Blog Party Post

The letter “E,” has more meaning today than ever.  Simply placed in front of a word can change the way an action is carried out.  “E-file,” a way to file important text documents electronically over the Internet.  “E-books,” which will be the topic up for discussion, gives us an entirely different way to read and educate ourselves. 

Will the introduction of “E-books” make traditional books obsolete?  Or is there still hope for the good old-fashioned way to read a novel or textbook?

·      Convenience- Being able to access books, whether they are for leisure or required reading for school electronically, offers a convenience to being able to access the material simply by pulling it up on a smart phone or tablet.

·      Cost Effective- Save time and money.  Sites where e-books can be purchased, and in the case of textbooks, rented, can be significantly cheaper than purchasing a traditional book, which can be a huge draw to potential consumers on a budget.

·      Versatility- Downloading e-books to a smart phone or tablet, allows the consumer to load multiple books at a time, without the hassle of having to keep up with multiple copies of different novels.

In a study done in the UK at the University of Leicester in 2005, 85 percent of respondents reported they were aware of e-books.  Among these respondents around 49 percent reported made a trial use of them, while 38 percent of respondents reported having purchased at least one e-book  (Gunter 2005).  Although this study was done seven years ago, it does offer a lot of insight as to how much knowledge there is out there about e-books and their uses.  One can only imagine with the increased technology that has been introduced since this study was conducted how much the use of e-books has increased.

I spent an afternoon at Barnes and Noble and while there asked 25 people their take on e-books, and which type of book they prefer.  Of the 25 people, 15 said they much rather turn to e-books.  Some of the reasons included, saving time and money.  Not having to deal with crowds and were able to browse the selection of new books from the comfort of their own home or office.  7 people reported they have tried an e-book at least once, but enjoyed walking the aisles of the bookstore and buying whatever caught their eye.  The remaining 5 reported they had never used an e-book and weren’t sure they ever would. 

From my own experience, I can say that I much prefer e-books.  I like being able to have more than one textbook on my computer for school, and taking them with me wherever I go without the added weight and hassle.  As far as reading for leisure, it does make it easy to pull out my smart phone whenever I have a free moment to myself and catch up on the latest novel I downloaded. 

So I pose this question to the rest of you.  Which type of book do you prefer and why?  And do you think traditional ways of reading stand a chance to technology? 

Works Cited

Barrie Gunter, (2005) "Electronic books: a survey of users in the UK", Aslib Proceedings, Vol. 57 Iss: 6, pp.513 - 522

Blog Entry 22: Freestyle

This week for my freestyle blog, it will be just that, freestyle.  Other than the assigned reading for school I did not do much reading outside of that.  My family from England came to visit my wife and I here on the island, so once we were done with work, we spent most of our time playing tourist. 

It was a lot of fun and very special to me that I got to see them, I had not seen them in 12 years, and I got to meet my 9 year old cousin for the first time.  They were all just so excited and amazed by the beaches out here and it was a lot of fun to see them all have such a great time.  I don't know if any of you have ever been to London, or watched the Olympics.  But if you did you would have seen just how brown and kind of scary the water is there.  So for them, clear blue warm water and NO cold rainy weather was a definite treat for them. 

It was also really nice for them to meet my wife, other than my immediate family in California, it was the first time she got to meet some of my family from overseas!

I can't believe we are starting week 9! This quarter definitely flew by!  Good luck to everyone in our last couple of weeks and assignments.  I look forward to the Blog Party!

Blog Entry 21: Scene Response

Despite the obvious differences in the times the two movies were filmed, there was in my opinion great delivery of the lines by the actors in the movies.  Being a newer film, I did enjoy the costumes of the Lawrence Fishbourne film, however, Anthony Hopkins is one of my favorite actors and I enjoyed his delivery of the lines. 

My only criticism would be that Anthony Hopkins did not really capture the "Moor" character of Othello as I had pictured it in my head.  He delivered the lines with great conviction, but I would have to say overall, Lawrence Fisbourne made a much more convincing Othello. 

I enjoyed watching the clips of the two scenes from the different movies.  It is interesting to see how things change over the years and how the play is adapted in its most recent movie, O.

Blog Entry 20: Quote Response

Desdemona: Your wife, my lord, your true
                    And loyal wife,
Othello:  Come, swear it, damn thyself, Lest bring like one of heaven, the devil themselves Should fear to seize thee.  Therefore be double damned: Swear thou art honest (36-39).


