I want to create a simplified version of a "hammered dulcimer", which is a kind of string instrument. Here is a video of someone playing a hammered dulcimer, and here is an instructional video on how to play.

The instrument is played by hitting strings with a kind of mallet/stick. Different strings produce different notes. I'd want to make a similar version of this instrument, so I might not include the piece that divides the string into two. I don't know. When the string is struck, it vibrates, creating sound waves. I could control various aspects of the wave by controlling the length of the string and how tight it is. I'd have maybe seven or eight strings, each playing different notes. I could also put in a bridge at some point to control the length of the waves. If there is a bridge one-third of the way down the string, that piece of the string would be held in place - and that would control the length of the wave. One thing I wonder is what kind of mallet is used. I also wonder how to make a good base for the instrument that will help to make the sound audible.

Before starting, consider what type of instrument you might be interested in making for this project.


The instrument that I'm interested in making or playing is the celesta or piano.

Try to find a video of someone playing the instrument. As you do so, take notes on the following questions:



http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/32473749/ns/today-today_pets_and_animals/t/secrets-behind-amazing-piano-playing-cat/

It's played with elegance. 
--What does the person have to do to produce sound?
Press on the right notes on the keyboard. 

I can have rods of different sizes like an organ and put it in a box then have metal rods as the keyboard and underneath the rod will be small metal balls attached to it so, when I press on the keyboard the sphere will hit the "organs" and create a sound. Just to think about it, after all that work, I should just go straight to making a xylophone. 

The xylophone is part of the percussion family, where the user is required to use rubber or wooden mallets to hit pieces of wood varying in length. This instrument is styled much like the piano, where the lower notes are positioned towards the left and become higher as the notes go to the right. It also has bars for flat and sharp notes, positioned at the top in sets of two and three. To change a note, you would hit a specific bar of the xylophone, and each key will be different, since it is of different octaves.

This makes me think about how I can create sound because though I am not trained in playing the piano or xylophone, I still know how to follow a pattern or rhythm. Some connections I can see of this instrument and waves is that the frequency and wavelength of each octave can be varied and played in a pattern. According to Google, the definition of an octave is "A series of eight notes occupying the interval between two notes, one having twice or half the frequency of vibration of the other."

How to Play Xylophone for Beginners (YouTube)

How to Play Xylophone for Beginners (Original Website)

How to Play "Happy Birthday" on the Xylophone

Today is prom.  I've spent the entire week meticulously inspecting my face for any blemishes.  This morning I awoke to a clear face and thanked the acne gods for their help. My prom pictures would be perfect! 

While driving home from the supermarket this afternoon (we needed snacks for pre-prom), my mom looked at my profile. 

"What's on the side of your face, honey?"
"Seriously, Mom, it's not funny. Stop."

I pulled down the sun visor and looked in horror at my reflection.  Just above my eyebrow was a mosquito bite, red and swollen.  I guess I didn't do enough praying the the bug gods...

As a 9th grade student, my writing portfolio shows a growth in me. A type of growth that doesn't determine my size as a person, but who I am as a person. As you progress through all three benchmarks and all the projects in order, there is a change in how I write. From immature to an understandable young adult with his opinions. Don't be mistaken, all these writing pieces are still me, but each one shows a different side of me. 

            With growth, there comes strengths and weaknesses. As of right now, some strengths that I have as a writer is the ability to imagine and be creative. So naturally, writing formal essays and papers that require a serious tone is difficult. However, as I continue to grow throughout my years, perfecting the art of writing a serious and very important writing piece has become my main goal. No one has ever got a professional job by being funny and making up stories that are untrue, none that I know of anyways.  

            Producing this portfolio was no easy feat. The most problematic part of constructing this portfolio was making the projects that are contain in this portfolio. Each one had it's own problems and issues. I can't remember a majority of them because I choose not to. All I really know, and can really advise, is to never procrastinate. It will be the end of good quality work and sleep, as you know it.

 

(Q1 Benchmark)

Henry Poeng

 

Thesis: Macbeth change of heart at the beginning of the play cost him his life.

 

The Three Weird sisters in Act One, Scene 3, approach Macbeth and Banquo.  They hail Macbeth first as Thane of Glamis, then Thane of Cawdor, and finally King.  Macbeth and Banquo are mesmerized in many more ways than one.  Macbeth then says “The Thane of Cawdor lives, why do you dress me in barrowed robes.”  This line shows how Macbeth feels about being addressed as the Than of Cawdor. Shortly after the question is asked, the witches vanish without answering anything.  Macbeth and Banquo are left to interpret what the meaning is.  Macbeth sees the witches prophesy as good news and is very happy but also very confused at the same time.  Macbeth just does not know in what way he will claim these titles.

King Duncan officially proclaims in Act One, Scene 4 Macbeth Thane of Cawdor.  At that same time King Duncan proclaims his son, Malcolm, Prince of Cumberland or in other words his successor.  Macbeth, who is very surprised when hearing this, goes aside and starts speaking to him self.  “Stars hide your fire; let not the lights see my black and deep desires” was one of his lines.  This line that Macbeth said translates to, Heaven, please don’t let anyone see my deep and dark desires.  This specific lines shows that Macbeth is shocked to hear that Malcolm was going to be king instead of him self and there fore he is going to do something about it.  Then Macbeth’s ambitions start to show. He was going to be king one way or another even if he has to kill someone for it.

