Texting While Driving PSA

This is my uber-awesome PSA on texting while driving. Hope you enjoy it!

My Phase II Experience

1. The most challenging part of my Phase II experience was definitely the tail end. In addition to having to say goodbye to all of my DOTCOM friends, I also experienced a small share of the conflict that Armenians and Azeris have to deal with every day of their lives. All the research I did, and all the Phase I preparation we did as a group, did NOT prepare me for the events that transpired (without getting into any specifics) on that last day.
2. The most rewarding moment I had during all of phase II was the film festival, when I got to watch as all our hard work finally came to fruition. One particular moment in my movie (which I'm not sure I'm at liberty to discuss) proved to me, and hopefully to all 29 other DOTCOMers, that what we did in Waitsfield, and the spirit of friendship and companionship we worked so hard to try and foster, was not all for naught.
3. Apart from the actual making of the films, the most fun I had during phase II was my first free day in Waitsfield. Hanging out with Ana's cool Vermon'er friends, (including the infamous, "Put'n'Roll"), hitching a ride on the Metraux, and geocatching with Niko, created memories that will last my entire lifetime.
4. I can't wait to reconnect with my DOTCOMer amigos, and learn how they are working, through their social action projects, to make a difference in their respective communities.

My Phase II Experience: Part Deaux - My DOTCOM Photo Album
COMING SOON

My Time in D.C.

1. I learned many things in Washington, D.C., not all of them concerning media. For example, I learned that Doctor Rob Williams is a proud secessionist and owner of Vermont's only yak farm. However, the most important thing I learned about media is that Twitter can be a useful media tool. As Dr. Rob explained, following a person's Twitter account can help you understand that person's story. While Twitter, from an outsider's perspective, can seem uninteresting, it can be a valuable tool for learning about the lives of others.
2. While I may have had pre-existing stereotypes about Armenians and Azeris, those stereotypes were instantly vanquished the moment I met them. Everyone in the program is kind, thoughtful, and intelligent, and I have really enjoyed spending time with them. I really bonded with all the Armenians during our time in D.C. Unfortunately, I did not get to see the Azeris much in D.C., but I can't wait to work with them here in Vermont.
3. The most difficult part of the program so far has been the fact that the Azeris arrived late to D.C. Because of this, we missed valuable "teambuilding" time, and it will be a little bit harder to get to know my Azeri counterparts. However, since I know the Azeris are hard-working, amiable, amazing people, this is only a minor setback that I know the group will overcome.
4. I have really enjoyed meeting the 29 people I have been communicating with online for the last 6 months, and sharing the experience in D.C. with them. It has only been 5 days, and already I have learned so much about the other DOTCOMers, and the amazing cultures they are a part of. I have already learned a little bit of Armenian (baarev, which means "hi," and handjuick, which means "party"), and Azerbijani (getz, which means "go", and yok, which means "yes.") As the month continues, I can't wait to learn more about and more from the 29 other DOTCOMers.

My Bio

My name is Jacob Rasch, and I am an incoming 10th Grader at Walt Whitman High School. I live in Bethesda, MD, USA, with my brother, Jonny, my dog, Cal, and my parents. I have many hobbies, but, first and foremost, I love to play baseball. I even play for my high school team. I have been involved in student government, play the clarinet in my school’s band, and do a lot of community service with underprivileged children. I will even be taking a journalism class next year through my school. My favorite TV shows are Scrubs, The Daily Show, The Colbert Report and South Park. My favorite subjects in school are probably social studies (history) and science, but I also like math and writing. I can’t wait to expand my horizons by working with DOTCOM.

The Olive

This Israeli ad for feta cheese called "The Olive" uses various techniques to try to sell the product and create a "feel" for it. First, it appeals to the limbic brain is setting the mood and the feeling. You get the sense of the Mediterranain island, the Greek food, the party atmosphere. You FEEL like you are on a warm greek island in the middle of the summer. This, in turn appeals to the "warm feeling" or warm fuzzies part of advertising. The viewer feels good about the scene, and therefore feels good about the product being advertised. The white clothes, the sensuous look of the food, and the bright lighting all contribute to this feeling.

