Writing Prompt 5/26/2015 - Google Doodle
Doodler.. What would I doodle about if I worked for google? I would probably mix things up a lot if I had that job. For example, one day I might doodle about something in history that happened on that day, like a random event in history that happened on May 27th, 1535. Or, on occasions of days of significance, I would have a fun interactive doodle, like having to click on fireworks for a Fourth of a July doodle. Either well, my doodles would always portray something meaningful. I would be very appreciative of having this job because it sounds like a lot of fun, even if i am not best drawer.
Writing Prompt 5/5/2015 - Emerging Technologies
Personally, I think that we should only work on developing artificial intelligences under very controlled, remote environments with no chance of the intelligence malfunctioning and turning into, say, a computer virus and escaping into the real world. The AI's sole purpose should be to provide for humanity, and any other function that this AI is programmed to do is second to that.
Now, facing the facts. While it is generally agreed upon that at this stage of our artificial intelligence poses no threat to becoming "self-aware", renowned and intelligent people have definitely voiced their concern about us plundering into the unknown territory of artificial intelligence. According to an article by the Wall Street Journal http://www.wsj.com/articles/does-artificial-intelligence-pose-a-threat-1431109025
- geniuses like Stephen Hawking, Tesla founder Elon Musk, and Bill Gates have all agreed that if we were to develop and give full capabilities to AI, and if they were to become self-aware, they could potentially find no use for humans and choose to eliminate us. However, there is no fact backing this up. The only current risk coming from developing AI's is loss of jobs: two Oxford Researchers have found that AI's could someday threaten about half of the workforce's jobs. Based on what I have read throughout the article, I found no reason to believe that AI's a threat to us, and that we should continue developing them and using them to assist humanity. That should be how they are programmed -- always help humanity, and they should never be used for wars, otherwise Stephen Hawkings, Elon Musk, and Bill Gate's fears could all come true.
“I think the development of full artificial intelligence could spell the end of the human race,” astrophysicist Stephen Hawking told the BBC. Tesla founder Elon Musk called AI “our biggest existential threat.” Former Microsoft Chief Executive Bill Gates has voiced his agreement."
Now, facing the facts. While it is generally agreed upon that at this stage of our artificial intelligence poses no threat to becoming "self-aware", renowned and intelligent people have definitely voiced their concern about us plundering into the unknown territory of artificial intelligence. According to an article by the Wall Street Journal http://www.wsj.com/articles/does-artificial-intelligence-pose-a-threat-1431109025
- geniuses like Stephen Hawking, Tesla founder Elon Musk, and Bill Gates have all agreed that if we were to develop and give full capabilities to AI, and if they were to become self-aware, they could potentially find no use for humans and choose to eliminate us. However, there is no fact backing this up. The only current risk coming from developing AI's is loss of jobs: two Oxford Researchers have found that AI's could someday threaten about half of the workforce's jobs. Based on what I have read throughout the article, I found no reason to believe that AI's a threat to us, and that we should continue developing them and using them to assist humanity. That should be how they are programmed -- always help humanity, and they should never be used for wars, otherwise Stephen Hawkings, Elon Musk, and Bill Gate's fears could all come true.
“I think the development of full artificial intelligence could spell the end of the human race,” astrophysicist Stephen Hawking told the BBC. Tesla founder Elon Musk called AI “our biggest existential threat.” Former Microsoft Chief Executive Bill Gates has voiced his agreement."
Bigfoot Graph, Data, and Explanation
This graph is based on data from both some period one and period two students. I chose to use more than one period because more data would lead to more accurate results and estimations. Using the equation y = 4.1518x + 24.911, and using his foot-size of 17.75 inches, and plugging in 17.75 for X and solving the equation, I have extrapolated bigfoot's height to be 123.51645 inches tall.
Friday 1/23/2014 Constraint-Based Activity
My group and I decided to use our materials of 1 piece of regular blank paper, yarn, and 5 2-feet sticks of not-so-durable wood to make a device that can catch and retain 3 tennis balls dropped from 6 inches, 1 foot, and 2 feet high in the air. We used the paper to make a cylinder structure to catch the balls, and the tied the wood with the yarn and used the wood to support the paper so it wouldn't fall off. We broke the remaining wood into little pieces and put it inside of the bottom of the cylinder to break the fall of the tennis ball, and make sort of 2 antennas to help guide the tennis ball down the device. Our device was somewhat successful, as we were able to hold 2 of the 3 tennis balls, but the 3rd one knocked the device over. Overall I think we did a good job, but with some more time and some materials I feel as if we could have had been more successful, even though this was a constraint-based problem.
Project One - Invention and Innovation
Me and my partner Kyra did our project on the concept of a SmartPhone. Here is the link to the voicethread of our project, where we found a product of our choice, its genealogy, technology transfers involved in our project, demand factors and their impact on the success or failure of the product, and the next step for the product that we chose (smartphone).
Link: https://voicethread.com/new/share/6491673/
Link: https://voicethread.com/new/share/6491673/
Friday 1/30/2014 - Design Challenge #2
For this friday's design challenge, we had to transport food supplies (3 lego bricks) across a distance of 25 feet to another city (an "x" made of tape) via airborne methods because ground methods took too long due to "rough terrains". To accomplish this task, my group and I created 3 different designs.
