My Three Laws at 6:46 PM

Picture source: 15MB of fame

If anyone has read the book series I, Robot by Isaac Asimov or seen the 2004 movie of the same name, then you might remember the "Three Laws of Robotics." They were a set of principles that all robots had to follow in order to properly and safely function in society. In summary, the first law declared that a robot cannot directly or indirectly harm humans. The second said that a robot must obey human orders unless it conflicts with the first law and the third said that robots must protect their own existence as long as them doing so doesn't violate the other two laws. Similarly, I have come up with the Three Laws of Blogging that I will follow.

1. My blog and its posts will not be created to insinuate harm to any individual or group and if changes or corrections are necessary to minimize harm then they will be made and noted as such.
2. I will post with integrity and respect along with giving credit where credit is due, except when this would conflict with the First Law.
3. My blog and its posts will contain anything I want, within the confines of U.S. law and under the requirements of COMM 439, presented in a classy, academic style as long as such freedom does not conflict with the First or Second Law.

Of course, if you're truly familiar with the I, Robot books or movie then you would know that these laws aren't perfect. Just like CyberJournalist's Bloggers' Code of Ethics and the Society of Professional Journalists's Code of Ethics, no set of ethics covers every rule well. These three laws are just my personal code of ethics to make my blog credible. Perhaps these Three Laws of Blogging need a zeroth law or a fourth law just like in I, Robot, but for now my blog and all of its content must obey these guidelines.

Inauguration: What's the Point? at 7:26 PM

I couldn't just watch the United State's 44th President, Barack Obama's, Inauguration ceremony without being critical. Right off the bat I noticed that Barack Obama was nervous. He flubbed a few of the lines he was supposed to repeat. I certainly don't hold that against him because I would probably pass out if I was in his position.

Obama's following speech was eloquent and exuded confidence. The way he spoke made me feel relieved that he was, at the very least, a big change from the last guy who ran this entire country. The actual content of his speech was a bit generic starting off. More about change, "dust ourselves off," "the challenges we face are real," etc. I began to wonder why we need an inauguration ceremony anyway. Obama has the job, why drag it out?

That was what I initially thought but I soon became concerned. Obama began to address the "real challenges" and promised that he would improve education, promote energy efficiency and innovation, better healthcare, etc. I immedietly recalled having heard these lines time and time again from previous leaders. They were cookie-cutter issues that everyone promises to make better.

After some dissappointment, Obama finally moved on to more specific matters. Taking governmental matters into the open, as he said that he would, restored my faith that I made a good decision when I voted for him. He emphasized that he would better the welfare of the middle class and stop favoring the wealthy. I still have some pessamistic views about this but I was definitely glad that he said that considering that, as part of a middle class family, we need help.

Despite having to sit through some of the same boring issues that I have heard about repeatedly, I was overall satisfied with his speech. I may have doubts about his ability to deliver on some of his promises but I am confident that he will accomplish some amazing feats. All I can do is watch how all of this plays out and hope that he gave Americans his sincere pledge to improve this downtrodden country.

A New Semester, A New Start at 3:29 PM

Up until now, my college life has been a test run.
I've taken a hodge-podge of classes from physics to political science and Chinese to sociology.
Although I wanted take them, I wasn't always pleased after the final exam.
Two problems kept coming up where I was either decent in the course but had absolutely no passion for it or I was intrigued by the subject matter yet completely flopped when it came to test taking.
My roommate freshman year only pushed me over the edge and the stress was so unbearable that I knew I couldn't last another three years of this.
The Fall 2008 semester was a lot of the same only with much better roommates.
One less issue to deal with so my focus was entirely on what classes I should register for and what concentrations interested me.
I took a chance for the Winter 2009 semester by dropping the "high school" approach of choose basic classes and instead picking ones that I would both be good at and enjoy.
New Media, Video Games, and Blogging.
Perfect!
I already know so much about these fields because I'm a commited internet and game junky so why not turn what I like into what I learn about?
For the first time in college, I'm geniunly excited about going to class.
Rather than learn something from scratch, I'm practically two steps ahead of some of my professors let alone my fellow classmates.
Having related classes where I'm able to build ideas and concepts off one another makes understanding everything so much easier.
Even though it has only been a week since classes officially started, I can tell that this semester is going to be considerbly less stressful and really fun.
How often can a student say, "I'm having fun in class?"
Obviously this story isn't unique to just me; there are plenty of others who simply cannot get their college life together.
If someone is way too stressed out about class, it might be time to take a "fun" break and take courses that he/she is excited about.
Try it.
You might be surprised when you say, "This class is so much fun!"