Gizmodo

Alright so there are a lot of websites which I like to follow in my spare time. One of these websites, Gizmodo is really quite interesting. I follow it on a pretty regular basic. For those of you who don't know what Gizmodo is, it's a website similar to Engadget. This site primarily provides some of the most up to date information on almost any gadget that is currently being released or developed. I follow it frequently to make sure I am always on the cutting edge of technology. I have found so many useful facts and tid bits on the site which really had broadened my scope of electronics. I particularly like to follow their top applications for the android software smart phones. I have an android phone and am always up for trying new things with it. I have almost every app that they recommend, and I use each of them almost everyday. Anyways Gizmodo is definitely a great site which anyone can use to stay up to date with the technological world. The link is: http://gizmodo.com/

Leviathan Page1-15

I finished my last book The Road and began reading Leviathan. This book starts out with a child named Alek in his father's study. He is playing a war game, something which interests him. His family has ruled Austria for over 6 generations, so it must be in his blood. He shouldn't have been in his father's study, but the fencing trainer finds what hes up to. He doesn't seem mad though. He instead asks Alek to get out of bed for his first Walker driving lesson. A walker seems to be some kid of machine device that a driver can control. Its like a giant person with guns, similar to iron man. At first Alek is unsure if this is real. However he soon realizes that this is all real and that he is in control of a great weapon. The book has just started out so there is not too much that has happened yet. We just know that Alek is a wealthy child who will probably have to take on the responsibilities of the family by continuing his family's reign. We also learned though that his mother is of normal blood. Since Alek is their son, he is not pure blood and does not qualify to receive any land. So far the story seems interesting, and the time period is still unknown. They talk about horses and swords like it was a time before guns, however Alek is controlling a huge robot with multiple weapons.

The Road pg 242-287 (End)

We last left Child and the Father after they had found a ship with a number of valuables in them. One of these values included a flare gun, which they decided to fire off in celebration. Overnight however, a grave problem arose. The child threw up in the morning. The Father put his hand on the Child's forehead and felt that he was quite hot. Luckily the Father found a first aid kit on the boat. This first aid kit had a variety of things that could help the Child. It contained aspirin and other other medicines to bring down the symptoms. The boy most likely got sick because he decided to go swimming in the cold water.

The Father and the Child continued to search the beach everyday for more goods. They found a few more goods which allowed them to eat a decent amount of food every night. However one day on their way back to camp, they say bootprints in the sand. When they arrived at the campsite they found that all their valuables were taken. Their shoes, their food, their water, and their blankets. They knew they had to do something and so quickly set out for the man by using his footsteps as a guide. They reached a road and lost the tracks. However the Child was able to spot out some sand which most likely came form the thief. They quickly followed the tracks and found the man. The father threatened the man with his gun and the man slowly backed up. They took all of their belongings back, as well as anything the man had. They took the cart and went into a small town. Here they met more trouble when a man in a window began to shoot arrows at them. The first arrow missed but the second one pierced the Fathers leg. The Father quickly shot a flare at the man who screamed in pain. The Child and the Father quickly got away to safety. He then used the first aid kit to stitch his leg back together.

The Father and the Child continued to walk on for a while, however it was becoming quite apparent that the Father does not have the capability to live. They continued to walk for what seemed to be a week before they stopped. The Father knew that he was going to die and told the Child to keep going. He said that he will always be with him. With that he passed away. The next morning there was a man that came for the boy. He said that he was sorry for his fathers passing and that the Child could trust him. The Child reluctantly agreed to go with the man, who lead him to the rest of his family. They were in the mountains which had a number of trout in the river. The boy was safe, and he had made it.

Field Trip!

Haha today I went on my first field trip since elementary school. My team and placed third in the region in the stock market game. The top three teams in elementary school, middle school, and high school were all there. We first had a tour of the newspaper company and saw how newspapers were made. We even saw the actual printing press, which at one point was the fastest in the world. After this we were treated to some free pizza. They had over 10 different varieties. We were also lucky enough to get our pictures taken. These pictures will be put in the newspaper so that we can be recognized for our achievements. Overall it was a great experience and quite fun. If only there were more field trips to look forward to.

