The link for Emily:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bSGTa07ByPM

For the documentary I named "Emily," there were many choices that I had to make that affected my documentary and made it into something that I wanted the audience to see. For my original topic, I was somewhat limited because it was difficult to find subjects. My original idea for my documentary was to create an  film about the troubles that girls in our society in America are struggling with  eating disorders. Not only that, but I wanted to connect that part of my topic with the idea of how the internet, or Pinterest, can shape the ideas of people with eating disorders. It was difficult for me to find subjects for the topic as I only actually know three girls who have eating disorders and found inspiration to continue with their eating disorder through the internet. It was even more difficult to find girls who actually used Pinterest. The subjects that I knew of mainly used Tumblr and one of them used Myspace back in the day. I also knew of other girls, but I was positive that they didn't realize that I knew and it would have been an uncomfortable situation for me to approach them about their eating disorder.
I chose to shadow my only subject, Emily, because she was uncomfortable and embarrassed with being documented as having these problems. It's obviously a very weak point for her in her life. I also chose to shoot the car scenes at night, since eating disorders are a dark subject, and it still effectively gives a mysterious shadow to Emily. I think I effectively shadowed her, but I also think I let you get a little glimpse of her as well, as it isn't as interesting to just be listening to a shadow talk. I shot Emily sitting in just the arm chair because I was hoping to make her seem somewhat isolated, because she is kind of alone in her life with her eating disorder, physically… But she also has the internet and the friends that she made online. I like to think that the arm chair shows isolation, but also comfort.
If I had another month to work on this project, I would have shot the scenes differently. By differently, I mean that I would have shot my scenese in more locations, I would have done more takes and I would have tried to reach out to more subjects. I also would have tried to find or create the perfect music to go along with my documentary to better set the mood. I was somewhat disapointed with how the scenes of Emily in the arm chair turned out. I filmed those scenes with my MacBook's webcam and I filmed the car scenes with the Canon camera I rented from the library. The cameras have two different frame rates, and I had to tweak the frame rates of the chair scene for some reason for it to work with the car scenes, so in turn, the chair scene looks choppy. If I had another month, I would also try to work on transitions more. I was disappointed with how my transitions turned out, but it was difficult to create something a little bit smoother with iMovie, especially since the frame rates of the scenes were different.

Shooting Script:

As I'm looking at my calendar, I think I might start shooting next Monday. I have definitely 2 maybe 3 possible subjects so far that I know of that I'm going to shoot. It's kind of a challenge to find people to shoot since my topic is based on thinspiration on Pinterest associated with eating disorders. However, my subjects don't exactly use Pinterest as their main outlet for thinspiration. My oldest subject used thinspiration back when myspace was big. My two other subjects mostly use Tumblr. Although they don't really use Pinterest as their main outlet, they do know that Pinterest does inspire thinspiration and I want to use them mostly to talk about how thinspiration affects/has affected them in their lives. I also want them to explain what it is and how they use it. I do have a few questions, but they're mostly just backups when I there might be a moment when they are done talking and I don't have anything to come up with.

My main subject and my one possible other subject I'm planning on filming week or next thanksgiving week. It depends on their work schedules. I want to try to check out the camera once, but since I want to film over thanksgiving, I might have to check it out twice. Since I have my meeting with you on Wednesday 11/14 I think I'm going to try to film my filler shots and at least one interview. My third subject lives in South Carolina right now so I'm planning on trying to film her during Thanksgiving break.

Other than the filming schedule, here are some of the questions I plan on asking:

• When did your eating disorder start?
• What triggered your eating disorder?
• How did the internet/Pinterest enable your eating disorder?
• What were thoughts you had during the worst part of your ED?
• How did you come to find out about thinspiration?
• Did you keep it a secret?
• Were you able to get help?

I know it was said to try and make my subjects feel comfortable so I'm thinking about filming them at one of the subjects home. Two of them live in the same house and the third I think will be okay with the location. This is subject to change of course.

For my proposal for my Pinterest related documentary, I've decided to focus on the topic of Thinspiration on Pinterest and how it affects people and can open up a world of eating disorders. I've chosen this topic because it has affected my best friend and other people that I know well in my life. If you are wondering what Thinspiration is… It's basically a combination of the words "thin" and "inspiration." Thinspiration. Another word for thinspiration is "thinspo," which is basically just an abbreviation of thinspiration.  I'll use the names interchangeably Thinspiration is the inspiration to become thinner. To clarify: thinspiration is usually defined as a image of a really fit or thin person. Someone with the body that you might want. Thinspiration could also be images of girls who were the extreme opposite of what you would want to be, for example, girls who might be extremely overweight. Those images are supposed to scare you into not being like what they might be. Another known way for one to create thinspiration for themselves would be to keep a photograph journal containing pictures of your body. Sometimes that's enough to keep one going.  Thinspiration could be inspiration to keep up perhaps your fitness routine, your diet, or to continue your eating disorder. I think thinspo creates a really unrealistic goal for people, because when you have an eating disorder, it seems like you can't be satisfied. I feel like when you have an eating disorder, you have it because you have a goal you want to get to, but when you reach your desired weight… It might end up not being good enough, and you might not get the outcome you desired, so in turn, you might want to keep losing more weight.

Thinspiration also has a deeper context. It is something that many people with eating disorders use for encouragement in their efforts to become thinner.  My best friend has struggled with her eating disorder for 3 years now and it's affected us both us in extremely negatively ways. It kills me to see her struggle with her weight and I think thinspiration enables a lot of girls and guys alike to keep going with their eating disorder. Like I said, thinspo creates a huge gateway and driving force for people with eating disorders to keep going and stay inspired in a negative way. When you look at thinspo, the whole point is to look at it and hope to see yourself as they are. The way you get to it is usually in an extreme way. It could be through extreme exercising, which is exercising in an unhealthy way by not eating before working out or after, or working out for extreme amounts of time. Another way you might try to lose weight are also through the more "traditional" and well known ways of losing weight in an unhealthy way such as binge and purging, and extreme dieting. Thinspo is a really serious problem, and Pinterest has a huge market for it. Pinterest creates a greater outlet for the thinspiration to spread. However, I did read some articles on how Pinterest is trying to regulate thinspo boards and posts, but there is only so much you can do. If you have an eating disorder, removing all posts clearly labeled under "thinspo" won't be enough to stop thinspo posts and eating disorders from continuing. The posts will keep coming, there will just be another word for it and eating disorders will continue to happen.

