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A MAGAZINE ABOUT DEVELOPMENTS IN TECHNOLOGY

Mecanum

Technology: The Job Market Within by Alexander Pasch

Between robots on fire, lasers, and general havoc, this story of the lasa robotics team features the best lasa has to offer. Read on page 5

Is Zynga’s reign coming to a close? Find out on page 9

Odis eatiassiti comni as

Coding Conundrum

Zyngapocalypse

CONTENTS

05 09 13 17

Coding Conundrum Zen of Zynga

Technology the Job Market Within A Game Is In The Eye of the Beholder

13 16 20 22

Evolution in Technology Gone Wrong Females in Science Intel vs AMD Understanding the Unknown

08 24 26 28

How to Buy Used Evolution of Computers Programming your Calculator Who Uses Computers?

03 04

Biographies Letter From the Editor

MECANUM Magazine Summer 2012

We Are Here To Inform Dear Reader, The name of this magazine was inspired by the mecanum wheel which allows a device to maneuver as it rolls. The mecanum wheel has a connotation of the spirit of innovation that our team tries to replicate in our magazine. This editorial team is an unlikely bunch; Between bickering, laughing, and procrastinating, we have together produced the first, only, and last edition of Mecanum, a magazine with a mission. Using our

passion for science and technology, and the repercussions of a bad grade, we have done our best to educate LASA about the newest developements in technology. It was both our honor and pleasure to create a magazine that people might actually read. Despite the personalities that made up Mecanum, we were somehow managed to get work done.

ABOUT THE CREATORS

RYAN Ryan stares at walls in his free time, and eats a lot of fast food without getting fat. He is the overachiever of the group and did the most work on this magazine. Ryan joined Mecanum because of his AP Comp Sci classes and an interest in gaming. His favorite video game is eating, because of how much he loves junk food.

COPE

PIA

ALEX

Pia wants to be a theoretical physicist or aeronautics engineer, even though she isn’t very smart. She joined Mecanum because of her obsession with science and coding. Her absolute favorite thing in the world is gymnastics, and she also enjoys running.

Alex likes to eat. Food. Eating is good for him. Alex also knows a lot about the hardware of gaming consoles and computers. He joined Mecanum to earn enough money for food. Too bad we don’t get paid. (Hint hint). He doesn’t have a favorite food because he doesn’t like to eat.

Cope is a member of the LBJ wrestling team. His passions include creepily staring at his four year old dog, and the popular video game Mass Effect 1, his favorite occupation. Cope has an extensive knowledge on the hardware of computers, and the mechanics of cars. In his spare time, he enjoys eating and hanging out with friends.

Favorite class:

Comp Sci.

Sci Tech

What’s a class?

TA for Geometry

MECANUM Magazine Summer 2012

The

Coding

Conundrum BY: Pia Sen

Across the nation, high schoolers are already programming their own devices.

The computers hum with anticipation as the desktops flash to life. An aspiring coder clambers onto the desk as he plugs a cord into the router. The head coders settle into their well- worn-lime-green chairs. It is here that they will spend Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday afternoon; from three forty to six o’clock. The rustling of the keyboard clicks. The screen is a mess of lines and threads, a pattern of colors and squares. This is the programming; as they code the brain of 120 lbs robots in the electhe heart and brain of the robot. tronics room; a small cluttered Laughter. A couple jokes. headquarters at the heart of the woodshop. These all fade into the rustling of keysAt the beginning of a semester, the challenge is released. Almost immediately, the the sculptor’s chisel; team gets to work. The mechanical people as programmers design the robot, the electronics people anticipate the wiring...and the code people carve a mind begin to think out their game plan. About from 2,075 “Code has a remarkably distant relationcyber robotics ship with the rest of the team,” Lane says, teams from space. “Code doesn’t really know what’s going on Canada,USA, Brazil, Israel, and even Turkey compete in the FIRST Robotics competitions; a series of meets where devices fight to the death.

