MIT Festival of Learning Nerd Epistemology with Woodie Flowers

MIT Festival of Learning “Nerd Epistemology” with Woodie Flowers The Festival of Learning is an annual event organized by the MIT Office of Digital Learning around the idea that we need to bring technology and pedagogy together for effective learning. I blogged an overview of the Festival last year here. This year, I wanted to be more involved. This post is the first of a series of three posts about the Festival. It is a personal reflection on the keynote address on Nerd Epistemology by Woodie Flowers, MIT Professor of Mechanical Engineering and co-founder of the FIRST Robotics Competition.   Note: this post was originally published on the MIT Office of Digital Learning blog  here.   One way to judge the impact of a speaker is through the audience reaction, and Professor Woodie Flowers’ reception was incredible. He left us with words of wisdom that perfectly summarize MIT’s spirit of collaboration: “Each of you must pull at least a dozen others with you.” I wish I’d heard these words more in my first year here. With the quote displayed on the giant screen, most of the audience left quietly, thinking through everything that had been said. There was much to reflect onâ€"in one hour, Professor Flowers introduced more novel ideas about the way we think and learn than Id thought possible. And that is considering that the Professor started the talk with a broad discussion of the whole  universe.   Professor Flowers’ model of education is perfect for the modern word. With the ability to outsource technical tasks to machines, education is no longer synonymous with training. Now, machines can perform calculus operations for us, but it takes a human to learn how to apply calculus to improve the world. Machines provide models of the human brain, but it takes a human to apply facts about human cognition to pose questions about ethicsâ€"how things should be. We are able make inferences from facts. Wayne Gretzky, a famous hockey player, once said, “I skate to where the puck is going to be, not where it has been.” Only humans can take facts about the universe and, through critical thinking, gain wisdom about the world and our place in it. However, we must not discard the importance of machines. Education provides advantages, but training is a commodity we still require. As Woodie Flowers puts it, “A poet who learns Mother Nature’s laws likely becomes a better poet,” or, in stronger terms, “At some point you must face that anti-science is pro-stupid.” In Professor Flowers’ view, we must stop lecturing, outsource training to machines, and use our time to start mentoringâ€"a straightforward action plan for engaging with technology. Once we distinguish education and training, we can also replace the traditional model of t-shaped educationâ€"pursuing shallow understanding of a broad variety of topics and deep understanding of one fieldâ€"with tree-shaped education. On one side of the tree are training skills that can be outsourced to machines: accounting, statistics, mechanics, etc. On the other side are topics humans ought to learn, in fields such as art, civics, sociology, and philosophy. These ideas are the fundamental tenets of Professor Flowers’ model of “nerd epistemology”: an exploration of how humans think, and how we can apply truth and knowledge to achieve wisdom. The model is groundbreaking in theory. It has also been applied with amazing results. At MIT, the class that best embodies Woodie Flowers’ views on learning is 2.009 Product Engineering Processes, a project-based course led by Professor David Wallace. 2.009 is required for seniors in Mechanical Engineering, and it is, in the words of Professor Flowers, an example of true education, and the best justification for residential education. 2.009 is a semester of immersive learning, during which student teams invent and build an alpha prototype starting from a vague topic. Teams have come up with incredible innovations, and some have pursued their class projects past graduation, developing, among other things, life-saving medical machines. Completing these projects in one semester sounds close to impossible, but in the 20+ years of 2.009, no team has failed. The success of the course is a celebration of critical thinking. I highly recommend watching the 2.009 final product presentation, which features amazing sound and visual effects. Professor Flowers has now left MIT to provide students outside the Institute an opportunity to engage in critical thinking. In 1989, he and Dean Kamen launched the FIRST robotics competition for students in grades K-12. Projections for the the 2017-2018 competition predict that FIRST will have 515,000+ participants in 59,000+ teams, attending 2,900+ events in 83 countries. 150,000+ coaches and mentors will help students create 44,700+ unique robots from scratch. But FIRST participants do so much more than build robotsâ€"they celebrate the “right” kind of learning with the ethos of “gracious professionalism.” The success of the program is clear from the millions of FIRST alumni, including 20% of MIT’s most recent freshman class. I have heard of many innovative ways to think about education in the time of technological growth. Many of them are theoretical, or implemented on a small scale, but Woodie Flowers’ nerd epistemology model is already providing educational advantages to millions of students around the globe. I loved hearing about nerd epistemology, and I am certainly not the only one. After the talk, I overheard a group of freshmen discussing the event: “I want to take 2.009 now!” The group agreedâ€"it was the best compliment a speaker could receive. Post Tagged #2.009 #FIRST robotics competition #MIT Festival of Learning #MIT Office of Digital Learning

Same Sex Marriage Is An Inflammatory Issue In Today’S...

