Without risk, the world would go nowhere. The wright brothers wouldn't have built a plane, Neil Armstrong wouldn't have made it to the moon, and we would probably still be sitting in caves, too afraid to go outside because nature can be a violent and dangerous thing. In the modern world, every business that you see, hear, or know about is the product of risk. Somebody had to risk their savings, and maybe even their house in order to build up that business. My Dad took that risk over 5 years ago, and started his own recruiting business. Unfortunately, the economy tanked and the business didn't survive. But he doesn't regret taking that risk, and the results weren't all bad. Most entrepreneurs fail in their first business, and it takes a while to learn how to do it right. My dad learned a lot about business, and he had fun doing it. And even now, as I am getting ready to apply for financial aid from colleges, the fact that my Dad wasn't making a lot of money while he was running his business means that I won't have to pay as much for school.
Right now, my dad has gone back to a normal job. He is working as a regional seed sales manager for Land O Lakes. But I don't think he has given up. Once my siblings and I are off at college, he will have more freedom to try again. And although it may be a risk, the experience, and the potential outcomes are worth it.
PS. sorry this is late....I was absorbed in my MoPro and the time just flew by
Sunday, December 18, 2011
Sunday, December 11, 2011
Accepted!
On Friday I got accepted to Purdue! Its not one of my top colleges, but it's a good back up, and at least I'll be going to college somewhere. As of right now, I plan on majoring in electrical engineering, although that may always change. Mechanical engineering, computer science, and materials science are all other potential majors that I don't know enough about yet to really make a final decision. Luckily, most colleges don't require you to declare a major until after your first or second year, so I have plenty of time to decide what I want to do.
UPDATE (12/19/2011): Accepted to Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology!
UPDATE: Accepted to University of Minnesota!
So far, this is the only college I have heard back from. I haven't even applied to most of the colleges on my list yet, because their deadline is in January. The other colleges I have applied do rolling admissions, so I don't know when I'm going to hear back from them. But its one for one so far! More updates if I get accepted into anymore schools (not going to say which ones, because if I get rejected....well, that can just be a secret).
UPDATE (12/19/2011): Accepted to Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology!
UPDATE: Accepted to University of Minnesota!
Sunday, December 4, 2011
The Moody French Woman
Amelia did the same thing each morning. She woke up, walked 5 blocks to her bread shop, warmed up the ovens, and made the first 50 loaves of bread. She new exactly how much flour, butter, yeast, sugar, etc. to use without even needing to measure. She had been doing the same thing for 7 years and she was very happy with her life. But one week ago, something changed. As she was walking home after a long day at work, she heard a quiet cry. She stopped and turned around to find the source of the noise. Down an ally between two buildings, she saw the outline of a small child. She thought about going to the child to help, but it was dark, and there was nobody else around to help her if something happened. She didn't want to go in there, but she couldn't just leave the child. Amelia called out,
"Hello, are you okay?"
Nobody replied, but the crying continued. Amelia knew she had to do something.
"I'm going to get myself killed!" she thought to herself as she stepped into the ally and walked over to the child. He was wearing ragged clothing, and his shoes were full of holes. "Hello, um, I was just walking by and you sounded quite upset. What's wrong?" she said again in a calm voice.
The little boy, startled, jumped back and looked around in panic for a way out of the ally.
"Hey, I'm not going to hurt you, I just wanted to help. Why are you crying" Amelia said
The young boy just stared for a long time, but then very quietly, he responded,
"My father. He left to go find some food but he's been gone for hours. I don't know where he is and I haven't eaten for days."
"Well, I can at least help you with the food. She reached into her purse and pulled out a small roll that she was going to eat the next morning. "Here, take this".
She handed him the roll and he snatched it out of her hands, devouring it within a minute.
"Do you have anymore?" he asked. By the light from the street, Amelia could see how thin the boy was, how much he needed food. She had an idea.
"No, that's all i had with me, but I'll tell you what, do you know that little bakery on the corner?"
The little boy just nodded.
"Okay, well why don't you stop by tomorrow and I'll have some more for you."
The little boy nodded his head again, and Amelia left.
The next day when she came into work she made 53 loaves of bread. She brought out her measuring cups and adjusted her formula for the extra 3. When they came out of the oven, she put the three extra loaves in a small paper bag and stuck it under the counter. As the day wore on, she waited for the young boy. The hours past and still the little boy was nowhere to be seen. But then, just as she was about to close shop, an older man, wearing clothes just as ratty as the young boy's enter her shop. At first she was frighted, but then she realized that this must be the father of the boy. He didn't say anything, he just stood there looking around and taking in the warmth of the small shop. Amelia grabbed the paper bag and handed it to the man. He, just as his son, nodded with a little smile and walked away. Since then, that man has come to the store every day as a sort of unspoken agreement. Amelia bakes the extra loaves and the old man takes it back to his son.
"Hello, are you okay?"
Nobody replied, but the crying continued. Amelia knew she had to do something.
"I'm going to get myself killed!" she thought to herself as she stepped into the ally and walked over to the child. He was wearing ragged clothing, and his shoes were full of holes. "Hello, um, I was just walking by and you sounded quite upset. What's wrong?" she said again in a calm voice.
The little boy, startled, jumped back and looked around in panic for a way out of the ally.
"Hey, I'm not going to hurt you, I just wanted to help. Why are you crying" Amelia said
The young boy just stared for a long time, but then very quietly, he responded,
"My father. He left to go find some food but he's been gone for hours. I don't know where he is and I haven't eaten for days."
"Well, I can at least help you with the food. She reached into her purse and pulled out a small roll that she was going to eat the next morning. "Here, take this".
She handed him the roll and he snatched it out of her hands, devouring it within a minute.
"Do you have anymore?" he asked. By the light from the street, Amelia could see how thin the boy was, how much he needed food. She had an idea.
"No, that's all i had with me, but I'll tell you what, do you know that little bakery on the corner?"
The little boy just nodded.
"Okay, well why don't you stop by tomorrow and I'll have some more for you."
The little boy nodded his head again, and Amelia left.
The next day when she came into work she made 53 loaves of bread. She brought out her measuring cups and adjusted her formula for the extra 3. When they came out of the oven, she put the three extra loaves in a small paper bag and stuck it under the counter. As the day wore on, she waited for the young boy. The hours past and still the little boy was nowhere to be seen. But then, just as she was about to close shop, an older man, wearing clothes just as ratty as the young boy's enter her shop. At first she was frighted, but then she realized that this must be the father of the boy. He didn't say anything, he just stood there looking around and taking in the warmth of the small shop. Amelia grabbed the paper bag and handed it to the man. He, just as his son, nodded with a little smile and walked away. Since then, that man has come to the store every day as a sort of unspoken agreement. Amelia bakes the extra loaves and the old man takes it back to his son.
Sunday, November 27, 2011
Rhetorical Mode Reveal
1. Definition
2. Compare/Contrast
3. Narration
4. Example
5. Process Analysis
6. Cause/Effect
Saturday, November 26, 2011
Courage
1. Courage means doing something even if you are afraid. It is a selfless act brought on by the need to help or protect others, and it cannot be motivated by self glorification or pride.
