CH. 5

"Shared horizons of meaning" to me is being open to people from different backgrounds, and open to new people with different personalities than your used to.  As a first year student I have met so many people from different backgrounds with completely different personalities because I have an open mind. The best way to meet people is to let your guard down and just be open to new personalities. This is completely different from high school where most people judge the facade and rarely take the time to find out what the inside is like.  Anyways the shared horizons of meaning are that these different people can meet and start relationships.  This means that people who may not necessarily agree on certain topics can still be friends. 

Your ethnic background, hometown culture, and gender are a direct correlation to how you feel about certain values. The way that you were brought up determines how you feel about moral values.  The people that you grew up around will probably have similar views to you.  However there are exceptions; for example I grew up in a pretty  rural area with several republicans, and I am pretty liberal.  So people can stray away from the exact values of the people they grew up with. 

"Cosmopolitanism"

Appiah's book is full of great concepts and issues. The ideas throughout the text revolve around ideas of culture and how people react, relate, and observe culture. I found it particularly interesting when Appiah in the introduction writes "Unfortunately, we could also send, through negligence as easily as malice, things that will cause harm: a virus, an airborne pollutant, a bad idea." ("Cosmopolitanism", 2006, pg. xii) Appiah brings several topics like this up- about how we do several actions subconsciously. We may hurt someone, without any intention. This is a direct correlation to how someone can be offensive to someone else without knowing it because of the way they were brought up. When someone goes into a new environment and they are ignorant to their surroundings they can become highly offensive without even trying. Unintentional pain put on others is seen in society today as not offensive- because it was an accident- but can often cause as much harm as intentional pain forced on someone. 

Appiah also has several similarities to Berry in his writing.  They both are ridiculously aware of their surroundings. This statement may seem blatantly obvious but it's true. Each person that Appiah introduces he gives a full background of their history, where they have been, what they have learned, and their personality. While Appiah is very descriptive about the characters hat he introduces; Berry is very, very descriptive about his environment, and setting. 

So far in Second Life I have mostly met people from the area that I am in. However, I have met some people who are either very well versed or they have figured out how to use a descent translator. The people I have met have been really friendly, almost a little too outgoing, but nice so far. 

SL Community

The name of our group is "The International Back Line". We are a solid team! 

My personal role is as a recorder. As a recorder I plan on mostly keeping track of our progress by blogging (I think that is what I am suppose to do...) I also plan on participating with the rest of my group while we explore Amsterdam, I am not one to just sit back and watch things happen. I have plenty of gumption, but I know when to use it and when not to. While recording what happens while we explore I will also attempt to keep track of who does what. I think that these are basically all of my obligations as the recorder. If anyone else knows if I am suppose to be doing something else please let me know. Also if I said that I was going to do something that I'm not suppose to feel free to let me know. We have decided who will have direct interaction, observer, and team planner. We are starting off on the right foot.

We have decided to explore Amsterdam.  It seems like a pretty cool place! This was also a place where we found several people to interact with each time we went there. We wanted to pic a place where we could walk around and discover objects and places and people in their culture. 

We have all agreed on our positions and are comfortable with them, for the most part. We are good at working together, and we have been polite towards each other so far (haha lets hope that lasts, just kidding yeah Back Line!).  I think that we will be able to work together nicely. We have a people with a strong technology background, charm, and people who can take charge when necessary. We have agreed to listen to each other and respect each other.

Go "The International Back Line!"

Geo-Biography

Hey everyone!

The place I set for home is the first place that I went to at Second Life. I feel the safest there and have several friends in the community. There I can talk freely with my friends and grow as a Second Life character. This is a place where I test out my skills, like flying, dancing, creating groups, and initiating conversations. I work out all the kinks there, that way when I teleport to other islands I can work smoothly, and hopefully not offend anyone. However I have learned several new skills in other places, like accepting gifts, and talking to people from other places. 

I joined "The International Back Line" group! I am really excited about it! We have a solid group, full of different people who each bring another asset to the table. We come from a couple different places, which naturally come with different experiences which will help our group be able to look at the situations from several angles. I feel like our backgrounds combined will allow us to really explore different islands in Second Life. We are truly a team and I think that we will work together very well. 

I am interested in getting more involved with this project, but I feel like we might need a little bit more structure to continue, we seem to be a little lost. We have plenty of enthusiasm, but are a little fuzzy on the direct task at hand.

Why Rupert?

