Top Ten Things to Know Before Biking in the Street

1) Watch out for cars! Just because you have the right of way does not mean that a crash will be any less painful.  When you are at risk from being hit by a ton of moving metal it is a good idea to watch out and sometimes cede the right of way if that is necessary.

2) When biking in multiple lane streets, don't use the left turn lane.  This lane is for cars.  There are laws stating that bikes and cars should follow the same laws but this is extremely dangerous.  Seriously, just cross in a cross walk twice and you have made a left turn.  It isn't that hard.

3) When going over a speed bump, don't slow down!  These bumps of asphalt may inhibit cars but on a bike if you lift up on your pedals and are not planted on the seat it is a breeze to go straight over them.  This also helps to maintain distance from fast drivers on narrow roads.

4) Remember that stop signs are very strict for cars but when you are biking it is good to look at them as a guideline.  There is no real need to stop at every intersection.  It is so difficult to accelerate that really you can blow through stop signs as long as there are no cars at the intersection.

5) Only get on the sidewalk if completely necessary.  There are usually pedestrians who get in your way and slow you down more than if you have just stayed in the street so use this back up lane wisely.

6) One of the most painful things that can happen to a bicyclist is being "doored." Sometimes people who park are careless and open their door just as you bike by and you flip over the handlebars and crack a couple bones.  This is terrible.  Therefore it is a good idea to look in rear view mirrors ahead and watch out for cars which are on.

7) Other bicyclists can be dangerous as well.  One will almost never encounter another bicyclist who is going at the same speed because it would be mathematically impossible to catch them.  It is just good to watch out for faster bicyclists catching you and to not run into slower bicyclists.

8) Listening to music while you bike is very tempting but this is a terrible idea.  When you can't hear cars it doesn't make you any safer.  There is a much higher probability that you will crash and no matter whether it is your fault or not, it will be painful.

9) Make sure not to bike in the middle of the street.  When there is a fear of being doored this might be very tempting but sometimes cars will creep up behind you and it will be an unpleasant experience being passed by an angry driver.

10) Remember, drivers are jerks.  It seems like they personally dislike each bicyclists because they have the charisma to use an alternate mode of transportation.  You have to watch out for road rage which can develop easily around bicyclists.  Cars are not careless, people are careless.  This is the key thing to remember while biking.

With this knowledge, you should be able to commute or travel anywhere by bike without being seriously injured.

Suggested TED Talk

Briane Greene: Making sense of String Theory
This TED talk takes what seems to be one of the most confusing topics in the modern sciences and transforms it into something which is easily understood.  This TED talk is especially enlightening and provides lots of important information.

Susan Cain: The Power of Introverts

                This TED talk is especially interesting for me.  This is because I believe myself to be an introvert.  Susan Cain also seems like a fellow introvert.  Therefore, she really gets the point across to me.  Susan seems very nervous throughout this talk but I think that she is really making a good point.  I believe that life should be more introverted.  This TED talk is especially well timed since I am currently reading Walden and therefore I am especially moved by it.  

Steve Jobs Stanford Commencement Speech

I found the speech to be very moving but the choice of speaker was not the best in my opinion.  This is no slight against Steve Jobs but is instead a slight against the person who chose him.  Steve began his speech by saying he never went to college.  How is it in any way inspiring for college graduates to hear one of the most successful individuals talk about how not going to college did not affect him in the slightest.  This should have been controlled by the choosers of speakers.  But, so it goes.

