Author: Amaya Martin

Snow Melts

After what feels like months and months of wind, snow, and ice, finally, the green begins to show through. Green is just the start, as spring progresses, the flowers, weeds, or wild, planted, or infiltrated poke through the soil. This feels like hope embodied to me. As the weather warms and the flowers bloom, the world is restored to bright and warm. During the winter, even when blinded by light on snow, it feels like the sun is in hiding. The joy of the sun does not wash over my face nearly as well when there is no warmth to accompany it. Today I walked around Geneseo, letting the warm sun crawl deep in my bones as I took in the nature it was finally allowing to grow up into the world. This feeling is something to hold onto as this comfort and inspiration carry me through the colder months to come again. The warm breeze begins to overpower the icy winds, and the green grass begins to show through the melting snow. Eventually, we are left with a cleaner slate. No snow, grass ready to grow, flowers ready to blossom. Today I let the breeze boss me around, I walked at its whims on a journey to connect with the natural world around me.

Melodies & Windy Walks

Walking around campus when it is warm reminds me of why I chose Geneseo. The green and the flowers and the way you do not need to go far to disconnect from the humanity surrounding you. While I do love listening to the sounds the natural world sends our way, I find that music is often a great augmenter to experiencing the natural world. I tend to walk around with an earbud in or headphones on. I feel that a good song that represents the light and growth of spring makes it that much more enjoyable. Today, my song of choice was “Memory Band” by Minnie Ripperton. I think the grand instrumentals and her light yet clear voice mirrored the way I felt about the grandness and the warmth associated with spring. The soft breeze agreed with her rhythms, and the sun was jealous of the warmth flowing through her voice. It felt like reminiscing about adventures and springs before.

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Back in Time

The newly pleasant elements took me back to different experiences I’ve had in nature. It was easy to imagine myself at the peak of a mountain, letting the breeze cool me as I look out at the untouched land for miles ahead. Walking up and down the hills of Geneseo’s campus evoked memories of hiking through the woods, staring at the tree cover above me, the dappled sunlight on the root-permeated dirt. Watching the sunset over the fields and hills was a fine substitution for doing so on the highest point of a mountain. While it could never emulate the same exact feeling, connecting with the hills and the grass, watching the sunset and the clouds, brings a sense of peace to you. I feel that this is similar to the absolute serenity of the peaceful views and sounds of the Adirondack Mountains. Feeling the spring temperament, or watching life bloom on the ground and in the trees, brings stillness to a nonstop life. I feel that watching the flowers push through the dirt, or the leaves return to the trees, re-centers me with the balance that nature possesses. It allows me a sense of balance I forget in the winter.

Wednesday, March 12, 2025

Terminal & Visual Studio Code

Both Terminal and Visual Studio Code were foreign to me before this class. Terminal is automatically installed and yet I never thought to look at it, albeit if I had I would have had no clue where to start. It turns out it is really less scary and complicated than it looks as you learn the commands and the language to use it properly. We learned simple commands to begin navigating our Graphical User Interface and file system easier and faster. Terminal allows you to quickly create, organize, and view folders and files. In combination with Visual Studio Code, this allows for a cohesive and organized way to keep notes in class and to keep up with the computer science of it all. Terminal commands are all about memorization or having good command notes. Here is a list of commands we have learned thus far:

• cd
• pwd → to get into the home directory
• cd ~/Folder/ to change directories
• ls to get the contents
• ls -l to get a list view of contents
• cd ~ to get back home
• up arrow to go back to commands → goes through in reverse order
• mkdir – to create a folder
• name file press enter
• cd ~/folder name?
• touch file name → add file to folder

Women in Computer Science/ Broadband

Reading from Broadband also brought some really interesting, and important information about the history of technology and computer science. Broadband focuses heavily on women’s involvement in technology and the technological benefits we reap today. The origin of computers in general lies almost exclusively in the hands of women. Originally “computers” were just people who computed complex math equations using these machines. Early computers were incredibly different from the sleek and efficient models we see today. Then, they were large bulky machines that these women had to individually plug equations into. This was time-consuming and precise work. I felt it was unsurprising and yet fascinating to learn about the role of women in technology and the importance of women in the field. It is disappointing that this is not more mainstream history as we use technology in many aspects of our lives today. Due to gender disparity women’s contributions in the field were often overshadowed by men with more power and influence. Even despite their great work on computers and technology, women were pushed out of the way as men returned home from war. A field originally thought to be for women because of its attention to detail and intricate workings, became a job prioritized for men.

Computers & the Humanities

The humanities and computers intersect in a variety of ways. Computers are an essential tool in compiling and organizing collections of literature or pieces of history. Digital archives place tons of primary sources, research, analyses, and whatever other scholarly works you wish to read. The internet and computers make it possible for far more people to access history and literature through sources associated with libraries, schools, and colleges. This is important because it preserves history on a grander scale. It allows everyone to be able to research topics of their choice, read history they take an interest in, and seek outside points of view on a piece of literature they love. I think this is important to bolster curiosity and encourage people to understand and seek out information relating to the humanities.