Saturday, February 6, 2010
Week 2, Freewriting #6
This semester has been going decently so far. I am taking more credit hours than I ever have before, so it’s definitely proving to take a toll on me. I have to get up really early every day of the week and once I’m up, I’m ok but it’s kind of hard rolling out of bed at 5 am. I just have a lot of things on my plate and it’s hard to pack it all in my schedule. It’s weird, when I’m not doing anything I feel guilty like I should be working 24/7. I think I’ll be ok though. For the first time ever, I got stuck in the snow. It wasn’t as exciting as I thought it was going to be. After about 2 hours of trying to get unstuck I gave up. Its right in front my house, but it’s in the middle of the street so hopefully my neighbors don’t have any plans to go anywhere anytime soon because I’m not planning on digging it out again until the snow melts which might be awhile. I was surprised to see that most of the side streets haven’t been plowed yet, and the streets are pretty much impassable. I when on a drive this morning to get back home and I was driving through like champ until I got stuck in front of my house. This one guy, in a little Toyota was flying down the street and I don’t know how he was doing it because I was barely staying in control even with my Tonka Truck. Northern Virginia has been trampled by the most snow I have ever seen. I went out and played in the snow and it’s easily two feet high. I am thinking we will get at least a week of classes off. Fairfax County has already cancelled classes so we definitely should not have classes on Monday, or even Tuesday.
Week 2, Freewriting #5
I have never really been asked to talk about my learning styles before this class. I can’t believe I haven’t though, because it seems very important and I have been “learning” most of my life but never asked how I learn. From looking at the list, and taking the quiz I have been put into the categories of sequential and intuitive. I think I learn the best when teachers are organized, so I can linearly follow their train of thought. When teachers prepare for their lecture I can tell, and it helps me to go back over my notes and prepare myself. I also like concepts and theories rather than details and little things that mess me up. When listening to lectures, I really do listen for key points and the overall concept of the information that is being told. I tend to write down everything that a teacher says, but I don’t really get anything out of it until I sit and think about it either in class or after class. The problem is, in engineering we are tested on little details and not over all concepts which really messes me up. When doing problems on either homework or tests I try to focus on the big idea and underlying concept rather than the numbers and values. This gets me into lots of trouble because my field of study really does rely on accurate numbers and precise calculations.
Week 2, Freewriting #4
My research topic is uncovering the reason behind building the International Space Station. The International Space Station is an internationally collaborative effort that is focused on scientific exploration and advancement in the field of Space studies. My goal is to explore the reason why so many countries have contributed to this huge program. A possible question you could ask is
• Why do we even have the International Space Station(ISS)?
o The ISS is on the leading edge of scientific discoveries and advancements. Research is being done in materials science, plant biology and being weightless.
• Which countries contribute the most to the ISS?
o The United States and Russia contribute the most to the ISS.
• When was it put into space and when will it be completed?
o The first section of the ISS was put into orbit in 1998, and has been continuing to receive structural updates until 2003.
• Why do we even have the International Space Station(ISS)?
o The ISS is on the leading edge of scientific discoveries and advancements. Research is being done in materials science, plant biology and being weightless.
• Which countries contribute the most to the ISS?
o The United States and Russia contribute the most to the ISS.
• When was it put into space and when will it be completed?
o The first section of the ISS was put into orbit in 1998, and has been continuing to receive structural updates until 2003.
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Article Summary #7
http://sciencenow.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/2010/204/2
Can Thin Mountain Air Make You Slim?
Recently, twenty obese men have been a part of an experiment that tests whether or not thin mountain air has an effect on metabolism and weight control. These twenty men spent a week on top of Germany’s highest peak to try and record the effects of the altitude. The results were astonishing; all twenty men saw their metabolism speed up, their appetite fade away and pounds of fat melt away. Researchers have their own doubts about this experiment because it lacks a control group- for instance a group of people living at normal altitude under the same living conditions like the same amount of food and water and daily activity. Without a control group it is quite hard to draw a feasible conclusion; however the results that were obtained are surprising nonetheless. One of the reasons that thin air increases metabolism is because mountain air contains less oxygen than air at lower altitudes and this causes the heart to beat faster and causes the body to burn more energy. Gastroenterologist Florian Lippl of the University Hospital of Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich in Germany questioned the technique by wondering how the altitude would affect these men who are so inactive already. She wondered if it would have any affect on them at all due to this fact. The counter argument is that the altitude will be doing most of the activity and that inhaling thin air would be enough of an activity to do the job.
Can Thin Mountain Air Make You Slim?
Recently, twenty obese men have been a part of an experiment that tests whether or not thin mountain air has an effect on metabolism and weight control. These twenty men spent a week on top of Germany’s highest peak to try and record the effects of the altitude. The results were astonishing; all twenty men saw their metabolism speed up, their appetite fade away and pounds of fat melt away. Researchers have their own doubts about this experiment because it lacks a control group- for instance a group of people living at normal altitude under the same living conditions like the same amount of food and water and daily activity. Without a control group it is quite hard to draw a feasible conclusion; however the results that were obtained are surprising nonetheless. One of the reasons that thin air increases metabolism is because mountain air contains less oxygen than air at lower altitudes and this causes the heart to beat faster and causes the body to burn more energy. Gastroenterologist Florian Lippl of the University Hospital of Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich in Germany questioned the technique by wondering how the altitude would affect these men who are so inactive already. She wondered if it would have any affect on them at all due to this fact. The counter argument is that the altitude will be doing most of the activity and that inhaling thin air would be enough of an activity to do the job.
