My favorite genre of video is "Crazy People." The age of YouTube and ubiquitous personal cameras has lead to a proliferation of people acting batshit crazy videos. I love being able to watch these people without actually being present, some of these people are terrifying.
Crazy lady screaming at skateboarders
Yes, she does accuse these people of peeing on her. She also accuses them of "illegal photography" in a parking lot that she has no association with. There is something immensely hysterical about a woman screaming at people for no reason, and then demanding that they call the police.
Ladies and Gentlemen, we have a Rogue Helicopter Pilot
My absolute favorite video ever; nonstop and unadulterated crazy. I can't really add any commentary that would make it any better. Watch it all!
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Favorite internet videos: 4 and 3
Cautionary Tales of Swords
"Swords will cut your fucking throat wide open" - Trip Frisk. This is a lowbudget internet show that is amazing and hilarious.
Darth Vader being a smartass
This may only make you laugh if you are a Star Wars nerd like myself.
"Swords will cut your fucking throat wide open" - Trip Frisk. This is a lowbudget internet show that is amazing and hilarious.
Darth Vader being a smartass
This may only make you laugh if you are a Star Wars nerd like myself.
Top ten internet videos: 5
This video is from the "Animals" genre. Be glad that I didn't post more of these, I am a sucker for cute birds.
Snowball has better rhythm than I do.
Snowball has better rhythm than I do.
Top ten internet videos: 7 and 6
These two videos can be classified as "Internet videos that mock the internet."
Lasagna Cat: Geocities Page
The premise of Lasagna Cat is simple, yet genius. The creators take Garfield comic strips, reenact them, and then create a music video that incorporates the original strip. This particular clip is mocking second generation websites, such as those that could be found on geocities in the 90s. If you have time, click on this video and watch every single Lasagna Cat video on YouTube.
How is Babby Formed?
This flash animation was created to mock Yahoo Answers thread. For those of you unfamiliar with Yahoo Answers, picture Wikipedia with less strenuous academic standards. Users can post a question, and anyone can post an answer. Some of the answers (such as this one) are incomprehensible.
Lasagna Cat: Geocities Page
The premise of Lasagna Cat is simple, yet genius. The creators take Garfield comic strips, reenact them, and then create a music video that incorporates the original strip. This particular clip is mocking second generation websites, such as those that could be found on geocities in the 90s. If you have time, click on this video and watch every single Lasagna Cat video on YouTube.
How is Babby Formed?
This flash animation was created to mock Yahoo Answers thread. For those of you unfamiliar with Yahoo Answers, picture Wikipedia with less strenuous academic standards. Users can post a question, and anyone can post an answer. Some of the answers (such as this one) are incomprehensible.
Top ten favorite internet videos: 10, 9 and 8
I decided to compile a list of my favorite internet videos. I imposed the limit of ten, which meant I had to take out a lot of videos that I really love, but I didn't want to list to be too long. I've also tried to present videos that I feel represent their genres. Except for the number one video, this list isn't really in order; I have attempted to group the videos based on their types.
The following videos can be classified as "People hurting themselves." The timeless glee of schadenfreude has found a fruitful home on the internet; sites such as Youtube are full of videos in this vein.
Katana Slip-up
The accident shown in this clip inspired another one of my top ten list, the internet TV show "Cautionary Tales of Swords." This isn't the only video that features a QVC host injuring themselves, two other videos highlight ladder accidents. Ladder accident 1. Accident 2.
Kid falls off a Bridge
This video is a lot funnier if you understand some Spanish. Google pinche pendejo if you want. I love the cameraman in this one, "Te bañaste!" means "You took a bath!"
My favorite people getting hurt video, mainly because I have no sympathy for the asshats who are injured. Really, what possible alternative outcome could have resulted from jumping off a roof? Once again, the cameraman adds to the overall video, with his asinine inquiry of "You guys ok?"
The following videos can be classified as "People hurting themselves." The timeless glee of schadenfreude has found a fruitful home on the internet; sites such as Youtube are full of videos in this vein.
Katana Slip-up
The accident shown in this clip inspired another one of my top ten list, the internet TV show "Cautionary Tales of Swords." This isn't the only video that features a QVC host injuring themselves, two other videos highlight ladder accidents. Ladder accident 1. Accident 2.
