Wednesday, August 26, 2020

Relations Between the Father and the Daughter Essay

Relations Between the Father and the Daughter - Essay Example Man has no intensity of predicting what's to come. It could be conceivable that the medical procedure Latimer was getting the day she passed on could have spared her a portion of the desolations that she was experiencing. There is a motivation behind why a portion of the laws exist. Conservation of the human life is a definitive objective of any administration framework and ought to be seen consistently. For example, an individual may choose to end it all sooner or later in life since they feel that nothing is working out for them. In any case, they just settle on that choice with regards to the quick occasions. They may not feel the equivalent the next day and in the event that they end it all, they pass up life. Defending willful extermination in light of the fact that an individual is confronting issues isn't right. Each individual has a real existence clock and God is the just one qualified to turn it off. On the off chance that willful extermination was permitted to occur, at th at point individuals would depend on ending it all every time they felt that life was giving them a harsh lemon. Besides, despite the fact that Latimer may have been experiencing a ton of sufferings, possibly she was thankful that she was alive and had a strategic satisfy in life that the dad cut off. Murder can never be supported and it is generally concurred that it is a wrongdoing.

Saturday, August 22, 2020

General Style of Writing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

General Style of Writing - Essay Example General Style of Writing There will be various standards of essential altering that I am going to utilize. A portion of these incorporate the need to peruse every one of my activities; for in any event twice before introducing them. For my situation, I made three significant emblematic portrayals in my general reviewing introductions to make my general style of composing. These emblematic portrayals are in no specific request, the utilization of topics, elite utilization of models and the utilization of counter contentions. By the utilization of subjects, reference is being made to the way that all undertakings that are composed are given exact division to make the conversations efficient. Models and situations are additionally utilized by and large so as to help in explaining focuses and thoughts that are brought up in the reason for the composition. The last area of my style must be the utilization of counter contentions to help in brings out lucidity on why the side of a contention I held is more defended than the opposite side I didn't bolster. All things considered, my composing can't be decided as great and has its own shortcomings and qualities. Qualities in my Writing Through comments got from managers a nd as per various scholarly messages concentrated over the span of the semester’s study, there are three significant qualities I recognize in my composition. These are clearness of development, association of considerations and savvy in contention. In any case, I have frequently utilized language and grammar that are basic and practical to consider the simple comprehension of sentences and substance I set up. In my first undertaking for example, in my initial two activities, there were certain comments I got from my managers explicitly for the way that my contemplations were straight forward and straightforward. This point is surely bolstered by Murray (1998) as a significant quality in all types of composing as he comments that â€Å"I compose my way toward importance with revelation drafts that generally make the subject come clear.† Secondly, I have consistently centered around the need to make my works efficient and organized. I do this by giving topics and sub-mak ing a beeline for significant focuses. When this is done, there is consistently the space to make the recognizable proof of significant focuses that have been brought up in the compositions simpler and open. At last, I consolidate straightforwardness with sagacity to guarantee that the way that I attempt to keep the structure and substance of my papers basic doesn't detract from them the top to bottom of clarifications that the contentions merit. Shortcomings in my Writing Not withstanding the significant qualities talked about my style of composing, there are various shortcomings that can be seen. These shortcomings are clear when perusing a portion of the major set down standards in setting up a great paper, for example, the one introduced by Murray (1998). Considering this, it would be said that I have an extremely off-base way to deal with tolerating analysis that relate to composing. In opposition to this, Murray (1998) advises that â€Å"they must acknowledge the analysis of others and be dubious of it; they should acknowledge the commendation of others and be significantly increasingly dubious of it.† The essayist makes this point alluding to scholars who try to exceed expectations in their composition. This implies normal errors that are made in my composition and are called attention to by companions, partners and administrators should consistently be taken in accordance with some basic honesty and enhanced. Sadly, m director appear to be the main individual whose input I consider for change. As proof in my initial three venture works, there are significant redresses that my learning accomplice called attention to me, which I disregarded. At the point when I at long last took the finished work to

The Grapes Of Wrath Accurate Indeed Essay Example For Students

The Grapes Of Wrath Accurate? For sure Essay John Steinbeck wrote in his 1939 novel The Grapes of Wrath: And then the confiscated were drawn west-from Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico; from Nevada and Arkansas, families, clans, cleaned out, tractored out. Carloads, trains, destitute and hungry; twenty thousand and fifty thousand and a hundred thousand and 200,000. They spilled over the mountains, ravenous and eager anxious as ants, running to look for some kind of employment to do to lift, to push, to pull, to pick, to cut anything, any weight to endure, for food. The children are ravenous. We got no spot to live. Like ants dashing for work, for food, and above all else for land. This, only a little extract from Steinbecks epic, delineates the hardships and battles that ranchers looked during the Dust Bowl and the Great Depression. The Grapes of Wrath is an amazing wellspring of data for this timespan and incorporates recorded realities, subjects, and perplexing subtleties of everyday environments of the transient ranchers. We will compose a custom paper on The Grapes Of Wrath Accurate? In fact explicitly for you for just $16.38 $13.9/page Request now John Steinbecks depiction of the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl is very precise. His depictions of the Dust Bowl, the causes and what the bowl resembled, were exact as indicated by Alan Brinkleys content, The Unfinished Nation. Steinbeck and Brinkley both composed that the most noticeably terrible dry spell in history had struck the Great Plains and gone on for 10 years in the mid 1930s. What's more, right now ranchers had been enticed by high harvest costs, which lead them to furrow up the grass for more yield room and continued working a similar harvest, which in the long run depleted the dirt. This and the absence of precipitation transformed these areas into virtual deserts, and the incredible breezes made the residue blow over the fields in mists. Steinbeck really expounded depicting what this had looked enjoyed. In his novel he depicted the Dust Bowl: The breeze expanded, consistent, solid blasts. The cleans from the streets cushioned up and spread out and fell on the weeds other than the fields . . . the sky was obscured by the blending dust, and the breeze felt over the earth, extricated the residue, and diverted it. For the individuals living in these crushed terrains, this was a precise record with respect to what the climate resembled for quite a long time and months. In The Grapes of Wrath the story followed the Joad family from their home in Oklahoma to California. They had to desert their home looking for work and land. En route transient ranchers, similar to the Joads, confronted food deficiency, demise, vagrancy, Hoovervilles, and joblessness. As indicated by talk and Brinkleys The Unfinished Nation, Steinbeck was exact in his portrayals of the occasions that he set in his novel. Vagrant ranchers would abandon their territory looking for work. They would unload every one of their possessions to fund-raise for their excursions that were to take weeks or months to take off west. Okies, a term that was utilized in Steinbeck and Brinkleys compositions, would regularly discover more diligently times then what they had left. Sickness alongside starvation lead to numerous ranchers passings before arriving at the extraordinary land they were looking for. Camps close by the streets developed to little towns, known as Hoovervilles. Hoovervilles were na med after Herbert Hoover in light of the fact that during his administration, his activities caused poor financial conditions in the mid 1930s. All the vagrant ranchers could do was meander from town to town searching for work or any sort of alleviation. Generally, vagrant ranchers never found what they were searching for out west and were fortunate on the off chance that they could pick natural product or different yields at extremely low wages that would never bolster a family. .u4e37a60a95406a7175592acb61af9219 , .u4e37a60a95406a7175592acb61af9219 .postImageUrl , .u4e37a60a95406a7175592acb61af9219 .focused content territory { min-tallness: 80px; position: relative; } .u4e37a60a95406a7175592acb61af9219 , .u4e37a60a95406a7175592acb61af9219:hover , .u4e37a60a95406a7175592acb61af9219:visited , .u4e37a60a95406a7175592acb61af9219:active { border:0!important; } .u4e37a60a95406a7175592acb61af9219 .clearfix:after { content: ; show: table; clear: both; } .u4e37a60a95406a7175592acb61af9219 { show: square; change: foundation shading 250ms; webkit-progress: foundation shading 250ms; width: 100%; darkness: 1; progress: haziness 250ms; webkit-change: murkiness 250ms; foundation shading: #95A5A6; } .u4e37a60a95406a7175592acb61af9219:active , .u4e37a60a95406a7175592acb61af9219:hover { mistiness: 1; progress: obscurity 250ms; webkit-progress: obscurity 250ms; foundation shading: #2C3E50; } .u4e37a60a95406a7175592acb61af9219 .focused content zone { width: 100%; position: rel ative; } .u4e37a60a95406a7175592acb61af9219 .ctaText { outskirt base: 0 strong #fff; shading: #2980B9; text dimension: 16px; textual style weight: intense; edge: 0; cushioning: 0; content improvement: underline; } .u4e37a60a95406a7175592acb61af9219 .postTitle { shading: #FFFFFF; text dimension: 16px; textual style weight: 600; edge: 0; cushioning: 0; width: 100%; } .u4e37a60a95406a7175592acb61af9219 .ctaButton { foundation shading: #7F8C8D!important; shading: #2980B9; fringe: none; fringe span: 3px; box-shadow: none; text dimension: 14px; text style weight: striking; line-stature: 26px; moz-outskirt range: 3px; content adjust: focus; content enhancement: none; content shadow: none; width: 80px; min-tallness: 80px; foundation: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/modules/intelly-related-posts/resources/pictures/straightforward arrow.png)no-rehash; position: total; right: 0; top: 0; } .u4e37a60a95406a7175592acb61af9219:hover .ctaButton { foundation shading: #34495E!important; } .u4 e37a60a95406a7175592acb61af9219 .focused content { show: table; stature: 80px; cushioning left: 18px; top: 0; } .u4e37a60a95406a7175592acb61af9219-content { show: table-cell; edge: 0; cushioning: 0; cushioning right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-adjust: center; width: 100%; } .u4e37a60a95406a7175592acb61af9219:after { content: ; show: square; clear: both; } READ: French Indian War EssaySteinbecks most predominant subject in The Grapes of Wrath was to never abandon your fantasy. The Joad family as it so happens was not given a decent hand. They had to leave their territory with almost no cash, the entirety of the effects they could fit into a little truck, including 13 relatives, little food, and a long excursion ahead. Mama Joad was the focal point of the family keeping them along with her fantasy, their fantasy, of a superior life out west. No

