~ Future Students ~

Hello future bloggers, My experience in Eng103 was very beneficial, I’ve learned many things I never knew before. When I would write research papers, the first place I would search for sources is Google. When I started Eng103 I’ve learned how to branch out my search, finding different websites such as Lexis Nexis, Jstor, The New York Times, Gale Virtue Library etc. These websites actually give you reliable sources instead of using Wikipedia.
My advice to you future bloggers do not procrastinate and wait till the last minute to complete an assignment. I know most people when finished with a class, all handouts from that class end up in the garbage however, I recommend you save those handouts because it will help you a lot if you ever get stuck. In order to pass try not to be absent to many times because you will be behind. It will get a little confusing to separate the work in Eng101 and Eng 103 but if you set a plan on how to divide your work you will be fine. One more thing take the milestones very seriously and do them it’s a big part of your grade.
Good Luck!!

Blog Assignment #8

Entering this cluster I must admit I was confused in what to aspect. In the middle of the semester I understood what the class was acknowledging me with However, I was still confused on how Minds, Brains, and consciousness relate. Now we are at the end of the semester and I have a more clear understanding on our all these classes are joined together. Humanities and scientists play a major important role on these topics. Philosophers are humanist who have their own view points on life and how the mind works. Scientist focuses more on theories and why we do the things we do using studies of the brain and our consciousness. Eng101 ties into this because we have read many short stories such as a Play by Caryl Churchchill “A Number” which touches on Nature Vs. Nurture and why we behave a certain way, is it our environment or from our genes. In the last month of this semester we started engaging our knowledge on the benefits and calamities of robots and human cloning can have on our world. I knew they had robots that can hold things but I never looked at the peril and promises robots can bring in the near future. As anyone else I focus on what's present in the world not really thinking about what's going to happen in the future . As technology keeps advancing it’s made me think about how they might even be able to do the jobs we do. So its saying more people would be getting laid off jobs because if robots can do the same tasks without pay, businesses will find it to be better. I always saw human cloning in a negative way based on films I watched There’s always the bad and good twin watching the film “Never Let Me Go has made me dislike human cloning even more. I believe human clones have the right to live without being destroyed for their organs. Even though your helping someone survive at the end you’re still hurting someone.


Starting Eng101 in September I didn’t know much on formatting essays. However, Eng 101 was very beneficial to my knowledge. I think my writing as improved dramatically; I have learned to do more research instead of jumping start to Google for answers. However, I faced many challenges finding sources and then having to quote them made it a little confusing for me. Also I really did not know how to format papers and how to not make papers informal. What helped me a lot were professor Dragans handouts. He didn't only explain to us what to do examples were used. Sometimes I would get stuck on how to start my essay but professor Dragans handouts guided me through easily making my task easier. I have enjoyed my semester in Eng101 and I must say I am ready for my future essays thanks to professor Dragan.

Blog 6
  R represents the most signifinant transformation, because intelligence is the most powerful “force” in the universe. Intelligence, if sufficiently advanced, is well, smart enough to anticipate and overcome any obstacles that stand in its path”.(Kurzweil 116).

Ray Kurzweil's book “The Singularity is Near” expresses the transformation in the 21 st century which  will be characterized by three overlapping revolutions  Genteics, Nanotechnology, and Robotics. Kurzweil believes the most powerful force in the universe is intelligence. Furthermore, robotics represented by R takes part of this form. well enough it will overcome any obstacles that stand in it’s path.

Nanotechnology has the potential to enhance human performance, to bring sustainable development for materials, water, energy, and food, to protect against unknown bacteria and virsuses, and even to diminish the reasons for breaking the peace (by creating universal abundance).
National science foundation Nanotechnology (pg126)

The National science foundation are optimistic about robotics,explaining the positive light in the future on  the enhancement of human performance.

Relating to a film and New York Times article we will see how robotic machines (Bionics) are used in overcoming an obstacle in someone’s life.

Mr. Jones was interviewed for the New York Times. He told journalist his life was destroyed once his arm was amputated. Receiving this robotic hand has been beneficial in many ways even improved his penmanship. In The film version the man tells his experience with cancer, strokes, more importantly his arm being amputated.He is  actually thrilled with the new invention. He never thought he would have made it alive to try this new robotic hand. It has helped him to have better grip with certain objects such as holding coffee. This robotic machine called the prodigit was invented in 2003. It's made out of carbon and weighs less than an normal arm. In the inside of the arm there are senses which pick up a muscle pinching and moves the arm.

