Class Journal Week 3
Contents
- 1 David Ramirez's Response
- 2 Naomi Tesfaiohannes's Response
- 3 Iliana Crespin's Responses
- 4 Ivy Macaraeg's Response
- 5 Mihir Samdarshi's Response
- 5.1 Pull out a quote from the first two sections of “What is Code?” that you find particularly interesting. Explain why this quote is particularly resonant for you.
- 5.2 What is something from the first two sections that you need further explanation of or that you want to know more about?
- 5.3 Also, out of the four databases you accessed for this assignment (SGD itself, NCBI Gene Database, Ensembl, UniProt), which did you like the best, and why? Which did you like the least, and why? (Refer back to the question about differences in content or presentation that you noted on your gene's wiki page.)
- 6 Christina Dominguez's Response
- 6.1 Pull out a quote from the first two sections of “What is Code?” that you find particularly interesting. Explain why this quote is particularly resonant for you.
- 6.2 What is something from the first two sections that you need further explanation of or that you want to know more about?
- 6.3 Also, out of the four databases you accessed for this assignment (SGD itself, NCBI Gene Database, Ensembl, UniProt), which did you like the best, and why? Which did you like the least, and why? (Refer back to the question about differences in content or presentation that you noted on your gene's wiki page.)
- 7 John Nimmers-Minor's Response
- 7.1 Pull out a quote from the first two sections of “What is Code?” that you find particularly interesting. Explain why this quote is particularly resonant for you.
- 7.2 What is something from the first two sections that you need further explanation of or that you want to know more about?
- 7.3 Also, out of the four databases you accessed for this assignment (SGD itself, NCBI Gene Database, Ensembl, UniProt), which did you like the best, and why? Which did you like the least, and why? (Refer back to the question about differences in content or presentation that you noted on your gene's wiki page.)
- 8 Marcus Avila's Response
- 8.1 Pull out a quote from the first two sections of “What is Code?” that you find particularly interesting. Explain why this quote is particularly resonant for you.
- 8.2 What is something from the first two sections that you need further explanation of or that you want to know more about?
- 8.3 Also, out of the four databases you accessed for this assignment (SGD itself, NCBI Gene Database, Ensembl, UniProt), which did you like the best, and why? Which did you like the least, and why? (Refer back to the question about differences in content or presentation that you noted on your gene's wiki page.)
- 9 Links
- 10 Michael Armas' Response
- 10.1 Pull out a quote from the first two sections of “What is Code?” that you find particularly interesting. Explain why this quote is particularly resonant for you.
- 10.2 What is something from the first two sections that you need further explanation of or that you want to know more about?
- 10.3 Also, out of the four databases you accessed for this assignment (SGD itself, NCBI Gene Database, Ensembl, UniProt), which did you like the best, and why? Which did you like the least, and why?
- 11 Emma Young's Response
- 12 Jonar Cowan's Response
- 13 Kaitlyn Nguyen's Response
- 14 DeLisa Madere's Response
- 15 Aby Mesfin
- 15.1 1. Pull out a quote from the first two sections of “What is Code?” that you find particularly interesting. Explain why this quote is particularly resonant for you.
- 15.2 2.What is something from the first two sections that you need further explanation of or that you want to know more about?
- 15.3 3.Also, out of the four databases you accessed for this assignment (SGD itself, NCBI Gene Database, Ensembl, UniProt), which did you like the best, and why? Which did you like the least, and why? (Refer back to the question about differences in content or presentation that you noted on your gene's wiki page.)
David Ramirez's Response
User:Dramir36 template:Dramir36 Skinny Genes
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1. Pull out a quote from the first two sections of “What is Code?” that you find particularly interesting. Explain why this quote is particularly resonant for you.
"You’ve read the first parts of the Wikipedia pages and a book on software project estimation. It made some sense at the time." (Ford)
- I believe that I can relate to this quote because of the experience through academics in general, where I put myself in the situation where I only can read the first few pages of an informational page, and know that I still don't understand the full concept of something. I have learned that by only reading a few portions of a document that contains critical information has to be read in full and thoroughly, or else there is a great chance that I will still not understand the significance or will be confused. Many times in the past, I would only read the first few paragraphs of a reading that had to be fully read by the beginning of class and I would know that the knowledge I gain from those paragraphs may seem to make sense at the moment, but will make no sense at all in the near future when more information builds up on the concepts that I would have learned if I did keep on reading.