2. It is important that courage is not confused with foolishness. Doing something stupid even though one may be afraid or nervous to do so, is not courageous. Sometimes this distinction is obvious. For example, I would be afraid to attempt to jump the grand canyon on a motorcycle, but it would not be courageous to overcome that fear and attempt such a feat. I would be putting myself at risk for nothing but pride. But sometimes it is hard to tell the difference between courage and foolishness. Consider the classic horror movie where the woman hears a thump in the basement. She is extremely frightened but goes down to investigate anyways, armed with nothing but a flashlight. Is that courage or stupidity? This is a finer line. Many times the answer lies in context. If she had 3 children, was living in a house in the middle of nowhere, and her husband was gone for the weekend, and in order to protect her children she went downstairs to apprehend a possible intruder, then yes. That would be courageous (although a gun would be better than a flashlight). On the other hand, if she lived in an suburban neighborhood, and it would be safer to grab the kids, go to the neighbor's house, and call the police, then her actions would have been foolish.
3. I hear a scream from the other side of the house. I run down the hallway and find my 4 year old sister the floor of her room crying. She is curled up, paralyzed in fear. I look around to find the source of her fear, and there on the wall is a spider the size of my fist. My heart beats fast as the knot grows in my stomach. Fear creeps down my spine and my hair stands on end. I can't kill that spider! It's huge and probably venomous. Can it jump? But then I look down at my sister and see the fear in her eyes. I have to kill it. I pull off my shoe and take a deep breath. My hand is shaking, and I do my best to stabilize it. I walk closer and pull back my arm. WHACK!
2. It is important that courage is not confused with foolishness. Doing something stupid even though one may be afraid or nervous to do so, is not courageous. Sometimes this distinction is obvious. For example, I would be afraid to attempt to jump the grand canyon on a motorcycle, but it would not be courageous to overcome that fear and attempt such a feat. I would be putting myself at risk for nothing but pride. But sometimes it is hard to tell the difference between courage and foolishness. Consider the classic horror movie where the woman hears a thump in the basement. She is extremely frightened but goes down to investigate anyways, armed with nothing but a flashlight. Is that courage or stupidity? This is a finer line. Many times the answer lies in context. If she had 3 children, was living in a house in the middle of nowhere, and her husband was gone for the weekend, and in order to protect her children she went downstairs to apprehend a possible intruder, then yes. That would be courageous (although a gun would be better than a flashlight). On the other hand, if she lived in an suburban neighborhood, and it would be safer to grab the kids, go to the neighbor's house, and call the police, then her actions would have been foolish.
3. I hear a scream from the other side of the house. I run down the hallway and find my 4 year old sister the floor of her room crying. She is curled up, paralyzed in fear. I look around to find the source of her fear, and there on the wall is a spider the size of my fist. My heart beats fast as the knot grows in my stomach. Fear creeps down my spine and my hair stands on end. I can't kill that spider! It's huge and probably venomous. Can it jump? But then I look down at my sister and see the fear in her eyes. I have to kill it. I pull off my shoe and take a deep breath. My hand is shaking, and I do my best to stabilize it. I walk closer and pull back my arm. WHACK!
4. Harry Potter was courageous. He did not seek glory or fame. Actually, he would have preferred to be a nobody, but that was not his choice. The prophecy (made about Harry and Voldemort) stated that neither can live while the other survives, so Voldemort made it his mission to kill Harry. As a result Harry was constantly surrounded by fear and danger, but he faced them to protect his friends and the entire world. And at the end, Harry decided to face Voldemort himself not because he wasn't scared, but because if he didn't, all of his friends would die, and that was much worse than facing Voldemort.
5. Courage begins with a crisis or a need, and is followed by a response. In response to this need or crisis, an individual or even a group overcomes (but not necessarily forgets) their fears in order to help, protect, or save another individual or group. This fear can be something as simple as a fear of public speaking or something as serious as a fear of death.
6. People are courageous because something else more important than their fears or an even greater fear motivates them to act. They hope that doing this will help them to avoid a worse outcome than the fear itself.
Sunday, November 20, 2011
Henna Dark Mark!
This weekend I got a henna tattoo (I think that is the correct terminology). Henna is a plant that produces a chemical that stains the skin by bonding to the protein. Here is the Wikipedia page http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henna. On Saturday, my friend's sister bought some henna at Michael's. Luckily for us, the henna solution was only good for 24 hours after it was mixed, so she offered to give us all tattoos. She is really good at drawing, and she is a huge Harry Potter fan, so when I asked for a dark mark, it took all 5 min to draw! So for the next two weeks (until the henna wears off) I am officially a death eater! (Photo to the right. Its upside down because I took the photo myself). Also, you should read my blog on soundtracks because I spent too long on it for it to only get 1 view!
Sunday, November 13, 2011
Mass Media (Glee)
I think that mass media, especially television, both reflects and changes social values. A television show cannot succeed if it reflects view that are not popular with the public, therefore, television is influenced by the viewers. But television can also affect the viewers opinions, either positively or negatively. A television show may take one or two controversial topics, and present their view on it. They will usually do so in a quiet way so that those viewers who do not agree with it will continue to watch.
One television show that makes this really obvious is Glee. Many of the issues that come up in the show are influenced by the viewers and big issues in our culture today. Last weeks episode brought up a lot of high school issues such as drinking, sex, and getting into a bar with a fake ID. They wouldn't have even brought up these issues if they weren't prevalent in today's society. But Glee also influences the audience by asserting their own opinions. The main topic of last week's episode was sex. By the end of the episode, I don't think anyone on the show was a virgin anymore. Glee supported these decisions because non of the characters received any consequences for their actions.
Another issue the show addressed was underage drinking. The first instance of it wasn't even brought to the attention of the viewers. When Rachel and Finn were eating together at Finn's house, they casually had some wine with dinner. They didn't mention it, they just did it as if it was normal. I had to stop, rewind, and watch it again. How many people caught that? I didn't think so. The second time the characters drank was when Kurt and Blaine went to a bar. Blaine had a few beers and by the end, he was drunk. Glee influenced the audience again by not giving any serious consequences for the characters actions. Although Kurt and Blaine did get into a fight while Blaine was drunk, nobody got caught, and in the end everyone was happy again.
The last issue the show addressed was fake ID's. Kurt and Blaine were pressured into getting fake ID's and going to a bar. Glee supported this decision by not mentioning any of the consequences of getting caught with a fake ID. This is influencing the audience by subconciously convincing them that fake IDs are normal and that people can get away with having them. Did you know that getting caught with a fake ID is a misdemeanor? You can be sent to jail, have your license suspended, and be forced to pay a fine.
If you haven't noticed yet, I don't exactly agree with the message Glee supported in its episode last week. The audience of this show includes many high school and even middle school students. I don't think it should be promoting sex, drinking, and getting fake IDs with such a young audience. I realize that just watching this episode isn't going to make kids start drinking, but I don't think that it is a good message to send. But my opinion doesn't matter. Glee has such a wide audience that it can get away with saying what it wants because in a week, nobody is going to remember any anger they felt towards the show. Glee probably won't mention it very much in next weeks episode, and they will go on as if nothing happened. That is the power of mass media.
ALSO: Please read my last blog post!!!!!!! I spent 4 hours on it, but it didn't show up until yesterday on Mrs. Cardona's webpage!!!! Its all about soundtrack music, so if you feel the need to procrastinate, and love listening to music on youtube click here!!!!!!!!http://golb-eh.blogspot.com/2011/11/dont-click-on-this-i-know-you-want-to.html
(In response to x2 pg. 119)
One television show that makes this really obvious is Glee. Many of the issues that come up in the show are influenced by the viewers and big issues in our culture today. Last weeks episode brought up a lot of high school issues such as drinking, sex, and getting into a bar with a fake ID. They wouldn't have even brought up these issues if they weren't prevalent in today's society. But Glee also influences the audience by asserting their own opinions. The main topic of last week's episode was sex. By the end of the episode, I don't think anyone on the show was a virgin anymore. Glee supported these decisions because non of the characters received any consequences for their actions.
