Chapter 0:What is electricity really?

The author starts this chapter by describing electricity in its most basic form, at the atomic level.  He then talks about how electricity works, what conducts electricity and what insulates it and why this all happens.  I imagine the author of this chapter as a fresh new teacher that is trying to be hip with his students and get them interested in science.  It is a very basic understanding of what goes on and it seems to be aimed at people that have absolutely no idea what electricity is, how it works, and what it's made of.  And because I have not take a science class in well over 2 years now, I found it refreshing to recall all of this information, but it seems to be a bit dumbed down for the actual target audience.

"August 2026: There Will Come Soft Rains"

This short story is about a futuristic home that is in a world that has been ravaged by war and famine.  The particular home that is referenced has long since been abandoned by it's owners, but the robot servants continue on as if they were still there.  Unfortunately, a brush fire starts near the home, and the robots are unable to quell the fire in time. This short story felt very close to the worlds created in movies like I,Robot and Back to the Future part II.  It had a clear message that the overuse of technology will eventually kill us but I have to disagree with the story.  It is a very one-sided view of this controversial topic and it generalizes our dependence on technology.  While the increase in our dependence has exploded over just the past 10 years, this story seemed just a bit too extreme.  I felt that the sudden fire at the end was seemingly out of nowhere and also kind of rash.

Inside the Mind of a Synaesthete

Back in high school, I had a friend who was in a band named Synesthesia.  When I asked him what it meant, he  told me that it was the ability to see music in bright vibrant colors.  He said it was a magical thing that he hoped people would relate to after they heard his band.  Now years later, I'll never forget watching them play and imagining little fireworks going off while they were playing their original songs and always ending with a glorious Freebird cover.  Also, after seeing a personal description of how it isn't all fun and games to have this disease, my mind is a bit conflicted on how to feel about it.  While it is a cool thing to think about and wonder what it would be like to have it, I would not want to have it in the slightest. Whether its the sound to color, or color-word association, this would seem to me to be more of an annoyance than anything else.  The most interesting part that I learned about this disease was the story of a couple who both have synesthesia had a child and the colors that the child saw when looking at a certain letter were the mixtures of the colors the two parents saw.

Project Pictures!

Final Projects Pictures finally uploaded.  It took me quite a while just to get the setup but I am relatively happy with the outcome.  Unfortunately, I wasn't able to fix the problem with the sensor, and I did not showcase it as I wanted to, but that's the learning process.  I showed the class what I have, and I can just hope for next time that I am more well prepared for the project and at least now I know how long before a project is due to order a part that I need.  I will definitely continue working on this, maybe get a thinner breadboard, perfect the wiring, and get a smaller battery, possibly a coin cell battery, to conserve space, and maybe more lights.

Project Day

Went in early to get the project finished and I started to solder, but the sensor broke.  I quickly went to find Avani and John to see if they could help me.  Luckily, John had an extra sensor.  I hooked it up and an hour before class started, I think that I might have blown this sensor out.  I had to make due with that and deal with what happened.  I will post pictures in a bit when I can.

Final Night Post

Obviously I might have posted this late but better late than never.  I went out get some of the things I need.  I went to Home Depot to get magnets and electric tape, and found the perfect gloves at Target for a dollar.  When I got home, I was successfully able to test everything and it seemed that I had everything all set up.  Unfortunately I do not have the soldering iron so the electric tape will have to do.  I have everything set up, and now all I have to do is go in early tomorrow and solder it together, connect the pieces and put it all together.

Fritzing diagram is done.  Had to make my own sensor because it does not have hall effects sensors in the initial selection of sensors.  I have about 85% of the powerpoint done as of right now.  I just need a few more slides and some more information and I should be good for tomorrow.