Natural Phenomena

• In my time, I’ve found that I’m rather limited in my abilities to experience the outdoors and consequentially I end up missing out on the delightful phenomena nature oft provides to us. It’s peculiar to write in the eyes of someone else and thus this feels almost obligatory to say, but I digress.
• I took a comforting, albeit short, walk to experience some of nature’s strongest features, with a focus on the fauna we so often neglect. My observations of which will be described in greater detail below. The standout was the squirrel I watched and followed for quite some time.

The Fast and the Fluffy Squirrel

• On my walk I noticed this squirrel wandering about nearby and decided to take a seat and observe it. It was nimbly hopping about and foraging in the trees and the dirt I walked nearby to. I dared to get closer to get a better look at exactly what it was looking for, but each time I did, it ended up running further away again!

• It seemed delicately aware of my presence- as most animals tend to be, but it curiously approached and bounded around as I sat and watched. In hindsight I wished I took a video of it rather than just a few photos. It jumped up onto a brick wall and sprinted around in this picture- then it immediately jumped off off it, eccentric little thing.

  

• I noted a particular instance of the squirrel climbing up a tree for a moment only to immediately climb back down and sprint off. I didn’t see the squirrel again after that and merely focused on continuing my walk to see if I noted anything else that was interesting.

• The squirrel didn’t stick around beyond these two pictures, but it stood out to me due to just how eccentric and rapid its movements were- it reminded me of someone sprinting around seeking to find something they lost, only much fluffier and smaller.

Following the Clouds

• The other included image is of the rainy road I encountered on my route back to my dorm. You’ll note the location almost immediately if you’ve been around campus- that’s right, it’s right outside Monroe Hall.
• The rain had started quite soon after my walk had started, so I spent some time in it. I listened to the drops on the pavement, felt the water gently stream into my shoes and onto my hands, taking in the tears of the environment. It was comforting and cooling after a hot walk and I certainly don’t mind that.
• I sat in the rain for a while wondering why I was given the limitations I was given- I’m someone who loves the outdoors but has grown to hate the experience due to my allergies and my other physical constraints- It’s frustrating.

My Perspective on Nature

• If I may be reflective for a moment, my perspective on the natural world has always been very warped- I cannot experience something I care deeply about, and something I would have put forth in my life so much more had I not been limited by what I have. I love nature, especially marine biology, and have always been fascinated by it. But I wonder if my fascination with it comes from my lack of being able to spend time in it…

Let’s get started, shall we?

• I’d say I’m new to code, but that would be a bit of a lie. There’s a few things I knew already coming into this class, and suffice to say, I’m a bit of a techie- Basically, I’m far from unfamiliar with my computer. However, it’d be a disservice to say I haven’t learned anything. Efficciency, history, and impact are probably the biggest things I’ve struggled with when it comes to actually utilizing this stuff. Coding is neat because it’s okay to be a bit messy. Sometimes.

Precision is not = Perfection

• Look, sometimes it is, but something I’ve gotten to know is that code isn’t really ever perfect- people are bound to make mistakes. This class has really helped me have a bit more confidence in what I write, code or just whatever you might call writing.

• Obviously this is pretty important to someone who has a particular interest in game design. And while we’re more focused on website/text coding, this is all important information to know. What if I wanted to use these coding techniques for making a marketing website? Or for even writing a witty and self-reflective blog post with a metacommentary lurking in it? Point being-

• This information has spilled over into my daily life, I’d say. I’m looking at what I can do with code far more often. I’m playing around with stuff in VSC, Git, and the likes more than I did in the past. Just for the hell of it. Pretty cool!

Let’s look at Humanity

• This class has really hit me in the “humanities and history” department too. Let’s talk about that, shall we?

• Honestly, the biggest thing for me is the social critiques I have of tech now- not in the ways you might expect. See again, I’ve always been a techie and I think this class has made me respect my PC a hell of a lot more. Seriously! For someone who already had a ton of respect for their machine, to develop even more of it for what’s essentially been my child for a few years now- it’s heartwarming, but scary.

• But this respect is actually my biggest critique of that very same tech- it’s sort of like… if you have such deep respect for someone you start to notice even their tiniest flaws. And therein lies the problem with tech and how society has used it as of late (and even in history) it’s the tiny things- things that slip through the cracks- that make it really hard to call it an excellent tool. Social media for example is used on a daily basis to criticize each other, to antagonize each other, to really zone out the “others” of us (like me). It’s sad.

• We use one of our most valuable resources as a society to torment and place liabilities on each other. It’s… not my favorite thing about tech. And society. Moreso society, right?

• Anyway, this class talked about it only briefly and I think it’s a really important detail.

Generative AI and my… confusion about it.

• We all know about the AI push in recent years- we discussed this in class recently- and honestly… I see the value, but it presents an interesting dilemma for me. My reasoning for refusing to use it is pretty clearly defined- It lacks human creativity that makes “creativity” what it is. Look-

• I’m a creative- I write, sing, do silly things with my voice, and I love art. This type of stuff is directly threatened by the presence of AI (see the recent SAG-AFTRA strikes that have been challenging AI in the Acting and Voice Acting space for stealing from them, basically). That’s why it’s confusing.

• I can directly see the efficiency of it, but I simply cannot support something that threatens creativity and ingenuity. It’s sad. I don’t find myself even wanting to support it because of people who make their livelihoods from being creatives- Voice actors/actresses, artists, and writers are very notable for suffering this- and to place the restriction that they could lose their jobs to a machine… yeah. If I could stop AI’s development where it is, I probably would.

Impactfulness- My desires as a “Person”.

• I want to know where I can take these skills to really, really have an impact. So much so that I think overall, that’s my main goal as an English major. To be able to perceive where the future will take me, what is expected of someone to let them have an impact on the world.

• This class HAS given me a perspective that, no matter where I end up going I can still trust in my own knowledge. To a certain extent, that’s important to recognize- to recognize that this class gives us the tools to do so- showcasing our own skills, learning capabilities, and experimentation. As any good class should.

• And while I do think it’s a childish desire to think that I can actually “change the world”- no lone mind can do that- I do think I can make something happen with the skills I’m learning here. I’ve got stories I want to tell, and places I want to explore. Journeys that should be explored. I hadn’t realized I could really, truly, just sit and do it until now.

So I ask myself, “Are We Cool Yet?”

• Haha, NO. Writers could be cool, but instead we spend our time doing stuff like this, right? Realistically this course has made me realize a lot about myself- as mentioned. Confidence about any one class has never been higher and I plan to take that in stride- to push past the limits I set myself to (maybe only a little bit, though).

• I think that’s all I have to say, really. I think I hit the points I wanted to hit. It’s fun to reflect a bit. Thanks for reading this far- if you have. I appreciate it!

Here’s to the rest of the Semester!

• Niia “Sniiadoodle” Conklin :3