The LASA Robotics team is known amongst LASA students for the smell of sawdust and screech of the bandsaws. Yet beyond that, there is another part of the team. In the depths of the woodshop, the bandsaws slowly disappear until there are only computers and routers. Desktops leave little room for the lone screwdriver; the only sign that the electronics room is still in the same place as the woodshop. It is the LASA code team that resides here. These are not just high schoolers, but seasoned professionals. These are coders who have programmed before. “The first language I dealt with was Logo. When I was about ten, I got a PC LOGO floppy,” says Lane Kolby, junior and one of the two head coders of LASA robotics. “After that I spent all my lunches inside moving a small pixelated turtle around.” It has been seven years since the turtle. Lane now collaborates with Michael MECANUM Magazine Summer 2012

with the robot, and the hardware people don’t know what’s going on with the software.” Despite the light hearted teasing, hardware people recognize the importance of code. “Code is quite important,” admits Dylan Danzeiser, as he runs a piece of wood through the bandsaw. Like many freshmen, he is one of the members that works on the building of the device. “Without code, we would rely entirely on mechanical engineering.” However, some people, like freshman Nicholas Wallace, revere the art of programming. “Next year will be the last year that Lane or Michael will be on the team and they will need someone to take over from them.” Nicholas hopes to be the one who leads the code team, qualified by his intense dedication to Robotics, and monumented by the countless hours spent in the shop. His favorite coding language is Python, but he’s trying to branch out. “I’m still learning BASIC and trying to learn Java, and I’m not sure how that will turn out,” he admits. Nicholas has never coded with anyone before, an aspect of the LASA code team he 6

looks forward to very much. “ Coding individually, nobody really cares what happens to the code. Coding in a group means that the code has to be well-written, it has to work well, and you have to coordinate your code with the code of all the other programmers,” says Lane. Yet the code room isn’t only a place of work. As the code configures and the computers lag, there’s always some type of chaos going on; whether it be taking turns riding on the base of the practice robot like a bucking bronco, or getting locked out of the AISD server.

“I was raised being one with the computer”

After a bit of experience and practice, Lane could navigate his way through a couple lines of low level graphical robot code. “Then I meet people who only ever touch graphical “programming languages,” he says. It was foreign territory to Kolby. Yet, LAbview is a graphical programming languagethe one used to code many FIRST Robotics bots. As a head coder for LASA Robotics, Lane had to learn not only a new coding language, but also learn to think in a new way. A graphical programming language is one that uses pictures and shapes to convey a message; a completely different entity than the thick lines of code that consist of text, harsh slashes, and punctuation. This was the background Lane came from. As Lane describes his predominantly non graphical career, “I was raised being one with the computer.” photo by: LASA Robotics team

Photo from LASA robotics team

Nonetheless, for coders like Lane who have spent their whole lives coding by themselves, the LASA Robotics experience is new and eye opening. “Before LASA Robotics almost all of my experience was software. There were a few projects I did which used maybe a microcontroller or two, but nothing that qualifies as a ‘robot’,” he admits.

Lane Kolby codes in the non linear code language LEGO Mindstorm t a LASA Robotics SMART camp.

Thinking of Buying Used? Even if its a hand me down or the best deal on Craigslist, think again BY RYAN RICE

Refurbished is different from reconditioned which is different from used:

refurbished

could be in perfect condition, but was opened and returned by a customer before and just sent back and almost always comes with a warranty

reconditioned

has new parts, and is almost always guaranteed to work and some of the time includes a warranty

used

could fall apart the first day you get it without warning

Find out what comes with the used device. Many issues have risen from people thinking they got just what they want, then finding out that they are missing the charger or there is no warranty. you need to Ask Questions. The sellers are trying to get the best deal also, and you can’t be sure thats the best for you.

You don’t want to be seeing this screen all the time.

Look for cheaper options. Just because your uncle is selling it to you does not mean you have to take it. Ryan Rice

Google has some easy ways to compare prices:

Research the Product. This kind of goes hand in hand with number 3, but this is still a good idea. Why are they selling it? There could be a factory defect, or a off brand version that works just as well, and costs the same price, while being new.

Test the product before buying it, or ask for a demonstration. The worst thing that can happen is having it not work as soon as you buy it, or having some defect.

