Week 6

Notes on the reading: The article by Malcolm Gladwell was extremely interesting to read, and the way that the food industry handled the creation and attempted implementation of luxury goods was fascinating to read about. My biggest takeaway from the article was that for some people to have hard evidence and data, it’s possible to bull your way into an existing marketplace – but Gladwell writes, “It is possible, of course, that ketchup is waiting for its own version of that Rolls-Royce commercial, or the discovery of the ketchup equivalent of extra-chunky—the magic formula that will satisfy an unmet need. It is also possible, however, that the rules of Howard Moskowitz, which apply to Grey Poupon and Prego spaghetti sauce and to olive oil and salad dressing and virtually everything else in the supermarket, don’t apply to ketchup.” [1]

            The other article was very interesting and made a lot of sense about your evolutionary response to taste, and how those in areas with low food security use taste as a tool to identify nutrients and how edible things are, however, it writes that, “…But for those who have easy access to tasty, energy-dense foods our sensitivities for sugary, salty and fatty foods have also helped cause over nutrition-related diseases, such as obesity and diabetes.” [2]

For this week’s project I will expand more upon my midterm project, and bring up examples I have found online that can help my paper – I have done research into the helpful effects of video games and PTSD treatment, and the links and downsides that they each have. For example, for soldiers on the ground, video game maker DICE has allowed the use of their physics engine “FrostBite” to be used for creation of lifelike and realistic recreation of each individual scenario that custom to however the viewer feels during the traumatic event, as well as incorporate a full body immersion featuring Virtual Reality as well as actual walking.  [3] I have a lot to talk about today, and hopefully it will all make sense!

 

Works Cited:

[1] Gladwell, Malcolm. "The Ketchup Conundrum Mustard Now Comes in Dozens of Varieties. Why Has Ketchup Stayed the Same?" Taste Technologies. The New Yorker, 6 Sept. 2004. Web. 22 June 2016. <https://doted.artcenter.edu/pluginfile.php/111322/mod_resource/content/1/The%20Ketchup%20Conundrum%20-%20The%20New%20Yorker.pdf>.

[2] Breslin, Paul AS. "An Evolutionary Perspective on Food Review and Human Taste." NIH Public Access 1-45 4.12 (n.d.): n. pag. National Institute of Health. Rutgers University, Department of Nutrition, 6 May 2013. Web. 22 June 2016. <https://doted.artcenter.edu/pluginfile.php/111320/mod_resource/content/1/An%20Evolutionary%20Perspective%20on%20Food%20Review%20and%20Human%20Taste.pdf>.

[3] VirtuixOmni. "Virtuix Omni - Battlefield 4." YouTube. YouTube, 08 Jan. 2014. Web. 22 June 2016. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aTtfAQEeAJI>.