Urban  gardens  are  popping  up  all  over.  From  bustling  cities,  to  small,  quaint  homes,  

urban  gardens  and  living  roofs  are  becoming  some  of  the  most  common  ways  of  

lowering  urban  air  temperature,  providing  greenery  in  places  dominated  by  

skyscrapers  and  taxis,  and  giving  people  a  place  to  grow  and  sustain.      

Sustainability  may  be  a  rather  difficult  thing  to  imagine  in  a  city.  The  sheer  number  

of  vehicles,  pollution  and  people  make  the  city  seem  a  difficult  place  to  have  

ecologically  friendly  practices.    Although  this  may  all  be  true-­‐-­‐  the  cars,  the  people,  

the  pollution-­‐-­‐  there  is  a  movement  growing,  and  very  rapidly  at  that,  which  is  fully  

rooted  in  practicing  a  sustainable  lifestyle.    

Urban  sustainability  isn’t  necessarily  a  new  concept.  What  is  new,  is  the  strength  

and  respect  it  has  been  gaining  in  the  past  ten  years  or  so.  Not  only  have  individuals  

been  taking  initiative  to  maintain  a  small  garden  in  the  city,  but  whole  metropolitan  

areas  themselves  have  pledged  to  apply  more  sustainable  practices  throughout  their  

city.    This  movement  has  lead  to  growing  roofs  in  Chicago,  a  plethora  of  small-­‐scale  

urban  gardens  in  Portland,  and  countless  community  gardens  throughout  the  

county.  The  benefits  from  these  agricultural  practices  are  countless.  Urban  gardens  

provide  food  for  the  grower,  as  well  as  a  source  of  income  if  they  choose  to  sell  at  a  

local  farmers  market.  Likewise  urban  sustainability  lowers  surrounding  

temperature  and  creates  a  more  bio  diverse  environment  in  the  surrounding  area.    

Like  urban  gardens  and  living  roofs,  wind  generators  are  being  implemented  all  

over  the  world,  in  many  different  ways.  From  small,  personal  wind  turbines,  to  fields  

with  them  as  far  as  the  eye  can  see,  wind  turbines  are  becoming  an  increasingly  

popular  way  of  generating  power  in  a  sustainable  manner.  Perhaps  one  of  the  

largest  and  most  well  known  off  shore  wind  farms  resides  off  the  coast  of  the  

Netherlands  in  the  North  Sea.  Costing  200  million  euros,  the  36-­‐turbine  farm  will  

produce  electricity  for  100,000  homes  in  Amsterdam.    

Below  is  a  picture  of  the  Twelve  West  building  in  Portland,  OR.  The  building  is  

mixed  use,  and  the  first  of  its  kind  in  Portland.  The  four  turbines  provide  roughly  

1%  of  the  building’s  energy.    

 

 

Creating  sustainable  products  means  using  materials  that  can  be  fully  reused  once  

the  product  has  reached  the  end  of  its  life.  It  means  creating  a  culture  committed  to  

sustainability  and  exploration.  It  means  being  able  to  take  the  risk  of  running  

independent  from  recourses  we  have  been  using  and  abusing  on  for  so  long.      

 

Although  there  are  companies  who  are  dedicating  themselves  to  creating  

sustainable  products,  they  are  far  too  uncommon,  and  far  too  expensive  for  the  

average  consumer.  One  company  at  the  forefront  of  the  sustainable  product  

movement  is  a  clothing  company  based  out  of  Portland,  OR  called  Nau.  Nau’s  honest  

approach  to  clothing  design  with  sustainable  fundamentals  has  made  their  company  

a  favorite  for  people  who  appreciate  well-­‐designed,  sustainable,  outdoor  apparel.  

However,  Nau’s  clothing  is  not  without  its  faults.  If  you  choose  to  purchase  Nau  

clothing,  be  prepared  to  spend  upwards  for  $100  for  a  t-­‐shirt  alone.  Nau’s  high  

prices  are  derived  primarily  from  the  fabrics  they  choose  to  use,  in  order  to  keep  

sustainability  the  number  one  priority  in  their  gear.  Although  they  state  clearly  that  

a  fully  sustainable  fabric  does  not  exist,  they  do  explain  the  criteria  for  one  that  may  

come  close.  They  evaluate  each  fabric  off  of  three  areas  of  criteria:  Beginning  of  

life/End  of  life  strategy,  the  Restricted  Substances  list,  and  Traceability.  Each  of  

these  points  of  analysis  dictate  weather  or  not  a  product  is  made  and  transported  in  

a  sustainable,  and  ethical  manner.  However  this  often  leads  to  hand  made,  small  run  

fabrics,  transported  with  the  fewest  amount  of  detours  possible.    

Emma Quarterman

Life

We are experiencing life, but are we living? One could argue that life is actually a higher

consciousness, and our experience is an imitation of what life would be like if we were actually

alive. Living in every moment, aware of every breath, and detail of the environment is the real

living. Who can say they are living based on that definition? As these words are manifesting on

this new Microsoft word document, and music is plugged into my head, my awareness is fully

on electronic things. So, if life is arguably not being lived, how does technology affect our

chances at life?

At younger and younger ages kids are using cell phones, iPods, and computers. They are

smarter with new technology than their parents for the most part. Life has been easy for the

generations. When a question arises in which the answer is unknown, in only moments using a

smart phone, laptop, or iPhone, the answer most likely will be found. Meanwhile, on the bus

little Billy is looking up the answer to a question that was on his science homework, not aware

of the man next to him, eyeing his bag with other valuable technological devices. Billy is also

not aware of the beautiful sunrise and the deer that were causing traffic in the middle of town.

