This fall, Worcester Academy joined countless schools across the nation in celebration of Teen Read Week 2009 (October 18-24)! Teen Read Week is an initiative by the Young Adult Library Service Association (YALSA) that was started in 1998 to remind teens to spend time reading for pleasure.

The WA English Department took advantage of an Interactive Reading Project spearheaded by Mr. Joseph Pye whose mission was to “inspire students to interpret literature in new and innovative ways.” This undertaking entailed creating a Scratch video inspired by a work read in an English class. Scratch software allows users to design animations, games and art to be shared on the Internet.

A total of 8 eager learners accepted the challenge and each created interactive stories inspired by: Charles Dickens’ Great Expectations, Chaucer’s “The Wife of Bath’s Tale,” and Marie de France’s “Guigemar,” “Laustic” and “Les Deux Amanz.”

Follow the link below to see the original animations of: Adrienne Anderson, Julien Angel, Cameron Borriello, Chester Caswell, Sarah Dunn, Geetha Mahendran, Elena Stamatakos, and Surya Viswanathan!

http://scratch.mit.edu/galleries/view/61659

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Many studies have shown that when on a cell phone, you’re reaction time is 18% slower to react to break. Clemson University conducted a study that showed when texting or using your mp3 player you are 10% more apt to swerve into another lane, putting many in danger. University of Utah showed that it is as dangerous to use your cell phone as it is to drive drunk. That study enough should show us how severe this problem is. Although it is hard to prove that when accidents happen it is due to the cell phone, the facts are still out there. Even if all states make it illegal to talk on the phone, it will be hard to enforce it with everyone. We all just need to make it a rule that in order to help ourselves and the drivers around us, we can not talk on the cell phone. Many may not agree with what I have put forward, but I believe that the statistics speak for themselves. In the end the big question is, is a phone call more important than life? We are living in a world where we always need to be connected but if always been connected means risking lives, where can we draw the line?

Photo Credit:

Pink Sherbet Photography

This is another official update to the original “Shift Happens” video. This completely new Fall 2009 version includes facts and stats focusing on the changing media landscape, including convergence and technology, and was developed in partnership with The Economist. For more information, or to join the conversation, please visit http://mediaconvergence.economist.com/ and http://shifthappens.wikispaces.com/.

Content by XPLANE, The Economist, Karl Fisch, Scott McLeod and Laura Bestler. Design and development by XPLANE, http://www.xplane.com/

It has been a while since Apple’s iTunes and music store launched in early 2001, revolutionizing the music industry. iTunes makes it easy to organize and sync you’re music library and make it portable. Up until a couple months ago, all the audio files were sold as protected files for 99 cents, making it impossible to put iTunes store bought music on anything except for an iPod. In a way, Apple was forcing iTunes users to use iPods in order to listen to their music on the go. Now however, the 7-year tradition has changed. Apple has recently removed the DRM protected file format enabling people to share and copy music to their phones as mp3 files. People in the music industry have anticipated this change for several years with endless possibilities for sharing their music with others. This change however does not come with out a price. Along with the removal of DRM protected format, iTunes has begun offering music at two different prices, $.99 and $1.29 for certain tracks.

The price hike can be looked at in both a good and bad light. Apple reports the reason for the change is because every song is available in the highest quality moving from 128 kbs to 256 kbs. This is great but could the average person listening to their iPod with ear bud headphones really be able to tell the difference between the two qualities? In my opinion, there should be an option to upgrade to the higher quality if one chooses to do so instead of being forced to pay the extra $.30. This however does not fully explain why some songs are more expensive than others. The real reason for the price hike is because the DRM protection has been removed, People are more willing to by songs from iTunes since they can easily organize songs and use mp3 players other than iPods. Apple simply sees it as a way to make more money off popular songs that people are willing to spend more money on especially if the quality of the song is better.

This could prove to be disastrous to iTunes however people could also see a rebound in the CD industry. Now that people are forced to pay more per song for the convenience of staying home, CD prices have been lowered to try and draw people in. Now that the music store prices have gone up, music fans might prefer going to their local CD store to save a few bucks. Because several of the iTunes music store’s customers are teens and college students who often times don’t have much expendable money, there will probably be some negative effects due to the entire price hike. During an economic downturn like the one that is present today, do people really have the money to buy songs? Even though $1.29 is not considered a lot, when you have thousands of songs on your iPod, it adds up.

