Kids, Time To Clean Your Robot!

When I was a kid, I always dreamed of having superpowers or having something so extraordinarily amazing. A robot, flying devices, and all those imaginary devices. Well, technology has kicked its way into our world and have shown us that dreams can become realities! Sakakibara Kikai, a Japanese engineer and manufacturer, came up with an amazing new device. A device that any kid would beg to have and would dream for it everyday - a giant manually controlled robot called "Cyclops". A piece of machinery that is so easy to control that even a small kid could do it. The adult version is called the "Landwalker". The Landwalker has more capabilities, obviously, and is able to run on gasoline whereas the Cyclops has to run on batteries. Imagine what the future has in store for us if this a machine like this already exists! Just a little longer kids! Your dream robot is on its way!

Major Concepts

- The robot costs about 20,000$, but is purchasable by the youngest of kids. 

- The robot comes in two versions, the "Cyclops" (Kids) and the "Landwalker" (Adults).

- The Cyclops runs on batteries whereas the Landwalker runs on gasoline.

Advantages

- Can help disabled kids, such as kids who have lost legs or arms, etc.

- A whole new step in technology improvement.

- Can prove to be extremely helpful.

- Very entertaining.

Disadvantages

- Kids may start to become lazy and selfish and spoiled

- It is very expensive as of now

- It does have some capabilities, but not that much, as of now.

Discussion Questions

- Can the robots do any more than what is shown in the pictures or videos?

- In the future, are human-controlled robots going to dominate the Earth? As in, will everyone have their own robots to ride in?

- What other capabilities and abilities will future versions of this robot have in store for us?

Knapp, Alex. "In Japan, You Can Buy Your Kid A Giant Robot For $20,000." Forbes. Forbes Magazine, 24 Apr. 2013. Web. 29 Apr. 2013. <http://www.forbes.com/sites/alexknapp/2013/04/24/in-japan-you-can-buy-your-kid-a-mech-for-20000/>.

Earth Day 2013!

This is my Earth Day 2013 photo. Enjoy! Hopefully everyone will follow this amazing auspicious event! 

Our Future Clothes...Fabricated by Computers!

Ever seen one of those awesome clothes in super hero movies or games that have amazing abilities? Those futuristic stuff you really wish to have...Oh it would be so amazing with those elastic-stretching clothes and those clothes that can block bullets out or even clothes that can turn you invisible. Well, all those technologies will eventually be made. How do I know that? Well, the following new "computerized clothings" can actually blow your mind away and show you that in no time, kids will soon hold their own bullet-proof vests that are worn casually. This article will discuss some of the latest e-textile fabrics that have been assembled.

The E-Textile Vest

These new vests can actually prove to be useful. These new vests have electronic wirings and equipments fabricated into them. These vests can show the exact location of where a bullet landed, should one go through the vest. This makes it easier for the medics to complete their objectives.

Heatex

This fabric of this amazing new clothing could actually be very useful. It is an e-textile (textiles that have electricity and wirings stored in them) that can heat up the wearer. It cold countries or when one is sick, this can actually be pretty helpful! Another great attribute is that the temperature can be controlled by smartphones. They are also waterproof and washable.

Virtual Fitting Rooms

Ever went to a clothing store and became frustrated when they said that you couldn't try it on? Or that there was no dressing room to change in? Or maybe, it could be that you are just lazy to change clothes repeatedly to see how and if you fit in the new clothes. Well, this new ultramodern technology can help shoppers a lot more now! This new technology allows people to look for clothes, both inside the store and on an online website, and will create a hologram that shows yourself, in those clothes, and in many different scenarios. It can actually be a very helpful item! Especially when you're about to go on dates! 

Well, these are just three examples, but do not worry! Keep your hopes up and sooner or later, we could have clothes that even allow us to hover or fly! Who knows?

Main Concepts

- These new e-fabric clothes are very useful.
- Some of these e-fabric clothes have already been released
- It causes LOTS and LOTS of natural resources (both creating and recycling).

Strengths

- These new technologies can be extremely useful and can help people everyday.
- You have to take everything into consideration. It could boost the economy greatly. For example, shoppers may start to shop more or people could start to shop more because they can easily and without frustration, find clothes that fit them.
- Clothes such as the Heatex and the E-Textile Vest can save lives and make human life more comfortable and safe.

Disadvantages

- These clothes cannot be, or cannot easily be recycled because of all the electronics inside.
- All these products can cause global warming
- With these jackets, economy may worsen in some cases. With the Heatex jackets, heaters will not be used and ordinary jackets will not be bought.



Questions

- Will there be any more fancy and more high-tech clothes in the future?
- We already have a supposed epidemic environmental crisis. Are there more cons to this than pros? How can us humans make products such as this without harming or wasting vital natural resources?
- Will this be our future? Will ordinary clothes be forgotten as these new clothes replace them?

Danny. "Computerized Clothing: Future Fabrics." Vizual Archive. VA, 18 Apr. 2013. Web. 22 Apr. 2013. <http://vizualarchive.com/2013/computerized-clothing-future-fabrics/?asid=c228f21b>.