In Act One, Scene 7 Lady Macbeth confronts Macbeth and tells him of her plans to kill King Duncan.  Macbeth goes aside and weighs out the consequences of these actions. After some seducing performed by Lady Macbeth, Macbeth changes his mind and goes with the plan.  At the end of the scene Macbeth says, “False face must hide what false heart doth know.”  This line means to be a flower on the outside and be a serpent underneath.  In other words, look nice and innocent but conceal your feelings from the public.  At this point Macbeth becomes hesitant about what he’s getting himself into but his ambitions start to take over.

In Act Two, Scene 2 Macbeth has killed Duncan.  He and Lady Macbeth are flooded with guilt.  Macbeth says that he heard voices shortly after he killed King Duncan.  The voices said,  “Glamis hath murdered sleep, therefore Cawdor shall not sleep”.  In direct translation it pretty much means that Macbeth killed someone who was sleeping, therefore he doesn’t get to sleep as a price to pay.  At this point Macbeth is starting to go a little bit crazy, as well as Lady Macbeth.  The guilt is going to impact everything from this point on.

In Act Three, Scene 2 Macbeth has hatched a plan to kill Banquo.  He indirectly tells Lady Macbeth who doesn’t really understand.  While telling Lady Macbeth, Macbeth says, “O, full of scorpions is my mind dear wife.” This quote explains just hwa tkinds of things are going on in Macbeth’s head. This indicates the type of thoughts that are going on inside of Macbeth’s head.  Evil scheming thoughts that plan to destroy all his enemies.  At this point in the play, Macbeth is planning to kill anyone in his way without hesitation.

In Act Three, Scene 4 Macbeth has killed Banquo.  After slaying Banquo, Macbeth is not guilty and doesn’t really regret what he has done.  Macbeth killed Banquo because Banquo has a gut feeling that Macbeth was attaining all this power by unfair means. Macbeth says this after the deed is done.  He says that he is, “Stepped in so far that, I can wade no more.”  In direct translation, this means that Macbeth has gone so far into his evil deeds that he can’t turn back so he just going to keep on going.  At this point in the play Macbeth has become pure evil and nothing can stop him, not even him self.

In Act four, Scene 2 Macbeth is talking to his subjects, who are of course working for him out of fear and not love, when he realizes something that the Weird Sisters had done to make him be in this situation.  So he says “Time thou anticipates my dreaded exploits.” In the quote he says “anticipates”, which means predict, “Dreaded exploits,” which means evil deeds.  This means that time or another thing has predicted his evil deeds. Therefore he accepts his that this is “fate” and continues to go forth with his plans.

In Act four, Scene 3 MacDuff and Malcolm are ranting off about Macbeth in England where they have fled off to live.  They are venting their anger towards each other. This anger would have never started if Macbeth didn’t betray them. With all this ranting MacDuff says,“ No one in the legions of horrid hell can come a devil more damned in evils top Macbeth.”  This quote means that, no one sent from hell can be more evil than Macbeth.  This quote shows what other people think of Macbeth.

In Act Five, Scene 3 the 10,000 men from England are approaching.  Macbeth is mad at all the servants that keep coming to warn him.  In an attempt to shut them up and maybe bring courage upon himself, Macbeth says, “I’ll fight till from my bones my fleshed be hacked” This line means that Macbeth will fight to the death no matter what.  He has nothing to lose and is blinded by his ambitions to realize what he’s getting into.

In Act Five, Scene 8 Macbeth is fighting Macduff in a final attempt to protect this throne.  After some intense fighting Macduff is on the verge of winning. Realizing he’s going to die on the spot, he says, “I throw my warlike shield.”  This means he’s going to sacrifice him self and die here and now instead of facing the consequences and bowing down to Malcolm. In a final attempt at attacking Macduff, Macbeth is slain.  At this point in the play, Macbeth is dead. This just proves that since Macbeth is so stubborn and naive, he threw away everything he had for everything he wanted but ultimately failed in the end.

In conclusion, Macbeth had a very dramatic change of heart that widely influences the whole play.  Just one act and all his inner ambitions are arisen.  Throughout each act, his cold-heartedness grows.  Towards the end, his thoughts are clouded with evil, and he has nothing to lose.  Therefore, Macbeth has the meatiest change throughout the whole play. As a secret message towards any potential readers, Shakespeare show how taking all the wrong turns to get what you want will bring failure upon your life.

(Q2 Benchmark)

Henry Poeng

Orange Stream

 

An Ordinary Day In The Neighborhood

 

            “Uncle, are you okay?” My dad’s response tone to this question showed both surprise and shock. “Yeah I’m fine” he said reassuringly. “What wrong?” then asked. “I just had this horrible dream… there was a shooting in front of your store and someone died. I couldn’t really make out who the person was but he was important.” My dad’s face went grim. “Alright calm down, we are all fine here. Chill out and get some sleep okay?” Click. My cousin had hung up and my dad put the phone down.

 

            December 30^th, 2010. 12: 47 am. Everyone in the family except for me was ready for some sleep. (opener) It was tiring just like any other day. My dad just got out the shower, when he got a phone call. It was my cousin, who was planning to visit soon from Connecticut. His voice was heavy, he was breathing deep, and he seemed shaken. He explained to my dad that he just experienced a nightmare. In the nightmare, people were shooting each other in front of our store. My dad was surprised to hear this but laughed it off nevertheless. My dad comforted him and told him to go back to sleep assuring him that everything was fine. My cousin warned my dad to be careful. I was in my room starting a recently assigned English benchmark project. (Foreshadowing)

December 31^th, 2010. Not much was expected on this New Years Eve. It was just another boring day of hard work and some extreme grumpiness. The previous night, I didn’t get enough sleep, but that didn’t stop the customers from flooding in like there was no tomorrow.  Just what you would expect on a party night, right? Little did they know. (Foreshadowing)

It was around 7:45 pm when the most unexpected thing happened.  I was taking care of a customer and brooding(vocab) about how to get out of work, all at the same time. Work being: selling customers whole cases of beer, candy, cigarette, soda, etc. I live in a beer store so this is an everyday thing.  All this brooding left me bemused and started an awkward situation. The customer I was serving got angry and started to become insolent(Vocab) towards me., which was perfectly fine until it got way out of hand. He kept going on and on, screaming, cursing, and trying to escalate the tension. (Magic 3)   Being very adept(Vocab) at conflicts like this, I just ignored him and went about finishing the transaction. Then, just outside the front of the store, BAM! (Onomatopoeia) Sirens blared, breaking the awkward silence that followed.

