leaves of titanium

This new leaf was talked about in our own front yard, SF but created and thought of in China.
"Using sunlight to split water into its components — hydrogen and oxygen — is one of the most promising methods for creating a sustainable, safe and cheap alternative to fossil fuels. And there is no machine more efficient at using sunlight than the humble leaf. Through photosynthesis, leaves use the power of sunlight to assemble sugars using only carbon dioxide, oxygen and water. "

full article http://www.mnn.com/green-tech/gadgets-electronics/blogs/titanium-leaves-could-unlock-hydrogen-power#

magnets and brain function

So apparently strong magnets can mess with the way your brain works....
full article
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1262074/Scientists-discover-moral-compass-brain-controlled-magnets.html

Book Review

Parable Of The Talens written by Octavia E. Butler is a fascinating fictional tale of a future Christian America. A world where corrupt Christian America is starting more and more unnecessary war,and even more unnecessary "crusades" on their own people, Olamania tries to start her own community, her own religion, and her own way of life. Just as she gets her little compound progressing at a good pace the radical Christian Americans take it away, how will she survive the Nazi like behavior of her captors? With her super sensitive ability how will Olamania survive a world filled with such chaos and horror? The sequel of a trio trilogy this book will not allow you to put it down for even a second. If you are expecting to read this book prepare to be engrossed with it's contents. If you have an open mind and like to challenge your own beliefs then this book is a must read. You will be questioning your religion, your own being, and humanity in itself!
What was the author's purpose(s) in writing this book, and how can you tell? How well was this purpose achieved?
Octavia Butler created this book as a reflection towards the human behavior. The way the Christian Americans see any other people that have a different religion or even a different variation of Christianity is immediately deemed as a heathen and sent to a correctional facility. Of course these facilities are not actually meant to correct you, but more as an imprisonment camp. Everyone inside the camp is forced to wear a shock collar, the perfect tool since it never leaves a mark AND creates so much pain when activated, the most efficient tool in the time. People are forced to destroy their own religious symbols in public and dig their friend's graves. Forced to memorize bible verses in conditions identical possibly worse then the Nazi camps. They hypocritical Christians who say sex is horrible before marriage go about raping girls and men as they please. I believe Octavia is trying to explain to us how it's not going to take much at all to revert back to times similar to the Nazis. Only this time noone is for certain what side of conflict you will be on. Anyone could be the oppressor and anyone could be the oppressed. Octavia is telling us without a complete acceptance of all religions, "races", and sexes average day life could turn out to be world full of chaos. Octavia brings up the idea of modern day slavery and how it is so much easier to accomplish with newly designed shock collars. While some people might think this is too horrid or grotesque to be true, it is already possible. A simple slip of a dog collar around a unknowing human can have the same effects. Above all I believe Ocatavia's main idea to try to get into people's minds is that your life's results depends on what you do. If you want something to thrive you have to put the effort, time, and wise planning to get the deed accomplished. The main character Olamania was constantly being told to give up on Earthseed. No matter what she paid them no mind and kept the belief and spread the word to as many people as possible. Having been through severe pain, rape, mugged, homeless, and all the terrible things you could think of Olmania does what ever is in her power to keep Earthseed's vision alive.
For what audience(s) is this book intended, and how can you tell? (In other words, for whom would you recommend this book?)
This book is intended for people of young adults or people in search of finding out what they truly believe deep down. If you ever find yourself thinking, "Wow I'm not all to certain the religion i follow is that of a good one" then this book will make you really think WOW could this really happen? Could blind faith push people to do such disgusting things to their fellow human? For me i kind of found this books religious stand points amazing. I already have a biased towards the Christian religion and found the Earth Seed was a very nice change of pace then the normal teachings i hear from other religions. "God is change and change is God. You can influence God and therefore you have the power to change anything." I think that is a very solid way of thinking. People who would like to lose themselves in a good fiction book will get into this. This book will pull you inside and won't spit you back out until your eyes have poured over every single word. This book actually has quite a dark atmosphere. With the happy events occuring mainly in the beginning and sparse it's not a feel good book for those looking for one. This book is directed to people who have a knack for looking deeper into things. Not everything is as it seems in this book. Almost everything has a deeper meaning and reflects back on the mistakes we are making in the present that add up to the post apocalyptic world the Olmania lives in. Global warming is destroying crops and causing massive floods, the US is fighting countries (and states) that you would think would never be necessary and are still questionable, US has sold their space program to the Japanese even after they found life on Mars!, and other such things as gangs raiding each other. If you like knitty gritty survival books pick this up in a heart beat. You will be able to witness how people survive through these times of disorder and how other don't survive.
Although there are a few typos i have caught this book is very professional and intriguing. If anyone asks me about the book i would instantly tell them to just read a random page and dare them to stop reading. What really made me attracted to the book is the post apocalyptic setting. Parable of The Talents did a wonderful job capturing the whole roughness and realism. The fact that EVERYTHING in the book sounds actually quite plausible if applicated to real world settings, is what gives this book a position in my top 10 books.

