Paper 2 vs. 3

Our second paper was comprised mainly of our own interpretations of subjects. Specifically print advertisements. In this paper the only "sources" we really had to cite were the publishers of the ads. The rest was our own analysis of the subjects at hand. The third paper differs drastically because it was about any topic of choice, and the assignment was to take a position on it. The position was to be supported by reputable evidence to support your "claim" (thesis). I actually preferred the analysis paper over the position one, even though I had never written one before. I think this was because my interpretation could be drastically different than someone else, and I am able to express my own sight.

Over Complication Paper Final Draft (Paper #3)

Mitch Young

English 101

11/23/15

Over Complication

New technology and innovation have always deemed our world as we know it, insufficient. Need based inventions have lead to some of the most profound breakthroughs in technology, and ultimately have had a dramatic affect on every living thing. Currently, complex mechanisms are responsible for hundreds of things we as humans encounter daily. Some of the most complicated of machinery in our daily lives, like cell phones, computers, and cars are becoming an increasingly necessary. As the demand increases, the push for new technology, that in turn leads to new customers. This is today's world has evolved to. Many things today, especially in the automotive world, are major problems waiting to happen. Things like electronic parking brakes and touch screen controls are so complex that they are bound to fail. There are some things in life should be kept simple, robust, and dependable. Over complication of devices on automobiles is a major danger, and should be addressed with simple, proven old school mechanical designs.

Simple logic tells us that over time, parts wear out after heavy use, mistreatment, and abuse. That being said, the fewer moving parts there are and the stronger they are built, the likelihood of failure is dramatically decreased. Cool new touchscreens trying bring a greater ease of use, come with a major learning curve. People can generally figure out how to change the station on the radio, and turn the defrosters on while in the driveway, but trying to figure these buried commands out while driving can be an extremely dangerous task. Richard Truett expresses this same concern in an article for Automotive News, stating that switches and levers are being replaced by apps on a touchscreen. Looking back to “old cars” he says, “lowering a window, adjusting a seat or changing the brightness of the of the instrument lights is a quick, intuitive no-brainer” (Truett). Notice the powerful word, intuitive. Nowadays almost everything in a car is somehow controlled or manipulated by some kind of electronics, or computer. Anything from brake power distribution to a complex variable fuel injection system, they are all extremely complex and to the average person, not intuitive. A major problem with newer cars is the cost to maintain then with these unintuitive complex parts. With onboard computers, troubleshooting has to be accompanied by a code reader, found in dealerships and some mechanic shops, but costing neer $7,000 per unit (Allen). It is a new era where even the most knowledgeable person cannot just get out, pop the hood, fix the problem and keep driving.

All these driver's aids and safety features are have made our roads dramatically safer, but when things really matter, it is important to make mechanisms simple and bulletproof. An electronic parking brake is on of the best examples of what not to do as an auto manufacturer. Speaking from personal experience with a 2009 Volkswagen Passat, electronic parking brakes are finicky and may leave you stranded. Park your car and push the button, it’s simple, takes no physical strength, but that one time where for some reason the break just will not turn off, you are in trouble. Situations like this make consumers question their safety at times where it truly matters. What are you to do in a situation like this? It is truly unfortunate that things like this happen because there is no simple way to try to go about fixing the issue. With an old school cable style parking brake design, you could perhaps reach under the car and wiggle the cable until it unbinds, but trying to think through how a computer works inside its little circuit board buried in the dash is not something most people can do. Even if someone has the knowledge and know how to diagnose the issue inside the dash, they cannot get to it. This is extremely unintuitive and creates a lot of unnecessary work..

Anything in a car that’s proper operation affects your well being, such as a parking brake should be kept to a barebones no fail design, it has one job to do---it better be able to always do that job. Electronics fail, that's something we all hold as common knowledge with a little reflection in our computers and phones, and with that being said any system needs to have some kind of redundancy. Merriam-Webster defines redundancy as some kind of “machine, system, etc.,” that is designed to keep working even if one component breaks. Looking at automobiles two wheel cousins, motorcycles recently---especially dirt bikes---have been on a slippery slope. On a motorcycle equipped with electric start, the battery is prone to loose its charge after not being ridden for a while, and with the battery dead on some bikes it will be a long push home. Some dirtbikes even recently have been produced without a kickstarter - electric start only. This is possibly one of the worst things that a manufacturer could do. Getting the bike started when the electric start fails---and they do fail, becomes made much more difficult. Why would a never fail kick start mechanism be removed from something like this?