Friday, August 21, 2020

The Omnivore Dilemma Part One Summary free essay sample

Mechanical/Corn Summary The Omnivore’s Dilemma, by Michael Pollan, examines the dietary patterns and natural pecking orders of present day America trying to carry perusers closer to the cause of their nourishments. Pollan’s mix of amusingness and philosophical inquiries regarding the idea of food serves both to edify perusers about the earth from which their food is collected and to show perusers elective methods of eating. In the principal section of Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan, we are acquainted with the subject of mechanical corn and its sources around a large number of years prior. Initially known as â€Å"Zea Mays†, corn began delayed in natural terms however exploded after the revelation of Christopher Columbus. Presently that there was corn the pilgrims were liberated from the Natives and could now bolster themselves on the agribusiness of corn. Presently in current occasions we have made new kinds of corns to take care of people and creatures yet in addition to make more than 25000 items in stores today. We will compose a custom article test on The Omnivore Dilemma: Part One Summary or then again any comparative subject explicitly for you Don't WasteYour Time Recruit WRITER Just 13.90/page Pallon makes reference to in Chapter one the contrasts among American and Mexican weight control plans. Expressing that the Mexican eating routine is that of a corn-based nature, where as Americans is on the opposite side of the range eating a larger number of meats than anything. In truth it’s the inverse, it’s the Americans that are eating more corn. Everything comes down to the manner in which we feed our creatures and procedure our nourishments. Americans feed their domesticated animals with corn, and siphon corn-based items into promptly accessible food. Though Mexicans in spite of the fact that they eat a wide assortment of corn grains despite everything feed their creatures with grass and improve with sugar stick versus corn-based sugars. So the Americans truly beat out the â€Å"Corn walkers†, I surmise you could state they’re strolling corn from the significant levels of corn utilization. Pollan maneuvered me into section one with the data he gave about corn. I was edified by this part and chose to do some examination of my own. I began investigating a few distinctive food and items that are corn based and creatures that are corn taken care of. For instance, corn takes care of the cow, chicken, pig, turkey, sheep, and some fish, we eat; corn is in prepared nourishments, similar to a chicken chunk contains corn starch, corn flour, corn oil, just as lecithin, mono-di-and tri-glycerides, and citrus extract, which all contain corn; Corn is contained in delicate and natural product drinks, liquor, mayonnaise, mustard, margarine, plate of mixed greens dressing, oat, toothpaste, beauty care products, expendable diapers, waste sacks, cleaners, matches, batteries, magazine covers, flooring, fiberglass, wallboard and fuel (ethanol). Obviously, corn is all over the place! In part two, Pollan visits a little rancher in Iowa claimed by George Naylor. A large portion of the 470 section of land ranch is utilized to develop corn, to guarantee a high return rate for the season. While at the ranch Pollan decides to comprehend the puzzles of the Industrial Corn world and to get a top to bottom glance at the life of a farmer’s life after corn surpluses have been placed in. Last, in part three, Pollan visits the extraordinary grain lift not a long way from the Naylor ranch in Iowa. He goes top to bottom with the administrations subsidizing and the living of a rancher on the sponsorships. To get directly to the point, I was expecting â€Å"The Omnivore’s Dilemma† to be exhausting, excessively composed and loaded with words I couldn't just articulate however didn't have a clue about the significance of yet I saw it as all around characterized and however out as far as the structure and sentence advances. Numerous journalists endeavor to catch the reader’s eye with over-expanded words, when a straightforward portrayal is satisfactory, and very adequate to pass on the however, thought, or idea, that the book is about. I was excited finding out about corn, which was not expected, and it made perusing the book significantly more agreeable.

