http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/05/science/05tier.html?_r=1
I really liked everything about this article, titled “Ear Plugs to Lasers: The Science of Concentration,” by John Tierney. The topic was truly intriguing; the article discussed how the brain concentrates, how scientists are trying to help people concentrate by creating laser treatments and how author Winifred Gallagher suggests simpler, less scientific ways to concentrate everyday. This article I think would be especially relevant to teenagers here at NHS because we are constantly being surrounded with all types of distractions, from Facebook to TV shows to music and so on, when we should be doing our school work. I really enjoyed how the article broke down the way the brain concentrates in an easy to understand way and example of this would be when the article tells of why it’s hard to focus on anything but TV when it’s on, “ ‘It takes a lot of your prefrontal brain power to force yourself not to process a strong input like a television commercial,’ said Dr. Desimone, the director of the McGovern Institute for Brain Research at M.I.T. ‘If you’re trying to read a book at the same time, you may not have the resources left to focus on the words.’” Along with other strategies to put this concept in real world terms, “…a feat of neural coordination a bit like getting strangers in one section of a stadium to start clapping in unison, thereby sending a signal that induces people on the other side of the stadium to clap along.”
Additionally, after just reading a piece discussing what makes a good lead, I saw that this article utilizes many of the aspects the chapter discussed. The lead is attention grabbing and states the general idea of the article in a unique and creative way, “Imagine that you have ditched your laptop and turned off your smartphone. You are beyond the reach of YouTube, Facebook, e-mail, text messages. You are in a Twitter-free zone, sitting in a taxicab with a copy of “Rapt,” a guide by Winifred Gallagher to the science of paying attention.” This lead not only gracefully merges into the discussion of Gallagher’s book and therefore into the scientific portions of the topic, but the lead also puts the topic into the perspective of the reader, utilizing terminology such as “Imagine that you…” and “You are…” this makes the topic relevant to the readers, making them interested because they feel what the article is saying affects them.
I would recommend that everyone read this article if they’re interested in the science of concentration and what a good and well rounded article looks like.
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
New Works by Photography's Old Masters
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/30/arts/design/30capa.html
This article, “New Works by Photography’s Old Masters,” written by Randy Kennedy, is a really interesting piece written about the recently discovered negatives from famous photographers Robert Capa, Gerda Taro and David Seymour. The pictures are from the Spanish Civil War and until their recent discovery the negatives were thought to have been lost somewhere in Mexico City .
I really liked this article because it included both a slideshow of the pictures found and also relevant and interesting information regarding the discovery. I think it could have been easy to just write a boring article and let the pictures be the focal point, but Kennedy was able to make the writing just as attention-grabbing as the photos. The writing added to the depth of the topic, the journalist informs the readers of not only how the pictures were discovered but how they had to be handled (“…one of the first things a conservator did was bend down and sniff the film coiled inside, fearful of a telltale acrid odor, a sign of nitrate decay.”), how they made their way to the International Center of Photography, how and when they’ll be displayed and just how incredible it is that these pictures were found.
As the article states, “…a number of previously unknown shots by Capa, one of the founders of the Magnum photo agency and a pioneering war photographer, and by Taro, his professional partner and companion, who died in 1937 when she was struck by a tank near the front, west of Madrid. But more surprising has been the wealth of new work by Seymour …” I think it’s really incredible that these negatives were found and how they were in such good condition for being neglected for years on end. This article offered a lot of insight into the lives and importance of the photographers mentioned and how these new images of theirs will add to their legacy.
This article, “New Works by Photography’s Old Masters,” written by Randy Kennedy, is a really interesting piece written about the recently discovered negatives from famous photographers Robert Capa, Gerda Taro and David Seymour. The pictures are from the Spanish Civil War and until their recent discovery the negatives were thought to have been lost somewhere in Mexico City .
I really liked this article because it included both a slideshow of the pictures found and also relevant and interesting information regarding the discovery. I think it could have been easy to just write a boring article and let the pictures be the focal point, but Kennedy was able to make the writing just as attention-grabbing as the photos. The writing added to the depth of the topic, the journalist informs the readers of not only how the pictures were discovered but how they had to be handled (“…one of the first things a conservator did was bend down and sniff the film coiled inside, fearful of a telltale acrid odor, a sign of nitrate decay.”), how they made their way to the International Center of Photography, how and when they’ll be displayed and just how incredible it is that these pictures were found.
As the article states, “…a number of previously unknown shots by Capa, one of the founders of the Magnum photo agency and a pioneering war photographer, and by Taro, his professional partner and companion, who died in 1937 when she was struck by a tank near the front, west of Madrid. But more surprising has been the wealth of new work by Seymour …” I think it’s really incredible that these negatives were found and how they were in such good condition for being neglected for years on end. This article offered a lot of insight into the lives and importance of the photographers mentioned and how these new images of theirs will add to their legacy.
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