Now that I've gone through the process of linking this blog to Facebook, I'll have more of a reason to use it. It will fun to be able to compose a post here and have it 'syndicate' to my Knightfall Press Facebook Page.
Thank you NetworkedBlogs!
Now, a bit of information about what Knightfall Press is and isn't. First of all, it is an outlet for my love of roleplaying and to showcase my writing. It is also where I often post assignments that I have completed for Grant MacEwan University courses. However, I foresee it being less about that, in the long run. I will let you all know how my night classes are going even if I don't post the end results of my writing.
In the past, this blog has been where I post my poetry, which can sometimes be a little dark and disturbing. However, since I don't really want Knightfall Press associated with my poetry, I doubt it will be posted here (unless it is fantasy or scifi related). I have another page for that material on Facebook called The Darkstar.
I've already copied over all of my old poems to the FB page, but I won't be deleting them from here unless they are a bit too explicate. (I've already deleted a few of the more intense poems.) Once I've added enough new content here, I'll probably go back and delete them all.
Links - I've now gone through and updated my list of links. Gone are the music links. Added are several links to blogs and web pages I've become interested in. Most of the new additions are gaming related, but a few are blogs or web pages of close personal friends.
(That reminds me, I must add Chris B.'s blog to the list.)
What To Expect Next - At this point, I cannot say for certain. There will be posts related to my current night class, Greek and Roman Mythology. After two classes, I can honestly say I'm psyched about this course. Reading the required Homeric Hymns and Hesiod books has been more like fun than work. I can hardly wait for my next class, although I do have readings that I'll have to catch up on. (I still don't have one of the textbooks, but I should have it by tomorrow.)
That's all for now,
Robert B.
The geekdom of Robert Blezard.
Showing posts with label studies. Show all posts
Showing posts with label studies. Show all posts
Thursday, September 13, 2012
Saturday, February 14, 2009
I Hate It When..
I hurt myself just by going through the day.
I went to the Family Foods first thing today, and, while there, I misjudged how heavy the basket was getting. I overloaded it, I guess.
Anyway, to make a long story short, I pulled something in my upper back. At first, I thought I'd really hurt myself (severely!) as I nearly dropped the basket. However, I was able to get home without too much difficulty.
It's still hurting pretty bad, but I'm hopeful that it will be a little better tomorrow. Hopefully the new pain medication my doctor gave me recently will help. (My chronic pain has been tearing me down, lately.)
In other news...
I'm only taking one night class this semester — Mac Skills for Writers. The class isn't very hard but I have been learning some interesting things about Adobe Illustrator and Adobe Photoshop. The class will also include learning about InDesign and a few other programs.
Monday, November 17, 2008
Turning the Assignment Corner
Okay, I worked on my 10-page research paper today. I wrote nearly nonstop for 4 to five hours. I finished everything but the conclusion. After hours of writing and citing i needed to stop before my brain gave out.
I took a break, ate some food, and stretched my aching back, hip, and neck. Then I put on my headphone, hit the CBC and Global websites. I had to watch two Global TV webcasts and to listen to a CBC Radio One podcast for my Newscast Critique assignment.
That one is done.
Now, I just need to get my 10 questions done for Thursday, finish my research paper, and start working on another Distilled Prose assignment that is due next week. (That's right, I haven't started it yet.)
I took a break, ate some food, and stretched my aching back, hip, and neck. Then I put on my headphone, hit the CBC and Global websites. I had to watch two Global TV webcasts and to listen to a CBC Radio One podcast for my Newscast Critique assignment.
That one is done.
Now, I just need to get my 10 questions done for Thursday, finish my research paper, and start working on another Distilled Prose assignment that is due next week. (That's right, I haven't started it yet.)
Monday, November 10, 2008
Research Skills for Writers: Critical Analysis Assignment
Here's another assignment I got back last week. This one was for my Research Skills for Writers class. I received a mark of 89% on this one. My best mark so far this semester.
