Starfish Ages

Link to the information page!

This blog is a class response blog from when I was told that in order to tell a starfish's age you looked at its "rings". Although I know this was a joke, I've decided to investigate how you actually tell a sea star's age. You can tell the age based on diet, growth rate, reproductive system and how many arms it has. When it is in the younger stages of life, the sea star might not have as many arms as it would when it gets older. For example, when the starfish is under six months old, it may have three or four arms. However, as it ages, it might gain more. Also, as it gets older, like most animals, the sea star becomes more sexually mature. The diet also matures from it's original feeding habits of algae and eggs, to coral, and then into more adult foods. But in the later years of it's life, reproduction lessens and the growth rate falls dramatically. More to the point, that is the actual way to tell a sea star's age.

Frozen Mars robot

The article

In May of 2008 NASA sent Mars lander Phoenix to gather information on the red planet. However, they are not sure if Phoenix survived the Martian winter, and are hoping to receive evidence that it has thawed and back up and running. Some of Phoenix's successes include that it has:

- Seen snow falling on Mars
-"tasted" Martian water dug up from the ground

and perhaps one of the most exciting is that it may have seen liquid water as salty drops on its own leg. NASA will also ping Phoenix to see if they will receive a response. Also, the Spirit rover is stuck on Mars, and after 6 years of activity, might be on the verge of death. The upcoming Mars project, the Curiosity rover, is incessantly encountering technical issues. There is also a large chance that Phoenix will not rise again. But according to Chad Edwards, who works on the rovers, "We owe it to the lander, for all the good science it did, to give it a shot." I agree with Edwards, and I hope all will be worked out with the different rovers.

Chemical Educator

A chemical educator is interviewed 8D

http://omegapride.podomatic.com/player/web/2009-12-15T11_46_43-08_00

Noticing Changes in Matter (class responce)

Recently in class we completed a lab on changes in matter. We took a sugar cube and wrote down our observations using all of our senses, including taste! After we wrote down the observations we looked at the sugar cube under a microscope. It looked like a bunch of snowflakes gathered up in a cube. Then we crushed the sugar cube until it was a powder. Afterwords we looked at the powder under the microscope, and it looked like crystals. We mixed the powder into a glass of water, and the sugar disolved inside the water. I thought this lab was a lot of fun, especially when I got to lick the sugar cube.

Spam, Viruses and Smartphones- Oh my!

Original Article

The noun definition of spam verbatim is a disruptive, esp. commercial message posted on a computer network or sent as e-mail. Well, it isn't just computers getting these annoying little qwirks anymore. As said in the deffinition, spam is sent through e-mail, and these new smartphones, such as the Blackberry, iPhone, and others all have e-mail. So, if you can send a virus or send spam to a computer through e-mail, why not a phone? This is exactly what hackers everywhere are thinking in their evil-doing minds. Smartphones are becomming more and more popular, thus there are more smartphones to hack then there are computers. In fact, more than 139 million smartphones were sold worldwide, which a 13.9 percent increase from 2007. Experts say that the attacks became more popular when the smartphones began to go from just simply e-mail checking and calling to paying bills, doing taxes, facebook, twitter, and more. So those of you with smartphones: Don't click any suspicious links, because you arn't the 1,000,000,000th visitor, and the only prize you're about to get is a nice virus. And who wants that?

Tiny T-Rex Discovered in China

About 150 million years ago, a creature unknown to human kind until this moment in time walked prehistoric China. It was a little T-Rex, called the Raptorex, although it is thought to have existed 60 million years before the Tyrant Lizard King. An adult Raptorex was about 9 feet tall and weighed about 150 pounds. The Raptorex weighed about almost 100 times less then a T-rex, is about 1/100th of a size. The discovery of this new dinosaur was completely unexpected, and scientists are still in shock at the Raptorex. I feel that this is in amazing discovery, and I hope that we can find more discoveries like it soon







By Azadeh Ansari
CNN

October Sky

I recently watched the movie October Sky in school. I brief outlook of the movie can be found here. There were many connections to science in this movie, such as it had to do with Astronomy, which plays a big role in the science community. In fact, the main character, Homer Hickam, became an astronaut trainer at NASA(National Aeronautics and Space Administration). It had math connections as well, which were highlighted when Homer figured out that they(his friends and himself), could not have started a fire that they were accused of.