Worlds first immortal animal?

"The turritopsis nutricula species of jellyfish may be the only animal in the world to have truly discovered the fountain of youth. Since it is capable of cycling from a mature adult stage to an immature polyp stage and back again, there may be no natural limit to its life span. Scientists say the hydrozoan jellyfish is the only known animal that can repeatedly turn back the hands of time and revert to its polyp state (its first stage of life). The key lies in a process called transdifferentiation, where one type of cell is transformed into another type of cell. Some animals can undergo limited transdifferentiation and regenerate organs, such as salamanders, which can regrow limbs. Turritopsi nutricula, on the other hand, can regenerate its entire body over and over again. Researchers are studying the jellyfish to discover how it is able to reverse its aging process. Because they are able to bypass death, the number of individuals is spiking. They're now found in oceans around the globe rather than just in their native Caribbean waters. "We are looking at a worldwide silent invasion," says Dr. Maria Miglietta of the Smithsonian Tropical Marine Institute. Bryan Nelson is a regular contributor to Mother Nature Network, where a version of this post originally appeared."

Taken from http://www.abovetopsecret.com/forum/thread553088/pg1

letter 3

So our adventure has come to an end. But im getting ahead of myself here. Our group has just rebelled and killed of their captors. Sadly they are deciding to split up the close community Olamania had worked so hard to create. WHY!!?!?! I don't think her plan is all that fool proof. She says that by splitting up Earth seed will be able to spread to more people, and still stay undercover. I doubt that the other member of Earth seed can preach as well as she does. How does she expect people to join unless they have such convincing speeches as she does?
Olamania Harry and the other lady... have decided to move to George town. I think this is one of her better ideas. She knows the people here for sure and they definitely have her back. I can't believe that she found one of the kids here! Seems very unlikely that in such a dangerous world one would just happen to show up where she was. Hmm Octavia might actually have a soft side!
Harry decides to leave on his own. I think i related to him the best. He was the guy who loved to work on the truck and other electronics. He went up north since that's where most people went.
Olamania found her brother, cool, but sucks that he is part of the Christian America. I got really pissed when he slapped Olmania i guess that's what Christian America does to people. EARTH SEED PWNS.
Getting closer and closer to her daughter Olamania teams up with another sharer. She seems to be a spoiled brat at first and i didn't like her at all. But eventually Olamania found out she had such a rough past and her bitchy attitude was to cover up her sharer abilities. And the they head north and pick up a few boys...well thats really as far as i got xD
I HAD NO IDEA THAT THIS WAS THE SECOND BOOK OF A TRILOGY!! CRAZY It totally makes sense as a starter book but its not.

Steam Part 2 chapter 1

You will not understand what is happening unless you read the earlier parts to "Steam"