This analysis will look at the five main points of Mulhall's study, which includes the following: (1) nanomaterial technologies; (2) enhanced human intelligence; (3) punctuated equilibrium; (4) nanotechnology vs. nature's complexity; (5) reassessing risk assessment. In an attempt to better understand some of these concepts, I have done my own research based on these main points. I have studied the listed web site's that Mulhall provides as his sources, looked for additional materials online, and looked through several of the online databases available through the MacEwan Library. Finally, I will take a look at who Douglas Mulhall is and who his intended audience is based on The Futurist as a periodical.
Mulhall starts his article by looking at several nanomaterials prototypes such as Smart Dust and photovoltaic paint made from nanomaterials. He gives a good overview of Smart Dust and doesn't gloss over the technology's potential benefits such as environmental monitoring. He is less detailed regarding to the solar cell nanomaterial, however. I would have liked to have known more about it and its possible benefits. Instead, Mulhall takes these two examples and crossbreeds them into one intelligent nanomaterial with the ability to “multiply a trillionfold and become an integral part of the ecology.” (Mulhall, 2004, par. 9a).
This statement is misleading at best and pure fiction at worst as Holmes points out in his article entitled “Our Microtech Future” in the September-October 2004 issue of The Futurist:
“Microscopic technology has received much attention in the past few years, especially as nanotechnology has entered public consciousness. But vision at the nanotech level is generally limited to electron microscopes operating in a high vacuum, and, for the most part, nanotechnology is experimental and speculative. There are few actual working devices.” (Holmes, 2004, par. 1).
Yes, there has been progress towards useful nanomaterials since then, which can be seen through the research being conducted by Crossbow Technology (www.xbow.com) and through the commercial applications being developed by Dust Networks (www.dustnetworks.com) but nothing as radical as Mr. Mulhall projects.
The next section of Mulhall's article deals with an idea he refers to as enhanced intelligence. He details how data processing is rapidly increasing and that genetic programming is outstripping humanity's ability to compute information. He gives examples that range from “a thermostat and actuator that were superior to those designed by a human” (Mulhall, par. 13a) to a theoretical microchip that could allow the blind to see light. His reasoning appears sound. However, I cannot say for certain that I agree with him.
The third section of Mulhall's article links merging nanotechnologies with a concept known as punctuated equilibrium, which was “first proposed in 1972 by Niles Eldredge and Harvard evolutionary biologist Stephan Jay Gould.” (par. 18a). He also discusses climate change, comet impacts, and volcanic eruptions, which he refers to as mega-threats. He also discusses “nanoscale organisms that are hundreds of times smaller than most bacteria.” (par. 22a). This section is quite liberal in its use of conjecture. Mulhall seems to be using the theory of punctuated equilibrium to sell his own ideas without considering the model's history. Punctuated equilibrium was never intended to be a model for microscale evolution as Gould (2004) explains in his article “Punctuated Equilibrium's Threefold History.”
“. . . we developed these implications over the years, and the theory grew accordingly. But we never proposed a radical theory for punctuations (ordinary speciation scaled into geological time), and we never linked punctuations to microevolutionary saltationism.” (par. 6).
I can see the connection between mega-threats and punctuated equilibrium but Mulhall takes it a step to far by trying to link punctuated equilibrium to nanotechnology and nanoscale organisms. I dislike how he “sells” his book Has Heart Disease Been Cured? as a worthy source of information without saying that he is the person who wrote it.
The next section of Mulhall's article delves into the idea that humanity's technologies might soon “match nature's complexity.” (Mulhall, par. 26a). He points out that “most of our technologies are unable to match the complexity of natural environments” (par. 27a) but that nanotechnology could change all that. He refers back to photovoltaic paint and theorizes about the possibility of molecular-based drugs that would be “so precise that they backfire only occasionally.” (par. 28a).
The section is short and to-the-point and equally realistic and speculative.
