Blogpost 8: Shinichi and Sherlock

Everyone is unique. Everyone has a unique personality. Everyone has a unique style. Everyone has a unique entire well-being. But it is not avoidable that others may also have the same characteristics as yours.

Shinich Kudo has similarities to Sherlock Holmes. Sherlock Holmes is a detective novel series written by Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle. The story of Sherlock Holmes revolves around the detective named Sherlock Holmes and his assistant and true companion Dr. John H. Watson. Sherlock puzzles out criminal cases in a fantastic and incredible way.

So, what are the characteristics of Sherlock Holmes? I have read an article column entitled "A Study in Sherlock" by Rob W. Hart at the website litreactor. According to this article, Sherlock Holmes helps the police and private individuals to solve complicated criminal cases. He is considered as a master of relating sciences and technologies to investigate situations and concealing hi appearance to hide his real identity and best in conducting deductive reasoning. He is addicted to cocaine and a heavy smoker. He has few friends but Watson is his only true companion. He is so attentive to detail but lack of interest to relationships. He is also said to be a narcissist in some manner.

"Holmes is a consulting detective, called upon by both the police and private entities to solve seemingly-unsolvable cases." - Rob W. Hart

Just like in Detective Conan, Shinich Kudo also aids police solve cases. He solves complicated criminal cases using deductive reasoning and meticulous to details like Sherlock Holmes. But Shinichi cares and think for others security not like Sherlock who only focus to his self.

Furthermore, Sherlock Holmes is said to be Shinichi Kudo's idol. Sherlock is one of the major influences that inspired the Detective Conan series. Also, the title of the Japanese anime series is from the name of the author of Sherlock Holmes.

After reading the article, I have realized that it is true that everyone is very unique. It is impossible to have a duplicate or replica of 100% of yourself. And always remember that no one in the world can do a better job of being you than you.

Blogpost 7: Invasion of Privacy

Nowadays, privacy of life is somehow not private as it is. This is done through CCTV(Closed-Circuit Television) cameras, wire tapping, hidden cameras, sound recorders, and many gadgets that were invented to record and document certain activity. Also, government requires everyone to tell more and more about ourselves. Examples are the Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth(SALN) of senators to review their financial statuses and tax documentations of celebrities to ensure that they are paying their taxes accurately.

In Detective Conan, presentation of facts and how the data are captured by Conan Edogawa in solving criminal cases and detecting who is responsible for that crime seem to be in the sense of invading the privacy of the person. According to Michael Pollick who wrote an article entitled "What is Invasion of Privacy?" at the website wisegeek, invasion of privacy is a legal term referring to a person's right to retain his life private and free from interruption of others. There are four aspects of invasion of privacy, these are the following: a) intrusion of solitude – actual physical or electronic interruption of a person's private home or personal space; b) public disclosure of public facts – the data are real but the way the information is obtained and published on the public is not appropriate; c) false light – someone intentionally falsifies the personality, story, activities or notions of another person and; d) misappropriation of a person's image or name – use of celebrity's name to endorse a product without his consent.

I asked myself and made a researched about how such information are obtained through invasion of someone's privacy. I found this article entitled "The Invasion of Privacy" by Richard H. Rovere at the website theamericanscholar. According to this article, “bugging” is the utilization of hidden electronic devices by absentee eavesdroppers such as policemen, detectives, and some private and public investigators. And these absentee eavesdroppers are in large number and pernicious.

"Technology has forced the surrender of a measure of privacy in many different ways." - Richard H. Rovere

Advancing technology is one of the main way in invading one's privacy. Through wire tapping and sound recorders, you can easily listen to conversations of anybody deliberately. Just like in Detective Conan, Conan Edogawa uses his glasses modification(microphone) to listen to somebody's conversations and gather information that he needed.

Invasion of someone's privacy is generally pestiferous. But behind this troublesome intrusion of privacy, it also has good effects. I have read an article entitled "Invasion of Privacy for Public Good" by Paul Mallone at the website SMH. According to this article, invasion of privacy is also has good welfare for the public. It gives an account who did what(act against the law) ad assists authorities in taking accurate action and punishment. Like CCTV cameras, it offer an important amount of security to the public.

