Semester in Review

At the beginning of the semester, I had posted a detailed description of my three part plan for assuring my success this semester. At that time, I was asked to report how the semester had gone based on my plan to determine its effectiveness.

So here I will be summarizing the successes of this semester as well as the difficulties that I have encountered. I think it is important to note that I call them difficulties because I feel that as long as one learns from his or her mistakes, they are not failures, only difficulties. I will then try to analyze what aspects of the plan were helpful and which parts do may have contributed to my difficulties.

This semester I took three classes. A five credit nursing class, a four credit nursing class, and a speech class. At the beginning of the semester, I organized my schedule, accounting for one day of reading for all my classes as well as scheduling set amount of times for additional preparation, assignments, and studying. I also began the semester with a plan of sleeping at least 7 hours a night, allowing myself some time for leisure activity and emergencies which might arise.

There were a few things that I hadn’t counted in. In the past semesters, one day a week was enough to cover all of the material to be read for the week’s classes. Unfortunately, this semester the list of readings was a lot longer. Another thing that I had not worked into my schedule was the fact that each semester the classes require more intense studying, more assignments, and more reviewing.

The last aspect that I didn’t factor in was SPRING FEVER/SENIORITIS. I didn’t think about the fact that I might suffer burnout of some sort. I thought I wouldn’t need more than a few hours a week of leisure. And I didn’t realize the importance of taking care of myself.

So, you want to know how the semester went?

Obviously it’s too early for me to know my grades, but I’m pretty confident that I am going to pass all my classes this semester with a decent grade. This semester wa a hard one for me. I’ve learned what it means to fail a test, but I’ve survived that experience. I’ve learned what it feels like when you’ve bitten off more than you can chew, but I’m learning to say “NO”. And I’ve learned that sometimes it’s ok to push off cleaning your apartment until after finals as long as you’ll get to it then.

So that was my semester! How was yours?

BANG BANG BANG!!

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Fire Drills appear to be so last year. With the recent school shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School, which left twenty students and six staff members dead, some schools have taken it upon themselves, to prepare for the likelihood of such an incident.

During these mock attacks, masked men armed with guns, which are filled with blanks, break into a school, and take aim at the teachers and students.

These attacks are meant to help people learn what to do, if they were ever in such a situation.  

But so far, the survival rate has been grim in many of these “attacks”. By one teacher’s account, in a library filled with fifteen teachers, only two went “unhurt” by the gunmen. She herself was hit multiple times.

The city, for example, has been experimenting with surprise drills. But so far, the results have been mixed at best. During an unannounced practice lock down, at East Harlem’s Public School 79, which is home to special needs kids, the attack was so realistic, that a teacher called the cops.

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I for one, go back and forth on whether or not this is a good idea. While practicing for these attacks is good preparation, I think unannounced drills, is a step too far, and much too dangerous. You can’t control people’s reactions during these unannounced drills, which can lead to panic, and subsequently dangerous outcomes.

 

Registering for Classes on CUNYFirst

With finals week fast approaching, most of us don’t have time to attend a workshop to figure out the inner workings of the e-sims successor known as CUNYFirst. Since we really don’t have a choice in the matter, here’s a quick tutorial on registering for classes.

 

I.GETTING INTO CUNYFIRST

First and foremost, you have to have a CUNYFirst account. If you don’t already have one, go to https://home.cunyfirst.cuny.edu/oam/Portal_Login1.html and click First Time Users.

a screenshot of CUNYfirst

 

From there, fill in the required fields – First name, Last name last 4 of social, etc.

a screenshot of CUNYfirst

From there, follow the instructions on your screen to activate your account.

Once you’re set up with an account, go back to the login page: https://home.cunyfirst.cuny.edu/oam/Portal_Login1.html

Enter your username and password and hit the sign in button.

