Today in AP English we had our gargantuan day. We totally finished our vocabulary book, turned in our take home Jane Eyre test, wrote two essays on Jane Eyre in class, took a Barron's How to prepare for the AP English Test vocabulary test, turned in a three page paper I wrote yesterday on a play I read yesterday (Death of a Salesman, by Arthur Miller), and thoroughly enjoyed being released from class. So now a load has been released. I just have to work on the two websites, listen to Jazz, eat ice cream, and prepare for Preference tomorrow.
I mean, Prefernce.
Friday, February 29, 2008
Web Design Links
These small JavaScript libraries can be incredibly useful. However, the swfir library is incompatible with prototype, which is the default in Ruby on Rails. Which practically means I can't use swfir, because I've used prototype, and need it's functionality.
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Jane Eyre
I am taking a test on Jane Eyre right now and I found this quote that I thought I would share:
After marrying Mr. Rochester, Jane goes to spring the news on the servants, and says,
I really enjoy the way this book is worded. The eloquence of the novel cannot be said to be readily available in the modern world. I feel that more writers should aspire to this type of writing.
Now back to work. I have to finish this take home test, read "The Death of a Salesman", then write a three page paper on it. Today. At least I don't have to get my Sterling Scholar binder ready for tomorrow! I'm looking forward to the completion of all of these assignments!
After marrying Mr. Rochester, Jane goes to spring the news on the servants, and says,
"The housekeeper and her husband were both of that decent, phlegmatic order of people, to whom one may at any time safely communicate a remarkable piece of news without incurring the danger of having one's ears pierced by some shrill ejaculation, and subsequently stunned by a torrent of wordy wonderment."These are the kind of people you want to hang around with. ;)
I really enjoy the way this book is worded. The eloquence of the novel cannot be said to be readily available in the modern world. I feel that more writers should aspire to this type of writing.
Now back to work. I have to finish this take home test, read "The Death of a Salesman", then write a three page paper on it. Today. At least I don't have to get my Sterling Scholar binder ready for tomorrow! I'm looking forward to the completion of all of these assignments!
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
LDS-ity
Well, today I wasted a TON of time when I should be reading Jane Eyre for tomorrow's AP English test. I guess that's what comes having the LDS website as my homepage. They just released a new website that talks specifically about Jesus Christ. That led me to go to the LDS Tech site forums, which then led me to reading several pages on Mormon.org and then I read some pages on this Gordan B. Hinckley website and this one as well. Then this and this Thomas S. Monson website. Then I wondered about the More Good foundation, which sponsored the last four websites, and so I signed up there, then followed a link to LDS.net, and signed up there, which had this interesting news story. I also watched a small video on that website which talked about how to blog, which is what inspired me to write in mine. Now I've got to go read prepare for the test tomorrow, but first...some ice cream.
Monday, February 18, 2008
LibriVox
I just wanted to shout out to all of the mounds of readers of this blog a cool site that I've known about for a while but never really put to good use until now.
As you know, any book published before January 1st, 1923, is in the public domain and as such is fully available to all derivative works. LibriVox is a project that pulls public domain books off of a project like Project Gutenberg and makes them available to the public as audio books. Readers are volunteers recording at their home computer. The files are then uploaded and reviewed by other volunteers and then the whole project is released. I especially like the feature where you can download the book in iTunes. It opens it as a podcast and you can selectively get chapters or download the whole thing. Very handy and useful.
For those of you who aren't interested in the details, here's the gist:
Free Audiobooks!
Right now I'm listening to Jane Eyre for AP English. I can listen to it when it's dark or when I'm moving or even when I'm cooking, which is something that I have never been able to (safely) do when reading a book the standard way. Not to say I haven't done it, but it was before President Hinckley warned against gambling. I was gambling when I did it. And now I'm rambling. Good night!
