THANKS TO ALL FOR BRINGING THE 'CROWDSOURCED' PROJECT TOGETHER

...DONE GOOD. FOR THE 'FLOW' OF THINGS WE KEPT THE ACTING GOING BUT STOP BY FOR THE NYC VERSION WHERE WE WISH TO USE MORE OF THE PHYSICAL COMPUTING ELEMENTS SUCH AS THE EMOTIV BRAIN CAP AND THE KINECT....ONWARD!

PB

Its a wrap!

Minority Students & Public Affection

Here is an interview for a documentary idea that I posted about a week ago

Common Courtesy

As the time for me to branch off in life to pursue a family and living space of my own there's a need to recollect. In our last lecture there was a discussion about a parents willingness to left a child's girlfriend or boyfriend sleep over in their house. I personally know that this would never happen in my household but the discussion did get me to think. I began to question if a parents decision to quickly eliminate the idea of their child's girlfriend or boyfriend to stay overnight is entirely fair. I believe there should be a certain criteria for the stay but it should be considered.

As we're all aware the baby boomer generation is beginning to increase in age which means many of their children are at an age where they're just branching off from the immediate family. With that generation aging, there will soon come a time when a decision to place parents in a nursing home or do what many do and allow their parents to move in with them. If the decision is made to do latter will there be a sense of recollection on the part of the child whose parent(s) are looking to move in with him/her. Will he/she recollect to a time when they asked if their girlfriend/boyfriend and now wife/husband could simply stay the night, only to be met with a swift no. Should they hold their parent to the same regard even though they aren't asking to stay the night, they're asking to stay every night.

I personally know if my parent asked to stay with i'd have no problem with it. This is because my parent has made numerous sacrifices for me so a chance to return the actions i would. I also know many parents unwillingness to let someone their child is dating stay overnight has to do with their own upbringing. I feel times change and we seldom make decisions with future in mind. If I have the opportunity to live long enough I feel I'd allow a girlfriend/boyfriend of my child to stay overnight under strict conditions.

What she wants

We met under the most common of circumstances. "hey this is my friend ___________ ". The typical cordial meeting between two people with a mutual friend. She showed no real interest aside from the prototypical courtesy bestowed when meeting someone new. I went along with my life as usual,and she did as well. The occasionally passing on campus resulted in a hello and goodbye on most occasions, but on this day in which I returning to campus from a weekend spent with apple of my eye at the time, an usual hi and bye, had been eclipsed by a hi which led to adjacent seating on the LIRR which further escalated to a full fledged conversation lasting the length of the ride.

Fast forward some months to winter break, the apple of my eye showed some rotting and she capitalized on it completely. Our LIRR rendezvous had sense grown to late night conversations on AOL instant messenger (AIM) even though phone numbers had been exchanged. Its as though AIM served as the intermediary of things to come. Never did i imagine though that it would lead to me dismissing the apple of my eye. Little did i know though that the dismissal would be followed by her denial of mutual feelings. I would later learn that she too had an apple of her own eye that I was unaware of but she claimed he was no longer present. Slightly detoured the latter revelations summer break came and with that I rekindled connections with my once rotted apple. Unfortunately time proved that apple should have remained rotten and with that retained relevance.

Another fast forward places us in the present. Her persistence and consistency has kept her around but she fails she understand pass experiences have soured my outlook on having anymore apples of my eye. There is an unsung tension every time we spend time an sometimes it comes to a head a nasty argument. Does she not understand that the ideology of being "single" entitles me to do what I want with out the repercussions of a relationship or has the modern day female eliminated to idea of dating from her mind? and as result makes her feel she entitled to the same confines of a relationship?

RMDBG

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I have a passion for graphic art and often enter into competitions that donate to a issue or cause. The particular design was very personal because it is focused around a campaign called "RMDBG". The acronym stands for "Real Men Don't Buy Girls". The campaign calls attention to issue of the sex trafficking of under aged girls. Due to this issue, one of my biggest personal fears is having a daughter. I fear that a daughter born into the current worlds conditions has so much to face. Issues such as kidnapping, rape, and sex trafficking are very difficult things to have to make a child aware of at a young age, but is required because young women are being faced with prospect of experiencing such things at such a young age.