Same sex marriage is an inflammatory issue in today’s political landscape. Seemingly every election cycle brings us incendiary statements about how â€Å"the gays† are destroying America’s moral fabric from segments of the right. Meanwhile the idea of same sex marriage is becoming more and more accepted among young generations. The courts lie in the middle of this chaos. When laws are passed which discriminate against members of the LGBTQ community and are met with legal challenges, it is up to the courts to make a difficult decision. They must decide if the rights of the minority are important enough to disregard the will of the majority of voters. To do this, they must make some difficult decisions about how rights are defined, and what†¦show more content†¦Next, he takes on a more abstract question, asking if it is the role of the courts to identify the rights that will be protected as fundamental. And finally, he finishes the book by tackling the que stion of judicial authority, asking if the courts have the right (and responsibility) to take these decisions away from the democratic process. To make his argument, Gerstmann backs up his own claims with a combination of primary sources in the form of supreme court decisions and dissenting opinions, as well as secondary sources in the form of writings about these various court cases. One example of his technique can be seen when he is asking the question: is marriage a fundamental right? When he is listing off some of the unenumerated rights granted to Americans on pages 75 and 76, he relies on the decisions from those cases. He also cites the decisions when discussing what parts of the constitution grant those rights. In the next paragraph, he cites a book called Democracy and Distrust to help make a broader argument about how the constitution is seen to be granting these unenumerated rights. Gerstmann is explicitly in favor of same sex marriage in this book, but he does seem to r espect opposing arguments enough to give them a fair voice. This is seen in chapter 5, where he examines several opposing arguments before ultimately finding reasons to reject them. However, he does a very goodShow MoreRelatedWomens Rights - A Chronicle of Reform1701 Words   |  7 Pagestheir personal appearance has also grown. Wolf’s position on the issue is that this type of social control is potentially just as restrictive as the traditional roles of women. The Beauty Myth discusses how society’s viewpoint of beauty is detrimental to women because it causes many emotional and psychological problems to women who strive to become â€Å"perfect†. This book is important due to the fact it raises awareness to the issues that many young women are currently facing. The Female EunuchRead MoreThe Movie The Loving Story 1885 Words   |  8 Pagesstory of the Lovings is one fraught with social change. The Lovings were the mixed-race couple that brought their case to the Supreme Court and legalized interracial marriage throughout the U.S. While not described explicitly within the film, the social change that the case brought about was sizable ­Ã¢â‚¬â€œ legalizing interracial marriage was a huge step towards racial equality. 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Comparison Islam/Sikhism - 1091 Words

My choice to compare two religions with so many similarities as Islam and Sikhism is mainly based on the fine, but very distinct differences and the interesting fact that they geographically meet in the Punjab Region between India and Pakistan. When comparing the factual data like number of followers and geographical distribution, it becomes clear that Islam is the heavyweight of the two. Islam with it’s over one billion followers of many different ethnicities and nationalities is the second largest religion in the world. Sikhism is the fifth largest with about 20 million followers. Geographically the difference is even bigger: while Islam is the dominating religion in an area reaching from North amp; Western Africa all the way to†¦show more content†¦Both were chosen by God to deliver the sacred message to mankind. Even though Islam was already established West of the Punjab when Sikhism developed, there are distinct differences such as the refusal of so-called â€Å"empty rituals† by Sikhs, while Muslims have a very ritualized form of prayer and refuse the display of huma n images in places of worship. A common theoretical characteristic is that both religions acknowledge the direct relation between man and God without the need of a mediator like a priest or other dignitary. An interesting aspect is that both religions have concepts or principles regarding war. Sikhs have a concept of â€Å"just war† called Dharam Yudh. In their view, war should be the last resort and needs to have a just cause like ending oppression for example. The Islamic Jihad can describe the internal struggle of every Muslim to live a decent life according to God or the military action to defend Islam. 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A Comparison between Nathaniel Hawthorne’s Scarlet Letter and Arthur Miller’s Crucible Free Essays

