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Philosophy Module Week 4
I just finished the last of the content for the philosophy module in Praxis. We had two blocks of content this week, a short video series called “Everything is a Remix”, and an essay series called “Software is Eating the World” I enjoyed the first more, but it helped that it was far more condensed and visual. I appreciated learning about what society can do with technology and learning from each other. I’ve put together my last analysis video and it is listed below. This week I was also challenged by my advisor to create an advice video for future Praxians and learners of philosophy in general (linked below as well).…
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Celebrity, Influencer, Superstar, Person
I’ve heard all of these terms throughout my life but as I’ve gotten older I’ve realized that the all the people described by the first three are also just the last as the same term. No one person is more important than another in the grand scheme of things. There is a difference between the first three but they’ve all managed to make their words very valuable to others whether they should be or not. Now I admit I still enjoy the work of some celebrities. From different musicians to good actors. I enjoy elements of pop culture. Though I tend to not, and try to not obsess over celebrities…
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The Life of a Praxian – Praxis Wednesday Response
Last night was Praxis Wednesday. It was a module wrap up call. For both small group discussion portions, I found my self in groups where for the first time I was the one furthest along in the program. I enjoyed passing on things I learned and gaining some new inspiration from fresh voices. It was interesting to hear how new developments in the curriculum are changing the program for the better. Namely, Praxis has introduced Slack to the program which I, at this point, I believe was a great decision. I will also say that I have liked the change because it helps me to communicate more effectively with everyone else…
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Let’s Go Saleing!
I love getting a good bargain. I love saving money on things I know I need anyway. My Mom and my best friend from high school have helped me develop up a good bargain hunter mentality. We save money this way but also shop smart. I love looking at everything from estate sales, to garage sales, to flea markets, and thrift stores. I have found some of my favorite clothing pieces and sports equipment at these places, in addition to my beautiful china set. I have been able to buy things that I would not have been able to afford otherwise, hockey gloves, designer shoes, and again the china because…
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Why You Should Change Your Car Oil Regularly
I certainly don’t claim to be an expert on cars, but I have learned a couple of lessons since getting my license at 16, owning two separate vehicles, and commuting to college and now work. I love driving around especially with friends, or to places like camp, or my friends who live out of town. So I strive to keep my vehicle in top shape. Everyone wants to make their car last, and oil changes are a relatively easy and cheap way to help make that happen. Oil changes help your car run more efficiently. They also keep your engine cleaner, and effective. So if you like your car, or at…
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Review of Everything is a Remix – Episodes 3 and 4
Ideas transform over time. In the last half of the short series Everything is a Remix, we learn about the basic elements of creativity and how things truly come into existence. Ideas are built from one another, and to hold an idea captive and say it’s yours is protected by law, but not always clear or helpful. The basic steps to cultivating creativity start with copying, yes, copying, as you have to learn how to do something before you can create your own, as noted previously many of the most successful people have done this. The next step is to transform that is, make it look unique, the the last…
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Review of Everything is a Remix – Episodes 1 and 2
Everything is a remix – it only starts with music. Now anyone in any field can do. This week for the Praxis philosophy module part of our lesson is watching a series called Everything is a Remix. It’s the fascinating analysis of pop culture and how ideas are far more intertwined than we’re often led to believe. The series starts with the story of the Led Zeppelin band, and it’s music, how much of it is covers or remakes. What’s most interesting is that when others remixed there work they fought back against it. Music is often switched around, speed up, slowed down, or cut and pasted throughout various songs. It’s…
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Philosophy Module Week 3
A Whole Lot of Culture…and Lecturing 17 hours later and I’m DONE. I just finished Paul A. Cantor’s lecture series on Commerce and Culture. It was good but lengthy. From Shakespeare to video games to the Casablanca movie. Cantor spoke on how culture, art, economics and the market work together, and what viewpoints have produced the best results over time. A consistent theme was that art thrives in the free market. Another consistent idea presented was that art has changed over time, and it has almost always concerned people as it changes. Art created in a free, or commercial market means that artists have incentive to create art that people…
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Styles and Spaces
I love interior design, you can change so much about a space just by changing a wall color, switching up a couple pieces of decor, or adjusting your wall decor layout. Throughout the years I’ve kept an air of cute and stylish in my bedroom, but I’m always thinking about how my space can better reflect my personal style and lifestyle, Since I was about 7 actually my mom actually let me be part of choosing my bedding and wall colors. The only problem in my mind at that time was that I couldn’t get the Hello Kitty comforter I wanted because I had a double bed and not a twin.…
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Define Your Terms – Praxis Wednesday Response
Last night our module got to speak with James Walpole. Although it was really just a conversation between the four of us on the call I found a few notes to take away and appreciated the discussion overall. Something that stuck out to me was when James mentioned defining your terms. This further confirmed a debate/argument technique that I had actually heard before from some of my favorite political thinkers. It ensures you are speaking about the same things, and that you know what the other person is talking about and arguing for or against. Another favorite point from the conversation was that if you use a fallacy admit it…