In these couple of lines here it is clear the amount of feelings these two have for one another.  Desdemona openly says how devoted she is and "loyal" she is to Othello.  It makes the play more sad to me that no one else around them can see the love they obviously have for one another.  Why is it such a big deal that they be together.  If race is the issue or shear jealously, it still does not justify the fact that two people so desperately in love be torn away from one another.  

Blog Post Entry 19: Freestyle

I cannot believe how incredibly fast this quarter has gone by.  I remember the first day of me logging on and creating my blog.  Then I looked up and we will already be starting week 8.  Man, time does fly.  I am a little grateful that the quarter is going by so quickly.  I have a lot on my plate with work and my other classes, and I am really looking forward to taking a quick breather before classes start back up in the fall. 

I hope everyone is doing well in all of their classes and looking forward to the end of the quarter as much as me!  Have a great week 8!

Blog Post 18: Quote Response

Barbantio: O thou foul theif, where hast thou stowed my daughter?
Damned as thou art, thou hast enchanted her!
For I'll refer me to all things of sense,
If she in chains of magic were not bound
Whether a maid so tender, fair, and happy,
So opposite to marriage that she shunned
The wealthy curléd darlings of our nation, (63-70).

First off I would just like to say that I had a very hard time trying to keep up with Othello, so please forgive me if I totally get this wrong or feel free to help me understand what is going on better.  From what I can understand, Othello is married to Barbantio's daughter.  But, Iago, who I thought started off as being friends with Othello, turns on him and plays into the rumors that Othello is a sex-crazed thief.  Because of the color of his skin and the cruel rumors, Barbantio can't help but listen to them and in this scene arrives with his men to take Othello and demand that he tell him where his daughter is. 

I chose this quote because it reminded me in a way of the scene I chose from O.  Except, Barbantio is accusing Othello of foul play with his daughter, rather than O accusing Desi of infidelity.  I must have read the pages of the play at leave 3 times, and I am still struggling I feel.  For the most part I think i have the hang of it, I hope I did not butcher it too much.  Good luck out there to anyone else in my shoes!

Blog Post 17: Qutoe Response

Hale: "'I want to see John.'  And then she-laughed.  I guess you would call it a laugh.  I though of Harry and the team outside, so I said a little sharp: 'Can't I see John?' 'No.' she says kind o' dull like...'Then why can't I see him?'  I asked her, out of patience. 'Cause he's dead,' says she, 'Dead?' says I (Glaspell 839).

I thought this murder mystery play was pretty interesting.  This part stood out to me the most.  Lewis Hale, is recounting his story of when he went over to the Wright's residence to see about John Wright.  Mrs. Wright is so calm and collected, rocking back and forth in her rocking chair and paying attention pleating her apron.  It does not even seem to phase her that her husband is dead.  She even laughs when Lewis asks to see John.  

A main theme of the play is men taking women for granted.  So in a way I guess I can kind of feel for Mrs. Wright (although it is HORRIBLE what she did) just working where I work my eyes have been really opened as to how people can just one day "snap."  It still does not condone the behavior or impulse in anyway, it is just interesting to see the lengths people will go to make themselves feel better or free themselves of a situation.  

Blog Entry 16: Scene Response

Odin accuses Desi of cheating...

In this scene Odin accuses Desi of cheating on him.  He goes to her dorm room demanding that she look for his mother's scarf that he gave her.  His best friend Hugo has been filling his head with lies that Desi has been cheating on him.  Hugo is so jealous of that fact that his father considers Odin to be like a son, that he just can't take it anymore, so he devises a plan to get Odin back.  I thought this scene was really important and really interesting, because it just shows the lengths that Hugo is willing to go to ruin Odin's relationship.  Desi is so shocked and obviously hurt by the accusations, but you can't help but feel for Odin because he cares for her so much and just the thought of her being with another man is painful for him. 

I enjoyed the movie, I just wish things could have turned out differently and it not have been so dark.

Blog Entry 15: Freestyle

This week has been pretty interesting, as far as my reading selections.  My wife and I are watching our friend's 5-year-old son, so I have been reading a lot of Dr. Seuss and "Good Night Moon."  He never get tired of reading the same books over and over.  As annoying as it is for me, I encourage him to continue reading!  When he and I are not reading a book, my wife or I will ask him what the names on packages are, when he is "helping" us make dinner.  I also ask him to spell out the names on the packages..  In my own way I feel like I am helping him learn to read better.  I try to make reading as fun as I can for him and make little games out of it.  Does anyone out there have any suggestions?

