Computers in a Modern Society

That's just it. Computers in a Modern Society. That is the class I am taking during intersession. I have to sit through three more weeks of "this is a mouse" and "here is the start menu" so that I can work on the paper this summer. Oh what I do for Dana! (Just kidding...for the most part.)

I make it sound like the class is going to be so easy that I could sleep through it and still pass, but I'm actually not so sure. Yes, the class covers basics of how to use computers. But Tuesday, I learned something I did not know. I learned that the only actual function a computer can do is add. Running programs, storing information - all the rest of that stuff - is actually controlled by the simple (or not so simple, depending how you look at it) addition of binary code.

Ahh, binary code: another thing I learned in class Tuesday. Binary code is all 0s and 1s and I'm pretty sure I couldn't tell you anything about it except that those two numbers are the only ones the computer uses to add things. So you'll have 001110101001101 plus 10010110011101 to make the start menu pop up or something like that. It's ridiculously math-oriented and I don't care to understand it. (Notice I said don't care - I'm sure I have the intellect to understand it if I so desired. This is a distinction I feel more and more necessary to make. Just because I'm not interested in something doesn't mean that I can't learn it.)

Anyway, hopefully the class won't kill me. After the class ends, I'll have a better understanding of how to use Power Point, which will be good since everyone makes presentations in college. I'll let you all know what happens, but right now I have to watch "My Name is Earl" and prepare to watch the season finale of "Smallville." Ooo, Tom Welling. :-)