06: OTTO Communications Timeline - The Radio

The Radio. Who still listens to the radio? A lot of people. 

The Radio was invented in the 1920s, starting out as morse code and communicating news to broadcasting assemblies and playing music. This invention shaped the future of marketing and advertising. Being able to broadcast important assemblies and election returns was something the country needed. 

 

The longer the radio was in use the more people realized they could make money off it. First off in order to make money, the radios needed to be accessible to everyone, so the Crystal Radios were the first to be used and manufactured and were easy to make yourself at home. They averaged at about $2.50 in Chicago in the 1950s and 1960s, therefore making it possible for everyone to have one. 

                        Crystal Radio

Secondly, people needed to advertise their business on the radio, so they have a way of reaching more people than imagined. These companies would pay radio stations to play their advertisement so that everyone listening to that station would hear it and spread the ad from word of mouth. This was a big change in the advertising and marketing industry because companies needed to think of ways to convince people to want their products without them seeing the product. The growth of music being played on the radio helped this problem. Thus, jingles. Companies would make catchy songs to play on the radio so the listeners would constantly have their jingle stuck in their head therefore never forgetting about the company, making a higher chance of purchasing. 

 

Not only did companies and listeners want to have easy access to radios, but they also wanted to be able to listen to it on the go. It was an inconvenience to have to wait around the radio to hear everything you wanted to hear an not be able to do anything else because of the radio not being portable. To help this problem, Chevy was the first car company to install radios into vehicles. This change made radios even more popular thus, more companies buying ads, and more consumers buying products. The radio was an invention that was great for the economy. 

05: Anti-War Voices on Obscure Websites

 

Journalists normally have specialties or passions that they prefer to write about, and most of them end up writing just that. We have all read the vague, not so opinionated articles on national news channels, but where can we hear pure raw writing that is unfiltered. Look at articles on these two websites and see how we are similar or different in our opinions towards these websites. 

Antiwar.com | Theamericanconservative.com

 

Sometimes reading more unfiltered articles about the wrongs and rights happening in the world, is the better way to read about it. For example, the article on Antiwar.com, about a United States Air Force general saying, “when you kill your enemy, every part of your life it better.” This article or simply the quote would not be seen on more nationally recognized news channels because it is to graphic and unappealing. What I mean by graphic and unappealing is, this is something the government and the mainstream news channels work hard to cover up and not bring attention to. This is because they want you to think about the military as focused on protecting us not always having to kill to better their own life. Nobody wants to hear that the people fighting for their country enjoys killing people. 

 

I believe there is a reason why we must seek out obscure websites to hear strong anti-war voices. This reason being, the government doesn’t want us to be against war because to them, that is always the easiest way of dealing with things. The government does not want us to be against our military, the people fighting for our country, because it would look bad on them. In order to get the deep dark truth, obscure websites might be the place to go. 

04: OTTO Communication Timeline - Hieroglyphs

Communication has gone as far back as the beginning of time; where cavemen drew in the ground in order to communicate with one another. Since then, communication has evolved in such unique ways, specific to the cultures they evolved in. Now I know that I mentioned cavemen and cave drawings, but I will be talking about a communication tactic that is similar in the way of carvings and drawings, Ancient Egyptian Hieroglyphs. 

Hieroglyph is Greek meaning, ‘sacred carvings’ according to the book Middle Egyptian by James P. Allen. Hieroglyphic first appeared around 3000 BC, remaining in use until the 11^th century AD. Hieroglyphic was used to write old and middle Egyptian. Old Egyptian refers to, the oldest known phase of the language, where the writing only consisted of names and labels. Middle Egyptian refers to writing that first appeared around 2100 BC surviving as a spoken language lasting around 500 years, and soon came to remain the hieroglyphic language that was standardized the rest of the Ancient Egyptian History. 

 

Most of the hieroglyphic inscriptions were carved into the walls of tombs and temples, as well as the well-known stone and wood tablets. As I mentioned earlier, hieroglyph means ‘sacred carvings’ and to the Egyptians, that’s exactly what they were. They took their time carving all the different symbols no matter how long it would take, because of how much they valued the stories of the carvings and the carvings themselves. 

 

With such devotion going into the carving of the hieroglyphs, the same devotion went into the stories as well. These inscriptions not only incorporate alphabetic symbols but symbols pertaining to humans and gods. When reading these inscriptions containing characters (humans and gods), you will notice that everything in the story will be facing the main subject mentioned in the story. 