Another issue the show addressed was underage drinking. The first instance of it wasn't even brought to the attention of the viewers. When Rachel and Finn were eating together at Finn's house, they casually had some wine with dinner. They didn't mention it, they just did it as if it was normal. I had to stop, rewind, and watch it again. How many people caught that? I didn't think so. The second time the characters drank was when Kurt and Blaine went to a bar. Blaine had a few beers and by the end, he was drunk. Glee influenced the audience again by not giving any serious consequences for the characters actions. Although Kurt and Blaine did get into a fight while Blaine was drunk, nobody got caught, and in the end everyone was happy again.
The last issue the show addressed was fake ID's. Kurt and Blaine were pressured into getting fake ID's and going to a bar. Glee supported this decision by not mentioning any of the consequences of getting caught with a fake ID. This is influencing the audience by subconciously convincing them that fake IDs are normal and that people can get away with having them. Did you know that getting caught with a fake ID is a misdemeanor? You can be sent to jail, have your license suspended, and be forced to pay a fine.
If you haven't noticed yet, I don't exactly agree with the message Glee supported in its episode last week. The audience of this show includes many high school and even middle school students. I don't think it should be promoting sex, drinking, and getting fake IDs with such a young audience. I realize that just watching this episode isn't going to make kids start drinking, but I don't think that it is a good message to send. But my opinion doesn't matter. Glee has such a wide audience that it can get away with saying what it wants because in a week, nobody is going to remember any anger they felt towards the show. Glee probably won't mention it very much in next weeks episode, and they will go on as if nothing happened. That is the power of mass media.
ALSO: Please read my last blog post!!!!!!! I spent 4 hours on it, but it didn't show up until yesterday on Mrs. Cardona's webpage!!!! Its all about soundtrack music, so if you feel the need to procrastinate, and love listening to music on youtube click here!!!!!!!!http://golb-eh.blogspot.com/2011/11/dont-click-on-this-i-know-you-want-to.html
(In response to x2 pg. 119)
Saturday, November 5, 2011
DONT CLICK ON THIS!!!! (I know you want to...)
HA! I got you! today I'm going to be talking about soundtrack music! So PLEASE, read on, I spent 3 hours picking out music for you to listen to!
Soundtrack music is one of the greatest genres of music. Unlike regular pop music, it has no words! This is probably the best part about it. I love listening to it while I do my homework because it isn't distracting. I also really like it because it is like reliving the movie that it was composed for.
My favorites are....
Ready for some samples? Here are a few of the best songs from these composers.
The Ring goes south: This is a really good song because it incorporates many of the themes throughout the movie. I suggest listening to the whole thing if you have time.
Concerning Hobbit: This is a beautiful song. It is the main theme that occurs in the shire, or during a key hobbit moment in the movie.
Riders of Rohan: The main theme that I wanted to show here doesn't come until 2:33 so you may want to skip to there if you are just skimming these songs
Buckbeak's Flight: This is a great song because it really gets across the emotion or feel of flying. When you listen to it, its as if you are flying on buckbeak's back.
Professor Umbridge: This is my favorite song from the order of the Phoenix because it is perfect song to describe Umbridge. You can see her horrible little smile, and hear her evil giggle as this song plays.
Wizard Weezes: This song is totally different form
the rest of the album. It is jazzy and fun.
I Never Woke up in Handcuffs Before: For those people in orchestra, this is a really interesting song, because the violin technique is very scratchy and in any other setting, it would sound terrible. If anyone in orchestra attempted this, Mr. Gitch would probably throw them out. I like how this tone, is turned into something enjoyable in this song.
Duel of the Fates: In overall EPIC rating, This song wins.
Sorry this list is so long. I tried to format it differently, but Blogger is impossible to work with, so I just gave up and only put one video per row.
So.... Are you totally hooked on soundtrack music now? If your not, listen again, because you obviously weren't listening right the first time. If you have a favorite soundtrack that I missed, comment so I can add it to the list.
Soundtrack music is one of the greatest genres of music. Unlike regular pop music, it has no words! This is probably the best part about it. I love listening to it while I do my homework because it isn't distracting. I also really like it because it is like reliving the movie that it was composed for.
My favorites are....
- Lord of the Rings
- Harry Potter
- Doctor Who
- Sherlock Holmes
- Star Trek
- Gladiator
You may have never thought about the background music in a movie, but once you start to pay attention to it, you will be surprised by what you find. Stop and try to think of a movie theme song. Got it? Okay, google that movie, find the composer, and see what other movies they have composed for. You will probably be surprised by all of the other movies that they have composed for. John Williams list is probably the most impressive because he has created most of the iconic themes for classic movies over the past 20 years. Here is a list of some of my favorite composers and their works.
- John Williams has created many of the movie theme songs that we know today such as Indiana Jones, Star wars, Harry Potter (1-3), ET, Jurassic Park, Superman, Jaws, Home alone, Saving Private Ryan, and many more (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Williams).
- Hans Zimmer has also composed for many movies including Pirates of the Caribbean, Gladiator, Sherlock Holmes, the Dark Knight, Inception, the lion king, the road to El Dorado, the rock, and Rain Man (more here http://www.filmtracks.com/composers/zimmer.shtml).
- Michael Giacchino has composed the music for LOST, The Incredibles, UP, Star Trek (2009), and Ratatouille. He has also written music for video games such as medal of honor and call of duty. (more here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Giacchino)
- And we cannot forget Howard Shore who composed the music for the Lord of The Rings films (which are probably the best soundtracks of all time!), silence of the lambs, and Eclipse (more here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Howard_Shore) He will also be composing the music for the new Hobbit movie!!!!!!!
- Also, I was quite impressed with John Powell's score for How to Train your Dragon. I have not listened to much of his music, although after reading his wiki page, I found out that he also composed the music for Shrek and the Bourne trilogy (more here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Powell). Most of his other movies are sequels, but it seems as if he may be making his way into some more impressive movies.
The Ring goes south: This is a really good song because it incorporates many of the themes throughout the movie. I suggest listening to the whole thing if you have time.
Concerning Hobbit: This is a beautiful song. It is the main theme that occurs in the shire, or during a key hobbit moment in the movie.
Riders of Rohan: The main theme that I wanted to show here doesn't come until 2:33 so you may want to skip to there if you are just skimming these songs
The end of all things: EPIC!
Minas Morgul: This is the isengard theme. You here this whenever there is a scene with the orcs or sauroman.
Hedwig's theme: This is the classic harry potter theme
Fawkes the Pheonix: This is a beautiful song. Fawkes is supposed to have a beautiful, and mesmorizng song that it cries. John Williams really got it down.
Fawkes the Pheonix: This is a beautiful song. Fawkes is supposed to have a beautiful, and mesmorizng song that it cries. John Williams really got it down.
The Spiders: This songs plays when Harry and Ron go into the woos and meet Aragog. Does it sound like spiders crawling around? Again, another fantastic song by John Williams
Buckbeak's Flight: This is a great song because it really gets across the emotion or feel of flying. When you listen to it, its as if you are flying on buckbeak's back.
Professor Umbridge: This is my favorite song from the order of the Phoenix because it is perfect song to describe Umbridge. You can see her horrible little smile, and hear her evil giggle as this song plays.
Dumbledores Army: The best part of this song is at 1:08.
The Ministry of Magic: This songs really portrays the wonder and magic, of the ministry of magic building.
Wizard Weezes: This song is totally different form
the rest of the album. It is jazzy and fun.
The Story Begins This is an intense piece that sets up the rest of the film. It starts out very epic and dark but it adds a bit of spunk after about 30 seconds. It slowly turns darker but it ends on a happy note. It sets up all of the twists and turns that occur throughout the movie.