What I thought: I guess it was OK. It wasn't the best movie I've ever seen, but then again, the best movie I've ever seen was Dark Knight, and nothing can beat that. Not even the ever-annoying "twilight". But anyway, October Sky was a little boring. It's not a movie I would want to watch again, but overall, it was all right.

Blog Responce

(This is a blog response to CoOkIeMoNsTeR's "Sickle-Cell Anemia" )

Sickle-Cell Anemia is a disease that stops blood from flowing to a certain organ which can cause extreme pain and organ damage. People effected by Sickle-Cell are both male and female, and they are normally African-Americans. 1 in 500 Blacks are effected, and can effect 1 in 36,000 Hispanic children have Sickle-Cell Anemia. In order to form more treatments, doctors need to learn how Sickle-Cell Anemia effects the bones.

What I Think: I feel that it is horrible that this happens to people. It sounds terribly painful and I would never want to go though it myself. In CoOkIeMoNsTeR's blog, she seems to emphasise the pain of the treatments. The question I still have is what is it about these treatments that make it hurt so bad?

Tay-Sachs Disease

Tay-Sachs Disease was discovered by Warren Tay in 1881. If the patient is a baby, they seem to develop fine for the first few months, but then become blind, deaf, and unable to swallow. This is due to the fatty material distending the cells. The is currently no cure or treatments for this terrible disease, although medication and good nutrition can help symptoms. It is fatal in children, and they usually die by age four, survival beyond age five is extremely rare. Tay-Sachs is mostly found Eastern European Ashkenzai Jews. Other then that, it is an uncommon disease. If anything else, what needs to be understood about this disease is treatment or a cure, to save the lives of many people. The is currently a foundation working toward this called "Dakota's Dream". Dakota is an 9-year old girl that is battling Tay-Sachs. Dakota had a cord blood transplant done at Duke Medical Center in January of 2006, but the disease continues to grow. She is slowly losing her mental and physical abilities because her body is missing an important enzyme needed to clear waste from brain cells. One in every 250 people carry this fatal gene mutation.

What I Think: I feel terrible for the children with this disease, as well as their families. Some children spend weeks in the hospital, and I know how it feels to have a loved one in the hospital for such a long time. Hopefully, someday, we will find a cure for Tay-Sachs and put many families at ease.


Info: Click Here!

internet's top hits

The most popular things on the web?
get your wet suits on, 'cause we're surfing the net!

Some of the top things on the list are:

Star Wars Kid!
Homestar Runner! [I've actualy been on this site. IT'S AWESOME!!!! very funny!!!] and "Peanut Butter Jelly Time".

Homestar Runner [A.K.A my favorite web show] Is an animation, which are very hard to make. [Trust me, I know T_T]

My favorite character is Homsar, whonever makes any sence :3

There is a segment on "HomestarRunner. net.... It's dot com!" [~Homestar] called Strongbad e-mails, where "You keep sending me e-mails, and I'll make fun of your spelling and grammer-- I mean awnser them." [Strongbad] This relates to technology and science because of how an e-mail is sent, which I'm not really sure of. =P

My Roller Coaster Website

Doom

"Shnow!" ~Mooch the Cat

Just when we thought we'd never have a good snow again...

For the last few years, we haven't gotten good snow fall. Last night's snow was the best snow my puppy [well not anymore] Zoey has seen. Zoey is three years old, and she seemed excited by the snow. It was good snow for making snowballs and snowmen, and I made about thirteen snowballs to bombard my two friends for making me wait 20 minutes in the snow for them!!!! AAAAANYwho, I'm sure everyone will have tons of fun in the snow, and I'm going sledding! [btw I spell my dog's name z-o-e-y so don't mark it as bad spelling]

mother finds adopted son on myspace after 37 years

http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=5430467
Who: Terri fuller
what: My Space
when:after 37 years
where: Utah
why: Terri regretted giving her son up
my opinion: FYI, Terri found her son because of an typo. I think this is pretty miraculous. Also, she found her son via the computer, thus technology, and technology has a lot to do with science.