As you know, any book published before January 1st, 1923, is in the public domain and as such is fully available to all derivative works. LibriVox is a project that pulls public domain books off of a project like Project Gutenberg and makes them available to the public as audio books. Readers are volunteers recording at their home computer. The files are then uploaded and reviewed by other volunteers and then the whole project is released. I especially like the feature where you can download the book in iTunes. It opens it as a podcast and you can selectively get chapters or download the whole thing. Very handy and useful.
For those of you who aren't interested in the details, here's the gist:
Free Audiobooks!
Right now I'm listening to Jane Eyre for AP English. I can listen to it when it's dark or when I'm moving or even when I'm cooking, which is something that I have never been able to (safely) do when reading a book the standard way. Not to say I haven't done it, but it was before President Hinckley warned against gambling. I was gambling when I did it. And now I'm rambling. Good night!
If—
If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too:
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don’t deal in lies,
Or being hated, don’t give way to hating,
And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise;
If you can dream—and not make dreams your master;
If you can think—and not make thoughts your aim,
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two imposters just the same:
If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build ’em up with worn-out tools;
If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breathe a word about your loss:
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on!"
If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with Kings—nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much:
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it,
And—which is more—you’ll be a Man, my son!
--Rudyard Kipling
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Essays and the Nature of Us
I am horrible at writing essays. I try to have a catchy opening, and I fail miserably. I try to add in details that add substance, and I fail miserably. I cannot express my ideas in writing very clearly. Maybe clarifying some ideas on this blog will help me to create a strong essay.
I've been working on an essay about us as humans. Where is our intellect stored in relation to the "real world"? It is my belief that our minds, our intellects, ourselves are held seperate from the reality of realness by a barrier, through which brick pinpricks of light break through and serve as channels for information. These channels are our senses. No mortal human can in full measure understand the purest nature of reality because our senses are always there, acting as an interface into our brains. Reality itself as humanity and mankind sees it is just the result of collective translation of reality to a form our brains can understand. For example, the taste of something is just a property of something that is so real we cannot comprehend it. Our taste takes that property of the real object and transforms it into something our brains can understand; we only perceive it as taste. All matter is energy, and all energy is linked somehow, but we cannot understand that because our brains can only see through those little pinpricks of light in the isolating barrier, or membrane...or...perhaps...veil? All matter has certain properties that can only be sensed and acted upon by our bodies. Perhaps matter as we know it is just energy with a few more properties than pure energy. Perhaps all energy has certain properties; in the case of most matter that we can sense, the property of the ability to be sensed by the senses that we have could be a property (yeah, you might need to read that sentence one more time). Everything is linked, but the intelligences that were organized before the world was as independent, free willing agents sit isolated, taking streams of input from several channels and acting out its decisions through several channels like muscles.
The next important concept is deciding whether our consciese selves, the thoughts that we can think, are part of this independent mind or part of the output of this independent mind, and we have some sort of sensor in our brain that senses the output of our souls/ourselves to our minds and repeats the message? Is there a distinction between what is truely the most pure form of us and the mind and consciese that we can feel every day? In other words, is there another component besides just our physical bodies and brains and the electrical impulses therein? Of course, we know the answer to that. There is - our spirit and our body are two different things.
OK, I'm sorry I can't explain stuff better. However, it was good to philosophize. Who knows - I might be incorrect on all this stuff. Remember, it's just a theory, and completely subject to change.
I've been working on an essay about us as humans. Where is our intellect stored in relation to the "real world"? It is my belief that our minds, our intellects, ourselves are held seperate from the reality of realness by a barrier, through which brick pinpricks of light break through and serve as channels for information. These channels are our senses. No mortal human can in full measure understand the purest nature of reality because our senses are always there, acting as an interface into our brains. Reality itself as humanity and mankind sees it is just the result of collective translation of reality to a form our brains can understand. For example, the taste of something is just a property of something that is so real we cannot comprehend it. Our taste takes that property of the real object and transforms it into something our brains can understand; we only perceive it as taste. All matter is energy, and all energy is linked somehow, but we cannot understand that because our brains can only see through those little pinpricks of light in the isolating barrier, or membrane...or...perhaps...veil? All matter has certain properties that can only be sensed and acted upon by our bodies. Perhaps matter as we know it is just energy with a few more properties than pure energy. Perhaps all energy has certain properties; in the case of most matter that we can sense, the property of the ability to be sensed by the senses that we have could be a property (yeah, you might need to read that sentence one more time). Everything is linked, but the intelligences that were organized before the world was as independent, free willing agents sit isolated, taking streams of input from several channels and acting out its decisions through several channels like muscles.
