Considering Genre

In a world of information, it is becoming increasingly difficult to capture a reader's attention for any extended period of time. Thus, the quick reference guide has become a popular tool to convey the necessary information about a story to the reader in an interesting and fast way.

S., Jon "Newspapers B&W" 8/11/11 via flickr. Public Domain License.

1. What genre are you going to commit to for Project 1? Why?

For the postmortem controversy, I have decided that I will write a quick reference guide to help provide insight into the Ivanpah bird crisis. Due to the large span of time between the controversy beginning and its conclusion, I feel that it will be important to summarize the key points of the story along with provide the necessary facts to interested readers. I also believe that this will be a good chance to familiarize myself with the genre since I don't have a whole lot of experience in it.

2. What genre conventions from your chosen genre are you planning on developing during next week's Production phase? What do you plan to do with the genre conventions that will help you accomplish the purpose of the project most effectively?

During the production phase, one of the things that I will be working on the most is producing the actual copy for the guide, as I expect it to be somewhat difficult to condense all of the information about Ivanpah into a small set of details that the reader would be interested in. Another piece that I will be working on is getting different media elements to add to the QRG so that it remains visually interesting while still giving the reader the information they need.

3. How are you feeling about Project 1 going in to the Production phase? What challenges do you anticipate next week as you create content for the project?

Overall, I'm feeling enthusiastic about the production phase of Project 1. I anticipate that I'll have some difficulties familiarizing myself with all of the nuances of the genre itself, but I feel like the topic is going to be solid and the material that comes out of it will be the same. I'm also not sure where I'll be getting visual content for my piece, because most of the media for Ivanpah is not licensed for public use, which could pose a challenge.

Cluster of Stakeholders

When discussing any controversy, it is important to note that every side will have their own reasons for wanting a victory. In the case of the Ivanpah Solar Plant, it is important to note that despite the main stakeholders being the company itself, BrightSource Energy, a number of other players are also bound to be involved.

Kirk, Michael "Ivanpah From The Air 2015" 9/3/15 via wikimedia. Public Domain License.

So, Who Are The Stakeholders?

Evaluation of General Sources

As the story erupts about Ivanpah Solar Power Plant's supposed killing of birds that fly over, it is important to find out what information coming out is going to be false, and what information ends up being true. Digging through the sources will hopefully reveal this information.

Dietrich, Craig "Ivanpah Solar Power Facility" 10/27/13 via flickr. Public Domain License

"Ivanpah Solar Power Tower is Burning Birds"

• URL: Since this article is presented on a .org domain, this usually implies an organization, and in this case is the professional society for electrical engineers, IEEE. 

• Author: The author of this article is Morgan Peck, a freelance writer from NYC that writes technology articles for IEEE Spectrum, Scientific American, and various other publications. She has been writing for several years and publishes in a broad range of technological subjects from engineering to cryptocurrency.

• Last Updated: When the article first begins, there is a link to an updated article from November 2nd, 2015, showing that the controversy has been followed up until very recently with more accurate information coming out as time passes.

• Purpose: The main purpose of the article seems to be to inform the public about what is happening at Ivanpah, but it is written in a somewhat editorialized fashion. However, its information stays in line with other articles published at the same time.

• Graphics: The graphics in this article are used to show the reader what Ivanpah solar plant looks like, along with providing a look at one of the bird carcasses found on site to show how the solar flux affects something that flies through it.

• Position on Subject: Since the article seems to be somewhat critical of Ivanpah, it seems that parties other than the plant's owners would be the ones to profit.

• Links: This article links to various different sources including different news publications, the Ivanpah website, and even various reports from government agencies about the crisis.

"How Ivanpah is Reducing Glint and Glare From Heliostats"

• URL: The article is posted on a .com website, however CPS Today is a site strictly dedicated to publishing information about commercial solar power and how it is affecting different regions around the world.

• Author: Susan Kraemer pens the article, an author who deals extensively with renewable energy, writing for CSP Today, ClearTechnica, and Scientific American among others.

• Last Updated: This article was last updated on September 4th, 2014, which is one of the earliest articles about the crisis. While I hoped it would have been updated more recently, there are still many articles to use for this purpose.

• Purpose: While reading this article, it was apparent that the main purpose was to inform readers about the scientific facts backing the Ivanpah plant, rather than to form an opinion on the controversy itself.

