Tow #17: Visual Text: "Ratchet and Clank Collection" Cover Art

On August 28th, 2012, Insomniac Games released "Ratchet and Clank Collection" for the PlayStation 3 in the United States. In this special 10th anniversary edition of the game, one disc contained the first three Ratchet and Clank games digitally remastered for the PlayStation 3, because they were all originally released on the PlayStation 2. The picture above is the cover art that was used for the inside cover of the game. Insomniac Games chose to put this picture as cover art to summarize Ratchet's, and his robot friend Clank's, journey of their first three times saving the galaxy to remind old fans of the first three games and allow new fans to get a preview of the games. This artwork is effective because it not only tells a story, but also the character development of Ratchet through the use of body language and color. From the first picture to the last picture, Ratchet goes from being fresh-faced and excited Lombax (the made-up animal that Ratchet is) to an angry, professional hero. This illustrates Ratchet's development as a character from immaturity to maturity. The body language that mainly shows Ratchet's development is his eyes. In the first game, Ratchet's eyes are wide. However, by the second game they are squinting showing that he has some unfinished business to take care of. Finally in the last picture, Ratchet's eyes and powerful stance tell the viewer that Ratchet has experienced many horrors in the world and is determined to end these horrors to save the world. Ratchet knows that his journey is much bigger than it was in the first game where his biggest problems were shooting giant guns and defeating robots in hoverboard races. The artwork also tells the story of Ratchet through the use of color. In the first game, the background is a dull blueprint that shows various weapons Ratchet learned how to use in the first game. The next picture is purple, which is still a cool color, so it does not indicate stress. However, there is a bright light in the background that shows a larger conflict is coming closer. Finally, the last picture is a fiery red that screams terror and distress. The red color also symbolizes the anger that Ratchet now has to not let the villains take over the galaxy. Overall, Insomniac was successful in illustrating the character development and story of Ratchet. After all, I have been so attracted to the picture ever since I got the game that I had to write a TOW about it.

Tow #16 IRB: Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach (Part 2)

While I was reading Stiff, I could not help but wonder the entire time what Roach was going to do with her body once she died. She discussed multiple options throughout the book and in the final chapter. Some of the options for human remains were the traditional burial or cremation, while others were less traditional such as plastination, donating the brain to a brain bank, or donating the skeleton and leaving the rest of the body to be boiled away. The ending of this book is the part that was the best. After explaining all of the amazing things that cadavers can do, Roach leaves the reader dying to know what she will do. In order to explain to her audience of what she is going to do with her body, she uses the same witty humor that was present throughout the entire book as well as clear explanations of the pros and cons of each choice. For example, in the last few paragraphs of the book, Roach weighs out the pros and cons of donating her body to science. She would love to donate her body to science, but her squeamish husband may not want that. Roach does not want to make her death worse for her husband to handle. Although she is unclear of exactly what will happen to her body once she dies, the way she explains her reasoning makes the ending not only satisfying, but also convincing to follow what she does. Ultimately, Roach thinks that it is up to the living to decide what should be done with her body. Because she uses logical reasoning and her signature humorous style, the ending is tied up smoothly leaving the reader completely satisfied with having read the book.

Tow #15: Article: "5 Tech Products That Will Be Dead in 5 Years" by Micah Singleton

Micah Singleton, a writer for Time Magezine, has written many articles about the future of technology in the Tech section of Time. In his latest, "5 Tech Products That Will Be Dead in 5 Years," Singleton claims that several products will quickly be replaced by products and services such as the smartphone and Netflix. The five products he specifically mentions will no longer be used or produced in five years are Blu-ray/DVD players, stand-alone in-car GPS units, Dial-up internet, low-end digital cameras, and physical car keys. Singleton uses statistics and historical examples of technology falling out of the market to explain to a skeptical, older audience that these five products will likely be gone in five years.  For example, to prove that smartphones will replace stand-alone GPS units, Singleton states that over 1.3 billion iPhones and Android smartphones have been sold around the world in about six years. All iPhones and Android smartphones come with GPS, so it has caused the sales of stand-alone GPS units to decrease 15-20% every year. By using statistics, Singleton appeals to logos and uses facts that can be easily verified, therefore strengthening his argument and making it more convincing. Also, the use of these statistics show that Singleton did his research and is credible. Along with using statistics to support his claim, Singleton also uses historical examples. These examples appeal to logos as well, but are likely used to convince an older person that technology products are replaced constantly, therefore the products that are widely used today will not be used at all in five years. Singleton briefly mentions the end of VCR to prove that blu-ray and DVD players will be replaced by something else (Netflix). Older people clearly remember the switch to DVD's from VCR, so they shouldn't be surprised that with new streaming technology on the rise, eventually DVD's will fall. Although many people will be uncomfortable with the changes, there will be changes because if enough people stop buying certain products, it would be foolish to keep making those products for the few people that refuse to change.

Tow #14: Article: "Jahi McMath, Alive in Social Media" by Meghan Daum

An author for the Los Angeles Times, Meghan Daum, has written many novels and essays on social and cultural issues. On December 31, 2013 she published an opinion piece about, Jahi McMath, a thirteen year-old girl who has been brain dead since December 12th, 2013. Daum believed that McMath should be taken off of the ventilator this is currently keeping her alive. In McMath's court case, the court decided to keep McMath on a ventilator until at least January 7th, 2014. The original deadline was December 30th, but the court ruled to extend it because the parents do not believe their child is dead and plan to airlift her to a hospital in New York. McMath became brain dead after undergoing a routine tonsillectomy and went into cardiac arrest. When a person is brain dead, all of their brain functions have completely stopped and it is irreversible. Nothing can make that person's brain function again. It is for this reason that McMath should be taken off the ventilator. The doctors have already done all that they can do and the girl's state has not changed. Although a routine procedure should never go as wrong as it went, nothing can change what has already happened to McMath. Some people argue that McMath needs to stay on the ventilator because she is "only brain dead" and the doctors are trying to kill her because they want her organs. However, being brain dead is not the same as a coma. When a person is in a coma, there is still brain activity. There is no activity in McMath's brain and to keep hoping for her to wake up is futile. It is a waste of the ventilator machine to keep McMath alive and should her parents chose to have her organs donated, they could be useful to someone who is dying. It is a tragedy that McMath became brain dead in a routine procedure and the doctors who made the mistake most certainly should have to pay for it, however now that McMath has been kept alive for almost a month by a machine, it is time to take her off of it.