I found this audio presentation very interesting. Playing with life organisms is very cool and different. I clicked on the article and watched the footage of the actual gameplay of the game. It is very basic with pac man like dots around the screen. You basically guide a host of paramecia around obstacles and targets. The four-button controller shifts a weak electrical field, which the paramecia are attracted to. My only question about this idea is how receptive the consumers will be to eventually buy this type of game. I feel like it is very basic and wouldn’t attract that many people. It is a cool idea, but I don’t think it will draw that many people with the video game technology we have today. People would rather have someone create a good virtual reality game instead.

1. Spirituality is that which gives meaning to one’s life and draws one to transcend oneself. Spirituality is a broader concept than religion, although that is one expression of spirituality. Other expressions include prayer, meditation, interactions with others or nature, and relationship with God or a higher power.

2. Yes, spirituality differs from religion. Religion is an institution established by man for various reasons. Exert control, instill morality, stroke egos, or whatever it does. Organized, structured religions all but remove god from the equation. You confess your sins to a clergy member, go to elaborate churches to worship, told what to pray and when to pray it. All those factors remove you from god. Spirituality is born in a person and develops in the person. It may be kick started by a religion, or it may be kick started by a revelation. Spirituality extends to all facets of a person’s life. Spirituality is chosen while religion is often times forced.

3. I define creativity by the creative process which includes formulation, saturation, incubation, inspiration, translation, and integration. Formulation is the discovery of the artist’s subject or problem. Saturation is a period of intense research on the subject or problem. Incubation is letting the unconscious sift the information and develop a response.  Inspiration is a flash of one’s own unique solution to a problem. Translation is bringing the internal solution to outer form. Integration is sharing the creative answer with the world and getting feedback.

4. The source of creativity is from inspiration. Every artist has his or her own unique process of inspiration. A quote from the reading, “My wife and I have noticed in our workshop on visionary art that some people receive full blown, detailed images in a flash. Others may receive only the briefest glimmer or feeling and it is not until their pencil touches the paper that the imagery comes flooding through. For me, pressure is a great catalyst. Important ideas can come at the last minute under a deadline.”

I found this video really interesting. The video really started to get my attention when the first lady placed a camera in her mouth and disposed the film from her mouth to capture moments. She would stand still with people face to face and open her mouth to expose the film. She described it as soul to soul and revealing something we don’t often show to the world. She said “the shape of the mouth is very much the same shape as the eye, and the image becomes almost like the pupil.” The next guy John used kitsch objects to create spiritually like altars. It was interesting hearing about his Native American history. His grandmother was a hand trembler, almost like an oracle and his grandfather was a dancer where he puts on a mask and becomes a god. The spirit enters them when they start to dance. It was a ritual dance. I found it interesting when he talked about how the bear totem is a very powerful symbol because the totem was meant to giving the bear power and people turned them into a product and stripping away the power and meaning behind the bear totem. The painting he did of the corporation setting displaying the CEO as a deity in the center of the painting, with the employees of the company as the angels under him was really fascinating. The painting caught my attention in the movie and made me analyze it further. It’s really interesting and cool to see how spirituality can be a source of inspiration to create art.

1. Tartakovsky, Margarita. “Why Some People Love Horror Movies While Others Hate Them.” Psych Central.com. Psych Central, n.d. Web. 15 Feb. 2015. http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2012/10/31/why-some-people-love-horror-movies-while-others-hate-them/.

This article mainly talks about why some people love horror films and can’t get enough of them. She stated four different reasons why some people love horror. Those are the excitation transfer process, different wiring, novelty, and gender socialization. The excitation transfer process is basically how you feel right after watching a movie. So after the film is over, this physiological arousal lingers. Any positive or negative feeling is intensified and will have an effect of seeing a horror film in the future. She also talked about how some people are wired to enjoy high levels of physiological arousal. 10% of the population enjoys the adrenaline rush they get from scary movies. With novelty, people turn to scary movies because all of us are wired to pay attention to anomalies in our environment. The last point she talks about is that more men enjoy scary movies because men are socialized to be brave and enjoy threatening things.

