The Cornell Daily Sun (https://cornellsun.com/author/ericschulman/)
Eric Schulman is a senior studying economics and computer science in the College of Arts and Sciences. He is a staff columnist and can be reached at [email protected].
I’ve read a lot of farewell columns in the past four years. I started thinking about mine freshman year, during my first semester at The Sun. As a freshman, I thought writing a column in the student newspaper would make me a campus celebrity. I wanted to use the platform to get recognition for a speech I wrote in high school during tryouts to be class speaker. I wasn’t chosen to be class speaker, and I was salty.
Still, this project has been a highlight of my year and the past four. Although I didn’t find much this time, I learned a lot. And the prospect of discovering new scientific knowledge to help people is tantalizing.
Gingrich and his supporters made me question that faith a little bit. Their lack of empathy towards gender equality shocked me. In the most confrontational part of the event, someone asked whether women get respect in Washington (considering the current president’s record on respecting women). He wrote off the concern with a joke about locker room talk to which the audience chuckled. It was uncomfortable.
It is also comically partisan to prioritize Russian influence over CIA overreach. This is the first time Democrats view the CIA more keenly than Republicans. This change in sentiment isn’t ideological — at least I hope not. Giving the CIA a pass for hacking foreign governments but throwing a fit when Russia hacks us is incredibly hypocritical.
The year 2016 was rough. It was particularly rough for Andrew Ucles. Who is that you ask? Think Bear Grylls, only legit. Bear Grylls fakes bear attacks and stays at motels during survival videos.
I’ve been taking it easy lately. Last fall, I realized I wouldn’t graduate a computer science major if I didn’t load up on classes. Now that I’ve reached the end of the tunnel and have time to relax, I started playing a game. It’s called Tinder; you’ve probably heard of it. Tinder is part dating app, part middle school sleepover party and part ego booster.
Unfortunately, I didn’t visit a tropical island over break. But on the bright side, I got to see this year’s Star Wars film: Rogue One. Although I enjoyed it, I was more hyped for last year’s film. I read so much online analysis about Star Wars: The Force Awakens that I basically spoiled the movie for myself. I mention online analysis because the engines that produce it — sites like Reddit and blogs — shaped this fall’s election and its aftermath.
It’s okay if you don’t know the difference between quantum computer and a flux capacitor. Even if quantum computing seems complicated, its implications are easy to understand. Although they sound like something out of a sci-fi novel, these things are going to change the world. Quantum computers are going to revolutionize our ability to predict complicated phenomena. Quantum computers are good at modeling complicated things because they exploit quantum uncertainty, the principle that an electron can be in two states at once.
Originally, I did not want to write about the election because both presidential candidates are depressing. One candidate is clearly the lesser of two evils, but both candidates will only widen racial and economic divides in this country. I changed my mind though because many people have misconceptions about the race and its consequences. Although both major party presidential candidates will only polarize our system further, we can still improve our system tomorrow by voting. Plenty of politicians are running for town council, state assembly, congress and senate on exciting platforms designed to bring us together.
For better or worse, the search for internships or full-time employment is on everyone’s mind. People are starting to look for internships earlier and earlier. The process can be intimidating, and I’ve had a few conversations with people looking for advice. For this reason, I wanted to unify my thoughts in a column. The best way to explain recruitment is a metaphor.