Mini Fitz's Favorite - A Toy Robot in Space

 On occasion, one of my students will offer up a suggestion of something interesting to post.  

This one comes to us on recommendation from one of my favorite students.

Thank you Mr. Mini Fitz!

Cooperation and collaboration - what is possible when people work toward a common goal

I hope to see someone try this in the SAMS cafeteria some time soon.

You kids amaze me.

Science Connections for you to consider:

• Neurobiology
• Mirror Neurons
• Neural Pathways
• Sound transmission
• Neuromuscular synchronization
• Vocalization

Aside:  I've been following Kia Grannis for probably 5 years, when she was just a kid.  You ought to look up her Valentine song - click here.  Also, her cover of Rhianna's, Disturbia - click here - is also pretty neat.  And one of her first covers was Jason Mraz',  "I'm Yours"  - click here.  I am glad she is finally realizing the success she deserves.  Let's see if anyone reads this far...

Flight vs Flight - Pergrine vs Biker

Next, behind the scenes action...

And finally, the Bird Cam.

Metacognition - How Einstein thought

Note: This video qualifies as a 5 point maximum extra credit paper for your semester's final Science grade - that's a half a grade added to your final grade.  

However, it must meet the following criteria:  1500 word minimum (to 10,000 words maximum) to include a summary of the video and an exposition that discusses a topic of your choice mentioned in the video.  Make sure it is copy edited, spell checked and set-up in a word document.  

Should you elect to take this challenge, your essay on this post ought to be fun, and rewarding for you.  If you take any other approach to it, or if it ceases to be fun, then you are doing something wrong.

Education - then and now

Here is the light version...

 

and here is the meaty one - the whole lesson:

Completely Changing the way we Think about Travel?

The Poetry of Science: We are All Africans & Extremophiles

The Cloud: Perspectives from a Young Enrerpreneur - Aaron Levie & Data Storage

 

Time Lapsed Photography

A Good Overview of Emotional Intelligence

The University of Wisconsin offers a series of videos on seminars such as, the 'Art of Lecturing seminar', as part of the school's medical education.  Dr. David Rakel MD.

He discusses how the emotional brain works, and the importance of making connections.  Just as a an aside, he uses a clip from the movie, "Little Miss Sunshine" - one of my favorite movies.  He discusses how we communicate without words.  

He also talks about the importance of making meaningful connections and understanding those things that give life meaning and purpose - the importance of love.

Faster Than The Speed Of Light? Six More Dimensions?

For those of you students wrestling with the concepts of Algebra, Geometry, Trigonometry and the various hypotheses, laws and constructs you are faced with in Chemistry & Physics, here is the reason why you need to master them; ideas are being bandied, in the world of the mind are slowly progressing toward the notion of a Unified Field Theory - something that eluded Einstein and continues to escape scientists who have followed him.  

The world as we know it is changing rapidly - so much so - that, what we once found to be nuanced a century ago, even decades ago and more accurately, right now is the stuff science fiction didn't even come close to predicting; truth really is stranger than fiction.  

The world of the mind is where each of you will be far more suited to play. I happen to believe it is because the time you were born makes this possible - think of Malcolm Gladwell's arguments.  That said, I strongly adhere to the notion put forth by the scientist, Louis Pasteur who famously said, "Chance favors a prepared mind." 

I cannot come close to explaining what some of these concepts described in this video mean.  However, I have every confidence that there will be people among your generation that may in fact be able to get their heads wrapped around these topics.  To that end, this is why it is so critical that each of you endeavor to master the basic intellectual building blocks you are now studying because without them, you will be left behind, and our world will be the less for it.  

Rest assured, the assiduous efforts you make today will be rewarded in the future.  And, like a spinning bicycle wheel that comes into focus only instantaneously, thus will be your education.  Borrowing from that metaphor, as sure as we cannot see the wheel turning every moment, we none the less know that it continues in its motion. This is how your learning works as well; it turns and reveals itself - stingily at times - but it is building upon a base of knowledge that will serve its purpose in due time.

