It’s all new

Oil:

any of a large class of substances typically unctuous, viscous, combustible, liquid at ordinary temperatures, and soluble in ether or alcohol but not in water: used for anointing, perfuming, lubricating, illuminating, heating, etc.

Can the world really survive without oil? Without the benefits of oil, your every day life would be completely different. To further discuss this topic, our Geography 9B class had a heated debate. This debate was carried out in two different ways. First, we participated in an extremely fast paced online debate on chat forums. After sore fingers and anger bubbling inside, we made the debate live. We were separated into groups according to the side we were on (not chosen by us). I preferred the live debate. It was an aggressive debate without any rules. You could speak whenever you wanted and say whatever. The downside of this was that students who were shy and slightly awkward would constantly be interrupted by students who were more bold in their actions. With the online debate, there was no problem like this. Everyone had an equal chance to participate and communicate. Since i was one of the students who expressed my feelings mostly in the live debate, i definitely preferred it. I like to have to chance to say what come to my mind at the moment and not be restricted to rules where you may only speak by turn.

Should the world make drilling for oil a top prority? Should we let drilling for oil take a backseat and focus on other aspects of development? What are we going to do when the oil we have is over and gone? After debating these various questions, we were asked to write a blog post about what WE thought about oil. The world cannot survive if oil production is completely stopped. There is no way. Everything you use everyday depends mostly on oil. There is the great issue about the hole we will be struggling to dig ourselves out of when the oil we have is finished. Instead of worrying about what we need to do, lets use the oil we have to HELP us create and alternative. Highly developed countries are already working on replacements for oil. Until we find out, we should continue drilling – but use more wisely. Be aware of what you are doing with the oil. The world needs oil, there is no way we’ll survive without.

Wonder how one hacker can control millions of computers all around the world? Simple: they use something called a bot net. A bot net is a program, an illegal program, which can control computers all over the world. Think of bot nets like drugs. Depending on the bot net, you can buy and sell them over the internet for a large amount of money. Most bot nets are bought for financial gain. They use their control to send spam to the multiple computers. If you control a computer, you can access critical banking information. With this information, you can gain all the money another person has. Imagine this, but with millions of computers. Bot nets from countries that are well developed such as: USA and UK are more valuable then a bot from less developed countries such as India or Vietnam. It makes sense: If you had a choice to rob from a person living in a highly developed country or one from a less developed country, most people would rob the computer with greater financial information.

Watching this video, I learned a lot about hacking and the reason for hacking. Before, i thought hackers broke into computers just for the fun of it. Now i realize they mostly hack for financial benefits. There are ways to prevent your machine from being completely vulnerable to a bot attack. You can go into settings and check you fire wall setting. Using bots to control computers is a highly advanced profession. Your computer may be under the influence of a hacker this very moment.

Vocabulary:

Bot Net: a term for a collection of software robots, or bots, that run autonomously and automatically

For More Information Visit:

BBC Bot Net Video: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/theeditors/2009/03/click_botnet_experiment.html

BBC Debate Article: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/theeditors/2009/03/click_botnet_experiment.html

Tips for better photo taking…

Lines:

• Diagonal lines are dynamic.
• When taking a picture of a building, move your lens close to the base of the building.
• Repetitive lines attract the viewer to the center of your subject.
• S curves make a photograph easy to look at.

Before learning about xtranormal, creating an animation movie would have been a long and painful process. Xtranormal allows you to create animation videos using whatever preferences you want. You can change the looks, voice and nationality of your animation person or animal. You can also change camera angles and add animations to match what your character (s) are saying.

In my video, I used an English male and an English female. Xtranormal is a efficient site because the steps, they show, to make your own movie aren’t complicated. I had never used any sort of movie making software, and I could still make my movie without too much difficulty. I really like the fact that you could change the characters voices according to their nationality. The only aspect of editing the script that is hard is that sometimes the characters cannot pronounce the words you type correctly. To shoo away this problem, you need to type words according to how they sound instead of how they are actually spelt. If you need a quick and easy animated video for a project or anything, Xtranormal is where you need to go.

(My movie)

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8JRrGD_TEGo[/youtube]

“We need the help the world, make it a better place.” I am always hearing people say that and I think: “Why? Why should we care anyways?” If you aren’t one of the people in need, then why should we care? I had decided that I didn’t care. I would live my life, and whatever happens to the world, i wouldn’t care. This was my opinion in August, before my 9th grade year had begun.

