#5 Learning Styles (freewrite, 10 minutes)

As I said in my introduction, both the quiz, and the readings seemed to correlate to give me the Logical-Mathematical preferred learning style. During class I love to set and read slides, I think its much easier to capture the information in that way. I really feel that I need time to capture the information so that I can take really detailed, almost verbatum notes. After I finish these notes I usually go back and study quite hard before a test, and for the most part I have always done fine. Other than notes, I can usually handle when teachers write, or do lectures on the white-boards. I can usually keep up with them in this manner, but sometimes when they bust out the diagrams or drawings I am forced to pull out the notebook to jot them down. More often than not I try to take all of my notes on the computer. I feel that I am completely organized when I use that method of note-taking, whereas with paper I just feel inefficient as writing is generally much slower than typing.


One problem I have in classes, particularly this semester, is that all of my teachers will teach from powerpoint presentations, which I normally would cherish, but this semester EVERY professor I have seems to fly through them. Instead of facilitating my learning ability, flying through slides only causes me to try and cram the information the teacher is feeding me, and most of the time I end up falling behind while the professor rushes to the next slide. Other than not learning quite up to par, the teachers just seem to love throwing information at us, and by flying through the slides it allows the teachers to cover well up to 3 chapters per week which seems overwhelming to most.


In my Computer Science major, I do sometimes get a chance to work as a group, and generally I do very well with this type of setting as long as everyone is willing to be a part of the team and do their share of work. I think I probably do work better with a team because it allows everyone to be a check for the work, and other than that it allows everyone to bounce ideas back and forth. Rather than creating a single method for designing and implementing a system, this method of bouncing ideas back and forth allows us to better understand every available method, thus allowing us to learn new, better things.


I find that in math classes, where slides are not available, that just copying what the professor is writing on the board verbatim is the best method. This guarantees that when I go back to study I will have every available resource and be able to complete the problems much in the same way the professor would.

#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.

#3 (this is not a freewrite) - Survey of Current Topics in Your Field (research and brainstorm)

Biometrics
As security is a pressing concern in society, more Computer Scientists are quickly trying to find a way to solve the problems of security in many areas.  Besides the usual password, which can be easily stolen if wanted, the new methods concern unique identifying measurements of our bodies that act as our "passwords".  Many people have known about the standard fingerprint used by the police, but now the field has started to integrate this biometrics technology into many of the laptops that are being sold around the world.  If you're lucky enough to have one of these laptops, you know that instead of entering your password at prompts, this feature allows you to just slide your finger across a small scanner on your laptop.  The field of biometrics happens to go well over this topic though, especially as many people were trying to create copies of others fingerprints, thus making the method unsafe just like regular passwords.  One other topic of interest would be eye scanners.  Just like our fingerprints, the irises in our eyes are completely identical from person to person, even the irises on a single human are different from one another.  This makes it a great system of security because your irises are one thing on your body that would be fairly hard to copy.  We usually see this type of security software in the futuristic movies and shows, but this once futuristic technique is very close to becoming a reality.

Now that the use of biometrics is becoming more widespread, the threats against this type of security technique are finally showing themselves.  Yes, it may be hard to reproduce someones iris, but if someone manages to steal this image, there really isn't any way to magically change your iris to a new uniquely identifiable iris.  This scenario has paved the way for more, unusual types of storage methods which involve hashing and image processing which allows the actual image to be hidden and only shown in its processed form.

Open-Source Software 
If you aren't a Computer Science major, chances are you have never heard of open-source software.  Most of us are trained to use windows, and a small percentage of us are trained to use Mac's, but did you know that there is a third contender in this operating systems race?  It is called Linux, and was derived from Unix a while ago as a free operating system alternative to both Windows and Mac.  By free, I mean absolutely free.  If you are knowledgeable enough to tweak the code found in the Linux system, you can even design your own free software systems that model Linux.  Along with this operating system comes thousands upon thousands of free applications.  Linux has been lucky enough to morph into a complete operating system, and by that I mean that you can do everything in Linux that you would ever dream of doing in Windows and more!  The applications that are available for Linux mimic most software on Windows, and most of them even allow you more freedom if you're willing to learn a few things.

Luckily Linux is finally starting to become mainstream as it morphs into an easier system to use for those people that don't want to learn the basic commands for Linux systems.  Dell and other personal computer providers have started to ship computers with the offer of having Linux pre-installed, showing just how acceptable this alternative operating system is.  It has even become so mainstream recently that some K-12 school have decided to install Linux on their schools computers.  It allows them to save so much money over the pricey Windows operating systems, allowing them to focus on better things for our youth.

Software Engineering
As many software companies are growing bigger and releasing bigger software, the theory of software engineering is starting to take a real hold.  Instead of flailing around trying to finish a piece of software, the idea behind software engineering is that you will choose a design method to follow during the entire process.  This allows companies to be more efficient with their software releases and to be more impermeable to many software design flaws.  These methods make sure that adequate processes are taken throughout the course of the software design process, thus reducing the chances for failure at the end of the design phase.  Not only does this help the customers with more reliable, efficient software, but this allows the companies to be much more efficient with the way that they design software.  Most of the processes are designed to allow the software companies to fail early if they are going to fail at all, that way that precious money can be saved.  If a company is a month from a major release and they realize that the software is horrible because of their design process, that company will lose a plethora in money just trying to restart or revive the project.  All of this may seem irrelevant or unneeded for small groups working on small software packages, but anyone that does any process, regardless of a Computer Science major or not, uses the processes found in Software Engineering.

