Dr. Ian Pearson

When first hearing of our confirmed video conference with Dr. Ian Pearson I was skeptical of how the conference would go, due to the nature of our speakers profession; a futurist (he did have degrees in Science and Engineering from what I recall). This skepticism that I had coming into the conference only made the the conference better and a more enlightening experience.

Dr. Ian Pearson being a futurist, is asked by companies about future progressions in various different fields involving science, and technology to help these make proper investments into research and or products. These hypotheses into future needs are useful for any company wanting to make an item or service that would be used by many, which helps the company make more profit; this is the same with all companies for example Microsoft, Apple, Spotify, Netflix, and many more notable companies. During our video conference my classmates and I were able to in a way act like a company who is asking advice about future endeavors and changes we should expect to see. Each question asked by the class was answered thoroughly and thoughtfully, however Dr. Ian Pearson took some liberty in his own interpretation of the questions we asked which caused some bias and partially unrelated info to be talked about (Zoey’s expression was priceless).

Though sometimes a little scattered in thought from trying to decipher Pearson’s weird train of thought, I found all of his hypotheses and his work in helping create ideas and products quite fascinating. Especially when Thomas had asked about the inevitability of humans becoming interplanetary species; and also when Marc had asked about the future of music, which I believe he answered perfectly; when he talked about reinventing the way a guitar pickup system. l can say as a guitarist myself, I always wondered why the pickup system had been stagnant for the last sixty years. This leads me to one question I have about the profession a futurist.

Not too discredit Pearson or sound pompous in any way, his responses to the questions were close to my own beliefs and hypotheses about the future of technology and culture. I myself have always kept up with new forms of technology and innovations in almost all fields of study, particularly, cell phones, smart gadgets, materials such as ferrofluid and graphene, and most importantly space travel and colonization. With this knowledge I was able to deduce the same ideas, which leaves me wondering if being a “futurist” is really that hard. I still respect Dr. Ian Pearson but part of me feels many people can make these same hypotheses without any formal college education, like me.

Opinions on his Hypotheses

Colonizations of Mars first requires long term protection from solar radiation that comes in due to a lack of an atmosphere on the red planet. Unless he slimpfied this explanation it is a crucial point to bring up and the technology being invented to avoid diseases such as cancer.

The store where they carry one size would not work since I have seen my sister’s buy a dress and don't like the figure of it on their size, so I personally believe that might be a little more far fetched.

The global warming point is true but he made the politics behind it sound like a conspiracy theory.

The Elephant Sanctuary Comic

Drawn by Spiro Klimentos 

Inspired by the elephants of the sanctuary

Mentality of Succesion- Kathy Khodi Elhami

In order to succeed we must first believe we can achieve something, as implied by Kathy Khodi Elhami during our video conference. This belief in ourselves however does not only come from our conscious mind but also our unconscious mind, which is true. Elhami believed in order to create this motivation/belief in our unconscious mind we needed to create a positive self impression of ourselves by verbal affirmation of the qualities we desire to have. Elhami is a professional and I'm sure she know's and understands her field of hypnotherapy. I'm also sure that people have benefited from these actions; in my class I heard how my classmates/friends felt after her demonstration of her practice and I was glad that they could benefit from it. However for myself I have done the opposite my whole life and that's for worked for me.

When I was told I wasn't good enough no mater the subject or activity it was, by teacher's, friends or family, I would believe it and tell myself I wasn't good enough as well. Not to put myself down and give up on something such as school or a hobby but to push myself to keep on plowing forward, for though I wasn't good enough now I'll sure become better later on, inevitably proving the person who underestimated me wrong.  Of course I still believe in myself to accomplish anything I do, but the negative affirmation to myself drives me to always improve and become better.

