Month: September 2020

Robots in Everyday Life

BY MARKOS YIANGOU

STAFF WRITER

From senior living homes to prosthetic limbs, the reach of robotic technology is growing in almost every industry. When I was younger, the idea of an automated machine was in my robot dog Zoomer or my friend MIP.  Who could have ever imagined that such efficiency from this type of technology could affect so many sectors in such a short time.

In the agricultural industry, companies are using robots to gather all kinds of crops, from apples to lettuce. Eliminating countless hours of manual labor. Not to mention manual labor is getting harder to find. In Washington, an orchard in Grandview uses a harvesting robot to pick apples off of their trees.   

The service industry has also seen a shift in automation. For example, McDonalds has been acquiring technology companies to automate their ordering process and bring more efficiency to their drive-thrus.In the future you will see drive-thrus change based on the time of day, weather, traffic, and the customer’s order.

Another job robots are doing is taking care of seniors. Some robots act as coaches to help elderly people exercise, stay social, and even distribute food and medicine. In South Korea there is a type of chair that can hold someone who weighs up to 220 pounds. It is a robotic chair that moves around with a joystick. Robots can be used for getting people around if they are unable to walk.

As we move into the age of experience, robotic technology will continue to play a big role in shaping our lives. Some are skeptical about bringing robots into everyday life, but if you weigh the pros and the cons, you’ll see the difference.  All of this technology is a benefit to society as it solves labor shortages and allows companies to remain competitive.  Everyone could use more Zoomer’s & MIP’s in their lives.

Sources:

Staples, P. (2019, March 02). Robots Used in Everyday Life. Retrieved September 13, 2020, from https://sciencing.com/robots-used-in-everyday-life-12084150.html

Lucas, A. (2019, September 10). McDonald’s acquires A.I. company to help automate the drive-thru, its third tech deal this year. Retrieved September 15, 2020, from https://www.cnbc.com/2019/09/10/mcdonalds-acquires-ai-company-trying-to-automate-the-drive-thru.html

Picture: https://time.com/longform/senior-care-robot/

Stardew Valley: A Review

BY LOGAN SCHLOSSER

STAFF WRITER

*Disclaimer: There are little to no spoilers here. If you don’t want to spoil the opening scene, you can skip the 2nd paragraph.

On the date of February 26th, 2016, a brand new title to the game market was released to shake the gaming market. The game I am talking about is one of the most successful indie titles to ever cross the platform, Stardew Valley. So, let’s hop right into the review!

Once you have created your character and are ready to step into the world of Stardew Valley, you are greeted with a cutscene. After wanting to leave your life as an office worker, you open a letter given to you from your grandfather; inside is a deed to his old farm. This is how the game begins.

Now into the actual gameplay. This game involves a lot of manipulating your crop growth to produce the max amount of money, so you can purchase wonderful upgrades for your farm. Basically, you can purchase different crops for different seasons. Each season is 30 days, and each day is 24 minutes. You do have to sleep though, so you will be losing half of your day! There are multiple types of crops; these crops can grow at different rates and all sell for different values. Besides the element of farming, there is also the element of talking to the townsfolk. There are around 20 different Non-Player-Characters to give gifts to and befriend. The more people you befriend, the more items you can receive as presents from them. These presents can span from food to ores. 

To move into the last category of the game, you can go into this mine to fight enemies with an upgradeable combat system that improves the farther you go down. Every 5 floors you go down it adds that floor to an elevator, which you can go to and go down to that level even after you die.

Alright, I feel that I should make an entire section dedicated to the beauty of this game’s art. The art is centered around a top-down 2D pixelated style, and just looking at this game is an absolute treat. The artists combined a 2D experience with modern shaders. The game somehow looks so realistic, even though you clearly know it is not. It is just such a comforting thing to look at after a long day of work.

Now there is so much more I could honestly cover in this game, but I really don’t want to turn this into “Logan spoils an entire game for a school newspaper”. if this article left you wanting more, simply purchase the game when it’s on sale. It will legitimately run on any hardware, and it will always be a comfortable experience. So, try it out for yourself if this game seems suited to your tastes. 

