Prompt:
Describe or narrate a scenario about a corporation found two generations into a future in which order is deliberately coordinated or imposed. Your description should address issues related to communication and elicit feelings of dread.

Story telling Podcast:
Speculative Futures

Story Reflection:
As the creator of this piece, I sought to immerse the reader in a dystopian future dominated by Metacorp, a corporate entity that transcends economic power to control every aspect of human existence. The choice of a cold, dreary midday morning with clouds covering the sky sets the tone for the oppressive atmosphere, mirroring the bleakness of the society under Metacorp’s rule. The year 2150 is deliberately chosen to emphasize the distant future, projecting a world where technology and corporate control have reached unprecedented levels. 

I wanted to establish distinct character types, particularly the ruling class executives. This provided a glimpse into the façade of control concealing a deeper truth—citizens harboring silent rebellion. The undercurrent of dread, depicted through the atmosphere and the nervous glances of the executive, adds a psychological dimension to the narrative. 

The turning point in the story was essential. When citizen 8234292-T rose from his desk, breaking free from the conformity imposed by Metacorp marked the change in tone from bleak to positive. The metaphorical clearing of clouds symbolizes clarity and a newfound determination to challenge the oppressive regime. The narrative takes a dramatic turn as the protagonist prepares to confront Metacorp, signaling the beginning of the end for the corporation.

In crafting this piece, the choices I made aim to evoke a sense of unease, suspense, and rebellion. The juxtaposition of a meticulously controlled society with the brewing resistance creates a narrative tension that I hope engages the reader and prompts reflection on themes of control, individuality, and the consequences of unchecked power. The final paragraph doesn’t stay true to the prompt but I felt that I wanted to end the story on a positive note. I also hinted at this ending in the previous paragraphs, where the cracks in Metacorp’s dominance were starting to show. 

Exercise Reflection
As with past tasks, this was an enjoyable effort to partake in. I took a lot of inspiration from The Chronicles of Now and The Bellwether podcasts. The performative and well read stories brought me into the worlds the authors created. While I didn’t fully understand it at first, the performed interludes on the Bellwether podcast brought out the drama and emotion of the piece. I tried to capture that in my performance. I re-recorded the podcast six times as I couldn’t get the sense of dread and pacing quite right. I chose the podcast medium as my inspirations were podcasts and this story needed to be read aloud. 

I feel that storytelling podcasts are effective due to their ability to deeply engage listeners through compelling narratives. The narrative structure creates a personal connection, evoking emotions and building a sense of empathy. The element of dread, achieved through plot development, keeps the audience consistently engaged and eagerly anticipating where the story will go. The human element, conveyed through the narrator’s voice, adds a personal touch, enhancing intimacy and relatability.

I deeply appreciate the way this information has been presented. The nodes and size adjustments make it easy to highlight the more popular choices while distinguishing those on the periphery. When viewed as a collective class, the overall image can be a bit overwhelming. However, breaking the selections into communities allows for a more comprehensive understanding of who chose what and perhaps the reasoning behind their choices.

Representation:
The first observation that caught my attention was the fact that every piece received at least a few votes. Statistically, this shouldn’t be surprising, given the 27 pieces and roughly 22 participants, with each selecting 10 pieces, resulting in 220 potential selections. This essentially guarantees that each piece is represented at least once. However, despite the statistical likelihood, I didn’t expect it to happen. I was surprised that even the less famous and recognizable classical pieces received votes, alongside more renowned ones like the Fifth Symphony. It’s worth noting that the latter was extremely popular, but other classical pieces managed to secure a handful of votes as well.

Distinct Instruments:
Examining the choices made by the community, it’s evident that we leaned towards variety in the types of instruments featured in the selected pieces. “Percussion from Senegal” stood out for highlighting that instrument, making it a popular addition to many playlists. Initially, I intended to diversify my ten selections based on the types of sounds produced. “Johnny B Goode,” being a more modern piece with a distinct sound, received a significant number of votes, reflecting its unique appeal. Although it was a somewhat laborious process, I looked at each of our choices and observed that very few of us chose two pieces that sounded similar in our sets of ten. For instance, with classical music, only a few of us deemed it necessary to represent it in multiple picks, but virtually all included at least one classical piece.

Region:
Similar to my considerations when selecting my golden record, I rarely saw a particular region dominate someone’s top ten choices. This logic aligns with my thoughts in my Task 8 post. It appears that many of my peers shared this reasoning. While “Jaat Kahan Ho” was a popular choice, those who selected it often added just one other Asian song, with many coming from China or Japan. These selections have distinctly different sounds and cultures compared to India. Region seemed to be a more significant factor than time period in influencing choices. This might be due to the timeless nature of some pieces, making it challenging to associate them with a specific time.

Positive Tone:
What surprised me was that many of the most popular choices tended to be tonally positive and upbeat. This aligns with the original requirement set by the team that compiled the first Golden Record. While it wasn’t a deliberate factor in my own decision-making process, pieces like “Flowing Streams,” “Wedding Song,” “The Fifth Symphony,” and “Johnny B Goode” all fall into the upbeat category. This positive tone seemed to be a crucial consideration for my classmates.

I’m currently enrolled in a learning analytics class for the MET program, and I have found this Palladio platform immensely useful. I believe I will incorporate it into that class as well. It has provided me with valuable insights into my fellow classmates, and it felt a bit like being a detective, piecing together their thought processes using the provided visual information.