A Week in the Life of a Second Semester MIT Student

A Week in the Life of a Second Semester MIT Student 6.009 Fundamentals of Programming 8.02 Physics II (EM) CMS.100 Intro to Media Studies 6.08 Intro to EECS via Embedded Studies 6.042 Mathematics for Computer Science For all of IAP, Ive been kind of fiddling with my spring semester schedule here and there. Its gone through many, many forms, from 5 classes and a UROP to 5 classes and two UROPs and so on, so forth. Ive decided on a schedule now that would look kind of gross to first-day-of-fall-semester me, a prospective Course 20 who detested everything computer science and could not imagine herself ever coding. But here we are, taking three Course 6 classes (6.042, 6.009, and 6.08) plus a physics class (8.02). An ideal honestly wouldve been 3 technicals and 2 HASSs/writing heavy classes (I was planning to take a Women and Gender Studies course on queer literature), but I ultimately decided that it was better to try and check out 6.08 to actually see if EECS is something Id genuinely like to pursue. I wanted to document my thoughts of each class as this week goes on because I usually find that Im blindly optimistic about classes on the first week (see: 18.01A, 8.01, 3.091) and as time progresses I grow more and more bored with the class and ultimately lose interest and motivation to do well in it, therefore doing the bare minimum and using PNR to my full ability. Now, I dont have that safety net of PNR and I actually, well, have to do decently in classes now, I need to take classes that genuinely interest me in order for me to stay motivated and active. I think itll be really interesting to watch my perspective on each of these classes shift as time progresses, and maybe even comical at how quickly my positive outlook switches into annoyance and dread. This is basically what happened with 18.01A and 8.01 where I was so excited by learning concepts I was shaky on, then realized that the classes were far too advanced for my feeble mind and dropped into 18.01 and 8.01L. Monday 8.02 8.02 was the first class of the day. I woke up around 10:20 and ate some shitty breakfast I scrapped together (it was likewatery oatmeal? I think I was supposed to heat it for longer but it was basically like oatmeal soup. Or cereal. Or basically just granola floating in almond milk that was slightly lukewarm and kind of gross. Really the epitome of self care right now). Aiden showed up on Loop at 10:47 and from there we departed to the TEAL room (I actively shuddered as I had to type that out). We met up with Jordan, who was in Aidens 8.01 TEAL group last semester (at least when Aiden attended). We ended up sitting next to each other in the back of the TEAL room, table 12. 8.02 was just like how I remembered 8.01: L O N G. Two hour lectures? Not my favorite. I spent the time well, though, seeing as I had taken notes on the lecture content the night before. I finished the prepsets for this week in class, skimmed over pset1 (which I dont know how to do), and then proceeded to shop and brainstorm blog ideas since I didnt blog last week. You can see some of our 8.02 nonsense here: ass. 6.08 From here, Aiden and I rushed over to 6.08, a class we share with a l o t of our friends, which makes sense seeing as theres over 400 people enrolled in the class. This is where some of the anxiety starts to kick in. I barely have any coding experience, aside from APCSA in my junior year of high school, a class I barely retained anything in, and my three-week coding extravaganza from 6.145. Walking into that class and seeing a whole lecture hall full of people who just looked like they knew what they were doing really freaked me out. I have this thing where when I dont eat or when I get really stressed or wound up, my hands start shaking very, very noticeably. I struggle to grip on to things and write and oh boy, did my hands start shaking in this class. The lecturer for 6.08, Joe Steinmeyer, is a pretty chillaxed, funny guy who gave a pretty interesting and entertaining first lecture. This ~somewhat~ eased my anxiety, but Im still really nervous. 6.08 is meant to be an introductory course for those trying to see if EECS is the right choice for them, which makes me kind of excited because Ive really been looking for some sign or class that can help me figure out if I really am a Course 6. When lecture ended, Aiden dragged us to MIT.nano (because I quote: the fourth floor has the best bathrooms and I have to use the bathroom) and I kind of sat, swirling with my thoughts. Lots of doubts. Lots of imposter syndrome. Lots of fear. 30 minutes later, Raymond and I left Aiden in the nice, cushy lounge of MIT.nano to return back to 10-250. 6.009 6.009 scares the fuck out of me. Genuinely and wholeheartedly. Basically zero coding experience + a lot of self consciousness when it comes to virtually anything + taking the class in a room full of people who basically already know what theyre doing = anxiety galore. Lots of it. Shaky hands Cami is back everyone and this time, she struggles to breathe and wants to run out of the room. Head empty, no thoughts, drop course 6, lets go. But in all seriousness here are some messages I panic sent to my friends in the first ten minutes of 009: shoutout to her for calming me down3 Once we got past scary logistics and grading stuff, I managed to calm down and take notes and really try hard to follow. It was nice because the majority of it was review and I was able to follow along easily. Our lecturer is a pretty wholesome guy. He wore a samurai pizza cat shirt. End of the day recap I am now sitting here in Loop kitchen, writing this post instead of, well, looking over lab stuff and doing exercises for 6.08 and 6.009. I have two (!!) UROP interviews tomorrow, as well as my first day of CMS.100, which Im actually not officially enrolled in which a n g e r s me because Im a CMS major please just give me my intro class its a major requirement PLEASE. But yes. First day thoughts: Im very shaky. Both literally and mentally. Im doubting a lot of the knowledge I have and its mainly because I have very smart friends in my classes and Im scared of looking stupid. If youve read my blogs, this is a common theme. I often dub myself as probably the least intelligent in my friend group and this has left long-lasting implications. For example, I get embarrassed when I get things wrong. Im self conscious when I have to discuss homework or code with them. I tend to not ask for help because I dont want them to see how little I understand or the stupid mistakes I make that are glaringly obvious for them but not as much to me. Im really excited to learn. A lot of this stuff is just purely uncharted territory for me. Its a lot of things Ive heard in passing (SQL, IoT, etc.) but never really  knew what it was. I really, really want to do well. PNR is no more. PNR is dead. Shes gone. Dead in Miami. Found floating in a ditch with her eyes rolled back in her head and a party hat on because she died doing what she did best: carefree hard partying. And so I must now try my absolute hardest and bestest because GRADES are here and GRADES are scary. I want to do well. Please let me do well. 8.02 still is on PNR though ahahaaaaaa @ Jordan Aquila Im so sorry if Aiden and I leave you hanging for Friday Problem Solving. I think for now Im motivated. But of course, this is how it always starts. Unfortunate that classes started on my birthday because I spent the majority of my birthday anxious and scrambling to understand information rather than, well, like, celebrating it. Simultaneously relieved and scared to have Raymond and Aiden and Caroline in my classes. Of course it had to be the three people Im least comfortable working academically with in our group to share classes with. (They intimidated me beyond belief and working with them makes me very nervous.) Yaaaay. It is now 10:30 PM and Ive been staring at the 6.009 lab for the past thirty minutes, still stuck on the same part. Ive made progress little by little (thank you Adam Hartz and the 6.009 for the incredible response time to my questions. Im forever grateful). Ive had a lot of thoughts about coding and my coding experience that have been building up for the past month or so and Ive always tried to write about them, but never have been able to. Honestly, thats the reason I havent been able to post that much. Ive been told that this lab isnt even closest to being the hardest one, that the part Im stuck on isnt even the worst it gets, that this is such a simple and easy part. And I know. I know these comments mean well. I know theyre just trying to be informative. I know its not out of malintent. But god fucking dammit Im so tired of having my computer science experience invalidated. Im so tired of being told that my struggles really arent that hard. Its the equivalent of telling a fourth grader calculus isnt difficult. Eventually, yes, calculus gets easier and the concepts become easier to understand because you have an arsenal of experience from previous math classes. I, however, do not have that mind palace to grab from right now. All of this feels new to me, and so problems that seem so obvious and noticeable arent to me. So this is a reminder to anyone to please be kind to your friends when they try and learn new things. Learning is so hard. And Im so tired of having my experience muted or belittled just because I dont have as much experience. Anyway, after being on the verge of tears for the past three hours (even after I took a much needed trip to the Z to lift my frustrations), Ive come to the conclusion that I  have to try my hardest in my classes not because I need to, but because I want to. I know Im capable of finishing these classes; Im just frustrated with the environment Im in. Being around my friends who know so much already makes me feel constantly like Im behind, even when Im not. I think some distance could do me some good, maybe spending time with people who also are new to the subject and less experienced in code to show me that its normal to struggle. Im really looking forward to going to my classes tomorrow and Im really excited to go to office hours because God knows I need it. For the past few months, Ive stayed up late at night, staring at my ceiling, begging some higher being to make me smarter. To make me feel like I belong at this school because its February and even now I still feel like my acceptance was a fluke. But I really hope this spring semester reflects a change in that mindset. That with office hours and relentless amounts of time put into working and coding and trying and learning, Ill realize that I have the capabilities to make it not only as an MIT student, but also as a CS major. Because right now, my willpower is being tried, the most it has ever been, and its only the first day. Im stressed, Im anxious, Im upset, Im tired. But I will continue to try because that is the most I can do. Here is to tomorrow. Tuesday It is now 6:48 PM and Im trying to remember all of my day so that this can be a relatively accurate recap, so please bear with me if it seems a bit scrambled. I woke up this morning at 10am and climbed out of bed at 10:18 to put together some yogurt and granola, gobble it up, grab two tangerines, and head out at 10:50 to march on towards Building 1 for CMS.100. CMS.100 At this time, I wasnt actually enrolled in CMS.100; I was waitlisted. The class really wasnt all that interesting, mainly just going over syllabus stuff. It turns out we have to lead presentations discussing texts each class, where were typically assigned 2-3 texts to read over before each class. The class evaluates different forms of media over time, starting with print then moving on to radio, film, social media, and gaming later on in the course. Im really excited to be taking CMS.100 even if the first class didnt really do much because its a well needed break from my technicals. UROP UROP UROP So Ive been having a crisis lately where I dont know whether to stay with the MIT Education Arcade or not. I love the lab with all my heart, but I wanted to try something new and do something maybe more directly related to my majors (CS and CMS). I found this opportunity with a group in the Media Lab that has a lot of promise and I had a really, really good interview with them. I really hope something comes out of it. I also interviewed with a super cool group thats part of MIT.nano that also aligns really well with my interests. So, Im a bit torn apart because I think all three of these opportunities are incredibly interesting, but I just dont know what to choose. I also dont know how my timing and scheduling will work out, especially taking 5 classes, where 2 are pretty demanding and time-consuming (6.009 and 6.08). But I really need a third job because I think Im going to have to buy lunch every day? And thats not exactly kind to my wallet. I really hope to hear back from the UROPs soon so I can make an informed and educated decision about my choice. Ill probably go more in depth about which UROP I choose and why later on. After this, I bought food yet again because I was hungry and walked over to Building 34 for my 6.042 lecture. Raymonds been telling me nonstop about how difficult this class is, so Im definitely pretty intimidated by it. Luckily, I do have some previous experience with the content, as I took discrete mathematics in high school. But unluckily, it was my worst math and I struggled a lot in that class on the high school level so I cant imagine what itll be like here at MIT. I really enjoyed this first lecture, actually. The lecturers are very well organized, easy to follow, and though the class is a bit fast paced and throws a lot of information at you in an hour and thirty minutes, I found myself able to follow along. From here, I made an executive decision to postpone working in favor of going to the Z. (Almost) End of the Day Recap I have a 6.08 lab from 7:30 to 10pm (disgusting, I know) so my day isnt quite finished, but I realized I dont have any other time to write so I might as well do it now. All day Ive been thinking about my 6.009 code. I feel like Im so close to getting this part done, and even though its just the first part, Im really proud of myself for not getting too bogged down about it. I worked on it a bit in CMS.100 (sorry, I know I should be paying attention but c o d e) and honestly didnt get that much done but I  feel Im close. Honestly trying to figure out what I should do tonight or how late I should stay up. I want to do more 6.08 exercises, but I also really should focus on 6.009, but I also have to do some readings for CMS.100 and a pset for 8.02. So theres a lot on my plate. Just thinking about even adding a UROP on top of all this stresses me out, but I need the money. The financial security that comes with having three jobs is really, really nice. Im really nervous for the 6.08 lab. Were assigned partners and I have little to no experience doing hands-on EE stuff. I just really dont want to let my partner down. Overall, a better day than yesterday. Really looking forward to 6.009 recitation tomorrow so I can get a little extra help with my code. 6.08 Its the next day and Im writing this in 8.02 (sorry) and Im feeling pretty #bad about all my Course 6 classes. I dont want to drop any classes because it feels like giving up but also I should love myself and drop a class but I dont want to. This is stressful. I am stressed. The 6.08 lab was fine; I just didnt finish. Its really hard for me to adjust to starting from square 1 ( 01 Aiden saw me type this in 8.02 and he says he disapproves. Hes a big matlab shill. He took an IAP course on it and now he thinks hes the best at it. What an asshole. orzero I guess since everything indexes from 0 except for fake things like MatLab[/annotation note], oh my god look im making coding references HAHA IM AN ACTUAL COURSE 6 NOW). It feels like I dont have as much experience in coding as everyone else so coming up with solutions is just much, much harder for me. I really enjoyed assembling everything and cutting wires and breadboarding (even though my wires were far too long and really messy) but when it came to the final checkoff where we had to, you know, actually code things, I struggled a lot. I remember walking back into Loop and asking to see Raymond and Aidens code since they both got the solution and Raymonds code was just something I wouldnt have even considered and it was so neat and nice. Aiden also came up with the solution, but his was something I could understand a bit better. Anyway, its just very disheartening to have to start back here and constantly feel like Im playing catch up. Its hard for me to tell if this is what challenge is supposed to feel like, or if this is far outside the scope of what Im prepared for and I should drop the class now and take it in my sophomore year when I have more coding experience under my belt. Wednesday Before I even mcfuCkin say anything, LOOK. look. LOOk. I PASSED. I PASSED!!!!!!!!!!!! I PASSED. I can sit in 8.02 without any qualms. 