Author Archives: M. Marshall

Weekly Summary #2: A little in over my head

M. Marshall 1.24

I am usually a little bad about procrastination in my schoolwork. I always think it won’t be so bad, I can deal with it the evening of and make it out just fine. I would be lying to say that I didn’t feel a little pressed for evening this time around. Every time I looked at the Week 2 to do list it seemed to get longer somehow? I’ve definitely learned my lesson as I rapidly type out the assignments I’ve simmered on this week and the ones I discovered more recently.

Using Dr. Oblivion was definitely my main savior this week. As an honor council member and someone that is generally concerned about the environment, I have weird and more negative feelings about using AI, but it was very helpful to receive feedback so quickly that I could immediately implement into my work.

Creating two assignments was really fun. In retrospect, I did not really connect the second one to tech noir or cyberpunk. But you live and you learn and you fix those mistakes next time. I feel like I’ve really gotten a better idea of what this class will look like and how I can benefit from it. I think in college most people go through a constant circle of learning curves, I can only hope that I will grow from them.

For time’s sake (a mistake I will fix in the future), I regrettably cannot go into good detail about every assignment I worked on, but I will list the ones I did and share about one or two sentences.

Day 1: Show us your secret spy weapon. I didn’t think taking a picture of my prescription of Zoloft would be something to post on the internet, so you can use your imagination here.

Day 2: Make some kind of art about unexpected coincidences. I drew two people connected by a red line with a bow in the middle.

Day 3: Make bad art. This was difficult. I drew a photo of a house on a hill. As the prompt assigns, it wasn’t very good.

Day 4: Your Longest / Tallest Shadow Selfie. My longest shadow was on Thursday, around 5pm, pretty soon before the sun set, taken as I walked to the UC for dinner.

Day 5: Emoji Poem

Here is the poem:

I really feel that needs no explanation.

In retrospect, I ought to have posted my replies on the Mastodon page, but I got nervous and distracted and did not.

For Clover

M. Marshall 1.24

Dear Clover,

I have loved you since the moment I saw you. I don’t really believe in love at first sight, but what I experienced the first time I saw you says otherwise. I spent months convincing Mom and Dad to get a dog, I would beg them to take the family to the local SPCA and look at potential pets, but what I really wanted was a puppy.

You were 2 months old, and I was 14 years old. Your mom had birthed a pretty big litter of puppies, but there was one left on that fateful evening, the little runt. At that time the SPCA let you put a hold on an animal you were interested in adopting but needed time to consider. It broke my little heart to see you on hold.

After realizing this, Mom and Dad had gone over to the cat section to see other options, but they didn’t understand, I just needed a dog. I stood around for a few minutes, maybe 15. Eventually in protest against getting a cat because I knew I was meant to get a dog, I returned to the glass you were behind.

But something had changed. The hold tag had disappeared. Absolutely giddy, I told Mom and Dad what had changed. She’s off hold now! My parents shrugged and we went to the front desk and asked to meet you. The couple behind us in line also wanted to ask about you, but we got there first. They brought you into the private room with us, you had just been spayed, so you were pretty tired, but you were so damn adorable and cuddly.

We put our own hold on you, went out and bought puppy food, a bowl, a collar, and that cow you loved so much, and brought you home the next morning. I couldn’t have even imagined a better dog.

I just want you to know that I love you and I miss you every day that I’m at school. You’re the light of my life and you have been for nearly 8 years now. Thank you for being you.

My character

M. Marshall 1.24

At the suggestion of Jim Groom (the co-professor of this class) I decided to base my character on my cat. It is important to me that readers know art is not a hobby of mine, nor a talent. I felt content enough with how the drawing came out to share it, but it is not anything revolutionary or particularly well drawn.

Regrettably, I did not save the information I put into the Google form, so some of the information will not be verbatim and based off memory and it will not cover every single question asked.

Name: D41SY (previously Daisy)

Archetype: Anti-hero

Place and date of birth: Jantra City (It’s a word for industrial in Bengali, I believe) April 27th, 2124.

Occupation: A(n unwilling) member of the government’s military.

Marital status: Single and never married

Bio: The government kidnapped people’s household pets and turned them into part-robots in order to create an army of animals that citizens would not be able to, in good conscious, fight back against or hurt. D41SY is one of these animals. I need to continue to develop this idea.