"When you use computers too much—which is to say a typical amount—they start to change you." (Ford)
- In the past, I would use computers to play video games or install emulators of old video game systems that I have always wanted to try but couldn't find a way to do that. This required much learning and time on the computer to make everything functional and that I had the right plugins, as well as knowing which websites to trust. I believe I had also dreamed about finding the correct programs in order to operate an emulator that I found very hard to successfully operate. My mom also told me that being on technology too much would make my personality less patient and quick tempered. That is why when I read this quote, I found some relation with what my mom told me in the past. I guess I do feel a little less patient because I have been spending much time on computers and I have gotten used to the quick processing and functions that a computer can do in seconds, when in the past, the same functions would take minutes to complete.
2. What is something from the first two sections that you need further explanation of or that you want to know more about?
- In the first section, I wasn't sure what Drupal 7 and Magento was. I think there should have been more context in explaining what exactly those are and how those are used to improve a website or program. In the second section, there were many computer references that were made which I did not understand for the lack of computer science background that I currently obtain. I definitely want to learn more about the different types of coding because I learned that coding is a lot easier to complete tasks than to do them manually.
3. Also, out of the four databases you accessed for this assignment (SGD itself, NCBI Gene Database, Ensembl, UniProt), which did you like the best, and why? Which did you like the least, and why? (Refer back to the question about differences in content or presentation that you noted on your gene's wiki page.)
- I really liked the Ensembl database much more than the others because the information was much easier to find and read. Especially, when finding the protein amino acid sequence, I was able to find it on Ensembl the easiest. I really like the format of the list on the left hand side of the database. I liked the NCBI database the least because the website looked a little older than the other ones. All the information was clumped together and the format in general made the reading flow difficult. There was also a lot of information on one page that required a lot of scrolling. It was hard for me to find the pure text of the amino acid sequence of CDC28 in comparison to Ensembl.
Dramir36 (talk) 12:14, 16 September 2019 (PDT)
Naomi Tesfaiohannes's Response
Ntesfaio Final Individual Reflection
1. Pull out a quote from the first two sections of “What is Code?” that you find particularly interesting. Explain why this quote is particularly resonant for you.
"A computer is a clock with benefits"- Paul Ford
I found this quote to be interesting since I always think of computers as being complicated pieces of metal that only a professional who spent years studying it can ever properly work. But with the way Ford explained it, computers are similar to clocks. Each tick reveals something new, and in the case of computers these marks that stimulate one another result in programming. The difference between a computer and a person is the amount of times these marks can be made, with a computer programming can be done hundreds of times per second but humans are limited in how much they can do by hand. This is why computers have allowed society to excel so quickly, as it completes long duration work in short periods of time and is then able to put the work in an organized way ( graphs, charts, excel spreadsheets, etc.) Rather than seeing computers as being a complicated product, I should start seeing computers as a tool to assist in data collection and analysis of a lot of information into a summarized manner. It's a clock with benefits since it is not limited by external effects that humans are limited to (tiredness, hunger, etc.) it can simply work.
"You may look over a programmer’s shoulder and think the code looks complex and boring, but it’s covering up repetitive boredom that’s unimaginably vast"-Ford
The writer began comparing programming to a tree. A tree has its base but many branchings. When thinking of programming, I usually get lost in all its branches (financial programmers, data programmers, etc.) when in reality it all comes from a base that has a large sequence of information that is being processed. Its understanding the coding that is difficult, but as soon as someone is able to decode the software, the computer seems to do the rest of the work. The different branches of programming simply focus on different things. A financial programmer could assist a bank with its financial department, perhaps assisting in online payments and ensuring the programming for that is safe and secure. A data programmer can help with video games, making sure that all the time spent on making changes in the game are saved and be revisited another time.
2. What is something from the first two sections that you need further explanation of or that you want to know more about?
I understand that computers are able to analyze a vast amount of information at once but say, for example, a person is completing a long code and is ready to submit it. Would there simply be an error window if an issue occurred or would the computer be able to navigate where the error is located on the code? I assume it would depend on what kind of software is used. I would like to know more about errors that occur in programming and how programmers address it. If it is able to navigate where exactly the error is, is that due to an algorithm and a disturbance in how the algorithm is appearing? The writer stated that everything is a result of something else, a prior stimulus if that, so would the stimulus be able to detect the error?