Auto manufacturers everywhere should focus on reliability and serviceability on crucial components on cars. Parking brakes, windshield wipers, and engines specifically should be of the most robust and mechanical of components. Smaller things like an electronic tailgate, while maybe appealing to consumers---assuming it never malfunctions---should still at minimum have a manual override that allows it to operate normally. One of the best examples of pure robust mechanical dependability is the 5.9 liter 6BT Cummins 12 valve turbo diesel engine. While it appears to be a big hunk of iron on the outside, its internals are simple and insanely heavy duty. Cummins uses a gear driven injection pump, camshaft, power steering ram, etc.. There are no timing belts or chains to wear over time, it is purely engineered to last. It is not uncommon to see these diesel engines go for 500,000 plus miles, they are truly a magnificent piece of automotive engineering (Million). This engine is able to operate so flawlessly because of its simplicity and mechanical reliability, there are no electronics anywhere to be found influencing the engine. Compare a purely mechanical design with a similar electronic design, and the mechanical one will always win in reliability.

In between the 2009 and 2010 model years, Toyota recalled over eight million vehicles due to a “sudden acceleration” issue caused by an electrical malfunction in the throttle pedal (Koebler). The “drive by wire” configuration that they had implemented in these cars was a fully electronic system. When the pedal is depressed in a “drive by wire” system, the motion is imputed into a computer which then electronically controls the fuel flow to the engine. If something in the complex electronics is to go wrong, the car may be held in rapid acceleration and the input from the driver's foot will do absolutely nothing. In a typical mechanical drive by cable design, when the throttle is depressed it pulls on a cable that is directly connected to a valve. Little can go wrong, and if something does go askew, it is easy to diagnose the problem. U.S. News & World Report’s Jason Koebler did an interview with Mr. Wikie, an employee of National Highway Traffic Safety Administration regarding the issue of the danger or over complex car parts. "As the systems become more and more complex, the task of safety becomes ever more difficult," Wilkie says. "You almost can't prove, no matter how much testing you do, that incidents can't happen." Before and during the recall of Toyota and Lexus models, it is believed that this malfunction was partially or fully responsible for the death of 89 people (CBSNews). This furthermore proves that the not only can important systems be problematic and cause annoyance and costly repair bills, but can cost people's lives.

For all these reasons and for countless others, simplicity seems to win out on important things in cars, especially since our lives frequently depend on them functioning properly. Auto manufacturers everywhere need to learn from the mistakes that have been made regarding electronics, and revert to simple mechanical designs. It is hard to argue with the principal of chaos theory, with so many electronic devices and software in cars, things will go wrong. We should never over complicate anything in an automobile that could be kept in a simple, robust, and proven mechanical design.

Works Cited:

Allen, Mike. "Save Money on Your Mechanic Visits!" Popular Mechanics. Hearst Communications,

Inc., 10 Nov. 2010. Web. 24 Nov. 2015.

Koebler, Jason. "Killer Cars? Auto Computer Systems Open to Malfunction, Hackers." US News.

U.S.News & World Report, 25 Jan. 2012. Web. 30 Nov. 2015.

"Million Mile Club / Profiles." Cummins High Mileage Club. Cummins Inc., 2012. Web. 02 Dec. 2015.

"Toyota "Unintended Acceleration" Has Killed 89." CBSNews. CBS Interactive Inc., 25 May 2010. Web.

30 Nov. 2015.

Truett, Richard. "The Drive to Make Car Functions Simple Is Cutting out Simplicity." Automotive News.

Crain Communications, Inc., 21 May 2014. Web. 24 Nov. 2015.

Spaying and Neutering Analysis

1. What is the claim?
1. “Over complication of devices on automobiles is a major danger, and should be addressed with simple, proven old schools mechanical designs.”End of the introduction paragraph.
2. Simplicity is better when designing automobile functions. Simple is safer.

2. What support does the writer offer for the claim?
1. Logic regarding complexity and how things are prone to fail. Statistics about deaths from malfunctions of electronics, and how they could be solved from simple mechanical designs
2. Facts about car crashes and how proven designs last
3. Yes
3. How evenhandedly does the writer present the issues?
1. The mention of how new technology is intriguing to consumers, but then the evidence showing that they don't really know what's for their own good.
2. Responding to them reasonably and small refutes
3. Somewhat dismissively, but still acknowledging the fact that they are logical in a business mindset
4. Yes
4. What authorities or sources of the outside information does the writer use?
1. Uses magazine article to illustrate theories, and news cites to back theories with facts
2. The hard evidence comes from reputable sources
3. All Sources are within the last 5 years
5. How does the writer address you as the reader?
1. There is quite a bit of background information on things that need it
2. There are basically rhetorical questions that the author asks the readers (inclusive)
3. Yes it is strongly suggested that the author believes his thesis.

