News article

Writ 1301

Haley Ricker

Clara Bisel

10/16/18

6?

Natural disasters cause many problems but they also teach us things. Animals have reportedly acted strangely before disasters for centuries but it’s very difficult to prove scientifically. Part of the difficulty stems from the fact that animals are animals and don’t always do things the way humans do. Another has to do with behavior, it’s very difficult to give quantitative values to actions. Despite a lack of scientific proof there is an abundance of anecdotal evidence about strange behaviors across many species. The article suggests that because animals have stronger senses such as smell in dogs they perceive things we can’t,  “they may be able to smell changes in the air before natural disasters”(dilonardo). It’s very likely the small changes could warn and protect them. Although there is definite evidence about animal senses it’s difficult to know how animals use them.

The article sites many different sources to help support the claim of a sixth sense in animals. The more definite facts come from research studies done by scientists while the overwhelming number of real world examples come from regular people in today’s world and throughout history. The article seeks to answer an important question but currently there is no perfect answer just hypotheses about animals and their abilities. Luckily for those doing research animals all over the world have reportedly predicted disasters of many types. If scientists can find a way to prove and record animal reactions animals could help provide advanced warning in the future.

This article does an excellent job of giving information clearly and correctly. Even though a lot of evidence comes from people the article tells the reader how first hand accounts can be faulty. The article also uses various types of evidence from different studies and animals. Anyone could read understand what points are made by the author about animal abilities. People with pets or who have seen firsthand animal reactions can relate the evidence and curiosity around animals.

Generally the article raises a good question but ultimately answers a different one. Although questioning if animals have an additional sense the answer remains inconclusive biased on evidence and analysis written by the author. That being said, the article does give reasonable theories about strange behaviors. The possibility that animals don’t react as much or as strongly as has been documented and that humans are unintentionally creating evidence.

Although interesting this idea is also virtually impossible to prove sciencetifically. Another idea the article mentions is that the animals don’t have an extra sense but instead are just using senses stronger than our own. The numerical evidence definitely helps prove this suggestion is more likely.

Dilonardo , Mary Jo. “Do Animals Have a Sixth Sense about Natural Disasters?” Mnn.com, 11 Oct. 2018, www.mnn.com/earth-matters/animals/stories/do-animals-have-sixth-sense-about-disasters.

Scott Pilgrim Versus the World Movie Review

Scott Pilgrim Versus the World

If you go to a movie theater today the major of the movies you’ll see advertised are for comic book movies or the same average action movie with a different set of CGI bad guys put on top of it. Based on the idea, you’d think Scott Pilgrim Versus the World was the same thing another movie trying to be a comic book, but you’d be very wrong because this movie is much more than another comic book movie. Watching the movie you can obviously tell that the director, Edgar Wright, has a devotion to comic books and wanted the small things that make them what they are into a movie, without a massive CGI battle of heroes versus hordes of faceless bad guys. He doesn’t take just the plot of a comic book and slap it on screen, it is impossible to not notice the style of this movie. This style is consistent throughout the movie and never feels out of place. Another thing this Scott Pilgrim Versus the World does is it uses the classic rom-com and coming of age styles and plots to use your expectations of those kinds of movies for its own advantage. You could say all these things boil down to Edgar Wright’s style and specifically his editing. Edgar Wright’s editing and cinematography in Scott Pilgrim Versus the World make it stand out as one of the most fun, creative, and energetic movies recently made.

Scott Pilgrim Versus the World is about a 20-year-old awkward guy from Toronto, Canada named Scott, played by Michael Cera (of course). When the movie starts Scott is in a struggling band and dating a high schooler named Knives Chau, in a relationship that isn’t a necessarily serious adult relationship. Scott is taking a passive role in his life, taking on whatever comes his way nonchalantly. Until he meets a girl named Ramona Flowers, he falls in love with her and wants to begin a relationship with her, however, in order to do this he has to defeat her “seven evil exes". Meanwhile, Scott’s band is in a big battle of the bands in which the winner gets a record deal and will theoretically instantly become successful. As he progresses through the seven evil exes, his band progresses through the battle of the bands, ending in a band battle against two of the evil exes. After the battle, Scott finds out that the head of the record company is the final evil ex and that Ramona is still in love with him. Scott and the final evil ex battle and Scott wins, however, he ends up choosing to be with Knives Chau, as she was the one that was supportive of him and loved him unconditionally.

