During today’s class, write a letter addressed to Professor Ellis (using his school address found on the City Tech English Department website–Google it). The letter should follow this format (you may look back at your letter from last week for further guidance):
Your address (okay to make it up)
Today’s Date
Dr. Jason Ellis
His Address
Dear Dr. Ellis,
One sentence greeting (e.g., How are you doing today?)
Paragraph of 6-10 sentences that makes the argument that I should not read the article that you read for today’s class. Open with your thesis and include reasons supporting your thesis. Weave summary into these reasons. Include the author’s name, article title, magazine title, and issue or date information. Remember to italicize the magazine title and put the article title in quotes.
One offer sentence in closing (e.g., If you would like to discuss the article, please let me know.)
Sincerely,
4 lines
Your Name
Copy-and-paste your letter into a comment made to this blog post.
1864 3rd Ave Apt#3F
New York, NY 10029
March 22,2017
Dr. Jason Ellis
Department of English
New York City College of Technology
300 Jay Street
Namm Hall 512 (N-512)
Brooklyn, NY 11201
Dear Dr. Ellis,
I hope you are doing well.
I came across an article by Ben Krasnow that I would definitely recommend you not to read. The article is called “Rheoscopic Disc Coffee Table” in the November 2015 issue of the Make Magazine. Krasnow speaks of how he implements the ideas of a fluid exhibit into his home coffee table. The first thing that set my alarm off as I was reading is the terminology he uses. This article was suppose to be an easy step by step manual that everyone can use but the terminology he uses seems to be words that only people in a STEM field of study would understand. The next thing that was off to me was the price and time required to do this. It would cost $70-$85, not included the cost of the table. In addition to that if you happen to to mess a step up you can ruin your table and have to spend more money to buy a new one. Lastly, the amount of steps he has and the explanation in each step is very vague. For everyone to be successful the author need to have a more detailed series of steps.
If you would like to discuss this article with me, please let me know.
Sincerely,
Abdulla Attareb
123 Sesame Place
Brooklyn, NY 12345
March 29, 2017
Jason Ellis
Department of English
300 Jay Street
Namm Hall 512 (N-512)
Brooklyn, NY 11201
Dear Dr. Ellis,
How are you this “wonderful” Spring day?
I recently read an article out of this month’s GameInformer about a game from the Naughty Dog franchise that is currently in production. It’s a spin-off of the original title Uncharted, which should feature the main character Nathan Drake, but it doesn’t. It’s about another character who played his love interest for some short time and it’s basically her turn for the adventure. While I am a sucker for letting the little characters get a shot at being the hero, I feel like this game was created in order to appeal to people who want to see a female role because of gender equality. That’s all fine and dandy but the article made it seem like she wasn’t going to do as much as Drake in the other installments of the series. The developers said that this installment was going to have more of a character backstory than an adventure which was what the whole Uncharted series was about. If you aren’t familiar with the series it’s basically what would happen if National Treasure and Indiana Jones had a baby. So I suggest you don’t read this article. It’s a waste of time because it doesn’t say what happens after Uncharted 4, it only mentions that Chloe is going to have a go at this and talk about a her backstory from the 1st part of the series to the last.
If you want to talk about the Uncharted series and not this game or just want to talk about the article, please let me know.
Sincerely,
Destiny Ramos
130 Lefferts Place , #4B
Brooklyn, NY, 11238
March 27,2017
Dr Jason Ellis
Department of English
New York City College of Technology
300 Jay Street
Namm Hall 512 (N-512)
Brooklyn, NY, 11201
Dear Dr Ellis,
I am hoping that all is going well with you today. A short while ago I was presented with the opportunity to read “ Superpowered Storytelling,” by Benjamin Percy in the Poets & Writers magazine. And based on my very own opinion I must emphasize that I do not recommend you read this article. Although informative. Author Benjamin generalizes what it is to create a story based on ideas and techniques previous authors have already implemented into their writing styles. He advises things such as “ ending every story with a cliffhanger,” and “ always to include a subplot.” Yes this style and format of writing have been beneficial to writers in the past, but writing techniques also imposes on how and what story is being told. If Authors mimic this format for their comics, and books sooner or later everything that we as individuals read will mirror one another in a sense, and the readers will become disinterested in the text that is being presented to them. If you would like to be informed more on why I do not recommend this article I am openly available for a discussion.
