Comic of poem on the underground:

http://upload.stripgenerator.com/strip/77/13/87/00/00/full.png

Song for presentation

I’m coming home
I’m coming home
Tell the World I’m coming home
Let the rain wash away all the pain of yesterday
I know my kingdom awaits and they’ve forgiven my mistakes
I’m coming home, I’m coming home
Tell the World that I’m coming
[Diddy]
Back where I belong, yeah I never felt so strong
(I’m back baby)
I feel like there’s nothing that I can’t try
And if you with me put your hands high
(put your hands high)
If you ever lost a light before, this ones for you
And you, the dreams are for you

I hear “The Tears of a Clown”
I hate that song
I feel like they talking to me when it comes on
Another day another Dawn
Another Keisha, nice to meet ya, get the math I’m gone
What am I ‘posed to do when the club lights come on
Its easy to be Puff, its harder to be Sean
What if the twins ask why I aint marry their mom (why, damn!)
How do I respond?
What if my son stares with a face like my own
And says he wants to be like me when he’s grown
Sh-t! But I aint finished growing
Another night the inevitible prolongs
Another day another Dawn
Just tell Taneka and Taresha I’ll be better in the morn’
Another lie that I carry on
I need to get back to the place I belong

[Dirty Money - Chorus]
I’m coming home
I’m coming home
Tell the World I’m coming home
Let the rain wash away all the pain of yesterday
I know my kingdom awaits and they’ve forgiven my mistakes
I’m coming home, I’m coming home
Tell the World that I’m coming

[Diddy - Verse 2]
“A house is Not a Home“, I hate this song
Is a house really a home when your loved ones are gone
And n-ggas got the nerve to blame you for it
And you know you woulda took the bullet if you saw it
But oyu felt it and still feel it
And money can’t make up for it or conceal it
But you deal with it and you keep ballin’
Pour out some liquor, play ball and we keep ballin’
Baby we’ve been living in sin ’cause we’ve been really in love
But we’ve been living as friends
So you’ve been a guest in your own home
It’s time to make your house your home
Pick up your phone, come on

[Dirty Money - Chorus]
I’m coming home
I’m coming home
Tell the World I’m coming home
Let the rain wash away all the pain of yesterday
I know my kingdom awaits and they’ve forgiven my mistakes
I’m coming home, I’m coming home
Tell the World that I’m coming

[Diddy - Verse 3]
“Ain’t No Stopping Us Now“, I love that song
Whenever it comes on it makes me feel strong
I thought I told y’all that we won’t stop
We back cruising through Harlem, Viso blocks
It’s what made me, saved me, drove me crazy
Drove me away than embraced me
Forgave me for all of my shortcomings
Welcome to my homecoming
Yeah it’s been a long time coming
Lot of fights, lot of scars, lot of bottles
Lot of cars, lot of ups, lot of downs
Made it back, lost my dog (I miss you BIG)
And here I stand, a better man! (a better man)
Thank you Lord (Thank you Lord)

[Dirty Money - Chorus]
I’m coming home
I’m coming home
Tell the World I’m coming home
Let the rain wash away all the pain of yesterday
I know my kingdom awaits and they’ve forgiven my mistakes
I’m coming home, I’m coming home
Tell the World that I’m coming

So where´s home? Mind map

Punk for a month , Connecting with other stories

X-men: First class

I will compare X-men:First class with Punk for a month in terms of the characters and the conflict.

In X-men:First class, the mutants are judge for their appearance and their capabilities  and they get kind of alienated by society because of this  differences they have. This is actually very similar to Julie´s change because with his new appearance, she could not fit with her actual friends and she was judge by them for that exactly as the mutants for their special abilities, wich leads both Julie and the mutants, to change their friends in the case of Julie, and to interact with other mutants in Charles Xavier school.

There are many conflicts in Xmen:first class but the most important one is the conflict between the mutants itself because some of them try to adapt to society and humanity while others think humanity needs to be destroy or enslaved. This is similar to Judie´s internal conflict,  obviously in a extreme situation, because I when you read the text you realize she is kind of a internal conflict between turning a Punk, what their friends will say and what she wants to experiment. The conflicts are similar because of the internal conflict of trying to adapt to  a group of society or making a complete change and separate from that social group, like Judie who change her friends.

