Languages--Chinese
I watched episode 42 of Travel in Chinese. This episode dealt with scenarios like losing your wallet on the subway, someplace that makes it much harder to track down.
Articles:
I read several newspaper articles today, one from Yahoo! News, two from informationweek.com, and one from the Washington Post.
The one from the Washington Post was another one about the use of Time Banks in Spain during the financial crisis. There are several different forms of this alternate currency depending on the region in Spain, and some transactions are done entirely through the internet, but essentially it all boils down to people trading services for other services. People are going back to the time when everything was bartered, and not bought with paper cash. The underground economy means these people aren't paying taxes, which could end up hurting the economy in the long-run but at the same time the government can't very well stop it. I don't think it will do too much lasting damage, since this sort of thing has happened before.
The Yahoo! News article was about IBM's plan to put Watson into smartphones. The problem right now is getting Watson small enough to be put into smartphones but with all the same capabilities it has as a full-size computer. The other problem is that Watson takes too long when learning things even though when the information is learned, it's quite efficient at getting answers.
One of the Information Week articles was about sentiment analysis and it's applications. Right now, it's extremely difficult to get computers to understand natural language, simply because it's so ambiguous and we have things like metaphors and symbolism. How do you get a computer to understand concepts like that? As a result, computers can't tell the meaning behind sentiments even if they can interpret the literal meaning of a sentence. But they can't tell if sarcasm is being utilized or if the writer is making a joke or not. This is the kind of thing that sentiment analysis hopes to one day be able to teach computers to understand, which I find extremely fascinating.
The last article was about the possibility of smartphones becoming smart enough to predict exactly what you're doing to do or say. Your smartphones accumulate data over time that says a lot about who you are and it's very possible that eventually they'll be able to take this data and analyze it, and that data will then be used by companies to get a feel for what to change or keep about their products or which ones to sell to you.
Philosophy:
I read about the concept of "means and ends" in Dewey's moral philosophy. He believed that the values of the end depend on the benefits of the mean. And as we're confronted with new obstacles, we immediately start to think of the consequences of our actions. This allows us to determine the benefits of the mean.
Internships:
I took a look at some jobs at Intel. I didn't find any in San Diego but I did find one for a software engineering position in Oregon.
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
Daily Stuff 8/27/2012
Languages--Chinese
I watched episode 41 of Travel in Chinese. This episode covered the scenario of losing your wallet.
Articles:
I read two Wall Street Journal articles. The first one was about time banks that have sprung up in Spain since it's economic trouble. Time banks are places where people can go to get some sort of service done, like a ride into town to run errands, in exchange for another service, maybe taking care of someone's elderly parents for them. Places that also take donated goods and redistribute them to people who need them and other similar places have sprung up as well. Some experts worry that this sort of set-up could end up hurting the overall economy in the long-run. That's a possibility but overall, I think it's a good thing. People are being resourceful in order to keep on living, which is definitely a good thing. It shows that they're willing to help each other out in a crisis.
The second article was about pair programming. At places like Facebook, programmers are being paired up. One person does the actual programming while the other checks for bugs and other errors so less time is wasted on programs that turn out to be full of bugs. Both programmers share one computer. This could be both a good thing and a bad thing. There's one possible problem with clashing personalities and even people who get along well could get sick of each other after working in such close proximity to each other. On the other hand, this method would save a lot of time and is ideal for someone who's not as confident in their programming ability, in which case they would be the person looking out for bugs.
Philosophy:
I read about contextualism in regards to Dewey's moral philosophy (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy). A contextual standard of value is one the solves the problem it was supposed to solve. So if one standard of value doesn't accomplish this, another one might and you could go through several before finding one that solves the problem. Dewey also believed that values can't be made out the context that gives them meaning.
Internships:
I saw a lot of jobs for IT engineers on the Qualcomm website. One in particular was one for a job involving IT Data Management.
I watched episode 41 of Travel in Chinese. This episode covered the scenario of losing your wallet.