Sincerely,
Ajahneik Jackson
Lauren M. Brewster
7052 Elm Place
Brooklyn, NY 11201
Jason Ellis
Department of English
New York City College of Technology
300 Jay Street
Namm Hall 512 (N-512)
Brooklyn, NY 11201
Dear Dr. Ellis,
Hope you are doing well.
I recently read an article by Scott Sonenshein entitled “How to Create More From What You Already Have” in Time Magazine, and although it is an interesting topic, I don’t think it would be in your best interest to read the article or teach the philosophy to your students. Sonenshein, a professor at Rice University, believes that in order to achieve success, one should not look to try and get “more”. He believes that success comes from focusing on what one already has instead of wanting more. While gratitude is an important pillar in life, wanting is how great things are achieved. He believes that “over time, the “more” approach make us less adaptive and less satisfied.” Wanting more out of life should be the goal of every student because education allows us to achieve more, and having a college degree allows us to ask for more money when searching for a job.
If you would like to discuss the article in more detail, please let me know.
Sincerely,
Lauren M. Brewster
300 Jay Street
Brooklyn, NY 11201
March 29, 2017
Dr. Jason Ellis
Department of English
New York City College of Technology
300 Jay Street
Namm Hall 512 (N-512)
Brooklyn, NY 11201
Dear Dr. Ellis,
Good evening Professor, I hope you are enjoying the warm weather we’re finally having today.
I came across an article today called “Death, Disrupted” by Alexandra Sifferlin from Time magazine. Sifferlin discusses in her article studies that are being tested and are waiting to be tested that may or may not guarantee a longer life. Some of these studies are not only bizarre, but very risky, expensive, and most importantly does not promise positive results. From young-blood transfusions that are “based on the idea that two-liter injections of blood from the young may confer longevity benefits” (Sifferlin, 2017, p 81) to anti-aging super-pills that claim will help people to live longer, the topics may be interesting but it all seems too good to be true. These ideas will take a lot of time, money, and sacrifice to be tested. Although some studies might end up a success, it’s not an article that I would suggest for you to take your time to read. Because these are only ideas and are not yet proved to be true, I don’t think this article would be helpful to you in any way.
I would love to hear your feedback and am available for discussion or questions if you have any.
Sincerely,
SoJung Jang
132-35 Sanford Ave
Flushing, NY 11355
March 29, 2017
Dr. Jason Ellis
Department of English
New York City College of Technology
300 Jay Street
Namm Hall 512 (N-512)
Brooklyn, NY 11201
Dear Dr. Ellis,
I hope all is well. I read the headlining article, “The Party Planners” by Mark Warren on Popular Mechanics, April 2017 issue to expand my knowledge on strategies used by the NYPD’s Counterterrorism Squad during a large crowd but instead I found myself reading multiple pages of stories that from the NYPD that had no correlation to strategy, which is why I recommend you do not read this misleading article. The editor, Mark Warren starts off the article by attempting to make humorous remarks about a New York accent, and continues this for the first couple of pages by improperly spelling words that makes reading this article confusing. When strategy is mentioned in this article, Mark decides to include more pointless quotes or obvious work culture of cops that throw off the flow of the article. One image in this article allows you to understand Counterterrorism screening points for New Year’s Eve, but it’s the only image that is helpful for building an understanding of strategy in a twelve page article. Counterterrorism is extremely important during big events, and I understand why much strategy was not spoken of. Maybe they didn’t want to mention much of their strategy because it may end up in the wrong hands but this article could have easily been condensed to speak more on strategy and stay true to the article description.
I would like to discuss the strategies hidden in this long article tomorrow after lunch because I have made a condensed list of strategies that may interest you.
Sincerely,
Edwin Arriaza
12-34 56th St
Brooklyn, NY 11231
March, 29, 2017
Dr. Jason Ellis
Department of English
New York City College of Technology
300 Jay Street
Namm Hall 512 (N-512)
Brooklyn, NY 11201
Dear Dr. Ellis,
Hope everything is well,
I recently read a disappointing article about autopilot, and I believe that you should not read it if you are aware that automated machines are not completely safe on their own. In “Don’t Blame the Robots; Blame Us” from Popular Science’s Nov/Dec issue, Carla Diana writes about a car accident that happened in Ohio last Summer. The driver relied on the Autopilot of the Tesla Model S, did not take notice of the road, and therefore, did not use the brake; the accident was fatal. Diana tries to persuade the reader that no one should rely on automated cars, and that accidents like this should be avoided with a better training system – close to a pilot’s intensive training.
