Invisibility Research

In THINGS NOT SEEN, a boy turns invisible. Since I have been interested in invisibility for a long time, I decided to research it.
People are trying to create Invisibility Cloaks, as mentioned in the Harry Potter series, and some people have ideas. In fact, there are scientists in a university in Tokyo that have "already" created one. However, when I saw an image of the person in the cloak, I didn’t think she was a lot harder to see in it than out of it. The cloak projects everything behind her to the front of her, so it appears that you see through her. In this model, you have to be standing in a certain location to see the person like this.
There is another type of cloak being developed currently, and though I have not seen it, I think it will work better than the previous one. This one intends to bend the light off of the object, so that our eye can only pick up anything next to it and behind it. It will be similar to how we see things near a radiator or fire -- everything around it seems to be wavy. The scientists are trying to create this cloak within eighteen months. Some of this research was done by John Pendry of Imperial College, London.
These are some ways that scientists plan on creating invisibility cloaks. They say it will be used in the army sooner than we expect... I say I’ll use it for pranks sooner than anyone can suspect!
My source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12961080/
http://science.howstuffworks.com/invisibility-cloak.htm

Things Not Seen

Things Not Seen travels through a world of invisibility. All Bobby Philips, a fifteen year old boy, wants is to lead a normal life. Unfortunately, he can’t lead his own life; he has strict and learning-obsessed parents who don’t let him make his own decisions. But, when Bobby finds out that he’s become invisible, new problems occur. What better excuse is there for his parents not to let him make his own decisions? However, when he meets Alicia, the blind girl that sees everything, nothing is the same. Bobby changes from being an "invisible" boy with an invisible life to someone else. The question of Things Not Seen is how Bobby and Alicia can change Bobby... but not back.
I thought this book was really good. Andrew Clements reeled me in like a fish, and didn’t let me off the hook until I had completely read the book. I think it was interesting how Bobby is described as someone who doesn’t really know or care what will happen to his life. He is passive, and comparatively invisible in personality. I liked the way Andrew Clements made him invisible to teach him a lesson.
This grippingly suspenseful plot grabs you from the beginning. Good writing, realistic characters that you can relate to, and a really plausible plot (though it can never actually happen) are all the work of Andrew Clements’ hand. I strongly recommend this book.

The Coca-Cola cafeteria

It is a well known fact that people will probably do almost anything for money. Montgomery Township Schools are trying to decide whether or not they want to advertise products to make money. The way they are going to advertise them is by naming parts of the schools after the products.

What would your reaction be if you walked into the cafeteria and as you sat down with your friends, the first thing you saw was a huge banner that said the COCA-COLA CAFETERIA, or the DUBBLE BUBBLE GYM? What would you think if the school tried to make money by encouraging you to buy common products?

I definitely think that it is a dumb idea. We're not even allowed to have soda, gum, or any good stuff that they're likely to advertise in school. So, if they decided to call the gym the Dubble Bubble gym, then the Principal shouldn't give out detentions for chewing gum. Even if gum and soda were allowed, I don't think the school should have to resort to advertising. I think they should not advertise the products through us.

What do you think?

Piano...

Did you ever think that piano would ever be useful? I know I never did. When you are very young and you start piano, you think it is just another activity, but when you get to 5th grade, it starts to get very annoying. For example, if you like doing any sport, or arts and crafts, or maybe even reading, it is wasted in the time you play piano, and everyone starts doing lots and lots of activities, so you never have time to do anything else. In 6th grade, sometimes you just want to say, "I can't take it anymore! I hate piano. It takes up so much time." Your parents always say that when you grow older, you can enjoy the art of piano. But if you look at it this way, piano won't get you much money when you grow up, and when you grow older, you usually listen to other songs, any songs but piano.
When you get older, and you have been playing piano for about 5 years, even though you hate it, you won't want to quit, even if it is a pain in the neck. You just keep on doing it, and for some reason, you just won't quit.

It isn't that the piano is a bad thing, it just doesn't give you anything.

Dawn's Ground Rules

In general, I am going to try to butt out of this blog. But I need to make sure we all understand and agree to some basic rules. I'll try to keep it simple.

First of all, I want you to always remember that the purpose of this blog is to give you really creative, smart, interesting ladies a place to talk with each other and learn from each other about things that are important or exciting for you. The following rules are meant to keep it that way, and they apply to both posts and comments.

1. No insults, name-calling, insinuations or hurtful statements. About any person. Including blog co-authors, friends, family, classmates, teachers, neighbors. Not even about (eewww) boys. Nobody.
1a. If you disagree with something, either take it up with the person who posted it, directly (i.e. not on the blog), or post a response that has the facts of why you disagree, not just your disagreement.
2. No posts about gossip or secrets. About anyone.
3. No personally identifying information -- no full names, ages, addresses, phone numbers, social security numbers, email addresses, etc. in posts. About anyone. Well...full names of public figures are ok, but you get the point.
4. No modifying someone else's posts, unless they give you permission.
5. Give credit where it is due. No plagiarism. And if you get an idea from somewhere or someone, please share the glory.
6. And last, but not least...I AM IN CHARGE! I WILL delete, as necessary. But only if the above rules are broken!

Please remember...blogs are open to a worldwide audience. I'm not saying you will definitely have a worldwide audience, but anyone in the world can hear your conversation. So please keep it civil, safe and interesting.

I think we must expect great things from you all.

this is another sample posting

here's bold font

here's pink font

here's blue font

here's magenta font

this is fun!

here's italic font

Death By Eggplant

Death by Eggplant(by Susan Heyboer O'Keefe) is probably a new book to most readers, but nevertheless, it is an AWESOME one.
Bertie gets the old eighth-grade responsibility test: flour sack baby. How much weirder do these projects get?
Bertie has to survive ten days with this irreplaceable and soon to be cherished flour sack, without it getting harmed in any way. But from that point of view, his baby being harmed is not a problem, because it's simply not an option with a teacher like Bertie's.
Bertie just wants to cook, but the whole world is stopping him. Absolutely no one supports him or his one passion. Grades are tumbling, parents are grumbling, and it's the least Bertie can do to be nice to his parents and get a bully out of the way... not to mention Baby Cleo!
Sympathize with Bertie as you read a clip of his school year in Death by Eggplant!

Lookout for the forthcoming review on FEVER 1793!