I would rather be . . .well, doing just about anything!

Virtual worlds and games. . .hmmm, I barely have enough time for things going on in my actual world.

It should come as no surprise to anyone at this point, but I don’t play video games.  About every six or seven months I will play a game of Mario Kart with my husband, but that’s it.  In fact, the only time I ever played games with any real consistency was when I was 8 years old. . .and it was on an Atari 2600 or my dad’s Commodore 64.

Gaming has just never really held any appeal for me.   Mainly because I stay very busy with work, school, my daughter and my other obligations.  Perhaps it is because I have never really given it any thought or attention.  Maybe if I played then I would find that I loved it. . .but I just don’t understand how anyone has the time to do that for hours on end.

I’m not saying there aren’t any pros to gaming and virtual worlds, but I just don’t see it.  I feel that kids need to get outside and play more and spend less time sitting in front of the television (or computer).  I have some very good friends that love these games and spend quite a bit of time playing them, and still find time to go hiking and enjoy the “real” world too.  However, they aren’t in school and they don’t have children.

So, I looked up the advantages and disadvantages of gaming.  I have to say, although I don’t necessarily disagree with their advantages, I don’t totally agree either.  I think that a lot of the things on the list, such as “teaching people about life” could better be done away from the computer.  Perhaps I am a stick in the mud, but I just feel that more and more people are becoming less social and less connected because of the amount of time spent online or in front of the television.

Again, my perspective is a bit (or a lot) skewed because I have never played these games.  I would say “perhaps someday,” but I really don’t ever see myself diving into that world.

Artificial Intelligence

This is a subject about which I tend to be very neutral, which is rare for me.

I can see the advantages of artificial intelligence.  By creating machines with the capacity to think and reason, it eliminates the need for humans to do certain jobs that might be dangerous.  In addition, the machine is likely to be able to perform the job faster and more efficiently than a human.  It gives us the option to explore places that humans wouldn’t be able to go.  There is a lot of space that has gone unexplored because of the unknown effects it may have on humans – or just the fact that humans wouldn’t be able to tolerate the pressure.  There are also a lot of advantages that are closer to home.  Although I wouldn’t choose a machine to watch my children, there are ways that they could assist people with disabilities.  (Have you seen the commercial with the robot daycare?!?  Too funny).

On the other hand, there are a lot of disadvantages as well.  It would be easy for employers to use machines instead of humans on jobs that aren’t difficult or dangerous.  It could potentially cause people to lose jobs.  Because they are machines, they are at the mercy of the programmers and if someone wanted, they could program the machine to be harmful instead of helpful.  (Ever seen Terminator?)

So, the question is, do the advantages outweigh the disadvantages?  I can’t answer that question.

Along with the study of Artificial Intelligence, there was a continuation of the Robotics Project.  I have been studying the use of robotics in the hospital – more specifically, surgery.  I won’t go into detail since there will be an entire post devoted to that shortly, but I will say that I have learned quite a bit over the last few weeks about the subject!

Robot-Assisted Surgery

Would you let a robot operate on you?

First, I think it is important to understand exactly what robot-assisted surgery is all about.  There are actually three subcategories that have varying degrees of surgeon vs. robot involvement.

Shared-control system has the most surgeon involvement, and subsequently, the least amount of robot involvement.  In this system, the surgeon actually performs the procedure, but the robot offers steady-hand manipulations of the instrument.

Supervisory-controlled system is on the opposite end of the spectrum with the most robot involvement and least amount of surgeon involvement.  The procedure is performed by the robot based on a computer program that the surgeon inputs prior to the procedure.

The middle ground is the telesurgical system, or remote surgery.  This requires the surgeon to manipulate the robot during the procedure.  This is the most commonly used system.  It is also the system that encompasses the da Vinci Surgical System.

This robot, as well as others, are used mainly for minimally invasive surgeries.  Some surgeries that it can be used for would be:

• Coronary artery bypass
• Gallbladder removal
• Hysterectomy
• Kidney Removal and Kidney Transplant
• Mitral Valve Repair
• Tubal Ligation

From what I read, it appears that some of the benefits to the patients are faster recovery times, less pain, less risk of infection, shorter hospital stays and smaller scars.

However, there are limitations to consider.  I found this pro / con list that laid out the strengths and limitations of both human surgeons and the robotic surgery.  One concern that I didn’t see addressed anywhere would be – what happens when things don’t go according to plan?