Favorite food: Rice cakes (this is true to real life too)

Favorite movie: watching a live video of fish swimming around in a tank.

Favorite possession: Her next meal (also true to real life)

I would like to base the story around a dystopian government taking advantage of empathy to control the population. I’m big on sappy, happy endings though, so don’t worry too much.

How does a song make me feel?

M. Marshall 1.24

When picking an assignment, I try to pick something feasible that speaks to me. Like my mother, I am long winded. I can talk about anything for any amount of time if I’m allowed to, so this blog thing has really opened up an outlet for me. So, a captive audience is really my thing.

And so is music! It bothers me when people say things like “I feel things deeper than other people” or “I have a really strong connection to music”. Everyone feels things deeply! Everyone has a really strong connection to music! I think assuming that something is more personal to you or that you understand a general human experience on a deeper level than others perpetuates an idea that our uniqueness is what separates us and not what provides a greater ability to diversify human experience. But now I’m rambling about things that no one is looking to read in a blog post about a song.

The song I chose comes from my 7 hour playlist of songs that I feel in my chest when I listen to them, I could really choose any song on this playlist and talk for a long time about the way that it makes me feel, but the song I chose is Pilot with a Fear of Heights by Felicity.

*Felicity*, for her 2018 single, *Pilot with a Fear of Heights*

The first verse she sings about trying to leave a former relationship and its memories behind, hoping they’ll turn into ghosts. She is afraid of someone that she can’t stop thinking about, someone she loves. The first verse is very nice, but it’s the clapping indicating that the chorus is beginning (at exactly 00:45, if you’re wondering) that makes me feel like things are really getting good.

I’ve been thinking ’bout you all night
Like a pilot with a fear of heights
You got me thinking like ooh, ooh

Singing about a pilot with a fear of heights as a metaphor for someone that you’ve been with and can’t stop reliving the memory of? I just remember hearing that and thinking it was so brilliant. To be honest, I hadn’t really heard the saying about a pilot with a fear of heights before this song, which made the saying especially revolutionary. The line you got me thinking like ooh, ooh may not be particularly unique, but it’s the way that she sings it that really hammers in the feeling. It makes me feel understood on a deeper level.

I’ve been thinking ’bout you all night
Like a tiger that’s afraid to bite
You got me thinking like ooh, ooh

It’s ironic, isn’t it? The tiger can’t survive without catching and killing (or, biting) its prey. The pilot can’t work without flying an airplane in the sky, but it’s terrifying! And she can’t be happy without a relationship which is full of turmoil. Sometimes when I hear this song I feel like a pilot with a fear of heights myself. I myself have a fear of heights, except I just can’t help but look down. It’s the adrenaline rush, I guess. I would definitely say this song gives me an adrenaline rush.

This is so unnatural
That we’re on this level
‘Cause my heart’s surrendering
For this new beginning

This verse feels so fresh and wild. It’s really important to hear her vocals in this to really capture the feeling the song gives you. Of course, the audience for this song is probably aimed towards young women and teenage girls, so those in a separate demographic from me may not enjoy it as I do, but it effervescently brings you to the feeling of a new relationship.

I’ve been thinking ’bout you all night
Like a fire that’s afraid to light

In the second and final chorus Felicity compares herself to that of a fire which is afraid to light. Jumping into a new situation, whether it be a relationship, job, activity, etc. can be very nerve wracking, but it is that very thing that will bring you joy and life. It is the very thing that brings you to your destiny.

Goals!

M. Marshall 1.17.2025

My goal for this class is to become more digitally adept and get to enjoy the storytelling part of it. I obviously cannot say for sure what this class will be about until I’ve done it, but I am looking forward to storytelling and I am hoping to get to exercise creativity in this course. Ideally, by the time this is finished I will have a whole blog that looks like nothing I could have ever imagined being able to create before starting this class, maybe that I can show off to friends. Maybe after TikTok goes blogging will be the next big thing. Maybe a goal would be to have the little widgets leading to a real link/page that isn’t just my main page? I can feel a reflection on this post coming at the end of the semester, so I am trying to think of quantifiable goals that can or cannot be met. Maybe to be able to somehow incorporate my cat, Daisy into this blog? Maybe increase my media literacy? I hope to accomplish at least a few of these things.

To start: Here is little Daisy about a day after I adopted her!

