TOW #27 Apple Watch (Text)

Most apple retailers were expecting a burst of customers waiting to experience apples latest venture into the luxury business. But rather than the usual tables displaying the watches, the stores are just the same. The apple watch was sort of anti-climatic, as far as the new Apple products go. Usually a long line of people wait outside the stores, and some even sleep out. But for this release only some people appeared in the store, maybe it was the 17,000 cost of some watches, or how apple suggested booking appointments to try on the watches. The article attached pictures of empty stores and high price points showing the failure of the latest release. The most frequent buyers of the watch are celebrities, who have a VIP dedicated to them in most new york and L.A retailers. The article also compares the release of the watch to the google glass. There was much hype behind both these products but the results didn’t go too well. Another downfall of the product is that even those who desperately want the watch have shared their horror stories of the time range it takes to get to them. Overall the article highlights more of the cons of the watch rather than the pros, but does a good job showing the hype behind the product and the downfall.

TOW 26 "Boston Conviction" (Text)

Why do we kill people that kill people to teach them that killing is bad?

Convicted Boston Marathon bomber Tsarnaev is surprisingly associated with the polling of the death penalty. Boston area resients see the death penalty as an unpopular punishment for the convicted bomber. 61% of voters in the city say that the penalty is not necessary and instead he should serve a lifetime in jail. The latest poll was held just days after his conviction. Although the bombing had a deep impact on the community, the view on the death penalty has not changed in Boston. To appeal to pathos the article includes the youngest victim of the bombing holding up a sign displaying “No more hurting people PEACE.” Readers of the magazine have mixed opinions on Tsarnaev’s penalty/life. Those more involved with the marathon plead to have him fixed on a lifetime in jail rather than the death penalty. The article utilizes pros and cons to two different sides of an argument to make the reader take a stance. There is no possible excuse for his decision to commit this outrageous act, lawyers are trying to humanize him to save his life but it all boils down to his stupid decision of committing this act.

TOW #25 "And Everything Nice" (Visual)

A recent photo series by photographer Hannah Altman portrays the “unflinching analysis of the standard for female beauty” in a piece titled “And Everything Nice.” She portrays popular photos showing women with their body fluids being replaced with glitter. These pictures include blood, tears, and vomit replaced with glitter to portray the concept of girls invariably needing to seem attractive regardless of the situation they’re in. The intention of these photos is to represent the unreasonable female standard of beauty. The sparkle in the photos stands out, compared to the grotesque nature of the pictures. Altman created the series to raise questions and awareness of the ridiculous standard and to quest the morality. Ever since its posting the project gained over 130,000 likes in less than 24 hours. The photo series made me question the standards held for females today. Altman skillfully shows the beauty of glitter with the pain of perfection to make her piece effective.