Week 2 response

        The article “Tapping Signals Replacement for Keyboards” written by John Kosowatz , Senior Editor, ASME.org  uses visual elements to help reader understand more about the how the TAP wearable device works and the benefits of using it.  The first picture on the article shows that “ a man is using the TAP to navigate Hololens AR headset. Image: TAP Systems” . It demonstrates reader about the function of the TAP. TAP allows a user to tap letters, numbers and words into a device without a keyboard. It gives the reader a better understanding of the advantages of TAP and why it is more convenient than normal keyboard. One of the primary advantage visual elements offers is simplicity. For example, when you get lost by reading a long article, you can find it easier and faster by looking at picture to get the information the author wanted to express. Visual elements are relatively more eye-pleasing. When presenting an amazing shot, it makes people relaxed. A funny picture makes people laugh and will help people memorize the information better.

The second picture in the article shows readers the actual product, it is a “wearable keyboard, mouse and game controller that connects to most Bluetooth enabled devices. Image: TAP Systems”. It helps the reader remember the product.

when people cannot understand foreign language, a picture will remove the language barrier. This is the reason that many article use visual elements in addition to words to send message. Visual charts and graphics can be posted online, put beside the website  on anywhere audible. Such flexible communication form can bridge geographic distance and cross cultural differences.

Visual elements prevails in the efficiency of communication. For example, a bar chart helps the reader find out the first and last item at a glance. A line chart on stock with an uprising arrow tells readers immediately that the stock trend is increasing and favorable.

This article is trying to inform the reader of this area in Africa that has not been interfered by humans. The use pictures to show the different species that they have found and help the reader to better get an idea of the type of animals that the scientist encountered in the forest. It can also be said that the intent of the article was to encourage the young to protect special places like these ones that are not harmed by humans. The visual images also give the reader an understanding of how steep the mountain is and how remote it is. This will help the reader to better understand why no one has ever gone to even go up there. They also show potential animals that can be new species that the scientist has discovered and help the reader have a visual of the animals that live in the area. The images convey to the primary message, this place has been out of touch with the rest of the world and we should make efforts to protect these places against people. This images shows what life that lives in this area and through the appeal to emotion, seeing all these nice animals living in the forest, we shouldn’t bother them and leave them alone. Also, the image of the how the mountain was formed is a good visual way to help the reader better understand what erosion can do on a great scale. It clearly is also described in the captions with the images as to how over time what erosion has done to that area and has change the geography of the area.

        
-Tanvir Youhana

In The New York Times article “ How to land on Mars” written by Jonathan Corum,the main idea is about the process of a spacecraft lands on theMars.  It will take six months of traveling in order for a spacecraft to arrive to Mars. After its arrival, there are many steps that the spacecraft needs take in order to avoid the failure of landing. First of all, scientist have to make sure that the timing and the location that they are going to aim is correct, so they can avoid the dust storms on Mars. Then after the spacecraft is ready, it will travel within Mars’ atmosphere at a speed of 12,300 miles/hour.  However, the spacecraft must land with a degree of 12 in order to successfully land on Mars, because if the spacecraft is too steep, it will burn and if it is too shallow, it will just pass through the atmosphere and return the space. While the spacecraft is passing through the atmosphere, the parachute inside the craft will pop out and slows down the landing. Lastly, the legs of the spacecraft will also pop out to make sure that the spacecraft lands. Since the distance between Earth and Mars is really far, it takes 8 minutes and 7 seconds for the communication signal to sent to Earth, so the scientist do not know whether the spacecraft fail or not until they have waited for a long time.  

The diagrams on this article really help me to understand the entire article. I feel like without the diagram, I will not understand what the article is trying to say because I have never see a spacecraft before and I never learn about how a spacecraft will function and the usage of visuals give me an image of what’s going on.  In addition, introducing those images will also prevent me from getting tired of the reading. Also, just by reading those images, you also get figure out the intent of the autor without reading the entire article which is to show the audience about the process of landing on the Mars. Overall, visuals are really helpful in boosting the understand of reader and providing the reader a very brief summary. I would compare the relationship with texts and visuals with a song.  Texts are just like the lyrics of a song, while visuals is like a rhythm. Without any of these, a song will not be complete.