Futuristic America:

Everyone loves the newest invention, the newest gadget, the newest application because it makes life "easier" for us. But if you think about it, does it really make things easier, or does it just make us lazier? This day and age, we barely NEED to REMEMBER anything, because everything can be accessed using the computer, phone, television, radio and more. Does the concept of "hubris" benefit the human race, or is it a burden? Is it good to change something that already exists? In the story The Birthmark and the novel Frankenstein we see that it is a burden. Also in the movie iRobot it is nothing but a burden, which is based in the future, so why do we still continue to do it in todays age? Modern technology is getting so advanced it can seem to almost run the way we live. The human genome project seems to be very positive on the human race, but is that necessarily the best option? In the article "Will Robots Inherit the Earth?" by Marvin L Minsky, it states that even with all diseases cured in the world, it would not improve the duration of our lives. The GMOs used in modern farming to supply america with food is not good for the humans themselves. Everything comes with a cost, we just need to realize if the reward is worth the risk.

As someone once told me:

"Technology is the tools and materials, the way people use them, to make our lives better...we hope."

I will leave you with that to think about. Please let me know your thoughts.

-Matt Membrino

While reading The Birthmark by Nathaniel Hawthorne, it got me thinking about my own ideas of beauty, perfection, plastic surgery, and also male/female conceptions of beauty. Beauty can be broken down into categories, physical beauty and intellectual beauty. The physical beauty is what attracts the eye at a quick glance, what reels you in, the hook, what gets you to want more. But, on the opposite end of the spectrum is intellectual beauty. Intellectual beauty is the way someone composes themselves, their personality, their aura. Physical beauty can be deterred from intellect. If someone's intellectual properties do not intrigue you, their physical beauty can change in your own eyes, and vice-versa. Perfection is a really ironic word to use, because when most people think of perfection they think of something without flaws. When I think of perfection I think of flaws. Without flaws, people wouldn't be unique, wouldn't be their own person. It would deface the way they feel and the way they present themselves. In this day and age the male/female conceptions of beauty relate to people who are flawless, who have no blemishes and are considered perfect. This picture of David and Victoria Beckham shows how the image of a perfect man and woman are conceived today. 

Yes, I'm sure most of us can agree that David and Victoria are easy on the eye, but what makes them so perfect? They do not show any flaws while on the red carpet, they have no blemishes that make themselves unique.

In the story The Birthmark one of the main characters, Alymer tries to relieve his wife Georgiana of a blemish she has on her face. He tries to take away what makes her unique, beautiful and perfect. Without her blemish, she is just another woman, who may or may not be easy on the eye. Once Alymer finally gets the blemish to go away, Georgiana's soul follows with it, she ends up dying. To rid someone of their own personal beauty, their blemishes, their uniqueness, their perfection, can rid them of existence. At least to themselves, and the ones around them who find them beautiful and perfect for such reasons. Please let me know your thoughts.

Thank You,
Matt Membrino

Well, I will start off by saying I'm not really sure how to use this website, but here I go. Im a 20 year old Industrial Designer at Wentworth Institute of Technology in Boston, Ma. Due to my artistic background through my grandparents and father, I chose my major. I have great interests in photography, design, new technology, new science, new medicine, and abstract artwork. While completing a project last semester for one of my design courses, I had accidentally spray-painted my hand. Looking down at my hand, I noticed it may make a good photo. So, I snapped the shot and this is what I got from it. I use an application called Instagram on my iPhone. Let me know your thoughts.

Thank You,

Matt Membrino