I'm ready for summer

Can it come any sooner? And it's only two weeks in the semester.

No, I had these strange thoughts in electronics lab today. I want to be a history professor, but I'm randomly spending time on circuits that will be forgotten after I graduate. So why am I going through the frustration of trying to get a Schmitt Trigger Comparator to trigger? Oh, that's right, I wanted to be a dual major in electrical engineering and history for some odd reason.

There are many days when I question my sanity. I've been thinking, if I want to run for student government president I'm going to need a whole lot more time on my hands to deal with all the issues that come with that job. And I'd have a much easier time focusing on history...

But then I was talking with my mysterious suitemate Phil (aka wldntulk2knwwho) and the internet guru Stu on the way to lunch.

Me: I've been thinking about dropping one of my majors...
Stu: Which one would that be?
Me: The one that has the least to do with what I want to do later in life.
Phil: I only have one response to that. After grad school, I want to go to Tokyo University.
(Phil and Stu both laugh)
Me: I don't get it
Phil: You say you want to drop one of your majors. I say that I want to to go to Tokyo U after graduation (he's been reading too much MegaTokyo lately). They're both stupid ideas.

I know it sounds a bit ridiculous to have gotten so far with my dual major only to drop it. But, there are days that I wish it were so. It's difficult switching gears between two disparate fields like history and engineering. I know deep down that I would regret not trying to make the attempt to get both majors. I don't know, maybe this week's just been especially draining so my pessimism has been allowed to roam a little too freely.

Evolution is a theory, not a fact

For as much of a blah mood I am in, I suppose this next article for my school newspaper isn't too shabby. I know there are some flow problems but my muse is sorrowfully silent at the moment. Per usual, comment away with criticism.

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Evolution is a theory, not a fact
Daniel Tu

On science textbooks in the public schools of Atlanta, Georgia are stickers that read, "This textbook contains material on evolution. Evolution is a theory, not a fact, regarding the origin of living things. This material should be approached with an open mind, studied carefully and critically considered." In a recent court case, five parents and the ACLU challenged these stickers. The Cobb County School District and Board of Education claimed that they promoted tolerance rather than any religious dogma. However, the federal judge declared the stickers unconstitutional. On the basis of the First Amendment, which provides for separation of church and state, the judge reasoned that school district had “improperly entangled itself with religion” by appearing to side with Christian fundamentalists and creationists. The ruling did not decide the difference between fact and theory.

Scientists formulate hypotheses to test them, and they modify their theories based on their results. At one time the prevailing theory held that the Earth occupied the center of the universe. This theory persisted due to the charm of having some divine being place humanity in their rightful spot, the prime location for celestial glory. Religion inspired investigation into God’s creation, yet those investigations would upset its foundations. Galileo came along and shattered the geocentric theory, despite recanting later under the pressure of the Inquisition.

Eighty years ago, a young Tennessee teacher fought the courts for the right to teach evolution in public schools. Through his victory, we inherit the wind of the Scopes Monkey Trial. Evolution has become accepted as science’s best explanation for the existence of mankind. Natural selection and survival of the fittest have become common concepts in the English language. Charles Darwin has become the namesake of an award handed out to people who have graciously removed themselves from the gene pool.

Stickers do not single out the theory of special relativity or quantum theory for failing to be factual. Indeed, those theories do not carry the baggage that evolution does. Since its deepest elements go against the idea of intelligent design, evolution naturally draws the ire of fundamentalists. Many advocate the teaching of creationism as an alternative to evolution. Consideration of other theories would at least spur some critical thinking.

Honestly, the stickers are unnecessary because all science revolves around theory. If we are going to put them on science textbooks, we might as well go the whole nine yards and put them on all textbooks. Any good science teacher should acknowledge the limits of humanity in understanding the world around us. For the overzealous teachers who claim evolution as truth, stickers will have a minimal effect on them.