For this design I incorporated the concept of the eye test that we all undergo at some point in life. I chose this concept to serve in a metaphorical sense. I feel as though we as a people are blind or choose to be blind to certain issues that go on both inside and outside this country. The design was made to essentially say "LOOK" at this issue and be knowledgeable of whats going on whether your actually blind or your vision is 20/20. The second section of the "eye test" reads "freedom" because that too is a theme of the piece. Young girls deserve the right of freedom of their youth and freedom of life in general. At the very bottom of the piece there is a silhouette of little girl with a price tag on her wrist. I chose to do this to show the harsh reality of the issue of sex trafficking of young girls. My hope that seeing a tag on human being hits viewers in a place where the compassion sits and triggers it to take a stand on a very serious issue that in some way touches us all.

We are the world

One passion that I developed while here at Stony Brook was for graphic art. Aside from my school work I enter into design competitions that are for a cause or worldwide issue. I entered into this particular competition late but it was for the earthquake in Japan. The concept behind all designs had to be "sunrise", this served as a metaphorical way of saying this too will pass and Japan will rebuild from it. I personally found the news of the earthquake saddening and hope that Japan bounces back quickly because the lost of human life is often over looked and almost never looked at from a standpoint within the shoes of the affected.

My idea behind this design was to give off a message that conveyed the sentiments of "when one of us hurts we all hurt". I looked to illustrate this by placing the earth in the red circle we see on the Japanese flag. I wanted it to convey the idea that while the flag is individual to Japan, when we place the earth in it becomes everyone's flag thus making the hardships suffered by Japan a universal pain and hardship. The text in work reads " If you can make it through night there's a brighter day". I quoted the saying from an old Hip Hip song called "Dear Mama" by the late Tupac Shakur. The song is an ode to Tupac's Mother. In the song the quote is used in the following context, "I wish I could take the pain awayIf you can make it through the night there's a brighter day Everything will be alright if ya hold on It's a struggle everyday, gotta roll on And there's no way I can pay you back But my plan is to show you that I understand You are appreciated".I found these words fitting for this work because now is time for the World to play a "mother" role to a country in need despite their pass history or mistakes because in the wake of disaster our fears and concerns are the same.

THR 403 Stage concept

The concept behind this stage is a combination of recollections of childhood visits to the South Street Seaport and also the Intrepid Museum. Now that I'm older I realize that when visiting these places there was so much history and so many stories behind the ships. For that reason I figured a stage set on a ship would be very nostalgic and set a very good mood for suspended disbelief. I think it'd also be very interesting to see a performance on a ship that is docked in water, but still made steady enough to perform on.

Facebook the social or alienating network?

You walk into your school cafeteria and you so happen to catch a glimpse of that someone who peaks your interest every time your both in the same place. These kind of non verbal meetings between the two of are quite frequent but always end with neither of you saying a word. As you begin to leave the cafeteria you realize that this day is different because just before you exit the cafeteria you over hear the name of your admirer. Now equipped with a name to connect to a face you immediately head to your dorm and log in to your Facebook account. You hit the search button and type in the newly acquired name. After searching through several pages of pictures you find the profile and begin to obtain all the info you've been to afraid to personally find out.

My time on this college campus that the latter scenario has increased in occurrence with the emergence of Facebook. No longer is there the awkward but always beautiful innocence of boy meets girl. This has become the case because with the assistance of Facebook boy "meets" girl before actually meeting the girl, or in some instance become content with "meeting" her but never actually meeting or interacting at all. With that being said Facebook can run the threat of being an alienation tool by depriving people of personal face to face meetings and interactions that we as human beings need. Without those interaction people can be left with the impression that no one is interested in them and thus creating an alienated feeling.

I do believe that socially Facebook does have it positives, because I personally have relocated long lost friends and met people I may not have met through Facebook. I also believe that Facebook also built a since of content in myself and others. I often find myself being asked if I spoke to someone by another person and answering yes because i justified simply responding to a Facebook status as speaking to or contacting a person. In reality such contact doesn't and shouldn't qualify as contact at all in my opinion. There's a certain sense of humanity in seeing and talking to someone or even just talking and hearing someone over the phone. I personally prefer person to person interaction but sometimes fall into the trap of Facebook reliance. Does anyone else find themselves in a similar trap?