I’ve been fortunate enough to have visited many museums around the world. For as long as I can remember, I’ve been fascinated by the curation of pieces and the decisions surrounding what to include or leave in the basement. I often craft assignments for my students to redesign and curate a museum that we have walked through. Curation is a skill and the best curators know that you can’t please everyone all the time. This challenge intrigued me, and it was a daunting task to narrow down a selection of 27 to just 10. Each piece represents a crucial aspect of the human experience, and their diversity showcases various cultures and people. As the challenge was clear, I had to consider both the content I’m sending and the potential recipients or listeners. Here are the major criteria I considered:

1. Meaningful and Universal Themes: The recordings must feature meaningful and universal themes. I selected songs and sounds with messages that transcend language and culture, such as love, hope, and unity.
2. Cultural Diversity: It’s essential to include a variety of music and sounds from different cultures and regions to represent the diversity of human expression and experiences. I was mindful of cultural sensitivities and avoided adding too many recordings from the same geographical area to ensure global representation.
3. Positive and Uplifting: Prioritizing positive and uplifting tones and songs was important. These recordings have the potential to bring joy and inspiration to those who encounter them, including potential extraterrestrial civilizations or future generations of humans.
4. Balance between Instrumental and Vocal: I aimed for a balance between instrumental and vocal recordings, avoiding repetition. For example, I chose only one classical piece, Beethoven’s 5th Symphony, known as one of the most famous pieces.
5. Opening Message: Including an opening message is crucial for context. It explains the purpose and intent of the record, providing key information about Earth and the message. The “Greetings From Earth” and “Voyager Golden Record” segments should be placed at the beginning of the record, although they are not part of the 10 recordings.

Official Selections and Brief Reasoning:

1. Beethoven, Fifth Symphony, First Movement, the Philharmonia Orchestra, Otto Klemperer, conductor (7:20): A classical piece representing timeless human creativity.
2. China, ch’in, “Flowing Streams,” performed by Kuan P’ing-hu (7:37): Representing a vast global population and culture.
3. India, raga, “Jaat Kahan Ho,” sung by Surshri Kesar Bai Kerkar (3:30): Also representing a significant global culture.
4. Navajo Indians, Night Chant, recorded by Willard Rhodes (0:57): Preserving the culture of the Navajo Indians, which is vanishing.
5. Australia, Aborigine songs, “Morning Star” and “Devil Bird,” recorded by Sandra LeBrun Holmes (1:26): Preserving the culture of Australian Aborigines.
6. Peru, wedding song, recorded by John Cohen (0:38): A brief and sweet representation of love.
7. Zaire, Pygmy girls’ initiation song, recorded by Colin Turnbull (0:56): Highlighting a specific gender and culture.
8. New Guinea, men’s house song, recorded by Robert MacLennan (1:20): Emphasizing a specific gender and culture.
9. Mexico, “El Cascabel,” performed by Lorenzo Barcelata and the Mariachi México (3:14): An impactful piece representing North America.
10. Bulgaria, “Izlel je Delyo Hagdutin,” sung by Valya Balkanska (4:59): Adding variety with a vocal performance.

This exercise was quite challenging, and I agonized over my decisions. However, after establishing clear rules for myself, I found it easier to finalize my choices. I don’t envy those who do this for a living as you will never be able to please everyone and the decisions you make have a lasting affect.

P.S. If I were to choose three pieces of music from the past 50 years to add to this record, I would choose ‘One Love’ by Bob Marley (incredible message and a unique style of music), ‘Imagine’ by John Lennon (again, wonderful message that brings people together and has lasted the test of time), and ‘Thriller’ by Michael Jackson (this revolutionized the music industry and played a significant role in shaping the pop and dance music genres). 

Listen to the most recent episode of my podcast: Artifact Unearthed: Unlocking History’s Mysteries https://anchor.fm/simon-worley7/episodes/Artifact-Unearthed-Unlocking-Historys-Mysteries-e2a1jhj

 In my original post, I adopted a serious tone when analyzing the contents of my bag, delving into how they influence my current lifestyle. However, for this task, I decided to embark on a playful podcasting journey that invited irreverence and a lighthearted approach. Reading about the New London Group and multi-literacies opened my mind to the many ways one can present content, each imbued with a distinct purpose and meaning for both the author and the audience. Particularly, I found the element design wheel intriguing as it framed each mode of meaning and its specific elements. This framework directed my focus towards audio and linguistic design, shaping my word choices, sound effects, and tonal shifts. As a performer at heart, creating a podcast was well within my comfort zone, but it was equally crucial to remind myself of the purpose and significance behind the content I was presenting, considering how it would be received and processed by the listener.

The process of transforming content from one medium to another had its share of highs and lows, presenting both advantages and disadvantages. On the positive side, podcasts serve as an auditory medium capable of captivating audiences through storytelling, music, and sound effects, offering a more immersive experience compared to static text and images. Podcasts also extend accessibility to a broader audience, including those who prefer audio content or have visual impairments, thereby enhancing inclusivity. This realization emerged after completing the readings. I originally hadn’t thought of inclusiveness when changing to an auditory medium. Strong emotional connections are made in podcast form through voice, tone, and inflection, forging a deeper bond with listeners. The multifaceted nature of podcasts, which combines elements like spoken word, music, and interviews, creates a rich, multisensory experience catering to various learning styles.

Transitioning from one medium to another does present challenges. Not all content translates seamlessly between mediums, and preserving the essence and key points of the original content can be a formidable task, especially when opting for a playful approach as I did. The podcast production process, encompassing recording, editing, and audio mixing, can be time-consuming and necessitate technical skills and equipment. Thankfully, tools such as Spotify for Podcasters streamline the process, making it accessible to a broader range of creators with just a smartphone and an internet connection. Adapting content length to the podcast format can prove tricky, as pacing and duration often differ from written content, necessitating careful crafting to convey the message effectively within the desired timeframe. I noted that it was easy to go long and expand points. After a few takes it was clear that concise is key. 