He found the answer to the science question. He looks up. The woman across from him looks at

him and smiles in an “aww you’re so cute, like my grandson” kind of look. He feels awkward

and looks back to his phone, and finds something to do like a game, or another science

question, or maybe start a conversation with a friend through texting.

At this rate the future will be filled with people looking down, “living in a virtual world”,

entertained and distracted from the richness of life on earth. Of course there will always be

those who rebel against the technological world, but the rest of the people will be fully

immersed in it. Do the kids of today know how to interact with strangers, or have their habitual

habits of escaping been formed by particularly portable technology? With technology, why be

socially capable and aware? Much of the population are always in the virtual world, and

business, communication, and knowledge all take place there, then real people, real life, or a

real experience are “so last year”.

In this day and age, if a person doesn’t have the common technology, their experience

can have a handicap. Without at least a cell phone and a computer, life is harder to attain new

knowledge, constantly keep track of time, and especially communicate. Everyday experiences

are harder, not impossible, however not desired by most people. This time, Little Billy doesn’t

have a cell phone, and he never has had very many valuables. He is on the bus and the man

next to him has no valuables to eye. Billy is aware of him, and feels weird energy from him-

maybe switches seats or just holds his stuff and looks out the window. He notices the beautiful

sunrise and is intrigued by the many dear causing traffic. The woman across from him smiles at

him in a way that he relates to a mutual appreciation to the beauty of the world, they connect

on an open intellectual level. Billy can feel this and says, “Good morning”. The woman’s eyes fill

with happiness and a tear drop. “Thank you, this morning is a good one, good morning to you

as well, “the woman says. Billy is young, and the woman is older, but in this moment they are

equal and have something in common. They are alive. Both people are grateful and moved by

the moment on the bus, that they maybe go through their day noticing and appreciating what

isn’t man made and exists simply as life and for our appreciation.

Contemplating life and the closed mindedness that we as people experience with or

without technology, causes sadness to arise within me. Imagining a world where people are

more closed in and distracted by unreal things provokes the thought that we as people may

never be fully living, and that life as a whole could become dominantly virtual, and the

definition of life from the beginning, will be a myth, and an out-there idea. When Billy is grown

up he will tell his grandkids of a time when something as simple as a women smiling, or a

sunrise could make his day, and then his grandkids will take out their phones look up sunset

and say, “Like this grandpa? This is a sunrise!” Billy will see a Photo shop enhanced image of

what a sunset looks like. Billy says to his grandchildren that the picture they found is what a

sunset looks like in the virtual world and that when the sun was about to rise and set that he

would show them something real, the real thing, something that their friends couldn’t

appreciate.

Kayla Weiss

12/1/11

Web 2.0

Social Networking-

Social networking is ruining many people’s

ability to communicate maturely as a society, and

is taking over every other aspect of our online and

sometimes offline lives. Escaping the various sites

taking over our lives online is impossible, and when

offline, people are always talking about what so-

and-so did on Twitter or Facebook. People are so attached to social media that users now carry their social media around in their pockets. Not only is social networking dangerous, but causing people to lose their ability to effectively communicate in any other way.

According to the LA Times, in a study done this

year, 88% of online teens have witnessed someone being mean or cruel on a social networking

site. That means on average, 9/10 kids witness someone being mean to someone else online.

Now, statistics don’t go into much detail, but it seems that social networking has created yet

another place for people to verbally abuse one another. The fact that social networking has

become a breeding ground for cyber bullies was probably not the desired outcome of the

various social networking sites, but that is what it has become: a virtual playground on which

bullies roam around looking for their next victims. Unfortunately, these bullies aren’t just going

to be the kind to knock your ego down a few notches and post embarrassing things about you,

29% of teens on Facebook have been stalked by someone they don’t know according to

TopTenReviews.com. That means that not only are people being abused, but also being

stalked, thanks guys you have truly made life better.

We can’t even blame the people being mean though, teenagers apparently don’t know how

to keep themselves safe. In a similar study done by TopTenReviews.com, 55% on teens on

Facebook have given someone they don’t know some sort of personal information like, pictures

or descriptions of themselves. These statistics are just from Facebook, so imagine how they

would change if you added in sites like Twitter, Tumblr and Blogger. In an ideal world, people

would be smart enough to not tell people they don’t know anything about themselves, but we

don’t live in that world. Instead we live in a world where people get prayed upon while they are

chatting with their friends on Facebook. Society gets a “double dose” with social media because

it’s dangerous and annoying. On just about every website users will go to these days has what

is called a social media plugin. Those are those little buttons on the side of the page where

you can “like” it on Facebook or Tweet it. This is just perpetuating our country’s obsession with

telling everyone what is going on in our lives. Thanks to modern technology, users can now

tweet from their table to tell all of their followers how fantastic the gazpacho was. Now that all of

those fun facts we used to use to start conversations are online, what is their to talk about now?

Twitter has

kindly published some numbers for us.

According to Twitter, 50,000,000 tweets

are posted each day. That is around 600

per second. Who has time for that?

Definitely a big contributor to the sudden

surge of people feeling the need to narrate their lives online, is the easy access to mobile social networking. People now can just hop on their phones and send a quick text to their preferred site and, boom! One more addition to the running total of people who feel the need to put their lives online. Between 2009 and 2010, the number of Tweets grew 1,400%. Now try to say that social networking isn’t taking over our lives.

