Sunday, February 28, 2010

TROPOS

1. Pictures of empanadas. I chose to take pictures of empanadas because of their cultural significance. This food is very, very popular in Argentina and you don't find any Argentinian's who don't like them. For the close up shot, I decided to focus on the ingredients of the empanadas. I believe this angle and focus gives those outside of the culture a chance "taste" empanadas without actually tasting them.

2. Pictures of the Church. I took these photos on two different outings. I believe the change between these 2 pictures, illustrating dark vs. light, change the mood of the picture. Even though the focus is still the same, the lighting and time of day set the mood.

3. Newspaper stand. I like the angle and focus of this. Even though the focus is on the stand, I included traffic in the street too. This allows the viewer to understand more of the location. This shot was taken on a rainy Saturday afternoon, during "siesta" naptime. This same shot, taken during the weekdays, would have a completely different feel.

Friday, February 19, 2010

Exploring Digital Photography Principals in Cordoba

Close vs. Far
Empanadas. a cultural food.








Dark vs. Light
Church in El Centro


Rule of Thirds
Newspaper Stand "La Voz"
My House Number
House "mailbox"

Horizontal vs. Vertical and Close vs. Far
My street sign.

Sunday, February 14, 2010

Rhetorical Analysis'

Coca~Cola Adertisement of Argentina.
1. Kairos- this commercial appeals to all audiences as evidenced by the words:
It says
"for the fat"
"for the Skinny"
"for the Tall"
"for the Short"
"for those that smile"
"for the optimist"
"for the pecimist"
"for those that play"
"for the family"
"for the king"
etc. etc. etc... then at the end it says... "for everyone"
2. Logos--the different types of coke bottles. Taking adjectives that describe people and applying them to coke bottles. Different sizes, different arragements, etc. Travels from one "person" to another.
3. Pathos-Coca~Colas are for all types of people. The movement, music, etc.
4. Ethos-Person who produced is saying to viewers "We understand you are all different, but this drink suits everyone"


"For 33 years, we have continued fighting for a free country and Latin America."

This is a photo of graffiti at the National University in Cordoba that our group visited last Tuesday. This graffiti tells part of the story of Argentina and the Dirty War. From about 1976-1983 there was fighting and war amongst terrorists and Argentina military due to a terrorist attack in Buenos Aires. This was carried out by Jorge Rafael Videla's military dictatorship. During this time, there was killing of many innocent people, not just the terrorists. The military killed about 18,000 people without any reason, solely because they wanted to. Moms of the deceased marched around the Plaza de Mayo in Buenos Aires protesting. This graffiti is a picture of women who protested and eventually lead to a free country.
1. Kairos-protesting for a free LatinAmerica
2. Logos-opening a zipper- representing liberty
3. Pathos-evokes sentimental feelings. No expressions on faces.
4. Ethical- the creator wants the audience to remember, and to understand the emotions behind the unjust war, aka the Dirty War.

How special would you feel with a Ronald McDonald Birthday cake? :)

McDonalds USA vs. McDonalds Argentina

1. McDonalds in Argentina host special birthday parties for children. They have a special area reserved and decorated for parties. As a part of the traditional Hispanic fiestas, birthday parties include pinatas. The restaurant provides invitations and gifts for each guest. The guests can chose between 3 different kits: the countryside, average age, or icecream. Each kit contains different drawings and different gifts for the guests. Each kit also contains a voucher for free french fries. The birthday boy/girl receives a very special gift and a happy meal box or "cajita feliz" free each month for a year. All of this for only (approx) U$S $38.75! For only U$S 8.75 more, McDonald's you can have a delicious Ronald McDonald vanilla cake with dulce de leche (a very popular milk-caramel jam).

