The Palm Valley School Student Blog
By Art Editor Chelsea
Hello everybody!! I am the editor for this week, and the theme is going to be art!! Art is a commonly used word that describes many things including liberal arts, art history, fine arts, digital arts, drama, music, musicals, etc. So, please enjoy this week’s posts by our school’s amazing bloggers and have a wonderful day.–Chelsea
Image by Vexx on Youtube.
By Chelsea Xu PROFESSIONAL AP ART STUDENT EXTRAORDINAIRE
Editor Doreen says, “Blog something Far Away!” So, Chelsea instructs us in drawing our “far-away” neighbors.
Hello, everyone!! Today I’m going to teach you guys how to draw my version of an alien. Everybody has their own alien in their imagination, so feel free to add your own features on your alien if you like.
Let’s get it started!!
Step #1 Draw a circle on the upper hand of the paper.
Step #2 Draw two lines alongside the circle.
Step #3
Now, since I am drawing the face a bit sideways, the centerline of the face should be a little left or right to the side. As well as the jaw, if your line is on the left, extend the right jawline a little further, and if your line is on the right, then do the exact opposite.
Step #4
Add the eyes!! Note that the eyes are not totally symmetrical to each other because the head is tilting to the side.
Step #5
Add shadow in the eyes!
Step #6
It’s time to add the nose! This is a unique pointy nose, but honestly, you can draw the nose however you like! They are aliens after all.
Step #7
Even though you cannot see the mouth clearly, I did draw the mouth. It is below the nose of course, and, again, you can do any shape of the mouth you like.
Step #8
Horns!! I added some pretty unique horns to my fellow alien; adding some extra features on your aliens will make them extra special!!
Step #9
It’s neck time! Since the head turned to the right for a little bit, the neck needs to be in a different direction as well. The left line connects the edge of the jawline while the right line connects to the left jaw.
Step #10
Add the beginning of the shoulder blades at the endpoint of the neck. Note that is a downward slope, not a straight line.
Step #12
Erase the helping lines gently, and add a bit of shadow under the neck.
And ta-da!! You are finished!! Here is the result of our lesson!
Awesome job, everyone! I hope you guys like and learned something in this tutorial. I ́ll see you all next time!!
“Far Away” Editor: Doreen Yuan
Editor Doreen tasked the Blog Team with addressing the theme of “Far Away.” This is Luke’s response.
By Luke Langlois, Buzz Lightyear’s friend
We are all-too-often defined by our differences in life, but, at the end of the day, we have many universal similarities. We all (hopefully) speak the universal language of laughter and smiles. I also have a side theory that dogs are constantly trying to replicate our smiles, but that’s not the point of this post. I am here to discuss the one universal quandary that everyone has considered at one point or another in their lives–where are the aliens?
Unless you’ve been living under a metaphorical rock, you heard about the Area 51 Raid that took place on September 20th, 2019. The “Storm Area 51, They Can’t Stop All of Us” event started out as a Facebook event. As the event gained internet fame, people began to think that this was a great idea! The military isn’t just going to take down millions of citizens. Although, the Air Force did say that they would do whatever needed to defend the United States and its assets. Anyway, two million people on Facebook alone marked themselves as “attending,” and an additional one million said they were “interested.” This doesn’t even take into account the additional millions of people who don’t have Facebook that heard about it through other sources of media like Twitter, Instagram, or the mainstream news networks. We may seem globally divided all the time, but that hasn’t stopped us from putting millions of heads together for a “joke.” Doesn’t that give you some faith in humanity?
The actual impact of the raid breached the physical world as well as the digital world. Lincoln County, a county neighboring Area 51, drafted an emergency declaration to prepare for a (predicted) 40,000 raiders. The town of Rachel, Nevada, had similar fears. They hypothesized that raiders and their cars from more temperate climates would not be able to handle the heat, causing emergency services and general stores to be overwhelmed. Luckily, their worries did not materialize. Only 150 people actually showed up around Area 51, and only two people were arrested. To my disappointment, nobody tried to raid Area 51.