Anonymous against Israel

The battle between the Palestinians and the Israeli people have raged on for decades, causing millions of innocent deaths all for some land that is considered "Holy". Now there is nothing wrong with considering Jerusalem holy, but in the current situation, the Zionists (who are part of the Jewish community, not all of the Jewish population are bad), are unwilling to share the land with the Palestinians. With the war still going on, the infamous group of specialized hackers who go by the name of "Anonymous" have decided to launch a cyber attack on to Israel. This resulted in billions of damage as the hacktivists ravaged through Israeli websites and accounts. Despite the news, the Israeli government claimed that only little damage had been done and has not caused a mishap. 

Major Concepts

- The group Anonymous are trying to put Israel in an economic deficit

- The group declared that 3 billions US dollars worth of damage had been done

- The Israeli government claims that Anonymous did not damage their vital and crucial websites and stated that they were not afraid of cyber attacks from Anonymous

Advantages

- With most of the world siding with the Palestinians, it seems that Palestinians are the innocent ones. Palestine may have gained a powerful ally - The Anonmyous. 

- By causing economic harm and internal chaos within the system and country  war can be decreased, resulting in less deaths, etc. 

- Being able to hack within all these different websites and places may eventually reveal the truths and secrets behind the cruel acts of the Zionists.

- The Anonymous are taking action and going against the evil government of the Zionists

Disadvantages

- It "may" only cause more anger and more war.

- The U.S. government side with with the Israelis and may try to shut down the Anonymous.

- The group has not yet succeeded in their mission to stop the war by disrupting Israeli's government.

Questions

- Can Anonymous pull this off and accomplish their goals for peace and justice?

- Why would Anonymous help the Palestinians? Were the Israelis that horribly bad? Why would the Zionists be violent towards the peaceful Palestinians just for the "Holy Land?

- Is this the start of an uprising?

- Is it justified and rightful of the Anonymous to do this?

- Should people interfere with situations of other people or countries?

Musil, Steven. "Anonymous Targets Israel in Another Cyberattack." CNET News. CBS Interactive, 07 Apr. 2013. Web. 08 Apr. 2013. <http://news.cnet.com/8301-1009_3-57578331-83/anonymous-targets-israel-in-another-cyberattack/?subj=cnet>.

Battle Of The Browsers

People have different preferences for everything. That is why there is a debate all around the world, whether it's about World War II or if it's about technology improving lives or going against natural human order, there is a debate about everything. In this topic, it's about the best browser. Like everything, there is a good and bad side to all the things, especially browsers. The top 4 most popular and used browsers are: Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, Safari, and Google Chrome. There are many preferences but in today's world, it's all about how comfortable a browser can be, how it improves and helps the user even more, and is the fastest and easiest to use. (Note that these are based on the latest updated browsers as of April 31st, 2013).

Google Chrome

- It has a one-click bookmark, making it easy for users to save the websites that they visit.

- It is very simple, having only one tab and an address bar that contains all the utilities (back, refresh, home, settings, etc).

- The toolbar can be customized

- Whether you have many tabs open or whatever situation, Google Chrome is very fast in showing contents.

Mozilla Firefox

- Similar to Google Chrome, it is very simple, having the tab bar above the address bar.

- Has a one-click bookmark button

- Has updates that are sometimes skipped

- Has a Firefox logo on the top left, which contains certain options and settings (the only browser in these 4 to have) and it may be frustrating because it does take space up.

Internet Explorer

- Contains a single bar that holds the address bar, tab bar, and search bar.

- It is more scattered and bunched up compared to other browsers
- A one-click bookmark button is also available for this browser

Safari

- Is the only browser out of all 4 to not contain a one-click bookmark button, which can be uncomfortable.

- It has a more clean, attractive, and better layout than the other browsers (very organized)

- Does not update the browser automatically (user is asked or must manually do it)

Major Concepts

- All the browsers have their own pros and cons

- All browsers should be given a try and one will eventually find their favorite.

- All of them are constantly updating and very good

Questions

1. Will there be any browser that will top the other browsers with a 100% assurance?
2. Could browsers get any more comfortable?
3. Will there be a new browser that will outshine these 4 browsers?
4. How else can browsers improve?

Widder, Brandon. "Battle of the Best Browsers: IE vs. Chrome vs. Firefox vs. Safari." Digital Trends Battle of the Best Browsers IE vs Chrome vs Firefox vs Safari Comments. Digital Trends, 31 Mar. 2013. Web. 01 Apr. 2013. <http://www.digitaltrends.com/web/the-best-browser-internet-explorer-vs-chrome-vs-firefox-vs-safari/>.

The Gooooooooooogle Glasses

Have you ever seen in one of those superhero movies like Iron Man, where the person just talks to one of those head gears that helps them do their things? Well, thanks to technology, we're starting to get a huge step towards that kind of technology. It is called "The Google Glasses". The Google Glasses is a wearable computer that was developed (and still is) by Google. It was released in early 2013 and has become a famous trend. It costs 1500$ and it is a simple, yet very complex piece of technology. What makes this device so special is the fact that it's one of those "futuristic" technologies that records everything you see and everything you hear. It is indeed a surreal piece of machinery.