Turning to my redesign process, I recognized the significance of thorough planning. Devising an original framing for the podcast was pivotal, accompanied by a detailed analysis of the original content. This involved identifying key points, understanding the narrative structure, and pinpointing visual elements that required translation into audio. Scriptwriting emerged as the next challenge, demanding the delicate task of maintaining the core message while adapting it to the spoken word format. My primary focus remained on constructing a compelling narrative, leading to the creation of a futuristic show that “discovered” the bag and utilized it to reflect upon a different era. The recording and editing process was streamlined with the use of Spotify for Podcasters, a familiar tool from a previous project involving the Louvre. Transitioning music and sound effects played an instrumental role in crafting an engaging story, enhancing the podcast’s overall appeal.

As previously mentioned, the readings from the New London Group and the exploration of multi-literacies significantly influenced my thought process. Shifting from a producer-centered approach where satisfaction was paramount, I transitioned to a consumer-centered mindset, focusing on what future listeners would find enjoyable. This shift underscores the remarkable impact of changing the mode of delivery on the outcomes and reception of content.

1. Task 1: What’s in My Bag – Nick’s Webspace (ubc.ca)

Thanks for sharing, Nicolas.

Isn’t it fascinating how we can develop such a deep connection and sentimentality towards something as seemingly mundane as a bag? I can relate to this on a personal level, as I remember feeling a similar pang of nostalgia when I had to retire a trusty travel backpack that had accompanied me on adventures through over 60 countries.

Your reflection on your bag as not just an accessory but a symbol of your journey and digital literacy is indeed profound and thought-provoking. It’s remarkable how an ordinary object can carry such rich meaning and history, isn’t it? Your sentimentality towards your bag brings to mind an award-winning IKEA commercial from the ’90s that beautifully captures this feeling. Rather than giving away the message, I’ll share the URL, and if you have a moment, please watch it and let me know your thoughts.

IKEA Lamp Commercial – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ecTUnfHyj8k

Your bag has been your steadfast companion, witnessing various stages of your life, from your university days to teaching abroad and your current life in British Columbia. It has accumulated countless memories and stories along the way, serving as a testament not only to its own durability but also to the enduring memories it carries. I wonder, do you foresee a day when you’ll officially retire the bag, or do you envision its buckles continuing to fall off and stitching unraveling for decades to come?

Your description of your computer as a “profoundly important text technology” is intriguing. In today’s digital age, our devices are no longer mere tools but gateways to a vast world of texts and information. Your computer not only facilitates your access to and creation of various types of texts but also represents your profession and your role as a STEAM teacher. Do you ever find yourself overly reliant on your computer, or do you believe you could manage without it? Personally, I’ve transitioned to a fully digital classroom, so the absence of computers would certainly pose a Monday morning challenge for me!

Your emphasis on digital literacy is paramount, especially in your role as an educator. The convergence of digital and traditional literacies is increasingly important, as you rightly note. The ability to navigate, understand, and produce multi-modal texts is a valuable skill for both students and educators.

Your forward-thinking perspective, imagining someone examining your bag and its contents in the future, adds a captivating layer to your reflection. It underscores how technology and our everyday artifacts can become historical relics for generations to come. How do you envision their reaction, and what do you think their perspective might reveal about the evolving relationship between technology and artifacts in our lives?

I must admit, I share your hope that someone might try the gum. It’s amusing how certain things, like the taste of gum, remain timeless and tangible in our increasingly digital world. Your mention of gum brings back memories of my brother and me discovering packs of baseball cards from the ’90s with a stick of gum inside. After a few chews, it became evident that the gum had far exceeded its expiration date!

I wonder, if you had the opportunity to curate this post and include materials in your bag that best represent you, is there anything you would add or remove? Perhaps there’s something that speaks more about your ‘texts’ that wasn’t included?

Nicolas, your post beautifully illustrates how our everyday objects can serve as storytellers of our lives, reflecting our values and the evolving nature of literacy in the digital age. I’d love to hear about one of the adventures you embarked on in Vietnam with this bag by your side!

I chose Nicolas’s post as it reminded me of the way I appreciated my bag and took it with me upon many an adventure. 

2. Task 2: Dr. Boroditsky Response
Louisa Green

As Louisa created a website, I couldn’t directly post a response to her post on the site. Instead, I sent this post to her UBC email account. 

Your thoughts on Dr. Boroditsky’s talk take us on a journey through the fascinating connection between language and who we are, Louisa. Language isn’t just about words. It’s about how we perceive the world and ourselves.

You mentioned how verbs and numbers have been challenging in your language learning journey. Learning a language isn’t just about vocabulary and grammar; it’s also about understanding a new way of thinking. Could you share more about your experiences with verbs and numbers in different languages? Do you have any tips or strategies for tackling these challenges?

Your observation that speaking different languages makes you feel like different people is intriguing. Could you delve deeper into how speaking Japanese and Spanish transforms your behavior and self-perception? Can you share specific examples or stories that illustrate this phenomenon? How do these language-induced personas affect your interactions with others?

The idea of a world without numerical language is thought-provoking. Numbers are everywhere in our lives, from telling time to managing finances. If we didn’t have numerical language, how do you think we would handle these daily tasks? How might our values and priorities change in a world where numbers aren’t a part of our language? I agree with you in that numbers often reveal the beauty and order in the universe, like the golden ratio.

