Edward Tufte Article

I believe Edward Tufte's article on PowerPoint and its ability to destroy a presentation is accurate in the sense that one can alter data and position diction in a way to present an idea while hindering surrounding data to the idea. Furthermore, I also believe that society's congenial use PowerPoint for presentations, and essentially expression of ideas, is destroying the use of the English language amongst the United States population. It is clearly evident that the writing ability of the general student has declined with the increased popularity of slang, sms, and instant messaging, and ultimately the use of PowerPoint has been an aid to this rapid digression in the proper use of the English language. Ambiguousness is also an issue with the use PowerPoint. Tufte's example of Challenger, where he relates how Boeing and NASA were able to provide a presentation of the aircraft's failure while almost leaving out almost all the major details which caused the rocket to explode ultimately supports his thesis; however, Tufte does not give an overview of how PowerPoint can be beneficial.

Although Power Point, like most tools of presentation has its flaws, it can be beneficial due to its ability to combine various types of media with the purpose of delivering a powerful and eclectic presentation. The various types of media, such as video, audio, and transitions, allow the presenter to justify the themes and ideas of the presentation. (i.e. Video of scholars supporting the idea).

Therefore, I believe Tufte's concept is an extremist point of view and that although Power Point is flawed an can be used to alter the truth or data, it can also be used for many beneficial purposes. However, Tufte's article does point out necessary action that must be taken upon society (i.e. stressing the importance of writing and reading -- I am also a victim of technology's destruction of the English language -- hence my motive for blogging).

Useless or Useful?

The video above is a commercial created by Honda to market the newly re-designed Honda Accord. The video extremely innovative because rather than showing the new features of the car or the sleek design, Honda developed a commercial which was more entertaining than informative. Although the benefits of the car were not provided through the commercial, Honda was able to fulfill the purpose of a commercial; make your targeted audience remember your product. The creative domino effect of car parts bouncing into other car parts to ultimately turn on the Honda Accord, the company's product, made the audience not only pay heed to the commercial but also made the viewer remember the product. In my opinion, this is one of the greatest commercials because of its creativity and innovation.

A Detailed Outline of How to Reduce the Effects of Pollutants

What You Can Do About Car Emissions [home page on the Internet]. Washington (DC): National Safety Council; 6 Mar. 06. [cited n.d.]. 1 p. Available from: http://www.nsc.org/ehc/mobile/mse_fs.htm. The article details an outline of how one can reduce harmful emissions through the usage of new car technology. The introduction provides a thorough understanding of the harmful effects caused by car emissions. The source also explains exactly how pollutants (hydrocarbons, nitrous oxide, and carbon monoxide) affect our health and environment. After explaining the source of these major pollutants, the article demonstrates a method to reducing the harmful emissions, mainly through the transportation sector. Such methods include, reducing the number of vehicles used in the planet, traveling at moderate speeds, using clean fuels, and providing support for other environmentally friendly programs. Although the site has an obvious bias towards the environment and a slight antipathy towards high rate gas consumers, I believe this article is very reliable, especially since it was published by the National Safety Council. Since the source is linked to the government, the facts and claims of the article must be true and therefore it gives the article enormous credibility. Furthermore, the manner in which the article details the harmful effects of car emissions allows for even abecedarians to full understand the severity of the problem.

My Top 10 Science Stories of the Year

1. Conservation Gets a Green Light









I have thoroughly been interested in products that could save our environment for the past three years and the introduction of a mandate to switch to fluorescent light bulbs is very appealing because it could significantly reduce our nation's carbon emissions by 158 million tons. This is definitely a simple change to different technology which will not only help save our environment but also help save money. According to Discover magazine, "Compact fluorescent lightbulbs, for example, use 75 percent less energy than standard incandescents and last 10 times as long. If the bulbs were adopted worldwide". I am a major advocate for this product and a supporter of passing a law to prevent the use of incandescent lightbulbs.







2. Can Vitamin D Save Your Life?



This article intrigues me because although I am not a health junkie per se I do find health and fitness important due to my past experiences as an athlete. Albeit I frequently eat fried foods, I do find it necessary to fulfill the the needs of eating a proper diet. The news of Vitamin D not only providing support to the immune system but also aiding the stomach in digestion is very important because it will provide another source against fighting the many diseases plagued by our world. I, for example, do not have a strong immune system and must continually take supplements such as kombucha and acai to help protect myself from infections, however, this new finding may help me in my quest to develop a stronger immune system.







