CDC Digital Record #1

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This is the top of the CDC homepage. In the left hand corner there are options to connect and share information regarding the CDC over Facebook, Twitter and Google +. The top part of the site has five major categories, four that are popular topics/categories, with the fifth category covering the rest of the CDC topics. The top part of the site also has an index, as can be seen in the top right area of the website.

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The middle part of the homepage is divided into a very simple manner, showing news and outbreaks.

 

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The bottom part of the site covers the what the CDC is about as well as the director.

The Great Divide: Annotated Bibliography 10.

“GREEDY RICH IS THE POOREST OF THE POOR.” Worldsupporter. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Mar. 2016.

This blog post written by Cecile Cremer discusses the campaign started to help erase the socioeconomic gap that exists in Mexico. Cremer focuses on the images taken by Oscar Ruiz (featured image) that quite literally show a line between the rich and the poor. She also talks about how the general public is not aware of these slums that many people live in because of the image the media portrays. Instead of seeing the dirty, sewage infested slums, people see the attractive clean hotel resorts that are scattered all over Mexico. She ends her post with a call to action for people to step up and help this campaign erase the poverty that exists in Mexico.

Originally I was going to use the image as my source to write the Annotated Bibliography. However, when I clicked the image it led me to the blog post and effectively piped my curiosity as I wanted to see what this person had to say. Unfortunately, the blog post seems to be roughly put together, lacks proper citation and overall does not provide much in the way of detail about the topic. As a result this source can not be taken in a serious note as it lacks credibility. However, the image does remind of me the divide that exists here in Atlanta. The only difference is that in Atlanta, highways are the dividing line, not fences.  

Architectural Defense, Not Just a Visual Thing: Annotated Bibliography 9

Source: 

This video by CNN discusses the use of the “Mosquito device” and its effects on people. In the video, the business decided to implement the use of the mosquito device after a massive brawl erupted in the local metro station entrance and surfaced in front of the businesses. The area is known to be a popular place for the local youth to gather and interact because of all the youth oriented shops and places that surround the area. However, traditionally youth are associated with loitering, being noisy and causing havoc, making them prime candidates for exclusion.

I chose this video since it elaborates on the use of aural architectural defense, which was not familiar to me before. This video also connects with annotated bibliographies seven and eight, but focuses specifically on the aural method of exclusion. In the video, the business claims that the mosquito device is not targeted at youth, however when CNN tested it, only younger people were able to hear it. I know I have experienced this device in Atlanta when I was in an area where youth would usually collect. I remember the sound resonating in my head and being very annoying. Now I know why that happened and what it was.

Methods of Defensive Architecture: Annotated Bibliography 8.

“5 Ways We Design Our Cities to Make Them Inhospitable to Human Life (Photos) | Alternet.” N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Mar. 2016.

 The article by Allegra Kirkland discusses the five types of defensive architecture cities use to exclude certain groups of people. Kirkland talks about how cities and private spaces use defensive architecture like spikes, sprinklers, checkpoints and divided benches to exclude the poor, specifically the homeless. In addition to this, cities also use aural methods like playing unpleasant sounds to prevent people from selling or sleeping around businesses. Kirkland uses the example of the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium which played an industrial sound track to keep people from sleeping on the steps.
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Homeless deterrent bench. The spikes retract when a payment is received. Sourced from: David M. Boje

I chose this article because it relates with my 7th annotated bibliography which focused on the use of spikes and expands on the different methods of defensive architecture being used in cities to exclude the homeless. This source also relates to the built environment setting found here in Atlanta. Most of the methods mentioned in Kirkland’s article can be seen in use throughout Atlanta. For example, some parks and businesses in Atlanta do use split benches, sprinkler systems, checkpoints and spikes to prevent the homeless from using those areas.

The war on public space. Annotated Bibliography 7.

Andreou, Alex. “Anti-Homeless Spikes: ‘Sleeping Rough Opened My Eyes to the City’s Barbed Cruelty’.” The Guardian 18 Feb. 2015. The Guardian. Web. 25 Mar. 2016.