MECANUM Magazine Summer 2012

FEATURE STORY - BY RYAN RICE

The Zyngapocalyspe: How the rise of Zynga is bad for other companies

Logos belong to Zynga

The Zen Of

Starting a game company is hard and tedious work, and many new companies can attest. And it wasn’t any easier in 2007, when Zynga had started. But Zynga was unrelenting, and has since revolutionized the casual gaming market, and has become one of the big names in facebook and mobile gaming.

Zynga has come together not just from ingenuity but from a variety of business practices, some easily achievable, such as the social aspect nowadays, with the availability of platforms like facebook, and some not, such as getting a game popular. “One of the advantages of being a first mover and having one of the bigger games early on [is that] they were able to build off of that,” © lifeonthefarmville.wordpress.com

Starting a game company is hard and tedious work, and many new companies can attest. And it wasn’t any easier in 2007, when Zynga had started. But Zynga was unrelenting, and has since revolutionized the casual gaming market, and has become the one of the big names in facebook and mobile gaming.

popular enough and had a good user base that it grew,” says David Genet, Art Lead at the Austin branch of Zynga. “They didn’t have to spend a lot of money advertising because the games were there, they were social, which means you didn’t have to go to the TV to advertise, you could spam your friends.”

Before Zynga’s success, game companies had a target audience, the “hardcore” gaming community, and were looking to improve their games in ways that did not bring in a new audience. But, at the same time, new platforms were opening up left and right, from smartphone games to tablet games, and they were definitely not being neglected. Zynga took a chance with this opening, and has emerged the leader. “The main factor [in Zynga’s success] is serendipitous luck with just getting in the facebook platform when they did, and having a game that’s MECANUM Magazine Summer 2012

Screenshot of Farmville, one of the first hits by Zynga

says Genet, “They had so many millions of users, they had their own fanclub. And that fanclub helps every new game that comes out grow that fanbase even bigger, and that’s really one of the reasons that it’s hard to catch up.” This massive dedicated user base might be why there are no companies reaching past Zynga in the game of getting the most players. In fact, on average, the paying players in social games that Zynga creates spend about $1000 a year, according Matt Lynley from business insider. But some say it’s not the reason. Many people have turned against Zynga for copying games, and their basis is not unfounded. The most recent uproar has been with the announcement and release of Dream Heights, an almost identical looking tower game for iOS compared to Tiny Tower. But is Zynga being singled out? “If they see something successful and they can’t buy it, why not duplicate it. It’s not necessarily a nice thing to do. It’s a valid business practice and it’s one that’s been practiced in the game industry especially forever... I don’t think Zynga’s going to stop doing that, I don’t think anyone is going to stop doing that,” says Genet. Not to say that he agrees with that, or that anyone should. According to Genet, Zynga does, “open up smaller kinds of titles to a bigger audience.” And although Zynga gives the appearance of being unfazed by upcoming games, they’ve bought companies such as OMGPOP and HipLogic. And he knows what he is talking about, he’s been in the game industry for a long time, and constantly tries to keep up with the evolution of games. “I’m one of the very few in the office that actually plays [our] video games,” says David Genet, “Zynga’s a big company, and so, the things that other teams are doing, you don’t necessarily know about unless you play their games.” So can Zynga keep this lead? Their fans seem loyal, and from the attitude of the company it doesn’t seem like they are going away anytime soon. “There is probably a lot of luck involved, and timing,” Genet emphasizes, “The game industry is a fickle mistress, there are a lot of peaks of valleys

and so you get layoffs and big game changes, and the company I worked at before this for the longest time was a DS game company and the DS market dries up, It’s cyclical. Right now there is a lot of problems for the console market for example and a lot of them are looking at casual gaming.” And it’s not just that, Zynga seems to have a grasp on what seems right in gaming and what’s not. They know how to keep the gamers coming back. “There’s a balance between, having people come back and want to do something, and people coming back and going, ‘oh no I have to do that thing again’,” explains Genet.

“

If they see something successful and they can’t buy it, why not duplicate it?

”

I’m sure the many gamers of Farmville and Zynga Poker can back this statement up, the knack for engaging games is one of the best qualities to have. This is just one of the reasons that Zynga could be on their way to becoming one of the most successful companies, and is already one of the most successful in the social gaming industry. They could be a passing fad, along with DS gaming and all the other subsets of gaming that have dried up, but their business practices lead me to believe they will be around for much much longer, and their fanbase tells the same story. “Zynga wants to become the ‘Let’s go Zynga’,” explains Genet, “How long it takes to get there is anybody’s guess.”