            Everything was dropped. “Holy Shit!” (dialogue) screamed a good majority of people. My mom and I went to peek out the window to see what was going on. It wasn’t the most pleasant sight. A green dodge mini-van looked like it was going down the wrong way on Walnut St. and went into a sudden halt not far off from the intersection of Walnut St. and Frasier. Strange thing is, a patrol vehicle looked like it caused the crash. Imagine this, a Green dodge minivan pointed towards Jehovah’s Witness, which is directly left of my store, at a 90-degree angle, a good size dent in it with a police car perpendicular to the vehicle.  (Imagery) The first thing that came to my mind is, “This is not good.” (Dialogue) So I walk back to attend to the waiting customers.

            Fireworks went off, or at least that’s what I thought it was. Running back to my mom I asked “What’s going on out there?!” The response blind-sided me in the face like somebody was running and just tripped into a wall. (Simile)  The driver of the green Dodge mini-van gunned down two cops! My mom and I ran to the back of the establishment and notified my dad and my brother of the situation. My brother looked at me like he just watched a good show of SNL and said, (Simile)

 

“Please… it was only fireworks don’t get so worked up” (Dialogue)

“But, Richard! Come look!” (Dialogue)

 

With some proper begging he came and took a glance.  Turns out, the scene changed, and there was way more then just one police car out there. Around 25 + vehicles, Officers out, and guns pointed. It looked like a lustrous (Vocab) clump of red and blue in the night, which was very appropriate for New Years. (Imagery) Then they open fired, emptying about a magazine into the suspect’s car, at least that’s what the news said. POP! POP!  POP! POP! POP! (Onomatopoeia/ Rep 4 Effect). I was scared out of my mind. It looked like an old western movie. A standoff was happening right in front of my house! I was in shock and awe. So many things raced through my mind. Will we get out of this alive? What happened to the cops who got gunned down? Are they okay? This is exciting! I’m hungry, so tired… sleepy, sleepy… and so forth.  (Rep 4 Effect)­

The fun part is how stupid we all acted. My dad, who arrived rather late, ran outside and looked into the car, as did about 15 other bystanders, my-self included. Dumb move, I know. Difference was, I was about a quarter-block away from the car. The cops started yelling and shooed us all away from the danger zone.

Everyone pretty much piled up in the store. A good majority of them were very irritated because they were disrupted from their holiday festivities. The customers pretty much notified their family, sat around, or tried to make a quick transaction so they can get out. (Magic 3) Just goes to show you that even in crisis some people are still extremely selfish. My dad, who did not want to close shop just yet, decided to play along with the selfish customers and go sell them ice. This involved him going back outside again. Bad mistake. He was held outside behind a wall in safety. My dad called shortly after we noticed that he was missing. He told us to be wary (Vocab) of the situation and to lower the bulwark (Vocab) that is the front gate. Daring not to disobey, we evacuated the store and lowered the gates.

A mere five minutes later, my dad called on the phone. He told my brother and I to grab a case of beer so we can sell it to a customer who was buying it the “back-door” way. We thought he was joking, until we saw our dad approaching the back yard with a customer in tow. After making the transaction, we all went back inside. Around this time a copper chopper arrived to the scene rather low. Using the mounted spotlight, it circled around the suspect’s vehicle and made light of the situation. (Pun Intended/Humor)

Naturally, in situations like these, you want to feel safe right? You know that feeling when you want to grab something sharp and deadly, or just go hide somewhere to feel safe? That’s exactly what I did. Upon re-entering the house, I ran to my room and totally missed the light switch. Groping (vocab) around in the dark, I grabbed my metal softball bat and a metal baseball bat. I know it seems stupid, but it made me feel secure. Others didn’t think so. A cop noticed me with the bats and told me “What are you going to do with those bats?  Going to hit a bullet out the park? You can’t even swing with one hand!” (Dialogue/Humor) That comment made me feel stupid, but I felt safe so it was okay. Putting the bats away, I went to go watch what else was unfolding.

When I arrived back at the place of entertainment, anyone who was viewing the little show had a face that could make even the most secure in mind cry. Amassing (Vocab) some courage I peeked over the window, heart racing. The scene had changed. With the spotlight illuminating the car, some of the higher ranked cops gathered in a circle at the intersection of Frasier and Walnut St. They appeared to be scheming on how to handle the rest of the situation. Out of nowhere, down the dark alleyway of Frasier St. was a heavily armed officer, otherwise known as a S.W.A.T (special weapons and tactics) operator. Walking down slow mo, or at least that’s how I saw it. He looked extremely intimidating. This man was dressed in all black with armor and bullet proof pads spread across evenly all over his body, thick helmet on his head, attached with a helmet visor. In his right hand, a riot shield, in his left, an assault rifle. I can only guess that it was a M416, but that’s just from background gaming knowledge, which made it even more exciting. (Imagery)  His face was made of stone. (Metaphor)

They call him the crisis negotiator, negotiator for short. His job was to approach the suspect and cause a diversion for a S.W.A.T team to arrive, or talk the suspect into surrendering, or both. From my perspective, it seemed like both. I can only assume that being a negotiator, you needed to be shrewd (Vocab) and conscientious (Vocab) of the suspect in critical situations.

