Summary of “Better Online Living through Content Moderation” by Melissa King
This article discusses how the use of “content control features” such as “block and ignore functions, control/trigger warnings, block lists and privacy options” is viewed by people who do not use them. Melissa King, the author of the article, states that some people who use the Internet may suffer from mental diseases such as PTSD and “need to avoid topics and people that rigger their anxiety”. King discusses how people who use these control features often deal with criticism from other people. This criticism includes being deemed as “weak” and “too sensitive”, and this pressures these individuals to allow certain content to be present in their Internet experiences. There have been several debates on the topic of online harassment being simply “mean words said on the Internet, with no real threat to safety of someone or their family”. King quotes Caleb Lack, a licensed clinical psychologist and psychology professor, who explained that “ you can ‘get’ PTSD from Twitter. One needs to be careful, though, to be specific about this: it’s the bullying and harassment that could lead to PTSD or PTSD symptoms, not anything inherent to Twitter itself.” Basically he is saying that long-term exposure to cyber bullying can in fact cause PTSD. The people who seem to be against block lists are often “people who do not harass or threaten other people” and they fail to realize how detrimental cyber bullying can truly be.
“Color Walking” reading summary
This article is documents Phia Bennin and Brendan McMullan’s coloring walking experience. They were inspired to do this color walk after coming across the experiment that William Burroughs had his students do in the past. Color walking consists of taking a walk outside, picking a color to focus on, and following that color as you view your surroundings during your walk. Bennin and McMullan decided to take their walk around lower Manhattan on a Sunday afternoon and they noticed how following one color led them to notice another color and so on. The authors realized that by the end of their walk, the colors they noticed were still lingering in their minds. At the end of the article, the authors provide instructions on how to conduct your very own color walk: “ Give yourself an hour of uninterrupted time, no commutes, no errands, just eye time. Pick a color, or let a color pick you–follow the one that makes your heart go thump-thump. If you get lost, pick another color. If you get really lost, you’re on the right track.”
Built Internal Environment Description of Landmark Diner, Downtown Atlanta
http://www.landmarkdiner.com/v2/pictures/pic_downtown.jpg
I went to Landmark Diner located in Downtown Atlanta on Monday March 6th at 4:30pm-5: 40pm. During this time, there were five customers in the restaurant, including myself. When you first enter the Diner, there is a rectangular light-up sign that flashed messages including “Welcome to Landmark Diner”, “Open 24 hours”, “Where the Stars Meet at Nite”, “Dinner specials”, and “Full Bar” in colored letters. Beside the sign is a black and white painting of the skyline of Atlanta. There is a 3-foot sign standing up in front of the door telling customers to wait to be seated.
To the left of the entrance, there is a counter behind which are shelves that are holding bottles of alcohol and dark liquor including Crown Royal. On the wall beside the shelves, there are dollar bills from various countries and jumbo sized American hundred-dollar bill taped on the wall. On the counter sits a cash register and customers pay here for their food when they are finished eating. Straight ahead in front of the entrance, you can see the grill where the cooks prepare the food.
There is an area separated from what appears to be the main dining room that contains three small sized booths, a jukebox, and the restrooms. The main dining room is located to the right of the entrance. It contains about thirty tables and a bar area for customers to dine in. All of the tables have mint green tabletops and silver lining around the borders of the tables. There are seven booths in the dining room, including one large sized booth that looks as if it can sit seven or eight people comfortably.
The ceiling over the bar area is painted orange and contains different colored squares including grey, black, and mint green. The floor and columns of the restaurant appear to have the same marble tiling. There is a wall that is made up of mostly windows that outlooks the sidewalk and as well as a building across the street from the restaurant.
Observation Notes While Sitting in Landmark Diner, Downtown Atlanta
- It is 4:30 pm on March 6th
- There are not many people here right not (4 customers in all, 5 including me)
- There are about 40-50 tables/booths in the whole restaurant, most of them are meant to seat four or more people
- There is a host stand where you have to go before you are seated
- There is a bar area with a TV in the right hand corner showing a soccer game
- The workers are sitting in a booth watching the game and conversing
- On each table, there are utensils wrapped in paper napkins, salt and pepper shakers, sugar packets, parmesan cheese, and strawberry and grape jelly and napkins
- Along the wall out looking the street, there are windows lining the entire wall with cream colored, satin drapes hanging above the windows
- There is a clock on the back wall, above a large corner booth
- Toward the middle of the restaurant there is a 3’foot dividing wall with 20 small plants siting on top
- The tables have mint green table tops with silver borders
- There is another TV on a column towards the back of the restaurant
- Some walls are painted green (close the green color of the table tops), some walls are painted orange
- The columns throughout the restaurant are grey and white colored marble
- There are lamps hanging from the ceilings with long cylinder shaped shades
- There is a cooler displaying a variety of cakes
- When you first enter the restaurant, there is a wall with shelves containing alcohol and dark liquor.