3. Also, out of the four databases you accessed for this assignment (SGD itself, NCBI Gene Database, Ensembl, UniProt), which did you like the best, and why? Which did you like the least, and why? (Refer back to the question about differences in content or presentation that you noted on your gene's wiki page.)
SGD was the easiest database. I found it to be the best because of its category splits, the side bar of the website stated how many genes, cellular and molecular functions there were. This helped with navigating the number of possible results. Also, when typing in a word in search the word highlights on the page. I liked Ensembl the least because of the layout of the results. It doesn't breakdown the name and DNA sequence as clearly as SGD. It also has a lot of hyperlinks that can accidentally clicked when scrolling down the page. I was taken to many different pages and had to return to the main one multiple times.
Ntesfaio (talk) 14:38, 16 September 2019 (PDT)
Iliana Crespin's Responses
- Pull out a quote from the first two sections of “What is Code?” that you find particularly interesting. Explain why this quote is particularly resonant for you.
- "I love computers, but they never made any sense to me. And yet, after two decades of jamming information into my code-resistant brain, I’ve amassed enough knowledge that the computer has revealed itself." - Paul Ford
- This specific quote seems very interesting because it shows that computers are tend to not make any sense at first. Many people are good at the whole computer situation, but others are not. As mentioned in this article, it took two decades to learn so much about the computers. From programming to designing, computers end up being the same thing. Even though it wasn't easy to grasp, at first, it can take time for one to see the true nature of the computer. In the end, each one consists of these 1s and 0s, which is the starter for the computers. It just tends to relate a little, because in a specific subject it is harder to grasp than others. However, with patience, it can be done and one will realize the simplicity of it.
- What is something from the first two sections that you need further explanation of or that you want to know more about?
- One thing that I want to know more about is the whole concept of computers. In section 2, it states that everything is a computer or will be, which includes watches. I want to know more about the idea of how that came to be. In my mind, a computer is basically a laptop or desktop. However, computers are anything that is instructed with codes. It is very interesting how this changes my perspective on things and to better understand the definition. Therefore, I want to learn more about computers and their history within each of the companies that was mentioned.
- Also, out of the four databases you accessed for this assignment (SGD itself, NCBI Gene Database, Ensembl, UniProt), which did you like the best, and why? Which did you like the least, and why? (Refer back to the question about differences in content or presentation that you noted on your gene's wiki page.)
- SGD was the best one to use because it is very aesthetically pleasing. Everything is bolded and important information is right there where one can see. It isn't that hard to navigate and the content is organized where a person can manage to find it. The least one was NCBI because the presentation isn't that good. It is very basic and dull. The font is small and the content isn't really straightforward. It tended to be a bit more challenging to research things in that database than SGD.
Icrespin (talk) 17:57, 18 September 2019 (PDT)
Ivy Macaraeg's Response
- Pull out a quote from the first two sections of “What is Code?” that you find particularly interesting. Explain why this quote is particularly resonant for you.
- The quote most resonant with me was, “You can make computers do wonderful things, but you need to understand their limits. They’re not all-powerful, not conscious in the least. They’re fast, but some parts—the processor, the RAM—are faster than others—like the hard drive or the network connection. Making them seem infinite takes a great deal of work from a lot of programmers and a lot of marketers.” This quote was interesting because many times, we, myself included, think of computers as having an infinite amount of capabilities, that they can just do whatever we want them to do on a whim. I often forget that there are so many steps into performing a digital action, and there were multiple people needed to create the software for the computer to perform those actions.
- What is something from the first two sections that you need further explanation of or that you want to know more about?
- I would like to know more research data as to why there are less women in the programming, coding, and computer science fields. I wonder if the issue is more about lack of interest in that field among women or if the problem is more complex than that.
- Also, out of the four databases you accessed for this assignment (SGD itself, NCBI Gene Database, Ensembl, UniProt), which did you like the best, and why? Which did you like the least, and why? (Refer back to the question about differences in content or presentation that you noted on your gene's wiki page.)
- The database that I liked the most was the UniProt database. Although it was a little bit messy with many of the links, I liked how it was organized and it didn’t just spit out data. It was easy to understand, and it had graphics that kept me a little bit more interested.
- I was not a big fan of the Ensembl database because I do not like how it was organized. For example, all the links were listed on the side, and although it is useful for a Table of Contents, I did not enjoy having to click through all of the links to find what I wanted.
