During summer, I like to take online courses to make sure I’m ahead throughout the upcoming school year. Khan Academy is definitely one of the better websites I’ve used. There are tons of online tutorials for a wide variety of subjects, as well as several quizzing features. The best part? It’s completely free! Here’s a guide to navigating this awesome educational website.
A Nerd’s Guide to Portland
As I recently went there on vacation (the cause for the lack of posts lately), I feel like this is a good time for me to talk about Portland, Oregon. There’s a lot of amazing things to do once you’re there, but the best by far (in my opinion) is to visit Powell’s City of Books, the largest independent bookstore in the world. Then there’s the oldest bookstore in Portland, Cameron’s Books and Magazines. For the science lovers out there, there’s OMSI, the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry. The current featured exhibit, Robot Revolution, is particularly interesting. And if after all of this activity you get hungry, Portland happens to be filled with awesome food.
Movie Review: A Quiet Place
“If they hear you, they hunt you”, runs the tagline of the new thriller A Quiet Place. In the case of the post-apocalyptic world of the movie, this is very, very accurate. Accurate to the point where if a vase drops, you die. A Quiet Place, overall, was a very good movie, intense and emotional, and, despite a few minor issues, manages to please most audiences Continue reading
How Online Courses Have Helped Me More Than Public School
Currently, in my science class, we’re studying earth science. Since fourth grade, we have been studying nothing but earth science mixed with a little bit of meteorology here and there. Although I am far from a fan of earth science, I think it can be interesting if it is taught correctly. Today, in science, we watched Ice Age. Specifically, Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs. Although I can go on for hours about the scientific and historical inaccuracy of this movie, that’s not the point. The real question is: why are we watching cartoons in science class?
The X-Files: Maybe It Should Have Ended With Season Seven
One of longest running science fiction/drama series in existence, The X-Files has definitely stood the test of time. The show, premiering in 1993, follows the adventures of FBI agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully as they investigate paranormal phenomena across the country (and occasionally even outside of it). Mulder, a conspiracy theorist and believer in aliens, is forever searching for who (or what) took his sister when he was twelve, and Scully, a scientist and skeptic, is pretty much there to disprove his theories. But as the series progresses she slowly becomes a believer. I’m a huge fan of the show, and have been watching it for about a year now. I recently reached episode one of season eight, or Within. Now, I’m on the third episode of the eighth season. From what I’ve seen so far, this appears to be about the point where the show ran out of good material. Just to be clear, throughout the post all of my complaints are aimed towards season eight of the show (I can’t speak for the following seasons).
6 Video Games For Those Who Love Puzzles
Do you ever get bored with crossword puzzles or sudoku? If you’re in need of a challenging and super fun puzzle game, look no further. These games all include challenging puzzles, along with (mostly) interesting plot lines beautiful artwork. Enjoy!
5 Ways Ready Player One Is Different From The Book
Today, Ready Player One hit theaters across America. If you’re like me and have read and enjoyed Ernest Cline’s novel, you may feel like something is missing from the movie. Why? Well, let’s just say there are a few differences between the book and the movie. And that is most definitely an understatement. So what’s different in the movie from the book?
A Few Things That You May Not Have Known About Harry Potter
Since its publication, J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series has become incredibly popular. Many fans consider themselves ultimate authorities on all knowledge of the books. But there are a few facts out there that the common HP fan may not know…
Birthday Parties For the Nerd in Your Life: Part 1
As a middle-school-aged nerd, I know how hard it can be to plan a party for a nerdy kid. First of all, there’s a serious lack of decorations for many themes that catch your interest. Here’s a few birthday parties that
I’ve had that might inspire you. Today, we’ll cover my Harry Potter birthday.
Why We Shouldn’t Be Awarding Anything Less Than A 4.0 GPA
A scene most parents and kids are familiar with is that of an academic awards ceremony. There’s nothing wrong with this. It’s a perfectly fine way to honor kids for achieving their goals. But as the event starts to drag on, and people are only half paying attention, the fact that not all of these kids should be getting awards in the first place becomes clear. For example, at my elementary school, they had 3 levels of honor roll, the lowest one attainable by getting up to 2 Cs. Are these really the grades we want to encourage the next generation to get? Why do we applaud mediocrity? It could because we just want to encourage kids to reach their dreams, but maybe our academic standards have lowered over the years.
Thoughts of a Middle School Nerd 