Best of Today: Evolution of Art

Art has had a very profund effect on society. Art has been evolving since the the first humans roamed the planet. At first, art was illustrated through primitive cave carvings and painting. Afterwards, the Chinese evolved these cave paintings into caligraphy which is the art of writing letters. At about the same time, the Egyptians and other Middle Eastern countries began painting their own pictures, these paintings were called hieroglyphics. With that in mind, art has evolved with the times. Now-a-days modern art has transformed from primitive cave drawings to comlex paintings and drawings that have intricate concepts and philosophies such as cubism, and other abstract forms of art. The evolution of art is a lot more significant that it seems. Since art reflects the genereations before and after us, it serves as a visual histroy book of our ancestors and what life was like hundreds of years ago. All in all, art should be taken a lot more seriously since it is virtually a reflection of our past.

Best of Today: Art and Biology

I was intrigued to hear the notion that art was created by genetic evolution. Its interesting to know that a combination of the humanities and the sciences are both needed in order for art and creativity to prosper. This dynamic relationship is ever present in in the cave carvings where cavemen would illustrate human figures. Having the ability to reflect on yourself and others is a privilage that not many species have aquired. This allows me to connect the biological aspect of this relationship. The fact that humans have this ability was achieved through natural selection and the survival of the fitest. With that said, Wilson's notes that it is impossible for the arts and the creative mind to flourish without the help of the biological aspects of human nature. Aside from that, Wilson also pokes around with the idea that there might be another factor that is evolving with us, our culture. As of now, there are not that many studies showing scientific proof of this, but many scientists are starting to investigate, and believe that some aspects of culture has evolved with our generations.

Best of Today: Bacteria

While watching Mr. Wilson's fasinating presentation about the biological aspects of the Earth, I was amused to learn the real truth about bacteria. With that said, I was surprised to learn that not all bacteria is bad. In fact, 99% of the bacteria in the world is actually good for you. They help fight diseases and prevent them later. They can even put out spreading forest fires. Another thing that amused me about Wilson's presentation was his anology regarding bacteria. In the video, Mr. Wilson tried to put a picture to how much bacteria there is by comparing it to a grain of sand. It just amazing to think that there are so many bacteria, and yet we cannot even see most of them. This opens up a completely new aspect of life, the microscopic aspect. Things that you are not aware of. A lot like an unconsious brain. Lastly, I felt like Wilson's TED video actually made a difference in peoples mind. At least it did in mine.

Best of Day: TED Google Presentation

I found the Google presentation with Sergey Brin, the founder of Google, to be very interesting because i could completely relate to what Brin was mentioning. As a matter of fact, I just utilized Google in order to research Brin's background and how Google got started. It's fasinating to see such a rags to riches story in that Google was started from a person's garage, and now look at what it has become. Virtually every person that owns a computer has used Google, and that is saying a whole lot. Needless to say, Google's rise has been surprising as well. No other company has posted such big profits in such a short amount of time, while at the same time expanding their own company into an internet giant. One of the fascinating points during the presentation was when Brin pulled up a map of the data that is currently flowing through Google's databases. It was simply incredible, it look like the monitor was having a seizure or something, with all the line sand colors being presented at the same time. All in all, Google has revolutionized our society because it has allowed people to enjoy information that once was almost impossible to get your hands on. Google has greatly expanded the worlds sharing of information, and the knowledge available on the internet, and that is something Brin can be truly proud of.

Best of Week: Intangible Wealth

Question 44 in our Do You Mind section is very appealing because of the economic status of our times. For most people wealth is solely associated with money. However, wealth can also be found in intangible things such as health, happiness, and drive. Many people's goal's are to become wealthy. But what exactly do they mean buy this? I asked a few classmates what they thought of it, and the only response i got was the monetary unit that seems to be so valuable and holy. This is very unfortunate in the sense that my classmates do not associate wealth with the well-being of an individual or how the individual feels. However, this discovery was not all that surprising. Now-a-days it seems like our society is focusing a lot more on money, and I don't blame them. With the economy in ruins, and an inevitable recession about to transpire, cash seems to be the only thing on peoples minds. However, money is not everything! It certainly helps with a lot of dilemmas now-a-days but the wealth that cannot be felt, is what I think is of the utmost importance. Since everyone has money on their minds, people seem to be a lot more stressed and filled with anxiety. People need to relax a little bit, and live life at a slower pace. All in all, most people associate wealth with money, but it is the intangible wealth that truly satisfies and dictates an individuals life.

Connections: Harry and Hamlet

While reading Hamlet, i've come to realize that there are many similarities between Harry Potter and Hamlet. Much like Hamlet, Harry's father is dead. This causes him great emotional distress, which makes him act irrationally, a lot like Hamlet's split personality. Moreover, like Hamlet, Harry will stop at nothing to avenge his father's death causing a lot of turmoil in his life, eventually lashing out at his friends a lot like Hamlet, and his two friends Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. Another major connection between these two pieces of literature is the concept of "close enemies". Harry's relatives such as his uncle and aunt are always trying to spy and interfere with Harry's life, a lot like Hamlet's friends. However, these enemies are not aware that their counterparts are jsut putting on a play so as to seem that they are a lot dumber they really are. With that said, I wonder if J.K Rowlings had Hamlet in the back of her mind while writing the Harry Potter series.

360 Degrees: Hamlet

Hamlet, the play has been a very difficult play to keep up not only because of the language that is utilized throughout the play, but also because of the simultaneous plots that are intertwined through the characters. For that reason, i wihs that Shakespeare was alive today to answer some of my questions regarding Hamlet. One of the most puzzling aspects of Hamlet to me is Hamlet's split personality. I have a preconceived notion that Shakespeare did this for a reason. It couldn't have been accidental. I would really like to know why he would create a character that is so smart yet so awkward. Perhaps it was a way to create confusion, or maybe it was a way to make the play more interesting. Nevertheless, Hamlet's split personality is a very interesting dialectic that I will keep in mind throughout the play. Another question that I have, is the whole issue with the ghosts. I dont really know the purpose of the ghost, aside from the fact that it is the ghost of Hamlet's father, and ex-king of Denmark. Lastly, I would like to ask Shakespeare himself, as to why he would create such a marvelous play which has so many interpretations. Just searching the web for a minute, and I was able to get numerous interpretations of Hamlet. If it was up to me, I would let the reader, or viewer, for that matter, know exactly how i wanted the play to transpire.