Photo of CD by Rebopper

Photo of iPhone by Powerbooktrance

Photo of iTunes gift card by Heck Meck

I can remember a couple years ago when MySpace was the new thing to have because it was the start of social networking on the Internet. I thought it was so awesome you could have your own personal page where you can have music and a place where your friends can write comments to you. Everyone would try to compete to see who could get more friends. It was great! But then as people became more familiar with this new technology people began using it to deceive.

Problems began developing and there were many incidents, such as issues with sex offenders using MySpace to mislead people using fake pictures and fake identities. I believe this turned away many people by but because it was the only real popular social network no one had a choice of switching to a different one. As a couple of years went by Facebook came into play. Facebook was a new social network that people could use that was just as fun as MySpace, but much easier to use and safer. As Facebook was growing people began to like the fact that Facebook was very organized and more adult savvy than MySpace. It has a much more sophisticated atmosphere with its dull yet prearranged look. People began to lose interest in MySpace and joined Facebook. One of the big differences Facebook offers that MySpace does not is its live chat you can have with your friends. This was a big step because it combined instant messaging with a social network website. Facebook also has live status updates, which MySpace does not have. As all of these new things were developing, MySpace began to become threatened by Facebook and tried to compete with them by copying them in many ways including a program called Applications.

MySpace will most likely keep declining in their popularity if there is a constant continuance of new social networks being created. Of these new networks one of them is a website called Twitter. Unlike Facebook and MSspace, Twitter is more about just updating your personal status and spreading new ideas to other people. Celebrity Ashton Kutcher recently started a competition with other celebrities to see who could reach one million friends first. This act is just another distraction to lure people away from MySpace. These social networks like any other business are constantly competing with each other. MySpace is not the only one out there anymore and it is now very easy for someone to create something new and better. MySpace put themselves in a hole without knowing it because they did not make a good enough effort to make their website safe for all. MySpace is declining because of the danger behind it, its unoriginality, and the number of growing and more popular social networks.

Photo Credit: captain simon’s mandolin

Most Energy Efficient Cell Phone

Although it is not on the market yet, the most energy efficient phone around is the Samsung Blue Earth. It partially runs off of solar power. Although it doesn’t completely run off the sun, by charging the phone with the solar panels, you are capable of making one phone call at a time. Not only is it energy efficient, but also is made from a material called PCM, a recycled plastic from water bottles.

Another feature of the phone is that it contains an “eco” mode, which adjusts screen brightness, back light duration, and Bluetooth usage. Now there is one more feature that doesn’t really help the environment, but it shows how much carbon dioxide emission you save by walking rather than driving. Lastly, it comes in recycled packaging with an energy efficient charger.

Personally, I would use this phone. It’s not like the other energy efficient phones that are unattractive to be quite honest with you. It’s a phone where if you didn’t notice the solar panels at first, you would think it was just as ordinary as anything else.

Greenest Car Ever Unveiled

The most energy efficient car that is known right now is the Aptera. It looks like no other car around today, but something from the future. At first, the car promised at least a 200-MPG driving range but now the company has stepped up it’s game, and now is going for a 300-MPG range in typical driving conditions. Not only do they just have this version, but they are also coming out with a new car that is an all-electric version in addition to the plug-in hybrid model. The new model promises to last around 120 miles before needing to be recharged.

Both vehicles include some luxury features such as both, driver and passenger side airbags, interior and exterior LED lighting and a “solar assisted” climate control system. They also have “advanced drive computer” that includes GPS, a rear-view camera, and a complete vehicle diagnostic system. For a car like this you think it would be extremely expensive, however it only runs around $20,000 for the regular one, and the hybrid model runs for a little more money. You are currently able to reserve one of the vehicles for about $500, and they are coming out in about 12 months or so.

In my opinion, this car doesn’t look safe at all. It looks like if something hits you have a high risk of getting hurt. Also, since there are three wheels on the vehicle it may be a lot different to drive than the traditional four wheels, but I don’t know. If it is different it may take people some time to adjust from their old four wheel ways to the new three wheel concept. It could be an issue for some to get used to it. I personally would not by this car, but it may appeal to some.

Photo Credit: nickwheeleroz

Shanghai, China before and after Earth Hour

On Saturday, March 28^th, more than 1,000 cities in over 80 countries observed Earth Hour 2009. Starting at 8:30 PM, cities and towns around the world shut off the lights to promote climate change awareness and action. Started in Sydney, Australia, in 2007, Earth Hour has grown tremendously in the last three years. The event was sponsored by the World Wildlife Fund.

