Testing and Piano

I have loved testing this year. I don't stress about tests, so I don't really think about the actual tests. We don't get HW while we test, so it's basically a responsibility-free week. I can just go home and not think about HW. I think, if I did care a little bit more about the tests, then I might not like testing.

The English tests are a breeze for me, but they are rather boring and drawn-out. I like writing, so I didn't mind the ELA response. I wasn't a fan of the math test though, it made me feel very unsure of my decisions.

I don't feel like making two blogs, so I'm going to talk about my piano progression.

I started learning piano, and it really demoralizes me. I have been going for about a month, and I feel like I get worse and worse every week. This past week I have been stuck on "Jingle Bells" of all songs. I don't think I'd mind it as much  if it wasn't Jingle Bells for god's sake. I could have been on stuck "Aunt Rhody's Song", and I would have been okay. But Jingle Bells? Jingle Bells? I'm stuck on Jingle Bells? Every time I'd think about it I would get more frustrated. So yeah, that's my experience with piano. Getting stuck on children songs and Christmas songs.

Should you play League of Legends?

First off, I have thousands of hours and hundreds of dollars invested into the game, and I think I can speak from a respectable view point.

Pros: I play the game a lot with my friends, and we are still playing it, so it clearly isn't a terrible game. 

The world's biggest Esports organization is Riot (developer of League), and continues to support the game on a consistent and frequent basis. Every season (every year), they also completely change the game to freshen up the gameplay. I have gone to League tournaments twice now, and have had a good time both times.

There is a competitive and fair ranked ladder that goes in this order: bronze, silver, gold, platinum, diamond, master, and challenger. There are divisions between the leagues, they are numbers from 1-5(i.e. Gold II or Diamond V).  My rank is platinum III, and that puts me in the top 10% or 20%  of players. Now, for a poem. No matter who you are, you matter what you do, there will always be some kid, better than you. This is especially true for league because there is little to no chance you will ever be the best in your state, country or region, or at any particular character.

There are

Cons: The game requires hundreds of hours just to get the basics down, and a few more hundred hours to get any good at the game.

The only way to unlock new champions is through playing a lot, or paying. While this isn't inherently bad, after my couple thousand games, I am still missing 7 champions. There are also runes in the game, that give moderate bonuses at the beginning of the game, and are a necessity if you want an even playing field.

The games are at least 20 minutes, and average 30. This quite a bit of time for 1 game, and if you lose, it can be really crushing emotionally. When you win though, it makes it that much more satisfying.

The community is one of the most and if not most negative gaming communites there is. If you make a mistake early in the game, prepare yourself for 20 minutes of trash talk, by your own teamates. I have been told to kill myself  and my whole family should get cancer. Although, I think this has made me a bit more resilient as a person.

So, should you play League of Legends? Probably not.

Music

I think music is a very interesting topic, and is a good conversation starter. There are many genres of music, and sub-genres. I listen to pop the most, but I like a lot of genres.The genres I find myself listening to the most are rock, electronic music, pop, and acoustic. Some of my favorite songs are 7 years by Lukas Graham and Slow Dancing in a Burning Room by John Mayer. Ranging from acoustic to rock, there is almost a song for every mood. Although, I generally prefer slower songs because I feel that ( in general) there is more talent and meaning behind the songs.

What do you guys think about music? Does it help you study? Does it bore you? What genres do you listen to?Do you prefer fast paced or slower songs?  Can you just sit down and listen to music? I normally listen to music while doing something else, but normally not something productive. Normally video games or talking to someone.

How to Make a Blog

Here are the steps to making a blog for Ms Ballabio's class.

Step 1. Think of how you want to do a blog, but have no idea what you want to write about. This is key so you can give yourself an excuse in your mind.

Step 2. Actually think of a thing to do for your blog.

Step 3. Put off the idea for a few days, just because.

Step 4. Once you actually sit down to do your blog, you write a decent amount, but it is still short.

Step 5. You check the word count, and its comes out with 100-145 words.

Step 6. After that, you rephrase a few of your simple sentences to complex sentences.

Step 7. After that, you restate your idea in various parts of the writing till you get 150 words.

Step 8. I can't emphasize restating your idea enough, if you don't reach 150 words you won't get credit.