P.S. Please don't grade this too harshly… I had a hard time processing thoughts properly when writing this. Long week.

This was an interesting documentary. It seemed to produce the outcome that most documentaries try to achieve. I was informed on a not extremely well known topic: people who live in underground abandoned subway tunnels. There were things that I liked and didn't necessarily love. For one, this documentary wasn't really relevant to me, so it moved me slightly… But I didn't feel a whole bunch of sympathy. I'm also not exactly a sympathetic person. Either way, the relevance wasn't connected to me. It's a completely different world and lifestyle that I am confident I will never experience. However, I did like the framing and the story boarding I guess is what you could call it… It focused not on just one person, but many. That's one thing I like about documentaries. Most of them that I've ever seen hardly focus on one character, unlike in a scripted program. This one focused on many characters, with different stories for me to follow. They all had a common situation, and it helped pull together a sense of their lifestyle and community better.

About the black and white… I can't say that I can read exactly why the producers decided to do it in black and white. One of my thoughts as to why they chose black and white would be that it was chosen because the documentary's name is called "Dark Days." Why is this relevant… Well, although it was definitely dark in the tunnels (obviously), I think the choice to go black and white made the shadows more prominent and emphasized the name and subject of the documentary. However, it also gave me a feeling of oldness, which I can't really decide if that was relevant to the story or not. Anything filmed in black and white just gives me that affect since I was born into a generation where color television has always existed in my life. I also think they chose black and white because it reminded me of blindness. Many of the tunnel dwellers were very set in their ways of living, which I definitely understand why (freedom and whatnot) but once they moved out of the tunnels, they realized that they had been missing out and almost couldn't believe they let themselves live down there for so long. In the tunnels, it's a very sad and lonely place. There isn't any sunlight, and so I'm sure that the only lighting they had was very bleak. The black and white coloring also emphasized a kind of black hole feeling. One, the were in a tunnel, which pretty effectively portrays a feeling of a black hole. Two, the black and white emphasized the feelings of hopelessness and feelings of despair that might have been caused since they felt like they couldn't leave that place.

I also noticed that they didn't often play music (if at all) until the very end, where everyone moved out and seemed elated to finally be out of the tunnels. I felt like that was the most prominent time that music was played. In my mind it kind of symbolized hope and happiness. Music is a huge form of entertainment, and I don't think the tunnels were bustling with many forms of entertainment. It seemed to open up hope that the characters could now enjoy their lives like they should, and it kind of made me happy after watching about an hour of sheer disgust at where/how they lived their lives.

Possible Documentary Topics

Not really sure if there is much to investigate about Pinterest but here are some possible topics:

Pinterest is dominated by females. Maybe I can do something along the lines of that.

Pinterest is a place for thinspiration, which is basically inspiration to become thin. It seems to encourage eating disorders.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=uAMEscPOtb4

When I watched this video, I questioned if this should even be an argument. I don't believe that anyone can look at a great video game and say, "hey this doesn't tell a story, nor is it art." But I can think of a dozen games that I've played, or even seen played that definitely tell a story and are incredibly beautiful. For example, on my iPhone, there are so many amazing games offered that appeal to a story line and my aesthetic senses. A few would be Contre Jour, Lost Winds and Sword & Sworcery. All three of those games are extremely aesthetically appealing, and I would consider myself an artistically thoughtful person. They also tell a story, and these are just games that are on my smartphone… There are countless games on other platforms that tell a wonderful story, and are extremely aesthetically pleasing/ just plain artistic. I find video games very appealing in the respect that I really enjoy being able to interact with a story in a manner that is only experienced with a video game.

I've always liked video games, and I would definitely not say that I'm a hardcore gamer. Games like Call of Duty and Battlefield don't really appeal to me. What really appeals to me, are stories that I can follow, such as many of the Mario games, but also more complicated games like Dark Souls that leave you to interpet the story for yourself. As far as the argument of  video games being able to tell a story better or worse than "classic" versions of artistic expressions, I couldn't really say that it is better or worse. Stories can be interpreted differently by everyone. That might be a reason why stories are so popular in human history. However, I do feel like video games give you less of an imagination of some sorts, concerning the environment and what the characters look like… But I also think that video games allow more imagination, because with some, you might be able to just throw yourself into the game and pretend as if you are the protagonist because you decide your interactions. In literature and film, you can't control the story, what happens happened because of no part on your end.

As far as which medium I prefer more, I would say that the more "classic" forms of storytelling appeal to me more. Video games are fun, but they are a challenge, and sometimes I really just want to stop thinking about the challenges I face ahead of me, in real life and in the video game, and just read or watch the challenges of the characters in a book and how they overcome their obstacles. When I read or watch stories instead of playing a video game,  I feel like I can use the methods that the characters in the book did or didn't use to overcome their obstacles in my own life.  In a video game, I am the one facing the obstacle, and sometimes I like my form of entertainment to be worry free.

For my song choices, I think I'm going to use "Heartbreaker" and "Broken Dreams Club," which are both by a band named Girls. I chose songs from the same artist because I feel as though it adds some unity. When I was kinda bummed in class, I was worried about picking two different songs making my essay sound messy. Instead hopefully it will be cohesive. I chose "Heartbreaker" because its relatively upbeat, like the first part of my essay, and "Broken Dreams Club" is much slower and somber compared to the first song. I also think that these songs won't be extremely distracting from my voice. These choices are subject to change...

Here are some links to listen, if you'd like.