Both the Scarlet Letter and the Crucible describe the hysteria generated by the highly restrictive and stifling Puritanical society. I. The Scarlet Letter portrays the situation of a woman and man who have committed adultery and shows the consequences that they have to endure. We will write a custom essay sample on A Comparison between Nathaniel Hawthorne’s Scarlet Letter and Arthur Miller’s Crucible or any similar topic only for you Order Now 1. Hester Prynne wears a symbolical scarlet letter which is the mark of social opprobrium; because she confronts society openly, her spirit is freed from prejudice and she is able to perceive the truth about the society she lives in. 2. Arthur Dimmesdale is blinded by the corruption of the society and cannot see himself and his deed in a true light. Because he is not able to admit his sin and live in honesty he is destroyed by his own inner tumult and by the power of the social condemnation. II. The Crucible also describes a society in which witchcraft is used as a screen to cover the thirst of a Puritanical society for cruelty and revenge. 1. Abigail Williams and the other girls fling accusations at innocent people in the society, delighted by the power they acquire in this way. This shows the way in which the outward show of justice and goodness are used to cover sin and evil. There is a profound reversal of values in the Puritanical world. 3. John Proctor refuses to lie and live in falsehood and is among the few characters who try to uproot prejudice and reveal the truth to the society. After he and other two innocent people are executed, the society seems to realize its blindness and the injustice that hid beyond the witches’ trials. Both Nathaniel Hawthorne’s Scarlet Letter and Arthur Miller’s Crucible are studies of religious superstition which caused a mass delirium in the seventeenth century Puritanical America. The witchcraft trials that took place at that time are an instance of the contagious effect that superstition had on society. Both the Scarlet Letter and the Crucible portray, at the same time, the society that made possible a number of crimes to be committed in the name of religion and good and several individuals that struggle with prejudice and mass superstition. The Puritanical society of the seventeenth century America attempted to stifle human passion and to numb imagination. The society’s severe condemnation of sin and of any sign of liberal thought placed a great constraint on the individual. In this suffocating environment, passion became a crime and superstition and prejudice rose rapidly. However, there was only a pretense at holiness and purity in the Puritanical society. In order to dissimulate their own passions, people began looking for sin in the other members of community. Inebriated by what they saw as their holy mission, which required them to purge the community of evil, the people of Salem began sacrificing other members of the society to satisfy their desire for punishment and revenge. Arthur Dimmesdale in the Scarlet Letter and John Proctor in the Crucible are similar in many ways. As it shall be shown however, Dimmesdale is tormented by his sin while Proctor, although he condemns himself for his mistake, sees the rampant spread of prejudice in Salem and understands that the sins of those that pretend holiness are much greater. Both of the stories therefore deal with mass delirium and show man to be prone on corrupting even religion and the principles of good and justice. Interestingly, both of the works are centered on the idea of adultery. Arthur Dimmesdale, a priest, commits adultery with Hester Prynne and has to live with this spot on his conscience while preaching holiness to others. John Proctor, an ordinary man living in Salem, has an adulterous relationship with Abigail Williams, the reverend Parris’s niece. In both cases, the adultery sets the scene for the social delirium that feeds on the suspicion of sin and evil inside the community. In the Scarlet Letter, Hester Prynne gives birth to a little girl while her husband is missing from the village. While Hester’s sin is easily discovered by the eager society, Dimmesdale’s adultery remains hidden. This is symbolized by the letter â€Å"A†, the scarlet letter, that Hester has to wear over her chest for the rest of her life. Accusations of witchcraft soon arise as well, and the adulterous woman is fiercely banished from society. She ends up living on the outskirts of the town, where she raises Pearl on her own. The little girl is almost taken from her by the people of the town, but she manages to keep her with the help of Dimmesdale. Hester has openly admitted her sin and while she stubbornly displays her shame in front of the other people but Dimmesdale has to keep his true nature hidden. This is not only the result of circumstances however. Hester’s mind and her spirit allow her to be free. She believes in life and the possibility of good and happiness beyond sin. For Dimmesdale however, his sin is also the end and it foreshadows his death. His spirit cannot feel free anymore: as a Christian he knows that it is impossible to erase his past and leave his sin behind. All through the book, Dimmesdale struggles with an unmovable reality. He knows he is guilty and also knows that his sin cannot be redeemed through earthly penance, yet he still searches for a ray of light to illuminate him and guide him towards salvation. The permanent pretense and act he has to put in front of the community is what eventually crushes his spirit. He knows that he cannot transform himself so as to escape knowledge of his sin. Ultimately, Dimmesdale cannot think of acquiring a new identity and leaving the town, as Hester urges him to. Symbolically, he refuses to give up his name and thus escape the opprobrium of the community: â€Å"Give up