The Age of Technology

In this cartoon the boss is firing the worker because he had software that can do the job 20% better and for the half the cost than the employee.

Trough this illustration the artist is saying that we live in a technological age and that technology is taking too many people's jobs because it is cheaper and more efficient.

I agree with the artist's point in this cartoon. People lose their job everyday because a machine can do the same job more efficiently.

The negative message in this cartoon is that technology has too much of an influence in our society. People should do jobs, not computers. New technology eliminates people's jobs, from the self-checkout lines at the grocery store, to automated telephone operators, to software that can perform the same job as a human faster and cheaper. There is a subtle message in this cartoon and that is that technology should not take people's jobs. This is evident in the cartoon by the sulking posture of the employee being fired. This same line could have been used to advocate technology, but the grim appearance, and the employee sulking and the boss not being real happy either leads me to believe that the author is against technology taking over peoples jobs.

"That Friend"

Scoop Jackson writes on ESPN.com about that one friend that everyone has, "You know, the one we love to argue with about all things sports? Your boy, your BF4L. The one you can't stand to lose to." He had an argument with him about which Final Four is better NCAA basketball or NFL. His friend, who is a die hard college basketball fan, said that the NFL is better.
I completely disagree, anyone who has read my other blog knows that I am a huge college basketball fan, because the Final Four is so big. Final Four weekend is "the most dramatic, pulse-racing, nerve-racking, exciting sports day in America." He says that in the NFL there is no luck, you deserve to be there. That's what makes the NCAA so exciting, its unpredictable. Anyone could have picked that NFL's final four, but it is very difficult to pick the NCAA's. James Brown, host for NFL on CBS says, "The enthusiasm, the excitement, the passion, the anticipation, that umph -- the NCAA Final Four has all of that to a degree I don't think the NFL can match... The umph factor trumps in all sports."
This column is obviously written for the male sports fan. He compares this decision to choosing between Beyonce and Eva Mendes. Its not easy, but whatever you choose its still good. If this column had been written for a different target audience, say an English teacher, that section could have been changed into choosing between a brand new 2008 Honda Civic and a brand new Orca racing bike. Its a though choice but you'll be happy either way. If this was being written for a English teacher who just happens to be a cycling fan, instead of asking James Brown his opinion, he could have asked someone else like Merckx, Armstrong, or Landis. James Brown may not be known by someone who is not an avid sports watcher and someone else of more relevance to the target audience could be asked. This column was written for the male sports fan, but if it had been written for another target audience Jackson would have made references to people more recognizable to them.