One of my many goals for this course was to become a better writer, obviously, and to understand the conventions of writing better so that my writing would be better at a college level. I definitely think that this class helped with that process due to the fact that we were required to write a decent amount of papers along with the skills that we learned in class such as when to use commas, how to cite properly, etc. With that I feel that I have learned a lot in this class that will improve my writing for years to come and will allow me to excel in writing as time progresses. I actually enjoyed this class as well, the group assignments taught us about writing yet still remained enjoyable and engaging, such as the assignment where we talked about social media and the rhetoric behind it. I definitely feel I will use the analytic and argumentative skills that I have learned for other college classes, even classes that are not necessarily writing classes. Therefore, I enjoyed Writing 102 and I will certainly use the information gathered here for the rest of college and even in life.

For the portfolio, I have updated my WRT 102 section to include a “cover letter” of sorts which briefly introduced my papers and highlighted the skills that I have learned in this class.

https://stonybrook.digication.com/michael_mackay/Welcome

I have recently made a few changes to my digication in preparation for the final due date of it being in a week. One change that I did was that I completed the About Me section of the digication, adding personal info about myself as well as photos that represent me. Additionally, I made major changes to my Research Paper such as adding a counterargument paragraph and fixing a lot of grammar and citation errors.

To see my digication click here: https://stonybrook.digication.com/michael_mackay/Welcome

Dear writer of “Automation: The Dangers of Rapid Technological Advancement”,

I have enjoyed reading through your paper and learning your insight on the dangers of the rapid improvement of technology in our society. However, there are a few issues with your paper that I would like to address so that in the future you could deliver your point more concisely. My first issue with the paper is that the intro paragraph in unnecessarily long and wordy. I was able to understand the message behind your paper within the first couple of sentences while you made the intro paragraph over a page long, which I felt was rather unnecessary. Additionally, I would say that you could have a bit more variety in your sources in your body paragraphs. For each body paragraph it is evident through your citations that you are relying only on one source for an idea which, to me, makes it seem as if you did not research the topic that heavily. Also, I personally felt that the paper itself was a bit wordy. Being 8 pages long you go into heavy detail about the dangers of automation but I feel some of the facts provided were redundant or mentioned previously in the paper. It definitely could have been more concise as it at times caused me to lose focus when reading the paper. Overall, the paper you have written is a good exploration of the dangers of automation in society, but there is definitely room for improvement.

From,

Michael Mackay

Michael Mackay

Karlianne Seri

WRT 102.72

9 April 2018

The Use of Virtual Reality in the Medical Field

Virtual reality is becoming increasingly relevant in modern society with many developments being made in the past couple of years. With developments in virtual reality for the consumer such as the HTC Vive and the Oculus Rift, virtual reality is affordable and more accessible to the public. While virtual reality is primarily used for entertainment, the technology is currently being tested in a variety of fields to determine its potential in fields other than entertainment with one of those fields being the medical field. Scientists and medical professionals are using the technology to determine whether or not virtual reality has use in the medical field. As of right now, VR (Virtual Reality) seems to have potential in the medical field which is why it is being researched to such a great extent. Virtual reality is currently useful and will be potentially useful in the medical field due to the effects it has on mental health problems such as eating disorders and anxiety, neurological problems, as well as the training of new medical personnel.

Virtual reality is shown to have an effect on mental health problems such as anxiety and eating disorders. Mental health is a glaring topic in the medical field as there are very few physical medications that can aid some people in these issues which makes the goal to solving mental health problems that much more important for medical professionals. Due to the fact that virtual reality is an immersive environment, medical professionals are able to project any image that they desire into the system, which allows the user to observe and interact with whatever the medical personnel wants. According to a study conducted by Dr. Giuseppe Riva, a researcher and professor of psychology in Milan, Italy, “VR can help address two key features of eating disorders and obesity that are not always adequately addressed by existing approaches: body experience disturbances and self-efficacy.” (Wiederhold, 9)*The Potential for VR to improve health care. From this study, it was found that virtual reality can help a patient suffering from eating disorders or obesity by teaching proper eating habits as well as promoting healthy body imagery and understanding in regards to what “normal” bodies should look like. The study showed a lot of promise with 77% of people who used this specific type of therapy stopping binge habits altogether, compared to 56% of people with more traditional methods of therapy. (Wiederhold, 9). This is due to the fact that virtual reality systems are able to produce such a clear and vivid image for the person in the system, which allows the software to produce a much better mental image than other forms of traditional therapy. Therefore, it appears that virtual reality seems to have use for those suffering from eating disorders, and it is shown to have use in other mental health problems such as anxiety, as well.

