Newspapers / University of North Carolina … / April 20, 2000, edition 1 / Page 3
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20, 2000 Apn7 20, 2000 The Banner Perspectives Its icial interac- )le of moral ren are fully does it serve ic rights of: ntemet philosophy: a new virtual Zen world? )t that require-; :hool. That :han any law ng, violence, any of these be in school, le for them- n to give up twelve years citizens. ages on how f citizens ffice it to! freedoms of crimination, )f grievances Considering s guaranteed ments, these 1 institution 1 the Un'ted om bondage I age require- illowing ' for a license able. Instead from drink- ey see them- ,en of any age dge a person not by how ave trekked collaring killing them. Matthew Rossi columnist When I started out this series of olumns, I wrote about something felt was important to mention. I )ld you about a computer scientist ,'ho had designs to implant a chip himself and link himself to a omputer. You may remember (or — you know, whichever) that I ; distinctly opposed to the idea, :e the very notion of implanting ichip into a human and linking the luman’s mind to a computer was inherently evil one. summarizing, of course. I had nuch more rational reasons which took me a whole column to express, so I won’t go into them here. Just know that I wasn’t for the idea of human chip implants. But, you see, I’m no Luddite. I’m actually very fond of technology, of computers, electric lights, digital cameras and the like. In many ways, I think the technological age is a blessing. Technology can be used to explore all sorts of different ven ues, from information to philoso phy. Yes, philosophy. A friend once asked me what hap pens to a file when it’s deleted. I told her that it simply ceases to exist. The question was an incred ibly naive one, and my answer seemed to be the only one possible. But, the more I thought of it, the more I realized it wasn’t such a simple question as it seemed, be cause the most obvious answer to it simply wasn’t adequate to describe what happened. To say a file ceases to exist implies that it existed in the first place. Which raises the question, “where was the file in the first place?” Was it sitting on the hard drive as a series of polarized ions? In a way, but the polarized ions are nothing that re semble what I call a file. The polar ized ions are in what a Buddhist would call a state of mu. They aren’t a file and, yet, they are a file because they have the potential to become a file. In a sense, the file doesn’t exist, because I cannot say where it is. Yet, it does exist, be cause I can interact with the file and tell it to do things to my computer. I can use it (much like I’m doing now) to create words, modify sounds and even talk to people miles and miles away. The virtual world of computers is an exceptionally Zen one, full of questions unan swerable. Where does a file go when you delete it? It goes nowhere because it never was anywhere to begin with. It achieves a state of Zen. Furthermore, technological bursts are helping us to understand the world around us, our universe, in incredible detail. No more than 50 years ago, it was veritably impos sible to think of a human being walking on another planet. Now we have not only envisioned it, but are working toward a realistic plan by which we can achieve this goal. And the whole reason we can do this is because our technology has advanced enough in these 50 years. Similarly, we can now send probes out to other planets in our solar system, and use those probes to study the way our neighbors are made. We have sent messages into the universe aboard small space craft and we have launched signals Letters to the Editor ion f the irresist- ly room and ver a smooth rood, complicated of levers and d the slab of ne foot above get a whiff of lished source toitinwavM, ig of the wood y above their tricky part of osition them- will drop the their backs, of the bushes o the board, t say that this squirrels into ally, the force isperse evenly the squirrels, ry my weight. JNCAphysi- ty of my pre- luch the same nee said that minum cans light of a mid will hopefully direction, like ntrol over the )verall will of jpefully they nearest class. resemble ; for the first Mhlete appreciation )ear Editor, My first two years of college I was student athlete here, and the last 31 was just a student. In response the numerous letters written bout the UNCA athletic depart- , I would like to comment on subject before I graduate in vfay. I want to say thanks. Thanks to the Athletic Depart- administration (especially ike Gore) and to the coaches, give up days, weekends and renings to encourage, inspire and msh the limits of our current ath- ; well as to attract prospective Thanks to the faculty who sup- lort UNCA athletics. Thanks to all the student-athletes have had the pleasure of compet- ng with and watching on the side- ines. Thanks for pounding volley- lalls until your hands hurt, smash- ng hundreds of tennis balls, com- ileting soccer drills until you’re lizzy, shooting jump shots with nmed fingers and ace-bandaged knees, sliding face-first into home plate and sprinting on the track until you throw up. Thanks for making up your missed assignments on long bus rides, cutting short your summer, winter and spring breaks and getting up for NCAA random drug testing at 6 a.m. Thanks for representing our insti tution, giving UNCA positive ex posure and adding more credibility to our university. Finally, thanks to the entire stu dent body who give up the couple hundred bucks for athletic fees each year, even though alotofyou would do anything not to. After our very young Division I program has had a good chunk of time to grow, like athletic powerhouses of the NCAA have had, we will be able to com pete with and prevail over some of the best teams in America. This entire campus community should be proud that they are helping to build one of the future’s most com petitive NCAA programs. I already Karen Monaco Senior literature and education Considering the roundabout Dear Editor, My sincerest congratulations to Candice Carr. I am so glad we have an environmental voice writing for The Banner. Her columns have always been right on. . This proposed roundabout is a ridiculous waste of tax money, and, more importantly, will destroy al ready dwindling green areas on our campus. I never responded to the