Google IO: 2011: Home Automation

This year Google's 2011 IO conference in San Francisco debuts Google's newest software and technologies. This year along with the new Android store offering movies and TV shows for download, the $20 Chromebook rental for students, and the standard updates for their software Google unveiled an new type of Android system that will interactive with your home and each appliance. The system will be a one-and-one human interface that will allow users to control every aspect of their house with Android access. Systems like this already exist, however they suck. Google's system is different because it is more of a framework and will allow for expansion. It can almost be sought as a central operating system for your home and can be expanded upon. In time we will begin seeing houses that are built around this new framework and provide homes with better homes for the future.

The Day After Tomorrow

THis past weekend I watched The Day After Tomorrow on FX. After seeing this movie years after its release I realized what a load of crap it was. The movie revolves around the biggest improbable chance of events. A washed up scientist is supposed to just be able meet in front of government officials and correctly predict the next ice age that happens, over night...plus two days. So it is not even the day after tomorrow, it is the day after tomorrow plus a day. Aside from the title not making sense, i think if cavemen were able to somehow survive past ice ages i think people in the 20th century can survive an ice age. Yeah people are going to bitch about it a lot more and there are more people to complain but we also have things called survival kits. So now i realize that yes the movie entertained me as a child but when I re watched it at the age of 17... it was stupid.

College Preparation

My brief college packing lis
1. my pillow
2. my blanket
3. my game

Thats all i need.

The 'new' Office

Last night was the star of a new generation of The Office. The Thursday night comedy on NBC ended its contract with Steve Carell who played Michael Scott the boss of the boss of The Office. The show started off focusing around Steve Carell. HOwever throughout the seasons other character stories and relationships have been a greater focus of the show. With the departure of Michael Scott the show will lose a strong character but now there will be even more focus on supporting actor roles. There is no new boss yet and the show is going through a period of time where many different people want to become the new manager. The show has ended a period of comedy but has opened up a great opportunity for many possibilities.

Fast 5 - and the problem with squeals

Last week I attended the midnight showing of Fast 5 starring Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Jordana Brewster and Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. The movie is the 5th of the Fast and Furious series, and although the series is not meant to be a continuing series the franchise uses a pool of actors and actresses. I am a die hard Fast and Furious fan, despite the inconsistencies throughout the franchise, Fast 5 did not disappoint. I was entertained throughout the entire film and think this film is the most perfected out of all 5. However even though this film was the most fun to watch, Im starting to have a problem with squeals now. Film franchises are poping up like no other and nearly half the films that come out are squeals or prequels. Often these films attempted to take just the good themes from the original and expand on them in a way that causes to focus on the main point of the movie. In the new Fast 5 there was a big focus on the dialogue and relationships between the characters. The franchise first created off of cars and racing and over time with the addition of more and more squeals the franchise has lost its foundation.

Books to Movies

Las week there was a Harry Potter marathon on ABC family and it got me thinking about how books are turned into movies. For example the Harry Potter series are based off lengthy novels filled with settings, characters, descriptions, and a plot. This making the movie making process much easier, however it also can greatly change an author's point. Kafka never wanted a picture of a bug on his cover beacuse he did not want people to imagine what the bug looked like. But JK Rowelling allowed for WB to give an life to her franchise.

Conformity at The Buckley School pt1

Conformity varies from place to place. At an institution such as The Buckley School conformity for a higher education. However students tend to conform among with each other. At times conformity at Buckley can be good or bad. Depending on a student's grade level he/she will conform to certain people and ideas. Being a 2nd semester senior I have seen many kids conform to a much more relaxed state of mind like a majority of their peers. Conformity at any school is very high because younger people will always conform to what their friends are doing. Conformity can often not always be for the best.

Intro

Conformity is a very abstract subject that varies among different parts of the world and changes over time making it a very complex topic that is constantly being debated. Conformity begins with society and the first societies that conformity can be traced back to the second century where the first know prints of the bible can be found. Currently conformity varies around the world throughout different cultures, religions, and generations.

Essay Idea

For my essay I want to disscuss why conformity changes. I plan on interviewing various people from different generations and make connections and understand why conformity changes. In addition I want to use literature to correlate it how conformity in literature changes along with society.

Essay and Conformity

For my essay I want to analyze the change in conformity and WHY conformity changes.

I think depending on the class students will or will not conform. For example if a student was taking an AP course they need to conform to collegebord standards. There is a nation wide exam at the end of the year every student takes thus they must all conform. In a philosophy class with Mr. Beam students don't conform since it is a free thinking theory class. It has a more flexible syllabus and promotes non conformity.

Group Discussion

I think the group discussion that we had yesterday helped everyone not only understand the text we were reading but also helped with our discussion abilities. I know I am more active in a discussion oppose to a lecture based class. I also saw lots of other people who talked more intellectually then they would have. I would like to see more classes like this in the future. In addition I think the 'stat tracking' is unnecessary because then it becomes like a 'game' when the class should be more focused on the discussion than 'points'. Lastly I think we should try having a discussion as an entire class because we are a great group of people and we are capable of having a larger leaderless discussion.

Worksheet blog: The River

Marlow's journey is coursed out by the Congo River. The River leads Marlow from destination to destination. As he travels more he learns about the Congo and the people with him. He is also travling in farthing into darkness wHowever the River is much more then just a River. The River acts as a path to Marlow's inner self. He learns that the people he meets now, he is able to familiarize himself with more than the people back in England. In a way, the river allowed to make connections that were not possible before.

psychological significance of journey

Conrad sets Marlow through a physically exhausting journey through the river and Congo. Marlow's journey quickly becomes a psychological journey, by having to have morals. But as he goes farther and farther into "the heart of darkness" his emotions start to take over and his whole journey is at risk. As the narration of Marlow becomes more disorganized we begin to learn that he is over coming his need for such a stable life style and understands what is is like to live in the Congo. He becomes more sarcastic throughout and shows his change through his narration.

#6

Marlow describes a painting of a women whom is blindfolded and holding a torch. The blindfold and torch are 2 contrasting symbols which Marlow emphasizes. The symbols represent the events going on in Africa and European nations, by showing that Europeans are leading Africans down the wrong path.

#2

Marlow begins 'Heart of Darkness' with the account of "very old times, when the Romans first came here" because it foreshadows the upcoming events of the novel. As the Romans came to London, they colonized the land and became a part of London. His journey to Africa will represent the same type of movement of people into a new world.