Computer Hardware

     Yesterday, I learned  about computer hardware and how each piece help make the computer function. We are going to build a computer from pieces bought off the internet, which made this topic  relevant to activities at CSCL. The parts that we are going to buy (also the parts I learned about) are the computer's case, motherboard, hard drive, memory, optical drive, GPU, and monitor. If I get som

1.  The computer's case house all of the inside components, to protect them and make the whole thing look pretty. The case usually has a built-in fan, which helps keep the electronics from overheating.

2. The motherboard is a circuit board inside the case which connects the other components together. The motherboard houses the CPU, Central Processing unit, which does the calculations for the computer.

3. The hard drive stores all of the data on the computer, using physical disks coated with a magnetic material. The hard drive is why files are not deleted when a computer is off or the files are not being used.

4. Memory stores information that is currently being accessed. This means that it keeps track of the tabs open in your browser, or what email you are looking at in your email. It copies the info from the hard drive, and deletes the information when you stop accessing it.

5. The optical drive is the part of the computer that DVDs and CDs can be loaded into. The computer scans the disks for the information stored on them with a laser.

6. The GPU, or Graphics Processing Unit, is a special chip that translates the data in the computer to images on the monitor.

7. The monitor is the screen of the computer, the part where the computer's user sees all the images that the GPU sends to to it.

By the way, I have been told how to  comment non-anonymously, and you can find out how in  that entry. Thanks for reading!

Cooking Class with Neil Segal

     Every Wednesday, I go to the house of one of my parent's friends, Neil Segal. Neil has graduated from a cooking school, and is a talented cook. For half the time I'm there each week, he explains cooking facts, techniques and tips as we cook a dinner and a dessert. The other half of the time, I babysit his two sons, Benjamin (3) and Jasper (5). I have also learned some cooking science, like the role of gluten and when it is wanted (or when it isn't). I have only been attending these classes for two weeks, but I will continue learn about cooking with him indefinitely. The first meal we made was chinese food. We made vegetable lo mein and crab rangoon. We also braised pork and cooked scallion pancakes. We also baked (but didn't get to eat) an apple pie.




The second time, we cooked a pork tenderloin (which we served with vegetables). For dessert, we baked a cream puff and filled the inside of the cream puff with chocolate and vanilla pastry cream that we made. Then we served it with delicious pears that we poached. So far, I am loving the cooking classes and the food I have been making. Thanks for reading!

Bouncy Circles Program

     In my programming class, we have be programming in Processing ( for anyone who didn't read the other entry on the class). For the subset of people just mentioned,  see the " Processing Drawing program entry. So far, we have spent two lessons working on a program with bouncy circles. The first lesson, we made a circle that moved across the screen and bounced of the sides. Then we played around with it so the circle changed color depending on where it was on the screen, and drew a line behind itself. This week, we added another ball to the screen. This took most of the lesson. and then we added a third ball. These tasks were pretty much typing the same code over and over, but they were still helpful to give me a slightly deeper understanding of the language that we were programming in. The most interesting thing we did, though, was at the very end. We made the balls bounce of each other when they collided. This was extremely thought-provoking to think about, and I enjoyed it a lot. Thanks for reading my blog, I'll try to have another entry done tomorrow (all though it might be published fairly late at night).

Navigating and Commenting on this Blog

     Recently, I have observed confusion from a reader of this blog on how to comment on it. I realized that some other people might find various aspects unclear, so the entry will explain how to comment and navigate.

1. Commenting

     If you are reading my blog from your email, then you might be having difficulty finding the place to comment. At the bottom of each email, there will be a link that says "Postcards from Geeklandia". Otherwise skip down to the big "Here". If you click this link it will bring you to the actual blog page. This will have a list of all the entries I've done so far, along with navigation to the right.  (Here) If you have a Gmail or Google account, sign in in the upper right corner. Directly under each entry there wil  be a link that says   "(insert number here) comments". If you click it, and scroll all the way down the page, there will be a box for comments. If you're signed in as a Google account, go ahead and write your comment in the box. If you don't, then click "Name/ URL". Put your name where it says "Name". I don't know what the URL slot is for, but just leave it blank. If you want, you can click "Anonymous", and type your comment anonymously.

