FM21-76

If we were placed in a post-apocalyptic situation and I could only save one book, it would be the U.S. Army Survival Manual. The reason I would choose this book is as simple as its title, survival. In a post-apocalyptic world everyone is trying to survive off very limited resources. With a majority of the population being reliant on technology for survival, these people have no idea on how to survive as an actual human being. When you use technology for survival, you become dependent. This dependency causes many people to lose their ability to survive. It's the same concept with animals in the zoo. You have a 500 pound lion that has spent it's entire life in captivity, then you go release it into the wild. This lion would almost certainly die because its never had to learn to survive. Sure there are natural instincts that all humans have, but these only let you know what you need to do to survive, not how to do it. This book provides insight on how to survive in almost all circumstances and conditions on earth. Everything from shelter building to removing venom after a snake bite are covered in this book. I have read it twice and have learned a great deal from it.

Live Free or Die Hard

 

       I don't think I could ever pick a favorite movie, but one of them is Live Free or Die Hard. This movie is the 4th installment of the Die Hard Series in which actor Bruce Willis plays as John McClane; a former Marine and New York City detective. It is one of my favorite movies because it is packed with action scenes and a well thought out plot. It also kept me entertained the whole time. Action movies like this appeal to me because they're usually based of real life situations. When watching them they make you think what if this happened in real life. In a quick summary, a prior government computer genius Thomas Gabriel (played by Timothy Olyphant) turns against the country and begins to initiate a "fire sale." A fire sale is where major components of the country are disrupted and eventually done away with through hacking the systems which control them. These things include the stock market, traffic grid, power grid, financial system, etc. It basically sends a country into the stone age. John McClane and hacker Matthew Farrell (played by Justin Long) are the only people that can prevent him from succeeding. The actors are Bruce Willis, Timothy Olyphant, Justin Long, Kevin Smith, and Cliff Curtis. The actresses are Maggie Q and Mary Elizabeth Winstead. The film was released in 2007 and directed by Len Wiseman.

Technology

      Technology affects every single aspect of our life's. Everything from tools, machines, techniques, and methods shape how we live and how we evolve as humans. How you just ordered a cheeseburger from your car to how we put a man on the moon are all connected to technology. Technological advances can be both beneficial as well as harmful. A lot of the time the technology itself isn't damaging, the manner in which we use it is. There are also times when a new invention or discovery if found to be beneficial for one thing, but negatively impact another.

      There are many reason why technology positively contributes to our life's. In a modern world, the most valuable resource is time. It is the only component that literally affects everything and everyone. Advances in technology have allowed us to get more done in shorter amount of time, thus increasing our productivity. This increase in accomplishment also allows us to live our lives at a much faster pace; meaning we get more out of life. Cell phones are probably one of the greatest inventions of all time. In order for anything to get done, there must be communication. The cell phone has allowed us to communicate with anyone, anywhere, at anytime. Since we can now communicate more efficiently, we can do better planning, which increases our most valuable resource, time. Aside from that, cell phones also let you order pizza. That is just one example of thousands in which a small technological advancement in one area has just increased our greatest resource. Most people take little things like this for granted and never fully realize just how intertwined everything is.

      Technology can also be harmful. Let's use the same invention in the previous paragraph, the cell phone. I briefly explained one way it impacts us positively, but it also has negative effects. One of the biggest issues with cell phones, and my biggest pet-peeve, is people who drive and talk on the phone. Studies have proved that talking on the phone while driving is more dangerous than driving impaired, yet people still do it. A study performed by the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety concluded that talking while driving increases your chances by four times to be involved in a crash with serious injuries. Driving while using a cell phone also reduces the amount of brain activity associated with driving by 37%. Everyday I will see a vehicle driving poorly and almost every time the driver is on the phone. There are very few things in life that are so important for you to answer your phone that exact second. I never answer my phone if I'm driving. I'll look at the number when I get to my destination and call it back. When the cell phone was invented I'm sure very few people thought it would have this affect on a person driving ability. This is an example of technology that is beneficial in one area but negative in another.

Flying

WEEK 7 Blog


Below is a picture I took of WSU while
flying around a few months ago.

