Delivery Drones

“Google Building Fleet of Delivery Drones”

By: Mikael Liedtke

Source: Huffington Post

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/08/28/google-delivery-drones_n_5733368.html?utm_hp_ref=technology&utm_hp_ref=technology

 

     For the past couple of years, Google has been working on a fleet of delivery drones in their secret base located at Australia. Like Amazon, they are trying to build aerial drones that will deliver merchandise to the customers. “Project Wing” is the name of this project, and it is supposed to take action in the upcoming years. Test flights have been happening for the past months, and the drone was able to carry and deliver first aid kits, candy bars, dog treats, and also water. Nick Roy and his team at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have been working on this project for over two years and have been perfecting this drone to be the absolute best it can. Through this experiment, Google hopes to makes things easy and convenient for its customer. They hope to get customers their products as quick as they can. Google already provides same day shipping in places such as New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco Bay Area. They hope that they can add more places to their list with the help of this aerial drone. Although, Google may not be able to succeed due to the FAA, the Federal Aviation Administration. It is not allowing drones to be used for commercial use. Google hopes that throughout these years they will change their laws.

     The people of the world should be aware of what is happening and what is going to happen. No person would like to wake up one day seeing drones fly above their house. They would also be happy not having to wait days or maybe weeks for their orders to arrive. No matter what the people think of it, change will happen.

 

 

 

“Speech to the Troops at Tilbury”

Before heading out to battle in Tilbury, Queen Elizabeth gave one of the most inspirational speeches to her troops. The “Speech to the Troops at Tilbury” was extremely inspirational, being a major factor of the English victory. The subject of this speech was the preparation for war, while the occasion was the battle against the Spanish Armada in 1588. The intended audience of this speech was the English army, but it also refers to the people of England. The purpose of this speech was to persuade, to coax, and to give confidence to the people, for they are going to participate in a major battle. The speaker is Her Majesty herself, the one and only. Losing is not an option for Queen Elizabeth, as one could see by her tone. She is reassuring, convincing, and passionate, which played a huge part in persuading the people.

SOAPST makes it easy for the reader to understand the piece of literature. With all of the things laid out for them, the reader could dig deep into the piece, examining all the parts of the literature. This allows the person to not have to reread the piece again and again, but look at the SOAPST they created.

Queen Elizabeth’s speech was indeed hugely effective. The English won this “unwinnable war”, and it turns out that this speech had a lot to do with it. This speech was said right before going to war. Most soldiers were probably having second thoughts or were scared to go into battle. After Elizabeth’s speech, the army charged as a whole and won the battle. This explains that the speech was indeed to the correct audience. “I know I have the body but of a weak and feeble woman; but I have the heart and stomach of a king, and of a king of England too…” (41). She reassures her army that she stands with them, fighting till the end.

Advancements in Technology

“The Robots Are Coming and ‘Humans Need Not Apply’”

By: Martin Ford

Source: Huffington Post

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/martin-ford/humans-need-not-apply_b_5693808.html?utm_hp_ref=technology&ir=Technology

     A small unheard voice finally gets the attention he wanted. Writing about the same topic for five years, people finally start understanding him. Martin Ford, an author and speaker, has been talking about the revolution in robotics that can possibly put millions of people’s jobs at risk. It is already happening now, but Ford says that this is just the beginning. Having written about it in his novel The Nights in the Tunnel: Automation, Accelerating Technology and the Economy of the Future, Ford explains that this transformation can create a future unemployment crisis. The demand for jobs would increase and there is nothing that people would be able to do. “For most of the five years that I have been writing on this subject, I've been a relatively lonely voice; the attention of both the public and economists has been focused elsewhere” (1). Now, experiments and investigations are happening. Researchers in Oxford University conducted an experiment and found out that over sixty million jobs are susceptible of being controlled by technology in the future. Over 600,000 people are homeless in America. After technology starts controlling most jobs, this number would double if not triple. An independent study in Brussels says that about fifty to sixty percent of all jobs in Europe will soon be controlled by technology and algorithms. That is not a small number. Pew Research calculated that by 2025, persons would depend on technology for most of their daily life. This is definitely going to have a terrible impact on humans and their economy.
     This is extremely important for the audience to know. They should know what is going to happen in the future, to be able to prepare for the worst outcome available. The audience should understand that education is key for the future, since only the most qualified will be able to get jobs.

Adidas Advertisement

     The following advertisement is made by Adidas, convincing its audience to purchase Adidas sporting material. It uses logos by showing Thomas Mueller, the Bayern Munich forward, the “Best Young Player” and the winner of the golden boot.  If a person knows a bit about sports and soccer, they would surely know the famous “German Machine”. However, the picture of Thomas Mueller may also be pathos. The way he stands, firm and professional, wearing his jersey sponsored by Adidas appeals to the audience, persuading them that they are no joke. The Adidas logo on the top right corner portrays ethos. Adidas is not known for only selling soccer equipment, but known for selling sporting material fit for every sport. Therefore, most people should be familiar with the brand Adidas. The logos on the bottom right corner also portrays ethos, by showing the partners of Adidas. Mercedes and the Deutschland brands are famous and known, therefore making Adidas seem more and more professional. The logo of the German national soccer team and the writing next to it also show ethos. Germany has the strongest soccer team in the world, having won the 2014 World Cup, and having humiliated Brazil, the hosts of the 2014 World Cup, 7-1 in a semi-final. Also, Germany has one of the world’s strongest strikers, Thomas Mueller. Mueller’s signature on the bottom left appeals to pathos. It shows him approving this advertisement.

     All in all, this advertisement was effective. It appealed to logos, ethos and pathos. Having all three appeals does not make an advertisement effective, however. It is how they are used. In this case they were used correctly. Adidas was smart enough to get Thomas Mueller, a soccer superstar and the forward striker of Germany, for their advertisement. The advertisement was persuasive, and understandable. It did the job.

My Favorite Book 08/10/14

As a person who is not a fan of reading or fiction, I really enjoyed Rick Riordan’s The Lightning Thief. This is where I was introduced to Greek mythology, and this was the first and ONLY time I read without a person forcing me to. The main character, Percy Jackson, was an average twelve year old kid in the beginning of the novel. As an average kid myself, I made a connection with Percy. We were two normal kids enjoying our lives. Suddenly, Percy’s life changed when he found out that he was a Demigod (a child of a deity and a mortal), and that his father was the famous Poseidon. He was not an ordinary person anymore. Instead, he had to attend Demigod camp, where he and his best friends, Annabelle and Grover, were handed a mission to retrieve Zeus’ Lightning Bolt and return it to the gods/goddesses at Mount Olympus to stop a forthcoming war. From this moment on, I did not leave my room until I finished the book. Every child has dreams where the choices they make can result in saving the world, and I was one of them. Accompanied by my best friends, I would march on to fight evil and bring justice to the world. Another reason why I was glued to the book is because of the equipment they used. Percy Jackson was given a silver metallic pen that turned into a blade when pressed. He was also handed a pair of converse shoes that had wings on them. Who would not want to use these? Rick Riordan accomplished his goal of capturing the audience’s connection, as well as mine.