In the movie “Pee-wee’s Big Adventure”, Pee-wee Herman uses a self made machine to make breakfast for himself and his dog Speck. All he has to do is light one candle and place it under a string. This string snaps and releases an anvil, kick starting a contraption that uses a Ferris wheel to deploy an egg into a holder where it will stay until cracked by robot chicken that was triggered along with the holders. When the egg cracks it will drop its contents onto a frying pan and the shell will be replaced. Simultaneously, two slices of bread via string are being delivered and dropped after a certain distance into toaster. While that is happening, a separate device is pouring pancake batter, by weight, into a pan held by a statue of Abe Lincoln. The Lincoln device, after a timer, will flip the pancake out of the pan and accept a new batch. In the background, a T-Rex sculpture is crushing a previously placed orange into a pitcher to produce fresh orange juice. The weight of the pitcher triggers dog food for Speck to be poured out into his food bowl. Once an audible timer goes off, the toast is launched from the toaster, and the food being prepared is put onto a plate that is lowered by a lift and ready for Pee-wee to grab and consume. This system used to prepare his breakfast is extremely convoluted. In the scene, the contraption is all connected through wires and cables going across the ceiling to power the machines that need it, and other weight and/or trigger pulls to kick start the reaction that is desired. The candle in the beginning is used to burn the string enough so that it can’t handle the tension of the force on it and snaps, releasing the anvil. The anvil triggers the Ferris Wheel through its weight hitting an object that was blocking movement. The Wheel started a chain reaction leading to the first meal being released, the egg. The egg holder was made from water guns with suction cups to hold the egg while it was cracked with a drinking bird type toy. The egg would be replaced once more. The egg being caught triggered the bread to be delivered zip line style to the toaster where it was dropped after a specif time was passed. This bread drop started the time on the toaster that would be the end signal of the machine. This also started the Abe Lincoln machine making pancakes, the third meal shown. This started the T-Rex orange squeezer where the pitcher the juice feel into was a trigger for the dog food being held by Lincoln in his other hand. The dog food would fall until there wasn’t enough left to fall from its angle. Lastly the timer goes off letting everyone know that food was ready as the machine delivered its payload onto a plate waiting for presentation. This, despite being incredibly difficult to pull off, managed to make Pee-wee a very healthy breakfast, successfully completing its task.

Zombies, a classic horror and gore monster/creature used in post apocalyptic scenarios. They are defined as reanimated corpses. This reanimation can come from a variety of sources, that being some sort of virus, or witchcraft, or some special event. Zombies are generally mindless and only live to eat as their goal.

Robots are seen as the modern-day future. Something that humanity is constantly working on and improving. They are simple parts that are formed together with the purpose of doing a task that was programmed into it. They can come in the forms of arms, legs, factories, as long as their purpose is a pre-designed task.

Automatons are an upgrade from robots that are becoming more prevalent in society  but not anywhere near as close to robots. They are less complex robots, made with a human aesthetic in mind. These could be from either wind up dolls, to dolls that can perform simple tasks like talking through pre-recorded voice lines, or do simple motions with their bodies. All pre-designed with tasks like robots, simply more human.

Androids are where things get complicated. They are nearly human. They can speak with tone, move fluently, and with the right kind of technology bleed and think they are human. Androids are the combination of robots and automatons that is so prevalent in the Sci-Fi community. Their are made with complex tasks in mind along with the goal of being as human as possible. Going as far to add a skin layer, add learning ai to allow for more human interactions. That is what makes an android.

Despite all their differences, these commonly seen creatures and electronics have a few similarities. The connections with zombies is a relatively slim one. The main things being their near human look if you ignore decaying flesh, torn apart body limbs, and hunger for meat. Even past all that they were once human and retain the parts of one. The other similarity being they have a task. That is to consume, which would fall just under the automaton level of simplicity. Speaking of which, the automaton shares its given task with all the groups, but mainly shares its purpose of human aesthetic with zombies and androids. Robots may be one of the odd ones out in this group. They are the only form here that doesn’t have to look human. All they need to do is accomplish their given goal and that’s it. When we get to androids, though, that’s where the similarities shine. They have the striking resemblance of humans along with zombies. They wish to maintain their aesthetic as do automatons, and finally they are able to comprehend the complex tasks of robots. Coming all together, the android is the link of all these creatures, fiction and non-fiction alike.

