WRIT 372: September 18th Post

So, I’ve done a little digging and came across dark matter. More specifically its recent use in imaging the universe like never before, in the aims of discovering why our universe keeps expanding. Dark matter and its affects on our universe, truly represent the forefront of human exploration. 

So far, I haven’t found a subject expert on this topic, but I will keep searching because the information they may be able to provide will prove crucial in developing an interesting and accurate article.

BTW if you don’t know what dark matter is, besides the stuff in your toilet, you’d be surprised to know it is the most abundant “stuff” in our universe. It came from the Big Bang (to the best of our knowledge) and it is suspected that dark matter is what is causing the universe to exponentially expand. Why does that matter? To put it short, we can’t explain why galaxies are separating at an ever-growing rate. Dark matter could be to blame. At this rate of expansion the universe will literally freeze to death and break apart into an unimaginably humongous cloud of atoms. Interesting stuff, if you ask me.   

Perhaps I will have to narrow my focus a bit, but I would love to do our next assignment on this subject!

ENGL 450: September 17th Post

There were multiple instances where Obama used different forms of rhetoric in his DNC speech earlier this month. It’s very cool to see different subjects that are covered in Aristotle’s Rhetoric used in presidential campaigns.

I noticed some of Aristotle’s tools being used in Obama’s speech when he stated, “On every issue, the choice you face won’t be just between two candidates or two parties. It will be a choice between two different paths for America. A choice between two fundamentally different visions for the future.” I found this interesting because it reminded me of an enthymeme which can be used by deriving influence from particular topics. In this case I believe Obama could be using the idea that we really only have two choices, to make people worry and want to fall back on the person who has been president for four years. This also reminds me of pathos and how Obama may be playing on the emotions of American voters by reminding them of how much decisive power they really have in our future.

Pisteis=ethos (character of speaker) + pathos (disposition of listener) + logos (showing: logical demonstration)
Rhetoric is offshoot of dialectic + ethics = politics

I like how the above equation works, because Obamas speech can be plugged into it perfectly. The character of the speaker was strong as a lot of people like Obama because of him, not just his politics. Then pathos is plugged in, which in this case can be seen as the American voter, who is under a lot of stress as a lot is riding on the line. Obama provides the logic: “But know this, America: Our problems can be solved. Our challenges can be met. The path we offer may be harder, but it leads to a better place. And I’m asking you to choose that future. I’m asking you to rally around a set of goals for your country – goals in manufacturing, energy, education, national security, and the deficit; a real, achievable plan that will lead to new jobs, more opportunity, and rebuild this economy on a stronger foundation. That’s what we can do in the next four years, and that’s why I’m running for a second term as President of the United States.”

Not only does Obama provide the ethos and pathos, he also provides the logos. This combination produces a very convincing argument. It will be interesting to see how both candidates use elements from Aristotle to discuss different topics at hand.

WRIT 372: September 11th Post

Could babies be smarter than fully-grown adults? It’s surprising, but in ways they are! Their motor skills may not be up to spec, but their linguistic capabilities are off the charts. Many little babies, like the one shown below, we’re strapped up to an electroencephalography (EEG) machine and presented with different sets of vowels, the majority in correct order, but a few were incorrect. Similarly, adults were hooked up to the EEG machine and presented with the exact same tests; they were admittedly not as stylish though.

For nearly 20 minutes, scientists played audible sets of syllables such as “le-wi-bu” which can be derived from “The boy always smiles”. They would also mix-it-up by making the pairs of syllables incorrect, such as “le-wi-to”. Amazingly, babies were able to detect these rule violations at a rate higher than adults. Adults had to be prompted to look for dependencies between the syllables at hand to even have a chance to keep up with the babies.    

Researchers agreed this automatic recognition ability, babies use, is lost early on. Thus explaining why the adults struggled exponentially more than the babies, because adults have to search and be alerted to what they’re looking for, while babies can automatically detect discrepancies in linguistics.

http://www.mpg.de/6340865/babies_language-learning

ENGL 450: September 10th Post

“But when all is said and done – when you pick up that ballot to vote – you will face the clearest choice of any time in a generation. Over the next few years, big decisions will be made in Washington, on jobs and the economy; taxes and deficits; energy and education; war and peace – decisions that will have a huge impact on our lives and our children’s lives for decades to come.