Perhaps this comes from watching too many episodes of Grey’s Anatomy, but I think it is a real concern.  (Coincidentally, the first time I heard about the da Vinci Surgical System was on an episode of Grey’s).  One of the benefits that I saw mentioned in several places was the eventual need for less staff in the operating room.  In fact, one site mentioned that eventually it would just be the robot, the surgeon, the anesthesiologist, and a few nurses.  I guess I wonder how quick the reaction time would be if something goes wrong.  How quickly could the robot move away if the surgeon needed to take over.

It is undeniable that, like most things, robots are going to be used more and more in this area.  And there is no denying the precision that they can perform these surgeries.  In fact, I would suggest checking out this video.  I mean, really, can you do that?!?  And here’s one more example of just how precise these movements are with this robot.

However, this is still in its infancy and there is still a lot of work that needs to be done before robots take over the operating room.  According to this timeline, the first surgery wasn’t done with this robot until 2005.  So, to put it another way, would you let a 6 year old genius operate on you?  :)

So, where do I stand on this. . .right in the middle!  I am not quite sure that I would trust a robot to operate on me just yet.  However, I think there are going to be huge advances in this area over the next decade.  I look forward to seeing what comes next!!

And although this has NOTHING to do with my topic, I came across a video that I thought was interesting (and another way that robots are helping).

But Will They Take Over the World?

When starting this section, my mind immediately went to the famous robots I have seen in movies:

• C3PO and R2D2 from Star Wars
• Terminator
• Robocop
• Transformers
• Wall-E
• And of course, Tom Servo, Crow T. Robot, and Gypsy from Mystery Science Theatre

I think that is what most people think of when they hear “robots.”  However, as I started looking into this, I started really recognizing all the areas in our lives that we use robotics.  From something as small as toys to something as huge as those used by NASA.  Robots are everywhere!

One of the assignments that we were suppose to do this week was to work with the robots in the lab.  Unfortunately, since this is an online class, that didn’t happen.  Instead, we get to research robots in one form or another.  I chose to research robots that are used in the medical field.  More precisely, those used to assist in surgeries.  Since there will be an entire blog post related to this, I won’t go into detail here today.

I will say that the reason that I chose to this specific subject has to to with my interest in nursing.  I have often said that had I figured out what I wanted to do earlier in life, I probably would have tried to go to med school to be a surgeon.  So, this is definitely a topic that interests me and I was excited to be able to make the time to learn more about it.

Touchdown!

This week was spent finishing up the Scratch project.  Last week I spent a great deal of time just trying to come up with a concept for my game.  As I mentioned, I have no interest in online gaming, so I went to what I do enjoy. . .football.  And, being from East Tennessee, it had to be Vol football.

With the idea in my head and on paper, it came time to get it done in the program.  I looked trough the options for backgrounds and sprites and really just couldn’t find what I was wanting.  So, with a little direction from my husband, I was able to create a good portion of it in Photoshop.  In Photoshop I was able to crop the football player, create the football and goal post, and add the text to the background “stages.”

So, with the look in place, I worked on getting the effects that I wanted.  Part of that was adding the sound.  I used Audacity to add the static or “crowd noise” and to add the echo effect to the voice, which happens to be my husband.  I’m not sure if we were suppose to use the additional programs, such as Photoshop and Audacity, but in order to create it the way that I had envisioned, this is what I needed to do.

It took longer than I had expected and I found myself quite frustrated more than once with the limitations of the program.  However, I was happy with the end result.  And I will also be happy if I never have to do this again!  :)

Scratch That.

This week began a new journey into the virtual world.  This was kind of a bittersweet week for me.  It was nice to finally have something that immediately made sense to me and seemed easy enough.  On the other hand, it is not something that holds any interest for me.

I spent a good part of the week looking over the information and links within the Scratch program.  I practiced the different tutorials – changing colors, adding movements, and other effects.  Once I was comfortable with that, I sat down to figure out what I wanted to do.  I am one of those people that have to sketch out my ideas on paper before I get started on the computer.

And that’s where the trouble began.  Well, not so much trouble, as indifference.  I want to create something enjoyable and fun, but unfortunately (or fortunately depending on how you see it), I have no interest in any type of online games. . .except for the occasional game of solitaire.  But, I will get through it!

I was hoping that watching the entire Randy Pausch video would help to inspire me, but I was struggling to get through it.  I just don’t get why people enjoy it.  I would much rather spend my time out doing something – hiking, walking, playing with my little girl, playing tennis, cleaning my house – whatever!