Snape to Malfoy Manor: I like this song because it has a darker feel to it, but there are portions that are on the off beat. When I listen to it, I image flying through the manor, with the angles changing, and people walking about.
Test Drive: This song is FANTASTIC. When I listen to it, there is nothing else that I would rather be doing than flying. Especially at :42. This song grips the listener and takes them along on the adventure.
I Never Woke up in Handcuffs Before: For those people in orchestra, this is a really interesting song, because the violin technique is very scratchy and in any other setting, it would sound terrible. If anyone in orchestra attempted this, Mr. Gitch would probably throw them out. I like how this tone, is turned into something enjoyable in this song.
Enterprising Young Men: Did you catch the pun? "Enterprise"ing? The Enterprise is the name of the ship from Star Trek. I really like this song because it takes into account the adventure and grandiose of space travel
I am the Doctor: This is probably my favorite song from any of the doctor who soundtracks. It is very exciting and full of adventure. At around :30, you can hear a ticking underneath the main theme which is appropriate because this show is about traveling through time.
This is Gallifrey: Its a sad song but inspiring at the same time. Notice the ticking in the background again? It s reoccurring theme throughout many of the songs.
A Dazzling End: This title of this song is very fitting. It is a song of ending, but it is very Dazzling.
Fish Custard: This is a good song but the scene that accompanies it is even better!
The scene where Fish Custard is played. WATCH IT!
I am the Doctor: This is probably my favorite song from any of the doctor who soundtracks. It is very exciting and full of adventure. At around :30, you can hear a ticking underneath the main theme which is appropriate because this show is about traveling through time.
This is Gallifrey: Its a sad song but inspiring at the same time. Notice the ticking in the background again? It s reoccurring theme throughout many of the songs.
A Dazzling End: This title of this song is very fitting. It is a song of ending, but it is very Dazzling.
Fish Custard: This is a good song but the scene that accompanies it is even better!
The scene where Fish Custard is played. WATCH IT!
With love, From Vincent: This is just a really pretty song. It is a nice change from all of the exciting music.
Words Win Wars: How appropriate for AP composition! This is very similar to I am the Doctor but it is a bit more intense.
Duel of the Fates: In overall EPIC rating, This song wins.
Sorry this list is so long. I tried to format it differently, but Blogger is impossible to work with, so I just gave up and only put one video per row.
So.... Are you totally hooked on soundtrack music now? If your not, listen again, because you obviously weren't listening right the first time. If you have a favorite soundtrack that I missed, comment so I can add it to the list.
Sunday, October 30, 2011
When I become Supreme Dictator of the World (which I will), I will destroy Disney channel....FOREVER!!!!!!!
My writing ritual is pretty much the same as my homework ritual, because when I write, it is usually for a homework assignment. When I get home, I start by watching a half an hour of TV. TV is really relaxing because my brain doesn't have to do any work. I usually watch a sitcom to make me laugh and get me in a good mood for homework. Then I go downstairs. I always do my writing downstairs, because my brother turns on Disney channel the second he gets home. If you don't have a younger sibling, then you probably don't understand, but Disney channel is impossible to tune out. It's like this high pitched drone that drills into your brain!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! If you ever feel like torturing yourself, turn on disney channel for a few hours. But be careful, prolonged exposure has been proven to increase the urge to strangle the person nearest to you. Anyway, when I begin a writing assignment, I usually sit on the downstairs couch, because I am too tired to sit at a table. This is really stupid, because sitting on a couch just makes me even more tired, but most days, I don't have the energy to fight my stupidity. By nine, when my I begin nodding off, I grab a can of Mt. Dew to wake me up again. This usually lasts until 11 or 11:30. Hopefully, I have finished my writing, but if I haven't, then I have to use pure will to keep me going. Mt. Dew has very little effect at that point. This is not really an ideal ritual. I am still always distracted and tired. I have tried working at the library and at coffee shops but I just never really feel comfortable anywhere. I think its because every where is too big and distracting. I really need my own little, secluded, soundproof corner to do my work.
This is my ideal work space...
When I am older, and I live in my own home, I will have a reading room. It will be a medium sized room in the basement with dark colored walls and thick carpeting. If I have enough money, the room will only be accessible through a hidden door, because that is just awesome. There will be a desk in the shape of a ring in one corner, so I can sit in the middle and lay out all of my work. There will also be a large reclining chair in the other corner for comfortable reading. This room will only have one of those small windows near the ceiling that underground basements have, because I prefer to read and work under artificial light. Sunlight is too warm, too bright, and not very cozy. This way, no matter what the weather is like outside, my reading room will have a constant atmosphere. The walls will be lined with bookshelves filled with books. The room will also have a space heater, so I in the winter, I can heat the room to the perfect temperature without having to overheat the rest of the house. In this room, I will do my work for whatever job I have, and in my spare time I will write science fiction/ thriller novels.
Sunday, October 23, 2011
My Weekend Adventure (Why I am writing this at 6:00 instead of 4)
I began my four day weekend at the University of Minnesota. Right now, I am participating in SciMent. This is a program where I find a mentor, help them with their work, and then design my own research project. I am currently working with Professor Girshick and his graduate student, Ping Yan. They are using plasma to create nanoparticles that can detect and kill cancer. Pretty cool, huh? So I woke up a little late and got the U by 11. We worked on the experiment until 5:30, varying different levels of oxygen to get the right chemical composition for the nano particles. It was going fine until the filter broke three times in a row. At that point we had to give up for the day, because we ran out of massed filters (filters that had already been weighed). I got home around 6:30 because rush hour is terrible. When I got home, I at dinner, watched T.V. for a few hours, because it was the first day of break, and then fell asleep. Did you catch my big mistake? I DIDN'T CHECK THE WEEKEND UPDATE BLOG POST!!!!!
At 9pm on Thursday, we made the last minute decision to visit a few colleges. We woke up at the crack of dawn on Friday to begin our quest (as all great quests do) and headed to Wisconsin. I would have rather set out to recover the treasure that Smaug stole from the dwarves, but since we don't live in middle earth, I had to settle for a quest in Midwest. Our first stop was the University of Wisconsin Madison. After a long, boring, drive, we arrived at around 11:30. The tours were booked solid, and they couldn't possible accommodate us because they were already overbooked. So naturally, we walked outside and joined the nearest tour that was getting ready to leave. My mom and I both kind of felt like Hermione when she was organizing a secret meeting for Dumbledore's Army (DA) ,"It's kind of fun...breaking the rules." After the tour, we went to the engineering building, and luckily they had a few open seats in the engineering information session. Overall, this was my favorite college that we visited. The campus was beautiful; it was right next to a lake and there was plenty of open grass space. The buildings were nice, and they had recently added a few new engineering buildings. Education wise, they had a lot research opportunities for undergrads. They also had a great system for homework help (free tutoring from students who had done really well in the class you needed help with). The university wide snowball fights also didn't detract from the overall appeal.
When we were done at Madison, we got back into the car and drove to the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Did you know that cars don't have WiFi? You don't think about it until you need it, but it would really be nice wouldn't it. Anyways, we arrived at the hotel at around 9:30, and I passed out on the bed within 10 minutes (notice how I didn't go on the internet to check your blog for assignments *face palm*).
