Scratch on 64-bit Ubuntu

During the last Lowcountry Computer Camp session, we discovered to our surprise that MIT’s Scratch program only supports the 32-bit version of Ubuntu Linux. Since x86_64 is backwards compatible, it’s possible to get the software to install with a little extra effort.

First you’ll need to install the 32-bit compatibility support libraries.  To do this, open the package manager and search for “ia32-libs” and install it.  After installing 32-bit support, download the Debian/Ubuntu package from the Scratch site at MIT. (By default the package will end up in your Downloads folder) Open a terminal window, change directory to Downloads and run the following command:

sudo dpkg -i --force-architecture ./scratch_1.4.0-0ubuntu2_i386.deb

(you may need to make changes to the above if you’ve downloaded a newer version) If all goes well, you’ll have a new copy of Scratch listed in the Programming subfolder of the Applications menu.

A fun and interesting peek inside the machine…

With so many layers of abstraction in modern computer systems and programming languages it’s easy to take the inner workings of our machines for granted. Earlier this week I stumbled across a video someone posted of a “hacking tool” called ICU64.  It’s a piece of software that hooks into a Commodore 64 emulator and allows the user to both view and modify data down to the individual bit on a running system.  It’s one thing to understand the effects of flipping a bit here or there, but to see the beauty in patterns of data inside a running program… that’s something else all together.

Wired Equivalent Privacy Weakness

On January 26th, 2010, Dr.  Anthony Leclerc spoke at the Association for Computing Machinery meeting held regularly on Tuesdays at 12:15 in JCLong 220.  His topic: How quickly can you break the Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) encryption for wireless networks?  Apparently it isn’t that difficult once you have everything set up, and it took about 30 seconds to crack the encryption key.  He was nice enough to provide the instructions and accompanying programs in one easy to access bundle, but only for a Unix environment (Linux verified, Mac and others unverified).

A good reason to get in on gaming: better skills all around

Certainly those of you who are good at gaming have relatively decent critical thinking skills.  But what would happen if you took the next step and started creating games, too?  According to a recent article on Sciencedaily.com, computer scientists believe that participating in computer game creation will broaden your critical thinking and creative skills.  In game creation, many elements are combined, including “storytelling, developing characters, evaluating plots, and working with digital images and music.”  Learning to develop these creative skills “might allow anyone to learn new thinking and computing skills.”

Moral of this story?  Even if you aren’t a frequent game player, take Building Virtual Worlds (CSCI 120).  This course allows all students to author on-screen movie animations and interactive games while learning the fundamentals of object-oriented programming using a user friendly environment.

Click here to check out the article from Sciencedaily.com.

Of Two Minds

Majoring in computer science is associated with a high-paying and rewarding career paths after college, and also with the left (analytical) brain. But to land the most competitive positions, you need to have the right-brain skills too, including creativity, innovation and social intelligence. Majoring in any other discipline is likely complemented by a major or minor in a Computer Science, Information Systems, Discovery Informatics or Computing in the Arts (pending approval), may be your ticket to a promising career. www.cs.cofc.edu

Just in from the Wall Street Journal (12/28/09)

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703278604574624392641425278.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

The WSJ article mentions the need for a working knowledge of emerging trends. What are the emerging trends? How can we discover the emerging trends to get on board before graduating?

Read more from Daniel Pink about how the right brain is the new left brain for success. http://www.danpink.com/

Physicians falling from grace; no longer part of the god class

“Human body is getting reverse engineered. Once this is complete, computer science, computational biology, and bioengineering will revolutionize the concept of treatment in the Medical world. ” http://www.indiadaily.com/editorial/21274.asp

Perhaps Richard Florida was right. The doctors, lawyers, realtors and accountants are no longer in the driver’s seat. These information-based professions are now relegated to the service class. Eclipsing them are the creative and innovative professions of computer science and other disciplines involving research and development that produce new memes and products that actually grow the economy instead of leaching off it.

Physician income to drop by up to 80%. How could this happen? Health care reform of a different spin; through outsourcing of medical services and by increasing the supply of physicians. Dr. Rahul Raj in New Dehli is already reading my x-rays. To get your creative juices flowing read http://www.indiadaily.com/editorial/21274.asp

Take a look at the change in jobs and remuneration in the creative class versus the service and working classes. http://www.creativeclass.com/creative_class/2009/11/18/service-wage-gap/

Keep quiet, though. We would not want all 1,000 bio/pre-med students at the College of Charleston to find out that the upcoming fields in medicine are computer science, computational biology, bioengineering and discovery informatics < di.cofc.edu >.

Social networks and… the law?

Yes, in today’s technological society, lawyers are now using social networks as evidence in their cases.

In a story published by the New York Times, writer Damiano Beltrami hits on the idea that “with more people revealing the details of their lives online, sites like Facebook, MySpace and Twitter are providing evidence in legal battles.”

The story, “I’m Innocent. Just Check My Status on Facebook”, can be found on the New York Times website.

Can “evidence” from social networks be trusted?  What are your thoughts?

Get ahead with a degree in computer science

In a down economy, many students worry about finding a job after graduation.  But research shows that most students with degrees (and a successful collegiate career) in computer science have little problem scoring a spot with an employer.  As technology continues to change and develop, degrees in computer science are molding students to become innovative thinkers and problem-solvers, qualities that any type of business should be looking for.

Read the following blurbs and articles for more evidence of how a degree in computer science truly matters.

“…computer science majors are critical for the U.S. economy because their training provides them with computational thinking and problem solving skills that they can deploy in any industry.”
-Peter Harsha, director of government affairs with the Computing Research Association. Article.

“The nation’s leading computer science programs say graduating seniors are still sought after by technology vendors and corporate shops, despite the globaleconomic slowdown and high-profile layoffs across the tech industry.”  Article.

“For our software engineering roles, we tend to look for people with a strong computer science background who have experience with programming.”
-Yvonne Agyei, director of Talent and Outreach Programs in Google’s People Operations Department. Article.

Research Experience for Undergraduates

How would you like to meet other highly motivated and intelligent students who have an interest in Computer Science and related fields?  What about going to graduate school?  How about being paid for these things over the summer?  The National Science Foundation supports these interesting alternatives to internships called Research Experience for Undergraduates which allow students to get a taste of the research life, experience how a different department is run, network with professors in the field as well as like-minded students, and get free housing, food, and a stipend while doing it!  Interested?  Check out the list of NSF REU Programs.  But hurry, application deadlines are as early as December (but also as late as March).  Also, if you aren’t of a Computer Science background but are still interested in a program like this, the NSF funds many other fields as well.

A degree in computer science = a job in biochemistry?

Well, maybe.  As technology advances, computer scientists are becoming more and more integral parts of various fields.  Take biochemistry, for example.  A recent article from Science Daily examines a game (designed by computer scientists) that allows users solve puzzles by manipulating (“folding”) proteins.  Zoran Popovic, Ph.D., an associate professor of computer science and engineering at the University of Washington in Seattle says, “I know that some of our users have kind of described it as Tetris on steroids or something.”

Read the entire article and watch a short video: Science Daily.

So, keep in mind how much you might contribute using the various skills you learn while studying computer science at the College of Charleston.  That game programming course (CSCI210) might get you farther than you think.