MQRB: Sunday 9/29

If you ask me, not really much happened today, probably due to the fact that most of the time we were cast in an awkward silence staring at the board, wondering what would happen next. Unfortunately, most of the excitement was saved till the end of the quest, when we rushed like maniacs to achieve something last minute.

We were visited by an alien ship. Obviously, we had something it needed because it scanned our planet thoroughly for a specific life form. Apparently, it was the Supreme Humanoid (referred in my previous posts as Cosmic Ape). The ship shortly afterward abducted one of my incarnations and sent them to the Mansion Worlds Desert where a strange bounty hunter looking like a giant police officer stepped out and began questioning me. After a quick back and forth conversation, the bounty hunter seemed dissatisfied with me and returned to his ship. He then journeyed to the Water Lands where he accessed the Edentian Library and used its knowledge to piece together an organic copy of Red Bulk Smash!!! Red Bulk Smash then moved into barrier position, guarding the library entrance and furthermore prohibiting travel to other worlds. Carrying the Supreme Humanoid, we stunned Red Bulk Smash and passed him. We journeyed to the Mansion Worlds Desert where we met with Big Bad Rhino, the Bounty Hunter, and Supreme Humanoid's brother. They locked us in and requested for the Supreme Humanoid. We struck up a bet that if Merick survived the Ball Deflecting challenge (dodged 10 balls thrown at him) they would let us free, but if he failed, we would give them the Supreme Humanoid. Merick lost, unfortunately, and so my warrior incarnation, in a fit of anger, threw the Supreme Humanoid at Big Bad, knocking him to the ground. After all, they didn't say what form I had to hand him over in. ;-) Anyway, Merick revived himself and tried to make them hand back the Supreme Humanoid, but they refused, of course, and left in their ship. Luckily, my warrior grabbed a hold of the ship just in time and caused it to crash. The Hiddeon jumped on my warrior. My warrior pushed it off him and onto the ship. Merick, still inside, was crushed along with Big Bad. Then, Wuda arrived in the scene. I asked her if she would be my Cosmic Master and she said she would accept me as long as I completed a mission. The mission was to sever Princess Skitza's (a shadow lord) control over the spiders which where invading the Water Lands. I did so and became her newest apprentice...

Science Current Event Article #2

Anthony Karambelas

9.29.2013

Science III


Teens and Sleep

Summary:

The article Teens and Sleep, by the National Sleep Foundation, is about sleep
and its effects on teenagers.

The first section of the article talks about how sleep is
energy for the brain and if you do not get enough of it, you are prone to illnesses,
injuries, accidents, and are more likely to be moody and disrespectful to others.

Not so fun fact: more than 100,000 car crashes each year are caused by lack of sleep.

The second section of the article consists of key sleeping facts: 1.) Sleep is just as
important as air, water and food. 2.) Teens need about 9 ¼ hours of sleep every
night. 3.) Maintaining irregular sleep patterns (staying up late and sleeping late on
weekends), you can damage the quality of your sleep.

The third section of the article consists of consequences of lack of sleep: 1.) Limits your ability to perform day-today tasks 2.) Makes you prone to pimples 3.) Leads to irritable behavior 4.) Results
in overeating typically junk foods 5.) Heightens alcohol effects 6.) Contributes to
illnesses.

The fourth section of the article gives solutions to prevent lack of sleep: 1.)
Make sleep priority 2.) Take frequent naps to supplement a sleep loss 3.) Make your
room specifically for sleeping 4.) Don’t eat, drink, or exercise within a few yours of
your bedtime 5.) Establish a reliable bed and wake-up time and stick to it 6.) Keep a
diary or to-do list.

The article also states that school have tried making their start
times later and as a result, their students have shown positive increases in focus and
better moods.

The last portion of the article includes NSF’s 2006 Sleep in America
poll data. The poll measured the depressive mood scores of 1,602 poll respondents
on a scale of “1” to “3” (1 being “not at all” and 3 meaning “much”). The poll showed
that 46% of the adolescents surveyed had a depressive mood score of 1, 37% of
adolescents had a score of 2, and 17% had a score of 3. Further study showed that
those with a score of 2-3 were more likely than those with a score of 1 to have more
trouble falling asleep.

The article concluded with a quote by Mary Carskadon, Ph.D., director of Chronobiology/Sleep Research at the E.P. Bradley Hospital and Professor of Psychiatry and Human Behavior at Brown Medical School in Providence, R.I., “If parents and teens know what good sleep entails and the benefits of making and sticking to a plan that supports good sleep, then they might reexamine their choices about what truly are their ‘essential’ activities. The earlier parents can starts helping their children with good sleep habits, the easier it will be to sustain them through the teen years.”

Author’s Research:
To include this many facts about sleep, the author must have researched
much more than I could find. The clear sources they researched were NSF’s 2006
Sleep in America poll and Chronobiology/Sleep Research at the E.P. Bradley Hospital.