The next important concept is deciding whether our consciese selves, the thoughts that we can think, are part of this independent mind or part of the output of this independent mind, and we have some sort of sensor in our brain that senses the output of our souls/ourselves to our minds and repeats the message? Is there a distinction between what is truely the most pure form of us and the mind and consciese that we can feel every day? In other words, is there another component besides just our physical bodies and brains and the electrical impulses therein? Of course, we know the answer to that. There is - our spirit and our body are two different things.
OK, I'm sorry I can't explain stuff better. However, it was good to philosophize. Who knows - I might be incorrect on all this stuff. Remember, it's just a theory, and completely subject to change.
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Valentine's Dance
As many of you know, today is Valentine's day. In honor of this special occasion, the school music department hosted a Dinner Dance, in which spaghetti and Jazz, breadsticks and Rock, and mints and music mixed for a few mellifluous moments. I performed in (I would list all of the numbers, but even I don't expect my memory to be that good! In fact, I've probably left out a bunch that I played in...in other words, please enjoy this list of a small sample of the performance tonight):
- Boo-Ray (percussive joy)
- Stick Schtick (percussive joy)
- Sea Sounds (we all got some good "vibes" from this piece)
- Embraceable You (choral in Utah, and we don't even have an ocean!)
- Smoke on the Water (Rockish piece played by the Jazz Band)
- Too Young (Ballad)
- It's Only a Paper Moon (Jazzy piece)
- Do Nothin' 'till You Hear From Me (likewise)
- In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning (ditto)
- That's Cool (Cool Jazz)
- Steam Heat (choral in Utah, and we don't even have an ocean!)
- We had a few skittish people up on stage, didn't we?
- and much, much more!
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Samsung
Today at 7:00 P.M. I was invited to the American Legion Post to receive a plaque (not on my teeth) and a check for $20,000 dollars from Samsung. Of course, the check wasn't real - just a placeholder for the $20,000 scholarship that I have to request every year I go to school, but it was nice anyway. I enjoy all of those old men sitting up there in the Post building chatting about the government and the military. I have grown quite fond of the American Legion and our local Post's members.
The Samsung American Legion Scholarship was awarded to 10 recipients nationally. Over 20,000 people applied for it. In order to apply you must be a direct descendent of a veteran of a war, preferably the Korean war. I am glad that my grandfather served in the Navy in the Korean war; his service has opened up unforseen doors. I am so thankful to him for his service for this great country.
Today I also opened a letter that informed me about how I was a National Merit Finalist. I have long awaited this letter, and was quite glad to receive it, although I knew several days ago because Dr. Hoyt called me in and told me and gave me a certificate from the National Merit Scholarship Corporation.
So anyway - exciting news today, but I've still got to fill out the FAFSA by Friday, the Presidential Scholar application by Monday, get the FBLA website done by the 21st, get the Scottsbrother's Band website done by the end of the month, read Jane Eyre by either next week or the next, and get at least eight hours of sleep a night. Oh, and our Social Dance performance is the 21st, as well. Cha cha is king there. Tomorrow is the Dinner show. Good thing I'm only playing 8 songs or so - if I had any more I would have to resort to mad, frantic banging on my drumset to relieve stress. I haven't had to resort to that yet, but I might have to some day.
The Samsung American Legion Scholarship was awarded to 10 recipients nationally. Over 20,000 people applied for it. In order to apply you must be a direct descendent of a veteran of a war, preferably the Korean war. I am glad that my grandfather served in the Navy in the Korean war; his service has opened up unforseen doors. I am so thankful to him for his service for this great country.
