The Semester's End, and a Final Blog to Accompany It.

So what exactly is ethos? Well, according to Durham Tech's website, it simply is credibility and how well you can convince the reader what you're talking about! Throughout this past semester, I feel like I've effectively added my own personality into each and one of my writing assignments, and especially my online blog posts. Not only has this greatly increased my ethos, but it has allowed me to further dive into my topics that I write about, and allows me to add my own voice which readers find interesting.

"Who am I?", you may ask. Well, I can tell you one thing, I do consider myself a unique individual despite the molds that are in place here on campus. Although I do take part in a fraternity (Lambda Chi Alpha) here on campus, I still have held onto my values and morals. I enjoy playing video games, and especially playing/watching all types of sports. Honestly, that is probably my defining attribute. There isn't a sport I'm not up for playing or even watching on t.v. There's something about competing to be the best that has always struck me, ever since I was a young kid who was raised to play soccer. I carry this competitive attitude into my everyday life, and use it to help motivate and drive myself towards my goals, dreams, and ambitions, whether they be school, work, or sport related.

I've used my interest and love for sports to my advantage this semester in my English 2 class. Often writing my blogs about something sports related, it has allowed me to really add my own voice and flair into each blog entry, and has allowed me to passionately write about my respected topic.

Let's take my very first blog for example, the one about a Nike advertisement which uses athletes to entice consumers to purchase the Nike brand. My knowledge about the sports industry, and my familiarity of the athletes present in the given advertisement really gave me a lot of ethos/credibility in this blog, which is why I feel like this was one of my best blogs of the semester, and even my professor agreed by awarding me 97% of the possible points allotted on this assignment. Needless to say, I was extremely proud of myself, and I really felt like I have mastered the art of blogging :)


Another assignment in which I feel like my ethos was presented in a good light was the group website that me and my two other classmates put together. The website, which can be found here, was a collaboration of thoughts and ideas in which I feel like me and my group really excelled in. From the format of the entire site, to all of it's content, I feel like we may have had one of the slickest webpages out of all the groups in our class, and I take great pride in that. My section of the site was written about technology and how famous celebrities and athletes, such as Dwyane Wade are used to market and advertise items and products for companies, such as T-Moble. The reason I believed I excelled was that I merged my love for sports with my passion and interest in technology. This blend allowed me to create a blog entry that echoed my voice, and still gave me all the ethos I needed.

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Overall I feel like my work has been really good this semester. I put a lot of thought and hard work into each of my assignments, and feel like I never just "half-assed" any of them in order to just get them done and out of the way. I honestly couldn't have gotten through English 2 this semester without the great help from my professor, Paul Mitchell. Through each step of the way, he has always been there for me, and everyone in my class to help guide us through new and exciting material. He kept the classroom lively and there was never a dull moment to be had. Looking back, I'm just so thankful and blessed to have had such an outstanding professor.



Luckily this past semester, I've had a great, peaceful place to work and write on all my assignments. My location of choice was the Great Reading Room, which is located in the Bizzell library here on campus. Although while currently writing this last blog entry for the school year, I've been feeling a little stressed and just worn down. It is the weekend before finals, so that should just be understood, but mentally I'm just ready to be done with school for this semester and go back home to the great state of Texas.

Despite my current semi-depressed state, I've always enjoyed working here in the Great Reading Room all semester long because it's a silent place that I can be extremely productive in because of all the other people around me who look like they are being productive. I don't know if it's just a psychological thing, but it works, so I'm sticking to it! Mentally and physically I've felt great all semester long, which I believe has led to my quality writing assignments, which is why I'm so proud of all of them. I feel like I've done great in class and have always done my best to try and participate in class and offer my two cents, even if they were wrong at times.

In conclusion, I just want to say that I've grown a lot as a person, and a writer during my first year of college. I believe it has been nothing short of successful and I can't wait to see what the future has in store for me, and my writing, of course!

If you need me, I'll be poolside for the rest of the summer just relaxin' and doin' my thanggggg.

Video Game Addiction

Video game addiction is real, and really should not be taken lightly these days. A 2007 Harris poll reported that in the US 8.5% of youth gamers (ages 8 to 18) “can be classified as pathological or clinically ‘addicted’ to playing video games” while another 23% say they have “felt addicted” to video game. This number is staggering, and in some cases I believe it could actually be a lot lower than the true statistics since, according to Video Game Addiction.Org, gaming addiction is not yet officially recognized as a diagnosable disorder by the American Medical Association.

Personally, as a teenage college student, I often find myself lost and glued to video games such as Call of Duty, or FIFA Soccer (which happens to be one of my personal favorites). I spend at least one hour a day unwinding by playing video games, and I like to think that I'm not addicted to video games, but who am I to know that?