Articles:
I read two Wall Street Journal articles. The first one was about time banks that have sprung up in Spain since it's economic trouble. Time banks are places where people can go to get some sort of service done, like a ride into town to run errands, in exchange for another service, maybe taking care of someone's elderly parents for them. Places that also take donated goods and redistribute them to people who need them and other similar places have sprung up as well. Some experts worry that this sort of set-up could end up hurting the overall economy in the long-run. That's a possibility but overall, I think it's a good thing. People are being resourceful in order to keep on living, which is definitely a good thing. It shows that they're willing to help each other out in a crisis.
The second article was about pair programming. At places like Facebook, programmers are being paired up. One person does the actual programming while the other checks for bugs and other errors so less time is wasted on programs that turn out to be full of bugs. Both programmers share one computer. This could be both a good thing and a bad thing. There's one possible problem with clashing personalities and even people who get along well could get sick of each other after working in such close proximity to each other. On the other hand, this method would save a lot of time and is ideal for someone who's not as confident in their programming ability, in which case they would be the person looking out for bugs.
Philosophy:
I read about contextualism in regards to Dewey's moral philosophy (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy). A contextual standard of value is one the solves the problem it was supposed to solve. So if one standard of value doesn't accomplish this, another one might and you could go through several before finding one that solves the problem. Dewey also believed that values can't be made out the context that gives them meaning.
Internships:
I saw a lot of jobs for IT engineers on the Qualcomm website. One in particular was one for a job involving IT Data Management.
Monday, August 27, 2012
Daily Stuff--8/26/2012
Languages--Chinese
I watched episode 40 of Travel in Chinese. This episode was another review of recent lessons.
Articles:
I read two Wall Street Journal articles today. The first one was about the crucial classes you should take for every year of your undergraduate college career. For example, the article advises getting your general education requirements out of the way your Freshman year and that should also be the time to make connections that will help further your career once you get a job. The article was very informative and will definitely help me when I'm planning my classes for the next couple of years.
The second article was about the importance of math and science in society. It is no longer something only "nerds" should be interested in. It would benefit just about anyone to be knowledgeable in math and science and jobs that focus heavily on the two subjects are ones that have lots of spaces to fill.
Philosophy:
I read about Dewey's definition of "desire" (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy). His definition is closer to what anyone else would describe as "intention" or "purpose". That is, a desire is something that is contemplated over and acted on consciously, rather than something that is impulsive.
Internships:
I found several jobs at Qualcomm in electrical engineering and similar fields. The jobs don't sound too difficult in comparison to some others that I've seen.
I watched episode 40 of Travel in Chinese. This episode was another review of recent lessons.
Articles:
I read two Wall Street Journal articles today. The first one was about the crucial classes you should take for every year of your undergraduate college career. For example, the article advises getting your general education requirements out of the way your Freshman year and that should also be the time to make connections that will help further your career once you get a job. The article was very informative and will definitely help me when I'm planning my classes for the next couple of years.
- Freshman Year:
- Writing classes
- Public speaking classes
- Foreign language--either one started in high school or a new one (Chinese and Arabic are desirable)
- Go to the career services center
- Sophomore Year:
- Business writing class
- Accounting and personal finance classes
- Be a part of one or two clubs where you can shine
- Volunteer
- Start looking for internships
- Junior Year:
- If you study abroad, take at least one class that will benefit you in the long-run
- Look for internships while studying abroad (course load will be lighter, making it easier to do both)
- Declare major if you haven't already and get those classes out of the way
- Keep in touch with academic adviser to make sure you're on track to graduate
- Get a summer internship
- Senior Year:
- Take electives based on what you learned during a summer job or internship
- Try to get a leadership position in at least one club
- Join school's alumni association
The second article was about the importance of math and science in society. It is no longer something only "nerds" should be interested in. It would benefit just about anyone to be knowledgeable in math and science and jobs that focus heavily on the two subjects are ones that have lots of spaces to fill.
