There's Nothing To Do

We're approaching the 4th of July, so most of you have been out of school for.... about a month?


And you're bored already, right? Because while you might say you hate school, once you're out there's "nothing to do." For instance, you couldn't do these:

• Learn to cook or bake, and then make something for your family or friends
• Try a new sport or learn more about one you think you aren't good at

• Take a walk.
• Take pictures, maybe with an old film camera. See how creative you can get: take pictures close up, try for cityscapes, notice the odd thing on the ground, try making videos.
• Get a book or find a source online about another language and learn to say 10 sentences in that language.
• Learn all the words to three songs.
• Pick a new word from the dictionary every week and learn it:Pronunciation, meaning, origin.
• Volunteer someplace---and be creative, find a business or organization that's not necessarily looking for a volunteer but you find it interesting, go in, introduce yourself, and see if they'd like some free help.
• Give yourself a reading challenge: Three books a month? Five?
• See if you can lose 5 pounds-research the healthy way to do it
• Build something. From whatever. Make it up.

• Set a goal of walking a certain number of miles per day, week, month, or for the summer. Keep track and see if you got it done.
• Do you know someone who's a good dancer? Ask if he/she will teach you the moves.

• Start tracing your family tree: Ask questions of parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles. Write down what you learn. Get names and dates. Make a chart, and do some research. Here's a good free resource: https://www.familysearch.org/ask/partners/myheritage

• Visit the library and see what treasures it holds. They sometimes have free classes, too...
• Try a no-social media day: Could you do it? What about leaving your phone behind as you go about your day?

We interrupt this can't do list to give props to your local library...…. Did you know they offer..

• Gaming activities
• Storytime for little ones, including an evening family story-telling
• STEM activities
• Cooking activities
• Bike fix-it clinics
• Exploring outside activities
• Graphic novel design activities

-All at a cost of exactly 0 dollars, which is pretty hard to beat.. Go to the library websites and check it out:  Anoka County- https://www.anokacounty.us/1758/Libraries and Hennepin County: https://hclib.org/




Here are links to various summer ideas for all ages.

https://www.edutopia.org/blog/summer-learning-resources-matt-davis

https://www.pbs.org/parents/thrive/simple-tips-for-summer-math-learning

 https://www.tynker.com/parents/#/ts/courses/learning-paths/advanced-languages  *Tynker has a fee

 https://thekrazycouponlady.com/tips/family/online-activities-keep-your-kids-busy-summer

 https://www.education.com/resources/

https://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/profdev073.shtml 

Free online games for high school age https://www.commonsense.org/education/top-picks/10-great-free-games-for-high-school-students

But of course, these are all things you couldn't do. Because.. you're busy??

3D Printers: Problem Solved?

Have you heard the term "3D Printer" and wondered what that was all about?

Here's a basic explanation:

The official term for this process is actually "Additive Manufacturing"  or "Rapid Prototyping," but the term 3D Printer seems to have stuck. It's called "Additive" because the process adds materials instead of subtracting, which is the case with a CNC machine. Those machines waste materials because they make the object but it will have to be trimmed.

A CNC machine:  "CNC" stands for Computer Numerical Control," which can involve milling, a lathe, or a grinder. Notice how large this machine is.


3D Printers make things in layers.They can use over 100 different materials , including plastic, metal (even titanium), nylon, and human tissue.  They have been used for over 30 years, but until recently were only used by businesses for commercial use and weren't available to everyone. They have become relatively inexpensive and easy to use so that some 'ordinary people' would be able to purchase one, and to understand the process of making things on these printers in our homes. Programs can be 'user-friendly' to make it possible for anyone to understand.

                                                   They could be helpful identifying or age-progressing images of missing people

 

A 3D printer can be very small or very large, depending on how large an item you want to create. You'll also need the materials to feed the machine. Then, you must have a computer program that 'understands' when you are telling it to make something. It's possible to use Microsoft Word when creating an object, but the computer needs to know what to do with your instructions. Once you have your concept of the object the way you want it, you send it to the 'printer' similar to when you send a document to your typical printer. The difference, of course, is that it isn't going to print on paper but rather manufacture what you sent to it using whatever materials your 'printer' is capable of. The printer 'understands' what the computer has instructed it to do.

