05/13/09

Today's class was perhaps one of the most productive ones in a while. I was able to finish penciling out all the scenes in the current teacher recruiting video. It turned out that there were around 165 scenes that had to be penciled out. One challenge that I did face was that at first, I wasn't able to open the DVD, and I thought that that computer had gotten damaged too, however later it did open and I realized that what was happening was simply that it was extremely slow. Therefore, in general, today was an extremely productive class, and next class we will hopefully begin planing the new and better version of the teacher recruiting video.

05/12/09

This class was extremely productive. The basic purpose of this class was to pencil out all the scenes in the current teacher recruitment video. The plan was that I penciled out at least 5 scenes because we brainstormed that the video had 50 scenes. I ended up penciling out 53 scenes. In general they are very varied, and therefore our assumption that they were only 50 scenes was terribly wrong. In the end, it was a very productive class. A challenge we did face however, was that my computer did not want to read the DVD for some reason and so I had to move to another computer. Other than that, today was a great class.

05/12/09

This class was extremely productive. The basic purpose of this class was to pencil out all the scenes in the current teacher recruitment video. The plan was that I penciled out at least 5 scenes because we brainstormed that the video had 50 scenes. I ended up penciling out 53 scenes. In general they are very varied, and therefore our assumption that they were only 50 scenes was terribly wrong. In the end, it was a very productive class. A challenge we did face however, was that my computer did not want to read the DVD for some reason and so I had to move to another computer. Other than that, today was a great class. 

05/11/09

Today's class was great! We went on a field trip to Torre Popular where my father works, and he gave us a tour of all the technological things that there are in the bank and that are needed for the bank to be secure in the event of an emergency. It was the best field trip I have ever gone on! Especially because it was with my father, and since he has access to the entire company, we were able to view and explore everything, even top secret areas. A challenge we faced was that three people did not make the bus :S. That was very sad, but the few of us who did go, had an awesome time! :D I loved this class!!! This has been my favorite class the entire year! :D

05/07/09

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MS. NORMAN!!!!! :D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D!!!!!!!! Today was Ms. Norman's birthday and it was awesome!! We all came together and wished her happy birthday! Even Smilies came to the class and brought her cookies :D! It was very cool. I also continued to work on the teacher recruitment video during this period, however the main focus of the class was that it was Ms. Norman's birthday! :D yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeey!!! :D We all hope we contributed to her having a good time during this period :D! 

05/06/09

Today's class was extremely productive. I was able to continue working on formulating ideas for the video. Francisco and I also organized a few things around the room. This class was extremely well spent because I was able to research on the internet and watch different videos from different schools and colleges, and I penciled out several ideas that I think would further improve the school's teacher recruitment video. A challenge I did face was that some of the videos would not open because they were blocked by the school, and therefore I had to spend part of the class finding proxies that would allow me to bypass the school's security. In the end it was worth it. In general, it was a very productive class. 

05/01/09

Todays class was great. After discussing a few ideas about the video we need to make for Delman, we spent the class watching videos on people's life changing moments, and analyzing the importance of following your dreams and how shows, such as Britain's Got Talent, really bring out the best in people. Susan Boyle was particularly inspirational however. I also enjoyed this class, because it gave me an opportunity to figure out some further details about the field trip and to catch up on my blogs. Today was an awesome class and I really enjoyed it a lot. 

05/04/09

This was a very interesting class. Today I was able to finish the logo and therefore I had to begin working on the newsletter. It was very urgent that I finished the newsletter today, due to the fact that we have the upcoming field trip in a few weeks and we also need to pencil out all the scenes and ideas for the teacher recruitment video in order to get to work and present it to Delman. Fortunately, I was able to complete the entire newsletter today and it came out pretty nice. Its got a lot of colors and varied styles that in general capture the ideas of our school, Carol Morgan School. A challenge I faced though, was that finding the school's mission statement proved to be rather difficult, and then once I found it, it was too long and could not be copied, so I had to type the entire thing in a text box. Aside from that, this was an awesome class.  