8.02 Woke up cozy and warm in my bed at 8:30. Went back to sleep. Woke up at 9:45. Browsed the phone. Out of bed at 10, got ready for the day, ate some breakfast. Side note: Ive been consuming SO MUCH FOOD. Ive started going to the gym six times a week instead of four to get rid of extra steam. Aiden, Jordan, Aquila, and I walked into 8.02 to find our table in the back occupied by HEATHENS (jk if that was you ur good) and we instead walked to the front of the room. It was a relatively chill class, I learned a lot and asked my group for help with understanding. Im feeling really good about 8.02 and Im excited for the rest of the class. 6.009 Ive been told that 6.009 is very optional, meaning labs, recitations, lectures, etc. are pretty much useless if you already know what youre doing and you can skip them all. I do not know what Im doing. I went to 6.009 recitation but I think Im going to use recitations more as two hours of focused, uninterrupted coding, rather than paying attention to tutorials. I was actually really productive in this time, getting unstuck from the debugging part. 6.042 6.042 recitation was really, really fun. I was able to follow the information relatively well and solve the recitation problems given out in class and even participate actively in the class. A really good way to end the day. End of the Day Recap I wish I was more productive this day, but instead I went to an early screening of To All The Boys Ive Loved Before: P.S. I Love You as a little treat to myself for a very stressful start to the spring semester. The movie was amazing and was a nice escape from the bubble that is MIT. I ended the night by finishing up some CMS.100 readings and then went to bed. Thursday Typing this in the morning so: Woke up at 9:30. Read MIT confessions. Went back to bed. Got out of bed at 10:15. Got ready, ate some Nutella on toast, and headed out. Its snowy and wet and cold. Why??? WHY??? Goals for today: finish 6.009 lab do 6.08 exercises look over 6.08 lab01a code and try and fix it CMS.100 Im typing this in the middle of my CMS.100 class and, gonna be honest, feels really awkward and tense right now. Were in that stage where we are all in a relatively intensive discussion based class but were still very much strangers so its hard to be honest and open with our thoughts and opinions when we dont reallyknow each other? Hi, okay now its Friday but Im still going to recap the day. So funny enough, right after I said we dont really know each other, our professor had us do an opener where we had to discuss our guilty media pleasures. I said mine were trashy reality TV shows and Taylor Swift. Here are some notes and quotes I gathered from our discussion. (I sometimes write my own little comments I come up with in my head. Please dont judge me for watching extraction and surgery videosI find them fascinating and very satisfying.) I really thought it was insightful because we really tried to identify  why we classify these things as guilty pleasures and why some things are just simply pleasures. Sometimes it comes down to ethics, other times these things just werent made for us, most of the time its because its just not socially acceptable. It really made me warm up to my CMS.100 class and I actually volunteered to lead discussion for our next lecture so Im really excited! 6.042 From here, I ran to the third floor of the Stud to join the first rush event for WILG! Therell be a blogpost on my rushing experience (Im planning to rush WILG, DPhiE, and PiPhi) probably out some time next week. I grabbed some smoothie drinks, talked to some friends, and headed to my resume meeting at the CAPD office.   This will also most likely be another blogpost. Afterwards, I went to my 6.042 lecture and it was pretty standard. I worked out and then went to Stud5 to fix my code from 6.08s first lab that didnt quite work. I watched a video explaining button toggles and implemented it into my code and felt pretty confident. I then went to another WILG event (pizza in the Stud) and talked to some WILG members! 6.08 I was really nervous about this lab, especially seeing as I didnt finish the very first one. But I happened to be partnered with a really smart guy who knew what he was doing and didnt make me feel nervous or ashamed that I just happened to know less. Being in this comfortable environment made me feel a lot better and I actually ended up being really, really productive. The first part of our assignment was to read about how systems connect to Internet and actually pull up pages on the Internet. It was a pretty hefty couple of paragraphs and our first checkoff assignment was to explain how it all worked. There was some stuff I was pretty fuzzy on, so I shyly asked for some clarification from my partner, who happily explained. Soon, a person came to conduct our checkoff and my partner eagerly explained everything while I kind of quietly sat and nodded. The person then turned toward me and asked me a question, but I remembered because Jay (my partner) had explained it earlier! So it was really nice just to see things work out and to see that I was actually retaining information. From there we had to draw out a diagram of how our code would work. Essentially, we were creating a system that, based on the number of successive button pushes, would pull up a fun fact about said number of pushes. If the button doesnt register another push within one second, it will pull up the fun fact. This is the diagram I drew: I had Jay verify it because Im still very nervous and unsure of myself when it comes to these kinds of things. He said that thats exactly what he has and that I was on the right track. Yay! We both got our checkoffs and then came time for the final checkoff: actually writing the code. I was actually able to do this part relatively easily, asking here and there for clarifications like what does %s mean? and my timer isnt working, should I implement it differently? and my partner really, really helped me. He gave me the idea for doing: if (millis()-timestart TIMEOUT) { } rather than doing: if (millis()-timestart TIMEOUT { } Essentially I used this for my timer. If that time [millis()-timestart] was greater than 1 second, I would move into the next state REQUEST, which is where I would pull up the actual fun fact page. Had I done it the other way, it wouldve been a bit more complicated. End of the Day recap It was pretty shitty because I went to bed at 2, frustrated that my code for 6.009 didnt work. I decided here to wake up at 8am and go to office hours from 9am-3pm, with a slight break in between for 11am-12pm 8.02. Friday Hey ho its Friday but also its still me typing from above. I forgot to type in the stuff from yesterday so I wrote all the Thursday things today. Sorry about that. Anyway. I woke up at 8. Scrolled on my phone until 8:30. Got up, got ready, and headed out straight to 4-370. So, Ill go back to my coding experience after I really quickly touch on 8.02. 8.02 Friday Problem Solving! Were given a packet of questions and we have to work in teams of three to solve them, show the solution to a TA, and get checked off. Once the packet is complete, we are free to leave. Im pretty slow at physics and I really enjoy writing everything out. I write out all of my code before ever putting it in code first and I write out all the equations and things for physics rather than doing it very fast. Aquila and Jordan are VERY fast. Im grateful, but I just feel like a dead weight. Luckily, Aquila is nice enough to cater to all my stupid questions and answer them patiently. Thank you, Aquila!!! So, this is a reminder for myself to go back and read over all those 8.02 problems and do them myself because they moved a bit too fast for me to comprehend. 6.009? is not 6.00-fine. So! Lets talk about code. 9-11AM I worked on writing a way to calculate the kernel or whatever of a pixel. I show my code to 3 or 4 different people. They say its fine. It should be working properly. Okay. 12PM hits. I realize there are no office hours for 6.009 from 12PM-1PM. I am now sitting in the Stata Center waiting for 1PM to come around since 6.009 office hours are from 1-3PM in 32-123. I try to read my code and figure out whats wrong. I see nothing wrong. Then suddenly all the stress and frustration of this week get to me. And here I am, fucking breaking down in the middle of the Stata, sat at this table. I am sobbing, but trying really hard to make my sniffles quieter and my tears unnoticeable. Angrily and perhaps a bit defeatedly, I open up the Common Application website. I make an account. I add transfer programs. Maybe 6 or 7 schools. I am broken. I am tired. I am sad. I think this is the peak of my imposter syndrome so far. Claire walks in and asks if Im okay. I wait a couple of moments before responding because I know if I try to talk, Ill just cry more. She just comforts me. I tell her that this school is hard. And that I feel stupid because everyone is able to grasp solutions so quickly and I am not. My friends finished this lab within the first two days. And here I am 4 hours before deadline still stuck on the third part. And I am broken. And I am tired. And I am sad. She says its okay and that 6.009 is a really hard class. I nod. She tries her best to debug my code. She fixes some noticeable errors (I wrote image[height] instead of image[height]-1). 1PM is here. I go into office hours. I am 35th in the queue. To be fair, 6.009  is a hard class and they have very little TAs for such a large population. I dont mind the waiting. I really appreciate all the 6.009 TAs for everything they do. Its a tough job. Finally, Im up. A TA approaches me and she reads through my code. She sees nothing wrong with it. She says its perfect and its really neat. She scrolls to the bottom. Oh, thats why. You havent been saving the image properly. My stomach fucking plummets. Yeah, just put save_image(result, test.png) instead of save_image(im, test.png). Youve been saving the original image this entire time. I dont know whether to be angry or relieved. Angry that I wasted my time? Yeah. Relieved that my code wasnt actually shit? Yeah. Okay, it is now 2:00 and I have an hour left to finish parts 4, 5, and 6 before I have to go to mandatory 6.042 recitation and this lab is due at 4. Caroline gets my panicked texts and comes over. She helps me a lot and Im really grateful. I end up finishing the lab at 3:11 PM. Im late to my 6.042 recitation, but hey, I passed all the cases. I dont get my checkoff done; Ill save that for Sunday. 6.042 I walk into 6.042 a little late but I still manage to get my name down on the attendance sheet and grab a recitation paper. Its talking about how to write proper proofs. Its things like prove log 2 base 3 is irrational and whatnot. I took discrete in high school and I was awful at it, so I really want to try and do well in 6.042. My group is pretty cool (Kidist is in my 6.042 recitation!!!!) End of the Day recap So lets talk. Today has been a lot. A LOT. A lot. Im really grateful for everyone who offered me help with 6.009. (Thank you to Caroline, Quentin, Claire, Raymond, and probably much more who helped me with my code.) I cried. I almost transferred (the applications are still like half filled. Honestly dont know what Im going to do thereprobably another blogpost on this. Imposter syndrome hours.) I didnt eat at all today, aside from this morning. I did not drink water at all today. I realized this when I almost fainted/fell down (up? I was exiting 32-123) the stairs when I was walking to 6.042. Thats pretty bad. Dont worry, I grabbed Beantown right after 6.042 recitation. I skipped the gym because I just didnt think I was in the right headspace for a push day today, though I really love push days. But yeah, school ishard. MIT is challenging. A lot of it is a mental game, though, rather than academics. At least for me. Its really a challenge of my resilience and belief in myself. Ive always had a weak mental game. I get fazed really easily. The moment I think something is going to go wrong, I kind of self-sabotage. I constantly tell myself Im bad at coding and I always compare myself to the progress of other people, so it can be especially disheartening. Being friends with such competent, capable, and intelligent people makes me realize how behind I am. Its a vicious cycle. I love my friends, they give me help, but then I realize Im kind of a useless sack of shit. I know, thats toxic. Im trying to fix it. I want to take time to relax and rest today, but I have a lot due. A brief to do list: start 8.02 pset. Try and finish it by Sunday night. 6.08 exercises! theyre due by sunday night and im going to try and do them tonight 6.009 lab. yeah fuck u buddy im gonna try and finish u AS SOON AS MCFUCKIN POSSIBLE. i want to get this one done by tuesday. CMS.100 readings and presentation prep honestly, lower priority. this is my fun class. going to probably do this sunday night or monday. 6.042 pset this is very scary. going to go to so many office hours for this one. I am very nervous for this second semester. If every week is going to be like this, I do not know how Im going to do. This week featured the highest of highs (finishing 6.08 lab an hour early, watching TATBILB:PSILY) and the lowest of lows (shaking from anxiety, fainting from lack of self care, breaking down and almost transferring). It is the greatest test of my resilience yet and right now Im just trying to take it a day at a time and try my very bestest. Happy weekend! Aiden saw me type this in 8.02 and he says he disapproves. He's a big matlab shill. He took an IAP course on it and now he thinks he's the best at it. What an asshole. back to text ?