 

Here's a great video that explains it further and shows some examples of what can be made using a 3D printer: https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=video+clip+3d+printer&&view=detail&mid=46FDAAF0AA077E6A5ABE46FDAAF0AA077E6A5ABE&&FORM=VRDGAR

                                                           Smallest known 3D printer, about the size of a carton of milk.


These printers are currently available starting at about $100 and up. Some can use multiple materials, some only one. Some can use several colors in one production and others, only one. Producing your object can take an hour or several days, depending on how complex it is.


If you aren't one to design something from 'scratch,' you can scan an item and then have the computer 'read' how it is made, then make a copy, using the right software.

How is this useful?  3D printers can make:

• Manufacturer prototypes and models
• Toys
• Jewelry
• Shoes
• Artwork

• Glasses frames
• Parts for virtually anything from engines to dishwashers
• Human organs, using human tissue, especially using the person's own cells to avoid rejection
• Prosthetics: Artificial limbs, eyes, etc., braces, and possibly dentures
• Models for study by medical students
• Musical instruments

• Our military has used it to make unmanned drones
• In theory, you could make all the parts necessary to make another printer

 

Imagine being able to make that one part for a car or a replacement part for a broken appliance...especially if the part is hard to find..or plumbing pipes, or a thermostat, or a lock, just by firing up the 3D printer and sending a file to print.

Mattel's 'Thingmaker' first came out in the 1960s, but it's now a 3D printer...   https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=manufacturing+toys+3d+printer+thingmaker&&view=detail&mid=BEEB7FF30D6EAE52BD1EBEEB7FF30D6EAE52BD1E&&FORM=VRDGAR

If a child wants to connect his Legos to Lincoln Logs and you have a creative side, you could design some kind of adapter and print that out on your 3D printer.

                                                          Action figures made on a 3D printer-some assembly required?

                                A 3D-Printer made this model of a house---it would make a fun dollhouse, too.

• Innovative medical technology will let us use 3D printers for health purposes as well:

• Artificial outer ear with hearing aid, the ear is from human tissue.

•          This boy's dad made him an artificial hand for $10.

Here is a video of 3D printing a forearm plus hand: https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=video+clip+3d+printer+making+a+prosthetic&&view=detail&mid=57B4920018E2378B87C557B4920018E2378B87C5&&FORM=VRDGAR

•  This person has made a car using 3D printing.
• With a 3D printer, you could make custom-fit clothing.
• There have even been houses built using 3D printers! https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=video+clip+3d+printer+making+a+house&&view=detail&mid=1783833157B525E2628C1783833157B525E2628C&&FORM=VRDGAR

If you don't have your own 3D printer, as long as you have the instructions in your file, you can upload it to an online service and have someone else 'print' it at a reasonable price and ship it to you. In the future, these 3D print shops may be seen at your local mall just like any other business.

And what about the future? What will 3D printers be used for in a few years?

• It is already being used for some airplane parts, and this will probably continue. These parts are lighter, making the plane more efficient to fly.
• In the health field, titanium bone implants, orthodontics, and artificial veins and arteries may be made using 3D printing
• 3D printers will probably be standard in schools from Kindergarten through college. They can be used to teach, creating models and copies to show students how things work
• There is some discussion whether it might be a good idea to send 3D printers to disaster sites so that needed items can be produced on-scene---especially for health care
• Items currently only available at museums could be copied, from historical clothing to animal bones, so that the 'cloned' exhibits can be brought around the country to people who can't travel to places such as the Smithsonian: http://www.3dprinter.net/3d-print-history-with-smithsonian-x-3d
• A discussion on how 3D printers could be used in the space program: http://www.forbes.com/sites/stevenkotler/2013/10/21/the-future-is-here-how-3d-printing-is-opening-the-door-to-space-colonization/2/

What would you do with a 3D printer?

