Did you see a sign on the Haines High School building while driving past? If so, please click here.
Thank You, from the Power Systems Engineering class.
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
Saturday, April 7, 2012
Finally, an update!
Yes, I know, it's been a long time since I've posted anything. I've had so much going on that I haven't had time to do much of anything. Yesterday was my birthday, so I've been taking a break...just kidding. I was going to take a Trig final today, but the website is having technical difficulties, so I have a little extra time.
Anyway, the DDF season is over. I got fourth place in the state debate championships (mostly due to my partner). Now that the season is over I should have a lot more time, right? Nope. I neglected some of my work during the season, so I have been making it up. I'm taking World History, C Programming, and Trigonometry at home. In addition, I have been studying for the SAT Physics Subject Test, which I will be taking on May 5th.
Last weekend I did take some time off and we went up to the pass with our snow equipment. We pulled off the side of the road and hiked a couple hundred feet, where we found a nice place to sled and ski. The snow was hard, so we could walk on it without falling in, even though it was at least 3 feet deep. It was also slippery, so slippery, in fact, that my sister could go sledding without a sled. On the way back we stopped at a friend's house, who had about a consistent 6-8 feet of snow in their yard.
This morning my dad, sister, and I walked down to the beach for a low tide. Here's a panorama and a picture of a sea anemone.
Last week I had to take the high school exit exam (I always get standardized testing for my birthday). I also had to fly to Juneau to see a visiting specialist, so after my last test on Thursday I flew to Juneau, then came back on the ferry the next day.
I got a new flat panel monitor at a garage sale for $10. Despite the price, it works wonderfully, and is probably the largest and best monitor in the house at the moment. I also recently ordered a shoulder support rig for my camera. It was pretty cheap (only $130), but all of the reviews were good. I'll see how it works when it gets here.
For my birthday I got a new webcam from my grandparents (the Logitech C210) which is a huge improvement over my old one, which was probably made 10 years ago. It also mounts on my computer screen, so I don't need a tripod to use it. I also got a new hard drive for all of my pictures and video projects from my parents. Then the rest of my presents were about a years supply of gluten-free cookies, mixes, cinnamon rolls, chocolate, etc.
We have also been seeing some good Northern Lights recently. I took a timelapse, but I haven't assembled it yet. But here's a still picture.
Anyway, the DDF season is over. I got fourth place in the state debate championships (mostly due to my partner). Now that the season is over I should have a lot more time, right? Nope. I neglected some of my work during the season, so I have been making it up. I'm taking World History, C Programming, and Trigonometry at home. In addition, I have been studying for the SAT Physics Subject Test, which I will be taking on May 5th.
Last weekend I did take some time off and we went up to the pass with our snow equipment. We pulled off the side of the road and hiked a couple hundred feet, where we found a nice place to sled and ski. The snow was hard, so we could walk on it without falling in, even though it was at least 3 feet deep. It was also slippery, so slippery, in fact, that my sister could go sledding without a sled. On the way back we stopped at a friend's house, who had about a consistent 6-8 feet of snow in their yard.
This morning my dad, sister, and I walked down to the beach for a low tide. Here's a panorama and a picture of a sea anemone.
Last week I had to take the high school exit exam (I always get standardized testing for my birthday). I also had to fly to Juneau to see a visiting specialist, so after my last test on Thursday I flew to Juneau, then came back on the ferry the next day.
I got a new flat panel monitor at a garage sale for $10. Despite the price, it works wonderfully, and is probably the largest and best monitor in the house at the moment. I also recently ordered a shoulder support rig for my camera. It was pretty cheap (only $130), but all of the reviews were good. I'll see how it works when it gets here.
For my birthday I got a new webcam from my grandparents (the Logitech C210) which is a huge improvement over my old one, which was probably made 10 years ago. It also mounts on my computer screen, so I don't need a tripod to use it. I also got a new hard drive for all of my pictures and video projects from my parents. Then the rest of my presents were about a years supply of gluten-free cookies, mixes, cinnamon rolls, chocolate, etc.
We have also been seeing some good Northern Lights recently. I took a timelapse, but I haven't assembled it yet. But here's a still picture.