Blog Entry 14- Quote Response

"'I want to be a doctor' -M
'That's fine my love.  That's fine.' -P
I felt guilty towards God.
'You want to be a doctor? I thought that...' -G
'No, no I will be a prophet but they mustn't know'" (Satrapi 9)

(M- inidcates Marjane speaking, P- her parents speaking, G- God speaking)

Marjane seems like she is a very outgoing and intelligent young girl.  These couple of frames stood out to me because she believes so strongly that she is the next prophet, but lies to her parents when they asked because of how she was ridiculed by the other children in her class.  Although this is a stretch, it makes me think of when kids hide who they really are or what their true passions or beliefs are because of fear of backlash they may in turn receive from their peers.  It is sad, but I do not believe this will ever change.  Just because there will always be someone out there that would like to bring others down, simply because they do not understand or do not care to.

Blog Entry 13- Quote Response

For my second quote response for the week, I chose The Road Not Taken, by Robert Frost. 

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I-/ I took the one less traveled by,/ And that has made all the difference (18-20).

These couple lines stood out to me the most, because in a way they related to my paper 2.  Like the time in your life where you decide which road you will take in life.  Will you decide to go the easy route and do what everyone else does.  Or, will you be brave, and take a stand and decide to go the "one less traveled by" (19)?  It may be more difficult, but a choice, no doubt, you will be proud of yourself in the future for making.

Blog Entry 12- Poem Paraphrase

I chose First Poem for Your, by Kim Addonizio.  The poem itself was a little racy, but I still thought it was a very romantic poem.  I am not sure there is much paraphrasing that need to be done, but I will try my best.

I love to touch your tattoos in the darkness of our room.  I can't see them, but I know exactly where they are.  I touch the lines of lightning near your nipples and find the serpent and dragon, and swirls of water on your shoulders.  After we are intimate, I love to kiss the art on your skin.  Your tattoos will remain until you pass away and are nothing more than ashes; or if we remain a couple or end our relationship, they will remain.  So permanent, it is almost scary.  But in the darkness I touch them anyway. 

Blog Entry 11- Quote response

For my quote response I chose the poem Eight O'Clock, by A.E. Housman.

Strapped, noosed, nighting his hour,
 He stoop and counted them and cursed his luck;
And then the clock collected in the tower
Its strength, and struck. (5-8)

This poem is very short, but I found it very interesting at the same time.  It made me think of a man with somewhere to be at Eight O'Clock, and he is waiting for the time to go by and "cursed his luck" (6) when he sees that it is not 8 o'clock yet.  I am sure everyone has had this feeling once or twice in there life, when you sit and watch the minutes on the clock go by, just hoping time will speed up.  Finally, when "the clock collected in the tower/ Its strength, and struck" (7-8) every moment before of waiting and watching becomes worth it, and you are relieved when you are freed to be where you need to be.  

Blog Entry 10: Song Quote

"Both of Us" B.O.B. featuring Taylor Swift

"I wish I was strong enough
to lift not one, but both of us
Someday I will be strong enough
to lift not one, but both of us"

This song right now has to be the only song on my ipod on replay.  In my opinion, B.O.B. and Taylor Swift sing together as though they are a couple.  In the verses he talks about how he understands the struggles people go through with money, trying to fit in,  and how "life is an uphill battle."  He goes on to talk about how there are more important things in life than material things, so just keep your head up and focus on what is important in life.  The part I quoted is the chorus of the song that Taylor Swift sings.  Basically reiterating to her significant other, that she wishes she could be the one to make everything better, get rid of the struggles they both face, but in the future she knows she will be able to.

I think the reason I like the song so much, is because it kind of reminds me of my relationship with my wife.  We got married really young, and have been married for three years.  Having said that there are a lot of struggles newly married couples go through, but being young, makes those struggles more intense.  Her and I always say to each other, "someday will be our day."  Just meaning, someday, we will both have successful careers, no stress of money issues and have a family of our own.

Has anyone else out there heard this song?

Blog Post 9: " Jets" Haiku

Jets Haiku

Clear, bright skies, white clouds
The ocean waves crash below
The view from up there

Blog Entry 8: Poem Paraphrase

White Lies by Natasha Trethewey

Growing up I could tell all kinds of lies.  It did not matter what kind, big or small, to me they were just white lies.

I could deceive people about where I lived or even where I bought my clothes.