It seems that mobile networking is

more of problem than desktops. 91% of people using a mobile web are using it for social

networking as opposed to the 79% of desktop users. So now, instead of just waiting to tweet

about this guy who peed on his shoes, you can do a play-by-play, “Dude he’s peeing!” “Eww

now it’s all over his shoes!” “Woah he just fell over!” Yes, the world is better off with the

invention of mobile social media. This isn’t just a United States phenomenon either, Pc World

published that in France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK, mobile social networking has

grown by 44%. Now, not only does the US have a problem, its spreading to the whole world, it’s

a pandemic.

Granted, there are legitimate uses for social networking. For instance, businesses have

benefited hugely from this exposure. Almost every business you go into now a days will have a

little sign on the counter saying “follow us on Facebook and Twitter!”, or on the website they’ll

have their social media linked. This is not a bad idea from a business stand point, most potential

costumers are online, so logically that is where they business will go.

Honestly, social networking is not helping people at all. It’s allowing people to be abused,

stalked, and harassed online. People are spending so much time on these sites that it’s

detracting from people’s ability to focus on the here and now. It started out as a good idea,

websites where you can chat with people and share videos and pictures with them, but society

couldn’t handle it and now it’s out of control. Unfortunately, people are so plugged in there isn’t

much to do.

Jesse Larson

Around the world, students of all ages use the Internet daily as a resource to help them

learn and study. In this day and time, many different ways are available for people to find what

they are looking for. Some of the most popular websites students use are called “research tools”,

because they have very accessible articles and basic information about a broad range of topics.

Depending on the website, users can look through their list of categories, or type in a search bar

for what they are looking for. These sites are extremely beneficial when is comes to the

accessing articles, pictures, timelines, biographies, instructions, and facts. The importance of

books cannot be denied because their content is always reliable. However, the Internet is much

faster, and can help students get more information in a shorter period of time. Some of the most

common sites available are Infoplease, Fact Monster, Wolfram Alpha, and FindHow. These four

websites all have disadvantages, but clearly that the knowledge that students can gain from any

of them is beneficial to their education.

Infoplease is a useful website, if users are able to find what they are looking for. When

someone accesses Infoplease for the first time, the homepage can be slightly overwhelming. All

along the top and left side, different categories listed out to click on, such as, world & news,

history & government, arts & entertainment, etc. On the right side, flashy ads catch users’

attention and distract them. The rest of the space

in the middle is filled up with popular articles,

events, biographies, quizzes, crossword puzzles, and anything else that might pull people in.

Once they get over the initial shock of how busy that page is, users can type in the topic of

interest in the search bar on the top of the page. They can also search the different categories to

find what they are looking for. Some users may have a hard time doing this unless they know

exactly what they are looking for and what category it would be in. However, once the right

topic is found, the website is extremely useful. It holds all kinds of resources such as timelines,

biographies, articles, pictures, or any general facts that someone may want to know. Overall, the

site is crowded and visually unappealing. Nevertheless, Infoplease is helpful and informative.

Another research tool that is similar to Infoplease, but is aimed more towards kids, is Fact

Monster. This tool is owned by the creators of Infoplease, and therefore, has all the same

information and articles. The biggest difference between the two is the way they look. Many

users actually prefer the way Fact Monster is set up because it is much cleaner. The organization

is similar to Infoplease, except Fact

Monster is arranged in a much more

intuitive way. It also makes navigating

easier, and is considerably faster than Infoplease. Fact Monster also has fewer advertisements

which make it less cluttered and distracting. On the downside, it is more visually appealing to

children then adults. Many users don’t appreciate the lime-green background and funny, little

monster animation in the corner. However, despite the physical appearance, it is filled with

excellent and solid information that is easily accessible.

Wolfram Alpha is a research tool that differs from the first two in many ways. First of all,

it does not provide users with articles about their topic. The information is more general. For

example, if someone were to look up “Zimbabwe”, it would provide them with listed out

information about the population, demographics, geography, economy, capitol, etc. Many

people prefer this style, because the result is much more straightforward. Users are given the

simple facts, as opposed to page long articles to dig through. Wolfram Alpha can also be an

excellent source for students who need help with math. Users can enter any basic math problem

and the site will automatically present them with their answer. The layout of this website is also

desirable. It is simple and made up with only a couple

colors. The homepage is similar to Google’s homepage

and has very little besides the name and the search bar.

Therefore, it is always easy for students to find their

topic. Wolfram Alpha is good for anyone who is looking

for basic information. This can also be a disadvantage,

because it does not have as much detailed information as other websites have. However, with

Wolfram Alpha, users do not need to worry about long, drawn out articles, because it holds

nothing but solid fact.

FindHow is an interesting website that focuses more on giving users instructions on how

to do almost anything, as apposed to giving them facts or articles. For example, students can

learn how to write a powerful thesis statement, or how to write a research paper. It also provides

instructions on how to do things like make pasta salad, or paint with watercolors. Then, it takes

users to a link, where they are provided with directions

on how to do the requested topic. The organization of

this website is very easy to work with. Everything is

set up into very clear groups. Then, users can click on

different categories to go to, such as education, art, reading and writing, etc. FindHow is not at

all helpful if students are looking for information for the content of their paper, but can be an

excellent tool when it comes to producing quality schoolwork.

It is important that students of all ages learn more about the different research tools

available on the Internet. Depending on what the user needs or wants, any of these websites can

be very valuable. Fact Monster is filled with tons of good information on almost any subject, and

is very easy to work with because it is designed for kids. Almost anyone can use this site with

ease. Infoplease is not as quick and easy as Fact Monster in most cases, but if any users prefer

the busier, more sophisticated sites, or doesn’t care either way, Infoplease is also an excellent

tool. Wolfram Alpha is great for when students need to get quick and simple data about their

topic. FindHow is not good when students are researching to study for a test or write a paper, but

it can be an amazing tool when students need help with the logistics of their schoolwork. There

are so many opportunities for help with schoolwork available on the Internet. If every student

learns about these websites, it will change the whole way they look at research for the better.