Step 9. Ah, perfect, 164 words.

Life Pro Tips

1. If you happen to find yourself drunk driving, go as fast as you can. This will reduce the time you have the potential to hurt others.

2. Shoot yourself with smaller bullets and in non-vital places to grow an immunity to bigger bullets.

3. If you are in a heated argument with a woman, try addressing them as royalty. Classic phrases such as "calm down your highness", or "relax, princess" will flatter them and the argument will settle down.

4. Do your plugs keep bending? Try adjusting the plugs with a fork!

5. The term LGBTQ is a real mouthful. Since LGBTQ identifies with a rainbow flag, just call the people who identify as LGBTQ "colored".

6. When starting a company, only hire women. They are 23% cheaper and are just as efficient.

7. If you are caught speeding, stab yourself with any sharp object in the car. Tell the officer you are going to the hospital and he will let you off freely.

8. Is there a hoarder in your life that you want to help? Get them addicted to gambling or drugs! They will sell all their items to feed their addiction.

9. Marry your spouse or groom on a leap day, that way you save money by only getting them a gift every 4 years.

10. If you are in the car while someone else is driving the car (for best results use new or not confident driver), shout "WATCH OUT"! It will keep them on their toes for the rest of the drive.

Presidential Candidates

For the month of March (maybe longer), I will be straying away from fun facts. I have been meaning to talk about the presidential candidates for a while now, and I think it is a good way to start off No List Liam.

Hillary Clinton: This is my 2nd choice for president if Bernie doesn't win the primaries(not like I have a choice in the matter). While it would be interesting to have a female president, I don't think she is the best choice out of the 3 popular candidates. She has mimicked Bernie's opinions if something he says appears to be more favorable than what she has said previously. Her campaign is also funded mostly by companies and/or very rich people, which puts me off for some reason. She also has said she wants to limit or ban certain industry (ie: fracking), and then continue to get money from the industry. All in all, she doesn't seem like a very trustworthy person, or someone who would stick to her opinion. She also has the whole email scandal thing going around.

Bernie Sanders: This is my first choice for president, but I still don't think he is great. While he does promise helpful and great things, a lot of them are very hard to pay for: free healthcare, free education, etc. While not impossible to fund these things, it would require a substantial increase in taxes and taking away money from another department. He also doesn't support NASA and voted against funding them multiple times, which is a pretty big fault in my opinion. Despite these faults, I think he is the most honest and trustworthy candidate because the other have lied or mislead others many more times than him. His beliefs are also closer to mine than Hillary.

Donald Trump: I think a lot of Democrats have extreme views on Donald, and maybe for good reasons. The media is portraying him as the next Hitler, but I don't think he is that bad. While unprofessional, most of his views are pretty reasonable. His views on most issue are quite liberal for being a Republican, and aren't taken to the extreme. I think if he becomes more professional and well-spoken, he could make a pretty good president. We also might be able to get something done in Congress if we have a Republican president. I don't believe his experience in business will help fix America's economy, though.
My original post come off a bit too strong, it seems like it came off with a "Trump would make a good president" vibe instead of the "it wouldn't be that bad if he was elected."

Short and Sweet Fun Facts.

1. Banging your head against a wall burns 150 calories an hour.

2. In the UK, it is illegal to eat mince pies on Christmas Day!

3. Pteronophobia is the fear of being tickled by feathers!

4. When hippos are upset, their sweat turns red.

5. A flock of crows is known as a murder.

6. “Facebook Addiction Disorder” is a mental disorder identified by Psychologists.

7. The average woman uses her height in lipstick every 5 years.

8. 29th May is officially “Put a Pillow on Your Fridge Day“.

9. Cherophobia is the fear of fun.

10. Human saliva has a boiling point three times that of regular water.

11. If you lift a kangaroo’s tail off the ground it can’t hop.

12. Hyphephilia are people who get aroused by touching fabrics.

13.Billy goats urinate on their own heads to smell more attractive to females.

14.The person who invented the Frisbee was cremated and made into frisbees after he died! (Might have been repeated, too lazy to check)

15. During your lifetime, you will produce enough saliva to fill two swimming pools.

Too Lazy for Fun Facts

Alright, the following paragraph will be typed with me having a blindfold on. It may make no sense at times, because I have my fingers in the wrong position.

