Columns
Human: Opinions
By Quinn Pham | December 3We are nearing the end of the semester, and I am sitting here, writing my last piece. I think it’s appropriate now to talk a bit about how we got here.
Quinn Pham
Columns
Human: Strengths, shortcomings of theory of mind
By Quinn Pham | November 26As they talk, I wonder if they are just unable to recognize the signs of someone not engaged in the conversation or if they can tell but choose not to care. I tell myself that I’ll be attentive to other people’s nonverbal signals whenever I’m in a conversation with someone so that they’ll never have to feel uncomfortable.
Columns
Human: Motivation
By Quinn Pham | November 19Call me idealistic, but, for me, passion is the primary motivator when I’m considering my future career.It started when I received a LinkedIn notification — yes, LinkedIn. One of my acquaintances had shared a post about how you should not pursue your career based on your passions but instead based ...
Columns
Human: Self-assessment
By Quinn Pham | November 15I’ve arrived at the time of year where I’m caught in the endless grind between midterms and finals and a new sort of grind: looking for internships and jobs. To make this more difficult, what I am studying at Tufts does not have a straightforward, obvious path to employment.
Columns
Human: The brain
By Quinn Pham | November 5Last Thursday, I attended a talk on the rise of artificial intelligence (AI) by Matthias Scheutz, professor of computer science and director of the Human-Robot Interaction Lab at Tufts. Towards the end of the talk, someone asked Professor Scheutz whether he thought there would ever be a point at which AI can replicate human thinking, to which he gave a resounding “No.” He believes that at some point, AI will be able to replicate human behavior quite well, but to replicate thinking -- the actual underlying processes of the brain -- is another thing completely.
Columns
Human: Clutter and declutter
By Quinn Pham | October 29Do you need the silence of the Tisch Library reading room to get any studying done? Or do you prefer to sit at Kindlevan Café, immersed in your work with background chatter as ambient noise? Or are you a homey person who likes the comfort and convenience of your own room? Essentially, do you need a quiet environment to think and work, or is your mind already so jumbled that distractions can’t lead you astray any more than your own thoughts can?
Columns
Human: Home
By Quinn Pham | October 22You know that weather app that comes with the iPhone? I think my mom added a Medford tab to hers because a couple days ago, out of the blue, she nagged me about wearing my puffy winter coat and an extra layer of pants since the temperature had dropped to below 10℃. I did not, but I told her I appreciated her concern. Her reminder did, however, make me feel a little homesick. This time of year invariably brings my thoughts closer to home than usual.
Columns
Human: Formula
By Quinn Pham | October 15Lately, while procrastinating on convoluted assignments, I ask myself why I chose college over the variety of options I could have gone with after high school, each leading me down a complex and unpredictable path. But then I look at the clock, fret about grades and go back to studying. The real questions that keep me up at night or some mornings while staring at my cereal in Dewick are: What was the decisive factor that made me who I am? What does it mean to exist? Where do I go from here?
More articles »
Trending
The Print Edition
