First, you will analyze and interpret several paintings depicting Hernan Cortes and the Aztecs. Second, you will read the attached article “Meet the New Conquistadors: Silicon Valley Moguls” by James Pinkerton. Then you will answer the following questions from the paintings (Questions 1 and 2) and the article (Questions 3 and 4) with insight and clarity. Then write down the number of the question followed by your response. Single or double-spaced is up to you. Each question should be answered within one-three solid well-developed paragraphs.
First, you will analyze and interpret several paintings depicting Hernan Cortes and the Aztecs. Second, you will read the attached article “Meet the New Conquistadors: Silicon Valley Moguls” by James Pinkerton. Then you will answer the following questions from the paintings (Questions 1 and 2) and the article (Questions 3 and 4) with insight and clarity. Then write down the number of the question followed by your response. Single or double-spaced is up to you. Each question should be answered within one-three solid well-developed paragraphs. 1. Slides 1 and 2 depict artist representations of the historical meeting between Hernan Cortes and Aztec Emperor Moctezuma. Based on your observations, how does the 17th century painting differ from the 19th century one? Look at contrasting settings, the physical ways Cortes and Moctezuma are depicted, and the mannerisms and body language of the surrounding conquistadors and Aztecs. Feel free also to comment about what you observe how Malinche (Cortes’ translator and guide) is depicted between the two paintings and any emotions or expressions you notice in the faces of Cortes and Moctezuma. See images below: 2. Slides 3 and 4 depict artist representations of Cortes and the conquistadors in battle with the Aztecs. When examining similarities and differences between the two paintings, what do you observe how the artists depict the conquistadors and Aztecs in battle? How are their body language and facial expressions portrayed? Are they portrayed as brave, courageous, awed or fearful? Write out descriptions of what you observe. Feel free also to comment on how the fighting is staged. Chaotic? Congested? Maybe majestic or engrossing? Does one side appear to have the upper hand in battle or do both sides look evenly matched? see images below: 3. What examples and support does Pinkerton use to support his argument that today’s “tech titans are the new digital conquistadors?” In other words, why does Pinkerton assert that men like Mark Zuckerberg from Facebook and leaders of Google and Twitter are modern-day conquistadors? 4. After reading Pinkerton’s article, provide your own opinion if you believe Pinkerton supports his main thesis effectively, somewhat effectively, or not effectively at all. Look at his support, examples, historical parallels, and insight that he brings to his argument. Is he convincing? Makes good points? Compares apples to oranges? Give a true analytical assessment of his argument. Meet the New Conquistadors: Silicon Valley Moguls May 23, 2018 By James Pinkerton Two interesting items about the use and abuse of big data appeared on the same day, May 16. And while on the surface they were completely disconnected, underneath, well, they seem anything but. First, the use: an article in CFO magazine described big data in almost physical terms. In the words of Henna A Karan, chief data officer for the XL Group, data is a “feedstock.” As she put it, “Data, in the right hands, is often as valuable as land, buildings, and equipment.” Most evocatively, she referred to using data as “mining the gold.” Second, the abuse: in testimony on Capitol Hill, Christopher Wylie, the Cambridge Analytica whistleblower, described how data could be weaponized. As Wylie told lawmakers, “In the wrong hands, it becomes a weapon.” He zeroed in on Facebook and Twitter, declaring that they “are not just social networking sites. They’re opportunities for information warfare.” At first blush, there’s no obvious linkage between a data maven extolling the “golden” potential of big data in the right hands, and a data critic warning against its “warfare” potential in the wrong hands.Yet we see that both points can be true.