      Punk for a month

1.- Appearance should not indicate the personality a person have, but in the world we live today, stereotypes are everywhere and makes us judge a person just by looking at him, without even speaking or knowing him.  Still appearance show some of the personality characteristics of persons but they should not be judge before talking to them, as this could lead to misleading situations. It is appropiate sometimes for your own safety. Most of the time it is inappropriate to judge people, because their appearance does not show their true personality or their foughts, so judging a person without knowing them is a huge mislead.

2.- Julie was not fair with her friends because before she even`t  see them at school, Julie was already thinking that her friends would not accept her change and they will alienate her, so when she comes to their table, she stood there angrily and bitterly, starting up the discussion and broking with her friends. Julie could have try to be more tolerant and try to explain her friends why did she make that change.

3.- The problems Julie could have with her new friends is that she very recently change her appearance so she maybe is just getting new friends because of her new physical appearance, without taking into consideration his real personality. Also Julie is experimenting with being a Punk, but her personality seemingly does not fit with the Punk style, so although she may look as a punk in the outside, she is not in the inside, wich may lead to trouble with her new friends, because they might want to do things that Julie will not do, because she things they are wrong.

4.- Julie has just change her physical appearance to look as a Punk, so I think that although she have changed externally, she have not change in the interior because it have not pass a long time and she still is kind of the same girl in the inside, although if she is still a Punk after some time, she may change internally. I thing that it depend on the case, there are certain people that are influenced by the way they dressed, because changing their normal dresses may give them a moral boost and an something to identify with, thus giving them an identity. Still, many people is not influenced by the way they dress as there are people that can act very differently to how they look like, and they should not be fitted into a stereotype.

Personal response

“The Akanksha clinic is at the forefront of India’s booming trade in so-called reproductive tourism — foreigners coming to the country for infertility treatments such as in vitro fertilization. The clinic’s main draw, however, is its success using local women to have foreigners’ babies. Surrogacy costs about $12,000 in India, including all medical expenses and the surrogate’s fee. In the U.S., the same procedure can cost up to $70,000.”

Our modern day society have develop up to a point where the problem it`s not that things can`t be done; the problem is wether things should be done or not. In the case of surrogacy, The benefits from "reproductive tourism" may be very obvious for the surrogate indian mother and for the U.S parents that are paying for the service, but if you start to analyse the situation deeper, may be it is not as a very good practice as it looks. 

Why women have to rent their uterus to get enough money to get decent life? Pregnancy is a very important and difficult process for women and should not be taken slightly, surrogacy have many risk that involve the practice, like infertilization and other diseases due to this practice. Many women from poor countries like India, are left with no other choice than renting their womb to get a decent life, wich of course is unethical and should be avoided. “Reproductive tourism” is just the perfect excuse for this explotation to happen and also helps to increase the health and social differences between a develop country and one with lots of poverty. 

I think that women should not be pay for renting their womb, because it`s giving a price to not only a female body part and process, but also making this women exchange their freedom, their opportunies, for the job of developing a baby inside theirselfs; besides there are other ways like adoption, wich is much less harmful for others, also let parents get a kid and parents are giving the adopted kid an opportunity to have a better future. Women can`t be treated as objects or products, and society should realize their other more viable options for infertile women to have a kid, like adoption.

Individual oral presentation

"Robots can also have a softer side. My Baby 2, a simulated childcare robot, was created by a former NASA engineer and reacts when treated badly. It can be used in childcare training and instruction. "

Voicethread for the oral presentation: http://voicethread.com/?#u4005736.b4955826.i25148476

-The caption shows a robotic baby being fitted with an artificial bottle.

-It shows a different and innovative way to use robots for the benefit of humans.

-It shows robots as a more friendly tool for humans to use and have benefits from it.

-My baby 2 might be a great help for future parents to prepare them for their future role as parents.

