Micronations

Hi!



Here's November's story!

Micronations

Micronation=small nation? Not really. I’ll explain, read on. Ever wanted your own country as a kid? Some adults claim that, in their property or land they control, they do. But since these are not officially nations, they have no diplomatic rights and only have the power of creating laws because it is their property, and even then they can’t cancel out real laws by their home country, excluding micronations in international waters.

Who Says I Want to Fit In?

Hi again!

I wrote this in November '09 for school and got an A on it as well I entered a poetry contest with it! Enjoy!

Why to try?

Hello!

Sorry I haven't posted in a while, and this one is late. But this was written in September-October '09. So Enjoy!

Summer Edition: Comparing Apples to Lemons (and The Penguins That Love Them)

By Casey

“What the heck does this guy mean!” you say. Well this is the first debate (not including the Electric Car story) here on An Aspie’s Thoughts. What about? Which Operating system, or OS, is best?

Apple’s contender is widely known for its few viruses: OS X! In the other corner, Microsoft’s two best OS’s. First, widely known for its many problems and Apple’s ad campaign: Vista! Also, its other OS: It’s widely adopted and often downgraded to from Vista: XP! Finally, last but not least, the shadow warrior, Linux! Now what is Linux? It’s an open-source, user-developed OS. Which will win? Read on!

First we’ll cover the info. At posting time, Apple has released OS X update 10.5.8 and has Snow Leopard on the way. OS X runs on Intel motherboards and many “clones” exist. As well there are many ― sometimes on the border between semi- or completely illegal ― ways to install OS X on a PC.

At posting time, Microsoft has released XP Service Pack 3 and Vista Service Pack 2. Microsoft’s OS’s run on any motherboard or anything else for that matter! Unlike Apple, Microsoft only makes software, not hardware, so many companies build Microsoft machines (Apple on the other hand, makes their own machines, but not motherboards). They also make Word and Internet Explorer, on version 8.

Finally, open source Linux. There are many types of Linux, called distributions, or distros for short. I prefer Ubuntu. They are not owned by companies (with the exclusion of ones like Google’s OS, not going to be covered here) but are open source. In plain English for you non total techno-geeks like myself, that means many people develop it independently. But they also work as a whole to make Linux better, free of company, language, and location barriers. It also comes with OpenOffice.org, a free text editor by the makers of Java, and Mozilla Firefox, another open-source web browser, the only one developed especially for Linux. Linux will run on any, I mean ANY hardware. Mac, PC, Intel, AMD, Nvdia, they even have a full Ubuntu OS for the PlayStation3! It’s also worth noting Linux is very similar to Apple’s Unix-based OS X

Now we’ve covered every OS, so the debate is on!

History

Windows. Ah Windows. They have a long history, including good ol’ MS-DOS (pronounced M-S doss), the first Home-user text based OS. Now they have most of the market, and they make the Office tools. But the first GUI ― or Graphical User Interface, the term for a non-text-based OS ― was Apple’s. And they once worked out of a garage. Linux is open source and is actually older: it was distributed in the 1960’s and 70’s. Microsoft was founded in 1975 and Apple in 1976. But to more modern times.

Today

Apple has a diverse range of products, including the iPod, the iPhone, possibly soon the Mac Tablet, along with their notebook line. They also have iTunes, the famous Mp3 music store. But even it has flaws. It can be quite a hassle in Europe or Asia to get an iTunes account for example. Microsoft has Zune Pass, and they point out that it take $30,000 to fill a modern 120 Gig iPod. Here is the ad:

But this debate is about the OS’s, not products, so let’s get back on course. Microsoft is cheaper, as shown in their laptop hunter ads. This is a one where a mother and son go looking for a laptop:

But their OS is bad enough, I’d rather pay an extra $700 for OS X, which can dual boot XP anyway if I want to “return to the dark side”. I admit, I don’t really like that you can’t find many games for Mac but I have the solution: dual boot Linux with Wine, a free Linux program that lets you run Windows software. Neat, huh? Apple comes with so much more than Microsoft, so it’s worth the extra money. Microsoft is DEAD. But until then, the debate will go on…

We might find a verdict here at least. Me, I’ve made my decision. But there’s a little more info for you. While Windows has more games available, Apple comes with more tools, like GarageBand and iMovie. And Linux can run like Windows. So here comes the verdict.

The Verdict

I have a verdict: I’m dual-booting Linux and OS X. I hope I helped you reach a verdict. What is it? Comment on it! By the way, the title means this: Apple is good and Windows is Lemons, while Linux’s mascot is a Penguin.

White and Nerdy

Hi!

I'm White and Nerdy! Or, at least, I like the song by "Weird Al" Yankovic. I discovered it, of all places, in a YouTube search while I as looking for Mythbusters (my favorite show) episodes. I thought it was an extra so I watched it. I loved it! Here it is for you to watch if you're interested:



Then I got obsessed. I found it described me to a T though, so I decided to do it for a talent show! I'll keep you posted on that.