History of Apple:

By Camille Lauer

[Apple 1]

Apple was not taken seriously and did not take off until Apple1 was presented at a local trade show. After Apple1 one was introduced it lifted off and became well known. Also with the Apple1 they created the Apple Disk that at the time was the most inexpensive, easy to use floppy drive.

[First Apple Logo]

In 1980 the Apple ||| was released and the company size had grown quite a bit, Apple had several thousand employees and started to sell computers abroad. Apple also took on more investors and important men who would make sure Apple would thrive as a “real business”.

[Apple 3][Steve Wozniak]In 1979 Steve Jobs only owned 11% of Apple so after being kicked off developing the Lisa personal computer due to his poor project management, he decided to take over someone else’s project and started to create the Macintosh.

In 1981 IBM released its first PC. IBM had some strong investors behind them and quickly IBM took control of the personal computer market. In any hopes of competing with IBM Apple would have to work quickly.

[Macintosh]John Scully was a very successful businessman, but he didn’t know much about the computer Industry. Before the release of the Macintosh Steve Jobs worked harder then ever to get developers to write programs for the new Macintosh.

In 1984, during the third quarter of the super bowl, Apple released there first commercial introducing the Macintosh. The scene depicts the IBM world being shattered by a new machine (the Macintosh). The Macintosh sold very well but due to the small amount of RAM space, and lack of hard drive connectivity made the sails lessen over time. [Macintosh commercial]

In 1985, Steve Jobs and John Scully begin to fight, John Scully thought Steve

Jobs was out of control; Steve Jobs thought John Scully new nothing about the computer industry. While John Scully was in China for a meeting Steve Jobs organized a board meeting. John Scully got word of this secret meeting and confronted Steve Jobs. To settle the fight the board took a vote and decided that John Scully would continue being president. Steve Jobs resigned that day.

In 1987, Apple introduced the Mac||. It became very popular very fast, shipping 50,000 Macs per month. Apple thought that Mac || would stay on top at least till the next decade.[Mac 2]

In 1990, the Mac was thrown off the table with the PC-clone. Then Windows 3.0 came out and could only run on the PC- clone.

In late 1991, PowerBooks were released and were an instant success. The PowerBooks were a new kind of computer they were Personal Digital Assistant (PDA).

[PowerBook]

In 1993 John Scully became board with Apple and put Spinder as the head of Apple. John Scully stayed chairman for a few months then resigned.

[John Scully]

In 1994 Apple introduced the PowerPC family, they were based on a PowerPC chip and were extremely fast for their time.

The main problem of Apple was building the actual computer. In June 1995 Apple had $1 billion dollars in backorders. They did not have the parts to build the computers.

[Gil Amelio]

In 1997 Apple held a press conference announcing there new strategies, Apple would sell computer online and over the phone. Also they introduced two new apple machines, the PowerMac G3 and the PowerBook G3.

[PowerBook G3][PowerMac G3]

[iMac]

In 1999 Steve jobs introduced the iBook, it brought a new look and style to the market.

[iBook]

[New iBook]

In 2002 Apple released iTools, which contained iSync, iCal, iLife, iMovie, iTunes, iPhoto and iDVD. [iLife]

[iDvd][iPhoto]

[iPod]

In 2004 the iPod mini came out, it was a smaller version of the original iPod and could hold more songs. Just like the original iPod it sold at a rapid rate.

[iPod Mini]

[Nano]

In 2007 Apple came out with the first version of the iPhone then only 12 months later the iPhone 3G was available.

[Original iPhone][iPhone 3G]

In 2010 the iPhone 4 was made available for both AT&T costumers and Version Wireless costumers.

[MacBook Air][iPod Mini][iPod Touch] [iPad][Apple TV] Conclusion: In my point of view the progression of Apple has made the inter web grow substantial amounts. From the first computers where you had dial up internet to now having internet any place you go this all would have never been possible with out the push of Apple technology. There have been many companies to come up with different Web technology, but I think Apple is thought of as more of the originator of computer technology. The technology we have today ten years ago would have been something out of a syfi movie, so in ten more years you can only imagine the types of things we will have come up with. Apple has created so many different gateways to the web; I think it is fair to say Apple has opened many peoples Eyes to the Web. The ways to reach the Web has grown with every new invention Apple has come up with and I think it will keep growing if we want it to or not.

Modern Man:

The effect of technology on human evolution

Evolution is amazing. If it wasn’t for evolution, there wouldn’t be any life past

microbes. The textbook definition of evolution is “change in the gene pool of a population

from generation to generation by such processes as mutation, natural selection, and genetic drift.

1” Some synonyms are development, growth, and process. Just like any type of

development, there has to be some sort of challenge to stimulate an adaption to that challenge, in an attempt to overcome it. Examples of this include being required to work out in some way to gain muscle, or read a book above “your level” to get better at reading. Technology plays into this process of short-term adaption greatly because it has made so much of day to day life very effort-minimal and accessible. Technology has either greatly influenced or controlled the way in which we eat and drink, sleep, travel, interact with each other, learn, and generally live. What do we have to adapt to? Instead of evolution changing humans to better survive in the natural world, evolution is now partly based on adapting to technology.