-It may show wich couples are ready to have a real baby and wich don´t, so that good parents can decided to have one.

- It can be used as a tester for couples trying to adopt a baby. For example 136.000 people were adopted in the U.S in 2008.

-Couples can try  to see if they really want to take the decision of having a real baby and being parents.

- It can be used to teach in a more innovative way, the cares a baby need for a health develop.

-Finally, the caption make us thing that maybe in the future robotic babies will look and act identical to real ones, so people would not actually see any difference.

Biofuel presentations

Before  doing the robot activity, I was tasked along with Mingi Park to present about Biogas. Although we could not present on friday due to the schedule and lack of time, we could see all the oter presentations of our classmates.

 Overall I think the presentations were all good and also, they were a huge support for understanding better the benefits and issues about the use of Biofuels, because every group face the problem from a different point of view.

When analysing each presentation separately, I think all the peer did a nice job presenting their respective subjects . Some topic were more complicated specially the one about the biofuel production process but Mr Nuñez and Mr Ugarte managed to present it in a good and understandable way although they could have speak a little more louder. 

Mr Oporto and Mr Gastó presented about the Economical Effects, wich I find a really interesting topic, because of the contrast between the comercial benefits of Biofuels and the problem about the impact of biofuels on food prices. 

Finally the last presentation I could listen to was the one from Thomas Reynolds and Sebastian Barriga who did a really good presentation and show of their topic about

 producing biofuels on land used for food or cattle.

 Robot design

Last week, along with Rafael Labra as my partner, we were tasked with designing  a robot to solve an actual problem. The result of this was the "Librarius 2.0", a robot whose characteristics will  be described below.

What problem or challenge does the robot solve? What are some of the functions you will program your robot to carry out? 

The robot is designed to solve the problem of reaching high shelves from libraries and ordering books. It´s main function is the ability to distinguish books by topic and ordering them in the proper shelve, no matter how high it is due to its large robotic arm.

What materials will it be made out of? Why?

It will move by the use of special wheels designed for little objects made from rubber and aluminum.  Its main body and the robotic arm will be made mainly from steel and cooper to ensure the proper and efficient use of energy and the main terminal will be directed by the new generation of microprocessors.  All these materials ensure the correct functioning of the robot and make it capable of doing its work without problems.

 How will the robot sense its surroundings?

It will have 5 sensors. The first four will allow the robot to move in all directions by detecting possible obstacles and avoiding them. The fifth one and most important, will be locate in the top of the robotic arm and will be in charge of distinguishing the books by topic and selecting which books goes to each shelve.

 How will it move and respond to the environment? 

It will have small wheels, which will aloud the robot to move through the library without problems. Also it will avoid any possible obstacle in the way and will only stop to select and leaves books in their proper shelve.

How or why is a robot better equipped to handle this challenge than a human? 

Mainly because the robot will get the job done efficiently and correctly, whatever a human might do it wrong or don´t do it at all. Basically, the robot reduces in almost a 100% the human mistake.

What specific functions will the robot carry out?

It will distinguish books by topic and ordering them in the proper shelves. This will be possible because of the front sensor, which will recognize the books by topic using an international database.

 What components will the robot include that help it carry out these tasks?

It will include mainly the wheels to move freely around the library, accompanied by the movement sensor that will determine the best way to move. It´s main task will be achieved with the help of a special sensor to detect books by topic and a pincer that will grab the book and left it in the appropriate shelve after the sensor have determined what type of book is it.

 What will the robot look like?

The robot will look like a small construction crane, but with wheels to move, a main terminal which will look like a box unite to the wheels and the upper part, which is basically a large robotic arm with a sensor to distinguish books, and a sort of pincer that will take books from a basket attached to the robot and deposit it in the appropriate shelve

 Will it look humanlike? 

No, it won´t look like a human as it is more like the concepts of a crane and a toy car, much like Wall-E but instead of the head it will have this large robotic arm with it the only thing of the robot that can be considered “humanlike”

Why or why not? 

