Diana Castellanos Post #1
We have thought about how objects influence our daily life, but rarely do we think about how objects have gotten us to do their bidding for them. For example, the apple has become a staple in the households and diets of not only many Americans but also people all around the world. But do humans have too tight a grip on the existence of apple? From the reading, “In Search of the Primeval Apple Forest” in the book Apples by Frank Browning, I have learned that the apple has traveled throughout history by being transported by humans and other mammals. But I’ve also learned that science and the search for sweetness has changed and stopped the way the fruit evolves. Farmers now grow only a select few types of apples that can easily be marketed and sold to the public. But scientists realized that this technique could eventually kill the apples, and have tried to keep up the evolution of the apple by visiting the start of its history: the apple forests of Kazakh. I think it’s important to re...
I’ve been debating the idea of using high heels as my object for my research paper. I feel as though there are many different aspects about heels that have changed over time. The first major point that got me thinking about heels was the fact that they were actually invented by a man for men. Generally, heels have a female association, so I think it would be interesting to see where and how that developed. I would like to explore gender roles over time with this topic. I could contrast how they started for men, became exclusive to women, and now, in a era of self-expression, are virtually acceptable for any gender. The other rabbit hole I would like to explore is the connotation heels gave off over time. For example: in the 1950s, heels were a major part of being an acceptable woman or homemaker. In the early 2000s, heels could be worn in a way that conveyed a powerful, successful woman. The kind of shoe is also important to how society views someone. Some heels are judged as being “slutty” and some can be seen as old fashioned. I want to see where these preconceived notions about heels came about in history.
ReplyDeleteI love this idea, I think there is so much you can talk about with this. The fact men wore heels before women blew my mind, and I can only imagine how far you can take this essay. There are so many potential facts to put towards this topic, it was simply enjoyable to even read this small paragraph.
DeleteI actually had no clue heels were originally meant for men. It would definitely be interesting to see how it transitioned from a men's shoe to primarily a women's shoe.
DeleteAt first, since I love to sleep, I wanted to write about the pillow. I wasn't sure how exactly I would approach writing about the pillow, because the pillow seems like such a general item that would have a long general history with very little specifics. It didn't seem like something that was invented by someone per se, but a common item that arose on its own due to its function. It's such a normalized item that we don't really think about, and every household is bound to have multiple pillows. After talking with my group in class about our items, I figured I could write about how it became popularized enough to be industrially produced, or how it became an active decorative piece in houses. I could also write about the different forms of pillows and stuffing that appeared over time. I believe those would be easy to answer and research about, but researching its history would be less straightforward. After thinking about it a bit more in class, I figured I could also write about the bed mattress. It's got an interesting evolution, from springs to foam etc., and it also doesn't seem too general of an item. It's also present in almost every household in America, but I think it makes for a better item to write about than the pillow.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that the mattress is a better item because I find looking at the evolution of an object quite interesting as well.
DeleteI think the pillow is an interesting and intriguing object to write about. Although it may be hard to do a timeline of its history related to invention, it would be real interesting to see how it came to be an item deemed a necessity. Its hard to imagine a bed without a pillow accompanying it.
DeleteSince we talked about Apples today, let me give you people some interesting stories about the banana, another very common fruit we eat these days. Botanically considered a berry ( another fact, apparently strawberries are not actually botanically berries!), began to be cultivated in 5000 BCE, possibly 8000 BCE in Southeast Asia and Papua New Guina. Did you know that the commonly consumed banana we eat today, the Cavendish banana, enter commercial mass production around 1903? The incredible part is, that these banana's were actually not very popular. The most popular banana was the Gros Michel banana, which actually needed less care than the Cavendish, and some people claim have a high quality as well. What happened that caused the Cavendish to become the most popular banana? An issue most banana species have is low genetic diversity, and one specific disease wiped out huge tracts of the Gros Michel. The Panama disease is a fungus that enters plants and blocks flow of nutrients up. Central America, a major producer of the Gros Michel, became infested with the fungus, to the point where it became no longer sustainable to grow Grows Michel, and they switched to Cavendish which is resistant to the disease. There are some sources saying there is a new Panama Disease, which is affecting the Cavendish banana as well, and we may see another huge wipe out of a banana species. Info from wikipedia.