Next, the main character sees the greek woman. The reptilian brain takes over. Feelings of attraction and sensuality take over, and he no longer acts rationally. Rather, he simply wants to impress her. We switch briefly to "beautiful people." His sole goal is to impress. He tosses the olive into the air with abandon. Unfortunately, he chokes. There COULD be another reptillian response to this -- fear. But rather than either the character or the audience sensing fear, this is where humor takes over. We get both the "group think" as the others join in to what they believe is the main character's dancing, plate breaking, and back thumping, as the scene escalates.

Eventually, he dislodges the olive. The neocortex tells you that he has learned from his experience. But no. He sees the woman one more time, and of course the reptillian brain takes over once again. The olive is hoisted aloft ...

While this is an effective ad, it does not necessarily make you either remember or desire the product. What you do remember is the limbic portion of the ad - the feeling of the island, and the humor of the ad. Nothing says cheese like humor.

My Video

This political video is a spoof of the old Budweiser beer commercials where a number of friends call each other and just say "Whassup." The modified commerical is intended to effect the audience in several ways -- to stimulate all parts of the truine brain.

The repeated use of the word "Whassup" is intended to stimulate the reptilian brain. It triggers an involuntary reaction in the mind, and also by repetition burns the term into the memory. It is important to note that this memorization is involuntary -- you learn the phrase through the repetition. The reptilian brain recognizes the word "whassup" both from the previous uses in this commercial and the previous Budweiser commercial and involuntarily says, "this is familiar to me." The commerical takes the phrase one step further, moving from "whassup" to men crying.

While the reptilian brain only sees the pattern of the words, the limbic brain takes this one step further and associates the crying and the pictures with the emotions displayed. Thus, the limbic brain sees the unemployed person's pain, the bankrupt person's pain that leads him to attempt suicide, and the pain of the person in Iraq. The limbic brain takes the pictures, sounds and words and gets a "feeling" from the overall piece of individuals in distress.

The neocortex is able to take the same images, sounds and words and analyze them for action. For example, while the reptilian brain sees a person in a windstorm, and the limbic brain sees a person in distress, the neocortex makes an intellectual connection between the image and the circumstance of Hurricane Katrina. The neocortex goes further and sees the image as a swipe at the Bush administration and ultimately an endorsement of Barcak Obama. Similarly, the images of the soldier in Iraq, the downward spiral of the stock market, the unemployed person looking resignedly at the Classified section of the newspaper, are all interpreted by the neocortex as commentaries on the Republican administration. The neocortex takes the images in the advertisement, and processes them with other information to come up with both a complete story and a plan of action based upon that story. The reptilian sees, the limbic feels, and the neocortex analyzes. And that, is what's up.

I know what you are thinking. Where are the links to all the cool stuff that I watch, and what are my favorite media. Well here they are.

1. Internet - everything and anything.. news, video, music.. can't be beat
2. TV - real time, available, anywhere
3. Music - on the computer, on the iPhone, on the radio.. mostly rock, because it mostly rocks.
4. Newspaper - Sports section first, then front page, then style, then whatever is interesting.
5. Books. Some for school, some for fun. OK mostly for school, but Michael Crighton and books on sports!
6. More computers. IM, and Facebook. Annoying chatter from anonymous friends
7. Video Games. Love 'em, play 'em, but not informative. Still, give me a few hours on the Wii with baseball or football.

Daily Show

The Daily Show With Jon StewartM - Th 11p / 10c

Intro - Happy New York

Daily Show Full Episodes
Important Things With Demetri Martin

Funny Political News
Joke of the Day

Colbert Report

The Colbert ReportMon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c

The DaColbert Code - The Election

Colbert Report Full Episodes
Funny Political News

Christian Bale Parody
Joke of the Day

South Park



Amazon - Crighton

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_b_1_8?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=michael+crichton&x=0&y=0&sprefix=Michael+

Music - Tears in Heaven Live



ESPN



Washington Nationals (Dunn Deal!)

http://washington.nationals.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20090211&content_id=3817580&vkey=news_was&fext=.jsp&c_id=was

Wiki (truth by committee)

www.wikipedia.org

Futurama

As a fourteen year old in Bethesda, Maryland, I am surrounded by media. It assaults the senses. From the moment I wake up almost to the time I go to sleep, there are different types of media around me. The radio, television, computer, newspaper, Internet, sports, text messages, instant messages, telephone, music, downloads, streaming media - even textbooks and school work are forms of media. One of the difficult things in the twenty first century is selecting among these different media outlets which ones to use, and more importantly which ones to trust.

