Screens Got My Eyes Frazzled

Question of the Day: Have computer, television, eBook, and other forms of digital screens affected the way you read text?

Getting used to college has been an enormous task. There's the issue of adapting to the new types of transportation (since I live off-campus and go to a very large school) such as using my legs much more often than I did in high school and relying on buses instead of motor vehicles and small cars. There's the matter of always having to consume cafeteria and dining hall food instead of Mom's hot and fresh homemade eats (my cooking is not exactly up to par). And then there's the fact that everything I turn in must be sent through the Internet.

Blackboard. MasteringChemistry. School email. Forums. Scanned PDFs of textbooks. Now, instead of filling out paperwork and writing down answers on a paper test or circling A, B, or C on a Scan-Tron sheet, I simply write emails and type A, B, or C and press "Submit" buttons all day long. It seems much more simple and it saves A LOT of trees, but I believe my eyes are becoming...a little, well, frazzled.

Now, you can't blame my poor retinas after looking at images of molecules and memorizing the different ways of plugging answers (it's 3*10, not 3X10! and cm^3 instead of cm3) into the online assignment system all day. At times my eyes even seem to skip certain key words entirely. I put the charge instead of the ION like it told me to...am I going blind? Are my eyes, like, not functioning anymore? Are they finally beginning to dry up from the radiation that glares at me from the computer screen?

For some reason, I just can't get used to doing everything online. To me, nothing assures that the teacher has gotten my paper unless I give it to her by hand, and a written test will always allow me to cross things out, make notes in the margins, and put in the correct answer that will be checked off as correct regardless of the way it is written. And, of course, reading a text online will never be as satisfying as being able to leaf through the actual book, smell its pages the first time you open it, and highlight notes with your pen.

What are your thoughts on this? Do you also miss the good ol' times of printing press, or are you embracing the digital era with open arms? Do you think digital media and software is helping or hindering or society?

~TRA

Screens Got My Eyes Frazzled

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My Trip to Washington, D.C.

Question of the Day: What would YOU like to say to President Obama if you met him on the street one day?

So here are the pictures** of my Washington, D.C. trip from a little over a week ago. For those who didn't see that post, I went to the 101st Annual American Association Researching Meeting, which lasted from Friday, April 16th, to Tuesday, April 20th (I think). It was a ton of fun and I'm really glad I decided to go with my parents. I didn't really learn very much but I got to see all the the different products that were advertised and sold at the exhibit's different booths and read on various professors' posters about some interesting research studies that are going on.

In addition, I also go to get some sightseeing done! I now realize that, as a citizen of the USA, a trip to Washington D.C. is completely wasted if you don't spend time to get to know it, especially since it IS America's capital and whatnot. ;]

But yeah, sorry my post on this trip is so late! Like I said, I am studying for AP exams, but luckily tomorrow I have my last one! :) Enjoy, hehe.

Left: Between the doors of our hotel and the actually lobby, the entrance had this beautiful electronic graphic thingy up on the wall. It's basically an outlining of Washington's streets and notable sights; it changed colors every few seconds which was REALLY cool! I wonder how it works. XD


Up: This is what our hotel looked like...it was really nice! There was free internet access at the main lobby, coffee shop, book store and sit-down reading area, private meeting rooms, and other neat services. I especially liked the waiting area in the middle of the lobby that was confined by several sticks (see?). I'm pretty sure they're meant to look like pussy willows. I wish I'd taken another picture close up so I could compare them to the real plant!


Right: It was a beautiful day when I took this photo but a little too cloudy!! This is the Washington Memorial, named after our amazing first president, George Washington!

Unfortunately we didn't get to go in because we were running out of time, but apparently you can go on an elevator all the way to the top and look down! =D I hope to go back and actually do that someday haha.


There were LOADS of tourists and visitors there, though, just taking pictures and staring in awe at this great monument. You MIGHT be able to see some of the people in the picture amidst the many American flags...?