Well I wanted to be Rupert because, well lets face it Rupert is an awesome name. Before I was known as Lu Sporg, but my identity was compromised and I was forced to create this character Rupert. Though creating the Rupert character was some sort of an accident, I think it was a good choice. Some may refer to the switch as a blessing in disguise. 

Rupert is a laid back, chill kinda guy. He likes to rock out to whatever is playing on WRFL these days. He even likes to break it down with his buddies; Ratio and Charlie in second life! They all have some pretty ridiculously good moves! along with his super dance moves are super flying skills! After a couple crash landings he was able to land like a pro. Rupert travels through the island and even takes a ride in the hot air balloon when he has some extra time. 

Rupert's physical identity is in a process. He is a free spirit, so his look tends to vary from time to time. He likes to keep his image fresh, and current with his state of being. Some days he may rock the hat, or maybe a new haircut. Some days he may feel a little bit more bloated (don't we all) and it may show a little bit. Some days he likes to rock tight jeans, or on the bloated days maybe the looser jeans. 

So that was Rupert in a nutshell. Add him as a friend, then you guys can rock out to some WRFL together!

"A Native Hill", and "That Distant Land"

Both of these stories were written by Wendell Berry, and share commonality. 

1. In the beginning of "The Native Hill" the Literary community that he is in (NY) is very aggressive. His colleague desperately tries to inform Wendell that where he is at now is immensely better than where he came from. According to the literary community "there simply could be nothing worth going back to" (pg. 6, "A Native Hill", Berry). 

however when he does go back home there is a much different atmosphere that awaits him. He goes back to his residence of a family farm, and is isolated from part of the community because his property is so large. He explores the property to realize that we are creatures of habit; he finds many foot trails. This shows that once we get into a routine, it generally becomes second nature. Also he realizes that the farm needs a significant amount of work, so much that he needs help. He also discovers in the history of the town that the people were very violent, to people and to nature. People abuse the wonder of nature and cut down excessive amounts of trees for firewood, instead of just cutting what they need.

2. In "That Distant Land" the characters are different but share some similarities. While in "A Native Hill",  Wendall seems isolated, in "That Distant Land" he is anything but. He is surrounded by family, and friends to help him work on the farm. The tone in "That Distant Land" is more positive even through sad moments. However the violence mentioned in "A Native Hill" correlates with an image created in "That Distant Land"; when he said, "the field changed, behind them, was maybe like watching Homeric soldiers going to battle." (pg. 275, "That Distant Land", Berry)

3. For membership in our community a person must be open, respectful and have some sense of humility (everyone makes mistakes, some more than others...)

Lu Sporg defined

Hey Everyone! My name is Lu Sporg.

 I really like it here. Everyone is super friendly! So far my first two weeks of classes have been pretty good. Except today I had my first pop quiz today in Calculs!! Yikes! 

So When I was in high school I was very active with Softball, Band, and Community Service groups. I was co-captain of our high school softball team my senior year and help lead our team to District Finals, and we won our conference!! I was also in Interact Club, we did a lot of different activities for the community. 

While I am at UK I really look forward to studying abroad. I am really interested in learning more about other cultures, and creating awareness of how fortunate we are in the States. 

This DSP class is very interesting. I was a little unsure in the beginning about the amount of work on the computer that we would be doing, but I am feeling more comfortable with the computer the more I use it. I have enjoyed the activities that we have done in class, from the Alpha/Beta activities to the personality tests. I am learning more about myself in this class than I expected to. I like that we are learning who we are in order to find out the way that we interact with others. 

According to the "Do What You Are" exercise I am a hands on learner, I learn best with several activities, and through demonstrations. When teaching me something I learn best when I feel comfortable, and we may discuss the topic informally. I am a very logical person, so the topic discussed must agree with my rational. I like to apply my knowledge to real life situations. 

See you guys in class!

DSP Class

Hey guys this is my first official blog... ever! I am a little unsure of how this is going to work out but I think I will get the hang of it soon, hopefully.

 I really liked the activity we did today in class. I found it very entertaining and interesting. When I went to go visit the Beta group I was bombarded with a new culture that was very different from that of the Alpha's. It was nice to simulate such different cultures and attempt to interact! 

I also started reading the book for class, and would just like to know if anyone else finds themselves having to reread a couple sections? The book is interesting, but I find myself getting lost and then rereading...

See you guys in class!

-Lu Sporg