“On every issue, the choice you face won’t be just between two candidates or two parties.
“It will be a choice between two different paths for America.
“A choice between two fundamentally different visions for the future.
“I won’t pretend the path I’m offering is quick or easy. I never have. You didn’t elect me to tell you what you wanted to hear. You elected me to tell you the truth. And the truth is, it will take more than a few years for us to solve challenges that have built up over decades. It will require common effort, shared responsibility, and the kind of bold, persistent experimentation that Franklin Roosevelt pursued during the only crisis worse than this one. And by the way – those of us who carry on his party’s legacy should remember that not every problem can be remedied with another government program or dictate from Washington.

“But know this, America: Our problems can be solved. Our challenges can be met. The path we offer may be harder, but it leads to a better place. And I’m asking you to choose that future. I’m asking you to rally around a set of goals for your country – goals in manufacturing, energy, education, national security, and the deficit; a real, achievable plan that will lead to new jobs, more opportunity, and rebuild this economy on a stronger foundation. That’s what we can do in the next four years, and that’s why I’m running for a second term as President of the United States.”

-Barack Obama, DNC re-election speech

I found this interesting because I can see different elements of rhetoric being engrained into the speech. "It will be a choice between two different paths for America." This quote perfectly setups up a foundation for the use of rhetoric in the coming months, it will be interesting to see how it is used as we approach the election date. The next line reads "A choice between two fundamentally different visions for the future", which equates to a perfect scenario for rhetoric because of such opposing sides. And, it all adds up to a jab at the other candidate.  

ENGL 450: Intro and Questions about Gorgias Text

Introductions via text are so awkward. I think it’s hard to learn what a person is really like over a medium that hides the person behind a computer screen, but that’s what being a writer is, right?

Anyway, I’m Matt and as others are in this class I am also a Writing Major. Much like Carson, I just love to write and create!

I started off at MSU as a Snow Science Major, and then moved to being an Environmental Science Major. Honestly I became sick of regurgitating information back onto tests week after week, it got old! To be honest, my dream would be to become some sort of meteorologist, but as I move more and more away from the sciences that dream seems to be dwindling more every day.

Like Carson, I do have a large interest in the sciences. But if anything that just fuels my desire to write more about what I love!

-SOCRATES: Well then, I say to you that here are two questions in one, and I will answer both of them. And I tell you, Polus, that rhetoricians and tyrants have the least possible power in states, as I was just now saying; for they do literally nothing which they will, but only what they think best.

Why does Socrates clump both rhetoricians and tyrants into the same group? What does Socrates mean by “least possible power in states”? Does this still relate to todays politicians?

WRIT 372: Current Science, Blog 2

Quickly, I was submerged in the wonders of science during the first year and a half I spent at Montana State University. I have always had a love for the sciences ever since elementary school, it just happened my love for writing edged out science. Even though I’m no longer a science major, I still have multiple sources where I can keep up-to-date on all the new science findings. To me science is the forefront of mankind; it drives us forward, and ultimately will determine our longevity on this small round rock.

Michio Kaku is synonymous with science, he was a protégé of Albert Einstein and is continuing many of Einstein’s uncompleted projects. I am currently reading one of his books titled “Physics of the Impossible”, where Kaku clumps together future technology into three different groups, ranging from possible in the next ten years to possible in the next 1000 years. He goes into depth about force fields and how we can expect them within 100 years, and he actually goes into the science behind making them work. From A.I. to wormhole travel Kaku’s book covers the bases for anything science.

For more multi-mediaish sources, Netflix has a show called “The Universe” that is narrated by Neil deGrasse Tyson, another pioneer of the current science front. He covers new science findings on Mars, and also flirts with the ideas of finding new “Earth-like” planets floating around in the Universe. The way all the information is displayed in each episode can be a bit easier to swallow, than reading through 1000 page textbooks to find out the information for your self.

I also use the site PopularScience.com to keep up with new Science findings; the articles are accurate, credible, and well written. For a more humorous venue, I use the site Cracked.com. Obliviously, they cover more than just science stuff, but when they do usually the information is interesting and pertinent. And humor makes everything more interesting, at least to me.

http://www.cracked.com/article_16583_the-5-scientific-experiments-most-likely-to-end-world.html This URL will take you to one of the Cracked.com articles that deals with science, I found it extremely interesting.

If I were able to cover anything of my choosing this semester, I would love to research planets orbiting other stars in the universe. I know we have found 200+ Jupiter sized planets that orbit their own stars. I also know how they find these planets, by looking for a noticeable wobble in the stars, but this method doesn’t work for smaller “earthlike” planets. So, I would love to research more current findings, and hopefully we can find another Earth soon!

            

That topic is just the tip of the iceberg, so to say, in terms of my interests in different science related topics. I’m really going to enjoy this class!