Glass Menagerie Questions

1) Who is the Gentlemen Caller? 

a. Jim O'Connor

b. Tom

c. Amanda

d. Laura 

2) What does the Gentlemen caller represent for the family 

a. Freedom for Tom

b. Love for Laura

c. Relief for Amanda

d. All of the Above

3) What is so surprising for Laura after her time on the balcony with Jim? 

a. She finds out Jim has cholera

b. She finds out Jim is engaged

c. She finds out Jim wants to run away with her

d. She finds out she is pregnant 

4) Who particularly likes the glass menagerie? 

a. Critics

b. Laura

c. Tom 

d. Sparkles the Dog

5) Why doesn't Laura take business classes? 

a. She is busy with work

b. She is shy

c. She already has an MBA

d. She is still taking ESL classes to prepare

6) Why does Amanda pressure Laura so much about attracting men? 

a. She is trying to force her own experiences onto her daughter

b. She thinks it is Laura's only chance at a happy life 

c. All of the Above

d. None of the Above

7) Why doesn't Tom chase his dreams? 

a. He is afraid of what would happen to Amanda and Laura

b. He has no dreams

c. Amanda takes care of him and he can't live with her

d. He is content with his current job

8) Does Tom know his father? 

a. He knows of him

b. He knew him until he died

c. He meets with him every day

d. He and his dad meet occasionally 

9) How many characters are seen in the play? 

a. 1

b. 3

c. 2

d. 4

10) How does Laura respond to her handicap? 

a. She ignores it

b. It limits her physically but she copes emotionally 

c. It limits her emotionally and is one of the causes of her shyness

d. None of the Above

Two TED Talks Response

 Tony Robbins:
I really loved this TED talk.  This was extremely compelling and it was especially interesting because the ideas did not feel presented and completely new, but instead felt like they were simply revealed within the layers of day to day life.  I thought that Tony spoke with more passion than most speakers and he seemed both excited and extremely ready to present.  What he said seemed true to me and I think that he had a great talk.

David Blaine:
This TED talk was good.  David didn't seem to really be trying to explain a concept but instead just showed the struggles and goals that humans set.  This was a good follower for Tony because it related to motivation. David found his achievement in his goals.  This was a very interesting TED talk because I find holding your breath to be such a difficult enterprise.  His explanation was very interesting and he seemed to really like what he was doing.

Ten Tips to Save Time Online

I think that David Pogue needs to just relax.  I mean, maybe over an entire lifetime the compounded time you waste using inefficient methods of technology use will be huge.  But in a normal day, will it really have that great of an effect?  There are some great tips in this talk but I think that perhaps all David needs to do is relax and realize that he will die before he can accomplish everything he wants to do.  No matter whether he saves time by using these tips or not, his life will still inevitably be a failure in terms of productivity.  By his logic, perhaps we should just stop sleeping.

The Great Gatsby Review

            The Great Gatsby was a poorly put together film rendition of the great novel.  The movie tried too hard to make itself relatable with the sound track but there was no instance when it really fit with the movie.  The film also started poorly.  The characters seemed out of place and their lines did not seem to fit with what they were doing.  The expressions and overall acting was poor because it just seemed that the lines were forced and the emotions were not truly depicted.  I think that Gatsby could have been better if there had been more of an attempt at really showing emotions instead of just aiming at visual spectacle.  

Award Acceptance Speech

I would like to thank the committee for their consideration and for this honor.  I believe that my work towards peace was simply a necessary step in the evolution of international affairs as well as of the human race.  I am honored that the committee is recognizing the development of a stronger UN as a measure of peace and really spreading a spotlight on the effort that is necessary in order to bring about a new world order.  This change in foreign affairs is not the only thing that should really be recognized with this award.  What should be seen by the casual observer and consistent follower alike is the new mind set which allowed for this change to occur. 

            In order to realize this new world system what was needed was a new outlook. Humans judge others to be different from themselves and can therefore justify war with others.  When really no matter what their background, all humans are fundamentally the same.  What must be recognized in order to achieve world peace is the constancy of human existence. 

            Before this concept is explained I would like to perform a brief thought experiment.  I would like you to picture what you believe you want in life and what makes you happy.  Next, I would like you to determine what you believe a Western European child might want in life and what makes them happy.  Thirdly, I would like you to imagine what an Asian child might want from life.  And finally, I would like you to imagine what a child in Africa wants from their life.  I would imagine that each of the ideas you have conjured up are different in some way.  What each of these imaginary children wants is something which is slightly different from the last.  Perhaps the largest disparity is between an African child and an American one.  What you imagine these children to want appears different, but on a fundamental level it is the same.  For example, one child might hope for a new Apple Phone while another might be content with just receiving a nutritious apple.  The human condition is varied depending on the distinctive background and general location of a child but every goal is really based on the fundamental tenets of the human mind. 