Your insights into the challenges of translating between languages shed light on the rich complexity of language. Some words and phrases simply can’t be translated directly because they carry cultural context and nuances. Your example of Chinese characters and how their pairings change the meaning of a message is a testament to the depth of language. Learning Mandarin sounds like a formidable task.

Your reflections emphasize how language shapes our identities, cultures, and understanding of the world. Language isn’t just a tool; it’s a multifaceted lens through which we perceive reality. Thank you for sharing your profound insights, Louisa.

I chose to respond to Louisa because I really enjoyed the way she spoke about language acquisition and how it plays a pivotal roll in feeling understood. She is a good writer and I found her piece to be an easy and engaging read. 

3. Task 3: Voice to Text | M. Forsyth’s MET Blog (ubc.ca)

In what seems to be a running theme of these tasks, I began the challenge believing that this will be an easy activity with very little that could go wrong. I was wrong yet again! On its surface, this task seemed simple enough, but I was fascinated with how many choices I had to make throughout the process. While I began by focusing on almost full sentences and complex ideas, I quickly realized that the emojis I was looking for to describe the image either did not exist or weren’t to my liking. I ended up moving to a much more literal approach, breaking down each word and trying to find the correct emoji that not only represents that word, but also given the context in which it is written. I began with the title as it is quite literal and what I thought would be easy to interpret. There is also something to be said about starting with the title and framing the rest of your work about that.

As I wanted to stay honest to the challenge, I did not think about the ease or difficulty of the movie I chose. It was the last thing I watched and I wanted to see if it was going to be difficult to translate to emoji. If I were to chose based on ease of modification, I would go with very simple words, both in the description and in the title. As with many of these tasks, I now have a greater respect for translations as so many choices of interpretation must be made that may alter the meaning of the original work.

I’ve always thought of emojis as silly features to include with messages to add a playful touch to the message. After reading Bolter, I have come to see them more as a “mode of representation” that bring the ideas to life and add an element of joy to the message.

P.S. Here is a great little emoji game that I found. Enjoy!

https://www.sporcle.com/games/felix/movies-by-emoji

Dumb Money

Everyday people flip the script on Wall Street turning GameStop into one of the world’s hottest companies. In the middle of everything is Keith Gill, a regular guy who starts it all by sinking his life savings into the stock. When his social media posts start blowing up, so does his life and the lives of everyone following him. As a stock tip becomes a movement, everyone gets wealthy — until the billionaires fight back and both sides find their worlds turned upside down.

Binary Mind_ The Kid Who Could Compute

Using Twine proved to be a user-friendly experience for the most part. However, as I delved deeper into the complexity of branching storylines, it became a bit challenging to keep track of the narrative’s threads. My initial inspiration for this story came from the idea of exploring computer-based writing, which I thought would add an interesting layer to the narrative.

My approach to designing the story was to start with a simple concept to become familiar with the Twine platform. I intended to gradually complicate the narrative as I grew more comfortable. The story was structured as a choice-based narrative, with occasional threads leading back to similar conclusions, ensuring multiple choice paths eventually converged. While my focus was primarily on the story, I aimed to create replay ability so that readers could explore different paths in subsequent visits.

Given more time, I would have delved deeper into character development, as the story predominantly revolved around the plot. I wanted to strike a balance between complexity and accessibility. Despite intricate branching, it was crucial to maintain engagement and clarity throughout the story.

Before embarking on this project, I considered the user experience. I prioritized a seamless reading experience, incorporating clear navigation and transitions between choices to ensure the story felt user-friendly.

In line with our readings this week, computers are undeniably changing the way we express our ideas. As discussed in the Allusionist podcast, I often had to remind myself to maintain a formal tone in my writing, especially when crafting a story. Twine, in this context, exemplified how a digital application can enhance a complex story structure while simplifying its delivery, ultimately offering readers a unique and engaging experience. 

P.S. I hope I attached the Twine properly but if you are having troubles accessing it, please let me know.

The Written Word

I opted for a creative endeavor. I’m embarking on a unit focused on public speaking and ranting, so I decided to compose a rant that I will perform as an example for my students. This proved useful because I aimed to provide them with some inspiration, and this rant flowed effortlessly as soon as I put pen to paper. Interestingly, I find that I’m less bothered by mistakes when I’m writing things down. I simply scratch them out and keep moving forward. I find this liberating, and it allows me to censor myself less, often resulting in more inspired and impactful work. As you can see, when I made a mistake, I would merely write over the letter or cross out words or sentences. There is less editing involved when I write; it’s more like a knowledge dump. This might stem from my previous experience as a traveling teacher who took students around the world. Each morning, we would all sit and write in our journals for 30 minutes, with a focus on stream-of-consciousness writing. Whatever came out, came out. This practice helped the students stop censoring their thoughts and freely explore ideas.

I rarely, if ever, write by hand now. I used to keep a to-do list on a little notepad in my back pocket, but recently, I’ve shifted to using the notes app on my phone. However, I would like to return to writing by hand more often, but I type much faster, and I can barely read my own handwriting half the time!

Writing by hand feels more freeing and less restrictive, although it does have its drawbacks, especially when my wrist starts to hurt. Mechanized writing is easily saved, duplicated, shared, and edited, making it much more practical. Poetically speaking, I would say that writing by hand is the heart, while mechanized writing is the head. While I’d love to claim a preference for writing by hand, I must admit that using a keyboard is much more efficient and offers numerous benefits. Speaking of efficiency, it was fascinating to read about the early printing press and how labor-intensive it was. The letterpress short film was beautifully shot, but the job itself seemed quite tedious!