You’ll land on the home page of CUNYFirst pictured below:

a screenshot of CUNYfirst

 

 

II. COURSE PLANNING (Optional)

Click on the arrow that says ‘Self Service’ to extend the menu and click on ‘Student Center’.

a screenshot of CUNYfirst

 

The student center is sectioned off into 3 sections main: Academics (which will list the classes you’re enrolled in), Finances (which lists and gives links to financial aid, awards, your account status and loan processing forms), and your personal information (which lists your home address, mailing address, phone number and campus email). On the right side of the page hold information about your academic account like your enrollment appointment, you academic advisor and links to order your transcript, view your degree audit, your FAFSA and your tuition payment plan.

To begin registration, go to the Academics tab and click the green arrow to show the entire section.

a screenshot of CUNYfirst

Click Plan.

NOTE: You can skip planning and go straight to enrollment, but I don’t recommend it. Unlike e-sims, CUNYFirst adds classes to a shopping cart before you can enroll so you will at some point, still have to go through the planning process.

Once you click plan, the My Planner page will come up. Once you’ve selected the courses you plan to take, they will appear on this page. Adding courses to your planner is like making a favorites list. It gives you quick access to information on the courses you need.

a screenshot of CUNYfirst

To add courses to your planner, begin by clicking “Browse Course Catalog”.

a screenshot of CUNYfirst

Courses on this page are sorted alphabetically by department Consult your degree audit via CUNY Portal to figure out which courses you need to take.

a screenshot of CUNYfirst

Click the arrow next to the department to show all the classes available. Then select the classes you want to add to your course planner. You can either add the courses you need for the rest of your degree, or just the ones for the upcoming semester. When you’re done selecting, scroll down to the bottom of the page and click “Add to Planner”.

a screenshot of CUNYfirst

Next you need to add your courses to your shopping cart. Return to the Self Service page and click plan. Click on the description link of the course you want to take and browse through the available sections to

a screenshot of CUNYfirst

Once you’ve added everything to your course planner, go back to the Self Service page and click enroll.

You will then be asked to select a term. If you’re signing up for summer classes, select summer term and if you’re registering for fall classes, select fall term then click continue.

From here click the green view class sections.

a screenshot of CUNYfirst

Make sure you have the right semester selected before you click the green show sections button. When you find a section that you want to take, click ‘select’ and then ‘next’ and you’ll see a message that says the class has been added to your cart.

 

a screenshot of CUNYfirst

 

III. ENROLLMENT

From the above page, or from the Student Center page, now click enroll.

Select your term and click continue.

Click on the ‘add’ tab underneath enroll and double check the courses and times listed. Once you’re satisfied with your schedule, scroll down and click “Procced to Step 2 of 3”.

a screenshot of CUNYfirst

Confirm that these are the classes and sections that you want and click ‘Finish Enrolling’ and you’re done!

a screenshot of CUNYfirst

Improving Our City Begins With You

an ad for the CUNY Service Corps

Have you heard the buzz about CUNY Service Corps? It is a paid job opportunity for students. Yes, I said paid. I met with Professor Cinda Scott and asked her a few questions to get a closer look.

a face in a comment bubbleQuestion: What exactly is CUNY Service Corps (CSC)?

a face in a comment bubbleAnswer: CSC is a great opportunity for students to make a meaningful difference through service while gaining valuable real-world work experience, earn a wage, and where appropriate, receiving college credit.

a face in a comment bubbleQuestion: Who is elegible to apply?

a face in a comment bubbleAnswer: To be eligible for the CUNY Service Corps, students must:

  • Be working toward a degree at CITY TECH
  • Be enrolled full-time (at least 12 credits) in the current semester and plan to enroll full-time next semester
  • Have a cumulative Grade Point Average of at least 2.5
  • Have earned at least 24 college credits
  • Have addressed any remedial education needs prior to beginning fall 2013 classes

a face in a comment bubbleQuestion: What sorts of placements are available?

a face in a comment bubbleAnswer: The program is organized around these themes:

  • A Healthier City: Corps members will address important community and public health issues, such as chronic disease management, childhood obesity, lead poisoning prevention, infant mortality, violence prevention, nutrition, and food security.
  • A More Resilient and Greener City: Students will support projects related to improving the city’s built and green infrastructure and making it more resistant to storm-related damage.
  • A Better Educated City: The Corps will offer valuable supports to students of all ages, such as those in early childhood programs (and their families and caretakers), public middle and high school students, fellow CUNY students struggling with academic and personal challenges, and adult students learning English or preparing to take the High School Equivalency examination.
  • An Economically Stronger City: A range of projects will focus on bolstering the economic viability and success of distressed communities within the city.

a face in a comment bubbleQuestion: Where can I find out more?

a face in a comment bubbleAnswer: There are many info session on campus.

