Response to "Sporting Safe in a Liminal Sphere Tactics and Facebook"

This passage of writing starts of comparing a "public" and a "private" space. What is a public space? "A public space is "social realm where dialouges, debates and discussions on the matter of public concern took place"(Khadka 2). For instance Facebook is a mostly public space however it has a certain amount of privacy added to it. It leans more to the public side because facebook records your data. This passage was very interesting to me because I never really realized how many web 2.0 softwares I use on a daily basis. Some examples of web 2.0 includes YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, and anything that isn't a desktop software. None of these web 2.0 sites can be classified as a "private" space because your what you view and like is recorded for data and then that translates into the ads you see on the internet. Also I like how the author talks about Facebook being both a public and a private space. You have to be careful about what you post because you don't want to overshare. It can affect your employment, "but oversharing can lead to underemployment"(Null 6). This is ture because when I was hired for my job I was asked about my use of social media.

Response to Libraries as Spaces Between Us: Recognizing and Valuing the Third Space

Can a library be a third space. Yes because it has the characteristics of a thrid space. For example it is a nice quite place where you can go study. Also it has easy accomidiation because it is open throughout the day and there is no kind of memberiship required to go into a library. Third space has been put into practice. For example, "Ed soja has been an advocate for using Third Space in the planning of urban environments"(Elmborg 9). I think this is a great idea becuase by incorperating third space qualities towards building design will have an affect on how people view and feel when visiting said place. However libraries have I guess a "conservative" approach when it comes to their design such as catherdrals, churches, temples, etc... People don't want change, "the passion of those who resist the library as - business - model might be understood as a rational fear of this transition and the consequent loss of the absolute library"(Elmborg 9). I agree with this statement because modernization of librariers doesn't really work in terms of making it a business, it should be seen as a resource for the community. Libraries should remain how they are, as a space and not a place described by Yi-Fu Tuan.

Response to Social Media, Public Space, and Emerging Logics of Aggregation

This is article speaks about the wallstreet protests. Using Twitter people organzied different protests using #occupy (blank). For example #occupy Boston camp at Dewey Square. It then became a protest about the banks. There were lots of energetic young people chanting, "Banks got Bailed out, we got sold out". Later on #occupy Boston became a city wide protest to mark the 10 year anniversary of the Afghanistan and Iraq conflicts which drew thousands of protestors. Soon #occupy protests spread a round the wh0le world due to the circulation in social media. This movement then spread to global activism with around 1500 protests around the whole world. Social media is a very good way to network and organize. "The use of Twitter and Facebook can also produce a sense of connectedness and copresence"(Juris 9). The power of social media is endless, it holds a great deal of influence over people. It just depends on how you use it. I see it as a tool, good and bad. You can organize peaceful prostest or you can organize agressive riots. Even leaders of nations use social media, for example former president Donald Trump would share lots of his motives and opinions during his presidential campaign.

Response to "Financial Global Crisis

This was a very informative article about the recession of 2008. One of the causes of this economic crisis was the fact that there was barely any market regulation from the government. Also due to the 2001 terrorist attack on the U.S. former president George W. Bush started a war on terrorism (Afghanistan and Iraq). Defense funds rapidly increased and also homeland secruity was created. Another main cuase was the banks were giving out loans to people who cannot afford to pay them back. The banks were too flexible with these loans and on top of the low interest rates caused many people to get these loans. What happened after was the unemployment rate went up to ten percent. So no one had money to pay these banks back for their home loan. Many foreclosures happened which costed these banks up to fifty thousand per foreclosure. Also the housing market crashed, up to almost sixty percent in states such as California, Neveda, and Arizona. "For example, a house purchased in Phoenix in 2006 for $225,000 sold for $110,000 in 2008 (6)". Also the automotive industry took a big hit with companies such as general motors and chrysler filing for bankruptcy. In response the U.S. released a stimulus package and bailed out general motors and chrysler.

