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The instrument I was thinking about creating was an xylophone. I chose this instrument becuase after watching a video I found that it is probably one of the easiest instrument to learn how to play in a short amount of time. The xylophone is played by playing the nots on the xylophone with mallets. You produce sound on the instrument when the metal or wooden bars vibrate and push and pull the air particles around them.You change the sound of the xylophone by hitting the metal bars at different times and hard or lighter. The xylophone has a row of bars that range from different sizes.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-m2ztt6aI74

This school year I've slept more than I have since I began high school. Sleep is just so soothing!

So for my capstone I'm creating a Mass Media Portfolio. The portfolio will consist of short videos, animations, graphics and commercials that I'll be creating. The files will then be placed on a website I'm currently building using Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator. Can't wait for the outcome!

Yesterday when I came back from Ocean City it was about 1PM. I decided that I'll go to school at the end of the day in order to take math standards. I did, and received a 5/5 !

It feels like I have to pull out a miracle in order to survive the next two weeks in school. From my history, science, digvid, art, capstone and math due, I don't know where to start.

Graduation is in​ three weeks, and I've never been more excited.

Prom weekend was one of the best weekends of my life ! I had so much fun in a house with 16 of my friends from school a block away from Ocean City shore/broadwalk. Even though we were only there for three days, during those days we became one big family. Every night was hilarious, memorable and crazy.

I got my first check today from job! I'm so happy, even though I was starved there today. Oh well, I got money!

Fellow Advisory Member:"When is the wrong time to get an abortion?"​
Me: "When you're not pregnant"

Me: "I'm just so shocked. I still can't figure out why."
Jen: "Stop denying your awesomeness!"
Me: Awww

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Py3jT0uaZw0

​--How is it played? What does the person have to do to produce sound?
The instrument is played by stroking/strumming/plucking the strings.
--How do you change a note? (you might have to watch very carefully to see this)
This makes me think that you can create a vibration and alter the sound it makes by the area you surround it with?
I really don't know how to express what I'm thinking, but I feel as though waves are a disruption of whatever is happening and when you surround them they are amplified and made stronger. (if that makes any sense.)

"Mom didn't leave him outside did she?"
"Perry you didn't leave him outside did you?"
"I never even opened the back door!"
-dad- "Found him! He was in the chair!"

I feel terrible I havent posted a story since Thursday. The fact I was away again without a laptop did not help it. Now I must post 3 more stories to make up for it

X: "dad, she’s out of control. You have to talk to her (mom)"

Y: "why? Because when I tell her to do things; she does them? Have you been paying attention to the way that things work around here?"

with a passion. 

Musical Instrument Blog #1

A Xylophone is played by tapping one of the several bars that are arranged by size (longer to shorter) that create different pitches of sound using a plastic, wooden or rubber mallet; the sounds that are made when tapping the bars are kind of similar to the sound that a bell makes when it is rung (depending on the bell). The sound that the bar makes when you tap on it depends on the size (length) of the bar. The longer the bar is, the lower the noise it makes, and the smaller the bar is, the higher the noise it makes. Jazz bands often used the Xylophone in the 1920’s and 1930’s.

​http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BHP5xjBP-9I

Piano/Thumb Piano

When looking into the instrument I wished to play I thought that making a simple small piano would be easy. It's just a box with strings and keys you press that hit the corresponding string. While doing light research I noticed it was actually very difficult to piece something like that together. Then a friend of mine happened across an instrument called a thumb piano. It sounded like the perfect thing to make. So when i got home I looked it up. Basically its a bunch of different sized metal pieces that are bend in the middle and held down. It's played my pressing down on a metal piece and then releasing it causing a sharp crisp sound to be produced. The number of pieces can be varied so the range of notes is easily acquired like an actual piano. Its shape can be a small box with metal strips on top and a piece of wood that acts as like a ditch above the box like board. The metal strips are places strategically on top of the wooden ditch and then a bar is placed across them and pressed down to bend the metal pieces in a out wide U shape. I'm not sure about how tuning takes place but the vibrations of the metal to metal makes the nice sound.

To see for yourself check out this youtube video.

Blog #2

As you already know my topic is Israel. Like I said in the first blog I wanted to focus more on what’s happening with Hamas and how people like, Michael Levin die everyday fighting for their home land, and then there is Gilad Shalit who gets captured. The videos are very touching and interesting to watch. It really shows that people care enough about something that they will fight for anything. There is only so much information to date about Gilad Shalit, and what the deal with his situation, but if Hamas isn’t lying he is still alive and ok.  September  14, 2009 was the first video broadcasted since he was captured in 2006. Since most of the video are on YouTube, I could get you a link either at the bottom of this blog which you would have to watch outside of school or  I can see if there are other sites I could get the videos for you. I, my self feel like people need to know more about whets happening not just from CNN. Every news website or TV Channel have their own views and opinions. In what I see/ hear on the news everyone try’s to blame it on Israel, and how different things are their fault. Well its easier saying that then actually taking time to research. I bet 9/10 people reading this didn’t know that Hamas use little kids as human shields because they know that the IDF (Israeli Defense Force) won’t bomb or shoot the them. They do this because, they don’t like dangering the lives of little kids. They don't shoot them because they decide not to. They are all fighting form their homeland. Get to know about Israel, it won't hurt you.

http://www.ynetnews.com/home/0,7340,L-4244,00.html


http://www.haaretz.com/meta/Tag/Gilad%20Shalit

http://www.habanim.org/en/index_en.html