2. Navigating

     When you get to the Postcards from Geeklandia website, the first page you see is a chronological list of the entries I've written. This page can also be reached by clicking the "Home" tab. If you are just looking for entries I've written on a certain subject, the different subjects I have entries on are under "Links" (on the right). A list of all the entries I've be written in (for example) January, also appear on the right, under "Blog Archive".

     If you have any more issues, put it in the comments (or email me if you can't).
     Thanks for reading!

Meta- Meta- Blog

     Today I did something extremely interesting. This blog entry will be devoted to talking about this activity. Today (drumroll) I rote an entry to my blog. The entry I wrote was about me blogging. What is in this blog? Well, my blog that I blogged about in the blog entry that I am talking about in this blog started like this:

  "Today I did something extremely interesting. This blog entry will be devoted to talking about this activity. Today (drumroll) I rote an entry to my blog. The entry I wrote was about me blogging. What is in this blog? Well, my blog that I blogged about in the blog entry that I am talking about in this blog started like this:"

Board Game Recommendations

          One of my favorite things to do is play board games. They are competitive but fun. They exercise my brain by making me think about strategies that let me win. And I get to have fun with a bunch of other people. Some board games I like more than others, though. Right now, there are three board games that are definitely my favorites. I'm also including two card games I like. Here are the board games:

1. Settlers of Catan

http://www.tumblr.com/tagged/settlers%20of%20catan

     Settlers of Catan is a game with the goal of getting the most resources, so you can build the most settlements and cities, which give you the points you need to win. The board is a group of hexagonal tiles that can be rearranged to make each game different. Each tile has a source of a resource and a chip with a number on it. When the number on the tile is rolled on a dice, the players with settlements or cities profit from it by gaining a card representing the resource by the tile. The combination of dice and card collecting make this game unlike any other I've played.


2. Risk 

http://www.gamesmuseum.uwaterloo.ca/VirtualExhibits/

Whitehill/risk/game.jpg

     Risk is an older game game, invented 50-ish years ago, but it is still extremely fun. The goal of the game is to conquer the world, by battling with dice in each of the 42 territories. The more territories you conquer, the more armies you get each turn. Even if it sounds luck based, strategy is a major part. The player must decide which territories to conquer with their armies, where to leave their armies so they're boundaries are protected, and how many dice to roll in order to minimize their loss. Out of all the games  I've played, this could be my favorite.

Ticket to Ride

http://www.threedifferentdirections.com/storage/january-2012/ticket-to-ride-game-board.jpg?__SQUARESPACE_CACHEVERSION=1327164944231

     This game is about connecting cities with train routes. The longer the distance between the cities, the more points you get. If you accomplish a longer string of routes, you get extra points. Claiming a route is hard, though. The player must collect matching cards to create the route. Some of the players want the same connection, and the player who doesn't get the route often has to go the long way around. This game is a simple but fun competition.



Now, here are the two card games:

1. Duple

     Duple is a fast-paced game. Cards are dealt out face up in front of each player. Each card has a symbol and a letter. When two players symbols match, the first person to say a word (within the category currently being used) with the two player's card's letters in it wins the round! This game requires quick-thinking skills and a big vocabulary.

2. Dominion

    I have only played Dominion once, but I found it extremely fun. It is fairly complicated, and a beginner might find it hard to remember the actions a player preforms. I would not recommend it to anybody who does not play board games much or doesn't enjoy them. If you plan to buy it and play it, I would try to figure it out with a few friends. The gameplay goes as follows: On your turn, you draw cards from your deck, and then use them. Action cards can be used at the beginning of your turn, then any money cards in your hand can be used to buy an action card, and then everything you bought or used goes into your discard pile, which then goes back in to you deck, and could come into your hand.

     I hope somebody finds this entry useful, or at least interesting. Feel free to ask any questions in the comments.