         Everyone has their hobbies and passions. My hobby, passion, and soon to be career, is flying. To me, there is no other feeling on earth like it. When you're just cruising around at 3,000 ft it seems that nothing else matters. It's extremely peaceful and humbling. I began flying in January of 2010 when I got a job with the fixed base operator at the Greene County Airport. A fixed base operator is a business on an airport that sells fuel, charts, and pilot supplies. They also provide flight training, ground school, hangars, aircraft rentals, and anything a pilot would need. It's been the best job I've ever had and very few people get paid for doing something they love. Since I was hired, I've flown over 13 different aircraft but most my flight time is in a Cessna 172. I try to fly at least once a week and hope to have around 400 hours by the time I graduate. The more hours and ratings you achieve, the more appealing you are to the air force.

       

          "Osama Bin Laden is dead." I wasn't sure when we would ever be able to honestly say this but now we can. I've waited a long time for this to happen and now that it has, it feels exactly how I thought it would, great. This man was responsible for the death of thousands of civilians, as well as those of soldiers sent to Afghanistan in response to the attacks on September 11, 2001. For this reason, I have no problem with people rejoicing his death. I was so happy about it I was going to skip class and celebrate with everyone. The only thing that would have made this better is if I was the one who got to pull the trigger. As far as the affect this will have on President Obama's administration, I believe it will be a positive impact. Although the mission was performed and organized by soldiers and the Joint Chiefs of Staff, he is still the commander-in-chief for the U.S. Military and will be recognized for it. I personally feel this is one of the biggest blows to the Al-Qaeda organization. However, he was still only one man and terrorism isn't over. More than likely there will be retaliations and the cycle will continue. The simple explanation of why I was happy about his death is because I am an American. Anyone who wasn't happy I ask the question, "Have you forgotten?"

I am a Facebook user, but I wasn't always into the whole social networking thing. I joined Facebook shortly after high school to keep in contact with friends. When I graduated, my friends and I were all choosing different paths for our lives. I had friends going all over the United States, and the world. Some headed for schools out of state, some joined active duty military, and some stayed in Ohio but weren't attending Wright State. It can be depressing coming to the realization that your best friends and people you've known since elementary school are not going to be in your life as much, if at all. Facebook is a great way to still be connected and I'm glad I joined.

The biggest reason I joined was because of my best friends. In high school, all of us knew we were going military. Three joined the Air Force, one the Marines, one the Army, and two (including myself) Air Force ROTC. Out of that, two are currently deployed in Afghanistan and one is in Japan. Being deployed you can't text your friends whenever you want, however you can get internet access a few times a month. Facebook has allowed me to keep in contact with them halfway around the world. It's good to know how they're doing and what things are like over there.

I believe people in general aren't becoming addicted, but there are those who probably couldn't live without it. I know a few people who will check their Facebook every single hour, and sometimes more. I personally don't see why but whatever floats your boat. I currently have 279 friends on Facebook. I've known all of them at some point or another in my life (except for the business friends such as BW3s and W.O. Wrights) and it's cool to see what everyone's been up too since school. I'm never cautious about what I put on my page simply because I'm not worried about repercussions from being myself.

I see no issues with employers searching a potential employees Facebook page. Their job is to hire who they feel is best suited for the job. Facebook is just one more source of information to get a general idea of who you are.

Risks with Facebook generally come with negligence. If your profile is set to private and your friends list only contains people you know, I think it's a very low risk. If these two things don't apply to you, you're putting personal information and photos out there for anyone to see. In a technologically advanced society like the U.S., you have to be careful more than ever. It is very easy for someone to stalk, impersonate, etc, under these conditions.

I think Facebook is also a great way for businesses to advertise. It's free and it targets a wide range of people all over. It also allows companies to interact more on a personal level with their customers. This is can be very helpful for both parties. The business can receive feedback and suggestions while the consumer gets awareness of promotions and changes. It's a win win for both sides.

