Independant Research Topic

4, April. "Cell Phone Society." Pew Research Center. Web. 01 May 2010. .

Cell phones benefit society and are potentially harmful in many ways for society as well. However the beneficial rolls that cell phones play in our lives outweigh the negative reasons why technology is corrupting society. This link above talks about the negative rolls of cell phone use such as how talking on the phone while driving increases the chance of an accident, as well as other facts about cell phones and how they corrupt society.

4, November. "Social Isolation and New Technology." Pew Research Center. Web. 02 May 2010. .

This link above questions the use of cell phones and technology rather than choosing a distinct side and speaks of the social networking aspect of technology. It talks about how individual's social networking groups in society have become more diverse due to websites such as Face-book and Twitter. The technological advancements in society make this social networking possible and allow us to communicate quicker and more often than we would if websites such as these were not in existence. This link talks about how there may be a correlation between social networking websites and the diversity of the group of friends one has. This information is helpful/interesting because of the data it provides that I believe will be helpful while writing my essay.

"Cell Phones Equal Possible Downfall of Society." AQsaint.com. Web. 02 May 2010. .

This link provides information about the certain aspects of cell phone use that could potentially corrupt the word because of a potential technological downfall. I found this information to be very interesting since I believe with most of what it states. I believe that the world has gained a dependence for the use of cell phones, which in some cases could be unhealthy. This link poses one of the many questions of which i plan to address in my essay, such as how have cell phones distanced us from some things in life and how they bring us closer and keep us better connected with the world.

Lenhart, By Amanda. "Teens, Cell Phones and Texting." Pew Research Center. Web. 01 May 2010. .

This last link has a copious amount of informational and interesting statistical data that will assist me in writing my essay. The link will send you to a website that takes into account the text messaging network amongst teens and how the attachment to their phones is "an area of conflict and regulation".

All of these sources will come in handy when I start my essay, especially this last link that talks about cell phones being a "mixed blessing", this website has a lot of data that will support my thesis and will provide me with statistical data in order to prove my thesis indefinitely.

The First Technology

Peter F. Drucker poses the question, "[d]oes the story of the irrigation civilization show man to be determined by his technical achievements, in thrall to them, coerced by them? Or does it show him capable of using technology to his own, to human ends, and of being the master of the tools of his own devising", in his writing in Technology and Culture. In today’s astonishing world of new technological advancement the cell phone has become a device that roughly 8 out of 10 people own in the U.S. today. In this case I believe that technological advances with cell phones aid greatly not only in the aspect of rapid communication, but also with the possibly ability to use the internet wherever you may be. This opens a wide window of possible knowledge to those who own cell phones that have the ability to connect to the Internet.
With new innovations to the cell phones we use on a daily basis, it is hard to keep up in a world of such technological intelligence. When you buy a phone for instance in January lets say, and use the phone for a year, you will most likely be surprised to find that your next cell phone will be extraordinarily better than the last. The innovations that are made to the cell phone each year make browsing the web faster, phone calls clearer and signal connection stronger. Society as a whole benefits from this device because of the ability of staying connected.
As we enter the second decade of the new millennium we are trapped in the idea of never ending innovations to technological devices, some of which benefit society and some that could potentially harm the World and existence of man. Cell phones are becoming more and more like a pocket computer each year. So to put it into perspective think of all the things that a computer allows us to do today, and then take into account all of those possibilities and put them into the palm of your hand and you will have the cell phones of tomorrow. The concept is exciting but if this advanced technology falls into the wrong hands it could potentially prove to be disastrous for the entire world, which is something that needs to be taken into account.

