Making New Writing
This assignment is for my ‘Writing, Style, and Technology’ class at University. The focus of the class is supposed to be on computers, Internet, etc. But for our first major project, the goal was to create a new type of writing technology. The catch was that we couldn't use common writing tools like paper or pencils. We had to use ‘natural’ items and things we could find around the house like food, paper clips, dirt, etc. And the finished work was to be a word or brief sentence using that new technology.
The idea was to act as an ‘writing inventor’ and get an understanding of the thoughts and processes that went into making some of the common writing technologies used today. Many of those evolved from using items in ways that weren't originally intended. For example, the first computers were originally used for complex math calculations and not for word processing, until later adaptations against the desires of many early computer operators who thought making letters as too simple (Baron 46).
That was the idea for this assignment: making words with tools not normally used to write with and to temporarily get beyond the normal practices we grew up with to understand how people in the past felt with the introduction of new writing practices. The first instruction that got stuck in my head when the assignment was first presented was the one about not using any ‘man-made’ things. Going outside in the cold/snow and digging up ‘natural’ tools wasn't a pleasant idea. But history has shown that making new writing technologies often turns into a ‘dirty’ process. In 18th century French, pencil-maker Nicholas-Jacques Conte had to deal with pencil graphite shortages by creating his own mixture of graphite and other material like clay and water (Baron 44). Replaying a task like that didn't sound very fun.
But I probably wasn't paying enough attention in class when the assignment was first talked about to realize that it wasn't that limiting. After carefully reading the instructions, it appeared that man made items *could* be used, but not ones that are extensions of common writing tools (paint, nail polish). That was a relieving realization.
Going in nature was then ruled out for weather reasons, and the search for a new writing technology began at home. My room was filled with papers, pens, and other school stuff, so searching there wouldn't have done any good.
...Jerry Kuyper and Emily Murphy. The outline process he utilized was misleadingly basic: learners were initially asked to think about the proper size, weight and style of the letters they needed to utilize. They set the sort by picking the lead letters exclusively from the sort case and setting them side-by-side in a creating stick, deliberately deciding the best possible letterspacing, end-of-line separating and heading. The completed the process of forming was printed in a letterpress sealing press and dried with infant powder. People then slice it separated and started to plan. With a specific end goal to kill the shadows of the cut paper and see their creations as one plane, a bit of glass was cautiously brought down over the surface. In the event that anything didn't feel right—sort size, weight, style—the entire creating and printing procedure must be rehashed.
Now my report is on modern day typewriters, however, I felt the need to set the table so to speak on how the idea came about.
In the human body, high levels of triglycerides in the bloodstream have been linked to atherosclerosis. It has also been connected to the risk of heart disease and stroke. However, the relative negative impact of raised levels of triglycerides compared to that of good cholesterol to bad cholesterol ratios is still unknown. The risk can be mostly accounted for by a strong reverse relationship between triglyceride level and the bad cholesterol level. (A Life Science Lexicon)
Amazon is a large well-known business that I decided to write about because it’s a site where many people worldwide and students from Montclair State University (MSU) use to purchase many things such as books and other necessity for their classes. Amazon was the business that I picked rather then other institutions because I wanted to develop and research their company in depth to find out different techniques and discover what Amazon is all about. Especially since it’s a company that many of my friends and family members use every day. “Amazon.com is an American e-commerce company based in Seattle, Washington. Founded in 1994 by Jeff Bezos, and launched in 1995, Amazon.com began as an online bookstore before diversifying its product lines.”
There were several materials that were used during this experiment. College-ruled loose-leaf paper was used for the participants to take the test on. A number two pencil was used to take the test. The program PowerPoint, by Microsoft was used to display the list of words. A projector and white board were used to display the PowerPoint. A flat desk with a chair connected to it was used for the participants to sit in while they were presented the PowerPoint, as well as to take the test on. An HP ENVY laptop was used to connect to the projector to display the PowerPoint, as well as for the music to be obtained from. The music was played from a Beats by Dr. Dre Beatbox Portable speaker.