Cave Man to Nerd: the Evolution Gone Wrong BY COPE WILLIAMS

TECH OPS

rom sticks and stones, to super computers able to make virtual worlds and people to inhabit them, but has it all been for the better? Many people would say yes without thinking another thought. I disagree.

be on a moon colony, Or have that pesky tumor in your liver cured? If we really invested in these, or any of our possible but far fetched ideas we could accomplish them in a staggeringly short amount of time. If technology had developed with the sole purpose of bettering society we would be at a stage in our development far beyond where we are today.

Technology has only developed for the enjoyment of the people that buy it and doesn’t better humanity as a whole. If you went back in time to the 1960’s, buzz would be in the air about how humanity was going to the moon, and all of our resources were focused on being the first. This notion of bettering humanity for almost no monetary gain has completely left society. No longer does being a good person pay off. If it had not been this way for all these years we would be exploring our solar system, and even disease wouldn’t be a problem. As JFK said in his speech about man going to the moon.”We set sail on this new sea because there is new knowledge to be gained, and new rights to be won, and they must be won and used for the progress of all people.” this shows us how the people of America used to value the bettering of society over the want of the consumer. I understand that you love your iPhone and your flat screen. But wouldn’t you love to MECANUM Magazine Summer 2012

For example in the 1950’s there US created a vaccine for polio, a virus that affects neromuscular control, witch was wide spreed at the time. The US and other countries funded a massive vaccination effort to eliminate polio permanently. Although some strains of polio still exist in remote areas of the world, the virus is no longer a large player in human deaths and paralysis. This great accomplishment is a prime example of what I have been trying to argue. The US, in this endeavor, never gained financially, but they did gain indirectly the contribution to society.

Technology: The Job Market Within by Alexander Pasch

ixty years ago the first electronic computer had just been created, and technology as we know it was nonexistent. Now we have a booming market for all sorts of technology products, and we need a workforce to fill it. Over the next 10 years technology will be 2nd fastest growing job field second only to Health Care jobs and this news should not be of concern but of opportunity. But what is it really like to work in the technology industry.

be easy you’re going to come in one day and suddenly a whole new product line requires you to teach yourself about the aspects that are new to you but decisive in the company’s project. Although this job may be seemingly a simple one, as Tom says, “They’re expecting you to be the type of person to be able to teach yourself.”

Logitech, one of many growing tech companies is the home to more than 11,000 employees, including one Tom Chamberlain.

“I get paid pretty well, I get good benefits, I get to use cool technology and learn about it,” says Tom Chamberlain,” He is someone with a perfect resume to tell us about the technological working life. As a technical writer working at Lifesize (a division of Logitech) and a 12 year veteran of 6 companies, he knows the ins and outs of this business, and it is a little more complicated than may come to the eye at first. The challenges at bay when you start a job like this can be seemingly endless. “You’re not as valuable to a tech company if they have to spoon feed you all the technology, they want you to understand it to a certain level” says Tom Chamberlain, After all the huge amount tech jargon that this business requires you learn if not something to be taken likely. And there’s no way around it either.

“

”

For most businesses it isn’t going to

You have to learn at least a certain level or they can tell you’re faking it.

MECANUM Magazine Summer 2012

You can use the internet as a resource or even as a quick reference point in a meeting, using technology to teach you about the subject at hand, and this should not be something that you throw off because you will need to research, learn and understand everything that they throw at you. “everybody wants to know how to use it to their advantage and its not going away anytime soon.” However, even if learning about this business takes time to learn and relearn the constant stream of new words, and teach yourself about the tools that the industry is building it certainly does not come to waste if you enjoy it.

