It was kind of a bittersweet moment meeting with Dr. Burton and my research group today to discuss our papers. We've worked really hard on our research over the past 6 weeks, and it's been almost the sole focus of everything we've been doing for at least the last month, so it's weird thinking that it's all pretty much over. I've really enjoyed the research process, though it is a lot higher-stress than traditional research. I felt really pressured by time and by other people's ideas throughout the process, and that kind of wore away some of my patience little by little.
I have been thinking a lot about why we did all this-- why we recorded our research experience through blogging, why after a month and a half of digital media our professor asked us to go back and write a traditional research paper, why it's been important to get social proof and all that. I had a tough time getting into the digital age, and I've had an even tougher time trying to get out of that mindset for my research paper (it's been difficult to drop the I's, me's, we's, etc.). I think that was really the point, though. We've talked so much about how much digital media can add to a research project, and we've experienced the freedom of blogging (and the joy of social response). I think, in the end, Dr. Burton doesn't want us to ever go back to 'just another research paper' again. And honestly, I don't want to go back either. We've learned to see the life and the reality and the importance of digital media in the learning process, and now, we're going to be cast back into a sea of educators and students who are oblivious to the experiences that we've had, people that will tell us that traditional methodology is the only way to go. Well, this isn't the end of it for me.
Saturday, June 9, 2012
Friday, June 8, 2012
Take 3: The Fountainhead of Human Creativity
Greg
Bayles
Research
Paper
Dr.
Gideon Burton
6/8/2012
The
Fountainhead of Human Creativity
From
the very genesis of recorded history, mankind has sought to create,
to bring his thoughts into reality and to leave his indelible mark
upon the world around him. For some civilizations, that has meant
erecting massive monuments to gods and men; others preserved their
ideas and culture through literature– within epics and songs and
the tales of the past. In the modern, globalized era, however, the
rules of creativity are changing. Especially over the last few
decades, the desire to create has taken on new forms as the Internet
and other digital media resources have made accessible the realms of
thought and creativity for the world as a whole.
Ayn Rand, in her landmark novel, The
Fountainhead,
investigates the concept of creativity, championing the individual
creative ideal and warning against the collectivization of creative
thought. Rand died years before the invention of the Internet and a
great many other modern digital resources, yet her commentary on
creativity and thought abide today as a lasting monument to the human
spirit of creativity. A
thoughtful study of digital media through the lens of Ayn Rand's The
Fountainhead
clearly reveals
the value of independent creativity and unveils digital media's role
in providing a new and living medium through which creative thought
may find expression.
Thursday, June 7, 2012
Getting Off the Plane
I'm coming up on a year since I got back from Ukraine.
At first, honestly, it was pretty hard to be back. I was kind of angry at the world for the first little while, and I felt like I didn't really understand people and no one really understood me either. I wasn't prepared for the loneliness that follows a mission. I wasn't prepared for everyone else's apathy. They really just didn't understand... likely still don't. I wasn't prepared for the American "How are you?", which is really just another greeting to be reciprocated and then forgotten. As I stepped off of the plane in Sacramento, I wondered if it had all been just a dream. Two years in Ukraine. Two wonderful, magical years in Ukraine. But no, I still had all the memories and-- yes-- I could still speak Russian. It must not have been a dream after all. But there's something about that first step off of the airplane that sends you reeling back, and you're flooded in a sea of memories and emotions, and it certainly feels a lot like a dream. And you wonder why, if it was so amazing, you ever had to come back. And you bear the concourses of people asking you how it was and wanting to hear only a "Great" -- nothing more. And you've been moving at a hundred miles a minute for the last two years, and now you have nothing to do because everyone's at work and all your friends are at school, and you're looking for a job at the end of June when you know that likely no one will hire you for the month and a half that you have remaining before you, yourself, head up to school.
And then someone does, and you wonder why, because you can see that he has all the help that he could ever need at the warehouse, and then you realize that he gave it to you purely as an act of kindness just because he knew you needed something to keep you busy and to help you through the long days. And you feel the anger start to go away. And your friend gets back from Moscow, and that helps a lot, but then you're off to school and you meet lots of new people, and the loneliness goes away. And you start into classes and you find a job and your free time goes away, but then you realize that there are a lot of great things to do and great people around you, so your sleep goes away and your free time comes back. And then you get through the first semester, and your nostalgia goes away, because it's Christmas, and you're surrounded by people, and the fire's warm, and you only sometimes think about the people without heating in their homes, somewhere in a dreamland far away. And you only half think that it would have been better to just take all the gifts and sell them and send the money to the poor who were everywhere in Ukraine and who, no doubt, huddled out public sight. And then winter comes, and you remember all the cold days that you spent outside, and your fingers ache just thinking about it, and your toes are always cold. And you get through winter classes, and somehow you did well, and you're excited for spring.
And you're finishing up your other classes, and you're not married, by the way, and you don't even have a special someone or anything like that either, and you thought that maybe you would have by now, but you've met a lot of really cool people, and you at last feel, after a year, like you finally belong somewhere, and you finally feel like you're fully home. And you finally get off the plane, and you start your life again. And it's a good life. And you're just grateful... and happy again...
