by Jiaqi Li, DLINQ Intern, Computer Science & Geology Joint Major
(This is a collaborative personal storytelling project between DLINQ Intern Cyborg project and an assignment for Writing on Contemporary Issues (fall 2020))
In computer science, an object in object-oriented programming is an abstract data type that can be a combination of variables, functions, and data structures with the addition of polymorphism and inheritance (the properties and behaviors of an object vary based on the user, and a different object can inherit it with additional or modified behaviors and properties).
This probably does not make much sense to you (nor me if I do not consider it for a while, and I am pursuing a major on the subject—wish me luck), but what if I tell you that this concept is highly relevant to you and how you choose to live your life?
In 1994, Steve Jobs explained what object-oriented programming is using an example about laundry in a Rolling Stone interview. I would like to do something similar, but using myself.
I use my phone every day. I wake up to the alarms on my phone, shower with Spotify’s random playlist, and run with the help of a speed-tracking app. When I first got it from my mom around three years ago, who thought it was too big for her, owning the latest edition of the iPhone was cool and fashionable. (You constantly need to keep an eye on it so it does not get stolen and sold in the second-hand market and then mysterious pictures of oranges appear on your new phone.)
Continue reading on Blurring Boundaries.
Feature photo by Lenin Estrada on Unsplash