ReplyDeleteThis is actually a really cool story! If you wanted to do your research entirely on the banana I'm sure that following up on some of this information would give you more than enough material to write a paper on it. The only thing you might want to carefully consider is how much you can tie the story of the banana into American history/culture (I'm not sure how "American" bananas are, even though we do eat lots of them!)
DeleteFor a potential item I could write about I was thinking mascara. Seems super random honestly typing it out, it is something I use almost everyday. There are so many different sizes and shapes of mascara, and even more diverse colors than that available. The brush itself can range from being a decently large size to being pretty small, it all depends the look one is going for. I think mascara is unique because someone can truly exhibit their style or uniqueness through a blue colored tube that will make lashes lengthy and an abnormal shade. I also am very interested in the animal testing behind the makeup itself, and how it all started. I have many questions when it comes to the history of mascara and why someone decided to put this black goop on their eye lashes. The first ever product was invented by Eugene Rimmel in the 19th century, but it is so intriguing to think how did it become a trend and who dared to coat their eyes with this new cosmetic. I think it is crazy how expensive some of these mascara products can go for too, considering its use and when comparing it to cheaper, drug-store ones. I feel like there is a lot in this area I could write about, but then again it could be difficult.
ReplyDeleteI think this would be a great topic to write about for many reasons. As you said, you use it everyday and it is something you rarely think about, so it could be really interesting to learn more about such a common part of your routine. Second, when you really take a moment to think about it, mascara is a very strange concept and illustrates how weird our perception of beauty can be at times. And finally, you could really delve into the moral implications of all of the animal testing that mascara has been apart of to make a really great research paper.
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ReplyDeleteSomething that I noticed during nearly every lecture so far has been the role of advertising, especially in the context of competition in markets (and attempts to drive competitors out of business). This got me thinking about some of the most frequent advertisements we see in everyday life-- advertisements for food (especially fast food). If every fast food location constantly wants to bring my attention to their products, it begs the question: "what makes for a good fast food advertisement, and what strategies are these companies using to barter for my attention?" Looking back at course material, I found that advertisements stressing personalization and customization were successful in selling refrigerators and phones, and remarkably, we see those same themes in fast food ads, with the presence of "make your own" or "you choose" messages in such advertisements. Even more interesting is the presence of color coding in fast food marketing. In exactly the same way that we see bold colors and patterns in advertising for phones and refrigerators, we see specific color themes in fast food marketing-- especially the colors red and yellow. A quick google search revealed to me that red and yellow are colors which elicit a certain biological response: making people hungry. It's no surprise then, that we see nearly a dozen similar fast food chains with these exact colors represented on their logos.
ReplyDeleteI haven't yet decided what to do my research on, but this seems like it could be a genuinely interesting topic of conversation in a paper about the history of the hamburger, for instance.
Maybe instead of focusing on fast food, you could focus more on your interest of advertisement and go for the poster. Posters were probably around for a long time, and changed a lot each time the paper got better and more durable, and the printing process got easier and clearer. Maybe analyze iconic posters of a certain era, talking about what makes it special, and what went into it.
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DeleteThat is a very good observation, Jonathan. I have also noticed that advertising plays a large role in the success or failure in the majority of the objects we have discussed, as well as objects we haven't discussed. Just like we have seen in the case of gas refrigerators, if you do not have a strong backing in advertisement, you have a much lower chance of success (I am referring to the idea that gas refrigerators did not have as much of a financial backing from companies, therefore they were not able to produce as high quality nor as many ads as their competitors, thereby leading to their demise).