It will probably be a while before I post anything new for a while. I am going to be busy making videos and doing schoolwork.
Sunday, January 22, 2012
Lots of work
I apologize for a gap in posts. I have been pretty busy over the past few months. The DDF season is nearing to a close in a few weeks, I have been busy perfecting pieces and writing debate cases. Our local meet is in a week and I just got back from the Ketchikan meet on Monday. We have to write a new debate case (which I haven't started on) for the local meet on Friday. I have also been working on a British accent for a reader's theater I am in, which is a collection of Monty Python skits.
I have also been helping to record and air basketball games for the local radio station.
I am taking some new classes this year: Trigonometry and Computer Programming. These should be fun. I will be starting them in a week, so I will see how they go.
Here are a few pictures I took this December. I will hopefully have more time to take pictures over the next few weeks.
I have also been helping to record and air basketball games for the local radio station.
I am taking some new classes this year: Trigonometry and Computer Programming. These should be fun. I will be starting them in a week, so I will see how they go.
Here are a few pictures I took this December. I will hopefully have more time to take pictures over the next few weeks.
Saturday, November 19, 2011
Winter
I’ve been pretty busy lately, mostly doing uninteresting schoolwork. I’m taking a free online database class form Stanford University, which is somewhat time consuming but a lot of fun. I am learning how to query databases in SQL, write XML validation files such as DTDs or XML schemas, design databases in Boyce-Codd Normal Form, or use UML to automatically create data base schemas. The class is over in a few weeks and I will have more time to work on some video projects. I am hoping to do some sort of seasons video from video I have been shooting over the past few months. I will have to see if I have time.
A XSLT transformation that finds all countries that have more than 3 languages spoken within then, then outputs into the below table. (Queries this XML file)
Last weekend I traveled with my DDF team to Wrangell. Since we had to stop in Sitka on the way, it took us about 26 hours on the ferry to get there. We all slept on the ferry, and got in to Wrangell at 1:15 am. The tournament was pretty fun, and I did okay in all of my events. I tied for 2nd place for an oration I wrote on gay slurs in schools. I won half of the debates that I was in as well, which was pretty good, considering that my partner was relatively new and it was the first time I had every been second speaker.
When we got back from the tournament, there was two feet of snow on the ground in Haines. The day after we got back, it snowed another foot and the wind picked up to 30 mph (gusts to 50). The snow was very dry and powdery, meaning that it blew around quite a bit. For example, I went and walked around through the waist deep snow for a bit. When I came back a few hours later, you couldn’t tell I had made a track. Because there was poor visibility and snow constantly drifting across the road, they canceled school (which doesn’t happen very often up here).
My parents are out of town for a few weeks. Michelle, a friend of ours, is watching my sister and I. My parents actually get back tomorrow.
A XSLT transformation that finds all countries that have more than 3 languages spoken within then, then outputs into the below table. (Queries this XML file)
| Country | Population | Area | # of Languages |
| Pakistan | 129275664 | 803940 | 8 |
| Iran | 66094264 | 1648000 | 7 |
| Georgia | 5219810 | 69700 | 4 |
| Macedonia | 2104035 | 25333 | 4 |
| Switzerland | 7207060 | 41290 | 4 |
Last weekend I traveled with my DDF team to Wrangell. Since we had to stop in Sitka on the way, it took us about 26 hours on the ferry to get there. We all slept on the ferry, and got in to Wrangell at 1:15 am. The tournament was pretty fun, and I did okay in all of my events. I tied for 2nd place for an oration I wrote on gay slurs in schools. I won half of the debates that I was in as well, which was pretty good, considering that my partner was relatively new and it was the first time I had every been second speaker.
When we got back from the tournament, there was two feet of snow on the ground in Haines. The day after we got back, it snowed another foot and the wind picked up to 30 mph (gusts to 50). The snow was very dry and powdery, meaning that it blew around quite a bit. For example, I went and walked around through the waist deep snow for a bit. When I came back a few hours later, you couldn’t tell I had made a track. Because there was poor visibility and snow constantly drifting across the road, they canceled school (which doesn’t happen very often up here).
