College Admissions Essay: Why is Nothing Fascinating :: College Admissions Essays

I find the world a fascinating place, and I want to better understand many of its different facets. Something I continually ponder upon, though, is "nothing." The idea of "nothing," of not anything, completely enthralls me. In fact, I've chosen the topic for my Senior Project. In the counting sense, zero represents nothing. If there could be two, or five, or any number, but there are none, there are zero. Yet, on a complete number line, zero is something. Zero has a dot on the line just like all the other numbers. Last month, I had a discussion with my math teacher about the true mathematical representation of "nothing," the empty set, a numerical set without numbers, equations, variables, or anything at all in it. In strictly a numbers sense, I can fully grasp the concept. However, in a general sense I simply cannot fathom the idea of "not anything." I'm still baffled by something I read in a book as a child (I can't recall which one). In the book, nothingness was presented as the foundation of our universe. The author asked what else could possibly remain beyond the smallest of the small. It seems nothing else could. College Admissions Essay: Why is Nothing Fascinating :: College Admissions Essays I find the world a fascinating place, and I want to better understand many of its different facets. Something I continually ponder upon, though, is "nothing." The idea of "nothing," of not anything, completely enthralls me. In fact, I've chosen the topic for my Senior Project. In the counting sense, zero represents nothing. If there could be two, or five, or any number, but there are none, there are zero. Yet, on a complete number line, zero is something. Zero has a dot on the line just like all the other numbers. Last month, I had a discussion with my math teacher about the true mathematical representation of "nothing," the empty set, a numerical set without numbers, equations, variables, or anything at all in it. In strictly a numbers sense, I can fully grasp the concept. However, in a general sense I simply cannot fathom the idea of "not anything." I'm still baffled by something I read in a book as a child (I can't recall which one). In the book, nothingness was presented as the foundation of our universe. The author asked what else could possibly remain beyond the smallest of the small. It seems nothing else could.

