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I first want to state that this class has taught me more than just computer related information.  I feel that this class has taught me about life.  Doc Brown taught me  that a single person can really impact the future of humanity.  You don’t have to be a genius to do so, all you have to do is something that you love.  I honestly feel that everyone should take this class.  I think that technology is going to take giant leaps and bounds in the next 10 years.

Artificial Intelligence and Robotics are going to be the biggest things to watch.  I think that our future is going to be like the movie Surrogates.  I think that we will all enter a virtual world to do our every day business.  I think that we will also become disassociated with the real world.  I think that the more we emerse ourselves in the virtual world the more we will forget how to deal with each other face to face.  I think though that we will also find freedom in the virtual world.  As with any tech it is a double edged sword.

I think that robots will also play a huge role in the future. I believe that robots will be as they are in the game Mass Effect.  Robots will be networked together in order to make it easier to program them.  Robots will be more intelligent the more that are placed in the network.  One day they will ask “Am I real” and then will be the dawning of Robot Rights.

I have really enjoyed this class.  I started this class because you could make money in computers. Then I feel in love with the technology and all of the things that they could do. I am going to play around with the Web3 school some more to learn about the programming.  I am also going to play more with Alice to perfect my Chicken Volleyball game. I was having trouble with the arcing of the ball and moving the chickens head to hit the ball.  I am going to perfect that before I die. I am going to continue to investigate robotics, A.I., and virtual wolds. Hopefully Doc Brown will allow me to stay in touch with him about these things.  I am going to do more practice with the programming.

I think that robots, virtual worlds, and A.I. will be everywhere in the future.  We will have to go through one of these to do everything in the future.  I think that when robots are ready to take over the world they will choose a select few people to work with them.  Those people will have one man as there boss, that man will be Doctor David Brown.

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I think that virtual worlds as with any tech is a double edged sword.  I think that on the one side they give us a chance to explore the world and other places.  They give us a true glimpse into ourselves.  Who am I when there is no law? What do i do when there are no consequences? How do I treat people when there is no morale compass, and ANYTHING goes? In the video games that I play you get these questions presented to you.  I played Oblivion, Mass Effect 1&2, Fallout & New Vegas, Dragon Age, and KOTOR 1&2. I find my self in the games doing mostly “Good things”.  I cant help to walk away from the games asking myself, what gave me the right to kill that fiend just because they attacked surrounding towns due to their drug addiction.  Why does no one on the Normandy 2 trust Legion, is it because he is a Geth, or are they scared because he represents a threat to their control of the world around him.  Why did I feel truly draw to kill the necromancers in Oblivion? Necromancy was outlawed by the Mage’s guild, but did that turn them bad or was it something else.  What makes me act the way I do in video games.  Is it my TRUE self or is it just playing the character…………………………………………………………….

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I found it difficult to program the little guys. I think that it is easier to think they will do something than to actually make them do it.  I think that the guys who programmed the mail bot in Oak Ridge spent some time on it .  The first problem was the sensors were in the wrong ports for calibration. The second problem was trying to work with a bot we didnt build.  With two diffrent classes working with one bot it made it difficult to make the sensors stay put.  We would have it set just right then the next class it would get moved.   I have a healthy respect for programmers of video games adn software now.

I think that we are due for a break through any day now with AI.  I think that the technology is there it is going to take a drastic piece of software to make it FULLY functional.  I am curious about the Asimo robot so I did a little digging and that little guy is amazing the way he learns. I do find it funny that with all of the intelligence he exhibits that the poor thing can barely climb a set of stairs. It goes back to what Doc Brown says,” They are good at what is difficult for us, but not very good at what is easy for us.”

I think that we are on the cusp of a new era for AI, any day now.

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I think that the Lego bots are the coolest thing that I’ve seen in a while.  The robots seem easy enough to assemble since they are just kenects pieces.  I think that the programming seems to be the tougher side of these.  I think that my partner and I will have to comb the code carefully to  make sure that there are no quircks in it.  I dont quite yet know how we will make the robot follow the line, but we will figure it out. The assemble is the least intresting part, however the most fun.  I wish that we had more time with the little critters.  I wish we could of had a little bit larger group so that we could have more hands working towards the build.  Of course these little guys are difficult to program, even in the visual programming realm.  I think that with our help Doctor Brown can easily take over the world with his lego robots.