It does not need to look like a human because it is not necessary, apart from that it would not be practical because if made like a human it will have limitation to reach high shelves, which is exactly why the robot have the large flexible robotic arm.

How will the robot’s appearance influence how people interact with it? What limitations does the robot have?

People won´t have any problem interacting with the robot, since it does not present any possible harm, actually the robot when encountering with a human blocking the way will turn around and find another way to where it is going.. It will be designed to be very user friendly so that anyone can use it, and it will go slowly and silently enough for a library. The only robot limitation is that to start working it needs to be turn on by a human and you need to left the books in the basket so the robot can order them.

Stem cells breakthrough and seeds of hope

I will answer some questions based on a video we saw in class, this time about stem cells in order to understand better the topic of study.

1) Why are stem cells considered so valuable for medical research?

Because stem cells can be the cure for many diseases.


2) Why did the researchers have to narrow the spectrum of genes within stem cells? (video 1)

Because they need to find the specific genes for stem cells from wich they could revert the biological clock and produce new stem cells.


3) What are the sources of stem cells and the advantages and disadvantages associated with using each?

The stem cells that are used are the one from embryos. The advantages of this is that stem cells can create and heal any organ because they can specialize and regenerate any organ damage. The disadvantages is that in order to produce this, apparently you need to create life and then take the stem cells from embryos, but the problem is that they do not survive wihout them.
4) What are the three cases presented at the beginning of the second video?

We see a hockey player with spinal cord damage do to an injury.  then we see a young man with diabetes and finally a baby with a disease called taysachs, wich cause the inhability to produce enzymes vital for brain cells survival.


5) How might a stem cell be used to treat spinal cord injuries?

Stem cells can replace the damage cells by adding a scaffold filled with stem cells that replace the damaged area, Stem cells react and reproduce spinal cord cells repairing the damage.

6)Explain the outcome of the experiment with injured rats presented in the second video?

The outcome was incredible because  within 2 months of treatment, rats with spinal cord damage that should not walk, were walking almost normally.

7) What issues surround the debate over of stem cell research?

Mainly Ethic issues, because the stem cells retrieve from a embryo does not survive.


8) What issue do you think needs to be debated as we make decisions about stem cell research?

One of the most important issues to be debate, is about manipulating life and taking away one life for the benefits of another being.

Genetic Tool kit

 As in the last posts, I will answer some questions based on a video, this time about the genetic tool kit.

1)How has evolution tinkered with genes of animals?

The evolution  altered the genes of animal  to adequate animals to the changing condition of the evironment they  are living in.
2) What role has embryos played in the study of evolution?
All animals come from similar types of cells. By studying the embryos, we can analyse how this cells specialize to make a particular function.
3) What did the experiment with fruit flies and mice show?
It shows that they share some same genes because they have a common ancestor. Beside this, it is important to notice that there are many different different factors that make the gene produce a specific kind of eye, arm, leg, etc.. to a specific animal.
4) What does the presence packages of information suggest about evolution?

It suggests that all animals come from a common ancestor that passes the package of genes, wich show why they have similar genes. Finally, although they share the same genes, other factors like the evironment, food and weather determine the evolution path each race follows.

GENE CONTROL VIDEO

1) Why did the German scientist decide to study the fruit flies at the larval stage?

The german scientist decided to study fruit flies because they are fast breeding insects, but unlike most scientist she decided to study the fruit flies at a larval stage so they could see it growth and determine the exact moment when something went wrong.

2) How does the mother fly activate the control genes?


By leaving  chemical messages that activates during the larval stage.


3) What is the role of control genes?


Control genes controls the activity of many other genes and also they control when and how some specific genes are expressed.


4) Which of the two species are closer to humans?

In this cases it would be fishes, beacuse they have control genes and body plans closer to our own.

The embryo takes shape

We have start looking at the topics of gametes, embryos and pregnancy. To understand better all these topics we looked at a video in class that explains how and in wich way human beings are born. Based on the video I will answer some questions.

1) What directs the sequence of events that turn a blob of cells into an embryo with specialized tissues and organs?