My dad, my brother and I took this given opportunity of peace to talk to my dad’s friend who happened to be an officer at the scene and likes to visit the store when he’s off duty. My dad was at the door speaking to his cop friend, who coincidently had his patrol vehicle right in front of the store entrance. My dad was chatting away with his friend, while I was talking to my brother, who was just as excited. He told me to go and listen in. Being his younger brother, I had to comply.

While I listened in, my brother was broadcasting what was going on to my other brother who was in Florida at the time. I found this superfluous, but what the heck, it was exciting.  Apparently, the showdown on Walnut was being shown live in Florida, which I found extremely strange. My dad was talking to his friend. We got the gist of the situation. Apparently, the cops were waiting for S.W.A.T. to arrive, there were 200+ personal surrounding the perimeter and all branches of law enforcement were deployed. This was the first event in Philadelphia law enforcement history of its caliber. All of a sudden, the radio exploded with a sharp command that was lost in a sudden burst of confusion. We ran back inside. “Don’t panic, don’t panic, don’t panic!” I constantly told my self. (Rep 4 Effect/Dialouge)

After a quick break, we all resumed our position in front of the window and stared at the scene. Nothing interesting happened just yet so I went to back to getting some work done. Unable to keep myself away I ran back just in time to get blinded by a burst of flares. The flash looked like a firework that had gone wrong. It looked like an extremely bright light with flares coming out the sides with a loud pop that is redundant now and days.  This special item causes disorientation of anyone unfortunate enough to witness it. Good thing I was behind the window.  I just witnessed a flash bang. (Imagery) I peeked back up to examine the next set of events. Assuming that the suspect was disoriented, S.W.A.T moved towards the car and took out the suspect. He was dead and covered in blood. It looks like someone missed a paint ball gun filled with red paint balls horribly. (Imagery) One can only guess how much anguish (Vocab) he suffered in that one-hour period, barricaded in his car.  The scene at the time was surreal because so much was happening at once. I was inept (Vocab) when it came to things like this, but this has only made my mentally stronger. After the dramatic event over, all the bystanders went back to what they were doing, including me.

Refreshing the page on a news site for 10 minutes straight wasn’t the smartest thing, but it was worth it, just to see what was going on from the news reporter’s perspective.  The reports say that the two officers that got shot were in good condition and had been released from the hospital. A sigh of relief went around the crowd that was around the computer. (Imagery). All the excitement left me tremendously enervated. Crawling to bed, I took the time to reflect on what was just witnessed.

With this reflection came inner thoughts. What you do will follow you for life, but how you repent for it is what makes the difference. Shooting cops will be the end for you. Be prepared for the unexpected because this is the type of world we live in. Think of the possible consequences before doing anything. As I slowly drifted to sleep, I whispered to myself “This is just another ordinary day in the neighborhood.” (Dialogue) and dozed off.

III

III
III

III

\/

Down here!

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is just for kicks: :D

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now this is the story all about how
some guy got flipped, turned upside down
and I'd like to take a minute just sit right there
I'll tell you how I almost pulled out all of my hair.

In West Philadelphia born and raised
In a beer store is where I spend most of my days.
Selling, taxin, relaxing all cool

And enjoying this day off from school.
When this one guy, who was up to no good
Starting causing trouble in my neighborhood.
He robbed one gas station and the cops got scared.
They said “get out the car with your hands in the air”

The cops called for some back up, when it came near
The crazy driver shot the two cops with a frightening sneer.

If anything, I could say this scene was super rare
but I thought oh heck no, it’s safer in there.

Then back up pulled up round seven or 8.
came out and said “yo dawg get the tazer.”

Hey Look at that! S.W.A.T is finally here.
Extracting the body with guns in the air.

(Over exaggerated)

 

 

           

(Q3 Benchmark)

3/7/11

Henry Poeng

 

            Odysseus: Great teller of tales, Trojan War hero, and main character of The Odyssey. Everett: Master Tactician, Leader of the Soggy Bottom Boys, George Clooney and main character of O Brother Where Art Thou. Odysseus and Ulysses are both selfish at times, and overcome their conflicts in the same manner. But, it’s how they are assisted on their journeys that make the difference.  Although these two are very similar in their personalities, they have a different approach to their respective journeys.            

Everett and Odysseus show similarities in their selfishness during several points of their adventures. In the movie O Brother Where Art Thou, Everett risks the life of his crewmates in a vain attempt try and persuade Delmar and Pete to go and get his hair gel from the back of a burning car. Everett shows that he’s going to put himself first instead of considering the life of his loyal crewmembers. This had to potential to get all three of them killed. In The Odyssey, Odysseus said “Cyclops- if any man in the face of the earth should ask you who blinded you, shamed you so—say Odysseus, raider of cites, he gouged out your eye, Laertes’ son who makes his home in Ithaca!” (Book 9, Lines 558-562).  Unlike Everett, Odysseus actually puts his crewmates in grave danger. As a result, he got them all killed in the end. But, this also shows how they are like in their thinking, and how selfish they both can be. 