The comic book style with this movie comes out in many ways that all work together to make one cohesive idea. Edgar Wright uses the comic book font and actual writing to make a lot of sounds and visuals spelled out, but he also uses them to further the plot. For example, in the scene where Scott first meets Ramona at a party, there’s writing edited to be on the wall which tells the story of how he embarrassed himself and follows Ramona around the party. The transitions between scenes in this movie, however, are the truly amazing part about it. Every transition is creatively done in a unique way. Each transition is timed so perfectly that you almost barely notice them. Each transition has a visual change or cue and an audio clip with it, these can form of anything as simple as a person walking across the screen with a skateboard sound to transition one sidewalk scene to another, or a very impressive transition in which Scott goes to the bathroom in his band’s house and walks out the door into a high school in a dream state. Overall Scott Pilgrim Versus the World is an amazing movie with a unique voice and style that is very hard to pick up on what exactly makes it so, unless you’re paying a lot of attention to the details Edgar Wright leaves in.  

Fade In to a Close-Up Shot of Cinefix

The Youtube channel Cinefix, which focuses on analysis of various aspects of film, helps viewers gain a greater appreciation for film and a better understanding of how cinematography is used to tell a story. With videos ranging from “7 Things You (Probably) Didn’t Know About Jaws” to “5 Brilliant Moments of Camera Movement”, this Youtube channel analyzes film in many different ways including videos that: compare movies to their respective books, review new movies coming out in theaters, discuss the use of audio, and even recreations of movies on a lower budget. There truly is something for everyone on this Youtube channel.

Some people might say, “What’s the point of watching a Youtube channel about movies when I could just watch a movie?”. Although movies are definitely a great way to spend free time, there are also many great benefits from Cinefix that can’t come from just watching movies. One of these benefits is the amount of time that it takes to watch the videos. Often times, a person’s free time is spread out in small chunks throughout the day and they don’t have the time to sit down for a solid 90 minutes and watch a full movie. With Cinefix video lengths averaging at around 10 minutes, it’s easy to watch videos on the bus or while you’re waiting in line for lunch. This amount of flexibility makes Cinefix a good way to use your free time while also keeping up with daily life and responsibilities.

Another perk of Cinefix is that it increases the viewer’s appreciation for cinematography and the inner workings of how a film is made. It is easy to see the actors and focus solely on them, but there is also a lot of effort put into each scene and camera angle. Close up shots, long shots, over the shoulder shots, pans, cuts, zooms: all of these techniques are used by cinematographers to tell the story of the film and use the medium of film to its fullest potential. By watching Cinefix videos, movie-goers gain a new perspective, and start seeing some of these methods in the movies that they watch. Film takes a whole new light, and by re-watching past favorites, viewers can enjoy parts of the movie that they never even knew were there in the first place. Movies become more fun and interesting once you understand all of the time and care that was put into each shot.

Cinefix also has a great blend of entertainment and information. Many Youtube channels are either all information or all entertainment. It’s not everyday that someone can say they learned something and had fun doing it. By using popular movie examples and having a variety of charismatic presenters, the videos are always captivating and fun. At the same time, the presenters know the information that they are presenting. Many of them have degrees in film or cinematography, and have collectively watched thousands of movies. As they’re talking, it almost feels like a conversation. The videos feel relaxed, and yet, insightfully deep.

By digging into the behind the scenes details of film, Cinefix provides an informative and entertaining video series that will forever change how the viewer watches and interprets movies.

Favorite corner of the internet

Under appreciated Talent of the Internet

When asked to think of my favorite corner of the internet, it was hard. Most of the places I venture to are very highly trafficked websites like Twitter, ESPN, Reddit, Amazon, etc. I had to narrow down the specific areas I like about each of those popular websites, and while I was doing this, I was listening to music. The thing is, every time I am on the internet, I have music in my ears and I realized that my favorite part of the internet is having access to almost every piece of music ever created. I like to listen to a lot of spotify, consisting of mostly mainstream rap, R&B, and alternative, but my favorite corner of the internet is musical covers of popular songs because they offer an interesting switch-up from the same artists and songs that we hear every day.

