Blog Assignment #6

To tell you the truth, I didn’t really know what to expect in a technical writing course. But as the class went along, I learned about all the different considerations one should take when writing a technical document, such as who the target audience is and how to make an argument convincing. We also learned how to research more efficiently, by practicing looking for information on online databases, as well correct citations for information given and for reference.  Aside from the main purpose of the course, there were many “mini lessons” that are to be taken from it. For example, in one of the classes we learned about how to make our email more professional. While I’ve rarely used abbreviations in my email, there were still some aspects that I did not consider, such as the use of a signature and that emails should be formatted like a letter, beginning with dear such and such, and ending with regards/sincerely/etc.…

Now of course, technical writing isn’t all about writing better email, but how to write more professionally in the real world. I believe I did grow as a writer in this course, as I had hands on practice with technical documents, during which I used a different tone of voice than what I’m used to in traditional English essays. Based on previous comments by the professor, there also appeared to some sort of flow to the way things were being said in the technical documents. Now while I haven’t nailed down the art of technical writing completely, this exposure should serve me well as I continue along. Perhaps the next time I am asked to write a memo or any other sort of technical document I will look back at this course and revisit all the considerations taken into writing a technical document.

These blog assignments have also helped me develop technical writing skills. One of the great things about them was that we were given a recommended maximum word count. Though I sometimes was unable to stay within the word count (in fact it’s 342 at this point!), it did get me to think how I could display the requested information in as little words as possible, while also sounding professionally.

Blog Assignment #5

For this blog post I decided to look up two product reviews about the artifacts that I can find in my own home.

The first product that I looked at was the iPad Mini, one of Apple’s most recent products, priced at around $329. The iPad mini in general appears to have received positive reviews. Scott Stein of CNET describes the iPad mini as a “really shrunken down iPad 2,” (Stein 2012) but in a good way.  The main perk for the iPad mini is that it brings all the utility of the iPads into a smaller size, making it more compact and comfortable to hold. In fact, “the iPad mini is thinner than an iPhone 5 at 0.28 inches thin and as light as a kindle at 0.68 pounds.” (Stein 2012) Its small size comes at a cost however. Stein’s review notes that the iPad mini’s display may seem blurry due to the 1024x768 pixel display being translated directly from the iPad 2, compared to other tablets of similar size such as the Kindle Fire HD which has a 1280x800 pixel display. Its price also appears to be $130 higher than other tablets of similar size, such as the Nexus 7. (Stein 2012)  Although the price might be justified by the extensiveness of Apple’s app store, critics disagree with the price, often comparing it to the Nexus 7 and other similar tablets, as seen in the comment section of Stein’s review on CNET.

The next product I looked at was the Logitech G300 Gaming Mouse. At $39.99, it is one of the cheapest gaming mice out there. As noted in its name, the Logitech G300 is mainly designed as a gaming mouse, featuring 6 extra customizable buttons. The buttons can be configured by downloading Logitech Gaming Software. Aside from its price, one of the positive aspects of the Logitech G300 is that it has a “symmetrical, ambidextrous design and black rubberized coating to help you get a grip during long or intense gaming sessions.” (Shoemaker 2011) Another interesting feature is that the G300 features on board memory, which allows the button configurations set to the different profiles to be used on different “PCs and play without having to download the software again.” (Shoemaker 2011) However, the G300 is noted to be fairly basic compared to the more expensive gaming mice. Macros assigned to the mouse buttons, for example, can’t be longer or more complex than Ctrl + Alt + Delete. Shoemaker concludes that the Logitech G300 makes a great mouse for casual play and beginners, thanks to its relatively simple customization. However, for a greater level of customization, Shoemaker commented that the Gigabyte M8000Xtreme or Razer Mamba may be better choices. (Shoemaker 2011)

References

Shoemaker, N. (2011, September 14). Logitech Gaming Mouse G300 . PCMag.com . Retrieved June 4, 2013, from http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2392964,00.asp