"... recording devices are proving their worth everywhere..." - Paul Mallone

Recording devices such as CCTV cameras are also proved to be essential in catching criminals. Just like in Detective Conan, when Conan is invading someone's privacy, he finds significant facts in solving criminal cases and in chasing the one responsible for that crime scenes.

After reading the two articles, I have realized that technology indeed has affected and changed attitudes regarding privacy. But when we look deeper into it, we will find out that technology has positive benefits. Moreover, it is worth intruding one's privacy as long as everybody is protected from danger.

Blogpost 6: Conan's Gadgets

There is a great advancement in application of science. And this application is called technology. Technology is moving fast. The product of technology is gadgets. Everyday, a lot of gadgets are manufactured and produced to make people's life easier, faster and better.

According to RawMichelle who wrote an article about Gadgets at the website blogcritics, gadgets are small electronic devices with a particular purpose. The term gadget was defined by the Oxford Dictionary in 19^th century as a placeholder name for a technical item. The word gadget originated from the french word “gagee” which means small and useful accessory.

Conan Edogawa, the main character of the Japanese Anime Series Detective Conan, uses a lot of gadgets to help him solve criminal cases, fight against villains and investigate about the Black Organization. Gadgets use by Conan are the following: a) voice-changing bowtie – by moving the dial on the back, Conan is able to imitate all sounds that his ears have perceived; b) power-enhancing shoes – these shoes use magnetism and electric fields giving an eminent power to Conan's feet enabling him to strike object with a great impact; c) glasses modification(microphone) – Professor Agasa modified Conan's eyeglasses allowing him to conceal microphone somewhere and listen to conversations by matching the frequency on his glasses; d) stun-gun wristwatch - Conan uses a tranquilizer dart contained in the watch to put people to sleep usually the moronic detective Kogoro Mori; e) detective boys badge – these badges are created for Conan and the Detective Boys group including Ayumi Yoshida, Genta Kojima and Mitsuhiko Tsuburaya enabling them to communicate with each other from a distance, working like a set of walkie talkies, it also give out a signal so that it can be located using criminal tracking glasses; f) turbo engine skateboard – the engine works using a solar power but later modified to include a battery for nighttime use, it is created to help Conan chase down criminals; g) criminal tracking glasses – this is used by Conan to track down criminals, to locate his transmitters and to know the place of the Detective Boys' badge using radar; h) elasticity suspenders - this enable Conan to lift heavy objects through a pulley-type system by pressing a button; i) button speaker – Conan place this speaker on Kogoro to transmit his changed voice from the bowtie; j) earring cellphone - this is also serves as a wireless speaker for the voice-changing bowtie, it is easily transported because it can be worn on the ear; k) wristwatch flashlight – aside from being a stun-gun, his watch also functions as a flashlight to light up dark places and this is also given to the Detective Boys; l) voice-changing face mask – Conan used this to disguise himself when Vermouth attempted to entice Haibara and; m) anywhere ball dispensing belt- Conan's belt can be transformed to a soccer ball so that can be use against criminals just by kicking it with the power-enhancing shoes.

It is amazing that Conan has these incredible gadgets which really help him a lot such as fighting and protecting himself against villains, capturing information about the Black Organization and most of all, solving crimes to help other people.

There was a time I asked myself if Conan's gadgets are fictional or real. I have read this article entitled “Real Life Spy Gadgets- For the Secret Agent in all of Us” by Simon Rose at the website darkroastedblend. According to this article, with the great advancement of technology, some gadgets are invented and available readily in the public. Some gadgets that are used in espionage in real life are the following: hidden cameras that are virtually undetectable, could use to observe nearby activity, monitor a crime scene, gathers data such as screw camera, cigarette pack camera, key fob camera, flexible fiber camera, body-worn hidden camera and watch spy camera; spy printer and scanner with a size of a pen that can easily assess any threats allowing you to look into a building or a house and wireless earphone to furtive and discreet communication; telephone voice changers; bug detector; white noise generator; dissolving paper; envelope x-ray paper and; spy weaponry such as stun pen, pepper spray rings, concealed pen and lipstick knives and sonic nausea.