The last section of Mulhall's article appears to be a summary of the article, yet at the same time, it introduces more information not previously mentioned. Mulhall puts forth the opinion that both nanotechnology and mega-threats must become a part of future risk assessment for such assessments to be worthwhile. He lists various types of experts who should be a part of such an undertaking and goes into detail about some of the work being done by researchers regarding nanobes. He ends the article abruptly with a quote from a professor from the University of Texas named Robert Folk that doesn't seem to match Mulhall purpose.
The information he gives on nanobes seems out of place in this section. It would have been better if it had been given its own section or an earlier section of the article.
Douglas Mulhall is clearly a man with experience in the field of risk assessment. “He was Managing Director of the Hamburg Environmental Institute, a scientific assessment organization. He co-founded the first Brazilian institute, 'O Instituto Ambiental', to be devoted exclusively to water recycling” (Mulhall, 2006, par. 4b). He is obviously well informed regarding environmental issues and new technologies. “Reassessing Risk Assessment” is clearly speculative and is intended for an audience that looks to future instead of the past. It is an article for futurists by a futurist. The Futurist is the perfect medium for such an article as the magazine “takes no stand on what the future will or should be like. The magazine strives to serve as a neutral clearinghouse of ideas . . . . Each issue contains feature articles written by outstanding experts in a wide range of fields: business, creativity, education, economics, environment and resources, values, and more.” (The Futurist Magazine, 2008, “About The Futurist” par. 2-3).
In conclusion, Mulhall is clearly trying to inform his audience of the risks he perceives regarding nanotechnology and mega-threats. He wishes to sway knowledgeable experts with an interest in such ideas to come together and help redefine risk assessment for the new century. He is looking towards a future that could be dominated by nanomaterial that merges with the natural world — forever changing it. He would have his audience envisioning a future where solar cell paint covers everything and intelligent nanomaterial machines run our lives and might possibly destroy our world. His views are almost fanatical but with a quiet dose of scholarly diffusion.
RatingI consider myself a bit of a futurist so it should be no surprise that I liked this article the first time I read it. However, as I began to assess Mulhall's ideas and facts I began to question the man's logic. His biases are obvious, and he fails to delve deep into the facts he is writing about. He definitely knows how to write, and I found few errors in the article from a mechanics point-of-view. Mulhall's writing could use some polish, however. He repeats ideas and writes in a manner that makes me think he swallowed both a dictionary and a thesaurus. He uses buzzwords such as “hyperchange” and “mega-threats” and uses over-the-top adjectives and adverbs. His article is filled with “exponential growth rates,” “extraordinary developments,” and “physical manifestations.” He certainly uses style to pull the reader along and it's fun to read even if the reader doesn't understand everything. It's fluffy and fun while also being a bit scary. I have the sense that he is trying to teach and terrify at the same time.
If I had only read this article once then I would have rated it highly. However, Mulhall makes so many assumptions while twisting the facts regarding the risks of nanomaterials that I found myself questioning his integrity. He is trying to sell his ideas as future facts instead of as speculative discourse. He even tries to sell his book to me, which I found a bit insulting. Still, The Futurist is definitely not a scholarly journal, so I can forgive some of his biases. Perhaps this article would have been better as a two-part series, which would have allowed Mulhall to go into more detail regarding his need for reassessing risk assessment. However, he would more likely spin towards new tangents best left alone.
