Whoa, Dude, Are We Inside a Computer Right Now?

The rhetoric in the article “Whoa, Dude, Are We Inside a Computer Right Now?” written by Ben Makuch is fairly convincing. The first sign of pathos can even be seen in the title, as colloquial language is used there and later in the article, so that the reader can relate to the topic even better. Later, there are two passages in which pathos is used to make emotional contact with the reader. Firstly, the author jokingly says that every college student with a gravity bong and The Matrix on DVD has thought about the question if our reality is the real one. This makes the reader think about the own reflections and discussions he or she might already have had. Secondly, the author presents the reader with the possibility of being controlled by an overweight 13-year-old Korean boy, which doubtlessly scares most people. The ethos is also very present in this article. In the second paragraph the author even stresses the fact that Rich Terrile is not just some college student but a well-regarded scientist and many more things and that he should be taken seriously. There is no lack of logos either, as the whole article is spiked with facts why this theory is very possible and not unrealistic at all. Some examples for this are the technological advances, which would make the incorporation of artificial consciousness into machines possible in just 30 years or the pixelation of the universe and the fact that even now supercomputers are twice as fast as a human brain. Overall, the article really makes this possibility sound very realistic through all three means of persuasion.

CAJ 2 - Solar Roadways

My CAJ topic is “Environmental Technology” and I started my research on solarroadways.com. That is actually why I picked environmental technology. I was absolutely fascinated by what I found on this website. I have always been concerned about climate change and about what humanity does to this planet. There are, of course, many solutions to this problem, like electric cars, solar panels, wind energy or just saving energy. However, I was surprised my how good the solution of Solar Roadways sounds. What they are thinking of is this: They, in particular the engineer Scott Brusaw, want to change the roads we are driving on. Instead of normal asphalt roads, they want to built the roads out of solar panels. Now most people would think something like “You can't drive on solar panels!” but Solar Roadways has actually found a way to do exactly that. Not only that, it should also be more safe to drive on these roads than on usual roads. What they plan is a road with different layers, that is intelligent, produces energy and even uses recycled materials. The top layer, called Road Surface Layer, will be made out of glass. Glass can be as hard as steel, is transparent enough for the sunlight to pass through and is perfect for driving when dry. Under the glass, there will be heating elements so that the road is never wet or snowy. There will be LEDs incorporated so that there can be warnings and information written directly on the road and there will, of course, be the solar panels. Under this layer, there will be the Electronics Layer. This layer collects the electronic energy, controls the heating elements, the lighting, the monitoring and everything else electronic. This layer is then protected my the bottom layer, the Base Plate Layer, which distributes the collected energy and electronic signals. The internal support structure will be made out of garbage from the ocean and landfills, so the roads would even improve our garbage disaster. At the same time there would not have to be any more power supply lines above ground. Internet links, telephone lines and power could all be incorporated in the roads. In addition, there could be more electric cars, that could even be recharged directly on the roads or on parking lots and so these roads would make us more independent from oil and would lower our CO2 levels. I must say that I am completely taken my this idea. There seems to be no downside to this plan at all.

For a text to analyze I picked a video from solarroadways.com. It is a video in which Scott Brusaw argues for the use of these new roads:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ep4L18zOEYI

Ethos

In terms of ethos I noticed that they have a professor of material science from the Pennsylvania State University, called Carlo Pantano, speaking. I would argue that he looks very wise and also quite old and is there to reassure the audience that this is a good thing to do. He praises the idea and states that this is not an impossible thing to do.

Pathos

For pathos I did not find very much but for the end of the video. In the end, Brusaw sits on the couch with his wife and his child and they talk about how our actions are going to affect the next generation. They even zoom in on the child yawning, I think that is a clear sign of them wanting the audience to emphasis with the poor children, who deserve a good life in the future.

there are some children in the video to look cute I guess, we affect our next generation

Logos

The Logos is very clear right from the beginning. The video even starts by telling the audience that asphalt roads are too expensive, and that we will not be able to built them anymore in the future. Then there are many more facts and advantages to come, like the road that pays or itself and even provides new features. O that if we cover all roads in most of the states with solar panels, we will be able to produce three times more energy than needed in one year. So there are many convincing facts in the video.

After-Death Avatars

Child psychologists agree on the fact that children growing up without their father or mother often suffer from extreme emotional stress. The loss of one of the parents can even cause mental illnesses. It doesn't have to be like that, however. After-Death Avatars can comfort, support and love your child just as the deceased one would have done.

A Day in the Life of a Translation Studies Student

The life of a student of translation studies is a very sad and stressful one. For most of the year, it is still dark outside when such a student gets up in the morning because many courses start at 8.15 am. Students are not even allowed to skip class here and there to stay in bed. They have to physically be in nearly all of their classes due to compulsory attendance in most courses. When this student has managed to crawl out of his or her bed to the unfriendly, cold and dark place that lies beyond the bed, there will be no time for breakfast because he or she is already late. At university, most of the lessons consist of instructions on the next group project or the latest home work. To get enough work done, most students even work through their breaks and nearly starve themselves to death. After such a dreadful day, which is routine for many students at the Department of Translation Studies of the University of Graz, students use up their last energy by going home. The only possible thing to do there before going to sleep, is sitting in front of youtube, facebook or tumblr to fill up the energy store for the next horrible day. Day after day, translation studies students live their gloomy and terrible lives like that.

Pronunciation Diary 2

My second blog post about pronunciation is more specific than my first one because I already knew what my mistakes were. When I read my pronunciation feedback I was not surprised to find out that my unvoiced “th” was not perfect yet because I had never given it special attention. So I checked the pronunciation page to find videos or texts about the “th”. I was lucky to find enough information online and also asked my peer Natascha for help because she is very good when it comes to pronunciation. From Rachel's English I knew what I should do but I was not sure if I did it right. So I asked Natascha if my threes sounded any better now. She was very nice and always told me when it sounded right and when I still had to change something. So when I knew how it basically works, I practiced on my own whenever nobody could hear me, like for example on my way home or in the shower. ;) I know that my “th” is not perfect yet and it still does not feel completely natural. I always have to think about it and when I do not pay attention I tend to just ignore it and pronounce the unvoiced “th” like “f”. However, I will try to be more aware of the unvoiced “th” whenever I speak and hope that I will sometime be able to do it like a native speaker.

Essay Correction Link 2

http://videoabe.blogspot.co.at/2014/01/essay-corrected-corrected-version.html

Studying Vocabulary

In this blog I will explain how I study my vocabulary and what works for me and what does not. As we had to study the Porter words this semester, I will focus on how I studied those. To begin with, I do the exercises in the Porter book. Even though some of the exercises are very doable, there always are many words that I do not know or do not know well enough. These words I write on the Vocabulary sheet included in the book. When I am done with that I check all the words on my Vocabulary sheet online to get a quick overview what they all mean. Then I start studying the vocabulary list on “vocabulary.com”. I have really come to like this website during the course of this semester. I does not only include very useful definitions and example sentences but you can also listen to the pronunciation of the words, which is very useful for PC2. For pronunciation the listening and spelling question part is especially great. On this level you have to read through the definition of the word but without the word and you should guess what is meant by the definition. If you do not know what it is, you can listen to the word and then spell it. This level is very helpful for me because I can easily check if I would have pronounced the word the same way. While studying the vocabulary list I write down all the words that are especially hard for me.

When I am done studying the list because I have mastered it I read through my “difficult words” again and check if I know how to define, explain and use them now. Then I study the ones that I still do not know again. This basically is how I study my vocabulary. For the last PC, this precess worked very well. I hope it will work for this one as well.