According to Video Game Addiction.Org, there are 5 signs that signal you need help with a gaming/internet addiction. They go as followed:

1) You feel really happy when you're online or when you're playing games, but as soon as you have to stop, you get angry or upset.
2) You think about going online or playing when you are supposed to be focusing on other things, like doing school work or having dinner with your family.
3) You spend more time with your keyboard or controller than physically hanging out with your friends.
4) Your friends or parents ask what you spend all your time doing, and you lie about it or laugh it off, but inside you know they may have a point.
5) You get up in the middle of the night to check your e-mail or your MySpace comments because you're having a hard time sleeping.





Gaming addictions may not be as big of an issue here in the U.S., but overseas in areas of Asia such as Japan and Korea are plagued with this problem, since gaming is almost a part of their culture. "Gold farms" as they are called, are essentially sweatshops, in which usually young children are abused and exploited to play MMORPG (massively multiplayer online role playing games), such as World of Warcraft, and RuneScape. These "gold farms" are predominately found all over Asia, and they make the gamers sit in front of a computer for over 20 hours at a time and collect items/gold in their respective games, which are then sold online for real money. Not only does "gold farming" ruin the integrity of MMORPG games, but they also promote unhealthy video game habits and addictions.

In conclusion, we can all agree that video game addictions are unhealthy and should be addressed, but until gaming addictions can officially be medically diagnosed, all we have are 1-800 numbers and support systems to rely on to help us out.

2010 World Cup

Well it's that time again, the 2010 World Cup is almost upon us! The World Cup, which is held is South Africa this year, starts June 11th, and runs an entire month until July 11th.


For the first time in World Cup history the sports broadcasting company, ESPN, will be providing live telecasts of each and every game this summer for the entire world to see.

ESPN's commercial, which can be seen here, tries to entice and attract U.S. fans who may have previously never been attracted or interested in the sport. Soccer has never been a mainstream sport here in the United States, and that really upsets me. I've been a soccer player my entire life ever since I've been able to walk, so when I use to see people just smack talk my sport, it was a bit upsetting. But now, with all the publicity ESPN has been giving the World Cup, it seems that the sport might actually take off and gain popularity in the States.



As I walk around campus here at the University of Oklahoma, I hear people talking about how they can't wait for the World Cup to start, and even all over Facebook I see people counting down the days until the start of this world-wide tournament. It not only pits countries against each other on a world stage, but in a way, it brings countries all over the world together to cheer on their team in hopes of hoisting the glorious World Cup trophy, which is seen left.

At the end of the day, I'm finally glad to see soccer get so much publicity here in the States; and I definitely can't wait to see how the World Cup plays out this year, especially since the U.S. qualified to be in the tournament this year. I applaud ESPN for taking such big strides in providing coverage of all of the matches this summer, because I definitely believe that it's definitely going to attract a large crowd of new soccer fans, which could ultimately help jumpstart this sport here in America.

My Day Without Technology (Was Hell)

Well, my day without technology happened this past Monday, and needless to say, it was a rather interesting day. It definitely reminded me of a video I had looked up on YouTube prior to going 24 hours without the use of technology on my own. The video, which can be seen below, definitely offers a humorous take on how my day basically went.



So Sunday night I turned my iPhone off and set it aside on my desk and decided to see if I could last 24 hours without it. The second I turned my iPhone off, I immediately knew this would be a challenge for me since I've become so attached to it. Whether I'm browsing Facebook for the latest status updates, or looking through my email for any new content, the iPhone is always in arms reach, so not having it on my personal body throughout the day was rather rough.

So since I turned off my iPhone, I forgot to set a real alarm clock. This proved to be a problem the following morning. I have a 9:30 English 2 class every Monday, so I usually set my alarm for 8:30, snooze till 9 then stroll in right as class starts. But since I didn't have an alarm, my body luckily woke itself up at around 9:05, which barely left me any time to get ready and I basically had to sprint to class to get there on time.

Honestly, the first couple of hours were alright (besides the disastrous late start to my day). But it wasn't till about 4-5 hours into my day that I really started feeling deprived of one of my most vital technological devices. I kept wondering who would be texting me, or if I would miss out on an important call. Towards the end of the night/evening I really just couldn't take it much longer. There was no way in hell that I would be able to fall asleep without checking my phone, so I had to give in.

So, okay, I may not have technically gone the entire 24 time span without my phone, but I think I put up a pretty good fight. I lasted about 15 hours, and I must say that I'm pretty proud of that :)

**EDIT**
As far as Wendell Berry's, "Why I Am Not Going to Buy a Computer" article, I feel like Berry's just trying to be defiant, and be a "nonconformist", if you will. Although he does bring up a valid point about the strip mining, I feel as if his stipulations in order to technologically upgrade are a little bogus and unrealistic. I mean, how could the new tool be cheaper than the one it replaces. Yeah, that would be nice if that was the case, but it's just not going to happen. Usually the newer tool is going to be better and more efficient than it's pretacessor, so that's why people are willing to actually shell out MORE money for these tools.

