Whew! Finally, this term is over and I am free for the summer! Well, mostly.

Grades haven’t come out yet but I think that things went fairly well. I’m not pleased with how some of my finals went, but I was so burned out by the end that I think I did the best I could at the time. This was a really rough term and I’m frankly glad that it’s over, though there were a lot of good moments too.

Now, for the summer! I’ll be working full-time to help me save up for my China/Japan trip. We’re supposed to rotate positions within our IT department every six months with our intern program, but I’ll be keeping mine through the end of summer. They figured it wouldn’t be worth it for me to take a new job for three months and leave. I’m excited about that, because the group that I’m in right now (Database Administration) is full of really fun and supportive people and I really like the work that I’m doing. I’m especially happy because being able to devote all of my attention to my work projects is going to make them go a lot faster. I’ve basically been doing the same two projects for the last six months, which is OK considering how little time I’ve been able to spend on them, but now I’ll actually be able to finish them off and move on to bigger and better things.

My schedule is set up so that I have Mondays off and work extra long days on the other four. I need that time to do administrative stuff to prepare for China/Japan (move my bank account to a new bank, check on some stuff with my mom’s insurance, make sure all my IDs are up to date, etc.). It’s still several months away, but the summer always does go by really quickly and there’s a lot left to do.

Well, congratulations to everyone who graduated this year… and happy summer!

Please forgive this post—it is going to sound very geeky and intellectual and not at all like my usual description of fun things I have done. I just had one of the coolest moments in my academic career, and I want to share this with you.

In my History of Ideas 5 (Modern Thought) class, we have an assignment to choose a book off of a short list, read it, and write a short analysis/review of the ideas in it. As a computer scientist and an individual with at least some knowledge in this area, the text I chose was How We Became Posthuman by N. Katherine Hayles. It is probably the most interesting thing that I have ever read, but not for the reasons you might expect.

To avoid going into gory detail, the book is basically about the relationship between physical reality and disembodied information, the connection between science and literature, and a number of other things all surrounding the ideas of cybernetics and informatics (think cyborgs like the Terminator or RoboCop). The most interesting thing to me, though, is the fact that it plays on so many subjects I have touched on in other classes. Yes, it is about technology, and I am in a good position to understand the arguments because of my basic understanding of the way modern computing works. The important part is all of the other subjects it mentions. For example, there are elements from the Intro to New Media course I took last year. We discussed technological concepts like text-based MUDs, cyberpunk literature, and the like and also looked into their implications from a social, psychological and philosophical perspective. That course gave me the basic background on cybernetics and the various arguments and issues surrounding it. That also sounds obvious, given that it is also a course about technology.

Beyond that, however, there are elements from all kinds of other sources. I have always been a fan of science fiction, so there are ideas from texts I have read for my own entertainment (specifically, Neuromancer by William Gibson, Ilium and Olympos by Dan Simmons, and Accelerando by Charles Stross, all of which I highly recommend). There are also ideas that were discussed in my Critical Methods in English course that I took earlier this year, most importantly Lacan’s and Saussure’s discussion of the relationship between signifier (words) and signified (ideas). There was even something from my Landmark Discoveries in Natural Science course last year: we discussed Thomas Kuhn’s model of scientific progress as a series of paradigm shifts, and the author of How We Became Posthuman specifically mentions that the progression of cybernetics does not follow a “Kuhnian” model.

My History of Ideas professor refers to this as “echoes.” You take a course and learn about some ideas, then you hear those ideas somewhere else in a slightly different context, and so on. Eventually you start to see the same ideas showing up all the time and you begin to understand how closely everything relates to everything else. It’s a phenomenon that appears to be very common among History of Ideas students in particular. My professor laughingly said that that made us schizophrenic. I personally think that it enriches what I learn and deepens my understanding of ideas, philosophy, sociology—pretty much everything, really. This example in particular shows the kind of synthesis that comes from having encountered so many ideas in several disciplines, and it really emphasizes exactly the reasons why I chose to study computer science at a liberal arts school. I can learn how to program a computer anywhere, but it takes a liberal arts school to show you how what you’re doing shapes the society you live in and vice versa. I find the whole thing absolutely fascinating.