General Topic and Usefulness:
This article is about sleep and how it affects the lives of teens. It is a very
informative article and is very useful to me, as I have trouble squeezing in my sleep
on top of homework and living an hour away from school. Even though it is
obviously meant for teens, I can envision adults finding this article useful.

Additional Information:
After reading this article, I would like to know more about what I can do to
encourage schools to create later school start times. Perhaps if schools have later
start times, students will be more attentive. I would also like to know more about
homework and how to best manage it.

Opinion and Recommendation:
This article is very interesting and has made me more aware of the dangers
of lack of sleep. I would recommend this for any teenager to read. They should know
the consequences of not getting the sleep they require.

The Porphyrtort Comic

Science Current Event Article #1

Anthony Karambelas

Science III

September 14^th, 2013

Summary:

In the article Gravity by Donald B. DeYoung, the mysterious force known as gravity was defined and explained. It is responsible for many things we take for granted in life: keeping us on the ground, directing our planet around the sun, causing rainfall, and even moving tides! Clearly, gravity has been in existence long before humans came about, yet we have still been unsuccessful in completely uncovering its secrets. What made it what it is? As DeYoung puts it, gravity is “an absolute testimony to creation.” The first science pioneers to investigate and begin the “materialization” process of gravity included Galileo Galilei (1564-1642), Isaac Newton (1642-1727), and Henry Cavendish (1731, 1810). Galileo’s contribution included exploring the motion of falling objects. Isaac Newton helped by describing the law of gravity. He stated, “All objects in the universe attract each other”. The more the mass of an object, the stronger the force. The more distance between two objects, the less the force. Henry Cavendish measured the gravitation constant, which allowed scientists to accurately calculate the force of gravity. Below are samples from Galileo and Newton’s diaries describing their thoughts on gravity:

“Galileo: From the Divine Word, the Sacred Scripture and Nature did both alike proceed.

Newton: This most beautiful [gravitational] system of the sun, planets, and comets could only proceed from the counsel and dominion of an intelligent and powerful Being.

Newton: When I wrote my treatise [principia] about our [solar system], I had an eye on such principles as might work with considering men for the belief in a Deity; and nothing can rejoice me more than to fin it useful for that purpose.” As you can see, gravity did fascinate them quite a bit. DeYoung also discusses simple properties of gravity which make it what it is: “1.) Gravity does not change with time. 2.) Aside from air resistance, large and small object fall downward in exactly the same time. 3.) Gravity is always attractive, while other forces such as magnetism can either repel or attract. 4.) Gravity cannot be fumed off or shielded in any way. 5.) Gravity attraction does not depend on the composition of objects, only on their mass of weight. 6.) The gravity force decreases with distance but is actually infinite in its extent.” As we struggle to understand gravity with our concepts of “natural” science, possibilities begin to dwindle and we are soon left with no choice but to resort to desperate causes (unusual ones at that). In this case, namely the Bible. DeYoung points out two scriptures which assist in the understanding of gravity. The first, from Colossians 1:17 “explains that Christ is before all things, and by Him all things consist.” Of course, in religious context, gravity is portrayed as a tool of God himself. As DeYoung states, “If the Lord turned His back on the universe for one moment, instant chaos would result. Without gravity, the earth, moon, and stars would immediately disintegrate.” The second scripture, from Hebrews 1:3, “declares that Christ upholds all things by the word of His power.” So, in this scripture, gravity is a force that not only keeps everything in place, but controls all life-form’s behaviors. Lastly, Deyoung discusses four forces of nature we use and acknowledge in our day-to-day lives. First off, there is the electromagnetic force. Then, the strong and weak nuclear forces. Finally, there is gravity which is “actually 1040 times weaker than electromagnetism, and the only force known in Newton’s day.” There have been many attempts made to unify these four forces under one entity or theory. The first success was by Faraday and Maxwell who combined electricity and magnetism. No matter how hard we try to focus gravity, it just becomes more and more foggy. Is there ever an end to its complexity? Or must we look to unsubstantial theories or beliefs to satisfy our curiosity? 

Author’s Research:

As this article drew such diverse references, I cannot even begin to imagine the amount of research Donald B. Deyoung must have done! Most references are concealed, but the few obvious ones I noticed were Galileo’s letters of 1613-1600, Newton’s Principia, The Bible, and of course the lives of Galileo, Newton, and Cavendish. 

General Topic and Usefulness:

This article is about gravity and its unique properties. It is very and detailed and explains the topic very thoroughly. This information is not very useful to myself or a layman for that matter, but I suppose it would be very intriguing for a scientist who specializes in the field of earth sciences. I don’t mean to say gravity isn’t a profoundly interesting topic, but I don’t see how such information could be applied to our daily lives. The only thing the population needs to know is it exists, so they don’t try something stupid like standing under a boulder about to tip off a ledge. 

