If you attended a lecture, reading, or discussion—online is perfectly fine...(Last day to attend is Sat, Jan 2)
Name the title and setting of the lecture. Describe the experience and what it was like for you. What did it make you think about? (minimum 250 words)
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ReplyDeleteI attended an online Dartmouth Seminar on September 29th. The title of the seminar was "What Psychology and Behavioral Science Tell us About Improving Climate and Energy Communication."
The main point of this seminar was to point out, prove, and try to fix common mistakes people or companies use when advertising or reporting about climate change.
The first thing she talked about was improving the readability of reports to target people who aren’t experts, because most of us are not. She mentioned the grade level equivalent of a few newspapers which were around 6-8 (the recommended range). However, she mentioned two climate reports, and their grade level equivalents were around 16.
Being a public seminar, I think she did a very good job of using terms most people can understand, without seeming like she was dumbing it down.
The presenter next talked about a study she was a part of, using different marketing campaigns for an electrical company. One of the advertisements mentioned saving money, one mentioned reducing your carbon footprint, and the last one had both. Out of all three, the advertisement that mentioned saving energy and reducing your footprint received the most attention and more people enrolled in that program.
She said that this is because it makes people feel good when they can do something for their environment. She compared the campaign that mentioned saving money to if you were given money for donating blood. She said that because the main goal of the ad was to save money, people would not have felt as good about themselves, and therefore opt for saving energy.
Obviously, if you save energy you will be saving money too, but she pointed out that it really matters what is emphasized on a marketing campaign.
This seminar was targeted toward energy communications, but the material in it could be translated into anything else, as they were all very useful points she made. This experience was enjoyable, and I would gladly watch more lectures on my own time.
“This Isn’t Her Mother’s Feminism” by Courtney E. Martin. In this Ted talk Courtney talks about her idea of feminism stemming from what her mother’s feminism was. Listening to her talk about all of the differences and the changes in feminism from her mother’s era to Courtney’s era now made me realize how much my idea of feminism and my era of feminism is so much different from my mother’s. In the Ted Talk Courtney talks about how different things became important as the time went by, like immigration. And she also talked about things that have stayed the same like pay equity and equality. As the time goes on things change but it all starts with one group of people. Activism and feminism have been around for so long but more and more things will become a part of it and some things will fade away.
ReplyDelete“An Interview With the Founders of Black Lives Matter” with Alicia Garza, Patrisse Cullors and Opal Tometi. This interview was about leadership and creating a world where black lives truly do matter everywhere. Listening to the women talk about why they started BLM and why was uplifting. It made me think about what I can do to help and about all the things in the world that need to change. Listening to the women explain that they are not superheroes, that they are just normal people trying to help in any way they can make me understand so much. BLM is about persevering to and creating a world where black lives are not to be looked back at where they are dead it is about making it so BIPOC’s lives are celebrated and cherished just as much as any other life.
-By Abigail Dixon
I attended an online seminar on December 1st at Columbia University titled, “What Can Artificial Intelligence Teach Us About the Brain?” Rather than focusing primarily on what artificial intelligence could teach us about the brain, this lecture focused primarily on whether or not artificial intelligence has the capacity to teach us about the brain. The seminar was split up into six separate sections. The first section was an introduction to the topic. The second section was a PowerPoint on how, in order to be an explanation of a brain system, a neural network (a neural network is a computer program modeled on the human brain) should give an at least mostly accurate mechanistic description of the brain. The second section was another PowerPoint on how a neural network should also be adequately intelligible in order to be a useful explanation of a brain system. The third and final PowerPoint was on what neural networks can teach us about learning. The fourth section summarized the previous sections and gave discussion questions for the sixth and final section, which was a discussion between the speakers about what each of them had said.
ReplyDeleteThis experience was very new to me as I don’t think I have ever sat in on an in-person college seminar, let alone an online one. I found it to be a very interesting experience because, even though it isn't a primary interest of mine, I do find the human brain and how it works to be quite fascinating. I picked this seminar because it is on two topics (artificial intelligence and the human brain) that I am interested in but also that I don’t know much about. Because I didn’t previously know much about these topics, watching this seminar has made me think about the human brain and artificial intelligence, specifically how artificial intelligence compares to the human brain.
This was a lecture that I really wanted to attend. It seemed as though it was a very interesting topic to hear about. I also agree that this would have been a very new experience for me also. But I think that it is a very interesting topic. I also find that learning about the human brain is a very fascinating topic, and whatever I learn never fails to amaze me.
DeleteI would have picked this but I missed the sign up period. It's pretty cool that this is something that interests you. It is a complex topic, and AI is starting to become something that is very prevalent in robotics, and the world in general.