Favorite American Vacation Destinations

The American Leisure website has two videos that captured my interest. The one that I found most interesting was the Yale vs. Princeton football game where there were 50,000 people attending. The style of play displayed in the video seems abnormal compared to the more organized style of play today where a variety of different formations are used. In this aged video from the early 1900’s shows the football teams playing in a similar style as the sport of rugby. Which is in fact how the sport of football originated in 1879 with similar rules and regulations instituted by a man named Walter Camp, known as “the father of American football”, who was both a respectable player and coach at Yale University.
The second video that was of interest to me was titled “The Ball Game”, where two teams seemed to be scrimmaging but the video footage is not clear or specific because of old age. However the sport of baseball has not changed much and has remained part of “America’s Pastime” for centuries.
The tourists in the Disneyland video are venturing through the park exploring the different lands that create this “dreamland” in its entirety. They are busy fulfilling their exciting experiences while being entertained by the different musician groups parading up and down the streets.
I have only been to Disneyland a couple of times with my cousins who live in Southern California, and to them, it is just another walk in an entertaining festive park. To my cousins, this entire thrilling atmosphere is mundane. But to the new traveler who is an amateur to this paradise, such as my brother and I, every sight around every corner offers a new adventure.
Main Street in Disneyland is the entrance into this world where excitement and fun fill the mind and where the feeling of “being a kid again” is something everyone can feel as they venture down this historical route.
The history of Main Street at Disneyland is more than just a gateway to the world-renowned adventure land in Southern California. It holds the title as “The Happiest Place on Earth” and with all the people that come to visit for this reason in search of a leisurely family vacation, the reputation of Disneyland and every part about it, including Main Street, respectfully grows amongst the public.

Why We Travel

Many people travel for different reasons. Personal joyful travel, or travel for business, whatever the reason for travel, our experiences along the way can strengthen who we are as individuals, how we perceive ourselves and how we want others to perceive us. I travel in order to experience the world and different cultures. I find joy and excitement in this and love learning of new places and cultures, one of the most enjoyable things for me is trying to break the cultural barrier and communicate with some of the locals wherever I may be traveling. I do not feel shy while doing this because of my ambition for learning about the world around me and how my culture differentiates with the other cultures. My mother has had the opportunity to travel the Mediterranean and I have questioned her about her adventures. One of the places she said was most appealing to her in Italy was the Vatican, more specifically the Sistine Chapel. She said the artwork was phenomenal and the locals were open to discussion about where the “best place for a home cooked Italian meal” was and where the best wines could be tasted. This strengthens my desire to one day travel to Italy and experience all of this for myself so I can one day make my own interpretations of such a trip and inspire someone else to travel.
While traveling I have seen many amazing and astounding things that have had me at a loss for words. I can recall a trip with my family to Yosemite National Park where it was early dawn and I was awoken by a loud grumbling and a crash coming from a campsite that was approximately one city block away. As I emerged from my tent I could see my friends and family staring a monstrous bear tipping a dumpster over in order to get to her bear cub that was too small to get out by itself. I had never seen a bear in person before. This excitement captured my ardor for camping and fulfilled my camping trip experience.
In Pico Ayer’s article explaining his beliefs on “Why We Travel”, he states “Travel is the best way we have of rescuing the humanity of places, and saving them from abstraction and ideology”, which is not particularly true for myself. When I travel somewhere I do try to communicate with others and enjoy the different cultures however “saving them from abstraction and ideology” is something I do not stray into. For this could cause potential conflict if I try to inflict my westernized ways of living upon a different culture. Because of this, I would only share the array of different hobbies and possibly add in a few fixed intervals of business into the conversation.
I do consider anonymity to be an important part of the entire traveling experience because without it, personal encounters would not be as exciting. When I am traveling I do in fact imagine the place in my mind to the fullest extent. For example, when I go camping in a new location I imagine everything in detail. From what the lake will look like as the warm sun shines on the undulated murky water, to the granite mountains surrounding the lake announcing their decorum of beauty of the entirety of the place. Upon arrival I think of how my campsite will appear to me as well as how I would like it to be. As I drive through whatever environment I am venturing into I feel like a voyager who is merely out on a quest in search of relaxation. Once I arrive to the campsite, to my dismay it is not how I appeared it to be. However being and optimist and one who is open to newfangled ideas, I accept this newly found vacationland and rather than suffering from a slight case of neurosis from the entangled vision I once had of this place I on my quest in search of relaxing satisfaction.