Imacarae (talk) 17:00, 16 September 2019 (PDT)
Mihir Samdarshi's Response
Pull out a quote from the first two sections of “What is Code?” that you find particularly interesting. Explain why this quote is particularly resonant for you.
A computer is a clock with benefits. They all work the same, doing second-grade math, one step at a time: Tick, take a number and put it in box one. Tick, take another number, put it in box two. Tick, operate (an operation might be addition or subtraction) on those two numbers and put the resulting number in box one. Tick, check if the result is zero, and if it is, go to some other box and follow a new set of instructions.
As a programmer it is extremely surreal to always have this realization that the thousands of lines of code that I write on nearly a daily basis ultimately come down to simple addition and subtraction with just zeros and ones. Additionally I think that it is really crazy that the computer is provided instructions in order to do that addition and subtraction and does that nearly flawlessly every time. Finally, I think that it is really insane that there are thousands if not millions of computers doing these addition and subtraction operations every single pico second. The scale of our computation is enormous.
What is something from the first two sections that you need further explanation of or that you want to know more about?
I am familiar with all of the terms and concepts that were explained from the first two sections, so I believe all of the sections seems to make sense to me and I do not necessarily need any further explanation of any particular concept. However, I thought that the distinction that the author made between mathematicians and computer science was extremely interesting. It seems like mathematics plays much more of a role in fundamental computer science nowadays, with programs increasingly utilizing "machine learning" and "artificial intelligence" (read: extremely intense mathematics) in order to predict certain actions or to make things faster.
Also, out of the four databases you accessed for this assignment (SGD itself, NCBI Gene Database, Ensembl, UniProt), which did you like the best, and why? Which did you like the least, and why? (Refer back to the question about differences in content or presentation that you noted on your gene's wiki page.)
I liked the SGD database the best, because of its usability. I had a high success rate looking for the various pieces of information that I wanted to use; I suspect that the non-biologists in the class had a harder time using databases like UniProt or Ensembl, as they seem to throw information at the user, without any rhyme or reason. Furthermore, much of the information in SGD is presented graphically, rather than numerically which makes information much easier to understand.
Msamdars (talk) 23:17, 18 September 2019 (PDT)
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Christina Dominguez's Response
Pull out a quote from the first two sections of “What is Code?” that you find particularly interesting. Explain why this quote is particularly resonant for you.
The quote, “Which is to say I’m not a natural. I love computers, but they never made any sense to me. And yet, after two decades of jamming information into my code-resistant brain, I’ve amassed enough knowledge that the computer has revealed itself. Its magic has been stripped away” from the first section really resonated with me. I love that he admits that he is not a natural, and coding and computers did not come easy to him- it was something he had to constantly work at. I think this is important in any discipline you are trying to learn or excel at in understanding that it takes time and effort, but you can eventually get to the point of true understanding through experience and learning.
What is something from the first two sections that you need further explanation of or that you want to know more about?
He mentions that one has to “run software” to transform the code into “machine language”. I would have liked to know more about how this original software was created that is now needed to make more software. Since he states that it is now part of the process of getting to develop new software, it would have been interesting to know about how this original software came to be.
Also, out of the four databases you accessed for this assignment (SGD itself, NCBI Gene Database, Ensembl, UniProt), which did you like the best, and why? Which did you like the least, and why? (Refer back to the question about differences in content or presentation that you noted on your gene's wiki page.)
My favorite database that I used was SGD due to the presentation of the data. It was user friendly and made it easy to navigate the information in terms of trying to find the specific information I was looking for. My least favorite was Ensembl. The mapping of the gene was less user friendly and the way the information was presented was more complicated than needed. It involved a lot more clicking on links in order to find information instead of it being laid out on a single page.
Cdomin12 (talk) 21:45, 16 September 2019 (PDT)
John Nimmers-Minor's Response
Biological Databases
Jnimmers
Assignment Table
Pull out a quote from the first two sections of “What is Code?” that you find particularly interesting. Explain why this quote is particularly resonant for you.
