our friends are up to.  Then finally at the end of the day again we turn to some form of media to fall asleep to. I may not be old enough to remember a time we didn’t have this kind of access to media but I do know I would be a different person without it.
There are many themes that seem to be evident in the media I have read, watched and listened to. As a rule, I always stay away from reality shows, crime scene /murder mysteries, and game shows. Other than school texts and the occasional newspaper article, I don’t read printed materials unless someone nags me for sometime about one. I also stay away from country music and professional sports except for Hockey. Within these boundaries my preferred media themes are determined by many factors including season, mood, other forms of media I’m absorbing at the same time (multitasking), and what’s available. When it comes to television I either am in learning mode (Discovery, History, and sometimes the Travel channel), in the mood for comedy (Family Guy, Simpson’s, the  Office, and the occasional stand-up comedian) or during the few months that Hockey is on I watch that. Often times the TV is only a background object unless someone is watching it with me and it’s something I really like. This is also true for many movies I watch; because I work for a company with large media reserves I catch myself popping in the latest box office hit and then sitting at my desk watching every other minute of it while I work. The recent article on multitasking caught me dead in my tracks as I sat reading at work with The Darjeeling Limited playing and a constant flow of text messages from my girlfriend!
Corporate American is swarming with media, making it incredibly hard to focus on any one thing long enough to care. Seldom do I watch or listen to American news stations, but when I do it’s nothing short of useless. To understand a specific topic you have to know it’s background, progress, and current status; without one of these key elements the story is incomplete and is therefore only a piece of the larger puzzle. Sometimes when I watch hockey the Canadian news (CBC) will come on and recently it has begun to intrigue me. CBC News: The National is on from 10-11pm (unless there’s a hockey game) covering important global news stories in much greater depth than any news station here in the states including CNN. While it may just be the simple fact that its not American, the Canadian news seems to be much more realistic and less dramatized.
I would compare the amount of time I am fully disconnected from every form of media to the amount of time a fish spends above water. While I may not be gasping for air I do catch myself nervously checking (or at least thinking about) my phone unless it rings all the time. Other times I screen calls I deem to be “unimportant.” On the occasion that I am actually unreachable such as when I’m in class, Snowboarding, Back-Woods Camping, or playing Hockey I feel I am capable of being unplugged, but just like a battery I need my media to recharge. Upon returning to the “network” I immediately feel the need to find out what is going on outside my close proximity.
When I first got a cell phone (I think it was eighth grade) my Mom refused to have anything to do with it so I paid my own bill with money I earned mowing lawns. This kept me out of trouble when it came to my parents continually harassing me about “being glued to it.” Once the newness wore off and I had paid off some expensive bills they realized they had in fact raised a descent kid except for the times they caught me playing Tetris in church! I’ll admit though, I still feel proud of myself when I can sit down to a nice meal and have drinks afterwards without thinking about my phone or computer. One thing that has helped tremendously is putting my phone on silent while I’m at work, school, or just don’t want to be disturbed. Also I learned a lesson when I used to work at Walmart; customers would continually ask me questions and then not listen to my reply while trying to talk to someone else on the phone. Now whenever I find myself in this position I immediately walk away unless it is someone important or they hang up their phone. Fortunately I am also very flexible with my other forms of media consumption. I prefer to listen to music, watch TV, or surf the Internet when I’m by myself but I’m perfectly content having a nice conversation if I have people over. We often sit and play cards or BBQ without ever turning on a TV.
While logging my consumption there was little that surprised me other than the fact that I am relatively strict about what I willfully consume. As I compare my experiences with media to those around me, its help me realize how important it is for children to learn to play outside instead of constantly sitting in front of a talking box. Like everyone else who lives in an urban environment, my daily paths are cluttered with advertisements. When I want to sit down and relax the last thing I want is to be fed more ads. Lucky for me my computer records the shows I want, removes the ads, and I can watch them on my laptop or TV at my leisure without all the garbage. Just like being able to put my phone on silent, this reinforces the idea that I am almost completely in control of the incredible amount of media I consume.