In the essay, "'Ha ha,' he said. 'Ha ha'" written by Chuck Klosterman, his biggest argument is basically that canned laughter is quite possibly the dumbest thing ever. He believes that Americans laugh at unnecessary things too much. Adding fake laughter in the background to make people laugh is pointless according to Klosterman. As much as he hates laugh tracks, I have to say I never really paid much attention to it. So, I decided to enjoy my snow day by watching a few clips for The Big Bang Theory.

Not too often do I have the time to watch tv. When I do, I love watching this show. It doesn’t take much for Sheldon’s quirky humor to make me laugh. The Big Bang Theory incorporates laugh tracks. Honestly, I think I like canned laughter. I love laughing and I tend to laugh a lot! In my opinion, canned laughter makes people feel more comfortable laughing at such weird/funny moments. I think without canned laughter, it might not be as funny.

His argument about Americans laughing at things that aren’t really funny made me think. So maybe we do add too many “haha’s” in texts or giggle when things aren’t funny, but who cares? Laughing is the best. Even if it’s not funny, people should be allowed to laugh without clerks at the grocery store looking at you weird. As long as it’s not rude or inappropriate of course.

This is an episode of The Big Bang Theory where I find Sheldon funny. You might not get all of this if you don't watch this show. It also shows the canned laughter and in my opinion how it makes you laugh.

Research Topic

I have decided on a research topic. I am planning on writing about the social responsibillity in the hospitality industry. Here is a list of some things I would like to discuss in my research paper.

• Concepts, terms and definitions related to social responsibility
• Background and possibly the general history of SR
• Principles and practices relating to SR
• Issues relating to SR
• How to implement and promote SR throughout the organization/business
• How organizations/businesses give back to the community and employees
• Advantages and disadvantages of SR
• Impact on organization/business

I have started my research and I am finding interesting articles and books that will be a good resource. I guess one question I have is how much of the topic should we discuss. The list above are just some ideas. How do I write the paper about numerous topics without going too far off topic? OR Should I narrow it down to a few things about SR and go more in depth with those?

Who Wrote What About When

Woods, Robert H. "Hospitality's History Who Wrote What About When." Cornell Hospitality Quarterly 32.2 (1991): 89-95. Web.

This article, suggested to me by Dr. Shiring, is different than most. This article talks about customers, employees and even the demographics of customers and employees. Unlike most articles, this one talks about service interaction, recruitment, training, and even benefits. I found this article very interesting because it’s not something I know about already. 

Cornell Hospitality Quarterly is a Hospitality journal and a credible source. The Hospitality department often uses this source for assignments. The author, Robert H. Woods, is also reliable. He has written many Hospitality related books and ones we use for classes here at IUP.


Dr. Shiring suggested a great article. Depending on what direction I take for my paper, I might be able to use this article. Even if I don't use this as a resource, I enjoy reading about the Hospitality industry.

technology wired.

With a 40+ work week and a full class schedule, I do a lot of multitasking to get things done. I don't think anyone can convince me to say that while multitasking, you are fully engaged in the conversation, assignment, or whatever it may be. Why do we multitask? I know I do it because there is too much to do in the time that I have. In the article "Attached to Technology and Paying a Price" they say that multitasking basically leads to not fully taking in whatever is being said or done. Although this article is not necessarily about multitasking, I had to throw my opinion in.

I will be the first to admit that I frequently check facebook and text, but I never let it get in the way of my life. As much as I love technology I really hate it. When this article said Mr. Campbell escapes to video games during tough times, this hit me. This just shows how we have lost things such as taking walks, talking, or listening to music as ways to escape and have turned to video games and technology. I am the kind of person that would much rather go hiking, snowboard, or even just have a girls night than play video games. (Although I have to admit, I love beating most guys at Madden. I rock at that game.)

Something else that seemed to bother me in this article was the fact that Lily, a second-grader, has her own laptop and other technology. Seriously? No wonder kids get into so much cyber trouble. Also, having cell phones at such a young age? Please tell me where this child is going to be, unsupervised, without an adult who can let the child use their cell phone.

To reiterate, I am not saying that technology is bad. I do believe that too much of it can be a bad thing. It's important to 'unplug' and get a way for a while. Yes, I'm pretty sure you crops in Farmville can wait to be harvested. In the end, ruining a relationship over technology is just not worth it. I don't like wasting my time wondering "what if" but I would like to know if life would be better without such state of the art technology. What if...

my life as maddie.

I'm Madison...or Maddie, Mads, Mad-d...you get the idea. I'm 19 and a sophomore in Hospitality Management. I love kayaking, cooking, music of all kinds, and trying new things. I am a morning person. I love to laugh. I get bored watching movies. Fall is the best season. I'm almost always at work. I work at the University Event's office as a student worker to assist in the President's events. I am also a cook at the Grapevine. If that wasn't enough, I also love coffee.