Anyway, that’s the end of my geek-rant. I do have some events and things that I would like to tell you about in the near future, so stay tuned for those. See you later!

It’s fifth week, which means it’s midterm time. Usually my midterms are not that bad but this year I have a ton of stuff to do, including two written exams (which thankfully are already over), a sizable History of Ideas paper, and a ton of catch-up on homework for my computer science courses. It’s been a little bit of a mess.

Last weekend I went to go see Forbidden Kingdom on its opening night at AMC Cantera 30. If you allow me to digress a moment, I have never heard of a movie theater that large before and it still baffles me. It’s so huge that it’s sort of subdivided into smaller theaters and has multiple independent concession stands and everything. It must be a Naperville thing. Anyway, the movie was pretty good. It’s a kung fu movie, so it’s pretty much required to be campy, but the fighting scenes and general artistry was awesome. The choreography was especially good and it integrated some of that floaty Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon style in a tasteful way. I am also a HUGE Jackie Chan fan and I was not disappointed (unlike Rush Hour 3, which was an embarrassment for all parties), especially by the Jackie Chan/Jet Li fight scene. I would definitely recommend it.

More interesting stuff will hopefully be going on for me to talk about next week. COW is taking folks to see a Second City show this weekend and then next week we start my pre-study abroad course. Hopefully I will be less stressed out by then, too. Later!

This week was pretty par–not much going on. The homework load is serious as usual but I’m making it. I and my COW exec brethren have been having serious stress this week because we’re trying to buy the tickets for one of our events and we just cannot get ahold of their group ticket sales office. It’s ridiculous. We’re trying to give these people money, and we’ve been calling several times a day, but nobody is ever there and nobody ever calls back. We’ll get it done somehow, of course, but it’s been driving me up a wall.

Another more general news item is that I now have a topic for my honors thesis! For the College Scholars honors program, in order to graduate with full honors, you need to complete many hours of honors coursework (I think it’s around 40) and then complete a large research project during senior year. I’ve been struggling to come up with a topic all year, but I met with my academic adviser about it last week and she suggested that I do the Games for Girls competition by myself next year, and supplement it with outside research to round it out as a complete project. Most honors theses end up being huge papers, but it doesn’t always have to be that way–in computer science in particular it is very common for there to be a practical component.

I don’t have to look at anything too seriously yet, but I’m glad that I settled on the topic this early because now I have plenty of time to work on it. During the summer I will probably start doing research (specifically about the psychological and sociological components of gaming culture and why it is so unattractive to women). During Fall term I will be in China and Japan and I can use my time there to try to look into game development in those countries. Once I come back I can crack down more seriously on building the game before the early April competition deadline and then finish up the paper and submit it early in Spring Term. I certainly won’t be able to slide through my senior year, but it is SO worth it.

So that’s good, and COW events are coming so we’ll have more fun stuff to talk about. Happy weekend!

So it’s only week 3 and I’m already swamped with academic work. It’s bad times. The weather is just starting to get really nice, and I’m stuck inside doing computer science work.

If nothing else, balancing all facets of college life forces you to adopt serious time management skills. Right now I have to find time for classes, programming projects, readings, work, and just a tiny bit of sanity time, not to mention commuting time, and frankly I’m not doing a very good job of it. It’s been pretty crazy, but I think the worst is over for now.

Last weekend, an organization on campus sponsored a totally free trip to a local movie theater to see the movie 21. That was pretty much awesome, and being on the executive board of an event-centered organization myself I have a lot of respect for what it must have taken to make the arrangements to do all that. They rented out a theater just for North Central students (as in one single theater in the building, not the whole place) and they also gave us a small popcorn and drink for free. I mean, seriously, how cool is that? The movie was pretty good, too, and it was a fun experience all around. Everything is fun when it’s FREE!

Speaking of events, we’re working on getting all our COW events in order as well, and I’m really excited about this term. Among other things, we’re taking students to Medieval Times and a show at Second City, both for only $10 per person. I’m super excited for both of those and I hope that other people will be as well.

