Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Creative Writing Final Words



Sungwoo Bae

Before this class, I thought a good writing has to be well thought of and should not attract counter arguments. When writing, I always though beforehand the oppositions that could be argued against my writing and tried to counter the counter argument or just got rid of the whole material in the first place. However, seeing how my somewhat mindless writing of philosophy and robotics making a controversy which lead to a good source of debate, showed me that sometimes it’s good to be bold and without thought. Although I had no purpose to be so provocative, I was, and it was good see how it spurred many excellent opinions and thoughts from others.
To my Hubaes, I would like to recommend them to sometimes free write however they want on a piece of paper. None stop writing and just pour down all the words and thoughts in your head. Not only does it enhance your writing skills but you can really grasp some very creative thoughts inside your head. Most of us are too used to brain storming and sculpting a form before writing, sometimes we need to break all of those to kick our writing up a notch.
If the English speaking society has ever listened to a Korean song, it’s most likely that it’ll be K-pop. I always thought most of K-pop songs were without meaning and was concentrated on commercializing the song and artists rather than creating a ‘good song’. However, after going through the course of creative writing, I was able to listen to many varieties of songs in K-pop that I usually passed by and found out there were some very good songs to be heard. So for the English speaking society, I’ll try to filter some Korean songs good for the ear and also good for the soul.
Who is driving the bus in our society? Where is that person or group driving us and should we do something about it? These were the questions we talked about during our classes. If the Korean music industry were like free market, I’m with the idea of leaving as it is, letting it go where it wants to go. However, as we went on through our course, I learned that there could be some powerful people controlling the whole industry for their own uses. Now our problem is, can we stop them? And should we stop them?
It’s been such an enjoyable and meaningful class Mr. Johnson. You let the class explore many ideas that we’ve never thought of and let us talk about the things that could really affect our lives in the future. For the question about the driving bus… I think I’ll have to think more on that.

Monday, June 11, 2012

If it really wasn't there - JangGiHa and Faces



With light foot steps
I walked home
had a nap for three hours

the sun wasn't quite down
went out to do groceries,
while making a meal for one
Something felt strange that I nodded my head~ u ah ah ah

As usual
I had nothing planned today
Only when I was in bed late
Something felt strange that I my eyes sparkled in puzzle

In your eyes that flickered by, I saw the tears that wasn't even there
In your face that I first saw, I saw the past that wasn't even hidden
I wanted to check again if it really wasn't there

when my eyes opened naturally
it was 14 minutes till the alarm
while making my bed with aching arm
Something felt strange that I blanked, and was woken by the alarm~ u uh ah


In your eyes that flickered by, I saw the tears that wasn't even there
In your face that I first saw, I saw the past that wasn't even hidden

In your eyes that flickered by, I saw the tears that wasn't even there
In your face that I first saw, I saw the past that wasn't even hidden

I wanted to check again if it really wasn't there



Sunday, June 3, 2012

Seduction


 Eye lids are beings of evil
 It constantly screams to engulf the light
 To shadow the shadow and darken the darkness
 Already in state of confusion
 Lights dance around without meaning
 before being destroyed by the lid

 Maybe this is why villains go bad
 the dark side is too sweetening

Sunday, April 8, 2012

Comment on SolHee Bae Seonbae's blog post

Hi Sol (Seonbae) ! You know I'm really shocked with Mr.Johnson sending my poor post that I put least effort into to all 15th wavers taking his class! I'm really thinking of taking down my whole blog and erasing it from existence! Also thank you for this short response making my life much easier! You're the Best! ^^ .... MenBung!

After I read this post, it really reminded me of Kolkata India. I remember you saying something similar after living with the innocent young children there. I do agree with you that humans are born with some kind of goodness or morality that lets us be kind and also survive in the human social society. As of question of why, I don't really have a direct answer.Why do you think human beings are born with a tiny morality core? Do you think other living organisms are born with morality also?

http://solheebae.wordpress.com/2012/04/05/do-we-have-to-learn-to-be-good-17

Monday, April 2, 2012

Integration of Philosophy and Robotics


Technology of mankind is advancing in blinding speed. A few years ago, I remember myself excited about getting a chocolate sized phone in my pocket. However, I currently see myself now having a tiny computer in my pocket called a smart phone—fascinating, but also startling. I Robot, Surrogates, and the Matrix are the movies of mankind’s advanced technology getting the better of man. As a high school student interested in robotics, seeing the near “could be” future through these movies really gives spark to my life. However with all this excitement of the advanced future, come the worries and problems than man is faced with. The famous philosopher, Heidegger, once said that technology is not an act of means, but rather an act of revealing. However, he said that the problem of modern technology is that it challenges nature too far by demanding too much. An era, when technological advance goes too fast that it outruns humanitarian and philosophical studies by two foldstruly frightening indeed.