Design 1: A big paper airplane with the lego bricks tucked into it under its wings, thrown by hand. We used hot glue to glue sticks to add weight and support to the plane.- Somewhat inaccurate
Design 2: Lego bricks surround in wrapping paper held together with rubber bands and thrown by hand. Somewhat accurate.
Design 3: "Sky Crane", a bunch of sticks glued end by end to merely reach across 25 feet and "drop" the legos wrapped in paper and attached to the crane via a hook (paperclip) and cable (yarn) . Would have had worked perfectly if we had more time to finish building it.
Design 1: A big paper airplane with the lego bricks tucked into it under its wings, thrown by hand. We used hot glue to glue sticks to add weight and support to the plane.- Somewhat inaccurate
Design 2: Lego bricks surround in wrapping paper held together with rubber bands and thrown by hand. Somewhat accurate.
Design 3: "Sky Crane", a bunch of sticks glued end by end to merely reach across 25 feet and "drop" the legos wrapped in paper and attached to the crane via a hook (paperclip) and cable (yarn) . Would have had worked perfectly if we had more time to finish building it.
Friday 2/5/2014 - Design Challenge #3
For today's challenge we had to complete at least 3 circuits from the Arduino Booklet. Me and my partner Kyra completed circuits 5, 6, and 13. In circuit 5 we made a circuit with a push-button, and basically what that is is when you push the button, it allows the flow of electricity through and thus lights up the LED. In circuit 6, we we made a circuit with a Photo Resistor, and what that basically is is a device that senses the amount of light in the room around it, and based on that light, dims or brightens the LED. In circuit 13, we made a circuit with a relay, and what that does is it controls which LED of the two turn on and off. For example, when on, the relay will turn on the yellow LED, and after a second it will turn it off, and then turn the red LED on, and vice versa.
Friday 2/13/2014 Writing Prompt #1
Today during my excavation I made a most wonderful discovery: the fossil of an ancient and never before documented dinosaur! Its fossil outline on its face looks like the dinosaur smiled, so I will name the dinosaur beatussaurus. Beatus is Latin for happy, and I assume this dinosaur was happy due to its smiling :) When this dinosaur was alive, I'm pretty sure it would lure in its prey by looking weak and smiling, and looking really harmless, but was actually quite a vicious dinosaur and would lash out on the unexpected prey (predator). The beatussaurus was about 11 feet tall, and weighed about 400 pounds. When this dino was not out hunting, I'm sure his smile brightened up the place, even as the dinosaurs saw their doom coming in the form of a meteorite. :)))
Importance of Drawings - Writing Prompt
A tipi, also called a tepee and/or teepee, is a conical tent, traditionally made of animal skins, and wooden poles. The tipi was used by the nomadic tribes/band governments of the Great Plains and Canadian Prairies in North America to provide warmth and housing to as many as 30-40 people, or smaller families.
For their time, teepees were very successful because they were not that difficult to make and could provide warmth and shelter to both large and small groups. Their time, however, has passed, and teepees are no longer used.
The impact to society of a teepee being built today would we miniscule or large, depending on where. In more technologically advanced and modern parts of the worlds, teepees would have no impact whatsoever because nobody would use them because we have houses and apartments. In not so advanced parts of the world like Africa, teepees could prove to be very impactful by providing cheap and effective housing to some people or tribes.
Source: http://campingwithgus.com/2012/01/19/camp-teepee-camping-activities-for-kids/
- To learn more on teepees, visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tipi
For their time, teepees were very successful because they were not that difficult to make and could provide warmth and shelter to both large and small groups. Their time, however, has passed, and teepees are no longer used.
The impact to society of a teepee being built today would we miniscule or large, depending on where. In more technologically advanced and modern parts of the worlds, teepees would have no impact whatsoever because nobody would use them because we have houses and apartments. In not so advanced parts of the world like Africa, teepees could prove to be very impactful by providing cheap and effective housing to some people or tribes.
Source: http://campingwithgus.com/2012/01/19/camp-teepee-camping-activities-for-kids/
- To learn more on teepees, visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tipi
4/8/2015 - Successful Failure
When I was in the 8th grade, I tried out for the basketball team, and made it. I sucked at basketball and got little-to-no playing time, but I gave it my all every single practice. In the beginning, I felt like quitting, but eventually I fell in love with the game. Once the season ended, however, I figured I might as well try out for the soccer team. I made the team and the coach made me head captain. Some time after that, I decided that I didn't even like soccer like that, and when I contemplated quitting and told my dad about it, he said "No. My son is not a quitter." So I stayed on the team, but gave up head captainship to my best-friend (at the time, I hate that kid now), and continued on until the end. Now, how does this story tie into this writing prompt? Well, I tried something new by trying out for the soccer team. It was a failure because I didn't really like it, but it was successful because I was made head-captain. It didn't work in my favor because I gave it up and wanted to leave anyways. SO, how did I grow from this experience? Well, I grew from it in that I learned that once you start something, you have to be sure that you can finish it, otherwise you'll face regrets and consequences.
Writing Prompt 4/7 - Patience is a virtue
I would like to use my free writing prompt pass from winning "the debate" on this writing prompt. Thanks!