Osaka 2023

For my project, I decided to draw the three biggest aspects of my trip to Japan. The First was done in my sketchbook and displays my love of the food there (sorry about the quality, I tried to redraw it but the one in my sketchbook still looks the best)! The sushi, the yakisoba, the soba, Pin Pon Pan's bread!?! The overall greatness of the food there has led to me being mildly depressed about the selection here. Nevertheless, it was an amazing culinary experience!

The second displays where I spent a majority of my time, either on or waiting for the train. I'm no stranger to navigating public transportation, but the Osakan transit system is an entirely different beast. It functions so differently to what we have in the US. It was pretty easy to adapt to and was incredibly convenient! Wish I could've kept my ICOCA card though :'{

The final one displays one thing I had to have every day... MELON SODA OF COURSE!!! It's safe to say I was addicted. I still crave its flavor constantly! Luckily there's a store near my house that sells it, so I won't have to make the flight back in order to taste the nectar of the gods. The best melon soda flavored thing I tasted was easily the slushy they had at Universal Japan. ESPECIALLY with how hot it was that day!

Here's everything displayed together, I had fun drawing and reminiscing. And for those wondering where out group drawing is... I'm working on it ok! Its a pretty draining task, but rest assured I'll post it in the discord as soon as it's done. Thanks for Reading!

-Nyar F :)

The World, Me, and Technology (Final Prompt)

I am a game design major and a studio art minor. At the time of writing this I'm the manager of the fighting games Esports team at HPU. In my free time I love animating (both 2D and 3D), drawing digitally, streaming, listening to music, and obviously gaming. I say all of this to say that without technology my career, as well as a good chunk of my hobbies/interests would not exist. I can't very well picture my life or who I would be without these things and, by proxy, technology.

That is not to say that all of my interests involve technology. I also enjoy playing bass guitar, baking, spending time with friends, playing ping-pong, fishing, bowling, and manga collecting among other things. I wouldn't say I am completely dependent on technology, but it's entirely to big an aspect of my life to cut out.

Technology has allowed us to accomplish so much as a race as well. It's advanced medicine to staggering levels, allowed communication across continents with ease, and given many the ability to rise to the pinnacle of success and achieve their version of the "american dream". I think that the internet is too good of an asset to do away with or heavily regulate, but I do think its up to each individual user to ensure technology use doesn't cause issues for other aspects of their lives.

I don't know if I would consider my relationship with technology healthy. I've spent too many nights and early mornings putting the finishing touches on a project or trying to beat a level before ending a stream. In that sense I suppose I could spend less time looking at screens. It's not as though I'm someone who can't experience the world without it being through the lens of a smartphone, but I definitely lean more to the unhealthy side of technology usage.

I also recognize that while technology has improved my life beyond comparison, not everyone shares that same experience. Online social spaces can breed immense amounts of hate, and that hate goes on to encourage more hate. Many hold the mentality of shoot first ask questions later (sometimes not at all) online.

We also have technology to thank for most scams and the widespread availability of misinformation. Technology is so advanced that wars can be waged without having to leave the comfort of your house. While I love having access to all of my gadgets and doodads, I recognize to others advancements in technology only bring suffering and sadness.

At the end of the day, I don't believe technology is without fault, but the incredible wonders it allows and the freedom and creativity it encourages are not things I could picture living without. No good or service is without a shady underbelly or undesired effect, and most issues people have with technology are more so about those using it. Until we as a society want to work towards fixing some of those underlying issues, I'm not sure any changes will mean anything. Until then I'll be here, drawing something or playing some video game, enjoying the marvels of the era I was born in.

The Importance of Individual Self Fulfilment

The ideal of individual self fulfilment is one that should be an innate right of man. Put simply it is the ability to pursue ones passions or goals to their completion as stated on the first page in this essay . But what does this mean? It means that a person should be allowed to do the things they find enjoyment and/or fulfilment in in order to lead a happy and well-lived life. To me this value of free expression is the most important and without it, the world would devolve into a scenario like George Orwell's 1984.

But what do I mean by this? In George Orwell's 1984, people are not allowed to say or do what they want. They are not allowed to pursue the careers they favor. They are not even allowed to love those they wish to love. The characters of it's story are miserable and yearn for the freedom to do what they please. These are all suppressions of the rights our first amendment seeks to protect, but more importantly I find this defies the innate rights all people should have.