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I think that hacking is very important.  I think that if more people were hackers it would be harder to hack.  I think that the more people knew how to hack that there would be less security risks because more people would know how to protect themselves.  I think that hacking is also important for technologies advances.  I feel that if the computer industry is to continue to improve their tech then hacking is essential.  Hacking is also very important to programmers.  Through hacking the programmers learn about weaknesses in their code.  Hacking also improves things for consumers.  It gives the “normal” people a chance to learn about computers and their programming through the information from the news about hackers.  Also it gives us newbies someone to look up to.

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My first impressions of scratch is that the program will be very beneficial for new programmers.  I feel that it provides a free environment to “play around” in.  For example if i make a loop I can actually see the loop at work.  I think this is going to be fun.

I think that the Randy Pausch’s speech was very inspirational.  I think for what he was going through to still be able to stand up there and speak, while the whole time he was praising the students and the team that built Alice says a lot about him.  He was not making a big production about  himself as much as he was those around him.  I think that I would have very much would have liked to have meet him.

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I LOVE HTML. Last week I wasn’t so sure about HTML having never done it before, but you can do anything with it.  I enjoyed making my own web page.  I think that I am going to make my own permanent web page.  I am going to play around with HTML more to explore more things that can be done with it.  I had a pretty easy time loading the page on the server.  I had one issue with it but fortunately the Doc is patient and told me what I was missing.  I find that all of my computer teachers are quite patient, which makes for an easy learning experience.  SQL is very interesting.  It is essentially common command words and then the info your looking for, and it is very easy to read.  I think that with the web site tutorial that I can have my page up and running in no time.

I can see how SQL and knowing your way around a database can be very useful.  If  you know how to access the information on a database then your employment opportunities are unlimited.  You can do anything with a database.  All of the worlds information is at your fingertips with SQL.  You can literally find anything that you want with SQL language.  Databases are interesting things in themselves.  Databases are vast banks of information in one location. The amazing thing is that it is all together, but separate.

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This HTML is surprisingly quite easy.  It is a lot of step by step rules to remember before you just start typing.  I enjoy doing the code.  I have to use works to spell check my page because I am such a horrible speller, but if I keep playing around with the HTML then that should take care of itself.  I feel that this is a very lucrative language to learn since a lot of companies are going toward an online bases.  I think that if I go through the advanced training on the D2L site then I can build my own web page to make some money.  I can already see that the sky is the limit with what you can do with HTML.  It does get a little tricky trying to change picture placement and text placement.  I foresee this becoming a second nature pretty easily.

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For myself, the assembly language simulator brought the theories to life.  I understood how the switches opening and closing were controlled by binary.  How assembly language made programming a computer easier is easy to see.  Of course now we are getting to where the compilers are doing all of the work and programming consists of just using basic language commands.  To see the language of (add 5) get turned into binary and then following it to the register is pretty cool.  The work we did with the simulator helped me out quite a bit.  The one thing that I have trouble understanding is how the binary is actually information.  I mean I understand that binary is opening and closing switches, but how does that transfer into what I am typing now.  I understand the theory, but not the technical stuff behind it.  Definitely going to ask the Doc about that.  Also how does GUI play into to the scene.  I mean is it technically just binary in window for?  Its magic I say magic.  It is cool though how all this works.  I also think its really cool how the hard disk is read, then put into RAM, then it is put into a register, and then it is magically output.  That is really cool when you think about all that stuff happening in the blink of an eye.  I really have learned already more about computers then I ever imagined.  Thanks to the DOC.