A-peeling Potato Prints

I wouldn’t consider myself a crafter by any means. I was drawn to the idea of this activity, and it provided me with a better understanding and much more empathy for the original printing stamp makers. I must say, there were MANY challenges in this process. I learned that some letters are more difficult to carve than others. Please bear in mind that I was always the child at Halloween with a jack-o’-lantern that resembled a melting face. The fine detail required in carving proved to be quite a challenge, with a few letters needing to be redone.

As you will probably hear time and time again, I carved the letters incorrectly as they needed to be backwards to make the stamp work. I even watched the video with the lingering images of the ‘y’ in reverse and I still made the mistake. I had to redo each letter except the ‘o’. This was tedious, and I could have just cut lower and used the bottom of the letter, but I wanted to do it right. In total, it took about two hours to make the stamps, and that was a full two hours, involving numerous viewings of the instructional video provided on the assignment page. Straight lines triumphed over curves when selecting letters. Curves proved to be harder to carve, which is odd as there is only one letter separating them! I chose the word “FJORD” because I’ve always loved that word. It rolls off the tongue, and there is something about its unique spelling that I enjoy. If I were to do this again, I would choose a word like ‘MOUTH’, as each letter, when capitalized, is the same forward and backward.

As I mentioned earlier, I now have a much greater appreciation for the old methods of printing materials. The mechanization of writing is an incredible achievement and has clearly saved mankind billions of man-hours. This activity required patience, something that is lacking in my life. I appreciate the fact that I had to slow down and carefully work through the steps of making the stamps. While this activity was enlightening, I don’t believe I’ll be trading my computer for a series of potatoes anytime soon.

Here is my 5-minute voice to text story. For this task, I used my notes app on my Iphone with the simple voice-to-text reader build within the keyboard of the app.

The Horse Race
I lived in Australia for 2 1/2 years and I worked at various bars around Sydney and Melbourne. One bar one search bar had a gambling device say they in Australia other they really love gambling I found this out it’s its second only to Vegas in slot machines ratio per capita to Nevada so that’s Sydney by the way so anyway so I am in the bar and they have a horse racing and What you do as you can bet and there’s six different TVs and you can bet on the horse and you can I didn’t know this I’ve never been on horses. There’s so many ways to bet on a horse win-win place trifecta quinella all of these or Quintel or whatever it is all of these ways there’s hundreds of waste of that now we have this machine so part of it part of our bars that yo you serve drinks and you hang out with people and laugh and a drink but part of it in the corner is this bedding system with all these five TVs well, his horse is running and remember it’s horses running around the world so it’s constantly running. You can have it Hong Kong or since you’re going to Singapore horses you can have New Zealand horses so there’s always a race going so we always have a regulars that come in have a beer or two and then bet on the horses it’s a big cultural thing there I found out so I’m there in and what usually happens is they fill in this form it’s a little sheet and then they fill it in the check off whatever they wanna do what horse what race what they want to bet on and they give it to me now I just put it in machine and it scans it and it makes his big green colour and he goes go and what I get back as a ticket I get their money from them. I give them their ticket everything‘s even cause that I’ve made a $20 ticket they’ve got they’ve given me their $20 and they now have the ticket And inevitably almost always. Everyone loses right horse racing is a tricky tricky game to play and but everyone always got $5.10 dollars you know $20 so we’re doing this for a few weeks now a problem happening at the machine broke the the scanner in which you fill out your ticket you give to me and then I print off the main ticket from it that scanner wasn’t working so I have to input everything manually that’s not that big a deal, but the problem is that when you were working with a machine that isn’t working correctly And the horse races when do when those horses run when they leave the gate and go that’s at that point no matter what you’ve done and that take it if you haven’t processed it they lose the ticket that whatever happens happens they do not get they can’t that do you have to you have to put that ticket in before the horses start running so it’s really actually time pressure so much so that if I’m in the middle of pouring a beer I have to run over if someone’s ready because I’ve got a put that ticket in before the horse goes and because the odds keep changing the people will wait until the last second if it’s worth it for the odds to give me the ticket again, not a problem if you get the big scanner, but the scanner was broken so Doesn’t really have every now and then I can’t get a ticket in time. Typically the person is a little annoyed ends up saving them $10 because almost always they lose and I get them a free beer or some like this whatever as an apology so it’s busy Friday night and is that me going over to three weeks of working here and I’m the manager and there’s a bunch of young bar staff and I’m the manager so I’m the one doing the tickets Busy Friday night and then one guy comes. I’ve never seen it before now that’s unusual almost always there are all the regulars that are betting in this guy came out of nowhere and he comes up with a ticket and he said I just like to put the seven and it’s a 200 Dollar winning place so I win in place means if the horse wins you make money that’s great but if it also places comes first second and third, you also make some money so he gives me this with 200 Dollar winning place and so I’m like wow 200 bucks great And so I’m looking I’m looking like I gave them to type it all out press the big button, the big green button give him his ticket it’s a $200 one in place and he goes no no no no I wanted a $200 wind ticket and 200 Dollar place ticket Owe there two different tickets and actually what he actually yeah so I did the 200 Dollar winner place he wanted to basically double 200. I went to a little place so I don’t know so I do that do that do that give him the two tickets he gives me the $400 and whatever and now I’ve got this $200 ticket on my hand that I’ve got a cancel because I’ve done an extra one right the first one I did was wrong and it’s $200 and I’ve got a cancel it now typically don’t worry you just scan it on the machine there’s a big red button press it and they cancel the ticket. Well that wasn’t working right the scanner is not working so now I’ve got a call I’ve got to call this agency the betting agency or whatever and cancel it so I got a find the number I’m stressing right now as it’s $200 and it’s on me I I am stressing out. Oh my gosh oh my gosh and I look at the guy and I said when is the when is this horse going in the end, he looked pointed to the TV and they’re about to run there about it you don’t stay at the race which means this ticket is going so I’m like oh no no no no so I’m calling and I I get that I get them on the phone and I’m like oh this is the Glenmore hotel that I am employee number level blah blah and then they say please hold no no no no no no no no no no hold on hold and then the horse race begins and you know that that feeling in movies where or if you’re about to pass out where everything goes into a small little pinhole a black pinhole in everything sort of black if that’s what it was for me even it was a jumping bar so many people Friday night I was super stressed out so I am they’re holding a $200 winner in place and on a with a horse race that I’m just like oh now And I remember this is this is 15 maybe 15 years ago and it was a horse six race six and that seems really odd. How would I know those details because the horse won so now I’m holding a $200 winning ticket for a race that is illegal to gamble in a bar that you’re working in so what I basically did was illegal even though I didn’t mean to so I go and get $200 out of my bank account put it into the cash register so everything evens out that guy comes back up to exist so I was stressing out and he said hey, do you have that that ticket that you couldn’t cancel? And I said no no I got it cancelled right at the end I just lied to him and he said oh, because it’s a winner I said oh no, that’s crazy really well oh that’s unfortunate. That’s a shame and then he walked away. He didn’t cash out. I never saw Meaghan now I’m holding the ticket, but I didn’t know because the odds keep changing I don’t actually know how much value is in that ticket. I don’t know what it’s worth. I don’t know what I want so a typically OK after years of working in this industry after that, I realize a few things that if if someone comes in and makes a big bed on a horse, it means like one of two things either they know something but that’s really rare or the horse is an incredibly heavy favourite right it’s like 1.2 to 1 to win so if you put $200 on you’re gonna win 40 bucks do you know that kind of thing so I’m like OK whatever and so I’m like great I just go about my bar day just closing the bar everything this and I’m not gonna cash out at this bar. Obviously I’m gonna go to somewhere else to cash out in Sydnay and so the next morning I wake up and I walk to the circle tab TAB I walked to a tab industry at store and I come up to them with this ticket and I said I just like to cash this out and again I put 200 bucks in. I’m probably gonna make 50 bucks. Great pay that 50 bucks right on top and so she looks at the ticket scans it and then she goes oh congratulations and I was like thank you thank you and she proceeds to pay out to just put down $4800 and she just kept dropping $100 bills and I couldn’t believe it and she just kept going until she stopped at $4800. She counted them again and then she said great win. Good job and I look at her and I look around and it’s basically an empty place. I grab the money I’m local and close to my home and I walk away and I guess the moral of the story is I made 48 or $4600 being completely incompetent and my job and that’s why I will never forget whore six and re-sex and I never gambled again.