3. Australia Faces a Waterless Future



Imagine a world without water. It's not even possible to fathom living without water for even one day since it essentially the basis to life. Without water all living organisms would be extinct and the earth would be a replica of Venus. Scientists have recently evaluated Australia's water droughts and have concluded that the continent may soon run out of water due to global warming. Futhermore, they said this result could make the rest of the world face unprecedented water droughts as well. This news evidently shows the disastrous effects of pollution and further determines the need to become more environmentally friendly.


4. Soot Began Harming Arctic A Century Ago

This news further indicates the disastrous effects of carbon emissions. However, this story focuses on carbon emissions (soot) from factories, rather emissions from cars. Scientists have discovered that soot has been a major cause for global warming due to its ability to retain a great amount heat. Joe Mconnell backed this claim of soot by stating, “Even the tiniest amount of black carbon will change quite dramatically the reflectance properties of the snow." This topic relates to the aforementioned top stories of 2007 since it also affects our earth's climates and ultimately our lives.

5. First Step to Wireless Electricity

The world just keeps on becoming more wireless. Beginning with infrared technology in the 20th cetury and then the development of bluetooth technology which made sharing information from one device to another easier and faster than one could imagine, scientists have now developed the early phase of wireless electricity. I have always thought of a world where no wires exist and the discovery of wireless electricity could possibly make this dream come true.

6. First New Class of HIV Drugs in 10 Years

HIV could be described as the 21st century bubonic plague. The search for a cure for HIV has been an ongoing struggle for more than 25 years, however, recently scientists at Pfizer have developed a drug which will prevent the spread of HIV in an infected person. Futhermore, there are also about 6 other drugs in Phase II trials which could also help inhibit the spread of HIV.

7. Astronauts’ Image Tarnished

Although this story is not a life changing event or a new discovery which changes the way we view a certain aspect of science, this satirical story is important because it demonstrates that even the most accomplished people have faults. Furthermore, this story also indicates the recent plight of NASA and demonstrates the need to revamp the space program.

8. 248-Dimensional Math Problem Solved

I didn't even know 248 dimensions could even exist. The fact of solving such a problem fathoms me due to my lack of patience, however, I truly admire the mathematicians who were able to solve the world's most difficult math problem. In addition to accomplishing a great feat, the mathematicians also believe their success is important because they believe that this problem will unlock many truths about the real world. This could be true since math and nature closely intertwined.

9. Robotic Ankle Takes First Step
This is an amazing development since it could possibly restore many amputees ability to walk. Instead of describing the development, I thought it would be better to show a video instead. The video is not solely for Hugh Herr's prosthetic ankle, however, it does have an overview of the product. Enjoy!




10. And Here's Why You Have an Appendix
I knew the appendix served a purpose. There's no way that our bodies posses a tissue that serves absolutely no purpose. Finally scientists have discovered that the appendix is indeed important because replineshes the intestines after the body has fought infectious diseases such as cholera. Although humans posses vestigial organs, I knew there had some significance and thus William Parker has finally answered one of my most sought after questions.

A Less Oily Future

Who will kill the Oil Comapnies?

With the 2008 presidential elections approaching, the debates have begun and topics such as the war in Iraq, health care, the recessing economy, and immigration have gained notoriety as the most important national quandaries. Although the aforementioned subjects are indeed important and in dire need of attention, a downplayed issue in the political arena is the oil crisis. This subject requires great attention because according to the U.S. Department of Energy "[oil] supplies more than 40% of our total energy demands and more than 99% of the fuel we use in our cars and trucks." Furthemore, the U.S. consumes more than 25% of the world's oil and produces 25% of the world's carbon emissions while also increasing its yearly rate of oil consumption by 2%.

With that being said, it is necessary to increase the awareness of our nation's oil consumption rate and begin to initiate national, federal aided programs to lower both oil consumption and carbon emission rates. There is already promise for the future as subtantial automotive companies such as General Motors, Ford, Toyota, and Honda develop vehicles that use alternative sources of energy for power. However, there must be greater action put forth, specifically by the federal government to speed up the process of converting automotive dependency from oil to other various sources. Support solely from the major automotive corporations will not efficiently remove dependency of oil in the automotive sector due to the significant dominance of the oil companies and OPEC. There have been previous strides to convert dependency from oil to electricity, such as the development of the GM EV1 [1990], however, the oil conglomerates effictively prevented the electric car from passing the ZEV mandate. [This popular example can be further researched at http://www.whokilledtheelectriccar.com/]

Try, Try Again!