• Graphics: The graphics in this article are used to show the reader what Ivanpah solar plant looks like, along with providing a look at one of the bird carcasses found on site to show how the solar flux affects something that flies through it.

• Position on Subject: It seems like the article is relatively non-biased, and focuses on the purely scientific aspect of the controversy, rather the media circus that soon surrounded it.

• Links: Unfortunately, the article does not link to any outside sources, however it does go into great detail about the points trying to be made, though it would be nice to see exactly where their information comes from.

Reddit and What I Found There

Reddit, a land of almost anything you can imagine including the worst parts too. Today, we look for a professional side of the site, specifically one that discusses my future field of electrical and computer engineering.

Lenaerts, Daan "Arduino Electronics" 1/7/16 via pixabay. Public Domain License

1. What kinds of things do people in the Reddit forums seem to be arguing about, debating, disagreeing about or otherwise engaging in meaningful exchanges of ideas about? 

Within the Reddit ECE forums, it quickly became apparent that most of the individuals active on the /r/ECE subreddit were students such as myself, often asking questions about different problems or projects that they were working on. However, a number of practicing engineers are also active on the subreddit, sharing their knowledge with the students or debating over various controversies within the broad engineering discipline or specifically about electrical engineering.

2. In your opinion, what are the two most interesting debates/disagreements you found in the Reddit forums? 

One interesting debate that I was able to find was about Trump's claims about the iPhone, when he claimed that if elected, he would attempt to bring back Apple's production lines to the United States. Various engineers were attempting to explain how bringing production back may sound like a good idea, but would actually be a larger detriment to the company than keeping it in China. As a future engineer, I know that these are the type of decisions I'll likely be involved in as we try to maximize profits to keep investors happy.

Another discussion that I found was from a student, asking about the ethics of GPA calculation, where users debated the best way to show a GPA in the best possible way to improve the chances of getting a job. Various users debated with each other as to the best way to show this, but the most popular suggestion was to just stick with your GPA, no matter what it ended up being. I know that I'll probably have these same thoughts as I look for a job in the future, so it was interesting to see so many different perspectives on the matter.


3. Overall, what impression do you get of your discipline based on what you saw happening in the Reddit forums? 

While looking through the Reddit forums, I was very surprised to see just how many students were active in the subreddit. While I know that the younger generations are often the ones using sites like Reddit, I would have expected a more active professional community, though they still exist within the subreddit. However, I was pleasantly surprised to see that most individuals were acting very respectfully towards each other, something not often found while browsing Reddit. Needless to say, I'll definitely be subscribing to ECE now.

Evaluation of News Magazine Stories

Each day a new argument will always pop up, whether it be over the color of a dress or something more serious like police surveillance. In the following post, you'll see how I looked into the stories that various news magazines have published to see what the fuss is about this week.

Conry, Steven "Plane Landing Over Simpson Bay" 7/17/09 via flickr. Public Domain License

California Police Used Stingrays in Planes to Spy on Phones

1. What is the debate, disagreement or argument in the story about? 

It has recently come to the attention of the American Civil Liberties Union that the city of Anaheim in California has been using a controversial technology called a Stingray to monitor the activity of residents and visitors. Since 2009 Anaheim has operated this technology, mounting it aboard a small aircraft that patrols the city to force users to connect to its fake cell tower. Tracking the users connected means that ordinary civilians can now be monitored at nearly any time, a fact that has many worried.

2. Who is the most sympathetic character in the story? 

Unfortunately, the most sympathetic character in the story ends up being the people being the American public who are being spied on by the police. By possibly having their rights violated, the citizens of Anaheim are ending up the victims, creating a sympathy because I know that it is very possible for people such as myself to end up in the same situation.

3. Who is the least sympathetic character in the story? 

By forcing their way into the private communications of their citizens, the Anaheim Police Department is making themselves out to be the evildoer, making it seem like they're out to get you. This makes it very hard to side with their cause due to the less than friendly outlook they're placing on the public and even tourists.

Palmero, Nan "Woman Using a Samsung VR Headset at SXSW" 3/15/15 via flickr. Public Domain License

Video Game Designers Say Virtual Reality Is Here to Stay

1. What is the debate, disagreement or argument in the story about?

As the debate over whether virtual reality heats up, it becomes clear that two sides are emerging. On the first side, there are individuals who believe that VR will be one of the next big things, and on the other there are a number who believe that VR is just another fad and are entirely uninterested in developing for the various systems. This article focuses specifically on attendees at a Game Developers Conference in the previous three years, stating that 56% are interested in developing for VR while 44% are uninterested in the technology.