DeleteSomething that I have become very passionate about since coming to UC Davis is snowboarding, so I thought it would be interesting to write my report on the history and culture of the modern snowboard. It was first created by a dad in Michigan simply gluing together two skis and attaching a rope to one end to make a fun toy for his kids, but he found that the popularity of his invention was so great that he should share it with the world. I especially like how, similar to many genius ideas, it came into fruition very naturally and innocently, without any incentive to make money off of it initially. By this, I mean that the snowboard is and always will be about having fun and pushing the limits. Furthermore, the snowboard has a rich history of changes and adaptations that have developed a simple piece of wood into the highly engineered and optimal snowboard we all know of today. An interesting aspect about the development of the snowboard that I would like to write about is the animosity that arose between skiers and snowboarders in the early days of it's introduction. Most ski resorts didn't even allow snowboards on their mountain, and even the few who did required a basic skills assessment of riders before being allowed on the chairlift. People actually were concerned that bad snowboarders would "push all the snow off the mountain". At its most basic level, even the cultures of skiers and snowboarders clashed, with many snowboarders being called "stoners" and "troublemakers". I think that there is a lot of interesting history that goes into the snowboard and it is something I am very passionate about, so it could be a great topic for my research paper.
ReplyDeleteI also think this is a great topic to research. In addition to discussing the development of the snowboard, you could connect the idea of how the snowboard was founded on the idea of fun and pushing limits to competitive snowboarding and how the sport came about. I think the snowboard is an excellent choice to relate to American history and culture.
DeleteMy first thought when Professor Kaplan asked us to consider what our favorite object was was the contact lens. This small yet complex piece of plastic that many people hardly think about acts as a bridge for me to see the world with ease and convenience. I thought this would be interesting topic for me to research upon so I could become more familiar with an object I come in contact with nearly every day. I was thinking I could start off with discussing the history of the contact lens: how the contact lens came about, how the contact lens is made. From there I could explore the types of contacts lenses available and their roles in everyday life; that is, whether people wear them for corrective purposes, cosmetic reasons, or possibly both. I could also delve into possible health complications arising from improper usage of contact lenses. As Jonathan described above, advertising also comes into play with our everyday lives. To whom and to what effect can advertisements create a positive image for contact lenses? What role do contact lenses play in popular culture and what influence do they have on quality of life? Overall, I find the topic of contact lenses intriguing and hope to learn more about this object through this research paper.
ReplyDeleteFor my research project I was thinking of doing the water bottle. I always have a water bottle on me, it is something I use everyday. There are so many sizes, shapes, and materials used for water bottles. Water is something everyone needs everyday and there is so many ways you can contain water throughout the day. You can use a normal plastic water bottle or a reusable water bottle like: a Hydro Flask, Brita Sport Water Filter Bottle, Contigo Jackson Water Bottle, Mira, and so many more, these bottles are made os plastic or stainless steel. I believe there is a lot of interesting history about the water bottle and it is something I use everyday. I believe the water bottle will make a great research topic.
ReplyDeleteI think that as such a staple of American life, choosing the water bottle is a good idea. You could also talk about how large corporations, life coca cola control a lot of what happens with plastic bottles. Plastic bottles have a huge impact on the environment too and you could focus on how American consumerism favors disposables, such as the plastic bottle.
DeleteThe object I am thinking about focusing on for my research paper is the cigarette. Cigarettes played a huge role in the everyday lives of people in the mid-century and earlier but now have been mostly cycled out of American culture due to their harmful health effects. They were introduced to America at the end of the civil war, but became popular during the world war. I think that cigarettes are an interesting topic because of how they controlled American people when they were most frequently used in the 1950s and 60s. A huge percent of people were addicted and planned their daily lives around their smoking habits. Another reason that this object intrigued me was the glamorous advertising employed by cigarette companies. The advertisements could also be a way to view gender and racial biases at the time that they were published. I could also talk about current day and how nicotine still plays a role in daily life, but how people have turned to electronic cigarettes instead.
ReplyDeleteI like your idea about cigarettes and how they have had that glamorous advertising even though today they are portrayed as bad/dangerous things. You could also talk about the way that other cultures besides American culture view a cigarette and how that differs among others. Overall, I think that your topic is cool and interesting.
DeleteI think this is a pretty good object to base your paper on. I really like that your looking into the way they associated gender with cigarettes and the way they made it look glamorous back in the day. Personally, I think most people hate electronic cigarettes, they're kinda seen as a meme in a way. Cigarettes are still largely used to this day, I think advertising against it may be what has changed the most. I think they're great! :D
DeleteFor this research paper, I was thinking about doing a camera because a camera captures a moment in time. There are many people who do not know how much a camera has changed to get where it is today or the way that a camera influences the lives of peoples nor the way it contributes to history. I would talk about the how the first camera was invented and how it has changed over the years. In addition to the history, I will write about how a camera in the mid-1900s was only available to the higher class since the camera was expensive, how this separates the classes in society and how nowadays a camera is built into almost every technological device and available to anyone. I would also include the ways that the advertising for the camera influenced the way people saw the world in the sense of being "picture perfect" and how today, some crave that aesthetic picture to post. In spite of all of this, I don't know whether I should write about the camera in general or focus on a specific film or digital camera.
