Selling Cool

To me, this was one of the better stories that we have read all year. I liked at the beginning how the story asked the question what is cool. I also thought it was very interesting how they brought up the point about cigarettes and how they are cool or not. To me I believe they are not cool what so ever just based on the fact that they cause cancer and death but teenagers think there cool because it makes them look older. I thought the next segment of this reading was also very cool. I didn’t realize that people actually had jobs to travel around and observe things that could potentially be “cool”. In my opinion “cool” is what I think looks good, I could care less if everyone else is wearing something. I mean if I think it looks good I’ll join the party but otherwise I have no interest in what other people wear. I also found it very interesting that the “cool hunters” don’t necessarily look for what looks cool but they look for the actual cool kids. Another interesting thing I realized was the fact that some of the cool things that are being worn were actually old fashion. My mom has told me many times that the things we wear now a day were once popular when she was young. I also enjoyed the last reading how the Rocky movies effected fashion and started the trend of wearing hoodies. I never thought about a movie effecting fashion but now that I actually think about it I would have to say they affect fashion tremendously.

selling cool--last blog post

As a current high school student, I completely understand the importance of being cool. I agree completely with the introduction of the selling cool. Having the most up to date cell phone has been something that has been important at my school. I have always wondered, what makes a certain word cool or anything else cool? I think this goes back to like what we were talking about in class where advertisers bombard product advertisers use celebrities to sell their products. I thought it was interesting to read about the creation of Converse shoes and I can agree that today they are still very popular, but I have personally never owned a pair. I think it was interesting to read about coolhunting and how they do what they do. I wonder what a book would be like if they were to write a book and be able to write it without the footnotes all over the place. I agree with the fact that trends can change on a daily basis. One thing could be cool one day, but could be uncool the next day. I think that Nike add really says a lot. I have never seen that advertisement before, but I have heard how poorly the factory workers for Nike are treated overseas. Knowing that seeing that article would make me think twice about wearing Nike, despite how cool Nike is to many people. I thought it was interesting to hear about the start of hoodies. I am for sure glad that the hoodie was invented because I wear them so often I don't know what I would do without them. Overall, I found this article to be very interesting and very informative. Although I probably wouldn't use these "cool rules" in my daily life to become a cooler person.

selling cool

I liked how it started off. It brought things into my mind that i already had sense of but never really interpreted. Like cigarettes for instance. they are not cool they kill people but kids smoke at a young age still because of ideas they have in there head already. and also fast food places its like everything is a popularity contest just depends who likes what the best and who has the best ratings weather things will do good or not. I liked how they talked about fashion to. I found it interesting how they said a new shoe or something would come out yearly now they come out seasonally. the world has to keep up with what the trends of today are or they might go out of business. For example many girl took an interest in uggs which are very expensive. I have never heard of a coolhunter untill i read this. But i guess everyone has a job and theirs is to find and expand the trends of the world. they also stated that you have to be one to know one. so Im guessing you have to be cool to know what cool is. i guess this makes sense i mean i wouldn't want to take fashion tips from someone who doesn't no how to dress well them selves. lastly i liked how they talked about hoodies i am a big fan of them and they have grown. there are so many different types of hoodies out there. Cool is cool!

Selling cool Kyle Baker

In this article I was able to think of so many examples to when something is cool applies especially in advertising. When they began to talk about apple and how they portray the logo and Corp to be cool i thought about many commercials that were aired late last year. They began the commercials out by having Justin Long represent apple and an older man in a tux represesnt PC. Justin Long is a younger actor that appeals to the general population that apple wants to sell to. By him endorsing and representing apple in these scenario's it allows alot of college kids to think " Hey i want a mac" because often times in the commercial they make the PC look bad. I also agreed with what was said about how big sneakers used to come out every year and now they come out every season. With the use of multi modal advertising its allowing styles to be seen sooner which in turn leads to them fading quickly. I also thought it was funny how there are cool hunters because who decides who is cool? Especially with how society is constantly looking for the next cool thing. Often times i feel that cool is defined by what is going on in the world and who is the next big thing in entertainment. I couldn't imagine being a cool hunter because by the time you realized what society thought was going to be cool it might have already changed.