Heartbreaker

and

Broken Dreams Club

As you can see, I've compiled 10 images for Lana Dey Rey's video called "Ride." These images are supposed to represent her video and tell a story. They arent in order… Sorry. Also, the way I had to position them sucked. Anyway, I chose these images because they tell a story about the men shes been with in the video. I think I can count four. However, I also chose pictures of her by herself out in the open desert on a tire swing, and also in an urban landscape, alone in both settings. In the video, it seems like shes quite lonely and has some sort of emptiness inside. She is then shown seemingly engaging in sexual relationships with various men. From my understanding and speculation, it seems like she is filling that emptiness and loneliness with the company of these men. I chose these images because it shows a contrast of what Lana's character is like when she's alone (in the desert and urban landscapes) and what she is like when she is with the various men. For example, in the desert and the urban landscapes, it looks kind of as if nobody is around, and she looks lonely, and a bit like a wandering soul. When she's with the various men, she seems a bit more content. Adding to that, when she is on the man's bike, she looks like she's freed in some way; she holds her arms out and has a smile, unlike all of the other photos. On another note, some of the lyrics from the song are:

"Don't leave me now 

Don't say good bye 

Don't turn around 

Leave me high and dry "

I think that these lyrics add to the story of her affairs with various men. She longs for company, and is unhappy and lost without it. Another lyric goes:

"Been trying hard not to get in trouble, but I 

I've got a war in my mind 

I just ride"

These lyrics suggest that she gets her mind off of her life and her conflicts within it to feel happiness. The photos of her on the back of the bike supports her statement there, because she looks blissful and free on the back of the bike.

All of the screenshots are from Lana Del Rey's video here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Py_-3di1yx0

Ride

For my music video that I will be analyzing, I chose Lana Dey Rey's new video from her song "Ride." On the surface, it is a video about what the character she is portraying believes what freedom is. Lana's character believes "in what America used to be." I chose this video, because for one, I enjoy listening to her voice. Second, didn't think that anyone else would choose this video. Thirdly, I thought that there are a few points of slight controversy that could be discussed in it. Also, some parts of the video reminded me of a This I Believe speech, only a bit more sensual…

The video starts out with her character speaking a monologe about her life, and a few of the struggles within it. Throughout the video she is portrayed to be promiscuous, and takes some sort of happiness from it. She says that the men she meets give her some summer in a life of winter. This video may seem like one about sexual freedom on the top of it, but in my opinion, it's definitely not. It embodies some ugliness that isn't spoken of enough. The sexuality that Lana's character portrays is about how she has a deep emptiness inside, and somehow, the men she meets and her experiences with them seem to fill her in some way. It's not really meant to be an empowering song.

One reason I liked this video, as well as this song, is because in the video, it shows so much of what we've been trying to learn is important in art. That would be vulnerability and this video shows so much vulnerability. However, although I love her vulnerability, there are parts that I don't particularly enjoy about this video. The lyrics, and the video itself describe a freedom in which is delivered by the company of various men. It's quite sexist as well. The whole song is about riding, and she is portrayed riding on the back of mens motorcycles and atop them throughout the video. She is also hyper-sexualized throughout the entire video. The men in the video could be described as the opposite. They appear to be quite disgusting, at least from my point of view, while Lana's character is gorgeous and again, overly sexualized. I feel as though the video glamorizes promiscuity and evokes a feeling of freedom through that promiscuity, which I do not support. I will admit that she isn't trying to be a role model in anyway, which is ok and fine with me, but I did have a moment where I actually did want to be her character in the video, as yucky as that sounds. She is amazingly beautiful, and like I said, she definitely glamorizes promiscuity and sexual vulnerability in which I felt compelled to want to be kinda like her. Realizing that kind of scared me a bit.

Overall, I do like this video for enjoyment, since Lana is gorgeous and her voice is like silk, but there are a few underlying things that just grind my gears like her promiscuity and the glamorization of her characters lifestyle.

            There was a time when it was hard to show the world a little bit of who you are, and what you have to share. A time, in which, images were harder to obtain. Places to go, and things to observe, were in far off places that you could only imagine. You only knew of things that were in your environment, and the only way that you learned of these far off things would have been through stories and travelers. Then came along photographs. An incredible invention that allows things in real life to become recreated into a paper form to be shared with people who may not be able to see things in the photograph unless they were there. Then, pictures went digital, and the Internet was created. All of these inventions have helped people connect with each other.

            Everyday, I see images that inspire me. And everyday, I try to spread some of these images. Every afternoon, after class, I go back to my dorm room on the 18th floor, and I open up my laptop. I usually check my email, and then I log into Pinterest. Pinterest has evolved into my creative inspirational hub. I use Pinterest to gather my personal thoughts in the form of images. I also use Pinterest to be inspired and share my inspiration with my followers, and their followers as well. I share the inspirational images that I find through pinning. Pinning is something that is kind of personal to me. I don't just pin everything I see. I pin things that have personal meaning to me, or inspire me to become a better version of myself and improve my life. Although I love to pin now, it wasn't always that way. 

            When I first made my Pinterest account, I was intimidated by pinning. Like I said, you are sharing a part of yourself with your followers. I've never really been too great with expressing my feelings, and sharing my personal thoughts and likings intimidated me. Pinning is exactly what I thought I was never good at, which is sharing myself to others. Pinning would mean that I would have to break out of my inner shell. One day, I realized that these amazing images I found around the Internet should be shared with everyone. I realized that I needed to come out of my shell and express myself. I realized that a great way to share inspiration with others was through Pinterest. I believe in spreading inspiration. When you inspire someone, they may just break out of their shell, they may learn something new about themselves, and they may go on to inspire other people in their own way. What on Earth would the world be without inspired and inspiring people?