How does the text deviate from conventions of written English?
When reading this speech-to-text back, it appears as a series of run-on sentences. The program I utilized does insert commas and periods during natural pauses in my speech, but it often missed many of these pauses, resulting in sentences and ideas being strung together. Although this text leans towards the poetic rather than the analytical side, it lacks vitality. I truly enjoy sharing this story, and it’s my go-to narrative when someone inquires about my experiences in Australia. However, this speech-to-text version fails to capture the enthusiasm and energy that I convey when speaking it aloud.

One positive aspect that emerged from this experience is my realization of instances where I tend to employ stalling words, such as “like” or “um,” during my speech. I frequently emphasize this point with my students when they deliver presentations because the excessive use of such words can be distracting. Consider this sentence as an example:

“It means like one of two things, either they know something, but that’s really rare, or the horse is an incredibly heavy favorite, right? It’s like 1.2 to 1 to win, so if you put $200 on it, you’re gonna win 40 bucks, you know, that kind of thing. So I’m like, ‘Okay, whatever,’ and so I’m like, ‘Great.'”

I used “like” four times, mainly because I was thinking about what to say next. I intend to continue this exercise or something similar to it in order to identify and address the recurring use of stalling words in my speech. Unless we record ourselves, we often overlook these types of issues, so it was beneficial to recognize this aspect of my speaking.

What is “wrong” in the text? What is “right”?
As previously mentioned, there are numerous syntax errors in the text version of the story, with noticeable missing periods and commas. Consider this sentence as an example:

“Obviously, I’m gonna go somewhere else to cash out in Sydney. So the next morning, I wake up and walk to the Circle TAB. I walked to a TAB industry store, and I approach them with this ticket, saying, ‘I’d like to cash this out.’ Again, I had put 200 bucks in.”

After the first “TAB,” there should have been a period. However, it continued directly into the next thought. Starting the next sentence with the word “TAB” creates a disjointed and jarring reading experience. The speech-to-text reader I used fails to differentiate between major ideas and lacks paragraph breaks. This isn’t ideal, as the story would benefit from several paragraphs to signal transitions to the reader that the next part of the adventure is about to unfold. I could elaborate further on the issues in the text, but I believe you grasp the main point.

What are the most common “mistakes” in the text and why do you consider them “mistakes”?
I could point out mistakes in nearly any sentence of the story, including both grammatical errors and misheard words. I started telling the story with a slow and deliberate delivery initially, to ensure the program captures every word. However, after about a minute, I realized that approach contradicts the exercise’s purpose. I concluded that I should narrate this story as if I were speaking to a co-worker or a friend standing beside me. It’s not surprising that more “mistakes” began to appear as I progressed further into the story.

Another significant mistake I haven’t mentioned is that the text wouldn’t insert the correct word when I spoke. For instance, in the sentence, “I never saw Meaghan, now I’m holding the ticket…,” the word ‘Meaghan’ was supposed to be ‘him again.’ This may not be a fault of the program but rather a lack of clarity in my speech. It presents another opportunity for me to learn from this experience and strive to be clearer when speaking aloud.