            The human mind is not a blank slate when it first emerges into the world.  There are insurmountable aspects of the mind.  When a child is born, the mind is like the foundation for a home, the design is already loosely controlled by what is in place.  Humans fundamentally long for compassion and for pleasure.  Every child is born with the same basic foundation but as they develop, the manner in which these deep seated longings and fundamental yearnings are manifested differs depending on the person.  The variety of manifestations makes it seem that everyone has unique goals when really, each person longs for the same things in life.  Perhaps some strive for those things in different manners but the base of all human goals is the same for every human being. 

            This mindset, once fully adopted is what allows for global peace.  Humanity when viewed through the lens of ethnic, cultural, and spatial differences seems likes a multiplicity a unique beings, but when viewed through the lenses of fundamental wants and goals it is a singular organism.  If one can recognize that humans are not so different from each other after all then one can accept others and act in the general interest of everyone.  It is simple to make war with aliens.  It is difficult to make war with brothers.  Conflicts of interest will still arise and disagreements will not be forever extinguished but on a larger scale people will accept each other and truly appreciate the goodness within every one.  

Top Ten Poems of the 20th Century:

1) Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening

BY ROBERT FROST

Whose woods these are I think I know.  

His house is in the village though;  

He will not see me stopping here  

To watch his woods fill up with snow.  

My little horse must think it queer  

To stop without a farmhouse near  

Between the woods and frozen lake  

The darkest evening of the year.  

He gives his harness bells a shake  

To ask if there is some mistake.  

The only other sound’s the sweep  

Of easy wind and downy flake.  

The woods are lovely, dark and deep.  

But I have promises to keep,  

And miles to go before I sleep,  

And miles to go before I sleep.

2) Shine, Perishing Republic

by Robinson Jeffers

While this America settles in the mould of its vulgarity, heavily thickening

to empire

And protest, only a bubble in the molten mass, pops and sighs out, and the

mass hardens,

I sadly smiling remember that the flower fades to make fruit, the fruit rots

to make earth.

Out of the mother; and through the spring exultances, ripeness and decadence;

and home to the mother.

You making haste haste on decay: not blameworthy; life is good, be it stubbornly

long or suddenly

A mortal splendor: meteors are not needed less than mountains:

shine, perishing republic.

But for my children, I would have them keep their distance from the thickening

center; corruption

Never has been compulsory, when the cities lie at the monster's feet there

are left the mountains.

And boys, be in nothing so moderate as in love of man, a clever servant,

insufferable master.

There is the trap that catches noblest spirits, that caught – they say –

God, when he walked on earth.

3) Auguries of Innocence

by William Blake

To see a World in a Grain of Sand

And a Heaven in a Wild Flower,

Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand

And Eternity in an hour.

A Robin Red breast in a Cage

Puts all Heaven in a Rage.

A dove house fill'd with doves & Pigeons

Shudders Hell thro' all its regions.

A dog starv'd at his Master's Gate

Predicts the ruin of the State.

A Horse misus'd upon the Road

Calls to Heaven for Human blood.

Each outcry of the hunted Hare

A fibre from the Brain does tear.

A Skylark wounded in the wing,

A Cherubim does cease to sing.

The Game Cock clipp'd and arm'd for fight

Does the Rising Sun affright.

Every Wolf's & Lion's howl

Raises from Hell a Human Soul.

The wild deer, wand'ring here & there,

Keeps the Human Soul from Care.

The Lamb misus'd breeds public strife

And yet forgives the Butcher's Knife.

The Bat that flits at close of Eve

Has left the Brain that won't believe.