The most apparent way in which technology has affected human life is by controlling the majority of the food we eat and the drinks we drink. First of all, the availability of a huge range of foods has increased vastly since the industrial revolution. All major brands are mass produced and shipped all over the country, if not the world. This mass production of the majority of foods suggests that we don’t need to work, to eat, which teaches the brain to slows down the metabolism and takes much of the pleasure out of eating. This also makes it easier to overeat, or eat as a hobby, or simply to take up time. These patterns lead to the increased obesity rates throughout wealthy industrially caught up countries; not to mention that so much of the mass produced food is heavily processed- stripping vital nutrients and leaving just empty calories. Sometimes, these lost nutrients are later “enriched” back into the food. The food industry manipulates food so much that most people don’t even know what they’re eating a lot of the time. This makes for lots of the population to be easily overfed and undernourished.

Instead of our brains being wired by the natural environment around us, it’s starting to change to accommodate how we stay inside for the vast majority of every day. When the sun sets, instead of melatonin setting in and making us sleepy, we’ll just turn on a light, or hop on to a computer. Even when we’re not doing either of those, we might be texting, or watching TV until you fall asleep. All of these activities inhibit melatonin because they’re sources of artificial light. This is the main cause why people don’t remember their dreams or are sleep deprived in the morning when their alarm clock snaps them out of whatever sleep stage they happen to be in at that moment. Both falling asleep and waking up at a given time are functions that can be controlled without the use of technology to zone you out before falling asleep, or wake you up abruptly.

We no longer need to exert physical activity to travel. Travel is easy enough that anyone can just sit down, maybe press a pedal with your foot and speed to your destination. If you want to go somewhere a far distance away, same thing: you sit down and enjoy the

ride on a plane. This convenience is teaching us to expect to be escorted to whatever location you please by technology. This convenience has surpassed long just distance travel, an example being the Segway, which is actually allowed in many buildings and used as a substitute for walking.

An increasingly popular concern regarding technological advancement is how it affects social development in mainly kids, as well as social devolution in adults. Websites including but certainly not limited to Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Tumblr, Linkedin, Myspace, and MyYearbook. Other common social-based web services include chat rooms hosted by Aol, Yahoo!, Hotmail, Gmail, eBuddy and countless more provide what can be a replacement for actual socializing. This is extremely detrimental to younger kids who learn how to socialize online before learning how to socialize in life. Learning real-life social skills is hard to do as is, without the always inviting backup plan of a chat room. Think about it; how many times have you typed and sent something that you probably wouldn’t ever say in life? How many times have you seen something from someone that they’d never verbalize to you otherwise? This is an example of technological socializing deeming as more comfortable than real life.

Most influential on evolution, is that technology is affecting the way in which we learn. Instead of expecting to solve problems internally, we’re presented with the option of defaulting back to a search engine to present us with an answer. But how much is the answer really worth if you don’t need to know how to get to it yourself? This dependence on an external service to default back to, reduces the amount many people are willing to try to figure something out on their own. Is it not more satisfying knowing you figured something out independently? Or does that not matter anymore as long as the answer is right? In my opinion, I think being able to learn thing by yourself is a necessary skill, but to each their own.

The evolutionary future of human is quite strange to ponder. The evolution of technology has already reached unbelievable heights such as the first invisibility cloak, incredibly human-esque robots, raising human-sheep hybrids to use for organ transplants, the first robot controlled by an actual brain, military strength laser guns, even using water as a fuel source. These breakthroughs have all been made within the past year, so just imagine what will come in the future. In regards to evolution, mechanical technology has only been around since the early 1600s, which is only four hundred years ago, which is nothing when viewed in ordinance to the four point six billion year history of the Earth. Evolution naturally takes many many years for major physical changes to be noticed. But that’s natural evolution, without technological advancements to keep us alive, and speed up our ability to evolve. With that said, adaption to technology is quite easy to spot even from one generation to the next when it comes to “compatibility” between human and machine. To put this in an example- Who’s better at using a computer: your little sibling in elementary school or your 80-year old grandma? In my case, my little brother who’s in 4th grade could school my grandma at any aspect of technological access. Each new generation will be born more and more susceptible and compatible with what is modern technology. There’s no way to know for sure what changes technology will bring (until we create a future seeing device of course) but I can safely say that within the next few decades, technology is going to be beyond what we imagine today as possible. This will cause evolutionary changes, which could include loss of all hair (used evolutionarily in cold environments), due to the

availability of climate regulated and insulated environments, decreased muscle mass and general size due to the popularly and accessibility of technological transportation, and maybe even adaptions like growth of additional fingers (for typing faster). I say it’s only a matter of time before technology is more than an external resource and tool, but physically incorporated into our species. After all, the human body is electric; what will stop us from combining our technological creations literally into our species?

[1]

https://www.google.com/#hl=en&q=evolution&tbs=dfn:1&tbo=u&sa=X&ei=RNDgTvnjN9PfsQKTqd2iBw&sqi=2&ve

d=0CDgQkQ4&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_cp.,cf.osb&fp=e7d8eab4320252c1&biw=1440&bih=719

I didn’t want to be here.

I didn’t want to fight here.

Lose to him.

Lose my pride.

The dignity that remained.

My entire body feels like lead, I’m trembling like a frightened kitten. I’m helpless, hopeless, and

all but destroyed. I could collapse right here and it would do nothing but speed up the arrival of the

inevitable. Any sensible person would stop fighting and surrender.

But I would never admit it. I would never be able to bring myself to submit. Not to him, not to

anyone.