Taking note of the sun and its low position she knew she would be cutting it close. The House had a strict policy to not let anyone inside after the sun was down. Caution was of the utmost importance. They recently have had several raids and were not about to let it happen again. The House was not actually a house but a rundown shed where small group of people lived. Full of thieves and the poor it was not a place you would go for vacation. A small close gorup of 10 lived snugly inside. Hoarding and crafts was their income. One persons income was shared to everybody.
Rin only had one close friend in the House, she was the newest member of the close knit group. Only taking her in after finding her half covered in snow and dirt.Haru who was a genius with his hands, but as sharp as a light bulb made his income through creating weapons and other needs. He was often teased for being able to create such weapons, but being a fool when actually using them. He was friendly and useful, two aspects Rin loved to see in a person. Haru, unlike Rin, had been born into the group. He learned his trade from studying pictures in books and spying on blacksmiths. He was the one who created Rin's prized curved blade. Trying to make it special he added amber and a red dye into the cooling metals and that created a vibrant red scheme. Often boasting how original he was, but rarely anyone saw this side of Haru.
Rin arrived to the tiny shack that was on the outskirts of Kyoto. The ideal place for thieves. To be out of mind, yet close enough to the hectic streets to make a profit. Knocking along the side of the shed then three more times on the door the familiar creaking and hiss of steam ran through the entire building. As the gears creaked the door slowly raised upwards. The handle on the side of the door was for misleading purposes. Slipping inside quickly she quickly pulled a lever inside that made the door fall at an instant with a very loud thump. Inside were 6 people laying around waiting for the next day. Each person had their own little hidden stash that they never shared with the rest of them. Rin didn't really feel like she felt like she fit in with these people. Quickly and without making any eye contact she made a bee line to a closet in the very back of the rusty place. Inside was a staircase, the shed was actually built on top of a underground shelter.
The three kids of the group not including herself stayed down here. The youngest was an American stowaway that was kicked out. He was still 12, yet a master of pickpocketing and begging. His bright blue eyes attracted locals and soon emptied their wallets to help such a cutie. Rin was the oldest. She was 17 years old. In he her mind she was in her prime for stealing and scavenging. Haru was 16 but only behind Rin by three months. The last kid was 15 years old and a fugitive from northern Nippon. Europe's first steam planes were testing out their flight range when an Asian country took them down. Ever since Europe has been trying to invade every suspect-able Asian country for the past 3 years. Unfortunately they were making good progress and colonized half of china and India.

Letter 2

Wow so much has happened in these last couple of chapters. Lets start from the beginning. Woah! she met her brother who supposedly died. I was super happy to hear this bit of information the family gets bigger! Low blow though when we find out he is a super Christian. Although Olamania gave him shelter and allowed him to preach to her people about his own ideals, he still seemed rather un-grateful. Eventually he runs off, im not too sad about his lose he didn't help the community in any big way.
She's PREGNANT!!! I see how shes happy and all but in my own opinion i wouldnt want to bring a baby into a world like that. What if her baby turned out to be a sharer that would cuase so many troubles (luckily she isnt). In the back of my head i was kind of hoping her baby would gain some other power or side effect since Olamania is a sharer, darn.
The Joy of the baby was very short lived. Soon after the Maggots, which sound incredibly fun to use, storm in and take over Acorn. If i was harry i would have spent my time upgrading the fighter trucks. Anywho the Christian enthusiasts completely took over Acorn with the help of their immobilizing gas. They are quickly rounded up and collared. Somthing I though Olamania would never have to go through. Soon Acorn begins looking like a nazi concentration camp. Being forced to work for no reason. CA thought they were doing good since these people were not christian but they were just hypocrites. They raped all of them which from my understanding of Christianity is a no no. It bothers me how CA would take over Acorn a community sticking to itself but not people like Cougar who are selling little boys and girls as sex slaves. 17 months of that torture, Bankole died but no huge surprise.
It seems our characters have split off and went on their own way. How long will it take Olamania to be reunited with her daughter? Will they ever be reunited? I think Olamania should have another husband. She could use the company and protection. Hopefully by the end of all of this Earth seed will leave earth and travel space, but the future looks bleak. =(

American Shaolin

So this is one of my first book reviews/ reflection it's martial arts based so yea...

