Robot Eco Dogs

This news story sort of has to do with Little Brother, the book I just read, since the author talked about this story in the Bibliography in the back.

"For the Feral Dogs Project Jeremijenko has worked with numerous student groups to create packs of roving robo-dogs, which are “released” en masse into a community space to sniff out harmful VOCs, ozone, and other environmental toxins. The ‘packs’ of feral robotic dogs are designed to “patrol” sites of public interest like schools, parks, and industrial sites, in order to generate community and media attention on the issue on contaminants in the environment."

How cool is that? These students are hacking into toy robot dogs and turning them into toxic waste detectors!
I would LOVE to make one of these at home, but I'm definitely not tech savvy enough to do it.

Here's a link to the Feral Robotic Dogs website:
http://www.nyu.edu/projects/xdesign/feralrobots/

Speaking of robots, I saw the movie Wall*e tonight, and fell in love with it. If you don't love it for the adorableness of robot romance then you'll at least be awed by the cool computer animation.

Little Brother

I've been really busy lately (packing stuff to move-eugh), and nothing blog worthy is currently going on in my life (again packing stuff=boring and sad), so I thought I'd post some info about the book I'm currently reading. It's called Little Brother by Cory Doctorow, and its a pretty cool science fiction novel set in the close future. The main thing that got me to read this book were the reviews. Neil Gaiman and Scott Westerfeld!! Neil Gaiman's review is especially awesome (its on the bottom of the page). By the way, if any of you don't know who either of these authors are, follow these steps:
1. Smack yourself on the head. (not to hard though-I don't want my blog responsible for any concussions)
2. Go to your nearest library, bookstore, or go to amazon.com and find books by these authors. There are many of them.
3. Read the books. I recommend Anansi Boys, American Gods, or Good Omens by Neil Gaiman. Anything by Scott is excellent.

Anyway, one of the cool things about Little Brother is that it teaches you some awesome anti-surveilance tricks.


SUMMARY:
Marcus, a.k.a “w1n5t0n,” is only seventeen years old, but he figures he already knows how the system works–and how to work the system. Smart, fast, and wise to the ways of the networked world, he has no trouble outwitting his high school’s intrusive but clumsy surveillance systems.But his whole world changes when he and his friends find themselves caught in the aftermath of a major terrorist attack on San Francisco. In the wrong place at the wrong time, Marcus and his crew are apprehended by the Department of Homeland Security and whisked away to a secret prison where they’re mercilessly interrogated for days.When the DHS finally releases them, Marcus discovers that his city has become a police state where every citizen is treated like a potential terrorist. He knows that no one will believe his story, which leaves him only one option: to take down the DHS himself.




“A wonderful, important book…I’d recommend Little Brother over pretty much any book I’ve read this year, and I’d want to get it into the hands of as many smart thirteen-year-olds, male and female, as I can. Because I think it’ll change lives. Because some kids, maybe just a few, won’t be the same after they’ve read it. Maybe they’ll change politically, maybe technologically. Maybe it’ll just be the first book they loved or that spoke to their inner geek. Maybe they’ll want to argue about it and disagree with it. Maybe they’ll want to open their computer and see what’s in there. I don’t know. It made me want to be thirteen again right now, and reading it for the first time.” —Neil Gaiman, author of Sandman and American Gods on Little Brother



“A rousing tale of techno-geek rebellion.” --Scott Westerfeld, author of Uglies, Pretties, and Specials, on Little Brother

So true...

This picture just made my day :D I thought I'd share it with everyone else.

Unicorn Deer!

This single-horned deer was actually found in Italy! Single-horned deer are rare but not unheard of — but even more unusual is the central positioning of the horn, experts said.
"Generally, the horn is on one side (of the head) rather than being at the center. This looks like a complex case," said Fulvio Fraticelli, scientific director of Rome's zoo.












Wicked was phenomenal! The acting and singing were great and the entire play was very witty and funny. And the ending...wow, I seriously never expected that.

Most Excellent Days Ahead...

Well at least for me. And only spanning the course of four days. But still, I'm majorly excited for the next couple of days.


Why, you ask? Because I'm going to see Wicked the musical this Sunday! On Broadway! I have been wanting to see this musical since I was in seventh grade and our chorus sang the songs from it. It is going to be AMAZING.
If you don't have any idea what I'm talking about you can check out http://www.wickedthemusical.com/ , a tres cool site where you can hear most of the songs from the musical in the entirety. Listen to Defying Gravity in particular, since its my absolute favorite song from the musical.


Only slightly less important than going to see Wicked is my 15th birthday which is June 9th. Then, just one more year after that and I can legally start driving! (Ok...only in some states, but whatever.)


And, although I'm slightly embarrassed to say this, I'm also pretty excited for my school's semi formal tomorrow night. I mean, I don't know why I should be, it's only two hours long, and they're sure to play crappy music, and no one will actually dance. Maybe my excitement has something to do with my finding a dress I actually LIKE. (its red, black and awesome all over!) Or, just possibly, it might have something to do with me having a cute date. :)


Of course, after all this I'll once again be thrust into the worrisome time that is My End of the Year Finals.
I really should study...

