Tuesday, October 28, 2003
well LSU kicked some ass. I had a very boring birthday. I was kinda sick and didnt do a damn thing. Amy and i went eat CHinese and that was it. I was supposed to take a History test today buti wasnt prepared because i was too sick too study. that means my final will be worth double. Damn. i am really getting tired of this blog stuff. i dotn like the fact of putting info about myself on the net. i dont disclose any improtant info,but there are people who put there life stories on here. i just get sick of typing. if i have anything important to say, i will just tell my freind. oh well cya
Thursday, October 23, 2003
hey, our labs were due today. As usual, we got into a circle and talked about our papers. The lab was fun and i was glad to do this paper.
Trent Michel
CMST 3900
Dr. Laura Sells
October 28,2003
In this paper, I want to concentrate on a few key elements of my experience while also giving you an overall summary of how the day and evening went. It turned out to be an enjoyable event that I am glad I had a part in. I do want to focus on three important elements that I encountered throughout the day. First I want to talk about my experience at the Aquarium and how I related the experience to the class. Second, I want to talk about the commercialism that is present in the Aquarium. Finally, I want to focus on the experience of the day from an outsider’s point of view. My friend Brady joined us on the trip and it was interesting to see things from a person who had never experienced this type of atmosphere before.
Our day began with the class meeting outside of Coates Hall at 2:30 pm. You could feel the vibe that it was going to be an interesting day. I was excited to go because I love interacting with classmates outside of class. You get to see a different side of each person. Our trip started off slow because Lorrie was 20 minutes late but it did not seem to damper the spirits of the group. When Lorrie arrived, we piled into the vehicles and proceeded on our way to New Orleans. It was a little nerve racking once we got into the city because our teacher was unsure of where she was going and everyone was following her. New Orleans is not an easy city to drive in and she made it a little more difficult. In actuality, if you just head towards the river, you will find what you are looking for.
Once we arrived at the Aquarium, there was concern over whether we had time to view the Aquarium since we were running late. The process of getting our tickets was a type of chaos to begin with. The regular line for tickets was moving quite swiftly, but we were in a special line for groups. The collection of money and figuring out who the extra people in our group were took extra time and the feeling was that we really wouldn’t be able to see anything. After about twenty minutes of standing around, one person decided to walk in and everyone else followed.
Once inside the Aquarium, my worries melted away and I was immediately drawn to the attractions and spectacles that were in front of me. This was my first time in the Aquarium, so I had no idea what to expect. We were not expected to remain as a group, so people broke up into small factions and started on their journey. I found myself staring at the huge “ENTER” sign and proceeded in that direction with three other people. It’s typical with most viewing museums that the pace is a slow walk and you try to view everything in the area without slowing other people down. The walkways are sometimes narrow and if you stop to read all the signs, you will slow up people behind you. This was the case with one person in our group. As I had mentioned in the beginning, this is our first interaction outside the classroom with our mates. I found out very quickly that one person in our group had to read every sign about every animal, which became a tedious process. I am usually a patient person but in this instance I had to continue on and left my group behind. I felt bad about being part of a group that was holding people up so I tried to disassociate myself with the group.
Throughout the tour, the walkways were well designed and movement through each section was easy. There were plenty of signs moving towards each exhibit. There were a few options at the beginning of the tour as to which direction you could choose, but the huge enter sign attracted most people in that direction. The general population moved accordingly without much trouble. The Aquarium offers many different types of animals and exhibits and is a very interesting place to see. I did notice that the overall temperature in the building was slightly warm. I found it made me moving a little quicker than I normally would. There were a few exhibits that required warm temperatures and that could have possibly had an effect on the overall temperature. I get very uncomfortable when I start sweating. It definitely pushed me through the exhibits.