“

”

I really think its a relevant, technology. It’s really hot right now, and I’m happy to be where I am,

You can use all the information that you learn for private experiments, productions, movies or whatever you want, and you will have an expertise in these subjects that really isn’t matched by anyone not in this business. Especially in this ever increasing market for the exact products you will be learning about, the usefulness of understanding electronic gadgets is great. Also there are intrinsic benefits many companies decides to give you, “Most tech companies do that, they allow you 14

FEATURE STORIES Feature Stories

to use their product or buy their product at a discount.â€? So before you just bounce off the idea of a job in this field look into the idea and perhaps you will find comfort in the idea of becoming a technical writer, a computer engineer, or an IT guy. Maybe a graphic designer, or a web developer. Whatever it is, the benefits of going into the business, which is growing at an exponential rate, are great. If you can focus into it, and understand it, technology is a great field for knowing the insight and increasingly vital information that you will learn by getting into the business.

In the graph below you can see in the dark blue, the amount of jobs that currently employ people in the United States. The other color, the light blue, shows the increase in jobs by 2020, as projected by the US Labor Department.

Jobs (in hundred thousands)

800000

700000

600000

500000

2010 Emplo

2020 Job fo

400000

3 300000

2 200000

1 100000

rs s ts rs rs ts st s s r s e r e s o r y i e l t l a m ge lop aly ra ge ia op n l a t e n c m a A e s n v i A e a n p in ev a m De Ma gr ty e i S D M m t r o m rt ys em cu Pr Ad on te m t i o S e s t s e r e y a S r pp st te Sy as n lic te y u eS r u b o p u r i e S S p p ta at Ap r r ut a wa m m t e p e f m e D Co m Co ut or tu ar So f o p p w n C t I m d of om n S a Co C k or w t Ne 0

Software System Developers

Database Administors

Network and Computer System Admins

Software Application Developers

Computer System Analyst

Information Security Analysts, Web Developlers

Computer System Managers

Computer Support Specialists

Computer Programmers

I’m a STEM Girl (Not a Barbie) BY PIA SEN

TECH OPS

tributed to socialization wasn’t socialization at all,” he said, skating over scientists like Marie Curie and Lisa Randall. Lisa Randall in a name not as well known as a male physicist like Stephen Hawkings. So who exactly is Lisa Randall? Her name sounds like the principal at some elementary school, but certainly not a seasoned professional. Lisa Randall is the head theoretical physicist at Harvard University. As a renowned physicist, Randall has developed the Randall-Sundrum model; a significant contribution to the world of physics. It is an indisputable fact that women experience a bias that is more than men ever face. According to a postdoctoral study by the NY Times, women

“Math is hard. Let’s go shopping.” Labwork in physics- a prime example of a STEM career.

T’S 1992. IN HER VIBRANTLY PINK BED room a young girl kneels on the floor. In her chubby fist, she grasps something plastic and blonde in her hand. A barbie doll. A smile is plastered on its flawless face. It’s all okay when Barbie stays quiet. But this is a special kind of barbie- the first one that talks. “Math is hard. Let’s go shopping.” Not once does the girl look back at her arithmetic homework, lying neglected on the desk. Math. Science. Engineering. Barbie’s shut up again, but nobody else has. In 2005, the president of Harvard placidly explained that due to genetics, men were just superior to women in math and science. “Research in behavioral genetics is showing that things people previously at-

MECANUM Magazine Summer 2012

have to publish up to three more papers than men in influential magazines to be considered intellectual equals. A prime example is Rosalind Franklin. Franklin discovered the double helix structure of DNA, a revolutionary discovery. However, the credit was stolen by male scientists. Furthermore, their lab report was riddled with bias against females and blatant inaccuracies. It’s too late to blame it on genetics, or even claim that females are just less inclined to have interest in STEM. From birth, a child’s destiny is predetermined. Instantly, the girl is snatched up and swathed in dresses and tiaras as she makes believe her prince will come. Meanwhile, the boy is intently fiddling with Legos and army replicated technology that plant the seed of engineering. It is only now that girls must seize their opportunity to prove to the world just what they can do.

The Gaming Condition FEATURE STORY - BY COPE WILLIAMS

This story explores aspects of gaming and how they become a great game

Bottom left © EA Bioware

Secound form the bottom right © Bungie

Bottom right © Bethesda

Secound form the top left © Mojang

Secound from the bottom left © Nintendo Secound from the top right © Epic game studios Top right © Ubisoft

top left © EA

The question I am possing is how do the major aspects of gaming interact and compine to become a truelly emersive and engaging experience. I enterview average teen gamers and find out their opinion on the subject.

play mentality much like playing a game of checkers. However the most popular games today are heavily reliant on narrative. These narrative driven games act much like novels, and emphasize character development.

