The secret behind "Smells Like Teen Spirit" (Nirvana's song)

“Smells Like Teen Spirit” was the most famous Nirvana’s songs. It was write by Kurt Cobain in 1991, the front man of the band Nirvana. Kurt Cobain was a big fan of a punk rock band called Pixies, and he was trying to compose a song in the same rhythm of the band, “I was trying to write the ultimate pop song. Basically, I was trying to rip off The Pixies”, he said. This song took the band to the success.

There is a secret behind the title of the song. The title, which looks like a strong phrase for a punk rock band, was nothing more than a reference a famous deodorant that time. The phrase "smells like teen spirit" was write on the wall of a motel where he was staying by Katherine Hanna, the lead singer of the band Bikini Kill. Hanna did this as a kidding because her bandmate Tobi Vail, who was Cobain's girlfriend at the time, was a fan of the Teen Spirit deodorant. “Teen Spirit was manufactured by the Mennen Corporation, which had developed a line of very popular, somewhat "alternative" deodorants for men in the 1960s”. Kurt did not know that the name “Teen Spirit” was a reference to the deodorant; he really thought that was a phrase to express the new generation and the revolution. When Kurt discovered the true meaning, he was upset and humiliated.
The song was write because Kurt was disgusted with his generation`s apathy, his own apathy and spinelessness. Krist Novoselic said: "Kurt really despised the mainstream. That's what 'Smells Like Teen Spirit' was all about: The mass mentality of conformity." The song talks about the teenager’s freedom and the spirit of change. At that time the young people joined the punk scene, and a movement called anarchy to protest, and to fight for their rights, the movement was also known as generation x.

A virus called Variola

Smallpox is an infectious disease caused by the virus orthopoxvirus variolae, one of the biggest virus that affects humans. He was known when a mummy from 1550-1307 BC showed traces of the virus. Upon entering in the human organism, the virus on a given host cell where proteins and their manufacture multiply in the cytoplasm of the same. The body's immune system reacts against the virus by destroying the cells before the virus multiple, but the immune system is unable to completely block the multiplication of the virus because it produces the protein causes the same to be resistant to antibodies.

Disease transmission occurs through contact with sick people and the objects used by the same person. After 14 days of incubation, the disease begins to manifest, the first symptoms are fever, malaise, fatigue, body aches, red spots, vomiting and nausea. The red spots that appear on the skin become purulent bubbles after a period dry and form scabs.

As the disease weakens, the immune system of the individual there is a great possibility of this period, contracting new diseases and infections. How is a disease caused by a virus, there are no specific treatments, and the concern is focused on the consequences that the disease can leave. The disease can be prevented by establishing vaccine immunity against the virus. Currently, smallpox is a disease virtually extinct since a long time does not make victims, however there is concern there chemical weapons with the virus used to kill enemies in combat.

Source: http://www.who.int/csr/disease/smallpox/en/

Alan Turing, The Father of Computer Science

Alan Turing was a famed mathematician and the most important person in field of computer science. He was born in London, England and since a child he displayed signs of high intelligence and early demonstrated interesting in math and science. After high school, he enrolled at University of Cambridge where he proved the central limit theorem and he was elected a fellow at the school upon his graduation.

In 1936 he developed a research about computable numbers and developed the universal machine (later called “Universal Turing Machine”), a machine capable of computing anything that is computable, which is the base for begin of the computer and modern computers. He also studied mathematics and cryptology at Princeton where he received his Ph.D.

As result of his study in cryptology, he contributed with the England Army code breaking the German ciphers during World War II. He also wrote two papers about mathematical approaches to code-breaking.

In 1940 he was ranked in the best mathematicians. He first addressed the issue of artificial intelligence in his 1950 paper, "Computing machinery and intelligence," and proposed an experiment known as the “Turing Test”—an effort to create an intelligence design standard for the tech industry. Over the past several decades, the test has significantly influenced debates over artificial intelligence.

For being a homosexual (homosexuality was banned in the UK at that time), he was sentenced to prison. Avoiding the prison, he opted for an alternative sentence, where he spent one year taking estrogenic to decrease his libido. After much pressure and he be moving away from office, he committed suicide around 1952.

Source: http://www.biography.com/people/alan-turing-9512017#early-life

The Influence of the Social Networks

The social networks are present in our day to day and for being so present, exert a strong influence on population .Many times per day, we has listened about social networks such as latest news, the applications, how to use, their interaction with cellphones, and even with TV.  Everybody knows how strong the social networks are, but how much they can influence society?

