the only thing that made frozen 2 worth seeing was Kristoff's solo number. that was comedy gold.
Hello everyone! Thank you so much for taking a look at my in-depth tonight. I’ve been working pretty hard on learning how to build a PC and taking a look at the parts in-depth. What you’ll see in my video is me talking about the top 5 most important components of my PC, as well as some clips of me putting the whole thing together.
If you have any questions or comments, feel free to ask below! Thanks again!
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1II4vhmEpysqgvDxtdAUnrv8_Vo0caEdo/view?usp=sharing
In life, not everything goes according to plan. Certainly my in-depth project saw some bumps. In my last blog post, I mentioned that my next meeting would be on the first weekend of spring break. Liam and I decided for the better that we shouldn’t meet in person due to the virus. This brought an entirely new host of problems for us to solve. How will I get the parts? How will I build the PC without him physically there to show me what it’s supposed to look like? We did our best to work around those issues as best we could, and I have made the exact amount of progress so far as I had expected to.
What has been my most difficult mentoring challenge so far? Why?
The main issue for us was figuring out how to continue meeting amidst the social distancing. We opted to call over a chat server called Discord. We video called instead of meeting during spring break, which we found to be less effective, but our only available alternative. I ended up ordering the case, motherboard, CPU, fan, and power bank off of Amazon. Here they are on my “assembling table”:
What is working well? Why?
Learning over a video call on my phone isn’t easy, but it’s been working well enough for me. I opted not to use my laptop for the calls so I could move my phone around easily. That worked really well for me because I was able to show him a view of the inside of the computer, and he could tell me if I was doing something right or wrong. I did the first four parts on the same day.
What could be working better? How can you make sure this happens?
I would ideally like to meet more often to move faster in the project. Since Liam is doing this for free, he has a job, and is a busy university student, I don’t think I’m in a place to ask that of him among all of the chaos we’re all experiencing. I think I might turn to watching tutorial videos to do more work independently in the future.
23/02/20 – Posted late due to criminal record check
So far, I’ve met with Liam twice. In the first meeting, discussed in my last blog post, we went over what some of the parts of the computer do. In the second meeting, which was about an hour shorter than the last due to scheduling conflicts, we finished learning about all of the parts. I know I said I would purchase all of the parts for this meeting, but it doesn’t make sense to do that given the time frame. We decided to change the plan to something that would make more sense. I’m instead going to buy the parts two or three at a time, put them in two or three at a time, and by mid-April, the PC will be built. Then, I can practice on other computers until I’ve gotten the hang of it by myself.
How many times are we going to be meeting? How regular? How long is each session? Time commitment?
We hope to meet once a week or once every two weeks when we both have a lot going on. At the moment we’ve been meeting weekly, but I decided not to have a meeting next week since I have a lot going on with the escape rooms at the moment. Luckily, Liam is also really busy next week with some homework as well. Our first meeting lasted about two hours and our last one was one. Each meeting will be a different length depending on how much we need to get done on that day. For example, our next meeting is where we buy the case and the motherboard and then head back to my house to set it up. That meeting might take between two and three hours depending on a lot of things. Neither of us view this as a huge time commitment, as it’s solely dependent on when the both of us have nothing going on.
How are we going to be communicating? Online? In person? Over the phone?
Each meeting is different for us, and we decided that for the best, most educational experience we would meet in person. We’ve met both times at my house, but next meeting we’ll be meeting at the mall. We tend to arrange things over text conversations, and follow through in-person.
What learning challenges emerged?
A large challenge for us was finding the time to meet. Just before becoming my mentor, Liam’s car broke down. In order for us to meet, both of us have to be free, and he has to be able to use his dad’s car. Because of that, we found it difficult to meet in January and early February more than once. Despite that, I held myself accountable and realized I still had to learn the material. I talked to him about it and he said that until the actual building of the PC, the research is largely an independent task. He suggested that I just send him my parts wishlist and that he would tell me if my choices were good or not. I appreciated the suggestion and we ended up going with that solution. I suggested the new time frame, which fit his schedule much better as well.