Philosophy:
I read about Dewey's definition of "desire" (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy). His definition is closer to what anyone else would describe as "intention" or "purpose". That is, a desire is something that is contemplated over and acted on consciously, rather than something that is impulsive.
Internships:
I found several jobs at Qualcomm in electrical engineering and similar fields. The jobs don't sound too difficult in comparison to some others that I've seen.
Sunday, August 26, 2012
Daily Stuff--8/25/2012
Languages--Chinese
I watched episode 39 of Travel in Chinese. This episode was a review, which covered everything from buying pants to the Beijing tea house.
Articles:
I read two articles (Wall Street Journal) today. One was about the debt crisis in Europe and what started it. Countries have been pointing fingers--Germany blaming Greece, for example, but the problem can really be pinpointed back to the start of the use of the euro as currency. There were flaws in the plan even back then but they were ignored. Now, those mistakes are catching up and it's become the crisis it is today.
The other article was about the growing need for dietitians in places like supermarkets. One chain already has a resident dietitian for virtually every store, who advises people on what they should be eating, monitors their biometrics, and does various other things, without the huge cost that usually comes with programs like these. As a result, people are eating healthier and know exactly what to buy if they have some sort of allergy, like one to gluten, or some other illness that prevents them from eating certain things. I think having dietitians readily available at supermarkets is definitely a good thing since it says people a lot of time and money.
Philosophy:
I read about valuing vs. evaluation (specifically valuing), which is part of Dewey's moral philosophy (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy). Valuing is oftentimes something instinctual. It's what we're drawn towards or repelled by whether we realize the reason why or not. Habits are part of valuing, since they're basically subconsciously executed once they are learned.
Internships:
I read about augmented reality, after seeing that internship yesterday. Augmented reality is basically some view of the world, either direct or indirect, generated by a computer. This makes me think of video games, since you always play a game through your character's eyes.
I watched episode 39 of Travel in Chinese. This episode was a review, which covered everything from buying pants to the Beijing tea house.
Articles:
I read two articles (Wall Street Journal) today. One was about the debt crisis in Europe and what started it. Countries have been pointing fingers--Germany blaming Greece, for example, but the problem can really be pinpointed back to the start of the use of the euro as currency. There were flaws in the plan even back then but they were ignored. Now, those mistakes are catching up and it's become the crisis it is today.
The other article was about the growing need for dietitians in places like supermarkets. One chain already has a resident dietitian for virtually every store, who advises people on what they should be eating, monitors their biometrics, and does various other things, without the huge cost that usually comes with programs like these. As a result, people are eating healthier and know exactly what to buy if they have some sort of allergy, like one to gluten, or some other illness that prevents them from eating certain things. I think having dietitians readily available at supermarkets is definitely a good thing since it says people a lot of time and money.
Philosophy:
I read about valuing vs. evaluation (specifically valuing), which is part of Dewey's moral philosophy (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy). Valuing is oftentimes something instinctual. It's what we're drawn towards or repelled by whether we realize the reason why or not. Habits are part of valuing, since they're basically subconsciously executed once they are learned.
Internships:
I read about augmented reality, after seeing that internship yesterday. Augmented reality is basically some view of the world, either direct or indirect, generated by a computer. This makes me think of video games, since you always play a game through your character's eyes.
Saturday, August 25, 2012
Daily Stuff--8/24/2012
Language--Chinese:
I watched episode 38 of Travel in Chinese. This episode was about traditional Beijing teahouses and the performances that are often shown there.
Articles:
I read an article in the Union Tribune about Tijuana's growing tech industry. The implications of this is that Mexico could very well become a country for the US to compete with, though they probably won't be as big competition as China and Germany.
I also read an interview (Adage.com) with Nokia's head geek, Valerie Buckingham, about Nokia's planned comeback. It used to be the biggest cell phone company until the iPhnoes and Androids came around. Buckingham has stressed the importance of Nokia's loyal fans, as they'll be the ones who will hopefully buy the new products the company produces.
