Having completed my penultimate semester pursuing my BS in Computer Science at Lehigh, I believe now is the time for me to reflect on my Major.

Computer Science – two words that for some inexplicable reason, makes people think I can fix their computer. I can, don’t get me wrong, I can, but that has nothing to do with my major. Edgar Dijkstra said, “Computer Science is no more about computers than astronomy is about telescopes”, and he is correct. Mechanical Engineers don’t fix fan belts, Electrical Engineers don’t fix VCR’s, and Computer Scientists don’t fix computers.

Computer Science is not about solving computer problems – that is almost entirely left to the mathematicians, physicists, and the electrical/computer engineers. Computer Science is the science of applying computers to solve real world problems. We use computers, and programming languages to implement algorithms that solve computationally intense problems. I’d argue that there exists no field in which computer science has not changed. Doctors now have the ability to detect tumors and other problem areas in medical images thanks to applications developed by computer scientists. Engineers can build an entire airplane virtually to exact tolerances and run complete analysis on the strengths and weaknesses of the structure. Cars can now detect collisions through many sensors, and can apply collision avoidance measures. All this is possible because a computer scientist wrote code that changed electrical pulses and manipulated bits.

I consider myself an engineer, even my major says so: BS in Computer Science and Engineering. Yet, many people do not consider Computer Science an Engineering Discipline. Professors of other engineering disciplines actually look down on computer scientists. Freshmen year, I had a professor who legitimately was disappointed when I declared my major. According to Wikipedia, “Engineers work to develop economical and safe solutions to practical problems, by applying mathematics and scientific knowledge while considering technical constraints.” This is what Computer Scientists do; this is exactly what we do. This disparity arises when people frame engineering with the industrial revolution mentality. With all due respect, the industrial revolution is dead. We are in a digital revolution, and have been for over a decade. Success is now dependent on the fast exchange of information, and the ability to process and analyze that data quickly. It is in the spirit of efficiency that computer scientists apply their math and critical thinking skills to improve the world around them. To deny computer scientists the title of engineer is equivalent to calling a doctor a nurse.

Though, I believe it is time for Computer Science education to grow up. Computer Science is taught in isolation, with artificial restraints. Computer scientists need to work with other disciplines and bridge the gaps to develop cohesive, all encompassing solutions to the problems that plague our society. There has to be a paradigm shift in institutions. Computer Scientists must be willing to work with other disciplines, and other disciplines must be willing to work with us, and inevitably, someone is going to have to force us to work together.

I really haven’t been keeping up with the few TV shows that I enjoy this season. With nearly all the major TV networks hosting on-demand viewing of their shows, as well as other legitimate services such as Hulu and Joost, I thought catching up would be no problem. Boy, was I wrong.

Most popular show only have the previous 3, maybe 5, episodes available for viewing. Great – just want I wanted, to watch a show that is in mid-season with no idea of what is going on. I guess I’ll have to watch the previous episodes elsewhere.
Ok, so maybe I have been following the show and missed the last episode, let me catch up. Here in lies the second problem – new episodes are released 8 days after original airing date. That means if I miss one episode, I am confined to watching the rest of the season online. I guess I’ll have catch up using other means.

The way that network television makes their money is through advertisers, is it not? It’s the same online, which I have no problem with. However, what I do have a problem with is networks airing the most obnoxious, and annoying advertisements. To make it worse, they have no variety – they play the same commercial again and again. The more times you make me watch the stupid Stride Gum commercial, the less I want to sit through this torture.

The TV industry does not get it. They should be using the Internet to supplement their traditional offerings and drive up viewer ship. I cannot even count the number of times my friends have said this season of show X just got amazing, you have to watch it. Instead of being able to catch up and watch the show on TV, I can’t watch the show in any form, and the network loses a viewer.
I hold the belief that the TV industry is afraid that having their shows on the Internet is going to reduce DVD sales. So what? The TV industry should be making more money using the Internet than they were before – if they aren’t, then they are doing it wrong.
Here’s what the TV industry should be doing:

1. Use better, more diverse advertisements for things that matter. No one cares about what going on the Fox Reality Network.
2. Use statistic-gathering methods to find out what users watch, how often, and what advertisements turn them off.
3. Offer at least the most recent season available in its entirety.
4. Release shows after the last time-zone airs the episode. At most, 1 day. Anymore, and it looses its value.
5. Keep up old shows. Just because its no longer in the air does not mean no wants to watch it. By keeping up old shows, you will gain new viewers, and still make money on ads.
6. Don’t bend arms of service providers like Hulu and boxee – it does not matter if they watch Internet content on a computer screen or on a TV screen, as long as they watch it.
7. Offer higher quality video to drive down the incentive to pirate. Advertisers pay premiums for prime time shows and other high viewership time slots – the same should be applied for Internet TV.

The TV industry still thinks it’s a competition between providing content over the Air/Cable/Satellite and the Internet. The reality is that both need to be leveraged against the real competitors – piracy. The harder the TV industry makes it for viewers to access TV shows, the more likely people will pirate episodes, and piracy has become really simple.