The Owl that calls upon the Night

Speaks the Unbeliever's fright.

He who shall hurt the little Wren

Shall never be belov'd by Men.

He who the Ox to wrath has mov'd

Shall never be by Woman lov'd.

The wanton Boy that kills the Fly

Shall feel the Spider's enmity.

He who torments the Chafer's sprite

Weaves a Bower in endless Night.

The Catterpillar on the Leaf

Repeats to thee thy Mother's grief.

Kill not the Moth nor Butterfly,

For the Last Judgement draweth nigh.

He who shall train the Horse to War

Shall never pass the Polar Bar.

The Beggar's Dog & Widow's Cat,

Feed them & thou wilt grow fat.

The Gnat that sings his Summer's song

Poison gets from Slander's tongue.

The poison of the Snake & Newt

Is the sweat of Envy's Foot.

The poison of the Honey Bee

Is the Artist's Jealousy.

The Prince's Robes & Beggars' Rags

Are Toadstools on the Miser's Bags.

A truth that's told with bad intent

Beats all the Lies you can invent.

It is right it should be so;

Man was made for Joy & Woe;

And when this we rightly know

Thro' the World we safely go.

Joy & Woe are woven fine,

A Clothing for the Soul divine;

Under every grief & pine

Runs a joy with silken twine.

The Babe is more than swadling Bands;

Throughout all these Human Lands

Tools were made, & born were hands,

Every Farmer Understands.

Every Tear from Every Eye

Becomes a Babe in Eternity.

This is caught by Females bright

And return'd to its own delight.

The Bleat, the Bark, Bellow & Roar

Are Waves that Beat on Heaven's Shore.

The Babe that weeps the Rod beneath

Writes Revenge in realms of death.

The Beggar's Rags, fluttering in Air,

Does to Rags the Heavens tear.

The Soldier arm'd with Sword & Gun,

Palsied strikes the Summer's Sun.

The poor Man's Farthing is worth more

Than all the Gold on Afric's Shore.

One Mite wrung from the Labrer's hands

Shall buy & sell the Miser's lands:

Or, if protected from on high,

Does that whole Nation sell & buy.

He who mocks the Infant's Faith

Shall be mock'd in Age & Death.

He who shall teach the Child to Doubt

The rotting Grave shall ne'er get out.

He who respects the Infant's faith

Triumph's over Hell & Death.

The Child's Toys & the Old Man's Reasons

Are the Fruits of the Two seasons.

The Questioner, who sits so sly,

Shall never know how to Reply.

He who replies to words of Doubt

Doth put the Light of Knowledge out.

The Strongest Poison ever known

Came from Caesar's Laurel Crown.

Nought can deform the Human Race

Like the Armour's iron brace.

When Gold & Gems adorn the Plow

To peaceful Arts shall Envy Bow.

A Riddle or the Cricket's Cry

Is to Doubt a fit Reply.

The Emmet's Inch & Eagle's Mile

Make Lame Philosophy to smile.

He who Doubts from what he sees

Will ne'er believe, do what you Please.

If the Sun & Moon should doubt

They'd immediately Go out.

To be in a Passion you Good may do,

But no Good if a Passion is in you.

The Whore & Gambler, by the State

Licenc'd, build that Nation's Fate.

The Harlot's cry from Street to Street

Shall weave Old England's winding Sheet.

The Winner's Shout, the Loser's Curse,

Dance before dead England's Hearse.

Every Night & every Morn

Some to Misery are Born.

Every Morn & every Night

Some are Born to sweet Delight.

Some ar Born to sweet Delight,

Some are born to Endless Night.

We are led to Believe a Lie

When we see not Thro' the Eye

Which was Born in a Night to Perish in a Night

When the Soul Slept in Beams of Light.

God Appears & God is Light

To those poor Souls who dwell in the Night,

But does a Human Form Display

To those who Dwell in Realms of day.