Schedule for Sessions

»  Wednesday, May 8th 10-11 am
(Atrium Amphitheater)
»  Monday, May 13th 1-2 pm
»  Monday, May 13th 5-6 pm
»  Tuesday, May 14th 1-2 pm
»  Wednesday, May 15th 1-2 pm
Above sessions in Namm 119 (N119) – unless otherwise noted
»  Monday, May 6th, 1-2 pm
»  Monday, May 6th, 5-6 pm
»  Tuesday, May 7th, 1-2 pm
»  Thursday, May 16th 1-2 pm
Above sessions in Voorhees Lounge

a face in a comment bubbleQuestion: Is there a deadline?

a face in a comment bubbleAnswer: June 1st, 2013, apply now!

REFERENCE: http://www.citytech.cuny.edu/admissions/scholarships/csc/

Passion, Perseverance, Practice

a letter P made out of letter Ps

image from flickr.com no copyright infringement

 

So I’m here to give you my newest hint for achieving success. I know that I’m still a junior in City Tech, but I think of myself as very successful. I have discovered so much about myself throughout my schooling, I’ve learned about life, and I’ve come across some of the secrets to success. The best part? This secret is great for achieving higher scores in your classes and getting the most out of your class.

The secret that I want to share with you is that to be successful, remember the three Ps: Passion, Perseverance, and Practice. These three words are the ingredients to being successful in any endeavor. This mantra can be put to use in many situations. Let’s discuss some school examples.

I’m sure we’ve all had the experience of taking a class that we are really excited about, and of course there are those classes we wish we did not have to take. Those are the classes that might get pushed off until the end of our degree if that’s allowed. Often these are classes that we feel are not necessary for our majors. If we look at both type of classes, we will see that this slogan can be used for both.

First we’ll discuss that class to which you were really looking forward. You probably already have the first part, PASSION. Once you have that, you probably have discovered that you are willing to do anything to do well. That’s good because if you’re willing to do anything, PERSEVERANCE should be simple for you. Of course you know that working really hard only helps to a certain extent. But then, you can PRACTICE. We’ve all heard the phrase, “Practice makes Perfect”, and this is the reason why.

The same basic principle goes for that class that you can’t stand thinking about. There’s is just one fundamental difference. In these classes, you need to find a reason to have PASSION. Find a small part of the subject that is just amazing to you. Find a reason to get involved in the class, and you’ll find that the same principle will apply.

Have the PASSION, PERSEVERE, and PRACTICE, and you’ll be Proud!

5 Addictive and Relaxing Games

As finals week approaches, everyone needs to find something to do to unwind. It’s not my usual tech angle, but here are some relaxing and in some cases, downright addictive games to play.

 

Candy Crush

candy crush video game logoCandy Crush is a Bejeweled clone with a sweet twist – almost everything in the game has to do with sugary treats. You play this game by matching 3 or more candies of the same type in a row to make them disappear. Matching more than 3 gives you powered up candies. 4 candies in a row give you striped candies that destroy all candies in a row or column. Five or more candies in a row creates a color bomb – a candy bomb that destroys all candies on the board of a specific color. The game currently has about 350 levels but they’re added 15 at a time in groups of ‘episodes’ so it’s unlikely there’ll be an end to this game any time soon. Available to iPad, Android and PC users (usually on Facebook), the time consuming matching of Candy Crush Saga can be played virtually anywhere.

 

Minecraft

Minecraft logo

With over 20 million copies sold across multiple platforms, Mojang created a winner with Minecraft. Unlike Candy Crush Saga, Minecraft is an open world game, meaning it has no actual goal. Minecraft isn’t the prettiest game out there, but it really doesn’t need to be. The game revolves around harvesting, refining and placing blocks while trying not to get shot by skeletons, eaten by zombies or blown up by creepers. Players are limited in what they can do only by their imagination. The roller coaster video below is a great example.