"... with the ever-increasing  pace of technology, things that once seemed very much in the realm of  science fiction are now most assuredly science fact and some gadgets are readily available to the general public." - Simon Rose

After reading the article, I can say that Conan's gadgets are possible to have in real life because of people with great minds that can invent them. And gadgets like those can really help in gathering information to solve crimes and chase criminals.

Nowadays, there is nothing impossible. We can get all that we want as long as it does not harm anybody. But we should remember that all things have their own limit and we should not exceed this limit.

Blogpost 5: Shinichi Kudo, A Prodigy?

I have observed that during these past few years, lot of genius kids were featured on news, documentation shows and as well as on talent shows on television. They were featured because of their extremely high intellectual capability compared to a typical child.

Like Shinichi Kudo in Detective Conan, real name of Conan Edogawa when he was not yet transformed to a 7-year-old kid, he is admired because of his remarkable detective skills such as the ability to remember every detail of an investigation, photographic memory in recalling such subordinate facts, being meticulous to details allows him to notice minor contradicting testimonies and arrangements in crime scenes and using logic in order to connect such inconsistencies to the crime scenes. And due to these skills he is considered as a prodigious high school detective. On the other hand, Conan Edogawa is also described by other characters as a genius because they notice what traits Conan possesses.

In relation to that, I researched about genius kids and child prodigies. I found this article entitled "Child Prodigies: A Distinctive Form of Giftedness" written by David Fieldman at the website davidsongifted. According to this article, the word prodigy was first used in early times referring to any happening that is apparently “out of the usual course of nature” or “inexplicable or “monstrous”. It is a far away definition from human behavior and exceptional mental talent. But as time passed by, there has been a point of concentration in studies of the prodigy and come up with a recent definition that is a lot different from early definition. Recently, prodigy is defined as “highly gifted or academically talented child”.

"... it labels the prodigy as a distinctly human phenomenon that can only occur with the support and assistance of other human beings..." - David Fieldman

The article stated that prodigy was referred to a child who is performing compared to a child who is performing equipped adult in a very demanding field of specialization. In Detective Conan, Shinichi is believed to be prodigious because he is above the standards of executing tasks in investigating crime scenes and detecting criminals. And of course, he is supported by his family and friends.

Even though prodigious child seems to be perfect because of their exceptional mental ability, they are vulnerable to a variety of hard to deal adjustments. I have read this article entitled "Vulnerabilities of Highly Gifted Children" by Wendy Roedell at the website davidsongifted. According to this article, children with extraordinary advanced intellectual skills have problems on uneven development, self-definition, intense sensitivity, perfectionism, alienation, role conflict, inappropriate environments and adult expectations. It is not easy to contain the ability to comprehend, reason and think creatively like an adult and natural feelings and reactions of a child in a childish body.

"Children with unusually advanced intellectual development are uniquely vulnerable." - Wendy Roedell

There is a gap between a child's advanced mental ability and more age-appropriate social and physical skills. And this gap can lead to imaginary expectations for executing tasks. They use their extraordinary intellectual abilities to conceptualize ambition and detailed ideals. Sometimes, adult is the reason of child's perfectionism among themselves. Parents and teachers overschedule them with lessons and worthwhile activities, pile into extra work and never seem contented and fulfilled.

In conclusion, after reading the two articles, I have realized that Shinichi Kudo is really a prodigy but he has his own vulnerabilities like other people in the world. Nobody is perfect. But we can conquer this weaknesses through indeed balance of our prodigious life.

Blogpost 4: The Power of Deduction

There is no such thing as perfect life. Living here on Earth consists of ups and downs, and full of uncertainty. We do not know exactly what will happen later, tomorrow, next week, next month, next year, and so on. All people also live through problems such as financial problems, problems in love, problems in life, problems in school, problems in health, and a lot more. We can't run away forever without facing our problems. And of course, we have to face and solve these problems so that our life can go on smoothly. We solve these by elevating our limited observations and our plausible opinions to the level of sure facts and infallible conclusions.

The main character of Detective Conan named Shinichi Kudo who was transformed to a kid with a pseudonym of Conan Edogawa solves a lot of complicated criminal cases. He solves these by using deductive reasoning or simply deduction.

