Week 4 on Plagiarism

            

          These two articles were very resourceful and can serve as a fallback reference for any questions I may have in the future. Thankfully, my English teachers in high school were very thorough in enforcing citing etiquette into tedium. I’ve been taught to put a reference to a source’s citation in parenthesis after anything containing information not from myself. I’m also familiar with the weaknesses, dangers, and possible lack of integrity in paraphrasing and especially in creating mosaics. Generally, I will cite my sources as I gather information from them. This way, no matter if I decide not to use a source or decide to use one late into a project, I will always have my laundry already done. I had previously put the author’s name or something else easily identifiable in parenthesis after a group of information that I used which a reader can use to find the citation listed in the last page of a paper (myself). However, I think I might start using superscript numbers¹ as it seems like a cleaner approach.

           I was surprised that the articles did not emphasize professors’ ability to run papers through plagiarism detection programs that search the web and then tell to what percent and in what parts does a paper resemble other works. This can be problematic of someone actually does say something in their own words very similar to another work which they have never seen before. They could be accused without any real intention or even negligence. I won’t worry too much about it though.

Week 4 on Librarian and Career Resources

I expected the librarian’s lecture to be very monotonous, however I was surprised when her lecture was very energetic, dynamic, and legitimately informative. I was unaware that the University of California system has the second largest library in the nation under the library of congress. Since the world’s two largest libraries are the library of congress and the British equivalent, ours must be way up there in the world rankings. Also, I found the diagram describing the reach of engines such as Google, Yahoo, etc. within the Internet’s “sea” of knowledge very clarifying. I’m glad that the UC system’s electronic resources match its physical ones, and I look forward to using them. 

            I didn’t learn much from the lecture at the career resources building simply because I was already told everything in a career and major planning class that I’m currently taking. The class, INT 64, is helping me very much in understanding the values I want to get out of a career. It confirmed my belief that I would need an environment that is always changing from day to day in which I could be creative and versatile. I would also need a tangible result at the end of the job. This seems pretty far from the law and business careers taken by the rest of my family. I plan to visit the center several times this year to research various paths in industries such as film, music, and videogames. I think that I’d really enjoy working on things like these, and if I enjoy my work, I won’t be working.

Week 2

The career fair was not very helpful to me. Aside from collecting pamphlets on traveling abroad and doing pushups for Army coolers, I didn’t receive much help. I intend to major in film and media studies, possibly along with economics and then try for an MBA in graduate school. However, the film and media studies representative was not at his or her post both times I went to the fair. It’s not a problem though, because I will be actively seeking out counseling from advisors within my two possible majors as part of a career planning class that I am taking.

On another note, as far as meeting people, I’ve met most of my friends either by hanging out in my floor’s lounge, the San Nick game room, or simply sitting by them at lunch. When the year proper starts, I intend to meet people the same way at first by visiting other dorms and dining commons and by participating in musical clubs and intramural sports. I haven’t really connected with anyone in my classes, but I intend to work on that.

            At last Tuesday’s seminar, I was somewhat surprised and of course agitated that a large part of Egypt’s historical dig areas are now underwater due to damming. I was also very interested in the speaker’s recount of his work in Stargate. I really want to do as much as I can to make myself available and desirable (wanting to make films as a career) so that I may get similar phone calls like him later in life.

Week 1

I’m J.B. Lanier from Birmingham, Alabama. I came to UCSB by chance. I applied to it just because it was on a check box when I was applying the UCLA. When I wasn’t admitted to either UCLA or USC (I wanted to go to that city), I ended up choosing Santa Barbara over the University of Alabama simply because I preferred the beach location.

My primary interests are in music. I play guitar, and am learning to play (but am somewhat competent at) the rest of the ‘rockband’ roles.  I also enjoy the technical side of music: recording, mixing, and overall production. Along with recorded tracks, I like to make electronic music. It’s been only about two or three years since I really became in involved in music, but I’m learning fast.

Aside from music, I often was building something or creating some kind of artwork, either 3D or 2D. I’m not sure how such activities would be incorporated into college life.

I grew up always assuming I’d be an engineer without putting any thought into it.  I just thought I’d probably work in aeronautics or another field with fast moving, mechanized things. When I wasn’t admitted into the school of engineering, I reconsidered my preferences, and decided that I didn’t want to be a full-time scientist anyway.  

I’m now on track to either major in economics or something along the lines of film production. I may also double major. Afterwards, I will likely try for an MBA. I chose film because it was just enough creation to fill my engineering taste, without being a very ‘mathematical’ science. Business runs in my family so that decision came easily.