"Fantasia" by Walt Disney

Walt Disney movies have been a part of my life since I can remember. One of the most notable is the movie, "Fantasia", and I am speaking of the one that was originally made in the 1940's. My parents and grandparents have always exposed me to previous generations' cultures of music, art, entertainment, etc. I guess you can say I have acquired an old soul taste for the past because of this. For example, I like the representations of Mickey and Minnie Mouse, created by Walt Disney, in black and white rather than the newer images of these characters and others. "Fantasia" is such a enjoyable movie to watch as there is so much attention to the music and the movements of characters and the setting being in sync with each other. It uses phenomenal orchestra music and is accentuated with the entertaining characters that are within it. (My favorite is the part with Mickey and the walking brooms) If this movie has never been seen by you, I would definitely recommend seeing it as it is still a classic to this day. It was Walt Disney's dream to combine animated characters and classical music, especially to have children be shown these two together. It was Walt Disney's attempt to gain fame and surely worked for himself as it was one of his most well-known productions. It depicts Mickey Mouse as a wizard who has powers to make objects come alive. (Hint, Hint), just like Walt Disney does!

Here's a small segment of the movie that is one of my favorite parts: 

Flip Book: "New York City Skyline"

Reverse:

Can it be valid to say that not all hackers are bad?

It is apparent that hackers have preluded society for a very long time with the advancement of technology and the acquired knowledge of successfully decoding an encryption to get to some sort of information. People are constantly having their card numbers taken from others or social security numbers stolen in order to gain something out of it. With this being said, they are definitely not people who would be considered the idea "good" person.

Within the past year, the once repressed fear of terrorists and the destruction they can cause has once again arrived since the unthinkable moment of 9.11. Paris was bombed by ISIS, which erupted that fear, especially for American citizens, once again. Because of this, hacktivists, who call themselves Anonymous, leaked videos threatening ISIS and strongly stating that they will get revenge. When I first saw a video of them, I though they were some sort of secretive army force that would get the vengeance almost all anti-terrorists dream of. However, this is not the case. By definition, hacktivism is the use of computers and the internet in order to promote a certain agenda for political, religious, social, etc. reasons. In Anonymous's case, they were hacking into the information (videos, photos, threatening movements, etc) put into the media by ISIS themselves and deleting it from the internet entirely.

Within their videos to make a public broadcast, the hacktivist group wears masks and changes the voice into a monotone pitch so that their identities are not revealed. Their main goal was to take down any information of the sort so that people who are vulnerable do not join ISIS's terrorist movement as well as to inflict fear on the terrorist group of ISIS, who has caused destruction and loss on far too many parts of the world, even their own. It is easy for people who do not relate to any community or group to see something like ISIS as an appealing and easy way to feel like they belong to something. It most definitely sounds messed up, but happens every day. Anonymous has even owned up to being responsible for harassment against Donald Trump!

Here is a youtube video about the impact Anonymous really has: 

Flower Power

"The flower which is single need not envy the thorns that are numerous."

- Rabindranath Tagore

My 3D Printing - Flower Power

For 3D printing, our class had to create a toy weapon with your own individualized touch to it. I decided to make a ninja throwing star that had an innocent look to it but is still dangerous with its use. The ninja throwing star is a hand-held blade that is generally used to be throw at an enemy. The weapon has multiple blades on it and has a very intimidating appearance. I 3D-printed one of these weapons; however, I created it into looking like a flower with the petals as blades. It looks innocent but can be very deadly. It was a diffiuclt process for me to figure out how to use the software the library has to print items. However, with much dedication I was able to figure out how to do it and was actually very pleased with the outcome of the toy weapon. I made the weapon into a pink color as the structure of it is shaped like a flower. It’s called “Flower Power”.

The Evolution of Television

Through technological advancements, the television has had various designs from big boxy structures to widths as thin as a pencil. Not only have televisions become more convenient to transport in relation to its weight, but they have also gained incredibly realistic visual experiences for the viewer. The quality that televisions can portray nowadays would have been unthinkable before advancements created this possibility. When televisions first came into existence, it was not easy for everyone to afford it as it was more of a luxury for the wealthy. As said in a previous blog, people would crowd around stores that had televisions playing outside of the door. However, it was apparent that the television would become a huge part of people’s lives in the future and therefore owning a television became an option for people of less class, proliferating its popularity all around the world.

“The TV has become a piece of furniture as commonplace as the dinner table and far more worshipped.”

Televisions developed into better quality visuals, the structures became slimmer, and other advancements that made the television a machine that became a part of almost every household. It furthered and made easier communication for the public as well as another source of entertainment. Although it made public communication more available, especially to the less wealthy, it can be debated that the television can royally taken away the cherishment of family time. The television had changed the atmosphere of family life in homes, some can say for the better and others can say for the worst. It used to be that families sat around a dinner table together and discussed their lives and experiences. However, it transitioned into families sitting around a dinner table and watching the television, droning out cherished moments of family time. It is controversial but I for one think it is important for families to keep the television off during dinner and watch it together afterwards.

Source of Quote: www.fastcodesign.com

Norway is turning off FM ?!

In 2017, Norway has decided to completely eliminate FM radio from its country, a true example of how technology is changing drastically. It will be a new period of time in Norway and possibly in time for the rest of the world. People in future generations are going to be unfamiliar with a radio that is not digitalized... "FM Radio? What's that?". I am not exactly sure how Norwegian citizens will think of this transition to completely digital radio, but I for one would not what to think of it. I do love satellite radio as it does have many more advantages than FM radio does. However, FM completely disappearing from society in the United States would really make me think about what the future has to come in regards to technological advancements.

I am sure the transition will give listeners better quality of the radio and what not but why not have both? There may be people of older generations who are not aware of how digital radio works. Although I do not listen to the radio much because I put my phone into an auxiliary cord to listen to my own music, I wouldn't know what to do without it if I did not have another option. With that being said, I don't know how I would feel if the United States did the same as Norway is doing in 2017. I guess we'll just have to wait and find out!