Now, conceptualizing the world in six more dimensions?  I hope we get there in my life time.

Always do your best and never quit.

Note: This video qualifies as a 5 point maximum extra credit paper for your semester's final Science grade - that's a half a grade added to your final grade.  

However, it must meet the following criteria:  1500 word minimum (to 10,000 words maximum) to include a summary of the video and an exposition that discusses a topic of your choice mentioned in the video.  Make sure it is copy edited, spell checked and set-up in a word document.  

Should you elect to take this challenge, your essay on this post ought to be fun, and rewarding for you.  If you take any other approach to it, or if it ceases to be fun, then you are doing something wrong.

Harnessing the Wind - A 14 Year Old Malawian Boy's Story

"And so I say to you, trust yourself - and believe.  Whatever happens, don't give up." 
 William Kamkwamba

This is a fascinating story about a 14 year-old young man - William Kamkwamba - from Malawi, Africa whose ambition to learn about electricity brought about tremendous changes in his life, the lives of his family and his community.  

He also wrote a book about the experience in, "The Boy Who Harnessed The Wind" - I picked up the book for my e-reader for $2.99.  That's a bargain, and it is a good read.



Note: This book qualifies as a 5 point maximum extra credit paper for your semester's final Science grade - that's a half a grade added to your final grade.  

However, it must meet the following criteria:  1500 word minimum (to 10,000 words maximum) to include a summary of the video and an exposition that discusses a topic of your choice mentioned in the video.  Make sure it is copy edited, spell checked and set-up in a word document.  

Should you elect to take this challenge, your essay on this post ought to be fun, and rewarding for you.  If you take any other approach to it, or if it ceases to be fun, then you are doing something wrong.

I also wonder if this is something that might be repeated in Smart Lab...

More Physics Anyone?

This is a variant on the Samoan Fire Knife Dance.  

I want you students to realize that there  is a world beyond Albuquerque.  It can be seen if you get yourselves a good education.  And, when you do see it, so much of it will make sense to you because of the investment you have made into your acquisition of knowledge - for the sake of learning.  

May all that you are learning become a contagion for everyone around you.  More than that, may you be filled with life-long curiosity and a deep sense of wonder because you are educated.

I hope you are sharing these posts with your family and friends.

Digitopia & Abundance; Are we ready for it? - Michio Kaku

"...so, take your, 'What if's,' and turn them into, 'Why not's!'" - Gabriel Byrne

This video just posted on 2 January of this year.  Enjoy! 

Note: This video qualifies as a 5 point maximum extra credit paper for your semester's final Science grade - that's a half a grade added to your final grade.  

However, it must meet the following criteria:  1500 word minimum (to 10,000 words maximum) to include a summary of the video and an exposition that discusses a topic of your choice mentioned in the video.  Make sure it is copy edited, spell checked and set-up in a word document.  

Should you elect to take this challenge, your essay on this post ought to be fun, and rewarding for you.  If you take any other approach to it, or if it ceases to be fun, then you are doing something wrong.

So, its a Snow Day - A Little Classical Physics Anyone?

Things to contemplate on a Snow Day...

So, take some geeks + water, add in some bikes, ramps and shovels, toss in a dog or two, and some water proof cameras - don't forget the fearlessness (or insanity of youth) and what you get?  

Bandaids & helmets are mandatory - superman cape, necktie and cardboard for breakdancing?  Maybe.

A physics lab where notes are optional, and you will develop a working understanding of all those dusty formulas you are learning at your desk.  Look closely and you will see the following concepts and more...

