My constant companions
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My constant companions
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fter more than 30 years working at The Aerospace Corporation in Los Angeles, I retired in 2017. Shortly thereafter, I moved to Arkansas. Although I am surrounded by family and friends, with whom I interact regularly, my constant companions for the last few years have been my iPhone and iPad. One or both of them are with me almost everywhere I go. My life would be much less comfortable without these devices. The iPhone is my main telephone link, which I use extensively for talking and texting. FaceTime and social media, that includes Facebook and In-stagram, allow me to keep in touch with family and friends, including those in the broad materials research community. I start my day reading (~70) comic strips on my iPad. I can’t go through my daily routine without two cups of coffee and life lessons from Herb and Jamaal, Mallard Fillmore, and Non Sequitur. I need to see what Beetle Bailey, Hagar the Horrible, Mary Worth, and The Phantom are up to. During the day, whether reading, watching TV, working on a project, or participating in a meeting, I have moments when I need additional information about topics of interest. Realtime access to this information has enabled a better understanding of events and better interactions with friends and colleagues. The Kindle app and eBooks allow me to read for fun and to continue to learn. For instance, I am involved in a History of Science Discussion Group at the local university that picks books to read and then meets regularly to discuss them. Each year, I attend several scientific and technical conferences, notably the Materials Research Society (MRS) Spring and Fall Meetings, and meeting apps greatly facilitate my activities. I also utilize travel apps that are lifesavers in providing needed information (delays, cancellations) in a timely fashion. I use a cooking app that provides recipes and cooking tips. It helps me reduce waste by allowing me to efficiently plan for each meal, getting me one step closer to meeting my goal of zero wasted food. Shopping apps have aided me in buying carpet, cabinets, and other items for my new home. Maps and guidance apps aid in navigation, whether I’m traveling locally or hundreds of miles. I also routinely play games on my iPad: Bridge, Sudoku, and Chess. YouTube allows me to view clips from movies and television shows, so that I can pinpoint my favorite scenes. I’ve also watched
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numerous clips on geometry, trigonometry, differential and integral calculus, ordinary and partial differential equations, and topology where problems related to all of these are solved. The skill levels required for the various problems range from grade school through postgraduate studies. Interested in fractional calculus? Want to know how to perform a fractional derivative or a ∏ ∏ fractional integral? What does the operator d /dx mean? What does the operator w mean? Or is it nonsense? What is the value of 00? What is the tetration of x, and how do you differentiate or integrate it? How do you prove the Pythagorean theorem? Is it pr
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