We Are All Stardust. Today, I read an article about a woman, Kimberly Woodbury, who believed that we are all stardust. Her speech is extremely spiritual, and maybe that's one reason why this particular speech doesn't speak to me. I expected the article to lean on the more scientific side than the spiritual side. In Woodbury's speech, she says, "I believe that I will, during my lifetime, inhale seven of the very same molecules of air that were exhaled by the incarnate Christ. I believe this because I did the math. I really did." This particular quote spoke to me in a negative way. I thought it was very strange. I wonder how she came to do the math of how she was going to breath in seven molecules of Christ's breath. I, myself, absolutely cannot relate to this at all. Like, honestly.. What the fuck. Do you really want to breathe in Christ's exhaled molecules? I don't really want to think about inhaling anyone's molecules. Maybe this essay simply didn't speak to me because I'm an atheist but… There are still some Christian stories that I can relate to, specifically ones about good and evil, and happiness. I have trouble relating to this because she referred to her God as a photon… All I could think was "Uhhh… Wut?" In her article, she mixes her religion and chemistry together, which are two things that kind of throw me off when put together. Religion and science for me, are two things that I don't like to put together. In my opinion, there isn't very much science to religion, and there's absolutely no religion to science. I believe that there is no science involved with the spiritual things that happen in religious happenings. From what I've learned throughout my life about Christianity, there is nothing scientific to the religion. Then again, her religion isn't really Christianity, but that was the most relatable religion I could think of. Anyway.. She also refers to the beginning of the universe to God's great cataclysm, which is different from what I believe, which is the big bang theory. I guess I just have a hard time relating to people who's beliefs are shaped in such a concrete way, where there is no margin for swaying their opinion, but I guess that's what religion is about. Anyway, I guess I was babbling this whole time, but I found it kind of difficult to find an article that I really didn't care for. I think this one did the job though, even though I bashed her the whole time in a way.

A Drive to Achieve the Extraordinary. This is the "This I Believe" essay that I read today. I say read because I couldn't listen for some weird reason. Anyway. The essay was written by Juliet Frerking, and in her essay, she starts out with talking about her fascination with the Guinness World Records book. She was inspired as a young child to achieve greater things in life, to go above and beyond even if your friends or family heckle you for trying. This essay especially inspired me because I feel as though almost everyone, especially on UK campus, conforms extremely easily. I feel like many people are always doing the same things. Juliet's essay reminded myself that it is admirable to be different, and to go above and beyond the normal. In Juliet's essay, she said "Reassured by Mrs. Balanoff, our third grade teacher, that we could be anything when we grew up." This is always a belief that I've held close to my heart, and have always thought back upon it when I was feeling that I had to be something that I'm not. Many people do things that they have absolutely no interest in, just so they can impress their friends or family. I like to do things because they interest me, and because I'll gain happiness from my actions and efforts. For example, my studies. I am studying Marketing and French because I want to go into fashion marketing, and I love the language of French. Instead of going pre-med or any other major that doesn't interest me at all, I'm ignoring my families urges for me to go onto something that will guarantee me a job, and doing what I want and love to do. I could really relate to Juliet's essay for many reasons. Some being: her early inspiration to follow her dreams, her perseverance through criticism, and her determination to become something greater than she would have imagined. 

Name: Chloe Fields                                                                                                Section: 17

Title of Speech:

Intro:

I. Attention Catcher: All of us here can read. Not only can we read, but we all love to read. You think you don't?

II. Listener Relevance Link: We read daily. If you didn't know how to read, you wouldn't be sitting here right now.

III. Speaker Credibility: How do I know that we all love to read? Well… We love being informed by the daily things that get us around in life, but not only that, all of us enjoy reading for pleasure. It might not be in the same form, some of us like to read our friends/favorite celebs tweets, some of us like to text, and some of us like to read books for pleasure. I would include myself in all 3 of those categories. I love to read. I read every day

IV. Thesis: Although, I enjoy reading in most forms, I especially love reading books. I mainly enjoy fictional stories. However, although I love to read, I absolutely HATE carrying books. I refuse to bring a book anywhere, except for schoolwork. Books just get in the way. The end up being too heavy and too large, and it’s just not worth it to carry a book around all day. So, without further ado, let me introduce you to my secret love, my kindle.

V. Preview: I cannot live without my Kindle. It is my gateway to books on the go. It helps me fall deep into a story outside of my own home.

Body:

I. So, whats so great about a Kindle?

            1. It's paperless. Saving the environment.

            2. It's extremely portable and lightweight. Saving my energy

            3. Reads just like a book.

            5. The device is relatively expensive. I’m a college student.

Transition: Sounds more convenient, but...

II. Why choose a Kindle over a real book?

Listener Relevance Link: Let's face it: carrying books around sucks. Even storing books at home can be a pain. Eventually, youre going to have to build a bookcase..

            A. My Kindle provides me with an effortless reading experience.

                        1. The device is extremely lightweight. There is absolutely no strain from holding up my kindle for hours on end, unlike a real book.

                        2. I can hold about 2,000 books on my Kindle. Can you imagine carrying 2,000 books around with you at all times? No. Not likely.

                        3. Not only is it lightweight, but also the print is just as crisp, if not more crisp and polished than an actual book. Super clear, and super easy to read.

            B. Hey, buying books on my Kindle is actually cheaper than buying hardback books and paperbacks!

                        1. Not only are the books cheaper but my Kindle comes equipped with 3G built in, for no additional cost! Well, what does this mean? It means I can buy books anywhere that I can get service. Instant books in my hands.

Transition: All right, so you know a little bit about why I need my Kindle, but is there more?

III. What can a Kindle do?

            A. With my Kindle, all of my reading needs are satisfied.

                        1. I can read books. Yes. True. And?

•                I can highlight.

•                Get instant dictionary definitions

•                Bookmark pages

            B. My Kindle also comes equipped with a battery life that can last up to two months, depending on if I’m using wi-fi or 3G, and how much you read. I find myself that my battery life lasts way too long for me to track.

IV. So, what are some other perks of using a Kindle?

            A. Amazon. That's it.

                        1. Amazon has incredible customer service.

                        2. The shipping is so fast. I’ve gotten packages concerning my Kindle within a day with free shipping. Not kidding.

                        3. Amazon has provided Kindle users with a huge book store, loaded with over a million books.

                        4. Although I absolutely adore my Kindle, and the experience that comes with it, it’s not durable. I’ve had 2 Kindles replace, but Amazon made the experience very amazing and replaced both of the Kindles for free within that first year.

Transition: All right, so now you know why I need my Kindle in my life. It's extremely convenient to carry on the go, I love to read, and it's an amazing product for people with needs like me.

Conclusion:

I. Restatement of Thesis: My Kindle isn't so much of a secret now that I've shared why I love it, and why you should think about getting one as well. I hate carrying books. I like to carry as little as possible, but having a book around is a really great thing when you want to pass some time.

II. Summary of Main Points: Why is my Kindle so amazing? It opens up opportunities for me to read on the go, or at home, comfortably. It leads me into a world of books, without the inconvenience of not being able to take a couple hundred books around with me, and without the high price tag on normal, printed books.