04/29/09

Today's class was very interesting. I was able to finally finish the logo for the Alumni Newsletter, and next class we will move on towards the next project, which is creating a new, updated, and improved version of the teacher recruitment video Mr. Delman uses every year. That will be a very challenging project but I am very excited to delve in and embark upon it. It was a very cool and interesting class. We also discused gore movies such as Hannibal Lecter, which was very fun and at times scary. Smilies did not come today... that was sad. One of the challenges I faced today was actually deciding on the fact that I was finished with the logo, due to the fact that I find myself to be very perfectionist and focused upon details. In general today was an awsome class.

04/27/09

Today's class was very productive. I was able to finally complete the logo and discuss with Ms. Norman further ideas about the other project we will embark on soon. Also, once I finished the logo, I approached everyone in the room at that time and asked them their opinion on the logo, due to the fact that they will be the future alumni and they will be the ones who need to like it. All of them agreed upon the fact that it was an excellent logo design. Therefore after they mentioned this to me an agreed upon the fact that it was fine, I made the final adjustments to the logo and saved it in my online folder. Later on however, I might go back in and make some other adjustments, if I get any new ideas that is. Smilies also came over this period and said she loved the logo, especially because she was in it. One of the challenges I faced during this period was that Gaby did not like the logo and everyone around, as well as I, had to sit him down and convince him that it was an excellent logo. Aside from that, today's class was both fun, productive, and exciting, mainly because people loved my logo and because Smilies makes me laugh. :D

04/24/09

Today's class was very interesting. During this class I was dressed as a superhero! It was extremely funny. Today Ms. Norman introduced me to a new project possibility. The project consists on making a new video for the school, to be used to recruit new teachers, or in other words, renovate the previous one. This is going to be a massive project, which will have to be continued even after spring break. Once I finish with the logo for the alumni newsletter, we will take on this massive project. During today's class I continued working on the logo and in my opinion I am almost finished. One of the challenges I faced during this period was that I faced a creative block at one point. Later on however, I overcame it and was able to continue working on the logo design. Today's class was very productive and insightful at the same time, given the fact that I was introduced to a new project and got the opportunity to ponder it.

04/22/09

Today's class was very productive. It was also extremely funny because I was dressed like a man for cross dress day. Today I continued to work on the logo design for the alumni newsletter. In my opinion its coming out good because the logo looks coherent and the colors in it flow and merge well. Also, the colors I chose resemble the school colors, they are colors such as brown, grey, and white, with some strips of black here and there. I also chose, during this period, to make the logo background be in the form of a wave, so that it isn't as static and rigid. One of the challenges I faced during this period was that the pictures looked pixelated and strange, and I had to find the right size for each of them. In general, today's class was excellent.

04/21/09

Today's class was a very productive class. I was able to get all the pictures from the camera and into the computer. I was also able to begin working on the logo design for the alumni newsletter. I got through quite a bit but I am still missing a whole lot of work. One of the challenges we faced this period was that the model logo we had found on the internet dissapeared from where it was, and it took a long time to find it again. The other challenge was the creative aspect, as always, due to the fact that I had to sit and brainstorm a lot of ideas. In general I got a lot acomplished this class and I considered it to be very productive.

03/30/09

Today's class was very similar to last class, in the sense that I was able to see more oral presentations. I am very happy that I am having this opportunity, because the more presentations I watch, the less stressed I become and the better I feel about my own. Ultimately my presentation is Wednesday, and I can't wait to get it over with, so that I no longer have to stress about the Senior Extended Essay ever again. I am also extremely excited about presenting because I love debating and defending my arguments :D.

03/27/09

This class was very interesting because although not many technological things were done, I was able to go into some of the ongoing oral defece, which began today. This was extremely helpful for me, because I got to get a feel for the actual presentations, and what it would be like when I presented. Being able to had that experience, really allowed me to relax a bit and realize that it's not really as bad as everyone makes it seem and that all I have to do is prepare myself and it'll be fine.