We woke up at 8, had breakfast, and then headed over to the University of Illinois (10 min from the hotel). I was actually really disappointed by it. First of all, they were completely shut down on Saturday. The admission building was closed so we couldn't get a tour or even a pamphlet (we probably should have checked looked up their schedule before we went). The whole university also had a lonely, small town feel. The campus wasn't really separate from the surrounding houses and town. Although most universities have a town right outside, this one was surrounded by it. And unlike a university in a large city, this town was run down and full of small old gas stations. The campus had a similar feel. It was very old, but not in a good way like Harvard. The only really new structure was the football stadium. The engineering buildings on the other hand, seemed to have been left out of the renovation money. It also felt too familiar. My grandparents live in Illinois, and the overall environment (the trees, the grass, the weather, even the town) felt like where my grandparents live. I would really prefer to go to college somewhere that feels new and different.
Our last stop was Pudue University, because it was only two hours away from the University of Illinois. When we got to Purdue, it was swarming with people. There was a football game between Purdue and the University of Illinois (which may have explained why there were so few people at the U of IL) that had just ended. The campus was huge and it was a lot more welcoming. They had just built a brand new Engineering building. It was wide open with a high ceiling, and hanging from the ceiling was a capsule from one of the rockets that went to the moon (appropriate since the building was named after Neil Armstrong). To create a modern effect, they used a lot of glass walls so we could see all of the research and projects they were working on, such as an electric car they had built for competition. We also went to the electrical engineering building (this is what I am leaning towards right now) and looked around. It was a bit older, and the inside wasn't nearly as nice as the Neil Armstrong building, but it seemed much happier than the University of Illinois.
By six, we decided we better hit the road, so we began our long WiFi-deprived drive back to Minnesota. The drive back to Minnesota takes 9 hours so we stopped at 11:00pm in Madison for the night. I walked into the hotel room, and within 10 minutes I passed out again (notice AGAIN how I didn't go on the computer to check your blog *double face palm*).
We woke up at 7 and had breakfast in the lobby which consisted of raisin bran, potato squares, and a sausage link (not all mixed together, that would be gross!). We hit the road and arrived home by 2:30. After sitting in a car for 6 hours, I was still tired, so I walked through the door of my house, lay down on my couch, and fell asleep. I woke up at 5, after my mom yelled at me for an hour to wake up (There could be a tornado ripping though my house and I still wouldn't wake up), and I proceeded to surf the web about the colleges I'm applying to, check my email, and look on facebook (Did you know that facebook is banned in China? That's probably why they do so much better in school!) At that point, I remembered that we were supposed to check your blog for the weekend update (*face punch* as a face palm is not severe enough for my reaction). And for the past two hours, I have been writing this.
Overall, my excuse for not writing this on time sucks (hopefully this didn't come off as whiny, because that was not my intention. It was more of self frustration.), but the story is pretty exciting, so hopefully you got a bit of entertainment out of it!
THE END
At 9pm on Thursday, we made the last minute decision to visit a few colleges. We woke up at the crack of dawn on Friday to begin our quest (as all great quests do) and headed to Wisconsin. I would have rather set out to recover the treasure that Smaug stole from the dwarves, but since we don't live in middle earth, I had to settle for a quest in Midwest. Our first stop was the University of Wisconsin Madison. After a long, boring, drive, we arrived at around 11:30. The tours were booked solid, and they couldn't possible accommodate us because they were already overbooked. So naturally, we walked outside and joined the nearest tour that was getting ready to leave. My mom and I both kind of felt like Hermione when she was organizing a secret meeting for Dumbledore's Army (DA) ,"It's kind of fun...breaking the rules." After the tour, we went to the engineering building, and luckily they had a few open seats in the engineering information session. Overall, this was my favorite college that we visited. The campus was beautiful; it was right next to a lake and there was plenty of open grass space. The buildings were nice, and they had recently added a few new engineering buildings. Education wise, they had a lot research opportunities for undergrads. They also had a great system for homework help (free tutoring from students who had done really well in the class you needed help with). The university wide snowball fights also didn't detract from the overall appeal.
When we were done at Madison, we got back into the car and drove to the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Did you know that cars don't have WiFi? You don't think about it until you need it, but it would really be nice wouldn't it. Anyways, we arrived at the hotel at around 9:30, and I passed out on the bed within 10 minutes (notice how I didn't go on the internet to check your blog for assignments *face palm*).
We woke up at 8, had breakfast, and then headed over to the University of Illinois (10 min from the hotel). I was actually really disappointed by it. First of all, they were completely shut down on Saturday. The admission building was closed so we couldn't get a tour or even a pamphlet (we probably should have checked looked up their schedule before we went). The whole university also had a lonely, small town feel. The campus wasn't really separate from the surrounding houses and town. Although most universities have a town right outside, this one was surrounded by it. And unlike a university in a large city, this town was run down and full of small old gas stations. The campus had a similar feel. It was very old, but not in a good way like Harvard. The only really new structure was the football stadium. The engineering buildings on the other hand, seemed to have been left out of the renovation money. It also felt too familiar. My grandparents live in Illinois, and the overall environment (the trees, the grass, the weather, even the town) felt like where my grandparents live. I would really prefer to go to college somewhere that feels new and different.
Our last stop was Pudue University, because it was only two hours away from the University of Illinois. When we got to Purdue, it was swarming with people. There was a football game between Purdue and the University of Illinois (which may have explained why there were so few people at the U of IL) that had just ended. The campus was huge and it was a lot more welcoming. They had just built a brand new Engineering building. It was wide open with a high ceiling, and hanging from the ceiling was a capsule from one of the rockets that went to the moon (appropriate since the building was named after Neil Armstrong). To create a modern effect, they used a lot of glass walls so we could see all of the research and projects they were working on, such as an electric car they had built for competition. We also went to the electrical engineering building (this is what I am leaning towards right now) and looked around. It was a bit older, and the inside wasn't nearly as nice as the Neil Armstrong building, but it seemed much happier than the University of Illinois.
By six, we decided we better hit the road, so we began our long WiFi-deprived drive back to Minnesota. The drive back to Minnesota takes 9 hours so we stopped at 11:00pm in Madison for the night. I walked into the hotel room, and within 10 minutes I passed out again (notice AGAIN how I didn't go on the computer to check your blog *double face palm*).
We woke up at 7 and had breakfast in the lobby which consisted of raisin bran, potato squares, and a sausage link (not all mixed together, that would be gross!). We hit the road and arrived home by 2:30. After sitting in a car for 6 hours, I was still tired, so I walked through the door of my house, lay down on my couch, and fell asleep. I woke up at 5, after my mom yelled at me for an hour to wake up (There could be a tornado ripping though my house and I still wouldn't wake up), and I proceeded to surf the web about the colleges I'm applying to, check my email, and look on facebook (Did you know that facebook is banned in China? That's probably why they do so much better in school!) At that point, I remembered that we were supposed to check your blog for the weekend update (*face punch* as a face palm is not severe enough for my reaction). And for the past two hours, I have been writing this.
Overall, my excuse for not writing this on time sucks (hopefully this didn't come off as whiny, because that was not my intention. It was more of self frustration.), but the story is pretty exciting, so hopefully you got a bit of entertainment out of it!
THE END
Sunday, October 16, 2011
Pet Peeves
Pet peeves
- When people break out into song.
- When people breathe really loud. (Especially when I have to sit next to them during a test. So the square root of four is.....*breath* *breath* "luke I am your father!" AHHHH)
- When people constantly complain about everything. Except for this guy. He's hilarious (caution: uses a lot of profanity)
- Drama. There is enough of that on television.
- National high five day. How come all of the courage/respect retreats always seem to land on national high five day?
- People who think they know everything. You don't.
- People who play 16 instruments. When do they actually play all of them? Come on.
- People who walk really slowly down the stairs.
- When people think they are too good for society and believe "the man" is oppressing them.
- Excessive make-up.