When I was a little boy, I always dreamed of being ahorse. It seemed so freeing, Ttoy for ro eun deww in rhw qins NS NO ONE COULD CONTROL TOY. nOWADAYS, IM MUCH MORE GROUNDED IN REALITY(I readjusted my hands because I knew they weren't in the right spot) , I realize that most hourses are owned by a tyrant. That tyrant is a human and the horses has no say in rhe matter. Being a horse is the worst kind of pet, your trapped in a cage and you don't get to move . Im;ike a dog, who can run free in the house and fields, your can obly set out at certain time s and for short amounts of tim,e. This is whyt I no longer want to be a horse.

The paragraph under this is the corrected version.

When I was a little boy, I always dreamed of being a horse. It seemed so freeing, to run free in the grass. No one could control you. Nowadays, I am much more grounded in reality, I realize that most horses are owned by a tyrant. That tyrant is a human and the horses have no say in the matter. Being a horse is the worst kind of pet, your trapped in a cage and you don't get to move. Unlike a dog, who can run free in the house and fields, you can only set out at certain times and for a short amount of time. This is why I no longer want to be a horse.

Back at it Again with the Fun Facts

1. Bob Ross once painted a grey scale painting to show a color-blind man that he too could paint.

2.  If you apply lib balm 1500 times you would burn 200 calories.

3. Humans has a primal "gaze detection" system that determines if someone is staring at you.

4. There are 3d printers than can print your dinner.

5. The average claw machine is programmed to only give full strength 1 out of 20 times.

6. There exists a company named "Creative Home Engineering" that specializes in making hidden rooms.
http://www.hiddenpassageway.com/ is there website.

7.  When a cat brings home an animal, it is just being a responsible parent. It is showing the owner how to catch and eat prey.

8. The Guinness Book of World Records stopped recording heaviest animal because it encouraged over-feeding.

9.  The Spanish Paralympic team was forced to return their gold medals when it was discovered they had several players that weren't disabled.

10. There is a cat that regularly catches the bus. He goes on the bus so often that the bus driver knows when to let the cat off.

11. Dr. Seuss's first book was rejected 27 times.

12. There is a place called "Dementia Village" that is designed to be a normal environment for people with dementia.

13. People are more creative when they walk then when they sit.

14. Flo from the Progressive commercials makes $500,000 a year.

15. Rats enjoy being tickled.

I'm stopping at 15 because its a nicer number than 16. Not because I'm lazy, I assure you.

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

1. The modern ouija board got named when the board was asked what it should be called.

2, An IKEA once released 1,000 cats into the store just to see what would happen.

3. The U.S. is the most armed nation, with 88.1 guns per 100 people.

4. "I have a dream" was not in the original "I have a dream speech", it was ad-libbed after the fact.

5. There is a farm in Japan that can produce 10,000 heads of lettuce a day, while using %99 less water than an outdoor farm.

6. If everyone in the world piled into The Grand Canyon, they wouldn't come close to filling it up.

7. There are two McDonald's in the world that serve pizza.

8. It is impossible to sink in quicksand, because you simply aren't dense enough.

9. Suicides are crisis-oriented rather than inexorable(impossible to stop or prevent).

10. By law, no officer is ever allowed to outrank George Washington.

11. Jerusalem has been destroyed twice, besieged 23 times, been captured and recaptured 44 times, and attacked a total of 52 times.

12. In ancient lacrosse, fields ranged from 500 yards to 1.8 miles, and games could last up to 3 days.

13. Each shark has their own distinctive character and personality.

14. Google has found test scores and GPAs to be worthless when finding worthy applicants.
Bonus Fact: %16 of Google's staff hasn't even gone to college.

15. In Miami, Florida the murder rates were so high during the 1970/1980s, that the police had to rent a refrigerated trailer from burger king so the police could store all the corpses.

16. A certain type of knife exists just to scoop out Nutella from the Jar.

 Lets keep this trend of 16 fun facts rolling.