Over Complication Paper #3 Draft

Mitch Young

English 101

11/23/15

Over Complication

New technology and innovation have always deemed our world as we know it, insufficient. Need based inventions have lead to some of the most profound breakthroughs in technology, and ultimately have had a dramatic affect on every living thing. Currently, complex mechanisms are responsible for hundreds of things we as humans encounter daily. Some of the most complicated of machinery in our daily lives, like cell phones, computers, and cars are becoming more and more of a necessity. With high demand comes greater effort to supply, many a times new ideas lead to new customers. This is today's world in a wrap. Too many things today, especially in the automotive world, are major problems waiting to happen. Things like electronic parking brakes and touch screen controls are so complex that they are bound to fail. There are some things in life should be kept simple, robust, and dependable. Some things, for peace of mind, should be kept mechanical. Over complication of devices on automobiles is a major danger, and should be addressed with simple, proven old school mechanical designs.

Logically speaking, parts wear out after heavy use, mistreatment and abuse. That being said, the fewer moving parts there are, and the stronger they are built, the likelihood of failure is dramatically decreased. Cool new touchscreens trying bring a greater ease of use, come with a major learning curve. People can generally figure out how to change the station on the radio, and turn the defrosters on while in the driveway, but trying to figure these buried commands out while driving can be an extremely dangerous task. Richard Truett expresses this same concern in an article for Automotive News, stating that switches and levers are being replaced by apps on a touchscreen. Looking back to “old cars” he says, “lowering a window, adjusting a seat or changing the brightness of the of the instrument lights is a quick, intuitive no-brainer” (Truett). Notice the powerful word, intuitive. Nowadays almost everything in a car is somehow controlled or manipulated by some kind of electronics, or computer. Anything from brake power distribution to a complex variable fuel injection system, they are all extremely complex and to the average person, not intuitive. A major problem with newer cars is the cost to maintain then with these unintuitive complex parts. With onboard computers, troubleshooting has to be accompanied by a code reader, found in dealerships and some mechanic shops, but costing neer $7,000 per unit (Allen). It is a new era where even the most knowledgeable person cannot just get out, pop the hood, fix the problem and keep driving.

All these driver's aids and safety features are good things, but when things really matter, it is important to make mechanisms simple and bulletproof. An electronic parking brake is on of the best examples of what not to do as an auto manufacturer. Speaking from personal experience with a 2009 Volkswagen Passat, electronic parking brakes are finicky and may leave you stranded. Park your car and push the button, its simple, takes no physical strength, but that one time where for some reason the break just will not turn off, you are in trouble. Situations like this make consumers question their safety in situations where it truly matters. What are you to do in a situation like this? It is truly unfortunate that things like this happen because there is no simple way to try to go about fixing the issue. With an old school cable style parking brake design, you could perhaps reach under the car and wiggle the cable until it unbinds, but trying to think through how a computer works inside its little circuit board buried in the dash is not something most people can do. Even if someone has the knowledge and know how to diagnose the issue inside the dash, they cannot get to it. This is extremely unintuitive.

Something as important as a parking brake should be kept to a barebones no fail design, it has one job to do---it better be able to always do that job. Electronics fail, that's something we all hold as common knowledge with a little reflection, and with that being said some things just need to stay mechanical. Looking at automobiles two wheel cousins, motorcycles recently---especially dirt bikes---have been on a slippery slope. On a motorcycle equipped with electric start, the battery is prone to loose its charge after not being ridden for a while, and with the battery dead on some bikes it will be a long push home. Some dirtbikes even recently have been produced without a kickstarter - electric start only. This is possibly one of the worst things that a manufacturer could do. Getting the bike started when the electric start fails---and they do fail, becomes made much more difficult. Why would a never fail kick start mechanism be removed from something like this?