Tainted Professor Perceptions

As a student in Stony Brook University I've come to realize that its the habit of some professors to gauge a students performance by their overall enthusiasm in their class.Professors tend to equate a students enthusiasm with a good worth ethic, whether it be organic or artificial. Ive found that I treat college as the business that it essentially is. It is for that reason that I treat each course I take a work place situation where the person teaching the course remains just that and nothing more. I believe when students use an over emphatic approach in a class they create an unrealistic real world relation between teacher and student, boss and employee etc....

When viewing the classroom environment I personally find it difficult to not look at it a very literal sense. We as students pay to take a course administered by human beings who possess the very human traits of favoritism, and spite. Furthermore The person teaching the class possesses the ability to determine whether or not your work is good enough to allow for the successful completion of it.With that being said I realize that there are essential individual "transactions" between each student and the professor. Within these transactions there is the exchange of humility on the students part for an opportunity to be evaluated on a basis that is free of the aforementioned traits that a professor is very capable of possessing.

It is my belief that in order to gain leverage, many students take 1 of 2 courses of action. The 1st course of action is to appease a professors ego by convincing him/her that the material in which they gained multiple degrees in is worth learning and is interesting. The other course of action is inform others of professors shortcoming by word of mouth and more recently electronically through sources such as ratemyprofessors.com. The latter is exceptionally interesting because despite many professors claims that rating from the site don't affect them at all,many will admit to viewing the site by refuting the claims being made on the site.

Are Social Networking Profiles the Resumes of the Future?

http://www.socialtimes.com/2011/02/are-social-networking-profiles-the-resumes-of-the-future/


Facebook is filled with teenagers and college students under 21 who have photos of themselves with a red cup or beer bottle in hand. They want to remember the party they were just at and share these memories with their friends. While the pictures are fun to look at, the actual act of drinking under 21 years of age is illegal. What some might not realize is that admissions officers at colleges will look at these Facebook profiles or any other blog and determine if these are students they want representing their university. Work employers will do the same.

Many people see this as an invasion of privacy and like to keep their school and/or business and personal life separate because they are two totally different environments. How one might act in school or at work is not how they might act on a Friday night with friends.

It is important to present yourself online in a positive manner just as you would present yourself in real life. Anything you put on the internet is there forever and can always be traced back to you. If you don't want someone knowing something about you, do not put it on the internet for the world to see. If you don't want the people of Facebook knowing your email address, phone number, or address, it's simple: do not fill out that section.

Aside from being a business major I'm also equally interested and involved in my digital arts minor. Over the course of my time in SBU i've learned about a variety of artist. One artist that's stuck with me is Kara Walker. She is an African American artist who creates black art using only silhouetted figures of stereotypical black figures. What intrigues me about Kara Walker's art is the shock value it has. Upon an initial viewing of her art its looks playful and kid friendly but with some further observation viewers see that her work is quite graphic and often makes those viewing the work in an art exhibit very uncomfortable and awkward.
The feeling that Walkers art gives is what I looked to create when I created this piece you see above.

Being on a college campus I observe the diversity it has and offers. Despite that diversity though I cant help but think what is it that people see and think when they see me or a person of any nationality or race with stereotypical connotations connected to them. When i created this work I did it in a way in which I imagined some people's subconscious thought process to be when they see black or minority. I imagined the thoughts to be initially subtle then steadily progress to eventual full blown thought. I also imagined that immediately following that thought there is a sense of guilt for the thought, because the person doesn't consider him/her self to be racist at all.I illustrated that guilt with the young crying boy behind the lettering. He represents the innocent unknowing child who already carries or will eventually carry the connotation in front of him before he even develops his self identity.

Each day we face the scrutiny and opinions of those who don't know us as an individual.They simply know us based on whatever "stock" information has been conceived and formulated about the race or creed that we identify with. Like Walker I wanted this piece to place those individuals in a position where their inner thoughts are brought to surface in public and most likely amongst other just like themselves. It is in that moment of self realization that I feel this piece will be at its most powerful.

video blogging

In my opinion, I find video blogging incredibly awkward. Talking to a computer screen is not something I ever thought I'd do in my life. Even though I am a shy person, I will open up once I get to know someone better and feel comfortable with them. I much prefer speaking to someone that way - face to face - instead of communicating through skype, oovoo, or any other form of video chatting.

