#6 Open Topic (freewrite, 10 minutes)

Since the snow is here, it would seem pretty logical for me to talk about it for a little bit. I love the snow and all, but George Mason has some serious issues with the way in which they deal with closing the school. The other day (Tuesday) when it snowed, school closed at 7 pm, which isn't too bad, except that I had class from 5:55 until 7:10. This meant that I would have to stay there, grunt through the snow and get out of class just 10 minutes early. Well since I live almost 15 miles away and it was snowing well before 5 pm, I decided I would just go to my professor and hand my homework in. I asked him if he was planning on holding class even though it was snowing and campus was closing, he reponded with a simple "yes". He then went on to note that he lived close to campus, and the snow really wasn't a problem for him. This really rubbed me the wrong way, especially since GMU is such a commuter school. The next class time I figured out that he really had held class during the snowfall, and that I had missed almost 2 full sections (this is a Calculus III class). I just wanted to rant about this a little because it seems so inconsiderate that professors would even do such a thing. Just because you will have no problem with the snow doesn't mean that you need to endanger the other 2/3 of your class that will probably have to drive in it. Furthermore, I have almost had it with mason and their system of closing school when snow is imminent. I haven't had to deal with it this semester, but my roommate has, and it's completely rediculous to try and squeeze in as many classes as you can right before the snow comes. For those that do commute, waiting until the last moment could cause them to wreck or even be stuck at the school. It almost seems like mason doesn't even want to deal with closing the school just so they can take in the money that they make from meal and bookstore sales from the commutes that wouldn't have to be there if they would close schools.

Another topic of interest would be my wedding coming up on June 25, 2010. Time seems to be flying now, and I'm finding it even harder to concentrate and help my fiancée with it when I have so much work to do with school. Just last night we made the final decision for our honeymoon destination and we actually booked it. We will be going to Peru on June 28, and we will be staying there for almost 11 days. I can wait for this trip and all of the new things that I will be able to see in this country. Before going I would really like to save up enough money to buy a DSLR professional-grade camera so that I can get some great photography shots. I have been wanting one for a while now, and this only gives me a reason to purchase one. We haven't really figured out the itenerary for the trip yet, but I really want to make a trip to Machu Picchu one of my top priorities.

#2 What Are You Passionate About? (freewrite, 10 minutes)

I can honestly say that I really love my major, even with all the work it involves and all the fun things that it takes away from me.  I am most passionate about anything that has to do with computers, at least everything that I have gotten into so far.  I really like the programming aspect of computer science, and would say that I am rather passionate about having a job in the programming sector in the near future.  The theoretical or mathy type of classes that we are required to take are less of an enjoyment, but even those types of classes are becoming more fun.  I am most happy when I am able to produce things that work, and are of use to the general public.  Even though we haven't really gotten a chance to do this type of work in classwork, I find that my work process with projects and other labs would be ideal for the workplace, and I think they would be very easy to apply to more complex systems with a group of people working on a central idea.  I think I will really love the work that I will be doing in the near future.  Instead of having to listen to college rules, creating what professors want and taking seemingly pointless classes, you will be assigned to a programming projects, doing something I enjoy doing.  This doesn't really connect to my motorcycle joy in life.  I really enjoy riding, and it is mostly a stress reliever and relaxer that just makes it an enjoyable experience.  My other hobby of photography somewhat connects to my major and current career path.  I not only enjoy taking photographs, but I have started to tinker around with the editing of the photo's, giving me a chance to connect with various programs which allow me to think about the computational methods that allows the program processes to work.

I really find that I like many things from the classes that I have taken in college.  For example I really enjoyed some of the biology classes that I have taken, and have pondered the fact that there is a Computer Science degree with applied biology.  There are a few other classes that I have had an affinity towards, but all in all I think that Computer Science is the best for me.  I have been extremely passionate about this subject since my last years in high school, and I do not regret anything about joining George Mason with my major already set and am very happy that I have made it this far to date.