Back to your Regularly Scheduled Fun Facts

1. Stephen Hawking's son once added swear words to his father's voice synthesizer as a prank.

2. A single asteroid can contain up to 20 trillion dollars worth of minerals.

3. Big Ben isn't the tower, it is the bell inside the tower.

4. All the bacteria in your body adds up to about 4 pounds.

5. Americans spend more on pets than Germany does on defense.

6. The drummer for Led Zeppelin died by taking 40 shots of vodka in one day.

7. Chimpanzees have started their Stone Age, they have been using stone tools for generations.

8. The U.S. military has a 26 page manual on how to make brownies and oatmeal.

9. Issac Newton invented the cat flap door (dog door, but for cats).

10. The winner of the 2015 French Scrabble World Championship doesn't speak French.

11. The average cloud weighs 100 elephants.

12. The word "hundred" come from the Norse word for 120.

13. The first man to die building the Hoover Dam fathered the last person to die building the Hoover Dam.

14. Blind people can get assigned a guide horse if they are allergic to dogs.

15. During World War I, the British attempted to train seagulls to poop on the periscopes of enemy submarines.

16. Worldwide, women make $18 trillion and spend $28 trillion.

Only 16 today because I'm lazy.

Dark, but still Fun Facts

This week's fun facts are dark because I enjoy dark facts.

1. In the UK, the most common cause of death for men under 50 is suicide.

2. Hundreds of inmates died during Hurricane Katrina, not because of the hurricane or flooding, they died because the officials left in a panic and left the inmates to starve in their cells.

3. Before World War II, Hitler offered to give Jewish refuges to the U.S., Britain, and many more first world countries, but they refused.

4. Tuberculosis killed 1.5 million people in 2014, making it a larger cause of death than AIDS.

5. Vincent Van Gogh's last words were "The sadness will last forever."

6. More people died in Auschwitz than the British and America losses during WW2 combined.

7. In 1968, a man built an platform off the coast of Italy and declared himself the President of his micronation. The Italian government seized control and blew it up with explosives.

8. Human trafficking is the largest growing criminal industry.The industry is worth about $32 billion in total.

9. Gun sales increase after a mass shooting.

10. The only country that spoke against Germany when it was annexing (seizing territory by force) Austria, was Mexico.

11. Half of the top 20 cities with murder rates are located in Brazil.

12. Spain was neutral in WW1 and WW2, but they experienced a civil war from 1936-1939, which killed over 500,000.

13. A Russian suicide bomber planned to attack Moscow during the new year (because of the crowds) but she received a text message, and the bomb instantly exploded, only killing the bomber.

14. The youngest serial killer is age 8, killing 3 young children, as well as the neighbors baby, who he killed by smashing it with a brick.

15. The top 5 worst cities for pollution in the U.S. are all in CA.

16. Nazis burned and banned "Bambi" because it was made by a Jewish author.

17. It takes longer to drown in salt water than it does fresh water.

18, Only 2% of women describe themselves as beautiful.

19. Once a dog hits the ago of 10, it has a 50% chance of dying from cancer.

20. 1/3 of the deaths in WWI were caused by the Spanish Flue.

Fun Fun Fun

1. Research conducted that women are better at discriminating among colors, while men excel at tracking fast moving objects. This is believed to be an evolutionary trait that stuck around from our hunter-gatherer phase.

2. Sniper bullets move so fast that the Earth's rotation will actually move the target and snipers have to to take this into account.

3. Perfectionists are much more likely to have depression because they have an unrealistic view of failure and are over-critical of themselves.

4. The creator of the Eiffel tower made a secret room near the top, where he entertained members of the science community.

5. Al Capone sends flowers to rival gang members' funerals.
Bonus Fact: One time, he spent almost 5,000 dollars on flowers on a single funeral.

6. Jellyfish are 98% water and when they wash up on the shore, they will evaporate.

7. Tears of joy are your bodies way of restoring emotional equilibrium(bringing it back to normal levels).

8. The CEO of Japan Airlines makes less than the pilots, takes a bus to work, and eats in the cafeteria.

9. The van cats of eastern turkey all have mismatched eyes, white fur, and love to swim.

10. Carrie Fisher wore no underpants in Star Wars because George Lucas convinced her there was no underwear in outer space.