The website that I use to find these covers is Youtube, and while I love watching funny pranks, sports highlights, and conspiracy theories, this is my favorite side of youtube because it receives little attention. The musician I want to highlight today is Justice Der, who is a synth/electric guitarist that covers semi-popular R&B and alternate music. He mostly covers songs of artists like Frank Ocean, BROCKHAMPTON and Daniel Caesar. The reason I got into his music in the first place was from trying to find an instrumental for one of Frank Ocean’s songs and stumbling upon one of his covers. His smooth construction of the melodies encapsulated me and somehow I become increasingly impressed with each new cover of a song that he releases. He has even inspired me to buy a guitar and learn how to play it. I haven’t yet gotten one, but I think the perfect time for me to start is winter break when I can make money and devote my time to the craft of learning an instrument.

Justice Der has 79,000 subscribers which doesn’t really make him that big of an unknown in the musical cover business, but when I first discovered him about a year ago he only had about 8,000 subscribers. He has never let his voice be heard in any of his videos and does most of them in his concrete bedroom with only his bed and a Pulp Fiction poster in the background. His videos are very minimalist and only features the music that he is performing. I like the way he lets his music do the talking and isn’t greedy by doing advertisements or asking people to donate money to him, although he probably deserves it. Clearly, other people appreciate that aspect of his videos too, as a few of his videos hit 300,000 views. Not only do people watch is videos, but his like to dislike ratio is insanely good on most of them. His “Japanese Denim” cover has 18,000 likes to only 71 dislikes. His comments are full of positive feedback with some examples being “Somebody somewhere, somehow, HAS to sign you guys to something,” and “My heart just melted into butter”.

Ultimately though, my words cannot do his music nearly enough Justice (see what I did there?). I hope that the reader and anybody else with internet access and a love for good music are able to listen to him because he has brought good feelings and moments to many people including myself.  Justice Der deserves a lot more recognition for his talent and hard work and that is why this is my favorite corner of the internet.

Blog Post #3 - Favorite Corner of the Internet

Sam Johnson

Prof. Clara Biesel

Favorite Corner of the Internet

University Writing

10/21/18

The internet contains more information and insight than any one person would be able to explore, but one of the most interesting and astounding corners of this interconnected social web is the images found under the “wanderlust” tag on instagram.

Wanderlust is described as the strong desire to travel. I have found that many people who have this desire are able to capture their adventures through the art of photography. Photography can be used to tell a story, express a feeling, or even simply inspire an individual. While scrolling endlessly through my instagram feed, I often find myself drifting further and further into the niche area of exploration photos. These images continuously capture my attention as they display the beauty that can be found in travel, and have the power to bring a person to a location they may never otherwise experience. I have always found an interest in photography, and like many other photographers I share a passion for exploration and discovery. I have found myself using the captivating images from the adventures of others as inspiration as I stare down the lens of my own camera. More specifically, I have found that scenery photos that include the traveler cause me to gain wanderlust myself, fueling my aspirations to explore the world for myself, and discover experience I can gain from each unique corner of the world. When one finds him or her self exploring this corner of the internet, often times it is easy to forget what is going on around you as you dive deeper and deeper into the travels of others. In a way, by looking at these photos, you can imagine yourself there with the photographer, allowing you a small, yet inspiring glimpse of the beauty that was captured during the moment that photo was taken. I find this inspiring because it makes a person desire exploration, and often times can be motivating as you feel that you should go out and do something productive. Furthermore, you can learn a lot about different cultures or locations based on the ideas that are embedded within each photo.

For example, the photos that appear under the “wanderlust” category portray a whole different life than yours, which allows you insight on a lifestyle or culture that you may never be exposed to. You may find yourself in a mountain village, or trekking through the Egyptian desert, but each photo that you see is an artistic expression of something diverse, which in turn gives you a more detailed insight on just how different and unique each part of the world is.