Stein, S. (2012, October 30). Ipad Mini Review: The Perfect Size, But at a Price. CNET . Retrieved June 4, 2013, from http://reviews.cnet.com/ipad-mini/

Blog Assignment #4

A video of the Nao Robot, by Aldebaran Robotics, was uploaded on YouTube on 30 October 2008. It is an advertisement for the Nao robot, giving the audience information on the robot’s specification while showing the robot in action at the same time. Unlike some advertisements for other products, this video has a professional tone to it. The video doesn’t proclaim the Nao Robot as the newest innovative technology or what impact it will have for the people who purchase it. Instead, it simply gives a rundown of the robot’s basic functions and components. For example at around 1:47 in the video, a second Nao robot comes on screen and says “Hello Nao 75;” the first Nao robot then responds “Hello Nao 41.” Shortly after their introductions, we are given the information that the Nao robot contains Infrared Wi-Fi Voice communication. (“Nao Robot”, 2008, 1:40-1:50) This section of the video is a basic demonstration of the Nao robot’s communication system with other Nao robots. Only the Nao robots communicating and the info regarding how they communicate (the brief “Infrared Wi-Fi Voice” at 1:50) are shown. This pattern holds throughout the entire video, allowing Aldebaran Robotics to give a quick summary of their product without creating hype.

Artificial Intelligence is defined as “the science and technology that seeks to create intelligent computational systems…..that can mimic or duplicate the intelligent behavior found in humans and other thinking things.” (Sullins, 2005) The term “intelligence” is somewhat broad. It can be agreed upon that humans are intelligent beings and other animals have some level of intelligence as well. The question is what would make a machine artificially intelligent? If the goal of artificial intelligence is to create artifacts that hold the same intelligence as a human being, then there are many processes the artifact must be capable of doing. Just looking at ourselves reveals that our intelligence is a very complex thing. We are always learning new things for example, and even if we don’t know what is going on, we can create explanations using the knowledge we already have, and that’s just one part of the human mind! I wouldn’t consider the Nao robot to be truly artificially intelligent. The reason is because the Nao robot doesn’t appear to have the ability to question and experiment. For example, if it didn’t know what a rubber ducky was, it could’ve first made observations and asked itself questions like what happens if I squeeze it? But that is being a bit too critical for the Nao at this point in time.

Both the YouTube video of the Nao robot and the technical description presented in class give a brief run through the different components of how the Nao robot works, without creating any hype or bias. The technical description however has the advantage of going in depth with the components, describing how the Nao is able to do certain things along with pictures to show those components in action. The video however, being an advertisement, only gives a brief summary of the Nao’s specifications. But being a video has the advantage of showing us a Nao robot in live action. So while a short advertisement isn’t the place to describe the programs behind what we see, what we can see are what those components allow the Nao to do.

References

Nao Robot [Online Video]. (2008, October 30).YouTube. Retrieved April 27, 2013, from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2STTNYNF4lk

P. Sullins, J. (2005). Artificial Intelligence. In Encyclopedia of Science, Technology and Ethics (Vol. 1, pp. 110-113). Detroit: Gale. Retrieved April 27, 2013, from the Gale Virtual Reference Science Collection database.

Blog Assignment #3

For this blog post I would like to share a little bit of information on the profession memo that was written recently. Before we go into detail, here’s an excerpt from my memo on Traffic Danger:

“In theory, analyzing what goes on in the Van Dam St intersection should help in finding a solution to the traffic flow, as the various issues with this intersection can be observed in other parts of Thomson Ave. Although pedestrian safety is the Traffic Safety on Campus Committee’s main concern, it would be wise to consider both pedestrian behavior and traffic flow when creating a solution, as they are both risk factors for accidents on campus.”