Ultimately it's Berry's own personal decision to write with pencil and paper, but I just feel like he's lost touch of time and doesn't want to come to grips with reality.

Sorry 'bout cha Berry, but times are-a-changin'.

The Nike "Awake" Commercial

So, exactly how important and influential is it when companies hire big name celebrities and athletes to endorse their products and ideas? Does it actually impact us in the way that the company intended it to?

I'm extremely partial to Nike; I always find myself buying all types of their gear. This is why I'm going to explore and dissect Nike's "Awake" Commercial. (shown below). This is an extremely successful ad, in my opinion that I can easily relate to since I've been an athlete my entire life. Obviously the fact that this commercial is packed with big name athletes is huge, but what about other details, that might not be as prominent, like the music playing in the background? Or the mood/tone that this ad creates? All of these parts help to subtly create an overwhelming sense of pathos that interact with the consumer's emotions. Which subconsciously makes them want to buy the item that is being advertised, just like Nike intended!

As I break down each component of this commercial, you will be able to see the bigger picture that these big shot producers and advertisers are trying to convey to us (the consumers).

Nike has always been a company that I can relate to ever since I was a kid in grade school. I mean seriously, everybody had to have those sweet Air Jordan kicks, and I was definitely no exception. Yes sir, I had the all white pair with the red laces that matched the Jumpman emblem in all of their size 6 and a half glory. I will definitely never forget them. What about when the Nike Shox came out? It just seems like Nike always introduce "must have" items that everybody goes crazy for. They obviously must be doing something right because they are the world's leading supplier of athletic shoes and apparel and, not to mention, a major manufacturer of sports equipment. They also have one of the most famous brand logos, The Swoosh, (see picture below) which is recognized worldwide. You can read about the full iconography of The Nike Swoosh here.

This commercial focuses on athletes getting up early as they start their daily routines which consist of, watching game films, lifting weights, or shooting hoops to perfect their respective games. The images are purposely meant to leave a lasting impression on the viewer's mind of hope and inspiration, which could be used as a motivational tool for them to become more like their famous athlete counterparts. If you take a closer look, (or are a sports aficionado, like myself) you will notice some famous athletes in this commercial such as: Tom Brady of the New England Patriots, the world's former number one female tennis superstar, Maria Sharapova, and of course, Alex Rodriguez of the New York Yankees, who is one of the world highest paid athletes. Their presence obviously promotes Nike in a positive light, because it shows consumers that they rely on their own Nike gear to start their days off right, and to help them reach that elite level of athleticism. This is a classic use of ethos (credibility) by the producers because, subconsciously or not, the next time you go to the store for a new pair of shoes, you are going to remember that A-Rod wears Nikes so maybe if you get a pair of Nikes, you will be more like him. It's a brilliant marketing scheme that makes the consumers' emotions appeal to the reputation of the sponsor (famous athletes in this case). This technique has been used in advertising for ages, and we all fall for it whether we admit to it or not.

Next let's take a look at the audience for this particular commercial. This commercial is geared towards everybody, but if you're an athlete or a sports fan, you would be more inclined to catch the famous faces present in this ad. And the "name drops", if you will, in this commercial are what make it great and effective. The genre of this commercial also follows the whole sports theme and idea that definitely appeals to sports-lovers and athletes alike.

After doing a little bit of research on this ad, I was astounded to find that RSA's Jake Scott (who has directed countless music videos for famous bands like The Strokes, and U2) was the mastermind of this advertisement. It's clear that a lot of time, effort, and money were put into this project. Jake Scott's structure of this commercial is extremely clever. The video offers many cut-scenes along with the intense rock background music (Rock and Roll Ain't Noise Pollution compliments of none other then AC/DC) synced with the video give it a very dramatic, impactful, and persuasive feel and vibe that definitely gets Nike's point across to consumers.

The lyrics of the song even say "get off your ass and come down here" as it shows a clip of a man doing leg presses which emphasizes the whole athletic nature and theme of this ad. I mean seriously, how much more direct can you get? In conclusion, it is safe to say that, yes, the use of these famous athletes/celebrities does in fact impact the way that us consumers purchase items. Since we trust the famous athlete/celebrity and their reputation, it is only human nature to be inclined to respect and have some sort of response to their endorsement. Nike's Awake" commercial was executed perfectly, and it still invokes an emotional response from me every time I see it. It makes me want to be a bigger, faster, stronger, and more determined athlete to be the very best I can. And without some Nike gear, it's just not going to happen. Note that not all advertisements are going to have such excellent unity, balance and be as savvy as this one, but deep down, we will be influenced whether we like it or not!

Oh, and don't forget... Just do it.