Position Vlog

History

Some people say that we study history so that we don’t make the same mistakes our ancestors did. In that sense, history could easily be replaced with fictional stories. After all, any kind of story can teach us values and warn us against mistakes. What makes history unique?

In history, each of us is a character. Studying history, events that seem as unreal as dinosaurs can suddenly be placed in the context of our lifetime. It is an incredible feeling to realize that a famous person in a textbook is someone that you or I could potentially meet in real life. The most amazing part is the sense of empowerment that our lives can be stories too. Someday, people could enjoy learning about us just as much as they enjoy watching a fictional movie. That day could even be today. All it takes is for us to see our own lives as an adventure.

To the TA: I read Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson for this assignment.

An Innocent Question

“Hi, what’s your major?” At first, the phrase seems a friendly thing, no different than “what’s your favorite movie?” Unfortunately, it almost always signals a brief and awkward conversation. Why? Well, my typical response is “bioinformatics” which is actually my simplification of computer science with a bioinformatics emphasis and math minor. The simplification doesn’t help. A boy will usually drift into an awkward silence, and a girl will usually say something like "that sounds so smart" and then begin the awkward silence. The problem with being a girl in a scientific major is the wave of intimidation that seems to precede you wherever you go. 

Fast Food

Homemade food is often cheaper and tastier than fast food. Yet, fast food still exists. Likewise, open source software development can be faster and cheaper than traditional software development, but traditional software development still exists. What makes fast food and traditional software development viable despite some obvious disadvantages? One answer is that both traditional software development and fast food are able to reach a wider audience. Good programmers often prefer open source, just like good cooks often prefer homemade meals. However, many people aren’t good programmers or good cooks. The power behind fast food and traditional software development is the ability to reach more than just hobbyists. 

A Typical Classroom

Two seats in front of you and one column to your right, someone has a laptop open. While listening to the speaker, you also notice that the person with the laptop has missed an obvious move in Free Cell, is planning a dinner date, and is using a program to take notes that you have never seen before. Halfway through absentmindedly reading his shopping list, you realize you haven’t paid attention to the speaker for a full ten minutes. Angrily, you conclude that technology is unnecessary and counterproductive. Unfortunately for you, your church leaders are encouraging you to use new technology to further the work of God. Forced to rethink your opinion, you acknowledge that technology itself isn’t evil. Just the person who was sitting two seats in front of you and one column to your right. Okay, maybe not him either. The real problem with embracing technology is that the decision impacts more than just you. You don’t want to be the person two seats in front and one seat to the right who is driving everyone else in the room crazy.