Virtual reality is also shown to have a positive results for treatment of anxiety. Anxiety is a disorder that plagues a large number of people but treatment for it can be difficult as it is difficult to control and correct once a person has it. Private communicative therapy is the most common form of combatting the mental illness, but it is not entirely effective. Anxiety also entails the concepts of phobias, which is the irrational fear of a person, place, or thing that could affect someone. Virtual reality has shown promise in regards to anxiety treatment that outperformed other methods of coping. A study conducted by Cristina Botella, a researcher at Universitat Jaume, on a 43 year old woman suffering from claustrophobia found that “The exposure by VR treatment was effective since the patient’s anxiety for closed spaces decreased, as can be observed from the measures taken before and after the treatment.” (Botella, 244)*Virtual reality treatment of claustrophobia: a case report. The results from this study showed that virtual reality essentially cured this womans’ fear of tight spaces that she has had since we was a child. This is due to the fact that virtual reality is used to pinpoint the exact stimuli in the brain that causes fear and allows the environment to affect that stimuli in such a way that the environment is safe but the brain is still affected. VRGET, or Virtual Reality Graded Exposure Therapy, is a method of therapy that is being researched heavily for its effects on anxiety patients. A controlled study in 1999 found that “VRGET proved to be more effective at promoting behavioral change than did imaginal exposure therapy.” (Wiederhold, 43). Imaginal exposure therapy is a method of treating anxiety that has been used by psychologists for a long period of time. This type of therapy involves the patient closing his or her eyes and visualizing the fear-inducing scene in their mind until they are eventually desensitized to it. (Wiederhold, 41). This type of therapy is certainly effective, but VRGET is able to produce a scenario for the user rather than forcing the user to produce the scenario themselves, which in turn makes the user more aware of the scenario and allows the projection to feel more natural, as if they were actually experiencing the event again. This is due to the highly immersive nature of virtual reality in which all of the sense can be triggered within the system. Therefore, virtual reality certainly has promise and could be very advantageous for those suffering from mental illnesses but the technology does have potential for use in physical therapy, as well.

Virtual reality has shown promise in neurological therapy for patients suffering from chronic pain. Neurological disorders, like mental disorders, are also very difficult to combat for medical professionals, they usually require unique forms of therapy for treatment. However, VR has shown that it has potential for those that are suffering from these forms of illnesses, for example, burn victims. A virtual reality game called SnowWorld is an immersive environment in which the user throws snowballs at snowmen while in a white, snowy background. According to Peter Orszag, a banker and economist, “the program has been used for the past 20 years to relieve the pain experienced by burn victims, and it’s been surprisingly effective.” (Orszag, 1). *Virtual reality can help people overcome real pain*. This shows the neurological impact of virtual reality for those who are suffering from such pain and shows the potential virtual reality has in neurology. Additionally, a study conducted in which amputees suffering from PLP, or phantom limb pain, were asked to participate in a virtual reality “grasping activity” showed that virtual reality aided the pain reduction suffered by each patient by an average of 64%. (Dunn, 598), Although, the sample size was small for this study, being only 7 people, the positive effects the virtual reality had on the patients was clearly observed. Therefore, these results lead to the idea that virtual reality could be potentially beneficial for those that are suffering from neurological ailments.