03/26/09

This class was very interesting. Although I was not assigned a ton of things to do, I was able to research many things for my next project. I'm not that sure what specific project i'm going to do next, after I finish the How-To-Make-A-Wiimote guide, however I do have several ideas that might be very interesting. The one I think I will do is displayed in this link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XgrGjJUBF_I. It is called: Automatic Projector Calibration with Embedded Light Sensors, and is another of the Johnny Chung Lee Projects. About once a year I have cause to set up a projector, and every time I wonder why the projector doesn’t have a small camera embedded within it that it could use to aim, focus, and adjust the keystone and angle itself. UVa alumnus Johnny Chung Lee has created just such a system, which he demonstrates, once again, in this very impressive video. He provides some further examples to show that this has much wider applications than for setting up projectors.It might be difficult to make, but I am definitely ready for the challenge.

03/24/09

Today's class was very fun, given the fact that it was a change from the usual. Today was the technology showcase :D, and I felt very proud of myself due to the fact that my logo design was everywhere. During this period, I helped Ms. Norman relocate the equipment and set up in our station downstairs. We hooked up the projectors and turned on the computers and everything. Later on, when the bell rung, the rest of the PT class students joined us and helped us present. Everyone was dazzled, not only with the Caissa Web Site, but with the wiimotes. Mr. Delman was the most impressed of all with us. I was very happy with the results and ended up staying there until about 4:30 that the actual event ended. At the end of the event, I helped Ms. Norman bring up the equipment and placed it in her room. I really enjoyed today's class.

3/24/09

THE PEN WORKS!!!!!!! this class was the greatest class ever because the pen finally worked!!! although it was hard at first, i believe this project was a great test for my patience and it tought me many things about circuits and wireing. It was very very cool and in my opinion, although it was hard, it was totally worth it. I am really looking forward to what my next project might be. THE PEN WORKS!!!!!!!!!! YEY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

3/23/09

Today's class was the culmination of all my frustruations:p. A friend of mine called Gian Marco came and helped me build the pen, however in our efforts to attach the switch, one of the cables broke and was lost inside, so we had to rip the pen's guts out again. It was extreemely frustruating. Gian was also worried that his teacher, Ms. Waterworth, would find out that he was not doing his work and was skipping class. In the end however, we got to the same exact place where we started off, and when I realized this, I stopped celebrating :(. The pen is extreemely frustruating and it seems that with every step forward I take, I am pulled a mile back. I hope next class we can finish building the pen.

3/19/09

This class was very scary at one point. This was due to the fact that when I was assembling the pen, I almost fell from my chair because it was missing a wheel:p, and also because when I plugged in everything and attached everything, the pen got extremely hot, and the wire even more. I was very scary because the pen was even expelling a burnt smell. What caused this was that apparently when I inserted everything into the pen, the wires touched and therefore it affected the circuit. After taking apart the pen several times, I finally got it to work, but all I have to do now is attach the switch and insert the switch in the pen so that the circuit continues to work. Aside from the actual construction of the pen the other thing I have to do is write out the How To segment, so that other people who want to construct it will know how to. Today was a very interesting but scary class:p. I am very excited about next class because I will finally be able to finish and test my pen :D.

3/18/09

This class was very very very productive. I was able to finally get the pen to work!!! :D!!!!! The challenging and frustrating and disappointing part of that was that once I jammed everything into the pen, the wires got scrambled and loose and it no longer worked. I had to take the pen apart once again. Another challenge was that I got the light to turn on but not to turn off:p. I got a perpetual light:p. To fix it, I found out that what was going on was that the reason that happened was that the wires were touching. I fixed the wires and got the pen to work. Unfortunately, when I plugged it in to the pen, the wires got scrambled AGAIN! and so now I have to fix it AGAIN!. This is very very frustrating :p I hope to figure it out next class.

3/16/09

Today's class was very interesting, but also extremely frustrating. I was able to begin building my pen, which was very cool, however one of the major challenges I faced was that the picture provided by the web page and the explanations given were not clear, and so therefore I had to research and find a better image to guide me. Once I found the picture, I began building the pen. I got all the wires assembled but what ended up happening was that for some reason they did not work. I kept on trying but could not get it. I kind of have a feeling that the white wire I am using is not working. Next class I will try to change it.