Auto manufacturers everywhere should focus on reliability and serviceability on crucial components on cars. Parking brakes, windshield wipers, and engines specifically should be of the most robust and mechanical of components. Smaller things like an electronic tailgate, while maybe appealing to consumers---assuming it never malfunctions---should still at minimum have a manual override that allows it to operate normally. One of the best examples of pure robust mechanical dependability is the 5.9 liter 6BT Cummins 12 valve turbo diesel engine. While it appears to be a big hunk of iron on the outside, its internals are simple and insanely heavy duty. Cummins uses a gear driven injection pump, camshaft, power steering ram, etc. There are no timing belts or chains to wear over time, it is purely engineered to last. It is not uncommon to see these diesel engines go for 500,000 plus miles, they are truly a magnificent piece of automotive engineering. This engine is able to operate so flawlessly because of its simplicity and mechanical reliability, there are no electronics anywhere to be found influencing the engine. Compare a purely mechanical design with a similar electronic design, and the mechanical one will always win in reliability.

Back between the 2009 and 2010 model years, Toyota recalled over eight million vehicles due to a “sudden acceleration” issue caused by an electrical malfunction in the throttle pedal (Koebler). The “drive by wire” configuration that they had implemented in these cars was a fully electronic system. When the pedal is depressed in a “drive by wire” system, the motion is imputed into a computer which then electronically controls the fuel flow to the engine. If something in the complex electronics is to go wrong, the car may be held in rapid acceleration and the input from the driver's foot will do absolutely nothing. In a typical mechanical drive by cable design, when the throttle is depressed it pulls on a cable that is directly connected to a valve. Little can go wrong, and if something does go askew, it is easy to diagnose the problem. U.S. News & World Report’s Jason Koebler did an interview with Mr. Wikie, an employee of National Highway Traffic Safety Administration regarding the issue of the danger or over complex car parts. "As the systems become more and more complex, the task of safety becomes ever more difficult," Wilkie says. "You almost can't prove, no matter how much testing you do, that incidents can't happen." Before and during the recall of Toyota and Lexus models, it is believed that this malfunction was partially or fully responsible for the death of 89 people (CBSNews). This furthermore proves that the not only can important systems be problematic and cause annoyance and costly repair bills, but can cost people's lives.

For all these reasons and for countless others, simplicity seems to win out on important things in cars, especially since our lives frequently depend on them functioning properly. Auto manufacturers everywhere need to learn from the mistakes that have been made regarding electronics, and revert to simple mechanical designs. It is hard to argue with the principal of chaos theory, with so many electronic devices and software in cars, things will go wrong. Why overcomplicate anything in an automobile that could be kept in a simple, robust, and proven mechanical design?

Works Cited:

Allen, Mike. "Save Money on Your Mechanic Visits!" Popular Mechanics. Hearst Communications,

Inc., 10 Nov. 2010. Web. 24 Nov. 2015.

Koebler, Jason. "Killer Cars? Auto Computer Systems Open to Malfunction, Hackers." US News.

U.S.News & World Report, 25 Jan. 2012. Web. 30 Nov. 2015.

"Toyota "Unintended Acceleration" Has Killed 89." CBSNews. CBS Interactive Inc., 25 May 2010. Web.

30 Nov. 2015.

Truett, Richard. "The Drive to Make Car Functions Simple Is Cutting out Simplicity." Automotive News.

Crain Communications, Inc., 21 May 2014. Web. 24 Nov. 2015.

The Problem With Dress Codes Analysis

1. What is the claim?
1. That dress codes in schools (middle school - College) are unjust
2. The last sentence of the intro paragraph states the this: “The sexuality biased manner in which many school across the country make girl’s dress codes shows the misogyny that is deeply ingrained in our society today.”
2. What support does the writer offer for the claim?
1. Rape culture and victimizing, lack of education the double standard of in equality between males and females.
2. He uses examples and quotes from young girls, statistics.
3. Yes.
3. How evenhandedly does the writer present the issue?
1. Yes, he explains why it is not a valid excuse.
2. Refute.
3. More dismissively.
4. Yes, very specific - yet broad- addressing the argument as a whole.
4. What authorities or sources of outside information does the writer use?
1. To support a point, or show an example.
2. They are credible and believable, but biased.
3. Yes.
5. How does the writer address you as the reader?
1. He introduces the topic and provided background information, but some knowledge is required.
2. Does not include me, but I know he is addressing me.
3. Yes, the writer and I agree on how this issue needs to be addressed. Inequality, lack of education, and how people respond to this issue.