American Shaolin
By Matthew Polly

This book was an amazing read, definitely glad I picked it up. At no moment is the story slow or uneventful. Matthew clearly knows how to tell what happened to him in such a way to draw attention. Matthew is the type of person who has a to do list. The top five that come first in his list are: 1. Stop being Ignorant 2. Stop being a coward 3.Be more of a man 4. Be more attractive 5. Find spirituality.
His first goal he accomplished by getting into Princeton. Matthew was tired of not knowing what other people were talking about that seemed so important. In turn he decided to give his all in school, and create a Spanish club to show his leadership potential. Luckily Princeton ate it up and gladly admitted his attendance. Matthew felt accomplished up until his third year in college. His list started appearing in his mind more often. Going towards one of his most favorite interests, Chinese culture and martial arts, he decided to travel to the Shaolin temple and accomplish more of his list there. Disregarding everything his friends and family said about China, he was set on finding the Shaolin temple and learning the teachings.
Once in China he quickly realizes that it’s not the same place that America has told him it was. It was no longer in severe poverty, but on an economic rise with higher sights in the future. After many dead ends he finally gets good advice on where the Shaolin temple is located. Upon arriving at the temple his excitement crashes down to a disappointment. The place was full of tourists, surely the Shaolin monks were in a more secluded area? After looking through the temple on display and several martial art schools that were erected in the area he finally found the Shaolin monks in a nice looking building. Upon stating his desire to train with the monks the buildings manager’s eyes quickly gleamed with dollar signs. Upon paying 1300 (U.S) a month he was allowed to stay and learn.
Matthews first day of training was intense. He had studied kung fu for about 3 years in high school, but this made all of his work seem like 3 weeks. He learned that kung fu was a form of moving mediation and that there was probably a fighting style for every animal imaginable. Matthew learned about the iron –body part- styles of fighting. In fact he was lucky enough to learn the iron forearm technique in which the ancient Chinese medicine doctor helped him learn. After the first day he was so incredibly soar that he had to use his arms to make his feet walk. Instead of resting the monks encouraged him to keep going through the exercises (which they did two rounds of a day) and sure enough in a week his body was used to the difficult tasks. No one seemed to respect him since he was just another white foreigner who was in over his head, and would eventually end up quitting. In an attempt to prove them wrong he decided to train 7 hours a day instead of the usual amount. The monks began to notice this and a few started to visit him in his hotel despite the elder monks dis-advising them to.
Deqing is Matthews first and best friend in the temple. They first meet each other during an interview of why Matthew came to china. While Matthew was stumbling over his Chinese Diqing winked at him and encouraged him to speak up more. Later in a restaurant Diqing gets challenged to a match, but instead Matthew is sent in to assess the opponents skill. Although nervous Matthew was glad to help out his best friend in the temple.
Coach Chen is one responsible for teaching Matthew while he is in China. Matthew did not know this at the time, but this was a huge task. Most monks don’t mind teaching a foreigner, but that’s when they are there for a few days or weeks. Matthew was there for two years so in that time frame Coach Chen had very little time to work on his own technique. Although immensely burdened by this Coach eventually saw past Matthews foreignness and started to see what he was really like instead of what everyone else expected of him. (Such as knowing famous Americans)
The conclusion of the story has Matthew getting second place in a tournament, and getting his top 5 to do list crossed off. Although now living in America Matthew keeps contact with the monks (via letters) and travels around America giving presentations.
This book is definitely on of my favorite reads. Straight from the beginning I could relate to the author. His great interest in an Asian culture, the need to improve yourself, physically (although he is a lot bigger than I in height we weigh around the same) and a sense of wanting to learn everything and anything that will stick in your mind. I feel as though the author and I would be able to talk for hours and be good friends.
The first sense of wonderment once you finally start getting in deeper into a martial art is shared between us. Although I’m not as dedicated as Mat, I still try my best and try to improve myself. Although at time seems very difficult as I have some habits that are hard to break, such as keeping my head down. My first impression of martial arts was like something as a show or performance. I’m really just beginning to see all of the different aspects of martial arts of all kinds not just Shaolin or Judo. The kazushi (spelling?) and balance is so important. I never really noticed, but during a match I find myself more focused on trying to keep myself balanced. Kazushi is rather difficult for me to do fast, and still relatively difficult to do even at a slower pace. So much goes on that you have to be really focused. From reading this book and reflecting on what I do in class really makes me want to meditate more.
I really like how the author was a 98lb scrawny guy. He proved that with dedication it doesn’t matter what your build is. I love how he advanced so much in 2 years, a short time for a Shaolin monk. Although Mat is considered at a really low class, he has improved in so many ways. American Shaolin also touches upon spirituality. To mediate while in motion, it seems inconceivable to me how you can be moving in such ways while trying to keep my mind blank. Heck, its hard enough keeping your mind blank.
This book also made me think about all the different kinds of fighting styles. Its amazing how with one body and several different minds can make the body intricate and distinct movements that are so easy for some and impossible for others. Definitely in top 10 favorite books.

