Here is a video of the golden toad mentioned in the Butterfly Lessons article:
http://www.celsias.com/2008/02/02/golden-frog-waves-goodbye-then-goes-extinct-in-the-wild/
The video is very poetic, because the toad literally "waves goodbye" in the video, and is now believed to be extinct.
Sunday, February 10, 2008
Saturday, February 9, 2008
Fantastic Obama Speech: Role of Religion in Politics
If you enjoyed our in-class discussion about the teaching of evolution in schools, or the discussion about the rhetoric used by politicians, I would highly recommend this excellent and refreshing speech by Obama about the role of religion in politics. He uses both logic and his own experience with faith to talk about faith and the impact of religion on society.
What he says is very relevant to our current situation, where the biggest political divide in the nation is religious vs. secular. It seems like the right has created a "monopoly" on religion and morality, while the left is afraid to use religion to justify social programs.
Obama talks about bridging this gap through "fair-minded words." I think he makes some excellent points. If you are at all curious to hear what he says, please watch the video. It's long, but worth listening to the whole thing.
video:
http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid353515028?bctid=416343938
transcript:
http://obama.senate.gov/podcast/060628-call_to_renewal_1/
What he says is very relevant to our current situation, where the biggest political divide in the nation is religious vs. secular. It seems like the right has created a "monopoly" on religion and morality, while the left is afraid to use religion to justify social programs.
Obama talks about bridging this gap through "fair-minded words." I think he makes some excellent points. If you are at all curious to hear what he says, please watch the video. It's long, but worth listening to the whole thing.
video:
http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid353515028?bctid=416343938
transcript:
http://obama.senate.gov/podcast/060628-call_to_renewal_1/
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
Audience Analysis
The type of publication that I would intend the paper to be for would be something like Popular Science. The magazine is geared towards rather new and exciting cutting edge type of science that can be applied. It often sensationalizes the science to try and market it to the widest demographic possible. An example of an article would be...
http://www.popsci.com/scitech/article/2008-01/germ-could-save-your-life
The average audience member that I would read my paper would be relatively educated, but not intended to be and expert in the subject. They would have a thirst for knowledge as the purpose of the magazine is to inform. I don't believe they expect their beliefs or values to be challenged by the magazine.
From the paper, I would expect the average reader to gain a new sense of knowledge about the particular subject. If the happen to have to belonephobia, they would be very interested in how the topic advances. Also most everyone dislikes receiving a shot, and they will be put at ease to know that one day they will be completely painless.
http://www.popsci.com/scitech/article/2008-01/germ-could-save-your-life
The average audience member that I would read my paper would be relatively educated, but not intended to be and expert in the subject. They would have a thirst for knowledge as the purpose of the magazine is to inform. I don't believe they expect their beliefs or values to be challenged by the magazine.
From the paper, I would expect the average reader to gain a new sense of knowledge about the particular subject. If the happen to have to belonephobia, they would be very interested in how the topic advances. Also most everyone dislikes receiving a shot, and they will be put at ease to know that one day they will be completely painless.
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
"God or Gorilla"
I was sick last week and missed the class where we were assigned to write a blog about the reading "God or Gorilla." Although this entry is late, I still wanted to submit some of my thoughts about this essay.
The article “God of Gorilla” presents the topic of creationism versus evolution. This debate has been a topic of many media stories recently. I think that most Americans are aware of the two sides (creationism and evolution) and the arguments presented by supporters of either side. I think that most readers of this article probably have some knowledge of the subject. I feel that the author tries to report “God versus Gorilla” by telling a story, so that it is more than just reiterating facts that many people are probably already aware of. The author uses his unique firsthand experiences to tell this story. He relies on his characters to tell the story. I think that this article is a good example of writing about a common subject in a slightly different way; I think it is a good example of developing characters.
“God or Gorilla” tells the opinions of the two sides through what the different characters think. However, the portrayal of the characters does more than present the different sides of the argument; it also conveys the author’s opinion of the subject matter. The author supports his opinion in support of evolution through the depiction of the characters. The characters whom he selects supporting creationism are portrayed negatively. His negative depiction of these characters reflects negatively on the supportive opinions of creationism that they hold. There is the disorganized or absent legal defense. There is the Oxy-Contin addict. There is the blindly faithful and stupid woman who doesn’t even care to understand what she is supporting. The author describes these characters as foolish and their ideas, by association, as also foolish.