Breakfast options:
*3 medialunas--(croissants with drizzled on top)
*Bagel Cinnamon
*Bagel with ham and cheese
*Bagel with egg and cheese
Lunch/Supper options:
*Cajita Feliz (Happy Meal)
-Hamburger with/without cheese
-"tostado" sandwich with ham and cheese
-McNuggets
*Sandwiches
-Big Mac
-Triple Mac
-McFiesta (hamburger with lettuce and tomato)
-Big Tasty (hamburger w. lettuce, tomato, and speciality sauce)
-Doble McNifica (hamburger w. everything)
-Pechuga Bacon Grill (grilled chicken)
-McPollo
-Pechuga Barbacoa Crispy (fried chicken sandwich with bbq)
-McNuggets
*Desserts (Postres)
-McFlurry Oreo
-Sundae (chocolate, strawberry, dulce de leche)
-Top Sunday
Not many differences in the menu between US and Argentina. The only differences I noticed were the special sauces for Big Tasty Hamburger, regular sandwiches with ham and cheese, bagels, and the use of dulce de leche in all desserts.
In the states, we definitely have a much larger selection of desserts; however, desserts are not very common in Argentina unless it's a special occasion.
McDesserts in US:
Oreo McFlurry
Butterfinger McFlurry
M&M McFlurry
Hot Fudge Sunday
Hot Carmel Sunday
Strawberry Sunday
Chocolate Triple Thick Shake (12, 16, 21, 32 oz)
Strawberry Triple Thick Shake (12, 16, 21, 32 oz)
Vanilla Triple Thick Shake (12, 16, 21, 32 oz)
Baked Apple Pie
Apple Dippers
Cinnamon Melts
McDonaldland cookies
Chocolate chip/Oatmeal Raisin/sugar Chip Cookie
Oh my goodness! That's over 16 different desserts to chose from compared to the 3 in Argentina!

It made me really happy to read about the birthday parties. I thought this was really special! I wish we did this in the States. How special would you feel if you got a Ronald McDonald birthday cake for your next birthday? Okay, maybe you should answer that in the perspective of a child, but regardless, that would be awesome!

While passing by a McDonalds, I had the opportunity to take a couple of pictures, but I didn't have time to eat to compare taste. Overall, the McDonald's here look pretty much the same. This specific one is located in a mall in downtown Cordoba.

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

From books to screens...from literacy to visuality

Growing up, I have witnessed new inventions continually over throw dominant media. Within my lifetime of technological inventions, we've gone from the boombox to the Sony Walkman to the portable cassette player, to the Ipod. We've gone from desktop computer monitors that cover the entire desk to LCD widescreen flat-panel monitors that take up hardly any space. We've gone from predominantly desktop computers to predominantly portable laptop computers. We've seen laptops go from 24 pounds to 3-12 pounds. I've seen televisions advance from analog all the way to flat screen, digital, high definition televisions.
In just a short amount of years, our culture has gone from a low level of technological literacy to a very high rate of literacy. There's no doubt that new inventions are continually taking the place of dominant media. All of these new advances in technology are leading to screen fluency.

Often times this can becoming frustrating for the consumer. Many Americans, especially older generations, often become accustomed to using a certain type of technology, and then it will change and they will have to re-learn.

I liked the comment in the article Is Google Making us Stupid "Internet is becoming our: map, clock, printing press, typewriter, calculator, telephone, radio and TV. Never has a communication system played so many roles in our lives" This comment is so true. I know this is frustrating for the older generation, too. The internet is becoming a necessity, and as we move from "book literacy to screen literacy" I believe we will begin to see the internet serve more purposes than those listed.

Kevin Kelly also states that we "once revolved around the spoken work with oral skills of memorization, recitation, rhetoric. Then orality was overthrown by technology." Orality seems to be completely gone. Americans even get frustrated talking on the phone. Most would rather send an email, fb message, or chat, rather than talk on the phone.

Funny cartoons I found about technological advances: Enjoy :)


1. http://field.mpls.k12.mn.us/uploads/DCaine_TechnologyCartoon_ITEC501_200.jpg

2. http://www.penny-arcade.com/images/2009/20090309.jpg