book letter

So far i am loving every part of this book. The story is really progressing at a speed that i like. It's not too slow or too fast that makes you have to reread a whole chapter to just figure out what happened. Although the writing style is a bit difficult to get used to. At first i thought the story revolved around this one girl. Only to find out that the only time we see her thoughts and opinions it's in the gold print. It turns out the majority of the story is read by her mom's diary. A bit confusing at first, but eventually i got it.
Earthseed the religion of Acorn. Acorn being the city of course is a religion i wouldn't mind converting to. God is change and change is God. You may influence God and God may influence you. Very appealing in my eyes. A religion whose goal is to spread it's self into other planets in space is what really captured me. Acorn is a nice little town that i would love to stay in, in my post-apocalyptic world. A tight community where everyone has your back and has their own trade is very comforting in a world where you can barely trust the food you eat. I would want to be a scavenger looking for materials the town would find useful. Not the safest job, but definetly won't be boring.
I really enjoyed learning about how their world is so much different then ours. Although it seems so immensely different it feels like that kind of thing could happen at any moment. I mean they found life forms on mars, and yet the US sell all of their space equipment for aesthetic money for the higher ups. People just elected an obviously danergous racist president. People want to join the side of the oppressor instead of standing up and defying them.
I wonder if the daughter will stop reading the diary and take the main role later in the book. That is what i think is likely to happen.

Just the begining

I'm sure many of you are already aware of the protests and marches on March 4th. Sutherland, a handful of his students, and I went to the gathering in Oakland's city hall. I tried my best to try to document everything that stood out or was important to me. While at the same time adding my own thoughts and whatever was running through my head at the time. This current part is straight from my notes that were taken on the day without any doctoring besides grammar and spelling issues. This first blog is just a prequel to the actual happenings of the protest. There is just so much that went down it couldn't all be processed in one night, unlike several newspapers have. This is mainly my own personal thoughts of the morning of March 4 until I get off the bus.
Before: I am really nervous about this whole ordeal. In the back of my head i hear myself saying that it (the protest) could turn violent, that its not worth the risk. It's definitely worth it. A good education is worth ever risk. After all nothing gets accomplished by being passive as events move around you. It's about time I get active in something that will determine how my future will turn out.
This in itself is a whole new learning experience for me. I am so used to reading about such amazing changes, but have never actually participated in anything. I've never dreamed of going to a protest so early in my life, but right now I am questioning why i haven't done so earlier. I'm excited to take in and learn so much from this event. I'll also get first hand witness to observe human behavior (which i am fascinated in) in a crowd of such a mass but also at a youthful moment in life. Overall my feelings are curious and excited, but i also know to be weary and feel a bit nervous.
Bus: I met with what seems to be the group from AHS, sadly it's not an abundance of people as i hoped it would be. I envisioned at least 30 people from our school, it seems as if no one cares. The people who have decided to show up are mainly girls. Although i was not completely alone in gender as one other boy came. From what i can see none of us has brought any signs, banners, or megaphones. Perhaps that's an illusion that movies make?( boy was i wrong. There were actually dozens of clever signs that made me grin or chuckle) We had alot of cameras though, awesome. Hopefully we will be able to catch a lot of what is going down over there, and perhaps inspire other people to get involved once they see what the environment is like. Our group isn't as lively as the raging protesters in my head act. I expect that to change once we get pumped at the rally. I'm curious to hear peoples thoughts and opinions about what is going on. Currently it seems to be a number game with several people mass texting there phone books to tell people to come. I also tried to encourage people to join us, but like many of the others i failed to do so. I'm excited to see the turn out when we reach the actual event.
Next post will be solely focused on the events as seen through my eyes.