Rating = 5
Critical Analysis Assignment:
“Reassessing Risk Assessment” by Douglas Mulhall
If we were to flashback to the summer of 1991, we'd see a very different version of the world compared to the world we live in today. Back then I was a mere neophyte when it came to technology, and even after two years in the Microcomputer Management course at MacEwan, I was still little more than a novice with computing science. However, it was at this time that I first heard the word nanotechnology. In the early Nineties, I considered the idea of nanotechnology to be little more than scientific pipe-dream. I did not realize at the time that the world was changing in a dramatic fashion and at a incredible rate. How can we hope to understand how this new technology will reshape our world? Douglas Mulhall's research study entitled “Reassessing Risk Assessment” from the January-February 2004 issue of The Futurist might be a good place to start. Mulhall, an expert in the field of risk management, takes his audience through an in-depth look at how innovative, nanomaterial-based technologies are changing the world and how those changes might impact the environment we live in.This analysis will look at the five main points of Mulhall's study, which includes the following: (1) nanomaterial technologies; (2) enhanced human intelligence; (3) punctuated equilibrium; (4) nanotechnology vs. nature's complexity; (5) reassessing risk assessment. In an attempt to better understand some of these concepts, I have done my own research based on these main points. I have studied the listed web site's that Mulhall provides as his sources, looked for additional materials online, and looked through several of the online databases available through the MacEwan Library. Finally, I will take a look at who Douglas Mulhall is and who his intended audience is based on The Futurist as a periodical.
Mulhall starts his article by looking at several nanomaterials prototypes such as Smart Dust and photovoltaic paint made from nanomaterials. He gives a good overview of Smart Dust and doesn't gloss over the technology's potential benefits such as environmental monitoring. He is less detailed regarding to the solar cell nanomaterial, however. I would have liked to have known more about it and its possible benefits. Instead, Mulhall takes these two examples and crossbreeds them into one intelligent nanomaterial with the ability to “multiply a trillionfold and become an integral part of the ecology.” (Mulhall, 2004, par. 9a).
This statement is misleading at best and pure fiction at worst as Holmes points out in his article entitled “Our Microtech Future” in the September-October 2004 issue of The Futurist:
“Microscopic technology has received much attention in the past few years, especially as nanotechnology has entered public consciousness. But vision at the nanotech level is generally limited to electron microscopes operating in a high vacuum, and, for the most part, nanotechnology is experimental and speculative. There are few actual working devices.” (Holmes, 2004, par. 1).
Yes, there has been progress towards useful nanomaterials since then, which can be seen through the research being conducted by Crossbow Technology (www.xbow.com) and through the commercial applications being developed by Dust Networks (www.dustnetworks.com) but nothing as radical as Mr. Mulhall projects.
The next section of Mulhall's article deals with an idea he refers to as enhanced intelligence. He details how data processing is rapidly increasing and that genetic programming is outstripping humanity's ability to compute information. He gives examples that range from “a thermostat and actuator that were superior to those designed by a human” (Mulhall, par. 13a) to a theoretical microchip that could allow the blind to see light. His reasoning appears sound. However, I cannot say for certain that I agree with him.
The third section of Mulhall's article links merging nanotechnologies with a concept known as punctuated equilibrium, which was “first proposed in 1972 by Niles Eldredge and Harvard evolutionary biologist Stephan Jay Gould.” (par. 18a). He also discusses climate change, comet impacts, and volcanic eruptions, which he refers to as mega-threats. He also discusses “nanoscale organisms that are hundreds of times smaller than most bacteria.” (par. 22a). This section is quite liberal in its use of conjecture. Mulhall seems to be using the theory of punctuated equilibrium to sell his own ideas without considering the model's history. Punctuated equilibrium was never intended to be a model for microscale evolution as Gould (2004) explains in his article “Punctuated Equilibrium's Threefold History.”
“. . . we developed these implications over the years, and the theory grew accordingly. But we never proposed a radical theory for punctuations (ordinary speciation scaled into geological time), and we never linked punctuations to microevolutionary saltationism.” (par. 6).
I can see the connection between mega-threats and punctuated equilibrium but Mulhall takes it a step to far by trying to link punctuated equilibrium to nanotechnology and nanoscale organisms. I dislike how he “sells” his book Has Heart Disease Been Cured? as a worthy source of information without saying that he is the person who wrote it.
