[Essay] What Makes us Different?

The Definitive Characteristic of a Human Being is Technology

     There is nothing on the planet that has better technology than human beings.  Humans have a vastly greater mind than animals, which gives them the ability to invent new things everyday that help us with our everyday lives.  We have technological advances in electrical, and non electrical inventions.

     Electricity is the biggest difference between human beings and other living beings on this planet.  Humans started with the simple light bulb, then later made very complicated things like computers and televisions.  Computers are one of the most advanced things we have to date.  They can hold a ton of memory, play games, and surf the web.  The ability to get on the internet introduces the user to and endless supply of knowledge. Televisions help spread knowledge through various shows, and lead the way to other electronics such as DVDs and video games.  Electricity sets us apart from all other beings on Earth.
     With the use of technology, we can complete tasks with ease that would be very troublesome to other animals.  One example is travel.  Some animals, such as elephants, have seasonal migrations up to 60 miles long.  Where as it would take them up to a day to travel that distance, human could travel 60 miles in about an hour using a car.  Cars were a revolutionary invention.  Before cars, people would travel using horses, which were pretty slow, and the horses had to be taken care of.  With the use of cars, we can travel great distances a lot faster than animals.  Many animals live on land and are unable to swim.  They have no way of leaving the island that they live on.  Humans have planes and boats that allow for easy travel around the world.  Also, for close islands, there are bridges that can easily be walked or driven over to get to the other island.  Our means of travel are also a lot safer.  It is pretty rare that a bus full of people would be attacked.  However,  a herd a zebras can easily be attacked by a pack of lions.  Human beings have a lot safer and more efficient means of travel.
     A second example is health.  If humans get hurts or get an infection, they can gop to the hospital and get surgery or medicine to fix the problem.  However, if an animal gets hurt in the wild, they have no way of treating it.  If a lioness breaks a leg, she would have to walk around and take the pain until it heals up.  If she cant walk, she cant hunt, and it could very well lead to her death.  Similarly, if she gets an infection, there is no medicine to stop it, and thats another way she could die.  Humans are also generally cleaner than animals.  We take baths, brush our teeth, and change clothes to keep clean.  Also, we also have clean food and drinks which lowers the risk of disease.  In the wild, food can be left out for a while or infected by bugs before being fully consumed.  Also, water holes could easily be dirty from waste, or just dirt floating in it.  Our health risks are immesely lower then other living beings.
     Technology also give us greater protection, from both weather and other people.  Houses protect us from rain, snow, and heat.  Most houses have heaters for when it's cold and air conditioning for when its hot.  Most other animals, however sleep outside or in a cave.  There is no temperature control and no roof to keep out rain or snow.  Humans also have security systems to keep out possible intruders.  In the wild, if your not paying attention, anything can come into your area.  Our technology keeps us safe.
     Another important way technology has help us is food.  Animals such as storks and nears need to wait and be lucky in order to just catch a single fish.  On the other hands, Humans have boats with which they can go deep out into the ocean.  Using big nets, humans can catch loads and loads of fish in s single day.  In the wild, all food has to be eaten raw.  In modern society, there are stoves, microwaves and spices that allow people to create so many different flavors and dishes that taste so much better than eating it raw.  Human beings also have greater mean of hunting.  Guns enable the user to hunt quickly, and from a long range, unlike animals that have to get close to their prey to kill it and may take multiple hits to take it down.  The way the humans get food are way better than that of animals.
     This brings me into my next topic, guns.  Guns greatly changed the way of humans.  Guns give the ability to kill in an instant.  As said, above, guns help us with hunting, but i feel that it has gone too far.  Ever since they were invented, guns have been used to end conflicts and gain power.  From showdown in the old west to gang battles and wars, guns are used to kill.  Is this really necessary?  I think its crazy.  I have no idea why someone would want to or even have the will to kill another person.  How could they live with themselves for the rest of their life knowing they took the life of someone else.  This is what sets us apart from every other living being out there.  We kill our own kind.  Other animals would never do this.  Sure there are animals that fight for power.  However, the loser accepts his defeat and backs off.  They dont fight to the death like some humans do.  Guns have been a greatly bad influence on human beings.
     The technological advances of human beings is what sets us apart from everythign else.  Humans are the only living beings on Earth that can use electricity.  Electricity and other inventions help us do everyday tasks taht would be very hard without them.  Also, good technology keeps up healthy, or helps us recover our health.  The difinitive characteristic of human beings in technology.

