Individual Conference Post 1

My first conference with Professor Hunt was actually very helpful. I remember being very indecisive as to what I wanted to write about, whether it be about health in relation to bicycles or biking in a specific location. I finally decided to write about biking in the Netherlands and how it is a big aspect of Dutch culture. I was unsure of what I exactly had to write about, but speaking with the professor at the meeting clarified what I was suppose to write on, how I was suppose to write it, and what he was looking for. I originally was just going to compare the video’s facts with my own personal experiences, but I found out I was specifically looking for whether or not the video was credible. I was able to sit down and better plan out my essay and accurately structure it.

Discussion of sources for P1

For project one, I only used a youtube video created by the popular channel How to Survive the Dutch and my own personal experiences. The theme of my speech was bike culture in the Netherlands and I had to prove as to whether or not the video accurately depicted it. I used my personal experiences, although somewhat limited, to prove that the video was credible. Unfortunately, the two did not go hand in hand and the video was proved not credible. This was not only because our experiences differed, the video was overall very satirical and failed to show where it received its facts. I had spent about an hour looking for the video that best displayed bike culture in the Netherlands, and unfortunately many of them only focused on the historical aspect instead of the physical. I was quite pleased when I stumbled upon this video, only to find it was completely satirical and criticized the Dutch and American tourists.

Class Post 7

I thought class on Tuesday was my favorite so far. I loved riding through Market, almost getting lost in the city, and riding a total of 12 miles! Humphry’s ice cream was amazing and totally worth the ride. I will definitely be visiting their again! I think my favorite part of class was riding down to UCSF alongside all the piers. I have only ever been to the piers on Fisherman’s Wharf, which have a touristy feel to them. But riding down the more secluded areas was amazing and I would love to do it again. Listening to Dr. Bauer speak was also very interesting. I never thought I would be interested in osteoporosis and its connection to cycling, but he made it sound very intriguing. He was a very good speaker and he made me want to listen to his thesis even more. I have just emailed him with a few questions and hopefully he gets back to me soon.

Discussion of video rehearsal

For my first video rehearsal, I first start off by writing my speech in paragraph form or in detailed bullet points. Then I read it over a few times so I get gist of what I am going to speak about. I propped my phone up on my laptop and pull up my speech. I then read my speech off and record myself speaking a total of three times. It was very difficult the first few times I recorded myself because I kept stumbling over the same sentence, causing me to stop and rerecord video. I learned for my next video that the recordings do not have to be perfect. It is ok if I stumble on a few words or make a few mistakes. I also learned that it is better to take time in between each take. I tried to record the videos right after one another and I just became tired and frustrated since I kept trying to rush through all three.

Class 9/26

Although I missed riding my bike, enjoyed the mellow class period. It was nice to escape the heat and finishing working on our posters in the library. I was really impressed with everyone’s data and that they were able to replicate their posters in such short amounts of time. Riding in the circle and giving everyone positive feedback was also really fun. I enjoyed that and I thought it was different in a good way!

Homework post

I thought the videos of San Francisco were actually really cool! I tried to compare what San Francisco looked like in the 20th century to what it looks like today. Surprisingly, it didn’t look as different as I expected, there were just less cars and smaller buildings. Also, pertaining to the podcast, I believe that it would be very ecofriendly and beneficial to the environment if we made Market St. private car free, but I think it would be nearly impossible to do today. Seeing as Market St. is already a major street for cars and buses, the construction would make driving through the main areas of San Francisco impossible. It would also take longer for people to get around since they would be forced to drive around market instead of through it.

Bauer vs. Pubmed

One of the key differences between Pubmed and Bauer is that Bauer gets more personal with his explanations. Pubmed has listed a lot of medical facts and statistics that may be useful in some situations, but Dr. Bauer writes for the common person with osteoporosis. He adds his opinions and observations and adds instruction as to what people should do and what they can do to prevent osteoporosis. He is more in detail with symptoms and although he speaks professionally, he is more colloquial than Pubmed. While Bauer is more user friendly, Pubmed caters to those with more background in this field.

When do symptoms of osteoporosis begin to set in for non-bikers compared to bikers?

Are there other physical activities that can lessen the risk of osteoporosis?

Arrangement/Project outline 1

Ciarra Nean-Marzella

Bikes, child’s toy or necessity to getting around? In the Netherlands it is all of the above. According to Survival Guide of the Dutch, the number of bicycles out ways the number of people living in the country. I was very quick to believe this statement until the narrator compared the Dutch’s need for bikes to the American’s love for guns, following picture of a half naked woman on a boat holding a large pistol. I understand the narrator was attempting to liven the mood and make a joke, but his credibility continued to decrease as he stated that, like guns, a bike is likely to have the same kill rate. Now, he gave no stats or gave no evidence as to if his statement was true. Were bikes just as fatal as a loaded weapon?