this name of Arthur Dimmesdale, and make thyself another, and a high one, such as thou canst wear without fear or shame† (Hawthorne, 1980, p. 242). Because of the weight of social conventions and demands, a name is attached to the individual but does not necessarily speak of a person’s character. Dimmesdale’s dilemma is that, as a believer and an essentially good man, he is torn apart by the knowledge that he is a sinner and he can no longer perform truly good deeds. This is also why he is incapable of leaving the place as Hester had urged him: Dimmesdale is tied to the community because of his sin. He cannot escape thus the space that torments him and keeps him imprisoned. By contrast, Hester, who wears the scarlet letter as the symbol of sin and social rejection, has a passport to freedom. Because she is marginalized by the Puritanical society of Boston, she is able to enjoy a spiritual freedom that the other women cannot even imagine: â€Å"The scarlet letter was her passport into regions where other women dared not tread† (Hawthorne, 1980, p. 300). On the other hand, Dimmesdale cannot free his mind and think beyond the conventional social standards and laws: â€Å"The minister †¦ had never gone through an experience calculated to lead him beyond the scope of generally received laws†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Hawthorne, 1980, p. 300). The Scarlet Letter studies therefore the inner corruption and falsehood of the Puritanical society in America. The two main characters, who are united through their sin, reveal two different attitudes when confronted with the force of mass superstition and prejudice. Hester, who wears the burning scarlet letter on her chest, is able to free her mind. She is sees that the society is corrupt and that her sin is not a tremendous one. On the other, Arthur Dimmesdale has to wear the mark of his sin secretly. The symbolic scarlet letter is burning in his soul and the shame eventually destroys him. The letter that the two lovers wear is a symbol of the action of social force in an agitated time. It represents the thirst of the Puritanical society for exposing and cruelly condemning sin. Arthur Miller’s Crucible portrays the same Puritanical society in America in an even more revealing way. The title is very significant: on the one hand, the crucible is an allusion to the witches’ melting pot, the cauldron they use in order to prepare the spells; on the other hand, the crucible is a symbol for the Puritanical hysteria that was itself a melting pot where innocent people were sacrificed to satisfy social prejudice, prudishness and revenge. Miller depicts the development of the witchcraft hysteria with great artistry. Significantly, the social delirium is caused by Abigail Williams, a selfish and passionate young woman who cannot accept the fact that John Proctor rejects her. As the protagonists in the Scarlet Letter, Abigail Williams and Proctor have committed adultery. However, Proctor is very different from Dimmesdale. While he regrets his deed, he maintains his sobriety and reason in the midst of the Puritanical hysteria. He is a believer and he also loves his wife, and therefore discontinues the relationship with Abigail. When the young girl is caught in the forest with a gathering of women and people begin to suspect witchcraft, she saves herself and blames Tituba for having â€Å"compacted with the devil†. The hysteria begins as the girls who were caught dancing in the woods declare having been lured by witches. This generates a complicated web of accusations and subsequent trials. People are condemned with no visible proof when the girls state they have been lured by dark spirits. Under the outward show of purity, the society judges and condemns the innocent with no other proof than the persuasive acting skills of young girls who faint, scream and fall ill in the presence of those who are supposedly evil. In the end, all the people who had managed to maintain their rational thinking and their sanity during these proceedings are condemned. John Proctor and his wife are also waiting to be hanged, along with other honest people who perceive the intricate web of lying and deception and refuse to bend to it. Their spirits reject the demands of the society to betray the other people in order to satisfy their thirst for revenge: â€Å"You must understand sir, that a person is either with this court or must be counted against it, there be no road between. This is a sharp time now, a precise time – we live no longer in the dusky afternoon when evil mixed itself with good and befuddled the world. Now, by God’s grace, the shining sun is up†¦Ã¢â‚¬ (Miller, 2003, p. 93 ) As the judge describes it, the Puritanical society attempted to destroy evil completely and maintain only the good. Interestingly, when John Proctor is faced with a similar dilemma to that of Dimmesdale, he reacts in the same way. The court tempts John Proctor to sign a declaration of guilt and to continue his life with his pregnant wife. The temptation is even greater as the two have just forgiven each other and rediscovered their love and their desire to live. Ultimately however, Proctor cannot sign his name to a lie: â€Å"Because it is my name! Because I cannot have another in my life! Because I lie and sign myself to lies! Because I am not worth the dust on the feet of them that hang! † (Miller, 2003, p. 167). Like Dimmesdale, he cannot adopt a false position in society in order to save himself and therefore chooses death over falsehood. Both the Scarlet Letter and the Crucible reveal the inner workings of the stifling Puritanical world. Attempting to destroy evil completely, the Puritanical world actually destroys justice and honesty. How to cite A Comparison between Nathaniel Hawthorne’s Scarlet Letter and Arthur Miller’s Crucible, Papers