14/02/20 – Posted late due to criminal record check
Although the ball has been rolling rather slowly, it has been rolling. Finding a mentor was a challenge for me, but eventually I did. I am pleased to say that one of my sister’s good friends, Liam, will be helping me complete this project. I know him well from when he and my sister play video games together. He gained his expertise by building a number of PCs himself from scratch and testing each one.
We’ve only had one meeting, so I haven’t had the time to pick up on much wisdom, let alone purchase parts yet. One thing I have noticed and enjoyed about his mentorship style so far is that he always goes with whatever makes sense in the moment. We spent most of the first meeting discussing goals and jumping into a bit of the research on what each part of the computer does. I was moving faster on research than we both had expected and he instantly adapted to my speed and started teaching me himself about certain parts. I thought that was a really cool way to keep the meeting going.
Of course, the computer itself won’t be very fun to use without a monitor, keyboard, and mouse. I’m using a mouse and monitor that I already own, but I decided I would get myself a treat to keep up the motivation. Just last week, I purchased a new keyboard to use when I finish building the PC.
The model, as you can see, is the Razer Ornata Chroma. It’s well known for having a very good lighting display and a very comfortable wrist-rest. Before I took pictures, I was a little bit excited and I tested it out on my current PC for a bit. I can confirm, it was a good choice.
I hope to have at least two more meetings before the end of February to help speed up the project a little bit. I’m really excited for what the future has to hold with this project and I’ll keep moving forward with high motivation.
12/01/20 – Posted late due to late criminal record check
For my in-depth this year I’ve decided to take my passion for everything tech-related and challenge myself further. I will be delving deep into the world of building computers. By the end of this project, I hope to understand how all of the components of a computer work together, which parts are the best for each job, and have practised building a few PC’s myself.
I’ve been interested in coding since I was 10 years old. Combined with the fact that I play video games just about every day, computers have become second nature to me. But, as soon as you open one up, I have no idea what I’m looking at. In the future, to continue my hobbies, I’m going to have to learn to build PCs. From what I’ve experienced, buying an entire computer pre-built rarely gives you the optimal experience. These are passions of mine I’ve been with for over five years now, and I’m ready to take the next step in the world of technology.
There’s a lot to learn, and ever so little time to do so. To combat that issue, I’ve divided the project up into three simple steps to make it easier. This should also make things easier for my mentor to teach me.
Obviously, each of those steps will come with challenges. I don’t doubt that. But I’m ready to face them, whatever they are. Aside from the parts I’ll be using for step 2, I do have everything I need at home. As well, I have lots of computers at my house that haven’t been touched in years. That will make step 3 much less risky to pursue.
Considering the amount of money I’ve saved to pour into this project, I don’t want to make any purchases without the assistance of a knowledgable mentor. I realized a lot of people in our class had already visited Mr Linburg about mentorship, and so as not to overload him, I chose to go with someone else. I’ve asked my sister and parents to ask a few of their friends if they could be my mentor, and if not, I’ll begin looking into backup choices.
So, as in-depth begins again, I can say I feel the same excitement as I did last year. I hope to gain a better understanding of the components of a computer and know my way around the inside as much as I do the outside.
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Air Traffic Control |
Statistician |
Paramilitary Officer |
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Education |
Airport operations Associate degree/certificate Paid 18-month on-the-job training |
Most jobs require a Master’s Degree; higher level academic and research positions require a PhD. | Sourced from CIA website (cia.gov):
Last three bullets left out for the “Skills Needed” section. |
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Income |
$80,000-$140,000
Median Salary: $124,540 |
Lowest 10% earn <$45,000
Highest 10% earn >$150,000 Median Salary: $80,000 |
$65,442 – $108,422
Salary changes based on experience level and quality of work No Median Available |
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Tasks |
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Hours |
Most air traffic controllers work the regular full-time routine, though some choose to have extra hours. Because air traffic doesn’t stop when the sun goes down, some people have to work full-time night shifts as well. | Statisticians usually work regular full-time hours (9-5). | The hours for this job (according to cia.gov) are full-time, but based on the job description, the hours seem very dependent on the task. |
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Skills Needed |
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Predicted Job Market Change |
No change predicted for the next ten years | Predicted to grow 30% by 2028; extremely positive outlook | No change predicted for the next ten years |
In Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Hamilton, the song ‘Helpless’ involves three main characters: Eliza Schuyler, Angelica Schuyler, and Alexander Hamilton. The song itself is set in Angelica and Eliza’s father, Philip Schuyler’s, winter ball. A line by Aaron Burr from the song ‘A Winter’s Ball’ reveals that “the Schuyler sisters are the envy of all” at this event. One can infer that because of their wealth, every man wants a piece of them on this night. Angelica and Eliza get the pick of the lot and, in this song, Eliza chooses the low-income, highly-publicized man named Alexander Hamilton. With the help of her sister, Angelica, Eliza introduces herself to Hamilton and the two fall in love instantly. The remainder of this song takes us through the love story of Eliza and Alexander, from the beginning of the ball to the wedding. Angelica makes a few hints that she would have liked him for herself, but Alexander Hamilton had already asked for Philip Schuyler’s blessing to marry his middle-born child. Despite his unadmirable family background, Mr Schuyler agrees and the song ends with Alexander and Eliza acknowledging his financial state before the wedding.