Top: Lo! and behold, this is Capitol Hill! Thankfully we were able to take a full tour in this historical structure, and I actually learned A LOT! It was amazing being able to go in and see firsthand the place where real history has taken place and still takes place everyday! The greatest thing is that THE TOUR WAS FREE!! It's great that the American government isn't trying to suck our money through tourist sites and are allowing us to learn about our great country freely (literally)... xD I mean I guesss that shoud be obvious anyway but you never know what governments are up to these days. Haha I think I've been in AP Comparative Government too long!!

Left: This is what the inside of the Capitol Hill looks like, at the central core of all things. All around, there are magnificent paintings of important historical time periods with real gold frames as well as statues (created with different types of stone) of significant historical figures, including our presidents of course! I can't remember which statue it was, but one of them had pieces of the Berlin wall at the bottom of the statue. Cool, eh?

















Left: I think anybody could recognize this building anywhere!! Of course, it is The White House, where the First Lady and the President and his family lives. To be honest, it's A LOT smaller than I thought it would be, but it was still an amazing sight to be able to see in real life! Needless to say we took a ton of pictures. You can't really see it, but the flag that's usually at the top of the building was halfway down that day as a sign of mourning for the loss of the Polish president, who died just a few days beforehand from that plane crash. And no, I did not meet President Obama. XD

Up: This was the Convention Center where the 101st Annual American Cancer Association Researching Meeting was held, as the huge banner you see up there (^^) indicates. All during the few days we were there, TONS and tons of people --graduate students, postdoctorates, and professors-- came to the meeting to share their findings and learn about others'. It was AWESOME. And everybody was always dressed in a suit or something similar; even at nearby streets and hotels there were people with AACARM tags sporting shiny suits...they were everywhere! I think the Cancer Association people advertised their meeting very well. :3

Left: This was the "Poster Room," where there were loads of bulletins, posters, demos, and tents where research was shared and freebies were given out! They gave out lots of cute stress balls (my favorite was one shaped like a sheep), sample science lab tools, handouts, ice cream, LOTS of candy, notebooks, and other really neat stuff. I basically pretended that I was a student, but didn't dare to ask any real questions in case I sounded dumb. ;P I didn't meet any new friends, but I learned a little bit more about the type of research that's going on in the science world today and what products are used in the lab. AND I got some awesome free stuff!!

Right: This is one of about four or five works of art that were being hung from the ceilings of the convention center. If you can't tell, the circle is made up of several guitars. They had many other similar sculptures (is that even the right word to call them?) that were made from tennis rackets and even canoe boats!! I just can't imagine how many darn canoe boats, guitars, etc. were needed! Where did they get them from? How did they assemble them all together? Pretty innovative, huh?

I wish I could've taken more, especially of the neat experiment products and posters that I was able to see, but I don't think we were allowed to take pictures. =/ But yeah, that was my D.C. trip!! I can't wait to go back in the future. :) Have any of you been to Washington D.C. before? If so, what were your experiences like?

~TRA

**All photos in this blog post were taken by me, (c) The Red Angel. By the way, sorry if the photos and text are positioned oddly; it's hard uploading photos on Blogspot with this specific layout!

My Trip to Washington, D.C.

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101st Annual American Association of Cancer Research Meeting

Question of the Day: What was the last vacation you went on, and how did it go?

I have not abandoned my beloved blog, for those of you who were wondering!

I am currently in Washington, D.C. attending the 101st AACR Meeting with my parents.

It's been amazing seeing the different exhibits, posters, and products used for lab work.

I am probably one of the few people younger than 25 here at this meeting.

Some people have mistaken me for a post-graduate/graduate student.

But that's okay with me!

I also got to see The White House up close,

The American Red Cross Headquarters, Washington Memorial, and more!!

Will be back in town on Thursday.

Pictures will be added then.

As will a new character profile.

:)

101st Annual American Association of Cancer Research Meeting

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