EOTO Presentation Reflection

One of the EOTO’s that was presented to us was the VCR. Since the VCR  isn’t as popular now as it once was, it was cool to learn a little bit about it and how it came to be as a whole. The VCR is a machine that plays tapes like movies and tv shows. VCR’s became available to people in the 1990s and early 2000s. The VCR was invented by Charles Ginsburg in 1956. The VCR changed how people looked at social media and how they interacted with others. Before mainstream VCRs, television was restricted to a small range of channels. You were at the mercy of whatever the broadcaster wanted to play, including when they wanted to broadcast a show. In other words, home entertainment options were limited, and the viewer had no control over this. VHS tapes changed matters because you could buy a movie at the store, and rather than going to the cinema, you could create your own entertainment.

Values of Free Expression

 All of the theories of speech are so important to our First Amendment rights, they hold all of our essential values and protect free expression. They analyze how free speech is essential for a successful democracy and clears the way for Americans to participate in our civil duties of holding our government responsible. Not only does free speech keep our government stable it also keeps society sane, and it allows us to find ourselves. 

1. Marketplace of ideas (Discovery of truth): John Milton's idea that truth will prevail when it can compete with falsehoods is still highly spoken about today. The media is bigger today than it ever has been, that said there is more false information than ever as well. Milton's idea is that when you let the people speak freely the truth will always come out on top. In the past this has not been the case, Misinformation and false news have spread like wildfires regarding politics, celebrities, and just about anything you can think of. This theory has been studied for years and a new topic circulating is Ai. The question is could Ai be the discovery of truth? Some researchers say no,  AI is not capable of doing this based on flaws and possible misinformation simply due to the information environment. I believe that there will truly always be false information spread but it is up to the viewer to find reliable and unbiased sources. 

2. Participation in Self-Government: Alexander Meiklejohn, who was an American philosopher, was a big contributor in studying the relationship between free speech and self-government. This is such an important factor in a democracy and is a major key part in keeping it running the way it is. While reading Meiklejohn's theory, it was clear that he wants us Americans to understand our government and constitution. He expresses how important it is to protect the freedom of speech to ensure Americans can truly have an understanding of what our politicians hold as their values and beliefs so that we can make decisions for ourselves. I find this to be very important in today's world of politics as debates get far more heated than in the past. The freedom of speech is so important but we must also protect one's intentions by not manipulating one's speech and making it something it is not. 

3. Stable Change (Safety value): Benedict Spinoza, who was a 17th century philosopher, had an idea on venting. Venting is something that people do everyday with other people. Spinoza suggested that a government is actually more secure when it allows people to express their grievances openly rather than forcing them into secrecy. If citizens can "vent" their frustrations, they may feel heard and be less likely to take radical or violent action. Furthermore, when dissent occurs in the open, the government can monitor and understand the concerns of potentially dangerous groups rather than driving them underground, where they may become more radicalized.

   
   

   4. Individual Self-Fulfillment (Self-Actualization): C. Edwin Baker's theory idea is that the primary justification for free speech is for one to be capable of finding themselves, I also feel like this relates to the participation in self-government. I think that a lot of the time us Americans want to complain about our government as we rightfully should but, we also forget how incredibly lucky we are to live in a country that allows us to criticize, voice our thoughts, and even speak. There are countries where you will be killed for doing so. This is not just a political tool, it's so that every American can be who they want to be and discover their identity.

EOTO: The History of Paper

Paper is one of the most significant inventions in human history, helping revolutionize the way people, record, share, and get their information. The history of paper dates all the way back to ancient civilization and has undergone numerous transformations to become the essential material that we use today. 

Before the invention of paper, early civilizations used various materials to record information. They used clay tablets to inscribe cuneiform writing while the Egyptians developed papyrus, made from the pith of the papyrus plant. Papyrus was widely used in the Mediterranean world for centuries, but it was fragile and difficult to produce in large quantities. 