ReplyDeleteI like how you mention the advertising part and "picture perfect" shots because from the past til now, this is a relevant theme. People on Instagram and other social media sites are always looking for those perfect shots like you mentioned. I think the idea of focusing on the general camera would be more appropriate because of how many changes have occurred in all cameras. Something to think about would be perhaps the prevalence of phone cameras, if you wanted to include that idea.
DeleteInitially when I heard that we would have to write on an object of our choosing, I was highly considering writing about an art related object. Lately, I've been highly considering making my research paper on Doc Martens. I literally only ever wear Doc Martens; whenever I decide to mix it up it's literally just a bigger chunkier shoe.
ReplyDeleteWhat I find so interesting about the shoe is it's background. Initially the shoe grew in popularity for the working class people, seen heavily on police men, mailmen, and so on. Yet, today we see the shoe having a large association with alternative subcultures such as the punk and goth subculture. What these subcultures value often has to do with rejecting the traditional social-norms, expectations, as well as against "the man". I'd really like to research more on how there was a transition from the shoe representing the common person, to eventually representing the rejection of the common persson.
Initially when I heard that we would have to write on an object of our choosing, I was highly considering writing about an art related object. Lately, I've been highly considering making my research paper on Doc Martens. I literally only ever wear Doc Martens; whenever I decide to mix it up it's literally just a bigger chunkier shoe.
ReplyDeleteWhat I find so interesting about the shoe is it's background. Initially the shoe grew in popularity for the working class people, seen heavily on police men, mailmen, and so on. Yet, today we see the shoe having a large association with alternative subcultures such as the punk and goth subculture. What these subcultures value often has to do with rejecting the traditional social-norms, expectations, as well as against "the man". I'd really like to research more on how there was a transition from the shoe representing the common person, to eventually representing the rejection of the common person.
One thing that I have really noticed in the 3 weeks of class is how us as Americans take almost every object we come in contact with for granted. From our fridges to our phones to even our food (apples), Americans, myself included, do not focus on the objects, but rather just utilize them for their purpose. All of the objects that we encounter have rich backgrounds and interesting histories, but we would rather focus on what these object can do for us to make our everyday lives easier and/or more better. I feel that this is an important concept to remember while writing our research papers, as this concept really encapsulates the idea of "American materialistic culture." Some instances that I have noticed outside of class of this concept taking place is in trash cans and light bulbs. Both trash cans and light bulbs are objects that we normally try to ignore unless we need them or if they are causing a disturbance (i.e. the trash is beginning to smell or the light bulb is flickering). We treat these objects as part of the background or as part of our surroundings, however if we really took the time to learn about these everyday items, we would discover a rich and fascinating history. Overall, even after only a couple of lectures, this class has really made me see that we truly do live in a materialistic world and we can only really start to appreciate the things we have once we learn to take a step back and look at our culture from a different perspective, and this idea is an important one to address in our research papers.
ReplyDeleteI fully agree with your point of view. Our culture is getting more and more greedy as the years pass and technology that "simplifies" life becomes more readily available, leading people to take everyday luxuries for granted. It does not seem like materialistic ideals will be on a downward trend anytime soon.
DeleteWhen we were told that we would need to write a research paper about an object the first thing that thought of was clocks. I'm not sure if it will be difficult or easy to write about but its always something I check wherever I'm at. Particularly, how the clock came to be something so important because without it we wouldn't be able to create schedules or even know what day it is. Similar to the reading in discussion, I want to do my research following that approach. More of a popularity and how it came to be in every household in some shape. Think about it, there is a clock everywhere, to our electronic devices, to the old fashioned gong looking clocks. People are really worried about time. I feel as though we take clocks for granted just as we do with many objects. So I want to take a cultural but historical approach.