The next section of Mulhall's article delves into the idea that humanity's technologies might soon “match nature's complexity.” (Mulhall, par. 26a). He points out that “most of our technologies are unable to match the complexity of natural environments” (par. 27a) but that nanotechnology could change all that. He refers back to photovoltaic paint and theorizes about the possibility of molecular-based drugs that would be “so precise that they backfire only occasionally.” (par. 28a).
The section is short and to-the-point and equally realistic and speculative.
The last section of Mulhall's article appears to be a summary of the article, yet at the same time, it introduces more information not previously mentioned. Mulhall puts forth the opinion that both nanotechnology and mega-threats must become a part of future risk assessment for such assessments to be worthwhile. He lists various types of experts who should be a part of such an undertaking and goes into detail about some of the work being done by researchers regarding nanobes. He ends the article abruptly with a quote from a professor from the University of Texas named Robert Folk that doesn't seem to match Mulhall purpose.
The information he gives on nanobes seems out of place in this section. It would have been better if it had been given its own section or an earlier section of the article.
Douglas Mulhall is clearly a man with experience in the field of risk assessment. “He was Managing Director of the Hamburg Environmental Institute, a scientific assessment organization. He co-founded the first Brazilian institute, 'O Instituto Ambiental', to be devoted exclusively to water recycling” (Mulhall, 2006, par. 4b). He is obviously well informed regarding environmental issues and new technologies. “Reassessing Risk Assessment” is clearly speculative and is intended for an audience that looks to future instead of the past. It is an article for futurists by a futurist. The Futurist is the perfect medium for such an article as the magazine “takes no stand on what the future will or should be like. The magazine strives to serve as a neutral clearinghouse of ideas . . . . Each issue contains feature articles written by outstanding experts in a wide range of fields: business, creativity, education, economics, environment and resources, values, and more.” (The Futurist Magazine, 2008, “About The Futurist” par. 2-3).
In conclusion, Mulhall is clearly trying to inform his audience of the risks he perceives regarding nanotechnology and mega-threats. He wishes to sway knowledgeable experts with an interest in such ideas to come together and help redefine risk assessment for the new century. He is looking towards a future that could be dominated by nanomaterial that merges with the natural world — forever changing it. He would have his audience envisioning a future where solar cell paint covers everything and intelligent nanomaterial machines run our lives and might possibly destroy our world. His views are almost fanatical but with a quiet dose of scholarly diffusion.
RatingI consider myself a bit of a futurist so it should be no surprise that I liked this article the first time I read it. However, as I began to assess Mulhall's ideas and facts I began to question the man's logic. His biases are obvious, and he fails to delve deep into the facts he is writing about. He definitely knows how to write, and I found few errors in the article from a mechanics point-of-view. Mulhall's writing could use some polish, however. He repeats ideas and writes in a manner that makes me think he swallowed both a dictionary and a thesaurus. He uses buzzwords such as “hyperchange” and “mega-threats” and uses over-the-top adjectives and adverbs. His article is filled with “exponential growth rates,” “extraordinary developments,” and “physical manifestations.” He certainly uses style to pull the reader along and it's fun to read even if the reader doesn't understand everything. It's fluffy and fun while also being a bit scary. I have the sense that he is trying to teach and terrify at the same time.
If I had only read this article once then I would have rated it highly. However, Mulhall makes so many assumptions while twisting the facts regarding the risks of nanomaterials that I found myself questioning his integrity. He is trying to sell his ideas as future facts instead of as speculative discourse. He even tries to sell his book to me, which I found a bit insulting. Still, The Futurist is definitely not a scholarly journal, so I can forgive some of his biases. Perhaps this article would have been better as a two-part series, which would have allowed Mulhall to go into more detail regarding his need for reassessing risk assessment. However, he would more likely spin towards new tangents best left alone.