10/13/09

Today's class was very productive. We were finally able to hook up all the devices and get them to work so that I could see the end result of this project. I am very excited about doing this. I brought in the required materials that I had to bring for homework, which were the Expo Marker with a removable cap on the bottom so that we could close it and the AA battery to power the pen. I began working on the pen and it was very cool. Ultimatly however, we did have a challenge, which was that at first the whole device to show me the end result was not working once again, however it wasn't that bad because we solved it in the end. I began ripping my pen apart which wsa extreemly fun. I have never seen the inside of an Expo Marker, or any marker for that matter before :p. It was a very interesting class.

03/12/09

Today's class was very productive. It was more or less a brainstorming class, due to the fact that we sat down and discoused my next project, and ultimatly I decided to do the LED Pen for the whiteboard, in other words, making the 10$ whiteboard. We tried to hook one up that was already working so that I could see the end result, however the challening part was that it did not work. I sat and researched the entire class on the materials and procedures needed to build the LED Pen. I believe that ultimatly I have more or less a clear idea on all the things I need to do. For homework I need to bring an Expo marker with a removable cap on the bottom, so that we can close it again, and a AA battery to power the pen. I am very excited about this project.

3/10/09

Today's class was largely more successful than the previous class. Although we still faced the challenge that access to photobucket.com was blocked, we were able to overcome it by signing in with Ms. Norman's account. I was able to work well on photobucket, given the fact that I learned how to use it in the previous class. I created a bunch of new albums and inserted them into the page. Another issue that arose was the fact that since I was in Ms. Norman's acount, we couldn't really upload the page on DreamWeaver, and although I was able to view the page, make adjustments, and save it, I unfortunately was not able to publish it, however what we will do is that Ms. Norman will open the web site on her computer and she will publish it herself, since I already inserted and saved the various albums. Today was a great class. We also did some stuff with the wii motes.

3/9/09

Today's class was a complete and utter failure. It was filled with things that went wrong, and ultimatly we were able to accomplish nothing this class period. well, in reality I did learn about photobucket and how it is used and all the cool things it can do, however when I went to apply my knowledge and work on the web site, we discovered that access to photobucket is denied in the school to students. So in reality we weren't able to do anything this class period. It was more challenges than any other thing today.

3/5/09

Today was a very productive class. We did face a challenge, which was that we were not able to save any changes at first, however later, the problem aparently resolved itself and we were able to save. The pictures however are in the process of uploding and I am not quite sure we can do that now, because before we had trouble saving it as well. Aside from that, today was awsome. The CAISSA web site is up and running and there is now a link right there on the home page. I am very excited about the fact that people are using it and it is up and running. Also, today we managed to take a ton of pictures of the teams during the games and we are trying to upload it on to the photo gallery page of the site. I also fixed the link of the schedule on each of the pages, due to the fact that the previous schedule was wrong because the Venezuelan team flight was delayed. Today was an awsome class :D!

3/4/09

During today's class we didn't have to do so many things because the web page is almost done and CAISSA is tomorrow!!!! yey!!! Well, during this class what I did was that I moved the weather link from being at the bottom of the page, to being on the left column below the Info on the DR link. There, in my opinion, the link will be more effective and will make people notice it, find it, and click on it. Therefore, it will in turn be much more usefull. There were no challenges during this period. I am very excited about the fact that the page will be finally published. :D!!! The page is finally complete:D!! yey!!!

3/3/09

During today's class we got a ton of things acomplished. I was able to insert the weather feature that we were hoping to put on, and it is now on all the pages and it is functioning. I was also able to finish up on the little editting things here and there. Aside from that, today we recieved a list of all the team players on each team and of the schedules for CAISSA. I was able to put in their names under their main home page, however because the bell rung, I wasn't able to fill in the info for the Varsity Basketball Boys Venezuela, however im hopping to do that in the near future, probably next class if it isn't taken care of already. Also, I linked all the pages to the schedule so that from any page, players can access their schedule. The only challenge I encountered today was trying to not get mixed up between the AC cougers and the EC cougars, given the fact that they are nearly the same. I also had to take care not to mix up the different countries:p. It was very confusing at times because they were a lot of names, and many of them repeated themselves, but in the end I pulled it off and got the job done :D.