With every lie I told, however, my mother was there to correct me.  She would discipline me and wash my mouth out with soap.  She and I thought it would wash the lies out of me.  So I did as I was told and hoped it would work.

Blog Entry 7- Freestyle

This week has been very stressful for me.  I find out the options I have for my career path, at the end of the year, so in leading up to that I am working towards different paths to make sure I am covered no matter what is decided.  Let's just say I have no life.

So this week when I was not doing schoolwork I was buried in Military Flight Aptitude test, practice book.   There is not much reading, just a few sections with multiple choice, but mostly there are multiple choice questions with different pictures of the views of a cockpit of a plane or views of what is seen from the cockpit and you have to decide, based on the scenario given, which is the correct picture.  It is a little bit confusing to explain, but I take the test at the end of this coming week, so I am all about studying right now.  This test for flight school is kind of like taking the SATs to enter college.  It is really important!  

Blog Entry 6- Quote Response

"Some lived in it and never felt it but he knew it was all nada y pues nada y nada y pues nada" (Hemingway, p. 150).

I felt this quote from Ernest Hemingway's, "A Clean, Well-Lighted Place" was very important to the short story.  Throughout the story, the older waiter continues to stand up for the old man in the café, by questioning the waiter with the wife about why he has such strong feelings about wanting to get the old man to leave.  It is as if the older waiter cannot wrap his mind around the fact that the waiter with the wife has no empathy for the old man, and what it could possibly be like in his shoes.

At the point in the story when this quote is, everything became more clear for me.  The older waiter, like the old man, was lonely.  He did not have a wife, no family to go home to like the younger waiter did, and all he had in his life was "nada y pues nada" (Hemingway, p. 150).  So for him he could understand being in "a clean, well-lighted place" (Hemingway) to enjoy a glass of brandy and try to pass the time of loneliness in the dark of the night, rather than be in a dark, loud and undignified place (Hemingway).  I can somewhat relate to the old man and the waiter.  On long deployments, although I am surrounded by hundreds of people there is a sense of loneliness, missing your family you left behind. 

Laying in your rack late at night, when it is quite and dark is when the loneliness and sadness starts to set in, and makes the time pass so slow.  For me, my "clean, well-lighted place" (Hemingway) is the flight deck late at night.  Granted, it is dark outside, but not a creepy dark, but a calming dark (if that makes sense).  The ship is quieter at night, so all you hear are the waves crashing along side of the ship.  When you are way out in the middle of the ocean the algae glows in the dark and every now and then you can see streaks of light going by.  The streaks are dolphins playing in the waves of the ship.  It is the most amazing thing I have ever seen.  I would stay out there for hours just taking it all in and waiting for morning to come, to start my day all over.

Freestyle Blog Week 2

As I was going through everyone's different freestyle posts, I've noticed a lot of people have been discussing the ways in which reading has changed sinced kindles, smart phones and iPads have been introduced.  I don't know where I would be without my iPad. 

On previous deployments a good chunk of the space in my seabag went to books I brought with me to read and help pass the time.  Even since I got my iPad, I can just load it up with a couple books and then when I finish I have my laptop with me so I am able to take off the books I have read and then upload new ones onto the iPad.  It saves me so much space .  I also like the fact that I never lose my page because my bookmark fell out of the book.  It's also really nice having a built in reading light.  It made it easier to read in dark spaces or in my rack when everyone else was asleep, without having to get up and go to the galley. 

Blog Entry 4- Quote Response

"She unclasped the necklet quickly; quickly, without looking, laid it inside.  But when she put the lid on she thought she heard something crying" (Mansfield 87).

This quote stood out to me the most, because it was as if apart of Miss Brill died when she took off her fur coat and placed it back in the box.  She had a routine every Sunday.  Get dressed up and put on her fur, then she would head out to the park to people watch and listen in on other people's conversations, and in those moments she felt apart of their lives.  Or as she called it, apart of the performance.  As I was reading I created a back story about Miss Brill.  I thought about her as a lonely old woman, maybe even a widow.  Sundays were her days to feel a connection to other people, and something she really looked forward to.  After overhearing the little boy and girl talk about her, her Sundays were forever ruined.  She didn't stop to pick up her slice of honeycake, instead, she just went straight home and took off her fur.  In the quote where she says "she thought she heard something crying" (Mansfield 87), that something rather someone, may have been Miss brill crying, because her feelings were hurt after what those children said.  