Top 5 Minecraft Xbox 360 Structures – ROLLERCOASTERS

Minecraft is available on IPhone, Android, Xbox 360 and as of February, UK’s Raspberry Pi.

 

Subway Surfer

video game logoA popular Temple Run clone by Kiloo Games, Subway Surfer is an endless game about a kid with a can of spray paint running away from a security guard and his dog. In this game, you run between 3 sets of track, dodging cones, signal lights, trees, barricades and parked or moving trains while you collect coins and special items to complete challenges and unlock new characters. The game has some interesting power ups like jetpacks, hover boards and super sneakers though they occasionally do more harm than good. The longer you play, the faster you run making the game less about actual difficulty and more about reaction time – still, it’s extremely addictive and a great way to pass a train ride. Subway Surfer is available for any device running Android or iOS.

 

Angry Birds

video game Angry Birds logoRovio’s Angry Birds is one of the most popular mobile games ever to be created. With 4 games in the Angry Birds series (Seasons, Rio, Space and Star Wars), a spinoff (Bad Piggies) a slew of Angry Birds merchandise, and a TV series (Angry Birds Toons), it’s more than an understatement to say the series is popular. Angry Birds is a puzzle game where players launch birds across levels of varying difficulty in an attempt to hit green pigs that have stolen their eggs. Different birds have different abilities – blue birds split into 3 smaller (but weaker) birds and yellow birds speed up when tapped. First released on Apple’s iOS, Angry Birds has since been released for Android, Symbian, Window’s Phone, PC, Wii, PS3 and Xbox 360.

 

Plants vs. Zombies

video game logo“There’s a zombie on the lawn”. No, really. In PopCap’s hit tower defense game, it’s your job to plant a 9 by 5 garden of zombie fighting garden to protect your brains from an interesting array of zombies. Players collect sunlight from random drops or from sunflowers as energy to power plants with different abilities that can range from standard peashooters (the name speaks for itself) to ‘Gloom-shrooms’ (useful mushrooms that shoot bubbles in every direction around them).The strategy of this game is in figuring out which plants are most effective against which types of zombies and in what layout. Certain plants don’t do well on the front lines, but work great as support. Plants vs. zombies is another game it’s easy to get lost in. A game of endless mode can last anywhere between 5 minutes and 5 hours so anyone short on time beware. Plants vs. Zombies is available for almost everything including Nintendo DS, PS Vita, and Blackberry.

 

 

Image Credits:

  • http://www.techpaparazzi.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/mobile-games-developers.jpg
  • https://lh3.ggpht.com/GAhK6Zy7LzhanD-naSrPYAXwYr21fmlZoHicZZSBtTtWmawNmZcv0Xa8Zq1vkKRzdOk=w124
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  • https://lh5.ggpht.com/yRUw11DbeZ-XgJG-a1lBViQxH7UjwBsy8QhH0ur9VejpLZK6tNLLarpuRqestCiB6W4=w78-h78
  • https://lh3.ggpht.com/rjvMzwpRBmsufrA0MEmHkwu4iGOj0hO1qgQo8h2IHbWGDcOBmozRk0FUs-bbxg9_6fs=w78-h78
  • https://lh4.ggpht.com/NVIvvxvyL9uXZBop_DpmcqEcJ5JDd2BbVKQVrMxSlhdoSGDMO4EefJNKBmE2vsAqdTc=w124

 

Invention of the Hug

poster for "The Croods"

The Crood’s live strongly by their family motto ” New is always bad.  Never not be afraid.” Exactly as it sounds, they never surrender to curiosity, or stray from routine. All but Eep (voiced by Emma Stone) believe these precautions are necessary for survival. Emma Stone’s voice is well suited for Eep, the oldest child, who hates the rules, the cave, and her family.  She desires exploration of new things and is abnormally strong. Emphasis on strong, because this type of strength is not often seen in animated female characters. Her typical love-hate relationship with her father (Nicholas Cage) provides the emotional core of this story.

