Screen Cast

http://screencast.com/t/qeUFrRpkWXv

Tech Article 5/29

Google on Thursday detailed its newest virtual reality device, the second-generation Cardboard. Unlike virtual reality rivals that have created systems that cost hundreds of dollars, Google has been pushing an inexpensive product that essentially anyone could afford and build, opening up VR to a broader group of consumers.The new version is an even simpler product than the initial device, taking only three steps to construct instead of 12, and it also fits larger phone sizes, including screens up to 6 inches.

"You must be the change you wish to see in the world." ~Mahatma Gandhi

Global Warming is what creates my desire to help the world. Our ecosystems are being destroyed if we don't take action. We must stop polluting the oceans and littering our earth with garbage. We should recycle and conserve energy.

Tech Article 5/15

NASA plans to spend $100,000 to study the use of a squid rover that could someday explore Jupiter's moon Europa and other worlds believed to harbor lakes and oceans.NASA is currently moving ahead with plans to send a spacecraft to Europa, but sending a squid submarine hasn't been a public part of that plan. The funding is part of NASA's Innovative Advanced Concepts program, which aims to turn science fiction into science fact through the development of pioneering technologies. In the case of the soft rover, that aim is certainly true.

RSS Discussion Questions

1. Why did you select the sites you subscribed to?
2. - I subscribed to them because I find them interesting
3. Was it easy to find feeds and to subscribe to them?
4. - Yes, it was easy all I had to do was type the website into the search bar and add "RSS" at the end.
5. Which sites were your favorites?
6. - My favorite sites include TMZ and Teen Vogue.
7. What else can you use RSS feeds for?
8. - You can use RSS feeds for businesses or blogs.
9. How likely are you to continue to use RSS feeds in the future?
10. - I probably won't use RSS feeds in the future because I prefer just to go to the website instead.

Tech Article 5/8

Oculus VR headset gets early-2016 launch date

Until now, the firm had only sold "developer" editions that were targeted at video games creators and did not represent the Rift's final design.Facebook bought Oculus VR for $2bn in 2014, despite it not having released a commercial product.The release date means that HTC's rival helmet should be the first available.The Taiwanese manufacturer has promised to sell its own virtual reality headset, the Vive, to the public before the end of the year. For now, potential buyers are being teased with a promise that the Rift has a more natural fit and an improved tracking system than earlier models shown off by Oculus.

Do Now 5/5

If I could create a new class in our school, I would want a photography class. A photography class would be great addition to our curriculum, and I believe many other students would love it too. In this class students would learn how to properly take, edit, upload and photoshop their pictures. Students will also be shown the proper way to use the equipment and all the helpful tips in taking the perfect photo.

Our class would everyday as one of their electives until the end of second marking period. Our classroom would be equip with a dark room to show students how to use older cameras. I would have the students have a homework assignment every week and have a topic, for example nature. Every month the pick from their best photos they took and have a vote on their favorite which I would hang in the front if the class. They would also have an end of the marking period assignment where they showcase all their work to the class.

Tech article 5/1

A design from the German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence in Bremen, Germany, has landed on the chimpanzee as its model for robotic lunar missions. This is an animal that can stand on four legs, giving it stability, but can use its front two legs to hold objects. The chimp's greatest asset is that it can choose which form of movement best fits the situation.They can choose if the environment won't let you move in a stable fashion on two legs they can choose four. When the environment improves, two legs allows you to have a better view field.The robot can also walk up and down slopes of up to 20 degrees. The chimpanzee is not the only animal that is being studied by DFKI as a future model for a lunar robot. There are also plans for a lunar mantis and a lunar scorpion.

Tech Article 4/24

Given that both heads up displays for our cars and smart glasses are emerging product categories, it’s not surprising that a company would try to combine the two into a single product.  Mini’s new Augmented Vision, a set of driving goggles that brings some of the features of your standard heads-up display to a set of glasses, which uses connected eyewear and connected vehicles. By enetring your destination and plugging it into your car, it will give you driving and walking directions. While wearing the glasses arrows point on where to turn and the speed limit is. While driving it will also point out individual sites that you pass along the way, and also tells you available parking spaces.

Project Loon, Google's plan to bring the Internet to everyone

Project Loon is Google's bold experiment to bring the Internet to the world, ferried on the back of high-altitude balloons. The project has come a long way since it was first announced back in June of 2013. A balloon that once took 3 to 4 days to create can now be produced in a just a few hours. Google launches these balloons with automated cranes and can now launch dozens of balloons a day. And these can stay aloft for over a hundred days, a mission-control center has been set up to keep track of the thousands of balloons that will be maneuvering about the globe, guiding them into ideal places to maximize Internet coverage.

Spring Break

My spring break mostly consisted of me at home on my iPad, sleeping, and once in awhile I hung out with friends. On Friday I went to the mall with my friends and got Starbucks, and after the mall I went to go get a new iPhone. On Saturday I had a Track relay at 7:00 am to 3:00 pm, and I ran the 200 meter relay. Since my aunt went to Disney this Easter we had Easter dinner at my grandma's house. For Easter I got candy, clothes and a new coffee mug because I lost my old one.

On Monday I went to Arianna's house with Halie and we played volleyball. I also cracked my new phone case and got Ritas. On Tuesday I had track practice and when I got home I slept for two hours. On Wednesday I went to the movies with my friends, and then on Thursday and Friday I didn't really do anything. On Saturday my grandma came over and on Sunday I went out to eat with my family.