Rating = 5
References
- Australian Microscopy & Microanalysis Research Facility. (2008). Welcome to the AMMRF. Retrieved October 9, 2008, from Web site: http://www.ammrf.org.au/
- Department of Biosciences: Biochemistry. (2008, September 18). Research. Retrieved October 12, 2008, from University of Kuopio Web site: http://www.uku.fi/biokem/research/index.shtml
- Fernandez, M. (2007). Nanotechnologies: Summary & Details. Retrieved October 9, 2008, from The European Union On-Line Web site: http://ec.europa.eu/health/opinions2/en/nanotechnologies/index.htm
- Gould, S. J. (2002). Punctuated Equilibrium's Threefold History. Retrieved October 9, 2008, from The Unofficial Stephen Jay Gould Archive Web site: http://www.stephenjaygould.org/library/gould_structure.html
- Holmes, W. (2004, September). Our Microtech Future. Futurist, 38(5), 51-56. Retrieved October 15, 2008, from Professional Development Collection database.
- Horton, M. A. (2008). Crossbow Technology: Management. Retrieved October 16, 2008, from Crossbow Technology Web site: http://www.xbow.com/General_info/management.aspx
- Koza, J. R. (2003, December 30). 36 Human-Competitive Results Produced by Genetic Programming. Retrieved October 12, 2008, from Genetic Programming Inc. Web site: http://www.genetic-programming.com/
- Moravec, H. (1999, January). Hans Moravec: Adjunct Faculty. Retrieved October 9, 2008, from The Robotics Institute Web site: http://www.ri.cmu.edu/people/moravec_hans.html
- (A) Mulhall, D. (2004, January). Reassessing Risk Assessment. Futurist, 38(1), 36-41. Retrieved October 2, 2008, from Academic Search Complete database.
- (B) Mulhall, D. (2006). Our Molecular Future: About the Author. Retrieved October 12, 2008, from Our Molecular Future Web site: http://www.ourmolecularfuture.com/index.html?/text/about_the_author.html
- Mullen, L. (2001, July 9). How Small Can Life Be? Retrieved October 9, 2008, from Astrobiology Magazine Web site: http://www.astrobio.net/news/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=31
- National Center for Environmental Research. (2008, October 8). Nanotechnology: Research Projects. Retrieved October 12, 2008, from U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Web site: http://es.epa.gov/ncer/nano/research/index.html
- Pister, K. (2008). Dust Networks: About Us: Our Team: Management Team. Retrieved October 16, 2008, from Dust Networks Web site: http://www.dustnetworks.com/about/management.shtml
- The Futurist Magazine. (2008). About The Futurist. Retrieved October 14, 2008, from World Future Society Web site: http://www.wfs.org/Nov-Dec%20Files/futuristabout.htm
Monday, January 28, 2008
Fighting to find the Words
Okay, so I've been attending classes at GMCC for nearly four weeks now, and I must admit that I'm struggling, internally, a little bit. The classes aren't very hard, IMO, but the experience is difficult. I haven't been doing much over the last five years. Mental and physical disability will do that to a person. Now, for the first time in a LONG time I am having to find my way through a real world experience.
I knew it was going to be hard, but I didn't think it was going to be frustrating from a interpersonal way. Learning about grammar and rhetoric isn't nearly as hard as trying to find my voice again. For years, it has been silenced due to depression and isolation. Now, I'm dealing with people in a real way and it's freaking me out!
The voices I'm interacting with are so strong and opinionated that I fear that my voice will want to crawl away in fear. Today was a good example. Certain subjects came up that I hadn't considered for a long time, and I struggled with why I should care. The point being made by the instructor was a vital one for any writer, but since I've been stuck in my own little world for so long I almost failed to see the relevance to my life.
I was still thinking like a half-mad, isolated introvert without access to other people or their opinions. Yes, I've been keeping in touch with friends & family through the bad years, but I wasn't meeting anyone new. When you're not use to interacting with others on a regular basis you tend to lose your social skills (and your need for advanced language).
Hmm, some of this might be important for my first "Grammar for Writers" essay. Possibilities.
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