A Week in the Life of a Second Semester MIT Student

A Week in the Life of a Second Semester MIT Student 6.009 Fundamentals of Programming 8.02 Physics II (EM) CMS.100 Intro to Media Studies 6.08 Intro to EECS via Embedded Studies 6.042 Mathematics for Computer Science For all of IAP, Ive been kind of fiddling with my spring semester schedule here and there. Its gone through many, many forms, from 5 classes and a UROP to 5 classes and two UROPs and so on, so forth. Ive decided on a schedule now that would look kind of gross to first-day-of-fall-semester me, a prospective Course 20 who detested everything computer science and could not imagine herself ever coding. But here we are, taking three Course 6 classes (6.042, 6.009, and 6.08) plus a physics class (8.02). An ideal honestly wouldve been 3 technicals and 2 HASSs/writing heavy classes (I was planning to take a Women and Gender Studies course on queer literature), but I ultimately decided that it was better to try and check out 6.08 to actually see if EECS is something Id genuinely like to pursue. I wanted to document my thoughts of each class as this week goes on because I usually find that Im blindly optimistic about classes on the first week (see: 18.01A, 8.01, 3.091) and as time progresses I grow more and more bored with the class and ultimately lose interest and motivation to do well in it, therefore doing the bare minimum and using PNR to my full ability. Now, I dont have that safety net of PNR and I actually, well, have to do decently in classes now, I need to take classes that genuinely interest me in order for me to stay motivated and active. I think itll be really interesting to watch my perspective on each of these classes shift as time progresses, and maybe even comical at how quickly my positive outlook switches into annoyance and dread. This is basically what happened with 18.01A and 8.01 where I was so excited by learning concepts I was shaky on, then realized that the classes were far too advanced for my feeble mind and dropped into 18.01 and 8.01L. Monday 8.02 8.02 was the first class of the day. I woke up around 10:20 and ate some shitty breakfast I scrapped together (it was likewatery oatmeal? I think I was supposed to heat it for longer but it was basically like oatmeal soup. Or cereal. Or basically just granola floating in almond milk that was slightly lukewarm and kind of gross. Really the epitome of self care right now). Aiden showed up on Loop at 10:47 and from there we departed to the TEAL room (I actively shuddered as I had to type that out). We met up with Jordan, who was in Aidens 8.01 TEAL group last semester (at least when Aiden attended). We ended up sitting next to each other in the back of the TEAL room, table 12. 8.02 was just like how I remembered 8.01: L O N G. Two hour lectures? Not my favorite. I spent the time well, though, seeing as I had taken notes on the lecture content the night before. I finished the prepsets for this week in class, skimmed over pset1 (which I dont know how to do), and then proceeded to shop and brainstorm blog ideas since I didnt blog last week. You can see some of our 8.02 nonsense here: ass. 6.08 From here, Aiden and I rushed over to 6.08, a class we share with a l o t of our friends, which makes sense seeing as theres over 400 people enrolled in the class. This is where some of the anxiety starts to kick in. I barely have any coding experience, aside from APCSA in my junior year of high school, a class I barely retained anything in, and my three-week coding extravaganza from 6.145. Walking into that class and seeing a whole lecture hall full of people who just looked like they knew what they were doing really freaked me out. I have this thing where when I dont eat or when I get really stressed or wound up, my hands start shaking very, very noticeably. I struggle to grip on to things and write and oh boy, did my hands start shaking in this class. The lecturer for 6.08, Joe Steinmeyer, is a pretty chillaxed, funny guy who gave a pretty interesting and entertaining first lecture. This ~somewhat~ eased my anxiety, but Im still really nervous. 6.08 is meant to be an introductory course for those trying to see if EECS is the right choice for them, which makes me kind of excited because Ive really been looking for some sign or class that can help me figure out if I really am a Course 6. When lecture ended, Aiden dragged us to MIT.nano (because I quote: the fourth floor has the best bathrooms and I have to use the bathroom) and I kind of sat, swirling with my thoughts. Lots of doubts. Lots of imposter syndrome. Lots of fear. 30 minutes later, Raymond and I left Aiden in the nice, cushy lounge of MIT.nano to return back to 10-250. 6.009 6.009 scares the fuck out of me. Genuinely and wholeheartedly. Basically zero coding experience + a lot of self consciousness when it comes to virtually anything + taking the class in a room full of people who basically already know what theyre doing = anxiety galore. Lots of it. Shaky hands Cami is back everyone and this time, she struggles to breathe and wants to run out of the room. Head empty, no thoughts, drop course 6, lets go. But in all seriousness here are some messages I panic sent to my friends in the first ten minutes of 009: shoutout to her for calming me down3 Once we got past scary logistics and grading stuff, I managed to calm down and take notes and really try hard to follow. It was nice because the majority of it was review and I was able to follow along easily. Our lecturer is a pretty wholesome guy. He wore a samurai pizza cat shirt. End of the day recap I am now sitting here in Loop kitchen, writing this post instead of, well, looking over lab stuff and doing exercises for 6.08 and 6.009. I have two (!!) UROP interviews tomorrow, as well as my first day of CMS.100, which Im actually not officially enrolled in which a n g e r s me because Im a CMS major please just give me my intro class its a major requirement PLEASE. But yes. First day thoughts: Im very shaky. Both literally and mentally. Im doubting a lot of the knowledge I have and its mainly because I have very smart friends in my classes and Im scared of looking stupid. If youve read my blogs, this is a common theme. I often dub myself as probably the least intelligent in my friend group and this has left long-lasting implications. For example, I get embarrassed when I get things wrong. Im self conscious when I have to discuss homework or code with them. I tend to not ask for help because I dont want them to see how little I understand or the stupid mistakes I make that are glaringly obvious for them but not as much to me. Im really excited to learn. A lot of this stuff is just purely uncharted territory for me. Its a lot of things Ive heard in passing (SQL, IoT, etc.) but never really  knew what it was. I really, really want to do well. PNR is no more. PNR is dead. Shes gone. Dead in Miami. Found floating in a ditch with her eyes rolled back in her head and a party hat on because she died doing what she did best: carefree hard partying. And so I must now try my absolute hardest and bestest because GRADES are here and GRADES are scary. I want to do well. Please let me do well. 8.02 still is on PNR though ahahaaaaaa @ Jordan Aquila Im so sorry if Aiden and I leave you hanging for Friday Problem Solving. I think for now Im motivated. But of course, this is how it always starts. Unfortunate that classes started on my birthday because I spent the majority of my birthday anxious and scrambling to understand information rather than, well, like, celebrating it. Simultaneously relieved and scared to have Raymond and Aiden and Caroline in my classes. Of course it had to be the three people Im least comfortable working academically with in our group to share classes with. (They intimidated me beyond belief and working with them makes me very nervous.) Yaaaay. It is now 10:30 PM and Ive been staring at the 6.009 lab for the past thirty minutes, still stuck on the same part. Ive made progress little by little (thank you Adam Hartz and the 6.009 for the incredible response time to my questions. Im forever grateful). Ive had a lot of thoughts about coding and my coding experience that have been building up for the past month or so and Ive always tried to write about them, but never have been able to. Honestly, thats the reason I havent been able to post that much. Ive been told that this lab isnt even closest to being the hardest one, that the part Im stuck on isnt even the worst it gets, that this is such a simple and easy part. And I know. I know these comments mean well. I know theyre just trying to be informative. I know its not out of malintent. But god fucking dammit Im so tired of having my computer science experience invalidated. Im so tired of being told that my struggles really arent that hard. Its the equivalent of telling a fourth grader calculus isnt difficult. Eventually, yes, calculus gets easier and the concepts become easier to understand because you have an arsenal of experience from previous math classes. I, however, do not have that mind palace to grab from right now. All of this feels new to me, and so problems that seem so obvious and noticeable arent to me. So this is a reminder to anyone to please be kind to your friends when they try and learn new things. Learning is so hard. And Im so tired of having my experience muted or belittled just because I dont have as much experience. Anyway, after being on the verge of tears for the past three hours (even after I took a much needed trip to the Z to lift my frustrations), Ive come to the conclusion that I  have to try my hardest in my classes not because I need to, but because I want to. I know Im capable of finishing these classes; Im just frustrated with the environment Im in. Being around my friends who know so much already makes me feel constantly like Im behind, even when Im not. I think some distance could do me some good, maybe spending time with people who also are new to the subject and less experienced in code to show me that its normal to struggle. Im really looking forward to going to my classes tomorrow and Im really excited to go to office hours because God knows I need it. For the past few months, Ive stayed up late at