Entry #10 10 Years Into The Future

For my final post I wanted to create a space where I can maybe talk to myself. However, the self that I will be conversing with is myself 10 years from now. This idea came to me from a project we have for my communications class. We have to talk about ourselves in the future tense and present what obstacles we had to overcome to get to where we where. I thought my blog would be a great opportunity to create a sort of time capsule for myself to check back on in 10 years. Feel free to leave a comment to your future self as well.

Hey Jose, hopefully you haven't forgotten about this blog. I have so many questions I would like to ask but I know it would be impossible for me to get an answer. All I can do is wish that you have accomplish everything you set out to. If not, what has prohibited you from doing so? Has there been major changes in your path that I should be expecting? Did you become a network engineer? If so, you should have bought your parents their own home by now and if not hopefully the saving I started helps out. Remember the most important part though; be happy. Nothing matters if you are not enjoying yourself. If there is anything that you are currently unhappy with then take steps to make a change. This is your younger self telling you not to get so focused on superficial things like money and to never forget about the truly important things like family and friends. If there are any broken bridges then work on mending them and never stop growing from your experiences. I have grown so much and learned so much so I wish that you too have that capability too. Lastly, what have you done to make the world a better place? If you cannot answer that, then please go out and do something I can look forward to. Thank you and I love you buddy. 

P.S. Hopefully you still have some sense of humor.

Entry #9 The Internet of Humanity

A concept I always found intriguing was the idea of Internet of Things. Our daily lives revolve around using the internet and getting everything connected to each other. This is why the path I chose to follow is computer networking; which revolves around getting all kinds of devices to talk to each other. This is not only an important part of society today but also something that will continue to be a part of our growing species. The growing knowledge and the potential humans can achieve with being able to access that knowledge will greatly benefit us all as a species.

Nonetheless, the internet of things is something that needs to evolve with humankind, and just like the idea of evolving the way we farm, we must proactively evolve how we use the internet. There needs to be a positive balance of some of the new practices as well as the old ways when adapting our use of technology. For example, people must not lose the ability to talk in person and be able have non-mediated relationships. We are constantly bombarded with information and people sometimes cannot get away from checking what came up online. If we are able to find a good balance between being both "online" and "offline" we can continue to grow.

There are many views concerning what technology does to people but I think that with the right research and self-control we can develop a powerful tool. After all, are we not creating a new path for people to connect to each other?

Entry #7 Get to Know GMOs

The video posted by the channel Kurzgesagt talks about the many aspects of GMOs. Although it mainly talks about GMOs in a positive light, it also takes into account all the opposing views. One of the more enlightening facts stated revolves around how using GMOs reduces the need for pesticides. I always thought that GMOs were just as dangerous as pesticides but with the information provided and controlled manipulation, science can provide people with a safe alternative to pesticides. It was nice to see that it also provided sources for us to look into their claims. Taking into account that humans have been cultivating farms and manipulating their seeds, it makes sense that using science to change the genes of seeds seems like a safer route than spraying them with chemicals. The video made many convincing points but I would still like to look into the opposing side a bit more.

It was also interesting to see how the video had a similar format to the one we learned for writing an essay. There was a clear introduction and it lead up to the thesis statement where it talked about the idea at hand, GMOs. It was appealing to see how the video seemed to follow the same rubric and even have a point of view that it wanted to persuade us about. The piece explains the adverse effects of GMOs and which parts are more fiction than fact.

In the end, it is up to us as a race and individuals to decide whether we want genetically modified organisms to be a part of the way we grow our food.

(Extra Credit) Food Inc. - Incorporating The Right Food

There is a major difference between Fresh and Food Inc. Food Inc is much more serious and in your face while Fresh takes a hopefully approach. Both movies show a need for change, but Fresh does it in a hopeful tone telling the viewer that we can still make the change for the better, while Food Inc explains that we need to make the change if we want to avoid tremendous damage. The movie Fresh has a long build up, while Food Inc is quick to jump into the interviews. Food Inc focused heavy on how negatively this industrialization is affecting us. In comparison, Fresh emphasized how it could be better if we went organic. Additionally, the imagery in Food Inc was much more provocative and it was not afraid to show the darkest effects of the business.


For example, One of the more impacting images involved how Food Inc showed the human fatalities due to the food process we currently have in place. It presented the case of Barbara Kowalcyk who became a food safety advocate after losing her 2 and a half year old son. Her son died after two weeks from E coli after eating a bad hamburger. Her story was not only powerful but the details she gave on her son's passing were truly stirring. Barbara's case is just one of many people that are directly affected by our current system, and it is important that she was not afraid to speak up.



Food Inc used was not afraid to use fear as a way of presenting its information. The more disturbing fact is that none of the stories the documentary showed were untrue. People are dying, losing their farms, and humanity all because of the current system. If fresh was not able to show people the underlying problem, then Food Inc is sure to bring it to the surface.