Another interesting observation that I made during my tour was the fact that there was an area for souvenirs after each exhibit you passed through. The Aquarium attempts to get you to spend your money at every turn. For example, after the otter display, there was a little shop selling everything imaginable with an otter on it. They had otter pens, otter mugs, and otter book sacks. This was the same for every exhibit. When you finished the tour, they had a larger gift shop selling a wide range of Aquarium paraphernalia. I was very tempted to fall down and worship the trinket god but I succumbed and just bought some batteries for my camera. The consumerism was not just restricted to the Aquarium and the animals. There are major oil and gas companies that spend lots of money to fund the Aquarium and their names are plastered all over the building. They want us to think of their companies as earth conscious and when we go to fill up our cars, they want us to use their products. It can be a very powerful way to gain business. Consumers translate seeing their sign at the Aquarium with having a good experience and buy their product because they saw their sign at a place that made them happy. It all comes down to making money. The oil and gas companies join the Audubon Institute in promoting conservationism, but their hidden agenda is to make as much money as possible.
There was an instance of hyper reality that occurred during the tour. There was a display that included two otters. It was a large water tank with rocks in the back for them to climb on and another side room with more area for them to play. The two otters were laying head to head against the glass sleeping. It was a very cute moment. What was odd about this display was that there was a TV monitor right next to the display showing the two otters. It was a real time camera showing the otter tank so people could watch the otters on the screen. I found this amazing because some people would rather watch the otters on the screen instead of looking slightly to the left and seeing them in person. You are watching the exact same thing as the camera. I assume people think the camera will catch everything while you could possibly miss something.
The overall experience of the Aquarium was very entertaining and somewhat educational. It is a very good attraction to the city of New Orleans and can bring a lot of revenue for the state. I wonder how much conservationism is really taking place.
I want to talk now a little bit about my friend Brady. Brady is from San Diego and has only been in Louisiana for a few months. This was Brady’s first time in New Orleans. Brady had also just turned twenty-one and was able to drink legally. Brady was not all that impressed with the Aquarium because he frequently visited the San Diego Zoo, which is considered one of the best in the country. He did however love the IMAX. He was amazed at how they sold alcohol at a movie theater. I was pretty amazed at that myself. After the IMAX, we introduced Brady to the Quarter and needless to say, he had a great time. He saw many things that you would never see on the streets in San Diego. I will refrain from going into any detail. He was impressed with whole experience and would do it again in a heartbeat.
To conclude my paper, I kept coming back to the same idea that wouldn’t get out of my head. All semester long, we talk about cyber culture and how the Internet and computers and so forth play a role in our lives. Well I must admit, the thing that I learned most from this trip had nothing to do with the Internet or cyber culture. I learned that no matter how automated we may become; we will still have to communicate with each other on a face-to-face, personal level. I learned more about the people I have class with than anything. I learned how each person communicates outside the classroom and how that compares and contrasts from inside the classroom. I may have missed the whole point of this trip and how it relates to our class but I definitely learned more about my classmates than I ever would have in class and I am grateful because it has given me a greater appreciation for everyone I see every Tuesday and Thursday.
The next time i will be on here , i willbe 30yrs old. i hope i have a good weekend. CYA
Trent Michel
CMST 3900
Dr. Laura Sells
October 28,2003
In this paper, I want to concentrate on a few key elements of my experience while also giving you an overall summary of how the day and evening went. It turned out to be an enjoyable event that I am glad I had a part in. I do want to focus on three important elements that I encountered throughout the day. First I want to talk about my experience at the Aquarium and how I related the experience to the class. Second, I want to talk about the commercialism that is present in the Aquarium. Finally, I want to focus on the experience of the day from an outsider’s point of view. My friend Brady joined us on the trip and it was interesting to see things from a person who had never experienced this type of atmosphere before.
