TOW #6 - First Look at Nintendo Switch

On October 20th, 2016, Nintendo, a Japanese technology and game company, published a short video titled First Look at Nintendo Switch. The video is quite simply the product reveal of the company’s new gaming and entertainment console that will be called the Nintendo Switch. In 1983, the company entered the video game scene with the Nintendo Entertainment System home console, however it has been quite a few years since their last major success. This video was published after many months of speculation following the release of the Wii U in 2012, which received a lukewarm critical response. Through the video, Nintendo tries to garner up interest in their new system across all ages through the use of stark repetition. Within the first 20 seconds of the video’s start, a bright red screen with the console’s logo animation appears on screen. This same animation is then repeated numerous times throughout the remainder of the advertisement. This repetition is used in order to appeal to the emotions of the audience viewing the reveal. The animation is featured after sequences where a person is disturbed during a gaming session by just everyday life occurrences, such as a dog barking to go outside. The animation then appears with two sides connecting together. The premise of the console is that it is both a home console but can be SWITCHED to be portable. By repeating this animation after seeing the a typical every day occurrence, Nintendo attempts to connect with viewers who constantly feel as though they are on the move and do not have time to relax. Not only this, but the animation also comes after segments that feature adults playing these video games, which attempts to demolish the stigma around video games ONLY being toys for children. Overall, I do believe that Nintendo was successful in their attempts to gain interest in their concept as I personally am now very intrigued. As a modern high school student, I am constantly on the run, but I love to play video games, and this seems to be an answer to this issue.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f5uik5fgIaI

TOW #5 - There's Such Thing As Too Much Neuroscience

In his article, author John C. Markowitz discusses the current lack of funding toward mental health research in America and the importance of this research. Markowitz is a professor of clinical psychiatry at Columbia University and is also a research psychiatrist at the New York State Psychiatric Institute and wrote this article in response to the election of Dr. Joshua Gordon as the new director of the National Institute of Mental Health. The former director of the organization, Dr. Thomas Insel focused much of its budget on neuroscience research. Throughout the text, Markowitz employs examples of mental health issues and provides data about the research into these issues in order to show that the funding of this research is immensely important and is a serious concern. Markowitz grabs the focus of the audience by introducing the symptoms of perhaps the most major mental health issue, depression. He states, “some criteria are low mood; wanting to die; and sleep, appetite, and energy changes. These are biological markers that neuroscience seeks to identify.” (Markowitz). By presenting these harrowing symptoms, Markowitz is able to pull at the emotions of the reader. Depression occurs in such a vast quantity of people in modern society that many readers can likely relate to the words being written. Markowitz uses these charged emotions to show that research into neuroscience could help to develop more effective treatments for these issues. After presenting how important this research is, Markowitz goes on to show how underfunded the research is writing that, “clinical research has slowed to a trickle, now accounting for only 10 percent of the institute’s budget.” (Markowitz). Through the inclusion of this statistic, Markowitz is able to show the public how underfunded this critical area of research is. Without proper funding, it will be more difficult and will take more time to find effective treatments for many mental health issues. Overall, I believe that Markowitz is able to effectively achieve his purpose. He finishes the article in a very moving way, stating that patients continue to commit suicide despite the best available treatments.

TOW #4 - Sully (Chesley B. Sullenberger III)

In his autobiography Sully, Chesley B. “Sully” Sullenberger III writes about his life leading up to the emergency landing of Flight 1549 into the Hudson River in 2009. The book continues after these events for Sully to discuss the ways that these events have affected his life. In the beginning pages of his book, Sully introduces that he has always had a lifelong interest in aviation and even began to take flying lessons as early as 16 years of age. Since then, he pursued his passion and served as a member of the US Air-Force and a professional commercial pilot with over 19,000 hours logged. As per the dedication page, he wrote this autobiography for those that were affected by Flight 1549 as a means of remaining connected. On this same page, he writes that this book serves as a method of finding what really matters. To convey this message, Sully uses repetition and moving images. Within the first chapter, Sully sees the wreckage of a plane after a crash and notes to himself, “Flying a plane meant not making mistakes. You had to maintain control of everything. You had to look out for the wires, the birds, the trees, the fog. You had to be vigilant and alert.” (Sullenberger 11). The repetition of the words ‘you had’ reveals how truly important Sully finds these ideas to be. This idea of importance is a huge part of Sully’s purpose. He wants the reader to understand what truly matters and in this case, it is personal safety. Later on, Sully includes a wealth of personal pictures. These include him at lessons, his parents’ wedding, and even his own wedding. (Sullenberger 130). The inclusion of such personal images reveals to the reader what Sullenberger values as a human being. By sharing these pictures, he is opening himself up to his audience in hopes that it will usher in feelings of what a reader values within their own life. Overall, I believe Sully has effectively achieved his purpose through the personal touches mentioned above. I cannot wait to complete the book!