Belief and Action

Whether your motivation is by form of positive self affirmation which Elhami believes of, or a somewhat negative self view such as my own, in order to accomplish something and pass the blockades in your life believing is only part of the journey. Simply believing in yourself cannot help anyone accomplish anything, you must put the beliefs you have into your actions in order to pave the path you your goal. I dream of becoming an Aerospace Engineer, however just believing I can will not help me if I do not put in the same physical effort as I do mental effort; as with any goal. I believe Elhami has this belief as well considering the personal stories of how she became a hypnotherapist.

The point of this is to show you, the reader, that in order to accomplish anything you need to have a base mental state (whatever that may be) in order to push yourself forward and get over any hurdles you may face in life. Though I say and believe this, I also believe that time to truly build yourself up is not always within grasp, which requires us to to take a risk with our own actions before we can fully process anything. Belief and Action work hand in hand, however sometimes we must make a comprise for one or the other.

I wish I could have had more time to speak with her so I can truly understand what her field of work fully entails, but it was still great be able to have this experience. Though I personally believe that sometimes believing is not enough, I understand the importance of belief, which Elhami had conveyed to my class.

THE GRIM YEAR OF 2081

“Harrison Bergeron” is a dystopian short story meant to show how even the best intentions can lead to horrible outcomes; in this story set in the year 2081 the dream of equality is twisted to create a world where equality is due to the limitation of its citizens both physically and mentally. This governmental form of equality, requires that everybody and anybody who is more capable than the government's approved baseline must wear a handicap tailored to their proficiency and body in order to be equal to everybody else. The hypothetical question this story poses “what if we were all equal”  is a dramatized version of what people desired now and throughout all of history that leaves a horrifying image in my mind.

Imagine for a moment one day waking up from our own reality and awaking into Kurt Vonnegut’s fictitious one. Imagine what handicaps the government may impose on you; you’d most likely have a mental handicap considering how the wife from the story was a complete bag of rocks, a physical handicap possibly as well. The mental handicaps would impair any thought that you have that may be considered too intelligent and also any individuality. Take a moment to consider how this would affect our own world now, if we are all equal at a below normal mental capacity and capability all progression and innovation would completely halt; and possibly your dreams.

Medical Research and innovations with CRISPR-Cas9, Engineering of all types including my field of Aerospace Engineering, computer and processing speed increase, artificial intelligence development, these and each and every field of science requires thinking outside of the box in order to advance, with mental handicaps this continuing advancement would cease.

Every form of talent whether it be a talent in music, art, dancing, writing, coding, mathematics, comedy, public speaking, science and anything else under the sun, would be subjugated to a universal limitation. Imagine to listening the same basic crappy music all the time, actually don't even think of that, it’s too horrid to imagine.

These innovative ways of thinking that one may have and also the talents they may possess all attributes to one’s personality. If people all had a same or similar personality then socializing would become horrible. I like people who have the same interests however none of my friends are carbon copies; in the world presented in “Harrison Bergeron” it seems like you would find many like minded people.

Any world that would destroy creativity, innovation, and individuality is a world I would gladly take a hard pass on. Im happy to live now in a world that isn't completely equal in the sense of talent and personality.

As somebody from 2019, my reaction to the world found in Kurt Vonnegut’s story in the year 2081 is, “THIS AIN’T IT CHIEF”.

Vic Dibitetto

I have never been fond of comedians due to my idea of comedy. I feel like the purest form of comedy is the moment/instance when one says something out of a reaction, unintentional. Though I believe this, talking with comedian Vic Dibitetto was a great a experience that gave me a good laugh.

I was skeptical of how the video conference would go considering, as I mentioned previously, I’m not too fond of comedians. However in the opening minutes of the conference my skepticism went away, along with my uptight attitude (I say this for I usually try to ask questions that might throw off a fun mood; which also attributes to why I am usually skeptical about fun/funny video conferences). I attribute this to Vic’s personality and attitude which made him feel to me like a genuine person, and also created an atmosphere that I my classmates and I wanted to be apart of.