When he wins, he’ll take me back to that God-forsaken town in shackles to have me burned at

the stake. Hailed as a hero. I don’t want to die, though, that’s why I keep fighting him. Now I’m

cornered, blood spilling out of countless wounds and a sword weighing me down like a mountain pulling

at my wrists.

I braced myself for a final painful slam to the forest floor, the cold point of a sword pressed

against my neck as a warning not to get up.

“What’s the matter, Miss Tionne?” I can hear the smirk in his voice, but also a twinge of

something else.

Disappointment?

I don’t answer him, don’t look at him, don’t move but to breathe. A barely standing wisp of a

soldier at his complete mercy.

“I… I expected more from a soldier of your caliber, but I suppose you can only go so far as a

woman.” Disappointment is clear in his voice now, striking me harder and deeper than any blade ever

would be able to. A fire bloomed in the pit of my stomach, something familiar I felt in the heat of battle.

I heard his footsteps along the ground, crunching on the still-frosted leaves that had frozen

during the night. A reminder to me that it was early, yet.

One step closer… I taunt him inside my head, feeling the inferno’s rage doubling with every step

he took. The exhaustion vanished from my body, replaced by a pure rush of adrenaline and fighting

instinct took over and reversed our rolls.

He was staring up at me from the cold, hard ground with a grimace of pain spread across his

face. The point of my sword pressed against his neck and a small stream of blood seeped from the cut it

made. His sword had been disarmed, thrown ten feet and lodged deep in the trunk of an old birch. My

foot pressed down against his chest, a sick grin on my face spattered with blood from both my blood

and his own from the gash that had sealed his fate. Fiery locks of hair were matted with blood, making

them look even redder than they already were against his skin. Even the freckles across his nose

seemed pale in the early morning light.

He doesn’t struggle, neither of us move for a while. We each waited for the other to make some

kind of comment or find the strength for a killing blow. By now, the manic smile had vanished and we

both stared at each other.

I realized that I wanted him to stop me, to put up some barrier between himself and my sword.

I began to realize that, though some of us are bred for it, no human was meant to kill.

His eyes reflected mine, every thought and emotion mirrored in complete honesty.

He wanted me to stop myself, put up a barrier of safety between the two of us.

We didn’t want to die, we didn’t want to kill.

I glance off into the woods, away from the town where I was supposed to die—and he was

supposed to die, when he failed to retrieve me. The way suddenly looked open, welcoming, I’d even go

so far to call it tantalizing.

The way to freedom? I thought so.

I step off his chest, dropping my sword and offering my hand. He hesitates for a moment, but

takes it to pull himself up. We are armed with hunting knives still, for food and survival, but the way is

both harsh and promising.

I walk out of the clearing, quickly followed by my new friend. Our weapons abandoned behind

us and a future like no other opened up in our path.

“A human being is a soldier, fighting for their deepest hopes and dreams.”

~Anonymous

Adam  Sandler  12/2/11  Web  2.0  Literary  Mag  Micro  Fiction       “Dale,  what  are  you  trying  to  do  this  time  you  loon?”       Without  warning,  the  strange  tripod-­‐shaped  contraption  twitched.  Four  neon  red  prongs  unsteadily  escalated  along  the  sides  of  this  strange  machine.  

A  look  of  disapproval  came  over  Mr.  McDougall.  He  knew  his  friend  for  his  unconventional  tendencies.  Brilliant,  though  he  was,  Dale  always  made  the  most  absurd  contraptions—  things  no  one  would  ever  buy.  

“I  tell  you,  this  is  a  waste  of  raw  materials.  Where  did  you  get  that  neon  tint  anyway?”  

Dale  was  a  quirky  fool.  It  had  been  four  years  since  neon  had  come  to  fashion.  Even  for  Dale,  finding  such  materials  must  have  surely  been  an  ordeal.  Mr.  McDougall  began  to  feel  sorry  for  his  friend;  he  knew  his  work  would  be  in  vain,  yet  he  dared  not  stop  him.  

“Just  a  little  more…”  said  the  fool.     Suddenly,  the  machine  seemed  to  break  down.  Six  hinges  fell  to  the  machine’s  sides  and  the  smell  of  burning  filled  the  area.  On  the  corpse  of  his  invention,  Dale  placed  a  small  canister  where  the  hinges  had  been.  Mr.  McDougall  frowned.  Dale  looked  at  him  with  the  eyes  of  an  excited  dog.     “What  are  you-­‐”?     “Just  watch!”     The  hinges  flipped  back  up,  taking  the  machine  with  it.  The  contraption  began  to  rise  as  if  it  were  a  dragon  spreading  its  wings.  Mr.  McDougall  stumbled  backwards.  Sparks  flew  this  way  and  that  as  the  machine  grew  to  its  most  formidable  position.  Despite  all  likelihoods  Dale’s  invention  had  abruptly  come  back  to  life.  Five  consecutive  beeps  came  out  of  the  machine  and  Dale  warned  him  to  stand  back.     To  his  upmost  surprise,  Dale’s  tin  canister  shot  forward  and  disappeared.       “I  have  set  up  a  small  machine  just  like  this  one  in  Liverpool.  In  seven  minutes  it  should  come  back  to  us.”     “What  in  god’s  name  just  happened?!”     “I’ve  just  invented  the  fastest  form  of  communication:  Missile  Mail.  Welcome  to  a  new  age,”  said  the  fool.     He  stared  at  his  friend  in  amazement.  Surely  this  was  just  a  hoax.  There  was  no  way  the  tin  canister  could  be  all  the  way  in  Liverpool.  McDougall  became  hot  in  the  head.     “Where  is  the  canister?  Dale,  show  me  that  blasted  tin  can!  Just  give  up  this  prank…”     He  stopped.  For  a  moment,  he  thought  he  saw  something.  He  squinted  his  eyes.  For  a  moment  Mr.  McDougall  went  green.  An  object  of  some  sort  sped  past  him,  just  short  of  hitting  him  in  the  face.  Dale  looked  at  Mr.  McDougall  then  the  machine.  He  had  a  big  grin.     “I  told  you  to  stand  back,”  he  said  as  he  held  up  something  from  the  machine.  

