Reading 00: Introduction
My name is Anthony Daegele, and I am a senior studying Computer Engineering at the University of Notre Dame. I am originally from a town about 20 minutes outside of Los Angeles, California called Manhattan Beach. I have accepted a consulting job at a software consultancy in Chicago called Pariveda Solutions, thus I will be working in Chicago after graduating. I can honestly say that I’m not thrilled about having to suffer through more winters, but it’s a great opportunity. I’ll spend a large majority of my time at work developing software and working with phenomenal people. It will be an exciting time for sure!
Some of my hobbies include skiing, hiking, shooting (both skeet and trap), and cooking. I’m definitely not the best cook, so in the past I’ve tried to keep my meals as simple as possible. Now, though, as true adulthood is looming on the horizon, I’ve started to try and learn more complex and enjoyable recipes (Shout out to Tasty, that’s where a large majority of my inspiration comes from). Hiking is just a fun thing that I enjoy doing in my spare time at home with a few friends. There are a few good mountains close to LA that have great trails. I have been skiing and shooting since I was a little kid. My brother’s bachelor party was over Christmas break and we went to South Lake Tahoe to ski. Naturally, I sprained my ankle so skiing and I have a bit of a troubled relationship at the moment. My shot has recently become much better, as I just found out I’m left eye dominant so I need to cover it when I aim.
I’m studying Computer Engineering because when I was in high school, I was pretty into video games and decided to build my own computer. I loved going through the process of selecting the right parts and assembling my machine, and at that point I thought I wanted to eventually get into GPU design and work for a company like Nvidia. However, as I began to take introductory Computer Science courses at Notre Dame (such as Fundamentals of Computing and Basix Unix) I realized that I loved writing code and decided to go down the software path rather than the hardware path.
In taking this class, I hope to discuss some of the delicate nuances surrounding the field of Computer Science and the ethical ramifications of new developments in the industry. Computer Science and computing in general is changing every day, and new technologies are emerging very regularly, and my hope in taking this class is to be able to have discussions about how these technologies should be used or whether or now they should even be used at all.
Currently, I think the most pressing issue facing Computer Scientists is how privacy should be viewed. More specifically, is it right for companies whose products have large user bases to sell user information and data to other companies or the government. Do people have the right to keep their information private, or is the sharing of this information the more Utilitarian option? It’s a very nuanced topic!
The three topics that I am most interested in discussing this semester are privacy vs. security, artificial intelligence, and employment and workplace issues. I’m looking forward to being able to discuss all sides of each topic in order to broaden my views and take educated stances on these tough topics.
