Even a hundred years after this story was written, mankind (as a whole) still does not have a healthy respect for nature. We have created immensely powerful machines that can literally change the face of the earth, but at the same time we are still dependent on the very planet we are pillaging in order to stay alive. Our polluting of the planet is comparable to the man’s disregard for the cold weather. We ignore warning signs, similar to his spit turning to ice in the air, and proceed onward in our path of self-destruction until nature forces us to stop. Jack London was attempting to warn humanity about being so secure in our knowledge that we disregard all warnings and charge forward with our god-like powers, only to destroy ourselves in the process.
Read more…
College
College, English, essay
The United States of America is more resistant to terrorist attacks than ever before because of recent policies, inducing the Bush Doctrine and The Patriot Act, but the huge economic and social consequences may negate many long term benefits. Our military has deployed troops to several different countries in order to combat terrorist groups. Without this military action, it is extremely likely that terrorism would have been a much larger threat than it is today. The troops have done an admirable job defending us from the hostile terrorist forces, and many Americans are no longer concerned with the possibility of dying in a terrorist attack. There has not been a major terrorist attack on American soil since September 11th 2001. Our government has spent vast sums of money to attempt to make sure that an event of that magnitude never happens again. In order to reduce the risk of such attacks, many ethically questionable policies have become standard practice. One such policy is the Patriot Act, which allows for warrant-less wiretapping, reading online communications, and adding citizens to do-not-fly lists, to name a few. Although the country as a whole is safer from terrorist attacks because of these measures, the cost for this added safety negatively impacts our civil liberties, domestic preparedness, and economics, which is more than citizens should be reasonably expected to bear.
Read more…
College
College, war
For an assignment in my health class I was to keep very close track of what I ate over the span of 3 days and then use the site My Pyramid Tracker to keep track of my diet. It turns out that I did better than most Americans, I just need to eat more vegetables.
I found this assignment interesting even though I did not learn much from it that I did not already know. Basically it confirms that I drink enough milk, eat an adequate amount of fruit and meat, and that I need more vegetables. My sodium intake, unlike most Americans, is, on average, within it’s limits. The average sodium intake for the 3 days is 2145mg, which is below the 2300mg limit. Basically if I were to simply add more vegetables to my diet I would be in good shape. Now if only vegetables tasted better…
Read more…
College
College, food, health
Although it’s really not that great, here is the first English paper I’ve turned in during college. I’ll probably post a lot of college work on here so that I can reference it if I need to at a later date.
September 2008
English 111
How High Speed Internet Connections Have Changed My Life
I was four years old when I first used a computer. It was a 486 (with turbo!) that ran Microsoft Windows 3.1. Ever since then I have been fascinated with computers and all things related to them. When I was in elementary school my parents ordered dial-up internet. For the first time I could communicate with other people using only a computer. In the 4th grade I didn’t really understand the full implications of what this new technology was allowing me to do, I simply thought that it was “really cool.” I began using a service called “AOL Instant Messenger” and was soon reading up on the latest technology news on informative websites. I didn’t know what all of it meant (there were lots of big words), but I found it fascinating.
Read more…
College
cable, College, dial up, dsl, high school, internet
The weather was nice outside this morning so I decided that I would ride my bike to campus for the first time. I left a full hour earlier than I would have if I were taking my car, just to make sure that I wasn’t late. The trip went surprisingly well: My average speed was 16.3 MPH. There was surprisingly low traffic volume on the road which made for a safer feeling ride. From the time I left my front door to get my bike to the time I sat down outside of my class room (I arrived early) it took about 45 minutes. Five minutes of that was pulling my bike out of the shed in my bike yard. Taking a car the same route results in a 37 minute commute from start to finish. It only took seven extra minutes on a 6.3 mile commute! Read more…
College
bike, College, ebike, ride
Today was better. I arrived in class at 12:29 and 30 seconds, just barely in time. The psych teacher was the first one to actually be on time and ready to go. The class room was pretty full so I ended up getting a chair in the front of the room against a wall. The teacher ended up being at a 90 degree angle to me for the majority of the class, so I had to have my legs off to the side. Note: whoever invented the integrated desk (where the tabletop is physically joined with the chair) deserves to have bad things happen to them. My back is now sore.
Read more…
College
College
I have to say, I’m not impressed. Math teacher who doesn’t teach? Check.Classes as interesting as always? Check. The vast majority of the population that is still stupid (though I have to give them some credit for at least trying)? Check. It’s like high school, but with better hours. At least I have a college savings fund that is paying for this. Maybe some of my other classes will be better. So far I have yet to see the appeal of working four years for a sheet of paper that will land me a job that I hate. I’ll see how the rest of the week goes and then report back.
Cheers.
Life
College