For example, below is the 'Stele of Pepi', an ancient hieroglyphic inscription. The figure in the bottom right corner represents the subject, someone of importance, possibly a God. You can tell this is true because this figure is the largest symbol on the tablet, one of the only colored symbols, and the only symbol facing towards the left. This creates hierarchy in the story just as one would in our present time period. Instead of hieroglyphs, think about a book or another article of text, how some higher power is referenced using storytelling such as a king, or professor, or parent. 

Hieroglyphic inscriptions can be understood by anyone. Still referring to the image to the left, look at the eyes drawn at the top of the tablet. What do you think they represent? The Egyptians intentions were to show hierarchy once again by having the eyes overseeing the entire tablet, but to also imply that their Gods are all always seeing and watching over them. Moving down the tablet, you will notice any life inhabiting symbols facing towards the right, towards the large figure on the right. This indicates the central idea of the story. The large subject in the bottom right, is the main subject of the story, the one with the highest power or reputation, and that everyone and everything else mentioned in the story, surrounds the main subject and respects the main subject. If you can tell, hierarchy and respect play a huge role in hieroglyphic stories. The Egyptians highly worshiped and respected their Gods and made sure to do that even in writing. 

 

Now, take everything you just read and apply it to your present life. Think about how many symbols you see a day, such as handicap symbols, parking symbols, bathroom symbols, and try to take them out of the picture. Try to think about how life would be different for us is we never thought of creating or using symbols. We might not have logos or any type of road signs. Without the creative workings of the Ancient Egyptians and their dedication to write down their beloved stories, the world we know today might not consist of key elements we need and use in society. 

03: Speech Theories

Listed below are all Eight Values of Free Expression. To better grasp the message of this blog, why don't you read through all the freedoms listed below as well as the questions listed and compare and contrast my answer to the questions to your answers. 

Eight Values of Free Expression

     1. Marketplace of Ideas

When truth and falsehood are allowed to freely grapple, truth will win out. And the grappling makes the truth even smaller. 

    2. Participation in Self-Government

It has been suggested that citizens will not make wise and informed choices in elections if candidates and proponents of certain policies are restricted in their ability to communicate positions. We want an informed electorate in debate.

    3. Stable Change

It has been suggested that a society in which angry and alienated citizens are allowed to speak their mind, or "vent," will be more stable, as people will be less likely to resort to violence. This also enables government to better monitor potentially dangerous groups who would otherwise act more clandestinely.

    4. Individual Self-Fulfillment

Free speech enables individuals to express themselves and thereby create their own identity – and, in the process perhaps, find kindred spirits. Freedom of speech thus becomes an aspect of human dignity, human agency and autonomy. 

    5. Check on Governmental Power

Freedom of the press enables citizens to learn about abuses of power – and then do something about the abuse at the ballot box if they feel so moved. We, along with the press, are apart of the check-and-balance system to restrain governments power and abuse of power. 

    6. Promote Tolerance

It has been argued that freedom of speech teaches us to become more tolerant in other aspects of life – and that a more tolerant society is a better society. 

    7. Promote Innovation

A community in which free speech is valued and protected is likely to be a more energized, creative, interesting society as its citizens actively fulfill themselves in many diverse and interesting ways. 

    8. Protect Dissent

Our system is not supposed to be one of mob rule. The First Amendment protects minority views, no matter how unpopular. You have a strongly protected right to disagree with the government – and everyone else. 

Questions

Which value feels most important?

I would say the most important value to me would be value number 3 (Stable Change). This feels the most important to be because our world speaks their mind and vents to others. I think that living in a country where I wouldn't be able to freely voice my opinion, whether good or bad, would cause a lot of violence. Now there is still violence that goes on around the world even in countries that are allowed to freely voice their opinions. However, I feel the reason violence still goes on in the "free" countries is because the ability to voice your own opinion is still restricted to certain ages, or aspects of life. This has shown to be a bad thing, and if it were to be corrected maybe the rate of violence would decrease as well. 

Which values feels most personal to you?

The value that is most personal to me would be value number 4 (Individual Self-fulfillment). This value is personal to me because without my freedom of speech, my life might have been a lot different. I have always been independent, I was raised that way. I have always wanted to stand up for myself and others and I was able to. Thinking about how some people aren't able to do that makes me sad but also makes me more grateful to be able to voice my opinion and stand jump for myself. 

