Social Media+ Information=Lightning Fast

So...this week the theme is social media.

Claim of Reality: Social media helps spread information faster.

I’m sure many of my other classmates will be debating whether social media is good or bad for relationships and how it impacts them. Meanwhile, the more obvious shall be written here.

When a natural disaster hits people scramble to get new and answers of loved ones, friends or just news. After the Great Earthquake 2011 in Japan, many phone networks were down. People visiting used Facebook, Twitter, and other social media to contact loved ones and give them news.

Also when Hurricane Sandy hit social media helped spread information on what residents should do. Information about closed roads, power restorations, and school closings could be accessed on Facebook and Twitter. The people of Morris county really found it helpful as well as the police. It made their job easier to keep the town orderly and get advice on what to do in certain situations.

Social media can not only spread news about disasters currently happening but also about disaster prevention. Southeast Asia Disaster Prevention Research Institute has a lovely facebook page and so does the Association of Natural Disaster Prevention Industry. This is really wonderful for people who hear a tornado, for example, is coming and don’t know what to do. They can find out quickly and easily.

Unfortunately, this also means bad new can be spread faster too. In the essay Electronic Intimacy, the author admits that it only took her eight minutes to find a picture of her boyfriend’s ex-girlfriend on his facebook wall. Also, a detective’s daughter found out her father had died on facebook before relative could tell her.

There’s no denying that information can now be spread faster whether it is good or bad news.

Sources:

http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2010-10-20/news/bs-md-ci-breaking-news-of-death-20101019_1_social-media-social-networking-sites-city-police-union- detectives daughter

http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/japan-earthquake-tsunami-drive-social-media-dialogue/story?id=13117677#.UWG7BpPvv9k

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Mythical Tigerfish

Hello! Another post about Japanese mythology!

If you go to any older building or temple made in the Edo period (1603-1868) in Japan you might find what is called shachihoko on the edges of it. They look like this:

Of course not all of them are golden but they are a unique architectural style to many Japanese buildings.

The shachihoko can also be found in Chinese mythology as well but that’s not surprising since people from China migrated to the island of Japan in the first place. The shachihoko are believed to be able to bring rain so many were put on building for protection from fires. During the Edo period, most buildings were wooden so it makes sense that the people would put up charms against fire.

The shachihoko are said to be half carp half tiger. When it comes on land it turns into a tiger and in the water it is a carp. They are thought to look like this:

There are a lot of carp or koi in Japanese mythology because they are seen as the most inspiring of all fish. This is because they swim up rivers and they don’t give up even if they are pushed back. They are so admired that many get tattoos of them. All the types of koi tattoos can be found here.

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Schwinn Ad

Here's my ad that I have to analyze for class ;_;

CATS!!!!!

       Ok, so, to start I love all animals but I need a topic for this blog and I’m looking at my cat memed binder so today it’s cat blog day.

      Out of all the animals in the world, I think cats are most like humans. Mostly it’s because no two cat have the same personality like people. Some like to lie in the sunlight, others are lazy, most can be nasty, and the wonderful few are the friendliest you’ll ever meet. See! Just like people! They’re also enthusiastic eaters like us! Ok, we don’t hunt down our food and leave it’s guts on our masters’ front steps.....but that’s not the point.

      Here’s the Japanese aspect in this blog today. Japanese bobtails are very prized in Japan usually because many Emperor have owned one. There’s a well known legend that tells the tale of why they have short tails. Apparently, a cat was sleeping by a hearth (fireplace) when it’s tail caught on fire. Panicking it ran through the whole city liking all the wooden buildings on fire and destroying the city. The Emperor was so angry, that he decreed that all cats have their tails cut off. Note: this is a legend and probably not true so there’s no need to worry about the poor kitty cats.

      Another famous cat in Japan is the Maneki Neko meaning ‘beckoning cat’. Perhaps you’ve seen it. It is the waving cat that stores put in the front window. Depending on which paw is waving, it means wealth, luck, or just welcoming a customer. One of the most well known stories about the origin of Maneki Neko goes like this:

“A feudal lord - some say it was Naotaka Li, lord of Hikone district - was passing Gotoku-ji when it started to rain. As the lord took shelter under a tree on the grounds, the priest's cat peeked out of the temple and raised a paw to invite the lord inside. The lord was curious about this unusual behavior and walked to the temple courtyard for a closer look. When Naotaka Li was standing in front of Tama in the courtyard, lightening struck the tree under which he had been sheltering. The lord's life had been saved, and he immediately believed the cat to be an incarnation of the Goddess of Mercy.” That’s why they are considered lucky. This is why I love cats, they aren’t all nasty hissing wild animals. They can be helpful and fun.

Sources:

• http://manekinekomusic.com/legend.html

Japanese Vending Machines

Random blog post time!

