Mattzilla

Godzilla Project

2009-11-05T11:14:00.000-08:00

1) what does Godzilla represent in his first movie?
Godzilla and the Second World War

2) Why is it that out of all the city's in the world, or in japan, that Godzilla only attacks Tokyo?
Gojira

3) How is Godzilla's rampage on Tokyo similar to the destruction of an atomic bomb?
Godzilla and the Second World War

4) What is the message of Godzilla attacking the south pacific islands and being radioactive?
Symbolism in Gojira

5) What theme does Godzilla's first movie symbolize about the relationship between the United States and Japans policies on atomic and nuclear testing? or in other words the relationship between Japan and America.
Godzilla and the Japanese Nightmare: When "Them!" Is U.S.

6) What was the western part of the worlds reaction to the first Godzilla movie? What was Japans reaction?
Godzilla Deconstructed

Robotic Nation summery

2009-11-01T08:59:00.000-08:00

Matthew Machado 10/30/09

In the article “Robotic Nation,” Marshall Brain argues that machines are going to replace human beings in every field of employment in the future. Marshall begins his article by describing McDonald’s, and the old routine that he and his kids use to take when they went there every weekend. He writes “Our normal routine is to walk into McDonald’s, stand in line, order, stand around waiting for the order, sit down, eat and play”. But then he writes “On Sunday, this decades-old routine changed forever”. Marshall writes that McDonald’s has a new system were you can order your food from kiosks in the play area. He focuses a lot on the kiosks. Marshall and his kids ordered food through a computer screen, and he noted that the kiosk machine only took paper money, not credit cards.

Marshall writes that after they sat down at the table with a plastic number it only took 2 minutes for the waitress to deliver their food and his change. Marshall’s opinion of this new system is a positive one, though he believes that it would be better if the machines took credit cards. However, Marshall states that this new system is only the beginning of some thing that we don’t understand. He describes this beginning as “the tip of an iceberg”. He believes that “this iceberg is going to change the American economy in ways that are very hard to imagine”.

Marshall describes this iceberg by listing 4 different but similar computer operated systems that he came into contact with through out the day. He writes “I got money in the morning from the ATM, I bought gas from an automated pump, I bought groceries at BJ’s (a warehouse club) using an extremely well-designed self-service check out line, and I bought some stuff for the house at Home Depot using their not-as-well-designed-as-BJ’s self-service check out line”. Marshall writes that even though these new automated systems are a dream come true for customers, they are a living nightmare for American workers. These new systems eliminate the need for human employment and will leave many Americans unemployed. Marshall says that this will cause major economic problems over the next several decades.

Marshall insists that all these technological improvements will start a robotic revolution. He says that robots, like the ones we see in science fiction movies like star wars, will become real, and this will happen much sooner then we could ever imagine. Marshall then writes that the automated systems we see today are just the beginning. He states that soon robots will be made in human form and will take over millions of jobs. He then states that by 2025, the first machines that could see, hear, move and manipulate objects at the same level as a human would be making their way from research labs into the marketplace.

Marshall writes that a humanoid robot can fit easily into any environment. He states that “a humanoid robot could ride an escalator, climb stairs, drive a car, and so on without any trouble”. He then states that by 2055 robots will have taken over every workplace and there will be no turning back. He keeps talking about future dates and things that most people would think is impossible. So basically Marshall Brain is trying to warn us about how technology is controlling our lives, and if we don’t do something about it will lead to a disaster in our employment future.

Ethnography project nusing home

2009-10-18T11:53:00.000-07:00

Matthew Machado 10/18/09

Long Term Care Nursing Home

My grandmother has been living in a nursing home for some time and I hardly know anything about the place. I’ve always wondered what the residents do every day, and how they interact with both the staff and other residents. After being assigned this essay, I decided to find out and get a good grade in the process.

I drove down to the nursing home with my mother to visit my grandmother. When we walked in I observed the area. I noticed that the place looked a lot like the inside of a hotel. There were pictures of flowers and rivers everywhere, and real flowers were all over the place. Even the red carpet had flower patterns. All the halls are filled with pictures and paintings of flowers. The flower paintings were made by the residents.

I constantly hear show tune music in all the halls. When I sit on the floor and touch it with my hand, I notice that the carpet is very flat and hard. Probably to prevent the residents from tripping and falling down. There is a clerk at the desk that lets gests in and out. The residents are not allowed to leave the building unless escorted by a family member.

As I look around some more I see fall decorations on the doors and windows to signify the season. The inside of the halls are grey, and there are trays filled with medication near some of the residents doors. The smell in the halls is a little musty but not entirely unpleasant. It is very warm in the building however, around 72 degrees and yet the residents still say that their cold. There is only one elevator and only four floors.

The resident’s rooms all have decorations hanging from their doors. The inside of my grandmother’s room, which she shares with a roommate, is very small. All the rooms are basically built the same. There is really old furniture from the resident’s home, bed spreads filled with flower patterns, very small television sets, pictures of loved ones, and ceramics that the residents made themselves. The bathrooms have safety looks, and there are no stoves, knifes, or any other objects that could hurt them. The interior of the room has a very stale, unpleasant odor that makes me feel a little dizzy. It is also very warm inside.