Tiny Houses

There's a new trend in housing: Tiny houses.

 

Some facts about tiny houses:

• They are usually built on a platform with wheels so they can be moved easily
• Space-efficient:storage is tucked away everywhere
• Sometimes they are solar-powered
• They can be built by the owner or someone else
• Tiny homes have features like any other house, only on a smaller scale, including washers, air conditioning, bathrooms, electricity
• They can be as tiny as 65 square feet up to about 900 square feet (the size of a 1960s rambler is about 1100 square feet)
• They are kinder to the planet: They use less materials to build, less electricity or gas for fuel, and create less waste

Here's some facts about housing costs--quite eye opening:

 

 

Advantages:
Less stuff: How much do we really need?
George Carlin about stuff:  http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=george+carlin+stuff&&view=detail&mid=0C9D83F33FC270ECA0790C9D83F33FC270ECA079&FORM=VRDGAR

 

• Smaller spaces are cheaper to heat and air-condition
• Minimal outside and inside maintenance
• Less stuff = less to clean up
• You'd learn to be better at food consumption--not a lot of storage
• You could live by the advice of: Make do, use it up, do without
• Deciding what to wear would not be a problem
• Cleaning house would take very little time
• They discourage consumerism, the habit of obtaining more to impress others
• As such, a tiny house confirms that 'things' aren't going to make you happy
• You will value and take care of those few things you really want to have
• You could stay in one place or move whenever you wanted to
• If your neighbors bother you, you can just move
• If you know someone with land, you could park your tiny house there and pay no rent
• You may be able to use campground hookups to temporarily park your home
• You won't need any yard equipment: Lawn mower, snow blower. A shovel for snow, maybe. There's nowhere to put them anyway.
• It is your own home, as opposed an apartment
• Would you rather have a tiny house that's affordable, or a big house you can barely pay for?

Here are some ways a tiny house makes better use of minimal space:

 

 

 

 

 

Disadvantages:

• If you like to have a lot of stuff, that would be a problem
• Close quarters can make it hard to live with someone-or not
• With a roommate, you'd have to agree on what stuff to bring into the house
• Often, the bed or one of the beds will be in a loft with very little headroom
• Permits to park your tiny house can be difficult to get
• Also, hookups for water or electricity might be a problem sometimes
• You would not have a garage. This could be a problem in a state with a long winter.
• You would need a P O Box to use as your address, perhaps one in several areas, in order to receive mail.
• Having an established doctor might be an issue

 

 

 

The first thing you'd have to do if you were considering a Tiny House, is to pare down your belongings to a bare minimum. This is, of course, hard to do if you already have a 'regular' sized house or apartment. If you are still living with your parents and/or in an apartment, it might be easier.

 

 

Here's one company that builds them or sells kits so you can do it yourself. Check out a few of their models:

 

https://www.tumbleweedhouses.com/tiny-houses-for-sale/elm/

 

Here's a video tour of a tiny house:  http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=tiny+houses&&view=detail&mid=53E82D2E3E86D9D24DE953E82D2E3E86D9D24DE9&&FORM=VDRVRV

 

Here's a tiny house that's pretty fancy:

 

Here's a little community of Tiny Houses in Portland, Oregon:
http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=tiny+houses&&view=detail&mid=3079CC125D1AC8CB28443079CC125D1AC8CB2844&&FORM=VDRVRV

 

Besides the obvious advantage of saving money on a house, imagine what they could do for the homeless: Wouldn't it be better to have somewhere safe, warm, and dry to sleep at night? A place where you call home, no matter how small? Check this out: People building tiny houses for the homeless:

 

http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=tiny+houses&&view=detail&mid=73E437E9D273CBD100B073E437E9D273CBD100B0&rvsmid=F142E7126782E063C3DEF142E7126782E063C3DE&fsscr=0&FORM=VDQVAP

 

 What do you think? Could you live in a tiny house? Would it be rewarding to you? Does it make you re-think traditional housing?