"Cyberspace" (kyle baker)

This article really made me think because as much as you want to deny it cyberspace really exists. This gives a person a more in depth look at a specific example of how technology is becoming a growing medium. Chat rooms for example don't actually allow the user to sit and talk to an individual at a single location but "cyberspace" is more of a label for the way we talk to people. It should never be considered a geographical place because it's not. You're not actually able to get up and walk around but cyberspace allows users of the internet to voice their opinions on an open medium where anyone can look at it. I also never looked into how they give you a shopping cart on websites and treat it as if it were a real transaction in person. This form of medium to purchase items allows a user to do many things impersonally because you're no longer able to talk to a person. The video game aspect taking a look into virtual worlds is crazy to think about. My roomate just purchased a game called Fable 3 where you can have a real life. You are practically able to do anything from marry a women to have children and become a king. I believe these video games are distracting people especially young kids out of ordinary life.

Cool- Greg Knapp

I enjoyed this reading in convergences very much. Knowing what is “cool” is sometimes very hard to figure out. Fashion changes every day. Sometimes it’s new things and other times its old fashion being reborn. This makes good business for companies but not consumers. I have personally found it hard to know when to buy something. In this changing culture, a shirt that you bought brand new a month ago could be considered hideous now. With technology, you never know when the next version of something is going to come out. Companies know when to slow the production of an older version to prepare for the new one. However, consumers are left in the dark. The “cool hunters” was a very humorous story to me. When they talked of the old guys going into the bar with their 1980’s apparel, I couldn’t help but laugh. I liked how they wanted to see the reactions of people. I also found it very interesting how they said that in order to be cool; you have to be born with it. They said something like you can’t put something cool on an un-cool person and expect them to be cool. This is harsh but very true.

The hoodie story with Rockie caught my attention. I never knew the story behind hoodies until now. I think that the way a hoodie is perceived is by who is wearing it. Everyone wears hoodies but it doesn’t relate the people whatsoever. For example, if a girl is wearing one I think that she just didn’t feel like dressing up today. On the other hand if a tall, built man was wearing one I would assume he is related to athletics somehow. It all depends on who is wearing the hoodie.

Selling Cool

Personally, I enjoyed the very begging of this reading. It pinpointed main tings that people describe as cool and ask "are they really cool?" and if so whose the judge? For example, smoking and the latest technology. I do agree that advertising agencies play a big role in the persuasion of people. They make the products seem ideal and perfect so that everyone wants them. Cigarette companies are probably one of the best at this. They make their cigarettes seem good for you even though their product causes lung cancer and other health issues. The younger people are usually the most influenced by advertising gimmicks. They have the need to fit in and feel that if they buy that product it will help their cause. Another advertising strategy is when celebrities try and sell a product. As we discussed in class Gatorade, and other commercials such as Pro Active Solutions and Jenny Craig are some of the few that use this tactic. What is sad is that...it works.
The whole concept of coolhunting is funny to mean. It seems to be a meaningless activity. Every ones idea of "cool" is going to be different, so why pick one woman to go door to door to give her opinion and decide. Sure fashion has different trends however most likely the person who starts them is educated in fashion. Overall, I believe that advertising is sometimes fake and overrated and that cool hunting should not exist.

selling cool

I honestly enjoyed reading the stories on convergences this time. I honestly thought they were pretty interesting. To start off with, I had never heard of "coolhunters" before until I read about them. It talked about Baysie and DeeDee who were coolhunters and I think that is such a cool job to have. To go out and see what people are wearing, if it is cool, and if it would sell. I think that would be really fun but obviously really hard to get that specific job. In my opinion I think it would be incredibly hard to figure out what is considered "cool" and what isn't because every person has their own opinion. I don't know. Another thing I thought was pretty cool was how they talked about the hoodie and Rocky. This interested me because the Rocky movies are my favorite movies. I learned how the hoodie came to be which I had never really learned about before until now and how it was partiall brought about by Rocky Balboa. I also never knew how many stereotypes there were when someone was wearing a hoodie. I think it is crazy to judge someone based on an article of clothing they are wearing but we are humans judge people every day and will judge for the rest of time. But one thing I do not understand and probably will never understand is how can they put a label on what is "cool"? Because I believe it is each and every individuals opinion to decide what is cool, not one specific group of people. My advice to everyone is wear what YOU want to wear, not what everyone else is wearing because what you wear and do makes up who you are somewhat. You just have to be yourself.

cool

I thought that this was a really interesting read. Being into in the world of fashion, and being a fashion design major I've always had I guess an "eye" for certain trends and upcoming styles. I'm not saying that I'm always right or that other's agree with me, but I would say I get it for the most part, which is why i'm making a career out of it. I thought that the job of a "coolhunter" sounds sweet, but it's not as easy a task as people who don't really have that ability may think. Predicting style trends can be very difficult and a brutal process. For a designer, if your next line is just slightly off from what is considered cool for that season, your career is done. Not to mention all the time, money and effort you just spent to launch that line is wasted. Baysie and DeeDee seem to really grasp the idea of "cool" and have the right knowledge and skills for their line of work. I thought that the hoodie article was a good example of how trends move and how without realizing it by wearing something as simple as a hoodie your participating in a trend that's been strewn across many different groups of people. I've been snowboarding for about five years now and I will often see people wearing hoodies on the slopes. It's crazy to think that that same clothing item snowboarders might often wear started from the Rocky movies, and has been involved in completely different groups; from laborers, to athletes, to their girlfriends, to gangs, to hip hop artists, then to snowboarders. That's how a lot of trends work though, they start off being used for a completely different purpose then over time get transformed to be a popular use for something else and this is a good example. Overall I enjoyed reading these articles, even though the whole idea may seem a bit ridiculous; they do explain, for the most part, how "cool" works.

Selling Cool (Blog Week 14)

When I saw the title for this blog I thought it would be a pretty fun article to read and it was. "Selling Cool" really interested me right away because it asked a bunch of questions about what is cool to do or what is cool to own. I answered some of the questions to myself because my opinion on these questions is what I think is cool. Not everybody has to agree with me on this but I know in my own mind what is cool.

I think that DeeDee and Baysie have THE coolest jobs because they are "coolhunters." I didn't even know there was a such thing as a "coolhunter" until reading this article. I would love to have a job that required me to go out and see what was "in" or what was "cool" these days. I think it would be awesome to land a job for Nike or Under Armor as a "coolhunter."

After reading "A Look Under the Hoodie" I was really quite surprised because I didn't know that Rocky made them famous. I knew he wore one in the movie after running up the steps but for him to make it famous is quite interesting. Also the part about intimidation or wearing a hoodie for keeping a low-profile is kind of ridiculous because everyone wears a hoodie nowadays so is everyone doing something illegal then? No!

Selling Cool

Some of the examples in selling cool made me laugh a bit, i mean the description of the cholo or whatever that was supposed to be a hit? I can honestly say i've never seen the whole wife beat, bra strap out, long shorts, tube socks, and shower sandals catch on. I mean i realize i've only been here 18 years but I have never seen it and I hope that it does not catch on. The thought of cool hunters seems awesome. I feel like that is a job I would love to have. I mean to do nothing but get paid to find out what is cool? That would be living the dream. Plus I feel like there would be some nice perks for a job like that :) Really, the question that sparked my interest the most was who really gets to decide what is cool? I mean who can say that their opinion matters more than mine. I do not think that it is determined by just one group of people. I mean take a look at Kent for example, I see people walking by dressed in all black, some in tight dresses, some in tights, meanwhile since it is getting so cold I prefer a nice warm pair of sweat pants and a hoodie. Who is to say that my style is better or worse than any of these styles? If there is one person I would love to meet them, and slap them in the head for making tights a hit... ha.

