ExpoEstudios 2013!

If you asked me what are the things I like the most, definitely traveling would be one of those. And that's why when some teachers of the English Department asked me if I wanted to participate in the "ExpoEstudios", I answered that definitely I'd go. I had some troubles between, because it was the same day that I was asked to play football for the school, but in the end I went to this exchanges-fair, where I could inform myself about how did exchanges worked. And I have to say that the possibility of traveling to the US, Canada or UK to learn English, has really excited me. Hopefully, for the end of the year, I could travel to any of those places and have a great experience. And if not, it doesn't matter, because I hope some day I'll be able to do it.
Also I want to thank the teachers that went with us, Mr. Calderón and Mr. Carey. It was really fun to travel to Santiago for this event.

Talk: non-recognition of the real world?

Hello everyone.
As you know, I'm here to talk to you about video games and their effect on society. I've often heard that video games alienate people, make them weird, anti-social.
I often like to question myself about life. And one of those questions is "what does real mean?" And I have reached the conclusion that reality is simply anything we perceive. Even if it's not there for other people, if it makes me sad, angry or happy, it's real for me. But then, how could something, like video games, "alienate" me? I think the problem is more from society's vision of the world, than of video games per se. 
Have you noticed that society often tries to blame an invisible "ghost" for their problems? And one of those ghosts is nothing less than society... Isn't that completely absurd? We blame society, but we are society... Can we stop and think about it?

Video games were, of course, created to entertain. No matter if they are action, adventure or to test skills, they have the same function. I think that the problem of "alienation" which is blamed on video games, is not really that. Perhaps real life is too boring for those that pass their entire weekends playing! And, in the end, the question should be: how can someone alienate himself if everything he does or feels is part of his reality? I repeat, it's completely absurd... Video games entertain. Period. There's nothing more that we should worry ourselves with.

Let me corroborate my theory with some data: 
-66% of people who play computer or video games do so with their friends, either sat with them advising, or actually with a second handset competing in the same game. 
-30% of gamers play with their brothers or sisters.
-25% play with either their father or mother.

I'd assure you that most of the videogamers have strengthened their bonds of friendship through playing games. And if you can tell me some people that you might know that are completely anti-social and, even weird, they are just exceptions.

Another thing that anti-videogaming people may mention, is about playing with unknown people and that it might be dangerous. That's not true! I don't think there's a better way to know people you might never have seen in your entire life, and with no real danger at all!

As I've already proved, videogames can't alienate people. But, apart from not being bad, have video games got something that makes you feel better? Of course!
And I can give plenty examples of how videogaming helps you to be happier:
-It helps relieve stress. 
-When you succeed in the game, you are happier than before.
-Considerable improvement of hand-eye coordination.

Why is it that it's so important for us to be blaming others, and criticizing them if the play too many video games, if they do not practise sports, if they do not have a girlfriend/boyfriend? Let's worry about ourselves, and let people live their lives as they wish to. Remember that, as the expression says "when you point at someone, three fingers point back at you". 

Just to finish, don't blame something that doesn't harm anybody. Just sit, turn on your device, and start playing!
As the great Mahatma once said, "Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony." And what activity fulfills all those requirements more than playing videogames?

Life is too short to take it seriously...Be happy!

ESU National Public Speaking Competition: "Ideas are our greatest weapons"

It was my first time delivering a speech, and it was for the ESU competition! I have to admit that I was really nervous, as I supposed I would have to face really great speakers, and actually that's what happened. In this fantastic opportunity that the English Department gave to me, I was accompanied by my friend Rodrigo Jeria, and by the teacher Mr. Sam Carey. The overall topic of the competition was "Ideas are our greatest weapons", and I decided to focus it on educational problems, while Mr. Jeria spoke about Gandhi's peaceful revolution. This event was held in the Universidad de los Andes, which by the way, has got a really great infrastructure and really nice and kind people. I think that, even if we didn't classified as one of the 2 best of our heat, it was a great opportunity to practise and improve verbal skills. As a matter of fact, I'd say that both of our speeches had a huge improvement since the moment we started writing and practising them. 

So, just to finish, I'm simply grateful of the opportunity that the English Department gave me for having a really great day with Mr. Carey and Mr. Jeria and all the other contestants, specially the V Region ones, who we traveled with. 
I hope the best for the students that will go next year!

Video Games... Are they good or bad for us?

Hey again, I've come back with a task that is really interesting, as it lets us to think more than regularly: I have to prepare a text in which I analyse a subtopic of the movie Play. Below, you can find the video and, of course, make your own idea of it, and perhaps even help me with my task.

Till now, I have thought of the following idea to base my work:

Subtopic: The non-recognition of the real world

Text type: Talk

Other sources of information:

-6 ways games can encourage happiness

-How might video games be good for us

-Video games as an isolating activity

Also, to make a better work, I'll also make an  online poster, in edu.glogster.com, so just for you to know, my nickname is SebastianBarriga.

Hope you like it when it's finished!

And don't forget to give ideas!

Advertising

In this post, I'll analyse a quote that stands an idea about advertisements. Afterwards, I'll conclude with my opinion about this topic. 

