TOW #13 - Distracted Walking

     "Distracted walking" is a phenomenon that almost all of us have witnessed or may even be guilty of ourselves. Jane Brody, New York Times writer of various topics under the "Personal Health" category, describes the danger and blatant ignorance attributed to the action of walking with eyes glued to smartphones, a parallel to "distracted driving." With the help of humor and appropriate statistics, Brody builds an argument to discourage the continuation of this terrible habit.
     Brody narrates, "people looking down to text, tweet, read or play games on their smartphones crash into us, typically as we walk in a straight line and they don’t." The concrete imagery allows the reader to visualize a scene, which has a humorously relatable ending. It is amusing and also plainly calls out those guilty of distracted walking, setting up the very blunt but friendly tone used throughout the article. Her use of humor also transitions into one of her main ideas - many people thought of "distracted walking [as] 'embarrassing — in a funny way,' which suggests they don’t really think it’s all that serious."
     She admits the idea is amusing at times, but argues that it is still a serious concern, supporting this position with appropriate facts and statistics. She describes data that shows an increase in hospitalization for distracted-walking-related incidents and references various surveys on the topic. This appeal to logos allows her to reach out to all the people who do not think it is a serious problem. She shows that she is not speaking out simply from frustration or irrational worry, but through  logic. Also, she concludes the article with a list of suggestions on how to personally avoid issues related to distracted walking, which provides readers with a concrete take-away and makes them less likely to just brush off the article as many might do otherwise.
     Brody addresses this issue appropriately, keeping a lighthearted tone (and avoiding criticism that she is overreacting), but also substantiating her ideas with statistics to show that there is some weight to the situation. It is ultimately a well-written article and very relevant. As for myself, I am clumsy enough without "distracted walking," so this is definitely something to take into consideration.

TOW #12 - Recreational Map of New Mexico

     The above image, titled "Recreational Map of New Mexico: The Land of Enchantment," was distributed in the 1940s by the New Mexico State Tourist Bureau to encourage people to vacation in New Mexico. It followed a time in which the tourism sector was flourishing due to dramatic advancements in transportation. The distributor was likely motivated by schemes of money and growing business, but it is recorded that the artist, Wilfred Stedman, was truly fascinated by Southwestern culture and nature and showed that in his projects. The map displays major points of interest, including various recreational areas, sightseeing locations, and historical landmarks. Dotted with colorful illustrations of cowboys, farmers, animals, and vacationers, it projects a feeling of liveliness, directly appealing to its audience of vacation- and adventure-seekers.

     In addition to the main title at the top, the map features a text bubble in the lower right corner. I found several different versions of the subtitle, the most common two reading "Make YOUR VACATION a Real Adventure" and "We’re Calling You to FUN Again!" The description below it promotes the area's cultural history, from the "prehistoric peoples" to the Spanish conquistadores to the Native Americans to the cowboys of the "Old West." The short text bubble provides a certain credibility to the entire map, acting as a finishing touch that connects all of the crazy illustrations and landmarks.

     Also fitting with the overall feeling of livelihood and adventure is the map's border of miniature plants, animals, and geometric patterns. Yet despite the boldness in color and line, the map remains professional-looking and not garish. This is partially due to attention to detail in topography, portraying major mountain ranges, forests, desert areas, and rivers.

     Overall, it is those details and the energy breathed into the entire illustration that makes me want to examine each point individually, out of both admiration for the artist's skills and curiosity about what really is in New Mexico. So I would say both the artist and distributor accomplished their goals.

TOW #11 - A Whole New Mind (Part One)

(Above: A Right-Brain Translation of the Historical Eras)
"L-Directed Thinking remains indispensable. It's just no longer sufficient.
In the Conceptual Age, what we need instead is a whole new mind."

     A Whole New Mind is a response to the developing Conceptual Age, founded on transcending the analytical, sequential left-brain and investigating the synthesizing, holistic right-brain. Daniel Pink, an experienced author on the dynamics of the workplace and business, uses a combination of statistics, real-world examples, and a humorous writing style to build his case for "Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future" (and why readers struggling through college or employment should really jump on that train).

     Pink organizes the book very logically and makes it easy to understand. Part One is constructed to emphasize the importance of a whole mind, to break down beliefs that the right-brain is either inferior or superior to the left-brain. Part Two explains Pink's philosophy of the "Six Senses." The first two are Design and Story: the first has recently flourished in corporate settings and the second is the basis of interpretation and memory. Each section is concluded with a "Portfolio" containing creative exercises to improve the sense, from fun project ideas to information on design seminars and storytelling festivals. I am definitely inspired to try some of the things in those sections.

     Pink's writing style is also very effective and engaging. He skillfully simplifies important concepts, often through humorous analogies and examples. There are many jokes but the main point is always clear. Consider his explanation of the necessity of both hemispheres: "Logic without emotion is a chilly, Spock-like existence. Emotion without logic is a weepy, hysterical world where the clocks are never right and the buses always late... The two sides work in concert--two sections of an orchestra that sounds awful if one sides packs up its instruments and goes home." His writing voice is balanced between silly and rational - perfect for this topic.

     This book is definitely right for me. It has introduced me to cool things like narrative medicine (the importance of a patient's Story) and the Rainbow Project (a very creative alternative to the SAT). It also gives me ideas about things like college and career.  I am absolutely looking forward to reading the rest of it.