As we can see many us are concerned that robots may destroy human kind. One of the major problems is the more robots are invented, the faster we loose our jobs. I disagree, I believe society has shaped us to have a negative mind on the world. Robots aren't out to destroy us however, to help us so that we would perform tasks more carefully. It especially gives doctors an opportunity to spend more time on creating new cures for illnesses.

Blog post #7

Caryl Churchill's play shows us the natural human desire by salter to make up for his past wrongs by cloning his son. Things do not go as planned, and there is a tragic ending. We can learn a lot on science through storytelling however, we should keep in mind scientific experiments aren't always successful. Quotes in the play A Number written by Caryl Churchill about Human Cloning engage in proving this point. Churchill leaves it up to the reader to decide whether human cloning is a bad or good idea.
Quote#1
Salter: "what I want to know is how you actually, what you, how you got him to go off to some remote because that's what I'm imaging, you don't shoot the lodger without the landlady hearing"(Churchill). In making this comment Churchill argues that human cloning has many perils. Clones can be killed withno evidence of death. This raises conflict in violence therefore, if killing can be so simple without trace backs then more crimes would be committed.
Quote #2
"What they've done they've damaged your uniqueness, weakened your identity, so we're looking at five million for a start"(churchill152). Basically,Churchill illustrates in this quote, Salter a selfish father influencing his cloned son to sue the hosptial however, salter doesn't really care about his son he's more worried about the money.

My eng103 Research plan #1

Thesis: Science fiction presents us with I-Robot, portraying a pessimistic view in which robots are used to destroy and overpower humankind. In contrast, based on several sources, I will argue that although science fiction films like Irobot depict a pessimistic view of robotics, recent advances in medicine and bionics show the real potential and benefits of robots enhancing human life.

To Instruct a sucessful research paper with this argument I will need sources that explain the use and benefits of Robotic medicines and Bionics. I will need to find more film reviews and a book describing bionics.

Blog assignment #5

As we have seen in the course packet Ray Kurzweil in the Singularity is near Demonstrates an optimistic view on robots. In contrast, David Gelernter in his essay " Dream-logic, the Internet and Artificial Thought" is more pessimistic about the possibility of thinking machines. I agree, with Ray Kurzweil I am optimistic about robotics and technology. I feel strongly positive about the future as Kurzweil in chapter five he states " the first half of the twenty-first century will be characterized by three overlapping revolutions in genetics, Biotechnology, and robotics. The "N" Revolution will enable us to redesign and rebuild, and G will overcome the age-old difficulties of disease. Kurzweil explains the beneficial aspects of robots. I believe robots benefit us in everyway. Many people believe robots would not be able to complete certain tasks as humans. I believe it's not about emotions or hallucinations but intelligence which is the greatest force of the universe helping us in various ways.  Such in Diseases,poverty, environmental destruction, unnecessary suffering of all kinds: these are things that a superintelligence equipped with advanced nanotechnology would be capable of eliminating additionally a superintelligence.

Thesis Statement

   Scientific fiction presents us with The matrix portraying a pessimistic view in which robots are used to destroy and overpower human kind. In contrast Anne Eisenberg illustrates how robots are not created to destroy however to benefit those in need. I will argue, through robotic medicine development it has been proven robots help save lives. 

Blog #2

"Research that once required days in the stacks or periodical rooms of libraries can now be done in minutes” (Carr20) Why should we spend hours looking for information to our answer when we the internet to give us what we want in seconds. Carr states in his article he begins to lose patience when finding answers in a textbook. His mind is use to working like a computer that he can’t stay focus. We become so dependent to the internet our minds start to program like computers at a fast pace.

I believe most of us can relate to Carr and the many other people who voiced their opinion in the course pack on how the internet is effecting how we think. Who needs textbooks now to find answers when in a click of a button on Google we can find what were looking for. It can take away the ability to fully understand what you’re reading and grasp the answer in your memory. When we have a textbook we have to sit down and analyze the answer and really think about it. Meanwhile Google can just shoot out the answer; we really don’t have to think about what to write because it’s at our fingertips nice and simple. I mean who wouldn’t want it that way many of us seek in finding ways in making life easier and accessible.  