- In Section 2.3- 'How Does Code Become Software, Ford writes "Every character truly, truly matters. Every single stupid misplaced semicolon, space where you meant tab, bracket instead of a parenthesis—mistakes can leave the computer in a state of panic. The trees don’t know where to put their leaves. Their roots decay. The boxes don’t stack neatly. For not only are computers as dumb as a billion marbles, they’re also positively Stradivarian in their delicacy." -Paul Ford (06/11/15). This quote resonated with me because, as someone very new to the field of computer science, getting accustomed to using the systems required for this class was very time consuming and frustrating for me in the beginning. I'm still very new and inexperienced in this field of study, but this quote definitely reassured me that that small mistakes I make are ones that many people make. It's not that computer science is impossible, per say, but it requires a focus and attention as well as a delicateness to successfully make use of the programs at hand. One small mistake could take you totally off the path of the goal you're working towards.
What is something from the first two sections that you need further explanation of or that you want to know more about?
- In Section 2, Ford compares software to a many trees with branches extending from each tree. While it is simple to visualize the trees with their branches, I found it a bit hard to understand what each tree and branch represented. For example, he uses a memo with paragraphs as a tree in itself, but my confusion comes from more complex trees in which he describes them as trees within trees. Where does each branch become a new tree, what are examples of said tree repetitions? Questions like these immediately popped into my head as I tried to envision this analogy.
Also, out of the four databases you accessed for this assignment (SGD itself, NCBI Gene Database, Ensembl, UniProt), which did you like the best, and why? Which did you like the least, and why? (Refer back to the question about differences in content or presentation that you noted on your gene's wiki page.)
- I personally found that the SGD database was the database that I enjoyed the most. The site itself was easily navigable, it allowed me to quickly and easily find my gene by searching through the library of phenotypes that were available, allowing me to pick and choose which ones I found intriguing to narrow down my search. The presentation of the site itself was also the best, neatest, and most well-organized of the four databases, which was another reason as to why I enjoyed SGD so much.
Jnimmers (talk) 10:10, 17 September 2019 (PDT)
Marcus Avila's Response
Pull out a quote from the first two sections of “What is Code?” that you find particularly interesting. Explain why this quote is particularly resonant for you.
"The turn-of-last-century British artist William Morris once said you can't have art without resistance in the materials. The computer and its multifarious peripherals are the materials. The code is the art."
This quote resonated with me because I never thought of code as an art, but rather simply as languages. This quote makes me think of the various technological limitations of computers. The quote suggests that the code is limitless, while the computer and multifarious peripherals limit it through resistance.
What is something from the first two sections that you need further explanation of or that you want to know more about?
I need further explanation about the how code can be used to make software that allows the used to make a coding language.
Also, out of the four databases you accessed for this assignment (SGD itself, NCBI Gene Database, Ensembl, UniProt), which did you like the best, and why? Which did you like the least, and why? (Refer back to the question about differences in content or presentation that you noted on your gene's wiki page.)
UniPort database the most because it included several images, hyperlinks to sources, color organization, and was very easy to click through. I felt that the other databases were less clear in their organization or presented the information in a dull way. The hyperlinks to sources made it very easy to find the origin of the information presented. I liked the Ensembl database the least because it had several grey headers in the side table of content that made it seem like it had less information than the other databases. Also, it was annoying to me that I couldn't scroll through the information, but rather had to click through different sections.
Mavila9 (talk) 22:54, 18 September 2019 (PDT)
Links
Michael Armas' Response
Pull out a quote from the first two sections of “What is Code?” that you find particularly interesting. Explain why this quote is particularly resonant for you.
- "A computer is a clock with benefits. They all work the same, doing second-grade math, one step at a time: Tick, take a number and put it in box one. Tick, take another number, put it in box two. Tick, operate (an operation might be addition or subtraction) on those two numbers and put the resulting number in box one. Tick, check if the result is zero, and if it is, go to some other box and follow a new set of instructions."
- This quote to me represents the basic step by step function of how a computer reads code. This quote stood out to me for two reasons. The first reason is the simple way the author compares computers to clocks by slowly lists out the steps of a simple mathematical operation performed by a computer, just as a clock slowly ticks. This quote makes the operation of a computer seem rudimentary, when actually, there is so much more that is going on. The second reason is how the author uses time as a comparison. Not only is the "tick" onomatopoeia used to symbolize the progression of each step of computation, it is also perceived as a unit of time. However, in reality, this progress is being made in an almost immeasurably small unit of time. This aspect of the quote was the first thing that stopped me in the reading. Every time a link is clicked or a program is run, the computer is doing a plethora of things all at once in seamless manner.