When video blogging, I realize someone will watch the video so there is someone on the other side of that spectrum, but when I am making that video blog, I feel uncomfortable. I have no desire to talk to a computer screen when I could be talking to my friends, family, coworkers, or other peers.

Video blogging is an important part of this course and I will do my best to step out of my comfort zone of human interaction (as weird as that sounds) and attempt to video blog more. Who knows, I might end up loving it by the end of this course.

togetherville

http://techcrunch.com/2011/02/23/disney-acquires-social-network-for-kids-togetherville/

Disney acquired Togetherville, a new social network for kids 10 years old and younger. It is similar to social network sites like Facebook but appropriate for this age group. It is monitored by parents in a safe, secure environment where they can approve their child’s friends and connect with other parents. Kids will be able to talk to friends, play games, watch videos, and create art.

Personally I do not believe this a good idea. Children at this young age do not need to be introduced to social networking sites. They should be able to socialize with other friends and family in real life, not on a website similar to Facebook. Even in a technology driven, social media world, there is no need for a young child to stare at a computer screen all day long. There is also the issue with parents not monitoring their child’s website that often or thoroughly and the child could probably find a way around the parental guidelines. There are enough creeps on Facebook, how many people are going to move to Togetherville?


I researched this for another class and realized this applies to what we have been discussing in class. Social media is everywhere. We feel the need to be connected 24/7. Facebook started out as a website for just college students and now you can find your parents and younger siblings on it. Now that Togetherville is getting started, young children will be introduced to a technology driven world and the constant need to be in contact with one another. The new generations will never know what it is like to be a “typical” kid enjoying life outside rather than stuck in a room attached to a computer. They will never know what life was like when you couldn’t contact someone by cell phone and you actually had to use a landline or write a handwritten letter sent by the USPS. They only know the life of iPhones, blackberries, and Macbooks. I am so incredibly thankful I grew up in the 90s. New technology was being developed but it was not the focus of my life.

Charlie Sheen

"I'm tired of pretending I'm not special. I'm tired of pretending I'm not a total bitchin' rock star from Mars."

“I'm on a drug. It's called Charlie Sheen. It's not available because if you try it you will die. Your face will melt off and your children will weep over your exploded body." – Charlie Sheen

It is incredibly sad and disturbing to see the media exploit Charlie Sheen. He clearly needs help yet networks only care about booking him for an interview so they could bring in money. Lady Gaga recently said in an interview with Anderson Cooper that people want to see her fail. “They want to see me fail. They want to see me fall on stage. They want to see me vomiting out of a nightclub. Isn’t that the age we live in?” They will build her up and make her feel like the greatest person on earth who can do no wrong. Once she slips up, the media will destroy her. The media hasn’t just done this with Charlie Sheen or Lady Gaga. The media constantly rips on people like Britney Spears and Lindsay Lohan. These are people who have serious issues yet everyone finds enjoyment in making fun of them. They have serious addictions to drugs and alcohol and mental issues but the media does not care. Living in Hollywood is not doing them any favors.

Charlie Sheen is not in the right state of mind and has stated many times he is going to embrace this “rock star life.” If he does not attempt to get clean, he will end up dead. The media will then talk about how terrible it was that he never completely got sober and feel sorry for him and his family, yet the media contributed to his downfall. They are the ones that are encouraging him to do interviews. They are the ones who are building him up and are waiting for that notice that he lost his battle with drugs and alcohol.

I attached these videos of Craig Ferguson talking about Britney Spears a few years ago and Charlie Sheen Monday night. Craig Ferguson himself personally struggled with his addictions to drugs and alcohol and was actually going to commit suicide but went to a bar before hand to have a drink. He got so drunk that he forgot to kill himself. He has been sober ever since then and has gone on to be incredibly successful.

My Many SBU Majors

Prior to my acceptance into Stony Brook University I had already made the decision that my major would be health science. The individuals who I consider to be important in my life supported me in my decision, but in retrospect I realize that I was being swayed in opposed to be aided. As I began the course requirements en route to completion of the health science major I realized that the courses failed to stimulate my mind in a manner that courses leading to my eventual career should have. As a result I finished my 1^st semester slightly disappointed and confused as I entered into winter break. When I returned from my winter recess I’d failed to shake the feeling of being dejected about my career path. My disappointment was temporarily curbed one day while I was at the campus barber shop. Upon the completion of my haircut the barber noticed a shirt I had on and expressed the liking he took to it. He asked where I purchased the shirt and when I responded that I’d designed it, he was impressed and immediately offered me the opportunity to design t-shirts inspired by the barber shop that would then be distributed throughout the school.

