Technology IN the Classroom?

John:

Take a look at this and let us know what your thoughts might be.

http://www.eschoolnews.com/resources/reports/presentation2005/index.cfm

Best,

Jim

CONTROVERSIAL PATRIOTISM! (5-25)

Either way anybody perceives politics, they will have a different view and notion of what is going on. I have found a blog that will praise, shock, stun, liberate, destroy, or free, your inner mind.
I have found this to be pure gold because of the fact the blog hits both sides of the coin! If you don't believe me, check the comments!

Best to all, -John Ott
P.S. Don't say I didn't warn all of you! Thoughts and minds will race as long as we "raed" in between the lines! THIS TAKES AWHILE TO LOAD ON A 56K CONNECTION!

To access the blog, use the link below...
(The comments of the "Bush Needs to be Flushed" post give the hint...)
http://raedinthemiddle.blogspot.com/

One of the archives contains this paraphrase... a lot of the world's problems can be solved in three steps...

1. Buy Chocolates.
2. Steal a poem from someone who can use words better then you.
3. Read the latest copy of Newsweek.

Hmmmmm... this is pure gold!

YOU.............ARE PURE GOLD!

Some Interesting Articles And Merchandise To View (5-24)

Many Americans don't care for buying a foreign car because this productivity is invading the "Big Three." Even though that is true, I say this is the clarion call to make the "hermits of change" switch their mindset. Why, you ask? Gas prices aren't going anywhere but up for the time being. If another possible "War On Terror" is started, the homefront will be the ones paying the price. Besides, I want cars that actually look different then their predecessors. (A good example of my argument would be GM making the Grand Prix.)

Some inquiring websites are noted below...

To access the hybrid cars; "Rise Of The Green Machines," use the link below...
http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/13.04/hybrid.html

To access the "Hybrid Car Report" use the link below...
http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/13.04/hybridtest.html

Do you remember, "Bill Nye The Science Guy?" He is back on the small screen invading your public access channel! He contains all of the knowledge of science mixed with some quirky humor. If anything, Bill will be the "collective advocate" to help keep/promote science in the classroom. Science is the foundation of life and those that reside in society. So how could we ever demote the very basis of understanding? Is that even possible? Forget what anyone has told you about the "theories" of this happening... This is very real!

To access Bill Nye use the link below...
http://www.eyesofnye.org/

Need new information on the latest and greatest gear? I have the answer for you! Do any of you hate all of the cords you have to use in order to charge certain devices? Use the software titled, "I Go." As the name implies, charge certain devices on the go and no worries will follow. All that is needed is an electrical outlet.

For details on "I Go," use the link below...
http://www.igo.com/Product_Detail.asp?ProductCode=MOB+PS0205-10

Happy Hunting!

Best to all, -John Ott

Awards Ceremony Events of 5-19 (5-20)

Any good news that I could have brought from accepting the scholarship at the board meeting was laid to rest in two minutes flat. I was quite upset with the scheduling of the program too. I know the whole purpose of this ceremony was to "display" the winners of the scholarship, but I wanted to throw in my "two cents." I have waited for so long to get my chance to throw in the "revised agenda" of what Wireless Oakland should be! An actual conversation will be paraphrased below... (I'll code the names...)

John: (Me) So is the entire purpose of this meeting to basically round-up the events that happened in the previous month?
Associate: Yes.
John: I really want to talk about something that the board should take notice to, what are my chances if I make mention of "Wireless Oakland?"
Associate: NOW IS NOT THE TIME FOR THAT... THIS SUBJECT WOULDN'T HELP YOU IF IT WAS MENTIONED HERE. THIS PROJECT HAS NO VALUE TO THE PEOPLE AT THE MEETING TODAY.
John: ...(I see I have wasted my time... Continue to round the sheep.)
************************************************************************************
Associate 2: What are you using the scholarship money for?
John: For books at OTC, along with any other items I may need for college.
(I was honestly going to ask him if he really said that to me. Maybe I should have told him, "Fake ID and a couple of kilos.")
************************************************************************************
The major players of Waterford were at the meeting, along with the Destination Imagination (DI) team at Houghton Elementary. The DI team really paved the way with the "outside the box thinking" of navigating and healing wounds with the circulatory system of the body. A good example of this would allow Jim's students from the Summer Camp to operate the V-Tel without the awareness of administration. This was an experience that actually shed light on this awful day.

The agenda was just like any other monthly meeting and nothing gets done. When the microphone was blocked by a bunch of rabid maniacs which we call staff, then that signals bring in the donuts, sit down, and shut up. Another opportunity to change society has been rejected by those that innovators loathe. The comatose pedal-pushers were out in their version of "proactive."