- When people don't shower enough and they start to smell
- When we spend half of the time in MoPro talking about completely irrelevant topics.
- Also, Harry potter is better than twilight. That is a fact, not an opinion.
2 million minutes
Overall, I think american students don't care enough about school. They focus too much on sports and they don't work hard enough. On the other hand, I think there does need to be some balance between academics and life. What I like about the American culture is that students have to push themselves, they are not doing something just because their parents told them to. My dad has always to me to make up my own decision about what I want to do. He has never tried to persuade me or any of my siblings to pursue a particular field or career. My parents have never really forced school on me at all. It used to really bother me. If I came home and told my parents that I got a B on the test I took last week they would say "Oh honey that's great!" My response would be, "WHAT! No it's not! That's horrible, I'm never going to get into college now!". My parents just didn't seem to understand the importance of school. But now I am thankful. If my parents had pushed me, I would have been more likely to rebel and give up on school all together.
In response to For Once Blame the Students, I think that Patrick Welsh is right, especially in a district like Wayzata where we have excellent teachers. I know that there are a lot of inner city schools that suffer due to poor teaching, but many times that is not the case. I think that students just don't care enough. The teacher may be brilliant, but the students wouldn't know because they don't pay attention or they don't bother to do the homework. In my 4X class, kids complained because it was too hard, and they were getting B's and C's on the tests. They also weren't trying. When they got to a problem in the homework that looked even remotely hard, they left it blank and waited for the teacher to explain it the next day. I saw a lot of papers almost completely empty. How can you learn if you don't try. The most common complaint I heard after a test was, "Well I understood it when he explained it on the board". WELL OF COURSE YOU DID! ONCE YOU KNOW THE ANSWER THEN IT MAKES SENSE!!!! If they had tried on their homework and figured out one of the problems on their own, then they would have been able to do it on the test. Being able to comprehend what the teacher says is completely different from actually being able to solve the problem yourself. When I did my homework, I would do every problem to the best of my ability. If I came across a confusing problem, I would at least write it down and try it. If I had worked through it and still couldn't figure it out, I would look online to find a similar example problem. Only after I had done all of that, would I give up and go ask the teacher the next day. But I am not perfect. There were some days where I was tired, and I did leave a few for class. Also, I love math, so I work harder in that class. There have been far too many days where I got home, watched Lost for 4 hours, and then fell asleep in the middle of my APUSH reading. I think a biggest part of American student's problems is that they are afraid of a challenge. They don't take the honors or AP version of a class because they don't want to work hard, they don't want to look stupid, or they don't want to ruin their GPA. If they don't even try, then they might as well just get a job at McDonald's now, so they can become the manager before they are 50.
I had mixed feelings about 2 million minutes. It was definitely very biased. The director chose two less ambitious american students and four ambitious Chinese and Indian students. The American students watched T.V. instead of doing their homework, and they were almost bragging about the fact that they hadn't studied for the test or completed any of the readings. But at the end, it kind of turned around by showing that the American students got into good schools, and they were proud of what they did. On the other hand, the Indian and Chinese kids were not accepted to their schools of choice, and they were disappointed, as were their parents. I think that the big difference between America and India and China is that there are so many more students competing for the same colleges and jobs. If a student wants to succeed, they have to work so much harder to get into the best schools. In America, there are a lot fewer students and a lot less competition, making it easier to get into a good college and having a successful career. This is changing though. More students are going to college, and many of them apply to more than 5 colleges. When you talk to an adult who graduated from college 40 years ago, they will tell you that they probably wouldn't be accepted to their college if they applied today. Its a never ending cycle. As the competition increases, students have to work harder. By working harder, the competition increases even more and the students have to work even more. I feel bad for the students of the future (Assuming the robots haven't taken over and enslaved us by then), because I enjoy spending time with my friends and sometimes doing nothing at all.
In response to For Once Blame the Students, I think that Patrick Welsh is right, especially in a district like Wayzata where we have excellent teachers. I know that there are a lot of inner city schools that suffer due to poor teaching, but many times that is not the case. I think that students just don't care enough. The teacher may be brilliant, but the students wouldn't know because they don't pay attention or they don't bother to do the homework. In my 4X class, kids complained because it was too hard, and they were getting B's and C's on the tests. They also weren't trying. When they got to a problem in the homework that looked even remotely hard, they left it blank and waited for the teacher to explain it the next day. I saw a lot of papers almost completely empty. How can you learn if you don't try. The most common complaint I heard after a test was, "Well I understood it when he explained it on the board". WELL OF COURSE YOU DID! ONCE YOU KNOW THE ANSWER THEN IT MAKES SENSE!!!! If they had tried on their homework and figured out one of the problems on their own, then they would have been able to do it on the test. Being able to comprehend what the teacher says is completely different from actually being able to solve the problem yourself. When I did my homework, I would do every problem to the best of my ability. If I came across a confusing problem, I would at least write it down and try it. If I had worked through it and still couldn't figure it out, I would look online to find a similar example problem. Only after I had done all of that, would I give up and go ask the teacher the next day. But I am not perfect. There were some days where I was tired, and I did leave a few for class. Also, I love math, so I work harder in that class. There have been far too many days where I got home, watched Lost for 4 hours, and then fell asleep in the middle of my APUSH reading. I think a biggest part of American student's problems is that they are afraid of a challenge. They don't take the honors or AP version of a class because they don't want to work hard, they don't want to look stupid, or they don't want to ruin their GPA. If they don't even try, then they might as well just get a job at McDonald's now, so they can become the manager before they are 50.
I had mixed feelings about 2 million minutes. It was definitely very biased. The director chose two less ambitious american students and four ambitious Chinese and Indian students. The American students watched T.V. instead of doing their homework, and they were almost bragging about the fact that they hadn't studied for the test or completed any of the readings. But at the end, it kind of turned around by showing that the American students got into good schools, and they were proud of what they did. On the other hand, the Indian and Chinese kids were not accepted to their schools of choice, and they were disappointed, as were their parents. I think that the big difference between America and India and China is that there are so many more students competing for the same colleges and jobs. If a student wants to succeed, they have to work so much harder to get into the best schools. In America, there are a lot fewer students and a lot less competition, making it easier to get into a good college and having a successful career. This is changing though. More students are going to college, and many of them apply to more than 5 colleges. When you talk to an adult who graduated from college 40 years ago, they will tell you that they probably wouldn't be accepted to their college if they applied today. Its a never ending cycle. As the competition increases, students have to work harder. By working harder, the competition increases even more and the students have to work even more. I feel bad for the students of the future (Assuming the robots haven't taken over and enslaved us by then), because I enjoy spending time with my friends and sometimes doing nothing at all.
Sunday, October 9, 2011
Adding an iPod plug to my car: Part 2 the saga continues
So I finished adding the iPod plug to the car. I got all the wires to squish in behind the radio. I plugged the car battery back in and I turned on the car. The display lit up on the radio/CD player. This means that I at least didn't cut the power cable. Next, I put in a CD. First, you should note that my radio/CD player is really old and messed up. The time always has an extra digit and I have to try 10 different button combinations to get it to the CD mode. Anyways, once I got it on CD, it actually started to play the CD!!!! I flipped the switch and it stopped. This means that the switch isn't broken and I connected the radio/CD wires correctly to the switch. Next, I plugged the headphone cord into the iPod, turned the volume all the way up, and I flipped the switch. NOTHING....I pressed all the buttons in every combination I know possible and....NOTHING. This is very disappointing but better than my first attempt. I know that I wired half of it right. Next weekend, I will play around with the iPod cable wiring and see if I can get it to work correctly. It may have been where I connected the red and white wires from the iPod cable. I read online that red and white should correspond to right and left respectively. I think my problem might have been that I connected the red to right positive and right negative speaker, and I connected white to left positive and left negative speakers. I think instead, I should have connected the red to the right positive and the ground wire (which I just cut off the first time) to the right negative and the same for white). I don't know why I didn't think of that!!! Anyways, at least it wasn't a complete failure.
