Assignment 2-2

Over the years I have discovered that some icons change and others are long-lived. For example, Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King, Jr. will always be icons for the civil rights movement in the United States. In sports, the icons change as newer talented players become recognized for their achievements and start breaking previous records. For example, Dan Marino use to be considered one of the best quarterbacks to play, but now Peyton Manning and Tom Brady are in the limelight. Bill gates, Britney Spears, and Lebron James are 3 contempory icons I chose to discuss.

Britney Spears became a pop icon soon after she released her first cd. She's gorgeous, has an athletic body, and has a beautiful voice. She's maintained her popularity by reaching out to the incoming younger generations. Lebron James became a basketball icon when his talent became evident as he started dominating the court. Now he has his own line of shoes and his jersey is worn by many. Bill Gates became a business icon after he created Microsoft, which made him a millionaire and the richest person in the United States. His creation aided the revolution of personal computers.

These 3 people have achieved a lot for their young ages, which gives hope to others. They were born just as normal as the rest of us and lived a normal life. They give credence to the American myth; we can do whatever we put our minds to.

Assignment 1-4

Beginning June 12, 2009 we are switching from analog television to digital television. For some, buying a set-top converter box will be necessary in order to receive and convert broadcast DTV signals into the format of the current T.V. in use. This shouldn’t be a big problem for everyone though because most people already have a DTV receiver. It’s common in most households these days to have a newer T.V. and some kind of cable or satellite which means they are already viewing digital T.V.
I think this transition fits perfectly in our technology age. Digital broadcasting can carry a lot more information than what is currently possible with analog broadcasting, and that is what we want. Remember when we switched from floppy disks to cds? Then from cds to flash drives? That was because we crave to have more space, more information. Same thing happened when we switched from cassette tapes to compact discs; we wanted more songs available on one thing.
Digital T.V. has a clearer picture and better sound quality than analog T.V. because of the pictures transmission in higher resolution. Not only does it offer us multicasting and interactive services, but it also frees up some parts of the broadcast spectrum for public safety communications and new wireless services. Basically, it is time for us to make this change which will transform our viewing of television now.

Assignment 1-2

Popular culture is pretty complex. It is the way we live, the way we think, and the way we carry ourselves. It's us and why we are the way we are and do the things we do. It's the reason why I have a new Impala sitting in my drive way and a XBox 360 hooked up to a flat screen T.V. in my living room. Not only does it influence the material items we own and aspire to have, but it also influences the way we style our hair, do our make-up, decorate our homes, and play certain sports. People mostly do, say, or wear what's popular. What is popular, is popular culture.

In the business world, understanding popular culture is essential. It can make or break your business or product you're trying to sell. It's important to know what are the current wants and needs of your fellow American's. If you try to come out with a new MP3 player, you'd fail before you'd begin. We already have tons of MP3 players available, and with cell phones having them already built in, MP3 players aren't really needed anymore. Also, when creating advertisements its important to know what jumps out at people and catches their eye. People are more opt to buy something that has an idolized icon attached to it, than something that does not. It is just how popular culture works.

A great example of a pop culture artifact is Mickey Mouse. Mickey Mouse is a comic animal cartoon character that has been around since 1928 when Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks created him. There are toys, clothes, paintings, cartoons, video games, books and movies of Mickey Mouse. To this day, Mickey Mouse is one of the most recognizable symbols in the World.