I think that the author’s use of characters creates an interesting article. He is talking about a subject that I already know about, but I still found this article interesting because he told his story in a different way. For me, this is more of an opinion piece than an informative piece, with his opinion clearly stated in the very beginning. I like the way the author presented his argument because it told a story about people, rather than just presenting the arguments and facts.
The article “God of Gorilla” presents the topic of creationism versus evolution. This debate has been a topic of many media stories recently. I think that most Americans are aware of the two sides (creationism and evolution) and the arguments presented by supporters of either side. I think that most readers of this article probably have some knowledge of the subject. I feel that the author tries to report “God versus Gorilla” by telling a story, so that it is more than just reiterating facts that many people are probably already aware of. The author uses his unique firsthand experiences to tell this story. He relies on his characters to tell the story. I think that this article is a good example of writing about a common subject in a slightly different way; I think it is a good example of developing characters.
“God or Gorilla” tells the opinions of the two sides through what the different characters think. However, the portrayal of the characters does more than present the different sides of the argument; it also conveys the author’s opinion of the subject matter. The author supports his opinion in support of evolution through the depiction of the characters. The characters whom he selects supporting creationism are portrayed negatively. His negative depiction of these characters reflects negatively on the supportive opinions of creationism that they hold. There is the disorganized or absent legal defense. There is the Oxy-Contin addict. There is the blindly faithful and stupid woman who doesn’t even care to understand what she is supporting. The author describes these characters as foolish and their ideas, by association, as also foolish.
I think that the author’s use of characters creates an interesting article. He is talking about a subject that I already know about, but I still found this article interesting because he told his story in a different way. For me, this is more of an opinion piece than an informative piece, with his opinion clearly stated in the very beginning. I like the way the author presented his argument because it told a story about people, rather than just presenting the arguments and facts.
Integrating Formal Verification and Conformance Testing for Reactive Systems
Integrating Formal Verification and Conformance Testing for Reactive Systems: Nice boring title, huh? Well, if it's one thing that I don't like, it is boring the hell out of people. That is why I have been trying to think of the least obvious publications to write my translation in. The first thoughts that came to my mind were either a fitness magazine like Men's Health or a reputable magazine like Playboy. Unfortunately, I soon realized that I couldn't write well enough to pull that one off. So I needed a fitness/naked women hybrid that allowed me a little more leeway in the technologial/software engineering field. Then I was hit with the spirit of inspiration and plagarism:
Esquire!
It's the perfect audience for my style of writing: People who like to keep themselves well informed about the world around them, but simple enough to be easily distracted by half-naked women. It's like shooting fish in a barrel! Although I may not be able to pull this one off. In that case, I'll probably repost in this blog saying that I've switched to an IEEE publication. But for now I want to test myself and see if I can do this. I have all weekend to rework the translation if I can't do it.
My article may be styled after something like this, the difference being that this article is about bioengineering instead of computers/software: http://www.esquire.com/features/ESQ1204-DEC_B&B_SCIENCE_rev_2_1?click=main_sr
What I would like people to get out of this article is that there is more to software then sitting in front of a computer frantically typing out code. I also want to prove that real coding isn't random button mashing and looking at pretty visuals on a screen like the movie Swordfish (although there was a naked Halle Berry, which brings me full circle to my Esquire audience). I want to show that it takes a lot of planning and mental work to figure out if a software system is secure and complete. I want to also explain that just because a software system does what it is supposed to do does not mean it is a good system. Testing a software system is a very extensive series of events and should not be taken lately or a critical error may occur that could have been prevented.
Esquire!
It's the perfect audience for my style of writing: People who like to keep themselves well informed about the world around them, but simple enough to be easily distracted by half-naked women. It's like shooting fish in a barrel! Although I may not be able to pull this one off. In that case, I'll probably repost in this blog saying that I've switched to an IEEE publication. But for now I want to test myself and see if I can do this. I have all weekend to rework the translation if I can't do it.