Science fiction is a genre that is seen as one that pushes boundaries. Whether it be gender boundaries or standard human ones, there is guaranteed to be some sort of futuristic novel and or movie that covers it. Despite this seemingly progressive form of entertainment, it is itself not without stereotypes that are used commonly as characters in their stories.

One such stereotype is one that seems to almost transcend all genres. The stereotype of the burly, angry, strongman that’s just unstoppable. This role is almost iconic in movies, but give the man a space gun, and you have your standard shoot um up sci-fi good guy. Examples range from many things, whether it be Dwayne Johnson acting in the movie Doom, or the Doomguy who is demon killing man on mars who will stop at nothing to exterminate the menace from the face of the universe. Master Chief, a super solider who is Earths’ strongest form of defense against a fanatical alien group known as the Covenant. He is from the Halo series. These characters can take a beating, give one out that’s two times as strong and are generally one of the only characters to survive.

A different type of stereotype, would be the opposing male villain. Strong, cold, calculating, and always looking down on you. These characters pose the main threat to the cast yet they are defeated in the end. The names included in this stereotype are the following. The legendary Darth Vader with the power of the force, a saber made from plasma, and robot enhancements and armor to boot. He is from the Star Wars series. Khan, a calculating being from a race of seeming super humans. He stronger, faster, and smarter than the humanoid races from the Star Trek series. Lastly the Terminator, a robotic menace sent back in time to murder the last hope of mankind and future leader of the insurrection against the machines. He is from the self titled Terminator series.

Despite these stereotypes being overused and common place, I still find them very enjoyable. The generic tough guy badass protagonist is always a simple but good character to root for. Their goal is easy to understand and it is more often than not against an overwhelming evil. My favorite stereotype though, would be the male villain. Their designs are intriguing. Look at Darth Vader, suited in the best mechanical armor that is not only defensive, but gives a technological advantage. Or Khan with his superiority in the Movies that make him a cold and terrifying opponent. These villains are able to chill audience members and give a worthy adversary for the protagonist to face off in the climax. All this together and so much more combine to make this genre one of favorites, combining simple character ideas with intricate technology make for a simply enjoyable experience.

I have a friend. Someone that grew up with me and I with her. Her name was Nikki and although we were friends, we couldn’t have had more different childhoods. For starters, my family was more involved with me. Going on little adventures to appease my imagination, things like learning to hike, watching my dad rock climb and the like. Nikki though, her parents were very busy. Having one parent in construction working all day and the other gone on business trips for weeks at a time. While I had my sister when my parents were sometimes busy with work, she was an only child who needed to make her own fun, on her own. I spent quite a bit of time with my family, at my house or wherever they would lead me while she spent most of her time at school doing events instead of in her home where she would make dinner and go to sleep. No, instead of staying home and bored out her mind she would fill her life with events and friends. She would hold competitions of wall ball, one thing I enjoyed immensely but didn’t understand why she was always starting them at that point. She also did sports, as apart of the events she enjoyed so much. Her favorite sport being free-running. It took skill, hours of work to be good at it, and was very good for keeping someone occupied. I never got into sports, although I did take another route that took up time (music). But what was different is that again, I practice at home, playing for my family and taking critique. Nikki though, practiced away from home, free-running through parks, climbing walls, climbing trees even. As for her friends, she made everyone be sure her presence wherever she went. Introducing herself to people, laughing and being jovial. In fact, she was the one who went up to me. Possibly because of how interaction is with my family, I am content with not being popular and having a small circle. While Nikki though, wouldn’t stop until she she had at least tried to learn the majority of people’s names. One difference though that stood out to me, as a child with a simpler mind than I have now, was how much more money she had. Her parents worked hard to support her, even if they couldn’t be around. She would get an allowance, and was able to get things that I couldn’t. Now, I wasn’t poor, I was middle class and on a budget in order to make sure my family wouldn’t fall in debt. So I was never really able to get all the things I wanted, and with my birthday and Christmas being so close, my opportunities for toys was not quite as expansive as hers. Yes I would say I was envious as a kid because of all the things she was able to get. Yet, despite all of our differences, we still managed to become good friends, and good friends we stayed.