• Resolution of Vectors
• Kinetic vs Potential Energy
• Ramps
• Trajectories
• Gravity
• Gravitational Forces between two Bodies
• Cartesian Coordinate Systems 2D & 3D
• F=ma
• Velocity
• Acceleration 
• Center of Mass
• Center of Gravity
• Density
• Torque 
• Friction
• Trigonometric Functions - SOHCAHTOA
• Pythagorean Theorem
• Wave Physics
• Rotational Dynamics
• Axis of Rotation
• Neurobiology
• Simple Levers 

Of course, if flying doesn't interest you, how about gliding?

See how many concepts you can identify

Note: This video qualifies as a 5 point maximum extra credit paper for your semester's final Science grade - that's a half a grade added to your final grade.  

However, it must meet the following criteria:  1500 word minimum (to 10,000 words maximum) to include a summary of the video and an exposition that discusses a topic of your choice mentioned in the video.  Make sure it is copy edited, spell checked and set-up in a word document.  

Should you elect to take this challenge, your essay on this post ought to be fun, and rewarding for you.  If you take any other approach to it, or if it ceases to be fun, then you are doing something wrong. 

Perception versus Reality: A Lesson

  
“No, I would not want to live in a world without dragons, as I would not want to live in a world without magic, for that is a world without mystery, and that is a world without faith.”  - R.A. Salvatore, Streams of Silver

 Sintel is an approximately fourteen minute short directed by a young man, Colin Levy.  It is a thought-provoking story filled with irony and a sense of continuity that makes me sad, and yet fills me with hope.  I suppose what is most touching to me is how people can come up with ideas for a story, and then bring it all together through imagery and music. 

Colin  has been making short films since he was a kid.  His blog states that he just got a 12 month residency position at PIXAR.

I think Mr. Levy is going to  be someone whose work we will see, on the big screen, in the not-so-distant future. 

If you want to follow this rising star's trajectory, bookmarking his blog might not be a bad idea.  Following this link will also give you the opportunity to see some of his earlier work.  Moreover, it will  give you a front seat to his video short called, "The Secret Number".  

Note: This video qualifies as a 5 point maximum extra credit paper for your semester's final Science grade - that's a half a grade added to your final grade.  

However, it must meet the following criteria:  1500 word minimum (to 10,000 words maximum) to include a summary of the video and an exposition that discusses a topic of your choice mentioned in the video.  Make sure it is copy edited, spell checked and set-up in a word document.  

Should you elect to take this challenge, your essay on this post ought to be fun, and rewarding for you.  If you take any other approach to it, or if it ceases to be fun, then you are doing something wrong.

Nothing is Impossible...

"Just because I can't do it today, doesn't mean I'm not be able to do it some day..."

I watched this video and wondered how this could have anything in the world to do with science?  It came upon me that the power of the Human Mind is precisely what science has not yet completely tapped into.  More than that, I decided to post this video because it represents all that is good about the Human spirit.  

Lest we forget, many of us come from varied walks of life.  None the less, we all share a connectedness; our Humanity.  This post is important because it reminds me that we all face challenges.  Coming to a new school and adapting to a whole new way of learning has been your challenge, and each of you have come way with varied results.  I am impressed  because - to a person - you are proving that you have what it takes to be successful.  I admire the resolve each of you has demonstrated in this endeavor.  For what might have appeared impossible has become merely routine for each of you.  

To be certain, there is always room for improvement, but at least for me, that means there is hope, because the measure of any given person is not based upon whatever limitations have been put upon them.  It is gauged by their willingness to face those challenges.  It is based upon their refusal to quit despite the odds.  

Since Scientists have already discovered the existence of mirror neurons which account for our ability to mimic behavior, videos such as this are invaluable because they provide patterns which our brains are able to recognize and process.  Regardless of our present inability to vet out the nuances of how this happens at this point in Human history, I am willing to settle for a descriptive such as, 'inspirational' until which time we do grasp precisely what happens when we see fellow Human Beings meet their challenges and realize that we too can follow suit.