[CE] Copycat

 
 
     So I was searching through the Al Jazeera videos and i found this one.  Don't hate me for this, but I am not very interested in what is happening around the world.  So when i found this video about electronics and the internet, I immediatly knew I would pick it.  This is the first time I've seen anything about Google+, and it seems like it is exactly like facebook.  I personally, have no intension on switching to Google+.  It seems a lot more like a business site, advertising the ability of conference calls.  Also, I dont like the way that google accounts are controlled.  Ever since Google teamed up (or bought) with Youtube, I have had to switch my Google account every time I transition between Youtube and Blogger.  If Google+ makes me make a new account, it be just be way too much hassle.
     I really don't see the reason why anyone would want to switch to this.  It seems to me like after failing to buy Facebook, Goggle just attempted to make their own.  In the video, the man starts out by saying "it looks like Facebook."  All of the features are pretty much the same, such as pictures, groups, and comments.  Another thing is that Google+ only has 25 million "subscribers."  First of all, what do subscribers mean?  Are they users or people who just think it looks interesting and want updates from it.  If people were to join Google+, they would have to get their friends or collegues to join too, unlike Facebook, which already has 750 million users.  i might be wrong, but I do not think that Google+ will be a success any time soon.

[RE] Creepy

I like this quote from Calvin's blog.

It was dark, and by dark, I mean REAL dark.  I literally couldn't see my hands in the pitch-black darkness, even though I placed them right in front of my eyes.  The temperature of the room was surprisingly chilly, as the cold sent shivers down my spine.

     I enjoyed reading this story about a man in a dark room.  It was very descriptive and it responded to the promt perfectly.  While I was reading the story, I really felt like I was in the room with the man.  The unique this about this story is that Calvin modeled it after an actual place.  But whats up with that room that you modeled it after?  I thought it would be a nice bedroom or something because you were talking about a dresser.  However, it was an old abandoned kitchen or something.  I was kinda creeped out when I clicked the link and saw that picture.  But all in all it was a nice story.
     The one thing I would criticize is the ending.  I think you told me that you cut it off or something because it was getting too long, but I feel the story would have been a lot better if you expanded on the ending.  " I was a little apprehensive on turning on the lights, since I didn't know where I was, but in the end, I'll have to turn it on anyways."  This was a real cliffhanger.  I kept thinking about what would happen if he did turn on the lights.  Going back to the picture, the fact that it was like all creepy made me think something would pop out or like a booby trap would go off.  So yea, you should maybe do a free post continuing this story?  I would like to read it.  But good job on this story, i look foward to your future posts.

[BC] Escape

A person is looking for an object in a darkened room

     Once upon a time, there was a young man named Matt.  He was in search for the perfect place to start up his own sauna and hot spring resort.  Unfortunately, another gourp of people had the same idea.  One day, as Matt was hiking along, looking for a hot spring, he was attacked from behind and knocked out. 
     "Hey! Let me go!" Matt screamed as he was dragged down an unknown, dark hallway.  

     He tried to struggle, but the stiff, unbreakable handcuffs restrained him.  The firm grip of a mysterious man forcing him the hall caused Matt to panic.  Where was he being taken?  Matt could faintly see a door in the distance.  He wondered where it led to.  When they reached the door, the man let go and unlocked the two deadbolts on it.  As he threw Matt inside, he said in a deep voice, "Here, you will find the key to your release."

