Dice + Milestone = Vegas Baby!

I really enjoyed last weeks group bit on digitizing discrete information…especially the game with dice!  I felt like a Vegas hot shot attempting to get the right combination of numbers to hit the jackpot…or in our group’s case to spell some absurdly ridiculous word that we can all giggle about (like 6^th grades) because we can say it in front of the teacher… 

It wasn’t just all fun and games…or the free candy that made me enjoy their presentation, but the realization that encoding is an important aspect within organizations, especially those dealing with sensitive information…

Moreover the text recognizes problems of encoding keyboard characters, by using sequences of dice, assigning a special escape symbol, and deciding not to encode certain characters…

Computers have a heart…another moment!

I felt that our class had a fruitful discussion on the debate on the topic computers and their ability to “think.” Though our debate provided for an entertaining class, it is obvious that we as the computers creators, have the ability to tailor what we want to computer to do or not do…therefore there is no issue of free will, hence computers do not have a soul or intrinsic value to think on their own…though they are capable of performing tasks that can mirror that of a human…don’t get me wrong I enjoy the many benefits that computers are capable of and use those benefits on a daily basis to improve my life…but computers are not capable of doing these tasks unless I lay the groundwork for what I want to be accomplished…and it is my position to use computers for the values they present…

The text makes a great point in that there is a tendency that people decide that intellectual activity isn’t considered thinking if it is algorithmic…and we are all aware that the majority of computers function through a set of detailed algorithmic formulas

However I agree with the text that their will be further advancement, but the frontier is unknown now…

I also enjoyed the game of going to a website, and pretending to stump the computer such as the Turing test in which we could compare the capabilities of humans with those of computers…it was fun to explore the limits of computation…and it still hurts my brain when I attempt to grasp whether computers can really think!

Debugging close to home…Milestone…

I find chapter seven’s dialog on debugging interesting. At first glance my cynical view is to say “duh I know to do that” but as I continued to read I realized that this discussion is quite similar to the one I often have with my mother, especially if one of my younger nephews or nieces are going to be visiting and they want to watch a movie (thankfully now their older siblings do it for them, an my mother is off the hook) but there have been numerous times on a Friday night when I would be primping myself to go out that I would receive a phone call on how to get the VCR running…god forbid the DVD player…and I would end up screaming over the phone “put in it in an push play”…while she would continue to say what, when and where! 

Moreover I have shown my mother how to turn the computer on and how to get to the internet numerous times…but she still wont do it…she even participated in a local class put on by the high school to teach people about the internet… and again she will not look up her own stocks or retrieve any information…instead she will leave me or one of my brothers or one of their secretaries a note to do it for her…she is my mother and I am more than willing to do so…but sometimes I get frustrated…however after reading the debugging piece here I will realize to be more understanding and maybe next time follow a step by step procedure…

Here is a quick recap of debugging strategies mentioned within the chapter

1. Make sure that you can reproduce the error
2. Determine exactly what the problem is
3. Eliminate the obvious causes
4. Divide the process
5. When a dead end is reached, reassess your information
6. Work through start to finish! 

Interestingly enough… I was not part of any service learning and thorough our classroom discussions I really see a need for it…recognizing that the older (or handicapped) generation needs us to take a few hours of our “busy” schedules to lend a hand…

So Doc, please add me to your email list and keep me posted on possible settings in which I can volunteer my services…

My mother does my laundry an I thought I was lazy…

Don’t have time to check your email, or the password and code (which happen to derive from your name) are too confusing…this is the feedback that university are receiving because students are missing out on often important campus announcements because there “to busy” to check their email…this is a total farce and I am actually disappointed in not only the Chronicle Of Higher Education for wasting time reporting on this issue but also for the university’s who seem to consider modifying their system…I cant be that old school I am 22…an I enjoy checking my email…it is extremely easy…and takes only moments of my day…for gods sake you can now retrieve email on your phone…

 
But the chronicle reports that some students do not like the hassles of checking email, and are more likely to be reached via txting or instant messaging…leading the pack on this is my favorite university…Penn St…NOT…but in all seriousness Penn St administrations are offering to send important campus messages via cell phone…I recognize how this may be an efficient means of communication and may work well…I commend Penn St for being on the cutting age, recognizing students wants and needs and delivering it to them…

However I also recognize college is a time to open your mind and prepare yourself for the real world…trust me if you go to your boss and say you missed an important meeting because you don’t like checking your email…he or she wont offer to change their notification system to something you can access easier…and colleges are doing a disservice to today’s youth for buckling on this issue…these kids need to “man up” and take some responsibility…check your email!