On the political side of the conference involving political correctness in comedy and in everyday life I couldn't agree more. Political correctness has its ups in today's society which allows people who make racist, sexist, and discriminatory remarks to be held accountable. However, political correctness has also made a society that is too uptight and unwilling to withstand criticism. In comedy many comedic acts involve satire rather than just your standard no bias jokes, which also cause unnecessary and pointless precautions in the art, just to please people who may consider a harmless joke offensive.

I look forward to talking with Vic again. Guess my perception of comedians is starting to change. :)

Students from Germany

Hearing what other people do during the holidays is always great to hear. Hearing what people from other countries do is even more interesting. Talking with students from Germany was no exception to this belief of mine. After hearing what they hd to say on the activities they do for fun during the winter time I can't say I wasn't surprised; in a good way. No matter where you go in the world children and teens of modern societies all have the same essence or root that make them what they are. It is actually quite ironic how even 6,380 kilometers away teens are still teens.

More Serious Section

The European schooling system has always fascinated me; growing up a first generation Cypriot American and continuously going to Cyprus during the summer time, I have always understood the difference between the schooling our countries have. America is an English speaking country that has become the universal best language for tourism, making the ability to speak English an asset. For countries that do not have English as a native language, it is very common for students take English classes. In Cyprus they start learning English in the first-second grade and continue up until college; I expected it to be similar in Germany for this reason as well. This also applies to many other languages, as the German students, schools there have a high focus on languages. Their teacher who knew upward of five languages is evident of how the schooling system is conducted in Europe, including Germany.

The video conference was light hearted and very fun; however I personally wanted to know more about how they feel about the political conflict that goes on around them. I believe that young Americans have become politically opinionated earlier than most generations have so far. Though we discussed it briefly, I wondered if they currently feel stressed about by current politics or feel somewhat involved. However I'm happy I didn't get to ask these questions since it allows me to be more excited for our next Video Conference with the students Germany.

Future Question Section (Serious and Fun):
Do you believe Germany is somewhat becoming the melting pot of Europe?
Do you feel stressed or affected by current political strife around you?
When do you believe you started forming your own political opinions, unaffected by your family?
Do you believe German society is more quiet about their problems or more open than most European nations?
Do they call the German Shepards, German Shepards in Germany?
Do you follow meme culture of America, and if not what is German meme culture like?
How many films that you watch are in German; are there big movies frequently released in the German language? (In reference to sub-tiled/dubbed films)
Is K-Pop and Korean culture big in German youth as it America, or at all?
How often do you guys drink or go to clubs?

Side Notes: The teacher's greek was pretty good; I have never heard a German speak Greek and his accent was was also satisfactory. He probably speaks it better than me.

Field Trip Reflection

The best podcast ft. Tommy Ehrenberg

Andrew Pollack

As we conversed with Mr. Pollack he had talked about the necessity of school safety rather than gun control. His message for School Safety is the perfect compromise for the people on the left and right of the political spectrum for unlike debates on gun control, how are you gonna debate should we protect the lives of school kids and even teachers; its often overlooked that that this also protects faculty which may bring support from teacher unions. The only true debatable parts of school safety are the lack of privacy students may have, which is minuscule when compared to the controversy of gun control.

Andrew Pollack has determination, motive, frustration as well as a cause to you use that for. However I don't think he has the proper rhetoric to push for school safety across the nation. Mr. Pollack should put his political disagreements with Democrats and liberals aside instead of constantly blaming them for the problems at hand; though the officials in his area were definitely misguided in judgment for using the program that allowed for youths to have their records cleaned of multiple misdemeanors, it does not mean he should take away the universal appeal of his message just for his own ego. This is also means he should not undermine the activism for gun control while he is pushing for school safety since it eliminates too many supporters from his movement. Though its hard we must put aside some of our own thoughts and beliefs in order to push for what we believe; ironic, isn't it. I may hate filling out college applications and having to think of paying the possible student debt due to insane tuition costs, but I cannot say Gamo Scholeio for then I will have no future and no chance to change institutions.