Undoubtedly, there are neural pathways being tapped into - through both sight and sound, through musical rhythms, and harmonies that we are only beginning to understand.  And that is what is most compelling to me; I may not understand all the complexities, but it is fascinating what role emotion plays in helping us to prevail over adversity, our ability to make connections and feel a sense of happiness for a complete stranger. 

Never mind that this gentleman's vestibular system and metabolic capacity is dramatically altered through Yoga - truly impressive - and yet, so much more is happening than the physics of motion, or potential and kinetic energy transformations as related to human movement, or the vectors tied to kinesthetic learning and its relationship to robotics etc.  The list could go on and on...  

Thus, my fellow students, regardless of how nebulous this 'inspirational' this video appears at first blush, I am confident your generation will make significant inroads to understanding the components and the roles they play in driving us to do more, discover more and be all that we are capable of being.

"Never give up"

Success - Is it Luck, Preparation or a matter of Timing?

Dear Students and Parents;

First off, I know that watching this post is going to take up a 100 minutes of your life just to watch.  However, this is very likely the most significant video posted on this entire blog - chiefly because it synthesizes what I have been trying to get across since my very first post.  It is about being unique, being brilliant and being able to get along with people.  More than that, it speaks to what it takes to be a success - in whatever one chooses to become.

Louis Pasteur, the scientist who 'discovered' the process of milk pasteurization said, "Chance favors a prepared mind."  

If you have the opportunity, I also encourage you to read all of Malcolm Gladwell's books, but the focus of this video is his book, "Outliers."

Here is my incentive for any of you students who want to receive credit for the entire semester; all you have to do is watch, and give me a written commentary on this one, single video.  In doing so, you will receive credit - for the entire semester's requirement for 12 feedback assignments, or you can also just read, "Outliers" and give me a book review.  My only requirement is that you;

1]  Give me a synopsis - minimum three paragraphs.
2]  Share your thoughts in an intelligently written essay - you choose the approach, all I ask is that you wow me with your brilliance.  I assure you, this will not be difficult.  You have all the brilliance it takes to shine in this assignment. 
3]  The due date for this assignment is 15 December, and the entire paper cannot be less than 1500, or more than 10,000 words.  Some of you people are prolific writers.


For those Seventh and Eighth graders who might think this challenge is out of your league; I do not agree.  I have seen you tooling along all semester, and you are more than holding your own.  As a matter of fact, the best outlined notes I have seen this semester are from seventh and eight graders.  This is what Gladwell talks about when he refers to, 'restriction of range.'

Some of you might argue that this is unfair to anyone who has completed feedback assignments throughout the semester.  My response is that you have an even greater advantage because you have banked some phenomenal information that no one can ever take away from you.  You have already upped your chances because you have invested in preparation.  You are doing what Louis Pasteur talked about.  I assure you that, once you have watched this video, you will better understand why there really are no short-cuts.

I sincerely hope every student takes advantage of this opportunity - think of Wayne Gretsky as a baby, or Gladwell's story about the runner who wanted to run up a hill backwards.  I also hope you share the time to watch this with each other, your parents and your friends.  I even encourage you to work together as a family to write this up, because working together is a good thing.  My reason for encouraging this is also embedded in the video.  There are hundreds if not infinite tangents you can take regarding this assignment.  Its the 'brick-and-blanket' test.

That is why there is no way to 'cheat' this assignment; your reward is directly correlated to your personal investment and contribution to this Feedback Response.  Only you will know if you deserve it.  Make it yours.

It will be interesting to see who takes up this challenge.  Will it be the established die-hards that always give me Feedbacks?  Will it be the tortoises or the hares?  I can't wait to find out. notwithstanding, this offering comes to you on the shiniest night of November 2012.  It just worked out that way.  Let's just call it Malcolm's Moonlight Madness.

Now, grab some popcorn and a note pad... 

Long Division Style...

Try this in Smart Lab - It can be done

 

What in the world is a 'Nanoquadrotor?'

I'm awestruck.