III. Clincher: Hopefully now, you may understand why I always carry my Kindle with me and why I can’t live without it. 

Sources:

My sources either came from my personal knowledge and experience using a Kindle, or from http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007OZNZG0/ref=sv_kstore_0.

Name: Chloe Fields Section: 17

Title of Speech:

Intro:

I. Attention Catcher: We all love to read. You think you don't? Ha, well let me elaborate.

II. Listener Relevance Link: We read daily. If you didn't know how to read, you wouldn't be sitting here right now.

III. Speaker Credibility: How do I know that we all love to read? Well… We love being informed by the daily things that get us around in life, but not only that, all of us enjoy reading for pleasure. It might not be in the same form, some of us like to read our friends/favorite celebs tweets, some of us like to read subtitles in a foreign language movie, and some of us like to read books for pleasure. I would include myself in all 3 of those categories. I love to read. I read every day. Basically every time my eyes are open I'm reading something or another.

IV. Thesis: Although, I enjoy reading in every form, (except for long boring fourteen page articles in which I'm not the intended audience)… I especially love to read for pleasure. Mainly books, and mainly fictional books. I love to read books. However, I absolutely hate carrying around books. I refuse to bring a book anywhere with me, because it just ends up being too heavy, and becomes a giant pain in my ass. So this is when I introduce you to my secret lover. My Kindle.

V. Preview: I love my Kindle for various reasons. Let me elaborate in as much detail as why I cannot live without this piece of machinery.

Body:

Listener Relevance Link: Why would you want to spend money on an electronic device to read...? Well, you have to particularly enjoy reading books for pleasure. But other than that, why else would a broke college student want to buy something that may seem frivolous?

I. So, whats so great about a Kindle?

A. It's paperless.
1. Save the environment!
2. Save your energy you would have spent lugging a couple books around!

B. It's extremely portable.

1. All you gotta do is slip it into your purse, or your backpack.
2. So much better than carrying a book around.
3. Looks just like a book would on the inside, meaning, the picture is nice and crisp. The Kindle uses "e-ink" technology, which makes the display on a Kindle look just like a book.

4. It's very lightweight.

C. The device is relatively expensive.

Transition: Sounds more convenient, but...

II. Why choose a Kindle over a real book?

Listener Relevance Link: Let's face it: carrying books around sucks. Most of us carry books around to and from class. It sucks.

A. A Kindle provides you with effortless reading.

1. The device is extremely lightweight.

2. You can hold about 2,000 books on your Kindle. Can you imagine carrying 2,000 books around with you at all times? No. Not likely.

3. Not only is it light weight, but the print is also just as crisp, if not crisper than an actual books print. Super clear, and easy to read.

B. Hey, buying books on your Kindle is actually cheaper than buying hardback books, and also buying paperbacks!

1. Not only are the books cheaper, but most newer Kindles come equipped with 3G built in, for no cost except for the initial price of the Kindle! Well, what does this mean? It means you can buy books anywhere you can get service, which is basically anywhere that you're going to be around town… Instant books in your hands.

C. Maybe you forgot your glasses at home, and they help you read better. Well, on your Kindle, you can adjust not only the font, but also the size of the font. Small print be gone!

Transition: Alright, so you know a little bit of why economically and physically you might want to switch to a Kindle, but thats not enough to get you over the hump.

III. What else can a Kindle do?

Listener Relevance Link: So, you know abouta few of the handy features on a Kindle, but you're still not buying. There are certain things in a real book, that you think you may not be able to do with a Kindle. You might have thought wrong.

A. With the original Kindle e-reader (not the Kindle tablets available), there are plenty of reading needs that my Kindle satisfies that you might not have expected.

1. You can read books. Yes. True. And?

• You can highlight.
• Get instant dictionary definitions
• Bookmark pages
• Your Kindle can also sync what page you're on, and the above bullets, to any other device using the Kindle app.

B. The Kindle also comes equipped with a battery life that will last up to two months, depending on if you're using wi-fi or 3G, and how much you read. I find myself that my battery life lasts way too long for me to track.

IIII. So, what are some other perks of using a Kindle?

Listener Relevance Link: I personally hate calling, and dealing with customer service representatives. The machines they use are frustrating, and the process takes forever. So who provides the Kindle, and why are they worth your time?

A. Amazon. That's it.

1. Amazon has incredible customer service.

2. Living in Lexington, you tend to get Kindle's, and Kindle related accessories extremely quickly. 

3. Amazon has provided Kindle users with a huge book store, loaded with over a million books.

4. Kindles aren't made to be the sturdiest thing on Earth, so if your Kindle breaks within the first year, (mine did about 2 times), they will replace it. Basically no questions asked. Awesome.

Transition: Alright, so now you know why I need my Kindle in my life. It's extremely convenient to carry on the go, I love to read, and it's an amazing product.

Conclusion:

I. Restatement of Thesis: My Kindle isn't so much of a secret love now, I've shared why I love it, and why you should get one as well. I hate carrying books. In fact, I like to carry as little as possible, but having a book around is a really great thing when you want to pass some time.

II. Summary of Main Points: Why is a Kindle so great? It opens up opportunities for you to read on the go, or at home, comfortably. It leads you into a world of books, without the inconvenience of not being able to take a couple hundred books around with you, and without the high price tag on normal, printed books.

III. Clincher: Hopefully now, you may understand why I always carry my Kindle with me, and why I cannot live without it.

Sources:

My sources either came from my personal knowledge and experience using a Kindle, or from http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007OZNZG0/ref=sv_kstore_0.

Speech Overview/Brainstorm. Click the image to enlarge.

"What is Pinterest? I've never heard of that before." I asked my friend. My friend mentioned that she found this new website that was totally different from anything she had ever used before. I was immediately intrigued. Five minutes later, I set up an account. I couldn't tell you exactly when I created my account, but I think it was perhaps at the beginning of my senior year. After I created an account, I still asked, "What is Pinterest?" After a few weeks or so of forgetting about Pinterest, since I didn't really understand how to use it, I came back to it to explore more territory. After viewing other profiles that I had stumbled upon, I finally started to understand what the website was all about, it was a visual scrapbook of sorts. It seemed to me that Pinterest was your personal curation of ideas, images, and inspiration. 

