Cyber - Post

We all have our conditions; some refer to this as the “human condition.” Individuals do, say, and think in patterns. You might think of it as a repetition, much like a machine; such as a car engine. Separation between human and machine is decisions. We dictate future holdings by acting on our decisions. However, that lies in directions we steer our lives. After all, the future is merely the past strung together by intricate experiences through our personal history. How an individual reacts to an experience dictates subconscious future holdings and may have been dictated by present sub-consciousness. How will you react to a similar set of experiences in the future? The anomalies depend on the outliers of your handlings. Not to assume you should follow the crowd, or stand against them. That is for the individual to decide. This will become the pattern. The pattern, in which develops what an individual does, how an individual will communicate, and how there pattern can be predicted. There is one outlier however. The human mind is thought to be unpredictable. I know otherwise, however, I do not understand it.

So we are supposed to understand ourselves because others do not, but in the end how much do we really know about ourselves and the way we work?

I challenge you to question yourself.

Why does this keep happening to me?

The NanaWall has become one of my favorite architectural elements. I love the sense of space it brings to a room.

1) http://www.nanawall.com/

I would work on Sunday if I had such a view.

Pointer Variables

 Did you know you may initialize a pointer variable WHILE declaring it?

int i;

int *p = &i;

YUP! ...Wait don’t freak out! There is an even better way!

int i, *p = &i;

Don’t forget to call it!

printf("%d\n", *p);

There are many pointers available to us!

The following can point to a variable of its initialized value:

int *p;

float *q;

double *r;

char *s;

This quote holds true to many of us, especially when dealing with certain family members. From the short story Miss Brill from Author Katherine Mansfield.

Photo by Ralph Barrera | http://photoblog.statesman.com/new-disc-golf-course-opens-at-guerrero-river-park

Some say that Disc Golf is a sport. I would agree that this notion is true, as there are many leagues and organizations that have formed rapidly over the last few decades.  The Professional Disc Golf Association (2) is a national example of such organizations.  Now I am not a very sport avid individual, however it is a great way to stay active and meet some interesting individuals.

Don’t be discouraged by thinking you are too young or old, as all ages play Disc Golf. Disc Golf, informally referred to as “Frisbee Golf”, takes after the regular game of Golf. There are “holes” and “strokes” that are taken into account to formulate a score. The method of score follows suit as ace, birdie, and of course par. A typical length hole is anywhere from two hundred all the way up to nine hundred plus feet.

Your tools of the game consist of a driver, mid-range, and putter. Each Disc varies in shape to better serve its purpose, such as a driver for instance. A driver will utilize all the power of the player for distance. The goal on the first stroke is to cover the distance and get as close as possible to the basket. Your next throw might be with a mid-range or putter. Mid-range discs will be more accurate and stable and appropriate for strokes within 250-200 feet. Putters on the other hand, are best to use on the basket approach. This stroke is a particularly accurate throw typically within 50 feet.

Baskets are the ultimate goal of the Disc Golfer! Disc Golf baskets are typically a pole with a metal formed basket base and suspended chains to make contact with the disc. If the disc rests within the basket you have successfully completed your hole!

There many popular brands of disc that are offered at reasonable prices. My personal go-to brands are Discraft (1) and Innova (1). They provide decent quality plastics in various grades. Grades of plastics may be: Pro-D (cheap but wear easy and good for beginners), champion plastic (will hold up for a few years), and star plastic (very durable long lasting plastic).

Did you know there are leagues dedicated to this activity?

In fact if you search “Disc Golf” into Google Maps you may find a Disc Golf park near you. A Disc Golf park can be almost anywhere from what I have seen they can be: on a college campus, local park, and even intertwined with walking trails. At these areas, local patrons may organize a league and donate a portion of the non-profit account to the park for maintenance and upkeep. Other parts of this money may be pooled for prizes! The most sought after prize is the winnings from the “Ace Pool.” For instance, Whitehall Disc Golf League at the Whitehall Disc Golf Course in Whitehall Michigan, has a $100 cap on their ace pool. This means that every weekly league meeting, all participants have a chance at winning $100 when they get an Ace (hole in one). Prizes may also consist of other cash prizes, disc’s, and even t-shirts. The possibilities are endless.

Some leagues may take advantage of social networking. This allows important housekeeping items to be taken care of before the next outing. The best of these sites is The Disc Golf Scene (4). This website is much like facebook, however it is dedicated to the world of Disc Golf. You may find many of your fellow Disc Golfers on this social network. There are many other great features of this website as well. You may find information about other leagues, tournaments, clubs, and courses in many different countries. This website will allow you to meet up with them outside of leagues and stay on top of league happenings, so definitely check this out!

Joining this great sport activity is a way to boost your activity, see nature, and meet new people. If you enjoy playing, why not join your local league and support your parks? If it is a county owed park it may be even free to play. Some parks or private owned parks may have either a voluntary or mandatory donation usually not to exceed one dollar. Overall, Disc Golfing is a wonderful experience no matter your age.

Further Reading:

1. An in depth description of Disc Golf can be found at: www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disc_golf

2. Disc suppliers can be found at: www.discraft.com and www.innovadiscs.com

3. Photo by Ralph Barrera | http://photoblog.statesman.com/new-disc-golf-course-opens-at-guerrero-river-park

Artificial Intelligence and technology have made many groundbreaking strides over the past few decades. AI is currently the most sought after in terms of programming. An early project of AI was seen in the Cold War years of 1945-91 between democratic U.S. and communist Russia. The goal was to translate documents and simplify the communication between U.S. and Soviet scientists. It was also thought that by simplifying communication, tensions would be relieved at least slightly. This early program had many outcomes for good and bad. Today, Google Translate is a commonly used reference tool. However, it seems to be no more than an implication of its cold war predecessor.

            So what does it mean to translators, students, and the general public? Two things can account for its explanation; an experimental tool, and constant development AI. According to Matt Novak in his writing The Cold War Origins of Google Translate at BBC.com, states:

“In the mid-1950s roughly 50% of scientific papers published around the world were in English. The average paper cost about $6 to translate (around $50, adjusted for inflation) and translation of highly technical papers required that the human translator be intimately familiar with the material.”

The need for translators was in demand; however, to provide services and with few translators available, it reflects the inflated cost. Few scientists and engineers could read or speak foreign languages. From here, a simpler option must be found. Computer technology was at its prime, and would (hope to) ease the lingual barrier.

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