2/27/09

Today's class was extremely productive. Not only did I work the entire hour of class, I also stayed an extra hour of another class. I got a lot of stuff done during this period. One of the things I did was that I finished placing all the pictures of each of the girls on each of their pages. I also discovered that we were missing an entire team!! The Junior Varsity Girls Soccer Dominican Republic team. I created new pages for each of the members on the team and renamed and edited each of those pages. Aside from that, I also made the links to each of the pages function, and linked the names of the people to each of their specific pages. I also wrote the entire members of each team's names on their corresponding pages. Not only that, but I researched weather gadgets and codes that could be inserted into the web site so that the players could check the weather report for each oncoming day. Although the codes I found were not as successful, I did speak to my mom and dad who are both technology engineers and they said they were going to teach me a way to insert the weather report and other interesting features easily into the page. I am very excited about next class because I have a feeling we are very close to finishing the site. The one challenge was the weather thing but that will be hopefully solved next class.

2/25/09

Today's class was very productive... I was able to go in and finish up all the titles on each of the pages of the Caissa Web Site... After doing the titles, in other words, making sure each page had a title and did not say Untitled Document, i was able to check the rest of the page... I looked at all the pages and pictures and made sure everything was in order and in its place... and later i began to run a general spell check on each of the pages, to make sure nothing is misspelled... The challenging part of today was the fact that with dreamweaver, you can only spell check the one page that is open:s... which in other words means a lot of tedious work for me next class, even though i already spell checked a few, i still have the mayority to go... however i had to stop to write this blog, which you are now reading:p... in my opinion the web site should be finished very soon, given the fact that it is almost entirely complete... :D

Cycle 2 Blog Entry

Throughout this cycle i was able to make a lot of advances in both the Caissa web page and the technology showcase flyer. As a matter of fact, i finished the technology showcase flyer entirely during this cycle. I was able to do these things due to 3 factors; technology, the internet, and computers. The human race's use of technology began with the conversion of natural resources into simple tools. The prehistorical discovery of the ability to control fire increased the available sources of food and the invention of the wheel helped humans in traveling in and controlling their environment. Recent technological developments, including the printing press, the telephone, and the Internet, have lessened physical barriers to communication and allowed humans to interact on a global scale. However, not all technology has been used for peaceful purposes; the development of weapons of ever-increasing destructive power has progressed throughout history, from clubs to nuclear weapons. The Internet is a global network of interconnected computers, enabling users to share information along multiple channels. Typically, a computer that connects to the Internet can access information from a vast array of available servers and other computers by moving information from them to the computer's local memory. The same connection allows that computer to send information to servers on the network; that information is in turn accessed and potentially modified by a variety of other interconnected computers. A majority of widely accessible information on the Internet consists of inter-linked hypertext documents and other resources of the World Wide Web (WWW). Computer users typically manage sent and received information with web browsers; other software for users' interface with computer networks includes specialized programs for electronic mail, online chat, file transfer, and file sharing. A computer is a machine that manipulates data according to a list of instructions. The first devices that resemble modern computers date to the mid-20th century (1940–1945), although the computer concept and various machines similar to computers existed earlier. Early electronic computers were the size of a large room, consuming as much power as several hundred modern personal computers (PC). Modern computers are based on tiny integrated circuits and are millions to billions of times more capable while occupying a fraction of the space. Today, simple computers may be made small enough to fit into a wristwatch and be powered from a watch battery. Personal computers, in various forms, are icons of the Information Age and are what most people think of as "a computer"; however, the most common form of computer in use today is the embedded computer. Embedded computers are small, simple devices that are used to control other devices—for example, they may be found in machines ranging from fighter aircraft to industrial robot design, digital cameras, and children's toys. It was because of these three key tools, that i was able to accomplish all my work. The technology showcase flyer proved to be quite challenging, not because what i had to do on it was difficult, but because i needed to work solely on my creativity, in other words, i had to start from scratch... It was very entertaining however, being able to think up of things on my own and having that much creative freedom. I did find some of the work tedious however because since it was mostly using photoshop, sometimes i had to flatten an image in order to get it approved, and so if something wanted to be changed later on, i did not have the individual layers of the image, but one whole one instead, which meant that i needed to do about ten times the work, given the fact that i had to cut the image and then paste things, well basically do many many things... Aside from that, i needed to make the entire flyer look good, not just the logo, which is why i had to invent a creative way to arrange the text... in the end i came up with the idea of having a shark, which is the school mascot telling the main information, and then a banner for the types and kinds of technology that were going to be around during the showcase. In the end i think i did a great job at doing the technology shocase flyer, it came out great. Aside from that, i also had another project this cycle, and although it was not the main one, given the fact that most of the time was spent on the technology showcase flyer. The other project was working on the Caissa web page... all i did on this however was run a general spell check on all the pages, organize it, gather up all the pictures of each of the team players, and edit the Info on the DR page... I believe that the web page should be finished during cycle 3 given the fact that i am almost done. My only concern is how we are going to gather all the informations and get the pictures on the other teams that are not the CMS Sharks... that will be figured out later however...