So, more in depth about what Pinterest really is… What can you do on Pinterest? It turns out that there are a lot of things you can do on that nifty site. You can share pictures of your own, or share pictures that you might have found on another website, not belonging to you. Don't worry about plagiarism. Pinterest has created a special way of posting photos that you found on another website. All you have to do is click "Add +" in the top right hand corner, click "Add a Pin," and then just enter the URL where the image you want to post is. By doing this, if anyone that sees your pin is interested in finding out more about the image, they can simply click on the image and it will take the straight to the website where you got it from. Giving credit where credit is due. If you want to post an image that you've just seen on Pinterest that another user posted for you, all you have to do is click "Repin." Pinterest makes it really easy for their members to share. You can also add a caption to your original pin, or you can change the caption to a repin that you found from somebody else's pin. Not only can you repin, but you can also like people's pins! I don't prefer "liking" pins, because you have no way of organizing the things that you like.

You may be wondering, why should I actually use Pinterest? Other than the ease of sharing, of course. Well, for me, I really enjoy using Pinterest because it's a place where I can organize images that inspire me. On Pinterest, most of my compiled images consist of hair, architecture, home decor, beauty, and fashion. Although all of these sound girly, and some are to an extent, there are also many other popular categories that Pinterest has chosen for you to browse. Some categories consist of animals, cars, art, food and travel. With so many images to compile and gain inspiration from, how is one to organize these images?

Just a few of my own boards.

Boards. Pinterest is so wonderful for organization because they have done something that not many other blogging websites have done. Pinterest has created a feature on the site called "Boards." A board is a collection of pins that usually go along a guideline of a certain theme. You can have as many boards as you would like. I would definitely recommend having more boards than less boards! When you have a more defined theme for your boards, the more organized you can become. With more organization, it'll be easier to find an image that you want to look up once you have a couple hundred pins. The possibilities for customization when concerning boards are quite endless. 

My "Home on Heroin" board.

One of my own favorite boards would be my "Outfit Inspiration" board. I like to come up with witty(ish) names for my boards. My Outfit Inspiration board is just a load of pictures of fashion editorials, photos from shopping websites of clothing, and other sorts of garments that I'm inspired by. Outfit Inspiration, get it? OK enough of that. Another board that I love dearly is my "Home on Heroin" board. An even stranger board title. I came up with this title because it's a great way to describe some of the home decor photos you see on the internet. It's, like, home decor on drugs. Extremely inspirational, and gorgeous decor; something that someone put a lot of effort into. I'm not kidding when I say Pinterest is my inspiration hub. If you take a look at my Home on Heroin board, you might just be so inspired that you'll change your major to interior design.

So, now that you're learning more and more about Pinterest, it might still be a little confusing as to why this would be categorized as a social networking site. Well, on Pinterest, like on many other social networking websites, you can follow people, and have followers of your own. Also like most social networking sites, when you follow someone, you've gained a "subscription" to their pins. One of my favorite things about Pinterest is that it's socially acceptable to repin pin's from people that you don't know! This may seem weird, but you might lose some followers if you retweeted all of Kim Kardashian's tweets. With Pinterest, it is socially acceptable to follow and repin as many pins from anyone you would like. It's basically complimenting the person you repinned from, saying that they have great taste. Imitation is the best form of flattery. Not only can you follow and repin, but you can also comment on pins if you'd like. The only negative about Pinterest is that there aren't many settings for privacy.

My timeline of pins from people I follow.

When I first made my Pinterest account, I was kind of afraid to pin. I know it sounds kind of lame, but I was afraid people would judge me because I'm not exactly interested in what my followers might have been interested in. Lame, right? All I would do, for quite a while, was "like" pins. I realized one day that liking pins gives you absolutely no way to organize them. Then I posted my first pin. I think it was a picture of a bathing suit. After pinning a few more times, I was realizing more and more that I shouldn't be afraid of what people think of me through the internet. Either they'll like what I do, or they won't. Pinterest has helped me, in a way, break out of my shell.

Alright, so you know how to use it, and why I use it. But really, what is my connection to Pinterest? Why do I spend so much time pinning? Well, Pinterest has definitely become an outlet for me. Almost comparable to a diary. It isn't private, but sifting through the pins of people I follow and repinning them sort of releases stress. I find it very relaxing, to have so many images of things that I love and find beautiful, right at my fingertips. It's almost like having something, but not really. I still get some satisfaction from the image, without the price tag. Pinterest is another form of media that helps me individualize myself, out of the billions of people on earth. Even if not everyone sees my Pinterest account, I still have something to myself that makes me feel different from other people. Not everyone is going to pin the same thing, simply because not everyone is interested in the same thing. If I'm ever feeling lost and I have a hard time remembering who I am, I can just get on Pinterest and I am easily reminded of the person I am, and the person I want to be. Pinterest inspires me to reach new heights in my life. It gives me goals to set, and incentive to achieve them. Although I did say that I do gain some satisfaction from looking at images of things I want, but I'm not completely satisfied from just looking at pictures, so pinning helps to remind me to stay true to myself, and to stay ambitious.

My "Outfit Inspiration" board.

Not only has Pinterest created a friendly environment to be yourself, but it has also created a creative outlet for many people, including myself. I consider Pinterest to be a public diary of assorted images. After a long day I find it very relaxing to take a few moments to browse over the lovely images that the people I follow have compiled for my personal enjoyment. Pinterest helps me to stay informed on what things are new and interesting in the world. I love to add images to my ever-growing visual scrapbook.