Crepes

     Every Thursday morning, I have a cooking class at CSCL. In the class, we look thorough cookbooks to find a recipe that we want to make, then we cook it. Yesterday, we cooked crepes. We put some combination of honey, Nutella, chocolate sause, apples, whipped cream, and strawberry jam. They were delicious. For anyone who has not eaten crepes, even though we made sweet crepes, savory crepes are also amazing. Unfortunately,  I forgot to find out where the recipe came from, so the recipe will not be in this entry. Also due my forgetfulness, I don't know the exact measurements of the ingredients used. I may have found a recipe that seems to roughly match what I can remember from the recipe, though. This recipe is from http://allrecipes.com/recipe/basic-crepes/. Here it is

Original recipe makes 8 crepesChange Servings

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup milk

• 1/2 cup water
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted

Directions

1. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour and the eggs. Gradually add in the milk and water, stirring to combine. Add the salt and butter; beat until smooth.
2. Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each crepe. Tilt the pan with a circular motion so that the batter coats the surface evenly.
3. Cook the crepe for about 2 minutes, until the bottom is light brown. Loosen with a spatula, turn and cook the other side. Serve hot.

Debate Class Overview

     Due to that debating is not an subject normally taught in schools, I am devoting this entry to an overview of the two debate classes I have attended. In both classes, the students being taught have done the same activity. In neither class we debated things, but both were obviously debate related. We played a game called "Spot the Fallacy". This game was played in the following method: the players split into teams, and each team got their own white board. The instructor running the class would read a quote from a real person. Each team would have to use the find the illogical argument structure hidden in the quote. Posters with descriptions of ten or so fallacy types are posted on a near by wall. Each group would write the name of a fallacy type, for example the "fallacy of a circular argument", on their white board. When everyone flips their whiteboard, the team are accorded one point if the fallacy they wrote was in the quote. Even though I have not done any actual debating a point, I have been told that we will do that at some point. Sorry I couldn't post earlier!

Programming Drawing Program

     Today I had my third programming class. The classes before were mainly introductory, and were not interesting enough to blog about. But this in this class, we actually did a small project. I created a simple drawing program. The programming language that I used is called Processing, and is very much like the language Java. My simple program lets the user draw lines with their mouse. There are four different colors you can draw: black, red, green, blue. The "1" key switches the pen to red, the "2" key switches to green, the "3" key goes to blue, and the "4" goes to black. The "+" and "-" keys change the  width of the line being drawn. The "c" key clears everything. This program sounds harder to make than it actually was, though. Processing has some built-in functions to make visual programming easier. If I do anything else interesting with processing, a description will be on this blog. Thanks for reading!

Mississippi Mud Cookies

   

 Over the weekend, I baked another dessert. I had to make something for a bake sale, so the treats had to be easy to cut into small, separate-selling pieces. Due to that there were two or three bags of marshmallows in the cabinet, my mom requested I bake something with marshmallows in it. After some internet searching, I decided on a recipe called "Mississippi Mud Cookies". They were chocolate cookies with melted marshmallow on top. The recipe came from a blog called Tracy's Culinary Adventures. I think they are extremely delicious. Here's the recipe:

Mississippi Mud Cookies
adapted from Southern Living, August 2007

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 oz semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup milk chocolate chips (I used minis)
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons mini marshmallows

Preheat oven to 350 F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder and salt together. Add the chocolate to a microwave-safe bowl and heat in 30 second bursts on 50% power, stirring in between, until the chocolate is melted and smooth. Set aside to cool slightly.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla and the cooled melted chocolate. With the mixer on low, gradually add the dry ingredients, beating just until everything comes together. Stir in the pecans and chocolate chips.

Portion the dough into balls, each about 1 heaping tablespoon, and spacing them about 2 inches apart. Press 3 marshmallows into the top of each ball of dough. Bake for 11-12 minutes, or until the edges of the cookies are set. Transfer the baking sheet to a wire rack and let the cookies cool for at least 5 minutes before removing them to the rack to cool completely.