It´s a process called gastrulation that turns a blob of cells into a embryo, this process divide cells intro three layers, each with a specific function.

2) The narrator says that “cells talk to each other.” What does that mean? .

This "communication" between cells is actually that chemicals sings or  chemical process of a cell can trigger a reaction in a nearby cell.

3) How do cells in different parts of the embryo become different kinds of cells and organs?

In each of this cells, different genes or DNA activates, making each cell produce something different


4) What kinds of proteins are found in different cells and organs?


Crystalline:  related to the lens of the eye.
Collagen:  related with tendons, bones and skin.
Keratin:  related with hair
Haemoglobin:  Transports oxygen from the lungs to the rest of the body

5) What tells the cells which kinds of proteins to make?


The DNA and genes that are activate within each cell.

6) What is the relationship between DNA, genes, and the proteins that are produced in cells?


They are all related because DNA contains the genes that when activate tell each cell what proteins to produce in order to accomplish a specific function that help our body to work properly.

Biogas

Biogas typically refers to a gas produced by the breakdown of organic matter in the absence of oxigen. It is a renewable energy source, like solar and wind energy. Furthermore, biogas can be produced from regionally available raw materials and recycled waste and is environmentally friendly.n

Biogas starts being acknowleded worldwide as one of the most upfront technology for upgrading waste to valuable fertiliser and renewable energy. It can be used to power motor vehicles.  In the UK, for example, biogas is estimated to have the potential to replace around 17% of vehicle fuel.



-What is the process of biogas production?

Biogas is the end of a complex process of aerobic descomposition, By the end of the process Biogas is mainly composed of methane and carbon dioxide.. In the standard process of biogas production, the bioorganic material is processed before being fed into the biogas plant. The plant consists of a mixer, two digesters and a gas storage. The digesters are also called fermentation tanks and are the crucial components of the plant since they provide the anaerobic conditions in which the bacteria generate biogas. The substrates have to be constantly heated and stirred in order to ensure their homogenity and the consistent discharge of gas. The gas holder is normally an airproof steel container that, by floating like a ball on the fermentation mix, cuts off air to the digesters (anaerobiosis) and collects the gas generated. In one of the most widely used designs, the gas holder is equipped with a gas outlet, while the digesters are provided with an overflow pipe to lead the sludge out into a drainage pit. 

-Is it Biogas a sustainible energy resource?

The production of biogas is sustainable, renewable, carbon neutral and reduces the dependency from imported fossil fuels. Often operators or beneficiaries of biogas plants are able to become fully energy self sufficient. They produce the h eat and eletricity they consume.The use of biogas supports the objectives of the European Union of 20 % of renewable energy by 2020. Other positive facts, include: 

-Establishing a decentralised energy supply

-Providing high quality fertilizers

-Reducing unpleasant local odours

-Strengthening regional economies and creating added value

Although, on the other hand we can see that the methane contained within biogas is 20 times more potent than carbon dioxide.Therefore, uncontained landfill gas, which escapes into the atmosphere may significantly contribute to the effects of global warming. In addition, landfill gas impact in global warming; also volatic organic compounds (VOCs) contained within landfill gas greatly contribute to the formation of smog.

Question to reflect about:

Do you think that biogas could be use as a sustainable way to produce energy in chile? 

VIDEOGAMES AND ISOLATION

One of videogames mayor problems is that they cause isolation from society, causing severe problems in almost every aspect of a person’s life, specially it´s social abilities. This happens specially in the case of people addicted to videogames, wich are about 12% of polled online gamers according to the BBC. This people might have important problems in their future that must be try to be avoid in order to have a better and more healthy life.

To begin with, we need to look out how and why videogames cause people to isolate from society. To understand imagine a kid with a TV and a console in his room to which he can access every time he wants and added to the fact he have  really addicting and fun videogames to play. The analysis of this situation is simple; he won´t get out of his room as he is going to prefer playing inside his room, rather than doing a sport, playing at park, or simply, speaking to others. The last is cause because games are interactive and the kid takes the role of the main player in most games, leaving to “interact” with programs, not with real people. In the long term, the boy will feel more comfortable “interacting” with a videogame rather than people, because it is far more simple and it doesn´t even require you to get out of your room. This has been proved by a studie from the University of Rochester, that conclude that many games satisfy basic pshycological need, and player often play because of the ingame rewars, freedom and a connection to other players. 

