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.