Makes about 3 dozen

My Schedule (as of now)

     Today, I decided to write a post about my weekly schedule. My learning program, CSCL, goes from Monday to Thursday each week, so Friday is not included on the spreadsheet below. I may be doing different projects at home each Friday, but I don't have any solid plans. Here is my schedule:

•      "Free Range Chicken" is a term that my dad came up with. It means that I do not have an activity scheduled, but I might jump in to a class for that day if the are doing something interesting and not really relevant to previous activities in  that class. Or I might work on a Scratch project.
•      My programming class is in a visual programming programming language called Processing. By visual, I mean that the programmer tells the computer to make lines and circles and other visual designs. 
•      In the one debate class I have attended so far, we ere read quotes that had reasoning that didn't make sense, which was called a fallacy. There were a list of classes of fallacies, and we had to say which fallacy the argument contained, and how we knew that. There will be classes where we argue a point, though.
•      In the cooking class, we pick a recipe, then cook it. 
•      The math class on Monday is a one-on-one class that I scheduled. Other people have other one-on-one math classes at different times.
•      The policy meetings on Wednesdays are meeting that everyone must attend, and are about whatever policy they deem important enough to devote a meeting to. the meeting can also be about a change in a policy.
• During the Book & Movie Club, we pick a book that has a movie that corresponds to  it, then over a course of a couple weeks read the book. When we have finished reading the book, we watch the movie version of it.
• The Algebra class on Wednesday is a introduction class to algebra. In the class I attended, we graphed points  to show the relationship of x and y. We also found the value of x in a basic algebra problem.
• 
  

Asteroids in Scratch

     For a couple days, I have been working on another Scratch project. It is a game based on the old Atari game Asteroids. For anyone who is not familiar with this game, you control a spaceship and attempt to shoot asteroids moving across the screen before they collide into you, killing you. There are also alien spaceships that shoot lasers at you.  I decided to try to recreate this game just for a challenge, not because of an assignment. I have not finished it yet, but I have accomplished a few things. The spaceship can rotate, move, and shoot one laser at a time. I'm trying to make the program so the ship can shoot 2 or more lasers, but it is more challenging than I thought it would be. Thanks for reading, more later!

Egg Drop

     Today at CSCL, I did an egg drop contest. This involved wrapping a raw egg in cushiony materials, and dropping it off something fairly high. We will be putting a package with a camera into near-space, and then parachuting it back down to Earth. This contest was to create a prototype for the camera box. My egg-dropping container was comprised of a couple squishy materials. My team, two other kids and me, had a foam cube with a hole drilled down the center. We broadened the hole so the egg could fit in it, then covered the egg with more foam. We duct taped the foam on, sealing the egg in the foam. Then, we covered the entire thing with bubble wrap, which we duct taped down. Finally, we attached a clothespin to the top, so it would attach to the parachute. All three team's eggs survived the fall, so we were left without data. Thanks for reading this entry!

My First day CSCL

     Yesterday, I had my first day at CSCL. I walked there in the morning, and arrived on time at 9 o'clock. There was a whole group meeting in the morning, with the 4 staff members and the 12 kids. I was told how the program worked and what basic rules they follow. The "learning facility" that they run does not have mandatory classes, so you can do whatever you want if you like. Later in my first day, I started a Scratch project. My project had a spaceship that shot alien spaceships that descended from above. It turned out to be harder to make than I thought it would be, so I stopped. I also made a structure out of a building toy called K'nex. I signed up for 5 classes: programming (x2), debate, cooking, and math. I can do any other subject research whenever I want to, or work on content that isn't covered there at home. My day was fun, but I will have more productive days continuing onward. Thank you for reading my blog!

Extra Credits Videos

     I have been watching a series of videos lately. This short videos are titled Extra Credits, and concern video games. These videos are not just about how to beat a certain game, or how to get whatever achievement, though. They discuss, according to their website, "How they are made, what they mean, and how we can make them better." I recommend watching them for anyone who has an interest in the fine details of video games. Here's the link. This blog entry is about a few episodes, containing information on video games and education. The videos talk about how games and game theory could make learning more fun for students. One phrase that they talk about a lot, (they even titled the episode with it), is "tangential learning". By this, It means that video games could insert references to historical, mythical, or social references in the game. The player's might be curious enough search on the internet for the reference. Now this would work for a game with an enormous audience, because not everyone will google things in their game. But if many games had references, then people could learn a lot more. I think that idea isn't amazing, but if a video game was about the reference, and was still interesting, then this might work. This won't work with games that already exist, though. Some games that are trying to teach to player something are just boring. They try to be fun, but are just facts flashing across the screen and wanting you to memorize them. A more engaging game could involve a player moving around, as a historical figure, trying to accomplish a goal that is a historical event.

