The Tyranny of Choice | 11/10/08

Author Barry Schwartz, who wrote "The Tyranny of Choice" focuses on how the unlimited amount of options given to citizens can hinder our personal values not make us feel better. Schwartz believes that when given too many options of the same product we become confused and overwhelmed with all of these options leaving us confused on what product is the best, or fitting for our personal needs. Barry Schwartz believes that there are two types of people: maximizers who want the best and will settle for nothing less; and the satisficers who will settle with what works best for them regardless of whether it is the "best" product out there. After conducting many surveys, Schwartz found that the maximizers are more likely to regret their decisions on products because once they have it, they realize it wasn't all that it was made out to be; his studies showed that the satisficers are more likely to be happy with their purchase because they are not expecting more than what they knew that they were purchasing.

11/5/08

I really enjoy having our workshop days, it is so nice to have many people's eyes look at your paper and give feedback. Every person from my group always gives me great feedback. Every person gives me great advice, so far they all have caught my spelling errors and helped me with my grammar. For revising my rough drafts of both my papers I had taken all of the information that I had received from you and my group to create my final draft. I could not possibly choose who has helped me more, them and you have been a great help.

Free Write | 10/27/08

I am 22 years old, almost 23 and currently in my Senior year of college. Thinking back to when my Dad was my age he was already out of college and working as a CPA. My Dad has always been very smart and school was definitely easier for him than it has been for me. He grew up in a small town in Illinois and knew how important school and education was. He worked extremely hard to get his education and a good job to provide for his family. Since I was a child he had instilled in me the importance of getting a good education so that I can do what he has done for my siblings and myself; he worked hard and saved to give us the education that we needed. Since he has worked so hard to provide us with the best education he could offer us, it has motivated me to do the same for my future children and family. I am in college to learn and be successful in my chosen field of study, and be able to take care of myself financially. My Dad is very wise in recognizing that without a college education it is extremely difficult to provide for yourself, let alone to provide for yourself and your family. I am so thankful that I have had the opportunities that I have been allotted to be successful in this world, and I can only hope that I can do for my children, as he has done for me. Even though the times have changed drastically since my father was 23, one thing hasn't changed and that is the power of knowledge; and that will never change.

PB&J

When our group broke up into our specified tasks to complete this process we let each other do what they felt. We did communicate a little bit before as to what terms should be in the glossary and how our instructions should be laid out. For the most part, we didn't want to specify one single type of PB&J, we wanted the reader to feel like they had a choice between smooth or chunky peanut butter. The easy part of this process was that everyone at the table had experience with this process of making a PB&J. We were on the same page with how it should be executed. The difficult part was thinking of troubleshooting and glossary terms; this was difficult for me because I had never thought of making a PB&J to have safety warnings or that any person trying to make this sandwich would have trouble. Overall, I think that our group collaborated well during this process and working together.

Persuasion

Looking back on the crocodile creek story it was interesting how our group came to the consensus. There is no right answer to this situation. Every character in the story was in the wrong at some point. One person's wrong doings created a domino effect, which caused us to lose track as to who was the true culprit. I cannot remember what scenario that we decided occurred with the characters, or how we got to that conclusion. Whatever we chose, it felt right in our minds because the "what if" scenario we were thinking of led us to what we believed was right.

What is the worst invention?

I think that the worst invention would have to be those jelly sandals. I remember when they were popular when I was younger and I know I begged my mother for a pair. I've noticed that the infamous jellies made a comeback a little while ago and I got a flash back of the discomfort I had endured as a child wearing those jelly sandals. The sandals are completely rubber and rub the backs of your ankles till you have blisters. These have got to be the most uncomfortable shoe ever created and that is why I think that jellies are one of the worst invention, and one of the worst fashion trends.

Free Write | 10/13/08

Thinking about what the best thing every invented is a very difficult question. There have been many valuable assets that have aided to different aspects of our lives. The best thing ever invented would have to be toothpaste. Looking back at portraits done of people in the past, our former Presidents for example, in every photo they have a serious look on their face; you would never see a smile. The reason for this is that everyone had horrid teeth at the time (if they still had any teeth), and the people without teeth wore wooden dentures! Thankfully, with time people had come to realize that oral hygiene is very important and can save you from teeth rotting away. Because of regular brushing with toothpaste and dental check-ups people like you and me aren't running around toothless with dentures.