Although, the oil industry won the first battle, the war against oil dependency is not over and a second push for a change is clearly evident with stronger support from even more automotive companies. There has been a rise in innovation as car companies such as General Motors have added more vehicles to their lineup of fuel efficient automobiles. For instance, Chevy, a subsidary company of the General Motors conglomerate has made an almost complete shift to alternate fuel based cars as they have added 7 e85 ethanol based vehicles, 7 active fuel management vehicles, 1 hybrid vehicle, 1 electric car, and 1 fuel cell based car. The ethanol based vehicles are not a complete diversion from oil because the engine can use either gasoline or e85 (85% ethanol, 15% gasoline), however, the gasoline option is only a last resort in case ethanol is not accessible. This option provides the consumer with not only an efficient measure of transportation, but also an eco-friendly vehicle that mostly burns renewable resources such as corn and other grain products. Unlike the e85 based vehicles, the active fuel management cars use oil for fuel; however, the vehicles have an increased fuel efficiency due to the technology's ability to choose between 4 and 8 cylinders for specific driving situations. Futhermore, the hybrid, electric, and fuel cell cars are amongst Chevy's greatest innovations as the Chevy Tahoe Hybrid can be used as a four-wheel drive SUV, the electric Chevy Volt can use electricity, e85, gasoline or biodiesel, and the fuel cell based Chevy Equinox delivers performance speeds of upto 100mph. Although, these cars lack the luxury of high performance (140+mph) and ultra comfortability(V8-12 engines with 5-7 gears), they do address the necesities of a 21st century vehicle and altogether provide an initial push off of oil dependency.

Hybrid = Luxury?

Although the effort from General Motors has significantly popularized alternative fuel powered vehicles in the U.S., the lack of luxury and performance has left many environmentally unconcerned yet luxury driven citizens unattracted towards the new age vehicles. However, even now the affluent, ostentatious sector can now have hybrid options as Lexus has aggrandized the hybrid from being perceived as ugly and efficient, to luxurious and beneficial. Currently, they have released three hybrid models; the LS - the marquee vehicle of the Lexus flagship, the GS-the company's performance hybrid luxury sedan, and the RX- the most popular hybrid SUV in the market. With the release of these three vehicles, and more to come from not only Lexus, but also other elite manufacturers such as Mercedes-Benz, BMW, and Audi, the alternative fuel based vehicle market will surely expand and possibly overcome pressures from the oil companies with the aid of the federal government.

Evidence of this new appeal is seen through Rene Cuello, a Civil Engineering student at the University of Miami. Ever since the age of 12 while growing up in Puerto Rico, Rene has been an aficionado of car design and innovation. With the recent oil crisis and environmental risks coupled with oil dependency, Rene has been a proactive supporter of the alternative fuel industry.

-Mr. Cuello, what interests you in alternative fuel based cars

"Alternative fuel based cars interests me because they will provide a future for transporation after the depletion of oil. Additionally, the rising costs of oil have prevented me from traveling as much as I would like to and a cheaper alternative would allow me to move freely."

-Would you ever purchase a hybrid vehicle

"I would definitely purchase a hybrid in the near future because the price of the premium for the vehicle will drop in addition to a rise in the car's luxury. I have alway been a fan for comfortability and performance and I believe my needs will be satisfied by the hybrids of the future."

- Do you think there is competition for hybrids from other alternative fuel based cars

"Yes. I believe hydrogen based motors will provide immense competition for hybrid vehicles because it is solely independent of oil and is completely clean"

-Did you know the French based company MDI has developed an engine that uses compressed air as fuel? Do you think this is the biggest advancement so far?

"Yes. I've heard of the "Air Car" and believe it could be the future of transportation, however, just like the electric car, I am not sure if it will overcome the dominance of the oil companies and be able to pass through testing. I personally would love to purchase one of these vehicles because not only does it help clean the earth with 0 emissions, but it also provides me with a cheap and efficient mode of transportation"

-Do you currently own a car?

"I currently do not own a car because the gas prices have prevented me from doing so. While being a college student, it is difficult to not only pay for the high costs of tuition but also the costs of a vehicle along with parking and the ever rising gas prices. I can't buy a hybrid because the premium is too high and buying a relatively inexpensive vehicle would only hurt the environment with disastrous emissions. This is a recurring predicament for typical college students."

For more information on the topics discussed by Mr. Rene Cuello please visit

http://www.nsc.org/ehc/mobile/mse_fs.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydrogen_vehicle