The first essay I read was “How to Become Famous.” I thought it was interesting to think of fame as relative – relative to what an individual is interested in and relative to what an individual gathers from news, social culture, and other people. I also like that the writer defines fame based on individual merit, allowing anybody the freedom to decide his or her personal fame. I agree with the author’s rules about how to win graphic design competitions. However, I was sad to hear that he suggests to stay away from competitions that include confetti filled envelopes because I would totally enter just for that. The piece of information that remains with me after reading this essay is: “When it doubt make it big. If still in doubt, make it red.”
The second essay I read was “Information Design and the Placebo Effect.” I found this essay very amusing because I never thought the push-to-walk buttons worked, no matter how many times or how hard that stubborn lady pushes it in hopes of crossing the street faster. The author’s depiction of intermittent reward is very relatable as well as the idea of deploying meaningless information to assuage personal anxieties. Hey, I’m willing to do almost anything (like buy a pit bull or carry pepper spray) if it makes me feel better.
The third essay I read was “I am a Plagiarist.” I vaguely remember the story they opened the passage with, however, plagiarism is something I struggle with, as I believe that all work is influenced by other work. Some things may be original but what about the inspiration? What if it turned out that DaVinci copied off another artist, does that minimize his talents? I totally sympathize with Helen Keller with the fear that even something you know is original can somehow be construed as plagiarism…It’s a cruel, cruel world.
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