Fiona Foo | February 25, 2009
"My application blurb"
Like y'all, I've read my fair share of science textbooks. McMurry and Clayden, Freedman and Serway, Audesirk and Campbell, you get the idea. But sometimes Science can get dreary, and especially when teachers treat it as drably static. Haven't you watched movies or television shows? Those are pretty accurate in portraying boring science lectures given by disenchanted robotons/professors.
Of course Science isn't static! Every day, new advances are made in science, exceptions are found to laws, and the LHC explodes, or something. More than anything else, science is dynamic, changing.... Good science teachers embody that dynamism, because Science is interesting because of the latest modern advances, the fascinating LHC, curious machines. Repetitious applications of the First Law aren't intriguing.
Now that we've established that I'm fervently against drab Science education, you can guess why I like non-fiction--because it takes me on a journey. To pre-empt the question about the ubiquitously popular genre, I do enjoy sci-fi. However, not many authors execute it well. Robin Cook and his likes overload on the facts, so much so that there's no drama.
Loldisclaimer--This is the blurb for what I like to do for fun.
Non-fiction gives me control. I can learn and know the material; it is reassuringly predictable. But reading my favorite mystery short stories takes away that control and gives me an adrenaline boost like no other. I'm being openly manipulated by the author, and I know it. My friends claim they can predict the ending, but I’m always dragged along like I’m sitting in the last carriage of the roller coaster train. With every twist and turn of the story, I feel pain and happiness and, on behalf of the imaginary characters, I feel vindictive toward the villains. Even after reading volumes of Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine and Agatha Christie, I still am shocked when the butler turns out to be the mass murderer.
What do you like?
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The author has filed this entry in the, "The Application" section; check it out for further reading on this topic. |
Responses To This Entry:
sci fi and fantasy
why is this titled your app essay?
is that the part that's italicized?
and I'm back from the fire drill.. just don't feel like signing on chat again cuz there's like 2 mins left of class
Posted by: deng on February 24, 2009 01:02 PM
Haha that's what I wrote for What I Do For Fun.. =3 Fire drill!
Posted by: Fiona on February 25, 2009 12:02 AM
I play with water and mud creating mud dams...:)
Posted by: saad(bahwlpur,pakistan) on February 25, 2009 07:02 AM
I troll around on mymit.info :)
..haha
Posted by: Erasmo on February 25, 2009 11:02 AM
Let's build something together... Sorry Home Depot, but tonight I'm using your sales pitch.
For general fun I enjoy to build things. Some practical (personal electric motor vehicles), some impractical (Battlebots), some practically impractical (¡¿WTFroboticfridge!? lol). And when I have nothing to build (rather no money to build with), I play the guitar :)
But on your topic, I couldn't agree more. Science is effervescent and I'd hate to have a science teacher who wasn't passionate about their subject. I suppose I've been lucky in that respect then.
So which do you prefer more? I see you make points for both fiction and non-fiction.
-Jamo
Posted by: Jamo on February 25, 2009 10:02 PM
@Erasmo
Erasmo! xD
remember me?
@fiona
I still donno why this is titled "my application blurb"
Posted by: deng on February 26, 2009 01:02 AM
I like to 'look' around . . .
Posted by: Pranav on February 26, 2009 02:02 AM
@Deng The blurb answers the application question:
"We know you lead a busy life, full of activities, many of which are required of you. Tell us about something you do for the pleasure of it."
@Jamo Wow, that's pretty cool... Tell me about some stuff you build for fun? =)
@Pranav What do you mean? :P
Posted by: Fiona on February 26, 2009 03:02 AM
If you're interested in finding some sci-fi books that don't go all crazy on the science and focuse more on the plot and the characters I can recommend the following:
Cat's Paw by Joan D. Vinge
Dune by Frank Herbert
Disclaimer: I tend toward the epic stories that tell about journeys and encompassing plots of universal import blah blah blah etc.
Also, the blurb in my application was about sewing :P
Posted by: Michelle on February 26, 2009 05:02 AM
ohh.. I wrote about tennis xD
Posted by: deng on February 26, 2009 10:02 PM
Ay, you missed E&P in your list of legacy textbooks ;)
Posted by: Vivi '12 on February 26, 2009 10:02 PM
@Fiona
Well, I suppose I could type it all out, explaining and the like. But I think I'll cheat typing and let the pictures and videos do the typing. After all, a picture is a thousand words right? ;)
(I decided not to embed because I didn't want to throw off the margins)
http://s30.photobucket.com/albums/c320/jamisongo/Electric%20Bike/
http://s30.photobucket.com/albums/c320/jamisongo/12lber%20Attrition/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hTLn7G4KdnQ
http://s30.photobucket.com/albums/c320/jamisongo/DDT/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uN5hAHO4324
... But I feel like I should explain them anyway. The links I posted take you to pictures and videos pertaining my electric bike, my hobbyweight Battlebot (Attrition), and my antweight battlebot (DDT). Oh man, where do I start... lol
-Jamo
Posted by: Jamo on February 26, 2009 10:02 PM
@Jamo
Whoa! Awesome!
I really liked DDT's design. The big round thing at the front revolves really fast like a running saw, right? That's so cool!
And Attrion is kind of like the 'burger flipper's revenge' XD
You are one very talented dude.
Posted by: Michelle on February 27, 2009 03:02 AM
i like to go on hours with different woodwinds and understand their systems it may sound strange but we have different kind of woodwinds here which we call wild instruments because they don't obey the music laws we play on other instruments
Posted by: sepideh on February 27, 2009 08:02 AM
@Jamo
Dude, Awesome!
Posted by: Bilal on February 27, 2009 11:02 AM
@Vivi What's E&P? I have this sneaky feeling that I'll be decried as an ignorant fool for not knowing this legacy textbook XD
@Michelle I'll be sure to check them out! I love reading.
Posted by: Fiona on March 01, 2009 08:03 AM
Thanks guys!
-Jamo
Posted by: Jamo on March 02, 2009 01:03 AM