Today I also opened a letter that informed me about how I was a National Merit Finalist. I have long awaited this letter, and was quite glad to receive it, although I knew several days ago because Dr. Hoyt called me in and told me and gave me a certificate from the National Merit Scholarship Corporation.
So anyway - exciting news today, but I've still got to fill out the FAFSA by Friday, the Presidential Scholar application by Monday, get the FBLA website done by the 21st, get the Scottsbrother's Band website done by the end of the month, read Jane Eyre by either next week or the next, and get at least eight hours of sleep a night. Oh, and our Social Dance performance is the 21st, as well. Cha cha is king there. Tomorrow is the Dinner show. Good thing I'm only playing 8 songs or so - if I had any more I would have to resort to mad, frantic banging on my drumset to relieve stress. I haven't had to resort to that yet, but I might have to some day.
Monday, February 4, 2008
Some Chicago Pictures
I thought this was rather interesting. Good stuff to know.
This is a cannonball tree at the Field Museum in Chicago. A real tree!
Look...the kiosk at the top of the Hancock Observatory (or the Sears tower...can't remeber which one now) is running Windows 98!
They should seriously consider upgrading.
This was in a photo booth at the bottom of the Sears tower (or Hancock Observatory...can't remember which, now) Blue screen of death on a kiosk! Funny...
Our First Government Test
Tomorrow is our very first AP Government test. I will use this blog as a studying aid.
Philosophers
Thomas Hobbes - Englishman
Philosophers
Thomas Hobbes - Englishman
- In a State of Nature mankind is brutish and selfish and the system is very individualistic
- Social Contract - we give up some rights for protection
- Solution (I guess) was to have one ruler: a monarch
- Natural Rights - Life, Liberty (not racial liberty), Property (he was coming out of a feudalistic society)
- People's obligation to rebel and institute a new government because
- Government is responsible to the people
- Solution is to have a body created by the people as the ruler
- Absolute monarchy is indeed inconsistent with civil society - it is worse than a State of Nature
- England transitions from Divine Right to Constitutional Monarchy
- 3 functions to government - Legislative, Executive, Judicial
- Popularly elected legislators
- Popular army as counterbalance to both executive and legislative
- Mankind is naturally neither good/bad but corrupted by society
- Moral/Able leaders are needed
- A prince must know how to avoid the reproach of those vices which would lose him his state.
- A prince should be feared, not hated or loved. Fear should be his aim.
- The only way to establish and maintain a democracy is to have no "gentlemen" about - lazy, corrupt, etc people
- Let republics only be established where equality exists.
- Humans have a right to their own thoughts and the expression of those thoughts
- However, they cannot infringe upon other's same rights
- Public policy emerges from competition among groups
- Power flows from resources, which can include intangibles
- Power is distributed among various sources
- Freedom of Religion, Speech, Press, Assembly, Petition
- Right to Bear Arms
- Quartering of Soldiers
- Unreasonable Search and Seizure - Warrants upon probable cause
- Trial and Punishment - Due Process of Law - Just Compensation of Aquirings
- Speedy/Public Trial - Assistance of Consul - Confront/Compulse Witnesses
- Trial By Jury if > $20
- Cruel/Unusual Punishment - Excessive Bail/Fines
- Other Rights Not in the Constitution
- Powers Not Delegated in Constitution Reserved to States/People
- Private Parties Cannot Try a State
- Electors Vote for both President and Vice-President
- Slavery Abolished
- Citizenship Rights - State Due Process Clause - Equal Protection
- Voting Not Based on Race
- Income Tax
Sunday, February 3, 2008
Decorating for Spirit Week 2008
These are some 
pictures of the decorations we put up as Senior Class Officers for Spirit Week this week. We spent like five hours doing all of this.
This is the whole hallway with the crossing streamers at the top that Tyson and I put up - it took us a long time. Unfortunately, they will probably be torn down the first day.