4) America, A Prophecy

by William Blake

The shadowy Daughter of Urthona stood before red Orc,

When fourteen suns had faintly journey'd o'er his dark abode:

His food she brought in iron baskets, his drink in cups of iron:

Crown'd with a helmet and dark hair the nameless female stood;

A quiver with its burning stores, a bow like that of night,

When pestilence is shot from heaven: no other arms she need!

Invulnerable though naked, save where clouds roll round her loins

Their awful folds in the dark air: silent she stood as night;

For never from her iron tongue could voice or sound arise,

But dumb till that dread day when Orc assay'd his fierce embrace.

'Dark Virgin,' said the hairy youth, 'thy father stern, abhorr'd,

Rivets my tenfold chains while still on high my spirit soars;

Sometimes an Eagle screaming in the sky, sometimes a Lion

Stalking upon the mountains, and sometimes a Whale, I lash

The raging fathomless abyss; anon a Serpent folding

Around the pillars of Urthona, and round thy dark limbs

On the Canadian wilds I fold; feeble my spirit folds,

For chain'd beneath I rend these caverns: when thou bringest food

I howl my joy, and my red eyes seek to behold thy face--

In vain! these clouds roll to and fro, and hide thee from my sight.'

Silent as despairing love, and strong as jealousy,

The hairy shoulders rend the links; free are the wrists of fire;

Round the terrific loins he seiz'd the panting, struggling womb;

It joy'd: she put aside her clouds and smiled her first-born smile,

As when a black cloud shews its lightnings to the silent deep.

Soon as she saw the terrible boy, then burst the virgin cry:

'I know thee, I have found thee, and I will not let thee go:

Thou art the image of God who dwells in darkness of Africa,

And thou art fall'n to give me life in regions of dark death.

On my American plains I feel the struggling afflictions

Endur'd by roots that writhe their arms into the nether deep.

I see a Serpent in Canada who courts me to his love,

In Mexico an Eagle, and a Lion in Peru;

I see a Whale in the south-sea, drinking my soul away.

O what limb-rending pains I feel! thy fire and my frost

Mingle in howling pains, in furrows by thy lightnings rent.

This is eternal death, and this the torment long foretold.'

5) The Journey

by Mary Oliver

One day you finally knew

what you had to do, and began,

though the voices around you

kept shouting

their bad advice--

though the whole house

began to tremble

and you felt the old tug

at your ankles.

"Mend my life!"

each voice cried.

But you didn't stop.

You knew what you had to do,

though the wind pried

with its stiff fingers

at the very foundations,

though their melancholy

was terrible.

It was already late

enough, and a wild night,

and the road full of fallen

branches and stones.

But little by little,

as you left their voices behind,

the stars began to burn

through the sheets of clouds,

and there was a new voice

which you slowly

recognized as your own,

that kept you company

as you strode deeper and deeper

into the world,

determined to do

the only thing you could do--

determined to save

the only life you could save.

6) Slough

by John Betjeman

Come friendly bombs and fall on Slough!

It isn't fit for humans now,

There isn't grass to graze a cow.

Swarm over, Death!

Come, bombs and blow to smithereens

Those air-conditioned, bright canteens,

Tinned fruit, tinned meat, tinned milk, tinned beans,

Tinned minds, tinned breath.

Mess up the mess they call a town-

A house for ninety-seven down

And once a week a half a crown

For twenty years.

And get that man with double chin

Who'll always cheat and always win,

Who washes his repulsive skin

In women's tears:

And smash his desk of polished oak

And smash his hands so used to stroke

And stop his boring dirty joke

And make him yell.

But spare the bald young clerks who add

The profits of the stinking cad;

It's not their fault that they are mad,

They've tasted Hell.

It's not their fault they do not know

The birdsong from the radio,

It's not their fault they often go

To Maidenhead

And talk of sport and makes of cars

In various bogus-Tudor bars

And daren't look up and see the stars

But belch instead.

In labour-saving homes, with care

Their wives frizz out peroxide hair

And dry it in synthetic air

And paint their nails.