The article I found mainly talked about the issue of the excitation transfer process. According to Glenn Sparks, Ph.D, a professor and associate head of the Brian Lamb School of Communication at Purdue University, he found that when people watch frightening films, their heart rate, blood pressure and respiration increases. A quote from the article, “After the film is over, this physiological arousal lingers, Sparks said. (We’re just not aware of it.) That means that any positive emotions you experience – like having fun with friends – are intensified. Instead of focusing on the fright you felt during the film, you recall having a great time. And you’ll want to come back for more. However, if your experience was negative, you might not. For instance, let’s say you were on a date that wasn’t going well or you got into a car accident on your way home. Again, because your lingering arousal heightens any emotions you experience, the negative feelings might sway you to skip a scary flick in the future.” The reading we were assigned this week, mainly talks about the reason we like horror is because of the plot and the drama that it creates. A quote from the reading, “Applied to paradox of horror, these observations suggest that the pleasure derived from the horror fiction and the source of our interest in it resides, first and foremost, in the processes of discovery, proof, and confirmation that the horror fiction often employ. The disclosure of the existence of the horrific being and of its properties is the central source of pleasure in the genre”(282). We like the story it is telling and the drama that is unfolding to help us discover what is happening. We wonder if such a creature can be successfully confronted, and that narrative question see us through to the end of the story.

2. Ringo, Allegra. “Why Do Some Brains Enjoy Fear?” The Atlantic. Atlantic Media Company, 31 Oct. 2013. Web. 11 Feb. 2015. http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2013/10/why-do-some-brains-enjoy-fear/280938/.

This article mainly talks about why some brains enjoy fear. He states many different reasons, these include, people enjoy the natural high from the flight or fight response, gives people a self of confidence after its all over, know its a safe environment, and qualities of scary things across cultures.

There were three issues that caught my attention in this article, those were the flight or flight response, self confidence, and safe environment. With people liking the rush from the flight or fight response, there is strong evidence that this isn’t just about personal choice, but our brain chemistry. Research from David Zald shows that people differ in their chemical response to thrilling situations. A quote from the article, “One of the main hormones released during scary and thrilling activities is dopamine, and it turns out some individuals may get more of a kick from this dopamine response than others do.” This means some people are going to really enjoy thrilling, scary, and risky situations while others, not so much. Lots of people also enjoy scary situations because it leaves them with a sense of confidence after it’s over. A quote from the article, “Think about the last time you made it through a scary movie, or through a haunted house. You might have thought, “yes! I did it! I made it all the way through!” So it can be a real self-esteem boost.” With having a safe environment, here is a quote from the article, “To really enjoy a scary situation, we have to know we’re in a safe environment. It’s all about triggering the amazing fight-or-flight response to experience the flood of adrenaline, endorphins, and dopamine, but in a completely safe space.” This why haunted houses to such a good job. We can get all the effects and our brain has time to process that what is happening isn’t real. The reading we were assigned this week, mainly talks about the reason we like horror is because of the plot and the drama that it creates. A quote from the reading, “Applied to paradox of horror, these observations suggest that the pleasure derived from the horror fiction and the source of our interest in it resides, first and foremost, in the processes of discovery, proof, and confirmation that the horror fiction often employ. The disclosure of the existence of the horrific being and of its properties is the central source of pleasure in the genre”(282). We like the story it is telling and the drama that is unfolding to help us discover what is happening. We wonder if such a creature can be successfully confronted, and that narrative question see us through to the end of the story.

1. Non-Diegetic Sound:

I chose the scene right in the beginning of the episode. Buffy lays down on the teachers desk and Riley comes over to kiss her. I chose this example as it was the first opportunity of non-digestic sound. It is an example of non-digestic sound because when they started to kiss each other, background music started playing for a more dramatic effect. This example contributes to the aesthetic of horror for this scene because when I hear background music play, it draws me into watching because I know something is about to happen.

2. Diegetic Sound:

I chose the scene where Riley and his friend are in the elevator and the voice in the elevator is saying “vocal code not accepted.” I chose this example because there was a lot of different stuff going on. It is an example of diegetic sound as there was sound made by an object in the story. This example contributes to the aesthetic of horror for this scene as you had both diegetic and non-diegetic sound happening at the same time. There was the background music and sound coming from the elevator. It made me pay closer attention as the tension was building up.