            O Brother Where Art Thou  is heavily based off of The Odyssey. There are several hints that show this in the movie. One would be the prophet, who tells Everett how to get home, much like in The Odyssey.  However, they are actually different. The Odyssey Odysseus was thrown off course so many times that it is hard to keep count. It is believed that the main source of all his interludes was, for the most part, the Greek gods. Poseidon, earth shaker and king of the seas had a deep grudge on Odysseus for blinding Polyphemus, his son, and being associated with Athena. As you may know, Athena and Poseidon HATE each other very much. Using everything in his power that didn’t involve direct interaction between him and Odysseus, Poseidon further delayed his return trip home via storms, monsters, etc. Athena on the other hand was on Odysseus’ side, protecting him and only him throughout a huge chunk of the epic. If you think carefully, do you see this happening at all in O Brother Where Art Thou? Nope. In O Brother Where Art Thou there aren’t any gods, or some supernatural other worldly power to veer Everett and companions off course, or further then along for that matter. He got home all by himself without the need of the Gods.

            In The Odyssey, Odysseus overcame his challenges by first, thinking of some well thought out plan, then eventually needing Athena’s help towards the end of executing the plan. For example “Naked threats- and Athena hit new heights of race, she lashed out at Odysseus now with blazing accusation: “Where’s it gone, Odysseus- your power, your fighting heart? The great solder who fought for famous white-armed Helen, battling Trojans nine longs years- nonstop, no mercy, mowing their armies down in grueling battle- you who seized the broad streets of Troy with your fine strategic strokes! How can you- now you’ve returned to your own house, your own wealth- bewail the loss of your combat strength in war with suitors? Come, old friend, stand by me! You’ll see action now, see how Mentor the son of Alcimus, that brace fighter, kill your enemies, pays you back for service!” (Book 22, Line 234-246). As long as this quote might be, it has a huge significance. Without Athena, who knows where Odysseus might be right now. Some might argue, that without the Gods, Odysseus might have not gotten home at all or vice-versa. This may be true, but we haven’t really seen the famed Odysseus “Master of tactics, Great teller of tales” in action without the help or intervention of the Gods. In O Brother Where Art Thou, Everett gets through all his challenges by himself. From escaping the chain gang, to making “old timey” music and sort of getting his wife back. He did it all himself that is what someone should be respected for. That is a huge difference in terms of showing character traits and applying it.

In conclusion, Odysseus and Everett might share the same qualities with each other, but the manners in which they achieve their goals are quite different. Sure you might think, “Oh, well if Odysseus didn’t have Athena, he would have never got home.” or, “ Oh, well if Poseidon wasn’t messing with him so much then we would have gotten home safe and sound.” which could be very true. My point is, if your going to talk about someone else’s abilities and what they are doing, then talk about it right, not with some sort of handicap. That to me is just plain unfair. It’s just like saying “Yeah! I totally made this turbine with the help of my twenty friends so appreciate me more because I want more credit!” It’s the same deal with Odysseus, but must admit that he is insanely smart and strong. Although these two are very similar in their personalities, they have a different approach to their respective journeys.             

(Creative Piece)

Macbeth and Banquo are marching back as heroes, embarrassing everyone: making them zeros. On the way back there was a surprising mental attack. They meet three weird sisters, full of warts and blisters. They hailed Macbeth as thane of Glamis, Cawdor and King here after. So Banquo is confused. He asked the weird sisters to state his news. They declare him the fountain of kings. It was strange for Macbeth and Banquo to hear these things. The weird sisters soon after leave, making Macbeth and Banquo puzzled on what to believe. Ross  and Angus enter the scene, upon their face was great amounts of gleam. Bringing them with news of his promotion, Macbeth says “The Thane of Cawdor lives, why do you dress me in barrowed robes.” Macbeth declares that he will later probe.  So continues the story, turn to the next slide to read of Macbeth’s rise to glory.

 

Macbeth and Banquo return to the castle where King Duncan waited with no type of hassle. Macbeth was proclaimed Thane of Cawdor, a title the traitor had, not long before. This proclamation had Macbeth convinced. Soon after Malcolm was made the newest prince. A successor to the throne, someone who has worthy shown. Macbeth goes incognito, off the side, planning something evil. “Stars hide your fire; let not the lights see my black and deep desires” . He has plans for these infrequent criers. Macbeth’s ambitions start to show, something that will be explained in the next slide, so come on, lets GO!

Lady Macbeth shows warm welcome to Duncan and his subjects. Behind her face: Ambition. With one goal in mind, with one mission. To get rid of King Duncan and Malcolm, his son. She and Macbeth are planning to declare their lives done. “False face must hide what false heart doth know.”  Macbeth and his wife must hide what their heart shows.  Late in the night, when all is retired,  Macbeth and his spouse continue with the plan they have conspired. Silence.... a hoot is heard. The deed is done. The guilt has begun. Macbeth comes in with bloody hands, Duncan is dead, by his wife’s command. Then they both go crazy, their minds a little hazy. “Glamis hath murdered sleep, therefore Cawdor shall not sleep”. Macbeth has stole Duncan’s life, like a thief. Therefore he shall pay, with lack sleep of during the absence of day. Now, lets continue this story. It’s going to get kind of gory.

 

Macbeth has become king by unfair means. How do you become King when it has not been past down through your genes? Banquo is very suspicious. He is about to come across something meaty and delicious. Macbeth finds out and becomes rather vicious. Macbeth starts to plan and scheme. How do you get rid of someone that was once on your team? With murderers that have stealthy skill. They will dispose of Banquo and Fleance with a silent kill. “O, full of scorpions is my mind dear wife.” Macbeth is going to kill Banquo without thinking twice.

Banquo is no more. Covered from head to toe in fresh slimy gore. Looking more disoriented than ever before. Fleance has ‘scaped! Running in the wind, looking back as he swore. The murderer's make their return to Macbeth’s castle door. They enter the party that was held on the ground floor. The news given to Macbeth was both great and poor. He was happy to the very core, but also mad that the assassins' had done only half their chore.