       

YouTube    

Running  through  the  maze  of  a  forest  wood  elves,  

We  plant  its  seeds  and  subscribe  to  others,  

So  they  may  become  trees.  

Though  many  animals  we  hate  and  like,  

New  traditions  set  forth  by  trees,  

Nerds  are  masked  by  memes.  

The  forest  is  all  our  culture,  

For  we  wood  elves  love  to  laugh,  

Cutie  cuddles  meow  meow,  

Popping  left  and  right  for  the  audience,  

Ha-­‐ha,  

Beautiful,  digital,  fake,  abused  by  wood  elves.  

         

Acceleration    

When  I  was  your  age  this,  When  I  was  your  age  that,  

I  used  to  run  down  to  the  library  and  pray  they  had  the  textbook,  It  took  a  week  to  get  the  copy,  

Yet  you  kids  are  quick  and  sloppy,  Don’t  take  magicians  work  for  granted,  They  have  no  idea  how  new  they  live.  

 

Pokémon  was  our  thing,  At  the  golden  age  of  four.  Harry  Potter  is  amazing,  But  you  wouldn’t  know,  I  loved  the  latest  tech,  In  the  time  of  satellites,  

Wait?  People  used  to  have  satellites,  

Oh  yeah,  you  wouldn’t  know  of  such  old  yore,  You  were  born  two  seconds  more.  

And  you  were  born  two  seconds  more,  Back  in  ancient  times  when  not  even  MySpace  existed,  

That  was  less  than  a  decade  ago.  Don’t  take  magicians  work  for  granted.  

Those  stupid  lazy  machines,  They  have  no  idea  how  new  they  live.  

 It’s  all  about  a  perspective,  That’s  diminishing  fast,  You  say  you  love  land,  

Yet  you  can’t  get  off  your  lap.  We  are  not  gods,  

We  only  exploit  survival,  The  Indians  they  new  their  place-­‐  Oh  sure,  glorify  them  Indians,  They  never  met  Buffalo  Hump.  

No  one  knows  a  thing  about  the  Indians,  Under  piles  of  rubble  by  traditions  unkempt.  

Some  magic  is  dark  magic.  Don’t  take  magicians  work  for  granted.  They  have  no  idea  how  new  they  live.  

 We  must  be  surrounded  by  geniuses,  

Because  this  is  simply  mad.  I  heard  somewhere  that  some  of  the  smartest  must  be  a  little  crazy,  

Reality  check  is  now  a  Mac  update;  They  are  every  couple  weeks.  

Will  this  acceleration  every  stop,  By  another  brick  in  the  wall,  We  now  live  in  “The  Wall”,  Where  Facebook  is  a  must,  You’re  not  my  friend?  

Such  things  are  an  untrue  monopoly.  Don’t  take  magicians  work  for  granted,  They  have  no  idea  how  new  they  live.  

   

Rae Hodges

I BROUGHT A PAPER CUT TO A KNIFEING Trees that look like the hardened blood vessels of a corpse, Vivid and searing against the deathly pale of the morning sky, Send shards of serenity into the paper thin lungs of those stuck below, Settling deep within the tissues of the soul, Compromising the structure that constitutes our love, draining us, Drowning us in a red-black thought, Eroding us, wearing us thin, seeping through the gaps between our ribs

Like a wine stain on a wedding gown. Oh, what

A beautiful terror, A beautiful place to be lost.

Like gangrene, this dove-grey mood slowly saturates the city, Writhing its way through the once joyful sites of our youthful love, And like a plague it consumes the urban desolation we once reveled in, Shedding the dander of loneliness on the theatre seats where first we felt whole, Corroding the memories of us, You and I, playing lovers on the banks of a river,

A river of red-black thought, Flowing behind the sky, deep and turbulent,

Like a wine stain on a wedding gown. Oh, what A beautiful terror, A beautiful place to be lost.

The lips of the sun touch the pale concrete palaces wherein we once ruled, Cascading the cold blue light of early dawn into the puddles of your eyes, Where I once swam, where I had found myself beneath the surface, Immersed in warm green calm, cradled in emerald joy, Where my reflection no longer glows, but rather sits lifelessly

Like a grotesque drift wood atop a red-black pool, Soaking in the malcontent that poisons your eyes, Mutilating your face,

Like a wine stain on a wedding gown. Oh, what A beautiful terror, A beautiful place to be lost.

Your features are like the fine architecture of an abandoned city, Statuesque and ivory, embedded with fragments of rich green glass, Worn from an unforgiving love, my unforgiving love. And on this morning, the dawning of the end, The wounds you have sustained, by the brutal hand of my self-abhorrence

Weep the red-black sorrow, Both you and I are so suddenly inundated by. Once enamored with the fragile game we played, the concrete kingdom we ruled The banks of an icy creek, eroded away from underneath us, Crushing our corpse-cold hearts in a grief only young lovers know, Defiling our chests with feathers of inky heart-break.

