Congratulations on a great school year, guys. Jeremi, before you outsource all calculations to a computer, please take a look at the Trachtenberg method which we learned about when I attended Davidson Middle School all those years ago. It was invented by an engineer while he was in a Nazi concentration camp; he had to do all the figuring in his head because he had no pen and paper. For example, to multiply 43 times 11, add the digits 4+3 =7 and then place the sum between the two digits: 473. Amazing. You never know when you might be in the wilderness with no computer!
Thanks for the message, Rob. I've heard of the Trachtenberg method but never realized there was such an interesting backstory behind it!
But I do hear your point, and I think it's valid. You can point to a whole host of things that we outsource: navigation to google maps, cars remove the need for physical activity, etc. Heck, computers were a job title!
That does take away some agency -- what if my car broke down, or if I had no google maps? I sure rely a lot on technology.
I struggle with where I draw the line between the convenience of technology and the agency it takes away. Here's where I've drawn the line specifically for coding (and maybe I'll erase it in the future and place it somewhere else!)
Anyways not that I'm telling you anything you don't know ;) I appreciate the comment.
Jeremi, if you have never seen one, I suggest you track down a "Thomas Bros." map of Los Angeles which is the way that we used to get around back in the day. It was a spiral bound set of pages that you flipped through to find your way from neighbohood to neighborhood. Useful to have around when the internet goes down.
Congratulations on a great school year, guys. Jeremi, before you outsource all calculations to a computer, please take a look at the Trachtenberg method which we learned about when I attended Davidson Middle School all those years ago. It was invented by an engineer while he was in a Nazi concentration camp; he had to do all the figuring in his head because he had no pen and paper. For example, to multiply 43 times 11, add the digits 4+3 =7 and then place the sum between the two digits: 473. Amazing. You never know when you might be in the wilderness with no computer!
Thanks for the message, Rob. I've heard of the Trachtenberg method but never realized there was such an interesting backstory behind it!
But I do hear your point, and I think it's valid. You can point to a whole host of things that we outsource: navigation to google maps, cars remove the need for physical activity, etc. Heck, computers were a job title!
That does take away some agency -- what if my car broke down, or if I had no google maps? I sure rely a lot on technology.
I struggle with where I draw the line between the convenience of technology and the agency it takes away. Here's where I've drawn the line specifically for coding (and maybe I'll erase it in the future and place it somewhere else!)
Anyways not that I'm telling you anything you don't know ;) I appreciate the comment.
Gentlemen, wishing you both fun and exciting summer experiences!
Thank you, Dad!!
Jeremi, if you have never seen one, I suggest you track down a "Thomas Bros." map of Los Angeles which is the way that we used to get around back in the day. It was a spiral bound set of pages that you flipped through to find your way from neighbohood to neighborhood. Useful to have around when the internet goes down.