Many people say that the most important aspect of a game is its narrative. The story gives the player a reason for what he is doing and immerses them into the world of the game. Chris Wheatley says that a game with-

Many people that don’t play video games think that they are a waste of time, but this is arguably not true. Gaming is a combination of the accessibility of a game like checkers and the immersion of reading a novel or watching a film. In gaming’s infancy, games were all about gameplay. This focus allowed a pick up and

“I

s little more than a beautifully colored shell, that when you open up, contains nothing

”

out a story, For example “Skyrim” is a game heavily reliant on story. The development of your character and his or her relationships with the other characters and groups in the game give the player an immersive experience, much like life.

©microsoft co.

Although story is one of the most important parts of some games, many games have little to no story. In “Team Fortress 2” there is credited to Jag22 on wordpress

MECANUM Magazine Summer 2012

no character development and your relationship with other characters does not matter at all. It’s more like a game of football; you become more skilled over time. This progress provides a rewarding experience much like a bench warmer becoming a star player. Forrest Hammel says that,

“

”

Game play is essential to any good game... Shallow gameplay cuts the player out of the experience and ruins the sense of immersion.

Gameplay and narrative however important on their own become more important to the game’s quality when put together. A combination of these in the perfect balance can create a truly remarkable piece of story, art, and entertainment. As Ross Murdock says in “Dark

Souls,” an action game with a unique and immersive combination of gameplay and narrative, ” Everything is a challenge, but once overcome there is very few experiences in gaming that share the same the same level of accomplishment.” The combination of the “Dark Souls” story and the unforgiving yet rewarding gameplay make a game that can be played over and over again providing a memorable experience each time. A game combining gameplay and narrative in the right quantities will be able to immerse you in a world of challenge and possibilities. These aspects define a game’s popularity and are the determining factor in the longevity of the game. In other words, a great game is a combination of the intense meaningful story of “The Hurt Locker” and the rewarding feeling of a game of chess.

©From Software

AMD vs. Intel: Processor BY. ALEXANDER PASCH

f you’re one of the millions of people who want to buy a computer then you might want to evaluate your choices, and if you’re not a computer expert you might not know the difference between brands, Particularly AMD and Intel. These two companies have been making computer products for many years, but right now Intel dominates the market with 80% of the processors produced. However some argue that AMD is the better company, so I’m here to evaluate their claims and decide what is better for you. Below is a chart comparing prices for similar models to each other.

In reality, this chart tells us little about all the many different options that these companies offer. This short list doesn’t look at the thousands of options that you can find and create online. So using my personal experience, and dealing with the issue of getting my own computer, I have to say that as the processor quality increases AMD has an increasing edge over Intel in price. For the cheaper computers, I think that Intel is the better option, but if

“Some argue that AMD is the better company” you’re looking for higher end computers I think that AMD will be good for you. Some critics of this argument may say that Intel overclocks (makes the processor faster by modifying the system bounds) their processors to a higher degree, and although that is true, it still doesn’t make up for how much cheaper high end AMD processors are than Intel ones, and I don’t think you should rely on overclocking alone.

MECANUM Magazine Summer 2012

Intel and AMD have been fighting for the processor market for years. Personally, I purchased an Intel high end processor, for a gaming rig. However as I look at it now I should have thought it through more and given the chance now, I would definitely go with AMD for that type of computer. I know several people who have been in the same boat as my, and they decided that they would go with AMD. In the end they ended up saving more money, and were just as if not more happy with their purchase. Now I am not bashing Intel, but in this economy, with many people looking to save money I just thought I would

Original Artwork by Alexander Pasch

inform people about another company out there besides Intel, AMD, and they have good prices.

