Midyear Symposium: Things I learned

I went to the Midyear Symposium at BSU, and I learned a few things.

Firstly, G.R.E.E.N means "Go Reproduce Environmental Energy all Nations".

Secondly, oils from the campus cafeterias can be used in a chemical process to create bio-diesel.

Thirdly, the fatty acids can be separated from the rest of the oil, then it can be mixed with a catalyst to create the biological component to the bio-diesel.

Fourthly, Ethanol can be combined with the catalyst/fatty acid mix.

Lastly, a bye-product of the reaction known as glycerol can be used to create soap.    

Paper 4 Progress

Three papers down, one to go. In my proposition, I wanted to do a paper about digital entertainment versus analog (real world) entertainment. Apparently, there would be enough material to write several series of encyclopedias. I have never written a book, and I don't plan on starting now. Therefore, I am limiting my argument to the rising star of video games and the setting sun of board games. In plain english, I am arguing that board games are seeing a dramatic decrease in interest as video games increase in interest. To measure interest, I am using sales statistics. So far, my sources contain some stats and some background information. Soon, though, I want to find some hardcore sources with plenty of numbers. You can't argue with numbers...

Technology

There were two articles that particularly interested me. The first was Ellen's view on technology. Her arguments made sense, to a point. There were definitely a few points that could have been easily argued against. The problem was not the concepts she discussed, but the manner in which she presented them. Ellen exaggerated a little too much as she brought up each new problem with technology.  The entire article was like one huge hyperbole. This is understandable, considering she is a comedian. Such an article, though, has more right to be in the entertainment section of this book and not the technology section.
The second article to catch my eye was the six-letter story. As hard as it is to write a long story from scratch, it is far harder so sum up a life story in six words. I want to say that the idea behind them is to be as vague as possible, so that there are multiple interpretations to those six words. Also, many of the interpretations should apply to the subject of the story. My favorite by far is "The freaks, they always find me", by Ginger Lime. I have no idea if this story applies to this person, but I feel as if I know exactly what this person means, and I could not put it any more plainly if I wanted to.

Entertainment Blog Numero Uno

     Many of the articles we were asked to read did not speak to me or stick out in my mind. There was one, however, that I found to be both thought provoking and depressing. The "Pearls Before Breakfast" article made me think very hard about my life. As a person who needs to make deadlines and take the train to school, I can relate very well to the people in L'Enfant station. Oftentimes I find myself doing exactly what the people at the station did to the violinist. I ignore people to the point that I pretend they do not exist. I think it comes from a  feeling that if I don't acknowledge them, then they will have no effect on my life. As I was reading the article, though, I felt that what the people were doing was inexplicably wrong. Now there is a discrepancy between what I believe and my actions. In psychology class, we call this guilt. Now, I am at least partially convinced that I need to take a step away from my life every now and again to gain a fresh perspective. Success and hard work are important, but at what cost? Would I give up the things I enjoy and shun the rest of the world just to be successful? I don't have any answers right now, and I'm not sure I want to know the answers.  

My Community Project

     Well,I guess my project is coming along just fine. I think I'm going to keep the second floor of the library as the community I will be studying. The people aren't very social, but that almost makes it more interesting. Besides, it fits in well with my schedule. Its not that I wouldn't take the extra time if I needed to, but why bother when I can just sit around on campus? Besides, it's easier to explain the need for an interview to a college student than some random person in a dunkies. So, all I really need is some more time to observe the people in the library and a few interviews. I don't look forward to said interviews, but I'm not going to take a bad grade just because I don't feel like talking to people.  

My Observation

     I decided to observe the most interesting and social community of people on the BSU campus: the people on the second floor of the Maxwell Library. Well, in actuality, they were not very interesting. They weren't very social either. In fact, none of the people I observed even acknowleged the existence of anyone else. They were probably looking for a quiet place to study before class. Why else would they be on the second floor of the library at 10:30 in the morning? There were nine people in total, six being female and three being male. Two had earphones, one was doing nothing, one was on her laptop, and five had various papers and books. They sat in comfy chairs that were arranged in four clusters of four seats. They sit in a variety of ways from two feet on the ground to both feet on the table and everything in between. Its kind of funny to watch them move subconsciously. They all have their little quirks. Some rest their faces on a fist, others repeatedly touch their ears or noses, and still others rest their foreheads in their hands. I hope I don't have to do much more of this in the future, because ovserving poeple and taking notes about them feels weird.   

Communities

     Okay, maybe I will do this right for once. As far as I know, I am supposed to be posting about two articles. One, entitled "Take it as a Tribe", was about the ways in which being a part of a college community affects us. The main theme of the article was the fact that people want to be accepted into a group, and this want drives them to join communities, especially at college. Honesty, I was thinking about my experience at BSU the whole time I was reading the article. I came here with a few friends from high school, and its interesting to see them go their separate ways as they come into college. They do not stop becoming friends, but each person identifies with a different group. One friend will go off and hang out with a sports team while another chills in the dorm with some friends. Maybe I do not have school spirit, but I really haven't been able to identify with many people so far. It is not that I hate BSU or anything, but I really would not have any problems with switching to another school and leaving this one behind. I hope that sentiment changes. I can't help it, really. I'm just not a "group person".    
    The other article was Jon Stewart's commencement address. I wish more people could speak like that. I might not have fallen asleep during my high school graduation. Actually, I wonder if he writes for himself, or if someone writes for him. If anyone happens to know, feel free to comment on that. Also, I agree that his generation has screwed things up pretty bad, but what generation hasn't? At least, they didn't cause World War III, right? I'm going to look like the biggest idiot if the war on terror ends up escalating into WW3...