Overall this term looks pretty much amazing. There are no official events coming up for this weekend, though I do turn 21 on Saturday… and I’ll leave it at that. Later!

Well, after some craziness, I’ve made it through the first week of spring term. It’s been pretty hectic, but classes have been all right.

This term I have two computer science courses and a History of Ideas course. I had different plans initially, but course catalogs for next year were released on Monday and it turned out that I needed to pick up an extra computer science course now to make up for time I will be missing in China/Japan next fall. With the trimester system, students usually take three or four classes for a full-time schedule, and generally I try to stay away from taking four at a time because I also have my internship and need that extra time for work. I had to rearrange some things on the first day this week but I think things are settled down.

My computer science classes are Linux Programming and a special topics course in XML and web services. I’m excited about both of them, since both deal with things I’ve never looked at in depth before. All of my programming has been on the Windows platform, but I have wanted to get into Linux for some time. The XML/Web Services course is also really valuable because it deals with newer technology trends. It’s always good for technology professionals to be up on the latest trends, and I know that they use some of those technologies at my work, so it’s a good thing for me to know.

My History of Ideas course is the last one in the sequence and deals with Modern Thought. The structure is much different from that of my previous HOI courses. My last two especially dealt with very little besides literature, and this one includes an emphasis on art as well. I’m a little nervous about that because I don’t know a thing about the study of art, but I guess I will have to learn it along the way. The texts that are selected for the class sound really interesting, though, and includes authors like like Mary Shelley, Freud, Nietzsche, Woolf, and more. I’m really enthusiastic about it.

Not a lot else is going on. Tonight I’m going to the annual performance of the Vagina Monologues, and I’m especially excited about it this year because I know several people who will be in it. Other than that, I’m not sure–we haven’t set up our COW events for this term yet so I don’t have a lot to do. I’ll let you know how everything pans out! Happy Week 1!

Well, I (and hopefully all NCC students) have made it through finals!

I had a little bit of everything for my three finals this term. In my History of Ideas class we had an essay test (which is my favorite exam format, which may make me weird), in Discrete Structures we had a regular math-test-style exam, and in my Feminist Perspectives class we had to write a paper and then give a short speech about it. I think I did fairly well, but grades haven’t been posted yet so I’m not sure. I usually underestimate, though. I’m just happy to finally be done with Winter Term.

As for Spring Break… well, I kind of have to see on that one. All of my original plans for Spring Break (trips and etcetera) have been canceled because of scheduling conflicts, plus all of my friends will be working a lot over break, so I don’t know how that’s going to pan out. I actually have the week off of work and everything. It’s also unfortunate because I came down with a bad flu on the last day of finals. I was sick for that last speech, and, let me tell you, dragging your butt out of bed at 5 AM to make sure you can get to school on time for your 7:20 final, in which you have to give a presentation, is not fun in any universe. It’s even worse when you drag your butt out of bed and discover that you have a cough, body aches, and a 100+ degree fever. Ibuprofen helps but I still felt like crud. It’s gotten a bit better by today but it’s still no fun. If I’m feeling OK I have plans to go back to Mitsuwa on Sunday, but that’s really all I have going on.

By the way, have I mentioned before that I have about an hour-long commute, one way, to get to school? It’s not fun. Losing two hours a day in transit takes a lot out of possible homework or relaxing time. I used to take the train to school every day, which was convenient because I could work on stuff on the way, but I got tired of living by Metra’s schedule. Now I catch rides, which is cool for schedule flexibility but it’s hard to do homework in a moving vehicle. My work is also close to school, so if I’m working in the morning I have to get up at 5 AM so I can there by 7:30. You kind of get used to it, but it would still be a lot more convenient if I lived closer.

I’ll let you guys know if I’m able to do anything cool. Really though, I’m just grateful for the chance to relax for a bit. See you later!