Which value/values do you see in action today?

Value number 5 (Check on Governmental Power), is one that I see a lot in todays America. A lot of people are aware of power and how it can be abused. Being an American means being able to criticize your government and take action in doing so. People vote to let the country and world know how they feel about the politicians running. Having checks on governmental power is something that sets America apart from the rest of the world and helps to advocate and support the freedom of Americans. I was excited to vote in my first election because I have always voiced my opinions but was never able to really do anything about them until I was eligible to vote. Letting the individuals have a say in who runs their government helps to elevate violence and advocates freedom. 

02: The US Supreme Court

To better understand this blog, please read an overview about the Supreme Court created by the History Channel. Once you have read the overview, please feel free to keep reading and answer these questions along with me to see how our answers may differ. 

What did you learn about the Supreme Court that you didn't already know?

I was not aware that the Justices were nominated by the President of the United States and confirmed or denied by the US Senate. I found this interesting that the people of the US didn't have any say in who the Justices would be. Technically they do, because they voted in the President and the Senate. 

What is the most important take-away point about the Supreme Court?

The most important take-away in my opinion, is that the Chief Justice presides over trials of impeachment against the President of the United States. I find this very fascinating and scary. That is a lot of power to have and I know that it does not happen often, it is still a lot of power. 

What was the most surprising thing you learned?

Since the first court of six Justices, congress has altered the number of Supreme Court seats from a low of 5 and a high of 10, until 1869, when Congress set the number of seat to nine and it has remained that way ever since. 

How did the video change the way you thought of the Supreme Court?

After watching the video linked in the overview, I have a higher respect for the Supreme Court. The Justices are appointed for life and can only be removed by impeachment. That is a lot of time, stress, and devotion to the United States of America. 

I hope you had a good time reading about the Supreme Court and comparing the differences and/or similarities in our answers to these questions. 

01: News Sources

Being aware of the news, is a vital role in our citizenship to America. Without the news, we would not be informed of the events going on in the world. For a person to support America or undermine America, they need to be well in tune with the actions America chooses to take. For one to be able to do this, they need to have access to unbiased news databases, simply where fact is told. I will be listing five unbiased news databases and why you should chose them. 

To begin, I would like to mention The Associated Press.

The Associated Press (AP) considers themselves an unbiased global news database due to their dedication for factual reporting. In order for The AP to get the factual information needed for their reporting, they would need to have a well rounded team. According to The Associated Press, "We are a proudly independent group of social media professionals and business innovators guided by a leadership team devoted to shaping the future of journalism." The AP focuses on reporting the unbiased truth to effectively shape the future of journalism. 

Secondly, I would like to mention The Wall Street Journal.

The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) mentions, on their 'About Us' page, that they were "...founded in July 1889. Ever since, the Journal has led the way in chronicling the rise of industries in America and around the world." The WSJ focuses their reporting on the lows and highs of the industries and companies in America. It is nice to have a journal that focuses so much on one subject because their reporting is well thought out and researched and sought out from good sources. Whether you have a job or not, seeking money, making money or saving money, this journal is the one for you. 

The next source I would like to mention would be Reuters. 

Reuters strives to bring unbiased news straight from the source and from all over the world. According to Reuters, "With unmatched coverage in over 16 languages, and reaching billions of people worldwide everyday, we provide trusted intelligence that powers humans and machines to make smart decisions." This source in known for their extremely straightforward clean reporting. They are not afraid to discuss extremely sensitive topics going on throughout the world. This source will inform you about all the good and bad going on in the world in a true and unbiased way. 

Up next, I will be talking about BBC. 

BBC is a public service broadcaster based out of the UK with a focus on unbiased reporting which will inform, educate and entertain its viewers. According to BBC, " we provide a wide range of programs, content and services on television, radio and online...Our mission and public purposes are the foundation for everything we do." This goes to show that BBC is very dedicated to its viewers and strives to provide the most authentic information possible. 

Lastly, I am mentioning The Financial Times. 

The Financial Times (FT), is one of the oldest databases in the world that primarily focuses on reporting unbiased economics, politics, business and much more. According to The Financial Times, they are "...one of the world's leading news organizations, recognized internationally for its authority, integrity and accuracy." The FT has a target audience of individuals and companies across the world. This is good because they know how to report news that is geared towards all demographics which will produce a great result.