The Ruby Sure Is Shining Bright!

Welcome to my blog today! As you might guess from the title, today's post is about the computer language of Ruby. First, though, how about a joke?

What did one mushroom say to another mushroom?

"When they made you, they really broke the mold."

I talked a little bit about Ruby last time, but that was only speculation. First of all, the course is from Codecademy, and it is downright awesome. Codecademy teaches many languages, not just Ruby. It teaches Python, JavaScript, Git, and more. The Ruby group consists of many "mini-courses". I have completed 4 or 5 of these mini-lessons, and I am a total of 28% done in the Ruby lessons.

I have learned to make a program with user input, "Daffy Duck-ified" some lines of input, and more. I prompted the user for their first name, last name, city that they live in, and the abbreviation for the state they live in. Using that data, my program told them their name and location. Also, the "Daffy Duck-ified" input was done by just changing the "s"s to "th"s. Both of the above programs may seem simple to you, but they are actually difficult to create and execute correctly. Go to the above link if you want to see that for yourself.

Thank you for tuning in to this post, and as always, I hope to see you on School Stories (Where School Is ALWAYS In Session!) again.

Programming Android Apps, And Rubies Too!

Hello and welcome to this post on my blog! The subject of this day is my new programming course.

In my new programming course through the University of Maryland, College Park, Dr. Adam Porter teaches students the fundamentals of making an app for Android devices (i.e. phones, tablets, etc.). He teaches you how to use an "emulator" to "make" a virtual device (again, i.e. phones, tablets, etc.), as well as making a simple app, at least in the first 3 videos of part 1. In order to emulate and design apps, you need to install the Android Developer app, and you can only do it on phones (I think so, anyway).

Also, I will be starting a new course using the Ruby computer language. I have used JavaScript and Python, but I have never used Ruby. Sure, I'd heard of it, but never actually used the language itself. I predict that Ruby will be similar to Python and/or JavaScript, but different as well. I imagine that the "reserved words" (see here about the Python ones) will be different, even though they have similar functions, but that there will be some unique things about it as well. Like what, you ask? I have no idea, but I expect them to be dazzling, like a well-polished Ruby! *wink*

Thanks for your attendance to today's School Stories (Where School Is ALWAYS In Session!) post today, and I hope to gain it again soon!

New Hampshire Primaries

Hello and welcome to the latest version of my blog!

Today's edition is all about my New Hampshire Primaries course that I am taking through the University of New Hampshire.

The New Hampshire primaries are the first, but it wasn't intended to be that way at first. Nothing is said in the Constitution about political parties or how to elect a  POTUS (President Of The United States). The caucuses, which I discussed here and here, are different than the primaries in more than just name, date, and place. Iowa is more of a media event, as well as an all-inclusive one. New Hampshire, on the other hand, is semi-inclusive, with self-declared Republicans/Democrats voting only for their respective party, with the Independents/undecideds are "wild card" voters. The primaries, like the caucuses, are important in New Hampshire, but why? The answer is a simple one, the same one as in Iowa: They're the first, which makes them the most looked-at.

The 2008 NH primary, held on January 8, 2008, was a huge event at the time. The main event was Barack Obama versus Hillary Clinton (she is running this year). Obama had won the Iowa caucus, surprising most people. The primary was won by Clinton, but Obama won the nomination. The fact that they both won an important event put them on even ground, but Obama had gained massive recognition when he beat Hillary, so that paid off in the end. With the Republicans came the battle of Mitt Romney (who would win the nomination in 2012) versus John McCain. McCain won the primary as well as the nomination, but failed to win the presidency. With the defeat of the Republican nominee, Obama went from a skinny Illinois Senator to the first African-American President in United States history. Most Presidents since 1972 came in first, second, or third in Iowa and/or New Hampshire.

Thanks a lot for viewing School Stories (Where School Is ALWAYS In Session!), and a shout-out to my Grandma Paula. Love you Grandma!

Entomology

Hello and welcome to this post, which on entomology!