ReplyDeleteAs I went through all the responses, your topic makes me thinking, I never thought what if we don't have clocks, how rule-less the world will be. I think a good approach can be describe what the world will be without clocks and compare to our daily life.
DeleteA basic luxury that I noticed I often take for granted is hot water heaters. Hot water heaters clearly are convenient to wash dishes faster with hot water and take warm showers and are often hidden in structures where we never see them. Out of sight out of mind. Before hot water heaters existed, people had to find natural, and often dangerous ways to heat water, such as fire and hot springs. Edwin Rudd invented the first automatic storage water heater in 1889. As with most successful technology the idea of water heaters evolved quickly and by 1896 Clarence Kemp created a hot water heater that utilizes solar panels for heating the water. By the 1970's, safer, tankless hot water heaters rose to popular use because they heated water with coils as it was needed. Hot water heaters became a reality in the late 1800's due to the newfound availability of various sheet metals and other engineering breakthroughs. Years later in the United States it is seen as a significant inconvenience if hot water is not available for our sinks and showers, therefore the introduction of a domestic hot water heater over a century ago marked a point where another invented object would dictate what is desirable in our daily lives.
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ReplyDeleteThe object I thought of when we were asked to choose any everyday object was a blanket. Maybe I thought of it because I was tired but I really like the idea of finding out the history and changes the blanket had over time. Back in older times I think the first blankets were originally just the pelts and furs of animals, but over time this has changed drastically to the soft cotton blankets we have today. Something I have been considering is whether to include bed sheets or not because I am not sure if they qualify as a "blanket". With more research on blankets I believe I will be able to make decisions on direction and stuff for my paper.
ReplyDeleteThe main route I am thinking of taking is the usage of different materials from furs to cotton etc. So perhaps a historical approach would be the best for my paper.
The object that I want to do my research paper on are headphones. to me it's surprising how to micro speakers and a long piece of wire can give us privacy even when we're around hundreds of people. This amazing piece of technology allows us to listen to our favorite Tunes getting our own privacy simply by just plugging them into our ears. I came to realize I was more addicted to my headphones then my smartphone itself. to concentrate on my studies I usually rely on my headphones so I can focus on my work and block out the rest of the world. I got this idea because this week I somehow ended up breaking my headphones and had to spend a week without them. I came to the conclusion that using headphones while in public doesn't only give you privacy but it also prevents noise pollution and offers courtesy to the people around you so that you are not being obnoxiously loud. the best way to approach my paper would be to find out how the headphones came to be in terms of specific designs and who created the design of the headphones that we all use today.
ReplyDeleteI like your idea how headphones gives you this sense of privacy. Maybe you could elaborate into how over-ear headphones were made, as well as how we are moving towards wireless headphones.
DeleteFor my research topic I am considering writing about the weighing scale. This interests me because I have always used a scale in my life, and I used it for physical activities as well as academic. For example, in chemistry class I needed a small scale to weigh and measure chemical compounds, and for wrestling I had to weigh myself each day to make a certain weight class. There are many different scales, such as the electronic scale, the physician’s scale, the lab scale, and scales that claim to measure body fat. I want to research how the first scales were made, and what they were used to weigh, as well as for what purpose. I also want to learn about how scales evolved from weighted scales to electronic, and how these scales grew in popularity and were mass produced. I can also look at when the lab scale was introduced and when it was popularized. These lab scales are not only used strictly for lab work, but also to measure food. I can research when this became popularized as well.
ReplyDeleteThe topic I’ve been thinking for my research paper is toilet. The importance of toilet is significant, but it’s normally ignored by people. There was an article about how technology changed people’s life, but when we compare old inventions like lamp bulb and toilet to these new inventions like smartphone and laptop, what do you think is more important? If you have to choose between old inventions and new inventions, what we need the most? Imagine the world without toilet, people need to go to outside for literally “answer the call of nature”, how inconvenient is that right? However, imagine the world without your smartphone, you will lost the connection with the world, you won’t be able to talk to your boyfriend/girlfriend whenever you want, it's also unacceptable to the present people. I think there will be many interesting aspects, I will dig into and find about more in my research paper.
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