Before After
I went outside and dug a fort in the snow and just had fun in the snow in general. The snow drifted up two about three feet high against the garage door, so that when you opened it there was a flat, three foot wall of snow. Unfortunately, some of the snow got caught in the door and it didn’t shut all the way. When I noticed it 30 minutes later, so much snow had blown in there there was a 3/4 dusting on everything by the door. I had to spend a half hour cleaning everything off. My parents are out of town for a few weeks. Michelle, a friend of ours, is watching my sister and I. My parents actually get back tomorrow.
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Fall
I’ve been busy with a myriad of projects lately, and haven’t had time to write anything.
It is late fall now, and will probably snow within a few weeks. This is one of my favorite seasons for some reason. I love the mental imagery of a bare, windblown trees and the sound of wind chimes on a dark, windy night. I also love the fall colors, as you can see by my new background.
I am trying to make a movie about fall, but I’ve gotten a bit busy with other work. I am making a short video for Mario Benassi, which he will be showing at a fundraiser for Chilkat Forest Investigators, his afterschool wildlife program. I have only had two weeks to work on it, and it is showing this Saturday, so it has kept me busy.
I also went to the first DDF meet in Juneau about a week ago. I was only in two events, Debate and Excomm, since my partner for the mime I am doing couldn’t come. I got third place in debate (along with my partner), and missed getting into the final debate (between the top two teams) by two speaker points. I also got to judge a spar debate round.
This last weekend I went up to Whitehorse with the venture scouts. Eight kids and two adults came. We camped out at the hot springs there on Saturday. Since I brought my own tent, I got it all to myself, while everyone else had to share. We went swimming in the hotsprings, and then went to see a movie (Real Steel). A few kids went swimming again later that night, but I just took pictures of the steam rising off the pools into the night air. We built a campfire and told ghost/UFO stories that night.
When we woke up the next morning, it has snowed about 5 millimeters. We had oatmeal, apples, strawberries, hot chocolate, and Orange Peach Mango juice for breakfast, then packed up and drove into Whitehorse. There we went swimming at the Whitehorse pool, which has a river pool, a waterslide, and sauna, a steam room, a diving board and a rope swing. Afterwards we went shopping, since that is what most Haines people do when they are in a big city.
I have also been doing some physics experiments lately. We have a pneumatic rocket kit, and we are shooting it off and figuring out where it will go based on known quantities.
We did a experiment inside were we shot the rocket straight up, next to a scale, and filmed it. Knowing that we had a frame rate of 30 fps, we could find how far the rocket went in that time period and thus find its speed. Unfortunately, the rocket went too fast to show up in the camera except as a blur. So, upon a suggestion from the photography teacher, we shot it in the dark with a long exposure and a flash with a strobe function. We found a speed of 80 miles per hour.
We also shot it off outside a a known angle and measured how far it traveled. Then, using some formulas, we were also able to find a speed, although this would have been somewhat effected by air resistance. We found a similar speed to what we found the first time.
It is late fall now, and will probably snow within a few weeks. This is one of my favorite seasons for some reason. I love the mental imagery of a bare, windblown trees and the sound of wind chimes on a dark, windy night. I also love the fall colors, as you can see by my new background.
I am trying to make a movie about fall, but I’ve gotten a bit busy with other work. I am making a short video for Mario Benassi, which he will be showing at a fundraiser for Chilkat Forest Investigators, his afterschool wildlife program. I have only had two weeks to work on it, and it is showing this Saturday, so it has kept me busy.
I also went to the first DDF meet in Juneau about a week ago. I was only in two events, Debate and Excomm, since my partner for the mime I am doing couldn’t come. I got third place in debate (along with my partner), and missed getting into the final debate (between the top two teams) by two speaker points. I also got to judge a spar debate round.
This last weekend I went up to Whitehorse with the venture scouts. Eight kids and two adults came. We camped out at the hot springs there on Saturday. Since I brought my own tent, I got it all to myself, while everyone else had to share. We went swimming in the hotsprings, and then went to see a movie (Real Steel). A few kids went swimming again later that night, but I just took pictures of the steam rising off the pools into the night air. We built a campfire and told ghost/UFO stories that night.