But as you know, in the end, it is your opinion alone. But from my experience, looking at prices for computer parts, processors, and what have you, I advise you to go out and research the same things that I did, and by simple cost comparison you should reach the same conclusion that I have after some time on the matter. And if youÂ´re wondering where I got my sources and all my facts, you can check out all

the same information at Newegg.com or these sights below. For all you computer news and help this has been Alexander Pasch.

AMD Low End

Intel

AMD A4Intel 3300 Llano Pen2.5GHz $65 tium E5700 Wolfdale $64

Average

AMD FX8120 Zambezi $200

Intel Sandy Bridge 2500k $230

High End

AMD Opteron Valencia 2.5GHz 8 core

Intel XeonWestmere 2.4GHz Six-Core Server Processor $550

This chart shows some models of Intel and AMD prcessors.

Understanding the Unknown BY RYAN RICE

TECH OPS

A photo created by an anonymous deviantart user FrenchAnonymous released under creative commons, representing the 4chan born anonymous “hacktivist” group.

“A

NONYMITY IS AUTHENTICITY” SAYS Christopher Poole, founder of the popular forum, 4chan. Anonymity is the act of being without an identity, and recently some of the biggest Internet companies have been campaigning for or against it, the most outspoken players being Facebook and 4chan. But anonymity is not something to let go without fighting for, and without anonymity the world would be at a high risk for oppression of free speech. On anonymous boards like 4chan, people can share their opinions that they do not want others to know about. This creates what Poole calls a “fluid identity”, where people try new things that they would not be able to with their real name attached. A lot of the most creative and controversial topics have come up on MECANUM Magazine Summer 2012

these anonymous boards, probably one of the most known ideas or groups to come from these boards is the “hacktivist” group, Anonymous. There is a lot of opposition to the importance of anonymity on the internet, the main opposition coming from the leaders of Facebook, where Randi Zuckerberg reported when she was the marketing director for Facebook, “Anonymity on the Internet has to go away.” They believe that the anonymous on the Internet are the main cause of cyber-bullying, because there are no consequences to this kind of bullying if the bullies are completely unknown. Randi Zuckerberg also says that people “hide behind anonymity”, and “[they] behave a lot better when they have their real names down”. Personally, I believe that anonymity has more benefits than downfalls. For example, a few of these benefits are being able to express opinions that would otherwise be restricted by the government, misinformation can not be produced by these restrictive governments due to

“Anonymity on the Internet has to go away.” 22

Ryan Rice

citizens being able to publish information first hand, express opinions or play devil’s advocate without being linked to yourself, and it allows for less censorship, by promoting freedom of speech. However, if your real name is attached, then possibly a rise in bullying would follow. If everyone knew every single Google search or thing you had posted, would you have fewer friends? Would you be scared to express yourself on the Internet? For a long time people have used anonymity to express themselves without consequences, from “The Federalist Papers”, which was originally published with a pseudonym according to a paper from MIT, to Dr. Seuss books. Anonymity is not just used for personal gain though; it can be used to post controversial or restricted topics from countries with censorship to evade prosecution. Citizens in these countries can use methods to conceal their IP address and identity, in effect, concealing their identity. Without these methods to become anonymous on the Internet, there would most likely be no reports that said any opposing thoughts to oppressive governments. Some of these governments, such as Thailand and Saudi Arabia, have already taken action in arresting bloggers who insult the government or national religion. This happened in Saudi Arabia when a blogger was sent home to a possible death sentence for “insulting the Prophet Mohammed”, according to ABC news. Stopping censorship is good for these countries, so that the citizens do not become completely overruled with no say and end up like the underprivileged and as some might say “brainwashed” citizens of totalitarian states, such as North Korea. The Internet is not going away anytime soon, and I think we should protect the rights that we

Screenshot taken by Ryan Rice of hundreds of people asking for help on President Obama’s Google Plus page. Their are hundreds of comments like these on each post. have that keep the Internet what it is. We need anonymity to help other oppressed citizens in other countries, and help people express themselves in a way they could not without anonymity.

