Blog Post #4

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Development of the Television

I want you to think about how many TVs you have in your home. Most of us can't imagine how we would function if we didn't have TV in our lives. TV has become essential to our society, impacting our politics, consumerism, and culture. But how exactly did this machine come to be?

The creation of the first TV can be credited to a combination of contributed ideas. Many engineers and scientists were looking at components to make the television. John Baird gave the world's first demonstration of a mechanical television in 1927. This mechanism scans an object and then generates the image. This was the step in the right direction, and The Baird Televisor is considered the first television sold commercially later in 1929. From the mechanical television came the electronic television set that converted images to electrical waves and transmitted an image. This was created by Philo Farnsworth in 1927. Philo Farnsworth is credited for creating the television since later developments came from his original design.

Russian Scientist Zwarykin demonstrated his all-electronic television in 1929. The RCA (Radio Corporation of America - the biggest communications company at the time) saw this demonstration and invested 50 million dollars into developing electronic television. However, this erupted into a legal battle against Farnsworth. RCA claims Zwarykin's patent for his electronic television had priority over Farnsworth's design. After three years, Farnsworth ultimately won the suit with the help of an old teacher who had kept a picture resembling the design in 1935. 

The development continued, and the American public was introduced to television when NBC broadcasted the 1939 World Fair in New York. This included a speech from President Franklin D. Roosevelt, who subsequently became the first president to appear on TV. After this, NBC started regularly broadcasting television, CBS followed, and then ABC. 

Televisions were initially only available to the privileged few since they were so expensive. Also, these TVs were at most 12-inch screens. Development and purchases slowed for a few years as attention was drawn to World War Two. However, by the 1940s to the 1950s, TV had entered the mainstream. By 1955, TV replaced radio as the primary source of home entertainment. Over 5 million sets in US homes, which stated from the History channel article, is "more than half of all American homes owning a TV set". Then, by 1960, when satellite became available, this increased the number to over 40 million TV sets in America. This was a drastic increase in popularity in just a couple of years. For reference this years number is at 123 million TVs in American homes. The graph below shows the upward trajectory of American homes owning a TV set from its creation.

Throughout this time, the RCA and the NTSC (National Television System Committee) worked to develop an all-electronic color system. Before you know it, color TVs became common in the 1970s. In the blink of an eye, flat screens were introduced in the late 1990s, and then smart TVs in the 2010s.

This invention has continually evolved to where we are today, with flat-screen smart TVs, 85 inches and beyond. The first TV was a starting point for the entertainment industry and has skyrocketed since. It has completely changed the way the world gets access to information. TV has become the bond between the world, where we can all come together and watch significant events unfold. Some major events that have been televised are the first televised baseball game, the first televised debate, the JFK assassination, the moon landing, and 9/11. 

The next time you sit down to watch TV, I challenge you to think about what it would've been like watching on one of the first TV sets.

Blog Post #3

8 Values of Free Expression 

    The First Amendment specifically states that "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances." The First Amendment ensures our right to freedom of expression. This means the government can't dictate what we like, think, write about, or believe in. The eight values of Free Expression demonstrate how the First Amendment is utilized in the world. Going over the eight values of free expression was informative, and below, I will highlight some that I thought were important and resonated with me. 

Many of the eight values stood out to me. They are all so important and shape how society is able to function. I think arguably the most important value to our government system is a check on governmental power, especially after reading the article and watching the video on the Supreme Court; it's so important to have checks and balances in our government system. This essentially prevents any one branch of government from doing anything they don't have the power to do. We have the right as citizens to call them out on it. 

The next one that resonated with me is individual self-fulfillment, which protects our ability to think, express ourselves, and believe what we want. Freedom of expression is necessary to promote individual self-fulfillment. Identity is what makes each person who they are; opinions, beliefs, and how they behave are all included in your identity. The freedom to express yourself allows individuals not to be condemned for their perspectives and opinions. This is so important in today's world. Each person has their own personal identity and their 

own voice, which deserves to be heard. Individuality makes each person unique; this is how we get diverse opinions. 

Another two values that resonated with me  are connected to each other. These are participation in self-government and protect dissent. Participation in self-government displays a dialogue with the government and can be seen as the central meaning of the First Amendment. Protect dissent reiterates that the First Amendment protects minority views. Along with the participation of self-government, protecting dissent states that it is your right and duty to criticize the government. No matter how unpopular, you have a right to disagree with the government. This applies to more than just the government. Even if 99% goes one way, the 1% on the other side still matters. This is very important in today's world. It would be best if you did not have to worry about opposing another viewpoint and being prosecuted for it. This would only force people to go with the majority and not express there true beliefs. 