At first, honestly, it was pretty hard to be back. I was kind of angry at the world for the first little while, and I felt like I didn't really understand people and no one really understood me either. I wasn't prepared for the loneliness that follows a mission. I wasn't prepared for everyone else's apathy. They really just didn't understand... likely still don't. I wasn't prepared for the American "How are you?", which is really just another greeting to be reciprocated and then forgotten. As I stepped off of the plane in Sacramento, I wondered if it had all been just a dream. Two years in Ukraine. Two wonderful, magical years in Ukraine. But no, I still had all the memories and-- yes-- I could still speak Russian. It must not have been a dream after all. But there's something about that first step off of the airplane that sends you reeling back, and you're flooded in a sea of memories and emotions, and it certainly feels a lot like a dream. And you wonder why, if it was so amazing, you ever had to come back. And you bear the concourses of people asking you how it was and wanting to hear only a "Great" -- nothing more. And you've been moving at a hundred miles a minute for the last two years, and now you have nothing to do because everyone's at work and all your friends are at school, and you're looking for a job at the end of June when you know that likely no one will hire you for the month and a half that you have remaining before you, yourself, head up to school.
And then someone does, and you wonder why, because you can see that he has all the help that he could ever need at the warehouse, and then you realize that he gave it to you purely as an act of kindness just because he knew you needed something to keep you busy and to help you through the long days. And you feel the anger start to go away. And your friend gets back from Moscow, and that helps a lot, but then you're off to school and you meet lots of new people, and the loneliness goes away. And you start into classes and you find a job and your free time goes away, but then you realize that there are a lot of great things to do and great people around you, so your sleep goes away and your free time comes back. And then you get through the first semester, and your nostalgia goes away, because it's Christmas, and you're surrounded by people, and the fire's warm, and you only sometimes think about the people without heating in their homes, somewhere in a dreamland far away. And you only half think that it would have been better to just take all the gifts and sell them and send the money to the poor who were everywhere in Ukraine and who, no doubt, huddled out public sight. And then winter comes, and you remember all the cold days that you spent outside, and your fingers ache just thinking about it, and your toes are always cold. And you get through winter classes, and somehow you did well, and you're excited for spring.
And you're finishing up your other classes, and you're not married, by the way, and you don't even have a special someone or anything like that either, and you thought that maybe you would have by now, but you've met a lot of really cool people, and you at last feel, after a year, like you finally belong somewhere, and you finally feel like you're fully home. And you finally get off the plane, and you start your life again. And it's a good life. And you're just grateful... and happy again...
Wednesday, June 6, 2012
Take 2: The Fountainhead of Human Creativity
Greg
Bayles
Research
Paper
Dr.
Gideon Burton
6/5/2012
The
Fountainhead of Human Creativity
From
the very genesis of recorded history, mankind has sought to create,
to bring his thoughts into reality and leave his indelible mark upon
the world around him. For some civilizations, that has meant erecting
massive monuments to gods and men; others preserved their ideas and
culture through literature, within epics and songs and the tales of
the past. In the modern, globalized era, however, the rules of
creativity seem to be changing. Especially over the last few decades,
the desire to create has taken on new forms as the Internet and other
digital media resources have revolutionized the realms of thought and
creativity for the world as a whole. Ayn
Rand, in her landmark novel, The
Fountainhead,
investigates the concept of creativity but warns against the
collectivization of creative thought, indicating that in following
after and yielding to the opinions of others, the creator compromises
his virtue of self and betrays his individual creative identity.
However, a
thoughtful study of digital media through the lens of Ayn Rand's The
Fountainhead
clearly reveals the value of independent creativity and unveils
digital media's role in providing a new and living medium through
which creative thought may find expression.
Monday, June 4, 2012
The Fountainhead of Human Creativity
Greg
Bayles
Research
Paper
Dr.
Gideon Burton
6/4/2012
The
Fountainhead of Human Creativity
From
the very genesis of recorded history, mankind has sought to create,
to bring his thoughts into reality and leave his indelible mark upon
the world around him. For some civilizations, that has meant erecting
massive monuments to gods and men; others preserved their ideas and
culture through literature, within epics and songs and the tales of
the past. In the modern, globalized era, however, the rules of
creativity seem to be changing. Especially over the last few decades,
the desire to create has taken on new forms as the Internet and other
digital media resources have revolutionized the realms of creativity
and thought for the world as a whole. Ayn Rand, in her landmark
novel, The
Fountainhead,
investigates the concept of creativity but warns against the
collectivization of creative thought, indicating that in following
after and yielding to the opinions of others, the creator compromises
his virtue of self and betrays his individual creative identity.
However, a
thoughtful study of digital media through the lens of Ayn Rand's The
Fountainhead
clearly reveals the value of independent creative thought and unveils
digital media's role in providing a new and living medium through
which creative thought may find expression.
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