Assignment 7

As i was searching i found 2 blogs that caught my interest Engadget and Slashdot.   They both had post going as far as green technology to what some companies are coming out with or stopping making.  One of the blogs I read on Engadget was a article on some the green technology being used by companies like ZenithSolar. I quote from the article exactly;

"Green power lit up the world this week as ZenithSolar smashed the record for solar efficiency with its massive parabolic mirrors and Denmark unveiled plans to construct a towering "cathedral" that will transform waste into energy."

There was also talk in the article about batteries made from used coffee capsules and a foldable paper-thin solar cell from MIT. Another foldable tech was a showcase of the first biodegradable paper watch.  I was honestly just amazed at how far green technology has come that we can actually make a disposable watch. Now on slashdot the article that really caught my eye was about how there is a lesson to be learned from Taco Bell's programing.  I mean they pull 1.9billion in a year and basically mix and match roughly 8 ingredients. What I took away from the article was that all these extra bells and whistles are sometimes not the best awnser. using small group of basic technology you can nix and match it and turn it into a multi billion dollars idea.

Assignment 6

• What is my Budget? $100-200
• Do I need a color printer?  Yes
• Will  I print graphics? Yes
• Do I want to print photos? Yes
• Do I want to print on both sides the paper? Yes

I found 2 Printers that meet these requirements; One is called a HP-Officejet 6500 and the other is the 6000 version. First look both are from the same series and one newer then the other, while that may be the case they have similar yet different options. Both print at 32ppm in black and 31ppm in color. However the 6500 is more expensive of the two for pretty much the same abilities. Plus the 6000 series is small and more compact.  As far as disadvantages go  that's the only one  i can see personally is that more expensive one is bigger then the least expensive. So I would personally go with the 6000 series.

Assignment Four

I honestly had trouble finding information for this, but  maybe I was searching for the wrong things. Here it goes with what I had.  From what I read he and the original founds of Intel broke away fro ma company called Research and Development Laboratory of Fairchild Semiconductor to form what is now Intel.  He was actually the 3rd employee of Intel but due to a clerical error he was labeled as #4. From this all other information I found hardly told me of what hardships  and experiences he had in detail, but I can infer  quite a few things by what knowledge i have of business and technology.  I know it would take a tremendous time and effort to get to where they are today.  I can take away from this is the fact to never give up til the end and even then don't give up. Also just because something starts off small if doesn't mean that it cant become something big.  I know this isn't much  here but  I can say this is the hardest assignment for me so far.  Below or links to the pages I used.

http://www.bookbrowse.com/biographies/index.cfm?author_number=716

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_Grove

http://www.mouthshut.com/review/Only_the_Paranoid_Survive_-_Andy_Groove-105547-1.html

Assignment Three

Yes computer games can be detrimental in a persons life. I know for past experience for my self this is true. It is quite possible for someone to lose sleep and let it take up to much time in your life; although, they provide great entertainment.  Some games do need to be regulated for the content they have. A seven year old has no business playing a game that has nudity or anything close to it, nor with peoples heads getting blown off. I do believe that the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) system does work if parents understand it. Some just don't care if their children are exposed to certain things.   It all comes down to that if  the parents are willing to let their children play certain video games that is their business.  There are some games that have received attention on this matter such as the Grand Theft Auto series as found here in this article.  I also found another article here that list 10 of some of the most violent video games in past years.  On a side note i did for a article as seen here that shows some positive uses of such games. Like some games may prove useful to young patients in helping them become open to treatments.    Another game that made the news last year was Modern Warfare 2 as seen here in this article.  Finally the last article I and going to share with you as seen here is about the new medal of honor game that is due out Oct 12 in which you can play a Taliban character and shoot at us troops which the us military as banned from any their stores on their bases.

Assignment 2

Well I am not sure is this is what you intended by the assignment but I did find a unusual use for a computer.  On my search for a topic I ran across this article talking about unusual usb  plug-in uses. The article talks how because of the usb cable ability to send power down it has given rise to some unique and sometimes quite pointless usb devices, One such mentioned in the article is a small fake aquarium which uses the power from the usb cable to power a small motor in it to make the water inside move and make the fake fish seem like they are swimming. It also other uses that have arisen out of what it used to be used for which is just data transfer.   I personally have used some like the usb powered storage devices. I personally love the idea of some these gadgets. Another item i found of interest that was mentioned in the article is a usb powered fan.   I did some other research to see what  i could find and came across a use powered fan that's a necktie as seen here.  i found another web page with other unique gadgets Here

Advantages of Disadvantages of Computers in the Classroom

Well to me this goes beyond a simple yes or no answer for me.  There are many reason computers should be be used in the classroom and many  reasons they should not.  For younger students it presents the biggest disadvantages and the greatest advantages. Its advantageous because it allows the use of various educational software and a few games that fun and teach through that fun.  It can be disadvantageous because it could lead to it be overwhelming to the teachers and students alike, and be a distraction for when its not time for the use of it.  In  my opinion late elementary and early middle school is  the best time to start introducing computers to classroom full time.  Because at that point students should know how to behave using such learning tools.  To me the biggest advantage of using computers in the classroom is at the college level of education.  Take this class for example. The use of power points is a great study help for retaining information which can be viewed  on the instructors projector or your monitor.  Another example is with  Math 101 that I am taking currently as well. We have our lecture in the classroom where the teacher explains the material and we move to the hub where we do our actual work which is self paced.  Even the ones in college are considered adults there are issues with losing track and going off to do something else on the computer that they aren't meant  to do at the time like exploring on facebook.  So in conclusion I believe i have justified my reasoning for saying both yes and no to this.

Goals For 2010

Goal 1 To pass all my Classes
Goal 2 To become more Social

Well my strategies for passing all my classes includes the following; prereading material before it is covered in class, studying in all my off hours, and doing all i can to pay attention in class.

For being more social i have no other idea otehr then not being so shy and nervous.