Adding an iPod plug to my car: Part 1
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| cassette adapter |
Background: Over the summer, my Dad got laid off from his job. Because he had to give back the company car, we bought a cheap car for him to drive until he got a new job. But now that my dad has a new job and a new company car, I get the cheap car. The only problem with this car is that it only has a CD player and a radio. I like to listen to music in the car while I drive but the radio has too many commercials, and CDs only hold 20 songs. If it were a bit older, it would have a tape player and I could use a cassette adapter to plug my ipod into the car. If the car was really new, it would have plug specifically for the iPod. So because my car has neither of these, I decided to add my own iPod plug.
To begin I did some research online to figure out what I had to do. After a bit of surfing I found this website http://www.mattgilbert.net/carstereoauxinput/ . Matt Gilbert did exactly what I was trying to do. So I went to my car and got the radio out. Connected to the radio are about 15 different colored wires. Fortunately, there is a website that has stereo wiring diagrams for just about ever car ever made! http://www.modifiedlife.com/2004-dodge-neon-srt4-car-radio-wiring-diagram/. This is the page for my car. It is a 2004 dodge neon.
The next step was to get all the materials I needed. I have a soldering iron and solder, but I still needed a headphone cord, and a 4PDT (four pull double throw) switch, so I could change between using the CD player(just in case i ever had a CD I wanted to listen to) and the iPod. For the cord to connect to the iPod, I just used an old pair of headphones and cut off the ear buds. For the switch, I went downtown to ABC electronics (I bought one online from china first, but I found this store after I broke the first one).
I have been working on this all day, and as most projects, they actually take longer than estimated. I began at noon, but I am only halfway done. Here are the steps I have taken so far.
1. For safety, I began by unplugging the car battery and waiting an hour for all of the electricity to drain from the car. This is mostly because I don't know where the airbag sensors are and I don't want to accidentally set it off while I am working (mostly because it could injure me, but also because it costs a ton of money to have them put back in).
2. soldered wires onto every pin on the switch. I did this because the wires that connect to the radio aren't long enough for the switch to extend in front of the radio when I am done. Also, by soldering on wires to the switch, on the workbench, I have more space to work. With more space to work, I can work work faster, which makes it less likely that I will melt the switch.
3. Once that was done, I labeled all of the wires so that all the right positive, right negative, left positive, left negative, would be connected to the right wires behind the radio.
4. I drilled a hole for the switch to fit through. I can't leave the switch behind the radio. I have to be able to get to it so I can flip it.
This is as far as I have gotten. Here is what I still have to do.
5. The next step is to solder all of the wires from the switch to the wires to the wires that go to the radio and the wires that go to the speaker. It is really hard to describe in words. Basically, I need to solder the wires to the switch.
6. I need to plug the wires back into the radio and put the radio back into its slot in the car.
7. I recconect the battery and turn on the car.
8. If I did everything right, my car should work.
I will post again when I finish it!!!!
I have been working on this all day, and as most projects, they actually take longer than estimated. I began at noon, but I am only halfway done. Here are the steps I have taken so far.
1. For safety, I began by unplugging the car battery and waiting an hour for all of the electricity to drain from the car. This is mostly because I don't know where the airbag sensors are and I don't want to accidentally set it off while I am working (mostly because it could injure me, but also because it costs a ton of money to have them put back in).
2. soldered wires onto every pin on the switch. I did this because the wires that connect to the radio aren't long enough for the switch to extend in front of the radio when I am done. Also, by soldering on wires to the switch, on the workbench, I have more space to work. With more space to work, I can work work faster, which makes it less likely that I will melt the switch.
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| 4PDT switch with wires soldered on |
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| same switch, different angle |
3. Once that was done, I labeled all of the wires so that all the right positive, right negative, left positive, left negative, would be connected to the right wires behind the radio.
4. I drilled a hole for the switch to fit through. I can't leave the switch behind the radio. I have to be able to get to it so I can flip it.
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| soldering the wires from the switch to the wires behind the radio. (the ones hanging out of the hole) click to enlarge |
5. The next step is to solder all of the wires from the switch to the wires to the wires that go to the radio and the wires that go to the speaker. It is really hard to describe in words. Basically, I need to solder the wires to the switch.
6. I need to plug the wires back into the radio and put the radio back into its slot in the car.
7. I recconect the battery and turn on the car.
8. If I did everything right, my car should work.
I will post again when I finish it!!!!
Sunday, October 2, 2011
Rhetorical Analysis of Obama's "back to school" speech 2011
Last Wednesday (September 28, 2011), Obama gave his annual "back to school" speech. This speech is aimed mainly at students in high school. He acknowledged that school was already started, and that students were probably already getting ready for the school musical, marching band, and big tests/projects. These activities mostly apply to older students. I know my middle school didn't have a marching band, and we didn't really have big tests. This also makes sense given that he is giving this speech in a high school. He is talking to high school students when he me mentions the importance of going to (and graduating from) college. He brings up the issue of paying for college and
He begins by trying to relate to the students by mentioning facebook and twitter, while at the same time trying to add some humor. When he mentions twitter, his tone has a bit of sarcasm in it, which generates a chuckle, because the audience sees him as "old" and not very familiar with technology and social networking sites. Even though it displays a difference between him and the students, it's still effective in creating a bond with the audience, because it establishes trust through the use of ethos. By admitting that he doesn't know that much about technology, he seems more human and more trustworthy. He continues to relate ideas to technology because that is something the students will relate to themselves. The only problem with this is that when he tries to be serious and act like he does know a little about technology, he fails. He tells students that if they take risks and challenge themselves in school, they will be prepared to go out into the world and be innovative. But his example of technological innovation was to, "invent a device that makes an iPad look like a stone tablet". This is probably the worst example his could have given, because it doesn't make sense. Isn't that a bit backwards? The goal of the iPad is to be small, thin, and light, the exact opposite of a stone tablet. Also, changing the appearance of the iPad isn't really an "invention". This just shows just how little he really knows about technology, except for this time, he wasn't using it as a joke to establish ethos, he was trying to seem informed. I think this created distance between him and the students because it shows how very different they are.
He also uses his own educational experiences to try and relate to the students. He "tells us a little secret" about how he wasn't the greatest student in high school. This is another use of ethos to establish trust. He is not the valedictorian of his high school, telling them that they are stupid and they should do better. He is just an average student wishing that he had paid more attention. His intentions were good but the example falls though when you think about where being a "not so great" student got him (being president of the United States!). It could lead to the idea the, "if he didn't have to try that hard in school, and he still became president, then why should I have to try any harder." He probably could have used a better example.
Overall, I think his message was good: try harder in school, go to college (graduate from college), challenge yourself, make the world a better place, etc. I think his delivery could have been a bit better though. His inflection was pretty monotone. I wasn't really inspired to do anything. His goal was to motivate, so he should have been a bit more excited, like a motivational speaker. Compared to the MLK's speeches that we watched in class this week, this was pretty boring. This is another example of how he fails to understand his audience. If he were talking to adults, his calm delivery would have been appropriate. But because he is speaking to young students, he should have been a bit more excited. If you want students to do something, they need to be "pumped" to do it. There wasn't one point where the students responded with enthusiasm. They didn't clap or cheer or even nod. They just sat there with blank expressions. He could have raised his voice more at key moments, made more dramatic pauses, and showed a little more emotion in general.