Now my concentration starts to drift after two or three pages. I get fidgety, lose the thread, and begin we have to looking for something to do. (Carr19)

Now who doesn’t have like five windows open while writing a paper? I know I do my attention span has gotten worse over the years that I cannot stay focus on something for more then 30 minutes. I will spend 30 minutes on my paper then switch over to another tab get on facebook maybe even chat with friends on skype. When I finally get back to my paper I forget my train of thought. This is what Carr argues in his article our attention spans are getting worse affecting the way we think because we are not giving our 100% attention to one task.

Facts on Nicholas Carr

Nicholas Carr writes about technology, culture, and economics. His most recent book, The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains, is a 2011 Pulitzer Prize nominee and a New York Times bestseller. Nick is also the author of two other influential books, The Big Switch: Rewiring the World, from Edison to Google (2008) and Does IT Matter? (2004). His books have been translated into more than 20 languages.
Nick has been a columnist for The Guardian in London and has written for The Atlantic, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Wired, The Times of London, The New Republic, The Financial Times, Die Zeit and other periodicals. His essay “Is Google Making Us Stupid?” has been collected in several anthologies, including The Best American Science and Nature Writing 2009, The Best Spiritual Writing 2010, and The Best Technology Writing 2009.
Nick is a member of the Encyclopedia Britannica's editorial board of advisors, is on the steering board of the World Economic Forum's cloud computing project, and writes the popular blog Rough Type. He has been a writer-in-residence at the University of California, Berkeley, and is a sought-after speaker for academic and corporate events. Earlier in his career, he was executive editor of the Harvard Business Review. He holds a B.A. from Dartmouth College and an M.A., in English and American Literature and Language, from Harvard University.

Irene M. Pepperberg
Irene Maxine Pepperberg (born April 1, 1949, Brooklyn, New York) is a scientist noted for her studies in animal cognition, particularly in relation to parrots. She is an adjunct professor of psychology at Brandeis University and a lecturer at Harvard University. She is well known for her comparative studies into the cognitive fundamentals of language and communication, and was one of the first to try to extend work on language learning in animals other than humans (exemplified by the Washoe project) to a bird species. Dr. Pepperberg is also active in wildlife conservation, especially in relation to parrots.

Research paper topic freewrite

 I'm really not sure what topic I'm going to be writing about but it's either between research paper #4 or #5.

 I'm interested in #4 because I want to further my education majoring in psychology. If i choose this topic I will use the film Notebook. Some questions I would be considering are, the life and mind of a person who surfers memory loss. What does the movie get wrong? Are there any limitations or even biases in the film.

I'm also interested in research #5 portraying robots (or human clones) because I'm interested in how robots are  beginning to dominate our society today. I was actually speaking to my mother about robots and she had told me when she was in high school one her topics in class was robots and how there going to take over. To my mom she found it to be silly and thought it would happen years in life but she was wrong. In today's world we have robots producing cars, like what's next! A film I would be using if I choose this topic is I robot. Some questions I would be considering are what does the film version get right about the current state of research into robots? Does the film challenge our understanding of what it means  to be human?  Does the film choose humans over robots?
 

Eng101 Assignment #1 Brainstorming

For essay #1 in ENG101 I will be writing on Nicholas Carr's essay, "Is Google Making Us Stupid?" I will be agreeing with the statement, I do believe "internet technologies are changing the human mind in unpredictable ways and are damaging our memories and attention spans". Technology has many positive influences but eventually positive influences turn negative, as a result it can harm us in the end.

 

The first draft on essay #1 is due on Monday September 26,so that means I should get started as soon as possible rather than leaving it till the night before.

Hello there bloggers, my name is stephanie Blass and this is my first year at LaGuardia Community College. My goals for the future is to become a Clinical psychologist or work with autistic children. My dream is to start an organization to help women who are troubled with my special skill in beauty and combining it with psychology. Psychology and beauty come hand to hand because once you enhance your beauty from the outside you start to act different from within. If I were to choose between science or humanities I would have to say both. Science because I love to learn about different theories people had and humanities because in philosophy you never have a definite answer so we have to take the time and think and reflect why. The difference between philosophy and psychology is in philosophy there is no definite answer but a thought can seperate into a science such as psychology where psychologist build theories. Beginning the cluster class I really didn't know what it was but now a week into it I must say its pretty interesting. I hope to learn how these subjects connect. This cluster will help me alot in my future goals and hopefully for many other bloggers.