These two acts we will remember for our lives.  Macbeth is alone, sitting and thinking at his throne. “Time thou anticipates my dreaded exploits.” Many evil deeds were committed, a dark aura is emitted. Many miles far far away, are two people that Macbeth has betrayed. MacDuff and Malcolm talk about many tragic deaths. So much so that MacDuff says “ No one in the legions of horrid hell can come a devil more damned in evils top Macbeth.” Back at the castle, a war is waged. His majesty is enraged. “I’ll fight till from my bones my fleshed be hacked”   Little does he know, that he will never be backed. Ten Thousand men march, revenge burning in some.  They are here to get rid of this tyrant scum. Let the battle begin and on the next side we will see who wins.

 

(Independent Reading Review Project)

Henry Poeng

Orange Stream

 

The Girl with the  Dragon Tattoo

By: Stieg Larssona

 In an epic show down between the past and the present, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is challenged to solve it all. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is indeed a movie. It was released 2009. Not only that, but it got a lot of buzz from news sites like Yahoo, CNN, etc. That’s what tempted me to read it. Also, it has an interesting title name. From what I’ve read in the reports, it said that it was a suspenseful, crime theme, which is Something that I don’t normally read. So I decided to take a chance and change my genre.

 

 

The book, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is a mysterious crime story, which takes place in Sweden.

 

Summary:

Mikael Blomkvist, a journalist, publisher, and co-creator of Millennium magazine, published an article against Swedish billionaire, Hans-Erik Wennerström. After a libel case against Hans-Erik, Blomkvist is sentenced to three months in prison. Facing professional disgrace, Blomkivist quits his job at Millennium magazine.  Approached by a lawyer shortly after leaving the court house, he is offered a freelance job, assigned by Henrik Vanger. Henrik is the former CEO of Vanger Enterprises, which is a massive company in Sweden. A few days before the encounter, Henrik Vanger hires a young girl in her twenties by the name of Lizbeth Slander, to dig into Blomkvist’s life history. She is a genius hacker, with a photographic memory, and just scary in general.

Blomkvist goes to the Vanger estate, located in Hedeby island, several hours away from Stockholm, which is Blomkvist place of residence. Arriving at the Vanger estate, Henrik explains the assignment to Blomkvist. Blomkivist was to write a book on the Vanger family history, but also to find a serial killer that killed Harriet Vanger, Henrik’s niece. Henrik promised a hefty reward with juicy details that could bring down Hans-Erik Wennerström. Reluctantly, Blomkvist agreed to the offer, seeing no other choice. Blomkvist accepted what could be the scariest assignment of his life. Together with Lizbeth Slanders, they will hunt down a serial killer from the past.

 

Some conflicts?

-Blomkvist vs. the media (Person vs. society) The media is making a huge deal out of the libel case and how badly he failed.

-Slanders vs. herself. (person vs. self) Slanders appears to be trying to find her self.

-Blomkvist/Slanders vs. Serial killer (person vs. person) Blomkvist and Slanders are out on a hunt for a Serial killer that have been murdering several females by using lines from the bible.

 

 

-My favorite character in this book is Mikael Blomkvist.

He is to my hero because of his courage and how professional he is. I could learn from this guy, excluding his sex crave of course. You will learn about that as you read the book. By courage, I mean he is brave, intelligent, and very wise. By professional, I mean he is intelligent, handles himself well, and has good management skills. You can learn a lot from this guy.

 

-I believe that readers should take into the account that the book is trying to say, be fair to women. If you read carefully, the whole story is about women being abused and killed all the time. For a theme, I would say “Everybody should be treated equal. No matter what”

 

My relationship to the story and the people in it?:

None. What Lizbeth and Mikael went through just makes my life seem boring. If I recall correctly, I haven’t been raped, attacked by strangers, put in political shame, solve cold-cases, or a computer genius. I haven’t experience the thrill of traveling from place to place looking for a serial killer, writing a biography about a wealthy family, or experience three months in jail. If anything, would like to relate most of their lives. But that’s just not happening.

 

-Opinion?

I think it’s an excellent book that will keep you coming back for more. Even though it’s rather lengthy, and it uses a lot of big words. Overall, a well written crime story with a great story line. Now personally, if I could change something in the book it would be how the frame stories are integrated. It get confusing sometimes trying to keep up with past and present.

 

-Recommendations?

I would recommend this book to anyone that can handle good amounts of suspense, drama, action, sex scenes, and plain weird stuff. Also, lets not forget lots and lots of detail! Plus, it would make the book even more amazing if you have a great imagination. That just makes the book an even better experience to read since it is filled with so much detail.

 

 

(Journals)

 

11/29/10

 

The Thanksgiving break was “okay”. On Thanksgiving I had to work and serve the customers and their needs. Friday was my birthday. Not the most interesting day of the year. Pretty much work, work, eat, party, sugar rush, sleep, fat. Saturday was confusing. I don’t even remember what happened or care to remember for that matter. Sunday however, was fun. The family got together and had a Thanksgiving feast. A well deserved feast at that. Soo much food, just loads and loads of food.  It was amazingly fun too. It was great playing ping-pong and pool with the people I barely see. Overall, the break started real slow but then picked up like a rocket taking off.

 

1/24/11

 

Too me, an adult is someone who has past 21 years of age. An adult is someone that is mature and accepts hit or her responsibilities. Someone that is proactive and not reactive. An adult is someone that can balance out life and fun. In a general sense, an adult is someone who is seasoned at life.