According to Harvey Bluedorn who wrote an article about "Two Methods of Reasoning" in the website triviumpursuit, deductive reasoning moves from general to the particular. It works from a general premise to a more specific conclusions. It is a lot different from inductive reasoning because induction works the other way, moving from specific observations to broader generalizations and theories. The two methods of reasoning have a very different processes in conducting a research and yield distinctive results.

Living here in 20^th century, I am somehow aware of how 20^th century generation people solve uncertainty about certain knowledge or information. Twentieth century generation people, just like Conan Edogawa, do some researches and evaluate concrete observations in answering and in deciding assumptions. I got curious about how early philosophers and thinkers come up with their conclusions about certain knowledge. And I found this article entitled "Deductive and Inductive Reasoning" by Andrew at the website articlesbase. According to this article, the issue about certain knowledge or fact is traced back to Aristotelian logic. Aristotle's works are the oldest known official studies of knowledge that were ever found that still share a lot of common with current theory of logic.

"Aristotle's subject of logic progresses essentially around deduction." - Andrew

The most important scientific law of deductive reasoning is the assurance that our assumptions or hypotheses about a topic of interest can be guaranteed if it is resulting from necessity. To make sure that the deductions work, the result, which is the necessity, follow the circumstances or the basis, which is the premise.

It is really amazing that people can conduct such reasoning either deductive or inductive. I just wander if animals can also do reasoning like humans in order for them to survive. I saw this article "Study Shows that Monkeys Can Do Deductive Reasoning" written by Mike Adams. I found this at the website naturalnews. According to this article, Jonathan Flombaum who is a graduate student in the Psychology Department at Yale University and colleague Assistant Professor Laurie Santos did the test to assess the visual perspectives of others. They did this by initiating two experiments that all involved a human holding a grape next to a curios monkey. For the first experiment, the human grape holder stood either facing or turned away from monkey. And for the final experiment, the human held up a small rectangular cut-out that blocked either the human's eyes or his mouth. The conclusion of their experiment stated that monkey can really do deduction.

"Monkeys can deduce what other monkeys and humans think, want and see based on visual clues." - Mike Adams

Just by seeing the title of the article, I really got interested and I am surprised that monkeys can really do deductions just like humans. And the other thing is that the research about monkeys helps other researchers and scientists to learn more about autism among people.

To sum all up, I have learned that with the application of a little logic, rationality and observation, we can solve problems in our own lives without resorting help from others. Just like in Conan Edogawa's adventure together with the most complicated criminal cases turns out in the end to have an absurdly simple solution.

Blogpost 3: Small But Terrible

Cute, small, attractive, harmless, clever, shrewd, innocent, short-tempered, frank, ignorant and curious over things, concern only in playing and have a tendency to quarrel over petty things such as toys – are often description about children. And because of these, they are sometimes underestimated.

I have this experience of being underestimated when I was a kid and even now I am still experiencing it. I am often underestimated because of my height. I admit that I am small for my age but I can perform all things that my age-mates can do. My height is not a hindrance for me to achieve my goals in life.

Moving on, in the anime series Detective Conan, Conan Edogawa is often underestimated because of his child-like figure not knowing that he is the prodigious young detective Shinichi Kudo. But behind his child-like figure, there remains all Shinichi's detective skills such as the ability to remember every detail of an investigation, photographic memory in recalling such subordinate facts, being meticulous to details allows him to notice minor contradicting testimonies and arrangements in crime scenes and using logic in order to connect such inconsistencies to the crime scenes.

Conan Edogawa is known by the most characters as a 7-year-old child. In relation to that, I have made research about characteristics of a school-age child in order to compare Conan with a typical child. I saw this article "General Characteristics of the School-age Child" by F. P. Hughes at the website education. According to the article, child's thinking is becoming more structured, more orderly and more logical. He/ she is also more socially involved with age-mates than before and the peer group provides support that formerly offered only by the family.

"They become eager to be productive, to achieve a sense of mastery and a feeling of accomplishment." - F. P. Hughes

I can say that Conan has only a body of a child but with a mind of a high school prodigy that can solve complicated criminal cases. On the other hand, having a child's body is somehow advantage to him because Conan can attract less suspicion while examining crime scenes, get away with exploring people's personal stuffs and ask innocent questions without setting suspects on guard.

