So, I watched 'Triumph of the Nerds' earlier this week - a synoptic walk through the development of the personal computer - up thru the Apple II (which was kind of surprising that it stopped there, because I used the Apple IIe in 1984 and the film was done in 1996, but whatever).

I thought it covered things fairly well from a hardware standpoint - from the original size of even the most basic computer to the 'impossible' miniaturizations that Steve Wozniak envisioned and brought about.  It was interesting to get a glimpse of just how differently the people involved in the process view things.

On the other hand, it didn't get much into software development - just touched briefly on what computers could be used for, what they were used for in the beginning, and how limited application was for the first PC.  Having grown up with the process of miniaturization coupled with increasing 'power', the hardware end of things just wasn't that fascinating to me.  I'd much rather hear about how they decided what an OS should include, how they come up with new, viable applications, and what's involved in that process. And no, I'm not saying I want to learn source code (ugh!)...but the process sounds interesting.

All in all, the film was pretty basic - nothing earth-shatteringly new in it - and fairly narrow in it's scope.  If you're interested in PC history, you'll like it.

The Start of a New (and almost FINAL) Semester

So, after a year of taking 'filler' courses (fun classes that pretty much have nothing to do with my major), I've finally gotten into a couple of classes that will move me (almost) into consideration for graduation (1 class left - and the only available section straddles 2 other classes that I need).  CIT15 is one of the classes required for my degree program (A.S. Medical Assisting).  Quite honestly, I'm taking this class only because it is required.  In the past, I've built my own computers (pc) and installed operating systems and driver software.  I'm very comfortable using the computer, older versions the Office Suite (I've moved over to using Google Docs and spent some time with Open Office a few years back) , and online services.  As a photographer, I use the computer for all my photo editing (Adobe CS and Lightroom), client contact, online proofing, blogging (which I'm horrible at keeping up with) and print ordering.  In the past, I built my website using html code, but currently am using a flash template (makes it so much easier!). 

Making the Android app toward the end of the semester sounds interesting to me - I have an Android phone, so something useful would be fun to mess with.  Outside of that, I simply need to become re-acquainted with the Office Suite and it's functions. I spent 6 years teaching Medical Assisting and teaching students about the basic components of computers, how to turn them on, save information, open programs, etc.  (Quite honestly, most of them needed a keyboarding class before I got them, but that wasn't part of the curriculum)

On a personal level, I'm married with 3 children - 2 girls, 1 boy - and my youngest has Down syndrome.  My husband is the CSP/Dept Head for the Math Dept at Sanger High School.  I enjoy reading, social networking, knitting, and coffee.  We go camping in the summer, ride bikes, and fly kites at the beach.

All that being said, I like the lecture style of CIT15 and fully expect to enjoy the class!