night, staring at my ceiling, begging some higher being to make me smarter. To make me feel like I belong at this school because its February and even now I still feel like my acceptance was a fluke. But I really hope this spring semester reflects a change in that mindset. That with office hours and relentless amounts of time put into working and coding and trying and learning, Ill realize that I have the capabilities to make it not only as an MIT student, but also as a CS major. Because right now, my willpower is being tried, the most it has ever been, and its only the first day. Im stressed, Im anxious, Im upset, Im tired. But I will continue to try because that is the most I can do. Here is to tomorrow. Tuesday It is now 6:48 PM and Im trying to remember all of my day so that this can be a relatively accurate recap, so please bear with me if it seems a bit scrambled. I woke up this morning at 10am and climbed out of bed at 10:18 to put together some yogurt and granola, gobble it up, grab two tangerines, and head out at 10:50 to march on towards Building 1 for CMS.100. CMS.100 At this time, I wasnt actually enrolled in CMS.100; I was waitlisted. The class really wasnt all that interesting, mainly just going over syllabus stuff. It turns out we have to lead presentations discussing texts each class, where were typically assigned 2-3 texts to read over before each class. The class evaluates different forms of media over time, starting with print then moving on to radio, film, social media, and gaming later on in the course. Im really excited to be taking CMS.100 even if the first class didnt really do much because its a well needed break from my technicals. UROP UROP UROP So Ive been having a crisis lately where I dont know whether to stay with the MIT Education Arcade or not. I love the lab with all my heart, but I wanted to try something new and do something maybe more directly related to my majors (CS and CMS). I found this opportunity with a group in the Media Lab that has a lot of promise and I had a really, really good interview with them. I really hope something comes out of it. I also interviewed with a super cool group thats part of MIT.nano that also aligns really well with my interests. So, Im a bit torn apart because I think all three of these opportunities are incredibly interesting, but I just dont know what to choose. I also dont know how my timing and scheduling will work out, especially taking 5 classes, where 2 are pretty demanding and time-consuming (6.009 and 6.08). But I really need a third job because I think Im going to have to buy lunch every day? And thats not exactly kind to my wallet. I really hope to hear back from the UROPs soon so I can make an informed and educated decision about my choice. Ill probably go more in depth about which UROP I choose and why later on. After this, I bought food yet again because I was hungry and walked over to Building 34 for my 6.042 lecture. Raymonds been telling me nonstop about how difficult this class is, so Im definitely pretty intimidated by it. Luckily, I do have some previous experience with the content, as I took discrete mathematics in high school. But unluckily, it was my worst math and I struggled a lot in that class on the high school level so I cant imagine what itll be like here at MIT. I really enjoyed this first lecture, actually. The lecturers are very well organized, easy to follow, and though the class is a bit fast paced and throws a lot of information at you in an hour and thirty minutes, I found myself able to follow along. From here, I made an executive decision to postpone working in favor of going to the Z. (Almost) End of the Day Recap I have a 6.08 lab from 7:30 to 10pm (disgusting, I know) so my day isnt quite finished, but I realized I dont have any other time to write so I might as well do it now. All day Ive been thinking about my 6.009 code. I feel like Im so close to getting this part done, and even though its just the first part, Im really proud of myself for not getting too bogged down about it. I worked on it a bit in CMS.100 (sorry, I know I should be paying attention but c o d e) and honestly didnt get that much done but I  feel Im close. Honestly trying to figure out what I should do tonight or how late I should stay up. I want to do more 6.08 exercises, but I also really should focus on 6.009, but I also have to do some readings for CMS.100 and a pset for 8.02. So theres a lot on my plate. Just thinking about even adding a UROP on top of all this stresses me out, but I need the money. The financial security that comes with having three jobs is really, really nice. Im really nervous for the 6.08 lab. Were assigned partners and I have little to no experience doing hands-on EE stuff. I just really dont want to let my partner down. Overall, a better day than yesterday. Really looking forward to 6.009 recitation tomorrow so I can get a little extra help with my code. 6.08 Its the next day and Im writing this in 8.02 (sorry) and Im feeling pretty #bad about all my Course 6 classes. I dont want to drop any classes because it feels like giving up but also I should love myself and drop a class but I dont want to. This is stressful. I am stressed. The 6.08 lab was fine; I just didnt finish. Its really hard for me to adjust to starting from square 1 ( 01 Aiden saw me type this in 8.02 and he says he disapproves. Hes a big matlab shill. He took an IAP course on it and now he thinks hes the best at it. What an asshole. orzero I guess since everything indexes from 0 except for fake things like MatLab[/annotation note], oh my god look im making coding references HAHA IM AN ACTUAL COURSE 6 NOW). It feels like I dont have as much experience in coding as everyone else so coming up with solutions is just much, much harder for me. I really enjoyed assembling everything and cutting wires and breadboarding (even though my wires were far too long and really messy) but when it came to the final checkoff where we had to, you know, actually code things, I struggled a lot. I remember walking back into Loop and asking to see Raymond and Aidens code since they both got the solution and Raymonds code was just something I wouldnt have even considered and it was so neat and nice. Aiden also came up with the solution, but his was something I could understand a bit better. Anyway, its just very disheartening to have to start back here and constantly feel like Im playing catch up. Its hard for me to tell if this is what challenge is supposed to feel like, or if this is far outside the scope of what Im prepared for and I should drop the class now and take it in my sophomore year when I have more coding experience under my belt. Wednesday Before I even mcfuCkin say anything, LOOK. look. LOOk. I PASSED. I PASSED!!!!!!!!!!!! I PASSED. I can sit in 8.02 without any qualms. 8.02 Woke up cozy and warm in my bed at 8:30. Went back to sleep. Woke up at 9:45. Browsed the phone. Out of bed at 10, got ready for the day, ate some breakfast. Side note: Ive been consuming SO MUCH FOOD. Ive started going to the gym six times a week instead of four to get rid of extra steam. Aiden, Jordan, Aquila, and I walked into 8.02 to find our table in the back occupied by HEATHENS (jk if that was you ur good) and we instead walked to the front of the room. It was a relatively chill class, I learned a lot and asked my group for help with understanding. Im feeling really good about 8.02 and Im excited for the rest of the class. 6.009 Ive been told that 6.009 is very optional, meaning labs, recitations, lectures, etc. are pretty much useless if you already know what youre doing and you can skip them all. I do not know what Im doing. I went to 6.009 recitation but I think Im going to use recitations more as two hours of focused, uninterrupted coding, rather than paying attention to tutorials. I was actually really productive in this time, getting unstuck from the debugging part. 6.042 6.042 recitation was really, really fun. I was able to follow the information relatively well and solve the recitation problems given out in class and even participate actively in the class. A really good way to end the day. End of the Day Recap I wish I was more productive this day, but instead I went to an early screening of To All The Boys Ive Loved Before: P.S. I Love You as a little treat to myself for a very stressful start to the spring semester. The movie was amazing and was a nice escape from the bubble that is MIT. I ended the night by finishing up some CMS.100 readings and then went to bed. Thursday Typing this in the morning so: Woke up at 9:30. Read MIT confessions. Went back to bed. Got out of bed at 10:15. Got ready, ate some Nutella on toast, and headed out. Its snowy and wet and cold. Why??? WHY??? Goals for today: finish 6.009 lab do 6.08 exercises look over 6.08 lab01a code and try and fix it CMS.100 Im typing this in the middle of my CMS.100 class and, gonna be honest, feels really awkward and tense right now. Were in that stage where we are all in a relatively intensive discussion based class but were still very much strangers so its hard to be honest and open with our thoughts and opinions when we dont reallyknow each other? Hi, okay now its Friday but Im still going to recap the day. So funny enough, right after I said we dont really know each other, our professor had us do an opener where we had to discuss our guilty media pleasures. I said mine were trashy reality TV shows and Taylor Swift. Here are some notes and quotes I gathered from our discussion. (I sometimes write my own little comments I come up with in my head. Please dont judge me for watching extraction and surgery videosI find them fascinating and very satisfying.) I really thought it was insightful because we really tried to identify  why we classify these things as guilty pleasures and why some things are just simply pleasures. Sometimes it comes down to ethics, other times these things just werent made for us, most of the time its because its just not socially acceptable. It really made me warm up to my CMS.100 class and I actually volunteered to lead discussion for our next lecture so Im really excited! 