Come, friendly bombs and fall on Slough

To get it ready for the plough.

The cabbages are coming now;

The earth exhales.

7) THE DOUBLE SHAME

by Stephen Spender

You must live through the time when everything hurts.

When the space of ripe, loaded afternoon

Expands to a landscape of white heat frozen

And trees are weighed down with hearts of stone

And green stares back where you stare alone,

And the walking eyes throw flinty comments,

And the words which carry most knives are the blind

Phrases searching to be kind.

Solid and usual objects are ghosts.

The furniture carries great cargoes of memory,

The staircase has corners which remember

As fire blows most red in gusty embers,

And each empty dress cuts out an image

In fur and evening and summer and gold

Of her who was different in each.

Pull down the blind and lie on the bed

And clasp the hour in the glass of one room

Against your mouth like a crystal of doom.

Take up the book and look at the letters

Hieroglyphs on sand and as meaningless

Here birds crossed once and cries were uttered

In a mist where sight and sound are blurred.

For the story of those who made mistakes,

Of one whose happiness pierced like a star

Eludes and evades between sentences

And the letters break into eyes that read

What the blood is now writing in your head

As though the characters sought for some clue

To their being so perfectly living and dead

In your story, worse than theirs, but true.

Set in the mind of their poet, they compare

Their tragic bliss with your trivial despair

And they have fingers which accuse

You of the double way of shame.

At first you did not love enough

And afterwards you loved too much,

And you lacked the confidence to choose.

And you have only yourself to blame.

8) THE HIPPOPOTAMUS

by T.S. Eliot

HE broad-backed hippopotamus

Rests on his belly in the mud;

Although he seems so firm to us

He is merely flesh and blood.

Flesh-and-blood is weak and frail,

Susceptible to nervous shock;

While the True Church can never fail

For it is based upon a rock.

The hippo's feeble steps may err

In compassing material ends,

While the True Church need never stir

To gather in its dividends.

The 'potamus can never reach

The mango on the mango-tree;

But fruits of pomegranate and peach

Refresh the Church from over sea.

At mating time the hippo's voice

Betrays inflexions hoarse and odd,

But every week we hear rejoice

The Church, at being one with God.

The hippopotamus's day

Is passed in sleep; at night he hunts;

God works in a mysterious way--

The Church can sleep and feed at once.

I saw the 'potamus take wing

Ascending from the damp savannas,

And quiring angels round him sing

The praise of God, in loud hosannas.

Blood of the Lamb shall wash him clean

And him shall heavenly arms enfold,

Among the saints he shall be seen

Performing on a harp of gold.

He shall be washed as white as snow,

By all the martyr'd virgins kist,

While the True Church remains below

Wrapt in the old miasmal mist.

9) HYSTERIA

by: T.S. Eliot

As she laughed I was aware of becoming involved

in her laughter and being part of it, until her

teeth were only accidental stars with a talent

for squad-drill. I was drawn in by short gasps,

inhaled at each momentary recovery, lost finally

in the dark caverns of her throat, bruised by

the ripple of unseen muscles. An elderly waiter

with trembling hands was hurriedly spreading

a pink and white checked cloth over the rusty

green iron table, saying: "If the lady and

gentleman wish to take their tea in the garden,

if the lady and gentleman wish to take their

tea in the garden ..." I decided that if the

shaking of her breasts could be stopped, some of

the fragments of the afternoon might be collected,

and I concentrated my attention with careful

subtlety to this end.

10) Tidy

by Ralph Angel

I miss you too.

Something old is broken,

nobody’s in hell.

Sometimes I kiss strangers,

sometimes no one speaks.

Today in fact

it’s raining. I go out on the lawn.

It’s such a tiny garden,

like a photo of a pool.

I am cold,

are you?

Sometimes we go dancing,

cars follow us back home.

Today the quiet

slams down

gently, like drizzled

lightning,

leafless trees.

It’s all so tidy,

a fire in the living room,

a rug from Greece,

Persian rugs and pillows,

and in the kitchen,

the light

fogged with windows.