#6 Refined List of Research Topics (freewrite, 5-5-5 minutes)

Biometrics
This topic covers some very easily implemented programming concepts and some very intricate, complex ones.  The most basic, which I have done in a CS class, was to implement a very easy and basic eye scanner, something which could have been more complex and maybe fashioned into something usable.  Most of the biometrics stuff I have learned about deals with security issues on computers and many other places.  With a single eye scanner security can be made much more impermiable.  Just like your fingerprint, your eyes are also extremely unique, and now that I'm thinking about it, I think i've read that it is the most distinguishable thing about us humans.  Other uses of biometrics would be to test your gait.  I remember hearing about this in a lecture with Professor Heishman some time ago.  Apparently this can be used to detect people that should or should not be in the room at the time, almost like a under-floor security detection system.  Biometrics can also help with the disabled.  Just like scanners can use your eyes to secure certain places or things, they can also use them for people missing limbs so that they will be able to work in a better fashion in order to ease their lives.

Audio Compression
Although I havn't had any formal classes on this topic, I have seen enough of it to be interested.  No matter what you're listening to, each file has a certain file type extension.  These correlate to the compressions that the audio has undergone.  I am really interested in figuring out what these compressions actually mean for us humans, and to what extent the sound quality drops in our minds.  I am also interested in learning about DRM.  I know that many music companies sell their music with this type of security integrated so that the buyer won't be able to do anything illegal with that piece of music.  While on the topic of audio compression, I would also like to know how the compression is done.  I know most of it can be done on a computer with various software, but in what manner does the program actually compress the file to make it smaller?  It would be interesting to learn about the function and algorithms put in place to actually compress the files.  Does the software just pick out pieces of the music in different increments so that the song sounds the same, or is there just another algorithm for piecing the music apart while still allowing the original sounds to come through?

Network Security
I haven't had a formal class on this topic either, but while messing around with the topic on Linux I have opened my interests for this topic.  I've heard many instances of network security being very easy to break, allowing intruders into your home network where a lot of delicate information can be stored.  I know that WEP is the source of the problems, but I would think that after a while of being used it would either be honed down to be perfect, or another passwording system with better integrity would be implemented and take over.  In this topic I also know that there is cryptography.  I did a short project on this within the first year of joining George Mason University, and I know that the very basic level is completely overwhelming for a beginner in Computer Science.  During that project we learned that there are many various ways to crypt data and other information that you don't want to be found, and I know that various network traffic can be made secure, both via your browser (for example Google https) and in a terminal via secure file transfer, both of which are still widely used today.  I would be interested in learning some of the more secure ways of crypting data, and learning the uses of each one and how exactly they crypt and secure your data.

#2A Three Significant People (freewrite, 10 minutes)

The most influential person in my life, not just with my career goals, would be Mr. Bange, a teacher at Broadway High School in Broadway, Virginia.  I have known his son for all of my life, and met Mr. Bange at a fairly young age.  Ever since meeting him I admired the way he handled life, and just the general vibe that I received from him each time I was around him.  When moving into high school I had the chance to take a class with him, just basic Earth Science, but that class was one of the best classes that I have ever had the chance to take.  Not only did I learn the material, but I learn so much more from the genius mentality of Mr. Bange.  Each day you walked into the class you would see the room light up with his enormous smile, and his attitude just made you completely content and happy to be in the class.  From this class I learned that I should be more open-minded about life, and not to worry about those small things which other people mind so much.  I attribute my leaving the area to Mr. Bange as I felt an urge to broaden my horizons in order to try and fulfill my life goals and make the most out of my time here on earth.

Mrs. Morris, also a high school teacher, really broke me into the Computer Science category with her seemingly simply class on HTML and C++.  After this class I was completely set on the major I wanted in college, and without this class I probably would have been wandering around for many semesters just trying to figure out what I wanted to do with my life.  Not only did she set me on the correct career path, but she also pushed me to get the most out of the class.  In this case it consisted of attaining the basic Microsoft Office 2003 master certification, but that was better than nothing at that age.  If nothing else I feel that this certification is something to thank her for, because I certainly wouldn't have been able to do it on my own.

Dr. Heishman is currently a Computer Science professor at George Mason University.  He is the complete teacher in my mind, no one can be more ideal than him.  He has such a calm, relaxing attitude that made his classes very easy going which made in turn made the class much easier.  I remember him having only a few gestures, but with his level of teacher I would expect that he would just want to get the information across to the students without worrying about gestures which add no support to powerpoint presentations.  One environment that I vividly remember him in is the path both outside of the Fenwick Library.  It seemed that almost daily I would run into him perched calmly and quiety on one of those benches enjoying a cigarette.