After we have just explained how and why videogames isolate people, the consequences of it are pretty obvious. The kid or grown up that plays videogames too much will have problems to establish relationships as he will become more shy and quiet. He will loose contact with reality, causing severe problems with how he develops and interact with society, and more importantly as a result of playing too many videogames and get isolate, is that the person affected by this problem will end up alone, without any type of real and solid relationships. If we get back to the example of the kid, imagine that he plays compulsively every day, he will not be interested in  entabling new relationships, as such he will gradually start to lose his “soft” abilities, specially his social abilities, this might not affect him at a beginning or if he is a child, but when he has to get to university for example, the lack of social abilities will really matter and as a result of not being able to socialize with others, he will isolate more, eventually fall into depression and then maybe even worse things. 

Finally, we need to focus on what can be done to prevent or to control this severe problem. I want to say here that playing videogames occasionally is not something bad, all the problems come when the user doesn´t know when to stop and they lose the whole day doing nothing but playing.  The solution to this problem is to organize your time, put a time where you can play videogames, another for doing a sport, for hanging out with friends, etc.. By organizing your time and getting out more, you will have much less problems to stop playing. If your kid is the one addicted  to videogames, try to reduce the amount of time he spends playing videogames, different studies recommend that a maximum of 1 to 2 hours a day, by no way he can have access to videogames in his own room, and you must encourage him to make new friends and spent as much time as possible playing games outdoors. As a last tip, remember that determination and self-control are the key to free yourself from videogames and start to have a normal and sociable life. 

GLOGSTER

To support my upcoming presentation about how videogames cause isolation, I prepared a glogster to have a more interactive way of presenting my topic.

Link to glogster: http://matias96.edu.glogster.com/videogames-cause-isolattion

Based on the video PLAY, we where told to select a topic for our oral activity.I think that looking after loking at this video the topic I want to focus about is how videogames isolate people from society.

 I found the following informaton for my topic, although I will still use more info as I found it:

http://www.education.com/reference/article/negative-potential-video-games/
http://www.debate.org/opinions/does-the-amount-of-time-a-child-spends-playing-computer-or-video-games-affect-his-or-her-social-development
http://www.healthguidance.org/entry/12626/1/Video-Game-Addiction--A-Serious-Issue-Among-Children.html

Finally, I choose a speech, so I will provide arguments about how does videogaming cause isolation

 Quote analysis

In this entry I will analyse the following quote:

“Advertising is everywhere you look, whether it is in the newspaper you pick up daily or on that billboard you see while driving down the highway. Some people may say that they are not in fact influenced by the advertising that is thrown at them each day, and that they do not fall into it, but everyone does.”


This quote is a very important observation of how advertisement works, it is always trying to catch your attention, leaving you ta message, from convincing to buy a Coca-Cola to political advertisement. That fact combined with globalization, makes advertisement a very powerful weapon for convincing people, even those who claim that they are not influenced by Advertising. The question in my opinion is why we can`t leave free from the influence of advertisement? I think it is because we, humans, are social in the sense that we interact with the evironment and with our own kind everyday, everytime, we can`t live islate. This makes every human responsive and sensible to the evironment, in this case to mass media that is everywhere we turn around to look.

In according to last paragraph, we can and we should conclude that even those who claim to be "smarter" and not to be affect in their decisions my advertising are just lying to themselves because media is part of our actual evironmment and we are sensible to it in a conscious or unconscious way.

Adds leave an image and a message to costumers and people in general, whether to promote or to convince no to buy or do something, and that message get to our minds and we then make a positive or negative response to the add, so media actually affects and influence everyone because we are humans, we are sensible to our evironmment and to the different product that are being showed in adds.