I am now reading from a book called Fundamentals of Entomology by Richard J. Elzinga. It talks about different arthropods, such as the Insecta (like a grasshopper), the Crustacea (like a crayfish), the Arachnida (like a scorpion), the Chilopoda, (like a centipede), and the Diplopoda (like a millipede). Unfortunately, centipedes eat worms and slugs (that would explain some previously unexplained disappearances of my worms :(). They also can have up to 380 legs! Millipedes can have up to 750 legs though. That puts centipedes to shame, doesn't it?

There are three major arthropod groups: The Mandibulata, which are characterized by well-developed mandibles; the Chelicerata, which are defined by chelicerae utilization; and the Trilobitomorpha, known only by their fossils. Fun fact: Arthropoda means joint foot, from Latin (arthros = joint, poda = foot). Just one more thing about millipedes: They have a harder exoskeleton than most other arthropods (excluding crustaceans), so when they curl up into a tight coil, they are nearly impenetrable.

Thanks for this installation into School Stories (Where School Is ALWAYS In Session!), and I hope to see you again soon!

Computer Science: JavaScript

Welcome to your educational blog viewing! Today's topic is my Stanford computer science class, which teaches you about the JavaScript language.

Recently, I talked about the Python language (you can see that post here). The JavaScript language is not super different, but it is different in a lot of ways. One way that they're alike is that they both have "reserved words", which cannot be used as variable names. Of course, the words vary in each language, but that is to be expected, since they are two different languages. However, a way that they're different is their purposes. Python is mainly used for web programming, while JavaScript is used mostly for browser programs.

I am enjoying this course from Stanford through Coursera, and I'd recommend it to anyone interested in learning about computer science. I like the professor, whose name is Nick Parlente, as well as the material. It is a fun course that I think would appeal to many people. Not only does he tell you about the material, he also shows you using a document side-by-side with the lecture.

Thanks for joining my Stanford Computer Science 101 review on School Stories (Where School Is ALWAYS In Session!) and I hope to see you again soon!

Geometry & Bug Request

Hello and welcome to the latest edition of this blog! I'm Nick and I will be your host today, as always.

Today's "lesson" is on high school Geometry on IXL, such as inscribed and circumscribed triangles of circles. I recently was constructing triangles, squares and hexagons inside of circles, just like Aristotle did. I also have earned 15 outer-space-related awards(Sun, Titan, Earth, Gas Giant, New Moon, Lunar Eclipse, Pluto, Space Capsule, Satellite, Astronaut, Elliptical Galaxy, Orion, Telescope, Mercury, and Asteroid), as well as mastered 16 skills.

Another thing is that I just would like to announce that, if you were unaware before, I do accept requests to identify miscellaneous insects, arachnids, slugs, and worms. If you have an unusual worm, or slugs that you are willing to part with, I am interested in collecting and interbreeding worms/slugs to create new hybrids that haven't been discovered yet. Then I can make a name for myself in the scientific community as soon as I can! Of course, I would say that I couldn't have done without you if I use a worm that you sent in. I also would split the profits with you if there are any. ☺

Thank you all for visiting School Stories (Where School Is ALWAYS In Session!) today, and I hope to see you soon! ☺

New Courses! New Books!

Hello, and welcome to my blog again! First thing first: why I've been away from it. As some of you know, my grandmother just had her hip replaced recently, so I was visiting her on Wednesday. Monday I forgot about it, and it was overall kind of an all-over-the-place, semi-hectic week. Sorry about that!

Today a new course started : the New Hampshire primary. It is through the same website as my Iowa Caucus course: Canvas. It asked to set up a Canvas network account, as well as do something with social media.

Also, during the inspection of our soon-to-be new house, I read a new book: Black Ships Before Troy by Rosemary Sutcliff. It is a shortened retelling of Homer's Iliad, which tells of the wedding of Thesis the Silver-Footed; of the discord that followed, courtesy of Eris; of Paris' judging of Athena, Hera, and Aphrodite; of the "theft" off Helen of the Fair Cheeks; of Menelaus' rage at Paris; of the allies that heeded the call of Menelaus' brother, the High King Agamemnon; of Achilles' hiding; and of much, much more.

Thanks for viewing this post on School Stories (Where School Is ALWAYS In Session!), and see you tomorrow!