The U-2 Essays - Black Projects, Signals Intelligence,

The U-2 The U-2 CIA ? Air Force Reasons: Soviet air defense was aggressive April 8, 1950 ? USSR shot down a US Privateer over Baltic Autumn 1951 ? USSR downed a Twin-Engine Navy Neptune bomber June 13 1952 ? USSR allegedly downed a RB-29 Also scattered reports from Britain and Turkey After USSR backed N. Korea fear of USSR expansion grew Development: Civilian or Air Force? After many letters the decision for who to run development came from president Eisenhower who instructed that if a uniformed test pilot was captured in USSR in peacetime problems would arouse so a civilian team was called for development. Funding I would like to note that this segment in many reports was covered with black marker You try to read a sentence blacked out like this s and understand it. The Team James R. Killian, Jr. Director of Scientist --- President of MIT His team of engineers worked no more that 50 feet from the assembly line. Problems were recognized and fixed in a few hours of draft productions. The Place Lockheed Martin's Advanced Development facility in Burbank, CA AKA Skunk Works The Plane: The design called for a lightweight aircraft for ultrahigh flight. Tail The long tail was bolted to the body was only 3 bolts. This design was similar to a sailplane, which is also known for its lightweight. Wings The wing spar went through the fuselage. The panels were bolted to the side of the fuselage. (Sailplane) Amazingly the wings where integrated fuel tanks keeping almost all of the U-2's fuel. Nose and Landing Gear The nose was curved upwards to keep stabilized during wind gusts. (Sailplane) The landing was a complex set of bicycle like gears that weight 208 pounds but had the capability to withstand the touchdown of a 7-ton aircraft. Camera After developing 2 cameras each too large or too heavy a camera a camera was then developed using 3 mirrors and a prism to meet the size and weight requirements of the U-2 ?Spacesuits? One of the first partially pressurized suits for high altitude flight was developed for specifically for the U-2. The cockpit kept a constant pressure 28,000 ft. This was at an outside pressure of a ?window cracking' 70,000 feet or more. If the pressure suddenly decreased the suit would automatically inflate and administrate oxygen to the pilot. (Blood boils after 65,000ft) Fuel The CIA called on the vice president of Shell Oil Co. to make a low-volatility, low-vapor kerosene fuel. A fuel with the boiling point of 300?F Security I wish I could fly like an eagle to the see fly like and eagle like my spirits carry me I want to fly. Right into the future ? I want to fly again. Over flights: First The first over flight of the U-2 was over Leningrad. Its target was to observe ship and submarines at bay. The Soviets caught glimpses of the U-2 but never accurately recognized the neither plane nor flight path. The USSR sent a letter to the White House describing the detection a Twin-Engine Navy Neptune bomber over USSR. The USSR was grossly wrong in the description of the U-2 and could not sustain the U-2 on radar for more than a few seconds. Nevertheless Eisenhower closed all over flights Renewal Eisenhower later renewed the U-2 program. But after taking pictures of Yerevan, USSR, The aircraft malfunctioned, and was forced to return to base. In another flight a pilot nick-named the ?Lemon Drop Kick' was to fly over Bulgaria. The reason he was called that was because he always sucked on lemon hard candies during flight. But on that day the solider suiting him up put a L-pill in his pocket, unknowingly with the hard candies. L-pill being a suicide pill filled with potassium cyanide. He took off and started to eat his candy. He felt one of the pills had no flavor. Without biting into it he removed his faceplate and spit it out. The pilot was fine, but a thin glass coating away from death. More flights over the USSR west border were conducted with target cites and testing areas. Operation GRAND SLAM, the last over flight The flight was the first transit over the Soviet Union, all previous flight flew halfway in then turned around and retraced it's flight. The flight would have been sooner, but the weather did not permit it. So CIA asked for more time. President Eisenhower demanded that no flights to