     He looked around, but could not see anything. A large amount of sweat ran down his face and started to dampen his shirt.  The words of the mysterious man kept running through Matt's head.  Why would he be put into a place where we could get free?  Matt knew he had to stop thinking about it and direct his full attention on trying to escape.  His first task, get out of the handcuffs.  Quickly, he made his way to a wall.  He turned around and felt it with his hands.  It was smooth and cold, with a few screws in it.  It must be metal.  Matt scaled the wall, in an attempt to find something useful.  Within a minute, he tripped over a study wooden table and faceplanted on the floor.  Lucky, it was a soft, comfortable carpet.  It was a struggle for Matt to get up without the use of his hands.  He felt aroung the table, it was rough and Matt cringed when a large splinter stuck into his pointer finger.  He quickly pulled it out and could feel his warm blood quickly running down his arm.  Matt searched more and hes extactic when he felt something metal.  It was a key!  Matt immediately tried the key on his handcuffs, but to his dismay, it didn't work.

     It was late, and Matt grew tired.  He had to find a place to sleep for the night.  Continuing to scale the wall, Matt stubbed his toe on something hard.  A ticklish feeling was sent throughout his body and his toe started pulsing.  He inspected the object, and to his amaze, it was a bed!  The bed was soft, and warm; perfect except for the fact that there was not a pillow.  Matt awoke and continued his search.  After finding nothing on the rest of the walls, he slowly made his way to what he figured was the middle of the room.  He heard a dripping sound, like water.  He followed the sound and found the dripping water.  Matt jumped as he tounched it.  The water was burning hot, too hot to drink.  Where was it coming from?  Was it cooking?  Unfortunately, Matt could not smeel and food.  The only smeel was his own body odor whafting throughout the room.  Inteligently, Matt got on his back and gently rolled around so that he would not trip or stub his toe again.  

     After an hour of rolling around, Matt finally ran into something.  It was smooth and wooden.  Felling around, he concluded it was a chest, then later found it had a lock.  A lightbulb immediately lit in Matt's head.  The key!  It must be for this lock.  Matt unlocked the chest and inside was another key!  This time, it did work for his handcuffs.  Matt was free of this bind, but he still had to escape from the room.  He made his way back to the bed and prepared to sleep, ready to get out of the room tomorrow.  The next day, Matt found new life with the use of his hands.  He speedily made his way around the room, searching everywhere.  Reaching up in a corner, he found a shelf with a flashlight on it.  Matt felt that the battery would not last long, so he had to move fast.  Looking around, he could not find any way to escape.  Then he saw it!  the boiling hot water was coming out of an air vent.  Matt now knew how to escape, but he could not figure out how to reach the vent.

     Thinking hard, Matt concluded that his best chance was move the table or the bed.  He went to the bed, but it bolted to the ground, immovable.  The table was not much better.  It was not attached to the floor, but it was immensely heavy.  Matt strained so hard to even move it an inch.  After hours of intense pushing and pulling, he finally got the table under the air vent.  OH NO!  The table is too short.  Matt waves the flashlight around, and then he sees it.  The chest.  It's just big enough to for Matt to reach the vent.  However, right as Matt was about to attempt to open the vent, the flishlight dies.  Again Matt is in complete darkness.  He grabs onto the cover of the vent and pulls as hard as he can.  It comes loose, but when he grabs onto the edge, whe water bunrs his hands.  A stinging felling pulses through his body and his hands start to numb.  Matt powers through the pain and crawls through the vent.  Then he found it.  The source of the water.  It was a hot spring that melted through the vent.  He struggled to make his way out through the super hot springs, but was finally free.  Matt was now able to start up his very successful business and lived happily ever after.  THE END!

[Free] just horrible...

