Well here we are, end of the semester and the last blog post. It all seems to have gone by so fast, now just finals to go. Looking back I think my favorite thing by far was the html coding, for some reason it just ticked my fancy, and because of that I think I will try to do something in coding. I looked it up and they make good money, and I figured “hey something I enjoy doing and get paid for it? count me in!” I have an interview with a company for an internship for the summer and am both humbled and excited. Humbled because I still feel like I know nothing in the field, but excited to learn.

Not trying to earn extra credit here at all, but I have to say that this was a very enjoyable class, there were few times where I didn’t enjoy what I was learning. Going to a class that is all about things that I find interesting is cool is definitely a class worth paying for. The only down side was the time I think, even though it gave plenty of time to do the blogs and quizzes in class, I would have rather had the extra couple hours of sleep.

Last one here we go. One thing I was actually glad I did was take this course out of order. Last semester I had to register late and this class was full up, so I took A+ Hardware and Software. Which were interesting classes, but I felt like it was more just information just being pushed into you like so many other classes. I feel like if I would have taken this class first and then A+ I would be going into my next semester with more of a “information push” mentality instead of being excited to learn more about programming and more information to help my future.

 

Scratch is kinda like flash editor if you think about it, a little easier to use which is nice but also i thought a tad.. small. What I really liked was how user friendly it was, very easy to maneuver and make things how I like.

 

For Randy’s last lecture I particularly enjoyed how he gave his comments on ways to live life. I think life is taken too seriously as an adult and too childishly as teenagers. There should be a good balance of doing things just to do them and being spontaneous and having responsibilities of everyday life, once you find that balance you will pretty much be set.

We were asked to make a computer using parts found online, I wanted to make one that was relatively cheap, considering I am a college student, but that still would be able to serve as an everyday computer, here is what I found

 

Motherboard

ASUS M5A97 AM3+ AMD 970 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard with UEFI BIOS

Average Rating 4 out of 5 eggs(154 reviews) Write a Review

AM3+,UEFI BIOS,Auto OC Tuning,USB 3.0 Boost,CFX

 

Ram
  (954)

Customer Choice Award Winner G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Desktop Memory Model F3-10666CL9D-8GBRL

Cas Latency: 9

Voltage: 1.5V

Multi-channel Kit: Dual Channel Kit

Timing: 9-9-9-24-2N

Model #: F3-10666CL9D-8GBRL

Item #: N82E16820231311

 

CPU

Intel Core i5-2500 Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz (3.7GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 2000 BX80623I52500

Fans
  (8)

ZEROtherm ATOM 30H Low-Profile cooler for ITX, MATX, HTPC

Type: Fan & Heatsinks

RPM: 1500-2500 RPM

Air Flow: Max. 29.2 CFM (0.83m3/min)

Noise Level: Under 29 dBA (± 10%)

Model #: ATOM 30H

Item #: N82E16835887018

 

Case

Athena Power CA-1015IS30 Silver / Black Steel MicroATX Desktop / MicroATX Slim Computer Case 300W Power Supply

Drive
  (241)

OCZ Agility 3 AGT3-25SAT3-60G 2.5″ 60GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)

Sustained Sequential Read: up to 525 MB/s (SATA 6Gbps) up to 280 MB/s (SATA 3Gbps)

Sustained Sequential Write: up to 475 MB/s (SATA 6Gbps) up to 260 MB/s (SATA 3Gbps)

Power Consumption (Active): 2.7W

Power Consumption (Idle): 1.5W

Model #: AGT3-25SAT3-60G

Item #: N82E16820227725

Ethernet

Rosewill 1.5 ft. High Speed HDMI® Cable with Ethernet, Ferrite Cores, 28 AWG Model RCAB-11070

Keyboard and Mouse
  (14)

Logitech Wireless Combo MK260 920-002983 Black USB RF Wireless Standard Keyboard and Mouse

Mouse Included: Yes

Mouse Interface: USB

Tracking Method: Optical

Buttons: 3

Model #: 920-002983

Item #: N82E16823126263

Monitor

ASUS VS Series VS247H-P Black 23.6″ 2ms LED Backlight Widescreen LCD Monitor 300 cd/m2 50000000:1 (ASCR)

EPEAT Gold Certified

 

 

 

Looking at binary can be a daunting task, although its all 1′s and 0′s it can look like a maze or even another language, which, incidentally it is. I read over the comic book this week and honestly found it confusing, not because of how the comic was laid out but just because I didn’t understand binary yet. after reading some lecture notes and also with talking to some students in class I got it. the numbers; 128,64,32,16,8,4,2,1 are what stays the same in binary, the 1′s and 0′s are always changing to become different numbers. Once I realized this binary became clear, easy and possible to work with.

Binary is actually pretty cool to understand, its another language, but one that you dont have to say a particular way or learn many different characteristics or speech patters. It is simply two digits, and once you understand the basis of those you are set. This is fun to understand now because I am just learning it, but I could see a time where all the 1′s and 0′s get a little old and even become dreary and maybe boring. Never the less, this is the cornerstone of computers, the fact that a bunch of 1′s and 0′s can be turned into what I am typing right now, the color of the screen and even how the screen looks is amazing. To be one of the first people making up binary and making computers must have been something, I’m sure they did not know that the work they were doing would one day make up almost every aspect of today’s life, from transportation to communication to even farming, all is improved by this simple process of 1′s and 0′s.

My name is Andrew Sagraves, I moved from Plant City Florida when I was 16 with my family, I enjoy playing sports as much as I can. I have two brothers in the IT field, both enjoy it and because of how the world is growing computers are not going anywhere. I’m excited to learn about IT and see what opportunities that await me.