What is something from the first two sections that you need further explanation of or that you want to know more about?
- I really want to learn more about what goes into a keystroke. I feel like this article briefly touched over it and dumbed it down. In one of my computer science classes, I learned about how key strokes go into a queue. I've noticed that sometimes if a computer is performing slowly while I am typing, the key presses always register and they always come out in the order in which I pressed them. I would be curious as to how these are stored and how they are stored (unicode, binary, etc.). It would have been nice if this portion of the article delved a little deeper for the sake of a programmer-audience.
Also, out of the four databases you accessed for this assignment (SGD itself, NCBI Gene Database, Ensembl, UniProt), which did you like the best, and why? Which did you like the least, and why?
- UniProt was my favorite databases. Specifically when viewing ASP1 / YDR321W, which were responsible for catalytic activity of L-asparagine, seeing the catalytic formula written out was a big plus. This "Function" section proved to be useful and very understandable. The other sections follow suit; I appreciated the user interface and how easy it was to interact.
- I wasn't a huge fan of the NCBI database. It lacks some information about the gene, and some things are very hard to find. For viewing publications, many of the hyperlinked words were the same. The "Process" and "Function" sections have the same hyperlinked words repeated as well. The overall user interface was bleak, and I feel as if this database could use an update soon.
Marmas (talk) 21:55, 18 September 2019 (PDT)
Emma Young's Response
- Pull out a quote from the first two sections of “What is Code?” that you find particularly interesting. Explain why this quote is particularly resonant for you.
- I chose a quote from the section The Man in The Taupe Blazer,"You don’t want your inquiry to be met by a patronizing sigh of impatience or another explanation about ship dates, Agile cycles, and continuous delivery. Better for now to hide your ignorance." This quote resonated with me because I have felt like this before, I have kept quiet about some technology related question due to the fear of the condescending or patronizing response that it can result in. Due to this I feel like I have stopped myself from learning about coding due to this fear.
- What is something from the first two sections that you need further explanation of or that you want to know more about?
- There are so many different things that I would love to have explained to me and to learn more about. If I had to pick something it would definitely be learning the differences between the different coding languages that were mentioned like "Java, JavaScript, Python, Perl, PHP, Clojure, and XSLT". Also it may be a dumb question but why can't there just be an universal coding language?
- Also, out of the four databases you accessed for this assignment (SGD itself, NCBI Gene Database, Ensembl, UniProt), which did you like the best, and why? Which did you like the least, and why? (Refer back to the question about differences in content or presentation that you noted on your gene's wiki page.)
- I liked the SGD database the best because it was the easiest database to navigate and the page design was simple and professional but very visually pleasing. I disliked the UniProt the most because it was more chemistry focused and it was hard to navigate. Every time you scrolled down the side navigation bar disappeared.
Eyoung20 (talk) 21:56, 18 September 2019 (PDT)
Jonar Cowan's Response
Pull out a quote from the first two sections of “What is Code?” that you find particularly interesting. Explain why this quote is particularly resonant for you.
- Dijkstra said: “Computer science is no more about computers than astronomy is about telescopes.” This particularly resonates with me because a lot of people assume that computer science is basically software and computer analytics but there is much more to computer science that people overlook. Computer science is the use of figuring out the algorithms to make certain software. The true essence of computer science is understanding how to make implement code to create a complex structure. I feel computer science is not easily understood and has much more to offer than the idea of using computers and using the software.
What is something from the first two sections that you need further explanation of or that you want to know more about?
- I would like to go further into depth about why are there specialized coding languages and why there are so many. To my understanding, I feel it would be a lot easier to follow one ideal coding language. Why are there so many languages and why is there a need for so many. I feel having multiple languages is essentially a repeat process of the same fundaments.
Also, out of the four databases you accessed for this assignment (SGD itself, NCBI Gene Database, Ensembl, UniProt), which did you like the best, and why? Which did you like the least, and why? (Refer back to the question about differences in content or presentation that you noted on your gene's wiki page.)
- I like SGD because of the layout and how easy it is to navigate. SGD has summaries that help understand the page a little more easily for me. However, the website lacks more detailed information about gene data. Uniprot was really difficult to understand. Navigating was tedious and finding what I need took a lot longer than what it should be (it might be due to my lack of knowledge on biology). The upside was how detailed the information was and the use of images on the topics. Overall Uniprot was very confusing.
