Tools That Change the Way We Think
The internet/media/technology dictate the way we think. Our thinking is not as personalized as we assume. Referring back to the Ted talk that we watched early in the week, the presenter said that his Facebook wall deleted all the conservative posts and replaced them with only liberal posts. This is unfortunate because the presenter was liberal and all he saw was liberal posts which makes him infer that everyone must be a liberal. This isn't true but this is what happens when someone only gets half the story, they think that everyone agrees with them and that society isn't as diverse in ideas and beliefs as we thought.
Technology to us is what fire was to a caveman. The caveman could survive without the fire, however, they believed they could not because it did everything for them. It kept them warm when they were cold and it cooked their food when they were hungry. Sometimes we use it for pointless things. For example, What is the weather going to be like today? Go outside and check for yourself, don't Google it. On the other hand, the internet is not such a bad thing after all, it is not like it is a drug or anything, or is it?

Notes on Hamlet
Alot has occured in Hamlet since Act I. Hamlet has concluded through proof and observation that the ghost was telling the truth and that King Claudius is responsible for the murder of Hamlet Sr. Hamlet is acting mad as ever, however, King Claudius is unconvinced. Polonius has been killed by Hamlet who does not feel bad for killing him because he thought of Polonius as a rat and he deserved to die, however, at first Hamlet believed that he killed King Claudius. I am starting to believe that Hamlet is partly mad because only he can see the ghost. I have read the whole play already so for those who haven't read it, I am going to hold my voice for now. *cough "Everyone dies." :)

Who was Shakespeare?
William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language. His early plays were mainly comedies and histories, genres he raised to the peak of sophistication and artistry by the end of the 16th century. He then wrote mainly tragedies until about 1608, including Hamlet, King Lear, Othello, and Macbeth, considered some of the finest works in the English language. In his last phase, he wrote tragicomedies, also known as romances, and collaborated with other playwrights (For the above infromation I used Google and Wikipedia). How did Shakespeare die? Are Shakespeare's works written in Old English? Was Shakespeare gay? These questions have all been raised an have yet to be answered. (Again I used Google to find these questions, Shakespeare Questions). Shakespeare is one of the authors that students quiver at with just the mention of his name. His style and diction is very difficult to understand and to most students it looks like gibberish and that is why they give up so easily when they are told that they are going to have to read one of his plays. Shakespeare has become more manageable over time because I have been exposed to his works multiple time. I wouldn't say it has become easier but, it is more familiar and understandable. Overall, I have developed a new found pleasure in Shakespeare at times but, their are always moments of me wanting to stab myself when reading bland and numbing parts of his works.

To Facebook or Not to Facebook?
When I first started using Facebook I thought it was a cool way to keep in touch with old colleagues and friends that lived far away. It was fun and addicting at first but, then it was constantly being updated that it no longer felt like Facebook. Due to Facebook, talking to friends is simple and rudimentary. Another benefit from using Facebook is that it allows me to communicate with my friends so we can do homework and projects together in an easy and efficient manner. After reading the article "Why Facebook is after your kids" my mindset didn't really change towards Facebook. Much of the information in the article I already knew or predicted would happen eventually. For example, kids who are under the age of 13 using Facebook know that they are putting themselves in harm's way by indicating that they are over 13 just so they can be cool like all their friends.

Vocab Sentences #9
I had to redo my experiment because my first experiment was abortive.
People, US, and other celebrity magazines are known for bruiting.
The jester was killed by the king because he was acting contumeliously.
The president made a dictum based on the Libyan revolution.
The Europeans ensconced their homeland as Europe.
Athiests are iconoclastic towards other religions.
It is rare to see in medias res nowadays.
The political campaign of 2012 can be considered internecine.
People that are maladroit should not go to furniture stores.
The drunk construction worker was maudlin after his wife died.
Parents modulate their children's beliefs to match their own.
Hamlet bestowed a portentous defeat upon King Claudius.
Psychics are known to be masters in the art or science of prescience.
Julian owed me a quid pro quo because I bought him ice cream yesterday.
Body builders have to be salubrious or else they can't be body builders.
Saturnalia was a significant festival in ancient Rome.
Every baking competition has a touchstone.
After, the kid's parents died in a car accident he became traumatized by cars.
If you don't eat the avocado while it is ripe it will vitiate.
Elementary students play duck-duck-goose in a waggish manner.

Vocab List #9
Abortive: failing to produce the intended result
Bruit: spread a report or rumor widely
Contumelious: scornful and insulting behavior
Dictum: a formal pronouncement from an authoritative source; a short statement that expresses a general truth or principle
Ensconce: establish or settle
Iconoclastic: characterized by attack on established beliefs or institutions
In medias res: a narrative that begins somewhere in the middle of a story rather than the beginning
Internecine: destructive to both sides in a conflict
Maladroit: ineffective or bungling; clumsy
Maudlin: self-pitying or tearfully sentimental, often through drunkenness
Modulate: exert a modifying or controlling influence on
Portentous: of or like a portent; done in a pompously or overly solemn manner
Prescience: the power to foresee the future
Quid pro quo: a favor or advantage granted in return for something
Salubrious: health-giving, healthy; pleasant, not run-down
Saturnalia: the ancient Roman festival of Saturn in December; an occasion of wild revelry
Touchstone: a standard or criterion by which something is judged or recognized
Traumatic: emotionally disturbing or distressing; relating to or causing psychological trauma
Vitiate: spoil or impair the quality or efficiency of; destroy or impair the legal validity of.
Waggish: humorous in a playful, mischievous, or facetious manner

Remix of Hamlet Act I-III

The following memes summarize key events from Act I-III and some are just for fun. I left out spoilers for those who haven't read the whole play.

Read memes from left to right. Sorry for the inconvenience, I am still getting used to the blog. If someone knows how to format images in blog posts, please comment below. Thank you.

 

 

Just for comedic purposes: