EOTO Reflection

All the Topics talking about during our EOTO presentations had a lot of good information in them. Some of the topics that stuck out to me were about the history of head phones, the history of the ball point pen and the history of the radio.

The history of headphones were fascinating because I did not know that headphones were created in 1910 by Nathaniel Baldwin. Another thing that caught my attention was the fact that headphones originally created for communication purposes. I always figured they were used to listen to music or to help with hearing. The fact that headphones became wireless in 2010 was also shocking to me since I thought they came out a little earlier than that with wireless. 

With the history of the ball point pen, there was some pretty interesting information that was said during that presentation. In 1930 the modern ball point pen was invented by Laszlo Biro which was something I thought was interesting because we still use ball point pens almost 100 years later. 

The history of the radio I thought was one of the coolest things to hear about. I knew some information on about the radio and what it was used for but not as much as was said during the presentation. One of the big things I knew about it was the radio was the main way of communication in WW1 and WW2. 

Another big thing about the radio I never really knew was that it was the start of many devices that we use today. Such as computers, smart phones, and even Bluetooth. One I was really shocked about what the passports we use on campus is a form of radio to let us into the different buildings on campus. 

Overall there was a lot of new information that I got to learn about during these slides that were presented. Along with much more information on different devices and topics that I did not mention. 

AI disclosure: AI was not used in this blog. All information that was presented came from my personal thoughts and what I learned from slides presented by classmates. 

History of Typewritter

When we think about technology today, we usually imagine smartphones, computers, or artificial intelligence. However, long before any of those inventions existed, the typewriter was one of the most important pieces of technology in the world. It changed the way people communicated, worked, and shared information, making writing faster and more professional than ever before. [en.wikipedia.org], [britannica.com]

Before the typewriter, people had to write everything by hand. Letters, business documents, books, and reports all required careful handwriting. This process was slow and often difficult to read. Inventors began searching for a way to make writing quicker and easier. One of the earliest known writing machines was created around 1808 by an Italian inventor named Pellegrino Turri. He designed it to help a blind friend write letters independently. Although it was not the typewriter we know today, it was an important step toward modern typing technology. [historycoo...rative.org], [site.xavier.edu], [science.ho...fworks.com]

The first practical typewriter was developed in the United States during the 1860s by Christopher Latham Sholes, along with Samuel Soule and Carlos Glidden. After years of improvements, their machine was sold by the Remington company and became the first commercially successful typewriter in 1874. Early models could only type capital letters, but later versions added both uppercase and lowercase letters, making them much more useful for everyday writing. [historycoo...rative.org], [britannica.com], [backthenhistory.com]

One of the most interesting things about the typewriter is that it introduced the QWERTY keyboard layout. This arrangement of letters was designed to reduce the chance of mechanical parts getting stuck while typing. While the typewriter itself has mostly disappeared, the QWERTY layout remains with us today. Every time we use a computer keyboard, laptop, or smartphone, we are using a design that started with the typewriter more than 150 years ago.

By the late 1800s and early 1900s, typewriters became common in offices around the world. Businesses could produce neat documents, governments could keep better records, and writers could create manuscripts more efficiently. Journalists especially loved typewriters because they allowed stories to be written and edited much faster than handwriting. The machine became a symbol of modern business and professional communication.

As technology continued to improve, electric typewriters were introduced. These machines required less effort to use and allowed people to type faster than ever before. However, during the 1980s and 1990s, personal computers began replacing typewriters. Computers offered advantages that typewriters could not match, such as spell check, easy editing, and digital document storage. Over time, most offices and schools switched to computers.

Even though typewriters are no longer common, their impact can still be seen today. They helped bridge the gap between handwritten communication and the digital world. The keyboard layout we use every day is a reminder of their influence. Without the typewriter, the development of modern word processing and computer technology might have looked very different. For that reason, the typewriter remains one of the most important inventions in the history of technology.

Fun Fact: Mark Twain is often credited as one of the first authors to submit a book manuscript that was typed on a typewriter instead of being written by hand. [britannica.com]

AI Disclosure: Ai was used to help format and give articles to read for this blog. I promoted AI to create 500 word blog post as an informational text about the history of typewritters.

  

Privacy

 

The issues raised is the fact we are losing our privacy online and offline to the government and corporations. In one of the videos even stated that we are losing the idea of privacy. 

These issues affect us because we can no longer have a private life on social media and even when it comes to going out to stores. With Flock cameras being all around the US and major cities, we are constantly being watch.

with friends and family these issues can effect relationships with them. Somethings you may do, you would not want them to know about it. But with the loss of privacy, it becomes available to everyone. 

The Government should be stepping in and allowing us to have more privacy instead of trying to making it a police country like China. When the government is watching everything people do online and in the public, it can make people not trust the government with information.

in order to protect our privacy, you can make burner emails to use on websites to access them. You can also avoid putting in your phone number and emails into cites to sign-up for email updates and other weird things like that websites tend to use. 

Another thing you can do to protect your privacy is to avoid posting things that you would not want on the internet. Instagram and Facebook own all of your pictures that you may post onto their social media platforms, and in order to protect yourself, you have to watch what you post. 

Eight Values of Free Expression

 

Protect Dissent is something that I would consider to be one of the most important values of free speech. To be able to criticize the government without punishment is a huge deal. If the government is doing something that is wrong or something you do not agree with, you have a duty to criticize the government. I believe that once someone gets into power they can star
t passing bills or doing executive orders in interests of themselves instead of the interests of the people. Being able to speak against that is very important and is one of the big things for free speech. 

Protect dissent also protects minority views. The reason I believe that is important is because there are a lot of minority views from smaller groups of people who are not heard. A lot of times those minority groups have ideas that are worth hearing but are drowned out by the government and the majority. Giving them the right to speak against the government and against the majority without punishment or hate allows their ideas to get out. 

Check on Government power would be another value I would say is extremely important. I say that because people in power can tend to abuse that power for their own good and not the good of the people. Being able to have checks against them to hold each power of the government accountable is extremely important. 

Checks on government keeps the Legislative branch from being to powerful along with the Judicial branch and the Executive branch. If the Legislative branch decides to make a law making videoing illegal then the Judicial Branch can shut that down. Just like if the Executive branch tries to make an executive order that is wrong or impedes on peoples freedom, then the courts can overturn that order.

In todays world, the Judicial Branch seems like they are overturning a lot of bills that go against freedoms. With how split the government is right now without the supreme court there would be a good amount of freedoms I can see being lost. With gun laws bills consistently going to the court, if there was no supreme court or house, we would lose a lot of rights when it comes to gun ownership.

Out of the two values I have said was most important to me. The one I feel is most personal to me is checks on government power. I don't trust the government and keeping them in check so they are not all powerful is extremely important to me. It allows all Americans to have freedoms that can not be taken where other countries do not have that privilege. Countries like Russia and even England do not have the same rights as we do as Americans. The U.S. government can not come in and take your house and leave with with nothing. Counties like Russia, their government can come in and take your house, and even force you to serve in their military which the United States does not do. Therefore keeping checks on each branch of government keeps them from being to powerful and taking your rights away. 

Supreme Court Video Reflection

 One thing I learned about the U.S. Supreme Court is how much of its work revolves around real human dilemmas. Rather than dealing only with laws and legal theories, the Court often faces questions that affect people's lives and the direction of the country.

I was also surprised to learn how few people have actually served on the Supreme Court throughout American history. According to my notes, there have been just over 100 justices, and they serve for an average of 16 years. That showed me how much influence a relatively small group of individuals can have over time.

Another important fact that stood out was that https://www.whitehouse.gov/about-the-white-house/our-government/the-judicial-branch/. Knowing this helped me better understand how each appointment can have a long-lasting impact on the Court and the decisions it makes.

The biggest takeaway for me is that the https://www.supremecourt.gov/ exists to help solve national problems. Its role goes beyond simply interpreting laws. The Court is involved in decisions that can shape the country and influence future generations.

What shocked me most was the number of cases that reach the Court. I learned that the Supreme Court receives more than 7,000 new cases each year, which made me realize how many issues are brought before the nation's highest court and how selective the justices must be when deciding what to hear.

I was also interested to learn that the justices meet every week to determine which cases they will take. Before watching the video, I had not thought much about the process that happens before a case is actually heard in court.

One detail that I found especially memorable was the tradition of each justice shaking hands with every other justice before each case. It was a simple fact, but it showed a level of respect and professionalism that I did not expect. Readers can learn more about Supreme Court customs and traditions through the Court's https://www.supremecourt.gov/about/courtatwork.aspx page. 

Overall, the video changed the way I think about the Supreme Court. I now see it as a group of individuals working through difficult national issues while following traditions that emphasize cooperation, respect, and careful decision-making.

AI disclosure: AI was not used in the research and information for this blog post. All information came from notes that I took while watching a video titled "Supreme Court of the United States." I then prompted Microsoft Copilot Pro to help shape my notes into a blog post of between 300 and 350 words written in smooth professional style. I then added links to online sources that the reader could pursue for more information. Finally, I added appropriate images and captions to help break up the type and give the post a more professional look.

Top Five News Sources

My top five favorite 

Instagram

I use Instagram for most of my news. I personally follow a couple different news outlets so I can get both sides of news. Since I am always on the Instagram social media platform it makes it easy to see what kinds of things are going on in the United States and locally. When scrolling through Instagram I get targeted ads along with targets profiles to follow. Instagram is a great way to find news as long as you are able to follow multiple accounts and news outlets so you are not only getting fed one sided information.

TikTok 

TikTok is another one of those social media platforms I am always on. Like Instagram I get a good amount of news. I also follow a couple of different news outlets so I am able to see what is going on. the news on TikTok is not as trust worthy as Instagram but it is still a good way to see what is still going on. TikTok tends to send more news information due to how their algorithm works compared to Instagram. Since there are millions of people who are on TikTok you get to see actual footage of what event happened without having to see small clips on the TV from news outlets. 

YouTube

I primarily use YouTube for entertainment purposes, but there are a lot of people out there who post news about what is going on in the government with new laws that are being voted on. YouTube is a good place to go for me when I want to hear what other people are saying or thinking on a potential subject. 

Google 

A lot of the news I get is from searching it up online. There are a lot of good sources on google that can be good accurate ways to find news. I use Google to fact check information I see other other platforms so I can make my own opinion on the matter. Google will also save my searches so I can go back to whatever news I was looking at and continue reading or researching.

New York Times 

I tend to see a lot of information on the New York Times. The website makes it easy to see what is going on and to search for specific news that you want to see. I know of many people who tend to use the New York Times for news and have also had many classes where we would reference the New York Times website for information on a specific subject.