Numbers

In order for me to convert 110010101, to a decimal number, I listed the binary number like this:

1    1    0    0    1    0    1    0    1
28   27   26   25   24    23   22   21   20

Then, I wrote the 2 to the power of 0-8 starting from the right and listed them under each number, shown above. Then I took the number with the number 1 above it and took it to it's power and added them to get:

20=1     22=4     24=16     27=128     28=256

All equals 405. Therefore, (binary#) 110010101 = 405 (decimal#)
In order to convert a decimal number to a binary I take the number like 529 and divide it by 2. If there is a remainder of 1, then on the side write down a 1. If there is no remainder, then write down a 0 on the side. Therefore, this is what the process of converting 529 to binary looks like:

Decimal	Quotient	Remainder	Binary
529	264	1	1
264	132	0	01
132	66	0	001
66	33	0	0001
33	16	1	10001
16	8	0	010001
8	4	0	0010001
4	2	0	00010001
2	1	0	000010001
1	0	1	1000010001

As one can see the binary number for 529 is 1000010001.

Positional and Non-Positional Numbers
Positional numbers are numbers with a place value, for example decimal numbers. In order for the decimal number 529 to mean five hundred and twenty nine, the numbers have to be in a specific position. The number 9 is in the ones position, 2 is in the tens position, and the 5 is in the hundreds position. So when you add 9 ones + 2 tens + 5 hundreds = 9+20+500=529.
Non-Positional numbers are numbers that do not have a place values, for example, binary numbers do not have place values. 1000010001 = 529. The number 1000010001 has no place values, otherwise it means a totally different number. Therefore, the difference between positional and non-positional numbers is that postitional number has place values and the other does not.

Unix Commands/Global Swarming

In lab 5, I learn to use the Unix commands on steel. One of them was a command chsh. I have previously used the steel account, I didn't know about the shells. In this lab, I have learn that there are different types of shells and that we can change them by using the command chsh. Also, when I used steel, I didn't know it has information on me already stored inside the system. By using the command, whoami, I can look up information on myself or I can even look up someone who is also on the steel account that I know by using the command, finger. In addition, I learn the command, ls, which lists all the directories and the files I have in the directories. By, adding a - and a letter(s), I can bring up specific lists of certain things. One command that I thought was interesting was that I can look up a calender from a previous year or even in the future. By using the command, cal, and the month and year, I can bring up the calender of that month in that year. According to the lab, these commands do not work with Windows/DOS counterparts. Some of the commands that are used with Unix are much more simple on Windows. For example, to find my directories, I click on my computer and from there I can find all of my files and folders. Also, to remove something, I drag and drop the file to the trash can or simply click delete instead of using the command, rm. On Windows, I can easily bring up the calender by clicking on a few buttons. Therefore, Windows commands are much easier than Unix.

In Andy Clark's "Global Swarming," I think that it was interesting how he compares the cyber world to slug trails. I think that he is right, that we are like the slugs leaving information about ourselves, for other people to use their information for their benefit as well as ours. This process also makes online shopping easier for the consumers. By collecting all the data from other people who like simliar things, they are able to create a lists of other related things people with the same taste would like. This concept also works with a lot of other things like search engines, social networking websites, etc. By having this recommendation system, the websites are able to quickly deliever the results that the users are looking for and filter all the unnecessary information. The concept of "Global Swarming" is effecting all types of technologies, from games to GPS systems. Sooner or later the technological world will be able to adapt to our specific charateristcs.

Modeling the World

After reading the "Modeling the World" lecture notes, I think that modeling is a dificult process. However, modeling is a process that provides us with many informcation, in many different ways. With experiments, scientists are able to find new ideas and concepts that we would never be able to find without testing. Also, from this lecture, I learn that Aristotle, Galileo, and Newton, all acomplished related things that involves information and informatics. I think that this lecture was dificult to understand and it seems dificult to use the process of modeling to model something.