11. The world has only been at peace (no war) for 268 years. That equates to about 8% of recorded history.

12. Giraffes only sleep for 30 minutes a day, the least of all mammals.

13. The flag of Nepal is so complicated that the country's constitution includes 24-step instructions on how to create it.

14. The U.S. has more people of Norwegian descent than Norway.

15. Elephants can suffer from PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder).

16. 27 people die every year from elevator accidents. But, 1600 people die from taking the stares.

17. Al-Qaeda had denounced ISIS for being anti-islamic.

18. A Shiba Inu makes 100,000 dollars from modeling men's ware on Instagram.

19. There are so many apples that if you ate a different one everyday, it would take you almost 20 years to try them all.

20. 35% of workers would forego a substantial pay raise if it meant their boss would be fired.

  

Nation States

I will probably do Fun Facts this week as well, but I have been playing a fun game recently and would like to share my experience. I was introduced to this game by Michael, the same guy who lives in PA and wrote the Donald Trump story. It is called NationStates and is a text based political simulator. You receive two issues per day, and they all impact your nation in some way or another. I have made three nations because two issues per day is too few for me. Today in one of my nations, Pasta Masta, I received an issue titled Heads Will Roll. Someone in my nation died and killed others, but this could have been prevented if he had worn a helmet, and I am forced to take a stance on this issue.

1. "This law would violate our religious right to wear our sacred top hats while riding motorcycles!" exclaims Ali Cohen, president of the Violetist Scooter Corps, as he points his ceremonial blade at your chest. "We have worn the top hat in times of war on the battlefield! Our protection comes from Violet herself! Require the ungodly heathens to wear helmets! Those who are chosen by Violet to ride will ride in style or die trying!"

2. "The stove pipe is right, helmets are lame!" agrees Dean James, your slacker nephew. "How am I going to impress any babes if I have helmet hair?" he asks, running his hand through his hair while checking out your secretary over his sunglasses. "Do the right thing boss; helmets are for losers."

3. "Don't listen to him, dear," says your sister, while she drags her son towards the door by the ear. "You had the right idea: everyone riding a motorcycle should wear a helmet, and a padded full body protective suit, and a reflective vest, and neck warmers and..." she continues listing security gear as she leaves the room with your nephew in tow.

4. "It's not enough!" screams one of your junior aides, a fragile and slightly confused soul who was particularly disturbed by the recent accident. "It's not just traffic! People slip in the shower every day, cans fall on their heads in supermarkets, disoriented birds; we're all exposed, at all times! If people are too stupid to realize that, we have to make them! There should be a helmet law for everyone! Wear a helmet or go to jail!"

The above are all of the stances I can take on this issue, while all of these options are extreme, most of the time there is a nice in-between if you choose to pick that. I adapted the first option because the nation I received this issue in is crazy, corrupt, and religious. To show you the scope of this game, I will show you my three 3 nations, one of my friend's, and my governing style behind my nations.  

Phagate : This was my first nation and it started out as a extremely militaristic and crime infested state. My goal with this nation is to became a safe, and democratic nation.

Pasta Masta : As mentioned earlier, this nation is bonkers. I basically just pick the most interesting option. For an example, instead of trial by jury, criminals can request trial by combat. 15% of my population dies to acts of god, and my government kills people that try to speak out (roughly 6% of my population) against my corrupt ways. 

Phenita : Is pretty close to the U.S. My economy is rather lackluster, but free speech is held dear. My political freedoms are excessive and my civil rights are superb. Even though I am a Catholic nation, 9% of my population dies to acts of god. I want to keep the environment as clean as possible, no matter the cost. I am basically trying to make the perfect nation.

Ahar : This is my friend's nation and he has a similar tactic to my Pasta Masta tactic; he just picks the most interesting one. Political freedoms and civil rights are close to none, and his economy is about as good as modern day Greece. When his government had a spy problem, he built a moon cannon so he could shoot them down from the safety of his home. 16% of his population dies to acts of god and 0.5% of his population dies because they kill themselves in police custody. His entire budget is going towards spirituality (religion), defense (military), and law and order so he can punish people that speak out against his government. All in all, a great nation.

I hope I piqued your interest at least a little bit, and if I didn't, I am just glad you read this super long rant,