There are hardly and residents in the halls. Most of them are either in their rooms or on the bottom floor. This floor is where all the activities are. The residents spend most of their day on the bottom floor in the activity room. They seem to talk a lot though I can’t understand what their saying. Some are sleeping, some are just staring into space, and some are talking to themselves. Some of the residents are hard of hearing, some have Alzheimer’s, and some can’t see well.

The staff wait on the residents hand and foot, they play with them like little kids. They play bingo with them, help guide them around, and keep them on schedule. I hear some of the residents constantly repeating themselves or shouting at others. I hear the soft swish of the walkers wheels run across the carpet. The staff all try to make the residents feel happy and at home.

The bottom floor hallway is filled with even more residential paintings, mostly flowers. They also have a hobby and craft room where they make ceramics; they have a hair salon room, nurse’s office, and a family meeting office to discuss patients care. I went bake up to the first floor and found out that they have a small library. I went inside the kitchen and saw that everything was made out of stainless steel. The metal was surprisingly cold when I touched it despite the intense heat. The stainless steel must be to keep the kitchen sanitary. The chef was a nice man who loved to whistle and sing to him self.

The dinning room looks a lot like the inside of a restaurant. With flowers, triangle shaped napkins, and coffee cups. They even had a little café area for family and residents to eat and talk with each other. One dinning area is separated for the patients that need to feed by the staff. Luckily most of the residents are fine on their own.

I said good bye to my grandmother and headed out. On my way out I heard an alarm go off. The reception desk explained to me that it was the “Security-Lock down System”. All outside doors are alarmed and people need to be buzzed in, in order to enter. This is to prevent residents from wandering outside and getting hurt.

After learning so much about this place I feel much better. I am happy knowing that my grandmother is living in a safe and comfortable environment. It really makes me feel secure inside.

Don't live in the Past

2009-09-27T12:00:00.000-07:00

I sit in the bedroom of my cabin, watching TV. I am on a cruise to the Bahamas with my cousins. I just sit there

and watch TV while my cousins are playing at the pool. Now I think back and ask myself, why aren’t I playing

with them? I played with them the other day and I had loads of fun, so why don’t I play with them now?

I look outside the window and gaze at the ocean and the world going by me. I wonder why I am not excited; I

mean, how many kids get to go on a cruise ship to the Bahamas with their cousins? What was holding me back,

why was I so unpleasant? Could it have been that I had to share my cabin room with my grandma, or could it

have been that I was just plain stubborn?

I walk around the ship, see the fun games at the arcade, and go to the food court to get all kinds of pastries. It

was all so wonderful and yet I still felt like there was a gap inside me that couldn’t be filled. I always felt so lonely,

I think about my cousins Tom and Rob and notice how they always invited their friends Robby and Nick to come

and play with them. What about me, don’t I exist in their lives anymore? I think back to the good old days when I

was about seven years old and my cousins were a couple of years younger then me. I remember how we used to

always go to Florida together during spring break and play together at the beach. But now the years have gone by, and here I am on this cruise ship thinking about the past instead of focusing on

the present. I wonder if other people think about the past and wish that they could go back to the good old days.

I walk around the cruise ship thinking about this until I get a call from my parents telling me to come to dinner.

When I get there I turn on my gameboy and ignore everyone else around me. I pretend to look uninterested in

having a conversation with anyone, but the truth is I’m nervous. I look at my cousins and watch them have

conversations with the adults. I wonder what happened to us, we used to play video games together all the time,

but now Tom and Rob hardly touch a gameboy. I poke at my spaghetti dinner, twirling it in my fork and eating it

quickly. I look at my watch to see how much time I have before I have to go to bed.

I start to wonder why I’m in such a hurry, why am I always letting time control my life? As I’m watching the

people around me grow and change, I am restraining myself from changing, thus having a hard time fitting in and

being sociable. Letting time control my life has caused me nothing but trouble. You feel like your all alone all the

time, you feel like people around you are watching you, and you feel stressed out all the time. Some times I even

wonder about my future, and wonder if I’m going to let my whole live slip through my fingers just because I was

being so stubborn and wouldn’t try new things.

When I go to sleep at night I never have dreams, or at least none that I can remember to well. But I have a lot of

nightmares, even though their usually about me being at school during the summer time. I never really like to think

of the past or the future, but my emotions control my thoughts and my conscience makes me feel depressed.

Some people might get the impression that I am just depressed and feeling lost. However, I think, I know all

these feeling are just me not wanting to grow up and change. The time has come and I feel like I can still be

successful and happy with my life and that helps me feel more positive.

As I watch the sun set into the ocean, I keep pondering these thoughts. But even though they continue to pound

into my head like a drum, I am able to remain happy because I remind myself that I am still young and have my

whole life ahead of me. I close my eyes with a smile on my face and remind myself, “Why dwell on what

happened yesterday or even today when I can just look forward to tomorrow?” Don’t live in the past!

doin't live in the past

2009-09-21T11:19:00.000-07:00

I simply thought of how being stuck in the past can cause serious emotional problems.