Social Bookmarking Project

Project Question

1. What's another way we can organize your computers? What about email? Your favorite websites? Your blog posts? RSS feeds?

• Another way we can organize our computers is by having several folders on the desktop, such as for pictures, documents, and videos. It will save us a lot of time to locate what we what when everything is put into a labeled folder.
• We can organize our email by also having individual labeled folders for different email types like school, college, and friends.
• Another way to organize our favorite websites is by adding them to our toolbar on our computers for instant access.
• We can organize our blog posts by categorizing them by assignment type, such as: do now, classwork, homework, and project.
• Another way to organize our RSS feeds is by adding them to our blog as side gadgets for easy access and the latest updates.

12/13/2013 Weekly Tech Article

A Toy Box That's Opened by a Kid's Fingerprint

• Four-year old Ewan Gibson loves toy cars. His dad, Grant, a Scottish Web developer, prefers electronics. Hoping to find common ground---and inspired by Apple's new finger-scanning iPhone---Grant built a biometric lockbox for his son's cars.
• He installed a sensor that scans fingers in the lid of the toy box. The data is sent to an Arduino microcontroller, which, when it recognizes one of Ewan's prints, unlocks the lid. Although Ewan is more interested in the cars than the box, it does fascinate him: As he says, his "fingers are magic."
• http://www.popsci.com/article/diy/toy-box-thats-opened-kids-fingerprint

12/06/2013 Weekly Tech Article

Hummingbirds and Robots?

• In order to design and create better flying robots, a team at Stanford University needed to see things our pitiful human eyes can't---like how exactly does a hummingbird hover? So they grabbed a high-speed camera and went in search for birds.
• Birds are exceedingly fast-moving animals, especially the various species of hummingbird, moving far too fast for the human eye to see naturally. Luckily, our human brains and hands have managed to invent amazing high-speed cameras like the Phantom, with which we can capture fireworks, smash TVs, and watch puppies roll around all in crazy motion, at thousands of frames per second. The Stanford team aimed a Phantom at various birds to see how they fly, and came away with some surprising insights.
• Hummingbirds, for example, appear to do a very fast, very small shake along their spines, sort of like a wet dog shaking off---except in mid-flight. This has never been seen before, but could give teams attempting to create flying robots new clues as to how nature deals with the challenge of flight.
• http://www.popsci.com/science/article/2013-07/super-slow-motion-camera-shows-bird-flight-youve-never-seen-it?dom=PSC&loc=recent&lnk=8&con=firstever-superslowmotion-video-of-hummingbirds-hovering

Do Now: 12/3/13

Twitter & Instagram in Education

• Social networking sites, such as Twitter & Instagram can be beneficial to use in education for several reasons. It can be used by the educator to post homework reminders or helpful links to study for upcoming exams. Most teenagers are always using twitter and instagram for example, so they will see the updates by their educator. Also using social networking sites will help improve students' grades because there will be constant reminders by their educator on exams or homework; they will not be able to say they forgot the homework or didn't know they had an exam that day. Twitter and Instagram can surprisingly be beneficiall in education.

RSS Assignment Questions

• Why did you select the sites you subscribed to?
• The sites I selected were based on my personal interests such as science. Although, we were given specific categories to find rss feeds from, I chose feeds that dealt with science and nature because they are my personal interests.
• Was it easy to find feeds and to subscribe to them?
• It was fairly simple to find feeds and to subscribe to them. The only challenge was picking which blogs to subscribe to based on my personal interests.
• Which sites were your favorites?
• My favorite feeds were New York Times (Environment) and National Invasive Species Information Center.
• What else can you use RSS feeds for?
• You can use RSS feeds to have all your favorite websites with their recent updates all in one place. Instead of going to CNN to find the latest news just add it to your Digg as an rss feed and receive the latest updates there, along with other updates of your favorite websites.
• How likely are you to continue to use RSS feeds in the future?
• I most likely will not because I am already accustomed to going to my favorite websites and checking out the latest updates there.

11/20/2013 Weekly Tech Article

Bug-Inspired Robot Designed to do our Dirty Work: Termite Builders

• Although termites are best known for damaging wooden structures, they are among nature's greatest builders.
• Harvard computer scientist Radhika Nagpal and her colleagues in the TERMES Project are making artificial termites that can, like their natural counterparts, build structures much bigger than themselves. These robots look like an upside down wheelbarrow supported by four "whegs," hybrid wheel/legs.
• It's size if about 7 inches long by 4 inches wide by 4 inches tall.
• It weighs about 28.5 ounces.
• Its speed is about 4 inches per second.
• Its applications are: construction, especially in extreme environments or other dangerous places.
• http://discovermagazine.com/2013/may/14-bug-inspired-robots-designed-to-do-our-dirty-work#.UozEBsTNWGN

Do Now: 11/18/2013

Mahatma Ghandi Quote: "You must be the change you see in the world."

