Leviation Toy

There are so many toys that have come and gone over the decades. However, has anyone heard of a levitation toy? This type of toy actually uses your brain waves to control a ball. The levitation toy is coming out this year. Mattel will be selling the “Mind Flex” and Uncle Milton will be selling “The Force Trainer” levitation toy (Levitation Toys Really Test Brain Power, 2009).

Can you believe these toys use the power of your brain waves? There are no blinking lights or illusions to make the ball seem to float in air. The toy has a wireless headset, a fan and a ball that doesn’t weigh much (Levitation Toys Really Test Brain Power, 2009). It seems out of this world, to even consider that such a toy can exist.

Both of these toys work by using a customized form of electroencephalography or EEG. EEG is a type of technology that is used to measure the electrical signals that are being thrown out of the brain (Levitation Toys Really Test Brain Power, 2009). It is amazing how advanced technology is today, isn’t it? A decade ago, people probably never thought that we would have a mind-controlling toy such as these levitation toys.

The signals that come out of the brain are applied to algorithms. Researchers who have studied various attention states in people designed these algorithms. The toys works, because when people have the right focus, the brain gives out the signals and these signals trigger a fan. The fan blows harder if the person concentrates harder and the more the person concentrates the more the ball will rise in the air (Levitation Toys Really Test Brain Power, 2009).

It is hard to explain in words how excited I am about these new toys. These toys are not just for kids, but for adults, also. A person commented about these toys and said, “We are getting closer to figuring out telekinesis”. This made me remember watching the “Return to Witch Mountain” as a kid. I use to think we won’t ever be able to use our mind to move things around. It seems that Mattel and Uncle Milton have proven me wrong. What does everyone else think about these levitation toys?

Reference
Levitation Toys Really Test Brain Power. (2009). NPR. Retrieved April 8, 2009, from http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=102472655

Dora

Dora the explorer is a popular cartoon among children. The cartoon has been designed to help preschoolers solve problems. The cartoon accomplishes this by having Dora stop and think about different scenarios, before she actually makes a decision (Show Creators, 2009). Personally, as a mother, I support Dora the Explorer. I rather have my daughter learning how to solve problems then learning how to fight, kill, dress up as a model or etc.

Further, Dora helps children to be active and not just coach potatoes (Show Creators, 2009). For instance, Dora gets children to stand up and clap along with her when she is singing a song. Dora also, asks children to try new and different movements such as stretching. There are not many cartons that children like and that are educational, too. Dora in some aspects is similar to “The Sesame Street”. However, Dora is focused on the ethic group of Latinos (Show Creators, 2009).

Dora is the most famous for helping children to learn Spanish (Show Creators, 2009). Having the ability to speak Spanish is a great skill. Dora does a great job of this by having the children repeatedly say a Spanish word over and over. The repetition of a word helps children to remember the word in the long term.

As mentioned earlier, Dora is similar to “The Sesame Street”. For instance, both of the shows teach how to count. However, Dora teaches how to count in Spanish more then in English. On the other hand, “The Sesame Street”, focuses more on counting in English then in Spanish. Dora is the main charter in “Dora the Explorer”, but in “The Sesame Street” there are many characters. Children usually will focus on one or two characters on a show, but Dora helps children to directly focus on her. Therefore, children can look up to Dora and she can be supported as everyone’s friend.

Reference

Show Creators. (2009). Nickelodeon. Retrieved April 5, 2009, from http://www.nickjr.co.uk/shows/dora/more.aspx#about

The littlest pet shop!

Summary

Popular culture is made up of different aspects of life such as art, music, toys, electronics, clothes, behavior and attitude. Personally, popular culture seems to be a dynamic pressure that is trying to conform and assimilate us to be a certain way. Popular culture is important to understand in business, because it can affect the way consumers buy. Popular culture can affect my future career, because formalities can change. A popular cultural artifact that children play with is the littlest pet shop toys. The pet shop toys have houses and accessories, also.