6.042 From here, I ran to the third floor of the Stud to join the first rush event for WILG! Therell be a blogpost on my rushing experience (Im planning to rush WILG, DPhiE, and PiPhi) probably out some time next week. I grabbed some smoothie drinks, talked to some friends, and headed to my resume meeting at the CAPD office.   This will also most likely be another blogpost. Afterwards, I went to my 6.042 lecture and it was pretty standard. I worked out and then went to Stud5 to fix my code from 6.08s first lab that didnt quite work. I watched a video explaining button toggles and implemented it into my code and felt pretty confident. I then went to another WILG event (pizza in the Stud) and talked to some WILG members! 6.08 I was really nervous about this lab, especially seeing as I didnt finish the very first one. But I happened to be partnered with a really smart guy who knew what he was doing and didnt make me feel nervous or ashamed that I just happened to know less. Being in this comfortable environment made me feel a lot better and I actually ended up being really, really productive. The first part of our assignment was to read about how systems connect to Internet and actually pull up pages on the Internet. It was a pretty hefty couple of paragraphs and our first checkoff assignment was to explain how it all worked. There was some stuff I was pretty fuzzy on, so I shyly asked for some clarification from my partner, who happily explained. Soon, a person came to conduct our checkoff and my partner eagerly explained everything while I kind of quietly sat and nodded. The person then turned toward me and asked me a question, but I remembered because Jay (my partner) had explained it earlier! So it was really nice just to see things work out and to see that I was actually retaining information. From there we had to draw out a diagram of how our code would work. Essentially, we were creating a system that, based on the number of successive button pushes, would pull up a fun fact about said number of pushes. If the button doesnt register another push within one second, it will pull up the fun fact. This is the diagram I drew: I had Jay verify it because Im still very nervous and unsure of myself when it comes to these kinds of things. He said that thats exactly what he has and that I was on the right track. Yay! We both got our checkoffs and then came time for the final checkoff: actually writing the code. I was actually able to do this part relatively easily, asking here and there for clarifications like what does %s mean? and my timer isnt working, should I implement it differently? and my partner really, really helped me. He gave me the idea for doing: if (millis()-timestart TIMEOUT) { } rather than doing: if (millis()-timestart TIMEOUT { } Essentially I used this for my timer. If that time [millis()-timestart] was greater than 1 second, I would move into the next state REQUEST, which is where I would pull up the actual fun fact page. Had I done it the other way, it wouldve been a bit more complicated. End of the Day recap It was pretty shitty because I went to bed at 2, frustrated that my code for 6.009 didnt work. I decided here to wake up at 8am and go to office hours from 9am-3pm, with a slight break in between for 11am-12pm 8.02. Friday Hey ho its Friday but also its still me typing from above. I forgot to type in the stuff from yesterday so I wrote all the Thursday things today. Sorry about that. Anyway. I woke up at 8. Scrolled on my phone until 8:30. Got up, got ready, and headed out straight to 4-370. So, Ill go back to my coding experience after I really quickly touch on 8.02. 8.02 Friday Problem Solving! Were given a packet of questions and we have to work in teams of three to solve them, show the solution to a TA, and get checked off. Once the packet is complete, we are free to leave. Im pretty slow at physics and I really enjoy writing everything out. I write out all of my code before ever putting it in code first and I write out all the equations and things for physics rather than doing it very fast. Aquila and Jordan are VERY fast. Im grateful, but I just feel like a dead weight. Luckily, Aquila is nice enough to cater to all my stupid questions and answer them patiently. Thank you, Aquila!!! So, this is a reminder for myself to go back and read over all those 8.02 problems and do them myself because they moved a bit too fast for me to comprehend. 6.009? is not 6.00-fine. So! Lets talk about code. 9-11AM I worked on writing a way to calculate the kernel or whatever of a pixel. I show my code to 3 or 4 different people. They say its fine. It should be working properly. Okay. 12PM hits. I realize there are no office hours for 6.009 from 12PM-1PM. I am now sitting in the Stata Center waiting for 1PM to come around since 6.009 office hours are from 1-3PM in 32-123. I try to read my code and figure out whats wrong. I see nothing wrong. Then suddenly all the stress and frustration of this week get to me. And here I am, fucking breaking down in the middle of the Stata, sat at this table. I am sobbing, but trying really hard to make my sniffles quieter and my tears unnoticeable. Angrily and perhaps a bit defeatedly, I open up the Common Application website. I make an account. I add transfer programs. Maybe 6 or 7 schools. I am broken. I am tired. I am sad. I think this is the peak of my imposter syndrome so far. Claire walks in and asks if Im okay. I wait a couple of moments before responding because I know if I try to talk, Ill just cry more. She just comforts me. I tell her that this school is hard. And that I feel stupid because everyone is able to grasp solutions so quickly and I am not. My friends finished this lab within the first two days. And here I am 4 hours before deadline still stuck on the third part. And I am broken. And I am tired. And I am sad. She says its okay and that 6.009 is a really hard class. I nod. She tries her best to debug my code. She fixes some noticeable errors (I wrote image[height] instead of image[height]-1). 1PM is here. I go into office hours. I am 35th in the queue. To be fair, 6.009  is a hard class and they have very little TAs for such a large population. I dont mind the waiting. I really appreciate all the 6.009 TAs for everything they do. Its a tough job. Finally, Im up. A TA approaches me and she reads through my code. She sees nothing wrong with it. She says its perfect and its really neat. She scrolls to the bottom. Oh, thats why. You havent been saving the image properly. My stomach fucking plummets. Yeah, just put save_image(result, test.png) instead of save_image(im, test.png). Youve been saving the original image this entire time. I dont know whether to be angry or relieved. Angry that I wasted my time? Yeah. Relieved that my code wasnt actually shit? Yeah. Okay, it is now 2:00 and I have an hour left to finish parts 4, 5, and 6 before I have to go to mandatory 6.042 recitation and this lab is due at 4. Caroline gets my panicked texts and comes over. She helps me a lot and Im really grateful. I end up finishing the lab at 3:11 PM. Im late to my 6.042 recitation, but hey, I passed all the cases. I dont get my checkoff done; Ill save that for Sunday. 6.042 I walk into 6.042 a little late but I still manage to get my name down on the attendance sheet and grab a recitation paper. Its talking about how to write proper proofs. Its things like prove log 2 base 3 is irrational and whatnot. I took discrete in high school and I was awful at it, so I really want to try and do well in 6.042. My group is pretty cool (Kidist is in my 6.042 recitation!!!!) End of the Day recap So lets talk. Today has been a lot. A LOT. A lot. Im really grateful for everyone who offered me help with 6.009. (Thank you to Caroline, Quentin, Claire, Raymond, and probably much more who helped me with my code.) I cried. I almost transferred (the applications are still like half filled. Honestly dont know what Im going to do thereprobably another blogpost on this. Imposter syndrome hours.) I didnt eat at all today, aside from this morning. I did not drink water at all today. I realized this when I almost fainted/fell down (up? I was exiting 32-123) the stairs when I was walking to 6.042. Thats pretty bad. Dont worry, I grabbed Beantown right after 6.042 recitation. I skipped the gym because I just didnt think I was in the right headspace for a push day today, though I really love push days. But yeah, school ishard. MIT is challenging. A lot of it is a mental game, though, rather than academics. At least for me. Its really a challenge of my resilience and belief in myself. Ive always had a weak mental game. I get fazed really easily. The moment I think something is going to go wrong, I kind of self-sabotage. I constantly tell myself Im bad at coding and I always compare myself to the progress of other people, so it can be especially disheartening. Being friends with such competent, capable, and intelligent people makes me realize how behind I am. Its a vicious cycle. I love my friends, they give me help, but then I realize Im kind of a useless sack of shit. I know, thats toxic. Im trying to fix it. I want to take time to relax and rest today, but I have a lot due. A brief to do list: start 8.02 pset. Try and finish it by Sunday night. 6.08 exercises! theyre due by sunday night and im going to try and do them tonight 6.009 lab. yeah fuck u buddy im gonna try and finish u AS SOON AS MCFUCKIN POSSIBLE. i want to get this one done by tuesday. CMS.100 readings and presentation prep honestly, lower priority. this is my fun class. going to probably do this sunday night or monday. 6.042 pset this is very scary. going to go to so many office hours for this one. I am very nervous for this second semester. If every week is going to be like this, I do not know how Im going to do. This week featured the highest of highs (finishing 6.08 lab an hour early, watching TATBILB:PSILY) and the lowest of lows (shaking from anxiety, fainting from lack of self care, breaking down and almost transferring). It is the greatest test of my resilience yet and right now Im just trying to take it a day at a time and try my very bestest. Happy weekend! Aiden saw me type this in 8.02 and he says he disapproves. He's a big matlab shill. He took an IAP course on it and now he thinks he's the best at it. What an asshole. back to text ?