HOLY CRAP!!!!!
     By far the most exciting game of the NFL thus far.  Raiders vs Bills.  Both teams 1-0, playing at Buffalo.  This game got my heart beating so fast.  The first half was dominated by the Raiders.  They took an early 14 point lead, and ended the half up 21-3.  But, during the second half, the Bills come roaring back.  Scoring 21 straight points and taking their first lead of the game.  The two teams each get a touchdown, then the Raiders get the ball back.  Jason Campbell throws a booming 50 yard pass to Moore.  Touchdown Raiders. 
     Janikoski kicks a touchback, so Buffalo gets the ball at the 20 yard line with 3 minutes and 20 seconds left to go.  With one minute left, the Bills convert on fourth down.  With only 18 seconds left, it's fourth down again and Fitzpatrick throws a 6 yard touchdown pass.  Boffalo takes the lead 38-35, only 14 seconds left in the game.  The kickoff is a touchback, so Oakland has to get at least 35 yards for even a chance at tying the game with a field goal.  Campbell completes a pass down the middle, but it's only 24 yards.  They have to go for one last hail mary throw. With one second left on the clock, Campbell launches the ball down the field.  It is intercepted at the goal line.
     I was devastated by this game.  The Raiders were playing so well, then they just fell apart.  I'm just gonna be so bumbed out for the rest of the day.  Hopefully, the 49ers game will cheer me up a little.

[CE] US Open Finals

This is an exciting news story.

Serbia's Novak Djokovic has beaten Rafael Nadal of Spain 6-2 6-4 6-7 6-1 to win the US Open final at Flushing Meadows.

     I was not happy about this match because  I am a Rafael Nadal fan.  This match was almost complete domination by Djokovic.  Navak, being the world number 1, was favored, but not by that much. However, Djokovic has been playing great tennis this year, having only lost 2 matches, so it was not a complete surprise that he triumphed over Nadal.  The thing that I am most surprised about is how easily Djokovic won.  Nadal was dominated in every set except the third, where he narrowly won in a tiebreak.  Rafael broke Novak's serve six times, but his own serve was broken eleven times.  This year alone, Djokovic has won 64 matches  and three of the four grand slam tournaments, further extending his first place lead.
     My parents are huge tennis fans.  They watch tennis as much as possible, even recording every match of every tournament.  Whenever tennis is on, they hog the t.v. and I can't watch anything else.  So because of this, I know a fair amount about who's who in tennis. Ever since I started watching tennis, Nadal has been one of my favorite players.  I was super happy when he overtook Roger Federrer for the number one spot, but super sad when he lost it to Djokovic.  Unfortunately, i was not able to see the match because something went wrong with my DVR, and the match did not record.  There were many rain delays during the US Open, which changed the schedual of the games and messed up the tv listings.  My parents were very mad that they didnt get to see it.  Next year, I hope Nadal can comback strong and take back the position of the number one tennis player in the world.

[RE] Where Would You Hide It?

This quote from Steven's blog caught my eye

So the other day as I was flipping through channels on my television, I came across this  show where it is a money game. I think this was how the game was played hide the money and not let the cops find it.

     I watch this show.  It's called Take the Money and Run, and it has become one of my favorite shows lately.  But, first of all, the contestants only hide 100,000 dollars, not one million.  Although I do not think I've seen the episode you were describing about the case getting stuck in the crack, I have seen just about every other episode of the first season.  I agree that it is very interesting how the game works.  There are two professional interigators that work for the show and help the detectives who try to find the case.  The interigators never change, but the detectives are different for each city.  Personally, I don't like the interigators because they are really mean and lie a lot.  Plus they use the same tactics every episode which makes the show somewhat boring. 
     The most interesting aspect of the show is variety.  Each episode showcases a different pair of contestants, each with their own unique ideas of how to hide the case with 100,000 dollars in it.  Some of the contestants were brothers, spouses, best friends, and a father daughter pair.  The hiding spots included in a bush, under woodchips, and in a friend's house.  As Steven said,  the contestants are treated like real criminals.  This is one of the main factors that decides if the contestants win or not.  Each pair copes with the situation is different ways.  Being all alone for 48 hours except for two interigators trying to break you, can take a big toll on your body.  One team actually quit in the middle of the game because the pressure was too much.  All in all, this is a great show and i suggest you watch it.  I cant wait for the next season.