There is something unusual I tend to do when conversing with someone in the process of learning English. During my two years as a teacher in South Korea, I adapted to speaking slowly when interacting with non-English speakers, and I have continued this speaking style up to the present day.

What if you had “scripted” the story? What difference might that have made?
This story is evidently a monologue, so there’s no need for italicized directions or gestures. I would certainly break up the sentences more to infuse more emotion into the narrative. While it may not require many paragraphs, there are specific points that denote changes in location and theme, necessitating the occasional break. These are all structural changes, but the most crucial aspect is to tweak sentences to incorporate subtle enhancements that elevate the story and immerse the reader.

If I were to expand and add details, I would revise this sentence: “It’s Friday night, and there I am, three weeks into this job as the manager, surrounded by a lively crew of young bar staff. The bar is buzzing with activity, the music is pumping, and the atmosphere is electric. I’m the one handling the tickets on this hectic Friday night when suddenly, a single individual catches my attention.”

By incorporating these additional details about the staff, the bar’s ambiance, and the chaos of a busy Friday night, I can heighten the story’s impact, especially when I find myself stressed over canceling a ticket.

In what ways does oral storytelling differ from written storytelling?
I love telling stories; it’s one of the reasons I became a teacher – you have a permanent, captive audience! I consider storytelling an art, and there must be vitality and life in the speaker’s voice. Whether it’s comedic or dramatic, the small inflections in the voice and tone can change how the story is absorbed. In written storytelling, the emphasis lies in setting the stage and ensuring that the reader can fully immerse themselves in the setting. My favorite reading experiences occur when I can place myself INSIDE the story, achieved through wonderful descriptive writing.

Oral storytelling has the luxury of following and feeding off the audience’s reactions. A skilled storyteller can pivot quickly if they sense the audience’s confusion or readiness to laugh. This engagement with the audience is crucial for being in the moment. I’ve told this same story many times over the years, and depending on the initial reactions, it can take anywhere from 5 minutes to 25 minutes.

Over my 14-year teaching career, I’ve been fortunate to take hundreds of students to the Globe Theatre in London to watch various Shakespeare plays. We spend a week reading and studying the play beforehand, and then we rush to the front of the stage to experience it from just a few feet away from the performers. Years ago, we watched Julius Caesar, which was a special year because we began our journey in Rome, discussing his conquests in the Eternal City. By the time we arrived in London, the students knew his story and were ready to tackle the often challenging Old English. What was incredible was how the actor and director chose to deliver the Mark Anthony speech. There was playfulness and even comedic elements at times that none of us had noticed in the original text. I loved how the oral delivery changed our perspective on the speech, making us see the charisma and strength of Mark Anthony’s character. This was a lesson on interpretation and delivery that I will never forget.

This week’s activities and readings have made me stop and think about a subject I don’t often contemplate. “The Writing Revolution” and “The Handbook of Research on Writing” got me thinking about the origins of writing and why it’s crucial to our culture. Ong’s work on the orality of language reminded me and gave me a renewed appreciation for the spoken word and its marriage to the written word. While speaking allows for verbosity, the written word can contain thousands of pages of material, sparking a debate of quantity versus quality.

This week has reignited my passion for storytelling. I noticed that during my Marketing class, I slowed down and told occasional marketing stories with more fervor and zeal. I’m not sure if my students appreciated it, but it certainly felt good from my perspective!

3:40 LOST IN TRANSLATION
Dr. Boroditsky speaks of tenses and verb changes in languages. I had no idea that it referred to evidential information. As I learned French as a child, I knew that the verb could change due to a number of factors, but I was unaware that it can be altered based on your relationship with the action. I had to replay this clip many times to fully understand what she was saying as the ideas were often overlapping. Inference seems to be terribly important in language, and that does make a lot of sense. This point extends to the difficulty in translating a simple sentence into other languages as numbers and colours may not be similarly identified in various languages. The note she made about direction was covered extensively in the article about how language shapes thoughts. I found it fascinating to read about the Aboriginal community that uses the cardinal directions for everything. This gave them a greater spatial understanding and altered the way they ordered and categorised lists. This made sure that they are well oriented and knew where North is at all times. (Boroditsky, 2011) This simple task isn’t so simple for a room full of scholars or event participants, as was the case in the lecture. On a personal note, I closed my eyes and tried to identify South-East by pointing where I thought it was… my compass app told me I was pointing North-West, the exact opposite direction!

10:56 TIME – BACK TO THE FUTURE?
Dr. Boroditsky analyses time and its relationship with language. The physical example of the future and the past was interesting as it brought to attention the gestures we made and how they relate to the words we are using. The Aymaran people gesture behind them for the future and in front for the past. At first, this seems nonsensical, but Dr. Boroditsky explains that they do this because the future has yet to be seen so it should be behind us. This is a different interpretation of the words and logically, it makes more sense to me. This example was referenced in the article as well. While this would be confusing to follow at first, I could see myself getting used to this logical interpretation of time and gesturing. 