Lastly, I read an article from the LA Times about the best jobs for the Millennial generation. At small technology companies, employees could be earning up to $40,000. Unlike previous generations, the Millennials aren't looking for lifetime careers with big companies, which is why smaller companies are best for them.
Philosophy:
I read more about Dewey's moral philosophy (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy). In the case of one's habits being impeded, you must find a different way to make an assessment of them. This is where deliberation comes in. Deliberation involves investigating why the change in habit has occurred and what caused it, which in turn allows you make the same sort of inferences you would if you were just analyze their habits.
Internships:
I found one job on the Qualcomm website, an Augmented Reality Integration and Test Engineer. It sounds interesting but also fairly daunting.
I watched episode 38 of Travel in Chinese. This episode was about traditional Beijing teahouses and the performances that are often shown there.
Articles:
I read an article in the Union Tribune about Tijuana's growing tech industry. The implications of this is that Mexico could very well become a country for the US to compete with, though they probably won't be as big competition as China and Germany.
I also read an interview (Adage.com) with Nokia's head geek, Valerie Buckingham, about Nokia's planned comeback. It used to be the biggest cell phone company until the iPhnoes and Androids came around. Buckingham has stressed the importance of Nokia's loyal fans, as they'll be the ones who will hopefully buy the new products the company produces.
Lastly, I read an article from the LA Times about the best jobs for the Millennial generation. At small technology companies, employees could be earning up to $40,000. Unlike previous generations, the Millennials aren't looking for lifetime careers with big companies, which is why smaller companies are best for them.
Philosophy:
I read more about Dewey's moral philosophy (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy). In the case of one's habits being impeded, you must find a different way to make an assessment of them. This is where deliberation comes in. Deliberation involves investigating why the change in habit has occurred and what caused it, which in turn allows you make the same sort of inferences you would if you were just analyze their habits.
Internships:
I found one job on the Qualcomm website, an Augmented Reality Integration and Test Engineer. It sounds interesting but also fairly daunting.
Friday, August 24, 2012
Daily Stuff--8/23/2012
Language--Chinese
I watched episode 37 of Travel in Chinese. This episode was about renting a car.
Article:
I read two articles, one from the Wall Street Journal, and one from the Washington Post. The Washington Post article was about evidence that researchers have found that suggests that the Indo-European languages originated somewhere in Turkey. By analyzing words from over 100 contemporary and ancient languages, scientists believe that the Indo-European languages originated in the Anatolia region. However, one other theory, popular among linguists, places the origin of these languages somewhere in Russia. Linguists have come to this conclusion by trying to reconstruct the ancestral language and learned that words for "wheel" and "wagon" among others are related among Indo-European languages, which places it's origins in Russia.
The Wall Street Journal article was about how the European debt crisis is affecting Europeans' coffee consumption. Before the crisis, most people were buying coffee at least once a day, sometimes several times a day in places like Italy. Now, more people have cut it out of their daily routine, or reduced the number of coffees they buy a day. This in turn has upped the demand for cheaper coffee blends.
Philosophy:
I read about John Dewey's moral philosophy, specifically the development of social psychology, which is then used to explain his moral philosophy (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy). He believed that human conduct is made up of several different components, among them are impulses and habits. Impulses are the things we do subconsciously without thinking about the consequences. Habits are a step up from impulses. They're what guide impulses in a certain direction to shape certain outcomes of our future. Because of this, a person's habits can tell you a lot about them as a person.
Internships:
I looked up more jobs and internships at Qualcomm, this time in Systems Engineering. I found several interesting sounding jobs and at least one internship.
I watched episode 37 of Travel in Chinese. This episode was about renting a car.
Article:
I read two articles, one from the Wall Street Journal, and one from the Washington Post. The Washington Post article was about evidence that researchers have found that suggests that the Indo-European languages originated somewhere in Turkey. By analyzing words from over 100 contemporary and ancient languages, scientists believe that the Indo-European languages originated in the Anatolia region. However, one other theory, popular among linguists, places the origin of these languages somewhere in Russia. Linguists have come to this conclusion by trying to reconstruct the ancestral language and learned that words for "wheel" and "wagon" among others are related among Indo-European languages, which places it's origins in Russia.