Fancy a game of Pac-Man? Head to Google Maps

You can now play Pac-Man right in Google Maps.  To play the game, simply go to Google Maps in a browser on your computer, or on the updated iOS and Android Google Maps apps, and find a location near you with a good amount of streets. From there, click the Pac-Man button in the bottom left corner, and Google will transform those streets into a playable version of Pac-Man. The controls are pretty simple: just tap on the up, down, left and right arrows to move Pac-Man around while you collect dots and cherries, all while avoiding being killed by ghosts. I guess this is Google's bizarre but amazing April Fools Prank.

Drones Beaming Web Access Are in the Stars for Facebook

                         

A rendering of a Facebook drone, which will weigh less than a small car and have the wingspan of 156 inches is the centerpiece of Facebook’s plans to connect with the five billion or so people it has yet to reach. Facebook hopes to use about 1,000 drones to connect people to the web. They believe their solar-powered craft can eventually be aloft up to three months at a time, beaming high-speed data from 60,000 to 90,000 feet to some of the world’s remotest regions via laser. Test flights are to begin this summer, though full commercial deployment may take years.

Emoji Keyboard for Mac

 
An art and technology studio in Oakland, California called Disk Cactus has launched a Kickstarter campaign for the Emoji Keyboard, a product that combines software and hardware to turn your Mac's keyboard into an emoji typing machine. The keyboard is a silicone cover that you put on top of your Mac's keyboard. After you click the Emoji button, you're in emoji mode and can type emoji with the simple press of a button. There are over 150 emoji available, and you can type them by using a combination of the keyboard and the shift, control and option keys on your Mac.

Meet Keys, a musical keyboard that fits in your backpack and links with your iPhone

Keys is the first modular keyboard with full-sized LED keys that features gesture control, that connects to your PC or iPhone. Gesture control allows you to wave your hand over the keyboard to create special-effects sounds.What's interesting is that you can magnetically connect two of the 24 key keyboard together to form a 48 key keyboard, and in the future you will also be able to attach modular control panels and other accessories. When you're done playing you can break down the modules and stack them on top of each other, making it easy to fit in backpack or bag. Keys is available for pre-order now for $100 and will ship this summer with free shipping. 

World's first 'drone circus' set for 2015 debut

There is new circus coming to town, with drones, and the world's very first drone circus. It will be an air show solely featuring drones to be held at the Amsterdam Arena at a yet to be announced date.In this high-energy and explosive show, drones will take center stage to bring a collaboration and fusion of music, video, projections and special effects.It is definitely a circus made for the 21^st century that uses technology to move beyond lion tamers and clowns.

Web 2.0: Multimedia Blog Pre-posting

Biology 

     My favorites subject is biology out of all my classes. I have it period eight and my teacher is Mr. Colarusso; check out his website here. In biology i expected to learn about the main themes of biology: evolution, heredity, cellular organization, metabolism, reproduction, symbiosis and homeostasis. In those categories are topics such as: mitosis, meiosis, animal/plant cells and different cycles. Science has always been my best subject and I find really interesting.

      I have learned many things in biology things so far this year, and have plenty more ahead. In the beginning of the year I learned about the nature of science and scientific method. Then, we studied ionic and covalent bonds and how to transfer electrons to different elements to make them stable. After that I learned about ethics and cell structures and what each organelle does. We also learned about mitosis and its stages of cell division. Currently I am learning meiosis and the make-up of chromosomes: meiosis and two stages and chromosomes are in pairs and humans have 23 pairs. 
         The grading policy is exactly the same as my other classes. In biology my favorite project was when we had to create a three dimensional model of strand on DNA. Other projects I like is when we have to draw a cycle, cell or diagram. In biology we use technology basically everyday such as: the projector, the computers or electronic microscopes. I also get homework assigned everyday, and we complete a study guide about every two weeks and then take our chapter test. Here is a link to what we are currently learning about.
   

Future cities may harvest energy from human footsteps

• Pavegen, has developed power-generating systems for pavements, football fields and even school corridors.
• The company's footfall harvesting technology, a deflecting pad covered with the type of soft ground surface commonly found in playgrounds, can make up to 7 watts of energy with every step.
• Collecting this energy is enough to power lights and other small devices for minutes at a time from a mere one hundred or so foot steps.
• The company this year installed 36 tiles to create two people-powered dance floors at the 20th Essence Festival, placing digital screens in front of the dance floors to display the amount of energy produced during each dance off.
•  Analysts estimate the energy harvesting industry could be worth as much as $30 billion by 2018. Click here for link.

English Project

Do Now: Educational Technology and Copyright Law

This article is about is about copy right and how is protects against plagiarism. Plagiarism is very common and in order to protect your work you must license it. I learned that some work on the internet is not licensed so its fair use, but if it is you must use it according to the license.

Welcome!

Hi, my name is Lauren and I am a freshman at WRHS. I play volleyball during the fall, and in the spring I will do track and field. Some of my hobbies include: reading, drawing, shopping,and hanging out with my friends.My favorite subjects are biology and English; my least favorite are History and Italian.  In the future, I would like to apply to many colleges like: Rowan, NYU, Penn State, Ramapo. I would like to major in either journalism, fashion or marketing.