I attended an online lecture on December second. Its title was “Environment and Race”. This was a topic that I had never really heard about and really didn’t know much about but I'm interested in the environment so I chose to attend. The first part of the lecture was a slideshow. I learned about how developed countries, also usually white, ship their giant amounts of waste to less developed countries ,like nigeria, to get processed because it is cheaper. There are a few major problems with this. Because the countries are underdeveloped they often do not have the resources to properly process the waste so oil and toxins leak out. The toxins have injured and even killed people living in surrounding villages. There have also been giant oil spills that make it impossible for the villages to fish, hunt, and grow food. By shipping their waste off countries think they have gotten rid of the problem but when the waste and toxins leak back into the environment they circulate through the whole world. Because it is so cheap to send away our waste it makes supply cheap so we keep over consuming and making the problem worse. Countries don’t always legally export their waste. In the past they have dropped tons of ash onto the beaches of Haiti because they can’t defend themselves.
ReplyDeleteBefore going to the lecture I knew absolutely nothing on this topic or that the topic even really existed. Some of the questions at the end that he answered helped clarify things for me but others were a little beyond my understanding. I found this topic so interesting and I am definitely going to do more research on it and maybe even find another lecture. I liked the aspect of having the person actually giving this lecture live, even though it was a little strange and also online. I actually found myself really enjoying this experience.
Hi Addy, I have also never heard of this topic. This sounds like something that should be brought to light and taught to everyone. I have never heard of developed countries shipping waste to less developed countries but that seems like a horrible idea. I also want to learn more about this topic. Our world is dying and we need to find ways to help the environment that avoid things like toxins and oil spills hurting villages.
DeleteI am glad that you enjoyed the lecture. I avoided this option for honors because I didn’t want to be bored, but that didn’t seem to happen for you. I also like that you included specific examples of what happens to the waste, like the ash on the beaches of Haiti. This sounds like it was an interesting and informative experience for you.
I attended the virtual lecture on December 2nd, Martin Luther King: Dare to Dream by David Mills who portrayed Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. overcoming his uncertainties and transforming into a world-renowned civil rights icon using highlights from Dr. King’s “Letter from a Birmingham Jail,” “I Have a Dream,” and “Promised Land.”
ReplyDeleteThe performance was very interesting, there were very few props and no other people. There was one point in the performance where David Mills was rocking a kid on his knee but because there were no other people, he had to portray this without any other people. The way that he did it was he had one of his hands placed where a kid's back would be, miming the effect while talking. Another time that David Mills was really good at miming was when he was faking a phone call without any phone. He was able to pick up the phone and keep his hand in the same shape the whole time he was mimicking talking on the phone.
The way that David Mills talked during the performance was really well done. Some of my favourite parts where his tone was really well used was when he was when David Mills said the line, “he promised to never leave me, never to leave me alone. no, never alone, no, never alone, he promised to never leave me, never to leave me alone.” the emphasis that he used on the no’s each time really helped to bring the words that he spoke to life. There were some special effects, but one of the things that really stood out to me was the echoing that was put into some portions of the lecture that really made those moments more memorable.
Hi Ada, this sounds like it was definitely an interesting thing to watch. Personally I have never seen one person act as multiple different roles. I've heard of one person plays but never seen one in person or a video of one. It must have been strange to watch especially when he portrayed a child by being on his knees. I can't exactly envision in my mind what it probably looked like for him to act with no one else. When you add on watching it over a zoom call instead of in person to the fact that it was just one man, it must have made this a very different experience than how you would normally watch a play. I wonder why he chose to do this alone. Was it an artistic choice or possibly because he couldn't be around other people due to Covid 19.
DeleteI like how specific you were when you recalled your favorite part. You listed the exact line but also went into detail by saying that he emphasized each of the no's. I wonder how he did the echoing that you mention. Obviously because I wasn't there I'm not exactly sure what this experience was like but it definitely sounds unique and interesting.
I decided to attend the lecture "The United States and the World in 2021." This wasn't my ideal lecture, because I would have rather attended a lecture that was about neurology, or artificial life. But nevertheless I chose this one and it was very interesting. The lecture was led by Stan Sloan, who is a teacher, and a former employee at the CIA. The talk was mainly about what would be happening with president elect Joe Biden, and was his policies would be.
ReplyDeleteThe lecture wasn't really broken up into different parts. He had a slideshow that he went through and explained things as he went along. I ended up really enjoying the way that things were explained in the lecture. The only thing that I wasn't too keen on was how biased the conversation was, I really had hoped that there would be a more neutral point of view from the leader of the meeting, but even so, it was still an interesting discussion.
