o.

because I don't graduate in like 2 weeks.

Anyway I haven't posted in ages, so here's an update on my life.
I'm still madly in love with the guy Shaquor who is, an complete asshole.
I haven't talked to him in months but I guess that says a lot huh?

Anyway prom was fun. Ocean City was epic.
College is coming. I'm going to Howard or Arcadia.

Cursed out Howard to send me my FA packet.

I LOVE SHAQUOR.

What else?

oh yes, Grandma moved up here! I'm so happy about that.
That is all. SHAQUOR <33333

Extra_Credit :)

My favorite statistics benchmark was when we did a benchmark investigating correlation. For the benchmark we had to investigate a problem. I decided to do my project on the graduation rate in Philadelphia and the possible things that could affect the graduation rate.  Some of the possibilities that i chose was the attendance of the students, the amount of low-income students, the amount of students that are non-English speaking, the number of suspensions, the neighborhood that school is located in, and the demographic make up of the school.  I decided to do this project for our quarter two benchmark because Philadelphia itself seems to be experiencing problems within their school system. The average graduation rate for the School District of Philadelphia is 63%. I investigated all 60 public high schools in Philadelphia.

 


 

 

I learned while doing this benchmark is that the sla core values are heavily correlated to my benchmark. I started with inquiry by coming up with questions such as what affects the graduation rate?. My next step I did required research. So with the variables I came up with I researched for each of the 60 high schools in the Philadelphia area. Presentation was that I analyzed all my data in a word document and used graphs to show how these different variables had a negative or positive affect on the schools graduation rate. Collaboration was used in my benchmark for a few of the graduation rates I had worked with a peer to come up with. We worked together because we were both investigating Philadelphia’s high school graduation rates but we had different variables. So collaboratively we helped each other find the graduation rates. I presented my benchmark by doing a word document with graphs and my calculations of each variable. My calculations included the mean, median, mode, min, max, correlation, spread, and standard devation.  These are all things that we have learned over the year when working with univariate and bivariate data.  The last core value is reflection and at the end of the project I wrote a conclusion about what work still has to be done in the School District of Philadelphia and I even gave possible solutions to the problems.

Screen shot 2011-05-31 at 12.19.18 PM
Screen shot 2011-05-31 at 12.19.18 PM

The correlation between the graduation rate and the amount of suspensions is a strong linear negative correlation. The fewer amounts of suspensions you have the higher the graduation rate will be. For the simple fact when students are suspended they miss school, and when you miss school you miss work. I think this is a reliable source to use when you trying to find out how much a school suspensions may affect their overall graduation rate.

 

Musical Instrument Blog #1

In this benchmark, I am interested in designing a flute to perform my song with. I decided this because I thought for my strengths, it would be the most sensible instrument to build, considering I’m fairly good at measuring and the mathematics needed to apply to making a flute, and it requires the least amount of materials to make.
Producing sound in a flute mainly depends on the size of the diameter of the wholes in the flute. To change sound a note, you have to cover other wholes with your fingers, and use the uncovered holes to make alternating sounds and notes. A flute is a cylinder shaped object that uses wind to manipulate its sound. This can connect to other wind instruments as well as brass instruments, as the are designed in a similar way.

Tramautized.

Yesterday, I was up in North Jersey by the beach with my future roommate and one of our friends that we're going to school with. We decided to take a day trip to Seaside Heights, but we were all hungry so we stopped at a Burger King. I had to use the restroom before we left, and I didn't know that my two friends went into the play room so I went out to the car. I was leaning on the hood on the phone with my friend Michael telling him I was outside when I saw it happen. I screamed "Michael, get the fuck out here I have to call 911 right away!"

There were three lanes and a one way exit. Let me see if I can find you a picture of the intersection:

Screen shot 2011-05-31 at 10.29.03 AMIn case you can't read it, it says that the black arrow is the car and the red arrow is the motorcycle.

What had happened was, the girl in the car all the way in the right lane cut across to the far left but was going the wrong way into a one way exit. The man on the motorcycle did not have time to stop and his bike began to go out of control as he tried to swerve not to hit her but he couldn't help himself. His bike went into the car and then he flew off and went flying into the back drivers side of the car. He hit his face and went flying into the street. Thank god the man had a helmet on. The girl was probably about 18 or 19. The man was lying on the ground yelling that he couldn't move his legs. He yelled at the girl "why would you do that?" She just stared, dumbfounded and embarrassed. I was kneeling next to the man on the phone with 911 as they were trying to figure out where I was. I had no idea so I read the closest green sign that had "Rt. 88" on it. As they transferred me to dispatch I began to hear the sirens. I told the man it would be okay. At this time there were multiple people around me making sure the man was okay. The girl that had hit him started crying and yelling that people were ignorant. I turned around and replied "I don't care where the fuck you're from, you don't cut over 3 lanes without knowing your fucking surroundings."