The new generation has begun his life using computers, has lived in a fast world, at constant exchange of information, and he, increasingly, has the need to be connected. With that, the social networks increase the number of users every day. This large number of users facilitates the union of the population; the people can share what they are thinking and protest against everything. People are more aware of everything that happens because all the information have been sharing on the network. It is not so easy hide things from people, and if someone do something wrong, especially in politics, they can easily come together and create a manifestation. However, it also has a problem, that freedom of expression ends up facilitating bad intention people who take advantage of the ease of communication to expose bad or false things.

Therefore, with increasing social use and ease of communication, the society has taken a new course; the people have informed more, they are more aware of events and can participate more actively in the decisions of the government, and share your thoughts on any topic. The exposition of ideas and thoughts helps in the formation of an ideal society for all, but it has to be well supervised for well-functioning.

For what prejudice? An analysis of the character Malik in the movie Higher Learning

Malik is a black guy that thinks everyone has it easier than him. He feels that is difficult be a black in white country with white people and he feels inferior and discriminated, as if needed the help of someone always. Over time, Malik really grows up a lot because the people around him are good influences. Soon as he arrived at the university, he took the elevator, and Kristen, a white girl that was in it, hold her hand over her purse. She thought he would steal from her. Without much money, he had to run if he wanted to stay in the university, so he ran. Malik is portrayed throughout the film as running, signifying a progression from a typical gangbanger to an educated athlete.

On the track he met Deja, who later became his girlfriend, a girl that was very important in his life. He loved her. She dedicates her efforts on studying, yet manages to fulfill her role on the track team; whereas, Malik loses his motivation for schooling after being depicted as just a thoroughbred.  Deja throughout the film encourages Malik to make use of his opportunity and not to succumb to his pride.  Likewise, the ending of the film would not have brought forth the same emotions in the audience if any of the other characters had died. On the university there was many different kinds of nationalities. A lot of the white people was racists. How he don’t had any choice, he joined a group of black people where he met Fudge that taught him a lot of things about the system and the difficulties of life. Fudge enlightens Malik to the fact that all the Asian students socialize with each other, all of the white students socialize with each other, and how Malik being a black student, should congregate with the rest of the black student body.  Even though all of the students preside on the same campus, or a secondary group, the general student body breaks down into more individual primary groups. Fudge taught Malik that what he takes from him though is that he should learn for his own benefit. The point of learning is to improve yourself, not to satisfy some professor or earn a number. During the film, many times Malik is shown asking for someone`s opinion on what course of action he should take.  For example, at the end of the film, Dr. Phipps tells Malik on how impressed he is on the improvement of Malik’s paper, especially through all of the tragedies.  Malik asks Dr. Phipps on what does he think the right course of action would be regarding Malik’s future.  Malik is characterized as a person who needs the reassurance of someone else to ensure that he is on course.

Why computer science?

Choosing a profession was not a difficult task, since I was a little boy I knew what I wanted to my life. It all started when I was born. I was born in a small town and lived in a farm that didn`t have electrical energy. When I turned 7 years old, my family and I moved to a big city, where my brother was living, to try a new life. Sometime after I arrived there, my brother bought a used computer and I liked it so much, because I didn`t have electrical energy before, so when I saw that working, I was amazed. I started use the computer when my brother was left for work and started discovering everything on the computer. Many time I broke it and my brother was very angry with me, but I learned how to use it and at that moment I decided that was what I wanted to my life. With 10 years old I could fix it and format. When I was 16 years old, I was on the high school, but my family was in a difficult situation and I had to abandon my studies to work. When I was 18 years old I joined the army, it was a difficult and very important in my life, I could rethink all my life and when I left the army I was decided to come back to study and do what I always wanted to my life. I finished my studies and applied to a public university. I was approved in a federal university and now I`m almost finishing my course. Computer Science.

Children Of Future

Beforetime the kids used to play in the streets, playgrounds and backyards, spent all day with their friends, now with the advancement of technology and the creation of many devices, the kids prefer to stay home with their electronic devices.

Until the 80s the technology was in process of evolution and the only media available were radio, television and newspaper. Wherefore the people used to visit more his friends and the children gathered and were playing in the backyard. After school the kids threw their school materials on the table and ran to the street to meet their neighbors and friends to play many types of games that were passed from generation to generation.