In this song, Angelica and Eliza both want and fear almost the same things. They both want Hamilton by their side and fear his rejection or their father’s disapproval. Angelica, however, has a stronger want to see her sister satisfied and abandons her romantic interests for Eliza. Alexander Hamilton wanted to meet a woman of high status at the winter ball who he was attracted to. He feared being looked down on. In the end, only Angelica’s wants did not come true in this song.
In this song, there are many lyrics that appear shallow at first but manage to tell its readers a lot about the time period the play Hamilton was set in. In reality, the winter ball never actually happened in real life, but the passages I’ve listed below can still say a lot about the societal normalities in America.
[We were at a revel with some rebels on a hot night]
This line can be rather confusing at first, considering the setting is still Philip Schuyler’s winter ball. Although the weather outside is considerably not warm, when Eliza says this she’s speaking about the plethora of romantic actions being made that evening and the pleasurable environment in the air. This line sets the scene and provides the viewers with the knowledge that the women in the revolution were regularly flirting with the rebels and that being a rebel might have been an attractive quality at the time.
[One week later // I’m writin’ a letter nightly // Now my life gets better, every letter that you write me]
This line, said by Eliza Schuyler, refers to the love letters sent between Eliza and Alexander before they were married. As Alexander was still travelling through the thirteen colonies at the time, the two mainly communicated through hand-written letters. Some lines from these letters give great insight to how people spoke and referred to their significant others during the American Revolution. When signing off one letter, Alexander Hamilton wrote, “Adieu My Dear lovely amiable girl. Heaven preserve you and shower its choicest blessings upon you. Love me I conjure you.” This is obviously different than the kind of language people use today.
Full letter available here: https://time.com/4690730/alexander-hamilton-elizabeth-schuyler-collection-documents-manuscripts-letters/
[Two weeks later in the living room stressing // My father stone-faced while you’re asking for his blessing]
As the song progresses through Alexander and Eliza’s relationship, this line is a great example of the stress Alexander Hamilton would have gone through asking Eliza’s father for his daughter’s hand in marriage. At the time, Hamilton didn’t have any money and his family background was near to the lowest class. Had he lived in Britain, Philip Schuyler would have certainly told Hamilton to stay away from his daughter, but this is America. In America, the standards were different. Rich or poor, it just mattered that you loved each other. In real life, it happened similarly to in the play. Despite the changing standards, Philip Schuyler’s quick agreement was a surprise for the Schuyler sisters. Perhaps it was because of Alexander Hamilton’s growing publicity or perhaps it was because Philip saw how in love with Alexander Eliza was, regardless, the unlikely start to their marriage is seen fully in this song.
The song “Helpless” most connects to the idea that emerging ideas and ideologies profoundly influence societies and events. This is because, as previously mentioned, the relationship between Eliza and Alexander would not have ever happened if they were in Britain. The strict social class structure was a common theme seen in most societies at the time, but in America, ideologies were changing. Marriages such as Eliza and Alexander’s or even Aaron and Theodosia Burr were, for the first time in history, possible. In that way, new ideas can influence events and throughout the course of American history, the entirety of society.
essential to the understanding of the people
[Tryin’ to catch your eye from the side of the ballroom]
This line helps the song explain a lot about the values of the people during the revolution. The women had more choice in their marriage than they did in Britain or anywhere else in the world, but the man still had to be the one to ask them. In this line, Eliza’s moving around the ballroom by herself to ensure she can stay in the view of Alexander, hoping if he sees her he’ll want to converse. This says a lot about how the man had to play a dominant role in a relationship during the American Revolution and how men had more choice in their partner than women did.