Weekly Summary #1: Hello!

M. Marshall 1.17.2025

Hello, and welcome to my blog. In all honesty, this is the most technologically advanced thing I’ve ever done. When I was younger, I wanted to have a blog, but my mom wouldn’t let me. Similar to Ryan and Creed, from The Office, my mom allowed me to share my thoughts on a Word document. I guess the world was not prepared for whatever I had to say.

(Me, 2007) What would she have had to say?

Beginning this class was definitely anxiety inducing for me, as I have little-to-no experience in terms of anything related to tech. Maybe in my younger years, I’ve changed the color of a Tumblr blog or figured out how to use Minecraft, but those days are not representative of my current skill set.

I was able to guide myself through creating this website; however, pretty much immediately I hit a wall: I realized I had no idea how to edit the website or even access WordPress. I ended up booking an appointment with the Digital Knowledge Center. I met with one of the students working there named Feli. They were very helpful and I was able to give my blog a little theme which was very exciting! This was very helpful for getting started and learning the ropes. I do not have a crystal ball, but I see many DKC appointments for this class in my future.

(The Wizard of Oz, 1939)

I feel much less nervous and much more prepared for the class after that visit. I am now excited and intrigued for what the rest of the class will look like. I’m still waiting for the aha! moment for the name of my blog title, only time will tell, I guess.

I decided to watch Black Mirror (S3E4, San Junipero) for my Tech Noir media choice. I really enjoyed this episode and connected with some of the considerations about eternal life and whether or not to upload one’s consciousness into a cloud (side note: I probably wouldn’t). It was very beautiful and I really appreciated the LGBTQ+ representation.

I’m kind of running out of things to talk about, so this is where I will end it. I feel really good about this so far and hopefully I will continue using my resources and find a sense of confidence within this sphere.

Film Review: San Junipero

M. Marshall 1.16.2025

For my film review project, I decided to watch season 3, episode 4, of the show Black Mirror. I chose it because I had heard good things about it before, and I hoped it would be an interesting watch, it was. I googled “Best Black Mirror episode” and found this article by William Earl, Meredith Woerner, and Jennifer Maas. It said this episode (San Junipero) was one of two Black Mirror episodes to have a happy ending, which was good enough for me.

As a queer person, I was pleasantly surprised to see LGBTQ+ representation between the two main characters of the episode, Kelly (left) and Yorkie (right).

It was fun to be taken through the 80’s, 90’s, and early 2000’s. Of course, it takes you a bit to understand what’s going on. They reference that there are only a few hours until midnight, Kelly asks Yorkie if her pain (something) is set to low. Evidently, it is revealed that they’re in a simulation, called San Junipero for elderly people and people who have passed and uploaded their consciousness into this simulation.

Kelly and Yorkie meet at a nightclub, the episode follows the two of them falling in love with each other. Yorkie is only a few months from dying, and wants to stay in San Junipero; however, that requires the sign off of a family member or a spouse. For religious reasons, Yorkie’s family did not approve of her being gay, nor her desire to stay in San Junipero. Eventually, in real life, Kelly marries Yorkie so that she can stay, Yorkie dies and her consciousness is uploaded into the cloud. Kelly struggles with whether or not to join Yorkie or her husband in the afterlife, but ultimately decides to join Yorkie in the cloud.

It was very freaky to think about existing for forever, and what forever even means. As a child, I was raised going to church, one particular hymn contained the lyrics, “When we’ve been here ten thousand years, bright shining as the sun, we’ve no less days to sing God’s praise than when we first begun.” (John Newton, 1779) I no longer attend church, but when I thought of this prospect then (and now) I was horrified. It was uncomfortable for me to think 10 years into the future, let alone 10,000. Add on uploading my consciousness to a cloud, forever existing in some kind of limbo state? I think I would pass.

I would be very interested to learn about advances made involving uploading one’s data into an online sphere. I’ve heard of advancements in medical technology causing longer life expectancies, or the man with no plan to die. I would also be interested to learn about advancements in virtual reality, it is a curious idea that one day we could fully experience another reality inside of our own rooms. I wonder if the creators may have been hasty having it be a small magnetic coin to go on the forehead, and not a large VR headset.

Overall, I was pleasantly surprised by my enjoyment of this episode. I could see myself enjoying another episode of Black Mirror if there were more happy endings.