Eep: Dad, you have to stop worrying about us.

Grug: But it’s my job to worry! It’s my job to follow our traditions.

Eep: Those traditions don’t work out here.

Grug: They’ve been keeping us alive.

Eep: That was not LIVING! It was “Not Dying”! There’s a difference.

After their cave is destroyed in a rockslide, the Crood family ventures into strange and uniquely visualized territory in search of a new home. Head of the family, Grug (Cage) deals with internal conflicts when he encounters an imaginative nomad named Guy who is the polar-opposite to his “change-fearing” character.  Guy introduces them to fire and shoes, and the concept of using your brain to express an idea.

Where this film really makes an impression, is that instead of Eep and Grug meeting in the middle, Grug realizes that he has to accept the new world and find a way to be useful in it.  Grug’s old way of conservative living becomes obsolete by the end of the movie, and he’s forced to embrace a new way of life. His internal struggle goes through several stages: patriarchy to burdensome to abandonment and finally rebuilding through acceptance and adaptation.

The journey to their new home helps the Croods overcome their fear of the world that exists beyond their cave.  They discover an imaginative and colorful environment of prehistoric hybrid creatures and plants. The viewer is able to see them evolve emotionally which is very heartfelt. Grug invents the hug (rhymes with his name) exclusively for his daughter Eep, as a way to express his affection. The Croods offers food for thought about relationships, change, and perspective on why the challenge of family is worth the struggle. Although I do not have a favorite part, I enjoyed the movie’s faux explanations for specific inventions and conventions, such as “Grug’s hug” and belts.

cartoon characters from The Croods

To Boston, With Love

a city skyline with the words "Boston, you are in our prayers"

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Usually my blog posts have to do with what’s happening in NYC, but I’d like to dedicate this post, to the city of Boston, who many of you may know, was recently attacked. On April 15, 2013, two bombs exploded, on Boylston Street, near the finish line of the Boston Marathon, killing three people, and injuring 183 others. My thoughts and prayers are currently with the families of the deceased, and with those that were injured. It seems as if you can’t go to school, a movie, or run a race, without something horrible happening. With one of the suspects deceased, the other one in custody, I hope justice is swift, and brings some peace to this horrific city. How any human being can do such a thing, is beyond me. What makes this crime even more heart wrenching, is the fact that all three victims were so young, the youngest being an eight year old boy.

It’s times like this that we should all come together as a country. There are many ways you can help, such as donating to the numerous charities set up for the victims. So, let’s find some way to do our part, as we continue to pray for the citizen’s of Boston.

College Life: All Work and No Play?

Image by JacQuLyne on Flickr

There are many aspects of college life that contribute to varying degrees to a student’s success. Of course, a student’s primary responsibility is to his or her classes, but it is important not to ignore the extracurricular activities available on campus and off. Academic research studies have consistently proven that students who are involved in college life in more ways than just their classroom have proven to be more successful in their time as undergraduate college students. Many students hesitate to participate in these activities because of a fear that their classroom performance will suffer. While this is a valid concern, if a student maintains the proper balance between academic and social activities, they have less of a risk of burnout and greater chances of achievement. 

Students who participate in social functions on campus have the added benefit of socializing with other students on a regular basis as well as having the chance to network with students and professionals in their own field and those related to theirs. Many college activities also have a cultural or academic focus, allowing students to learn about their world in a more relaxed atmosphere. These lessons can then be correlated to classroom studies without much effort because the student has “lived” the experience. 

Some specific upcoming opportunities for socializing, learning, and enhancing skills outside of the classroom are the following: 

The 32nd annual Literary Arts Festival is scheduled for 5:30 today. This is a unique celebration of literature, students’ work and culture. This event is open to the public. This year, the guest speakers will be the director of Brooklyn Castle as well as a star character of this documentary. This is not an event to miss. In addition, there will be student performances and readings. Leading up to this festival, there was a writing contest with various submission categories. For more information abouty this event see the Literary Arts Festival page https://openlab.citytech.cuny.edu/literaryartsfestival/ 