Overall exploring this vast category of images can provoke thoughts and even inspire wanderlust in the viewer themselves. It is a mixture of art, culture and nature that makes this corner of the internet so special. It is truly unique in the way in which it has the power to provoke thoughts and aspirations.

Response to a News Article

Cancelling Columbus Day

Columbus, Ohio is making big changes to the holidays that they will recognize this year. They have chosen not to observe Columbus Day as a paid day off for workers, but will instead acknowledge Veterans day, which they had not done previously. The city believes that Veterans should be honored for what they have done for this country, as they stray away from honoring Christopher Columbus, who has been criticized for being a cause of the annexation of Native American land. This is an important change, and the city of Columbus is joining the movement of being more critical of America’s past mistakes.

Although the switch in holidays seems like something that most people would support, or wouldn’t be affected by, it has brought about some controversy. A columbus citizen posted his opinion to the local news channel through Facebook by saying, “‘Socialism in action. Our Capital City is even named after Christopher Columbus. How stupid of Mayor Ginther to perpetrate this embarrassment for our City!’ - Larry W. Hutcheson” (Cappell). Some people take this viewpoint because they value that aspect of the nation’s history, and see Columbus as an important person to the Italian heritage. Columbus Day has been considered a national holiday since the 1930’s, but in recent years, states have been moving away from giving workers a paid day off.

The city of Columbus, Ohio has followed suit of the many places around the U.S. that have started bringing attention to the terrible things that have happened to the Native Americans because of Christopher Columbus. “Critics of Columbus complain that the holiday mythologizes a man blamed for bringing slavery and death to the ‘New World’” (Cappell). States like Hawaii, Oregon, and South Dakota have also made the move away from recognizing Columbus Day, and alternatively celebrate National Indigenous Peoples Day. Although the city of Columbus hasn’t gone as far as to observe that as a day off, they do understand that there are many other groups of people that are more deserving of recognition.

The mayor of Columbus is shifting the attention to the newly observed holiday of Veterans Day. Robin Davis, the director of media relations for Mayor Andrew Ginther, expressed his enthusiasm for this revision in an email to NPR. "Columbus is home to 110,000 veterans. We are excited to be able to honor those who have served our country by observing Veterans Day this year” (Cappell). The reaction of the citizens is more or less the same. Many people are happy to see the veterans celebrated, especially those who view Christopher Columbus as a bad person. Veterans Day honors those who fight to protect this country, not someone who took it away from those who first inhabited it.

Despite the controversy, Columbus, Ohio has made the decision to change the holiday that its workers will take off this year. This change has sparked some debate between people who want to preserve the history of the city’s namesake and those who figure there are better people to honor with a day off of work. Columbus Day will no longer be observed in the city of Columbus, and instead U.S. veterans will be commemorated starting this year. This shift will bring attention away from Christopher Columbus, whose actions led to the decimation of Native Americans, and celebrate a more positive contribution to America.

How Stuff Works

Have you ever gotten lost in a website and just kept clicking one thing after the next? Getting lost in a never ending realm of information with no end in sight, everything you could possibly want to know in one spot. The website “howstuffworks” is one of those spots, with information about everything at the end of your fingertips. If you are ever wondering how anything in the world works, come to this website and you will find the answer.

On this website you can find out any type of information on any topic from health to science to home and garden or even auto. That is just the beginning to the endless realm of information. Say you are a car person and you want to find some things out about cars that you never knew before. You can click on the auto section of the website and you will be brought to a giant list of topics about auto. Next you have a choice of endless sections about auto such as auto basics, tech and support, auto racing, buying and selling, and many more. Next, say you click on auto racing, you are brought to all of these articles with cool pictures and descriptions about how it all works. You can read about how Monster Jam works or why green cars are considered unlucky in NASCAR.

Some of the information you find on this website might be very interesting but can also seem like very useless information. Trust me, there is plenty of useful information on this site. Say you are moving into a house for the first time and you do not know the first thing about being a homeowner. No need to worry, this website will give you any information you need about being a homeowner. All you need to do is click on the home and garden tab at the top, from here you can find information about home decor, home improvement, lawn and garden, and much more. Since you are moving into a new home you are probably wondering how you can make it look nice. There are endless amounts of articles and pictures to help you find the home decor that you need and what can make your house look nice.