Sources:

https://pinterest.com/about/

http://gigaom.com/2012/01/04/you-are-what-you-curate-why-pinterest-is-hawt/

http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/symbiartic/2012/03/16/the-promise-and-perils-of-pinterest/

All photos provided were made by me, except for this one:

http://media-cache-ec0.pinterest.com/avatars/pinterest-1345141049_600.jpg

Is Google making us stupid? Although the author of the article seems to believe so, I can't really attest to him being right. I don't think that the overload of instant information that Google provides is necessarily what's making us stupid. Perhaps the overload of useless information might be making us seem stupider. I think the easy access to all the information that you could possibly need does make us a little less skilled in libraries and when it comes to researching the old fashioned way, but with Google why would everyone necessarily need skills like that anyway? Thinking about it more and more, I'm not sure where I would be without Google. I think that I would be a less rounded person. The internet has taught me so many things that I wouldn't have know otherwise without Google. I certainly have learned a lot of silly things through Google, for example, like what type of Pokemon is weak to poison type. But.. I still learned something from this situation. There are a lot of useful things I've learned from Google's instant results, such as how to format an MLA paper. Google is definitely making me lazier, and perhaps more expectant of getting the information that I want quicker, but I definitely disagree that I'm getting stupider from the services that Google provides. Google is something that I use everyday and will continue to use for as long as I have access to the internet and as long as Google is in existence.

"What is Pinterest? I've never heard of that before." I asked my friend. My friend mentioned that she found this new website that was totally different from anything she had ever used before. I was immediately intrigued. 5 minutes later, I set up an account. I couldn't tell you exactly when I created my account, but I think it was perhaps at the beginning of my senior year. After I created an account, I still asked, " What is Pinterest?" After a few weeks or so of forgetting about Pinterest, since I didn't really understand how to use it, I came back to it to explore more territory. After viewing other profiles that I had stumbled upon, I finally started to understand what the website was all about, it was a visual scrapbook of sorts. It seemed to me that Pinterest was your personal curation of ideas, images, and inspiration. 

So, more in depth about what Pinterest really is… What can you do on Pinterest? It turns out that there are a lot of things you can do on that nifty site. You can share pictures of your own, or share pictures that you might have found on another website, not belonging to you. Don't worry about plagiarism. Pinterest has created a special way of posting photos that you found on another website. All you have to do is click "Add +" in the top right hand corner, click "Add a Pin," and then just enter the URL where the image you want to post is. If there are multiple images on the website, Pinterest will let you click through each image until you find the one you're looking for. By doing this, if anyone that sees your pin is interested in finding out more about the image, they can simply click on the image and it will take the straight to the website where you got it from. Giving credit where credit is due. If you want to post an image that you've just seen on Pinterest that another user posted for you, all you have to do is click "Repin." Pinterest makes it really easy for their members to share. You can also add a caption to your original pin, or you can change the caption to a repin that you found from somebody else's pin. Not only can you repin, but you can also like people's pins! It's not what I prefer to do, because I would rather contribute that image to one of my many boards (which I will explain later), instead of just having it in an unorganized discord in my "Likes" tab. 

You may be wondering, why should I actually use Pinterest? Other than the ease of sharing, of course. Well, for me, I really enjoy using Pinterest because it's a place where I can organize images that inspire me. On Pinterest, most of my compiled images consist of hair, architecture, home decor, beauty, and fashion. Although all of these sound girly, and some are to an extent, there are also many other popular categories that Pinterest has chosen for you to browse. Some categories consist of animals, cars, art, food and travel. With so many images to compile and gain inspiration from, how is one to organize these images?

Boards. Pinterest is so wonderful for organization because they have done something that not many other blogging-type websites have done. Pinterest has created a feature on the site called "Boards." A board is a collection of pins that usually go along a guideline of a certain theme. You can have as many boards as you would like. I would definitely recommend having more boards than less boards! When you have a more defined theme for your boards, the more organized you can become. Let's say you have a board with the theme being "Cars." That's a great theme, but let's also say that you have a thousand images of cars that you've compiled. You want to go back and look at this special red car that you found, but with all of the images in one board, who knows how long it will take you to find that one image. So instead of having such a broad theme, like "Cars," you can have multiple boards focusing on one certain attribute that each car has, such as "Red Cars," "Black Cars," "Blue Cars." You could even go by maker or model if you'd like. The possibilities for customization when concerning boards are quite endless, and your imagination is the limit! 

So, now that you're learning more and more about Pinterest, it might still be a little confusing as to why this would be categorized as a social networking site. Well, on Pinterest, like on many other social networking websites, you can follow people, and have followers of your own. Also like most social networking sites, when you follow someone, you've gained a "subscription" to their pins. One of my favorite things about Pinterest is that it's socially acceptable to repin pin's from people that you don't know! This may seem weird, but sometimes it's just strange for you to retweet every single one of Kim Kardashian's tweets, for example. With Pinterest, it is definitely socially acceptable to follow and repin as many pins from anyone you would like. It's basically complimenting the person you repinned from, saying that they have great taste. Not only can you follow and repin, but you can also comment on any pin you'd like. The only negative about Pinterest is that there aren't many settings for privacy. I personally don't mind that tidbit, because on Pinterest you share things concerning what you like, but you aren't giving out really any personal information, unless, of course, you want to.

Not only has Pinterest created a friendly environment to be yourself, but it has also created a creative outlet for many people, including myself. I could also consider Pinterest to be a journal of sorts, and also a stress reliever. After a long day I find it very relaxing, if I have time, to take a few moments to browse over the lovely images that the people I follow have compiled for my personal enjoyment. Pinterest helps me to stay informed on what things are new and interesting in the world. I love to add images to my visual scrapbook that is ever-growing.

Some of my boards.

My timeline of pins by other users.

A look inside of one of my boards.

Sources:

https://pinterest.com/about/

http://gigaom.com/2012/01/04/you-are-what-you-curate-why-pinterest-is-hawt/

http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/symbiartic/2012/03/16/the-promise-and-perils-of-pinterest/

All of the screen shots provided were made by me.

The Rhetorical Situation by Lloyd F Bitzer. Hmm. Not really sure what exactly I'm supposed to write about this article. Did I love it? Did I hate it? Well.. I definitely can't say that I liked it. Can you really make your living off being a "Rhetorist?" Confused. Other than the article being extremely long, it did inform me a lot on how rhetoric discourse comes into existence. Rhetoric has… I guess you would call it a situational existence. According to Lloyd, Rhetoric only exists "for the sake of something beyond itself." Rhetoric is made to "produce action or change in the world." These are quotes from Lloyd's article, by the way. I never really thought about rhetoric existing because of argumentative conditions. In fact, I think that Lloyd told me that rhetoric is just an argument. Huh. So, does that mean that all writing, speech, and body language is considered rhetoric? Guess so.