3. Mise-en-scene

I chose the scene where the two monster guys were gliding around with the two other people following him. They knocked on the guys room and two crawling guys held the guy down and one of the glider guys took out a scalpel and cut into him, I chose this example because it had costumes, make up, and props in it. This example contributes to the aesthetic of horror for this scene because the costumes and makeup work added to the suspense and horror of the film. The background music was still playing, so it added a little extra to the scene. It made me watch the scenes closer as I wanted to know what was going to happen.

What I wear today is very different from what I used to wear. What really changed my style was when I started working at Nordstrom’s. That got me into fashion and really influenced what I wore. I was able to see and try a lot of clothes and see which styles I like and didn’t like. What also changed my style was the people that I met when I was working there. One  of my coworkers had an awesome style and I really liked it a lot. I started talking to him and asking questions about brands and where he was buying his clothes from. That guy is the reason why I got into high end streetwear and introduced me to my favorite store in Portland. Another way I pick clothes is by watching what people wear. I really enjoy watching all the Chinese students at our school because most of them are really into fashion. If I see someone wearing a piece that catches my attention, I will go research it and find more information about it. The last way is by Instagram. I follow my favorite store and different fashion people, so i can see more clothes and accessories. The only belief I have with the way I dress is that I want to look everyday. So I never wear athletic clothes unless Im going to be working out. I wear the clothes that I believe are nice and make me present who I am when people see me. Some of the brands you will see me wearing are Hugo Boss, hood by air, represent clothing, and adyn. I didn’t get any beliefs from my family about what I wear. My dad usually is wearing athletic stuff when he’s not working and my mom dresses a lot nicer. The only thing they strongly believe in is me having no tattoos and piercings. As of right now I don’t have any tattoos or piercings on my body and that will probably stay like that for the rest of my life. I’m not a huge fan of piercings and not interested in a tattoo right now. My friends that I hang out with all dress deferent. Some wear mainly athletic clothes and others are into fashion and dress similar to me. I have friends with tattoos and piercings and some that don’t. Their parents were like mine where they don’t like tattoos or piercings. To conclude, I wear clothes that I like and that present me in a good way to people. I dress nicely every time I go out because I never know who I could meet and I like looking good.

1. Streetwear-What I see is a person that knows fashion and Is up to date and following the current trends. He is wearing a lot of high end clothes and accessories. I see nice sneakers, fitted jeans, nice shirt, and nice backpack.

2. Suit-What I see is a person that is dressed up in suit. He is most likely going to be giving a presentation today. He is wearing brown shoes, a navy suit, and white dress shirt, and a blue tie.

3. Sport clothes-What I see is a person that wearing Nike athletic clothes. I believe he doesn’t care about what he’s wearing. He is wearing Nike shoes, half calf socks, shorts, sweatshirt and snapback.

Think it really matters how you dress? If you’re a good person overall, shouldn’t people realize it and not judge you based on your threads? I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but people judge you based on the clothes you wear. I don’t care if you’re walking down the street or sitting in a business meeting; people are constantly looking at what you’re wearing. When I see people wearing high end streetwear clothing, I assume that they are pretty well off or at least their family is. The only people I usually see wearing these clothes are the Chinese students that go to this school. As most of them are pretty well off and are more fashion forward than Americans. When I see people wearing a suit, I usually associate them with being successful or more well off. But, here at school as a business student, a lot of people have to dress up for presentations. So I am able to observe a lot of different looks people wear. For me it comes down to how the suit looks, By working at Nordstrom and having experience selling suits, pants, shoes, dress shirts, and ties, I can usually tell what is a nice quality outfit or not. When I see people wearing sport clothes, I normally think that they have no fashion sense and don’t care about what they wear. But, I know some people are doing physical activities or just want to be comfortable when they come to class. But, I believe that you should always dress to impress. You never know who you could possibly meet each day and I can guarantee that they will be judging you by what your wearing on the initial meet. What this tells me about my beliefs is that I care about how I dress and present myself. I always want to look my best because I never know who I will run into and possibly meet. I always want to make a good impression on people.

Here is an article I found talking about his experience about how he dressed: