Consequences of Technological Inventions

There are so many movies out that are based on the creation of technologies and the destruction it causes the world such as Eagle Eye and I Robot, but the biggest one till this day is Terminator. These films and others that are similar to this plot represent the discoveries and inventions of technology that all lead to the destruction of the world. Once, humans start tampering with technology and they create something that they could never keep contained and the technologies being created start to take over. With exciting action packed, suspenseful plots that these movies have, we can’t help but wonder if these fiction based plots could actually become a reality. Many things that are shown through movies with the creation of robots as machines to do the job that humans were once used for are actually being done today. The only thing we have not seen is the destruction that machines can cause on this Earth. However, that does not mean it could never happen. I am not saying that a scenario like Terminator could actually happen, however if we tamper with things that we really do not know much about, we may not truly consider the effects it may cause. I think that the government and scientist should watch the things they do because inventions such as time travel and robots that think and work like humans, may have consequences that we just may not be able to handle.

The Eiteljorg Museum

Last year I went to visit the Eiteljorg Museum downtown which contains American Indian and Western Art. I thought that the museum was very educational and interesting. It had a lot of cultural elements such as biographies, stories, facts, photographs, pottery, clothes, jewelry, and tools that was a part of the Native American heritage. I did a little research on the Eiteljorg Museum and I noticed that the museum opened in 1989. It was interesting to me that when I was a child; the schools I attended had never taken a field trip there. I thought that this museum would make a perfect trip for students from grades 7 and up. Visiting the museum really gave me a true insight into the Native American culture verses just reading about it in a history book. I think that this museum would appeal to students because you get a better understanding of Native American culture as a whole and the items in the museum are very interesting. Native Americans were very insightful and creative and you see that within the museum. I think that schools should take field trips to the Eiteljorg Museum because it gives you the experience of another culture. As diverse as the United States is now, we have to be diverse in the knowledge of our culture as well as others. A textbook does no justice as oppose to actually going to see artifacts and the real images of another culture.


Website: http://www.eiteljorg.org/default.asp

Effects of Subliminal Messages

I was reading an article about subliminal messages in Disney movies and it was quite funny. The definition of subliminal messages is, visual or audible messages shown in a way that prevents the conscious mind from recognizing them. http://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.religioustolerance.org/gl_s1.htm&ei=ZFgoS4_0H5GMNvzB7IsM&sa=X&oi=define&ct=&cd=1&ved=0CAcQpAMoAg&usg=AFQjCNEwt91pt2r2YDQoULfEN_Xfla34vQ. These messages can be hidden through a film, on CD’s, or tapes. Subliminal messages have even been in some of the classic films such as, The Rescuers, The Little Mermaid, and The Lion King. The Subliminal messages hidden into the film are actually sexual messages which are either words, pictures, or a something said into the film. For example in Aladdin, it is said that one of the characters whispers, “Good teenagers take their clothes off.” On the cover of The Little Mermaid, there is a shaft of a penis that is part of the castle. In a scene in the movie The Rescuers, there is a naked woman in the background. In a scene in The Lion King, the word sex appears in the sky. Sexual subliminal messages are said to rise up ratings in viewing and ever since Disney has been running, the movies have always been successful. The directors, writers, and employees, responsible for the obscene messages were fired. This goes to show that when you are in the workforce and u try to be successful by scheming customers, it will probably come back to bite you. I am pretty sure the whole Disney Company was responsible for these doings but to save themselves, they just fired people that created the messages. Taking risk to gain company popularity and money may not have sacrificed Disney itself, but it sacrificed many jobs of employees.

Image Sources:http://images-cdn01.associatedcontent.com/300_0000008844_0000012155.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2335/2228093740_bf8bce67a4.jpg

http://www.kazeh.net/ps/images/lion_king.jpg

Talent People Show in Design

While browsing on Facebook I was shocked to see how many people have a talent in web design, graphic design, Photoshop, photography, and many other design interfaces. Some individuals had either taken courses in these design programs, learned them through tutorials, or they taught themselves how to do it. The amazing thing is that most of these people do them just for fun and as a hobby. This just shows how much creativity certain people have that they may not realize they could easily get a job with. If I were a manager of a company I would probably surf the internet for skills of these certain types of individual and see if they are qualified. Today in society people use the internet now to express themselves and show off their skills. A person can make a design portfolio just by adding work that they have done on their own time. Being able to teach and direct your own work and have it be successful is what true talent is. Many students cannot even perform or create something without having guidelines or instructions for every little thing from someone else. Being able to create something free form or taking direction after a project has been given takes a lot of work. If it is done successfully then that is a great accomplishment and it shows true talent.

Taking Advantage of Online Tutorials

There are so many tutorials for many graphic design programs that teach people how to use the software. I was looking on YouTube and there are many videos available that are easy to follow and quite educating. About any program you can think of was available online, such as Photoshop, InDesign, Illustrator, Dreamweaver, Flash, and Fireworks. For each video there were countless numbers that were available online that teach about anything you would like to know. The videos show you step by step instructions on how to create, fix, or enhance something through these programs. I think that having these programs available for free online, it should be taken advantage of. In class we learn a certain extent of information on these types of programs; but it is up to us to go above and beyond what we have learned. If we are really passionate about learning the crafts of design then we have to take time outside of class to learn much more. In class instructors will only supply us with the beginning tools. With the availability of tutorial videos online, there is no excuse as to why we should not self-educate to enhance our own design skills.

A Graphic Design

This design is a really cool design to me because of the overall look of it. The creator used it as a design for a header in a website. This design was done in a program called Cinema 4D and Photoshop. This design caught my eye because I am a big fan of Photoshop. I just began working with Photoshop this semester and I must say that I am a true amateur of the program. Cinema 4D, I haven’t even used before. Designs like this just remind of the neat and creative things you can do with programs like these. Although I really do not know what this design is suppose to be of besides the different continents, it is still very pleasing to the eye. Being able to create something that may not have a clear meaning but is pleasing to the eye is a successful design to me because people are going to notice it anyways. That is the beauty about designs as opposed to other forms of information such as writing. A design can be about anything and look like anything and does not have to make sense at all. Contrary to what designers may want you to think of their design, designs are meant to be interpreted however the viewer wants. Some designs are just interpreted as a form of beauty and this design is an example.
Image Source:http://www.latentstrength.com/

Good/Bad Web Design

This is a screen shot of a website design made for a coffee retailer. This image was made in Photoshop, Flash, Cinema 4D, and Fireworks. I think that this web design has a very good layout because all of the visual elements are present. There is visual hierarchy with the different fonts used and colors to distinguish the headings. The color usage of the browns, olds, and reds go with the theme of coffee so that it is not confusing. The navigation and links to the other web pages are clear and set off to the side. The page is very clean and sleek looking. It kind of has a soft, subtle, and cozy feel to the site. This also adds to one of the feelings coffee can give someone. The coffee product is called Crown Coffee and it is included into the photo. The total look of the web design sets off the name of Crown Coffee because everything looks elegant and has a royal look to it. The only thing I would change in this design is the long paragraphs that are on the page. I’m not too sure if this is the home page or maybe the about. Regardless, this is way too much information to be piled onto one page. I think that the information about the product could be written in fewer words just touching on the main points being made. Even though all of the information on the right side of the page, I do feel that it is balanced out because there are graphic designs to the left. I would still change the amount of information to keep the viewer’s interest and only share the main points so it won’t look like they are reading a paper.

Image Source:http://www.latentstrength.com/