In nineteenth-century society, a time well versed in the uses and advantages of Gutenberg’s printing press, the typewriter changed the way people thought about writing. Since the introduction of the printing press four centuries earlier, there had been a very limited amount of new inventions pertaining to writing or the world of the mechanized press. Advancements certainly had been made to modernize the printing process, but the typewriter was the next invention that would change the face of writing. The typewriter made writing more common and accessible and loosened up proper business etiquette. Professionals shifted from the mindset of having to write a handwritten letter regarding company updates and accepted the notion of being able to type out a business memo. The process of typing also affected the way authors wrote and what they thought about writing as it allowed them to become more involved in publication.
Migration and development with regards to Africa are two interdependent processes. In the hopes of diversifying their sources of income through development, people become mobile by seeking better living conditions, education and more advanced labor markets. Migration allows goods, services, skills and labor to be spread across Africa this is a positive thing in terms of the continents development as it becomes more productive.
Throughout history, writing has had many various uses that have helped record information from history to the present day. Writing has obtained many different uses as to how and what we use writing today. When writing was formed in 3200 B.C. it was used to record and communicate. We have since then used writing for numerous issues such as recording information in which we may learn about the past, and for poetry or literature for people, both children and adults, to read and learn from. People throughout history and today even use writing for religious reasons such as writing out a prayer to God or even taking note on what has happened or talked of in the sermon.
Another significant reason why I believe that hydrogenated fats should disappear is that it has a high connection to diabetes. Hydrogenated oils has been proved in scientific studies to be linked with type two diabetes. The weight gain from the fatty oils results in an impaired glucose system. The impaired glucose system associates with insulin resistance which doesn’t allow for insulin to respond with cells. This results in a high blood sugar which can lead to more health problems than diabetes.
I never thought about writing something down with a pen on plain lined paper involved technology. It always seemed to me that those things were around, pen and paper had just been there, for one reason or another for the purpose of writing down things, organizing ideas, or just jotting down notes. Much like Ong says, “The fact that we do not commonly feel the influence of writing on our thoughts shows that we have interiorized the technology of writing so deeply that without tremendous effort we cannot separate it from ourselves or even recognize its presence and influence. (Tribble and Trubek, 316-317) Creating a writing technology is something that takes a lot of thought. The process, materials, words written down, and the purpose of writing things down although common to modern society, was something that proved daunting to create.
11. Tendulkar, Vijay. Interview. Elizabeth Roy. Indian Review of Books. Vol.2, no.7, April-May, 1993. Quoted by Samik Bandyopadhyay. Introduction. Vijay Tendulkar’s Collected Plays in Translation. New Delhi: OUP, 2002, xli-xlii.
The article opens with a statement about how life and literature are both essentials, and that there cannot be one without the other. Later, it describes the success of letter writing in the history of mankind. The practice also has more permanence than text messages or emails. Digital exchanges can be easily deleted or forgotten about, but physical copies of words can be stored and re-read years later. The publication also explains how letters can be used to learn about the personal and emotional life of a writer. I will use this source to highlight all of the reasons why letter writing is important.
As early as 2,800 years before Christ, the pen was beginning to appear as a writing implement in the world. Its first form was that of a dried reed, its tip cut at an angle so to create a line of ink instead of a blot. To write with it, simply dip the cut tip of the reed into an ink supply, then gently press the dipped tip against the paper .
Children of all ages everywhere these days seem to only depend on the internet. The internet is an amazing creation, but people take advantage of it. Since there is internet there is access to all kinds of social media, games, and all sorts of other things. However, because of today’s society internet is one of the only things kids use and go on, whether it’s go on Facebook for hours or watch ridiculous videos on YouTube, the internet is taking a negative turn towards children, their brains, smartness, and attitude. Despite helpful or early learning programs, the internet does not make children smarter.
Vijay Tendulkar, “Two Plays by Tendulkar: The Cyclist and His Fifth Woman”, Oxford University Press, New Delhi, 2004, P.49