About 2,000 years ago inventors in China took communication skills to the next level, crafting cloth sheets to record all of their drawings and writings. After that, paper as we know it, was born. Paper was first made in Lei-Yang, China by Ts’ai Lun, who was a Chinese court official. What he did to first create paper was by mixing mulberry bark, hemp and rags with water, then mashed it into a pulp, pressed out the liquid and hung the thin mat to dry out in the sun. During the 8th century, about 300 years after Ts’ai’s discovery, the secret traveled to the region that is now the Middle East. Yet, it took another 500 years for papermaking to enter Europe. One of the first paper mills was built in Spain, and soon, paper was being made at mills all across Europe. In 1690, the first paper mill was built in Pennsylvania At first American paper mills used the Chinese method of shredding old rags and clothes into individual fibers to make paper, but, as the demand for paper grew, the mills changed to using fiber from trees because wood was less expensive and more abundant than cloth.

https://www.afandpa.org/history-paper

At first American paper mills used the Chinese method of shredding old rags and clothes into individual fibers to make paper. But, as the demand for paper grew, the mills changed to using fiber from trees because wood was less expensive and more abundant than cloth.

By the 19th century, paper production became fully mechanized. The invention of the Fourdrinier machine in 1806 allowed continuous paper production, making it faster and cheaper. Wood pulp replaced rags as the primary raw material, making paper widely accessible for newspapers, books, and packaging. 

https://paper.gatech.edu/papermaking-united-states-america

Now paper is used for almost everything when it comes to businesses, sports, statistics, and more. One of the most important things that paper is currently used for is contracts for business people and professional athletes. Even though technology like computers and phones are still very much on the rise, paper is still being used every single day. The history of paper is a story of innovation, cultural exchanges, and technological advancements. From its intentions in ancient China to its roles in the modern world, paper has played a crucial role in shaping the way human civilization uses paper for everything today including communication, like they would do back in ancient China.

The Founding Era

 

The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest judicial system in the country, tasked with knowing the Constitution through and through, making sure that our laws and policies observe the Constitution and its amendments.

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

One thing I learned about the Supreme Court is that it didn’t have a permanent home until the year 1935. For nearly 150 years after its establishment in 1789, the court met in many different locations, including the U.S. Capitol and even a basement chamber. 

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

One key takeaway from the video is that the Supreme Court serves as the highest authority in the United States government. It hears cases related to the Constitution and has the power to strike down laws that are deemed unconstitutional. This ensures that all laws align with the nation's founding principles.

What was the most surprising thing you learned?

The thing I found the most surprising was by the number of cases received compared to the number considered by the court. The Supreme Court receives over a hundred new cases every week and about 7,000 a year, most of these arriving as petitions for certiorari. Of the approximate 7,000, the court only accepts about a hundred of them for full consideration each year. Newly arrived petitions and written arguments in cases that have already been accepted are sent to the justices one time a week. This surprised me because I thought a hundred was very few compared to the thousands of cases received yearly. 

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

After watching the video, it didn’t really change much on how I thought about the Supreme Court and was kind of a reflection on what I already knew from past classes in high school. The only thing that really stuck out to me was finding out how many cases they typically receive every week.

Top 5 News Sources

 

1. Friends and Family: While I am away at college I tend to miss things that are happening back at home, so when I call my parents every day I always ask what has been going on back at home over the last few days. The things we talk about vary from family surrounded business, to sports, and to real world news.

2. Instagram: While Instagram isn’t usually the most reliable or main used source of news, I find the majority of my information on instagram, especially news surrounded around sports. Instagram is a good source to find news about certain things just based off of who you follow and what news sources you follow on Instagram. (Instagram Mobile App)

3. FOX: For me, FOX is old reliable for me since they range from political standpoints, current world events, and then to sports with their FOX Sports websites. FOX is one of the more reliable news sources when you are trying to find out more information on political races and standpoints that can be really noteworthy. FOX News Channel is of the main sources that is used during the presidential debates and spreading world news. (https://www.foxnews.com/) (https://www.foxsports.com/)

   

   
   

  4. Tiktok: While TikTok isn’t one of the greatest places to get your news information, TikTok is always up to date with current world news. News on TikTok is spread through pictures, stories, and videos to millions of people around the world on their “For You Pages”. News that is spread on TikTok varies from sports to world news and even to political events. TikTok is another one of those sources that even if you aren’t following a certain news source, you will still get videos based off of the videos that you tend to like or interact with to keep you in the loop. (https://www.tiktok.com/)

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5. YouTube: While YouTube isn’t one of the best places to get news information, it is one of the easier apps to just look up information on just about anything. If you ever need help building a certain thing, you can throw it right into the search bar on YouTube and it will bring up the most looked at or interacted with video that will be able to help you. YouTube also has its own news standard section right on the website that can help you with more information regarding real world events. (https://www.youtube.com/)