Virtual reality also has its use in training medical personnel for the field. One major problem that many medical students face is the application of what is learned in medical school to what is used in the field. Virtual reality can be used to aid in bridging that gap and allows medical students to perform surgeries as they actually would without the danger of conducting a surgery on a live patient. According to Jannat Falah, a professor at the University of Glasgow in the United Kingdom, “Virtual Reality offers more realistic and “hands-on” learning experience, to develop the students’ skills in a safe controlled environment, without the risks involved in direct interaction with the patient.” (Falah, 1). The main risk that comes with working on human patients is the risk of failure of a procedure, thus harming the patient. Additionally, using a cadaver is expensive and they are in lower quality than in years prior. Therefore, virtual reality is a cost effective and risk-free way of training medical students for the field. Not only is this technology cheaper and safer than other methods, it is also just as effective if not better at preparing students. A use of virtual reality known as SUAS, or Single User’s Assessment System, has been proposed recently and is currently being researched as a way in comparing students with actual professionals. A virtual reality system monitors a user’s actions and the SUAS determines if the user’s actions meet the standards set by the administrator.
Ronei Marcos De Moraes, a Professor of Statistics at Universidade Federal da Paraiba, states “All the information is sent to the SUAS which analyzes the data and emits, at the end of the training, an assessment report about the user’s performance according pre-defined classes of performance.” (Moraes, 47). Concepts such as SUAS could be used extensively by hospitals and schools to prepare students and employees for real-life scenarios in the medical field due to the fact that a defined standard of preparedness can be set for a student, making it so new medical professionals are adept in the field prior to actually working in it. Therefore, virtual reality has the potential to properly prepare medical students for work on actual patients.

Virtual reality has existed for a couple of decades now yet only recently has virtual reality been discovered as useful other than entertainment. The technology has definite use in other field, with prominent potential in the medical field. Due to the noticeable benefits of using virtual reality for training new students and the positive effects the software has on mental and neurological illnesses, it is evident that virtual reality certainly has use in the medical field. While the research being conducted on virtual reality is still rather fresh, the potential for it in the medical field is undeniable.

One of my many posts to Facebook is this post that is shown, which is a status I made to advertise the fact that I was in a theatre show on campus, Urinetown. The purpose of this post, for me, was to announce the fact that I was in a large scale event, which in this case was a  theatre show, as well as advertise the show to boost the ticket revenue for it. The goal of the post was to influence my peers to attend the show in order to support me as a friend as well as support the theatre arts. I specifically wanted my friends who were already not interested in musical theatre to see the post as maybe it would influence them to see the show due to the fact that I am in the show, which would hopefully allow them to develop a love for theatre. I posted this post on Facebook due to the fact that I feel that it would be more likely to be seen on that platform and the post was more official than other outlets, which is usually warrants someone to post that to Facebook. Additionally, the other members of the cast for Urinetown also posted their statuses to Facebook so I thought it would be wise to continue the trend of posting the advertisement to Facebook. The post is both an image and a text, the image being a picture of the poster the cast posted around campus to advertise the show, and the text providing more information about my personal role as well as explain to people how to get tickets for the show. I desired to upload this to Facebook because I wanted people to know the amount of work that I put into the show and notice that I was taking part of a somewhat large scale event that I dedicated a large amount of time to. There was not anyone who I hoped would not see this post, I wanted as many people as possible to come see the show. 

Sample Cover Letter for Michael Mackay

March 27^th, 2018

Re: Software Engineer Position

To Whom It May Concern:

I’m interested in this position at your company which is why I am conveying my interest for this position at Softheon. I have a Bachelor of Science Degree in Computer Science from Stony Brook University with a 3.73 GPA. I am interested in pursuing this position as I am looking to make use of the knowledge that I have gained at Stony Brook University and apply the knowledge gained from my education as well other job positions in a professional Computer Science setting. My ability to work well in a team as well as my ability to perform the required tasks in a timely manner will allow me to be an ideal candidate for this position.

Prior to this position I worked as an Administrator for Sportspro Summer Camps LLC. Within that position I provided costumer service, worked with my fellow coworkers to achieve common tasks such as activities for the kids and planned trips, and worked on tasks that had a deadline. This position gave me general knowledge of communication skills as well as interactions with people which is certainly useful in any position and helped build the foundation for the work ethic I exhibit today. Additionally, my Computer Science degree has made me proficient in the field of Software Engineering, allowing me to program in many languages and allow me to become aware of what is expected in a position such as that. That alongside my 3.73 GPA proves that I am capable of working in the field of Software Engineering.