I have also read an article entitled "5 Characteristics of a Private Detective" by Dillion J. at the website ezinearticles. I read this article because I am so curious if Conan really posses detective's traits. And according to this article, it requires a special kind of person to be a detective. The person should have these five characteristics: a) self-starter- a person should have initiative and can work alone for long periods of time; b) determined- he/ she should have firm intention to finish and complete task and to deliver information as soon as possible; c) outgoing- he/ she should not be shy to ask questions to a lot of people and willing to step out of his/ her comfort zone to be able to get the information needed; d) compassionate- he/ she should have sympathy with his/ her clients situations especially when in suffering or weakness and lastly; e) tactful- he/ she should be tactful and have a sense not to offend and hurt anybody's feelings.

"Private detectives have certain uniqueness about them. Their job is to find out information in a secretive way, and to not draw attention to themselves." - Dillion J.

Conan Edogawa is really a detective and has a unique characterization. He possesses the characteristics stated in the article such as readiness to initiate actions, determined to invest thoroughly and succeed in his search for the Black Organizations, not timid in the presence of others by asking innocent questions, compassionate to the individuals he talk to and people around him, and diplomatic and know how to communicate with others effectively. Even though he is small, he use this positively and I can say that he is terrible. Terrible in a manner that he can do impossible things. He is a certified small but terrible.

As a whole, looks can be deceiving and we should be wise enough to know what is really behind this appearance. And remember this famous quote: "Don't judge a book by its cover.".

Blogpost 2: Critical Thinkers

Children are ignorant. Children are harmless. Children are innocent. Children are curious. Children are easy to deceive. And because of these, they are often misled and fooled by some abusive individuals intently through giving inaccurate information.

There was a time when I asked myself if how children can develop their critical thinking abilities so that they are not easily deceived by others. And luckily, by means of surfing in the internet, I saw this article entitled "Children's Critical Thinking When Learning From Others" written by Gail D. Heyman from the website PMC. According to this article, the ability to evaluate the statements of other people is the key component of critical thinking. Information gathered from others is sometimes incorrect and children must learn to reason critically. Children must know how to evaluate whether the statement is accurate and who, among the people around them, is the most reliable source to obtain facts and ideas.

"Prior research points to the value of social experiences that raise children's awareness of ways in which people can become misled by others." - Gail D. Heyman

The article stated that social experiences best shape the children's ability in critical reasoning. Social experiences would help them to understand and not to believe everything others tell them. Moreover, they should be encouraged to develop a promotional intent model which help them comprehend that marketing campaigns are designed to influence mental states and behavior by stressing out positive features of products and de-emphasizing negative ones. Adults also has a big role in discussing critical reasoning with children but it turns out that they do it in a strictly manner that neither help nor lead children's psychological insights.

I have also read this article "The Importance of Applying Critical Thinking to Children's

Learning" by Lisa Mabe at the website surry. According to this article, critical thinking is being used to help children learn to think more clearly, to question the world around them, and become better individuals and members of society. Children must be accountable for their learning and how they apply it to real life situations.

"Everything we teach young children becomes internalized, and as they learn, they model us, the educators, parents, and other adults in their lives." - Lisa Mabe

Adults must prepare children to be able to ask good questions, to identify problems in thinking as they analyze concepts, and be able to correct the problems that they find in order to stand and think for their selves. Furthermore, the biggest role adults could impart is to be a good model to children.

After reading the two articles, I have realized that Detective Conan contributes a lot in developing children's critical thinking abilities. Not to easily believe, be observant and be skeptical about statements provided and events happen around them are some morals that Detective Conan underscores.

Conan Edogawa together with his child friends unravels mysteries behind those stated lies of villains and other characters. They show characteristics such as being skeptical, critical and evaluative to what they have seen and heard. They portray good personality models that children could actually imitate for improvement of themselves.

There is no perfect way to educate all children. But children could develop their critical thinking abilities by letting them discover things with adults' proper guidance.