It was in that moment that I experienced an essential epiphany informing me that creating designs and ideas that would be offered to the masses was a true passion of mine. Like any individual specializing in creating innovative ideas I realized that if I was going to pursue it professionally I had to begin creating visual renderings of my ideas. I decided that I could do that by simply drawing out my creations and then taking it a step further by having those designs shared and sold globally through the internet. With my ideas in tact I concluded that the three majors that could best assist me in accomplishing my goal were computer science, business management, and journalism.

Unfortunately or fortunately in some aspects my SBU major has changed 6 times but Ive concluded that Business Management with a minor in digital arts is my current course of action and it is the one I will graduate with. The path to that decision was an interesting one enabled to learn about myself in in depth manner that was unknown to prior to entering college, and while I am not a fan of the construct of college at all it has helped in that aspect

Oscars

I absolutely love awards season – Emmys, Grammys, Golden Globes, Oscars, Screen Actors Guild awards - you name it, I’ll watch it. The Oscars this past Sunday, however, wasn’t my favorite.

I thought Anne Hathaway did a decent job at co-hosting with James Franco. She genuinely seemed happy to be there, a once in a lifetime opportunity in front of all of her peers. James Franco, on the other hand, was terrible. He was completely unprofessional rolling his eyes every time he was on screen and seemed extremely bored and uninterested in what was going on.

I get that the Oscars were trying to be the “young and hip” awards show this time around and appeal to the younger demographic, but it just didn’t work out. They had a segment where they auto-tuned scenes from popular movies, such as Toy Story 3, Harry Potter, and The Social Network, and turned it into a song. It was funny, but was it necessary for the Oscars, something that has a reputation for being mostly serious with humor thrown in by the hosts (often comedians)? In my opinion, that segment would have been perfect for the MTV Movie Awards or the Emmys (only done with television shows), not the Oscars.

My Self Plan

Everyone has a life plan that they look to follow but life's processes always tend to add their own say in that plan. I figured I'd show some humility and share my own life plan (if that even exist). My Name is Markeem Reid, I am a senior at Stony Brook University and I am majoring in business management with a concentration in marketing as well as minor in digital arts. I chose Stony Brook University for a plethora of reasons. One of those reasons being that my older sister attended the school so I was given the opportunity to visit the school and develop a feel for it before actually applying. Another reason was that I initially looked to major in health science and pursue a career in radiology. Stony Brook is a top school in the country for medical research and studies so that aided in my decision as well. Eventually I realized I had no interest in the medical field and decided to change my major to an area where I could make use of my creative prowess. I’ll be graduating for Stony Brook in May, 2011 and my goal shortly after is to look for a job while also pursuing the launch of my clothing designs. I plan to fulfill my goals by researching a variety of jobs in my desired field and also producing many of my clothing designs so that I can shop them around to clothing stores.

When analyzing myself in terms of Strengths Weaknesses I believe a career in creative atmosphere is best for me. Some strengths of mine would be my ability to understand and observe people. Another strength is my ability to listen, this will be paramount because you must be able to listen and understand a clients vision when they are looking for you to turn that vision into a visual piece of work. My two biggest strengths are my creativity and my determination to learn quickly and complete a task. Some weaknesses of mine are my high levels of anxiety, not being a morning person, a somewhat bad temperament, and a bad social ideology that makes me only converse with people I feel are worth being conversed with.

One year after graduating from SBU I’d like to have an entry level job and a living space of my own preferably with the women I will eventually marry. Five years after graduating I’d like to have a larger living space and higher paying job, as well as a family, hopefully with the woman I was with when I had my entry level position. Ten years after graduation I would like to have a top position in the work place and also be pursuing my own entrepreneurial endeavors involving my clothing designs. I would also want to still be married with a family that is happy and content. I'd also like for my children to experience those things I never got a chance to or simply couldn't do but also keep them rooted in an upbringing very similar to my own because I feel that played a role in the person I am today, and I feel that is a rather exceptional person if I might so say myself.