How Social Media Helps and Hinders Activists

BY LAASYA AKI

STAFF WRITER

People in general have mixed feelings about social media. Some only concentrate on the benefits of social media, viewing it as a way to connect with their friends. Others focus only on the cons, seeing it as a threat to our health and society. Either way, many people spend a lot of time on social media and come across tens and hundreds of posts each day. Using the powerful influence of social media, activists have reached a number of eyes that they wouldn’t have been able to reach before. 

Why is social media different from any other news outlet?

Well, social media and news outlets differ in many ways, but the main area is the audience. Social media is mostly used by a younger audience: Generation Z and Millennials. Many of these news outlets rely on people going to their site to view their content. Social media is on almost every phone of Gen Z. Even if they don’t actively look to learn, they will come across it while scrolling through their social media. And this doesn’t just apply to Gen Z, though there is a majority here; it applies to anyone who has social media.

Why is it important that the younger population comes across these posts?

Gen Z is the most tolerant generation compared to previous generations. A larger percentage of these younger peoples are more likely to be tolerant of race, religion, and sexuality. A large percentage of Gen Z is seeing what is right and what is wrong. The younger generation is the future and can change it. This isn’t the case with previous generations. Gen Z is known to take action when needed.

After the tragic death of George Floyd, an innocent black man who was murdered at the hands of the police, many people on social media organized protests and reached the eye of those who they couldn’t have reached without social media. Those who couldn’t attend protests spread awareness to others. This also was the case with Breonna Taylor, Elijah Mcclain, and many more. But, with all of this good, comes the bad.

The dangers of misinformation.

With all this information spreading around, not all of it can be true. With the rise of activists comes misinformation and conspiracy theorists. One of these absurd theories is that George Flyod isn’t actually dead and that he faked it. This is not true, but on social media how does one know? We can try to fact check what we read and educate others. With all of this good also comes bad. The activism is growing louder, and they’ll have to listen to us soon.

—

Sources

https://psmag.com/ideas/how-generation-z-as-the-multicultural-vanguard-can-safeguard-the-future-of-america

http://thesnapper.millersville.edu/index.php/2020/06/08/how-social-media-is-contributing-to-the-blm-movement/

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/01/technology/george-floyd-misinformation-online.html

Increasing Evictions: How the Pandemic Has Shaped What it Means to Have A Home

BY CREIGHTON LEWIS

STAFF WRITER

The novel coronavirus has changed everything. It’s made us more reluctant to visit public places, has prevented us from going to school this year, and it’s even gotten people kicked out of their homes. 

When people rent a house or an apartment, they have to pay their landlord a specific amount in order to ensure they have a place to stay. To have money, you need to have a job, but because of the pandemic, people have been unable to work, threatening their residence as a result. Depending on the rent amount, how much money someone has in savings, and whether someone has family members they can call and have a place to stay with, this can mean a temporary setback, or a one-way kick to the street. At a time where public health officials agree it’s best to be social distancing, doing so in a homeless shelter is going to be nearly impossible. The structures simply weren’t made with pandemics in mind. People are packed closely together, coming from different places and situations- it’s literally an infection waiting to happen.

Many people don’t know this, but after someone is evicted, there’s a permanent x on their record as a tenant. Wherever they try to go, the landlord will see this x and determine whether they think an individual is responsible enough to pay all of their rent on time. It makes it more difficult for people who are already desperate to find housing a place to stay. 

Finally, moratoriums are defined as  “delays in the activity of a law.” When someone agrees to pay the rent each month, they have to sign a legal document, but the moratorium blocks this document due to the current circumstance of being unemployed. Hopefully, all states’ legislatures will  pass a moratorium that lasts as long as  possible and makes sure all citizens have the ability to breathe, rather than suffocate from the  growing amount of debt.

ANIMAL PEN: The Hammerhead Worm

BY KAIA KARPE

STAFF WRITER

The Hammerhead Worm is an invasive species. It is also known as Broahead planarian, & the Arrowhead Worm. The Hammerhead Worm’s scientific name is Bipulam. There are around 830 species of the Hammerhead Worm. 