It has been a sad time since the iconic and universally beloved store of Toys R Us has closed down. The death shocked millions as now during their shopping seasons, many children would go heartbroken as their favorite toys would be that much less common. Birthdays? Sorry dear but your son is now going to have to live on without his brand new, mint condition star destroyer lego set. For Black Friday, YOU will no longer be able to buy that brand new doll that your daughter has just begged for as it completes her collection. Worst of all though, Christmas is now ruined because when your family goes down to that tree there won’t be as many gifts. This historic moment in American society has undoubtedly shook the mindset of families across the nation as they must now struggle and move on from this tragedy. An unforeseen and, quiet honestly, almost disrespectful increase has been seen in thrift stores and toy stores not quite as large as the super brand. This influx in smaller business sales as not been confirmed to be a connected motive for the death of the glorious toy store, but studies are currently in the works as America’s finest researchers have been involved in this case. One wonders though. Is this really the last that has been seen of the magnificent store Toys R Us? It cannot be said for certain. Many would argue this untimely death was important for the “smaller man” in the toy industry, but many more would argue that the sight of their childhood in a casket was too much for them to bare. That is why, one Giraffe decided to make a change. That is right, although his store died Geoffrey the Giraffe (former mascot) has been conducting extreme experiments to try to revitalize the store. Eye witness reports have indeed stated seeing lighting on stormy nights strike what appeared to be the original Toys R Us store on top of a raised, metal platform roughly 50 meters into the sky. It is unknown whether or not these methods have worked in reviving the distinguished store, and if they are in fact even legal as regulated laws don’t currently include those of the animated family. Many are becoming overly optimistic, myself included, as Geoffrey has come with out with a statement about the experiment. He has decided to open “Geoffrey’s Toy Box”. It is under speculation as of now if this means the Giraffes’ experiments and tests were a success, if he is simply hoping for the best, or if he has moved on from the poorly deceased store and wants to carry on its legacy in a newer, brighter, and younger face. There have also been reports of previous workers gathering in the streets around the nation in celebration for a chance to move back in to their home away from home. Sadly though, that is all we have currently on the reports of the dreadful death and potential and marvelous resurrection of Toys R Us as the new and improved Geoffrey’s Toy Box.

What do you fear? Are you afraid of heights, as the wind streaks across you leaving you chilled and shaking as you stare down a fall from an daunting height. Or maybe you’re afraid of centipedes. A creepy crawly with, what some may say, too many legs as it slithers through your room right towards your bed. One fear though, is capable of shaking people to their core without a single sound. The sound of wind doesn’t exist here and neither does the light tapping of any bugs. I am talking about a room of pure tension, a room of silence. Designed in a laboratory by what seems like mad scientists. All this, in Minnesota. This chamber of unnerving quality, has been named the anechoic chamber. It is free of echo, and free of sound. If the understanding of this fear hasn’t sunk yet, imagine you’re trying to sleep. You normally have your fan on to have some noise in the room. The slight whirring creating a pathway of subtle noise for you to follow while you sleep. Then you hear it, the “uunnnnnnnn”, the gradual declining of noise as power shuts down. Your fan stops, motionless, and not even the ac makes a squeak. You are surrounded by silence, flanked but tension.  Discomfort sets in now, almost as thick as the blanket you set on top of you. Sleep is now out of range, out of your mind as paranoia sinks deeper into your thoughts. “What was that noise?!” you sling your head to face the direction, but its nothing. That is the fear of silence, the fear of the tension it brings, and that is what this room brings. At one point, a study was conducted on this room, to test the unintentional power it held like an overlord. The goal of this study was to see how long a person could last in the room before becoming too uncomfortable, before the tension became too great for their psyche. For some quick perspective, the sound decibel of this room is -9, while an average library sits at 30-40 decibels. While within this room, you will notice quite a few things after a few minutes. The first being that, there is no external sound. The car you hear on the street fly by, the sound of doors opening and close around you as they creek, the clicking and clacking as your co-workers type away for their next lecture. No, you hear none of that in this laboratory. The only thing you can hear is yourself, and then nothing. No click, no sound, but yet the lights turned off. Not only was your sound taken, but so was your sight. Then the paranoia comes as you get pulled under by it. Then you hear something, something not normally heard but can be felt in certain circumstances. Your heartbeat, without your vision and other sounds distracting you, your body is able to focus on your own sounds. Your heartbeat, the flow of your blood, and some other organs. The longest anyone has ever been able to stand being in the room was 45 minutes, with not even the owner of the lab lasting more than 30 minutes. This room builds fear, this room is tension.