Our day began with the class meeting outside of Coates Hall at 2:30 pm. You could feel the vibe that it was going to be an interesting day. I was excited to go because I love interacting with classmates outside of class. You get to see a different side of each person. Our trip started off slow because Lorrie was 20 minutes late but it did not seem to damper the spirits of the group. When Lorrie arrived, we piled into the vehicles and proceeded on our way to New Orleans. It was a little nerve racking once we got into the city because our teacher was unsure of where she was going and everyone was following her. New Orleans is not an easy city to drive in and she made it a little more difficult. In actuality, if you just head towards the river, you will find what you are looking for.
Once we arrived at the Aquarium, there was concern over whether we had time to view the Aquarium since we were running late. The process of getting our tickets was a type of chaos to begin with. The regular line for tickets was moving quite swiftly, but we were in a special line for groups. The collection of money and figuring out who the extra people in our group were took extra time and the feeling was that we really wouldn’t be able to see anything. After about twenty minutes of standing around, one person decided to walk in and everyone else followed.
Once inside the Aquarium, my worries melted away and I was immediately drawn to the attractions and spectacles that were in front of me. This was my first time in the Aquarium, so I had no idea what to expect. We were not expected to remain as a group, so people broke up into small factions and started on their journey. I found myself staring at the huge “ENTER” sign and proceeded in that direction with three other people. It’s typical with most viewing museums that the pace is a slow walk and you try to view everything in the area without slowing other people down. The walkways are sometimes narrow and if you stop to read all the signs, you will slow up people behind you. This was the case with one person in our group. As I had mentioned in the beginning, this is our first interaction outside the classroom with our mates. I found out very quickly that one person in our group had to read every sign about every animal, which became a tedious process. I am usually a patient person but in this instance I had to continue on and left my group behind. I felt bad about being part of a group that was holding people up so I tried to disassociate myself with the group.
Throughout the tour, the walkways were well designed and movement through each section was easy. There were plenty of signs moving towards each exhibit. There were a few options at the beginning of the tour as to which direction you could choose, but the huge enter sign attracted most people in that direction. The general population moved accordingly without much trouble. The Aquarium offers many different types of animals and exhibits and is a very interesting place to see. I did notice that the overall temperature in the building was slightly warm. I found it made me moving a little quicker than I normally would. There were a few exhibits that required warm temperatures and that could have possibly had an effect on the overall temperature. I get very uncomfortable when I start sweating. It definitely pushed me through the exhibits.
Another interesting observation that I made during my tour was the fact that there was an area for souvenirs after each exhibit you passed through. The Aquarium attempts to get you to spend your money at every turn. For example, after the otter display, there was a little shop selling everything imaginable with an otter on it. They had otter pens, otter mugs, and otter book sacks. This was the same for every exhibit. When you finished the tour, they had a larger gift shop selling a wide range of Aquarium paraphernalia. I was very tempted to fall down and worship the trinket god but I succumbed and just bought some batteries for my camera. The consumerism was not just restricted to the Aquarium and the animals. There are major oil and gas companies that spend lots of money to fund the Aquarium and their names are plastered all over the building. They want us to think of their companies as earth conscious and when we go to fill up our cars, they want us to use their products. It can be a very powerful way to gain business. Consumers translate seeing their sign at the Aquarium with having a good experience and buy their product because they saw their sign at a place that made them happy. It all comes down to making money. The oil and gas companies join the Audubon Institute in promoting conservationism, but their hidden agenda is to make as much money as possible.
There was an instance of hyper reality that occurred during the tour. There was a display that included two otters. It was a large water tank with rocks in the back for them to climb on and another side room with more area for them to play. The two otters were laying head to head against the glass sleeping. It was a very cute moment. What was odd about this display was that there was a TV monitor right next to the display showing the two otters. It was a real time camera showing the otter tank so people could watch the otters on the screen. I found this amazing because some people would rather watch the otters on the screen instead of looking slightly to the left and seeing them in person. You are watching the exact same thing as the camera. I assume people think the camera will catch everything while you could possibly miss something.
The overall experience of the Aquarium was very entertaining and somewhat educational. It is a very good attraction to the city of New Orleans and can bring a lot of revenue for the state. I wonder how much conservationism is really taking place.