[Free] MNF-1st half

     Are you ready for some football?
     Tonight is the long awaited game between the Oakland Raiders and the Denver Broncos.  These teams are rivals in the AFC West division of the NFL.  Oakland is at a slight disadvantage heading into the game.  For starters, the game is being held is Denver, so the Broncos have the support of the crowd.  Also, the Raiders lost one of their best palyers, Nnamdi Asomugha, to free agency.  However, the Raiders have almost the same starting lineup as last season in which they went 8-8, whereas the Broncos were on 4-12.  The Raiders are one of my favorite teams and i believe that they will pull out a win and start their season off good...
...So far it's been an exciting game.  The first quarter is over and there has already been a couple notable plays.  The first one, unfortunately, was a fumble by Jacoby Ford, a Raider, which led to a field goal for the Broncos.  On the other hand,  a player for Oakland made made a play that is rarely seen in the NFL.  Darryl Blackstock blocked a punt!  This gave the Raiders great field position and an oppertunity to take the lead, or at least tie the game...
...TOUCHDOWN RAIDERS!!!  Three yard pass from Cambell to Reese and Sebastian Janikowski easily makes the extra point to give Oakland a four point lead.  Fumble by Denver and Oakland recovers!  The Raiders again have excellent field position and can further extend their lead.  Fourth down and raining, but Janikowski makes the 37 yard field goal.  Janikowski kicks a 63 yard field goal to end the half, the longest of his career in an actual game.  Oakland leads 16-3.  The Raiders seem to be in good position to take their first game and gain an early lead in the AFC West.
    

[RE] Better Schools

This is a response to Adam Redfield's post.

While I believe education is something that needs serious reforming, I am lost as to what I can do, without hindering my own educational competitiveness, to change our educational system for the better.

      I completely agree with what Adam says.  Us little high school students have no control over what happens with our schools.  Alameda is a prime example of this.  The first time Measure A was voted on, it did not pass.  Luckily, Measure A passed the seond time.  But what if it didn't pass?  Our school system would be in ruins.  I think that two of the middle schools would be closed down and everyone would be jammed into Alameda High School and Encinal.  With the freshmen who came in this year, Alameda High is already packed.  Think of how it would be if two more grades were forced to go to Alameda High. Most  students in high are not even able to vote.  We had no power on if our schools would be saved or not.
     At the beginning of his post, Adam talked about how all of these other countries are protesting to help their schools, but we are not.  California is one of the last states in school funding.  Californians should be the ones protesting the school system.  Another good point that Adam makes is that it would take a lot of time and effort; and without a lot of people, the protests would not be very successful.  I also don't feel as though high school students would have the manpower, or the respectability to pull off successful protests. 
     All in all, I really agree that our educational system needs a lot of reforming.  Also, student should have a say in what goes on in the schools.

[CE] Revenge is a dish best served HOT

I just found this interesting news story

At least 25 people have been killed and several wounded in suicide bombings near a government compound in the Pakistani city of Quetta bordering Afghanistan.

     Al-Qaeda operatives were arrested, and as a result, violent suicide bombings.  The first was a car bomb outside the Deputy Inspector General Frontier Corps residence.  A suicide bomber blew himself up with with the car.  The second bombing was inside a house.  The suicide bomber blew himself up killing many people.  The second bombing took place within five minutes of the first one.  The Taliban took full responsiblity for the attacks.
     I do not see why these bombings were neccesary.  Just because some operatives were arrested, there is no reason why the Taliban need to explode two boms and kill 25 people, while wounding almost 100.  It makes perfect sense that they would be mad because the operatives were arrested, but they just took it too far.  It's not like the bombings will change much.  Violence will only tighten the grip on the al-Qaeda operatives, not lead to their release. The one thing that i dont get is why the Taliban did it.  What did they gain from the bombings?  In my opinion, they should of at least tried to bargain with the people who arrested the operatives and threatened to bomb is the operatives were not released.  I guess now people know the consequences if more operatives are arrested.
     In the future, the Taliban could use these attacks as leverage in another situation.  Suicide bombers can easily blend into the community.  The Taliban can then treaten to blow up the bombs if they cant get what they want.  This is the only logical reason i see for these two bombings.