Photograph: Guy Corbishley/Demotix/Corbi

This image depicts the spikes that are placed to prevent the homeless from sleeping or sitting in that spot. These spikes are commonly found in use around stores, parks and under bridges. The use of defensive architecture is present in many cities and even in Atlanta. However, their use has been placed under criticism by the public because it openly excludes and discriminates against the homeless. In addition to this, the use of defensive architecture, like these spikes, has been criticized as it can prevent people that may need a place to sit down and rest as well as limiting the city public life.

I chose this image as my source because it shows architectural exclusion in a very blunt manner. Usually, architectural exclusion goes unnoticed by the general public, however, this image clearly depicts the war that exists on public space. This image was published approximately a year ago, but the use of spikes is still present in most large cities and areas with heavy human traffic. This image is similar to my other annotated bibliography on “Poor doors” as both images are methods of defensive architecture and under heavy criticism from the public.

A New Revolution of Learning, a Summary of “Understanding Visual Rhetoric in Digital Writing Environments”

The era of paper and pen style writing is beginning to decline as technology is advancing. Writing styles are beginning to evolve, taking a more modern shape and allowing writing to incorporate images, audience interaction and sounds, something absent in paper and pen writing. In her paper “Understanding Visual Rhetoric in Digital Writing Environments“, Mary E. Hocks discusses this evolution and the incorporation of digital documents in writing. Hocks divides her paper into two sections with one section using two academic hypertextual essays to help explain the visual digital rhetoric and the other section discussing how teachers should incorporate visual digital rhetoric in their teaching. In addition to this, she also divides the visual digital rhetoric into three categories: Audience stance, transparency and hybridity. The audience stance is the way the author creates ethos and the degree of audience participation. Transparency is how familiar the terminology and concepts of the article is to the audience. Lastly, hybridity is how the site combines images and texts.

Hocks begins by examining the first academic hypertextual essay, “Monitoring Order” by Anne Wysocki. The first thing Hocks points out is how Wysocki promotes audience participation by providing interactive text and images, allowing the audience to progress through the essay in an order that they chose. As a result, the essay promotes active reading and decreases attention fatigue, something that all too common with long academic articles or papers.

The saying "A picture is worth a million words" is beginning to be proven in the modern day style of writing (bloging etc). Sourced from Transformation Marketing
The saying “A picture is worth a million words” is beginning to be proven in the modern day style of writing (bloging etc). Sourced from Transformation Marketing

The second thing Hocks discusses is how Wysocki establishes transparency by using a familiar format, colors and page layout. In addition to this, Wysocki uses “tiles” to help the reader not get lost in the text and have a sense of direction. Once again, when a person reads large amounts of text at a time, they can easily become lost physically or mentally in the paper. Lastly, Hocks focuses on is the Hybridity of “Monitoring Order”. Wysocki combines texts and images in a way that allows readers to immerse themselves into the theme and topic of the site. This in turn caters to the individuality in humans, since it allows the audience to choose their path through the essay. 

In addition to this, Hocks also examines “The Ballad of the Internet Nutball”, written by Christine Boese. Similar to “Monitoring Order”, Boese establishes audience stance and hybridity by incorporating music, interactive images and texts. Hocks also notes that Boese allows participants to add to the site, constantly evolving the site, increasing user participation and reducing attention fatigue. However, unlike the high transparency in “Monitoring Order”, Boese’s essay had a low transparency since it was limited to the fans who understood the theme of the site. Despite this, not all rhetoric has to be designed in a way to cater to everyone. Similar to paper and pen style writing, certain books are understood only by a certain pool of people and not by others. None the less, Hock shows how transparency plays a role in the visual digital rhetoric. 

Example of Xenaverse. Sourced from:
Example of Xenaverse. Sourced from: The Legendary Wikia

In part two of her paper, Hocks discusses how teachers should incorporate visual digital rhetoric. Hocks uses an online student project about Shakespeare to explain the positive impacts of introducing visual digital rhetoric in the classroom. The students were tasked to design a website which collected and created discussion about Shakespeare’s colorblind casting. By giving the students the ability to create their own sites, they were able to immerse themselves more into the material than they ever would in a traditional classroom setting. This is because the students were given the freedom to design a site that catered to their needs, rather than being restricted to a traditional style set learning path. For example, the students learned and created  interactivity by creating discussion boards and surveys. They created high transparency by using familiar techniques and styles. Lastly the students established hybridity by combining interactive texts and images (Hocks).