Today, new technologies were discovered, many types of devices were created and the kids grow up surrounded by technology. They are wasting a lot of time playing videogames, surfing on the net and using their cellphones. They usually no longer play in the streets, prefer to stay in home playing videogame alone, using the computer or even watching TV.

The evolution of technology is very important and greatly facilitated the tasks of day-to-day, but is important to have control, especially children, because it is important that they have contact with other children for play and not spend all day using technologies. They have to enjoy their childhood because it is a very important phase of their lives, they can learn much more living with each other than in front of the computer, they have to be kids.

Why do we like horror movies?

The horror movies show us terrible scenes, nevertheless the people enjoy so much to watch. Whether it scares people, why do we keep watching it?

According to Glenn Sparks, Ph.D, a professor and associate head of the Brian Lamb School of Communication at Purdue University, one reason for the appeal is how you feel after the movie. This is called the excitation transfer process. Sparks’s research found that when people watch frightening films, their heart rate, blood pressure and respiration increases.

Margarita Tartakovsky, M.S. says in her article (http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2012/10/31/why-some-people-love-horror-movies-while-others-hate-them/) “after the film is over, this physiological arousal lingers, Sparks said. (We’re just not aware of it.) That means that any positive emotions you experience – like having fun with friends – are intensified, he said. Instead of focusing on the fright you felt during the film, you recall having a great time. And you’ll want to come back for more.”

There are many theories about why we like to watch this kind of movies, one of them, is that the people, mainly men, enjoy to feel adrenaline that these films provide. Watching this kind of movie they feel stronger and safer, because they have no fear.

Another reason is the novelty, visual effects, suspense and the interesting histories that keep us involved in what is happening.

The truth is that they like to feel fearfulness, because the horror movies causes a different kind of fear, a feeling that make them get really scared, in panic, so they keep on alert waiting the next scene that will scared them.

Quantum Computing

Scientists achieved new advances in research with quantum computing. Now, computers can resolve problems that then never could.

“Theories show how computing devices that operate according to quantum mechanics can solve problems that conventional (classical) computers, including super computers, can never solve.” A. P. Lund, A. Laing, S. Rahimi-Keshari, T. Rudolph, J. L. O’Brien, T. C. Ralph. Boson Sampling from a Gaussian State. Physical Review Letters, 2014; 113 (10).

Technology is advancing ever more and quantum computing is the future for computer science, recent research shows that we can solve many problems that we could not before. A quantum computer is a computation system that use of quantum-mechanical to perform operations on data. Quantum computation superposition of states (many states), unlike classical computers use binary digits (only two states).

If analyzed, quantum computing can be seen as a natural process of evolution of computers, since 1950, with the advent of transistors, the computers become fasters and their components get smaller. The physical boundary of these components is precisely the quantum size. The problem is that the quantum scale knowledge of classical physics cannot be applied.

Remember that for most conventional applications today's computers are efficient. But for applications that require intensive processing (for example, artificial intelligence, encryption, search in unordered lists, factoring large numbers) the quantum computer is the most promising option. According to the physicist Ivan Oliveira, Center for Research in Physics (CBPF), "In theory, Qubits based computers could solve problems that today would take billions of years in a matter of minutes."

The Ebola Outbreak

The Ebola outbreak is spreading and it must to be stopped now. The time is passing and every day the disease is spreading, increasing the number of victims.

Despite the efforts of health workers from the affected countries and elsewhere, cases of Ebola will continue to increase, Frieden said. 

The area affected for the virus must to be isolated and specialists forward to the local of high contamination for help the patients and raise awareness. Lack of awareness is one of the causes of the increase in the number of infected.

If no action is taken now, the disease will spread more and more, and the Ebola outbreak can become global.

Introducing

Hello! My name is Tiago, I study Computer Science at Federal Technological University of Parana, but actually I`m in interchange, I`m studying English at Western Illinois University, after that I`ll study Computer Science here too.

                I like to watch series and movies, surf on the net, play soccer and read some books of drama and adventure. My favorite series is Game of Thrones and my favorite movie is Batman.

                I waste a lot of time studying English and reading things about technology on the internet and also like to use social networks.

                Studying in U.S. is a great experience for me, is my first time in another country and I never saw snow (I think that I`ll see soon), I hope that I`ll learn English and learn much more about the new technologies. I want to take classes that I couldn`t take in Brazil, for a complete new experience and increment my skills.

                I hope that after this experience, I can still studying to get a Ph.D. in Computer Science.

“The winter is coming!!”