It is quite clear that the US has fallen behind in the technology of vending machines. It’s a bit harder to find one especially if you live in a small town like I do. Not that many care, I just think it’s interesting and this is a post about them.  When people go to Japan, they are amazed by how many vending machines there are. They are very popular and some of them are highly advanced in their technology.

The first vending machines in Japan were wooden and dispensed stamps and postcards. Since then, the mechanics involved have been dramatically advanced. Now, many of them have electronic screens. A vending machine company can collect information from a machine like at what time of day what drinks sell the most. In the morning, coffee and juice sells the most and at night soft drinks are usually purchased. Even more advanced machines with look at someone walking up to it, analyse their face structure to determine age, and recommend a certain drink for their age type. That might seem kind of creepy (and it is) but many don’t care or actually like it. They can learn what others their age are drinking and join the trend or try something new that many like. Kind of makes me feel sad for American vending machines that are broken down or grey.
It might seem silly but it’s nothing to sneeze at. In 2008, vending income was around $6 trillion. I’m not sure if that’s in yen or dollars but if it’s in yen that’s still about $10,626,996.72 today. (yeah I put that into a converter, whatchu gonna do ‘bout it?)
In America, it’s pretty rare to find a vending machine that sells things besides drinks and food. Personally, it feels like I’ve accidentally discovered a dinosaur. I stare at it with surprise then get on with my life. In Japan, it’s not so hard to find cigarettes in a vending machine. According to eHow, “..underwear, socks, instant and cooked noodles, and eggs. Even Rhinoceros Beetles have been dispensed from Japanese vending machines.”
When the first vending machines came out in Japan, other machines like it were created as more and more became interested in them. Machines that would play a clip of a movie if you put a quarter in them came about and others. Of course the movies were in black and white but they were still quite popular especially among kids. There aren’t any around now, sorry.

Really it’s amazing the kinds of things you can find in Japan, so, until next time, see ya! :)

Sources:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4B_qJFMXp-w- Vending Machines History and How they work

Read more: Information About Japanese Vending Machines | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/facts_5530362_information-japanese-vending-machines.html#ixzz2MsqgB5ac- Stats on Vending Machines

Geena Davis In Miss R

We’re still watching Miss Representation. In one of my earlier posts I was ranting about people mistrusting the interviewees in the documentary. Well, for this post I’m going to prove that one of them is at least reliable on some of the opinions they give.

I was watching the documentary and was surprised when the actress Geena Davis was interviewed to speak about women being represented poorly in the media. I was intrigued a couple times when she gave several statistics and seemed to be quite knowledgeable on the subject. I was surprised because I couldn’t help but think: But she’s an actress. Why does she know all these statistics about women in the media? Well, I did some research and found some pretty interesting things about her that I didn’t know.

            First off, she is the founder of the Geena Davis Institute on Media. With her program, she did some extensive research on children’s movies. She found that, “for every female character there are three male characters in G-rated.” With this knowledge, Geena and her program work to get movie creators to make movies with an equal ratio of girls to boys.

            Looking at her biography, website, and learning about an award for her work in this area I’m definitely more inclined to respect her opinions in this matter. If she’s managing this big institute, doing research on these things, and as an actress herself, surely she is reliable when it comes to how women are presented in the media.

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Snow Can Be Annoying

         It has snowed again today but it is an irritating snow. It’s not deep enough to do anything fun like sledding or building a snow man. It’s just a little powder sprinkled here and there. Just enough to freeze over night and make you fear for your life when you go out to your car. The snow came pretty fast. Yesterday it was near forty degrees and today it’s in the teens  Not matter how long I’ve lived here I don’t like the cold and just can’t get used to it. What’s even crazier than the temperatures is the people. There’s always someone out walking to school in shorts or a tee shirt. Heck  I’ve even seen someone in flip flops  That reminds me of what people do in, I think Switzerland? A few people with their friends sit in a sauna for a while and then run outside and jump into a freezing lake or something crazy. It’s really amazing what the human body can do. See, if I tried that I’d probably die of shock.
        Of course I don’t want a big snow to come and dump two or three feet on us. However, the weather just jumps around and sometimes it’s annoying. One week you wake up and breath in the fresh air and know that spring is on the way. The next, that red stuff in the thermometer is dropping like my chances of finding a date to homecoming. You never know what the weather’s going to do next week. Honestly, I don’t know how the weather men and women do it  (Yeah I know how they do it smartypants but you know what I mean)
       This winter has been weird. We had one big show storm in December but that was it. We are almost through January which is supposed to be the coldest and most snowy month of the year but we’ve got almost nothing  I walk home from school and I here birds chirping like it’s spring  That can’t be normal. Oh well, with my luck next winter we’ll just have a crazy snowy cold winter. Of course I said the same thing last year.....and the year before that....

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