The article I’m discussing, Tesla’s Electric Cars Aren’t as Green as You Might Think, describes all the parts of an electric vehicle’s life that might in fact produce the emissions that the vehicles try to avoid. I was interested in this article as I usually read tech-related news, and though this article would provide some insight on electric vehicles, which I’ve always wanted to be my first vehicle purchase. The style of the writer, Lizzie Wade, writes informally, making the article feel like a person, instead of a paper, as it is very easy to follow, and uses literary devices such as alliteration (as they call gas vehicles “gas-guzzlers”). The article is divided into 3 issues, collection of fuel, production, and recycling of the vehicle. One thing I thought was interesting is how the article mentioned that old batteries may be used in energy storage systems, which seemed like a great way to reduce waste, as I find myself reusing ‘dead’ rechargeable batteries in other things. I assumed reuse would be the solution, but the article goes on to mention that due to Teslas having larger batteries, no company has the means to recycle them, or deems it uneconomic. Overall, although the article seemed to specifically target Tesla, it provided insight on the entire life of an electric vehicle, while maintaining my interest.
Month: March 2019
Geography: Media that Influenced Me
One example of something that negatively influenced me is a PlayStaion game, called Pepsiman. I remeber that the game made me beg my parents to buy 64 cans next time we went to Costco, I had one every day. This was not only negative for me, but also the environment (although I recycled, not everyone does).
One thing that positively affected me is the movie The Lorax, as it depicted a world driven by consequentialism, and showed the compremises needed to face when all of nature has been destroyed.
Blog Log 1: Is Technology Really That Bad?
The article I chose is on a far-too-familiar topic, the downfalls of almost everyone having a computer in their pocket. I chose this article because although I’ve seen many with the same topic, I never stopped to acknowledge any of their arguments, I wanted to see from both sides of the ever-expanding battle of technology. The article mainly focuses on the health and social aspect of technology addiction, using common examples such as hand-washing being a social norm, while also including some satire, such as the “Sent from iPhone” at the end of the article. I personally found the “9 hours a day … on social media” slightly inflated, but what really bewildered me was the fact that the article seems completely oblivious to the Night Mode feature baked into almost every phone, and computer for that matter. The article depicts some sleep-depriving blue light as a deal-breaker for all of tech, but my phone automatically solves this problem by changing the screen’s tint when the sun sets as if it wasn’t convenient enough. However, there is one thing that made me change perspectives, and that is the article’s take on social norms, as I think it describes accurately that we are on our phones when we could be socializing with people right next to us, and the worst part is that we are starting to accept it. Overall, I think the writer conveys their message in an easy-to-read manner while also touching on real issues that most can relate to real life, although cliché at times, it provides insight to the growing topic of technology’s impact on our lives.