This website can also tell you everything you need to know about the latest entertainment. It can give you updates on the latest shows and tell you what shows have great reviews and which ones don’t. It tells you what is trending in entertainment news and keeps you updated on all of the information. You can figure out what’s trending in sports, music, or even toys. Anything to do with entertainment can be found there.

Everyone sees those random quizzes on websites and sometimes they can be pretty fun. This website has an entire section devoted to quizzes like those. You can find a quiz about pretty much anything, and if you are into these types of things, you can be entertained for hours. Quizzes about naming celebrities to naming fish in the sea, you name it, there is a quiz about it.

Getting lost on the internet is one of the easiest things to do, especially in today's age of endless information and new technology. You can get completely lost just on this website, you never need to leave. From interesting, useless information to information that can be very helpful, to fun quizzes, this website has everything you could possibly want in a website.

What type of YouTube channel do you want to follow?

Some Americans may assume that everyone around them is a fan of the most popular YouTube channels such as Liza Koshy, Ryan Higa, or Jenna Marbles. However, the purpose of the YouTube itself contradicts this assumption: to provide a world-wide platform to share the diverse and unique voices of our world. As a result, each person connects with and enjoys different content. I personally have found myself enjoying the Kaurbeauty channel, created by an indian female youtuber, Puneet, who posts academic and makeup videos, and different challenges on YouTube. I found myself watching these videos consistently not only because of the humorous and engaging content, and interesting discussions, but also because her presence on YouTube inspired me and others, as seen through the comments, to become better people.

Her makeup tutorials are engaging and her techniques have been clearly developed over a long period of time. The overall video has astounding shots and sound effects, which add to the overall quality of the content. In her makeup tutorials and challenges, she spoke occasionally of her ambitions and her beliefs. All her videos echoed those views well. She represents women who are ambitious and academically focused, but also women who love to dress nicely and stay fit. At the same time, she believes that women can dress well without having to expose too much of themselves. Being an indian women, I know these beliefs align with many in the Asian community and possibly many others who are not Asian. Her confidence and character inspires me and also gave me an opportunity to see that truly anything is possible if you put enough effort into the things you want. She graduated summa cum laude from UC Berkeley, while staying very healthy and happy. In addition, her humble nature and driven attitude makes her a likeable person. As a result, her YouTube channel is just as amazing she is.  It is clear many others have been positively impacted by her as a person, as the comments are filled with high school and college students who are inspired by her.

Her channel has fashion hauls try-ons, makeup tutorials, exercises, and engaging and funny videos with her two brothers. All these factors resulted in me watching these videos longer than I probably should. Some videos such as “My brothers read my verified Instagram DMs” and “Trying to speak Hindi, brother does my makeup”are very funny and easily became the highlights of my day. More than the humor, she has discussions with her brothers on pressing topics such as “(being) In Love with Someone my Family Doesn’t Approve of” or “Do I Feel Doctors should make more than Beauty Gurus”. These videos often expand my viewpoint and interesting to watch if I have already watched tv after a long day of school but don’t want to begin my schoolwork yet.

Through my experiences watching YouTube videos, I can say that many very popular YouTube videos are funny and engaging. I often find videos such as “How to trick people into thinking you're good looking”, very interesting as Jenna Marbles does not look great in the video and her perspective seems interesting. However, I have found that though initially these types of videos seem interesting, it is never something that you can watch for a long period of time. These videos lack substance and value, and do not benefit in our lives in any besides the fun of it for a short period of time. The unexpectedness factor disappears after a couple of videos and it becomes less interesting as it initially was. These channels do not leave me inspired in any way. If you want to stick to a YouTube channel for a long period of time, you should consider Kaurbeauty.

This parallels to celebrities. Many indulge in learning about the celebrities such as Kim Kardashian. From my perspective, spending time reading about them in magazines is useless if done for a long period of time or a daily basis. The things we watch, hear, and learn, shape the way we think, act, and eventually who we become. Puneet’s channel is entertaining, engaging, and inspiring: a truly unique combination. It is truly up to you what you want to do. Do you want to follow a YouTube channel that you just find funny or intriguing for a moment or  do you want to watch videos for a long period of time that are funny and better yourself in the process? The choice is yours.