Face Recognition Technology in Public Places

Currently, technology is rising, along with suspected terrorist attacks. Mobile phones and computers have minimized its size to an incredibly small size it was almost unimaginable in the years before. Subsequently, bombs could be as small, but the threat is still as massive. In this light, scientists and engineers have concocted devices to help alleviate this threat to society.Unfortunately, to this date, face recognition technology in public places remains ineffective, as it even violates people’s right to privacy.There are many reasons behind the pursuit of this technology. There are questions and ethical concerns behind the arguments. However, one can be certain that this technology is still at its tender stage and should not be used until it is at the state of perfection. In this light, this essay aims to give light to certain issues regarding this matter.First, this kind of technology is still not foolproof. It does not accurately identify terrorists. Second, it has a str ong potential for misuse and abuse. It has been used without the consent or knowledge of the people, violating their right to privacy.Last, the expected improvement in security is not justified by its costs.These are the basic inquiries one should be able to deliberate on regarding the matter.Face recognition teechnology is yet to prove its worth to the society. It was found out during tests that it has failed at 38% of the cases. Boston reported that the techonology aimed to point a terrorist from the crowd by comparing the images with those in their system. What came out was a depressing failure.The technology was still too objective that it failed to recognize slight changes on the faces of these people. This was only through a test run in a rather select sample. What more could have happened if this was a real life scenario?In this light, one can say that when it failed at that percentage, the system chose innocent people. These people could be passers-by, simply coincidental th at they were there when the system detected them. It cannot be helped that even total strangers have similar characteristics, and the system was unable to be accurate on this aspect.This technology is still inaccurate. A person’s face could change completely even when there were minor changes to his entire look. The accuracy of the technology also relies on how similar the image is in comparison to the image in the system, a slight different in lighting and angle can alter the face of the person.In this case, a terrorist may not be detected, and in its place is an innocent person. In this light, ABC News also mentioned that if this is the condition of the technology, then two stangers will look more alike than two different pictures of the same person.Face recognition technology cannot be experimented on a real life situation. It would be more than a risk. It would have been a mistake.Barnaby Feder of the New York Times also mentioned that this technology was quite a promisin g piece against terrorism. However, their tests also failed. The technology experienced difficulty. On the other hand, there are establishments who already use the technology in question, like casinos.It was mentioned in the article that face recognition technology could be a requirement in more establishments in the future. Unfortunately, with the presense of skeptisms and flawed eperiments, producers of this technology are yet to mark their points in history.They are inproving over the years, but they have not come up with the technology that will find perfectly match the face of a person to the database, and therefore a suspicious person or a criminal. Alice Lipowicz of Washington Technology wrote that the technology failed in another experiment at the Super Bowl in 2001.When the technology was used, it came out with too many false positives that they immediately called the experiment a total failure.Another argument against this technology is brought about by the fact that this has great potential for misuse and abuse. Given that the people are being viewed by a camera and objectively scrutinized by the system and database, one person is studied and judged by it. Furthermore, it is not only the faces that these cameras capture.It also captures the actions that these people are doing. That is not the purpose of the technology, but because the system is trying to ID everyone who could match a certain culprit, this technology is overlooking the essense of the person’s actions.He is judged by his face and actions when he shouldn’t be judged at all. He shouldn’t even be watched by another person who might have biases and prejudices. This, by itself, is an ethical question: should these people be watched? Who are watching them?Lipowicz also mentioned that the technology is crawling close to becoming unethical. The article mentioned that when drivers are given their license, their pictures are taken into a face recognition database and used f or future investigative purposes.Before these people are even able to know about investigations their names and faces are already part of the system for scrutiny and matching. This becomes a question in people’s minds because it can be related to intrusive surveillance and tracking, as mentioned in the same article. This means that even if the people are not involved, because of the technology, they are made involved in the system.Unfortunately, this is still an expanding research as the technology is updated and organizations, especially the government, make use of it. Despite the concern on people’s privacy, perhaps they opted to choose the larger purpose of its creation: the safety of the people against terror. Those who are trying to protect the people should consider this: who are they protecting?From whom are they protecting these people? Why are they protecting these people? If their tools would be objective in detecting the faces of these suspicious people, the n their objectives as human beings should be objective as well. Are they judging the person based on what they see on screen?Are they judging them based on the name on which that face matches? If the face and name was ill matched, should they still be judged? Perhaps when those behind the cameras, with the database at hand, are able to answer this, then they should be able to bring brighter light to the situation.Furthermore, this technology captures people’s faces and identities without the consent or knowledge of the person. It is always important, as it is ethical, for a person to be told that he or she is going to be watched. Although doing this gives potential to a change in their behavior while being watched, the people should always be told when the cameras are on them.The reason behind giving the consent is that the people should agree that they are being watched for the benefit of everyone’s safety. They should be informed of their objectives, like finding the terrorist among the crowd. In relation to their right to privacy, they should be able to act upon their wish without being judged by it.In a crowd, they could be on a phone call or talking with a friend, and those actions may bare negative implications depending on how those behind the cameras are looking at them.This is also to prevent the possibility of having those observations used for something else. As mentioned earlier, this technology has the potential for misuse and abuse. Just because these people are able to retrieve information via these cameras does not mean that they should freely use these.If the information is to be compared to another set retrieved from another location, then the person is objectified—overlooking the fact that he is human and unique from everybody else. Stereotyping, biases and prejudices could rise and add greater problems to the technology, despite its already faulty results in finding terrorists.Last, in today’s rampant pace, techn ology never comes cheaply. By the description of the technology alone, one is given the hint of how much it could cost. There are no exact digits for the curious mind, but there is an implied amount.The technology is able to measure, study, compare and match random faces to those already in the database. The scrutinizing process by which this technology aimed to protect the people could be very extensive that one could only think about the many brilliant minds that worked together to create the prototype. Although the technology is not yet full proof, it is still expensive.In this light, if the technology is not yet at its best, why should anyone make use of it? Although attached with the package is the promise that they could be safer, the disadvantages still seemes to outweight its benefits. As mentioned in this article, face recognition technology is still a growing study.To prematurely use it, while simultaneously paying a high amount for it, would not allow the technology to fu lfill its promise—like of any product: the output worthy of the amount.