Kid falls off a Bridge
This video is a lot funnier if you understand some Spanish. Google pinche pendejo if you want. I love the cameraman in this one, "Te bañaste!" means "You took a bath!"
My favorite people getting hurt video, mainly because I have no sympathy for the asshats who are injured. Really, what possible alternative outcome could have resulted from jumping off a roof? Once again, the cameraman adds to the overall video, with his asinine inquiry of "You guys ok?"
The Remix Video
A trend that has become popular on YouTube in the past few years is that of the remix video. A remix video takes fragments of a popular video or audio meme, and sets them to music, usually a techno beat. Remix videos usually appear with surprising speed after the initial video has become popular, the following two remix videos appeared in a matter of days after the original videos surfaced.
In this video from the early 90s, a young(er) Bill O'Reilly (then on Inside Edition) expresses his displeasure with the studio's teleprompter.
The amazing remix followup. I think it's pretty catchy.
This video is very long, the most amusing parts occur near the end. I'm a big fan of randomly taped crazy people; however, this one is not my favorite.
The resulting remix video. It is really good, but we must consider the fact that the source material lent itself to a musical endeavor.
In this video from the early 90s, a young(er) Bill O'Reilly (then on Inside Edition) expresses his displeasure with the studio's teleprompter.
The amazing remix followup. I think it's pretty catchy.
This video is very long, the most amusing parts occur near the end. I'm a big fan of randomly taped crazy people; however, this one is not my favorite.
The resulting remix video. It is really good, but we must consider the fact that the source material lent itself to a musical endeavor.
Monday, May 5, 2008
Response to 5/5 readings
Composition at the Turn of the Twenty-First Century
Richard Fulkerson
When I started reading this, I assumed that Fulkerson would take a pretty gloomy view on the state of composition pedagogy, and the debate thereof. In his introduction, he expresses the motivation behind writing this was “frustration”.
However, after this initial negativity, Fulkerson appears to refrain from pessimistic language when chronicling the past decade’s developments in composition. One quote from Fulkerson that I thought odd was his statement that “It’s important to emphasize that in CSS the course aim is not ‘improved writing’ but ‘liberation’ from dominant discourse” (Fulkerson 660) Uh, why can’t we do both? Does liberation from dominant discourse necessarily mean that the resulting writing will be bad?
Contemporary Composition: The Major Pedagogical Theories
James Berlin
Berlin’s essay was incredibly helpful in understanding the origins and applications of composition pedagogy. Berlin describes Neo-Aristotelians (Classicists), Positivist (Current-Traditionalists), Neo-Platonists (Expressionists) and New Rhetoricians. Seems like everything is new and shiny, eh?
One of the reasons I love Berlin so much is his honesty. He comes right out and says “My reasons for presenting this analysis are not altogether disinterested. I am convinced that the pedagogical approach of the New Rhetoricians is the most intelligent and most practical alternative available, serving in every way the best interests of our students” (Berlin 766)
Neo-Aristotelians believe that truth is inherent from the senses; the main issue is communicating this through the limits of language. Positivists hide beneath the shield of “scientific truth”, which reminded me of earlier readings discussing how research defined fields of learning. Unlike neo-Aristotelians, neo-Platonists do not believe that truth is inherent from the senses, as the world is undependable. Instead, they seek the truth inside, a truth that cannot be communicated or taught. New Rhetoricians rely on communication and discourse to discover truth.
Post-Process “Pedagogy”
Lee-Ann M. Kastman Breuch
Breuch writes that“[p]ost process scholarship is shortchanged by the continued emphasis on process in that the broader implications of post-process theory have very little to do with process […] That is, process as it is cast by post-process scholarship is the scapegoat in an argument to forward postmodern and anti-foundationalist perspectives that are critical to post-process theory” (Breuch 98)
One of Breuch’s main points is that post-process theorists are undermining their own efforts by defining themselves in opposition to the process theory. Of all the post-process theorists that Breuch discusses, I found Thomas Kent to be the most persuasive, in certain respects. As Breuch says, “Kent suggests that writing is not a system or process and therefore cannot be taught as such. Consequently, he does not suggest that teaching writing is impossible; he suggests that teaching writing as a system is impossible” (Breuch 101). I also liked Irene Ward’s functional dialogism, which seems to correlate with Berlin’s much loved New Rhetoricians.
