Spring 2009 -- CMN 280, Prof. Sandvig
 
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Misguided Archeologist

In choosing an old communications device, I chose an outdated Sony Walkman CD Player. I believe this item to be technological based on its connotative sense of the word. “For many people, technology connotes progress; they encounter the word with enthusiasm, participating in a belief that new technologies make our lives better.” As an archeologist, I feel this item could be used for many different things.
To describe the device to its best, I shall look at it piece by piece. There is a large top that opens with the press of a side button. Inside the opening is nothing much than a round surface. There are many other buttons on the front that have strange symbols on them. There is one with an arrow, one with a square, one with two lines, one with an arrow and a line under it, and another with the same symbols facing the opposite way. There is a clear section which looks to show some sort of display about the artifact. There are also multiple small holes up the side of the item, which do not seem to be there from previous damages. Wording on top of the device states in English that it is a “SONY Walkman Atrac3plus”. From these words, I can sense the item is created for a man on a walk.
This item does look very technologically advanced. I see this item as a device used to make pancakes on the go. The best way for me to describe my discovery is by using Rogers’ Five Factors of Innovation. First, a relative advantage of the product is that people can make individual pancakes on the go. Second, it is compatible to the lifestyles of the people in the culture where it was discovered, faster is better here. Third, the device does not seem to be too complex to work, just a few pushes of buttons and the insert of pancake batter. Fourth, in reference to trialability, there are waffle makers which make it easy for waffles to be made fast, it only seems applicable that a fast pancake maker would be the next invention. And finally, observability shows the positive effects of a device that makes breakfast easier for working people. An individual pancake maker on the go seems like a great item to feed the hunger of speed and taste for the fast-paced people of the civilization.

18 Feb17:26

The second sentence is

By eniemyj2

The second sentence is confusing, and unclear. Connect it more to the CD player. Good, detailed description, and well written. Funny, good guess-very original. Good job on following the word minimum guidelines and fulfilling each of the separate parts of the assignment. You should revisit the definition of trailability, because you have misapplied the term here. Good mechanics and style-free of spelling and typographical errors. I would just fix the second sentence and the part talking about trailability. Good organization-the various parts were differentiated and easy to follow. And there was a good central argument.

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