The Road. Pages pg. 204-242

We last left off with the Child spotting a house the distance. The Child and the Father debated weather they should go to the house. It was further then it seemed and would severely hurt their progress. They decided to go ahead and take the risk since they were so low on food. They arrive at the house and found that it indeed had some old food. Their were vegetables and fruits in some cans. The Child and the Father were unsure at first if they should have them. They seemed quite old and could almost be poisonous to them. They decided to go ahead and take the risk of eating them. They didn't have many other choices. Luckily for them, the food was still good enough for eating. They were saved....for the moment. They decided to stay at the house for 4 days. However they decided that they had to keep moving. The found another cart which would allow them to carry some more supplies. They also found some blankets in the house which were a great help in surviving the dark, cold nights.

The Father and the Child continued to move South. Eventually they started to feel the salty ocean air on their faces. Continuing on their journey they finally arrived at the beach. The beach was gray and covered with ash. TO their dismay, the ocean was not blue as the Father had last remembered it. The were no birds, or any other signs of life for that matter. In the end the Child was so anxious to go play in the water, that he decided to go ahead and go for it. While he was swimming the Father realized how skinny and weak he was. The child came back out of the water and was shivering for quite a while.

The Father then finds a boat the next morning after they wake up. They decided to become scavengers in hopes of finding anything of value. They were lucky that they found this boat. It was full of a great deal of goodies. The first and most important thing he found in the boat was cabinet of canned food. The Father quickly took this and began taking as much as he could. He also found some pair of shoes, which are always useful. Then there were some tools in the corner which can always come in handy. He also found a flare gun. This is quite a big find because they can use it to signal for people if they need to. The Father has the intention of using it as a gun to put people on fire though. Overall the boat that the Father found was a great find which saved their lives.

SAT Classes

Today I had my first SAT class. They run form 6 to 8 at Canterbury. It seemed really boring because their were about 50 people there. All of them went to Canterbury and already knew each other. The teachers seem decent and it looks like they know how to teach. Besides that the 2 hours are so boring.I don't have my actual SAT test until March, so I'm starting to study pretty early. Hopefully I do good on it so I wont have to take it again.

The Road. Pages pg. 166-203

Since the last entry, I have read a decent amount in the book. However not too many eventful things actually occurred. I last left off with the Father and the Child meeting and helping an elderly man on the side of the road. The Father was against the idea, but the bright conscious of the Child quickly swayed him. They provided the man with some food. He was quite old, claiming to be 90. The reason I say claiming is because we later find out that he lies about many things. He doesn't trust the Child and the Father, and rightly so. He said he told people that he was 90 so that they wouldn't hurt him. However when the Father asked him if people did hurt him, he sadly still replied yes. This apocalyptic world has many of the values we hold today skewed. Everyone is only working for themselves and their self interest. The man later leaves on his own without even thanking the Child for the kindness he showed the old man.

The bulk of this section involved the Father and the Child traveling on their way South, like always. According to the map they were 50 miles off of where they thought they should be. The Father estimates it will take them two to three weeks to finally reach the coast and their goal. However a few days later they run into some deep problems. The cart their carrying has a gas tank in with with valuable gas from the bunker they had lived in. The tanks is controlled by two valves. It turns out that the Child forgot to close the second valve, leaving them without any gas only after just a few days. The gas was to last them for weeks, more than enough until they get to the South. Secondly, they are beginning to run out of supplies. They have almost no food and they have little hopes of finding any in the old rotting towns they pass.

After a few days of uneventful walking, the Father and Child reach a road. Apparently there was a great fire that was so hot that it burned the tar on the road, which later resettled. There were imprints of people's footsteps and their belongings which had been looted by scavengers. Further down the road they saw many dead bodies, all blackened by the tar. The Father and the Child continue to walk a few days. They then had a feeling that someone was watching them, following them. They quickly decided to spend the night under a bridge in an attempt to catch a glimpse of their pursuers. The Father stayed up all night just to see them, and he was successful. The group of people contained 3 men and one woman. The woman was walking awkwardly, and the Father deduced that she was pregnant. The Father also noted with his keen eye that the men had guns. They could be a potential threat and danger. Who would stop them from shooting the Father and the Child for a free meal? In the end of this section the book is starting to build more suspense. Will the Father and the Child be able to reach the South coast? Who are these 4 strangers and what will happen with them? Will the be able to work together to reach the South? There are just so many questions at the moment,and its amazing.