The Wall Street Journal article was about how the European debt crisis is affecting Europeans' coffee consumption. Before the crisis, most people were buying coffee at least once a day, sometimes several times a day in places like Italy. Now, more people have cut it out of their daily routine, or reduced the number of coffees they buy a day. This in turn has upped the demand for cheaper coffee blends.
Philosophy:
I read about John Dewey's moral philosophy, specifically the development of social psychology, which is then used to explain his moral philosophy (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy). He believed that human conduct is made up of several different components, among them are impulses and habits. Impulses are the things we do subconsciously without thinking about the consequences. Habits are a step up from impulses. They're what guide impulses in a certain direction to shape certain outcomes of our future. Because of this, a person's habits can tell you a lot about them as a person.
Internships:
I looked up more jobs and internships at Qualcomm, this time in Systems Engineering. I found several interesting sounding jobs and at least one internship.
Thursday, August 23, 2012
Daily Stuff--8/22/12
Chinese:
I watched episode 36 of Travel in Chinese. This episode was about buying traditional Chinese style clothing.
Article:
I read two newspaper articles (Wall Street Journal). One was about consumer electronics start-ups and why they're so much easier to launch now than they used to be. The prototypes are much cheaper to develop now and China offers cheap labor and the no hassle of factories or similar facilities. They're willing to work on anything someone tells them to manufacture.
The other article was about algorithms and the fact that they can now do a fair amount of creative things, like writing and picking potential hits in music--things that used to only be done by humans. This leads to the question of what exactly is left for humans to do? The best option is probably to be the person making the algorithms but I still think it's a little sad that the one thing that made humans superior to computers isn't there anymore. I will say that on a large scale, algorithms can be useful. For example, sifting through potential movies to see which ones are potential money-makers. But for music, I think an algorithm can determine which songs are catchy, but the music, more often than not, has no substance to it. And to think that those radio hits with no substance are getting played in favor of songs that are still good but overlooked is sad to me. It's less creative.
Philosophy:
I read about John Dewey and his philosophy on education. He believed that education should be a place to acquire general knowledge like math and reading, as well as a place to learn how to live. In other words, students should be taught with the bigger picture in mind. How will they use these skills in the future? What jobs could they get with these skills? It's up to the student to use these skills to their full potential, but it's the teacher's job to teach those skills so they can be used to their full potential.
Internships:
I looked up jobs at Qualcomm and found several in software engineering. I looked at one internship specifically. It's for summer 2013, and it's for people majoring in Computer Science or some sort of engineering major.
I watched episode 36 of Travel in Chinese. This episode was about buying traditional Chinese style clothing.
Article:
I read two newspaper articles (Wall Street Journal). One was about consumer electronics start-ups and why they're so much easier to launch now than they used to be. The prototypes are much cheaper to develop now and China offers cheap labor and the no hassle of factories or similar facilities. They're willing to work on anything someone tells them to manufacture.
The other article was about algorithms and the fact that they can now do a fair amount of creative things, like writing and picking potential hits in music--things that used to only be done by humans. This leads to the question of what exactly is left for humans to do? The best option is probably to be the person making the algorithms but I still think it's a little sad that the one thing that made humans superior to computers isn't there anymore. I will say that on a large scale, algorithms can be useful. For example, sifting through potential movies to see which ones are potential money-makers. But for music, I think an algorithm can determine which songs are catchy, but the music, more often than not, has no substance to it. And to think that those radio hits with no substance are getting played in favor of songs that are still good but overlooked is sad to me. It's less creative.