Citi- zen-Times article, where Tom Byers said, and I paraphrase, that we need a roundabout and new entrance so folks know when they’ve arrived. If folks do not know when they’ve arrived at UNCA, they’ll never I’m sure every member of the pus community c 1 think of a least one area within our university where this kind of money could be better spent. Scholarships, new student housing, new classrooms. with better same situa- r/76 Banner welcomes letters and comments re garding the content or quality of this publica tion. Letters should be typed, double-spaced, and should not exceed 300 words. Letters for publication should also include the author’s sig nature, class standing and major or other rela tionship to UNCA. All submissions are subject to editing for length and content. E-mail and web submissions should contain a telephone number for verification. The deadline for Letters to the Editor is noon on Tuesday. Please send letters to: The Banner, 208A Carmichael Hall, One University Heights, Asheville, NC 28804, submit a letter via the Banner Online, or e-mail banner@unca.edu. out beyond the barrier of our sun, seeking other intelligent civiliza tions. Through our advances in technology, we are narrowing the gap of alienation.We are learning about how our system is like others, and how we are different. Through our advances, we’re learning who we are, and who everyone else is. When I started writing this series of columns, I initially said they were going to be a manifesto of sorts, and I think they have been. They are a manifesto of self-aware ness. All of my columns (except my last one, which was done at the behest of a good friend) have been about the way in which we can use our minds to help or hurt ourselves. I finished my first column saying that it is time we stop blundering ahead with our research and started seeking a way to make our lives better, not just more convenient. When I wrote about television, I made the point that if people de manded higher quality TV, the net works would be forced to respond with higher quality programming. The point of all of my columns, including this last one, is that we are not passive observers in our world, but the active participants of it. If we sit around and complain about how bad things are, then they will be bad and continue to get worse. But if we instead decide to take control of it, the world will become what we want it to be. If you sit idly by and let the world of technology simply be what it is — digits, numbers, metal, circuits — then that’s all it will be. So dig deeper. You can choose to see that we are able to open our minds, to use the machines of our world to utilize more of our poten tial than ever before. Your com puter could be a two thousand dol lar solitaire game, or it can be a tool through which you see the world in a way that you have never thought of seeing it. Thus ends my mani festo. Thus ends my four-month discourse on life in the confusion of a modern age. The world is ours. It is time we took an active part in the creation of its future. child care, better pay for staff, renovated buildings, safer build ings, bike paths and shuttle ser vice are a few places I would pre fer this four-and-a-half million dollars be spent. Well, the DOT is paying for this entrance — the faceless “they” re joins. Yes, yes, the DOT. With their excellent civil engi neering skills, they may construct a confusing maze of lanes similiar to that adjoining the Asheville Mall, or a potential deathtrap like the one where Interstate 240 com bines with N.C. Highway 19-23, or that killer of mountain com munities, the 1-26 connector from Tennessee. The first most people heard of this entrance folly was the Citizen-Times article. I was never aware of a two year comment period. But now that it is out in the open, I hope that Carr and Active Students for a Healthy Environment help stop this latest proposed blunder from be falling our campus. Jay S. Gertz Ramsey Library technical assistant Editorial Board Emma Jones Sarah Wilkins Meghan Cummings Krystel Lucas Jason Graham Lauren Deal Matt Hunt Zach Dill Editor-in-Chief News Editor Features Editor Sports Editor Photo Editor Copy Editor Online Editor Asst. Online Editor StalF Kay Alton, Lena Burns, Jennifer Crowl, Walter Fyler, Anthony Greco, Davon Heath, Kathryn Krouse, Eric Porter, Melissa Starnes, Alison Watson, Teshania Wiley Managers Rebecca Cook Eric Porter Business Manager Circulation Manager Liam Bryan, Ben Ezell, Lynne Fox, Matthew Rossi^ Contributing Staff Justin Meckes Mark West, faculty advisor The Banner is the student newspaper of the University of North Carolina at Asheville. We publish each Thursday except during summer sessions, final exam weeks and holiday breaks. Our offices are located in Carmichael Hall, Room 208-A.. Our telephone number is (828) 251-6586. Our campus e-mail address is banner@unca.edu. An on-line version of The Banner is also available at http://www.unca.edu/banner>. Nothing in our editorial or opinions sections necessarily reflects the opinion of the entire Banner staff, the faculty advisor, or the university faculty, administration or staff. Unsigned editorials reflect the opinion of a majority of The Banner e.6M.ox:\A board. Letters, columns, cartoons and reviews represent only the opinions of their respective authors. The Banner reserves the right to reject any advertisement on the basis of content or space availability. Advertisements represent only the interests of the paying contributors. The Banner welcomes submissions of letters and articles for publication. All submissions are subject to editing for clarity, content and length, and are considered on the basis of interest, space, taste and timeliness. Letters should be typed, single-spaced, and should not ex ceed 300 words. Letters for publication should also contain the author's signature, classification, major or other relation ship with UNCA. The deadline for letters is noon on Tuesday. If you have a submission, you can send it to The Banner, 208A Carmichael Hall, One University Heights, Asheville N.C. 28804. The deadline for display ads and the FYI calendar is Monday at 2 p.m. Classified ads are due at 5 p.m. on Monday.
University of North Carolina at Asheville Student Newspaper
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April 20, 2000, edition 1
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