Encounters with Technology and Weather

A display on my way to class

Today I discovered something really cool! So before I go onto telling you what the "really cool" actually is, let me give you some background info. (I'm trying to build up the suspense here.) So for the past 2.5 weeks that I've been studying at Cornell, I've been taking the traditional style of notes using paper and pencil. I had a hard time understanding why the students around me would always type up their notes. Was it to show they were fancy? Or was it just really useful? Well, now I wish this had struck me earlier. You've probably guessed it by now, but I finally decided to try note-taking on my laptop. This experience is a whole preview of college so I might as well use this opportunity to decide early on what I'm most comfortable with. Better late than never! So, today I took notes on Karl Marx entirely on my laptop and it turned out much better than anticipated. I was able to draw pictures using the "shapes" tab, add more to previous sections, use arrows to connect ideas, and make tables with the click of a button. But most importantly, I was able to use the Merriam Webster Dictionary function which came with Word and look up important topics on Wikipedia for quick clarifications. You're able to do everything you can do on paper (and more!) in an efficient manner. So I'm really happy I adapted to a great note-taking form because it is really beneficial.

In addition to learning about Marx, our class also had a guest speaker, Mr. Nelson Roth, who handled a murder case which devastated families in Ithaca for the longest time. I found his discussion on fingerprints most fascinating. Although fingerprints are considered the break-through form of evidence in deciding a case, it is also possible for a lawyer to fabricate this evidence as was done in the case handled by Mr. Roth.

Went to the iconic library to study

Not a good sign...

When I was getting ready to leave for dinner at 6:22 this evening, I had a feeling it was not a good idea to be outdoors. I could feel massive winds and thunderstorms as the dark clouds were crowding together. Altogether, it was a pretty scary view. To find out what was going on with the weather, I checked Ithaca's weather on my phone and was shocked to find that there was a severe thunderstorm warning. And as I walked faster and faster to beat the storm, (I could sense it was coming since the clouds were getting darker with every step) there was a gust of wind which literally pushed me off track and soon, this wind also threw plastic chairs out of position. I started to run and luckily, I was able to beat the severe rain by just a few seconds. The rain was so severe that the ceiling in our dining commons started to leak. When it looked liked the rain died off a bit, I rushed back to my dorm. Phew! Now that's what I call a really close one. 

And it pours!

I really hope tomorrow's weather is a bit more summer-like. I'm starting to miss the sun and the traditional summer weather.