Best to all, -John Ott
P.S. This was what I had observed at the meeting, having said that, please take no offense to my words written in this article. Those involved can work to change my retrospect if they so choose!

Notable Mentions (5-16)

I know that this may seem hard to believe, but there are a few new opportunities to explore for both myself and my colleagues. I have filled out another slip to give myself a shot at another scholarship. As this group is aware, it is important to sign on anything that could give a shot at success. (Taking risks is an important part of achieving goals.)

I turned in my application to attend the OCC (Highland Lakes) campus, in order to go in September. I am going to get my general studies out of the way so I can transfer to EMU, or
U of M.

In order to get my driver's license I will be unfortunately missing some time at the Observatory.
This means that that anyone that wants to be safe has to spend their summer off of Michigan roads. I am sure that all of the effort that is taken to get my license will be worth it.
(In order to get this I had to go through much more then the ordinary procedure.)

On 5-19 I will partake in a board meeting that is related to the "Al Ditrich Scholarship" from the Waterford Foundation. I wasn't told of the agenda of this meeting but I hope it is speech related. If I could talk about the correct initiative of "Wireless Oakland," then I might be able to light a fire under the council. A misguided path is highly dangerous considering that Oakland County is supposed to be the pilot of what could be a breakthrough initiative. I would be upset if so many people were working for this plan only to have others check their email. (My plan to talk this out could be good because one of the members of the previous meeting lives right by the Observatory. He also has talked with Robert McMath's Son, this means that further development with students and summer camp ideas could be expressed.

I want to congratulate a friend of mine that made the newspaper. (I will be providing the link at the end of the post.) She received she received honors for outstanding work ethic, despite the obstacles she had to overcome. You will go far in your life, continue the fight toward the better America. ( Hugs, and my blessings go out to you.)

Mrs. Harness, I would be glad to take up your offer to come to the Choir Banquet. ( I just need the date and time again, along with three tickets to purchase.) I am also sorry that I had to give up chamber to come to the Observatory. Tenth grade has carried a long history of memories with this class. My apology also goes out to my friends, as well those who didn't get the chance to have me as a boyfriend. I miss all of you! I also hope that I could get the chance to do a yearbook exchange. I want to leave a departing message to those that I care for.
(Much continued success!)

For those who are aware, I wasn't part of the police raid at school. Due to outstanding hustle, the officers eliminated such instances that may have foreshadowed gruesome circumstances.

Best to all, -John Ott
P.S. Any necessary action that is needed to point out a future "bright light" will be taken.
(Given that I am still breathing!)

To access the article of the "Best and Brightest" use the link below...
http://www.detnews.com/2005/schools/bestandbrightest/1auto-177196.htm

Something That Has Been On My Mind (5-11)

I had one of those eureka moments today. This lead me to bring something on the table that I felt is worth sharing. All of you may not agree with what I have to say, but I can't keep this in.
(By the way an * means transition.)

I don't understand what is going on with politics and general mind sets of these politicians. However, having said that, I know that the name of the game is to win votes and get money. Why does it have to be this way? If people complain about the government they receive then they should do something about it. If people choose not to do anything then they should stop complaining about it.

Independents never win against Republican and Democratic parties because of the money and power that the Independents lack. Every single aspect of the way government is run is corrupt. The founding fathers would be ashamed to know that everything runs on this political spectrum of greed. I'm getting rid of the incapable"Compromise" and "Watch-Dog" functions in government.

The "Watch-Dog" function is used in government to expose scandal, investigation, and interrogation, in a presidency. Here are some examples of the function...

President Party In His Office Crime Committed
Nixon (Republican) Democrat "Watergate"
Regan (Republican) Democrat "Money Laundering"
Clinton (Democrat) Republican "Womanizing"

The party in office do what they can to criticize the President and expose the wrongdoing.
******************************************************************************
The "Compromise" function is supposed to do exactly that.
1. The "Compromise" is in place to make government run. The sides compromise what they feel is important to America and talk everything out. (Here is where the problems start...)
2. Both parties consisting of Republicans and Democrats are "bipartisan" they agree on both sides of the fence. (The decline of understanding is starting to occur.)
3. This slows down government, even worse it could stop the process of work altogether.
(A good example of this is a fllibuster.)