Freestyle Blog Entry Week 1

This week for my freestyle blog, I would like to discuss a reading issue.  A lot of what I am reading outside of my textbooks are not very enjoyable, just books for work that I need to read to study for my upcoming officer's test. 

Although my wife and I do not have kids, we have had many conversations with our good friend who is a gradeschool teacher, about the amount of children today that are not at the reading level they should be.  Not only that, there seems to be a trend in rushing to finish or get to the point of a reading assignment, without the child even comprehending what they read.  I think it is really important for parents or guardians to take the time to read and with their children and ask them questions about what they read, and instill in them from a very young age, the reading and comprehension tools that will no doubt help them in their future in education.  I know for me, looking back, I would have appreciated a bit more of a push to read and understand what I read.  As we read in the readings on reading, the way in which we read today has definitely evolved from the way it use to be.  There are so many more options of how to read.  We are not limited to opening a standard book.  There are iPads, SmartPhones, Nooks Kidnles, personal computers that enable us to read whatever, whenever.  Not only that, it gives parents the opportunity to make reading more fun and exciting for their children and hopefully encourage them to want to read more.

Blog Entry 2

For this week's quote response, I chose a quote from John Updike's, "A & P." 

"She came down a little hard on her heels, as if she didn't walk in her bare feet that much, putting down her heels and then letting the weight move along to her toes as if she was testing the floor with every step, putting a little deliberate extra action into it.  You never know for sure how girls' minds work (do they really think it's a mind in there or just a little buzz like a bee in a glass jar?) but you got the idea she had talked the other two into coming here with her, and now she was showing them how to do it, walk slow and hold yourself straight" (Updike, 15-16).

I chose this passage to point out the attention to detail Updike displays in his writing.  From the first paragraph of the story he sets the scene of the A & P where the character Sammy works.  Updike devoted two long sentences just to describe the way the Queenie character walked down the aisle, as if she was showing the other girls how it was done.  The wording itself may not be as important to the story but it is detail that is important.  It captivates me as the reader and makes me feel as though I am there in the A & P, which makes the story all the more interesting.  More importantly, it makes Sammy's resoning for quitting easy to understand.  It is as if he made a connection with the girls as he studied them and wanted to defend their honor to catch their eye.

Hello everyone!  My names is James, and I just transferred into Eastern Oregon as a Fire Science major, from Tidewater Community College, and Honolulu Community College.  I am a Gunner's Mate Second class in the Navy, and am currently stationed on Oahu with my wife.  I have been in the military for 7 years, and am lucky enough to have seen the world.  My wife and I love the outdoors, hiking, swimming and going to the beach, but nothing compares to snorkeling/ diving in the ocean.  Being out here on the island there are an endless amount of fish and creatures to explore.  I also like to ride my motorcycle.  The scenary is breathtaking, and with the weather being about 80 degrees on a regular basis, it is very hrd not to ride around on two wheels.

Growing up I was not too big of a reader.  At least, not until my younger brother and sister were old enough to enjoy books.  I would read to them every now and then, whenever they handed a book to me to read.  For most of my childhood, as soon as homework was done, I was outside playing and being a kid.  To be honest through out middle school and high school I never really enjoyed reading, it always felt like a chore for school.  It was not until I joined the military when that changed.  Being at sea for up to eight months at a time, reading was the one thing that helped me get through it.  I read mystery books, fiction, non-fiction, history and military books.  It was nice to get lost in the pages and for a few minuites, "escape" being on a ship.

The first person I interviewed was my wife.  She enjoys reading Nicholas Sparks books (before the movies come out).  She says that they are very predictable and completely unreal, but she loves the true love in the books.  She says there are aspects of each book that remind her of our relationship that make her smile and think about us.  There are times when she will buy a book and sit out at the beach and be done with it in a couple hours.  She reads like her mom.  For that reason I intervied my mother-in-law.  She said that ever since she was little she always enjoyed reading.  Even if it was for school she just liked to get lost in the pages.  Today, she reads a lot of Danielle Steele.  They're always on sale and she can never put them down.  The last person I interviewed was my sister.  She reads a lot of books based on the military.  She is a former Marine.  Unlike me, my sister has loved to read since I can remember.  She was always really interested in school and instead of going out with her friends late night, she picked up a book.  I know that makes her sound a little weird, but she just enjoyed and still enjoys reading that much.  All in all, the three women I interviewed and I all read books with subject matter that we love, and read for enjoyment and to get lost in the pages.