     Another episode suggests ways that classroom learning could be improved, with video game-like changes. The video suggests that the grading system used in schools is deeply flawed. They say that students, expect to get an A on an assignment, so anything less is negative. They say that a point-based system would be more motivating, possibly with rewards for certain numbers of points. This would make the students fell like they were increasing in points, not doing worse than they thought. I think these videos are very thought-provoking, and am continuing to watch them. Read my next entry, please!

Fudge

My attempt at food photography

     Yesterday afternoon, I made chocolate fudge. This is one of the most simple recipe I've cooked with, but it resulted in delicious fudge. It takes approximately 15 minutes to make, and it must be refrigerated until served. The fudge uses three ingredients: butter, semi-sweet chocolate, and sweetened condensed milk. The recipe is from http://allrecipes.com/recipe/fudge/. Here is the recipe copied and pasted below:

• 3 cups semisweet chocolate chips
• 1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk

• 1/4 cup butter
• 1 cup chopped walnuts(optional)

Directions

1. Place chocolate chips, sweetened condensed milk, and butter or margarine in large microwaveable bowl. Zap in microwave on medium until chips are melted, about 3-5 minute, stirring once or twice during cooking. Stir in nuts, if desired.
2. Pour into well-greased 8x8-inch glass baking dish. Refrigerate until set.
3. Enjoy!

Scratch Basic Introduction

01/04/13

Basic Introduction to Scratch

     After I wrote the post about my calculator, I decided to create a basic tutorial on Scratch. For anyone who would lie to download Scratch, the link is here. If you don't want to use Scratch, than this entry may help you understand any other Scratch related posts.

Scratch is a basic programming language, but does not involve typing code like classic computer programming. In Scratch, the computer screen looks like this.(1)

(1)

The user uses the computer mouse to drag and drop blocks. Each of these blocks has a different use, and are stored in the library on the far left. The tabs in the top-right corner give you access to all of the blocks in the library. There are over 100 blocks available.  Blocks can be dragged into a sprite's workspace, the large area in the middle of the screen (2). In each sprite's workspace (more on sprites later), the blocks can be added together to create a program (3).

(2)                                  (3)

     In the top right corner of the screen, there is a preview of your project. Because I'm am using my calculator project as the example, there is a picture of my calculator in the top-right corner. In the bottom-right corner, all of the sprites in your program are displayed (4).                                 (4)

     Sprites are the graphic objects involved in the program. For my calculator, I needed each of the buttons on the calculator and the calculator body. You can draw the sprite your self, or use a picture from your computer or the Scratch picture library. When you click one of the pictures of the sprites, the sprite's workspace pops up. Each sprite has its own workspace, and the programming there impacts that sprite. There can't be directions for multiple sprites in the same workspace, because each sprite sprite is only directed by programs in it's workplace. I may have another post later with more detailed descriptions of blocks, but until then I would right-click on whatever block you need to know about, then go to "help". See you later!

Scratch calculator

01/02/13

Happy New Year!

     Today, CSCL is not having classes, so I stayed home and worked on learning projects at home. I created a calculator using a basic programming language called Scratch. This language uses blocks that the user drags and drops to create a program. I sounds quite simple, but it can get extremely complicated with over 100 blocks to use. This project took me approximately an hour and a half.  The program can add subtract, multiply, and divide two-digit numbers, but one-digit numbers must be written with a zero in front of them. I may work to improve this program later. (Below is just a picture, not the product.)

The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel

    I have just finished reading a really complex and thought-provoking series. This series, titled The Secrets of the Immortal Nicolas Flamel, includes the six books shown on the left. These books incorporate historical and mythical figures that add to the plot line, such as Niccolò Machiavelli and the Roman god of war, Mars. This series has many, many elements of a fantasy book, but has some science fiction pieces as well. These books are some of my favorite among all of the books I have read.

Hello!

This is a blog created by, me, Max N., about my experience at my new learning program.  This blog is also about my life regarding my learning at home and out of CSCL, the homeschool resource center I am attending. On this blog, I will be posting short articles relating to the headlines above. You can sign up to get daily emails letting you know about recent posts by submitting your email in the box on the right. Enjoy the blog!!!

The Center for Semi Conducted Learning: http://www.partsandcrafts.org/scl/