Voters don't want to vote for a person that has made corruption and scandal part of their repertoire. So politicians try to stop the apathy by crossing over and implementing a "swing vote." Politicians say the same stupid phrases all the time just to gain the collectives vote. While the politician is wondering why they didn't get all the votes they could have, the well-informed will sit back and laugh. No person wants a government that promotes empty promises.
*******************************************************************************

I feel that even though people should act when called upon they don't choose to do so. Stop "going with the flow." Thomas Friedman suggests that all of collective America is racing toward the waterfall and sinking fast. Do any of you care? Please tell me that I am not the only one who feels this way!

I have seen those that are currently running the country contain no knowledge of how to run it. (Unless it is in the ground. Along with the people who choose not to hear the wake-up call.) This leads me to believe that if I am an eighteen year old United States Citizen, I should run, and win to be president. As I am currently writing this exponent of feelings, I am expressing more sense then the entire Bush Administration. If I can fight in a war with no plan and cause to begin or succeed, I should be able to be president!

A strong military is a good appointment to success when used the right way. If the Bush Administration didn't engage in foreign affairs that sparked war, and concentrated on building relations, then the U.S. would have no war, and they also would improve the chance to have allies. That is a key component to success! No man can take on the world all by himself! In fact President Bush wouldn't be where he was today with out some allies of his own... Bush Senior and his Brother Jeb Bush.

If there was a way to get rid of this current debacle, I would gladly make following revisions... I would hire those who could think for themselves and maintained an uncorrupted mind. I would hire the flatteners of the world from Wal-Mart and UPS to take care of the business and shipping needs. I would also work the nine to five shift in order to listen to the PEOPLE! My CIA would slap me if I got out of line. With all of this considered the most important aspect to success is to talk problems through and solve them. That is why the Senate, Congress, and Supreme Court, would have new members in them. We would follow all the current rules in place for these Executive, Judicial, and Legislative, processes. These members would be chosen by the president, (ME) and my associates. Anyone that had the cohunes the read this would know the future is in safe hands. If not, then any revisions that needed to take place would be announced by the PEOPLE!

Thank all of you for letting me speak my peace, of course this information is rather general because if I went into detail I would become a hermit.

Best to all, -John Ott
P.S. As always let me know what you think!

An Immerse Experience Leads To Positive Interaction With Southfield High School (5-6)

I can't stress how important this field trip was. I really enjoyed having the chance to meet some new bright lights. All of the staff at the Observatory were on hand today and we made it our best effort to provide some new perspectives to make the students shine.

The students had the chance to go through Tower 1 and 2, they learned some history about the Observatory and had the chance to view some sunspot activity. Be sure to check out www.skyandtelescope.com for the latest activity on the sun.
(Or any other solar and weather related activity!)

Is it safe to say that many of us don't know to much about the sun? If not, then I guess all of you were out on Sunday collaborating about the recent activity. This turns out to be quite rare because during this eleven year cycle of the sun, the activity during this time is supposed to be quite low.

I hope that I get a chance to see some of these students at the summer camp. However, if the students don't get a chance to come at the Observatory at that time, I will make sure Mr. Terrell gets to. I could tell he was the type of teacher I wish I had. Either way, next time I see him, I'll make sure I'll talk to him.

The NASA program sounds terrific, and I hope when this program is combined with "Wireless Oakland" the results will be as well. I'll express my collective efforts to make society aware of the opportunity that is at hand.

Best to all, -John Ott
P.S. I hope Zach doesn't forget this experience anytime soon, he may have a future in photography! I didn't really get the chance to express the revised NGA layout but I won't forget about it. I hope next time I see Dan at the Observatory we can get a chance to operate the telescope in Tower 2. The telescope viewing is excellent when this is combined with the "Starry Night" software. My thanks goes out to all of you, I had a great time today.

Convergence And Future Opportunities (5-4)

The following are future plans that will be implemented between (5-4 and 8-30.)

Convergence

The "Wireless Oakland" pilot has concerned me to address the following aspects... because of the fact this is a pilot. I also noticed Oakland is unprepared for what this wireless activity will offer. This is a state and possible national affair! Don't forget this wake up call!

What We Have As Information

• Twelve or more articles that stress the importance of technology.
• "The World Is Flat" THIS HAS TO BE ADDRESSED.
• Revised information from the study of the NGA.

Other Information

• Graphics
• Organized thinkers

THIS CONCLUDES THE FOLLOWING LIST

Now I have to address some software updates which can be found from www.download.com when the item of choice is typed in the search engine.

"Mozilla Firefox" is the new web browser that takes care of spam and the annoying popup ads.

"Picasa" is the new picture software that allows for total reinvention of your pictures at the comfort of your home.