Thursday, June 25, 2020

Teachers How To Avoid Copyright Infringement With Your Blog Post Images

posted on June 9, 2015 As a teacher of our young people, you know that readers these days need a visual image to capture their attention, to illustrate your abstract concepts, to give your followers something cool to share, pin, or like. This need is even backed up by the word du jour: research. Studies have shown that the most popular shared item is pictures, If you’re wanting to build your readership — even if you’re not selling anything — you’ll need your readers to share your work. Ideally, you should use photos that you have taken yourself. This avoids any copyright issues since you will automatically own the copyright. (Keep in mind, if you include any students in your photos, you’ll need to have a model release. I’ll discuss that later.) Learn how to avoid copyright infringement — and where to find cool blog post images like this one.    But sometimes you need a stock image. Perhaps you need an icon for a button, or maybe you need an illustration for the PowerPoint describing a new lesson plan  you’re offering your readers. In any case, you need a royalty-free image that is of excellent quality, but won’t cost you your first born. Stop! Before we go any further though, I want to clear something up: Graphics and photos you find on a Google Images are not free! Neither are random photos you find on the Internet. I just read a blog post by an author and blogger who had mistakenly believed that if you can find a graphic on a Google Images, it was free to use, with attribution, or a disclaimer stating that the author was not taking credit for the images posted. (The author, who I found in one of my Google+ communities, is a romance writer. You can click a link  to her site here, but make sure the kiddos aren’t in the room.) Updated: I also found an article by a content marketing agency that was sued for $8,000 for using a copyrighted image, and a copywriting company that ended up paying $4,000 for a photo. Unfortunately for the author, she found out too late that you can’t just pull a photo off the Internet, attribute it, and call it good. What is copyright? Copyright provides legal protection for literary, musical, artistic, dramatic, and intellectual works. Under current U.S. Copyright law, only the owner is afforded the following rights to his works, from the moment they are created: make copies of his work distribute copies of his work perform his work publicly display his work publicly A copyright infringement occurs when someone copies, distributes, performs, or displays another person’s work without that person’s permission. Be aware, that no copyright notice is necessary — as soon as a tangible expression of an idea is created, it is copyrighted. In some cases, it may be a good idea to register a work, which results in additional benefits. Not only does registration create a public record, but if the owner sues someone for infringement and wins, he may be entitled to statutory damages and attorney fees. This is no joke If the images are registered with the U.S. Copyright Office, you can be fined up to $30,000 for unintentional usage, and up to $150,000 for intentional usage. How can you protect yourself? Like the author, I started out casually using the Internet for research and connecting with other parents. But I had a degree in journalism, which had required me to take a media law class. The law states that once you create something, you are the owner and controller of the copyright of that something. That means, no one else has the right to post or publish it, unless you expressly give that right to them. We had that drummed into our heads on the college and professional newspaper staffs, among other things. So I knew better than to take graphics from the Internet without making sure I had the express permission of the copyright owner. Fortunately, there are many sites out there, and new licensing options, that make graphics available to bloggers, writers,  educational  webmasters, and you. These licensing options don’t replace copyright, but allow the creators of graphics and other creative works to specify how their products can be used. The main terms you’ll see are public domain, creative commons, and royalty-free. Public domain This term is actually the only one related to copyright. It generally means that copyright has expired on the item and it no longer has any restrictions on usage. In the United States, copyright typically expires 70 years after the author dies. However, there are many complex exceptions to this. So always verify whether or not the image you’re using is true in the public domain. Examples of items that are in the public domain include the works of Shakespeare and Leonardi da Vinci, photographs taken in the 1800s, and many early silent films.    Creative Commons Copyright by itself reserves all rights for the creator. Creative Commons gives specific licenses that allow creative works to be used with specific restrictions. For example, there are licenses that allow creative works to be used as long as the creator is attributed. In other words, you have to give credit on your webpage where you use the image. Other licenses allow a creative work to be used with attribution, but only for non-commercial and non-derivative purposes (in other words, you couldn’t use them to sell something, or make a new item with the image). You can read more about each license on the Creative Commons website. Photo  by Dan Valentine. Used under Creative Commons License. Royalty Free Strangely, â€Å"royalty free† does not mean you don’t have to pay. As a matter of fact, royalty free is the most expensive of the options. Under these terms, you pay a one-time fee for a license to use the copyrighted works. Otherwise, you’d have to pay royalties for every time the item was used. For example, if you purchased usage rights for a photograph that was NOT royalty free (usually called rights-managed), and put the image on your blog, you’d have to pay the two license fees. Under the royalty free terms, you only have to pay once. In all three cases, the licenses are not exclusive, meaning that everyone else can purchase or make use of the license, as well. Most of the images I have used on this site are royalty free, though I have some creative commons licensed images. You can tell the difference because the creative commons images have attribution, where the royalty-free or public domain ones do not. I download my images from several different sites, some which are monetarily free and some which require payment, making sure that I understand the licence terms of each. So how can you protect yourself from making an $8,000 mistake? Rules to live by Do not download images off the internet unless you have written permission to do so If in doubt, request permission from the copyright owner If you’re still not sure, do not use the image! Free Stock Photos Morgue File — These images come with free usage right with attribution. As noted on the site, you are responsible for contacting the photographer to make sure any model or property releases have been obtained. Compfight — This site enables you to search Flickr for photos with various creative commons licenses. Paid Stock Photos Deposit Photos  Ã¢â‚¬â€ This royalty free stock photo site is the least expensive one that I’ve found, with the best quality images for the price. I purchase a block of 30 credits for $32, or 50 credits for $50*. Each photo has several size options, ranging in price from one credit for the extra small version of the picture (great for website articles) to 12 credits for high resolution, larger print quality versions of the images. iStockPhoto  Ã¢â‚¬â€ I started using iStockPhoto in 2002, when the company itself was only a couple of years old. At the time, it was the only inexpensive royalty free site available. I still have a ton of images that I purchased from them. These days though, their images are way more expensive — too rich for my blood. You can purchase a block of 30 credits for $49.99, or 60 credits for $94.99*. That’s not where it gets expensive though. Most of their images cost 10 credits for the extra small version! Of course, if you just need one very high quality photo, they’ve got you covered. Big Stock Photo — This site seems to fall in the middle of the other two paid sites. I can buy 25 credits for $49 or 100 credits for $169*. Their small images (about twice as large as the other site’s extra small images) are 1 credit. So, if you need a larger image for a project, this site might be your best choice. These are the options I’ve found that allow me to use images on my website and my client’s websites for free or relatively low cost. What stock photo sites do you use? *2014 prices Michelle WatersI am a secondary English Language Arts teacher, a University of Oklahoma student working on my Master’s of Education in Instructional Leadership and Academic Curriculum with an concentration in English Education, and a NBPTS candidate. I am constantly seeking ways to amplify my students’ voices and choices.