After a few quick gulps of coffee, I departed from my apartment in Florida. It was six in the morning and still dark outside. Seventeen hours later, I made it to the District of Columbia. I drove to Washington to attend a conference hosted by Ralph Nader on the state of competition in the computer industry. At some point during that drive, I realized I had become a "computer nerd."
Before that, I had never really fancied myself a "computer nerd." To be quit honest, computers used to intimidate me in a certain respect. I did not even own one until I enrolled in college. My primary interest in college was philosophy, a discipline which, at first glance at least, does not seem particularly connected to the computer world. I was drawn to philosophy because of its emphasis on analytical thinking. By "analytical thinking," I mean the use of logical analysis and creative speculation to sort out different aspects of an argument. I instantly felt at home in my first philosophy class when my professor remarked that people looking for "the answers" in his classes would be disappointed. What interested me in philosophy was the sustained and rigorous attempt to think through intellectual questions not necessarily to "the answers," but towards more sophisticated formulations of alternative viewpoints and arguments.
In contrast to my intuitive attraction to philosophy, I stumbled upon the world of computers in my junior year of college. Tired of working unrewarding jobs during the summer, I figured that I should develop some practical, marketable skills (especially since graduation was nearing and I knew my philosophy degree, while invaluable to me, was not a hot commodity on the job market). In that context, I took a few computer programming classes. I soon discovered that I actually liked designing programs. Whereas I assumed that "the answers" would be taken for granted in computer science, I found that computer science, especially when practically applied, requires both logical and imaginative problem solving. The skills refined in my philosophy classes, the application of logical thinking and attention to various ways of looking at a problem, proved helpful in computer programming.
Later, I sensed other links between my interest in philosophy and the technical world of computers. I first began making those realizations while working for Stand For Children, a small Washington DC based nonprofit. Stand's mission is to develop a national network of child activists.
Crohn’s disease is an inflammatory bowel disease. It is a fairly common disease that affects a large population causing abdominal pain, frequent bloody stools, and fatigue
The first piece of technology that was introduced to me was the amazing, ground-breaking GameBoy created by Nintendo. My parents believed that my obsession with video games in my juvenile years would be the cause of my downfall when I would become an adult with no job, no money, and still lived with my parents. I admit that I did have an addiction in the beginning, but over the years it moderated as I became more attracted to what was actually done to develop the devices and programs that once ensnared me. Enrolling into a vocational high school, I selected Programming & Web Development as my choice of trade in order for me to learn more about this extraordinary field of science. Soon I began compiling my own applications, but with a method unorthodox compared to my classmates; I believed that the vivid aesthetics and simple navigation displayed on applications were just as crucial as the tediously compiled, intricate code virtually hidden underneath. With every annual keynote that was broadcasted from numerous Silicon Valley companies, their latest innovations constantly entertained my curiosity. Advancing as an upperclassmen, I entered into challenging courses and incessantly researched innumerable universities as I began to devise a plan of recruitment for the companies of the Bay Area. Enrolling into a university that is passionate about the
A final important consideration in the management of IBS patients from a psychiatric perspective revolves around the use of psychopharmacologic agents in treatment. The rationale for use of anti-depressant medications in IBS patients is based not only the observed psychiatric comorbidity in this population, but also on the role of these medications in improving central pain perception and physiologic response of the gut to descending signals. The evidence-based position statement of the American College of Gastroenterology (2008) affirms that both low-dose TCAs and SSRIs are more effective than placebo at reducing global IBS symptoms and abdominal pain. More evidence exists for the benefit of TCAs in IBS treatment, and they have been shown to decrease global symptoms and abdominal pain at lower doses than those required for the treatment of depression (2).
Patients with ulcerative colitis if usually referred to a gastroenterologist. This is a specialist who manages patients with gastrointestinal diseases. The physicians will need to assess the severity of the condition. The questions he or she is likely to ask include how many times are you passing stool? Is the stool bloody? Do you have nonspecific symptoms such as a high temperature, tachycardia and shortness of breath? The patient should be examined and investigated to rule out differential diseases.
It is undeniable that the internet is changing our daily lives, whether it is buying clothes off ebay, getting directions from google, or making decisions with Microsoft Bing. Likewise, the internet has changed connotation of the word nerd. By allowing big and small communities to grow and making nerd news mass media, the internet is defying what it classically meant to be a nerd. While the transformation is not complete, the evidence of change is apparent today: In writing this essay I was called a nerd too many times to count, yet not once did I feel insulted, instead each time the name calling was received with a smile and laugh.