What gave this video the most credibility was the video footage the creator put forth. The one piece of advice that was given was for pedestrians  to get off the bike path, if not there was a very high chance you were going to get hit. To prove this, he implicated multiple videos of young men, old women, and small children feeling the impact of a rubber wheel and a pair of metal handlebars.

Although his pieces of advice were helpful, the way the narrator presented them did not make them seem as serious. For example, he states that the ringing of one bike bell means that someone is coming through, two bike bells means that someone is coming through quickly, and  three bells and a fuck you means welcome to amsterdam. At this point, it is obvious this video is satirical over Amsterdam bike culture, but it does seem as if the creator wanted to put some helpful tips in as well. This is especially seen when the narrator speaks of “a group of bikes that are all of the same color”, or in other words, tourists. He states that the native dutch with often yell provocative statements, such as fuck you and cancer, towards these outsiders, but, again, his tone of voice lacks sincerity. He also contradicts his statement that the majority of Dutch will yell at those carelessly walking in the bike lane by showing clips of bikers patiently waiting nonchalantly passing them. The statements he made were humorous to say the least but, it would not be the survival guide I want to have in the Netherlands.

Overall, this video had little to no credibility and failed to properly depict Dutch bike habits and culture

  1. Compare guns to bikes
  2. Most credible i

Arrangement/Outline for Project 2

Attention getter

Food trucks, a continuously growing fad of the twenty first century. They provide us with unique foods of all cultures while providing a different way of receiving them. But will this popular way of eating soon be taken over by a more ecofriendly, more unique, and cost-effective way of eating? The Icycle Trycicle and NPR seems to think the the food bicycle will soon become the newest eating fad.

Transition

Icicle Tricycle

  • A company that sells food bikes (describe the food bike)
  • Does not use personal experience for evidence, but instead uses pictures of smiling customers to prove that their product is worth buying
  • The only problem with the article is that the company has convincing statements like “With comfy seating, 7 speeds, snappy maneuverability, and plenty of front cargo storage space, an IceTrikes Cargo Food Bike is a dependable and specialized way to market, advertise, and vend food and drinks.” But doesn’t provide back up evidence to make their case stronger
  • What is plausible about this article is that they do hit every aspect of positivity in the bike which can serve as evidence that it is a well run well equipt machine. From price range, to personal designs, to effective travel, and environmentally friendly.
  • The descriptions they use look as if they cater to every type of person who wants to be a food vendor.
  • Overall good evidence in that they are very good at convincing people to buy food bikes, but lack the positive opinions of others. Pictures do somewhat make up for this                                                                                                                            NPR Review
  • Way more physical evidence than the Icicle Tricycle article
  • “It also makes sense financially: A fully outfitted food bike costs just several thousand dollars — a fraction of the price of a food truck, which runs tens of thousands.”
  • “”It’s more convenient being on a bike,” says Vincent Sterne, owner of Two Rivers Cider Co. in Sacramento, Calif.Sterne has been delivering cider kegs and bottles by bike to bars and retailers for 18 years.”
  • This article has quotes from people who have experienced or used the food bike, saying how great and innovative it is.
  • Pictures taken by the author are also included, showing the endless lines of people waiting to get meals from a large bicycle. These pictures also include descriptions of when and where the food was being served as well as what it was, making the evidence more credible

Comparison

  • Although both make a sizeable argument as to why the food bike is a hot new way to get food, the NPR Review does a much better job at providing the reading with concrete evidence as to why one is better than the other.
  • While the Icicle Tricycle states that “people can serve ice cream, bread, and salads to sell” The second article will provide you with an actual opinion
  • For example, He can carry 200 pounds of coffee at a time — even uphill — and says he pedals 600 to 700 pounds weekly to Portland cafes, grocery stores and restaurants. And he says he can make his routine delivery circuit faster than competing coffee purveyors, whom he sometimes slips quietly past in downtown gridlock.

Final

  • Overall both articles provided enough evidence to make their statements on the food bike believable, the one written by NPR provides us with more vocal content.
  • The Icicle Tricycle provides us with very chipper and convincing statements about the product alongside dozens of pictures
  • The NPR provides us with these things and more, including quotes, pictures, and hard facts and evidence, such as statistics
  • Ending statement
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