Art Fair 2013 Reflection:

The art fair this year was very well run.  There was a great array of sensory stimulants without overloading the viewer.  There was a variety of music playing throughout but none of it was loud enough that it clashed with the other music.  There were also a wide variety of forms of art on display.  I found all of the work to be impressive compared to my lacking art skills.  The food was also delicious and the entire fair seemed to be logistically successful.  Overall I thought it was a great fair.  I also found some pieces which I particularly liked.

Samus by Brian Scheff:
This was a graphic design piece.  The depiction was of the video game character Samus.  The thing that I found interesting about this picture was that it was made using words.  The variations in the colors and sizes of the words were what gave the picture its color and depth and I found this to be a very interesting way to represent the character.  Each of the words had to do with Samus and I thought this was a very good representative piece.

Creep by Irene Lu:
I liked this piece not for its subject but for its style.  The subject of this pastel drawing was a red haired girl who was shown seated at a table staring straight at the viewer.  I liked this picture because the pastel was used to show the nuances of the subject and was not used to make firm lines but instead to provide a gradual shift in color and depth.  I think that this is very difficult to do, and the fact that this young artist has done it successfully deserves recognition.

Forest by Judy Lin:
This was a nice painted piece showing a forest.  The subject of the painting intrigued me because a small hamlet with rays of sunshine entering was shown by Judy.  I liked the way that the painting was made and there was definitely a good amount of texture shown.  The attention to detail was visible in this picture unlike in many that surrounded it so it stood out to me.  Forest also was one of the best realistic paintings I saw throughout the entire fair.

TED Talk Response: Personal Robot

This innovation seems to be a glorified toy.  It really does not serve much practical purpose for its $150 price tag.  It seems like it is a step in the right direction but at this point it doesn't fill an obvious void in everyday life.  This robot is not something that is necessary but is just a toy for those with free time.

TED Talk Response: An electric vehicle

This was a strong talk.  It was concise and proved a valid point.  It helped to broaden the view many take on what a vehicle is and provides an insight into the future.  It is also a very tangible idea which is not predicted for some point in the far flung future, but is instead very possible with today's technology.  

Great Gatsby Quiz

If you want to answer three questions about each chapter then here is a quick quiz.

Three Story Reflections

Winter Dreams:
Fitzgerald's story seems to me to show the human necessity for consistency in life.  The idea of Judy Jones was what gave Dexter consistency throughout his life and when that idea was fractured at the end of the story it nearly crushed him.  No one can live in an ever changing world without some sort of "rock" upon which to hold.  This story seems less one about love and more one about safety in one belief.  Dexter treasures the belief that Judy Jones is an uncontrollable girl who will stay that way, but everything must change eventually.

Sophistication:
Anderson's story shows some of the subtleties of love.  It shows the illogical feelings which individuals experience but it also shows what love really is.  In the search for individualism a person must also find another.  A lonely individual is not as developed as a pair of strong people.  The joining of two people who comfort each other and protect each other from the pain of the world is what love really is, and I believe Anderson captured that well with his story.

The Bear:
This tale of realization of others love was interesting.  Throughout the story, the protagonist came to realize the way that his elders loved the bear.  The bear was an every elusive dream which represented everything that the elders hoped for but could not quite achieve.  It was something upon which they feigned destruction without the true intention to destroy.   The boy realized by the end of the story that the bear was something which was cherished by his elders.  It was their loved enemy.  The death of the bear was not truly the aim of the elders in this story.

TED Teen Talk Response: Still Figuring it Out

I thought that Tavi did a poor job presenting this talk.  Her point was valid but I think that she became too involved with generalities that it was lost amid a flood of abstract ideas.  Tavi also tried too hard to maintain the idea that being yourself does not require permission from others.  I found her talk to be uninformative.  It did not provide any new information for me and did not answer any questions I had on the subject.  Tavi was not bold enough to provide real answers in her talk and I think this undercut her entire theme.