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Week 2, Freewriting #3
-Nanotechnology
These days, engineers are trying to create things faster, cheaper, and most of all SMALLER. This is what the field on Nanotechnology is all about. Creating the devices we use today smaller, while keeping them affordable enough to be practical. Today, the NRI (Nanotechnology Research Initiative) is seeking new ways to change something that has been around for decades. Transistors technology, more specifically CMOS (Complimentary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) is the biggest issue at the NRI. These CMOS transistors are used in almost all electronic devices and creating them smaller is a huge issue because they are so widely used. They have been making several breakthroughs, however the controlling factor is cost. You cant try and produce something that is to expensive that companies cant afford to buy them, and in turn wont be able to sell them because they are to expensive.
-Fiber-optic Technology
Fiber optics use light as the transmission medium to transmit data. Since light is the fastest known thing in this universe, it makes fiber optic technology ideal in areas where speed is desirable. Electric current travels only at fraction of what light travels at, so research is being done to implement this technology for a means of communication. National LambdaRail is currently working on trying to create a nationwide network of these fiber optic networks. This would speed up transmission rates greatly and connect the nation together. These networks are likely to find their way into the commercial sector, specifically in areas such as network management and security. There are many companies that are contributing to this project such as Cisco and L3 communications.
These days, engineers are trying to create things faster, cheaper, and most of all SMALLER. This is what the field on Nanotechnology is all about. Creating the devices we use today smaller, while keeping them affordable enough to be practical. Today, the NRI (Nanotechnology Research Initiative) is seeking new ways to change something that has been around for decades. Transistors technology, more specifically CMOS (Complimentary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) is the biggest issue at the NRI. These CMOS transistors are used in almost all electronic devices and creating them smaller is a huge issue because they are so widely used. They have been making several breakthroughs, however the controlling factor is cost. You cant try and produce something that is to expensive that companies cant afford to buy them, and in turn wont be able to sell them because they are to expensive.
-Fiber-optic Technology
Fiber optics use light as the transmission medium to transmit data. Since light is the fastest known thing in this universe, it makes fiber optic technology ideal in areas where speed is desirable. Electric current travels only at fraction of what light travels at, so research is being done to implement this technology for a means of communication. National LambdaRail is currently working on trying to create a nationwide network of these fiber optic networks. This would speed up transmission rates greatly and connect the nation together. These networks are likely to find their way into the commercial sector, specifically in areas such as network management and security. There are many companies that are contributing to this project such as Cisco and L3 communications.
Week 2, Freewriting #2
I can’t believe I am writing about what I’m passionate about. Its not that I don’t know, it’s just that I have never been asked to say it before. I would like to say that I am passionate about a lot of things, but really there are only a few things that get my blood boiling and get me motivated. First is music, I am 100% passionate about it. I really don’t know why, its something about a good song that I just can’t get enough of. Tom Petty’s – “Mary Jane’s Last Dance” is one of the songs that could break me down. When I am playing guitar, I don’t have a care or worry in the world. When I am jamming hard to my favorite tune, its like all the problems in the world just go away and it’s just me, my guitar and the music. Music can influence and change people, and it really is some people’s lifeline. My second passion is working hard. I know cliché. But seriously, when I have a task or when I am working hard on a problem/issue/ anything really, I feel so alive. I apply this passion to every aspect of my life, engineering school, working out, running, doing well in ROTC and being the best person I can be. If you always have a drive to succeed then, you stay focused and stay on the right path. Working hard also provides you with the perfect excuse to relax hard. I firmly believe in work hard- play hard. You can be successful even if you do go out every once in awhile. I hate people who think that it’s bad if I go out on Friday or Saturday nights, because I should be inside alone in my room doing work. Hard work constitutes having a good time. I have been packing my life with so many activities and I have trying to be successful at all of them, and if I didn’t have this passion it would never work out.
Week 2, Freewriting #1
The most recent dream that I can remember having is unfortunately not a very pleasant one. I remember it like it actually happened yesterday. I remember I was riding in the passenger seat of my friend’s car, when all the sudden his phone rings. His facial expression changed immediately and I knew it was something serious. He was on the phone for a couple minutes and I knew something terrible had happened. When he hung up the phone, he said “Dude, friends name just died.” I was like whattttt? How? When? Why? All these things came into my mind. She has been one of my best friends since freshman year, and I couldn’t believe she actually died. I found out later that she died in a car crash going back home to MD. I couldn’t believe it, and I remember still being in shock for awhile while we were driving around. The crazy part was after a little while, we got back to campus and I remember running into her dorm room and trying to find her roommates, who also knew about the tragedy. Then I remember going to her boyfriend and giving him a big hug while he cried on my shoulder. She really was like the coolest girl ever and it was so weird, because even though it was a dream, it felt so weird. I remember actually shooting awake at 4:47 am, freaked out as heck and hoping she was ok. Then, the next morning I saw her and I was relieved to find out that she was ok and that it was definitely just a dream. It did freak me out how real it seemed and why she was in my dream out of all the other people I know. I hope the saying the dreams predict the future isn’t true because that would really suck if it did.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