Selling Cool

I thought it was interesting that there are such things as "cool hunters" when the point of "being cool" is not selling out to the mainstream. These "cool hunters" look for things that are cool, consider themselves cool and yet ruin cool things. I'm pretty the first rule of being cool is go against the mainstream. How can you go against the mainstream when you work for them specifically to ruin cool things? This is uncool. Then again there are many interpretations of cool. I do not think Snooki nor Justin Bieber is cool but a lot of people consider them to very cool and therefore very popular. It's neat that the article mention black Converse One Stars as it is a trend I've noticed every where for years and years on everyone from the goth kids to the cheerleaders. Everyone seems to have a pair but no one really talks about it. It's a fad that's lasted a long while.

I can understand hoodies being popular. They're warm. They're also really convenient for windy or rainy days. I remember a few years ago when it was the in thing for girls to wear XXL hoodies so they looked like they were drowning in fabric. That was right before the pancho fad. I still can't believe that was a fad.

What is cool? (BG)

after reading this weeks readings, i think that it makes a good point and can easily relate to today especially in high schools. in high school and even in college your trying to figure yourself out and if you hear everyone else doing something like smoking your gonna think its cool and that its normal. your going to want to fit in and not be the odd one out. Its hard to not to fall into that shadow. but at the same time you got to do some searching yourself. this articular talks about the "trickle up" theory where cool finders get their ideas from normal people. i dont think this is a bad theory as long as you take that idea and make it your own because then your just stealing it from someone. Take the idea but put your own thoughts and views in. i think honestly everyone goes through a cool cycle and it wears off. Kids and teenagers and college kids all go through them to figure where they want to go in life. i think that you just have to know where the line is between taking someones idea and taking the idea but making it your own.

CyberSpace

this reading was interesting to say the least. i mean cyberspace exists... no one could argue that. Millions upon millions use the web every single day and when they go into those chat rooms, obviously they are not transferred to a spot in space where they can sit and talk to these strangers, but there words are. That is what i have always believed. I mean your entire body may not be in cyberspace but your words and thoughts can be, and those are a huge part of a person. The thought of cyberspace being a geographic location makes me laugh. Obviously it is not. That is the beauty of it. I mean you can get online in one click, and instantly see things for sale half way around the world. I think that the invention of the Wii and Connect probably increased a lot of belief in this topic. I mean you hold a controller and move it to the left and the character on the game moves to the left. Now with the connect you do not even need a controller, it moves when you do... so you yourself might not exist there but your cyber self if you will, is what exists there. I guess in a sense it could be considered a location, just one that only human avatars could ever exist in. But personally, I think that thinking that way is just going to drive us all mad with curiosity.

SELLING COOL - JK

I thought this article was really interesting. I liked that I could connect with it. I'm a Fashion major and when I started learning about how some trend seekers were getting their ideas from the streets and from real people I really loved that. This article talks about the "trickle up" theory where these cool finders were getting their ideas from normal people.

I also liked the part of the article where it talked about where certain trends come from. From example: baggy jeans. Some might say one place and other might say another. I liked that it can’t be pin pointed.

I really liked that cycle of cool. It’s like with fashion. You want to be wearing a trend that makes others want to wear it, but by the time everyone is wearing it, you want to be on to the next thing. It’s taking what you’re wearing and owning it. Making it your own so that when others see you wearing it they think, “Wow, I never would have put it together like that.” I really liked that fact that they talked about finding cool things, but being about to ver off a certain path. Too much of anything is a bad thing, but it’s ok to get things from here and there as long as you make them your own.

Overall I can’t believe someone gets to search for trends as a job. I think it would be the coolest job ever. It sounds easy, but it truly takes an eye to pick out the next big trend.

Cyberspace

While reading these pages on cyberspace, many ideas were brought to my attention that I have never thought about before. One of the first things I learned about was that people look at cyberspace as an actual geographical place. Now, I have never thought about the internet this way but I can see where they are coming from. The part that I really liked in these few readings was the part about real life shopping compared to internet shopping. In this part they talked about how on the internet the places you want to shop at are infinite where as if you actually went to the mall your choices are limited to the stores the mall has. They also talked about how on the internet the stores are just one click away rather than going to the mall and having to walk around to them. I also liked the part where they talked about games and how they get you away from your ordinary life. I like this because when you play video games it gets you to experience things you never would in real life. For example, I just bought a new video game called Call of Duty: Black Ops and in the game you are a secret organization that goes around and completes unimaginable missions. Now, in real life I would have never had the opportunity to do this but because of video games I have experienced it. One of the last things that I read was about how people think the virtual world will affect life in the real world. I strongly disagree with this because I have been playing games like this my whole life and not once have I ever been affected in the way they speak of.

