Alan Turing

          We often take the incredible technology we have today for granted. It is part of our everyday lives; we use technology without a second thought, without really thinking about how far science has come over the past decades. Right now I am typing on a computer, and without Alan Turing I would not be able to do this. Alan Turing is a brilliant British man, with experience as a mathematician, logician, and a computer scientist. He has worked at the Government Code and Cypher School during World War II, breaking German codes, and finding useful information for the British. He later applied his intelligence to computers.
          Turing designed the ACE, which was the first stored-program computer. Although it was a detailed project, there were many delays and the project was never released. However, a Pilot ACE was released while Turing was studying at Cambridge University, so it wasn't Turing's version but he still deserved all the credit. 
          Computers were further enhanced with the "Turing Test". Turing explored the idea that computers have "artificial intelligence", and he wanted to establish a standard for a machine to be considered intelligent. He wanted a machine to be able to think like a human, but to stimulate a child-like mindset so that it could be educated. 
          After Turing's death, the Turing Award has been given for those who contribute to the computer world by the Association for Computing Machinery. Turing's contributions to the technology have basically shaped our lives today since so much of the modern world revolves around computers. So next time you're using your computer, remember to think of Alan Turing and appreciate his research.

War of the Worlds

          My initial reaction to "War of the Worlds" was that the speaker really knew what he was doing. I was only one minute into the broadcast, and I was already immersed in whatever the speaker said. He was so eloquent; pausing at the right times, pacing himself at the right speed, and talking with the perfect amount of intensity. Clearly, when radio was this popular, the speakers had to be very skilled speakers because their voice is all they have to draw the audience in. They can't use facial expressions, body movements, or images to get the point across, so the fact that I was already intrigued by the speaker's voice in this broadcast was very impressive.
          

           As we all know now, the fake alien invasions created fear with the American public because everyone thought it was real. I can see how people believed it after finishing the broadcast. The integration of random bursts of breaking news in the casual music made the news seem legitimate; it was really as though the music was being interrupted because of an alien invasion. This just shows how art has such a great influence of the public. Radio is a form of art that flourished in the 1900's, and it was so prominent in people's lives that it has the ability to terrorize an entire population. Orson Welles is brilliant for this; nobody got hurt and nothing tragic happened, but he was talented enough to use only the sense of sound to scare the public. 

History of the Battery

          The battery is an invention that has greatly improved life for humans. During my research, I was surprised to discover that the battery existed in ancient civilizations, though it was obviously very different than it is today. The earliest known battery was the "Baghdad Battery", a terra-cotta jar discovered from Mesopotamia. Inside the jar was a sheet of copper surrounding an iron rod, and certain chemicals were added to create a reaction and produce power. 
          Many years later, the modern idea of the battery was born when Benjamin Franklin created a set of capacitors, which were glass panels lined with metal. They could be charged and discharged with a static generator, therefore creating electricity. For the next few centuries, numerous inventions and discoveries helped the battery progress into a more efficient invention. Once the 20th century rolled around, scientists experimented with different elements to enhance the battery's performance. There was the nickel-iron battery, the zinc-carbon battery, the nickel-hydrogen battery, and the lithium ion battery. Today, people can use primary batteries, which work immediately upon use, or secondary batteries, which are rechargeable.
          Without all this research that has helped develop the battery, our lives today would be more difficult than we can imagine. Batteries are a convenient source of power that allow us to enjoy amazing privileges and we owe a lot of gratitude to those who have put time and effort into this great invention.

Phillip K. Dick

          After reading about Phillip K. Dick's background, I find that his life follows an expected pattern. Numerous great artists are ridiculed and disliked during their lifetime; people will often push their work aside because of false judgement, not truly recognizing how great it is. Then after the artist passes away, everyone starts to remember that they even existed, and they will study their art and finally realize its value. They say "you never realize what you had until its gone", and this is true for Phillip K. Dick along with many other amazing artists. It doesn't surprise me at all to know that he was constantly deemed an "oddball", only to have his work transform the world of science fiction after he died.
          But regardless of whether Phillip K. Dick was living or deceased, his ideas are revolutionary. He was one of those to question the universe. He recognizes the flaws of technology, and the immense power it has over mankind. He was also brave enough to explore the relationship of humans and our precious technology, and he wasn't afraid to show how dangerous that can be. I think that is what separates an artist from a great artist. An artist observes the world, reflects, and displays his findings in some form of art. A great artist observes the world, recognizes its flaws, and challenges society. They are willing to highlight the not-so-perfect aspects of humanity, and that scares a lot of people. Phillip K. Dick uses his art to show his audience "a glimpse of what makes us human". He exposes who we truly are as a species without hesitation, and its that type of artist that has the capability to change the world.

Flip Book Animation

Here is my flip book animation! I felt like music was necessary, so I included the songs Blue Jeans by Lana Del Rey, Snake Charmer by Blink 182, and Up and Up (Acoustic) by Relient K. Enjoy :)

Clockwork Orange

          I'm going to be honest; watching "Clockwork Orange" in class freaked me out a little. The drugs, the violence, the rape, the eyes being clamped open, the whole experience was very intense. But obviously there is more to the movie and the book than those small clips we saw in class. I researched the novel and Anthony Burgess's ideas, and behind the traumatizing movie is the powerful story of a troubled youth finding his way out of the darkness and realizing theres more to life than drugs and violence.
          In order to portray the story of Alex in a more interesting way, Burgess created a language called "Nadsat". This dialect is only spoken by the teenagers in the novel, giving the teens their own sort of community and connection that the adults cannot comprehend. This emphasizes how Burgess wanted to isolate the teenagers and give them their own ideas of superiority over the adults. "Nadsat" pulls pieces from numerous languages and slangs, including Russian, cockney slang, German, and Burgess even made up some words himself. Burgess explained that if he used contemporary speech, his novel would soon become outdated. But because he invented his own dialect, the novel is timeless and his unique speech will never go out of style.
          I also read that Burgess used made-up words to cover up the harshness of some of the book's content. The book is very violent and very obscene, so using words people don't understand to describe horrible scenes can confuse readers, and lessen the impact of the more intense scenes.
          Aside from the novel, the film adaptation of the book that we watched in class had some interesting techniques, such as incorporating the song "Singing In The Rain". I had some ideas about why this song appeared in the movie. First, I thought it was supposed to emphasize the contrast between 1951 and 1971. In between those time periods, the American public became much more liberated due to drugs and alcohol, and the general ideas about sex became much more open. The movie "Singing in the Rain" also deals with lighter topics than "Clockwork Orange" does. Putting that song in Clockwork Orange is ironic because the song is always associated with Gene Kelly dancing happily through the streets, and now people see it associated with rape and violence. It's quite the contrast.

Singing In The Rain - Glee Version

On the topic of "Singing in the Rain", I have always loved the Glee mashup of this song with "Umbrella" by Rihanna. I love how they incorporated similar effects as the original "Singing In The Rain", with the water on the stage and the umbrellas. So here is the video of the Glee version!