           In my view, as humans are born to this world, we start our lives with a tiny built in morality core. This means that we are naturally born with basic ethics and virtue, so that all we have to do is utilize them in the right way. However, artificial intelligent robots, a creation of man, lack these properties, which means that we must devise some sort of moral and ethics algorithm for these robots. However using virtue and creating one is completely different. Socrates in Plato’s Meno said that no man knows virtue, but only sees the shadow of it. This means that we only know the true direction of virtue just enough to use it, but have no true knowledge of it. Philosophy needs to be with robotics so that we can truly find what virtue is and apply it to future robotics.

           Where do robots stand in our current world? Humans in the past usually had certain rules dividing the life and substances on earth. According to the great chain of being, the hierarchy starts from god and progresses down to angels, demons, stars, nobles, men, animals, plants, and stones. Also according to the dualistic view, man is divided into mind and body. However, what of self-thinking, conscious robots equip with near human artificial intelligence? They think, reason, and even contemplate like humans, but carries metal for body. Where should we put these robots in the hierarchy of beings? With stones, or humans? Also how will it affect the mind-body problem? Will it give proof for monistic view? If these metaphysical questions aren’t solved beforehand robotics, confusion and chaos will erupt between humans, and also robots. Technology without the help of philosophy will bring disastrous consequences.

           Till here I talked about how philosophy could help robotics, but now I’d like to turn the tables around and talk about how robotics could help philosophy. Many think that writing is just an action of converting our thoughts to ink, a one-way output. However, through the process of writing, the process of rethinking and unraveling the complicated thoughts of the brain, we discover a lot of the world and ourselves. Hegel said, by changing and observing the world that is not he, people find individuality. Thus similar to this, through the process of creation of robots, humans will be able to discover themselves and understand the world much deeply, leading to the development of philosophy. Now not only does technology gain from philosophy, but philosophy also gains from technology.

           My friends who know my interests in sciences and computers raise their eyebrow when they see me reading philosophical books. They ask “Sungwoo why in the world are you reading a philosophy book?” This is because they currently see philosophy and technology as inhabiting two opposites of human knowledge. However, I think very differently, they are two similar fields that can really help each other in the presence of another. Without the blend of two, I think that robotics will be close to a lost child with pistols for hands.



Sunday, April 1, 2012

Comments on SeungHyung Blog

Hmm, Seunghyung I don't really get the point here. How are the three big entertainment companies controlling the music industry? Can you give some examples or proofs? Also, if they are controlling the music industry, why is there nothing we have to worry? And I have no idea why you put the line of companies needing lots of money entering global markets.

Me, Mr.Johnson, and all the world visiting your blog will appreciate greatly if you add a bit more to this post and really express how you feel about the music industry in Korea.

http://leeseunghyeong.blogspot.com/2012/03/is-reach-of-some-manner-of-oligarchy.html?showComment=1333328275042#c6937927771730152210

Sunday, March 4, 2012

Music Companies Control over K-pop?


Some say K-pop isn’t K-pop anymore, that the charts and music of k-pop is far from the populism of the music in Korea, but rather that the huge music company artificially control what K-pop is. Though this could’ve been very true in the past, I disagree with this nowadays.

In the past, means of advertisement was very scarce. The means were only through television and maybe radio, which took lots of money and some social power to do. However, currently, due to the development of the internet, advertisement is available for all musicians of Korea. Now singers don’t have to make a contract with the big companies to get a head start in the music industry. They can spread their music on their own by means of blogs and internet galleries, and if the music is good, it will rise to become popular.

