Ali G's commencement speech

This might be the last blog post I write this school year.  This school year is coming to an end, and it is therefore appropriate to write about a commencement speech.

In 2004, the commencement speech at the prestigious Harvard University was held by no other than the fictional character Ali G, performed by the actor Sacha Baron Cohen. Ali G is a comical stereotype of a white British suburban male who imitates rap culture as well as urban British. Of course does he hold a hilarious and entertaining speech, but he also has some good points. I believe he held the perfect commencement speech.

Here is a Link:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=hIr6XbkJKpg

How do the media influence us?

  Over the last 500 years, the influence of mass media has grown relative to the technological development. We trust the media as an authority for news, information, education and entertainment. We have become very dependent and used to the receiving information from the media, and this gives the media the possibility to influence us on most matters.

A very good example of the media is the media coverage after the 9/11 terrorism. The action itself had of course a huge impact on the American people, but the media is what got the information out to the people, and it helped change their opinion on the war on terrorism. Following the 9/11 terrorism, media coverage followed accusations by government authorities that pointed toward al Qaeda as the group that carried out the attack on the United States and Osama bin Laden as leader of that group. Those news reports on the attack and the aftermath shaped public opinion to support the war on terrorism.

Other ways to influence public opinion include political advertising. Politicians spend large amounts of money on media exposure that influences public opinion so they will receive more votes on Election Day. If they do not use the media, they will not get their message out and they will not be able to compete against the other political candidates. Media often present public opinions on different matters, because this has proven to be a very effective way to influence others. This is because is easier to agree with the majority than the minority.

Media can also increase sales and popularity for products or services.  For instance, let us pretend that the world famous movie Breakfast Club had its world premiere yesterday. If it receives a lot of media attention and good reviews in the media, more people are likely to watch the movie, and more viewers equal to more money.

A positive aspect of the media is that it has helped change people’s perception of races in a positive manner, exposed people to other cultures, made people aware of environmental needs, and the needs of people far away. The media brings the world together and it influences us probably more than we are realize, both good and bad.

 Source:

http://www2.uncp.edu/home/acurtis/Courses/ResourcesForCourses/Media&Society/MassMediaInfluenceOnSociety.html

Picture:

http://ec.europa.eu/digital-agenda/en/eu-media-futures-forum




 

New solar panels?

Scientists at NTNU (Norwegian University of Science and Technology) are working with a new type of solar panel which is more efficient and cheaper to produce. They are working with an algae type called diatom, and they are trying to copy the amazing ability to absorb sunlight which it has developed during millions of years of evolution. The shell of the diatom is made of glass. It has small pores and symmetrical, but complicated patterns where the sunlight enters without it being able to leave. The scientists say “This is exactly how a god solar panel should behave”.

 

We decided to take a walk around in Sandvika, the city were we go to school, to see if we could find places suitable for solar-panels. We found several places were one could have used the space more efficiently. We brought with us our mobile phones and took some awesome pictures of where we think the space could have been used more efficiently.

 

These are pictures of a parking lot on the top level of Sandvika Mall. Often, this parking lot is less used than the indoor parking lots bellow. Therefore we think that it is a good idea to build a roof here where there should be solar panels on top. It is the perfect places for solar panels because there is nothing that will cast a shadow on to the roof, and therefore the sun will shine with maximum effect here.

 

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This is a perfect place for solar panels

 

This i our school, it would look good with solar panels

 

 

All of this roof could be solar panels!

 

There are many opportunities!

 

 

This post was written as collaboration post with my fellow student Jørgen. Links to his blog:

 

http://theamazingbookblogg.blogspot.no/

 

Why I agree with Snowden’s actions

Edward Snowden is a former National Security Agency subcontractor who disclosed thousands of classified documents to American media. He is now being pursued by the American government charged with espionage, and he is currently in Russia where he has been granted a one-year temporary renewable asylum. Snowden once said “My sole motive is to inform the public as to that which is done in their name and that which is done against them.