Sunday, September 25, 2011
Reaction to Jim Crow laws.
Everyone knows that segregation occurred in the south and that the civil rights movement fought to bring equality, but it is really hard to grasp how severe it really was until you read the Jim Crow laws. I knew that buses were separated front to back, and that black and white people had separate bathrooms, but I didn't realize there were laws against a white and black person getting married. I was shocked by the level of segregation and the fact that it was everywhere! Hospitals had to have separate wards, buses had to have separate bus stations, trains had to have separate compartments, restaurants had to have separate rooms, bars, and entrances, circuses had to have separate seating, libraries had to have separate areas for reading, and prisons had to have separate wards. Whites couldn't rent a room in their home to a black person and vice versa. Text books in a school could not be shared between races. A white and black person could not get married to each other. Whites and Blacks were not even allowed to play pool/billiard together! These laws are from Georgia, Louisiana, Oklahoma, South Carolina, North Carolina, Texas, Mississippi, Missouri, Virginia, Florida, and Alabama. That is over 1/5 of the states. The worst part is that the civil rights act was only passed in 1964! That is less than 50 years ago. It seems impossible that such injustice could have been occurring so recently in our past. I know that some black people and some white people must have been friends with each other but it sure would have been hard because there wasn't anywhere they could go in public together. I understand why MLK was so upset with the article in the paper from the 8 clergymen who wanted him to go through the court system instead of taking direct action. People had tried using the justice system to end segregation, but clearly it wasn't working so it was time to take it a step further. Segregation had lasted long enough and it was time to end it.
Saturday, September 17, 2011
Response to William Kennedy's essay
I did some background reading on William Kennedy. He was born in Albany NY. His books were fiction but many of them took place in Albany. He had an "Albany cycle" where he wrote many books about a fictional family line in Albany NY.
This was my favorite essay from the packet because it was the most down to earth. I was able to relate to it the most. Also, it was funny. I liked how confident he was about "eggs" and how he never gave up. I lot of people would have thrown it away if their parents told them it was stupid, but he didn't. He sent it in to colliers anyways (probably less just to get it accepted, but more to get the letter of acceptance, and rub it in his fathers face). Nobody can be successful without an attitude like that.
I know what Kennedy is talking about when he rereads "Eggs" and realizes how horrible it actually was. We keep boxes with our old work from elementary school, and I went through it to try and organize it one day. I read some of my old stories and I realized how bad they were. This would make sense because I am still going through school and improving on my writing skills. Of course something that I wrote in elementary school would sound bad. What about professional writers though? What do they think when they look back on a book that they wrote ten years ago? Is J.K. Rowling still happy with the first harry potter book or does she look at it and see changes she would want to make if she were publishing it today? I suppose it depends on the author.
I also liked what Kennedy said about how fiction cannot be good without an element of mystery. That tends to be what I look for in a good fiction book. I read the back of the book, and if there aren't any unknowns, why bother reading it?
This was my favorite essay from the packet because it was the most down to earth. I was able to relate to it the most. Also, it was funny. I liked how confident he was about "eggs" and how he never gave up. I lot of people would have thrown it away if their parents told them it was stupid, but he didn't. He sent it in to colliers anyways (probably less just to get it accepted, but more to get the letter of acceptance, and rub it in his fathers face). Nobody can be successful without an attitude like that.
I know what Kennedy is talking about when he rereads "Eggs" and realizes how horrible it actually was. We keep boxes with our old work from elementary school, and I went through it to try and organize it one day. I read some of my old stories and I realized how bad they were. This would make sense because I am still going through school and improving on my writing skills. Of course something that I wrote in elementary school would sound bad. What about professional writers though? What do they think when they look back on a book that they wrote ten years ago? Is J.K. Rowling still happy with the first harry potter book or does she look at it and see changes she would want to make if she were publishing it today? I suppose it depends on the author.
I also liked what Kennedy said about how fiction cannot be good without an element of mystery. That tends to be what I look for in a good fiction book. I read the back of the book, and if there aren't any unknowns, why bother reading it?
Monday, September 12, 2011
Helium
I just learned a few days ago that we are actually running out of helium! It is actually a pretty big deal and I am surprised that it hasn't been covered by the news more. I guess it isn't as important or worth as much as oil, but it has some very important uses. Helium is used to cool MRI machines. It is used in large solar telescopes, and it is mixed into air tanks for deep sea diving. One of the largest helium reserves is actually in the united states. It is in Amarillo Texas. But a law was created in 1996 which stated that the united states had to sell all of its helium by 2015. This has caused the price of helium to go way down, even though it should really cost a lot more due to how much we have left. Helium isn't renewable because it is created by radioactive decay. After helium is used, it is lost in the atmosphere. It stays on earth but it would cost a lot of money to extract it from the air. According to Robert Richardson, the scientist who is trying to raise awareness about this problem, a birthday balloon should actually be worth at least $100 for its helium content! He says that at the rate it is being sold and used, we could run out of helium within forty years. So don't take your party balloons for granted. You may not be able to buy them for a quarter in a few years!
Sunday, September 11, 2011
Why I Write
I wish I could say that I write on my own time, and that I have written something outside of a school assignment but that isn't true. Everything I have written was because it was assigned for a class, I took the SAT, or because the common app requires an essay. The one exception to this, was right after our haiku unit in elementary school. When I finished my haiku for class, I attempted to write some of my own, but I quickly gave up when I realized how bad I was at it.
Although I think if I did write, I would write for fun and entertainment. I don't like books where the characters have some deep inner turmoil, and then end up killing themselves by the end of the book. I would want to write something that people could enjoy, something that would expand the imagination. Personally, I like science fiction, and I think that would be what I would write. I like to image the unknown and think about what our future may hold. I am frustrated by the fact that we are stuck on earth. It would be a lot more exciting to get in a space ship and travel across the universe meeting strange creatures and discovering new things. But because I can't hop in a spaceship and leave, I settle for reading about it, and I hope that someday I can give my own adventures to the public.
I am not opposed writing. In fact, I have some good ideas for a few stories. My only problem is that I don't know how to expand. When writing stories for school, I have always found that it is hard expand it into a decent story, let alone a book. My diaglog sound cheesy. I don't know where to add details, and I don't use enough imagery. Even though I know what is wrong with my writing, I don't know how to fix it. It should be easy right? I have read hundreds of books so I should know by now how the author does it. Yet to this day it still fascinates me how authors are able to expand an idea into a four hundred page book. When you read, a good book doesn't feel like the author has filled the book with extra nonsense to make it longer. It feels like each word adds to the final product.
Off on a tangent, I have always wondered how so many people can write books. It can't be that easy can it? Politicians and comedians are always coming out with books but I never know if the person actually wrote it or if they hired somebody to write it for them. So I went online and figured out that many of these books are written by ghost writers http://www.worldwidefreelance.com/freelance-writing/ghostwriting/28-what-is-a-ghostwriter. So at least it's not everyone but me who can write. Even famous politicians need help!
Although I think if I did write, I would write for fun and entertainment. I don't like books where the characters have some deep inner turmoil, and then end up killing themselves by the end of the book. I would want to write something that people could enjoy, something that would expand the imagination. Personally, I like science fiction, and I think that would be what I would write. I like to image the unknown and think about what our future may hold. I am frustrated by the fact that we are stuck on earth. It would be a lot more exciting to get in a space ship and travel across the universe meeting strange creatures and discovering new things. But because I can't hop in a spaceship and leave, I settle for reading about it, and I hope that someday I can give my own adventures to the public.
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