Cellular recruits?

 

Anyone who has been a part of Pitt’s community the past few years has watched a great thing a college basketball program become one of the most respected teams in the country, now ranked 2^nd in both polls…and a Football team that plays defense like I cook…terrible…(I will not get into the debate that the football program will again return to greatness after Wanny has some time) 

I imagine you are wondering why I am talking about sports in my computer class? No, its not because I could not find an interesting nugget but it is because of the influx technology has played within many aspects of our lives…including college sports…who are governed by a very powerful body know as the NCAA…for those of you familiar with sports I am not here to debate the replay rules, or the new improvements with helmets, or video feeds that allow teams to better prepare themselves…

I want to discuss what every sports booster talks about inside their posh European car, or within the cedar filled smoking room of the Old Country Club…landing the next big recruit who will push their team to number 1 again…and how technology is altering that landscape… 

The Chronicle of Higher Education reports that our favorite thing in the world…our cell phones and the ability to txt message is revolutionizing the way coach’s recruit, as they are able to get around many of the rules of when they are allowed to meet and talk with prospective players…

However many of the nations best athletes are receiving over 100 messages a day…how are they able to focus on their schoolwork…family lives…and still practice their particular sport…furthermore isn’t this setting a precedent that if we get you here you don’t have to worry about those things either because “big brother” will take care of you 

Don’t get me wrong I want Pitt to return to one of the premiere universities for sports…but not if it means sacrificing our ethics to get kids…

Thus begging the question should the NCAA step in and bar coaches from using this type of recruitment tool?

Don’t Date ME?

I draw your attention to the Nations Newspaper, the USA Today, in which a October 3^rd article goes into great detail the new aspects of the blogospehere…surprisingly this article strikes rather close to home with a Pittsburgh man headlining it…Todd Hollis a criminal defense attorney has been victimized by an ever popular web site DontDateHimGirl.Com

The particulars of the website are in my opinion are more scandalous then a boys locker room… the site provides a forum (which I find as a useful tool) for women to discuss their relationship…their disastrous relationships…the site allows women to make anonymous posts about men regarding their past FAILED relationships, and in most cases there are no credible forums for men to make responses…the key here is that there are not dating tips or leaning on each others shoulder over a bowl of ice cream…there is hatred and venom that women spew about men…Hollis has decided to press charges against the websites founder due to the graphic lies printed about him, such being gay, or having numerous STDs….I am not sticking up for Hollis, I am sticking up for men…could you imagine if there was a site titled…NotYourMother.com in which men told their stories ANONYMOUS  about women…I am not glib and understand that the right of our freedoms of speech and press, but if you are not “man” enough to own up to your accusations then don’t make them…Hollis case will be an interesting, as he is suing the owner of the site as well as the women who posted…this case could determine how far the courts will go to protect third-party posters…Hollis states that those posts are not part of digital history and any time someone Googles his name there will be lies of about him and his sexual orientation…

So lets have the coveted privacy debate…I have nothing to hide and you can look at whatever you want…but don’t make up lies about me…

Bloggers Beware?

