Well, we’re now a week into Persuasive Presentation I! If you’re one of our remaining speakers, just make sure you submit your outline to the SafeAssign link on Blackboard by 4:30 today.

Given that we’ve been talking about international crises like those in Libya, Japan, Yemen, and now Syria and the Ivory Coast for a number of weeks, we’ll try to add some new topics on top of those global issues this time around. They’re important, certainly, but I get the sense that many people want some more options at this point, so we’ll try to accommodate those desires.

How about we start with the brand-new Nintendo 3DS? It’s hard to say what today’s release will bring but Isaiah-Triforce Johnson (real name) has spent about a week waiting at a Manhattan Best Buy in anticipation of Nintendo’s official release party. With Johnson’s goal of the first 3DS finally upon him, experts are sending mixed messages about the device. Some claim that it’s truly innovative, particularly with the adjustable 3D effect for which it is best known. Others argue that the 3D quality is inconsistent or even dangerous for young gamers and that its low battery life represents a serious flaw. (One might harken back to the old Sega Game Gear, my first handheld system, which was technologically far superior to Nintendo’s competing handhelds but which drained batteries almost as quickly as you could load them.) What do you think about all this? Will the 3DS be Nintendo’s next big hit, following in the footsteps of the groundbreaking Wii, or will its limitations keep it from grabbing the market share that Nintendo desires? For that matter, do you buy claims that the 3DS could be used by optometrists as a diagnostic tool? Either, you have to feel sorry for reviewers desperately trying to figure out how to convey 3D depth in 2D screenshots. Perhaps it will be easier once we all have 3D computer monitors… that day may be closer than you think.

In national news, potential candidates in the 2012 presidential election are already posturing for position. Obviously, this story isn’t nearly as well developed, since the elections are so far in the future. While Barack Obama looks to be the likely Democratic candidate, though, his counterpart in the Republican party isn’t nearly so clear. Some speculate that Mitt Romney’s second bid will be more successful than his first, while others think that Mike Huckabee holds the advantage over Romney, Sarah Palin, and others. How do you think the sheer number of Republican candidates could affect the race? Do you find the fact that campaigning begins (at least) a year and a half before an election to be a good thing for American politics or a problem? Relatedly, how could the race change in the next 19 months? What about speculation that some states will cut their presidential primaries to save money?

Next, you knew it was coming… March Madness is in full swing, with the Final Four to be finalized before the weekend is done. The public places a great deal of value on making it to the Final Four, even though three of those team will ultimately lose — it’s certainly more value than we place on a semifinal finish for almost any other major competition. Do you think that the players and coaches feel the same way, or are they as devastated by losing in the final weekend as they would have been on day one? Do you think it’s different for a national powerhouse like Ohio State than an underdog like Virginia Commonwealth, the eleven seed now one win away from the Final Four? Looking at it another way, why are many people so much more inclined to watch the men’s tournament than the women’s tournament? It’s certainly not based on the results, since Purdue lost both in the second round this year. What do you think about the disparity, and how do you think the competitors feel about it? Has the Title IX legislation to equalize athletic opportunities been effective, or are there any problems with it? What about our obsession with the mythical perfect bracket? Will anyone ever get closer than Alex Herrmann did last year? And what do you think about laws in some states that prohibit bracket competitions?

I’m adding one last topic to this post at the last minute. My fiancee, Becky, who also teaches COM 315, forced me to watch Rebecca Black’s Friday video on Youtube.

I don’t want to unduly bias you by sharing my opinion, but let’s just say that as of this writing, the viral video has 109,169 “likes” and 910,327 “dislikes.” Despite the ratio of over 8:1 against the video, though, it has quickly accumulated well over 54 million views since being posted to Youtube on February 10. What do you think it means that a video which so many people appear to dislike is nonetheless garnering so much attention and, some speculate, making Black a millionaire? Are viewers being too aggressive in their criticisms of the 13-year-old’s tune? On the other hand, is it possible that the general public is overlooking something important about Friday? Lady Gaga called Black a “genius,” after all. If “imitation is the sincerest form of flattery,” as some might suggest, then should we conclude that all the spoofs (my favorite example below), including ones by Conan O’Brien and the Jonas Brothers, mean that Friday is actually a special, pure piece of music?

(Feel free to follow the other COM 315 discussion on this topic as well, once the link becomes active later today.)

As always, any of the above or below topics is fair game, as are other items of interest beyond those listed here. Have at it, and I’ll see you on Tuesday!

Other articles of interest:
Approval For Drug That Treats Melanoma
Plosser: Fed must tighten in not-too-distant future
Wisconsin union law published despite court order
Researchers Plan to Drill Deepest Ever Hole in the Earth
NASA Investigating Shuttle Worker’s Death at Launch Pad
Judge to music industry: ‘Worth trillions? Forget it’
Bret Michaels Sues — The Tonys Almost KILLED Me
‘The Book of Mormon’ Hits Broadway
LOL, OMG, FYI Added to Online Oxford English Dictionary
Qatar: Robo-clouds to cool World Cup
Qatar stole its artificial cloud idea from The Simpsons
Defense: Trainer misled Barry Bonds
Let’s Play Few: MLB’s Half-Baked Opening Day
Cleveland Browns fan sues NFL in attempt to end lockout
The box scores from ‘Space Jam’ for a nostalgia kick
Zero G on Ford’s factory floor
Flying robots swarm to the task of disaster rescue
Japan nuclear crisis gives Earth Hour added poignancy