Its not uncommon to use many of them at the same time. While typing a blog entry, SportsCenter on the TV, the iPhone with text messages, and about 15 browser windows open to various sources. We use media to inform, entertain, distract. We also use media for propaganda and to mislead. While my favorite TV shows are things like The Daily Show, The Colbert Report, Scrubs, Futurama, South Park and just about anything on Sports Center, you can see that my tastes tend toward comedy and satire (and sports.) Through things like The Daily Show and The Colbert Report, I use media to both entertain and inform. While I dont use these shows as my sole source of news, (I read the Washington Post in print and many other sources on TV and online), these shows do help me understand, analyze and reflect on the news I have learned. These shows also help me argue points with other people and be persuasive about current events. Satire IS analysis with humor.

I am not just a consumer of media -- I create it as well. For example, I play the clarinet, and use it as a form of expression - when I take the time to practice. I am first chair in one of the high school bands, and enjoy performing -- just not practicing. People dont realize that texting and IM is also creating media, as is doing homework!

My iPhone is one of my main sources of media. It is a messaging center for IM and SMS. I play video games on it. I read newspapers and articles on it. I use wikipedia to get answers to questions. I use the translator program to help with my Spanish homework. I download TV shows and movies onto it. I stream content through YouTube. I could even type this blog on the iPhone if you didnt mind LOTS of typos and a very very short blog!

Its hard to describe which types of media I use the most, because I am often using several of them at the same time. However, I think that I use the Internet the most. Right now there are about 10 browser windows open. I have one for handing in homework. One for listening to NPR's "Wait Wait Don't Tell Me" (another satire show), one for buying a book at Amazon, one looking up the definition of "glutton" for a paper on Shakespeare, one looking up Matt Groeling's "Life in Hell" (the creator of the Simpsons and Futurama), one for Dotcom, one for this blog, one for the Washington Nationals baseball team, one for the Washington Post article I was reading this morning, and of course, ESPN. While the Internet seems like ONE media, it really encompasses all of the media. You can access all of them with one click of the mouse. On my desk right now are my iPhone, a grahing calculator, and a PSP, although I am not using them at this moment.

After Inernet, the next media I use it the TV. With Cable TV there are many outlets for news, sports and entertainment. Typically I watch about 2 hours a night but this is misleading, as I usually have the TV on in the background while I am doing other things. I try not to miss the Daily Show or Colbert, but they are on from 11PM to midnight, and I get up at 630 AM, so I sometimes fall asleep with the TV on. No problem, I can watch them online the next day, or TiVo them.

I have about 25 movies and 400 TV episodes on my iPhone, and about 1,500 songs. So I never have to be without some form of entertainment. I am NOT a big blogger, user of Twitter or Facebook, or even IM or the phone. I prefer seeing people in person -- hanging out with my friends -- and TOGETHER surfing the Internet or watching TV! That is when I am not playing baseball!

Jacob

About Moi

OK. First the basics. My name is Jacob, and I live just outside Washington, D.C. Although my parents are from New York City and Miami, Florida, I have lived my entire life in the DC area. Some of the basic facts. I am 14 years old, and in my first year in High School. High School is not that much different from middle school - the classes may be a little more difficult, and the students a little taller, but that is just about it. The High School I go to is very competitive acadamically. In fact, a few years ago, a graduate of my High School wrote a book called "The Overacheivers," which talks about the pressures of high school in general, and my high school in particular. Of course, nobody in school thinks this way. We just think of it as High School, and we really dont have anything else to compare it with. My High School graduated two United States Senators, and a lot of the kids here have parents who are high-powered people -- lawyers, lobbyists, doctors at the National Institutes of Health, embassy people, and government officials. But to everyone here, we are just plain old high school students -- at a public high school at that.

