Anthropocene Reviewed 

Introduction

memoir: "A week after finishing the path, I was searching through a drawer for some ChapStick when all at once and without any warning, my balance failed. The world began to roll and spin. I was suddenly a very small boat in very high seas. My eyes shivered in their sockets, and I began vomiting. I was rushed to the hospital, and for weeks afterward, the world spun and spun. Eventually I was diagnosed with labyrinthitis, a disease of the inner ear with a wonderfully resonant name that is nonetheless an unambiguously one-star experience." page 9

Research: "The five-star scale has only been used in critical analysis for the past few decades. While it was occasionally applied to film criticism as early as the 1950s, the five-star scale wasn’t used to rate hotels until 1979, and it wasn’t widely used to rate books until Amazon introduced user reviews." page 11

Reflection: throughout the last page of the introduction, John Green talks about his feelings and hiding behind ironic remarks, while also saying he wants to feel love for life and embrace it, explaining that this book is his attempt at doing so.

My thoughts: the introduction was well structured, as expected from a critically acclaimed author. It's not my personal favorite kind of introduction or topic, as it was about him and his feelings, which felt more like I was reading a diary and not a fun silly book.

Lascaux Cave Paintings

memoir: the beginning paragraph of this chapter was John Green talking about how his children traced their hands when they were young saying "I remember my son’s face as he lifted his hand and looked absolutely shocked to see the shape of his splayed fingers still on the paper, a semipermanent record of himself."

Research: it was apparent that Green researched this topic when he stated a date and names for this event, when he says "In September of 1940, an eighteen-year-old mechanic named Marcel Ravidat was walking in the southwestern French countryside, when his dog, Robot, disappeared down a hole. (Or so the story goes, anyway)". 

Reflection: when John Green repeated a bunch of questions about the cave paintings, that was almost him reflecting on his thoughts and original questions, while leaving them up in the air unanswered.

My thoughts: this section was beautifully written, and described probably one of few instances where an archeological discovery like this hasn't been destroyed and monetized. Greens interpretations of the handprints showing who was there first and keeping the memory alive, is very accurate to how I would view it.

Scratch n' sniff stickers

memoir: starting in the beginning of this chapter (right after the cave paintings chapter), Green describes a time he went on a VR roller coaster and linked it to the smell of a spray he had in his youth.

research: "Helen Keller wrote that smell is “a potent wizard that transports us across a thousand miles and all the years we have lived." it is apparent that John Green looked this up, as there's no way he remembered a random Helen Keller quote correctly, and without double-checking it on a credible source.

Reflection: "The stickers fascinated me—if you scratched or rubbed them, scent erupted without explanation." this sentence is John Green recounting his feelings and sensations from decades ago, reflecting on his childhood.

my thoughts: I think this section was more about smells and memories, rather than scratch 'n' sniff stickers. I understand why green made this more about smells and memories, but it seemed a bit unfocused in my opinion.

My review of ducks

 rough draft 

Futurology podcast "Should I Start a Bug Farm?"

 should I start a bug farm? – Advice for/from the Future (futureadvice.club) 

This podcast was interesting, as it included a global and multicultural scope. When reading the question of whether bugs were the food of the future, I originally thought "People have been eating bugs for thousands of years", and was annoyed that people disregard other cultures that partake in insect-eating, with them being called gross or weird for it. I was pleasantly surprised when the person speaking in the podcast, Soleil Ho, addressed the exact things I was thinking. She was also a credible source for multiple reasons. One reason is that she is a chef and food critic. the second reason is that she is Vietnamese; a culture that partakes in eating bugs. 

Futurology project

Topic: Names

“What should I name my baby?”

In this paper, I will discuss the future of baby naming. With people my age starting to have babies, discussing baby names and thinking about all perspectives of naming a person is important for people my age, or even younger when considering people who transition and choose to change their names legally. When considering what one should name their child, one must consider several factors, which are discussed further in-depth later in this paper. Some perspectives to take into consideration are the possibility of the child transitioning later on in life, the chance that the name will be a short-lived fad, the traditional names that seem to never die out, and different cultures' use of names and what is expected of them. I’ll use examples for each consideration, with an interview from my non-binary partner on how gender-neutral names can be beneficial for trans people.

Scopes: 

• Trans perspective

  • Gender neutral names

  • The birth name doesn’t matter, it can be changed to match the person’s personality

• Fads 

  • Expanding traditional names with vowels

  • “Unique” spelling

  • Space related names

  • Named after places

• Tradition

  • Biblical names, ancient names, etc.

  • Named after parents (Jr, Sr)

  • Traditional names are often used as middle names

  • Traditional names top the charts in popularity every year

• Multicultural

  • Do other countries/cultures/languages have similar fads and trends as English people?

  • Some countries have strict rules for what you can name a baby (e.g. France)

  • Some countries refer to last names, not first names

Interview with Payton, 19, AMAB (assigned male at birth), identifying as non-binary/genderfluid

Me: I’m doing a trans perspective on what someone should name their child, and wanted to know if you having a gender-neutral name has helped you with your identity [as a trans person]

Payton: It didn’t really do much for me, as an enby [non-binary] who predominantly presents male, my birth name never had much of a weight around it. Granted it does give me the freedom to continue to use that name when presenting female, and I enjoy that freedom whereas I couldn’t have it if my mom had won and named me Hunter. Then I’d probably change my name.

Some examples of name fads I’ve seen:

• Space names (Cosmo, Luna, Atlas, Sky, Elio, Jupiter, Juno, Phoenix, Aurora)

• Outside cultures (Kai, Sakura, Diara, Moses, Suki, Akito)

• Places (Phoenix, Asia, Austin, Dallas, Dakota, Cheyenne)

• Unique spelling (Emileigh, Jordyane, Hayleigh, Gavyn

• Unique words (Wren, Paisley, Karma, Everest)

• “Old person” names (Gerald, Agatha, Margaret, Susan, Barbara, Carol, Linda)

I know a few people my age who have kids, and the names of their babies are on this list. One named her baby “Karma” and the other named her baby “Clariteigh” (clarity). 

The trend of adding -eigh to the end of a name or trying for unique spelling, is already coming to an end. Now instead of viewing the names from this trend as unique or cool, they are often viewed as cringy and weird, with people saying they’re setting the kids up for failure with those names.

Traditional names: Elizabeth, Mary/Marie/Marianne/Maria/Mariam, Anne, Joseph, Theodore, Robert

In some cultures, people will be called almost only by their surname. Some countries are centered around nicknames and will call someone by that. For example, I had an exchange student from Thailand. Her full legal name is Juthamard Tweesukstian, but everyone calls her Khem. The same goes for her friends and most people in Thailand, they call each other by their nicknames, not by their legal names.

Sources:

1. “These will be the most popular baby names of the future, according to experts” Kimberly Bond (October 2023) www.cosmopolitan.com

2. “Top 40 baby names of this decade– and what's to come in the next” Nameberry, (November 2018) www.mother.ly

3. “Traditional Baby Names” Gabrielle Bennett (August 2022) www.thebump.com

4. My boo thang