"WorldWind" is the new picture software that has the features of Picasa, but allows experimentation for national monuments.

"Inspiration" is the new flowchart creator that allows easy organizing for your pictures and thoughts.

Best to all, -John Ott

P.S. As always I am committed to bring the latest and the greatest to the those with the like ability. Let me know what you guys think of this information.

Personality Molding (5-4)

I advise all of you to take this advice from Ed Hendry! As the title implies, this document will allow all of us to understand what it means to be a better person. My thanks goes out to Ed and his hard work.

Best to all, -John Ott

P.S. This is another "Clarion Call" for society. Don't waste the opportunity to change for the better.

Who am I?

The other day a friend of mine asked me, “Who are you?
I answered, “I’m Ed Hendry”.
He said, “No…that’s your name, I asked, “Who are you?”
I thought a minute and responded, “I’m a Video Engineer.”
Wrong again was his response, you answered the question “What do you do for employment?”
Is this a reverse Jeopardy Game? “I’m a human being.”
Wrong again, that’s your animal species. I want to know
WHO YOU ARE.
“What’s the right answer?” I asked.
He laughed and walked away leaving me confused.

That quiz bothered me for a while and so I began a search for an answer. I’ll share my conclusion with you.

As I hadn’t been good at answering the original question, I thought I’d start with WHAT AM I?

From the nose down I seem to be like an ameba. I take in water, air and food, convert them to nourishment and heat, and excrete the waste products. I have certain sensors, I can detect touch from a gentle breeze to sharp pain, and I respond to heat and cold.
But…there’s no intelligence here.
From the nose up I have two eyes (like cameras) that gather visual information. I could get along with only one eye, but the second allows me to evaluate distance. I have two ears (like microphones) that allow me to hear sound. One would be ok but two allows me to figure out which direction sound comes from. Lastly, I have a brain which is like a marvelous computer. It takes in all of my sensory inputs, has an amazing amount of memory storage, and outputs control signals to my body. Up to this point, however, I’m just like every other ameba.
So…If all of the physical stuff is the same, then WHAT ARE WE?

I think that each of us consists of a unique collection of thoughts that we have accumulated since birth, housed in a body. Now bodies come in all shapes and sizes: Some are short, some tall; some thin, some plump, some beautiful, and some ugly. This allows us to tell each other apart but is not who we are.

As you meet other people, look past their appearance. Try thinking of them as collections of thoughts, but different from your own. You can not control how they think, whether they like or dislike you. You can only share your thoughts, but they (like you) have the ability to accept your ideas or reject them, to remember or forget them.

All of the thoughts that you have accumulated, since birth, have been the result of your experiences or have been taught to you by others. When you were born your memory was empty. You had no idea what words meant. You learned a language. You were taught; good from bad, love from hate, and even happy and sad were learned feelings. Hopefully your teachers have done a good job in molding your collection of thoughts for this is what forms your “personality” and makes you unique.

Here’s the important part.

WHO YOU ARE, IS WHAT YOU THINK and how you share your thoughts and how you treat others, defines WHO YOU ARE.

Each of us has the power to choose how we think.
We can accept good ideas or bad.
We can think happy thoughts or sad.
We can be anxious or content.
We can be patient with others or intolerant.
We can choose to share our thoughts with others or keep them to ourselves.

Remember, you can be anything that YOU want to be.

Lastly, love is the feeling that makes life worth while. Don’t forget to tell someone that you love them.

I hope that this message is helpful to your understanding of WHO YOU ARE.

Sincerely,

Ed Hendry

Request... (5-4)

I have been bloging a lot lately. Feel free to check the agrivisory blog to see how the news around us makes me angry. We have some new visitors in here so make sure to welcome them in! I am going to be posting quite a few items today since I didn't get to them yesterday because of the agrivisory blog. I have started a new blog as well!

Now on with the request... I have purchased a new game for my Playstation 2. I paid the usual fifty dollars to get the game but it came up a little flat... I enjoy the game but it seems to be missing something. So if I trade the game in now I will have enough money to get the game I want with some left over from this transaction. The problem is that I can't find the game!

The game is called "Disgaea: Hour Of Darkness" if any of you can look for the game online or see the game in stores like Best Buy, Circut City, or GameStop, let me know. I will gladly reimburse you. I am in need of a new challenge.

Best to all, -John Ott

To access the "Agrivisory Blog" use the link below...
http://nwagrivisory.blogspot.com/

To access the "Xtreme Challenge Live Blog" use the link below...
http://exc.blogspot.com/