How To Program a Magic 8 Ball on a TI 84+ BY: Pia Sen Press PRGM, then use the four arrows to navigate the options. There is a line of three choices: Execute, Edit, and New. When you have selected New, then press the Enter button. Chose a name for the program, and type it in, pressing 2nd+Alpha to type. Each colon symbolizes the start of a new line. Once your cursor

is blinking on the first line, press PRGM again. This brings you to one of the menus of options. Use the arrow buttons to nagivate again. On the top of the screen, there will be a list of options.: CTL I/O and Exec. Select I/O- that stands for Input/Output. It is what allows you to enter things into the TI 84 while the program is running. Once you are in the I/O screen, press 1. This will enter ‘Input’ into the program.

WITHOUT changing lines, press the button that says VARS, then click 7- which brings you to strings. Click 1. Now your line says ‘Input String 1’. This means that the program will allow you to input your question for the Magic 8 Ball. It is imperative that you do not confuse the ‘Input’ option with the ‘Prompt’ option. While the prompt command is similar to the input command, Prompt refers to only numbers and variables- not phrases. Now press Enter to change lines of the program. Press 2nd then Catalog (the same button as for 0). Press the R button. The TI 84 will bring you to a list of options that start with R. Select ‘RandInt( ’. Once that is inserted in the program, type ‘0,2’ and close the parentheses. From there, press the button Sto> and type A. This allows the calculator to answer your question diffently each time. Now press Enter to change lines.

Press the PRGM button, then click 1. This will enter the ‘If’ statement into your calculator. On the same line, press A then go to 2nd-Math and click 1 to get the = sign. Press the button for 0. Then the line should read: If A=0. Go to a new line, and press the PRGM buton again. Click 2. This will enter ‘Then’ into the program. Go to another new line. Press PGRM and use the right arrow to nagivate to the I/O menu. Press 3, which will enter the display function into your program. Using the 2nd Alpha typing method, Open the quotation marks. Type ‘Yes’. Then go to PRGM again, and press 7. This ends the ‘If/Then’ statement.

MECANUM Magazine Summer 2012

How to Program a Magic 8 Ball on a TI 84+ Go on to a new line, and reform the ‘If/then’ statement. However, instead of saying A=0, make A=1. Display ‘MAYBE’ instead of ‘YES’. Make sure to include the ‘END’ after each ‘If/then’ statement.

Go to a new line, and make your third, and final, ‘If/Then’ statement. Make A=2, and Display “NO”. Volia! Your Magic 8 ball! To run the program, go to PRGM, and select your program by using the down arrow to scroll, before clicking ‘Enter’.

TIP: If the program displays some

type of an error, be patient. Take a deep breath and scroll through the syntax. You might have done something as simple as put in an extra space, or combine two lines. And if in doubt, refer to the interwebs. There’s tons of online resources like TI BASIC wiki, and even Yahoo Answers to help you.

The life of the computer BY COPE WILLIAMS

1801- The first programable device

1880’s- The first form of data recording on a computer

This date marks the first time punch cards were used to “program” looms

©John Walker

This was the invention of the first punch card. A small piece of paper with holes in it , indicating the desired function

1800

1900

1837- The first machanical computer

This date marks the first programable computer

1880’s

1642- First Calculator

This date marks the first time mashines to think for humans

MECANUM Magazine Summer 2012

The computer has been a slowly evolving technology. The computer threw out it’s life time has been influenced by many great minds and influenced many lesser.

1973-IBM 5100

the first mobile computer

the Xerox Palo Alto was the worlds first PC this invention marked the start of the information age

modern day

1940’s

1941-The first electronic computer

1971- The Intel 4004

This date marks the invetion of the first working electronic computer

©US Army

2007- Release of the iphone

Computer Stats BY. ALEXANDER PASCH

-835 million PCs were sold worldwide between 1981 and 2000 -HP has 26.9% of the Computer Market. (The biggest share)

Alexander Pasch

60mil/People 50 40 ÂŠ Dell

30 20 10

Dell has 22.6% of the market

The Average Price for a computer is around $700

Credit ti Digital World

MECANUM Magazine Summer 2012

Number of Computers per Household (According to US Dep. of Energy)

Cretid Stock Photos

ÂŠ Intel

A current intel i7, 4 core, 2.8 Ghz processor is at least 1433.6 time more powerful than the earliest 8mhz processor.

First Personal Computer was the IBM 5150 PC introduced in 1981.

Over 1.1 Billion exist in the world. 28