JB's Blog

          Overall I feel good about my progression in this class. In the beginning, I didn't really know what to expect and didn't dive deep enough in my first essays. In terms of my Microtheme, I think I definitely could've explored the topic more to have more understanding about it. I feel like for my Microtheme, I did not do the amount of research that I should've and it could've been done more like my rational argument just with a more popular topic.     The documentary project was a bit of a shift from what we were doing; however, my English class last year was exclusively film and presentations so I felt somewhat prepared. Similarly to my Microtheme, I think I could've gone a little more in depth in terms of rhetorical analysis and breaking down a few specific scenes. I definitely could've used more of the quote sandwich format for it as well which would have made it more organized as I feel like it's a little scattered.     Lastly...

          Initially, the drafting process for my Rational Argument was very slow and I was only able to crank out a few sentences before hitting writer's block constantly. The issue with my topic, trash-talking in sports, is that not many people have fully explored the topic for there to be a lot of academic sources. I eventually was able to find two very good ones, which also mentioned the shortage of research in the field, but this wasn't the end of my struggles. Researching someone's intentions behind doing something is very difficult as the only way we can do it, in this case, is with a survey/interview. These are some of the least accurate ways to collect information about human nature because of the amount of bias and external factors that play into the individual's answer. For example, on camera, it's unlikely that a professional athlete who has a reputation to uphold would admit that the reason he was talking trash is because he just doesn't like th...

          Scholarly research is the process of investigating a topic to provide new knowledge or understanding within a specific academic field. It starts with formulating a research question then finding relevant sources and collecting data. When doing scholarly research, it is crucial to use academic sources. An academic source is one that has been peer-reviewed by experts, such as individuals with PhDs, university professors, or researchers with extensive knowledge and experience in the field.      To locate these sources, search engines that specialize in academics like Google Scholar or Cardinal Search are very useful. However, unlike general search engines, these engines require users to utilize keywords effectively instead of just simply entering entire questions. In my experience, mastering relevant keywords significantly increases scholarly research efficiency.     So , before relying on these search engines, brainstorm...

     Oesterle Library at North Central College is the ideal place for students to study at any time. It has three floors with a variety of open seating options. Students can also reserve either a study room for about four people or a pod for individual study.      The library remains open until 10:00 P.M., allowing students to get late-night studying done in a quiet environment. The lower level houses all the books and additional seating options, while the first level features rooms with computers available during non-class times.      Oesterle Library also exists online at library.noctrl.edu and offers numerous valuable features. The website allows students to reserve study rooms and uses a search engine called "Cardinal Search" for academic purposes. Cardinal Search enables students to find research papers, journals, articles, and books on any topic, including filters like "Peer-Reviewed" to narrow their search. This tool is highly benefici...

     The first sport I ever played was hockey. At 3 years old my parents decided I had to much energy so they just threw me into whichever sport still had registration open at the time. I ended up playing for 4 years and ended up quitting because playing hockey 6 days a week at 2 clubs at 7 years old was a little bit too much. That sounds like a lot, but for hockey that seemed to be the norm. Dads who want their kid to be the next big NHL star basically raise their kids in hockey which creates one of the toughest environments out of any sport. Even sports like football, which I played after, didn't feel as intense as hockey always did.      Now that I've found the sport I love and am dedicated to it, not just looking back, but also looking at current hockey, I can see how different from other contact sports it is. The biggest example of this is fighting. In hockey if two players start fighting, the referees just stand there and wait for the guy who's last s...

          I recently watched an old movie which was a comedy that also interestingly addressed mental health disorders.  In Frank Oz’s 1991 comedy “What About Bob?” Bill Murray plays the character Bob Wiley who is an individual who suffers from what he defines as “problems.” These problems are initially described as many phobias and anxieties. In the beginning of the film, Bob struggles to find a psychiatrist who can help him or even tolerate him. Eventually, he comes across Dr. Leo Marvin and Bob fully believes he’s the Doctor who can finally help him. However, this is where the film takes a twist and reveals Bob’s one of the more impactful disorders Bob has. After meeting with Dr. Marvin, Bob develops codependency towards him and for the rest of the film, we follow Bob as he constantly tries to fulfill his desire to be needed by Dr. Marvin.     Understandably, some may view this film as making fun of the disorder or trying to make entertain...

          Ever since platforms like SoundCloud and Spotify have become the most used ways of listening to music, young artists can go viral and become successful due to the ease of uploading their own music. It's significantly easier to make music today compared to even just 20 years ago. All someone needs is a laptop/phone, a microphone, and some lyrics. This is great for artists who have the talent but just not the resources, right? I mean many of today's most popular rappers might not have become as popular if it wasn't for the internet and social media.     This all seems great, but there's a problem with such young artists blowing up so quickly. Imagine at 16 years old, you release a song that gets millions of views overnight. You'll think it's the best thing to ever happen and you'll feel even better when a music label contacts you to sign with them. This is where everything in an artist's career goes down hill basically before it even start...

          The idea that robots will eventually take over the world is not a new concept. Even before most advanced artificial intelligence was open to the public, movies and TV shows have covered this topic for many decades. All of these of course have different depictions of how this world takeover would happen, so how does AI in the real world actually work? AI such as ChatGPT or Google's Bard have the same goal: mimic human behavior to "think" and "process" information. Modern-day AI use large amounts of information that they have access to in order to do this and are also highly efficient in sorting through info and utilizing pattern recognition. Essentially, as people use AI more, it will become smarter and better at mimicking humans.     Since it's constantly getting smarter, it's understandable how one can think to the extent that it will take over the world one day. But, AI right now is definitely not at that level yet. The most common use...