Major Concepts

- It is a new technology and another whole new step for mankind. It is a piece of tech that's never been seen before.

- It will, no doubt, be very famous in the future because companies like Apple and Microsoft will try to duplicate or make devices similar or better than these.

- It is 1500$, an ideal price if you're a person with nothing to do or a person who has a job or wants to record many things, auditory or visually. 

- It causes some problems, based on privacy and legal rights.

Potential Strengths/Advantages

- If used in appropriate conditions, it could actually be a very useful device as it can record everything you see and everything you do. An ideal device for someone such as a news reporter or an interrogator.

- It may help a student study just by looking and listening at the teacher and going over the recordings at home.

- Who knows? A person wearing these glasses at a random time could witness events such as murders, thievery, and much more (which of course means that it record and be helpful).

- Some say that it can also be used to search web results, if so, it will be a huge asset for a student in middle of a class doing research and what not?

- It can assist a person in many ways, such as contacting people, etc.

Potential Disadvantages/Deficits

- Like every piece of technology that is released, it only ruins human health because it causes them to be lazy (Example: Not needing to get on the computer to search for the results, being lazy in class because the person knows they can record anyways).

- It MAY, just MAY have psychological effects on a person on how they view the world. By being addicted to these glasses and seeing through an electronic world, it may cause some sort of a new disorder or effect.

- It takes away the privacy of people as you can record and take pictures whenever you wish without the person knowing.

- It may be expensive to provide all the electricity or Internet or pay for the glasses itself.

Discussion Questions

1. If a device like this is made so refined and well, what could be the future of mankind in the coming century, or even decade?

2. Will it be more of a deficit or an advantage?

3. Could it possibly connect to our brains and allow humans to control everything even easier like it's daily life?

4. What privacy or laws could this piece of tech break or take away?

Haslam, Oliver. "Humor: The Truth About Google Glasses | Redmond Pie." Redmond Pie RSS. Redmond Pie, 26 Feb. 2013. Web. 25 Mar. 2013.

Advice from billionaires

Everyone in this generations wants to be rich. Many people, especially students who love education, want to be one of those stereo-typical rich billionaires. Being a billionaire isn't easy, in fact, it's almost impossible. Even if there is a small chance of becoming rich, it is still a possible chance. Many people want to be billionaires, but know that since there's a small chance of that happening, their goal is just earn a lot of money and become sufficiently rich. So how did billionaires earn so much money? What did they do and what morals did they have? Well, this may not answer all the questions, but it may be inspirational. Below are the quotes of a few remarkable billionaires. 

Steve Jobs - Live Each Day As If It Was Your Last, Stanford University, 2005

"When I was 17, I read a quote that went something like: “If you live each day as if it was your last, some day you’ll most certainly be right.” It made an impression on me, and since then, for the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: “If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?” And whenever the answer has been “no” for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something".

Bill Gates - From Those To Whom Much is Given, Much is Expected, Harvard University, 2007

"My mother, who was filled with pride the day I was admitted here-never stopped pressing me to do more for others. A few days before my wedding, she hosted a bridal event, at which she read aloud a letter about marriage that she had written to Melinda. My mother was very ill with cancer at the time, but she saw one more opportunity to deliver her message, and at the close of the letter she said: “From those to whom much is given, much is expected.”

Steve Ballmer - Don't Have Passion, Have Tenacity, University of Southern California, 2011

Passion is the ability to get excited about something. Irrepressibility and tenacity is about the ability to stay with it. If you take a look at all of the companies that have been started in our business, most of them fail. If you take even a look at the companies that have succeeded,Microsoft, Apple, Google, Facebook, you name it, all of these companies went through times of hardship. You get some success. You run into some walls. You try a formula for a new idea, a new innovation, it doesn’t work. And it’s how tenacious you are, how irrepressible, how ultimately optimistic and tenacious you are about it that will determine your success.

 Main concept: 

- Everyone had to struggle to become who they are now
- They never gave up and always believed in themselves
- To succeed, one must be passionate and have tenacity for their job.

Potential Strengths:

- It inspires people and shows them not to give up on anything
- It teaches you to be tenacious and willing to go through a lot and never give up, to succeed
- Shows that if you try hard, you can go from zero to hero (earn billions)

Potential Disadvantages:

- These people did try hard, but it also depends on luck. These people were lucky they were there, right then, right time.

- It may be influential  or it may be an excuse and be overconfident. Since these people became billionaires from nothing, why not other MILLIONS of people? 

Questions:

- Is it harder to become successful today because of the rise in population and competition? If so, by how large of a margin? Why?

- How much of a struggle does one have to go through in order to be successful and rich? Does luck play a part too? 

Solomon, Brian. "Billionaires' Tips For New Grads: Advice From Jobs, Oprah, Zuckerberg And More." Forbes. Forbes Magazine, 09 May 2012. Web. 18 Mar. 2013.