The author also reinforces that not everything is as it seems on TV or YouTube. Lastly, Diana suggests that the software should be improved in terms of human-machine interaction, which is something that interaction-design specialists are trying to do. Overall, this article did not provide the reader with enough interesting information about automation and just reinforced something known to all.
If you would like to discuss this article with me, please let me know.
Sincerely,
Esmeralda Vizueth
13350 122nd PL 1st floor
South Ozone Park, NY 11420
March 22, 2017
Dr. Jason Ellis
Department of English
New York City College of Technology
300 Jay Street
Namm Hall 512 (N-512)
Brooklyn, NY 11201
Dear Dr. Ellis,
I hope you are doing well today.
I read an informative article about President Trump’s estate Mar-a-Lago. In Time magazine’s February 27- March 6, 2017 issue the article “Winter White House” by Zeke J.Miller / Palm Beach highlights all the issue and benefits of President Trump’s luxurious Florida Estate. According to Miller, “ Trump flew in celebrities, hosted concerts that violated local noise ordinances and racked up a six-figure fine for flying an American flag from an oversize pole on the property.” (Miller, 2017, p.53). Are we really focusing on President Trump and his conflicts with Palm Beach because of his estate? I feel like there are bigger issues at hand. After winning the presidency Trump was finally able to get jets to stop flying around Mar-a-Lago that caused noise over the estate. I believe it’s something we’ve heard countless of times in the media already. President Trump’s ethics have also been questioned because of the estate, which is also something we’ve heard time and time again in the media. According to Miller “Critics say profiting from the private members’ club raises ethical questions for the president.” (Miller, 2017, p.52). Another article referring to President Trump’s ethics, political favors, and his media attention?
If you would like to discuss the article in more detail, please let me know.
Sincerely,
Iliane Soriano
ERNSO MOISE
8 W 118TH ST APT 8H
NEW YORK NY 10026
03/29/2017
Dr Jason Ellis
Department of English
New York City College of Technology
300 Jay St
Namnm Hall 512 ( N-512)
Brooklyn NY 11201
Dear Dr Ellis
Good afternoon Professor, I hope that your evening is going well.
I have to inform you that I have read this article that I have somewhat an opinion on, however I will share the contain with you and also advices.
After sharing the contain of this article that I believe is beyond people’s interest now, and definitely is not worthy of your precious time.
This article is written by Justin Worland and is titled “ Why republican are embracing climate change” and it was released on 03/27/2017 in the the TIME Magazine. This article talks about the environment regulations taken under president Obama and now are being rollback over under the new administration. However the most intriguing thing is that now, more republicans are becoming in favor of the notion that climate is a man made phenomenon and that needs to be addressed in a scientific way.
Although that we should all pay attention to the environment because we are part of the ecosystem, of course we should not destroy the earth as we are looking forward onto the next generations, all that means is that yes this a matter that should earn everyone’s attention.
Yet we would expect the debate to be serious , however this debate is totally far from the real issue. This article has addressed the situation of many republicans who are for regulations on carbon emissions, however we all know that the great majority of republican in congress and the senate will always continue to block regulations on carbon emissions.
The article forget to address the political use of the subject, the right uses it as a weapon to gain election votes, and the left uses to show that many right politicians are a bunch dummies when they can understand the fact that global warming is real.
In reality the people who really depend on their leaders to defend them are left in the cold because every politiciens have used the subject for their own gain, the people who are hungry of understanding are left more confused. I am advising not to read the article because you will not learn anything new beside politiciens who are trying to make political ground and neglecting the real mission that they were elected to accomplish, your time is too precious to waste it in a reading that will not take you anywhere.
Everything that I have said are just being advices,, I know intellectual materials always captures your attention, but this one is just not in the standard of public interest now.
Sincerely
ERNSO MOISE
Student.