The Grasshopper Song by SunnyHill, K-pop



Lyrics


if you push back and push back, you won’t find happiness
Today won’t come again
At some point, the time has already…
Come On and Wake You Up
Put away the fake hope of being like this or that
If you just fight and argue all the time, it’s tiring
People go crazy over the habitual competition
They are trapped in the same restrictions
They get buried without anyone knowing
Come On and Wake You Up
Put away all the fake theories that are difficultly packaged
If you just kiss up and line things up all the time, you go crazy
Ring Ring Ring-a-Ring-a
Ring Ring Ring-a-Ring-a
Just singing a song and clapping my hands
I want to laugh as I live
* Ring-a-Ring-a-Ring Ring-a-Ring-a-Ring
It’s an echo of wanting to live peacefully
Ring-a-Ring-a-Ring Ring-a-Ring-a-Ring
It’s a melody of you and I wanting to laugh
Ring-a-Ring-a-Ring Ring-a-Ring-a-Ring
It’s a mirage of an untouchable happiness
Ring-a-Ring-a-Ring Ring-a-Ring-a-Ring
It’s a dizzy world that goes round and round
Lift up your head, no one is there
No one is above you
There’s no need to look around in caution
Come On and Wake You Up
All those who became sinners and danced and played
Here, here, come here and gather together
No matter what anyone says, you are cooler
You’re cool for enjoying it
In my eyes, you’re cooler
Come On And Let Me In
Chattering about this or that, making it seem like it will happen
It’s just for people who are tiring
Ring Ring Ring-a-Ring-a
Ring Ring Ring-a-Ring-a
Just singing a song and clapping my hands
I want to enjoy as I live
* Repeat
Where are you busily busily going, time is busily passing
Take a rest and let’s go together, let’s go peacefully
Everything’s so busily busily passing, busily passing
Let’s just sing a song, let’s just play
Where are you busily busily going, time is busily passing
Take a rest and let’s go together, let’s go peacefully
Everything’s so busily busily passing, busily passing
Let’s just sing a song Please Refill the Battery
I lived like such a fool
I was living in a rat race
It all passes passes passes, the lost time
* Repeat
Ring-a-Ring-a-Ring … x7



       The song focuses on the tragic atmosphere of the current society. Tragic, because the society only embraces the people who are academically distinctive, while people who does art and music are easily ignored. The music video shows workaholic ants who are ruled by the queen ant. The ants, though already abundant in food, keep on working due to the influence of the queen ant. The queen ant symbolizes a powerful group in our society that controls our behaviors indirectly, creating an environment to suit their needs making us think it is for our own good and happiness.
The grasshoppers are the ones who refused to obey the queen and decided to live their own life.



This is very similar to the Korean society where competition is over heated. People are judged only by what university they have graduated and aren't even treated human if he did not graduate college. Students in high school are kept away from sports and dreams that they have; they are sent to Hakwons(academies) till midnight everyday. Suicide rate of teens in Korea is first in the world and  I feel we are in need of some group or organization like the grasshopper to open the eyes of students and let them enjoy life.

Monday, February 20, 2012

Suicides Notes by Langston Hughes

Suicides Notes
                Langston Hughes

The calm, 
Cool face of the river
Asked me for a kiss. 






The poem is only three lines, yet it gives such a strong impact. Suicide is usually thought of as a horrible taboo that is to be seen with great shame. However, this poem really made suicide into something much more than evading life by throwing it in the trash. A kiss in the calm cool face of river, with these words, suicide is turned into something sacred and beautiful. Suicide is not seen as cold death, but rather a sweet kiss.

One view point to see this poem is to look at suicide as a decision and action that is to be respected. Marcus Aurelius once said, everything in the world is good and in season. In other words, every action and event that occurs in our life is good for us and on time, so we should not be angry or sad for even the most unfortunate events. Therefore, suicide itself could be a decision that is good and on time, and should be respected. However, I don’t really know how it’s going to help the high suicide rate in Korea, because I’m sure suicide is going to occur even more frequently if the action is seen to be as respected.

On the other hand, seeing that the river asked the speaker for a kiss, it can be seen that people who commit suicide make the decision due to outside forces rather than an internal reason and commitment. The poem could be criticizing that we should not blame the people who commit suicide, but rather the society, or the river that forces them to kiss the blissful lips of death.



Suicide note
                                                     Sungwoo Bae
The white
thin blanket of clouds
Promised to take me on a glide




Homicide note
                                                     Sungwoo Bae
The Red
Bright rays of the sun
Glanced on my eyes