~ 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.