I spoke to the police and they thanked me and told me I would be contacted for witness statements because I was the only witness.
I hope to god that man is okay.

First blog for you and the world

I will be doing a essay on my word issue for a topic that was presented to me in class today called "You and the world". I picked the world issue of teens in high school and as well as middle school dropping out because of many reasons. What i discover so far is that teens not only drop out because of their friends but as well as home trouble like running away or because they just give up or because they just don't care. 


One thing i wonder about is why can't they just go back to school and try to make up the time that they lost when they couldn't go to school and still try to get their important education. My plan for moving on is to fine charts and graphs on giving me the numbers so i can see how many people exactly 

Journal Entries. 1&2

Dairy Entry #2

    Guns, money, gangs, sex, power. Is that what everyone wants out of life? That’s not what i want. I want to get get married become a lawyer, raise a family. My husband and I will be able to take care of our family.
    Everyone wants tattoo’s or pericings. I want them too, but not for the same reasons. Why does everyone have the same tattoos? Same cloths? Same hair styles?  Most girls have weave, fake nails, fake body. My question is, why can’t you be yourself.

Journal Entry 12/17

    I’ve always wanted to be the girl that always a had a hot boyfriend that was everything. I always wanted to feel loved and held tightly. But that never happen. I had plenty of boyfriends, but none really fit my “list”. I always wanted a boyfriend, that was just like the husband of a Tyler Perry movie.     
    I got the reputation of being a boyfriend stealer at school. Thats not true. If your boyfriend loves you he wouldn’t leave you. Thats not all, I get along better with guys. I don’t really like girls.

Mom.

​Last night we got a call from my aunt telling me my uncle died. I don't remember him as much which is why it didn't effect me too hard,but when I put my mom on the phone she broke down. I squirmed uncomfortably cause I have never seen my mom cry ,not flat out like that. After that she told me to call my brother and my aunt and then sobbed some more. I took her upstairs and gave her some water and sat with her for a while. Lola followed us around and laid on the floor in front of us so she looked like a cat pancake. My mom smiled then cried then smiled again and repeated the cycle. eventually she cried herself to sleep and I turned her light off and went to bed myself. I woke up late and got ready for school I went down the steps and my mom was there making something for herself. I hugged her and took my medicine and asked her if she was okay she nodded and told me she's not going to school today. After running around looking for my keys i finally departed and my mom was sitting on the couch this time i asked her if she was okay again and she nodded and told me she just had to accept that he was dead. Her voice cracked and she got teary eyed soI hugged her then said goodbye and closed the door and left her with the solitude of the house.

Musical Blog Post #2

I am choosing to create a wind chime. And sound is produced by the artist blowing through the holes at the top of the chime. The wind that I will produce will create waves throughout the wind chime and the walls of the chime will affect the pitch. Based on my understanding,  I am changing the pitch in my instrument by blowing through different holes which all would create different wavelengths. The physical characteristics that are important are that each pipe has to be a different length to produce a different sound. I will be using PVC pipe, duct tape, and pennies to create my wind chime. My plan for constructing this would be to hopefully use the time Ms. Echols allows me in class and if not then I would use my own spare time after school.

Musical Instrument Blog #2

1. How is sound produced by this instrument (now that you know more about sound, please try to refer specifically to the energy transfer and vibrations)?
     When you trike the metal bars of an xylophone with a mallet it produces vibrations. The sound of the vibration is determined by the length of the bar. If a bar is a different length the the vibrations will be different. The longer the bar the deeper the sound the shorter the bar the higher the sound. The sound of the bars are made louder by resonator tubes blow the bar. Air is pushed into the tubes causing more vibrations.
2. Based on your understanding, how are you changing the pitch? What physical characteristics are important in this instrument?
    The physical characteristics that are important are the length of the the metal bars. As well as small tube below each bar, which helps to project the sound and sustain it when the bar is struck. I can change the pitch of the xylophone by manipulating the size and thickness of the bars.
3. What materials will you actually be using for your instrument and why? How will you play your instrument? What is your plan for constructing the instrument?
     I will be sing pvc pipe, wood, nails, a metal spool for a mallet but I haveing yet decided what i'm going to use for the tubes yet. My plan for constructing my instrument is to complete most of it in school It doesn't seem hard to make the only part that stil confuses me is how to attach the tubes.
4. What outstanding questions do you still have?
    How do I attach the tubes to my xylophone ? 

Josh's Music Blog #2

Well, for guitar, it's easy to understand how the sound is made, by hitting the strings of the guitar, you transfer energy and the strings vibrate to make specific pitches depending on the string played and the fret held down. To change the pitch, you have to use the frets, each fret down, starting from the top, changes the pitch by one half-step, so the first fret on an E string would give you an F note, and the second would give you an F sharp. The most important physical characteristic of a guitar is the hole in the body that lets the sound actually come off of the guitar. I'll be using wood, of course, and probably nails to help me make the little things that tune the strings, and I'm not sure of what to do for the frets. I'm going to be playing it with my fingers, as I think a pick is more or less unnecessary. I really just wanna know what I have to turn in when it's due.