When we woke up the next morning, it has snowed about 5 millimeters. We had oatmeal, apples, strawberries, hot chocolate, and Orange Peach Mango juice for breakfast, then packed up and drove into Whitehorse. There we went swimming at the Whitehorse pool, which has a river pool, a waterslide, and sauna, a steam room, a diving board and a rope swing. Afterwards we went shopping, since that is what most Haines people do when they are in a big city.
I have also been doing some physics experiments lately. We have a pneumatic rocket kit, and we are shooting it off and figuring out where it will go based on known quantities.
We did a experiment inside were we shot the rocket straight up, next to a scale, and filmed it. Knowing that we had a frame rate of 30 fps, we could find how far the rocket went in that time period and thus find its speed. Unfortunately, the rocket went too fast to show up in the camera except as a blur. So, upon a suggestion from the photography teacher, we shot it in the dark with a long exposure and a flash with a strobe function. We found a speed of 80 miles per hour.
We also shot it off outside a a known angle and measured how far it traveled. Then, using some formulas, we were also able to find a speed, although this would have been somewhat effected by air resistance. We found a similar speed to what we found the first time.
Monday, September 5, 2011
School
It is now the end of the second week of school. I have been a bit busy in the first few weeks, so I haven’t found time to write about it till now.
I am now taking three classes at school and four “classes” at home. In school I am taking English III, World History, and Physics. I will give a short description of each, which should be enough for the rest of the school year.
In English, we are reading early American literature, such as Puritan poems and sermons, or the accounts of John Smith and the founding of Jamestown. We are going to be reading The Crucible next, which I gather involves the Salem witch trials.
In World History we have just finished learning about Egyptian society and will learn about Sumerian History next.
In Physics, we are learning about classical physics, specifically 1D motion. We have done some simple problems, such as:
Pretty simple to understand, as long as you know what formulas to use.
I am also doing DDF again this year. I am doing debate, which is about 9/11 security measures, etc. I am also in a funny mime about mankind and weapons. I may also be in a Reader’s Theatre, possibly from Young Frankenstein.
My sister is also going to be in the school band this year. Since my mom didn’t want to listen to my sister playing the trumpet, she bought my sister a electric bass guitar. My uncle picked one out (an Ibanez GSRM20) and mailed it up to us. See pictures below.
My mom went with a friend out to see the bears at the Chilkoot River and got a nice view. It was a bit dark out, so some of the pictures below are a bit blurring, since I didn’t tell my mom how to adjust the ISO.
Friday, August 19, 2011
Bend, Oregon
On Wednesday night, I got back from a week long trip to Bend, Oregon, where my grandparents on my mom’s side live. It had been more than a year since I had been to see them, and so we decided to go down as a family.
At Seatac
Last Thursday we drove onto the ferry to Juneau. Our car needed some work done on it that we couldn’t do in town (like replacing a cracked windshield) and so we were just going to leave it Juneau until we got back.
We got to Bend at about 11:00 at night where my grandpa picked us up. My grandma has cancer, specifically multiple myeloma, or cancer of plasma cells, and has been undergoing intermittent Chemo treatments for the past year. She is off of Chemo now, but is still recovering and couldn’t visit with us all day long, so we stayed with some friends of our grandparents who had some extra bedrooms.
A butterfly on my grandparents porch, along with their cat, Jacob, drinking out of a bird bath.
The next day, we borrowed one of our grandparents cars and did some shopping, then went to visit my grandma. We had salmon (I had tofu, since I am now a vegetarian) for dinner, then went shopping some more that night.
The next day we did more shopping. I got a suit from my grandpa, and took it to a tailors to make it fit. We also went on a hike to Tumalo Falls, a very spectacular waterfall. Unfortunately, while we were there I got a bloody nose and we had to leave. Usually my bloody noses only last for a few minutes, but this one wouldn’t go away. I started to feel like I was going to lose consciousness, so my parents took me to a clinic. By the time I got there my nose had stopped bleeding, but I was still feeling faint. After laying down for a bit I felt better, and the doctor told me how to stop bloody noses in the future.