I want to talk now a little bit about my friend Brady. Brady is from San Diego and has only been in Louisiana for a few months. This was Brady’s first time in New Orleans. Brady had also just turned twenty-one and was able to drink legally. Brady was not all that impressed with the Aquarium because he frequently visited the San Diego Zoo, which is considered one of the best in the country. He did however love the IMAX. He was amazed at how they sold alcohol at a movie theater. I was pretty amazed at that myself. After the IMAX, we introduced Brady to the Quarter and needless to say, he had a great time. He saw many things that you would never see on the streets in San Diego. I will refrain from going into any detail. He was impressed with whole experience and would do it again in a heartbeat.
To conclude my paper, I kept coming back to the same idea that wouldn’t get out of my head. All semester long, we talk about cyber culture and how the Internet and computers and so forth play a role in our lives. Well I must admit, the thing that I learned most from this trip had nothing to do with the Internet or cyber culture. I learned that no matter how automated we may become; we will still have to communicate with each other on a face-to-face, personal level. I learned more about the people I have class with than anything. I learned how each person communicates outside the classroom and how that compares and contrasts from inside the classroom. I may have missed the whole point of this trip and how it relates to our class but I definitely learned more about my classmates than I ever would have in class and I am grateful because it has given me a greater appreciation for everyone I see every Tuesday and Thursday.
The next time i will be on here , i willbe 30yrs old. i hope i have a good weekend. CYA
Tuesday, October 21, 2003
well this is a big week for me. i have only five days left in my 20's. On sunday, i turn 30. i dont feel or look 30. i wish could just be 25 again. our lab is due on thursday so i have to type that up. LSU plays Auburn this weekend. I t is gonna be a huge game. We should kill them. I dont have anything planned for the weekend. I have a lot of schoolwork to do. oh well, CYA
Sunday, October 19, 2003
Hey everyone, we went to new orleans yesterday and saw the matrix reloaded at IMAX. it was pretty cool. i had a good buzz so it was hard to floow at times. we had a lot of fun on bourbon street. my friend Brady enjoyed his first time in the Quarter. he got to see lots of boobs. we also visited the Aquarium which was interesting. i didnt get too much out of it. i did get to see many classmates inthe real world setting which was interesting.
pics to see
pics to see
Thursday, October 16, 2003
hey whats up, we talked about docile bodies today and institutions and ho we are manipulated by certain things. i think these people really have too much time on their hands and join the real world. iguess you dont have to being in a college environment. IMax rocks (i hope), we will see on sat. i am mad that i will have to miss the LSU game but they should beat USC pretty bad. have a good weekend.
Tuesday, October 14, 2003
well i skipped class today. i think i am still pissed about LSU losing. they played like crap. i want to go back to vegas again. i hope i can go for graduation. they are showing poker on tv almost every night. i am looking forward to this weekend. we are going to the aquarium and the IMAX. could be fun CYA
Thursday, October 09, 2003
well its time for another exciting football weekend. we have florida coming into town and it should be a great game. we didnt do much in class today. we sat around in a circle and talked about or labs. i eally enjoyed going to barnes and noble and reading the books. i will use the books as a christmas present. i really did hate having to read an ebook. that was miserable. i wouldnt wish that on my worst enemy. oh well , have a good weekend CYA
Tuesday, October 07, 2003
well its been a week because we did not have class last thursday because of fall break. LSU was off also so it was a boring weekend. I didnt do much as usual. Or next lab is due on thursday and i am very busy because it is midterms. i think i will skip this paper b/c we can skip one and i am busy. i jut hope i do good on my history. its not my favorite subject. our writings were about gaming and how they affect our lives. many people really get into computer games but i havent really played games since ATari. so i am kinda out of the loop. It amazes me how people can play games the majority oft heir time. SOcial interaction is becoming a lost art. good people skills will be highly sought after in the future. luck me, cya
todays topic
todays topic
