I’m currently at a 5-day long Cross Country camp at Shippensburg University, and I sat down at the computer in the Community Center to update my Twitter and my Facebook. The only problem is that they’re both blocked because they fall under the classification of “social” sites. Isn’t that what the Internet was originally created to do: empower people to communicate with each other? I don’t understand the rationale behind the block, but I’ll have to deal with it for the next four days I’m here.
Uncategorized blocked, camp, internet, social
I just completed my Eagle Scout Leadership Service Project. It is one of the requirements for getting the rank of Eagle Scout in Boy Scouts. The project involved building a fence and arbor for the Carlisle Salvation Army, as well as cleaning up the courtyard and refinishing some benches. You can read the complete project write-up here and you can download it here.
Boy Scouts army, eagle, leadership, project, salvation, writeup
I recently won 1st place at both the local and regional National History Day competitions in the Senior Website category. I’m heading to the state competition May 6-7, 2009 at Millersville University. I also got to the state competition last year with an individual exhibit on the Cuban Missile Crisis. Check out the website at http://tesla.thebookrook.com/
Uncategorized crisis, cuba, cuban, day, history, missile, national, nhd, state, tesla, website
Nikola Tesla was the genius and visionary who ushered mankind into the twentieth century. Yet very few in modern society are familiar with his name and his many accomplishments. It is even more astonishing that he died alone and penniless in a New York City Hotel.
Almost every facet of our modern-day existence can be traced to an invention of Tesla’s. Whenever you turn on a light or listen to the radio you pay homage to Tesla’s genius. The world is run on his alternating current electrical distribution, we detect submarines with his radar, and we diagnose illnesses with his x-ray. I spent this entire weekend working on a project for this year’s National History Day competition. The theme was “The Individual in History” and I chose to make a website on Tesla. Check out the work in progress here. Tell me what you think!
Learn more about the “Wizard”:
Check out this free e-book by Tesla on Gutenberg!
School book, electricity, gutenberg, light, lightning, nhd, nikola, tesla, website
For all you aspiring Eagle Scouts – keep up the press! Earning Scouting’s highest rank is one of the most worthwhile things you can accomplish but it takes a special focus, commitment, and can-do attitude to make it happen.
I recently attended a Special Eagle Court of Honor Ceremony where we recognized our troop’s 201st and 202nd Eagle Scouts. Aside from being a great event, the program listed some famous Eagle Scouts and I was intrigued to discover that Mike Rowe, Host of Discovery Channel’s “Dirty Jobs” show, is an Eagle Scout. While researching the validity of the program’s listing of Eagle Scouts (I did find one mistake; Bill Gates is not an Eagle but his father was), I not only confirmed that Mike Rowe is indeed an Eagle, but I also found that he provides some interesting advice and perspective about Eagle Scouts. Needless to say, I found it illuminating and it really motivated me to get off my butt and get serious about making it happen. His comments can be found on his web site here.
As Mike so bluntly puts it, “NOT getting your Eagle will be one of the easiest things you’ve ever done.”
Uncategorized dirty jobs, eagle, mike rowe, motivation, scout
Since entering high school, I’ve been in conversations where some old book is mentioned, yet I seem to be the only one who hasn’t read it yet! It can lead to awkward situations and it just makes you feel stupid. I have a solution.
Many of the books on the required reading lists for high schools and colleges are classics. Huck Finn, Oliver Twist, etc. These are also some of the books that you should be familiar with and able to talk about in a conversation. It expands your knowledge and helps you understand others. Now, if these books are classics that everyone should read, why do you have to walk into a bookstore and pay $10 or go to the nearest library every time you want to read one? I don’t know. What I do know is quite simple. Most of these books were either written and published before modern copyrighting or published under a long-expired copyright. This means that they are technically free for distribution to the public (public domain). Anyone can read them, use them, and cite them without any problems. Most people just don’t know that. They end up paying $15 for a book that should be free.
When I learned this, I set out to find the best place to get free public domain books. The answer: Project Gutenberg. Project Gutenberg has been collecting books from the public domain for years and their database is one of the best. They have almost every book in the public domain in a variety of formats. I usually download and save the .txt file and use and program like eTextReader to read it in a book format. It’s the easiest way and it has changed the way I read and learn.
For more information on public domain books, visit http://thebookrook.com/public-domain-books/18-books-in-the-public-domain
Books, Technology book, Books, classics, domain, etextreader, free, gutenberg, project, public
I love watching videos on YouTube. I also love watching movies and videos on my iPod. However, I could never figure why YouTube doesn’t allow users to download videos and save them. They’re free for everyone to watch online, so why not also when you’re offline? Well, I am quite proud to say that I have found a solution. Vixy.net offers a free service that enable absolutely anyone do download and save videos from YouTube, metacafe, etc. It lets you save them as .mp4′s, .avi’s and even .mp3′s if you only want the audio. Once you have the files, you can import them straight into iTunes and put them on your iPod. In my opinion, it’s one of the only free conversion sites out there that is both quick and free from annoying ads. Give it a go, and comment about what you think of it!
Music, Technology conversion, convert, file, ipod, tool, videos, youtube
I just found an awesome new site that lists some great tools for anyone still in school. Some look much better than others and while there are a few I would not recommend, you may find something useful. Check it out!
School School, sites, tools
A new year, a new start… and a new blog.
The purpose of this blog is to provide a means of documenting further commentary about books and other topics I find interesting. While I am interested in reading everyone’s comments, I also request your assistance in upholding standards that will encourage rather than discourage participation:
- Tell me what you think. Every post is open for comments and I am interested in your thoughts and ideas.
- Please keep the discussion clean. Anything inappropriate will be deleted.
- No personal attacks or flaming! It’s perfectly okay to disagree with someone but please do it in a respectful and courteous manner – again, my aim is to promote further discussion and participation.
Thank you, Humer
Miscellaneous blog, new, purpose, rules, welcome