Musical Instrument Blog #2

Uku- Who?

ukulele

Instrument - String
Originated - Portugal
Has four strings and guitar shaped body
Family- Chordophone
The sound is produced by plucking and strumming the strings. The strings then vibrate and are amplified by the resonating body.
Read more: http://www.answers.com/topic/ukulele#ixzz1NuZ6owte

In order to tune the instrument, i plan on having an electric tuner, in which when you pluck the string, the tuner is able to tell you the note. The thickness of each string has an effect on the pitch.
To build a Ukulele, I plan on using a small box as that base, like a tissue box, or cigar box or shoe box, but WOODEN. I'd also need wood for the neck, bridge, fingerboard, saddle and nut, and braces.

ukulele
ukulele

Musical Instrument Blog #1

Uku-Who?
ukulele
The Ukulele is played similar to how a guitar is played. It can be strummed or picked. There are 4 notes on a Ukulele.
In order to play the C chord, you take you ring finger, place it on the bottom string and strum.
Screen shot 2011-05-31 at 2.54.58 AM
To play A minor, you take your middle finger and place it on the top chord, and remove your ring finger, then strum.
Screen shot 2011-05-31 at 2.54.44 AM

To play F, you take your first finger and play it on the second string, the one right above C.Screen shot 2011-05-31 at 2.54.21 AM

To play G7, you bring the middle finger down, place it on the string right below the top one, then place you ring finger back on C.
Screen shot 2011-05-31 at 2.54.05 AM

All the notes are being played within the first three frats. It is shaped just like a guitar but incredibly smaller. This makes me think that your hands are very powerful tools and even moving it the slightest can change the way an instrument will sound.
If I have a hollow enough base, I'll be able to produce enough waves to make a louder sound.

Ian McClendon Music Blog #2

The shape of a guitar it is mainly constructed for a comfortable fit in the arms of whom is playing the instrument. Certain sized guitars can be represented for specific sizes by the length of your chest to the bottom of your palm should be the length of the guitar neck.  

-The shape of an instrument is a vital key for producing that certain sound. In the case of a acoustic guitar the structure of it should be hollow and a minimal amount of holes to reverb the vibrations of the string. Each string has a different tension and a different thickness to it which gives it the variation of sound. By strumming/ plucking a string it vibrates. Those vibrations represent the wave lengths depending on the string. Then the vibrations can be amplified by an amp for a electrice guitar or with an acoustic the hollow compression of the base allows the sound to enter the base and amplify while exiting. An example could be blowing into a empty bottle and generating that hum. 
-To change the pitch or tone of the instrument tightening the string changes that. On the top of the neck are knobs connected to each individual string. To make the tone of a string sharper it is rotated to the left. To make the tone flatter it is turned to the right. The most important part to amplify the sound is to have the string highly tensioned and a hollow base for the wave to enter and be amplified.
-I plan to use either a heavy duty card board box as my hollow base or I could construct a base with rounder edges to the waves of the sound to reverb better. As far as materials go; wood, strings, string mounts, saw, screws, drivers, other handy man necessities. I'm planning to make the guitar more of a ukulele. Higher tensioned strings with fewer frets on the neck but still retains the pitch needed for the song.  




guitar_necks
guitar_necks
Acoustic-Guitar-Shape-Chart
Acoustic-Guitar-Shape-Chart
wd-fender-strat-guitar-neck-rosewood-med
wd-fender-strat-guitar-neck-rosewood-med

Biello - Blog #2

Sound is produced by the xylophone when each of the "tabs" are struck. After thus, they vibrate, producing sound. The energy is transferred from the mallet to the "tab" creating sound. The pitch is changed within the "tabs". The pitch pertains to the size of the "tab". The smaller tabs produce sounds higher in pitch in contrast to the larger tabs which produce sounds lower in pitch. I will be using several materials. I will use a wooden mallet, possibly a pen, and I will use copper pipes to make the "tabs". The whole xylophone will be housed on a wooden frame. I will construct the instrument without direction based solely on how it looks via pictures. A question I have is, "Does it matter how I create the wooden frame?"

One Summer Night

I woke up at 2 in the morning as I had been doing every summer. At 13 years old, it was surprisingly easy to get up without an alarm at these times now. It had become my routine. My baby brother was crying. It was time for his bottle. I waited a minute to listen for shuffling feet. Maybe She was upstairs and would give it to him this time (for once). Silence. Without a reaction I swung my feet out of the bed and went into my parent's bedroom. I walked through the darkness to his crib, lifted him up, and carried him with me down the steps. 

Bottle. Mix. Water. Microwave. Test. Feed. Burp. Sleep (for the both of us).