I Demand My 1st Amendment Rights!! BTW What are they? Part 1, Freedom of Speech

Your First Amendment Rights include:

Freedom of Speech

Freedom of the Press
Freedom of Assembly
Freedom of Religioin
Freedom of Petition

 

First let's talk about.....

 

Freedom of Speech:

 

• The obvious is the right of every citizen to speak his or her mind, especially when it comes to politics. In a nutshell, it means if you want to say you disapprove or have negative feelings about the President of the United States or any other representative, you can, and you won't be arrested for doing so.
• Freedom of Speech is sometimes called Freedom of Expression; they are essentially the same, although 'expression' also means expressing yourself in different ways.

Freedom of Speech means you can:

• Seek, receive, or give out information
• This would mean you can look for information without fear of being arrested or penalized. You can seek information in person, through records, through libraries, online, and through the mail.

• You can also receive information: If you call and ask, or visit and ask, a source to send you information-that is perfectly legal, and your information (particularly mail) can't be censored, it is your personal property.
• 'Speech' also means the right to carry a sign, to put one in your yard, or on your car, or on clothing you wear, because this is a form of expression.
• You have the freedom to express yourself in art, as well: Song, painting, sculpture, writing, are all ways to express what you feel. Did you know some books have been "banned" in the US in the past? Read more about that in Triogenius, Jan. 5, 2015. How do you feel about censorship?

• You can give out information you have found, although it depends on where you want to speak or give out information in the form of flyers, for example. If you want to give a speech to a number of people about your beliefs, you can. You can't, however, do this in a space, even if it's public, if there are restrictions as to number of people, etc. One prime example is at a State Fair. There are people who own the land, specifically the state, who can restrict your speaking there. You may not assemble and make speeches on the grounds of a prison, because it is also usually state-owned. You may or may not be allowed to make speeches in a 'public' park, You are required to ask permission and then abide by the findings.

• Students do not necessarily have the right to speak on school grounds about their issues.
• While technically, you have the 'right' to say bad things about someone, whether in public, through the mail, or online, there is the question of ethics and how it damages that person in the process. Having the 'right' to say it doesn't mean you should say it.
• You do, perhaps unfortunately, have the right to burn the American flag in protest.
•  You do have the right to take photos of people in public places.
• You do have the right to form a protest and carry signs; however, you need to find a place where it will be allowed and get the necessary permit from the community. Some communities will not allow the use of signs mounted on sticks, in order to avoid possible violence.

• When protesting, you do not have the right to incite violence (see below). When this happens or seems imminent, law enforcement is allowed to move in and stop the protest.The protest should not infringe the rights of others (such as blocking traffic)
• Since the Internet is relatively new, discussions about rights online is a developing topic: how much  and what kind of information should we allow to be shared online? How can we regulate that? Should we? Who would decide?

 

Things you do NOT have the right to do with your Freedom of Speech:

• Saying or otherwise expressing things that incite or provoke people to violence
• Saying things that cause a panic in people (the traditional yelling "FIRE" in a theatre)
• Saying offensive things (this is open to a broad interpretation: What is offensive, and to whom?)

• Saying things that promote hate/hate crimes. You cannot speak of your hatred of a particular race, for example, when you make a speech.
• Saying, or collecting, or sharing obscene things-materials such as pictures or videos, especially involving children and vulnerable others
• Saying things that slander or defame other people
• Denying anyone else their freedom of speech
• Bullying behavior whether in person, online, or through your phone
• You cannot speak on matters that are classified information, are copyrighted, or that reveal trade secrets.
• Graffiti (sometimes called "Tagging") is damage to someone else's property; it is not simply freedom of expression. You see it frequently on train cars and buildings. Sometimes people will spray paint 'messages' on someone's house or a church. That is vandalism and possibly a hate crime.

For a legal description of this right: http://legal-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/Freedom+of+Speech

There are countries in the world where freedom speech is not a given right. In Saudi Arabia, for example, if you speak against the religion of Islam, you can be put to death. Iran, Eritrea, Turkmenistan, China, North Korea, and other countries are very restrictive as to this freedom we take for granted here. Read more about it: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_of_speech_by_country