The Traffic Danger scenario was chosen because it is the one I felt I could contribute more to.  An overpass and underpass were talked about in the memo as two possible solutions for pedestrian safety around campus. These ideas were mainly inspired from general observations made around campus and elsewhere. For example, the overpass was based on observations of some Latin American cities, where overpasses are common along the main streets, which in addition to being heavily transited; tend to be of equal or greater width than Manhattan’s Park Ave. A similar observation can also be made by BMCC where there is an overpass over the west side highway that has access into Stuyvesant.   

I have to admit that research was a bit lacking in this memo. Most of what was talked about resulted from my own observation and analysis, which most likely weakened it a little bit. The feedback I received from peer review did help however. Thanks to the feedback, I was able to identify some errors in the structure of my memo, which led to a little trimming and reorganizing of the memo. Although not perfect in its final form, I was overall satisfied with the improvements.

(Actual) Welcome Post

Hello,

My name is Bryam and welcome to my Technical Writing Blog. This post is a formal introduction for the Your 1st Blog Post assignment. To clarify any confusion, the first post was created in order to test the publishing feature, not as the assignment post.

My current major is Mechanical Engineering, and the vision is to earn at least my Master's degree and to perhaps someday take part in the creation of a new invention. Even as a kid who grew up in the 90's, it's amazing how quickly technology has advanced and nested itself into every corner of daily life. There once was a time where computers and cellphones were not a commonplace. From a life's perspective, the sight of every single person owning a cellphone happened without a moment's notice. For most of Elementary School, one wasn't even aware that such things existed; it's as if the cellphones had magically appeared. The cellphones one saw at the time on the market had a relatively simple interface, lacked color and camera, and sported an antenna. As the years went by, some cellphones started coming out in color, and the simple, colorless cellphones began phasing out. Then some came with a camera (which had very low megapixels), then came the touchscreens; eventually, the cellphone had evolved into the smartphone of today. Now in days it is hard to find someone that doesn’t have a smartphone, and some claim it to be one of most important inventions of all time.

My interests in science and technology have been fairly broad. I began collecting rocks and fossils when I was young, and my collection exists even today. As a child, I would build highways on my bed; molding the blanket to create roads, adding paper exit signs and driving my toy cars through them. When I obtained some toy planes, I would create an airport, using pillows as terminals and signs that read: "Terminal 1: American Airlines, TWA, Etc...” There was this one era when I would watch the Weather Channel a lot. When Hurricane Sandy hit, I instantly remembered the Weather Channel's It Could Happen Tomorrow where they aired an episode about why New York City could not withstand a Category 4 Hurricane. Presently, I don't have any fixed interests, though I show a little concern with technology. Sometimes I wonder if the car would have been invented if it the greenhouse effect had been discovered before it. Generally, before something is invented I would assume the inventor(s) would consider all possible consequences of said invention before finalizing. With robots replacing humans on many tasks, and the predicted change to digital money, one has to wonder about possible consequences.

We all share similar relations to technology to some extent. Many people today still remember a time before artifacts like cellphones and computers were a commonplace. Even those of the younger generation, today's teens and young adults, have seen some form of change in the technologies around them. With the current pattern of evolution, it is a mystery what the common artifacts of tomorrow will look like and what they will bring to our lives.

I've never been much of a reader for some reason. I've begun to enjoy writing more than I used to, even though not much writing has been done outside of school assignments. Attempts to write outside of school haven't really gone well. A journal was attempted the other day, but the writing became a bit inconsistent or it ending up not coming out how the mind had envisioned it. Perhaps some other time I'll try to write some thoughts down; that shall be left for another day.

Welcome to My Blog

Hello Everyone,

This is my first blog post for the Technical Writting blog as part of ENG 259 at Laguardia Community College. Not much can be said it seems, ending this welcome blog post rather quickly. Then again, this post was created as part of the Getting Started with Blogger tutorial so that might explain the lack of ideas for this post. Or maybe there's too much thought process going on for a short introduction, so we'll end it there for now.