Additional Information: 

This article is, of course, about active gravity, but it made me wonder about life in zero-gravity. It began to stir thoughts in my mind about the properties and consequences of life in a vacuum such as space. I hope I can investigate this subject soon…

Opinion and Recommendation:

This article was very concise and I found it extremely easy to follow along with DeYoung’s train of thought. As a result of his simple manner of speaking, I would recommend this article to any science-lover. 

Cell Theory Brochure

MQ Lomita Saturday 9/28

Being a Cosmic Being is so relieving compared to the status of Light Being. Maybe it's because I am given the chance to do more mental exercises than physical ones. Maybe it is also because I can achieve more than when I was a Light Being. For instance, at the inception of today's quest, the Eagle Guardian revealed to us that Omegus has been trapped by All Supreme. He sent us on a mission to retrieve information from a Shadow Lord in Zombaus who knows how to free Omegus. When we approached him, the front gates closed, leaving us trapped and spiders began attacking us which we quickly destroyed. Then the zombies came. The Shadow Lord told us All Supreme trapped Omegus inside the Master Control Crystal in Titanus. However, the only way to free Omegus from it would be to access it from the Master Control Tower. He then said he didn't mind releasing this information because we wouldn't be alive to do anything. Fortunately, that wasn't true. 

Just then, I remembered what Judee had told me about a scroll she had left for me to read. I located it with an anomaly. At the top of the giant tree near the entrance of Titanus. I sent my archer incarnation to retrieve it. To make it easier for me, I visited the System headquarters where I asked the Water Fairy to assist my incarnation in the Titanus. She respectfully declined because she was instructed to guard the Helium Baths. She told me, however, there were fairies in the Mansion Worlds who could assist me. Just then, All Supreme appeared along with Big Bad Rhino and 5 Unbendium plated Metanoid droids. The Metanoid droids were sent to the City where they began projecting a mysterious signal.

I ended up being assisted by one who lifted my Archer halfway up the tree. My archer climbed the rest and found the message. Once I unraveled it, I saw it was a jumbled text. I brought it to the Eagle Guardian who started deciphering it. 

I then went to the City where I knocked out All-Supreme with my previously tamed Hiddeon. Then, my Hiddeon was trapped in a containment field by the Metanoids. Slowly, but surely, we defeated the Metanoids. Then, however, Big Bad Rhino used Smash on my Guild of Nets incarnation and as a result, he was destroyed. I then brought my Warrior incarnation into action. He began kicking, punching, and throwing deactivated Metanoids at Big Bad. Soon enough, Big Bad retreated. 

I arrived back to the Air Lands with a captured All Supreme. The Eagle Guardian had deciphered the first part of the scroll which gave me the ability to materialize leaves from the Tree of Life with an anomaly. I revived my defeated Guild incarnation with it.

I then went on the difficult journey in Shinobis using my Guild member. Finally after much strife and a fun riddle (I have billions of eyes, yet I am in darkness. I have billions of ears yet only four lobes. I connect the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. What am I?) I reached the Master Control Tower and freed Omegus. For my efforts, Omegus said he was preparing a gift for me and for an immediate token of appreciation, gave me a Cosmic Crystal to enhance my Cosmic abilities. 

The quest was epic today, and I bet it will be even more so tomorrow...

MQRB: Sunday 9/22

I loved today's quest simply because of how exciting, exotic, and productive it was. As some already know, my attaining of the status Cosmic Being does not mean I can make unfortunate mistakes. Today's mistake was, to my delight, not my fault for a change. It was a matter of a level 10 cosmic anomaly projected by a cosmic ape who disguised himself as Teacher Bo and fooled me into giving him a sample of Chimera skin which I had hard-earned after just about an hour's worth of attempting to tame the beast. Luckily, I was able to rush after the Cosmic Ape and follow him to the edge of Zombaus where I was forced to stop. This Cosmic Ape then ventured to Shinobis where he accessed the master command center and gained control over the System Headquarter's main crystal which in turn controlled Wuda, the Sword Wizard who went around rampaging the System Headquarters, Water Lands, and then Shinobis where my mental form used the Power Cosmic to remove the Cosmic Ape's control over the master command center which freed Wuda. Wuda then threatened to chop up the Cosmic Ape with her swords if not for the code she was bound by, by Eldron. Everything should have been fine and dandy if not for what the Cosmic Ape did afterward. Reluctant to give up so easily, he set off a vaporizing field which Sydney, Kabir, and I agilely disarmed. Then, we captured him and transported him to the Sisterhood Castle. That was, of course, when the quest ended.

That was just one part of the storyline of today's beautiful mess. Something very important happened to one of my apprentices today, but as he insisted that I keep a secret, I shall. I will tell you however, that somewhere in the universe, a light has been born.

Be there or, be square!!!