Cyberspace Greg Knapp

This reading put the internet into a different perspective. Even after reading it, I still don’t know where I stand I stand on the actual physical presence of “cyberspace”. Obviously it isn’t something that you can feel, touch, taste, touch, or smell but is it still there? Every second of every day cyberspace is used. You can talk to people through cyberspace. The amount of information being passed through this space is endless. It can never be overused or “burnt out”. Cyberspace to me is facebook. Through facebook a lot of things are possible. It allows you to connect with people that you may not see on a daily basis. This is a positive way that I utilize cyberspace. The reading talks about how it is in a negative way. The game world of warcraft was mentioned. I’ve known many people that have been way to into this game. The reading talks about psychologists have clients that talk about obsessions with games. This is a prime example of the negative effects of cyberspace. I have personally known these types of people. These kids can’t wait to play in this virtual world. I’m sure that each and every one of them world tell you that cyberspace is real. They are so into the game that they think they are the actual player. I think that cyberspace is something that needs to be used correctly or the results could be bad.

Cyberspace

Cyberspace is becoming a very hot topic amongst people today. I believe that cyberspace has changed the way that people are communicating. Things such as Facebook and Twitter are becoming a more popular way to talk to someone than to talk face to face with a person. I think that cyberspace is actually a good thing also. I have to say that I think without things such as Facebook I would not be able to talk to the people that are far away from me as much as I do. I can now communicate more conveniently with people. I also believe that cyberspace can be taken in a bad way. Like I said before, I believe that people can use the internet too much and that disconnects from the actual world. Not only is there Facebook and Twitter, but now there are video games and much more to do on the internet. Cyberspace can be taken in different ways, but I believe that it can be positive and negative.

week 13- cyberspace

The first thing I found to be really interesting is when you are talking to someone like in Koppell's example of a chat room, you are all in one place. I never thought while I was skyping someone or talking to someone on Facebook that we were all in one place. So when I thought about that there are probably millions of people in one place at one time on Facebook constantly throughout the day. I also found it interesting that members of groups are also in one place. It's weird to think when logging into anything it is considered to be logging into another dimension. Where is this dimension they are talking about when they actually think about this metaphor they are using? Do they think of it as like another planet out there? When thinking of cyberspace as a thing, I don't really know what I think of it as. I guess I just have always thought of the internet as always being there and when it's not there, I have absolutely no idea what to do. I think that's a sign of how dependent we have all become of the Internet. The distance article really is interesting how fast you can visit a site that is based out of one part of the world, but then the next second you can be visiting a web site out of another place in the world in a matter of seconds. When the article talks about there being a lack of direction in cyberspace I believe that to be true. Especially when you are trying to google something and it comes back with thousands of results, choosing which article to pick is often difficult and finding one that is reliable. I found some of the articles to be sometimes confusing and at times boring.

CONVERGENCES ("Cyberspace")

It's interesting reading about the history of cyberspace. For me, it's easy to forget that the internet and the virtual world is recent development in the history of the world. "Cyberspace" takes up so much my generations time. It's very much apart of us. Reading that the term "cyberspace" originated in a science fiction novel is very bizarre. It's understandable that travel in the virtual world was so popular though, it isn't as much anymore. Convergences speaks of "Second Life" as if it's going to be a break though in how the world interacts but it's popularity has seemed to fizzle. I know no one personally who still uses the program. I looked at it myself a few years ago but I found it to be confusing and dull. So, to answer the question "Will Second Life and it's successors transform our conventional notions of public space and human community?" I'm going to say no. Time has proven that but I think one of the reasons it failed had to do with the popularity of facebook. There's more instant gratification in a page a with all the information that you need from a person while with second life there still just more interaction.