This is the real video:


Gotta go!

Signed,
Casey

Stop-Motion Animation

Hi!

Here's my next post!

Stop-Motion Animation

By Casey

Stop-motion animation takes patience. And that would be an understatement.

So what is stop-motion animation? It’s taking many many still shots with a camera in order to make normally still subjects (like Lego) to look like they’re moving by turning them into a very fast video. But keep in mind, as I said, it takes patience. Trust me. My first video, which was only 2 seconds long, took 18 pictures! That’s 9 pictures per second! Yes, I said second. Now, I’ll show you how to make one yourself.

First, get everything ready. Get a backdrop. Maybe even make a mini-studio if you shooting in your house (Unless, of course, your house is the backdrop). Also, keep in mind that you’ll need a lot of memory, so delete all those pictures of your sister’s mouth (or maybe that’s just meJ). Place your camera on the stable platform you’ll be shooting from (or the first stable platform, if you have more than one location). It’s probably best you don’t move your camera until you change scenes. Now, get your subject(s) ready. You’re ready to start shooting.

Now to begin shooting. If your subject(s) will be moving into frame, it’s best to take a before picture before they move into frame. Also, if they move out of frame, take another picture, especially if they change the scene (ie. Taking someone who was already in frame with them). To shoot the actual movement, if someone is moving into frame, move them so that only a part of their body (or car, ship, etc.) is showing (or are showing if there’s more than one). Then slowly move the subject(s), making tiny changes, taking pictures each change. Eventually you will have all the shots you need to show motion for all of the video (whatever it’s about). Now you’re ready to turn them into a video.

Now you’ll need to use a computer to put the images together. Don’t worry, I’ll walk through the steps. First, offload the pictures from your camera onto the computer in the normal way. Next, if you don’t already have it, download Microsoft Movie Maker. It’s free at microsoft.com. Now I’m not a fan of Microsoft, but Movie Maker is OK. Once Movie Maker is installed, open it to start a new project. There should be a white space in the middle with a “Movie Tasks” Menu to the left and a Preview screen on the right. Click the arrow pointing down next to “Capture Video” and select “Import Pictures”. Find and select all the pictures to import them into the white space. Now go to the top menu labelled “Tools” and select “Options”. Go to the “Advanced” tab, and lower both picture duration and transition to the lowest option. That will make the best video. Now drag only the pictures you want in the video onto the storyboard in the right order. Unless you want to add sound (which I’m not going to explain) you should probably add some silent movie-style plates for explanation, sound, or dialogue. You can do this by using Paint in Windows or the equivalent on other platforms. When you are going to add your plates, go back to the “Advanced” menu and raise the duration to 5 seconds. Now when you add the plate it will last 5 seconds so you can read it but the rest will be the stop-motion animation (unless you keep and/or re-enter the duration).

That’s it! You can add Titles and credits under the “Edit Movie” menu, and then it’s as easy as going under “Finish Movie” and selecting “Save to My Computer”. Then sit back and enjoy your work!

Until Next Post,

Casey

RE: Electric Car

Hi!

I wrote about the Chevy Volt in my essay on the electric car. This is an ad for the volt shown during the olympics. I really like the "Time Lapse" theme. I call it "Times Change". Enjoy.

The Story about This Story: How I Wrote This

Hi!

Sorry I was a little late on the post, but here's the story!

The Story about This Story: How I Wrote This
By
Casey

Oh great. My story’s due tomorrow and I haven’t even started. I spent all night on that “Time Machine”: really just a chair with some lights, buttons and dials. A load of junk really. But no time now, my page is still empty. I consider putting “Thanks” on it and paper clipping it to a $5 bill. Reluctantly, I dropped – literally – the idea after my mom told me it was cheating. I thought about the subject “How to write a 1.5 page long story in 2 pages or less”, but it was a flop. I then had an idea. Test the time machine by going forward in time, and pick up the story when it was done, the next day. So I prepared the Time Machine. I had just enough time to be whisked off into the endless space of no time. Although there was hardly anything to go on, I still managed to find tomorrow’s date. Diving in, I found myself sitting next to future self. Realizing someone would notice A, the fact I was in pyjamas, B, the fact there were 2 me’s, and C, the fact I was in a chair, I casually asked the future me if I could see his story. To my horror, he said that he had gone forward in time yesterday to today, and then asked himself if he had a story, and was answered no. I, obviously, had the same thing. Then, someone called out “Hey, look, he has a twin!” I quickly disappeared into no time as the teacher said “What the heck is going on!?” This time, I noticed more about no time. It was really just like a filmstrip of all the days of time. I quickly found the present, or, rather, what the present was, and dove in. Knowing the mission was a failure; I set my alarm for 6:30 AM, and went to bed. When I woke up, I wrote the story. The topic? How I wrote the story, and that’s what you are reading now.

