The Laugh Track Conundrum

     Insert laugh here. That is what laugh tracks essentially do, tell us what's funny and when to laugh. Klosterman's article reads alot like a conversation one would have with Lewis Black, it is almost yelling at you. I thoroughly enjoyed reading the article, I found it hilarious. (Even without a laugh track) His Friends reference was spot-on, I really like the show, but his stripped down version was an excellent example of the standard template. He also points out that sitcoms without the laugh track make us think more and treat us as if we know when to laugh, we do not need to be told when. In general I find the comedies without the laugh track as funnier and better written, with the exception of How I Met Your Mother, which is great. TV show's should treat the audiences like they know what's going on, not like they need to be lead to water like sheep. Remember Bro's no blog is ever complete until it is graced by Neil Patrick Harris. So here ya go......

Writing History, Do's and Don'ts

 "The function of the historian is neither to love the past nor to emancipate himself from the past, but to master and understand it as the key to the understanding of the present." Edward Hallett Carr, 1892-1982, British historian.  As historians, we are not supposed to live in the past, but to understand it. My topic is Writing History and Writing it efficiently. The problem with writing history is, to people other than historians, it comes off as boring.
        Some questions I would like to research are; Can Academic history reach wider audiences, without compromising its integrity? What are some ways to expand the field of History? How can reading and writing history help during the day to day life?  

Annotated bibliography

In the article In Defense of Academic History writing, Gordon Wood attempts to explain why Academic history is not popular anymore. He blames the historians, that they have stopped writing for an audience. Wood also states , they forgot how to tell a story. Historic writings have become so specific that the only people who care to read them are historians themselves. The article places the blame of the lack of interest, squarely on the historians. The article is very well written and argues a new view on a point that plagues the field of history, lack of interest.

Wood, Gordon. "In Defense of Academic History Writing." Perspectives on History. April 2010: Print. 

Attached to Technology

 Mr.Campbell is addicted to technology, which is an increasing problem in our ever-connected world. The internet is everywhere, from our phones to our iPod's we are always online. In this article Mr. Campbell and his family are successful in life, but becoming increasingly dependent on their devices. Not only is it hurting his life at home but also his business life, constantly missing emails from clients and getting distracted by twitter. A study by Stanford, reported multitaskers did a worse job than non-multitaskers. Only about 3% of the population can multitask efficiently, yet our brains are meant to "adapt." Mr.Campbell is not the only member of his family showing signs of media addiction. His son's grades began to dip and his wife has burned cookies due to availability of media at any time. Mrs. Campbell even hoped for an "unplugged" vacations, yet Mr. Campbell could not handle being offline and quickly went back to his iPhone. The problem is that people have access to e-mail and social media all the time, and mostly it is more interesting then what they should be doing. As I right this, Facebook is open on another tab and I have notification, yet i will fight the urge and finish this blog. With all the media outlets constantly at our fingertips, it is easy to get bored and want to find something new. That is human nature, we are adapting to handle more information, but right now it seems to be hurting rather then helping our culture. People would rather chat on Facebook then see each other or even talk on the phone. So I think the real evil here is the lack of personal contact, not all the information, it is the wanting to be somewhere else or with someone else. Now back to that notification......

Deep thoughts with Jake Lee

Hola friends, my name is Jake and I like to party. When I'm not at IUP, I am saving lives on the Youghiogheny river as a white water rafting guide. During the winters I practice Kung Fu with monks in Tibet. I am a retired space cowboy, and a practicing super lawyer. My brother is the Eiffel Tower, my mother is nature, my father is time, and family reunions are CRAZY!!! I played soccer in high school, for Manchester United. I have two nieces, no joke here, I love them. I was born in the Dagobah system. My favorite movie is Star Wars, because its based loosely on my life. Once I graduate from IUP, I hope to join my dad, so we can rule the galaxy as father and son. I am in the Guinness book of World Records for watching the movie Juwana Mann the most times, 190873 times to be exact. I once accidentally, just walked into Mordor.  I am the most interesting man in the world.