Last Day of Class

Tonights class was the last for this semester. As we wrapped up everything we learned, I reflected on the various discussions that took place throughout the course. I must say, I really enjoyed Castells book. I liked his multidisciplined approach, the way he brought ideas from physics, computer science, economics, communication and network theory. It was difficult to follow but I felt a greater sense of accomplishment once I (sometimes I had to read a passage several, uh more like a 8 or 9 times to fully grasp the meaning) understood the material.

I enjoyed the different perspectives that each member of our class shared, it was a diverse group, spread across several generations. Some of us like technology, others tolerated it, nevertheless providing wonderful insight. I learned much in this course and hope to gain greater knowledge in new media.

Happy Thanksgiving!

I know Thanksgiving was last week and this blog is supposed to be about new media, however, I had an experience I wanted to share. Saturday, two weeks ago, after returning home from running some errands I saw what appeared to be a homeless man rummaging through my apartments recycling bin looking for some soda cans and other bottles he could return for money. I’d seen this fellow before and always wanted to help him, remembering that I had some soda cans of my own in my apartment I quickly ran up to get them in hopes that I could give him the cans. However when I returned 2 minutes later he was gone so I walked out to the street to see if I could find him. I quickly located him at the next apartment building over where he had continued his search for recyclable goods. I approached him with all of the empty soda cans there were in my apartment, a total of nine. I held the cans in front of me as I approached, and once he recognized my intentions he held open a black plastic bag which used to hold as bottles and cans. I poured the cans into his bag and as I did so, he smiled at me and I realized that he did not have any teeth. He then made some unintelligible noise and I realized that he could not speak. Yet, his gratitude was genuine, and I was so touched by it. I mean, I gave him less than a dollar. This experience got me thinking about the things that I am thankful for. I know its cliché but here is a partial list (non prioritized);
1. My family
2. A place to live
3. A place to live that is heated
4. Water
5. My job
6. Food
7. My car
8. My bikes
9. My clothes (this guy had very little and it was so cold outside)
10. The educational opportunities I have
11. Cell phone
12. Freedom
13. My religious beliefs
So, what are you thankful for?