The male sign. Tia wrote "Mal", then she wrote a capital "L" to start off the "E", but then she scared herself because she thought she wrote the wrong letter.
Good times as Senior Class Officers.
pictures of the decorations we put up as Senior Class Officers for Spirit Week this week. We spent like five hours doing all of this.This is the whole hallway with the crossing streamers at the top that Tyson and I put up - it took us a long time. Unfortunately, they will probably be torn down the first day.
The male sign. Tia wrote "Mal", then she wrote a capital "L" to start off the "E", but then she scared herself because she thought she wrote the wrong letter.
Good times as Senior Class Officers.Friday, February 1, 2008
List of Things To Do
I keep telling my mother I will post a list of everything I have to do or are involved in. So here it is (numbers are so I can easily see how many there are; they do not imply an order of any kind, including importance, time spent, relative priority, or length of letters; Sean Fisher is not responsible for any kind of damage resulting from the misuse of this list, and by reading this list you agree to hold him publicly unresponsible for your broken bone - if you get one from the use or misuse of this list): By the way, things I have completed or don't have to do anymore I've crossed out.
- Finish posting this post
- Learn "In the Silent Garden" on the organ for Youth Choir
- Apply for the Presidential Scholar
- Do the FAFSA (shudder)
- Build a website for the Scottsbrothers band
- Learn Ruby on Rails better so I can build the website
- Read three Ruby on Rails books to better learn Ruby on Rails
- Call and hold a presidency meeting for FBLA to talk about our Las Vegas and State trips
- Actually plan our Las Vegas trip (get a bus, talk to a business to tour, get the date/time squared away, etc)
- Come up with material for a Digital Video Club (DVC) meeting
- Hold a Digital Video Club meeting
- Video CTE classes for CTE month this month
- Edit and create a cool video using clips video-ed earlier
- Make a band recruiting video
- Make a choir recruiting video
- Teach Janessa how to make videos so she can make a choir trip video
- Make a website for Dr. Hoyt
- Finish the website for the library
- Make a website for our FBLA competition in April (see Ruby on Rails items above)
- Write an essay on Hamlet (oops, I just realized I forget to bring home my book that has Hamlet in it) for Monday
- Read Jane Eyre
- Update and edit my Sterling Scholar Portfolio
- Get a little exercise in
- Take pictures of the awesome mountain you can see from my front yard with white snow and red rock on a purple mountain with a nice dawn blue backdrop
- Go to Jazz Band every morning
- Go to Symphony every Friday
- Pep basketball games for percussion
- Practice approximately 15 songs for the dinner show coming up on the piano
- Review four chapters and 18-19 essays (intellectual ones, mind you) on our government for our test on Tuesday in AP Government
- Learn a piano part for the song my family is playing in church in a week or two
- Learn a bass part for the song my family is playing in church in a week or two
- Respond to "somebody" for preference (as soon as she gives me the final clues)
- Go home teaching
- Look up scholarships that Stanford might offer
- Read the Inheritance cycle once again to prepare for the release of Brisingr
- Finish learning First Run
- Make CD covers for our Prom CDs
- Finish planning prom
- Plan graduation (to be held on May 23rd)
- Put up posters this Saturday for spirit week next week
- Play in an "Arts Gala" this Saturday with the Jazz Band
- Plan a King's Peak backpacking trip with Jess for this summer
- Finish reading Seabiscuit (for fun, but I'm already part way into it so I should finish it)
- Make posters for Interact's Pinkies for Polio
- Plan my Eagle Court of Honor
Exciting News, I suppose
Well, last night I was accepted into BYU. How fun! Well, that's all I have to say about that.
Today I mailed my Hinckley Scholarship application 11 minutes before the post office closed...it was cutting it quite close. I don't think my essays were too good, but they were rather good, I suppose.
Today I mailed my Hinckley Scholarship application 11 minutes before the post office closed...it was cutting it quite close. I don't think my essays were too good, but they were rather good, I suppose.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)