“Advertising is everywhere you look, whether it is in the newspaper you pick up daily or on that billboard you see while driving down the highway. Some people may say that they are not in fact influenced by the advertising that is thrown at them each day, and that they do not fall into it, but everyone does.”

Well, what I understand about the text above is that, no matter where you are or what you think, advertisements are always present in your life: in sports, in videogames, in clothes...in every single place. This is already internalized in our minds, so generally, it's not something we give importance to. But, as a matter of fact, it is important. It modifies our way of thinking, our needs, our entire society. Therefore, we are all influenced by advertisements. 

The question that is now important is if it's good or bad for us. If it lets us be free, or at least what we think is freedom, or if it restrains it. At least, most of them are, according to the laws, completely legal, so they are not supposed to be taking off our freedom. But, we have to understand that the advertisements are used by most of the companies, including the same government. So, perhaps here we can find vested interests. Other perspective where we could analyse this question is the companies' point of view. If we don't let them put placards, we are restraining their freedom, aren't we? 

Well, apparently this is not an easy problem to solve. But what is completely demonstrable, is that the advertisements are already in our heads and it would be very difficult to put them out of there. I don't really know if this is something good or bad for us. At least, with it, we are not imposed certain products or services, and we have the "freedom" to buy what we want. 

Advertisements

Just like the last year, we are now again studying the advertisements...If we study it a lot, it must be for something, right? Well, in this occasion, our task is to create an ad based on a new mobile phone of our choice. Then, step by step, we planned how it would be, and finally, we created a picture of how it is already finished. So, here it is, I hope you like it, and perhaps you even will want to buy this awesome device!

Apple - iPhone 5 - TV Ad Analysis

Advertisements. Ads. Commercials. You may call them as you want, but they are all the same. They are all announcements that try to sell you a specific product or idea, and hopefully, make you think that it's the-number-one-need, and it's a must to buy it to be better, to be cool, or whatever. An example of this is the iPhone from Apple. Below this paragraph, you'll be able to watch the iPhone 5 TV Ad, after which I'll briefly analyse it.

I'll base my analysis with some basic questions: 
What product or service is the commercial trying to sell? Where was the commercial set?  Who was in the commercial? What objects were in the commercial? What happened in the commercial? What is the target group? What is the message? What are the aural and visual techniques? Do you find celebrity endorsement? Does the ad respect the governmental policy of the country?

Well, of course, the ad is trying to sell the new iPhone 5. It's set in a white background, that helps with the idea of a new technology and the purity of the phone. It also highlights the idea of a completely new full HD screen and camera. This is the main visual technique they use, in my opinion. The other one, will be mentioned below. 

We found no people in the commercial, because they wouldn't help at all at providing the idea of a revolutionary-technological device. It's just worthless to bring people to say that the iPhone is the best device and that they endorse it, because that work is being made just by the device itself and the white background I already mentioned. In the ad, we could appreciate the iPhone 5, but most importantly, the great variety of applications that can be used in the phone, including a rubix cube, a skating game and a postal card creator, between others. Also, the words that quickly alternate helps with the idea of speed of the device, and also, with words like 'marvelous', 'phenomenal' and 'outstanding', they reiterate the idea of it as being the best. The last word of each part, is told-out-loud by a happy-voice. This, in my opinion, is the second visual technique, accompanied in this case with an aural technique also, to reinforce the idea of people being happy using the device. Perhaps the words, as they are so fast that we can't possibly read them all, are also a kind of subliminal-explicit message. Subliminal in the sense that we can't read them all, and explicit, because, in terms of legality, they are not making subliminal messages to oblige people to buy the product. So it's just like a tiny-sort-of sublimnal message, I guess. 

Laughing of the only
feature that apparently is
important for Apple in their iPhones.

Even if I'm not an expert in advertisements' policies, I think that Apple is not breaking the law, as if it had done it, every single competitor would have complaint to the authorities. The Federal Trade Comission is in charge of the policies and laws of advertisements in the US. As they post in their page, "The FTC looks at the ad from the point of view of the 'reasonable consumer', the typical person looking at the ad. Rather than focusing on certain words, the FTC looks at the ad in context - words, phrases and pictures - to determine what it conveys to consumers.". Therefore, if a typical consumer, maybe like me, didn't find problems with the trustabilty of what they sell, then maybe there's no big legal issue with it.

To conclude, I let what I thought is the most important part of any advertisement: its target group. In this case, they focused on people that wants to be technologised and have a pretty nice and functional mobile phone, with all the magnificence of an Apple product. It doesn't make difference between men or women or children. It's just made for everyone of us. And perfectly. Or at least, that's what they want us to believe. So the message is basically that. In other words, they want to persuade us that if we don't buy this product, we won't be cool enough and won't have the latest technologies in the market, and soon enough, we will be completely uncommunicated with the rest of the people. But the iPhone is what can help you to get back to the world, and it's just perfect for you or for whoever; it doesn't matter, but just buy the product. It can change your life to have a cellphone with a bited-apple in its back...really.

Welcome 2013!

I know it's not New Year. Actually, we are already in March. But I wanted to make this post to let you know that I'll start posting again with regularity. A new year started, new goals, new teachers, new classmates, but the desire of having a great blog and posting my ideas is still intact! 

Hopefully you have rested enough in your holidays, so that you can start better than last year. Let's make this year the best one!