The Other Corner of the Internet

When people think of the internet, what generally gets brought into their minds? Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook, or YouTube? Although those are only a fraction of a millionth of how much content the internet has, people often overlook many great platforms. One such platform is called Reddit, which has an infinite variety of topics from politics and news to memes. People should look into Reddit more because it not only contains humorous entertainment for when you’re bored or waiting, but also features such as “life hacks” that make your lives so much simpler and cheaper.

“What’s the smartest way you have cheated on a test,” asked an internet user. “I spent the week before memorizing all the information that the test would cover, worked like a charm.” Another responded with “That’s not cheating!” Wooosh. This is an example of an entertaining humorous subreddit on the platform titled r/wooosh. Wooosh is an onomatopoeia used to denote when a joke or comment has gone over someone’s head on the internet. Buried in huge social media platforms such as Snapchat, Instagram, and Twitter, Reddit is often buried under them, though the often-overlooked platform has over 300 million active monthly users. Their topics range anywhere from memes, homework help, bodybuilding, or just food.

So many interesting things that you may not even think about can be learned. I once learned on reddit that you can drop Alkaline batteries on a table, seeing if they are good or bad. If they give one small bounce and fall right over, they’re good. If they bounce around more than that, they’re dead. The science is that the electrolyte gel in Alkaline battery dampens the bounce. Since then, I have never once needed to buy one of those voltmeters from Amazon; I never have to ponder about whether my TV remote’s broken, or the battery in it is dead.

On the other hand, I have learned that no one thinks about you as much as you think they do. No one else knows what they’re doing either. Of course, a neurosurgeon knows what they’re doing because they have been through school for years and have learned how to perform surgery. The point is, no one ever teaches you how to go about life, and focusing on needing to it is futile, so you have to live life your own way. It’s liberating to accept that for a lot of people and. It makes life so much easier when you’re trying something new. As the Italian proverb states, “after the game, the king and pawn go into the same exact box.”

If there is one thing to be learned on Reddit, it is a unique corner of the internet that people often overlook. To all casual college students, fitness connoisseurs, or master chefs, whether you’re too lazy to get up and go find your battery storage, or you need help on chemistry homework, the people on Reddit have your back. Because chances are, a small portion of the 300 million other active monthly users are probably working on chemistry homework as well.

Intro to a Favorite Corner of the Internet

I have never been one to dive deep into the archives and black holes of the never ending internet. For the most part I stay on main platforms such as facebook and instagram and check  in on my favorite celebrities. Oddly enough, following my favorite sports team lead me to one of the few places on the internet that I visit that might be unpopular or not well known. My favorite corner of the internet is an app called Pic Collage which is similar to photoshop. Pic Collage allows me to mix different pictures and put faces on other faces or other things along those lines. Through Pic Collage I can mix humor and creativity and create really funny pictures of celebrities or animals and me or my friends.

Originally, Pic Collage was a way to put two pictures together when I wanted to post more than one photo on instagram. There are different templates that allow you to put rectangular or square pictures in different formats and arrangements. Once I started using Pic Collage more and more I began exploring the different tools and formats they had. The one big feature that changed how I used it was the scissors option. I could make one photo the background and then cut around a face or object in another photo and place it onto the background picture. Placing different faces on other bodies is one of my favorite things to do on Pic Collage. It always makes me laugh seeing one of my friends with a celebrity or as an animal and other similar types of collages. I don’t know anyone who wouldn’t want to see themselves in the arms of their celebrity crush.

Celebrities make up the bulk of my masterpieces on Pic Collage. With the help of instagram, I see lots of pictures of my favorite singers, basketball players, and actors that would be perfect for a little face swap. Lately I’ve been getting a good laugh from putting my face onto one of my favorite basketball player’s baby (I know this sounds very odd but it’s really funny and I will attach pictures at the end of the essay). Draymond Green, a player on the Golden State Warriors, has an 18 month old son that he brings to his basketball games. When I put my face into the picture it looks like Draymond is carrying a mini version of me! As creepy and weird as it seems, it’s very amusing for me. Often times, the only people who see my creations are my close friends or the people following my smaller instagram account where I post random stuff and life updates. If everyone was to see my collages I would be slighty embarrassed because it’s not very normal to be photoshopping your own face onto a babies body.