Epilogue

Later, while in the class where I visited yesterday, I saw someone appear next to me. He looked like me, but in my PJ’s. He asked me if he could see my story, and, so I wouldn’t mess with fate, I said “Sorry, I don’t have one” and told him to leave.

THE END!

Holocaust Poem

Hi!!

I recently read the book "Hanna's Suitcase". it is a book about the Holocaust. It inspired me so I wrote this poem.

Shining Stars

A Tribute to Children Holocaust Victims

Just because we wear stars on our chests,

Doesn't mean we're any worse than the best.

Because of Hitler's cruelty,

Light again we'll never see.

If we were to do a sum,

Over one million and one,

Of us children who died because,

Hitler caused a holocaust.

And because of his genocide,

He committed suocide.

And what he did,

He deserved,

Because for the right,

He did not serve.

Just because we wear stars on our chests,

Means that we are with the best.

~Casey~

Electric Cars

Let’s face it. Global Warming, better described as Global Climate Change is becoming a major issue. Have you seen Wall-E? Do we really want a world that’s toxic to us because of our own stupidity? I have a solution that will, at least, slow down, Global Warming. It’s a new type of car. “Whoa!” you say, referring to the fact that most new types of cars require new infrastructure and investment. Then the oil companies have done their job well. “What?!” you say, thinking I’m crazy. But they want you to think that. Their marketing and announcements make you think a new car is next to impossible. But it’s not true. They just want to hold on to you as someone who has to buy gas. They make millions of dollars on oil. But there’s a loophole to “big investment needed”, which is true, except for the electric car.

“Why?” you say, knowing your gas guzzling car runs fine for you. I mentioned one already. Climate Change. The number one cause of it? Gas guzzling cars. More reasons for it? How about Gas prices? You claim “Charging an electric car would rack up my energy bill!”, but that’s a lie. Another reason to switch to electric, is that the time is ticking on our oil supply. When that runs out, your gas car may run fine, but it can’t run without fuel. Another reason is that, as I said earlier, no new infrastructure or investment is needed. Just proves oil companies aren’t as loyal as they say they are. They are really liars.

GM once tried to sell an electric car. It was called the EV¹. EV stood for electric vehicle, the one meant it was GM’s first. It was hugely popular among drivers, who adored it! Even so, for some reason, after all the leases on the EV¹ expired, GM took the cars from the hands of the drivers! And even worse than that, they had forbidden the public to know what had happened to the cars. Someone finally figured it out, but they had to fly over in a helicopter just to do it! What happened to the cars? They were crushed, and valuable parts were salvaged. Why was it destroyed? There are a variety of reasons: 1) Oil companies want to keep their grip on drivers, 2) GM knew it could make more money on a Hummer than it would on electric vehicles, and 3) GM claimed consumers hated the cars, which was false!

Some people say “And how do you think you’re gonna do that?”. First of all, hub motors would be more efficient than one central motor, and a gearbox. Another thing is that we have, if someone would build them, the technology to create long range batteries. These aren’t technical specifications, but they are a basic design. If a ten year old like me can create a basic design of an electric car, why can’t GM?

Admittedly, there are some drawbacks to electric cars. For one, they take awhile to charge. Another one is that we’re in a “hybrid” stage. We want to get over that, because if a hybrid runs out of gas, it’s a weak electric vehicle, and vice-versa. Another peeve is that someone needs to make the huge batteries for these cars. The technology is there, but they need a little more of a technical design.

GM is making some effort into reviving the electric car, in the form of the Chevrolet Volt. It’s an electric car, like the EV¹, but it has a gas generator for larger range. The gas engine never directly powers the wheels, but I still think GM needs to eliminate it in order to make a good electric car. One way that you could replace the gas engine that I read, would be to cover the roof with solar panels. It could also charge the car while parked. It also has a gearbox, which needs to be eliminated. I heard that a gearbox wastes 10% of the total energy that the engine is putting out! And that reduces efficiency, therefore reducing range.

In conclusion, I think the world needs electric cars, and we’re making steps towards that goal, however it’s not here today. Come on, I heard the army uses electric tanks, so why can’t we have a basic electric vehicle!? Today, there’s only one way to get a fully electric vehicle of your choice, and that is converting your current vehicles engine, however I won’t talk about that in detail right now. I think electric cars are the solution to global climate change. They also don’t need much investment or infrastructure, like natural gas or hydrogen fueled cars. They also don’t use oil like diesel cars, which are the today of eco friendly cars. So I think the electric car is the final solution.

Introduction

Hi!





Welcome to an Aspie's Thoughts!





This is my blog!!





It contains "Essays" that I write for this blog.





The first essay is from a school asignment and once my mom read it she said I might be able to make a good blog with it!!!



I also plan to add some cool things I find on the internet.



Until Next Post!



Casey