Can You See Me Now?

I remember there was once a time when my parents would record my every move. Being that I'm a few years older, I can recall my Father resting this giant piece of machinery on his shoulder so that he could catch these priceless moments of mine. This was when the camcorder was just making it's debut in the early 80's, and my oh my how the times have changed.

Nowadays I enjoy a good Flip. To be precise, I use what's called the Flip Ultra HD Camcorder device for all my recording pleasures. If I, by some chance, don't have that available, I will simply pull out my phone and record whatever I need to at the time. Basically, when I have kids I won't have to lug a huge piece of equipment on my shoulder and change out VHS tapes every three hours. I'll be able to catch every moment, on any given day, at any given time because the tools I have to record video now are much smaller and much easier to use. I can even take it a step further and say that wherever I go, I can take those experiences with me and play them for whoever might want to watch.

When I think about how important this is in my own life, or how important it will become one day, I can't justify not having the ability to record at the drop of a dime. For me, videos bring people together and give them insight into your life that they might not have the opportunity to see because they're not around. For instance, one day I will be able to record my child's first year of life, edit that into a "motion picture" of sorts, and then distribute that file or disk to my family around the nation. What better way to stay connected than to record, edit, and distribute?

In general I do feel that the vast majority of the 35 and under age group knows how to use this technology, and if they needed, they could properly make and edit a video too. There are numerous programs/software out there that allow you the ability to edit videos, and there is also help out there that will teach you how to use these programs/software too. I do think it's a new "literacy" of sorts that will be utilized for years to come. I've talked to many smarter people than myself, and many of them have actually pointed their businesses in the direction of a more video oriented format. Many of these same individuals conclude that the written blog will eventually die out and be replaced by the video blog.

Home video isn't going anywhere people. It's here to stay! Take a look at YouTube for example. Those videos posted, for the most part, are all home videos. Last time I checked, YouTube was getting over 100 million hits per day! Do you really think the home video is going anywhere? The answer is yes. It's moving forward and the train has already left the station. Get on board.

Monkey See, Monkey Do

I remember when my parents used to tell me "do what we say, not what we do." I know, bogus, right? Well of course it is! I mean, what kid really does what he's told without mimicking those that are close to him or her just a bit? It's not realistic. What is realistic is the idea behind the Social Learning Theory.

The Social Learning Theory is the idea that people learn by watching what other people do. It states that people learn by watching others, but they may or may not act on what they learn depending on whether or not the behavior is punished or reinforced. If a behavior is reinforced, then it is more likely that the person learning it will perform said behavior. If a behavior is punished then the opposite occurs where the learner will not perform said behavior.

I believe that this Theory is very relevant in our society today, especially as is pertains to television. Television gives everyone out there the opportunity to learn something at any given time, on any given day. For instance, I was watching the Food Network yesterday and learned a different method for cooking a cheeseburger. I tried it myself got great results. I see television as a great learning tool for the future for numerous people. I believe more and more people will use their television as an educational tool in the future because of what we will be able to do with them as technologies become more advanced. For instance, I see touch-screen, Wi-Fi, storage, and many more things that will be incorporated into our televisions making them a useful all in one device that is capable of teaching use anything at anytime. I think they might have a name for it already, without cable of course, called the iPad.

I believe that more and more people will learn from Television going forward, more-so than what they already learn from it today. Whether it be from crafty advertisements, cunning video games, or Rosetta Stone on DVD, people will continue to lean on television to help them not only know how to feel, but also how to apply what they're learning to good/bad habits.

Trip, Out.

I Turn On My Music So I Can Tune You Out

When I think about how far we've come in such a short time, relative of course to the existence of man on this planet, it's interesting when I think about what the next big thing will be pertaining to music and how I incorporate it in my everyday life.  Right now for instance I'm posting this blog entry while listening to this, and I will continue to listen to random songs on my computer until my next class.  I do however remember a time when this wasn't possible, but with the advancements in communication technologies I can now listen to what I want, where I want, and most of the time when I want.  

I listen to music because I enjoy the memories that come along with particular songs.  The nostalgic feelings I get when a song comes on are awesome!  With most songs I can usually remember the first time I heard it, where I was, who I was with, and what I was doing.  For instance, this song, takes me back to a time when life was easier, but at the same time I had to do more to get what I wanted.  Music is the one thing I've found that makes those contradictions acceptable and OK.  

I will listen to music on anything, but mostly I rock out on my smartphone while in the car or while walking through campus, or on my computer while I'm at home.  Sometimes when I'm feeling froggy I'll even turn on the TV at home and switch the channel to a music station for some variety.  In any case, I'll listen to music on mostly anything I can play it on.  

I like music that means something to me.  For instance, the first song I posted in this blog was the song my wife and I chose to play after we both said "I do", and the second song sent me back in time when I a lot younger, and how much fun I had hanging out with my friends.  Again, the emotions that come along with music, whether you realize it now or later on in life, are strong and mean a great deal.  Ponder that the next time you're blasting Jay-Z for the whole world to hear from your car stereo.  It might just set off a stroll down memory lane for a random person walking down the street.  

You can find more music from Backroad here.