Overall though it was a pleasure to speak to a man such as him; I may disagree with his handling of pushing school safety but I still respect him as a person and as a parent. Losing someone, especially one so young is a tragedy that makes people give up on life and hope, however Mr. Pollack has taken his anger and reapplied it constructively to try to push for change in America.

Side Note: I believe in the need for better gun policy involving background checks and overall just less carelessness in the system itself. I also believe parties are idiotic since they separate opinions and assign them as a labels, that cause even more separation in the nation. I don't believe in parties but my beliefs are definitely more democratic.
Also the real concern is public safety in which Pollack's plans are void. As more shootings happen, public opinion would rather push for gun control legislation than school safety legislation.
Scene
All Americans On School Safety. 

Freeman Dyson

            Have you ever had a moment be so surreal that it makes you rub eyes, cover your ears, and test your other three senses. The moment we started talking to Freeman Dyson this feeling had trampled me. Okay, maybe I'm exaggerating, but it doesn't change the importance of talking to someone such as Freeman Dyson. Freeman Dyson is a living legend of Science and Mathematics who I have always idolized for his contribution to the the field. Which many people find strange; sorrrrrrry I don't worship athletes who get payed ridiculous amounts of money like guys my age do. On a more serious note, talking and questioning Freeman Dyson was a dream, that I still can't believe came true.
         On the subject of his so far proven mathematics formula that he co-created, in which he had said that it was is ugly and made no sense compared to the equations it was inspired by, I think it's quite the opposite. Mathematics and Physics is often seen as bland, lacking the art of Literature and History, for me however math is beautiful, including equations such as the one's he described during our video conference where the intricacy of each equation is where the beauty lies, especially in the field of Mathematics and Sciences. When he had first said how he disliked the formula I was baffled, for it was correct and a creation that he supported in making.  I couldn't fathom at first why anybody would want to be disproven especially considering the fame it would bring to have a correct and working hypothesis/outcome. However as he explained himself I understood his feeling and reasoning. Such as how he worked in a group to create this formula, Science is about team work in which being proved wrong is not something bad but good since it could help advance a topic to be thoroughly studied. something I have always overlooked in thinking of my future in Science and Engineering.
           Suprisingly the most important take away I had from listening to Freeman Dyson was to enjoy what I'm doing. While watching him about his life and work, I felt almost like a glow, traveling at 3x 10^8 (speed of light) radiating from him. He had seemed prideful and excited about his work even though some if it failed or was unsupported; Project Orion for example. I have always imagined me somehow revolutionizing rockets when I became an Aerospace Engineer, without thinking of the failure and trails I might face along the way. His attitudes towards his work made me realize that no matter what the outcome of a test or hypothesis may be, as long as that I am doing what I love to do I will still have fun. Which makes me even more excited for my future in Aerospace Engineering
           Finally, onto the topic of Space and Aerospace and my future; let's just say when I'm in history books and exposes for breakthroughs, you know I will be giving a detailed account of my time talking with Freeman Dyson and how he has inspired me to excel in my field such as he did in multiple fields. (Sorry a bit of a stretch isn't it).


P.S. 
I would like to thank my friend Thomas Ehrenberg for getting a Video Conference with Freeman Dyson and allowing me to moderate with him. It was a great pleasure and a moment I won't forget.
   

Alek Skarlatos

Through conferencing with Alek Skarlatos I am more thankful of my ease in life compared to others, such as him. Mr. Skarlatos has seen and felt the fright of not knowing if his life will end; something I hope I never will have to face. Also I feel less worried if a situation like the terrorist on the train were to happen to me; wether it be due to myself rising to an occasion such as himself or just knowing that people like him could be near in a situation similar to his. Finally I feel more hopeful, for seeing and hearing Mr. Skarlatos being unscathed from his experience makes me believe that even as we continue our lives and possibly are faced with more of these incidents, we will not become devoid of the desire to live without fear.