- There is a sign with flashing lights that reads “ Welcome to Landmark Diner. Open 24 hours. Where the Stars Meet at Nite. Dinner specials. Full Bar.
- There is a painting of Atlanta at night
- The floors have the same grey and white marble as the columns
- You can see the grill where the prepare the food from the dining room
- The chairs have grey cushions. They have a white circle in the middle of the back of the chairs. The legs of the chairs are silver
- There are several light up signs hanging on the windows advertising for the restaurant
- There is a painting of a bluish greyish squid on a wall
- There are machines behind the bar counter used for making smoothies, tea, coffee, hot chocolate, and regular soft drinks
- It smells like French fries and hamburgers and pickles
- In front of the grill, there is a grey rack where plates, baskets for fries, small bowls, and to-go boxes are located
- Spacious, table are not too close to one another
- Fairly large inside in the restaurant
- There is a TV located in front of the entrance
- There are dollar bills from different countries taped on the wall to the right of the shelves with the alcohol and dark liquor. Directly In front of the hat wall, there is a register and across from that register, there is another register
- There are glass and plastic cups along the wall behind the bar counter, there is also a sink, register, and glass pitchers
- There are two booths located right behind the bar
- There is white tile along the bottom of the window sills
Video of Landmark Diner : internal environment
This video captures the most noticeable interior designs of Landmark Diner. You can see the cream colored drapes that are hanging from the ceiling. You can notice how part of the ceiling has different colored squares while another part is all grey and slanted upward. The video shows the light-up sign located in front of the main entrance that reads ““ Welcome to Landmark Diner. Open 24 hours. Where the Stars Meet at Nite. Dinner specials. Full Bar.” There is a painting of Atlanta to the right of the previously mentioned light-up sign. There are four cutouts of squares that seem to be equal in size in the green wall near the bar area. To the left of the main entrance, there is a wall with shelves, and on those shelves are bottles of alcohol and dark liquor. In front of this same wall, there is a register and the host stand. From the dining room, you can see the grill on which the cooks prepare the food. There is a television hanging from the ceiling in front of the entrance. There are dollar bills from different countries taped on the wall to the right of the shelves with the alcohol and dark liquor.
Two-top table in Landmark Diner , Downtown Atlanta
This picture shows one of the few two-top tables in the entire restaurant; there are about four in all. The table is set with two rolls of utensils, Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper shakers, sugar packets, and grape and strawberry jelly packets. The table is pushed against the tile wall. The baseboards beside the table appear to have some dirt on them. The table is noticeably smaller than all of the other tables in the restaurant. The table is located in the middle area of the dining room, across from one of the marble columns.
Ceiling of Landmark Diner, Downtown Atlanta
This picture captures the unique design of the ceiling that is directly above the bar area of the restaurant. There are black, grey, and mint green squares of different sizes on the ceiling. There is a cubic structure on the ceiling as well that is a source of light. There is an air vent on one of the black squares. You can see that there are tiles on the ceiling as well. There are glass and plastic cups and glass pitchers along the wall behind the bar. There are machines behind the bar counter used for making coffee, tea, hot chocolate, and regular soft drinks. There are cylinder-shaped light structures hanging from the ceiling. There are two EXIT signs also hanging from the ceiling.
Panorama of Landmark Diner, Downtown Atlanta
In this panorama of Landmark Diner, you are able to see most of the overall layout of the restaurant. Towards the center of the picture, there is 3-foot dividing wall with twenty small plants on top of it. On the other side of the wall that is not visible in the photo, there are two more tables and seating at the bar counter that can sit up to fifteen people. There is a glass cooler located beside the bar counter with a variety of cakes on display. On the left side of the picture, there are two marble columns with three booths sandwiched in-between them. Behind the bar, the ceiling is painted orange. The back wall has what appears to be the same marble as the columns except there is a thick, off-white colored stripe that runs along the middle of the wall. The floors also appear to be covered in the same marble tile as the columns. There are small overhead lights and a television overlooking the bar area. On the right side of the picture, you can see the sidewalk, a red truck, and a building across from the Diner.
Landmark Diner Internal Environment Image
This picture as taken from the table I was sitting at inside of Landmark Diner while I was recording my observations. I was sitting close to center of the restaurant. In the picture, there are about ten tables in front of me, including 4 large booths, a television screen showing a professional soccer game, and a clock on the wall straight head. Behind me, there are about fifteen more tables, one of which there are two women sitting and eating food. On my right, there is a window out looking the street and another building. I am the only customer sitting in this part of the restaurant. Each table has four chairs, utensils wrapped in napkins, and condiments on the tabletops. There is a fire alarm on the column that is closest to me in the picture. The light from the lamps is reflecting onto the marble column.
Research questions for the schools of Atlanta
- Are schools of Atlanta predominately black?
- What are the races of teachers who teach at the schools of Atlanta?
- What are the socio-ecomonic statues of the families of students who attend Atlanta schools?
- What is ratio of private schools to public schools in Atlanta ?
- What type of neighbors surround the public schools in Atlanta?