All too suddenly, our seminar has come to an end. I just wanted to take this final blog post to reflect a little on the class and my gratitude for being a part of it.
I took this class because it was out of my comfort zone and, although most of the topics we discussed are still a bit out there for me, I am so glad that I had the opportunity to engage with this entirely new material with you all. Although I may still not know the intricacies of how the internet was founded or exactly how blockchain works, I now have a narrative in my mind for how it all came about and a better understanding for how incredible the creation of this “collective hallucination” was. I am grateful for the insights into cybersecurity Dr. Michael Sulmeyer provided for us, and how they completely rejected my assumption that security breaches are infrequent and possible because of a lack of due diligence. I also very much appreciated the detail with which we explored Bitcoin and cryptocurrency, as well as the broader technology of blockchain. I’d of course heard countless success stories of those who invested in Bitcoin early and knew that it was a digital currency that was not affiliated with any specific nation, but did not know much about this mysterious moneymaker beyond that. This course, and our discussions, have clarified this cutting-edge topic for me and, possibly most rewarding of all, led to wonderful spontaneous conversations with friends and family. I love when course material is relevant enough to serve regular conversation—indeed, that is one of the times when I most value my education.
Most of all, I am grateful to have spent this first semester of college with all of you. It was a tumultuous experience of adjustment for all of us I’m sure, and to have the consistency and unrestrained excitement of this class to look forward to every Monday was an anchor for me. Thank you so much.
Thank you for your contributions to the course, both in the seminar and over this blog.
I’m actually not sure that anyone understands all of what we talked about. The systems around the Internet have gone far beyond anything dreamed of when the ARPAnet was first built. Blockchain and cryptocurrencies are the latest incarnation of something surprising coming out of the system. They won’t be the last.
It was a great pleasure getting to know you over the semester. Please stay in touch…
I want to thank you too, Yasmin. I have loved reading your blog from the moment I saw the picture you selected. It was fun to debate the topics with you in our Monday meetings, and I hope we find many times in the future to continue discussions on whatever topic interests us. Please keep Jim and I informed of the things you do (not just what you post on social media 😉 and visit us often!