Although there are many advocates of this event, there are also many people who criticize it. Many question how much energy is saved in only one hour of shutting the lights off, arguing that the planning and promotion of the event causes enough environmental harm that it offsets the benefits of Earth Hour. However, the sheer number of people involved in the event guarantees that much more energy is conserved because of the event than is used. Also, Earth Hour is more of a symbolic demonstration, with millions of people around the world telling world leaders that we need to do something about the climate crisis. As UN’s Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon said, Earth Hour has the potential to be “the largest demonstration of public concern about climate change ever attempted.”

With Earth Day 2009 coming up on April 22, we are facing possibly the most serious environmental crisis ever. As the population grows, we need to use more resources, much of which are nonrenewable and result in emissions of greenhouse gases. As climate change worsens, an environmental movement is beginning around the world, and world leaders including President Obama are making it one of their top priorities. However, recent events are suggesting that we may have less time to act than we originally thought. For example, in 2007, a large portion of Arctic sea ice (about 40%) vanished. Even with climate change, scientists predicted in 2004 that this would not happen for another 50 or 100 years. Along with this, we are seeing increases in occurrence and severity of droughts, floods, and storms around the world, as well as decreases in agricultural yields due to the changing climate. On a statistics website called Worldometers.info, you can actually see the average global temperature increase. Also, the amount of Carbon dioxide emissions this year goes up about 1,000 ton every three seconds. These statistics and recent events make it evident that we are facing a serious threat to our population and that urgent action is necessary.

Arctic sea near Svalbard

Millions of people simply shutting the lights off for one hour was a powerful message that gained worldwide attention. Clearly, Earth Hour 2009 was a much needed wake-up call to politicians and citizens around the world that we need to get serious about stopping climate change. This event is one of the largest public demonstrations ever, and has the potential to become increasingly influential in coming years.

Although we do not realize it, several of our everyday actions impact the environment. We are also affected by the environment everyday as well, and all of us experience the effects of climate change. Although many people will disagree with me on this, I believe that climate change is the most important problem we face today, because whether we realize it or not, it impacts every aspect of our life. It is affecting our food supply, rain cycles, ocean currents, sea levels, biodiversity and human health, as well as other aspects of our earth . Its impacts will only increase over time, but there is hope. There is a movement happening right now as concern about climate change grows. Renewable energy technology is being developed, windmills and solar panels are being installed around the world, and people are voicing their concerns on climate change. American colleges are reporting a dramatic increase in interest in renewable energy technologies and environmental science. Individuals, corporations, schools, and organizations are moving towards sustainability. This is one of our greatest opportunities to prove what the human race can accomplish while working toward a collective good. One person at a time. One light at a time. One goal: protecting this beautiful place we call home.

(Note: if you want to see more pictures of Earth Hour, there are some outstanding pictures at Boston.com

photo credit: Earth Hour Global

photo credit: Denmar

photo credit: Kenyai

Photo Credit: Pip_Wilson

Besides maybe fast food chains, Apple is one of the only corporation to keep its head above water, and stay away from a decline in sales.  Apple can attribute that to its products, and its product’s popularity.

Apple continues to come out with the most up to date technology.  Almost every six months there is a new update to the iPod, iPhone, Macbook, or any other Apple product.  We live in a society where having the new thing or device means everything, and updating from old technologies is an essential.  Upgrading is a way of life for people in our society.  That one factor that has led to Apple’s continued success, as even though the economy is going through a very difficult situation, Americans have put purchasing the newest technologies as a priority a major priority.

The other reason for Apple’s continued success through the bad economy is because of the growing importance of technology in our daily lives.  Technology is used in almost every profession, school system and household across the country.  And with that being said, Apple is one of the leading providers of new technology.  Their computers and software are used in millions of businesses in America.  Their iPods sell not only to young adults and children, but it also appeals to all age levels.  Even Apple’s most recent development, the iPhone, has become one of the highest selling mobile phones on the market today.

This trend hasn’t hit home with all corporations producing new technology items, as numerous companies have began to falter.  Other companies are trying to devise plans to help compete with Apple.  Even software pioneers like Microsoft have been considering opening up stores in malls and shopping centers (like Apple) to compete with the Apple corporation.  Apple is known for producing the best technologies and Americans have not forgotten that during these economic hardships.

Apple has been one of the fortunate companies in America’s sinking economy.  There have been two factors that have led to Apple becoming much more recession-proof compared to many American Corporations; the continued desire of Americans to update their belongings, and more importantly their technological products, and also the popularity of Apple products.  Due to these two factors, Apple has been able to keep its head above water even through difficult economic times.  Only time will tell if it continues down that path.