In Class: First Paragraph

There's a place in a local shopping center, a not so ordinary place called the Apple store.  From outside the store it looks pretty simple but surprisingly appealing.  All the windows and doors are solid glass.  Above that is a massive piece of brushed aluminum with a faintly lit Apple logo right in the center.  Once inside the the theme of simplicity yet elegance continues.  The floors are made of long thin panels of wood, probably pine or some other light wood.  Large tables displaying neatly arranged products are made of the same wood.

In Class: Group Editing

For the most part, the experiences I've had with the peer editing group thing have gone fairly well.  The way I see it it's always good to get a couple different perspectives on your work.  I can be pretty funky with my wording sometimes so I guess I find it helpful.  I guess the only thing that gets on my nerves is when someone tries to rearrange like a whole sentence or a paragraph because its not the way they would have done it.  And I'm not taking about confusing wording or grammatical errors... I mean Its my paper and that's how I want it.  Kinda harsh I know but I hope you can see where I'm coming from. 

In Class: Peer Comments Response

I found that having a classmate or two really helps me get new ideas and outlooks on my place.  One classmate made the point to say that one of her favorite observations was the ability for customers to check out using an employees iPhone.  Until now I never thought about how cool that actually is.  I knew it had the capabilities to do that so I kinda thought it was just common sense but compared to other stores no one really does that.  It helps reduce people clutter that would usually form around the checkout counter and makes the checking out process seem fun!  I asked if i thought the fact that the Apple store has different ranked employees has anything to do with their ethos, and the answer is a definite yes.  Having highly skilled employees gives the store a bunch of creditability.

In Class: Observation Process

I had a really great time observing the Apple store as a matter of fact.  It was very interesting to see so many people come in and out of the store whether they were there to just look around or buy a new computer.  At some times the store would be really crowded like I mean REALLY crowded you would think they were giving away free computers for how many people there were inside.  I found a nice place at a table to sit at and observe the store.  It was kinda funny though I was probably asked 5 to 8 times if I needed help with anything in the store and and I would always just respond "no I'm just observing your store."  They might have though that was a little out of the ordinary but thats alright.  Observations dont always have to be purely visual and from a distance.  I decided to observe hands on with their products and ask a few employees computer related questions to test their knowledge for fun.  Overall I had many good observation experiences and I'm looking forward to going back!!

In Class: Logos

The piece of evidence I brought to class today that relates to logos is an article about professional cyclist Ivan Basso after his first place victory in the Giro d'Italia.  Our book, "Everything's an Argument" suggests that one of the strongest ways to convey a sense of logos is with statistics.  Basso won the grand tour with an overall time of 87 hours, 44 minutes and one second, followed by second place winner David Arroyo who had a time of only 1:51 more than Basso.  The article also discusses his tedious training and past achievements as a professional cyclist.

Unit 1 Decision

     After much thought I have finally chosen my public space for our first paper.  Originally I was going to choose a supermarket but it felt kinda bland and not that original for some reason.  Instead of just siding with the first place that popped into my head I decided to think it out a bit more because I want to make this assignment fun and choose a place that I would really enjoy writing about. 
     Yesterday afternoon it just came to me.  What better place to write about than the Apple store!  I shop there often and its just an amazing store.  There's just so many things about that store that sets it apart from any other store/public place.  Just look at the store front for example.  The all glass windows and doors sitting under the aluminum like heading with a simple apple logo in the center makes it seem so simple yet sophisticate.  The store certainly has many visual appeals that are unique to its type.  Along with visual appeals, all Apple stores have quite strong ethical (ethos) appeals as well.  They employ a highly trained trained staff of which have great knowledge of Apple computers and their products.  Overall its going to be a great place to write about and I cant wait to get started!!

In Class: Ethos

The artifact I decided to bring that would appeal to my character is my drivers license.  Not just anyone can obtain a drivers license, you have to pass tests and fall under certain criteria.  I passed these tests and became legally eligible to operate a class c motor vehicle.  The license is Texas issued because I lived in Texas when I went through the process of obtaining a drivers license.  It appeals to my character because I obviously had to have some motive to get a drivers license.  My home town of Houston is a pretty spread out place.  My daily commute to High School was over 15 miles so riding a bike or walking wouldn't be that practical.  I also put thought into getting a drivers license for future references too. 


   

In Class: Pathos on Public Space

Grocery stores believe it or not are a place filled with emotions.  Whether it might be the emotions a certain product wishes to convey to the shopper or the overall atmosphere of the place, its hard to stay emotion free while shopping.  Seeing a pineapple in the produce section might bring you back to a family trip you took to a tropical island and make you want to buy it.  Or maybe the store is ridiculously dirty making you never want to shop there again, understanding the emotional appeal of a place tells you a lot about the people who choose to go there.

In Class: Pathos Artifact

The artifact I decided to bring to class is one of my cycling shoes.  I have worn this pair for a year and a half now and let me tell you they have traveled many many miles, close to 2,500 actually.  Just looking at them they are pretty worn.  The carbon fiber sole shows signs of wear and tear from stopping on curbs or catching myself if a car pulls out in front of me.  All and all they have been a great ride.