Friday, January 28, 2011

Empathy Quiz

The findings from my empathy quiz tell me that I scored a 41. I somewhat agree with the results from this test but feel like my score should have been higher due to the fact that I feel like I care and listen to people more than average person. I didn’t realize that someone can be taught empathy though. It seems that the feelings and thoughts that you are born with are the ones that should stick with you for the rest of your life. A guy from my church is one who I think that always shows empathy in a positive manner. He is constantly there for others to pick them up when they are down or sad. He is a great guy and I hold a lot of respect to him for that reason. I know a lot of people unfortunately who are lacking people. I feel like that is common among people my age. Many people that are my peers only care for their selves and no one else and they do not think before they speak. They usually are disrespectful towards others, are not silent in a moment of silence, and don’t remove their hat during the national anthem or a prayer. Many people these days are disrespectful and don’t care to show sympathy for those who are down in a time of hardships.

Sunday, January 23, 2011

GIS

GIS or Geographic information System is a great source used for mapping and plotting different things by many engineers in today’s world. The software for Hall County is open to public access at no charge and can be helpful to find an amount of acreage, who owns the land, appraised value, and other applications that could take a while to find otherwise. The software has become convenient for me not only at mentorship but at home as well. I could use it to find coordinates on my property or to mark off a section of land and find out how much area there is. The software has the capability to layer things by showing, topography, pipelines, satellite view, or even a basic road view. After new roads are put in or new pipes have been laid, someone goes in to the system and maps out the coordinates for the computer to model. It is then finalized and opens for public viewing. This software is becoming popular with the U.S. government and in this article it shows some of the more modern ways in which it is being used. The U.S. expects it to help us even grow more efficiently in the future and become more environmentally aware while helping improve the environment. Below is the website for Hall County GIS. Feel free to play around but I’m warning you, it is VERY ADDICTING.

U.S. Department of the Interior. Geographic Information Systems. 22 February 2007. 23 January 2011 <http://egsc.usgs.gov/isb/pubs/gis_poster/>.