SOLC 2: Recipe For Creativity And Innovation

About 800 flash drives( most of them will be lost), several hundred black pens, several hundred blue pens, about ten brush pens, paper clips, sticky notes, a sheaf of sheafs of paper, doodle pads (the more the better), snacks, 20-30 computers, time, one or more dinosaur models, at least 3 dum-dums per person (add more for higher morale), one eraser, about fifty pounds of cardboard, more sticky notes, a roll of duct tape, binders, folders, two or more couches, about 50 boxes of black flair pens (these were made a controlled substance under Jamie), lots of music, headphones, internet access, about 3 miles of PVC pipe, a can of corn, one Butters, one awesome assistant teacher (examples include Derek, Paula, and JK), a communal hatred of earth systems science, the binder dance, way to many John Green videos, way too much Mental Floss, and, most importantly, CDs with the song Rainbow In The Dark by Dio (the unofficial song of Linda’s class) on them.

Combine all ingredients in a room full of intelligent people, add assignments, stir, and let rise for one year.

SGC

SOLM 1: Song Of The Week+ My Taste In Music!

This week, the song of the week is You Get What You Give by the band New Radicals from their album Maybe You've Been Brainwashed Too. I chose this song because of its insanely catchy beat and lyrics. As an INTERNATIONAL smash hit from 1998, it gets stuck in your head instantly, and won't leave. This song is one of my current favorite songs. This song gets an 9/10. You can listen to it below.

There are two basic genres of music that I like. The first genre is a mix of ambient and electronic music, in which I include artists like Deadmau5, Tycho, and Aphex Twin. The other genre is some older rap/beat heavy rock, like New Radicals, Oasis, Smash Mouth, Vanilla Ice (only Ice Ice Baby), Beck, and House of Pain.

SGC

Shadow of the Hegemon

This week, I read Shadow of the Hegemon by Orson Scott Card. Shadow of the Hegimon is the sequel to Ender's Shadow. Since the Formic war is now over, new war is breaking out between countries in a quest of world domination. The top prizes of this new war are the brilliant commanders recently reterned from Battle School. One by one, the children are kidnapped one by one until only Bean remains. Bean soon turns to Ender's brother to help him find the missing children. I liked this book because of how inteligently written the plot was, and how realistic the charecters personalities were. Another reason I liked this book was because of how the plot has little details that foreshadow future events in the book. The one thing I did not like about this book was that there were sections of the book that seemed flat and predictible. Overall, I really liked this book, and would recomend it to anyone who enjoied Ender's game. I would give it an 8/10.

SGC

SOL 5: Little Things

Some of the most important objects to me are little things. Little objects, like my watch that I have worn every day for the past 4 years. If I take it off, I feel like part of me is missing, like I just lost my index fingers. I know every scratch on it, every little centimeter of its shining surface. It is almost part of me. My glasses are similar. Although I don't see the sides of my glasses all day, I do know exactly how the nose-grips lay on my nose, exactly how heavy the glasses are, and exactly how much the sides rest against the side of my skull. Without my glasses, I am incomplete. The last object I have know this intimately is my computer. I know exactly how far apart all of the keys on the keyboard are. I know precisely how each of the stickers on the back of my computer are placed and angled. I know exactly how my computer feels, both its hardware, and its operating system. These objects are what matter to me.

-SGC

The Hunt For Red October

This week, I read The Hunt For Red October by Tom Clancy. The Hunt For Red October (THFRO) is a book about the new Russian stealth submarine, The Red October. The captain of the Red October, Marko Ramius decides to defect to the United States. He tells the crew that they are going to Cuba, while he and his officers prepare to defect. Meanwhile, Jack Ryan, a CIA analyst is given the job of figuring out why the entire Soviet Navy is deployed in what they say is a "rescue mission". Will Jack be successful in discovering the truth? Will the Red October fall into Russian or American hands?

I really liked this book because of how intriguing the plot was. I also liked how technical and believable all of the scenarios and characters in this book were. I really liked how the author used interesting plot details to make the entire story much more believable and interesting. The only thing that I did not like about this book was that sometimes, there was too much jargon used in conversations between characters.

Overall, I really liked this book, and would recommend it to anyone who likes books that suck you in and don't let you go. I would give this book an 7.5/10

-SGC

SOL 4: Drones

As I wait for my little quadrocopter to charge, I think about how much potential drones have for both the good and the bad. Drones are being used by the United States Government to kill people in foreign countries, both terrorists and innocent people like those killed when in a wedding procession. Even with all the killing done with drones, they still have potential to do good. Drones could be used to provide disaster relief supplies to isolated areas that are not accessible easily. Drones could provide search and rescue for lost hikers, missing airplanes, and earthquakes. Drones could deliver supplies, medications, and food to the general public. Drones could be used to map corn harvests, dust crops, and assess avalanche danger. Imagine if every couple of African Rhinos had a drone watching them go about their normal day-to-day behavior. If a poacher came along, the authorities could be altered, the criminals tracked, and the rhinos protected. Not only would this prevent poaching, but scientists could learn huge amounts of information about the rhinos habits, advancing human knowledge. Drones could even map migratory bird populations, because drones are being made that look almost exactly like the birds they could track. Imagine the benefits to humanity. My drone beeps, signaling that it is done charging. I quickly unplug it, grab my remote, and slowly fly it off the table.

-SGC

Shogun: Week 2 of 2

This week, I finished the amazing book Shogun. Shogun is an amazing story of an Englishman (Blackthorne) who becomes an aide to a Japanese warlord. Blackthorne struggles to learn Japanese, understand the cultural norms, and evade death. This book is one of the best historical fiction book I have ever read, and one of the best books I have read. It has an engrossing page-turning plot that pulls me in and makes me want to read more of it. This book has amazing characters who come alive with their struggle for power and success.  This book never has slow parts.
I liked how the author depicted the complex plot and characters. The ending of the book surprised me and served to tie up all the loose ends. I can not give this amazing book enough praise. The one thing about the book is that it is an amazing 1152 pages long, in size 12 font.
Overall, I loved this book and would recommend it to anyone who is looking for an amazing book. I would compare this book in terms of complexity to the entire Lord of the Rings trilogy. This book is an easy 11/10.

SGC