By learning how to engage their audience, establish transparency and incorporate hybridity, Hocks argues that the students now have gained a much greater understanding of their unit of study. She also argues that by incorporating visual digital rhetoric in a classroom setting, will cater to a students needs better and will result  in giving students a beneficial learning experience. The advancement technology also means a more advanced society and as a result, the style of learning needs to adapt and evolve as well.

Bibliography

Hocks, Mary E. “Understanding Visual Rhetoric in Digital Writing Environments.” College Composition and Communication 2003: 629. JSTOR Journals. Web. 7 Mar. 2016.

Octane Coffee and Bar: Not Your Average Cup of Coffee.

My Experience at Octane Coffee and Bar

 Memorable. Aromatic. Welcoming.


When a person mentions the word coffee, what is the first thing that comes to mind? Is it a location like Starbucks? Perhaps the smell or bitter taste consumes your thoughts? Either way, it is likely that the word “Octane” does not cross through your mind. These are some of the thoughts that crossed through my mind as I was driving to Octane Coffee and Bar, which is located in Grant Park. When I arrived, I was gladly greeted by a spacious parking lot that did not require you to pay; something usually absent in the city of Atlanta. After parking my car in one of the designated locations, I walked around the building to observe the design and look for potential entrances. I found that the only entrance to the building is in the front which consisted of three handicap parking spots, stairs, and a ramp making the building easily accessible for those who are handicap.

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The combination of red bricks and dirty white metal siding gives off a rustic feeling.

Once I had finished observing the outside of the building, I walked up the steps and opened the entrance. Immediately my olfactory senses were assaulted by the bitter smells of coffee, the harsh smell of liquor, and the sweet smells of the neighboring bakery. The second thing that surprised me was the sheer amount of people present inside of Octane, specifically students. Everywhere I turned inside of the shop, there were students typing away in the glow of their laptops, surrounded in papers and empty glasses of coffee.The coffee shop was buzzing with people talking, bartenders making drinks and coffee machines endlessly milling away coffee beans into fine powder. Unlike most places, Octane does not rely much on artificial lighting since the surrounding glass provides adequate lighting. In addition to this, the styling of the interior space, from the gray metal chairs to the stained wooden tables gives off a feeling that almost makes you feel like you are at home.

Students endlessly typing away.
The sound of typing and conversation fills the air.

From an marketing standpoint, Octane is very neatly organized with an arrangement of tables and chairs in the middle of the room, a long bench that stretches alongside the wall and a patio for those who wish to sit outside. Despite that the bar and coffee shop are essentially mixed together, the bar is pushed to one corner of the interior space while the coffee shop exists in the other. As a result, the atmosphere of the bar does not mix with the coffee portion of the space. In addition to this, Octane does not spend very much money on advertisements and quite frankly it does not need to. As you can see here,  they rely on using cards with promotional deals and social media, both which are spread through word of mouth. While this may seem like a very inefficient way of advertisement, it is necessary to remember the consumer base, which is mostly made up of students who are usually very involved with using social media. Overall, I would recommend stopping by and grabbing a cup of coffee at Octane Coffee and Bar.

The Experience: Octane Coffee and Bar (5)

Naturally, in order to fully immerse myself into Octane Coffee and Bar, I had to order a drink and see what it was like. The drink you see here was recommended to me and is called the Nitro cold brew. The brown sugar packets are not there for decoration, but as a way to express the mentality of Octane. Much like how the brown sugar is “raw”, simple, rugged and natural, the coffee shop is the same.

Menus and Contact Information: Octane Coffee and Bar (4)

This is the menu at Octane Coffee and Bar. The menus are posted around the register on clipboards and are made of paper. The pricing to portion size is fair to me personally, but may seem high to others. The menu itself is very simple with the beverages listed and the price. No description is visible on the menu and the only way to find out is to ask.

