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.