[Free] CoD

     Call of Duty is one of the most successful game franchises of all time.  It is in the same division as franchises such a Mario and Pokemon.  Call of Duty was a huge leap in the category of first person shooters.  Infinity Ward, one of the makers of the games, revolutionized first person shooters when they released Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare.  The new game engine and advances in guns, especially snipers, made Call of Duty 4 a big success.  A year later, Treyarc made the game, Call of Duty 5: World at War.  This game introduced a whole new aspect to first person shooters, zombie mode.  Zombie mode is a separate part of the game where you are stuck in a certain area and you and your team try to survive as long as possible against zombie attacks.  You can find super weapons in zombie mode, such as the ray gun, that do massive damage to zombies and cannot be obtained in the regular game. 
     Infinity Ward came back the next year with a huge hit, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2.  This game is the second most sold game in the Call of Duty franchise.  It is best known for its great sniping.  Many people play Modern Warfare 2 to quickscope, which is when you are scoping in with your sniper, but you shoot just before you are fully scoped in and can see ur opponent in your scope.  trickshooting with snipers became very popular and define the game to this day.  The newest game, Call of Duty: Black Ops is not liked by most people because of its difficulty in sniping.  However, it has sold the most copies, mainly because of its advances in zombie mode.  I can't wait until november when Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 comes out.

[BC] All About Me

     Hello.  My name is Justin Nguyen.  I was born in Berkeley, and now live in Alameda.  I am fifteen and go to Alameda High School.  My ethnicity is half Vietnamese, one-fourth Filipino, three-sixteenths Spanish, and one-sixteenth German.  My dad is full Vietnamese, and my mom is a mix of Filipino, Spanish, and German.  My dad, his three sisters, two brothers, and my grandparents were forced to leave Vietnam because of the Vietnam War.  They flew to the United States on a US military plane.  My parents met and lived in Hayward before moving to Alameda.
     I am the middle child in my family.  I have an older sister, who is a senior at Alameda High School, a younger brother, who is in seventh grade, and two dogs.  Because my dad has five siblings, I have a lot of cousins.  Every Christmas and Thanksgiving, all of our families get together and have a big party.  Also, every summer, we take a family trip to places such as Hawaii and Mexico.  My favorite family trip was the first time we went to Hawaii.  We went to Maui for my aunt's wedding.  It was one of my first times out of California.  My family rented a giant house that could hold all twenty five of us, equipped with a private pool and a beach not far away. We stayed for a week and all went home happy.  Another really fun trip was when I went to Mexico.  We again rented a big house with a private pool.  However, this house had a beach right in the backyard.  My uncle and me went fishing and i caught my first fish ever.
     I started school when I was 3 at Godfrey Preschool.  The year after I went to Lydecker Preschool, then Amelia Earhart Elementary School.  I stayed at Amelia Earhart from Kindergarten to fifth grade, even though in third grade, I moved to a house closer to Bay Farm.  After Amelia Earhart, I went to Lincoln Middle Scholl, which so far, is my favortie school.  Going to middle school was a big change in pace from elementary school.  It was the first time I had a different teacher for each subject and a free lunch.  As said above, I now go to Alameda High School.  My favorite part of high school is the off-campus lunch.  I can go anywhere around the school such as TapEx, Subway, and sometimes even McDonalds.
     This year in English class, I have many writing goals i wish to accomplish.  The main aspect of my writing I want to improve on is transitions and conclusions.  The ending senteces of my paragraphs and my concluding paragraph were always the weakest of my essays.  Also, in my writing, I would like to be able to write longer, more descriptive sentences with better adjectives, therefore enhanceing my vocabulary.  I want to start writing about sports, especially pro football.  I like to keep up with current trades and who's leading each division,  I'd like to write about them in an analytical way.  I hope you liked learning about me and look foward to my future posts.