Making Stuff Work - Mechanical Engineering

 My major is mechanical engineering. I choose this major mainly to aid me in my goal of becoming a U.S. Air Force pilot. Having a engineering degree will help me out for two reasons. The first reason is being selected for field training, and the second is being selected for flight school. Field training is a month long boot camp you go to during the summer between your sophomore and junior year. The selection rate for field training is less than 50% with 80% of those selected having technical degrees. Being a mechanical engineer major improves my chances of being selected drastically. You can become a pilot with any degree, but they generally will select those with technical degrees over those with non-tech. The other reason I choose this major is because I enjoy it. Growing up I would always take things apart just to see how they worked or how I could improve them. I enjoy being presented with a problem and having to design something to make it work properly. Engineers are also one of the most vital components of society. They design everything from the keyboard I'm typing this on, to the world’s largest structures. I'm suited for this type of employment because I am very good at designing things, constructing them, and fixing them. I have a very wide range of knowledge on how things work. If I'm not sure on how something works, I will take it apart. 

Even though Mechanical Engineering is my degree, I will most likely never use it as employment. If I am selected for pilot training, I will be a pilot, not an engineer. Once I graduate I will hopefully receive my commission as a 2nd LT. Officers get to fill out a base request form in which they submit the top 3 places where they want to be stationed. I'm requesting to be sent to Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany to join the 52nd Fighter Wing. The 52nd Fighter Wing operates the A10 Thunderbolt II.

A world without TV?!

"If we could unplug all the TV sets in America, our children would grow up to be healthier, better eduacted, and more independent human beings."

           I disagree with this statement. Claiming that TVs are causing humans to be unhealthy or uneducated is like claiming that pencils, not humans, misspell words. People that agree with the statement generally argue that without TVs, kids would spend more time doing physical activities or studying. If given the opportunity, people are generally lazy with or without a TV. Let's say you have two kids, Johnny and Billy. Johnny love’s basketball but Billy loves TV. Just because you take away Billy’s TV doesn't mean he's going to start shooting hoops with Johnny. He'll more than likely find another non-physical activity to keep himself entertained. I also don't feel TV is hampering our education. I personally, have learned a great deal from programs on TV. Growing up, I watched nothing but History Channel, Discovery, National Geographic, and other documentaries. Almost every day I use some bit of knowledge I acquired from these. The last claim that we'll be "more independent" is completely irrelevant. For that to be a possibility, people who watch TV would have to be considered dependent, which doesn't make sense.

Wall Street by Palmer C. Hayden

 

I decided to do a painting done by Palmer Hayden because his work was the most appealing to me. The painting I chose is titled Wall Street, painted in 1936. A majority of Haydens work is inspired by the physical environment. I believe the purpose of the painting is to capture and inspire American life. The painting consists of a large number of people, a centered church, automobiles, subways, and the U.S. Flag. All of these were items of representation of big city life in the United States. The audience for this painting appears to be the American population. I found it to provide a sense of pride and nationalism. The Genre would be landscape. A large number of Palmer Haydens paintings are of landscapes and structures. The stance on the painting I feel is positive. The sun appears to be setting and everyone is heading home for the night.

Going to WSU

I wouldn't really say I choose to go to Wright State University; it was more of a last minute decision to go to college. I needed to get in school and due to the time frame I had to work with, it was one of my only options. With that said, I've found that there are both good and bad things about attending WSU. I've lived in Beavercreek since I was born, so Wright State has always been kinda part of my life; I never really thought that I'd end up going here though. After high school I had planned on doing underwater welding in the Gulf of Mexico. I then realized that that wasn't something I wanted to do for the rest of my life. In August after my senior year of high school, I decided that I wanted to fly jets in the U.S. Air Force. To be a pilot in the military, you must be an officer; which meant I had to get in school. I enrolled in WSU which was one of the only schools I could get into on such short notice. If it were up to me, I'd be a student at Ohio State University, Miami (Ohio), or Ohio University. Wright State is an OK school, but it's not the type of school I wanted to attend, or have on my resume. I'm in my third quarter now and coming up on having a year of college done with. I have thought about transferring to Ohio State mainly due to their Engineering program but I'm not sure yet. Wright State is 10 minutes from home, tuition is cheap, and I have enjoyed my time with friends in the AFROTC program. I also have an excellent job that I love here. If I were to transfer I'd lose that. Reasons I want to attend a school like Ohio State are because it's a credible school, I'd be away from home but still close enough to drive back if I needed too, and it provides more of a college atmosphere. Wright State feels like high school, parking is horrible, and there's no division football team. I'll decide after next year whether or not I complete my degree here.