Now, I chose to write this for my blog because I feel the concept is similar to what I want in my literacy narrative. Not the tension, and not the fear, but sound itself. Now the difference being this was about the absence of “normal” sound while I want to talk about the creation of “normal” sound, but I feel this was a good place to start. I now have a better understanding of what I want to do as I build the atmosphere of writing music through written text, and have a better understanding of how I should describe the feeling sound can give through writing.

Dragons. A type of mythical creature that was feared throughout folklore and legends alike. I saw them differently. Graceful, cat-like, flying lizards that can breath fire sounded like something that should be seen with awe and respect. A creature that can be so large as to outweigh hundreds of men. Dragons demanded my attention and I willingly gave it to them, looking through lore and stories at the end of elementary school. That is when I found a not new, but not old, book called, “The Dragonology Handbook”.

This book was my letter to Hogwarts so to say, an “invitation” to a secret world of understanding the breathtaking creatures of the dragon species. To me this was an opportunity, one to see dragons and study them for knowledge. Today as an adult I see that dragons are not real, and that that book was just a work of fiction and for fun. Yet, my appreciation for that book has not faded over the years. Thanks to this book, reading was fun for me. I read that book cover to cover with some pages folded and stained with use, I scribbled down notes onto a notebook, and I even did some dragon searching with the help of my dad (to no avail). This book also lead my experience with books to one of curiosity, having such a good first impression I wanted to read more as a kid. I looked into fantasy stories, finding books like Lord of the Rings, and The Hobbit as I grew older.

While going through my schooling, these books also activated my inner desire to write. With all these fantastic stories of beasts, kings, and heroes, it drove my mind to creativity. That’s when I started writing for fun, and not just for a grade. My first story, one that I still haven’t finished and continue adjusting, was about a simple man in a fantasy kingdom. From there I let the stories I’ve read take inspiration, whether it be from corrupt kings, or fearsome creatures, to the horrors of man. Then I had to settle on an ending I liked. See, I never liked the heroes ending, too cliche, too predictable, too boring. So after being fed up with victory from the books I’ve read, I journeyed to dark realm of tragedy. That, is where I found my ending to a book still in production.

All in all, I don’t know where I’d be if I didn’t start my reading journey with “The Dragonology Handbook”. It sparked creativity in me and guided me towards the awe inspiring world that the fantasy genre encapsulates so well. Without that start and overflow of heroes and their victories, I may have never gone to tragedy in time to prepare an ending for my story. Without dragons, I would have never looked to reading and writing as the magical and fun thing that I see them as now, and for that I am grateful for the experience given by a book I will always see as great.

Here we will discuss the visual oddity that is the color green. Our community can talk about the varying shades, palates, and uses for it in an attempt to discover the true use of said color green and if it is or is not indeed, a creative color.

“Here’s another good tip, of how to be a creative wiz! Go and collect some leaves and sticks, and arrange them into your favorite color.” “Green is not a creative color!”-Creative Calendar