Whether if it was right or wrong what Snowden did is a difficult question. Personally I agree with Edward Snowden’s actions. It is scary to think that the government can trace individuals and read all their personal emails and see everything they do online. Snowden is not a traitor in my eyes, and he should not be charged with espionage. As he said himself, he has not given the information to any other country, but to the American public. He had the opportunity to share confidential information, and he believed that his actions would help America. He helped the Americans see what their own government was doing, and maybe still does. In my opinion, it is people like Snowden that prevent the government from doing as they please.

April Fools’ Day

April Fools’ Day is an informal holiday celebrated every year on April 1. People from all around the world play pranks on each other, and the holiday has been celebrated since the Roman times. There are many different theories on the origin of April Fools’ Day, but the most common explanation is that it began as a way to mock French people who were slow to switch from the old Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar which changed New Year's from April 1 to January 1. One problem with this explanation is that it does not account for the spread of April Fools' Day to the rest of the world. The British did not adapt the Gregorian calendar until 1752, but they had already been celebrating April Fools’ Day for a while. The origin remain a mystery, but that does not stop people from pranking each otherJ  

Alaska WW2 project

We have been working with some students in Alaska on a project we have been calling “Alaska WW2 project”. My group chose wrote a text about Norway during the World War II, Milorg a Norwegian resistance group and “The Norwegian heavy water sabotage”. We chose this because we wanted the students from Alaska to learn a bit about the war from the Norwegian point of view. They seemed very interested in our opinions on the war, and they had some questions that we answered. We also asked them about their opinions on the war, and if they knew anybody involved in the war. It was a fun project, and the highlight was when we made the video introducing ourselves, and then receiving a video where they did the same.

Desalination

“Water will become more valuable than oil”

“The wars of 21st century will be fought over water”

“By 2025 half of the world the world would not have access to adequate water”

These are some sayings and predictions made by people around the world. The world is running out of clean water. It is as simple as that. Over the last centuries, the world has been using more clean water than it can create. It is the same as if you are emptying a bathtub more than you are filling it, eventually the bathtub will become empty. Many people see desalination as the solution on the water crisis. Desalination refers to a process where salt and other minerals are removed from saline water. And with all the salt water available in the oceans, why is this not a reality?
 

First of all, the desalination process needs a lot of energy, which makes it more expensive than the other possibilities such as collecting fresh water from rivers or groundwater, water recycling or water conservation. These other options are not as sustainable, but they are a lot cheaper and without some of the other challenges that come with desalination, such as the pollution. All the left over salt after the desalination becomes concentrated waste stream called brine, which contains up to twice as much salt as regular salt water. The brine does also often contain chemicals such as chlorine and other nature damaging substances.  A few years back, around 5 to 10 kWh were needed  to create one cubic meter of clean water, and even with the technology we have today, it needs around 2kWh. The technology has improved, and the cost has gone down, but it is still not compete able with the other options.
 

Even though there are some challenges considering desalination, there are also some advantages, for example the guarantee of clean water in the event of drought. As stated earlier in this post, there is no lack of water from the ocean. Since there are so much water in the ocean, taking the water from there will not affect the habitat of the fishes or animals the way it does when the water is taken from a smaller lake or smaller rivers. Another advantage is that one of the big desalinisation plants can supply up to 500 million litres of fresh water each day.
 

In my opinion, desalination can be the solution of the water crisis, but only if the technology in the desalination field improves. The need of energy to make clean water has decreased, but there are still the environmental issues that have to be taken care of.  There is a long way to go until we solve the water problems, but making desalination a cheap and safe way to get clean water would be a giant leap towards the goal.
 

Sources:

http://www.theecologist.org/News/news_analysis/269784/desalination_pros_and_cons_of_a_typically_thorny_issue.html

http://everylittledrop.com.au/is-desalination-the-answer-to-global-water-shortages

Picture: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desalination