blog post (EOTO) assingment

 

The VCR 

 

Introduction

 

For the EOTO(Each One Teach One ) project, the technology I chose was the VCR. The reason why I chose the VCR is because it is very nostalgic. Not only is it nostalgic, but it was one of the first technologies to define American television culture within the homes of families and generations.

When was it invented ?:

 

https://lemelson.mit.edu/resources/charles-ginsburg

According to my research, the inventor of the VCR was Charles Paulson Ginsburg, also known as the “ father of the VCR. he was born in San Francisco , 1920. He received his Bachelor's degree from San Jose State university. In 1948, Ginsburg worked as a studio and transmitter engineer at a radio station in San Francisco. In 1952, Ginsburg then went on to work for Ampex, which is an American electronics company that was founded by Alexander M. Poniatoff in 1944. There , Ginsbuhatrg had the opportunity to lead a research team which developed the first broadcast quality Video Tape Recorder known as the (VTR). The VTR revolutionized television broadcasting. Tape recording of television signals traces back just after WW2, when audio tape recorders were used to record very high frequency signals needed for television. These early machines were pushed to their limits that ran tapes at very high speeds up to 240 inches per second inorder to achieve a high frequency response. However, Ginsburg and his team came up with a design for a new machine that could run at a slower rate. The ampex VRX-1000( later renamed the Mark IV video tape recorder which was introduced in 1956. However, Ginsburg held the position of vice president of advanced development at Ampex from 1975 until his retirement in 1986.

What makes the VCR special and its impact :

According to the “Television and the American Family”, https://books.google.com/books?id=VbSPAgAAQBAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false

The VCR was first introduced in 1975, at a price of $2,500 which symbolized the beginning of the cultural revolution. In 1980 the VCR was owned by 1.1% of television homes in America. By the end of 1997 the percentage increased to about 89%. By the year 2000, the percentage had increased to 93%. However , the VCR served at least three functions in the home and video culture. It supplied home entertainment, it replaced other leisure activities and most importantly provided social unity. There are several reasons why the VCR plays an important role in our home and video environment. According to “Television and the American Family”, the VCR is the first video communication medium that allows us to have control of when , where , how and what to watch on television. While doing my research about the VCR, some of the most interesting facts about this technology that really stood out to me was the structure of the VCR. VCR’s are built for the reception and recording signals that are transmitted by a direct broadcast satellite. Another thing that I found the most fascinating about the vcr was that an active vcr user is even more mentally and physically active than an average active t.v. audience member. Overall, the vcr will stand out as one of the most significant contributions to the 20th century.

blog post #3

5. Check on Governmental Power (aka Watchdog Role) — see Vince Blasi, Checking Function of the First Amendment

     As Watergate, Irangate, Clintongate and all the other "gates" demonstrate, freedom of the press enables citizens to learn about abuses of power — and then do something about the abuse at the ballot box if they feel so moved. We, along with the press, are part of the check-and-balance system to restrain government power and abuse of power.

  

 

Based on discussions that we had in our previous classes about the Government, I think that this statement resonates with me the most. Based on some of the behaviors of some of our leaders that we had in the past, leads me to question some motives and ways of our government. I believe that power is obtained by a number of things which include social class, and most importantly, social influence of certain traditions. I feel that this statement is most important, because there are many examples of powerful tactics that  we see particularly in politics and in the government that some of us really do not want to discuss. Some of these power tactics include bullying, criticizing, demanding, and manipulation especially within the media. This particular statement is really personal to me because there are many examples of some of these powerful tactics that are in action even today. I believe that there have been many instances of power being exercised by the use of force and violence. The  tragic death of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor,  along with many other young African Americans who lives were taken in the hands of the police, the Black Lives Matter protests that occurred in Washington D.CThere was  an innumerous amount of force that was used, and Donald Trump , who was our president at the time, was so ignorant ,calling the BLM protestors an angry mob. However the incident that occured at the capitol, which was encouraged by president Trump, no force was used. However, I believe that this is a prime example of a leader that is very hostile, arrogant, and most importantly his biases and prejudices often appear in an image  of sexism, racism, and other discriminatory behavior that was unjustified. I also believe that presidentTrump and his administration  caused incitement which means,speech that causes violence or lawless action. I also believe that Trump caused  Racial divide.  According to the “Economist Education Article, there are ways in which the  abuse of power can be avoided by showing empathy and compassion to a certain topic, building a system of review by putting in place a structure that holds executives accountable for their actions which also can help to prevent  the corruption that can accompany  power and most importantly listening to critics. I also believe that forming an understanding that raising feelings, and becoming aware of those feelings can also be beneficial as well. 

blog post #2

The founding era and the idea of America 

Based on things that have been discussed in our previous class  about the supreme court, there were several things about the supreme court  that I learned but did not already know. Based on the overview about the supreme court  that was created by the History channel, I learned that the supreme court is currently made up of nine justices and the supreme court also has the power to check actions of the two branches of government, which is the executive branch of the president and the legislative branch of congress. Another interesting thing that I learned about the supreme court was that the supreme court’s justices are nominated by the president of the united states and nominations are confirmed or denied by the u.s senate. Here is a brief history about the supreme court based on the overview :1789:According to   SCOTUS History,

 the constitution allows congress to decide the organization of the supreme court.  The legislative branch exercises this power with the Judiciary Act of 1789. 

This act was  signed into  law by president George Washing at the time in which he specified that the court would be made up of six justices who would serve until they either died or retired.1790: According to   SCOTUS History,  as of February 1, the supreme court was assembled at the Merchants Exchange Building in New York city.

February 2 the courts early meetings were more focused on working out organizational procedures. One of the most surprising things about the supreme court that really stood out to me was as of january 2021 , there are 115 justices that served on the supreme court. Another surprising thing about the supreme court is that the chief justice is a member of the majority opinion  and the chief justice also has the authority to assign who writes the Court’s opinion, and also presides over trials of impeachment against the president of the United states. However the most important takeaway point about the supreme court is that the supreme court plays a very essential role within our constitutional system of government. The purpose of the supreme court is to interpret the laws and defend the Constitution.Based on the video that I have watched and the history of the Supreme court, my view of the supreme court is that it holds a lot of power and it is very essential to our government and its decisions. also the Supreme Court has seen numerous other nobles justices including

William Howard Taft who is the only person to serve both as president and chief justice.