Now, I will say that I respect the tremendous amount of talent that many of these people display.  It is definitely not a talent that I possess.  And hey, there are plenty of people in the world (obviously) that truly do enjoy gaming and virtual worlds.  I know my neighbor has three boys (8, 11, and 15) and they are almost always playing these games when I go over. . .to which I always tell them to go out in the real world and play football or something!

To each his own, I suppose!!  :)

I am a genius

“Everyone is a genius.  But if you judge a fish on its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.”

-Albert Einstein

I have spent most of my adult life doing my best to not learn too much about computers.  My claim was that it really held no interest for me.  Perhaps in part I was just afraid that I couldn’t learn it – that it was too hard.  Each week I start off with a sense of dread and a feeling of being completely overwhelmed.  Then, by the end of the week, I realize that it wasn’t as hard as I had made it out to be.  The last two weeks were no different.

I’m not saying that I have totally embraced the subject and have grown to love all things computer.  I haven’t.  What I have developed though, is a deeper appreciation for the subject, and for myself.  I am finding that I can do this, even though it doesn’t come naturally to me.  I am not taking this class because it is a requirement for my major, it’s not.  I signed up for the class because I saw an area that I was weak and wanted to grow as a person.  Even though I may always be a fish trying to climb a tree in this area, I will also always be a fish that believes it can do anything with a little persistence!

In addition to finishing our HTML page this week, we also spent some time learning more about SQL and Databases.  I finally had a week were I knew what was going on!  Due to running my own businesses, I know a thing or two about databases, and even use Microsoft SQL for one.  I also have used Microsoft Access in the past, which is a relational database.  It is a must to keep my inventory, customers, and orders all in-line and up-to-date.  Many years ago, I did it all through an Excel spreadsheet. . .and now, I am thankful for databases!

It’s not pretty. . .but it’s html

Oh, html, why must you trouble me so?

Okay, perhaps it’s not really that bad, but I did get off to a rough start this week.  As I have said though, none of this comes naturally to me, so each week brings new struggles.  I kind of see myself as the Little Engine and this class is my hill.  I think that if I keep telling myself, “I think I can.  I think I can,” then maybe I will make it through the class.  I do want to learn this because I think it will be beneficial, so I will keep chugging along.

My initial reaction to the assignment this week was to feel a bit overwhelmed (again).  So, I sat down and broke it down into manageable pieces.  First I wrote out my basic overview – what I would write about, where I would insert pictures, where I would put links, etc.  Once that was done, I wrote out my paragraphs.  Then came the harder part – putting it into html format.

After looking through the tutorial links, I was able to pull out the information that pertained to me.  So, now I am in the process of getting it all on the page.  I am almost done with that part of it and have found that it’s not so bad.  My next goal is to pretty it up a bit.  Right now it isn’t much to look at and I would like to make it visually appealing and not just satisfactory for the assignment.

But the main thing is. . .I can!  I can!

Blog Interrupted

This isn’t a scheduled blog, but given the circumstances, I felt that it was fitting.  We just finished the section that discussed software not too long ago.  Within that section, there were several links to interviews with done with Steve Jobs, as well as information about him and the companies he has been a part of throughout his life.

Before the class, I knew who he was, but really didn’t see the extent what he had accomplished.  I have to say, he lived an amazing life and has left very big shoes to fill.

“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.”

-Steve Jobs (1955-2011)

But I Can’t Swim!

This week, with the Assembly Language Simulator assignment, I kind of felt like a kid that can’t swim that just got pushed in the deep end without their water wings.  It just went right over my head and I found it quite frustrating.

Most subjects come easy for me.  I study a lot, but I don’t usually have difficulty grasping the concepts or understanding the issues.  I guarantee that there are a number of things that come easy for me that others might find challenging, however, this is not one of those things.  However, because I am use to  understanding things with relative ease, it made not getting it even more frustrating.

But, I powered through, finished the assignment, took the quiz and got an A.  Do I understand it any better than I did at the beginning of the week. . .perhaps a little. . .a very little.  But, I’ll get there.  Like I’ve said before, I am not a “computer” person.  I tend to gloss over when others talk about the inner workings of the computer.  As I’ve told my husband on many occasions – “I understand all the words you are saying, but when you put them together, it doesn’t make sense…and it makes my head hurt.”

In the four weeks that we have been in school this semester though, I do feel that I have gained quite a bit of knowledge on a previously avoided subject.  I am seeing how we are building on each week and taking things just a step further (even though sometimes it feels like giant leaps).  So far, everything makes sense, this week was just a bit tougher.  Perhaps I just have too much going on this week and after a few nights sleep it will hit me and I will have an aha moment with the ALS.

Or I may just spend some extra time reviewing it some more!