 

1/3/11

 

My break was okay I guess. Same deal. Wake-up, text, shower, work, text, sleep. Boring right? 100%. The holidays are the worst for me. Wake-up early, work until 12 am, and then drop. But it’s for a good cause I guess. One day, something broke the cycle. On the 31^st of December something crazy happened. My mom and I were manning the fort. MY dad and brother were in the back. Then all of the sudden, we hear a lot of sirens outside. MY mom and I looked out the window. WE saw a dodge mini-van pointed towards the church next to my house. Two officers were walking towards it. It was a strangely ominous scene. Then all of the sudden, the driver-side window cracked. A gun was fired off. Both the officers went down, guns blazing. It seems that the assailant was struck. My mom went to go tell my dad in a frenzy. I went to go tell my brother. I sat there in shock and awe. Hopefully I can turn this story into a project.

 

2/2/11

 

A hero to me is someone that is special. A hero is someone that sets a good example for someone good or bad. Someone that gives others hope and meaning in their life. You don’t have to fly or have super powers to be a hero. All you need is a sense of hope and the will to go on. That’s what I think a hero is.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(Myth Project)

 

Henry Poeng

Orange Stream

 

Greek God: Poseidon

Symbols: Trident, Horses, and Dolphins

Qualities: God Of The Sea, Earth-Shaker, and Rapist.

Family:

            Parents: Cronos (Father) and Rhea (Mother)

            Brothers: Zeus, Hades.

            Sisters: Hera, Demeter, and Hestia.

            Lover of: Any Female he can get his hands on.

Enemies:  Athena and Odysseus.

Where are they from?:

Athena is the Brainchild of Zeus literally. She was popped right out from his brain when he had a headache, but that’s a whole other myth. She is the enemy of Poseidon because she was given the city of Athens instead of Poseidon in which Zeus promised him. Also it would appear that Athena has a polar personality compared to Poseidon. Poseidon being hot-headed and

Odysseus is a Greek hero that fought in the Trojan War for Achaeans. He is responsible for the Trojan-Horse that ended the 10 year war. The reason he is the enemy of Poseidon is because he blinded one of Poseidon’s many sons, named Polyphemus, who’s mother is Medusa.

 

Earth-Shaker, Creator of Horses, God of the Seas, these are just a few epithets that describe Poseidon. Quick to anger, and quick to love Poseidon is. Some say his short temper is the cause of earthquakes, horrible storms, and droughts. He is known to hold long grudges against those who anger him.

            Before the god’s there were Titans, known as the “elder gods”. Cronus, son of Uranus and Gaea overthrew his own father. After dethroning Uranus, his mother Gaea made a prophecy. The prophecy stated that his own children would overthrow Cronus. Living in fear Cronus ate his own children as they were being born. All but one was consumed. Rhea, Cronus’s sister wife hid the last born, and fed Cronus a rock covered in a blanket. When he became an adult, Zeus made a plan to take revenge on his father. By making Cronus vomit out all of the children he consumed, Zeus would rally them and overthrow Cronus.

            In the previous events, six children were born in this order: Hestia, Hades, Demeter, Poseidon, Hera and Zeus.  Out of the six, three were males: Hades, Poseidon, and Zeus. While having no active leader to rule, a lottery was held between the three brothers to decide who rules what. Hades, eldest of the three, became God of the Underworld. Poseidon became God of the Sea. Zeus became god of the Sky and Supreme ruler the gods. Hades got the shorter end of the stick.

            During the Trojan War, some of the Olympian gods were split.  Siding the Greeks was: Poseidon, Athena, Hera, Hermes and Hephaestus. Sided with the Trojans were: Aphrodite, Apollo, Artemis and Ares. I like to call them the A team. Poseidon was sided with the Greeks because of a broken promise.  Poseidon helped build the epic walls that surrounded the great city of troy while on punishment from Zeus. The King did not pay Poseidon, who was disguised as a mortal while building the walls, for his hard manual labor. As punishment, Poseidon sent a sea monster to attack troy, only to be thwarted by Hercules.

            In the midst of battle the Trojans killed Poseidon grandson. This only infuriated Poseidon even more. As result he joined the battle disguised as a mortal seeking his revenge disobeying Zeus’s strict orders not to interfere. Hera, was in the middle of seducing Zeus when he heard the battle cries of Poseidon, he realized that he was being tricked. Containing his rage, he sent Iris, a messenger god to warn Poseidon. Poseidon disobeyed at first, but then eventually backed-off, not because of fear, but because of respect of Zeus.

           

 

It's played by blowing raspberries through the mouth of the instrument, this sends waves through the body of the instrument and then out the bottom. Sometimes the bottom is bigger than the top so that the sound funnels and vibrates out, but the instrument makes the same sound without a larger bottom. It's shaped like a regular shaped tube, but it's usually wood and sometimes has fancy painting on the outside. You change note by blowing harder or softer and opening your throat like you would in singing to change pitch. I think sound waves vibrate from your lips down the body of the instrument and then out the bottom to create a low pitched humming noise. 

The instrument that I am interested in creating and then playing is the harp.  I have zero experience with a harp, but I do have a small bit of experience with a keyboard, so I chose an instrument that is at least somewhat close to it (a keyboard would be absurdly difficult to create, I think).

The harp is played by strumming several strings of several different sizes.  The vibration of the strings doesn't make too loud of a noise on its own, which is why the harp is constructed in a way that can amplify the noise of the plucking of strings.  The sound the harp makes seems to be governed by the length of the string.  Changing the length of the string changes the sound said string makes when plucked.

The best way to describe the shape of a harp is "triangular."  It is not perfectly triangular, and is in fact quite curved, but there is a tall end and as it goes further down the distance between the top and the bottom (and the length of the strings) gets shorter.