• Seeing all the chaos, tragedies, and crimes that occur in our nation ignites my spark to make this world a better place. Simply acts of volunteering or even being nice to someone who you do not know is slowly changing our world for the better. My life goals are to be a primary care physician and use my knowledge and power to give back to my community. I would give back to my community by giving free public seminars on public health. You do not need several individuals to make a change, you only need one.

11/15/2013 Weekly Tech Article

Glow in the Dark Paths Could be the Future of Street Lighting

Particles absorb light during the day, then emit a blue glow at night.

• Evening visitors to Christ's Pieces park in Cambridge, England are basking in the glow of a whole new type of street light. Starpath, a new type of resurfacing material being tested within the park, absorbs ultraviolet light during the day, then emits a blue light at night to illuminate walkways.
• The glowing particles can be painted over existed paths to turn a dark road into a stretch of bright color, no overhead lighting required. This could allow cash-strapped towns to keep their streets safely lit at night while eliminating the cost of street lights.
• The Cambridge City Council has said that if Starpath works out well in the park, it might be expanded to cover another part of the city. The technology might be useful to illuminate the bike lane of a road, for instance.
• http://www.popsci.com/article/technology/glow-dark-paths-could-be-future-street-lighting?dom=PSC&loc=recent&lnk=1&con=glowinthedark-paths-could-be-the-future-of-street-lighting-

Do Now 11/11/13: Devastating Typhoon in the Philippines

One of the most storms ever recorded killed at least 10,000 people in the central Philippines, with huge waves sweeping away entire coastal villages and devastating the region's main city. It makes me feel so bad for the innocent lives lost and how unpredictable nature is. If I was given the opportunity to help out I would collect food and clothes for the people that lost their lives.

Wiki Research

• A class wiki can be used in education when students have to do group projects. This will alleviate the stress when students have to work together and collaborate on an assignment. No more going back and forth with emails by simply using a wiki.
• It could be great to use in English class when you have a test approaching. You and your friends could make a review sheet together to study from.
• It could also be great to use in math when you accidentally forget the homework problems at school. A friend can easily create a wiki page with the math problems for you.
• The benefits of using a wiki are: great for team collaboration, creating documents for multiple people, and it's simple and easy to create/use.
• We can come up with a supposed "event" and have the whole class post what they will bring to this event.
• I do not have experience creating a wiki but have used a wiki before. However, it appears to be fairly simple on understanding how to create one.

10/25/2013 Weekly Tech Article

Intelligent Headlights Make Raindrops Disappear

• Anyone who's even driven through a heavy rain has hoped for something like this: a system that can make rain drops vanish--or at least look like they do.
• Intel and Carnegie Mellon University have developed technology that makes it happen. Each headlight projects not just a single beam, but a grid of several tiny beams (that's how the different-colored pixels are projected on the screen when there's actually an image being shown.
• A camera behind the the projector watches for raindrops, and a processor predicts their paths. Then the projector blocks out just the part of the grid where the rain is falling, darkening just the pixels in its way. Presto: a rainless view.
• http://www.popsci.com/cars/article/2013-04/new-headlights-make-rain-disappear?dom=PSC&loc=recent&lnk=4&con=IMG

10/10/2013 Weekly Tech Article

The Turtle Cam

• Camera design is getting more and more interesting as its components get smaller, but there's one major limitation: cameras are always made out of cameras. Our friends over at Pop Photo put together a list of cameras made out of things that are not cameras--turtle shells, garbage cans, an egg, and more.
• Apparently the Turtle Camera does actually work. The camera itself places a large-format lens at the end of the shell where the head would normally be. There's a film holder cut into the shell in the middle. The shutter predictably works with a cable-release, so it seems safe to assume the Turtle Cam has a tripod socket in its belly. It would probably look just great sitting atop taxidermied flamingo monopod.
• http://www.popsci.com/gadgets/article/2012-07/making-camera-out-turtle-shell-egg-and-more-weird-casings

New Class Addition

New Class Addition: Wood Shop

     If I had the opportunity to add a new class to the school curriculum I would add Wood Shop. Wood Shop would give students the opportunity to express themselves artistically by use of wood as a medium. The wood creation possibilities produced by the students would be endless. My class would be held 8th period everyday in order for the the students to get the maximum knowledge of wood shop. I would plan interesting trips to Home Depot and Lowes to teach them about different types of wood and tools. The midterm would most likely be to create your own racecars to race in a competition.

     Wood Shop would be a great addition to the school curriculum. Once introduced, Wood Shop would soon gain popularity and students would want to take that class. Students in this class will be able to have fun, but also learn about wood and materials needed for creations. This class would allow students to express themselves in a more hands on approach.