Lord of the Flies - Significance of Simon essays

Lord of the Flies - Significance of Simon essays The Signifiance Of Simon In Lord Of The Flies Human nature is the qualities and traits all humans are born with, regardless of whether or not they are good or evil. William Golding bases his novel Lord Of The Flies on this theory, using the significance of Simon to represent a Christ-like figure who demonstrates generosity, loyalty and clarity. Simons good character creates the contrast between the good and evil that humans are capable of. By observing the actions of Simon, they reveal his generous nature towards everyone on the island. When Jack refused to give Piggy any meat, Simon, sitting between the twins and Piggy, wiped his mouth and shoved his piece of meat over the rocks to Piggy, who grabbed it. The twins giggled and Simon lowered his face in shame (80). The other boys were too greedy to offer Piggy any of their meat so Simon willingly shared his. His actions resemble those of Christ, whom is purely good and holy. When men laughed at those who were outcasts in society and less fortunate, Christ offered them food and respected them. Simon too, offered his food to Piggy who was treated like an outcast. Simons actions reveal the goodness and generosity that is found in his human nature, contrasting to the greed and selfishness of the other boys. In addition, Simon is the only character who is consistently loyal and willing to help. Instead of helping build the huts, the boys got off-task and left Ralph alone with Simon. Ralph explained to Jack Theyre hopeless. The older ones arent much better. Dyou see? All day Ive been working with Simon. No one else. Theyre off bathing, or eating, or playing (55). Simon gave up his own free time to work on the huts and did not complain. Just like Christ who was loyal to his people, Simon was loyal to Ralph and the boys. His positive intentions of helping contributed to the island and were a contrast to the irresponsi ...

German Verbs Haben (to Have) and Sein (to Be)

German Verbs Haben (to Have) and Sein (to Be) The two most important German verbs are  haben  (to have) and  sein  (to be). As in most languages, the verb to be is one of the oldest verbs in German, and therefore one of the most irregular. The verb to have is only slightly less irregular, but no less vital to surviving speaking German. The Rules of Haben in German Well start with  haben. Look at the following table for the conjugation of  haben  in the present tense, along with sample sentences. Notice the strong resemblance to English for many forms of this verb, with most forms only one letter off from the English ( habe/have, hat/has). In the case of the familiar you (du), the German verb is identical to Old English: thou hast is du hast. Haben  is also used in some German expressions that are translated with to be in English. For example:   Ich habe Hunger.  (Im hungry.) Haben  -  To  Have Deutsch English Sample Sentences Singular ich habe I have Ich habe einen roten Wagen. (I have a red car.) du hast you (fam.) have Du hast mein Buch. (You have my book.) er hat he has Er hat ein blaues Auge. (He has a black eye.) sie hat she has Sie hat blaue Augen. (She has blue eyes.) es hat it has Es hat keine Fehler. (It has no flaws.) ​ Plural wir haben we have Wir haben keine Zeit. (We have no time.) ihr habt you (guys) have Habt ihr euer Geld? (Do yall have your money?) sie haben they have Sie haben kein Geld. (They have no money.) Sie haben you have Haben Sie das Geld? (You, sir, have no money.) Note: Sie, formal you, is both singular and plural. To Be or Not to Be  (Sein Oder Nicht Sein) Look at the following table for the conjugation of  sein  (to be) in the present tense. Notice how similar the German and English forms are in the third person (ist/is). Sein  -  To  Be Deutsch English Sample Sentences Singular ich bin I am Ich bin es. (Its me.) du bist you (fam.) are Du bist mein Schatz. (You are my darling.) er ist he is Er ist ein netter Kerl. (He is a nice guy.) sie ist she is Ist sie da? (Is she here?) es ist it is Es ist mein Buch. (It is my book.) Plural wir sind we are Wir sind das Volk. (We are the people/nation.) Note: This was the slogan of 1989 East German protests in Leipzig. ihr seid you (guys) are Seid ihr unsere Freunde? (Are you guys our friends?) sie sind they are Sie sind unsere Freunde. (They are our friends.) Sie sind you are Sind Sie Herr Meier? (Are you, sir, Mr. Meier?) Note: Sie, formal you, is both singular and plural.