It’s known to eat soil invertebrates. Also, bits of them that are cut off can reproduce into another hammerhead worm & recover rapidly. The Hammerhead Worm is known to eat earthworms, slugs, & fellow Hammerheads, as well as harmful insect larvae. Most animals don’t eat Hammerhead Worms because they produce a chemical called neurotoxin tetrodotoxin, (it is one of few terrestrial invertebrates that can do this).

 That is not the only strength they have. They can reproduce asexually and sexually (but more often, asexually). It uses a process called fragmentation. This is where they leave a tip of their behind and develop into an adult. The only way you can conveniently kill the hammerhead worm is by sprinkling some salt on it. All in all, Hammerhead Worms are pretty hard to kill, but it is not impossible.

The Hammerhead Worm is very active and is found all over the world. They especially like humid conditions. It is also nocturnal, which means it is most active during the night. Like slugs, they can also be active during moist, cloudy days. Otherwise, they find themselves in dark, private spaces. They like humid, warm habitats, so you probably won’t find them in deserts or mountain ranges. They’re found all over the world, and you can find many in just one location. A certain location they are often found in, is in and around potted plants, which have nice rich soil and other worms to eat. So, they like moist or hot temperatures with not much direct sunlight, and many can be found in one location.

The Hammerhead Worm will almost always succeed in catching its prey because it will have an organized plan to eat it. Hammerhead Worm’s mouth is also its butt. They eat the prey (such as an earthworm or snail) by lying atop the prey as its mucus holds the prey down to prevent most movement. Then, the Hammerhead Worm extends the pharynx out of its mouth & secretes digestive enzymes. It then will suck the liquefied tissue into the prey’s branched gut using something called cilia. Finally, it is the time the Hammerhead Worm’s mouth is used as a butt. In the long run, the Hammerhead immobilizes its prey, liquefies the prey, & leaves the snail’s shell alone, and there will be nothing left of the earthworm.

The real question is: should we be concerned about the earthworms, snails, etc? There is some debate of whether we should be concerned about soil invertebrates. The majority says we shouldn’t be concerned because  of evidence. We should have an idea of what is going on. Overall, we shouldn’t be that concerned, but still keep an eye on it.

In short, the Hammerhead Worm is an invasive species that eats soil invertebrates. Hammerhead Worms reproduce quickly & heal quickly, so it is pretty hard to kill, and even most predators won’t eat it, because of the toxic chemicals its body produces. It will stop its prey’s movement & will slowly but surely efficiently eat its prey until there is not much left of it. In the end, they will only be a small threat to the earthworms unless the Hammerhead Worm’s numbers increase significantly.

  1. This Strange Worm’s Mouth Is Also Its (Butt). (n.d.). Retrieved September 13, 2020, from https://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/news/0000015d-41d1-d1cb-a7fd-c5dd801a0000?source=searchvideo
  2. Weisberger, M. (2018, May 22). Giant Hammerhead Worms Have Been Invading France for Decades. Retrieved September 13, 2020, from https://www.livescience.com/62635-hammerhead-flatworms-invade-france.html
  3. Harrison, L., Posted:, 13, D., Charles B Peabody August 10, & 29, T. (2019, January 31). Hammerhead worms are an invasive species. Retrieved September 13, 2020, from http://blogs.ifas.ufl.edu/wakullaco/2019/01/31/hammerhead-worms-are-an-invasive-species/
  4. (n.d.). Retrieved September 13, 2020, from https://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/galveston/beneficials/beneficial-57(partial)_land_planarian.htm
  5. Hammerhead Flatworm, Vol. 5, No. 27. (2019, September 17). Retrieved September 13, 2020, from http://extension.msstate.edu/newsletters/bug%E2%80%99s-eye-view/2019/hammerhead-flatworm-vol-5-no-27
  6. Anne Marie Helmenstine, P. (n.d.). Horrifying Hammerhead Worm Facts. Retrieved September 13, 2020, from https://www.thoughtco.com/hammerhead-worm-facts-4178101

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