Although it’s a little weird to talk about, I really enjoy using and making things on Pic Collage. I pride myself on making my friends laugh and this has become one of the many ways I am able to do that. It allows me to kind of unwind and add some humor when I’m feeling down or stressed. Humor has always been a big part of my life and Pic Collage is no exception. Even if it is odd, it is definitely my favorite corner of the internet.

The One Where Friends is My Favorite Corner of the Internet

When “I’ll Be There for You” by the Rembrandts comes on the radio, the iconic sitcom, Friends, often pops into people’s heads. And if it doesn’t, finish reading this paper right away in order to start watching the show as soon as possible. Home to thousands of titles, Netflix allows subscribers to stream TV shows, movies, documentaries and more. On air from 1994-2004, Friends has 10 complete seasons with 238 episodes- all available on Netflix. Through humor, the characters themselves, and the life lessons taught, Friends takes its place on top as one of the greatest sitcoms ever aired and is essential to watch as it will ultimately make your day better.

Friends is known for its famous one-liners and quotes that will make you laugh effortlessly. As this is a written paper, sadly I cannot insert gifs or memes for added touch, but the one-liners such as Joey’s famous pick up line “How you doin’?”  or Ross’ “Pivot!”, as he gives orders to his friends while trying to move a couch up the stairs, will have to do to. The writer’s seemed to come up with exceptional humor making every scene more enjoyable. If one-liners aren’t your cup of tea, Chandler’s sarcastic comments or Phoebe’s classic “songs” such as “Smelly Cat” will do the trick (Crane and Kauffman). Humor fills every episode and constantly has viewers in a better mood after watching. After all, it is important to laugh at least once a day, but after watching Friends, you’ll be more than covered.

However, the humor alone is not what makes the show so great but the actual “friends” in each episode. Each cast member adds their own unique personality to the show, enriching the quality and making it hard to pick a favorite as they are all so relatable. For example, though some might say that Ross constantly talking about dinosaurs (as his profession is a paleontologist) is not indeed relatable to most, it is in fact as he shows his love for his job and the continuing interest it brings him and only wants others to know how important his job is. Another example is from the first episode beginning with Rachel leaving her fiancé at the altar. Some may relate to Rachel feeling overwhelmed and connect with her unsureness going into decisions but can continue to watch as everything turns out just fine, such as most situations do. If viewers aren’t big fans of one, there are plenty more characters to connect with throughout the show making it feel as if they are not alone.

Aside from the humor and the relatable cast, Friends teaches viewers many life lessons hidden in each episode. When Rachel refuses to run next to Phoebe and her odd running form and Phoebe responds by asking “Who cares if people stare at you you’re not going to see them again?”, she teaches viewers the valuable lesson of not caring what others think when you’re having fun (Crane and Kauffman). Chandler also teaches us that you should always be yourself. Whether it was admitting that he liked taking baths or sometimes took quizzes from Cosmopolitan, Chandler didn’t mind what people thought of him. Monica teaches us to be confident when you know you’re right such as when she says “Now, I need you to be careful and efficient. And remember: If I am harsh with you, it’s only because you’re doing it wrong” (Crane and Kauffman). While all of these are just a few examples, one of the most important lessons the characters teach viewers is that you never have to grow up. While some may say that there comes a point in life where one needs to settle down and take things seriously, the cast of Friends prove that you can live life in a goofy style and still accomplish your dreams.

            While Friends is sometimes thought about as “old” and “unrealistic”, taking place in the 90’s and in a penthouse apartment of 25-year old’s, it is still relevant today with kids growing up in the 2000’s still enjoying it. There are many reasons why Friends will make your day better, but I can only go over so much in an essay, the rest you will have to see for yourself. Friends touches viewer’s lives for the best through humor, being relatable, and teaching life lessons. However, perhaps the most important thing that can be taken away from the show is that it is important to have fun living life and that true friends will always be there for you.