Science Article Summary - 7

Science Article Summary - 7

Wireless Optical Transmission Key to Secure, Safe and Rapid Indoor Communications

[1]	“Wireless optical transmission key to secure, safe and rapid indoor communications,” Jan. 28, 2010. [Online].Available: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/01/100127211857.htm. [Accessed: Feb. 2, 2010].

Researchers at Penn State University have finally discovered a new method to wireless transmission that was previously unheard of.  Apparently light is much more efficient than the presently used radio waves when it comes to data transmission, boasting a very large bandwidth with speeds of over a gigabit per second.  Although this new method would require direct line of site to the source, a system with multiple source elements has been devised to rid the user of this problem.  This allows it to be just as usable as the current radio wave wireless networks, but an added bonus with the light waves is that the waves will not travel through walls, allowing for a much more secure network.  Without infiltrating through the walls like radio waves, the signal from your network will not be seen from outside the room, meaning that anyone who wishes to attack your network will actually have to be inside of your house.

Another important functionality of light waves is that the frequencies do not impede on the radio wave frequencies that many special areas use, such as hospitals or airport bases.  This would mean that such areas will finally be able to access an entirely new dimension that seemed impossible before, allowing them to take advantage of the possibilities of a networking system.

The final advantage is that the light waves have the functionality to directly distribute high resolution images at extremely fast speeds.  This could possibly change our entire views on high definition television as televisions would be able to be wireless, thus ridding the need of those long cables that run throughout entire houses.

Science Article Summary - 6

Science Article Summary - 6

Hundreds of Quakes Are Rattling Yellowstone

[1]	K. Johnson, “Hundreds of Quakes Are Rattling Yellowstone,” The New York Times, Feb. 2010.[Online]. Available: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/01/science/01yellowstone.html?ref=science. [Accessed Feb. 2, 2010].

As more earthquakes are striking the earth causing devastation, more people are worried than ever about an eruption taking place at Yellowstone National Park.  Many people believe that the next eruption of this volcano could place the humans as extinct beings, so the 100 tiny earthquakes that the park has been having per day for the past two weeks is worrisome for some.  Although people may be up in arms about this event, many scientists note that this earthquake "swarm", the second largest ever recorded in its history, is no actual cause for concern and has little indication of causing a larger earthquake or volcanic eruption.  The reason this is causing so much commotion now is obviously because of the Haiti earthquake where many people have seen the devastation brought forth on that nation and are alarmed at such a scene happening here in the United States.  Although scientists are not alarmed now, if these small earthquakes continue for a long time the scientists are more than willing to increase the investigation and observation processes that are used to monitor the health of the park.  The main scientist analysis team at the park note that they look for simple indicators of change that will lead to problems such as abnormal geysers, changes in water temperature, and muddy water in pools that should be clear.

#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.

#1 Recent Dream (freewrite, 10 minutes)

The majority of my really vivid dreams happen at my mothers house, in Timberville, Virginia. It is in a beautifully wooded area off the beaten path, so it definitely allows my imagination to wander where ever I please. The most recent memory was actually last night, making it a really conveinent experience. I remember setting out in the rolling wooded hills with my fiancées father. We were hunting for deer, and my fiancées father had the gun. All that I remember from my dream is that we were watching hundreds, if not thousands of wandering deer pass by, moving on to a different plot of land. This normally wouldn't be a problem when we are hunting, but my fiancées father really likes to kill bucks and the deer that were passing us all happened to be does. The majority of my dream encompassed us standing in the frigid snowy woods watching the deer, it seemed like it must have spanned the entire day. When the day was coming to a close the large herd of female deer final came to a halt. A little while after this, we knew the big bucks were getting ready to come out. A moment later I looked up to the small hill across from us to see a small group of bucks running. This also wouldn't be much of a problem, but the bucks were being chased by a wolf, which happened to look like my fiancées fathers Siberian husky. My fiancées father has a strict policy against anything that hunts animals like that, so he seeks out to kill the predatory animals. The rest of my dream consisted of him shooting and killing the wolf-husky looking animal that was chasing the deer before I finally awoke just after 8 a.m this morning. The ironic thing about this entire thing is that the predatory animal really did look like my fiancées fathers husky, but it was just that his love for deer in general just took over. It almost seemed like a fight against his views, on one end he wanted to save the deer that he seeks to shoot, but then again he really wouldn't want to kill his Siberian husky who is his pride and joy. Another ironic part about this dream is that wolves are not found around here, but the closest thing to that animal in those woods would be a coyote. I have actually been hunting with him on that land, and I specifically remember him saying that he would should predatory animals if he saw them, anything from coyotes to foxes.