My Introduction

Well, in keeping with the pattern, I’ll make my first post primarily an introduction.

My name is Liam, and I’m doing a BSc. in Computer Science, in my third year. I am U2, because I came from outside of Quebec, more specifically Calgary, Alberta.

I’ve really grown up with computers, my family got its first computer (a Mac 512ke, with an entire half megabyte of memory! Who could ever need more?) when I was 3, and my mom has always speculated that I learned to read so I could actually use the computer. Thus I’ve never lived somewhere where I have not had immediate access to a computer, and have always felt very comfortable using, playing, and tinkering with them.

As I mentioned in class, I think this class will be a welcome change of pace. I got to do a few arts courses in my first year, but this will be the first time writing something for class in 3 semesters, so I’m looking forward to it. I also have an interest in the effects of technology on our society, and have something of an interest in economic and environmental sustainability, particularly in the third world, so I think this class can only help my thinking in that regard.

What I’ve been thinking about lately has been the effects of (sub)Urban sprawl. I’ve always lived ‘downtown’, so I have long been exposed to the benefits of being able to walk everywhere I need to go. It always baffled me when I was in Junior High and High School how most kids would absolutely need to be driven everywhere, as the communities they lived in were simply not designed for people to be able to walk anywhere, except sometimes to the gas station. I’ve often wondered if perhaps the internet would allow people to work from home a little bit more, and thus allow some communities designed for local foot traffic to emerge. However, I can’t say I’ve seen that at all in Calgary, as the houses continue to push deeper into the country, and rarely is there anything reachable on foot from most of those houses.

3 Responses to “My Introduction”

  1. Hannah says:

    Hey Liam…I’d be interested to hear what you find on telecommuting! If you are interested in sustainable development, you should check out the upcoming International Youth Summit. The next one will be in May 2006, so it’s not for some time, but they have the conference every two years. It’s sponsored by the Canadian Urban Transit Association. Anyway, it raised issues regarding traffic congestion, and pollution, and possible solutions to alter development patterns. If you did some research on telecommuting, I think they would definitely be interested. I don’t think they covered that topic when I attended (in May 2004). You should think about applying for 2006. It was a lot of fun! I’ll give you the website and you can take a look and keep it in mind: http://www.cutaactu.ca/content.asp?ID=416
    I mean, I know that they have a slant, because it’s sponsored by the CUTA, but if they are emphasizing sustainable transportation, it would be neat to look at telecommuting, as a solution to the reduction of congestion and pollution, in the perhaps near future!

  2. Liam says:

    Sounds fairly nifty! I’ll try to keep it in mind.