We do need to care. What is going now is still going to affect us. We have to care because in the end, its all we have. What about your children? If the world is continuously rotting away, what will be left of it for the future? What about your grandchildren? There may not be a world left for them to live in. Imagine the difference if every single person in the world, tried to help make our world sanitary and wealthy. No one litters, no one creates unnecessary waste and filth does not drown the earth. What a difference the simple matter of not littering would make. It’s not hard. It’s not complicated. Anyone can do it, even the poorest of the people and even the richest. We all have to help. People living with lower standards may not have luxuries and privileges but they can still help. People who are of a very high class can still help. In fact, they can help more than anybody. The richest people and companies of this world can help this world more than anybody can. They can because the enough power and influence on people’s actions.

Promises are being made all over the world. Presidents saying “END POVERTY.”( http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-10/13/content_12222261.htm)  Is anything really happening? I can’t help but ask. If nothing is being done, then let’s start. Turn words into actions.

In the end, you should care because it affects you if not for any other reason. It affects me because it affects the future generation. Shouldn’t your children or grandchildren have the privilege to live in a safe and sanitary world? We have to care because the decisions that are made today, are helping or destroying, the next generation; which would be your children or grandchildren. This is not one of the matters where you can fail and say: “Oh well, I’ll do it right the next time.” There will be no next time.

Millennium Development Goals:

“the goals are ambitions, but they are all attainable” (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ReRx12QUv54&feature=fvst)

1. Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger
2. Achieve universal primary education
3. Promote gender equality and empower women
4. Reduce child mortality
5. Improve maternal health
6. Combating diseases
7. Ensure environmental sustainability
8. Develop a global partnership for development

“Success is all about partnership” (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ReRx12QUv54&feature=fvst)

Geography class: October 14th, 2009

After watching the video (embedded below) I thought about how i could help the UN achieve the Millennium goals. I don’t mean that I, by myself, am going to rid the world of all its problems and issues. On a small scale, there is a way that everyone can help. You can help out in your community. It makes a difference for you, then it makes a difference for the world.

Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger. This goal can be reached in all standards. In your local community, look for soup kitchens, or homeless shelters. Donate whatever you don’t need. Your throwaways could be brand new luxury clothes for someone who has lived their whole life homeless and poor. Leave it to the UN to help remote areas of the world. Help out as much as you can, anywhere you can.

Another goal that our communities could tackle on a small scale level: Ensure Environmental Stability. We want the environment to last us for a long time. Considering what is happening in the world today, our environment is damaged. Simple habits such as recycling and being litter aware can still help. Convince anyone you know to be aware of the environment. Spray deodorant release gases that add to the ozone layer. Use soap or roll-on.

There are many types of pollution that can cause destruction to the quality of our lives. Noise pollution, water pollution, ground pollution and air pollution. Simply being aware, and allowing others to be aware can make a change.

Help out! Whenever and Wherever you can.

Links

(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ReRx12QUv54&feature=fvst)

http://environment.about.com/od/pollution/Environmental_Issues_Pollution.htm

Tips for better photo taking…

Cropping:

• Fill your whole frame with your subject.
• Watch out for unnecessary clutter in the background.

This picture used to be a lot larger, with many objects in the frame. By cropping the picture, I made sure that only one object got the attention.

The rule of Thirds:

• Before you take the picture, in your head, divide the picture into 3 by 3 sections.
• Whichever rectangle you select to place you subject in depends on how you want to present your subject.
• In an action shot, leave space in front of the athlete so that they picture gives the athlete space to move.
• There are 4 major spots to place your subject.

This picture shows the rule of thirds by placing the object (number6) in one of the areas that the rule of third contains. Even though the object is not centered, it is still the main focus of the picture.

Tips For Better Photo-Taking

Simplicity:

• Make sure the background doesn’t take away from your subject
• The reason for your picture should be clear
• Zoom in Close to your subject

The pictures above represent simplicity because the focus of the photography is clearly visible. In figure 1, the shoes are the main focus. They fill almost fill the entire shot, which shows that the artist wants you to focus on them. In figure 2, the trash can does the same.

Balance:

• Use simple geometric shapes to add visual unity. They help shape your picture.
• Good balance is the arrangement of shapes, the contrast of light and dark so that the picture makes sense.
• Symmetry is a way of good balance as well.

This picture shows balance by being mostly symmetrical. There isn’t one single side that gets the attention. By having the models equal distance from the middle, and looking the same, it creates balance.