10/4/2013 Weekly Tech Article

      Activist Drone Catches Pigeon Shooters

• Some gun clubs in Pennsylvania have organized pigeon shoots, where live pigeons are used instead of the typical clay targets for sport. It's illegal there, but controversial. Showing Animals Respect and Kindness (SHARK), an animal advocacy group in Pennsylvania, is now using drones to catch pigeon killers.
• SHARK files octorotor drones with video cameras attached. SHARK's drones have recorded people cleaning up after allegedly shooting pigeons in addition to allegedly disposing of dead pigeons (and burning tires, which is illegal for individuals, as there are health risks).
• Not everyone approves of these tactics, though. In Pennsylvania, someone allegedly responded to one of the SHARK drones by shooting it down.
• http://www.popsci.com/article/technology/activist-drone-catches-pigeon-shooters?dom=PSC&loc=recent&lnk=4&con=activist-drone-catches-pigeon-shooters

9/27/2013 Weekly Tech Article

Crowdfund a $65 Robot That  Runs Like a Maniac Cockroach 

• The Dash, created by Dash Robotics, is an insect-inspired simple robot kit that runs like the fastest, most rectangular cockroach ever. There's a crowdfunding campaign and beta test, with 27 days left to get one of the first 1,000 robots available.
• Dash's springy body can keep it running even after a fall from over 90 feet, and it can run straight at 1.5 meters per second, up to a mile. After years of development, the robot is entering a beta testing stage.
• Made largely of cardboard and plastic, the key to the robot is a special polymer layer sandwiched between layers of cardboard, giving the body something of an organic flexibility while still remaining cheap to produce. Dash's creators say the $65 kit can be assembled in about in hour, and an already-assembled version can be ordered for $100.
• Right now, it might just be a fast robotic cockroach that can fall 90 feet. If the crowdfunding project goes well, it will be a fast robotic cockroach that can fall 90 feet and then chase people around a quad while being remotely controlled by smartphone app.

9/20/2013 Weekly Tech Article

Robo-Maggots Will Munch Through Brain Tumors

(Gross, but great for minimally invasive surgery)

• Neurosurgeon J Marc Simard of the University of Maryland School of Medicine has been developing a prototype for a larvae-esque robot that could get inside and eat away at a brain tumor from the inside.
• The bendy maggot-bot can zap tumors with a electrocautery tool, then suction out the dead tissue. It can be controlled remotely, making it possible for the surgeon to monitor the tumor and direct the robot to certain tissue while the patient is undergoing an MRI.
• The challenge is that controlling the robot remotely can't be allowed to interfere with the magnetic field that's integral to the imaging process, so it can't have an electromagnetic motor. Right now, the robot uses this system of pulleys and and strings to move around: 

• However, this device is still being tested on both pig and human cadavers, so it'll be awhile before this bug makes it to a hospital near us.

• http://www.popsci.com/science/article/2013-09/robo-maggots-will-munch-through-brain-tumors

Multimedia Blog Post

Mr. Colarusso's AP Biology Class

  

       Mr. Colarusso teaches AP Biology 5th period. He is a great teacher but is very difficult. His class is very challenging and requires a lot of time and energy. I expect to learn more in depth of Biology at a college level. I have always like Biology so AP Biology is harder but worth the challenge to receive college credits. Mr. Colarusso's grading policy is 30% Tests, 10% Quizzes, 10% Homework/Participation, 30% Laboratory Reports, 10% Research Projects, and 10% Informal Assessments.

       Even though his class is challenging, it is surprisingly interesting. All the information we are reviewing/learning is interesting information. The upcoming topics range from cell biology to evolution to even anatomy. With a difficult class like this, it helps that our upcoming topics are mostly all interesting opposed to dull. We will probably be using technology if we ever do virtual labs. In order to do virtual labs you need to use computers/laptops.

9/13/13 Weekly Tech Article

The Surprise in Apple’s Cheaper iPhone? In China, It’s Expensive

 

• Apple's new iPhone took a step closer on Wednesday to being offered by the world's biggest cellphone carrier, China Mobile, when the Chinese government approved of it.
• Analysts expected the price of the iPhone 5C in China to be about $400 in an effort to attract new customers in mainland China, where the company has been struggling, but they were completely wrong.
• Instead of celebrating of the new product's soon arrival, Chinese people were skeptical of buying this new product because of it's outrageous start price, 4,488 renminbi ($733).
• The price is roughly 33% higher in China than the full unsubsidized $549 cost in the United States.
• The iPhone 5C comes in a plastic case, and its hardware is nearly identical to that of the iPhone 5.
• http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/12/technology/the-surprise-in-apples-cheaper-iphone-in-china-its-expensive.html?ref=technology&_r=0

Do Now: September 11th

September 11th is a day that will never be forgotten by Americans. It was a tragic event that in turn brought us closer as a country. Even though I was only in Kindergarten when this devastating event occurred, I will never forget it. I hope those innocent lives lost during that event rest in peace.

Welcome!

Hi, I'm Erick Peralta and I am a local senior at Wood-Ridge High School. I plan to soon major in Pre-medicine/Biology in college in the hopes of becoming an ER Doctor. My tops colleges/universities to attend are: Montclair, Rutgers, or Seton Hall.