This is the final week of school, and we were asked to create a blog that summarizes our semester in CSIT 1110. We also were to play around in whichever program we chose in order to make our own world or game. I chose Alice. It was very interesting going through the tutorial learning how to create different scenes, figures, and buildings. It was also very interesting to watch Dr. Brown demonstrate how to change the camera angles in class for Alice. I also built my own farm using Alice. It was fun to create.
Looking back over the semester, I still get a little excited about Binary. This is because, I get to calculate. I enjoyed learning the differences between Binary, Hex, and Octal. I think that forevermore, I will enjoy Binary more than Octal. Eight is just a more complex number to multiply than one. Hex, as I recall, was more complex because of the letters A-F that you have within the sequence. I like that I now have the knowledge to convert any of these forms into any of the other forms. If for no other reason in my future than an impressive talent at a party.
The week that we were to build a computer, I was very nervous about. Though I do not and have not ever built a physical computer of my own, I have enough sense to know that there are many different parts that may be easily overlooked by a person who does not do this on a regular basis. Because of this, I was very thankful that Dr. Brown went through the basics of what to put together to build a computer. Using this information, I was able to “build a computer” that would be a basic format for someone. Knowing that I am, to this day, unsure of myself about building computers, I will leave that up to those who not only know what they are doing, but also enjoy doing it.
Software is still a very foreign topic for me. Remembering working with the ALS, and my analogy to the clock gears, it is clear to me that without all the steps in the simulator, nothing will work correctly. This is true with any multiple level machine. Software is a major part of our everyday lives. Though I think that I know how to read the manual for software, I am thankful that there are people out there that truly know the knitty gritty parts to keep our different software working.
My favorite thing that we have done this semester was creating our web page using HTML. Like a little girl, I ran and told all of my friends to log onto my page to see what I had created. This was not just an extremely interesting topic for me to learn, it was very simple once I got the hang of the language. I had a great time with this assignment. Using the basic commands that Dr. Brown gave us in class, I am very confident that I would be able to create another page for anyone who asked me. Using a few sites online, I know that I can find some more in-depth commands to create a genuinely unique page for anyone. I love that I have the knowledge to create a page. This will come in handy when I finally have the time and money to open my own business, which is a dream of mine.
Databases are complex monsters that have been tamed throughout time. Where, at one time, there were complications because of too many different databases containing identical information, or updated information, being used throughout many different companies. This was a huge problem that was fixed with Relational Databases. These make things so much easier for everyone because now everyone that can access these files can see all the updates in one place. I also would like to learn SQL. With the power of knowledge, I will be in much better positions later in life to do whatever I want to do.
Creating my game in Scratch was an entertaining assignment. It was fun to make my shark and octopus swim with each other! I am very proud of that finished assignment because I never thought that I would ever have the know-how to create a computer game. Though this was enjoyable, I took more away from the video on Pausch than the assignment. He is an inspiration to me. Because of his lecture, I have begun the change in my life that will make me happier. When I am happier, the people closest to me will be happier as well.
It still frightens me thinking about hacking. Though the definition is simply making a machine do somehting that it was not intended to do, too many people use their power of hacking to do bad things. I do understand the flip side. Without hacking, Anonymous would not have been able to gain the information that we are entitled to know as citizens. I do not like how my faith in mankind is shaken by something as small as hacking. What kind of consciences do people have these days to make them use Social Networking to obtain information that is not any of their business? Before I do anything, I ask myself this one question: What would my Grandmother think about this?
When I think of robots, I think about movies like The Terminator and I Robot. Though I do not think that World War III will be fought between humans and robots, I do think that the way technology is headed, robots will be able to use the rules that are programmed into them to cause major problems for humans. I do get a good laugh whenever I hear that people were called names and judged because of an activity that they are exploring. How can people who create robots be magicians? How silly uneducated people can be when they simply do not try to understand what they are ignorant about! Unfortunately, this is a human trait that has not gone away. Robotics can be a wonderful technology for many. The making of prosthetic limbs for amputees is a great thing to have available. With the current wars that our country is engaged in right now, this is a great technology that can and should be offered to our veterans.
Waht makes something “intelligent”? This was the major question the week we went over artificial intelligence. I consider myself a fairly intelligent person. I have learned many new things, I am on the Dean’s list every semester, and I have common sense in situations that require it. So based on these guidelines, I think I am intelligent. Based on these criteria, for something to have artificial intelligence, they need to have common sense. Any computer or robot could be taught new things with new prgrams. Any computer that has not been hacked can do their jobs well enough to make the “dean’s list” for whatever they are doing. I believe that common sense is the factor that makes or breaks artificial intelligence.
Being a person who does not play games, the idea of virtual reality is an unnecessary world for me. I do understand that many people are playing games and even spending their hard earned money on things in their virtual worlds. This is so outrageous to me. Some virtual worlds can be a good thing. If you have a close friend or relative that moved far away from you, maybe if you both had an account in a virtual world, you could stay in touch easier than trying to find the time to call. I am truly ignorant to the fascination of wanting to have another world in virtual reality instead of the world of life and physical people. I am happy for those who are happy in their virtual worlds. I do not have any problems with people who game, I just do not understand that world.
This has been a very educational semester, and I have learned quite a bit. I now have a better understanding and appreciation for many computer related topics that I took for granted before this class. I truly respect and am impressed with anyone who can just look at a problem and fix it on a computer. I am also impressed by anyone who can program a computer or robot like I can solve an algebra problem. This class was fun and interesting and not only taught me about computer technologies, but taught me about myself as well. I now can hone into my strengths, and am more open to my weaknesses. It was a great semester for me. I hope it was as enjoyable for the rest of my class as it was for me.