9/29/16 -Maeve McVeigh

    In Sci-Fi today we started off class with Mr. Rivers reading a passage from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. He read this passage because it relates to the video he played thereafter.  The video showed an interview with Elon Musk.  Elon is sending spaceships to Mars. When asked, he declared he will be the naming the first ship to fly to Mars “The Heart of Gold”. This brings it back to why Mr. Rivers read the passage to us, because in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy the spaceship commandeered by Zaphod Beeblebrox is called “The Heart of Gold”. Elon is honoring the novel by using this name for the first ship.

   After discussing the passage and interview, we spent the rest of the class period discussing and working on our projects regarding Chaos Theory.  For the Chaos Theory project we must choose an audience and then discover a way we will explain Chaos Theory to said audience.  There are many varieties of how to present this. Such as, PowerPoint presentation, videos which can include songs, or act as an episode, they can also be presented in person in class. Depending on their audience, it will affect how Chaos Theory is taught. If it is being taught to children it will have to be taught in simple way they’ll understand. Some will choose to teach in a comedic way such as the characters of Community had done when demonstrating Chaos Theory through a game of Yahtzee. This project allows a great amount of artistic freedom, which should result in a variety of creative displays explaining Chaos Theory. 

9/28/16-Brittany Goldberg

Chaos Theory really gets people to think. Chaos Theory can cause so many different ideas and thoughts, and today, we tried to come up with different variables that can ruin a perfect roll while bowling.  Today we learned that though Chaos Theory seems like it only refers to big things, and that big and important things can change the outcome, is that very small things have a very big effect too.

While bowling, there are actually many things that can change or effect the outcome of the “perfect role”. We came up with many different things, and how they can affect the role. We would have to control the speed if the role, and the stance of the person. The weight of the ball would have to be taken into account, and the condition of the lane. What if the floor was old? Or had dents from previous rolls? Even the audience can throw it off, and even the bowler’s family. A black hole could even open up and ruin the whole thing!

There is something that be very hard to control, though probably not as hard as avoiding a black hole. The air friction is probably the hardest. We would have no control in the molecules in the air, and won’t be able to control it. If would could control all the variables, then if we replied the person bowling with a robot, we could very well still get a perfect role! But this is only possible if everything is under control.  

We did this today, that even the smallest things can have the biggest effects. But it also shows that these things might not happen. Like pouring water on the ground. You know that it will pour onto the floor, but you will never know the pattern. The outcome will always be different, and that is Chaos Theory.

9/26 - Samantha Galgano

How has chaos theory changed the world? Well, today in class, Mr. Rivers played a podcast that explained this question. The assignment was titled '5-4-3-2-1:Podcast!'. In this assignment, it included a link to the podcast itself, and also a link to a google document with the 5-4-3-2-1 questions on it. The podcast is posted on the website stuffyoushouldknow.com. The podcast is around an hour in length and involves two guys talking about chaos theory and the impact it's had on the world.

The 5-4-3-2-1 questions are questions that you should answer while listening to the podcast.  The first question was 5, so we had to write down 5 interesting and important facts that you learned while listening to the broadcast. Then we had to write down 4 ways that chaos theory changed science. The next question we had to answer was to write down 3 questions that this podcast inspires. Then we had to write down 2 problems, questions, or ideas that you could research beyond this podcast. Finally, we had to write down 1 strong definition of the term 'Chaos Theory'.

Although I tend to stray away from listening to podcasts, because I find it slightly boring to just be listening to someone speak rather than actually watching them speak in a video, this podcast did spark my interest, as the topic of chaos theory is quite a broad and interesting one. This podcast also touched on the Butterfly Effect, which is the theory that if a butterfly flaps it's wings in one part of the world, it has the potential to cause a tornado on the other side of the world.

Soumya's Sci Friday

Today we had Sci-Friday. There was no class discussion or assignment, everyone just consumed their own Sci-Fi texts. Sci-Fridays are the days that we go beyond our comfort zone (or stay within it if we choose) and explore the vast realm of science fiction. In addition, we aren't constricted to just reading novels. We can explore any type media: shows, movies, cartoons, graphic novels, comics. We can consume basically anything that's considered science fiction.

This Sci-Fri, I ran into trouble defining science fiction. This was a topic we went over on the first few days of school, so it was clear to me there were grey areas in the definition, however I wasn't sure anymore if the show I was watching still counted as being Sci-Fi from what I've seen of it. It's an anime called "Blood Blockade Battlefront", and its premise was Sci-Fi enough for me. A inter dimensional rift has opened in New York City, so now these alien-like creatures from another dimension live side by side with humans. The protagonist is a boy who can see into other dimensions. When I started watching the show, it became more clear to me that the Sci-Fi setting was merely a background, but I was still content to call it as science fiction. In the episode today, there was a ghost introduced as a character in the story, among other supernatural things. That's when I started to doubt that it was Sci-Fi. I'm not sure of its status now, but for next Friday I think I'll pick a more obviously science fiction text and continue to watch this show on my own.