Today was the last day of winter classes, and I have mixed feelings. This has been a really challenging term, so on one level I’m really glad that it will be over. All term I’ve had to do a total of more than 100 pages of reading every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for my Feminist Perspectives and History of Ideas classes. The coursework was interesting, to be sure, but it was just a lot to digest on such a regular basis. On the other hand, the classes themselves were interesting, so I’m sort of sad for them to be over.One of the highlights of this term, coursework-wise, has been the labs we’ve been doing in my Discrete Structures 2 class. In Discrete 1, we studied a boolean algebra and logic gates, which basically make up a really low-level kind of computing where electrical circuits can be used to do mathematical operations. It’s crazy computer science stuff. Anyway, in the first class, we did all kinds of problems with boolean algebra and drew out the circuits on paper, but that was pretty much it. In Discrete 2 we actually get to build the circuits and see them work. Our last lab was to basically make a little machine that counted from 0 to 9, which is a lot harder than it sounds. After spending hours and hours unplugging and moving around wires, it’s REALLY satisfying to see little lights blinking away.That’s my life as a computer scientist, I guess. “OOH! Blinking lights! I did something right!”Anyway, it’s finally the weekend, and even though I’m going to have to spend time preparing for finals and whatnot it’s always better to be able to do it on my schedule. And then SPRING BREAK. Some of my friends and I were going to visit Mall of America, but we’re pretty much all broke or busy, so instead we’re scaling it down to maybe spending a few nights in downtown Chicago. If I do anything fun, I’ll let you know. Good luck to everybody on finals!

First off, Laser Tag was an outstanding success, despite the weather, as my fellow blogger Chris will tell you. I was afraid no one would come because it was so cold and icy, but everyone did, plus we sold out all our tickets. It was tons of fun and generally awesome, and I’m very pleased with how it turned out.

Because we don’t like to see any commuters bored, we have still more COW events coming up. This Friday is our traditional Winter Party, which COW co-sponsors with Cardinals in Action (CIA), which is a service group. It’s usually very small and low-key, and in recent years we’ve added a service aspect in addition to the food and chilling out. For a wintry theme, we get people together to make no-sew blankets that we then donate to Project Linus. Project Linus is an organization that accepts donations of all kinds of hand-made blankets, from no-sew blankets like ours to hand-sewn quilts and more, and donates them to children who are ill or have suffered a trauma. It sounds a bit obscure, but Project Linus is an organization that’s very close to my heart. I received a blanket from them four years ago when my stepfather died. I thought (and still do) that it was an extremely sweet and heart-warming gesture, and since I was 16 years old at the time, I’m convinced that it would have even more meaning for a younger child. It’s so simple to make the blankets and donate them that it seemed perfect for a COW event, and so here we are.

Aside from COW events (and there are even more coming up after Winter Party, but those plans are more fluid for now), my mind has been on academics. I have one more midterm left to prepare for, and the whole term in general has been flying by. It already feels like things are starting to ramp up for finals, and there are still four full weeks left before them… yuck.

Here’s hoping it stops snowing someday. Stay warm!

It’s the end of second week now, and classes are getting into full swing.  I’ve had to go back to spending most of my free time doing homework.  My Feminist Perspectives and History of Ideas classes require tons of reading (which is pretty typical for honors courses), and I need a lot of extra time to puzzle through problems for Discrete Structures 2.  I’m a little rusty, since I took the first Discrete course my freshman year and haven’t looked at it in the year and a half since then.  In any case, it’s a challenging workload but nothing impossible.

One of the things that interests me particularly is a collection of short stories that we’re reading in my Feminist Perspectives class called Feminist Philosophy and Science Fiction: Utopias and Dystopias.  The stories all examine gender from a science- or speculative-fiction perspective.  That in itself is interesting, because I can tell you from experience that women in science fiction tend to be cast in smaller or more stereotypical roles, so stories specifically written to address gender are a refreshing change.  I’m also a huge fan of the utopia/dystopia model.  In general I think science fiction and the like are among the best ways to explore new ideas and perspectives, and so far it hasn’t disappointed. I’d recommend it to any fan of science fiction or gender study.

I haven’t had a chance to do anything really exciting socially since school started.  I went to see the new National Treasure movie with my dad last weekend, but that’s really been it.  This Saturday is one of my friends’ birthdays, so some of us are going to go out for dinner and then see a movie to celebrate.  Also, next weekend COW is going to sponsor a trip to play laser tag, which everyone is really excited about.  Check in next week for a report of how well everything went!