Cyberspace (Kevin Farr)

I really like the blog reading for this week, it was very interesting. This reading had some truth to it. People now a days are getting glued to their computer and being sucked into "cyberspace." People could sit on their computers for hours on end and with websites like Facebook, Ebay, and Addicting Games people are never bored. They are either meeting new people, shopping or playing their day away with computer games. If you do not pay attention to it you may end up being one of the people who are stuck in "cyberspace," always on the computer doing something pointless. The Internet does have some good aspects to it though, you can look up and infinite amount of information in fractions of second using Google or any other search engine. Even though you find millions of links on the topic you look up they are not always reliable. Websites like Wikipedia are not a reliable source for information. One reason why I know this is because one day Brett Favre's name was changed to Brett Farr by me, It was like that for a good hour before anybody seemed to notice. I did receive a message advising me not to do it again :P The point is that anybody can throw any information on the Internet and we wont really know if its true or not. This is why I feel that the overuse of technology is not a good thing. People are becoming to dependent on the Internet and "cyberspace" that they almost loose touch with reality and think that some online game that they play is their whole world.

Reflection (Week 12)

I did some of the modules at the beginning of the semester and they really helped me to know what to do then. Looking at them again refreshed my memory of how to search through the library for certain things especially when I am researching for my papers in the upcoming weeks. My final papers would probably be tougher if I didn't have this useful knowledge at hand. The MLA module helps to although I've been using the MLA format all year for my papers it is still nice to have a refreshment of this. The modules really helped me out this year!

Cyberspace (BG)

I thought this weeks reading was interesting and makes a good point. Cyberspace really is creating a blurry boundary between the internet and reading books. so many people are becoming bound and taken over by the internet that its hard to get a word in with them. Its not just looking up the news or looking up research any more. its the video games and sites such as Facebook, that have so many people glued to their computers or electronics. I think that if its research your looking for, the internet is not the best option. I mean yeah its fast and convenient, but its not tangible, and most sights you shouldn't believe everything you read. Internet i think is one of those things you have to be very careful with. You cant let it take over your life, even though it can be very easy to do. Its good to still get out and see people face to face and not always chatting over the computer. while the internet can be fun and helpful, its learning the balance of it is the hard part. its crazy how easy and how fast people can become addicted to the internet these days. eventually technology will end up replacing just about every thing it seems like.

Cyberspace

After reading the stories in Convergences that were about cyberspace, i began to think about it a lot more. I had never really sat down and thought about the term cyberspace nor have I ever really used it in a sentence of some kind. One thing I do think that is down right insane is how people become so obsessed with online games and stuff such as Second life, as they mentioned in the readings in convergences. It stated that fifteen million people play that game worldwide. Don't people have better things to do with their life? I know it is probably entertaining, and people like it because it is not real and you can express your feelings freely, but when you can actually spend real money on fake things in the game I think that is crazy. I just believe you can do a lot better things with your time like spend time with a loved one, read a book, play an instrument, clean, make the planet a better place to live, play with your cat, there are an infinite amount of other things you could be douing but many choose to go into a make believe land called cyberspace. I do understand that it is very addicting though. I once started playing a game called Cafe world on face book. I actually planned my day around that game, figuring out when ill be back from places so I can get that chicken pot pie out of the oven on time. It gets intense. But thankfully I quit and refuse to play any online game on the computer. They just aren't for me.

Library Modules

After reviewing the library skill modules I don’t have any questions about library research. I really liked the MLA and APA format modules because I’ve always been confused on what I needed to do. These will help me clear up my confusion. I also thought it was nice for them to talk about plagiarism, in high school we talked a lot about this and I even experienced it. I did not receive the extreme consequences but my 12^th grade English teacher wanted us prepared for college life. These modules are good resources that I will refer back to throughout my college life. They also showed me how to narrow my research results which I’m grateful for, I’m always stuck with too many sources and information that I don’t know how to use this will help a lot. They have taught me a lot and will continue to teach me as I grow wiser.