There are a lot of things to keep me busy aside from school. My passion though is baseball. I like to watch football (American football, not futbal), basketball, and just about anything that might be on ESPN at any given time of day (except maybe cricket.) But ever since I was a little kid, I remember watching, playing and reading about baseball. At that time, Washington, D.C. didnt have its own professional baseball team. I used to drive with my parents to Baltimore to watch the Baltimore Orioles baseball team. When I was 10, professional baseball came to Washington. Although the team is not very good, it has a new stadium, and it is still fun to watch. I went to summer camp in Aberdeen, Maryland which was sponsored by Cal Ripken, Jr., one of the best players ever. I remember kids from all over the world -- even places where they dont have baseball -- coming to play and learn. It was fun playing baseball with kids from England and India, most of whom did not get a chance to play organized little league like I did. They took their experiences with them, and many of them said they planned to start baseball leagues when they got home.

I am left handed and a pitcher, which is one of the most competitive positions in baseball. I rely on finesse rather than sheer power to make me a good player. I hope to play on the High School team, but we will see what happens. I am pretty social, and while there may be "cliques" in my school like any other, I try not to be a part of them, and just try to get along with everyone. In fact, I am the 9th grade class President at my school, which is sometimes fun, and sometimes a pain!

But there is more to life than just school and baseball. Kids (including me) are voratious consumers and creators or media. I watch TV (of course) and my favorite shows are "The Daily Show" "The Colbert Report" and "South Park" all of which are on a cable TV station called Comedy Central. (For you international people, you can find Daily Show and Colbert Report on CNN International or on comedycentral.com.) I like these shows because they are not only funny, but have biting satire and are very smart, as well as entertaining. South Park LOOKS like a simple kids comic about 4th grade student. It is actually a crude satire on important issues. I like the way the writers, Matt Stone and Trey Parker use the characters to discuss and comment on issues like the recent US Presidential election, the role of religion in society, stem cell research, and other political issues in a funny but biting way.

There are lots of other media sources that I rely on every day. These include the Web, listenting to music and news on the radio (and on my phone), downloads, books, newspapers, and video games on the Wii. The more the merrier.

Like everyone else in the DOTCOM program, I am committed to trying to help the community. Right now, I am volunteering at a homeless shelter in my neighborhood. I work with a family which has a 10 year old kid named Prince. I sort of act like a big brother to Prince - more like a mentor. In fact, I think that homelessness is an issue which deserves much more attention. One of the things I learned is that anyone can become homeless. Prince's family has two working parents who work full time to try to support five kids, but they still cant find a place to live. With the recession and people losing their jobs, the problem of homelessness is only going to get worse -- just at a time when governments are feeling stressed and unable to help. Right now, I think I might do my media project on this important problem, but I havent quite decided yet.

The importance of the face to face workshops is, of course the fact that they are face to face. It is one thing to blog, chat, or IM someone, but this is impersonal at best. When you meet someone face to face, you establish a TRUE social network. As a social person who considers himself a "connector" I will be able to bridge the gaps created by nationality, religion, cultural diversity, or even just personality. Meet me and you will see.

My Inaguration Experience

Janary 20, 2009 12:00 PM Eastern Time

The peaceful transition of power took place here in Washington DC. I went down to the National Mall in Washington, D.C. -- not today, but on Sunday for the Inaugural concert. Woke up at 6 AM and drove downtown, parked and made my way through the crowds to set up a tarp and blanket by the reflecting pool near the Lincoln Memorial. I got there at 830 AM for a 230 PM performance, and sat there in the cold with about 400,000 other people. Was it worth it?

Yes. Not just for the performances. I can now say I was a part of history. I witnessed democracy in action, as a man from one political party gave way to a man from the opposing one. The election of America's first African-American president made me realize that we are coming closer and closer to a time of racial tolerance and equality. Now, as Martin Luther King envisioned, people can be judged by "the content of their character."

People all around the world felt the history that was being made around us. Over 400,000 people braved the cold just to get a chance to be a small part of this historic weekend. During the concert, what really struck me was the diversity. Sure the artists were young and old, black and white, rich and.... well.. richer. But it was the crowd that really got to me. When Barack Obama took the stage, there were people in the audience who were actually crying. There were old people who felt they would never live to see this day, and young children filled with hope, who never knew a day when there was segregation. Just within a few feet of the blanket where I was seated was a law professor from Syracuse, a personal trainer, and an African-American family from Chicago. The crowd itself was black. It was brown. It was white. It was yellow. It reflected the melting pot that is America. And it was THAT more than the word spoken that gave everyone hope, and truly made this an historic day.