These suppressions by the government in the novel make its people, in my eyes, less than people. They're more akin to robots The reason I see things that way is that they are not allowed the most basic right to do things that make them happy. The right to do what you see fit, what makes you happiest, seems so basic it hurts to know there are people in the world who are not allowed it.

North Korea is not a free country. As detailed by this video by the channel Top Trending, the North Korean people are denied the ideal of self fulfilment in spades. They can't worship whichever god they want, they can't travel where they want to, they can't ever cut their hair in the way they see fit. To me they feel like robots. They're mass produced with the same ideology, to be subservient to their government.

Now I should clarify that I do not believe these people do not deserve rights, in fact its the complete opposite. The point I'm stressing is that when people are not allowed to do the things that make them happy, they're reduced to husks, puppets for the North Korean government to use how they see fit. What's even more sickening is that they are not the only country to treat their citizens like this.

Pursuing one's happiness is what makes you human. It is what, in my eyes, gives life purpose and meaning. For that reason alone, I feel it should be considered an innate right, and the value of free expression I hold most dear.

Getting Familiar With The Supreme Court

    The Supreme Court is he highest court in the United States and the most powerful court in the world. The members of The Supreme Court, The Supreme Court Justices, preside over the most serious legal issues ranging from unconstitutional laws to a president's impeachment. 

     This is all  information I knew prior to further research, but after reading through History.com's full history of The Supreme Court, my eyes were opened. I already knew about some of the Justices that served on The Supreme Court, but the most interesting revelation in my opinion was that of William Howard Taft's service. Taft is the only person to serve as both a Justice and President since the inception of The Supreme Court.

    The most surprising thing the article had to offer was the most important Supreme Court cases throughout history. The most prevalent for today being Mapp V. Ohio, the outcome of which determined that evidence gained through illegal means cannot be used in criminal cases.

    In my opinion however, the most important piece of knowledge the article had to offer was why The Supreme Court is so powerful. They are the only branch of government that can check the other two branches making their power slightly more influential than either the Executive or Legislative branches. They also have the ability to interpret the highest laws of the land and create new laws from them. These are the most important aspects of The Supreme Court and the reason why its the most powerful court in not just America, but the world at large.

How I Stay Tuned Into The World

With the turbulent and often chaotic state of the world today, it can be a struggle to keep up. Now more than ever, information is very important. So in order to stay informed on current events. I use various methods. 

1.) Twitter

Now I know it may seem laughable to say twitter is a good source of information, but I believe it to be a phenomenal way to stay informed. Once you navigate through the more unsavory aspects of twitter, you basically have an algorithm that always has something new to tell you about topics you're interested in. It's like having your news feed personalized and feeding you new topics every hour, on the hour. I believe it to be an invaluable resource.

2.) Morning Brew

Morning Brew is an email newsletter designed to provide you with the most important information on world events, every morning, all in 5 minutes (or the time it takes to drink a cup of coffee). Everything from politics to crypto, condensed to make it easier to digest. Often times listening to the news on TV takes at least an hour and, more often than not, is localized only to your region. I find Morning Brew to be quick and easy, while not sacrificing the depth of knowledge I would want to know.

3.) YouTube

I'm sure everyone knows about YouTube's ability to provide entertainment, but what about its ability to provide information? Take video games for example. As a Game Design major, I find myself often using YouTube as a tool to progress my abilities. Aside from the instructional videos my professor and other talented game designers designers post, there are also people who just post about their experiences making games and their philosophies when it comes to their approach. While this is how I most often use YouTube, anyone can find information on anything that interests them and I believe that is what makes it so special.

4.) Discord

Discord is an app mostly concerned with helping gamers communicate more easily. Its use of group chats makes it easy to communicate with friends, but its server feature allows you to connect with anyone, anywhere, and talk about anything. This server feature can be used to find information. While gaming-focused, there are discord communities for everything. Once you join one, you may find a host of information pooled from thousands of people that you could never find all by yourself. In each server you could be pinged for events or important information on the topic that server is dedicated to. While I primarily use it to stay up to date on the releases on new chapters of manga, there are countless other servers to join, and an endless amount of information to be gleamed.

5.) Reddit

Reddit is a social media app like twitter, with the philosophy of Discord. What I mean is that Reddit is divided into different communities called subreddits (like Discord), and once you become a member of said community the top posts from that community are displayed on your homepage (like Twitter). There is a community for any interest, from sports, to religion, to even baking bread. There are individuals everywhere communicating about everything. There's always some new subreddit to discover related to something you're interested in. I recommend checking it out.