Philosophy:
I read about John Dewey and his philosophy on education. He believed that education should be a place to acquire general knowledge like math and reading, as well as a place to learn how to live. In other words, students should be taught with the bigger picture in mind. How will they use these skills in the future? What jobs could they get with these skills? It's up to the student to use these skills to their full potential, but it's the teacher's job to teach those skills so they can be used to their full potential.
Internships:
I looked up jobs at Qualcomm and found several in software engineering. I looked at one internship specifically. It's for summer 2013, and it's for people majoring in Computer Science or some sort of engineering major.
Wednesday, August 22, 2012
Daily Stuff
Chinese:
I watched episode 35 of Travel in Chinese. This episode dealt with language related to buying antiques.
Article:
I read an article in the Wall Street Journal about the development of the brain and the fact that it's been found that that parts of the human brain that control decision-making and impulse control and things like that don't fully develop until we hit late-20s. So, it's completely normal for people in their early 20s to be unsure of what they want to do in life. It's also been found that anxiety and depression and mental disorders like schizophrenia are also likely to manifest in this time frame. This definitely seems to be a problem among people in my age group and it would explain why my anxiety seems to have gotten worse in the past few years.
Philosophy:
I read about William James's philosophy of religion on Wikipedia. He believed that religious experiences and not religious institutions were what should be the main topic of religious study. He also believed that our experiences, religious or otherwise, and especially very intense ones, were windows into the human mind. He believed psychologists should be focusing on these experiences in order to study the human mind.
I watched episode 35 of Travel in Chinese. This episode dealt with language related to buying antiques.
Article:
I read an article in the Wall Street Journal about the development of the brain and the fact that it's been found that that parts of the human brain that control decision-making and impulse control and things like that don't fully develop until we hit late-20s. So, it's completely normal for people in their early 20s to be unsure of what they want to do in life. It's also been found that anxiety and depression and mental disorders like schizophrenia are also likely to manifest in this time frame. This definitely seems to be a problem among people in my age group and it would explain why my anxiety seems to have gotten worse in the past few years.
Philosophy:
I read about William James's philosophy of religion on Wikipedia. He believed that religious experiences and not religious institutions were what should be the main topic of religious study. He also believed that our experiences, religious or otherwise, and especially very intense ones, were windows into the human mind. He believed psychologists should be focusing on these experiences in order to study the human mind.
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
Notes on CS253
Notes on CS253:
I'm currently taking CS253 and this is just a way to help me focus my learning better.
I'm currently taking CS253 and this is just a way to help me focus my learning better.
- Unit 1:
- Overview of the Internet
- Web pages communicate via servers
- Clients are the ones using the webpage
- Servers are on the other side
- Servers can communicate with each other
- Most common protocol is "http"
- Overview of HTML
- "Hypertext Markup Language"
- Different tags do different things
- e.g: <b> </b> = bold lettering
- Text content = what you see
- Markup = what the page looks like
- Can include videos and pictures
- Can also include links to other pages
- Unit 2:
- Google app engine
- Used to create web applications
- Good because it had a built-in database
- Web application can be a working website
- Things to do with Google App Engine
- Forms allow for things like text boxes
- Once you have text box, you can enter text but can't enter data anywhere
- Can add submit button and link to website like google
- Now, when you submit data, it brings up a Google search
- Unit 3:
- Databases
- Stores data
- Can be used to retrieve data
- Can be used to compare data
- Relational databases = most common
- Unit 4:
- Cookies
- Small pieces of data stored in web browser
- Usually temporary data, like user ID
- Sent through servers
- Hashing
- Function that takes x as input and outputs y
- Used for security since reversing it is difficult
- Unit 5: Getting computers to interact
- Making requests
- Urllib used for basic requests
- XML
- Similar to HTML
- More consistent
- Used to exchange data
- JSON
- JavaScript Object Notation
- Also used to exchange data
- Main data structure = dictionaries and lists
- Unit 6: Running apps on large scale
- Scaling
- Allows for serving more requests
- Allows for more data storage
- Allows for faster request serving
- Caching
- Results of operations that are stored
- Allows for these operations to be performed faster in the future
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