2. Who is the most sympathetic character in the story? 

For me, the most sympathetic characters within this story are the developers that are working to put out games for VR, as it is a platform that I'm very interested to test out in the near future. Whether it be on my own or as part of something like the AZ-LIVE experience here on campus, I can't wait to get my hands on a set and try it out.

3. Who is the least sympathetic character in the story? 

As I am very interested in the developments on VR, I find it hard to imagine why 44% of game developers are not willing to publish for the new platform. Though I understand that their decisions may be purely business decisions, I'd love to see expanded support for the platform so that it can only get better as time goes on.

Twitter and What I Found There

It seems like people from every generation are using Twitter now, whether it be as a means of letting of stress or informing others of something new. Within Electrical Engineering, it seems like Twitter has become a platform of ideas, so let's see what it's all about.

Skidmore, Gage "Twitter Logo" 3/14/09 via wikimedia. Public Domain

1. What kinds of things do people on Twitter seem to be talking about, debating, arguing about or otherwise engaging in meaningful exchanges of ideas about? Give us a descriptive and clear sense of the kinds of stories you're seeing in these Twitter feeds.

Based on the posts from electrical engineers themselves and various EE organizations that have a Twitter presence, most of what is being discussed is the various new technologies and ideas that are arising within the field. Whether it be various colloquiums from universities and conferences, or just users sharing their own personal projects, everyone wants to be involved with the latest and greatest tech out there.

2. In your opinion, what are the two most interesting conversations or stories you found in the Twitter feeds? Hyperlink us to the two different Twitter feeds and explain why you found those conversations interesting. 

While looking for interesting topics, I was able to find an incredible amount of stories that people are sharing, but below are two of my favorites.

https://twitter.com/kaskoen/status/685044648998494210

Despite the lack of crossover between electrical engineering and genetics, there is still a massive possibility for advancement within the two fields. One such instance is through the use of DNA as a computational device, through the use of "bits" of data creating while the DNA works. Harnessing this technology could result in a new type of computing where instead of 1s and 0s, the letters A, T, C, and G are used to create the fundamental pieces of a computer system. This could drastically change the way computation happens at the most basic level, a massive change to the way that electrical engineers will look at future problems.

https://twitter.com/IEEEorg/status/692094916722237440

As a drone enthusiast, it always make me happy to see that advancements are being made in the field. The work that my club and I do with drones is nowhere near as advanced as projects such as landing a drone on a moving car, but I look forward to the innovations created by such researchers looking to improve drones for the rest of us. By making small advancements such as this, drone technology will soon be able to integrate with the rest of our lives, from delivering packages to helping people in need during a disaster.

3. Overall, what impression do you get of your discipline based on what you saw happening on Twitter? Were the people in these feeds talking in ways you expected or did not expect, about things you anticipated they'd be talking about or things you had no idea they'd be discussing? 

From what I was able to see from recent tweets from electrical engineers, I was very surprised to find them discussing fields other than our own, and the advancements made in them and the ways that it could relate to electrical engineering specifically. I was very impressed by this, knowing that if the industry is hopeful about advancements in other fields, they must be ecstatic about events in our own.

Evaluation of New York Times Stories

Each day, thousands of news articles appear online and it quickly becomes important to look within the stories to find out whether or not it will be useful to pursue. Digging deeper will often facts you may have never expected which can be incredibly helpful to know.

NASA Goddard "Detailed Satellite Imagery of the Idaho Wildfires" 9/20/13 via flickr. Public Domain License

A Space Station, With Surveillance Cameras for Hire

1. Does there seem to be a "main character" or "protagonist" to the story? If so, who is it and how are they are the "center" of the story? If not, are there any important or central characters in the story at all? What role do they play?

In this story, the "main character" would be played by the company UrtheCast. It is this company whose cameras have been placed aboard the ISS, allowing them to sell their services to customers looking for high altitude surveillance.

2. Where do the specific events in the story take place? Is there a specific setting? Describe the settings for the stories and how they influence the plot and characters.