I am excited for the potential opportunity to contribute to this company and I strive to produce nothing but the best results for your company. Please find my resume enclosed for review. Thank you for your time, and I look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,

Michael Mackay

This article written by Zeynep Tufekci, a reknowned Turkish writer, professor, and techo-sociologist, examines the recent data breach of Facebook in which 50 million people’s personal data was given to a company called Cambridge Analytica. Tufekci argues that this leaking of information should have been prevented by Facebook as Facebook willingly gave the company the people’s information once they downloaded an app provided by Cambridge Analytica. Facebook itself admits this fact, they willingly gave the information to this company, but Tufekci isn’t saying that is necessarily the problem, the problem is that this information was given to the company without the knowledge of the user. Tufecki uses this information and recent news story to argue that companies should not have so much access to our personal info and situations such as this should be so treated nonchalantly. She uses emotional appeal mostly to support her argument, using the emotion of fear to drive her argument forward, attempting to argue that companies such as Facebook have control over our personal information and we have no control over it. Tufekci states that “Facebook makes money, in other words, by profiling us and then selling our attention to advertisers, political actors, and others. These are Faceook’s true customers, whom it works hard to please” (Tufekci 1). Tufekci believes that if the people do not act against the leaks of information without our consent, this type of breach of personal info will become all too common in the future, making it quintessential for the consumer to attempt to preserve their personal data and to not allow companies such as Facebook to take advantage of our reliance on them. If you are interested in reading the article yourself you can read it here: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/19/opinion/facebook-cambridge-analytica.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Fopinion&action=click&contentCollection=opinion&region=rank&module=package&version=highlights&contentPlacement=7&pgtype=sectionfront

The topic that I chose for my argument paper was the argument of whether music at the high school level is actually useful in preparing students for college and if music can actually benefit students academically. This is a heavily debated topic among high schools and universities alike, especially those that specialize in more STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) fields. I chose this topic because I have a passion for music and I feel that at the later stages of education music is neglected, despite its usefulness for a student, in favor of more “applicable” programs to the world. Speaking from personal experience, music has benefited me more than I could have even imagined, it allowed me to connect with my peers in a unique way and it provided a form of stress relief at times at well which is very important for students. Therefore, the benefits of music to a person is the reason why recognizing the value of music in terms of an educational standpoint is important to discuss. It is shown through numerous studies that students that took music education in high school were more inclined to be more balanced students showing proficiency in topics such as language and math. This general idea is going to be the major claim that I make regarding the subject of music and education, and I plan on using resources such as professional studies as well as personal opinions regarding the subject. A common counterpoint that will definitely be discussed is the idea that music has no direct use in the workforce, it doesn’t directly aid a student in finding jobs unless they plan on pursuing a career in music education or music performance. However, rather than directly affecting their ability in a respective field, music aids a student in a more general sense, making them a better overall learner rather than a master in a specific field. Therefore, for these reasons, I feel that it is important to recognize music in the classroom and argue for its continued in relevance in education and beyond.

Michael Mackay

Karlianne Seri

WRT 102.72

12 February 2018

The Artistry of “Superstition” by Stevie Wonder

“Superstition” by Stevie Wonder was a revolutionary song for its time, founding the basis for the revival of  funk music and launching the artist into critical success as the “King of Funk”. This song was first released alongside his 1972 album “Talking Book” which was received with positive remarks. However, the single on that album, “Superstition”, reached number 1 in the United States music charts and number 11 on the United Kingdoms music charts, causing a sharp incline in album sales for “Talking Book”, arguably being the reason behind why this album and even Stevie Wonder himself gained so much commercial success. “Superstition” is a song that delves into the concept of superstition within society and explains Stevie Wonder’s viewpoints on the concept, using his musical abilities and talents to express his opinion on the long-lasting element of superstition in the world. Stevie uses his upbeat music and fluid lyrics to appeal to the listener’s pathos and logos. Using this connection that Stevie creates, he attempts to convince the listener to change their mindset on superstitions and their relevance in their every day lives.