21:00 ME TALK PRETTY ONE DAY
Dr. Boroditsky is speaking about gender and their role in language. She mentions a short story and this was a fun reference as I belong to a short story club and the David Sedaris short story ‘Me Talk Pretty One Day’ was a hit at our club. I was actually thinking of this story as she began talking about the German and Spanish languages and how masculine and feminine switch based on the word. This story was a comical way to look at learning another language and the pitfalls that come. Sedaris also explores various words in the English language and societal stigmas towards them. In his story, his main character notes that “the word therapy suggested a profound failure on my part. Mental patients had therapy. Normal people did not” (Sedaris, 2000). This hit home for me as I have someone in my life that should look into therapy but refuses because of the societal stigma surrounding it.
After continuing with the lecture, I have come to the conclusion that I will never learn Russian! The amount of masculine and feminine choices that must be made is astonishing. I have only met one person who learned Russian as an expat and it took her six years of living there to become bilingual. It’s also not the most pleasant sounding language to the ear. On that note, I find it odd that there are “romantic” languages, such as French, Spanish, and Italian, and harsh languages, such as German, Russian, and Norwegian. Vowels tend to soften a word and some of the harsher languages go long periods without using a vowel.  

24:44 WHAT ABOUT HURRICANE BOB?
Dr. Boroditsky made an amusing comment about the naming of hurricanes and the severity of the storm may have been downplayed by the feminine sounding name. This was a fleeting and small comment but I’ve always wanted to better understand why they name hurricanes so I went on a bit of a deep dive to discover more. Here’s what I discovered:
The way hurricanes and tropical storms were named has gone through some big changes over the years. Back in the day, from about 1953 to 1979, all the tropical storms in the United States were given female names.
In the early 1950s, they made a decision in the United States to only use female names for these weather events. It’s not entirely clear why they chose to do this, but some think it had to do with maritime tradition, where the sea was often referred to as female (Galindo, 2021). Because they named storms after women, some weather reporters started talking about these storms as if they were real women. Sadly, this sometimes meant using sexist stereotypes to describe how the storms behaved. This didn’t sit well with many people, including female meteorologists and feminist activists.
Eventually, after some successful campaigns, things changed. In 1979, the United States decided to start using male names in the naming system again. But not everyone was on board with this change. Some argued that storms with male names might not sound as scary as those with female names. In fact, there was even a Washington Post article in 1986 that suggested male names might not make people feel as urgently concerned. This is fascinating as Dr. Boroditsky noted that the female names perhaps tempered the severity of the storm in the eyes of the public. If you were wondering, that first male named tropical storm was named Bob. I don’t know about you but Hurricane Bob isn’t exactly terror inducing!

34:00 I SAW THE SIGN
I’ve often thought of math as a universal language, so when Dr. Boroditsky began speaking on this topic, my interest piqued. I had no idea that there are cultures that don’t have set numbers, but they rather approximate based on the amount of something in front of them. This vague calculation boggles my mind as there are surely times in their days that specificity matters. The lecture then turned to deaf signers that didn’t learn numbered sign language and are now deficient in basic counting skills. This led me to another thought I’ve had for decades. I always assumed that sign language was, much like math, a universal language. Since it is not reliant on wording, I wrongly assumed that a signer from America would be able to perfectly communicate with a signer from anywhere else in the world. I was very wrong! It seems obvious now but I had no idea that there is American Sign Language (ASL), British Sign Language (BSL) and many more around the world. I see that a sign in America could be deemed offensive or aggressive in another culture, thus the sign must change.
On a personal note, whenever I think of sign language and someone who is of-hearing trying to communicate to a deaf individual, I think of this emotional scene from the film Mr. Holland’s Opus. I love how this shows the emotional connection between a father and a son and how he is able to give the gift of this song to his boy. 

56:48 TO TEXT OR NOT TO TEXT
An audience member offered a great question to Dr. Boroditsky in the Q&A after the presentation. She asked if texting is changing the way we think. Judging by the approving murmur in the crowd, you could hear that this was a question on many people’s minds. I was pleased that Dr. Boroditsky has an optimistic view on this topic, referring back to history where we thought the printing press and teenagers were destroying language. Language evolves. What a beautiful sentiment. While I’m not pleased when a student hands something in with words like ‘you’ spelled ‘u’, I am fascinated at how efficient the younger generation has become with communicating to each other. There is more shorthand in the texting vocabulary than ever before. Full sentences are whittled down into a series of single letters. OMG, BRB, TTYL, the list goes on and on. I’m impressed with the speed in which my students text and the sheer volume of social media sites they can be on at once.

I chose to make explicit connections and integrate what I have learned so far directly into the six statements above. I do want to add my thoughts on the tap dancing TEDx Talk. Alexander McDonald cleverly addresses the idea of oral tradition through his tap dancing. The way he spun the story around his interest in the medium and his desire to learn by emulating the greats and the story they tell through their soles, or is it their souls, was excellent. He is a storyteller of the highest order, and his passion for the arts shone through when he concluded with, “if science and art have made it possible for us to live longer, it is the arts that make it worthwhile” (MacDonald, 2016). I couldn’t agree more with this statement. This was a well-rehearsed and expertly delivered Ted Talk and I almost went and bought a pair of tap shoes, but I decided against it, for the sanity of my downstairs neighbour.

References:
McDonald, A. (2016, February 26). Oral tradition in the age of smart phones | Alexander Macdonald | tedxfulbrightdublin. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=egO_46P894k&t=730s

Boroditsky, L. (2011). How language shapes thought. Scientific American, 304(2), 62-65.

Galindo, S. (2021, June 16). Breakdown: Why hurricane names used to only be named after women. https://www.actionnews5.com. https://www.actionnews5.com/2021/06/16/breakdown-why-hurricane-names-used-only-be-named-after-women/

SAR School for Advanced Research. (2017, June 7). Lera Boroditsky, how the languages we speak shape the way we think [Video]. YouTube.

Sedaris, D. (2000, May 2). Me Talk Pretty One Day. The New York Times. https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/books/first/s/sedaris-me.html

YouTube. (2010, January 17). Beautiful boy (Cole). YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j0IMASimhRo