The setting for this story is aboard the International Space Station, or ISS. This is a multinational effort to create a laboratory in space to carry out experiments and promote cooperation between nations. This drastically effects the story as what was meant to be a neutral territory can now be used to spy on the very nations that helped build it.

3. Is there any kind of disagreement or debate happening in the story? If so, who is participating, why are people debating and what seems to be at stake for the different characters in the story?

While there is not a great deal of debate within this story, it shows that there are a number of companies competing within the surveillance field, each attempting to get the upper hand. Every one of these companies will be fighting for profits, and UrtheCast has determined putting cameras on the ISS is one way to do that.

Miller, Chad "Another Game of Go" 3/23/05 via flickr. Public Domain License

Alphabet Program Beats the European Human Go Champion

1. Does there seem to be a "main character" or "protagonist" to the story? If so, who is it and how are they are the "center" of the story? If not, are there any important or central characters in the story at all? What role do they play?

The main character within this story is the company Alphabet, a conglomerate which owns companies such as Google and various other divisions such as DeepMind whose machine has now beat the human Go champion. This makes Alphabet one of the front runners in A.I. technology as they continue to develop their technologies further.

2. Where do the specific events in the story take place? Is there a specific setting? Describe the settings for the stories and how they influence the plot and characters.

Within the story, the events likely take place in Europe, however this was not specified. However, by having a machine face off against a human player, it sets a precedent where A.I. is capable of increasing difficult tasks and often outperforming its human counterparts.

3. Is there any kind of disagreement or debate happening in the story? If so, who is participating, why are people debating and what seems to be at stake for the different characters in the story?

Yes, within the story the debate is being brought up about whether or not A.I. technology should be introduced to different aspects of life, such as playing the game Go. Opponents such as Mark Zuckerberg are attempting to limit the uses of A.I. where as companies like Alphabet stand to gain a great deal if they're able to produce and market their software to businesses and even governments.

Course Projects

As the semester progresses, a number of projects loom before us. Whether or not this is going to be a bad thing is yet to be decided, but for now I'll be sifting through the course information to see what truly lies ahead. By delving into the documents, I'll be casting my own light on English.

Q) What are you most confused by or nervous about in regards to the four major projects?
A) Overall, the part that I'm the most nervous about is having such a high degree of autonomy within each of the four projects. With the previous schooling I've had, assignments have always been very structured and it will be interesting to see which direction I take with the work ahead.

Q) What are you most interested in or excited by in regards to the four major projects?
A) I believe the most interesting part of our projects this semester will be the ability to gain new insight into a controversy in my field by being asked to interview two people in my own field. By getting a different view on the situation, I hope to gain a new understanding of what it's going to be like working and being part of the field which I will be working so hard to get in to.

Q) Based on your understanding of the major projects, what are the elements of this course that you have to plan ahead for? How will the coursework described in the four project assignment sheets challenge your time management skills this semester?
A) After reading through the guidelines posted and viewing some of the examples for each type of genre that we as students will be working with semester, I'm confident that each project will require a large amount of planning to accomplish including the interviews which need to be set up for project two and planning on using the various types of genres for the project which I believe will suit them best.

Bøtter, Jacob "Typing on MacBook Pro" 1/6/12 via flickr. Public Domain License

Q) How has your past English coursework in high school or college prepared you for the challenges of this course? What skills will you bring into the course with you?
A) So far, I'm not entirely certain whether or not I'll be prepared for this course yet. Despite taking various AP literature and composition courses in high school, I know that the work required was vastly under the quality which will be required in this course. While I believe they taught solid fundamental knowledge, I was never tested with enough difficulty to cement the idea that I'll be ready for whatever comes my way. However, I will bring a vast knowledge of the technology which we will be using and a desire to improve my skills.

Q) Do you have any questions about the four major projects that haven't been answered by the assignment sheets? What do you still want to know?
A) So far, everything that I want to know has either been answered in the assignment sheets or through in class questions, but I will be sure to bring them up should I have any in the future.

Reflections
While reading Hannah's post I found that she and I had a number of similar worries such as the time management required to be successful this semester. However, I'm excited to see what delving into my field will bring, and hope that I get a new perspective from those already in it. The same time management fear was highlighted in Elizabeth's post, showing that a number of students are worried about being procrastinators this semester just as I am. Despite this, I believe the projects should give us an exciting semester and help us explore our interests.