In class excersize

http://www.autonews.com/article/20140521/BLOG06/140529959/the-drive-to-make-car-functions-simple-is-cutting-out-simplicity

---

Automotive News did an article about the overcomplicating seen in modern cars, as one of the authors says, “In my own old cars, lowering a window, adjusting a seat or changing the brightness of the instrument lights is a quick, intuitive no-brainer, accomplished with the simple press of button, the turn of a small knob or the movement of an easily reached lever.”

---

Dave Coleman tells Road & Track about the unseen amount of work that went into getting the new Mazda Miata to the road.

---

Included in the book Everyone’s an Author are several short stories including Lydia's Story which shows us the horrors of hurricane Katrina and Rita. Although, Jan Brideau explains, “she (Lydia) like many people I met, referred to them as the “first storm” and the “second storm””(128).

---

Works Cited

"Here's How Mazda Made the Miata Such a Great Sports Car." Road & Track. Hearst Communications, Inc., 19 Nov. 2015. Web. 19 Nov. 2015.

Lunsford, Andrea; Ede, Lisa; Moss, Beverly J.; Papper, Carole Clark; Walters, Keith. Everyone's

an Author. New York: W.W. Norton Co. Inc., 2013. Print.

"The Drive to Make Car Functions Simple Is Cutting out Simplicity."Automotive News.

Automotive News., 21 May 2014. Web. 19 Nov. 2015.

Spriggs vs. Others

Similarities between texts:

• All took a stance/position on something
• Articles used facts and statistics to illustrate their point

• Facts cannot be argued with

• All acknowledge the opposition
• All texts provide crucial background information

• Most refute the counter arguments (show why they are wrong)
• All illustrate the main points in a very clear and direct manner
• Writings appeal to readers through Ethos, Pathos, Logos
• Most have quotes from a reputable source/person
• All use an authoritative tone

Differences between texts:

• Some have first person language, others do not
• Some have pictures/illustrations, others do not

• Pictures have captions

• Some have quotes directly from people, others quote sources or other persons writing

Brainstorming Position Topics.

I have an opinion on:
- Which of the diesel engines is the best (Cummins, Powerstroke, Detroit, or Durimax)
- Use of electronically controlled parking breaks and such

One of us wrote about about the drunk driving, and two of us watched the texting while driving video. Both of our summaries were quite similar in that they both featured a personal account of a tragic accident that resulted of these two types of mistakes. They both had dramatic slow piano music, teary eyed interviewees, and dramatic texts. Both stories follow several stories, both talking about the victims, and the effects that this accident had on the families. For example, in the drinking and driving video, the parents of the deceased had a hard time after, but they worked to create an organization to help intoxicated kids. They both use pathos (emotion) as the most effective piece in each video. The sad music, and stories from victims is really sad, and is a strong persuasive tool for the viewer. It also uses ethos (ethics) to show logically what could happen to you if you drink and drive, or if you text and drive. The videos still have a big shock value showing real videos and pictures from the accidents, while avoiding any gory scenes. Even without the gore, the messages are very persuasive.

Peace Sign Buttons

1. What do they suggest?

The buttons suggest peace, and somewhat of an anti-war attitude.

2. How do do they suggest it?

Both buttons include the “peace” sign, one specifically says “peace” and the other says “make love, not war.”

3. Which elements of each image work on the viewer in various ways?

The image on the left, suggests a more playful, laid back attitude toward this notion of “peace,” versus the image on the right, is a more refined and professionally done organized logo/button. Both may appeal to differing audiences while still illustrating the same point.  

Rolex & Hello Kitty watches

1. What do they suggest?

Both suggest that the watch is somehow a fashionable and that the the consumer will be making a statement by wearing the product.

2. How do they suggest it?

They show off their features and their key feature (one being the Hello Kitty, the other being that it has diamonds and that it is a Rolex)

3. Which elements of each image work on the viewer in various ways?

Obviously the two audience's are significantly different, however toward their audience, both have the same point; to sell their watch.

Thesis: Each of the pairs of images illustrate the same point toward two different target audiences.

1. The watches have the same goal - to sell their product that do the same thing. The way they present each one is different.
1. The Rolex is more formal and sophisticated (aimed toward rich adults)
2. Hello Kitty is playful (aimed toward kids)
2. The buttons have the same goal - to advocate for peace and love. The way they present each one is different.
1. The “peace” button is more whimsical (aimed to more hippies)
2. The “make love - not war” button is more organized and simple (aimed at people advocate for peace and love but are not hippies)
3. The level of formality, style and appealing features differ depending on the audience, however within the pairs, the goal of the watch or button is consistent.