Honestly, I had a lot of trouble comprehending this 14 page article.. I think we were assigned to read this article to make a point of how different uses of media and how something is written makes a difference to the audience. I feel like this all has to do with composition and design. For example, the whole class responded well to the Huxley vs. Orwell comic. We all seemed to really get what the article was trying to argue and we had a lot to say about it. It was a short and sweet comic, however, this article is not. This is, like I said, a polar opposite from the web comic. I have a feeling that when we come into class, everyone will be in a similar position with feelings of confusion towards this assignment. I doubt we will have much to say, because I don't think the article REALLY has much to do with us and we don't seem to be the intended audience. This also has absolutely no pathos, in my opinion, but relies solely on logos and ethos. Not a balance that I necessarily enjoy.

http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/symbiartic/2012/03/16/the-promise-and-perils-of-pinterest/

http://gigaom.com/2012/01/04/you-are-what-you-curate-why-pinterest-is-hawt/

http://www.foxnews.com/tech/2012/02/13/pin-your-interests-online-with-pinterest/?intcmp=features

http://pinterest.com/about/

http://www.mysanantonio.com/life/article/Pinning-These-are-a-few-of-my-favorite-things-1882964.php

The webcomic shown relates well to our class discussions for a few reasons. For one, we've been talking about how America is becoming more and more apathetic. The comic argues about what exactly is making us apathetic. Is it what we love that will ruin us? Such as trash TV and the internet. Or is it what we hate that will ruin us? Such as daily violence and crimes. I think that it's a very fine line. In my personal opinion, I am extremely apathetic towards scandalous/tragic events that happen all around the world. Maybe I really am just a terrible person because I could really care less. I think that what I hate (violence) has made me more apathetic than what I love (the internet and TV.) Although I have an apathetic attitude because of seeing so much violence around the world in my lifetime, I think both of what I love and what I hate are intertwined. They're both ruining me. The internet and television is just a gateway for me to view more violence and hatred. I think the author would have rather shown their argument in a webcomic rather than, let's say, an article because sometimes it's easier to send a message across with visuals rather than words. Like with this comic, the author is directly comparing Orwell's and Huxley's opinions/fears side by side, and that personally has helped me more to grasp a better understanding of the authors argument.If the author had written an article on the same subject with the same message, I would have probably been slightly more bored. Just sayin.

My social media identity topic will be on Pinterest.

Question: Is reality TV making America apathetic? My answer: Completely. I think Mitch Albom has connected reality TV with Tony Scotts death for a few reasons. I think he was making a point of how society in America views outrageous events. We have become "infatuated with outlandishness" and "we don't do, we watch." I think that these statements are totally, and completely true about our society today. Instead of mourning the death of a  director, we simple put his suicide on youtube, for the world to see and we watch it over and over again. I think that's quite mocking, don't you? If someone I was close to committed suicide, I would be horrified to know that I could watch it whenever I please. The most gruesome things can be found on the internet; with the combination of reality TV and the internet, American society has transformed into a place where people don't blink an eye. It seems that American society today is insensitive to everything now-a-days. We can get over tragic events quickly, and it seems like no one is every really surprised when something bad happens. I know it sounds horrible, but for example, I've already forgotten about the Colorado theater shooting. It didn't affect me much when I first heard about what had happened. It was sad, but I was hardly shocked. I'm just apart of the fucked up society that is America. I guess maybe because news travels more quickly than ever in history, we become apathetic to tragic events because we've seen it before, and we'll most likely see it again. Sooner probably than later. Maybe society now has become apathetic to tragic events because we feel that we must put a shell around us, and put a veil over our eyes, ignore what happened, and return to our lives as if nothing has happened.

I forgot to mention...

How has reality television affected my life? Well. Although I can't really say it's my favorite pastime, it seems to always pop up in my life. People often ask, "did you watch so-and-so last night?" I often reply with a simple "no." I don't particularly enjoy watching the typical reality shows that you constantly hear about (Keeping Up with the Kardashians, American Idol, Real Housewives of... , etc.) In my opinion, almost all reality television is fake, most of it is staged, and nothing is quite real about REALality tv. That doesn't necessarily mean that it isn't enjoyable though. I can't really fault reality television for being entertaining, because if it wasn't, why would anyone watch it? Even so, out of all of the reality television shows I've seen in my lifetime, the only reality television show I can say that I thoroughly enjoy would be Project Runway, mainly because of two factors. 1) I have, what some people would call, a "passion for fashion." Ha. 2) There are  so few ways that they could fake scenarios that happen in the show. The drama, of course, can be faked, but who sews and designs the best cannot be faked. If I had to pick a favorite genre of reality shows, it would most definitely be competitive reality shows. A reality show that involves a family where all of the girls' first names start with a "K" or it has the words "Real" and "Housewives" in the title, could possibly be described as unbearable to sit around and waste an hour looking into the lives of the 1%. Although I can admit that some parts of the shows could be entertaining of sorts.. I'm not sure if I could be asked to be entertained by people who are famous for no reason in particular, other than being dramatic and, well, on television for living their lives. Even though I'm ranting about not being fond of watching reality television, it still plays a part in my everyday life. I'm being bombarded by advertisements, tweets, and articles having to do with reality tv, the "stars" of the shows, and the events that happen in them. Reality tv plays a huge part in forming societal standards and often negatively impacts it. For example, changing your body to be what society would view as "beautiful" is better than being yourself. Expressing yourself and being an individual seems to be frowned apon on many reality shows. The main reason I'm not reality televisions biggest fan, is because most of the people I see on tv, are not what I want to model myself after. Reality tv makes it harder for myself to not conform to societies standards. It makes it harder for me to set myself and my values apart from what our twisted society wants me to think is right, and what is actually right, according to my personal values. Reality television is just another thing that muddles my mindset and values.

Well. With this is my first blog post for my Word class, I'd just like to say that my name is Chloe Fields. I'm hoping to major in Marketing, Management, and French. I'm 18 and I'm from Lexington. Yeah..