Below is the contact card that can be picked up.

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List of locations, contact information and social media links.
Creative use of wording. "Refuel" at a place called Octane.
Creative use of wording. “Refuel” at a place called Octane. Also the deal of 10 coffee bevs and get one free. Encourages customers to hold on to the card.

The side of PTSD rarely seen. A summary of “Better Online Living through Content Moderation” by Melissa King.

As technology continues to progress, human interaction, specifically online, has increased exponentially. However, unlike the social rules and conduct that exist in face to face contact, the internet is essentially a free for all. As a result, people can easily search the web and access all kinds of content. However, since the internet is so open and lacks rules or a filter, the content and the users who interact with each other can easily become negative and hateful. In her article “Better Online Living through Content Moderation“, Melissa King discusses the issue of online abuse, the effects it has on the victims, and the steps people are taking in order to shield themselves from it.

Excessive stress can easily become a cause of PTSD. Image sourced from: Medical Daily.
Excessive stress can easily become a cause of PTSD. Image sourced from: Medical Daily.

She begins by introducing the idea of using apps and programs that filter out harmful content. These filters are used by users who are aware of their personal limits, or have PTSD (King). Users who have suffered from PTSD can easily have hurtful and sometimes harmful memories triggered by offensive content found on the internet and benefit greatly from using programs that filter this content.However, as King states, “[the] users of those tools face constant cultural opposition, [and are] often maligned as “weak” and “too sensitive.” Labeling people who suffer from PTSD and other similar disorders as weak makes it seem like their disorder is fictitious. King argues that by doing this, the victims are the ones who are being blamed for merely defending themselves.

 

King expands on this by introducing the Exposure Theory, which states that exposure to the things that may trigger negative thoughts will eventually help people overcome them. This is what serves as the basis for those who are against the use of censorship programs. However, King shows that this reason is irrelevant since the exposure theory takes place in a controlled environment and is not composed of random insults and threats that test the mental patience of a person. King also explains that people who suffer from PTSD can experience too much of this exposure, making it damaging rather than helpful. Furthermore, the people who argue against censorship state that the abuse people face on internet poses no real threat since people who experience PTSD are only war veterans. However, PTSD does not only originate from war-like trama. PTSD can come from anything that causes a person large amounts of stress and results in activation of their flight response. For example, repetitive exposure to online bullying from social media can cause a person to develop PTSD.

 Image sourced from: http://www.ratehub.ca/blog/2014/09/what-happens-if-your-mortgage-renewal-is-denied/)
Is choosing to ignore someone suppressing someones rights or is it your right? Image sourced from: Ratehub.

In order to counter this, people use blocklists to avoid coming in contact with hate groups like Gamergate. However, as King reports, these groups have resulted to legal action because they feel like they are being oppressed. These hate groups and people claim that by filtering them out, they are being silenced for stating their opinions and it is essentially a violation of their right to speech. In addition to this, these groups and people claim that their internet experience is being limited because of other peoples needs (King). Once again, King shows that this argument is invalid since these blocklists work in a logical manner and that they are not being implemented by force, but rather by the choice of the users who choose to use them. To support this, King uses examples of women who have experienced abuse in male dominated spaces like video games and the technology industry. Women are more prone to sexism and abuse through internet spaces and should be able to use blocklists and filtering softwares to prevent harassment and PTSD originating.

While the internet allows for animosity and is usually a good thing, it also allows people to hurl insults and threats at people without the fear of damaging their personal image. People are less prone to be aggressive in face to face encounters since they have to confront the consequences of their actions at that moment. While no one should face any sort of abuse, it is impossible to be able to control people and their actions, but people can choose to remove themselves from potentially harmful situations. King concludes that people should not be ashamed for using filtering programs since it “is not a silencing tactic” (King) but a choice to not listen. She also adds that all humans have different interests and views and using filtering programs can help create a more healthy and personalized internet experience.

(Cover Image sourced from 

Bibliography

“Better Online Living through Content Moderation by Melissa King | Model View Culture.” N.p., n.d. Web. 7 Mar. 2016.