Whole Language versus Phonics Essays - 2286 Words

Whole Language versus Phonics Whole Language versus Phonics has been a question among many top educational groups for years. Which is the best way to teach kindergarten children the proper way to speak and learn the English Language? There are many valid reasons why experts argue for both phonics and/or whole language. Both seem to be exceptional ways to master the English Language. The purpose of this research paper is to compare phonics versus whole language and to determine how technology can support each approach. The history of the use of phonics dates back to the 1700’s. Backs then, children were taught to read through their memorization of the twenty-six-letter alphabet. Since many books hadn’t been written, their primary†¦show more content†¦In essence, it builds on what they expect them to already know. Part of the whole language doctrine states that the point of reading is not to read individual words, but to read them in context. The basis of whole language is the process of predicting the words through their meaning and context. It is not intended to teach word decoding but rather a â€Å"look-say† way to learn. There is no emphasis on grammar, spelling and punctuation with this form of teaching. What is Phonics? Phonics is the teaching of the association of sounds with letter identification. With that, there is an extreme amount of emphasis on word decoding skills to help a student sound out unfamiliar words. Phonics is actually a word-recognition strategy that becomes a teaching method only through heavy emphasis. Using phonetic principles, youngsters learn to associate the correct sound with each part of a word and to recognize and pronounce words. (Farr 2004) Phonics systematically teaches a child to break the code of written language. (Ghate 2003) Children are taught to identify letter-sound correspondence with phonics, which helps them put together a word by using sounds. Related Interaction There have been many debates over which literacy instruction produces the most favorable outcomes in terms of test scores. During the 1960’s, teachers favored the phonics approach in helping students become literate because they believed that it made the mostShow MoreRelatedBenefits of Using the Phonics Method to Teach Children to Read1698 Words   |  7 Pageslevel (Who Needs Phonics). They will not be able to apply to jobs, stigmatized in society, and may result in their children being illiterate also. In order to decrease the alarming rate of seven million illiterate children and give them a chance to have a better life is by integrating a method to teach them how to read better. There are numerous ways to teach a child how to read. Yet most of the methods can be divided in two groups; the whole-language approach or phonics. There has been andRead MoreEducational Websites: Reviews of Three Technologies That Make Learning Exciting for Students1133 Words   |  4 PagesRetrieved: http://edsitement.neh.gov/ Hooked on phonics. (2012). Retrieved: http://www.hookedonphonics.com/ Lesson plans for teachers. (2012). Retrieved; http://www.lessonplans.com/ LD (learning disorders) online. (2012). Retrieved: http://www.ldonline.org/article/9939/ Reviews of three technologies Berlitz Kids速 Usefulness in the classroom (either from a teacher or a student standpoint) For the student, Berlitz offers one-on-one language instruction, tutoring, and even summer camp for childrenRead MoreLanguage Acquisition Ameliorates Adult Illiteracy848 Words   |  3 Pagesï » ¿Language Acquisition Ameliorates Adult Illiteracy Being literate in todays society demands a myriad of functional abilities, which, when absent, can have dramatic health, economic, and social consequences.  Literacy possesses various aspects, such as reading, writing, speaking, and technology. Undoubtedly, language acquisition is a precursor to developing reading, writing, speaking, and technology literacy. Children must learn basic phonemes, graphemes, and morphemes as a basis for reading applicationRead MoreEssay on Understanding Phonics1504 Words   |  7 Pages(Sousa, 2005). 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Emotions has an great effect on our body and it is becoming clearer that the choices we make about our emotional expression have as much if not more of an impact on our body. Mind and body are linked and must function as an integrated whole to remain healthy. The experience of emotions involves a complex release of chemicals that affect all of the systems[5] of our bodies. We are designed by nature to put the energy released by our emotions to work[6]. For example stress is the perceptionRead MoreThe Core Skill Of Learning Essay1389 Words   |  6 PagesZimmerman (1989) self-regulated learning refers to learning that occur when individuals motivationally, and behaviorally active participants in their own learning process. SRL allows the student to set his/her own learning goals and then attack them, versus the curriculum being set with no flexibility. This also inspires the teacher to be active, because it motivates the student to be more open in seeking help as needed. Setting goals makes the student aware of his/her weaknesses and that sheds a lightRead MoreLeft versus Right Brain and Learning800 Words   |  4 PagesLeft versus Right Brain and Learning Each person has a governing hemisphere and once learning becomes a technical process, the idyllic portion of the brain takes charge of solving the issue at hand. There are two sides of the brain, which directly influence learning and produce different ways of receiving, storing and responding to information which ultimately affects our whole learning process. The cerebral cortex is broken down into two hemispheres, left and right, with it being home to the functionsRead More My Philosophy and Theory about English Teaching Essay5341 Words   |  22 Pagesthe firm backing of his or her own teaching philosophy and theory. When I stand in front of my first English class and begin my effort at teaching, the farthest things from my mind will be the academic battles between the proponents of whole language and phonics. I will not be thinking about whether my ideas are at odds with Bertonneaus, or whether I will be doing Maxine Greene proud. All of these ideas will have gelled together to form my very own teaching philosophy and theory, so that I always