We were not able to rescue the extraterrestrials from Area 51, so our alien brethren will remain a mystery. Everyone has a different opinion on extraterrestrial life, but if I had to generalize, people tend to believe that aliens are far, far away. I don’t think so. We’re not quite sure just how expansive the universe is, but we do know that Earth is a tiny dot in the grand context of space. I also subscribe to the multiverse theory. According to my limited understanding of this concept, there’s a universe where Palm Valley’s primary uniform color is teal. Yes, teal. Given this, are we expected to believe that nothing else in our universe, let alone any parallel universe, has stumbled upon Earth? The chances of that are slim, especially when you also consider our Earth’s long history. I’ll leave you with this thought: there already are extraterrestrial species on this planet. They landed long before humans could understand matters like these. Armadillos are weird. Cats have bumps on their tongues. That’s not normal. Trust me, near or far, our intergalactic neighbors are watching.
Editor: Doreen Yuan
by Doreen Yuan
A Review of the Urban-Legend storytelling rules:
1. The comment section is part of the story. All comments are ordered by number.
2. Comments that include a >> and a number (ex: >>1) are replies to the comment with that number.
3. Anonymous users in the comment section are part of the story. There are multiple anonymous accounts.
4. The characters named No Longer Human and Curry are part of the story in the comments.
5. Readers can leave messages in the comment section but should not intentionally destroy or try to confuse the coherence of the story.
6. Readers can respond to any anonymous character interaction in the comment section–that response may change and contribute to the story.
7. Do not use inappropriate language.
8. The roles and anonymity in the comment section are created by the primary story author himself.
9. The time of all messages is based on the time of writing.
10. Have fun, and enjoy it.
The story begins . . .
A microblog for help
By No Longer Human
Hey, so if anyone is seeing this right now, I need help~ I am on a train coming back home, and I’m lost. I’m at “Kisaragi station.” Does anyone know where that is???
The story continues in the Comments . . . .
Story Editor: Renée
By Renée
Science is the study of how our world works. This week, thebirdonfire.org is looking at Science. Most of us interact with the world, and science, on a daily basis. The reality of the world can be kinda weird, but you might not be aware how weird it can be. Here are some mind-bendingly weird science facts.
The world is so weird, please don’t go outside!
Sources:
https://weather.com/health/news/lightning-kills-more-men-women-20130805
https://www.medicaldaily.com/breaking-point-whats-strongest-g-force-humans-can-tolerate-369246
https://www.sciencealert.com/watch-how-to-survive-a-grenade-blast-according-to-science
https://www.genome.gov/12514316/2004-release-researchers-compare-chicken-human-genomes
https://www.sciencealert.com/watch-a-liquid-boil-and-freeze-at-the-same-time
Science Editor: James Zheng
Editor James assigned us the theme of “Science.” Quintus responded at the pitch meeting, “I’ll write about Chemical Reactions.” Somehow, we knew he wouldn’t be limiting himself to the chemistry of science class.
We’re like bottles of sulfuric acid of different concentrations.
We’re not like noble gases.
We are intoxicated with the neon in the night
Where it’s not so bland.
Life is like a REDOX reaction.
The concentration of sulfuric acid is life.
In this chemical reaction
We’ll meet some tough opponents:
supercilious carbonaceous nitrogen and iron.
At this point, with enough heat and pressure
All can be easily solved.
Behind the spectacular reaction
It’s hard to see our fragile hearts.
Boiling in searing heat,
Flames are burning and water drops are colliding,
Rising fog like silk is confused like feeling.
We’ve been crazy together.
Science Editor: James Zheng
For this week’s “Science” theme, Chelsea teaches us how to draw science tools–may come in handy in Chemistry.