Jcowan4 (talk) 21:52, 18 September 2019 (PDT)
Kaitlyn Nguyen's Response
- Pull out a quote from the first two sections of “What is Code?” that you find particularly interesting. Explain why this quote is particularly resonant for you.
- Among the readings from the first two sections of "What is Code?", my favorite quote comes from the first reading "The Man in the Taupe Blazer." The writer says, “Which is to say I’m not a natural. I love computers, but they never made any sense to me. And yet, after two decades of jamming information into my code-resistant brain, I’ve amassed enough knowledge that the computer has revealed itself.” This quote is particularly resonant for me because it proves that not everyone has to be "gifted" with abilities to perform certain tasks or have certain careers - you don't have to be natural at something to love and excel in that field as long as you work hard for it.
- What is something from the first two sections that you need further explanation of or that you want to know more about?
- In the second section titled, "Let's Go," I have trouble with understanding coding in itself as well as the algorithms that are behind it. Although the author does a great job of providing information, this particular section feels rushed in its explanations. I feel that I would have to have known the language of coding prior to reading this section, especially to have a better grasp at the terminology and the companies the writer is referring to.
- Also, out of the four databases you accessed for this assignment (SGD itself, NCBI Gene Database, Ensembl, UniProt), which did you like the best, and why? Which did you like the least, and why? (Refer back to the question about differences in content or presentation that you noted on your gene's wiki page.)
- Since the gene my partner and I chose has a function yet to be known, neither sites offered enough differences to find worthwhile content. Instead, all the different databases would refer back to each other instead of offering new (individualized) evidence and/or findings.
Knguye66 (talk) 21:19, 18 September 2019 (PDT)
DeLisa Madere's Response
- Pull out a quote from the first two sections of “What is Code?” that you find particularly interesting. Explain why this quote is particularly resonant for you.
- “Coders are people who are willing to work backward to that key press.”
- I resonated with this quote because I respect all the computer scientists in our world. Without coders, we would not be as technologically advanced as we are today. When I am using a computer, I never think about the coding that goes behind it since everything is computed so quickly. After reading this article and seeing this quote, I definitely have more respect for coders since they are the ones who put their time and effort into being the behind the scenes people to allow us to have computers today.
- “Coders are people who are willing to work backward to that key press.”
- What is something from the first two sections that you need further explanation of or that you want to know more about?
- I would like to know more about the different components that make a computer work in addition to what was already listed. I feel like having a more visual and hands on approach to how a computer works on the coding level would be really interesting and will give me even more respect for the people who have made these computers for us.
- Also, out of the four databases you accessed for this assignment (SGD itself, NCBI Gene Database, Ensembl, UniProt), which did you like the best, and why? Which did you like the least, and why? (Refer back to the question about differences in content or presentation that you noted on your gene's wiki page.)
- Out of all the databases, I really liked SGD. It was the most straightforward database and it really covered everything that I needed to know about the CMR2 gene. It also had more visuals and categories that I could easily follow. I also liked how it gave a brief description of the findings in addition to an abstract from the article because it really helped me to narrow down which articles would help me in gathering information. I also liked how for the phenotype section, there was a graphical representation of all the genes that I could learn about, which is how we chose our gene. Dmadere (talk) 23:24, 18 September 2019 (PDT)
Aby Mesfin
1. Pull out a quote from the first two sections of “What is Code?” that you find particularly interesting. Explain why this quote is particularly resonant for you.
I liked the quote “You, using a pen and paper, can do anything a computer can.” As someone who is quite intimidated by computer science and code, the quote was quite empowering because I had built a wall between my understanding of what computers do and my own capabilities as an intellectual.
2.What is something from the first two sections that you need further explanation of or that you want to know more about?
While I understand that each programming language contains its own algorithms to perform coded functions, I am still unclear as to how exactly these langauges are created to begin with.
3.Also, out of the four databases you accessed for this assignment (SGD itself, NCBI Gene Database, Ensembl, UniProt), which did you like the best, and why? Which did you like the least, and why? (Refer back to the question about differences in content or presentation that you noted on your gene's wiki page.)
I appreciated the NCBI website the most because it has multiple databases that allow you to search for not only genes but proteins as well. This is very convenient when trying to decipher the amino acid sequence of a protein that a particular gene codes for.