[I’ve been livin’ without a family since I was a child // My father left, my mother died, I grew up buckwild]
This line is said by Alexander Hamilton in the end of the song. In his days after moving to mainland America, his life was unique and based on chance much of the time but during his time living in the Caribbean these lyrics provides a lot of insight for what life was like on the islands. Many people didn’t live the lap of luxury Eliza did and were left with one parent or worse, orphaned. Often times during this time period, people had to raise themselves.
[In New York, you can be a new man]
Of all the lines in Hamilton, “In New York, you can be a new man” is among the most repeated. The statement, although brief, gives the most information of any in the whole song. In New York, there was a lot of ideological change in the air. Everywhere else in the world, you were stuck with the income and social status you were born with. In New York especially, a person could come and live the “American dream”. Anyone could do anything in New York and be someone new.
The American Revolution was an essential part of history that defined America’s place in the world and inspired a new political ideology we still see emerging in some nations today, freedom. The lives of everyone in the Thirteen Colonies were changed drastically and the song ‘Helpless’ does an excellent job portraying the new romantic freedom in America. Through a close look at the lyrics, there’s a lot more to this song than meets the eye.
Hello!
This is the link to my TALONTalk on how thermal pollution affects decentralized nervous systems. Press ‘CC’ if you would like to turn on subtitles. I hope you enjoy!
https://drive.google.com/file/d/18jz4vqmtc0LQy3B0myIk0CSSrGT8Mif4/view?usp=sharing
If you are looking for my research, that can be found here:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ItNnOXqgGfIiUnDJ3P7D9HFdk7vszPoSPxZgbaI0k-0/edit
Over the past month, I have been preparing to do my final climb with my mentor. We’ve been working a lot on building endurance, so I don’t have to take breaks when I’m climbing. My mentor says that’s not really a topic she can teach me about, it’s just something we have to practice together. I feel as though I’ve gained a lot more experience and am much closer to my goal than I was at the time of my last blog post.
Although my mentor prefers to spend time climbing over teaching, a process I have come to realize is much more beneficial to my skills, she occasionally has very interesting concepts she stops to teach me about. One of the ones that has stuck with me is climbing technique as a whole. Whenever I meet with her, she always has something to say that makes climbing infinitely easier. For example, she uses the example of a triangle to show how I should be moving up the wall. My hands should represent the top point and my legs as the other two. She says that sometimes my hands might have to spread apart; when they do, my legs should come together. She says this technique will improve balance, which I find it does.
There are some days where my mentor is unable to meet with me, to have something to do, my mentor teaches me about some alternatives. The alternative I use most is the auto-belay, a system I mentioned in my second In-Depth post. In short, it’s a system that requires no one on the ground to hold me. One of the main cons of using an auto-belay wall is that I get no break time. You’re not supposed to take “breaks” when you’re climbing, but when I choose to really challenge myself on a wall, I don’t have the option to take a moment and just breathe. I find that limits my progress a lot. Another alternative she mentioned is having someone else with a belaying certification come in. She said that would be the least cost-friendly option that I probably shouldn’t invest too much money into. I have yet to try that, but if I ever choose to, I have people in my family that would be able to. Finally, she says that if climbing isn’t an option on any given day, I should work out at home. She says that working out the tendons in my fingers, my arms, my core, and my thighs are the most important parts.
As for my learning centre in May, I have been thinking I might do a poster board as well as bring in some physical objects for people to visualize. On the poster board, I’ll put some basic concepts that I can tell people about and showcase some photos of climbs I’ve done. I might bring in a couple of rocks that would be screwed into an indoor climbing wall to show how the handholds affect the difficulty, although I haven’t fully decided on that part yet.
This has been a very rewarding process that I’m only more excited for by the day!