One of the most interesting sections of this lecture was when he was talking about certain "Issue Areas." These were mostly countries that were problematic during the Trump administration. One of the "Issue Areas" that was talked about a lot was Russia, and he mentioned that Biden and his policies had no intention of "Kissing up" to Putin.
This was definitely an interesting lecture to attend, but next time I think that I will try to find one that is a little less opinionated, and more factual, and/or one that either talks about religion, or neurology.
Nolan Pepe
ReplyDeleteMy journey from Marine to actor - Adam Driver
My journey from Marine to actor | Adam Driver was presented by Adam in New York City in early 2016. It was cool to see an actor that I have seen in movies that I like such as the Star Wars sequels, and to not be who they are portraying in the movies but rather just a normal guy talking about his experiences in the Marines and as an actor. He was a kid living in his parent’s house paying them rent when 911 happened, and like a lot of Americans decided to join the military. Most of his talk was about him trying to find his place in life and doing something that he liked to do. He loved acting and when he got injured right before his deployment he decided to give it another try. It wasn’t an easy ride to become a famous actor but eventually it worked out for him. It made me think about how people can be inspired and what they can accomplish when they feel a certain way about a certain thing. The world is a weird place with so many opportunities and career paths that people have a hard time deciding what they want to pursue in life. Adam was no different. A teenager discouraged from his previously failed attempt at having acting be his profession, living with his parents. Seemingly going nowhere in life to having a spark that made him want to do something and he went and did it. Once he found his successes in acting he decided to try to connect the two different worlds that he was a part of. He started a non-profit organization called Arts in the Armed Forces that tries to expose people to the power of plays and theater with no costumes, special lighting, sets and they are complete strangers to put the emphasis on the delivery and words that are being spoken. He wants it to be a break from being voluntold to do things and allow people to be introduced into theater and the benefits and power that it holds.
Why most visual effects suck--but some don’t - Wren Weichman
Why most visual effects suck--but some don't | Wren Weichman | TEDxPenn was a TED talk given by Wren at the University of Pennsylvania in March 2019. He explains things like why we are somewhat disturbed by the faces in the Polar Express but, love watching movies like the Incredibles. I really liked watching his talk because I have seen some of his work before on YouTube. He is a part of a small visual effects company called Corridor Digital where they make all sorts of things using VFX. It made me think about how editors, VFX and SFX artists don’t get enough credit for the work that they do. Without them, the movies that we love today would be pretty awful and would just probably not be made at all. Roughly 96% of Avengers: Infinity War is CGI (Computer Generated Imagery). VFX literally made the entire movie. Hollywood relies so heavily on VFX that movies without any VFX at all are pretty much extinct. The actors give their performances but their surroundings, villains, suits etc. are all CGI. Wren briefly covered this but didn’t really say much about how much credit they really deserve. The VFX artists make the actors cool and lovable because they give them powers. For example, Iron Man is way less cool without his suits of armor and weapons. Spiderman is just a guy jumping around in a grey motion capture suit without the artists taking his movement and applying that to a 3D model they designed. Also, most of that isn’t even mo-cap because it’s a full 3D rig they have to move manually or apply simulations to; like muscle simulations to have the body and suit move just like a human would. There are so many layers to VFX and they help to tell the stories of modern day’s movies with incredible artists and their skills of using computers to make the heroes, villains, and places that we love so much in films.
I decided to attend the radio play "It's A Wonderful Life" hosted by Northern Stage. I love watching plays, and since we are unable to do so right now, I thought a radio play would be great to listen to. "It's A Wonderful Life" is a 1946 family Christmas movie that takes place in New York and that my mom has always been obsessed with. I was really intrigued to see what the play adaptation would be like since I had only seen a little bit of the movie.
ReplyDeleteThe radio play starts off by introducing all of the cast, which I found to be really helpful to identify their voice to the character they were playing. They also went over their sponsors, and how the radio play would work. I was greeted with a snowy like scene on the laptop as the "background" which was very fitting for the play.
I loved how well they incorporated the sounds effects. When someone was far away, they had an echo-y like voice that sounded just how someone would if they were standing at a distance. If there was an argument, the voices would be layered, so it sounded just like two people fighting. If the characters were supposed to be in a "busy" part of the city, the voices around them would be muffled to give off the intention that they were out in the street or maybe at a party of some sort. The sound effects were what kept me watching the play; they were so well done and pretty realistic.
Overall, I thought the play was great! I think I would recommend to those who like audio books because this is quite similar, if not the same thing. There were some parts I had trouble paying attention to, and I found myself lost in some of the story line. I have always been bad at paying attention to audio books, so I'm not sure why I thought this would be any different. However, I found it so nice that Northern Stage took the time to create this play, especially during such a weird and isolated time. I think it was a great idea and for those who do a great job paying attention to these types of plays, I highly recommend!