My article may be styled after something like this, the difference being that this article is about bioengineering instead of computers/software: http://www.esquire.com/features/ESQ1204-DEC_B&B_SCIENCE_rev_2_1?click=main_sr
What I would like people to get out of this article is that there is more to software then sitting in front of a computer frantically typing out code. I also want to prove that real coding isn't random button mashing and looking at pretty visuals on a screen like the movie Swordfish (although there was a naked Halle Berry, which brings me full circle to my Esquire audience). I want to show that it takes a lot of planning and mental work to figure out if a software system is secure and complete. I want to also explain that just because a software system does what it is supposed to do does not mean it is a good system. Testing a software system is a very extensive series of events and should not be taken lately or a critical error may occur that could have been prevented.
Search Engine Encryption for Wired
I'm choosing to write for Wired News, which is a popular science/technology magazine, covering a lot of bases. Wired has a fairly diverse range of readers - it contains articles written in a conversational, sometimes humorous tone about subjects that are often technical and always geeky. The typical Wired reader is young and male, made up largely of geeky college students who want to know more about technology, games, and other things in a similar culture. However, Wired's audience also encompasses professors, CEOs, independent web designers, and a whole range of others. Essentially, Wired is geared toward anyone who wants to know more about technology but wants their tech in a digestible, conversational format.
An example of Wired's reporting is here: http://blog.wired.com/27bstroke6/2008/01/anonymous-hac-1.html. It is evident through the use of the phrase "the wrong guy" that the magazine isn't as academic as some of its competition, but still is plenty technical to satiate the average geek's appetite for technology.
I'm writing a translation on an article about encryption algorithms used in search engines, which is exactly the kind of thing a Wired reader might be interested in. It is a topic that is very technical, almost too much so (which is ideal for most Wired readers), but is also something which any technology fan interacts with on a daily if not hourly basis. This makes it an easy subject to relate to, and so Wired seems like the ideal place for such an article.
I'm expecting my audience to get a general overview of the topic from my article, without having to delve too deeply into the semantics of it. This means that the reader will not completely understand the topic, but will receive just the smattering of information that a Wired reader lives for - enough to be interesting, not enough to get boring.
An example of Wired's reporting is here: http://blog.wired.com/27bstroke6/2008/01/anonymous-hac-1.html. It is evident through the use of the phrase "the wrong guy" that the magazine isn't as academic as some of its competition, but still is plenty technical to satiate the average geek's appetite for technology.
I'm writing a translation on an article about encryption algorithms used in search engines, which is exactly the kind of thing a Wired reader might be interested in. It is a topic that is very technical, almost too much so (which is ideal for most Wired readers), but is also something which any technology fan interacts with on a daily if not hourly basis. This makes it an easy subject to relate to, and so Wired seems like the ideal place for such an article.
I'm expecting my audience to get a general overview of the topic from my article, without having to delve too deeply into the semantics of it. This means that the reader will not completely understand the topic, but will receive just the smattering of information that a Wired reader lives for - enough to be interesting, not enough to get boring.
Translation of "The Obstacle Course: A Tool for the Assessment of Functional Balance and Mobility In the Elderly"
1. I will be writing for the magazine Life Extension http://www.lef.org/ . Its main audience is an elder population which can relate more to the need of balance and mobility rehabilitation. I will try to mimic my translation to read similarly as this article: http://www.lef.org/featured-articles/consumer_alert_042707.htm . I think this article does a good job of breaking down the major points into subsections.
2. My target audience would be elderly people who have difficulty walking or navigating themselves or anyone who is in contact with such a person. This type of information would be 'interesting' to anyone who is willing to add more to their common knowledge. However, those who will find it useful and can actual apply what they learn are the above middle age people.
3. My article will hopefully showcase a relatively new method and procedure for rehabilitation in the elderly community. Mobility and balance training are two things which are very crucial for the independence and safety of the elderly. Currently generic methods for rehabilitation, testing, and progress tracking are very limited and mundane; this new approach is very robust and actually produces meaningful rehabilitation.
2. My target audience would be elderly people who have difficulty walking or navigating themselves or anyone who is in contact with such a person. This type of information would be 'interesting' to anyone who is willing to add more to their common knowledge. However, those who will find it useful and can actual apply what they learn are the above middle age people.
3. My article will hopefully showcase a relatively new method and procedure for rehabilitation in the elderly community. Mobility and balance training are two things which are very crucial for the independence and safety of the elderly. Currently generic methods for rehabilitation, testing, and progress tracking are very limited and mundane; this new approach is very robust and actually produces meaningful rehabilitation.
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