Investigating Genres: The Video Essay

Despite their massive popularity, video essays are a new entry in the tools of persuasion. By having a user interact with the author both through audio and visuals, a new style can be created while giving the audience an experience they soon won't forget. Skip the ads and find out exactly what goes into a video essay.

Q) What purpose(s) does this genre usually serve?
A) The purpose of a video essay is to attempt to persuade the viewer using an easy to digest video format. Video essays often provide a broad overview of the situation at hand and then delve into the points the author is trying to make, grabbing the viewer's attention with interesting visuals and

Korosl, Rego "YouTube logo" 4/1/10 via flickr. ShareAlike 2.0 License

Q) Where, how, or in what context do readers usually find this genre?
A) Viewers will often find this genre on a number of video sharing platforms such as YouTube, Vimeo, and Facebook. By searching for a topic that interests them, they can often find many videos that help them see many different perspectives and ways of presenting the topic they're looking for. Often, viewers will also find video essays being shared on other forms of social media such as Twitter where users hope to share their findings with others.

Q) Who is the typical audience for this genre?
A) Based on the video essay's prevalence on social media, the typical audience ends up being those of a younger generation, who are more likely to use technology. However, any person that is interested in the topic being discussed can watch a video essay due to their ability to be shared easily and the often simplified nature of their contents.

Q) What are some of the key features or characteristics that are unique to this genre, distinguishing it from other texts?
A) The main difference found in video essays is their broad use of visuals as their information is presented, as creating useful infographics and pictures can drastically improve the viewer's understanding of the topic being discussed.

Q) Based on your answers to the questions above, come up with a definition in your own words for this genre.
A) Video Essay - An argument presented in video form, using both visuals and audio to persuade the viewer.

Reflections
After reading Shauna's post about podcasts, I found that podcasts can be used for many different types of information including news while still allowing the listener to draw their own conclusions. Since these are different from the types of podcasts I usually listen to, I found it very interesting the way she portrays podcasts as a source of learning. Also, by reading Erica's post about quick reference guides, I was able to gain a basic understanding of the uses and formatting behind the genre. It was a very helpful post since I know that it is a genre in which we'll be working in the future in this class, and it is one that I'll come across fairly often.

The Writing Process

As I sit down to write this very post, I know that the questions below will shape the way I write even now, a habit that I can no longer break. While it's not yet the last minute, I'm sure that time will come in the near future. For now, let's find out how my mind works to put words on a page.

Q) What type of writer do you consider yourself to be?
A) I would consider myself to have a mixture of the Procrastinator and Heavy Reviser styles of writing. When asked to write a paper or work on a long project, I tend to put it off until a time close to the due date, even though I often know that it is going to require a lot of work to complete. During this limited amount of time, I tend to revise the drafts that I make several times and often rewrite entire paragraphs to make the writing closer to how I want it to feel.

Q) Does your writing process include several of the above approaches? If so, which ones?
A) Yes, the writing process that I employ does include multiple approaches as besides being a procrastinator, I do still like to be able to revise my paper before I have to hand it in. Though these techniques don't always mesh well together, I find that merging the two helps me achieve the results that I desire.

Q) Does your writing process seem to be successful? What are the strengths and weaknesses of your approach?
A) While my writing process has been fairly successful thus far, I know that its main weakness is the lack of time I give myself to prepare for writing, instead hoping that I'll be able to sit down and get it done just in the nick of time before it's due. However, with the limited amount of time I have during the week, I find that being a procrastinator sort of helps as I force myself to write in a shorter time than I would have otherwise. While this doesn't always work, the classes I've taken previously have not stopped me from using this technique which will likely change this year.

Q) Do you think it might be beneficial for you to try a different approach? Why or why not?
A) I think it would be largely beneficial to my writing process if I was able to stop having procrastination be part of the way that I write. With more time available, I would be able to drastically increase the number of revisions that I could make to the piece I'm writing, allowing it to become a more refined piece of work. However, I know this will take some work and I'm hoping I can make that improvement this semester.

Q) If you could sum up your feelings about your writing process in one image, what would it be?
A) My writing process is certainly a difficult one, and I find myself often checking the time to make sure I'm making enough progress to make the deadline. This is why I chose a picture of someone checking their watch, the same action I very often find myself taking while writing.

Vasek, Jan "What time is it?" 2014 via jeshoots. Attribution- Public Domain Dedication License