fandomhigh | Basic Computing Class #6 [Tuesday, Period 3, 2/12]

Mike had ~~handwavily~~ instructed the class to meet in the classroom today. There was not a computer in sight, just a teacher drinking lots of coffee and a television set. "I had to make a slight change to the syllabus since my computer crashed and I lost the presentation I had been working on," Mike said apologetically. "That should be a lesson in itself. When you're working with a computer, hit 'save' frequently and make regular back-ups. If you have any trouble figuring out how to do that, see me during office hours."

He took another gulp of coffee before continuing. "This week we're supposed to be covering spreadsheets, but when I thought about it, I realized that you guys probably won't need spreadsheets all that much. So here's spreadsheets in a nutshell. They have rows and columns of empty spaces. You plug in numbers. The computer calculates stuff based on what you need the spreadsheet to do. If you think this is something you need to know more about, see me after class."

After answering any questions ~~if there were any~~, Mike continued. "For the remainder of class, we're going to be watching the film 1999: An Intergalactic Journey. Pay special attention to the problems caused by HEL 6000, a supercomputer that serves as the villian in this story. Is HEL really that bad, or was he just programmed that way? What does this movie say about putting our faith in technology? And seeing that we're in 2008, how does this picture of the future, made in 1968, differ from the modern world? I'd like you to answer those questions for homework. Oh, and just this once, you can either type up your answers or write them out by hand. Just remember that we will be having a practical exam for the midterm next week and you will want to be comfortable with typing."

[OCD ~~coming~~ up!]

Basic Computing Class #6 [Tuesday, Period 3, 2/12]

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