Another opportunity to get involved in your college experience outside of the classroom is the new contest, “What Does Gen Ed Mean to You?” Students are asked to compile an audio/visual, graphic, or other artistic presentation to answer this question. One winner will be selected from each of the three schools in the college. The winner will receive a $250 cash prize. The winning submissions will also be used to promote General Education in the college. This is a great opportunity to start thinking about what general education is, why the college requires it, and how you benefit from it. For mor information and submissions, email the Gen Ed committee at genedcontest@gmail.com or visit the Gen Ed Contest page  https://openlab.citytech.cuny.edu/groups/what-does-gen-ed-mean/ 

Other upcoming events include an end of semester bash by SGA, “Fun in the Sun”, on May 6 and graduation. Also, you can start attending clubs during the college’s designated club hours: Thursday 12:45-2:15 

How will you make the most of your college experience?

Worms on Campus: What’s In Your Pocket?

a worm morphing into a USB cable, slithering toward an apple

Earlier this week, various computer lab classrooms on the 4th, 6th and 9th floors were infected with a worm called W32.Downadup (more commonly known as Conficker), so anyone who plugged into a computer anywhere should scan any device they plugged in (be it USB or mobile phone) as well as any computers they may have connected them to afterwards. In short,anyone who has used a campus computer should get their devices checked out as soon as possible. If you think that just having an Antivirus on your computer will keep you from possible infection, think again. This particular worm is very easy to spread, especially by USB and almost everyone on campus has one.

Transmission

Inconvenient? Yes. Irriscreenshot of "AutoPlay"tating? Very, but this worm wouldn’t deal nearly as much damage if it weren’t so easy to spread. On an infected computer, Conficker will copy itself into an infected computer the second the AutoPlay program runs. More specifically, Conficker will create a ‘.inf’ (short for Setup Information File) on any USB device connected to an infected computer. Generally, inf files are text files used by Windows to install software in drivers – in this case, used to install the worm on new computers. The Auto Play setting can be disabled on a computer, but that’s a moot point if a user opens the infected USB anyway.

Another method used and abused by this worm is social engineering. Students in the computer systems major probably already know this, but social engineering can include anything from calling a person and pretending to be an IT worker to get a password to a developer making an application to manipulate people into giving them their banking information. In the event a computer isn’t infected though Auto Play, Conficker can disguise an executable file as a folder by changing the icon to look like a folder, leading users to unknowingly infect their computers.

What’s the Risk?

There are multiple versions of this worm floating around the net and nearly all of them make it difficult for infected computers to detect and/or remove them. Most version of Conficker disable Windows update and blocks users from visiting anti-malware sites but nastier versions take it a step further, disabling safe mode and killing any anti-virus, patch or diagnostic processes it comes across it. While most symptoms of the Conficker worm only affect the computer, the defining issue for students is this worm’s ability to corrupt flash drives. That project you’ve been working on all semester? Gone. It can’t be stressed enough. Back up your work.

Symptoms of Infection

Symptoms can include slow internet, forced redirection to ‘not safe for work’ sites, disabled folder options (unable to view hidden folders), and potential damage to USB drives. While most symptoms of the Conficker worm only affect the computer and whatever network it’s on, the defining issue for students is this worm’s ability to corrupt flash drives. Students have reported missing files and folders, new files that they didn’t add and occasionally a completely corrupted flash drive.

While it’s unknown whether or not the school at large has been infected, it should be common practice for anyone using portable storage devices to routinely check for viruses and malicious programs. So for the people to stick their drive in the nearest computer without taking any security precautions, the question remains, what are you carrying?

Sources:

  • en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conficker
  • http://www.usbvirus.com/usb_virus/remove-usb-worm-virus.html
  • http://www.symantec.com/security_response/writeup.jsp?docid=2008-112203-2408-99&tabid=2
  • http://www.symantec.com/connect/blogs/autoplay-worms
  • http://www.f-secure.com/v-descs/worm_w32_autorun.shtml

Image Sources:

  • http://canerator.deviantart.com/art/USB-virus-139656994
  • http://www.zdnet.fr/i/edit/ne/2009/04/autorun-windows7.jpg