The ones my group talked about that we found important in today's world were promoting innovation and a marketplace of ideas. We thought these values were connected to each other and displayed how most people communicate their First Amendment rights. Innovation helps our world evolve; without it, our world would be vastly different. People would feel unsafe to share ideas. Innovation requires the First Amendment protections to work properly. The First Amendment encourages an environment of innovation where ideas, opinions, challenges, and competition can flourish. The marketplace of ideas reflects the concept of sharing diverse opinions and beliefs. The most valid ideas will triumph through competition. I believe this strongly advocates for free speech and free press since the opposite would be prior restraint, which refers to the government dictating what you think or believe. When the government interferes with the flow of ideas, it's called a marketplace failure. If people are afraid to be creative and share ideas with one another then competition becomes inefficient. 

Blog Post #2

SCOTUS

I learned a lot from the Supreme Court article. The Supreme Court is the highest-ranking court in the country. It is the head of the Judicial Branch and functions as defender and interpreter of the Constitution, which I think is the most important takeaway since it shows how important it is to our government. In addition, its judicial review power is an essential part of our government's system of checks and balances. This ensures that each branch of government adheres to the limits of its powers. The Supreme Court is the final judge in legal disputes, especially those involving prominent constitutional issues. The Supreme Court's decisions help create a precedent and provide conflict resolution to legal issues that may come up in lower courts. The Supreme Court has presided over many notable cases like Plessy v. Ferguson. However, it has also presided over cases relevant to today's world but might be lesser known. For example, Mapp v. Ohio made that evidence obtained illegally cannot be used in criminal cases. 

 I did not know that the first court consisted of six justices and that they were required to hold a circuit court twice a year in each judicial circuit. This was not an ideal situation at the time since transportation was inefficient, so Congress scraped this in 1891. I also just found out that the original court comprised only six justices. However, in 1869, Congress set the number to 9, which it has been since. 

The Supreme Court video was also very informative. Hearing Justice Sandra O'Connor speak on the process of certiorari was very interesting. Certiorari is the process of a higher court reviewing a lower court's decision. Justice O'Connor explains that in accepting or denying certiorari, every petition made receives equal consideration. She specifically says it does not matter whether it was a prisoner writing it himself or a prisoner in jail. All petitions are weighed the same. I think this is so important since it is another example of how everyone should be treated equally. 

Blog Post #1

5 Sources

Staying informed in today's world is very important. News provides awareness of the world's dynamics, including culture, economics, sports, fashion, and politics. We can better understand the world and how it works by utilizing news. It's essential to get information from reliable media outlets. I have listed my top 5 news sources below. 

Apple News

 

Apple News is one of my favorite sources of information. This app is installed on all Apple products and provides much content. Well-known news organizations like the New York Times and The Washington Post are featured. It's very convenient and an easy way to stay up to date on news and information. You can also customize preferences on what type of news is most relevant to you. Trending and relevant news can also be set to show up right on your phone display screen. Even if I don't have time to read a full article, this popup gives me a brief synopsis which I really enjoy. 

ESPN

I am an avid sports fan, so ESPN is one of my favorite media outlets. This outlet is on many platforms, including TV, radio, web browsers, and apps. All forms are easy to use and cover a wide range of sports. They have a feature where you can set your favorite teams, allowing you to get notifications on all news and related game updates. ESPN provides exclusive content and articles with never before scene content so viewers can get the news they might not find on other media outlets. I also am able to watch games that are not on TV through there extension ESPN +. 

Tik Tok

Although it may be considered an unconventional news source, TikTok is a very convenient and entertaining way to get news. You can follow your favorite news accounts, making all your preferences appear on your For You Page. TikTok's various video options provide quick or long updates with lengths varying from three seconds, ninety seconds, and ten-minute video uploads. Sometimes, reading long articles can become tedious, so TikTok is an entertaining alternative while still gaining information. 

Family 

Family is another news source for information. This provides a unique way of gathering information because they might look at different articles or news than you usually look at. My parents like to send different articles on various topics related to the world or our lives in general in our family group chat. Most of the time, the articles they send are ones I would never look at or find on my own. 

New York Times 

 The New York Times is another site I look to for information. I have used The New York Times for many classes for current events assignments and know many of my classmates do. They send me daily emails with the most recent articles about current events. The site is easy to use and has all types of articles to read.  The New York Times has a good reputation for accuracy and investigative journalism.