S.S: Inauguration of President Obama

While watching today's inauguration of president Obama, I realized that after Mr.Obama has served his term[s], the next inauguration I see will be when I'm in high school. I was also thinking about how happy Martin Luthar King would be.I wondered how his daughters felt about being the children of the president. I'm very excited to see what new things he can do for us and what change will come. I loved his speach and feel that he has the ability to change America for the better.

Best turntable 64,000 can buy?

Brandon Griggs [how many of my articles are by him?!]

who: Angelis Labor

what: $64,000 turntable called "The Gabriel"

when: Last week [dose not give spesific time]

Where: Las Vegas, Nevada

my oppinion: My goodness, this is a bit much don't you think? at the price that it's at, I don't believe anyone will be buying it soon. I mean, we are in a little [LITTLE?!] economical crunch right now.

Computer Cars?!

Technology's next frontier: In-car computing
Brandon Griggs

Have you ever watched a car commercial and wondered "Dang, what in the heck will those stinkin' Ford and Toyota people come up with next?!" Well, heres your awnser. a big fat "COMPUTERS!!!!" yup, thats right, computers in cars are going to be the nextmust-have. In March, Ford will release a fully functional dashboard computers. yup, time to visit all my RPG sites on they way to florida. and check my mail and AIM with my friends! life can't get any better on long car rides! .... or... can they?

planets & moon align

http://www.cnn.com/2008/TECH/space/12/02/planetsalign.irpt/index.html
who: Jupiter, Venus, and the moon.

what: planets

when: last night, 12/1/08

where: in space!

why: this occurred because of the
orbit the planets are on. the next time
this wonderful sky show will appear is
in 2052. mark you calenders!

my opinion: I saw this spectacular sight myself, outside my home. it was realy beutiful, and I am disapointed to hear it won't be back for another

Barock Obama and His BlackBerry

http://www.cnn.com/2008/TECH/11/17/obama.blackberry.ap/index.html
Washington

Who: Barack Obama
what: quitting e-mailing
when:?
where:?
why: The president's e-mail can be subpoenaed by Congress and courts and may be subject to public records laws, so if a president doesn't want his e-mail public, he shouldn't e-mail, experts said. Also, someone could track him down via e-mail.

I feel Barock's email should only be limited to family & friends. this way, he can still talk not on the phone, and his saftey will be a-OK!

New Guitar Hero lets you create your own tunes.

www.cnn.com/2008/TECH/ptech/10/21/guitar.hero/index.html
Newest 'Guitar Hero' lets you create music
Brandon Griggs


Guitar Hero makes YOU be the star of your own band. you play great songs, and all it takes is a little hand/eye coordination. But this time[yes, I'm excited too.] it lets you create your own awesome music and share it with fans around this whole big blue-and-green earth!!!! I don't know about you, but I think this game will be AWESOME! once again with our friends the drum and microphone controllers, it's your band your music. coooolio!!!! oh, and by the way, this next installment comes out in stores Sunday, October 26. Mark your calenders! 86 songs including songs from Ozzy Osborne and Bon Jovi. it also includes a new genre of music, such as Willie Nelson's "On the Road Again" and even Michael Jackson's [who I personally dislike] "Beat It". Rock on, my fellow video game people, rock on.

New 'Bots on Mars!

http://www.cnn.com/2008/TECH/space/10/13/eod.mars.balls/index.html
Having a Ball with Helper 'bots on Mars
Popular Science
2008

Guess what? By next fall, NASA plans to send up the biggst Mars Rover yet!!! It will cost 1.8-billion dollers, and will be the sive of an SUV. Dang, that is one BIG spave rover!!! Although the MRL [whatever THAT is =P] says that they will be able to haul up FIVE TIMES as mutch equipment as the already preent rovers, Hope and Oppertunity, a group of Sweedish researchers insists that they could accomplish FAAAAAAR more if they send up assistent robots to help them out, because everybody needs a little help once in a while, right :) ? anywhom, since you already know what is happening, when it's happening, and who's going to make it happen, lets move on to why. WHY is NASA sending up 1.8-billion dollers up into space, not knowing if that I.8-billion dollers is going to be distroyed on impact or not? well, to our wonderful friends at NASA, this photos that can be snapped at ANY angle, the soil samples, the few repairs, rarely getting stuck, easy to seal from dust, never flipping over 'bot is sooo worth the time and effort. Wouldn't you think?