An artist has a variety of reasons behind why they decide to create their work. Stevie presumably decided to make “Superstition” because of his blindness. Due to the fact that Stevie Wonder was blind at birth, he came into this world somewhat unlucky. He became blind at birth due to a premature birth, being born approximately 6 weeks earlier than he was expected to be due. Additionally, he was given too much oxygen in an incubator which resulted in retinopathy of prematurity, a disorder of the eye that caused his blindness. This type of disorder would be seen by many as a sign of “bad luck”, as if the world had malicious intentions for Stevie as soon as he was born. However, by stating with “Superstition” that he doesn’t believe in luck, he is indirectly disregarding the disorder he was born with as “bad luck”. Therefore, this gives Stevie credibility in a sense, stating that despite his unfortunate circumstances he was able to still find success, showing that “luck” should not be a factor in every day life. Due to this credibility, Stevie has the position to be able to disregard the concept of superstition and luck.

Stevie Wonder uses pathos, or the ability to emotionally appeal to an audience, through the structure of his music within the song. Stevie Wonder uses a “hook approach” to his music style in “Superstition”, which is an approach where the musician composes one main riff for the song and repeats that motif throughout the entire song. This is evident from hearing the intro riff of the song which is an upbeat clavinet progression that is used throughout the song. For this riff, Stevie Wonder harmonizes his vocals around this riff, maintaining the relevancy of the riff in the song. The reason he does this is that he wants to highlight the upbeat nature of the riff and grab the attention of the listener. An upbeat rhythm is a rhythm that is on the off-beat of the rhythm, making the song sound more energized and giving the song more momentum. Stevie Wonder uses this type of rhythm to entice the listener by affecting the emotions of the listener, causing the listener to feel more exhilarated and motivated after listening to the song. Stevie, in this way, methodically chose his musicianship in order to appeal to the listener’s pathos. This type of musicianship is one of the reasons why “Superstition” became such a radio success; the song is the type of song that people would want to listen to in order to motivate them. Therefore, due to his excellent use of the “hook approach” and his expert musicianship, Stevie attracts new listeners easily which in turn causes them to listen to the lyrics of the song, which is his main intention in writing “Superstition”.

Additionally, Stevie uses logos, or the ability to appeal to people logically, in order to explain the illogical nature of superstitions with the intention of persuading the listener to lose their irrational belief in those superstitions. Rather than conditional methods of appealing to logos, Stevie presents the facts of the superstitions in order to provoke the listener to think about the subject matter and think about the way in which superstitions are relevant in society. The main way in which Stevie Wonder does this is by the constant repetition of the main chorus, which is “When you believe in things that you don’t understand, then you suffer, superstition ain’t the way” (Wonder). In order to build up to this point, however, Stevie uses allusions to popular superstitions within society in order to reference the idea of them. Additionally, he then exaggerates those superstitions in order to show their flaws. For example, Stevie uses the lyrics “Thirteen month old baby, broke the lookin’ glass, seven years of bad luck, the good things in your past” (Wonder) to reference superstitions such as the number 13 and breaking a glass, which are both signs of bad luck in modern Western society. Stevie uses these specific superstitions because they were referenced heavily in pop culture such as in movies or TV shows such as “Friday the 13^th”.   Through this connection that Stevie builds he attempts to then persuade the listener through the constant repetition of the chorus, which in turn will highlight the main message of the song. The main message of “Superstition” is that Stevie firmly believes that superstitions are an unnecessary stress for those in society. By referencing those superstitions and actually delving into what makes them superstitions it seems illogical that there could be any sense of negative impact from those occurrences. As another example, Stevie sings in the first verse of the song “Very superstitious, ladder’s bout to fall” (Wonder) which references the superstition that walking under a ladder will cause bad luck. Rather than explaining the fallacies in this superstition himself, by referencing the superstitions he is provoking the listener to think about these superstitions themselves. If thought about, it makes sense that there is no possible way that walking under a ladder could give anyone bad luck. Therefore, using the lyrics he crafted in “Superstition”, Stevie Wonder’s goal with the song is to convince the average listener to disregard superstitions entirely.

Superstitions are subconsciously engrained in our minds as the legacy of superstitions has been passed down through generations. It is a concept that is casually referenced throughout our lives yet has no real reason for existing. Stevie Wonder with “Superstition” aims to rid the world of such unnecessary flaws.  Using his prolific artistry, both musically and lyrically, Stevie Wonder is able to make an instant connection with anyone who listens to his work, and is able to relate his work with the ethos, pathos, and logos of the listener. “Superstition” is used by Stevie Wonder to project his feelings on superstitions and aims to persuade those who listen.