this was a very productive and interesting cycle in which i was able to overcome many challenges and learn many new things... i was also able to fully recover my previous knowledge in both dreamweaver and photoshop. I am really looking forward to this new cycle, cycle 3, given the fact that i hope we finish the Caissa web page and have it up and running. I know on my part i will do everything possible to have the page up and running. I will continue working hard as always...

2/23/09

Today's class was very productive... The first few minust of the class however, did provide a challenge because i did not have access to the new caissa folder :S... and therefore i couldn't add any of the pictures... they someone fiuxed it and i did get access, but aparently not to the things saved inside the folder, so the next issue was that i could not save any of the changes i did on the pages... After all that was fixed, i was finally able to start working. What i did was that i dragged the folder entitled Caissa People into the folder that contained the whole website, so that when the website was published, the pictures in the Caissa People folder could be found... The next issue was resizing the pics, given the fact that every time i added a picture to a page, the image was huge, and when i tried to resize it, people's body and faces would get distorted..., so i finaly decided on a common measurement, which i used with each one of the girls all throughout the page, in order to facilitate my work. The measurment was 151 by 203... Aside from all those challenges, today was in my opinion a very productive class, because not only did i excersise my skills at problem solving, but we also hugely progressed on the web site. :D I am excited about the fact that in a few days the page will be done and all our hard work will have payed off. P:D

2/3/09

Today's class was a lot like the previous class. During this class period i was able to add new information to the player's profiles that came in... Also, the challenge this period was that some of the player's did not have pages created within the web site, and although creating them was not difficult, at times, since the names of each of the pages are so similar, i mixed the information up... but in the end i was able to manage, and those new players each have their very own page, and correct name and profile. I also began creating the home page for the varsity boys basketball, that has a list of all their names and links to their individual pages... I also re-named the pages so that all the files were more organized...

2/2/09

In today's class, the main challenge was remembering all my previous knowledge of dreamweaver, given the fact that i had not used it in quite a while... After i remembered it all however, i was able to get the hang of it, and effectively begin working on the Caissa 2009 web page. The things i got accomplished today were filling in some new information of the players that arrived, and creating a home page for the girl's varsity soccer team (Dominican Republic), that consisted of a list of all their names, and when you clicked on it you were redirected to that specific player's profile. I also scanned the logo of the shark that was drawn, and it is being debated wether or not we should use it as a static background for the entire page...

01/30/09

Today's class was very interesting. I finished my powerpoint and presented it, and i was able to view my new project and get started on it. One of the challenges i faced today, was trying to remember all the previous things i knew about Dreamweaver, and also trying to get all the diferent pages to appear on the left column. I was able to remember most of the things i had learned however, and in the end we were able to ge the whole page to open up in Dreamweaver. I am very excited to continue this project, and i have many cool ideas on how to make the Caissa 2009 cite better. This was an awsome class period and i got a lot acomplished :D.

01/28/09

During today's class I was able to accomplish a great variety of things. I created this blog, and I am very excited about edditing it and uploding pictures and personalizing it. During this class period, I was also able to continue working on my powepoint. Something I found challenging was trying to remember all the different programs I knew on both Mac and Windows, and later assembling the slides so that they looked organized and coherent. I think I did a good job at acomplishing that though. I really believe that I will enjoy this class the most, out of all the classes that I have taken or will take throughout high school, due to the fact that I will study Computer Engeneering in college. I am excited that I finally found a class that will give me a true perspective into what working in that field will be like, and it will also help me with the completion of my technology major in college.