Oh, what a beautiful terror, what a beautiful place to be lost, Lost in the folds of a wine stained wedding gown...:

Esoteric a fountain pen strikes fiber

following the curve of her lips to write a lover a tear on her lashes

the city stops around her how can you love

when she needs so profoundly? TextilesAnd I can’t cry for all the many times I’ve lied and said I loved you; all the same, I’m never coming back again. I wish I could die and fall from the earth’s body leaving little more than shadowed dust in my place but the blankets: they surround me and I cannot take a breath. The blankets: they have found me; they won’t let me forget. The Train“Farm land does not fear the cold” Taking down every note that he can, his fingers fly (faster than his jets).His lapel says “US AF”

(Unlike his police badge back home) this promise is not plastic.

“The lake ripples in the midday dawn” These notes will be the key to the sanity (stored in his bones), buried far away from bombs and brown-skinned children (folding out of existence). “Birds sing their praises of a morning undeserving” (Not so) Long ago he raised his (tattered) bag to his hip and saluted (with a tear in his eye) his father. A (bright red) lipstick mark from his mother sent him off to the (grumbling) train. OMniaDrifts break the wind stolen from the hope in your lungsnow they are black and still sucking at those sticks said to cause cancerbut you have to light another one, like smoking a branch from the tree of your soul

Writing and Web Final project!By: Hailey Van Wormer

After finding that Web 2.0 seems to be the future of my generation, I decided since many

people have no artistic talent that maybe I could find web programs that could create cool art

forms for me and them. Therefore, I decided to look at as many online art forums as I could

find. I found many different types of programs and they are broken up into sections to make this

site easier to navigate. Hopefully, you can find some of these websites helpful. I found so many

amazing sites, they are broken into sections to make it easier navigate. The section are; work,

school, fun, and useful programs.

In the work portion of this site I found a program called Floor Planner, used for making

floor plans. It looked very animated and hard to find in real life. It showed actual dimensions,

however, it didn’t seem as realistic. Another unique program called, homestyler, is a more

realistic program. It gave more life-like options, users would use it if they actually wanted to

make a house and the layouts. In Floor Planner, I would most likely use it if I wanted to have

an idea but not layout and/or make a model to show someone. I would very much recommend

homestyler and Floor Planner they are both excellent programs however, homestyler would be

my personal first choice. Cacoo is a program used to create diagrams, it was a very special option

which I enjoyed. I would most definitely recommend this program if you are looking for a free,

easy, diagramming program.

Work-

Floor Planner enables users to create floor plans. It lets them create a place with as many

material objects as they want to get the idea of how users want it to look. Here is a very simple

demo on how to use Floor Planner.

Homestyler is a program used to create life-like floor plans with measurements. It will also give

you the manufacturers and retailers for your specific floor plan. No sign in needed.

Cacoo is a program used to create diagrams for free. With many more cool tools that are

explained on the website. Here is a link for a quick tutorial.

I looked through many programs that could be useful for school, but the only two that I strongly

suggest are Google SketchUp and GeoGebra. Google SketchUp is a program used to make online

models for math. Users can make exact dimensions but cannot go inside the building. GeoGebra

is a down loadable program off the Internet used especially for algebra. You can plug in many

different mathematical equations and it will create the wave type that users want. These are

both separate programs and they do not completely relate therefore I can’t compare them. I

thought users might find both of these useful for school purposes. However, I would strongly

recommend Google SketchUp for it’s life-like models and the ability to make it mathematically

plausible. GeoGebra is used specifically for math which doesn’t make it as fun, but It is a useful

program overall and if users need to create a sin tan or cos wave GeoGebra is the place to do it.

School-

Google SketchUp is used for making 3D models in an accurate measurement as well as extreme

accuracy you can share your 3D models with other people. Here is a straight forward demo if

users find this program interested than go download it for free or you can buy it for a month.

There will be more more demo videos available after download is complete.

GeoGebra is a free math program used for all levels of math. A free download for this program is

available and they are creating many new features for the future.

After looking over different drawing software I found that these were the four I would

most recommend. Comic Master is used for making online comic books I found it somewhat

confusing however, it does lead users through the steps. If users are looking for a comic book

program I would strongly recommend this. Sketchpad is a program used for drawing. It is the

most straight forward program I have found it is less techie. The one thing users are able to do

after you draw is blog it. As on Flock draw you can draw with others in real time and it has a

similar layout. Livebrush has the most options for sharing your art that I have found online.

Here is a page dedicated to telling you what you can do with it.

Fun-

Comic Master can be used to make comic books online. It’s a straight forward program and if

you click on the link it will give you directions however, users will need to make an account.

Sketchpad is an online program used to draw and paint with many cool programs. This so far is

one of the most straight forward options I have found for Web 2.0 when it comes to drawing.

FlockDraw is a program that enables users to draw with an unlimited amount of people

completely free with live changes. Just click “create your session” and you are ready to go.

Livebrush is a site used for drawing online. It has many special features with extra colors as well

as having the capability to combine other work and see what other people have created. Here is a

quick demo video to get you started.

I found Quikmaps one of the more fun creative programs overall. I could go to any place

and draw over it or create designs all over “the world”, it also gave me the capability to draw a

path for myself or show destinations. Gravatar seemed to be one of the more helpful programs

for everyday online life. It gives you the capability to have an image of your choice to whatever

online site you go to. Users will not have to create a new profile at every website if they have a

Gravatar.

Useful programs-

Quikmaps is a free sign up program used to draw and write on google maps. It is pretty straight

forward after you sign up.

Gravatar is a program commonly used for a profile image. If linked into Gravatar you will

choose a profile that will follow you to whichever site you go to and show up when you comment

or go to a site.