Response to "Environmental Issues"

This article was very informative. There is a lot of things that people overlook that affect the environment. The effects of war left places like Vietnam and Angola with many unaccounted land mines which kill innocent civilians. Forests have been abandonded because it is difficuly and dangerous to find and remove all the landmines. So the forrests have signs in front that warn people to not enter. Another issue it covered was harmful waste transfer. It is a huge risk to transfer toxic waste across oceans. Also a Dutch owned tanker ship dumped tons of toxic waste in the Ivory Coast despite Europes strict laws. More issues including plastics in the ocean which in my opinion is the most overlooked problem. These plastics can't go away so it just dissolves into microplastic which fishes and other sea food that we consume eat those plastics. So those microplastics get transfered into our digestive system and can cause serious health issues. Global warming is another huge issue which causes lots of problems, mainly the rising sea levels. Emissions need to be controled in order to mitigate the amount of CO2 that goes into our atomosphere. The U.S. has the highest tons per capita, but overall China produces the most emissions and the U.S. is not too far behind which is ridiculous.

Response to "Global Terrorism"

Global Terrorism affects our lives daily. Traveling now is especially complicated and stressful due to an increase of airport security due to events such as the september 11 attacks. Homeland secuirty was created in 2003 in response to 9/11. This was the biggest government reorganization ever with over 180k employees and two angencies combining. There isn't a set definition for Terrorism is a social construction according to Martha Crenshaw. Its more of a label that is subjective and judgemental. There are also many roots of terrorism, such as poverty. Poverty is linked to political and economic isolation which makes people feel hopeless. Globalization is a major factor of Terrorism. When people feel as their government can't fix things, they rebel against their government and try ot do it on their own. So if you have the right to do so, why are you labeled as a terrorist for fixing something that your government can't or won't? Also the lack of democracy and violation of human rights is a contribution to terrorism. This article helped me to understand Terrorism and how it doesn't have one set definition. I also learned about how homeland security was formed due to 9/11 which I didn't know previously.

Response to "Making an Effective Arguement"

I liked this article a lot because it teaches you etiquette on how to properly argue. One of the things this taught was to take consideration of opposing opinions. It is good to be open minded and here things from someone elses point of view. Another thing I learned is that when you argue, make sure that you have effective sources to back up your arguement. The point of an argument is to defend your opinion so having sources is required. This article also teaches you how to get your audiences attention when you make your argument. It is much better to try to engage your audience and win the cooperation of your audience rather than to act that your opinion is correct. Credibility is also very important for your audience. It is important for your audience to committed to what you're writing about. You should be concerned and well informed about what you will be writing about. What I find to be the singlemost important thing about an arguement is to be honest and not biased. It is important to look at an issue from both point of views because it is most ethical and fair

Response to "Manifestation of Culture in Website Design"

This is a very cool article about other cultures perception's when using the internet. One example from this article is how Chinese people use the internet for social communication,"Hong Kong appear to prefer using the Internet for social communication and hobby activities"(Kim & Kuljis 2). Where as Americans mainly use the internet for product information and e-commerce. "The United States tend to use Internet more for product information, search purposes, and
e-commerce"(Kim & Kuljis 2). When designing a website you need to make sure it is easy and accessable to everyone. Anyone of any culture should find your webiste easy to read and navigate. In the article the internet is described as a global medium which goes beyond borders or culture. "Although there is a wealth of re- search that focuses on cultural influences on website design, the outcomes do not indicate whether a global internet culture exists or a variety of cultural adaptations [20]. Another interesting thing I learned from this article is specific colors in different countries have different meanings. " In Japan, white is a colour that implies death whereas in Egypt it indicates joy. In conclusion this was an interesting article about how to other cultures use and view the internet.

Response to "Testing Drafts for Usability and Persuasiveness"

This is a great article that essentially teaches you how to setup and test your website. So for the first guideline it talks about how you should setup your testing. You should make sure what you want to test and how to effectively communicate with yur testers. Make sure to follow up with your testers on anything they found hard to use. You should be mindful of your testers, not everyone is the same so don't look at their feedback as a group. Look at the testing results individualy, dig deep into everyone's feedback. Testing should be done early into development and in small sections. Have a "foundation" for your website, then slowly add things and test them each time to ensure that you don't miss anything. The most important thing is to be ethical when doing testing. You should provide testers with a consent form to let them know as much as information as possible about your website testing. Also make sure to have a purpose for your testing and choose the correct testers for your website. Choose your primary audience so you will get better feedback on how to imporve your website. Finally make sure other cultures can easily understand your website, essentially make it to where anyone can understand.