Nwanua's answers to the questionnaire

1. name: Nwanua Elumeze

2. topic: Cognitive Science (AI)

3. reason for phd: Training for "how to think", not just "how to make".

4. three computer scientists...
4.1. Seymor Papert - epistemological studies on the impact of new technologies on learning
4.2. Doug Englebart (and co.) - showing us how we might interact with computers.
4.3. Michael Eisenberg - fostering "computation literacy" in imaginative ways

5. three most important, professionally relevant books...
5.1. Mindstorms - Seymor Papert
5.2. Computer Organization and Design - Patterson and Hennessy
5.3 The Art of Electronics - Paul Horowitz

6. most likely areas for collaboration:
6.1. education
6.2. architecture
6.3. anthropology

7. briefly characterize your own digital literacy:
7.1. programming languages
C, C++, Python, perl, PHP, assember (PIC, x86), scheme, javascript

7.2. top three projects
Helped develop an architecture to track and monitor trains nationwide for the Union Pacific Railroad. Worked with J2EE and C++, also with technologies like SOAP and Corba. Information (GPS, temperature of frozen fish cars, etc) is gathered from trains via cellular, wifi and satellite links and is presented in relevant form on clients' screens via http.

Helped design and develop a patent-pending, professional quality digital panoramic camera. Most of my work was board-level design and firmware (i.e. soldering iron and "movlw H'9F')

Co-implemented (with Keisuke Nishimoto), a context-sensitive, predictive text input system for the Japanese language. Mostly Python and C-bindings for a morphological analyzer library.

7.3. top three applications:
vim
bash
garageband

8. List your three favorite topics that you would like to see discussed in this course!
8.1. the art of concentration (when it comes to writing papers)
8.2. what are conferences really good for?
8.3. how to graduate within a decade