By PROFESSIONAL ARTIST AP ART STUDENT EXTRAORDINAIRE Chelsea Xu
Heyo guys! I’m back with another drawing tutorial. This week we are going to learn how to draw science tools. I’m betting this is going to help you with your scientific diagram.
So follow along, and get started!
This time is a bit different than the last time. I put the steps on the paper since I drew multiple tools at once.
And ta-da!! If you are satisfied with your drawing, feel free to show off your drawing skills. And if not, try again! Art is about trying, just like doing labs in science class.
I hope this tutorial helps, and have a good day!!
Science Editor: James Zheng
This week, James takes his turn as editor. He has assigned the Blog Team the theme of “Science.” When we say “Science,” this is what Luke thinks . . . .
By Luke Langlois
Isn’t it nifty how words on a screen can instantly strike an image into your consciousness? For example, when I say MAD SCIENTIST you see a dimly lit room with a chemical-explosion-covered person laughing maniacally. Typically, there are also steaming Erlenmeyer flasks sitting in the background filled with eye-popping neon pink liquid. Don’t forget the conveniently timed thunderstorms! It is (probably) safe to say that this stereotypical mad scientist does not exist outside of our science fiction. But, we have REAL mad scientists out there who have some pretty “out there” ideas. Then again, most ground-breaking scientists have to be at least a little mad, but that’s a different matter.
Anyway, this post’s mad scientist is not actually a scientist at all. He’s an artist who used scientific principles in a now-notorious design. In 2010, Lithuanian Ph.D. candidate Julijonas Urbonas from London’s Royal College of Art came up with the “Euthanasia Coaster.” Urbonas had an experience working at an amusement park, and it was such an inspiring tenure that he decided to design a roller coaster that would send twenty-four passengers to the end of the line. His goal, of course, was to elegantly take a human life.
You may be asking yourself how that would work. Anyone, who’s taken their chances with a roller-coaster has imagined typical scenarios that would result in gruesome injuries. Well, maybe it’s just me. What if a piece of the track mysteriously disappeared? What if we started going backward on that steep hill the coaster climbs? Certainly, the result of those mechanical failures would be no fun, but Urbonas’s coaster design has no dramatic collisions. The coaster would instead use the power of the gravitational force equivalent, more commonly known as g-force, to reach its terminal point. The coaster’s track would take its passengers on a brisk climb to 1,670 feet. Once there, the coaster would take a 1,600-foot plunge, accelerating the coaster to 220 miles per hour. For reference, Splash Mountain at Disneyland has a drop of 49 feet. After reaching this speed, the coaster would make its way through seven clothoid inversions, which is commonly known as a corkscrew loop in the typical amusement park world. Does it sound fun, you DAREDEVIL? I’m sure it would be a blast if you could withstand the lethal 10 g. The coaster’s speed and inversions would make its passengers suffer from an insufficient amount of oxygen to the brain (cerebral hypoxia). The passengers would quickly experience symptoms of g-force induced loss of consciousness. The seven loops ensure that they permanently remain in this state.
Researching the “Euthanasia Coaster” has made me realize a couple of things. For one, I have another layer of respect for the team of engineers and designers that build our roller coasters. Thank you for making them fun and not lethal. More importantly, though, just how amazing is the human mind for coming up with this! I defined it as “mad science,” but it is BRILLIANT science. At the end of the day, all I have to say is be mindful of your amusement park choices.
Sources
Editor: James Zheng
By Katelin Mei
I grew up in Canada, and lately I’ve been missing it. There are many things that remind me of Canada and make me feel at home.
Editor: Renée Vazquez
Editor Renée assigned the Blog staff the subject “Home.” She plays along herself, contributing these thoughts on “Home.” What do you have to add?
By Renée
We’ve all felt loss
Felt emptiness
Felt lonely
We want to go home
Home is where
We feel secure
Feel loved
Feel accepted
We can rest
Where is home?