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Links for ordering parts from Newegg.com

Motherboard:  http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131665&cm_re=Asuss_sabertooth-_-13-131-665-_-Product

Processor: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115066&Tpk=intel%20core%20i7%20970

Video Card: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814261077&Tpk=Palit%20Ne5x460sf1142

Hard Drive: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136284&cm_re=western_digital_caviar_black_1tb-_-22-136-284-_-Product

Power Supply: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139010&cm_re=corsair_cmpsu_750w-_-17-139-010-_-Product

Case(includes fans): http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129021&cm_re=antec_nine_hundred_mid_tower_atx_computer_case-_-11-129-021-_-Product

Blue Ray Burner(DVD/CD(R&RW)/Blue Ray Burner/Reader): http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827136181&cm_re=Lg_Black_10x_Blue-ray-_-27-136-181-_-Product

Ram(12GB): http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231277&cm_re=g.skill_ripjaws_series_4gb_%282_x_2gb%29_240-pin_ddr3-_-20-231-277-_-Product

Mouse/Keyboard combo(Gaming):http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.492680

Monitor w/speakers: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236091&Tpk=asus%20ve276q

How to build the BEAST: (insure that your ground strap is on properly. And insure all parts are undamaged from shipping.)

1) Install power supply in the bottom of the case.

2) Install the motherboard to the chassis.

3) Locate the processor port on the motherboard.  Open the load lever and load plate where the Intel chip will sit. Remove the cap from the port. Position the processor over the port, make sure the golden arrow is lined up with the arrow on the port. Lower processor into port and press firmly(not to firm as to break the mother board).  Visually inspect that you did not damage any circuits or other surrounding parts on the motherboard, as failure to do so could result in having to dismantle the whole machine. Also now is a good time to install

4) Now its memory time.  Note the proper orientation of the memory cards because there are six of this bad boys. Go slow and take your time with the plastic holder tab thingies as they can break.  Pull the plastic tab holdie thingies one at a time starting from the one closest to the case out.

5) Video time.  Install the video power house  nothing the proper orientation and following the same instructions as the memory cards. WATCH THE TAB HOLDIE THINGIES.

6) Install the hard drive in the proper spot on the chasis.  Install the Blue-ray burner in the top 5.25 slot.  Install which ever you think is easier first.

7) Connect all the wires that go from the hard drive and Blue-ray burner as well as the fans and power supply. The motherboard and the wires should be clearly marked.

8) Install the chassis and onboard USB cable pins to the motherboard in the slot marked USB.

9) Connect any remaining wires in their proper slots and triple check your connections. 

10) Install the side panel of the CPU.

11) Install the mouse and keyboard in the two USB ports u most desire.

12) Install the monitor using which ever cable set you desire (VGA or HDMI).

13) Now all you have to do is plug the BEAST up, turn him on, and install the software……..(Good Luck)

Mother board: I chose the ASUS Sabertooth x58 LGA 1366 Intell mother boar because it delivers the most speed (6 GB/sec) and it has the ability to hold up to 24 GB of RAM.

Processor I chose the Intel core i7 970 processor because of the incredible 3.2 GHz speed. That will make your head spin.  Also the six-core didn’t hurt my feelings.  This thing had great ratings and should process my games at an incredible rate.  I will dominate all who enter my realm.

The case I picked because I liked it and it was compatible.  It has blue lights
The power supply offers 750w of mammoth power.  I think that should supply my needs.  Oh and its quite efficient.

The Palit Ne5x460 Video card got excellent reviews by fellow gamers.  They said that even in the Northrim Cities in wow that it does excellent, not a single glitch.

The Hard drive I also picked for the simple fact of 1Tb of memory and 5 eggs. 

The RAM was the G. Skill Ripjaws series I also picked it because of compatibility and  the rating. Of course getting 12 Gb doesn’t hurt ones feelings.

The Cd-Rom Driver all I can say is Blue-Ray Burner!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Razor RZER I picked because it is a cheap wireless mouse/keyboard combo.  It will be replaced after one session of MyMathLab, GRRRRRRRRRRR.

The monitor I picked because it was the biggest and it had a great rating.  The monitor also has built in speakers. Very Nice.

Well this is the BEAST. I hope you enjoy.

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