The next day we went canoeing on Sparks Lake in my grandpa’s canoe. It was a little hard to fit myself, my sister and parents, and my grandpa in one canoe, but we managed. It was very beautiful, and I got to practice steering a canoe (we don’t have a canoe, so I don’t get to practice much).
That night we went with my grandma and grandpa to see The Help at the theaters. It had been a while since I had gone to a movie theater, since the nearest one to Haines is a four-hour drive. The Help was a pretty good movie, although my mom said it wasn’t quite as good as the book.
The next day we did more shopping. We also went to a quilt show, where we saw some quilts my grandma had made. Later that day my dad and I helped her photograph a few of the quilts, as she was making a book of them. We also went to visit my aunt and uncle for a hour later that night.
On the second to last day of our trip, we got Chinese takeout and went down by the river (specifically the Deschutes river) below my grandparent’s house for a picnic. The next day we went into town and went canoeing on the same river. My sister got out and swam for a while, I got more practice steering a canoe.
We also went to a tile store and bought twenty rock tiles to put around our woodstove at home. We packed them all in boxes, then paid $100 to check them all. We caught a taxi to the airport at four in the morning the next day. I got some nice pictures of mountains on the way to Seattle. From Seattle we flew on a 737-400 Combi, which is half cargo and half passenger seats. It was the first time I had flown on one before.
We Juneau we did a lot of shopping for food and supplies that we couldn’t get in Haines, or were simply cheaper in Juneau than in Haines.
At Seatac
Last Thursday we drove onto the ferry to Juneau. Our car needed some work done on it that we couldn’t do in town (like replacing a cracked windshield) and so we were just going to leave it Juneau until we got back.
We got to Bend at about 11:00 at night where my grandpa picked us up. My grandma has cancer, specifically multiple myeloma, or cancer of plasma cells, and has been undergoing intermittent Chemo treatments for the past year. She is off of Chemo now, but is still recovering and couldn’t visit with us all day long, so we stayed with some friends of our grandparents who had some extra bedrooms.
A butterfly on my grandparents porch, along with their cat, Jacob, drinking out of a bird bath.
The next day, we borrowed one of our grandparents cars and did some shopping, then went to visit my grandma. We had salmon (I had tofu, since I am now a vegetarian) for dinner, then went shopping some more that night.
The next day we did more shopping. I got a suit from my grandpa, and took it to a tailors to make it fit. We also went on a hike to Tumalo Falls, a very spectacular waterfall. Unfortunately, while we were there I got a bloody nose and we had to leave. Usually my bloody noses only last for a few minutes, but this one wouldn’t go away. I started to feel like I was going to lose consciousness, so my parents took me to a clinic. By the time I got there my nose had stopped bleeding, but I was still feeling faint. After laying down for a bit I felt better, and the doctor told me how to stop bloody noses in the future.
The next day we went canoeing on Sparks Lake in my grandpa’s canoe. It was a little hard to fit myself, my sister and parents, and my grandpa in one canoe, but we managed. It was very beautiful, and I got to practice steering a canoe (we don’t have a canoe, so I don’t get to practice much).
That night we went with my grandma and grandpa to see The Help at the theaters. It had been a while since I had gone to a movie theater, since the nearest one to Haines is a four-hour drive. The Help was a pretty good movie, although my mom said it wasn’t quite as good as the book.
The next day we did more shopping. We also went to a quilt show, where we saw some quilts my grandma had made. Later that day my dad and I helped her photograph a few of the quilts, as she was making a book of them. We also went to visit my aunt and uncle for a hour later that night.
On the second to last day of our trip, we got Chinese takeout and went down by the river (specifically the Deschutes river) below my grandparent’s house for a picnic. The next day we went into town and went canoeing on the same river. My sister got out and swam for a while, I got more practice steering a canoe.
We also went to a tile store and bought twenty rock tiles to put around our woodstove at home. We packed them all in boxes, then paid $100 to check them all. We caught a taxi to the airport at four in the morning the next day. I got some nice pictures of mountains on the way to Seattle. From Seattle we flew on a 737-400 Combi, which is half cargo and half passenger seats. It was the first time I had flown on one before.
We Juneau we did a lot of shopping for food and supplies that we couldn’t get in Haines, or were simply cheaper in Juneau than in Haines.
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