Blogpost 1: Getting Started with Detective Conan

I am Rosemae M. Gatilogo. A typical college girl who is taking up Bachelor of Science in Accountancy. Way-back in my childhood days, my greatest ambition was to be a policewoman. It is really weird that a young girl like me wanted a profession which is usually for boys. I do not know specifically the reason why I wanted a profession like that which involves solving criminal cases, protecting citizens of the country, enforcing everyone to follow the rules established by the government, and using a firearm or a gun against someone who abides the law. All I know is that I love thinking and finding means about certain things here on Earth. I am so curious on why such things happen or exist.

When I was a kid, my daily habit was to got up late from bed. But when GMA7 started to air Detective Conan Anime Series, my daily habit changed to waking up early so that I could watch each and every episode of it. That was the start of my fascination to Detective Conan.

According to Totoremei, who wrote an article about Detective Conan in the website <3yen Japanese Anime, Detective Conan Anime is based on a hit manga by Gosho Aoyama and now considered as the one of the longest-running animes on Japanese television.  The story revolves around Shinichi Kudo, a 17-year-old high school detective, who helps the police solve complicated cases. When he was investigating, he got attacked by two Black Organization syndicate members and forced him to drink a poison which is APTX 4869 to kill him. But the chemical has a rare side effect that turns him to a 7-year-old boy. To hide his identity, to investigate about the Black Organization and to find the antidote to transform him to his original body, he adopted the name Conan Edogawa. He lives with his friend Ran and her detective father, not knowing that he is Shinichi. Later, Shiho Miyano, creator of APTX 4869, escapes from Black Organization by ingesting the chemical poison. She stays with Dr. Hiroshi Agasa, the one who helps and gives Conan gadgets. She also enrolls to the school where Conan is currently studying.

There was a time when I asked myself about why I am so hooked on watching an anime particularly Detective Conan if I am not an anime lover at all. I am so curious about it so I decided to make some research. I saw this article entitled "why-do-we-watch-anime-were-all-coward" by Mystlord . I found this at thatanimeblog website and I really got an answer for my question. According to this article, humanity has always wanted to escape.  The author believes that everyone who watches anime either wants to get away from or to childhood. There are some who wanted to get away from childhood because of their terrible experiences. On the other hand, those who want to escape to childhood are those who had happy memories. By watching anime, it allows a person to escape from our real life responsibilities and to relieve ourselves.

"It plays on the human psyche and constructs ideals that we can relate to." - Mystlord

In my case,  I am so fond of watching Detective Conan because as I said earlier that my greatest ambition was to be a policewoman that is related to the story in which involves solving criminal cases. Moreover, the main character in that Japanese series named Shinichi Kudo who was transformed to a 7-year-old kid with a pseudonym of Conan Edogawa portrays my distinctive personal character. I can relate and empathize myself to Conan's decisions and actions depending on the situations he was put in. An example is that he always gives his best in everything he does in order to get evidences against Black Organization and to find the antidote to transform him to his original body. I, as a person, always do my best in everything and every aspect of my life so that I can achieve my goals and live life to the fullest.

I have also read this article "Psychology Behind Anime and Stereotypes Towards Anime Fans" by Mycella at mycellary. According to this article, most anime contains morals, behavior, language and stories inconsistent for what is really happening in reality. The writer said that people who are watching anime tend to create his own stereotype according to his individual behavior. This is due to their own dreams and fantasies which is somehow impossible to happen in real life that they found themselves making mental movies of perfect scenarios in life.

"... this is meant escape from reality to into a world of fantasies where you put yourself into the position of one of the characters in order to sacrifice your own ego."

For me, watching an anime is an easiest way to escape from complexity of our real world. It is an access for me to get away from responsibilities that are heaped upon me. As an example, I am so tired of many obligations and school works that are given on me and I am too pressured about my scholarship in college that I have to maintain. And when I watch Detective Conan, I feel so relieved and I forget all of my burdens for a moment. So watching Detective Conan serves my armor and detach myself from real life duties for a while.

Therefore, as a simple way of reflecting from the messages of the two articles that I have read, I have learned that an anime such as Detective Conan allows us to step away from complicated reality but we should be the one responsible for the effects of it to us. Also, be aware not to substitute our escape for our own reality. Just remember that  all things here on Earth have their own respective limitations, we should limit ourselves according to such extent.