A somewhat triangular wooden construction with something functioning as a sound board to amplify the sound is necessary.  From there, I can have strings of various lengths to… well, make sound.

Sound waves are not things that can be seen.  Some sounds are too low to be heard.  The plucking of a harp string is not that loud, which is why the harp is built in a way to amplify that sound, to increase the amplitude of the sound wave.  This is pure speculation on my part, of course.

---Part 2--- (I can't believe I didn't post this.)

This is the second blog post about the instrument.  Once again, my instrument is the harp.  Now that I've had a bit of class time and know a little bit more about waves and sound and sound waves, let's see if I can talk more about the harp.

Now, sound is produced by the harp in the way you'd expect: plucking those strings on the harp.  The string vibrates, which creates a sound.  To amplify the sound, the inside of the harp is often hollow and serves as a surface for the vibration to amplify itself.

As for the harp, it always has a somewhat triangular shape.  Class labs would lead one to believe that thickness and tension are the important physical characteristics; they are, in fact, important physical characteristics, but the harp's triangular shape (and thus the varied length of string) is also important.

There are two materials I have in mind for the instrument.  Wood and fishing line.  Wood for the harp, fishing line for the strings.  Fishing line is string, so it would work just as well, I believe.  Wood is the standard for harps, and I think it would be the easiest as well.  Also, I have tons and tons and tons and tons of fishing line.  The construction plan is simple:

1) Build it
2) Make it work
3) Make certain the harp is built
4) Make certain the harp works
5) That's it

It will be played manually, by plucking the strings.  As fun as it would be to build a Rube Goldberg machine to play my instrument for me, I doubt such a thing would be at all plausible.

Though I still feel the need to wonder exactly what role string length plays.  My theory is that the waves of shorter strings don't travel as far and thus have a higher pitch, but what do I know?

Additionally, how does one measure and predict frequency so as to plan how to build the instrument?

is tonight.
I'm getting my hair done soon
I need cigarettes though.
&I'm getting my six flags tickets online, heeeeey(:
​

Metal
reeds are good for Jazz and hard rubber is good for classical sounds.
positioning the mouth:  The reed should be even with the top of the
mouth piece the reed should be down toward the lower lip and you teeth
should be on top roll your lip over you bottom teeth then you want make
a smirk so it will pull the muscles surrounding your teeth up. this is
vital for the tones that you wanna get. You get sound by blowing air
into the reed at the top of the saxaphone and depending on how much
air pressure you breath into the saxaphone that is that specific tone
that you will get make sure that the air is steady do not move the
mouth along with a process called tounging which is used to seperate
notes.  

Making instruments

         ​Personally I feel making a guitar would be the best way to bring physics into this project. With this we can measure the wave lengths of different tone and notes. 
A guitar is played by tugging on the strings to make sound, you can manipulate the sound by placing your fingers at the top of the guitar and changing the notes. Im thinking of making an average guitar and this is how its shaped.




I was initially hoping to make a drum type of instrument because I really enjoy the drums however since we can not I decided to go with the guitar, with this instrument you can hit the wood area and different other places on the guitar to make different beats and I really like that about it. 

I chose this instrument because it is fun to play and something I enjoy. 

--How is it played? What does the person have to do to produce sound?
Guitars  are played buy plucking the string on the instrument with finger or a pick.
The sound of an Acoustic guitar is from the vibrations of the strings and the hollow body of it.

--How do you change a note? (you might have to watch very carefully to see this)

depending on what guitar you are playing you have to use the pick (or your fingers).
Each string on the guitar has a different note. You adjust the notes to what song your are playing.

http://www.ehow.com/how_6192856_change-notes-bass-guitar.html

--How is it shaped?

The body of the instrument plays a major part in the sound that comes out of it. The  body of the guitar is hollow so when you pick a string, its reaction to the hollow part of the instrument gives you a sound.

--What does this make you think about how you can create and change sound?

This makes me think about what type of string I would used to create the vibration and how hollow does the body of the guitar have to be.

http://www.quia.com/quiz/101307.html?AP_rand=171632236

http://atschool.eduweb.co.uk/rgshiwyc/school/curric/Spanish/Cam1Uni8/Cam1Uni8New/12.htm

http://atschool.eduweb.co.uk/rgshiwyc/school/curric/Spanish/Cam1Uni8/Cam1Uni8New/6.htm

Today is prom.
It's raining.
I don't feel good.
I have way too much to do.
I'm sleep deprived.
I had a great breakfast.
Roberto is orange.
I can't wait for tonight.
I hope everything goes well.
I need batteries for my camera.
I gotta get a pedicure.
getting on it.

The world's going to end tomorrow, we're reading an article about Z-Day, 2012...

I can't deal with it. Why is everyone so hell bent on the world ending? Can't we just live? I mean damn, if your so worried about dying you won't be able to do anything else with your life. And that is boring and it friggin sucks!

Tonight is prom... woot woot.

today is the day, things have changed since last year but no matter, I will have fun

Screenshots:

http://www.ctspanish.com/tyl/house/progress/progress.htm

http://atschool.eduweb.co.uk/rgshiwyc/school/curric/Spanish/Cam1Uni8/Cam1Uni8New/7.htm

http://atschool.eduweb.co.uk/rgshiwyc/school/curric/Spanish/Cam1Uni8/Cam1Uni8New/5.htm

Why can't I let myself succeed?
I do not know.
Will continually questioning myself in this fashion result in identity confusion that will eventually lead to the formation of a split personality?
Perhaps but maybe my new personality will have some answers.