Japanese IQ Test

Ouch...I am so sunburned right now. I went to Dorney Park (its an amusement park for those of you who haven't heard of it) the other day with my school and I forgot to put on suntan lotion, which explains why my face is the color of a tomato right now. The weird thing is that only my face and like one patch of my left arm burned. The rest of my is still ghostly white. Grrr....stupid skin.
Anyway, this Japanese IQ Test is apparently given to job applicants for important companies in Japan. It's pretty challenging, and it took me around ten minutes to solve.

http://www.robmathiowetz.com/


Also, the cover I posted for Breaking Dawn was the real thing! Wooo! The special edition of Eclipse with the poster I posted in my last post is out today and it has the first chapter of Breaking Dawn in it! I think Stephenie Meyer's website will also have the first chapter up in a couple of days.

The REAL Breaking Dawn Cover?

EDIT: Ok, so this actually is the REAL Breaking Dawn Cover!

<----- Proof off amazon.com :)

Wow, I know I am way too obsessed with the Twilight series but I just had to post this here. The special edition of Eclipse which is coming out in 5 days has a picture of the never before seen cover and Breaking Dawn and the first chapter of Stephenie's much anticipated new novel.

Only some copies of the special edition have gotten out early...
So is this the REAL Breaking Dawn cover?




Or is it just an extremely elaborate fake? Personally, I think its might actually be real. It even has a quote on the bottom (click on the picture to enlarge it and read the quote). But people can make quotes up...
It was definitely not what I was expecting for the cover, but if it is the real thing I like it.

So what are your opinions of what could be the cover of Breaking Dawn?

New (And Even More Dramatic) Pendragon Book Out

The new Pendragon novel (9th in the series), Raven Rise, is out today. I'm not sure if I really like the new cover art for the series. Its sort of...uglier than the previous ones.

Summary off Amazon.com
This is where it begins. The showdown for Halla. At stake is nothing less than all that ever was and all that will be.
There's only one thing missing--Bobby Pendragon.
While Bobby remains trapped on Ibara, the battle moves to his home territory: Second Earth. Mark Dimond and Courtney Chetwynde are left on their own to defend Second Earth against the forces of Saint Dane. They must face off against a charismatic cult leader who has risen to power by revealing a shattering truth to the people of Earth: They are not alone.
The Convergence has broken down the walls. The territories are on a collision course. The final phase of Saint Dane's quest to rule Halla is under way.
And Bobby Pendragon is nowhere to be found.

I don't know about you, but that summary might have been a little too dramatic. Just a little... :) . But I am intrigued, and I'm going to try and find the book this weekend.

I've been noticing some some similarities with the Pendragon series and the tv show LOST (which is also way too dramatic for its own good). Such as the whole weird time travel aspects, too many people dying all the time, the love triangles, and betrayles.

And look what else I found!Its the 6th Artemis Fowl book cover!

Ooooohh, shiny! And green! :) ------------------------>

Computer Destroying Ants

Houston is home to a new invasive species of ant, thought to have arrived via a container ship in 2002. The as-of-yet unidentified species is colloquially referred to as the crazy raspberry ant for its erratic foraging habits, appearing to dart in every direction but straight ahead. The ant has quickly become a nuisance both to the local ecology and to the people living with them. They are omnivorous and will eat everything from flora to other insects and even the hatchlings of a local grouse called the prairie chicken. They have destroyed all matter of electrical equipment, insinuating themselves into fire alarms and sewage pumps, mucking up the works as they go.
While the species is already too widespread and established for any hope of eradication, even simple population control is proving to be difficult. The animals are not attracted to the usual poison bait traps and so require specialized extermination. The colonies are polygyne (having multiple queens) and may even be interconnected into supercolonies, making colony destruction nearly impossible. Even when individuals are killed, the survivors will smartly pile their dead over the pesticide-treated areas to cross to safety. (Woooo! I made the entire paragraph a link! :) )

A pic of the crazy raspberry ant, which are attracted to electrical wires, and have ruined several people's computers, among other things.


Its news stories like this that make me REALLY glad I don't live in Texas.
I finished the Host, which is 600+ pages in a DAY. IT IS AMAZING. (I know I'm using caps in this post more than usual, but the Host is just that good.) So if you're in a book store soon, go check it out! Another great thing about Stephenie Meyer's new novel is that it also proves she's successful at writing other stuff besides her best-selling Twilight saga.

Go Buy the Host!

I just bought the Host!! *does a dance of joy for anything Stephenie Meyer related*





Unrelated to the Host:
This is another one of those online games that are not so much fun as more of an addictive quality to them. You kow, the kindof game where you know you should stop because you have so much work to do and you're wasting the precious minutes in your life...





http://www.hurtwood.demon.co.uk/Fun/copter.swf