Douglas Downs and Elizabeth Wardle
Downs and Wardle envision a freshman writing course that focuses on “improving students’ understanding of writing, rhetoric, language, and literacy” (552). Although I have yet to teach ENG 101 or 102, I will be next semester. As a result, I found this article insightful and far-reaching in its ideas. As Downs and Wardle point out, “good” academic writing is not universal across various field, and what a student learns in ENG 101 and 102 may not transfer to other classes.
The authors’ pedagogy relating to FYC would seem to prepare a student better for writing in many different contexts. I think that this type of FYC would be much better suited for non-English majors, as well as being more feasible than having major specific required FYCs.
Richard Fulkerson
When I started reading this, I assumed that Fulkerson would take a pretty gloomy view on the state of composition pedagogy, and the debate thereof. In his introduction, he expresses the motivation behind writing this was “frustration”.
However, after this initial negativity, Fulkerson appears to refrain from pessimistic language when chronicling the past decade’s developments in composition. One quote from Fulkerson that I thought odd was his statement that “It’s important to emphasize that in CSS the course aim is not ‘improved writing’ but ‘liberation’ from dominant discourse” (Fulkerson 660) Uh, why can’t we do both? Does liberation from dominant discourse necessarily mean that the resulting writing will be bad?
Contemporary Composition: The Major Pedagogical Theories
James Berlin
Berlin’s essay was incredibly helpful in understanding the origins and applications of composition pedagogy. Berlin describes Neo-Aristotelians (Classicists), Positivist (Current-Traditionalists), Neo-Platonists (Expressionists) and New Rhetoricians. Seems like everything is new and shiny, eh?
One of the reasons I love Berlin so much is his honesty. He comes right out and says “My reasons for presenting this analysis are not altogether disinterested. I am convinced that the pedagogical approach of the New Rhetoricians is the most intelligent and most practical alternative available, serving in every way the best interests of our students” (Berlin 766)
Neo-Aristotelians believe that truth is inherent from the senses; the main issue is communicating this through the limits of language. Positivists hide beneath the shield of “scientific truth”, which reminded me of earlier readings discussing how research defined fields of learning. Unlike neo-Aristotelians, neo-Platonists do not believe that truth is inherent from the senses, as the world is undependable. Instead, they seek the truth inside, a truth that cannot be communicated or taught. New Rhetoricians rely on communication and discourse to discover truth.
Post-Process “Pedagogy”
Lee-Ann M. Kastman Breuch
Breuch writes that“[p]ost process scholarship is shortchanged by the continued emphasis on process in that the broader implications of post-process theory have very little to do with process […] That is, process as it is cast by post-process scholarship is the scapegoat in an argument to forward postmodern and anti-foundationalist perspectives that are critical to post-process theory” (Breuch 98)
One of Breuch’s main points is that post-process theorists are undermining their own efforts by defining themselves in opposition to the process theory. Of all the post-process theorists that Breuch discusses, I found Thomas Kent to be the most persuasive, in certain respects. As Breuch says, “Kent suggests that writing is not a system or process and therefore cannot be taught as such. Consequently, he does not suggest that teaching writing is impossible; he suggests that teaching writing as a system is impossible” (Breuch 101). I also liked Irene Ward’s functional dialogism, which seems to correlate with Berlin’s much loved New Rhetoricians.
Douglas Downs and Elizabeth Wardle
Downs and Wardle envision a freshman writing course that focuses on “improving students’ understanding of writing, rhetoric, language, and literacy” (552). Although I have yet to teach ENG 101 or 102, I will be next semester. As a result, I found this article insightful and far-reaching in its ideas. As Downs and Wardle point out, “good” academic writing is not universal across various field, and what a student learns in ENG 101 and 102 may not transfer to other classes.
The authors’ pedagogy relating to FYC would seem to prepare a student better for writing in many different contexts. I think that this type of FYC would be much better suited for non-English majors, as well as being more feasible than having major specific required FYCs.
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