Class Journal Week 3

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Katie Miller

Reflection Questions

  1. Pull out a quote from the first two sections of “What is Code?” that you find particularly interesting. Explain why this quote is particularly resonant for you. A quote that I found particularly interesting was, "The hardest work in programming is getting around things that aren’t computable, in finding ways to break impossible tasks into small, possible components, and then creating the impression that the computer is doing something it actually isn’t, like having a human conversation." I have always been curious how computers are able to replicate a real person and respond almost instantly to a seemingly random question. I didn't know that this is the work of many algorithms which are combined and applied to simulate conversation. I think it's also very interesting to consider how these algorithms were first developed and what there intended function was.
  2. What is something from the first two sections that you need further explanation of or that you want to know more about? I want to know more about how software engineers are able to make websites more efficient. When talking about big companies like Google, Facebook, and Twitter, Ford said "Thus it’s absolutely worth their time to find excellent computer scientists, many with doctorates, who know where all the efficiencies are buried." I don't understand how a computer scientist could manipulate code or an algorithm so that it runs faster, because it seems like this would require removing steps so that less things would need to happen for some specific function.
  3. Also, out of the four databases you accessed for this assignment (SGD itself, NCBI Gene Database, Ensembl, UniProt), which did you like the best, and why? Which did you like the least, and why? (Refer back to the question about differences in content or presentation that you noted on your gene's wiki page.)I preferred UniProt because it was the easiest to read and navigate, as well as having visual examples that helped to explain things. UniProt also had a more detailed summary of our gene's function than the other databases, which gave me more information on both how and where the gene operates. I found it helpful that you could click on terms in the aspects of cellular components, molecular functions, or biological processes and it would take you to another page that had more detail on the chosen term. For example, one of the molecular functions was sequence-specific DNA binding, and I was able to click a link that took me to a page with the general definition.

References

Ford, Paul. (2015). What is Code? Business Week, https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/2015-paul-ford-what-is-code/

Kmill104 (talk) 17:09, 31 January 2024 (PST)

Natalija Stojanovic

Reflection Questions

  1. A quote that really stood out to me was “Samsung makes computers that look like TVs, and Tesla makes computers with wheels and engines. Some things that aren’t yet computers–dental floss, flashlights–will fall eventually”. This quote stood out to me because it reminded me how much we have developed as a society in both positive and negative ways. The quote talks about how there are very few’ things that aren’t yet computers’, I feel like we have replaced so much with technology and it is upsetting to see because we have started to overuse and misuse it. It has completely taken over our lives, wherever you turn around there is some sort of computer. However, it has also greatly benefited us, people are able to do things so much more quickly and efficiently. Our daily lives have never been easier because of the help of computers, what used to take days and hours could be done in a matter of minutes or seconds.
  2. I didn’t understand what the author meant when he said “If you can sell the software, if you can light up the screen, you’re selling infinitely reproducible nothing. The margins on nothing are great–until other people start selling even cheaper nothings or giving them away”. When I first read this, I thought that the author was talking about the prices of softwares and how there is always someone that can make the software for cheaper or for free. I’m particularly confused as to why he calls them ‘nothings’.
  3. I liked the UniProt database the most because it was the easiest to use. All of the information was there and the page setup was extremely easy to navigate which was beneficial for someone like me that firstly knows nothing about the gene and secondly never used a database like that. I liked the large subheadings and informative subheadings. They described complex things in easy ways that I could comprehend and use in my research of the gene. My least favorite was Ensemble. It was so hard to navigate and understand what I was looking at. I felt as if there was nothing useful and half of the time I didn’t even understand what information they were providing me. It wasn't as user friendly and I probably would not use it again.

Nstojan1 (talk) 20:16, 31 January 2024 (PST)

Andrew Sandler

To User Page: User: Asandle1

To Assignment Page: Week 3

1)Pull out a quote from the first two sections of “What is Code?” that you find particularly interesting. Explain why this quote is particularly resonant for you.


I actually pulled this quote out of the reading before I read the assignment page. (I started reading the article and couldn't stop because it was interesting) Anyways, the quote I pulled was, "For your entire working memory, some Internet thing has come along every two years and suddenly hundreds of thousands of dollars (inevitably millions) must be poured into amorphous projects with variable deadlines".

This quote spoke to me because of how this concept is going to change in the future. We are on the exponential part of an exponential curve in our technology and research, but evolution has not changed pace. I just find it funny because every 2 years will become every year and then it will become during development, and then who knows what will happen next. I wonder how we will deal with this.


2) What is something from the first two sections that you need further explanation of or that you want to know more about?


I actually know about Euclid’s Algorithm, it’s a comp sci basic. But there are lots of other algorithms that do cool things. I need to learn more about how some newer algorithms, including one written by a guy named Tero Karras from the company Nvidia. It has huge implications in speeding up the process of AI image generation.


3) Also, out of the four databases you accessed for this assignment which did you like the best, and why? Which did you like the least, and why? (Refer back to the question about differences in *content* or *presentation* that you noted on your gene's wiki page.)

My favorite database was Ensembl by a gigantic margin! I liked the organizational structure on the sidebar and I just felt it was the easiest to understand and navigate. All the tools had question marks you could hover over for explanations as well.


Andrew Sandler's References

Acknowledgements

- Used the first week's template with Dean to base this week's template on.

- All work is my own except where acknowledged otherwise Asandle1 (talk) 21:24, 31 January 2024 (PST)

- I worked on this for about 40 minutes from 9 to 9:39pm

- Took the bibliography item for the reading from the Katie's journal and added my one additional source.

Bibliography

Asandle1 (talk) 21:24, 31 January 2024 (PST)


Charlotte Kaplan

  • Pull out a quote from the first two sections of “What is Code?” that you find particularly interesting. Explain why this quote is particularly resonant for you.
  • What is something from the first two sections that you need further explanation of or that you want to know more about?
  • Also, out of the four databases you accessed for this assignment (SGD itself, NCBI Gene Database, Ensembl, UniProt), which did you like the best, and why? Which did you like the least, and why? (Refer back to the question about differences in content or presentation that you noted on your gene's wiki page.)
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