My interest in computers started around early high school when I got my laptop and started looking more and more into vividly at them. When I first got my laptop was playing videogames and watching streamers.Then I one day sitting in my bed and I thought to myself I would like to know more so I can fix anything if
Suddenly the “geeks” were the financially successful, the Bill Gates of the community; reinventing newer gadgets every day. Thanks to our new computerized embedded culture, “geeks” took more pride in the word and altered its usage. In 2001, the London newspaper The Independent published in their writing, “We're the nerds, the geeks, the dweebs: the men and women who can spend 20 hours straight contemplating 600 bytes of obscure, arcane, impenetrable computer code.” The term was no longer a word used to belittle others; now it was the word people used to describe
With technology rapidly changing as fast as we blink our eyes, it is important for people to learn as much as possible about the computer world if they want to maintain a decent lifestyle because the world we live in revolving around those technologies. As McKee points out, “most jobs now require intelligence and technical skill” (1). Each year, there is something either added or modified to computers, which forces people to learn computer literacy at a steady pace. While some love computers, others despise them. When comparing people’s attitudes towards computers, statistics show a gender gap that proves most females’ attitudes are drastically different from the attitudes of males. Several studies prove that women not only lack an interest in technology, but they also chose not to enroll in computer classes. Since computers and technology play an enormous role in the world today, more technology professionals are needed. It is extremely important for more women to become knowledgeable in these areas. Swain and Harvey argue, “This technology gender gap is affecting half our population and causing it to be unprepared to contribute to the demands of a high-tech twenty-first century” (17). While this may not seem like a serious issue to some, it is an issue that will ultimately lead to a bigger problem if not handled immediately. So why are there so few women in the technology field? To answer that question, I must first find out why are there so few women in the technology and computer classes, considering that this atmosphere is the most common place where the interest for computers is born.
Susan Bordo states in her article “Never Just Pictures”, that children grow up knowing that they can never be thin enough. They are thought that being fat is the worst thing ever. The ones responsible for this are the media, celebrities, models, and fashion designers. All of these factors play a big role on the development of the standard and how people view themselves. Everyone at one dreams about being the best they can in any aspect. But to achieve that most believe that one of the big factors is outer beauty. So people look at celebrities and fashion designers, and believe that to be accepted they have to look like them. That’s when they take drastic measures to change their appearance because they’ve been influenced by the Medias idea of “beautiful.” This feeling mostly happens in women but in recent years the gender gap has become smaller. Now men also feel the need to look good because of the media. On the TV, instead of having infomercials ...
Fifteen years ago, I proudly walked across the stage at Milwaukee Trade & Techincal High School, having victoriously earned my High School Diploma. At that time, I was only naively aware of the road that lied ahead. I would soon begin the pursuit of a degree in Computer Science at Marquette University, but my first semester would be interrupted by legal troubles and further hindered by the untimely realization that I’d prefer not to spend the rest of my life “alone in a room,” performing what I had begun to perceive as the tedious and antisocial task of computer programming.
Logic and Problem Solving: some people study Computer Science just because they feel that they could matter (fame) and think like Albert Einstein, Isaac Newton, Charles Babbage, Michael Faraday, Bill Gate when they study Computer
Staying healthy and eating right is a lifestyle that many people should consider. A juicy hamburger from McDonalds dripping with special sauce topped with cheese is not exactly considered a healthy meal. Our society today is busy and on the go at all times. It is so much easier to stop and get fast food and then continue on. However, we should stop and think; is it really worth it to not eat right and exercise?
After my twelfth grade, the inherent ardor I held for Computer Sciencemotivated me to do a bachelors degree in Information Technology. Programming and Math, a paragon of logic and reasoning have always been my favorite subjects since childhood. I still vividly remember the time during my graduation,when I was successful in creating a simple calculator application as a class assignment.The joy I derived from creating something that is used by a lot of people to help them perform complex calculations,made me realize the power of computing in its true sense.It was also in my graduation that I developed an immense interest in programming languages such as Java, C++ an...
My passion for computers started in high school, when my father bought a home pc. Then I got the opportunity to explore my practical knowledge with a young and an enthusiastic teacher. At first I started learning about the hardware...
Beauty can be seen by a person in several ways, and it is perceived by most to be only skin-deep. According to Merriam-Webster Dictionary, “It is the quality or aggregate of qualities in a person that gives pleasure to the senses or pleasurably exalts the mind or spirit.” Additionally, the definition from the Oxford Dictionary says, “Beauty is a combination of qualities, such as shape, color, or form that pleases the aesthetic senses, especially the sight.” In short, beauty is described as something attractive and likeable to the eyes. Nonetheless, beauty should not be seen on a physical level, but it should also encompass a person’s character. To further elaborate and understand beauty, one should know how the media perceives beauty towards