Well if you haven’t realized it yet, we live in a society where you are capable of finding some scumbag lawyer to take your case no matter how trivial, if in return you are willing to give them 30-50% of the winnings…and hey why not…McDonalds…Wal-Mart…

Don’t get me wrong I am not trying to make light of some very tragic situations I only want to make a point that if you wrong someone, most likely they will attempt to get you back where it counts…the wallet

With that being said I want to bring your attention to an October 3^rd article in the Nations Newspaper…USA Today, in which people who are being attacked online are retaliating with libel lawsuits…I actually find these case interesting, and intriguing as they could potential change the landscape of law with respects to the internet (unlike the findings of the McDonalds case in which a woman was granted millions of dollars, and a simple caution hot contents label was placed on the cups no impact)

The issue… David Milum upon not receiving a refund of a $3,000 retainer from his attorney Rafe Banks who he fired…over a dispute on how to handle Milum’s drunk driving case, decided to blog about how Banks, bribed judges and was in bed with drug dealers…Banks found out about these outrageous claims, and realized the negative impacts these lies could have on his livelihood…therefore Banks decided to sue…Milum became the first blogger in the USA to lose a libel suit…

With a case now as precedent bloggers beware…you could be next

It is my position that if you are going to post lies about someone on the internet over for people to see..1it is no different than renting out a billboard and posting the same lies…thus keep in mind…the next time you are bloging in your “safe” bedroom about how horrible someone is…you could end up giving them your savings account!

Easy A?

In the October 6^th edition of The Chronicle Of Higher Education, there is an article about a new web site Pick-A-Prof, and their desire to publish online reviews of faculty members. At first glance on might think it resembles the highly touted and frequently used Rate My Professor in which students can make anonymous posts describing whether they approve or disapprove of their respective professor. However Pick-A-Prof is going a little further with information retrieval and deliverance to students. Pick-A-Prof has been working to collect the grading histories of professors, certain universities and more than willing to diverge the professors grading history, while others have been tussling with the issues, until Pick-A-Prof threatens legal action. Pick-A-Prof has been met with open arms at some institutions receiving data for over 20years. Interestingly enough at public universities this type of data is public record. Critics of the proposal say such a system will increase grade inflation, as professors will tend to give more A’s with the hopes that more students will be willing to take their respective, classes. Moreover opponents believe that a system like this will make the college experience easier for students as they will only take classes where A’s are more readily available. It is my assumption that as technology continues to evolve, the rigors of college life will become easier and easier…soon we will have our computers set up to take notes for us, and summarize books…then people will think we have gone to far…I will play the role of Dennis Kucinich (I hope all my fellow college republicans or my girl Ann Coulter does not find out that I hyperlinked to Kucinich! ) on this topic and make a stand years in advance…laugh at me now, but it is he who laughs last…don’t get me wrong I am all for knowing as much information about something before I decide to do it as others, but grading results might be to much…its college we need to challenge ourselves…

When searching for a MOMENT I needed help so I contacted a Librarian!

For those of you paying attention in class, you are familiar that our group (Jen, Tom, Rob, and Myself) presented on this topic.  I found each of my colleague’s pieces informative; especially Tom’s with all the Google tricks.  However for me it was doing the research outside the book that enabled my to see the light on validation and resources and searching in the right places.

I often (well almost always) would use some keyword search engine such as yahoo or Google to do research for papers WHAT A MISTAKE, I realized that often the information wasn’t always the best but it was so easy, and the time I thought I could save from being in the library was worth it…But after meeting with the GSPIA librarian (my friend Lois) I realized how wrong I was.  I was actually embarrassed, (and for those of you who know me that takes a lot) that I was unaware of all the useful sites literally at my fingertips, just a click away, which would provide so many better sources than any generic search engine. 

So I encourage all my faithful readers to “blaze away” on www.library.pitt.edu and investigate the databases such as Lexis-Nexis or CQ Researcher.  I truly believe they will make you academic and professional life much easier, and by securing accurate nonpartisan results you will save time in, the long run.

Within Chapter 5 Snyder addresses the usefulness of online libraries, and he concurs they are an excellent primary resource tool, that have extensive online resources.  That not only provide digital information, but also “pre-digital” archives, all the books, journals, etc. 

Additionally (especially when using ‘generic’ sites as Google, and yahoo) as we all should know it is important to check whether the information we’ve found is correct by investigating the organization that publishes the page. 

Nugget #4

Doc,

 

You are way ahead of the times… 

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06272/726096-84.stm

Found this article on Friday, after reading headlines was hoping it was a totally new study, so we could have a little debate, however I was wrong

That darn Benedict Arnold, or should I say those Republicans!