Historical Travel Advertisments

Air travel:
This picture of the couple flying together with the flight attendant waiting on them is depicting the lavish hard working lifestyle of the two, and the comfort of good hospitality that is provided by the airline. Below is a link to YouTube that will send you to a video that relates health care systems to travel. I found it to be quite funny and I’m sure you will as well.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5J67xJKpB6c

Field of Dreams:
This travel brochure to The Field of Dreams movie cite is appealing to me because of my passion for the game of baseball. The Field of Dreams is an encouraging movie that inspired my love for this game. In the movie deceased players come back to play this historic game on this pristine field in Dyersville, Iowa. This field is depicted as a sacred place in the movie, “A place of fertile soil, traditional values and simple pleasure”. Although this field is not available to the public, in order to keep its imperishable value, I would love and appreciate it more than anything if I could ever have the chance to play on such a field.
The Bahamas Travel:
There is something about the Bahamas that fascinates me. I have never been but I do wish to one day to explore the world and travel to similar places in search of relaxation and the elevation of stress. There is something about the ocean that soothingly allows me to dispose of all my worries and troubles. I believe that the sheer beauty of the Bahamian waters only enhances this feeling and ambition of one day being able to afford this luxurious lifestyle of travel.

The Tourist

The Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco is one of the biggest tourist attractions on the west coast. Many tour to San Francisco merely to gaze at the enormous structure that we see commonly throughout our lives. I for one wish to travel to New York as well as many other places in the world in my life time simply because I am interested in different cultures and meeting new people. This fascination with the world around me is a moral feeling that many others, such as ones who visit places such as the Bay Area, share. It is in fact what inspires them to visit new places as well. The massive red towers of the Golden Gate that protrude from the crashing shark infested ocean against the rocks gives a certain feeling that only can be felt daily by the blessed bay area locals. When this image of the bridge is copied onto something such as a postcard, it reminds me of baseball games at AT&T Park and The City’s nightlife with a group of friends. The many tourists that visit, in this case, do not perceive the same atmosphere. However their perception of the city may be entirely different, it is most possibly more enjoyable because of the fact that they are "making the most of the trip". In essence, their senses are in fact stimulated greater by the amazing beauty of the Pacific North West and the Golden Gate. With all that this exciting city has to offer much of its economical growth comes solely from the expensive nights that are lived lavishly and in style. The continuous economical advances in San Francisco and other cities that have heavy tourist involvement benefit over time. With the growing population and the continuous desire to travel with the pursuit of happiness in life, which is in essence the growing moral thought of wanting to travel, the economic status in each town across the U.S. will continue to be supported by the major interest in tourism amongst the nation.

The Loss of the Creature

Peoples’ expectations of their ideal vacation place are fabricated in the mind and a specific picture of beauty and enthralled excitement fill the empty spaces of the perplexed mind to satisfy our desirable thoughts of travel. Prior to arrival to the Vacationland, there is a set image in the mind that keeps our desire to travel growing upon arrival. Once we have arrived, a feeling of slight disappointment percolates through the mind if the imagery we have conjured in our mind does not meet expectations to what is presented before us in reality.
Preconceived notions of a place and the cultures within them are what cause this tarnished view of the personal vacationland. The people surrounding the place and the social exchange make it difficult to see the vacationland in its entirety. In Walker Percy’s article, “The Loss of the Creature”, he goes about explaining the vacationland and how the full assimilation can only be “approached by the stratagems we have mentioned: the Inside Track, the Familiar Revisited, the Accidental Encounter”. Percy believes that in order to obtain this full sense of a place, one must encounter the vacationland through the eyes of one of the three approaches mentioned without the social and preconceived interference.
When I am traveling I do in fact imagine the place in my mind to the fullest extent. For example, when I go camping in a new location I imagine everything in detail. From what the lake will look like as the warm sun shines on the undulated murky water, to the granite mountains surrounding the lake announcing their decorum of beauty of the entirety of the place. Upon arrival I think of how my campsite will appear to me as well as how I would like it to be. As I drive through whatever environment I am venturing into I feel like a voyager who is merely out on a quest in search of relaxation. Once I arrive to the campsite, to my dismay it is not how I appeared it to be. However being and optimist and one who is open to newfangled ideas, I accept this newly found vacationland and rather than suffering from a slight case of neurosis from the entangled vision I once had of this place I on my quest in search of relaxing satisfaction.