Pecha Kucha Presentation Analysis

     I viewed a presentation by a woman named Lyn Langlais. Her presentation, "Superior Skydiving", was about her passion for skydiving and how she was able to overcome hardships to do what she loves.
     The pictures she includes in her presentation are effective in further expanding and explaining her information to the audience. Her personal notations throughout the presentation are also very effective.
     As far as time management, Lyn struggled to stay in sync with the twenty second slide delay. There were times when she talked too fast and had to wait for the pictures to catch up which caused an unnatural pause in her speech. The quality of the voice sound was also on the poor side making it sometimes difficult to understand what was being said.
     Although there is always room for improvement, I thought it was a good presentation with interesting topics. The Pecha Kucha style of presentation is a simple concept.  Most of the work will be time management and practicing with this format.

Jade Dragon Snow Mountain

As I read through Lilly Feng’s autobiography I started to see her love for the outdoors. I too love being in nature. She wrote specifically about her journey and summit of Jade Dragon Snow Mountain. Climbing mountains is one of my favorite past times and I one day hope to summit all of the 14’ers (peaks that reach 14,000ft above sea level) located in Colorado. I was interested in learning more about Jade Dragon Snow Mountain.

          

           Jade Dragon Snow Mountain (玉龙雪山) is located in China close to the city of Lijiang. It’s contains a total of ten peaks. Its highest peak clears at 18,355ft above sea level. China Highlights states that, “The tallest peak called Shanzidou has only been climbed once by two Americans and say it is extremely dangerous.”  The peaks can be seen for miles and can even be seen from the Black Dragon pool in the ancient district which is 70 miles away. The mountain has path cut for tourists making it easier to hike. This is the path Lilly chose on her journey. In Lilly Feng’s autobiography she says, “The travel up the mountain was difficult. Many people turned back but I kept going.”

           Jade Dragon Snow Mountain has been an awesome research topic. Not only is it gorgeous but it also has a lot of history surrounding it. It’s great to learn about another culture other than my own.

Primary Source:

Feng, Lilly. "My Travles." Jade Dragon Snow Mountain (2014): n. pag. Web.

Secondary Source:

"Jade Dragon Snow Mountain." ChinaHighlights. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Nov. 2014.

Categorizing People

Implicit Bias

I thought this test, implemented by Harvard University, was very interesting and insightful. At first I was a little shocked at the content but then realized that racial difference plays a significant role in our society. As the tests progressed they became much harder. Upon completing the test, it said that I have a small negative racial bias towards African Americans. I'm not sure how accurate this is because I have many "black" friends. 

Face to Face

This is a great site. It's dedication to people who have stories to tell is inspiring. I listened to many of the testimonies from those who were affected by 9/11. Anjum Mir says she felt like it was a "double whammy". She felt scared for those who were in the buildings that were hit but at the same time she was worried for her own safety. It was a eye-opening experience for all Americans no matter what ethnicity or race you were.

A Class Divided

This short documentary shows just how suggestive children can be. This particular experiment, conducted by Jane Elliot, involves kids processing and relating eye color with dominance. Based on this experiment we can conclude that parents or parent figures have a lot of influence over their children.         

Reading Response #4: Ashfall

(The farmhouse Alex sees is in bad shape because of the ash.) 

As Alex sets off in the direction of his parents he soon realizes his journey won't be an  easy one.  He is running out of water and the sulfurs ash has made all the rivers and streams toxic and poisonous. The ash just keeps falling and falling.  It's getting on and in everything Alex has brought along for this endeavor.  On top of that, the ash is making it harder and harder to breath and every step has become a long and painful one.  It's looking pretty bad for Alex when he spots a farm house he may be able to seek shelter in.  He drags himself over to it's front door but the process is just to much and he collapses just a few feet from it.  As he lies on his back he musters up enough strength be able to pull his hood over his face to keep the ash at bay.  Complete and utter darkness consumes him.  He closes his eyes and falls asleep.  He is shaken awake in what seemed like only seconds later, Alex is startled to see a girl his age starring back at him.  He could only look at her for a few moments before going under once again.

When Alex trudged through the thick ash he muttered to himself, "I know I'm not a man, or rather boy of faith but God, why have you done this."  I find this quot to be very relevant not only to the story but to life as well.  In trying times people tend to ask God what his plan is or why his plan isn't what they would like it to look like. I can see how Alex is struggling to come to grips with what has happened to the world around him.  He just want's some kind of answer.  I know I would.  However, I do think God will answer his prayer in some form or fashion.

Reading Response #3: Ashfall

(The ash on the ground has accumulated to two feet.)

       When Alex regains his composure after being attacked by a gang of thugs at his neighbors house he is forced to find food and shelter.  He staggered back across the street to his house.  He is now alone and scared. Inside, Alex stripes off his ash covered clothing and replaces them with his dads, which are naturally baggy on him.  After eating and rationing all the food in his house he decides that he can't just sit in one place.  Alex decides that he will make his way to Warren in order to get to his family. The fact that its been a week since the ash first started falling from the sky and there are no signs of it letting up means his journey to Warren will be an exciting one.      

       In this section of the book Alex thinks to himself, "I need to do something. I need a goal."  Alex says this when he is broken down and wonders how he will survive.  When someone is in a survival situation being proactive is key.  You have to be and act smart. Making a goal creates motivation and will power.  As soon as Alex decided to make the long trek to Warren, he instantly had a reason to live.  I can tell Alex has what it takes to survive.  The question is how?  I can't wait to find out! 

Reading Response #2: Ashfall

                 
                    In the last chapter Alex learned that the cause of destruction was the supervolcano underneath Yellowstone National Park.  Chapter two has only gotten better.  Soon after he found out why all of this was happening all power and signal reception was lost due to the mass amount of ash hurled into the atmosphere.  He was seeking refuge with his neighbors in his neighbors home when a gang of thugs attacked.  Alex is now alone, scared and unable to comprehend what has just happened to his life.
               
                    He reflects back on how easy life had been before when he states, "How easy life had been a week ago."  I found this quote to be very powerful.  It's more than just a surface-deep analysis of when things were better.  This quote touches on the idea that we don't really know what we have until we no longer have it.  Alex thought his life to be difficult before but now realizes just how much he would give to have it all back.  Maybe this is because the future instills in us the sense of plausibility and the unknown.  Whereas, the past provides comfort in it's predictability.  Alex longs for his old life but now has to journey into that place of unknowing.  I can't wait to read more.

                 
                   

Reading Response #1: Ashfall

       

       Ashfall is a science fiction story takes place in Cedar Falls, Iowa.  It opens up with Alex (the main character) talking about his "pre-Friday" life.  He's seems to be a normal teenager who argues with his parents and thinks his younger sister is the most annoying thing on the planet. Alex is the kind of person who doesn't participate in physical activities unless he's forced to.  However, one thing he has done in the past is taekwondo. He started taking self defense classes because he was being bullied at school. I can see this information becoming very important later in the book.

       As I previously stated, that was his "pre-Friday" life. Alex's parents and sister had just left for Warren when his whole world was literally rocked when a flaming boulder smashes into his house. A super volcano has erupted which has evoked a defining rumble and spit out flaming chunks of earth. While the rumble continues for days on end, the ash begins to fall.

       So far I'm very pleased with Mike Mullin's style of writing. It's written with detail and intense emotion. Alex says, "I was home alone that Friday evening. Those who survived know exactly which Friday I mean." This quote struck me pretty hard as I read this around 9/11. I believe that quote is referring to "Friday" as the start of a new world or the day the world changed. I can't wait to read more!