YouTube video about the definition of science fiction:
https://youtu.be/AHb5kLWv6d8

This is what we did today...

First, we went over the idea of time travel, and the class did an assignment where we showed where we wished to go if we could time travel. The answers ranged from millions of years in the past to millions of years in the future. After we explained our choices, we discussed the consequences of time travel, such as altering the very existence of events or persons, forever altering the timeline and the progress of mankind.
This was known as the Chaos Theory, also known as the Butterfly Effect, where if a butterfly flaps its wings in Mexico, it will cause a tornado in Texas, or something else like George Bush becomes president. It shows how science wishes to create rules for a universe where no rules existed before. It comes down to something as small as the flap of a wing can cause complex consequences in the future, which is applicable when put to time travel, with the effects of your actions in the past will have grave effects in the future.
Another idea brought up was the Acrobat and the Flea, where an acrobat can only move in two directions on a tightrope, when shrunk down to a flea, the tightrope becomes larger, allowing the flea to move in three directions.
The final thing we did was watch a short film called, "One Minute Time Machine." It showed the humorous, yet dark idea of time travel.

9/21 - Heather DiPiano

What we did in class today. Today in class started with Mr. Robot.  Mr. Rivers talked about how he so far enjoyed this series, and it was obtainable on Amazon Prime. The class reconvened about blogging, and how to include a form of media when it was your turn to blog.

We then partook in discussion on where we stood on the means of the book chat. Personally the book chat was a success for most, but there was a demand for organization. Personally, I conversed to Alex about my book, and time-travel. I believe it would be an interesting thing to bring up in class (time-travel). The science behind the butterfly affect, and traveling bacteria, and when these thoughts transform from reality to fiction is intriguing. Once he had collected his data, we reviewed tone.

Following tone, the students who had not shared their stories, completed doing so. Once that was over, we conversed about Chaos Theory. The folks who had not finished the assignment were told to. Having a shorten thirty minute period, it did not leave much time. Therefore we had not gotten to relating Chaos Theory, nor did we get to the book.

Mr.Robot Clip

9/20 (Sean Devaney, Eater of Worlds)

What We Did Today --

In class today, we examined the "tone" of text, and how it affects the message and "Medusa" of a work. The tone will always determine the mood of the speaker, and therefore the story and the message it projects as either being optimistic, pessimistic, realistic, whatever the writer intends.

That being said, the "project" we had today involved everyone writing a tone of their choice on a note card, explaining what it meant. Everything from "Diabolical" to just plain "Happy" was written on the cards. Then they were shuffled out again, and everyone got to write the plot of a sci-fi text based around one scientific topic: The implementation of self-driving cars with the encouragement of the government, along to the given tone we received.

We all lined up in order from "most cheerful" tone to "most negative," and we all shared our stories (didn't finish, we're gonna wrap it up tomorrow).

I got "Cynical," and everyone agreed that my twisted story of mechanical indoctrination was the most "negative" tone because of it.

I noticed that somewhere in the middle, between optimistic tales of adventure in time travelling cars and stories of... far more evil cars bent on killing people and ruling the world, there was more of a "confused" tone, in the form of Mystery. There's a conflict in those stories, but it isn't necessarily critical, or embracing of the topic at hand. This could be compared to texts like the Metro book/game series, where the setting is post-nuclear Armageddon, yet this is never directly shamed, nor is it praised. It just... is. And the conflict of the story is more around something in such a universe, not the universe itself. Yes these self driving cars are the future in these worlds, but that's just a catalyst, not the real problem.

Meanwhile the more Negative tones reflected Player Piano and Terminator, stories about machines being assimilated into society, or taking over the work force. And the stories were more happy and fun, like Back to the Future, a story about a couple of protagonists learning to respect and make use of new technology to do amazing things.

Our Class Blog

Hey, Gang!

Welcome to our class blog. I realize that it looks pretty empty right now, but that's where YOU come in! You will be responsible for filling this blog with quality writing! Someone in our class will be responsible for posting a blog by 10pm EACH NIGHT! 

A Quality Blog...

• Reflects on the work that we have done in class that day (including objectives and inquiries)
• Uses titles, paragraphs, and stylistic choices to compose a clear and specific account of our day
• Draws in SPECIFIC examples from individual experiences/activities (including your first name and last intial (e.g. Bilbo B.) 
• Includes some form of media (image, YouTube video, etc.) that connects to what we talked about in class

FINE PRINT:

Your blogging will make up your entire homework grade. Blogs posted after 10pm on the day they are due will lose 1 point, and after midnight they will lose 2. Please be proactive with the schedule; if you have to work on Thursday and are scheduled to post on Thursday, then talk to another student (AND ME) about switching spots on the official calendar. Please make sure that you post in the proper class. Don't forget to click PUBLISH!

To login and post your blog, follow the instructions on the YouTube Video.