December 2013 - Volume 4 Issue 5

The SSC’s Official Science Newspaper

e rrent December 2013

thecurrent@westernssc.ca

Volume 4 Issue 5 COLUMN

NEUROSCIENCE

Power of the Mind

IN THIS ISSUE...

Theme:

Scientific applications of hypnotism

The Crunch Factor Margaret Ho

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Theme Staff

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Amisha Jain Contributor

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Stare into this text and look deeply into it… do you feel it... the sleepiness overtaking you… close your eyes to turn into a profound spell agreeing to the things stated beneath, and revealing the truth, behind hypnosis.

Here is the science behind hypnosis!

Hypnosis for most people these days is seen in comics, television, or books. It’s an ominous goateed man waving a watch, back and forth slowly and steadily in front of your eyes luring you into a weird zombie like state.

And then abruptly waking you up to become confused like a chameleon in a bag of skittles.

Hypnosis has been defined as a special psychological state with certain physiological attributes, resembling sleep only superficially and marked by a functioning of the individual at a level of awareness other than the ordinary conscious state, But hypnosis in the real world is used for much more.

The use of hypnotism for therapeutic purposes is referred to as “hypnotherapy”, while it’s also used as a form of entertainment for an audience is known as “stage hypnosis”.

Hypnotherapy is a change of the state of mind that helps calm the patient down excessively.

Dr. Spiegel the associate chair of psychiatry

and behavioral sciences at Stanford says “Hypnosis is related to someone’s childhood.

If you were an imaginative child that would bring a great amount of imagination to the person’s reaction to hypnosis.” It has been researched that too much coffee can bring alteration to the state of mind. In 2012 there was a lot of research concluded with breast cancer and how to manage it by self-hypnosis.

Diane Edwards from San Diego, California states “After being a hypnotist for 25 years I have noticed it to only work on the brain of somebody’s who doesn’t want hypnotism to happen to them and isn’t very excited about it.” Hypnotisms can also help concur a fear. Hypnotism doesn’t make you go into a zombie like state it just helps your body think differently in that part of the brain.

Hypnotism was first practiced as “animal magnetism” 200 years ago in Vienna by Dr. Franz Anton Mesmer. He was highly successful but ended up ruined and driven out of the city by the medical team, having been accused of faking and practicing magic. James Esdaile, practiced in India and, as a matter of necessity, performed dozens of operations, including major amputations, without anesthetic and without his patients feeling pain. He claimed a 95 per cent success rate, at a time when most surgeons killed some 40 per cent of their patients.

Recently, a restaurant in Manhatten has unveiled their latest creation: the “Grass-Whopper Burger,” a patty made from crickets and insects that’s causing more than a buzz over the expensive price tag. Fifteen dollars for a handful of grub!

Entomaphagy, insect-eating, has been dated back to our primitive ancestors. Eating bugs isn’t a new concept –it’s been a tradition and a way of life for many cultures outside of North America. The UN has announced that insects are the path for the future as they are a very sustainable food source to combat the rapid population growth and scarcity of resources. It would significantly shrink your carbon footprint if you turned to versatile insects instead of higher costing beef.

What’s so amazing about creepy-crawlers and flying insects? They’re packed with nutrition, extremely high in protein, and low in saturated fat and carbohydrates. Caterpillars are high in iron and vitamins, where crickets are an abundant source of calcium. In South Africa, South America, and Asia, insects are the norm: common foods include beetles, moths, ants, scorpions and bees of all kind.

From the soft pupae/larvae, to fried locusts, bees and wasps, there are no irrational fears to wiggling legs and hard shells.

What’s a pest in one country is a dinner in another. Caviar is made from fish eggs, and who knows what’s stuffed in a hot dog; an oven baked tarantula isn’t that far off...once you get the hang of removing the fangs.

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The sole responsibility for the content of this publication lies with the authors. Its contents do not reflect the opinion of the University Students’ Council of the University of Western Ontario (“USC”).

The USC assumes no responsibility or liability for any error, inaccuracy, omission or comment contained in this publication or for any use that may be made of such information by the reader.

Page 2

The Current — December 2013

LIFE NOT AS WE KNOW IT Our planet is home to many awe-inspiring organisms. If you’re fascinated with life on Earth, but don’t want to get out of your chair to explore the world, here is a glimpse of a few bizarre, exotic, or unconventional creatures your lazy eyes might have otherwise never seen.

GOLD TREES

Now you can prove your parents wrong when they tell you that money doesn’t grow on trees because gold does…kind of. Trees growing on top of gold deposits in Australia have been found to have a high concentration of gold particles on their leaves.

Researchers at Australia’s national science agency discovered that a Eucalyptus tree growing on top of a known gold deposit had 40 times the concentration of gold particles in its leaves than trees in neighbouring areas. Other Eucalyptus trees growing on gold deposits show similar results. The trees have roots extending up to 40m underground, and likely absorbed the gold particles present in the soil. The accumulation of gold on the leaves may actually be a defense mechanism, as the heavy metal is harmful to trees.

Can you mine these trees for money?

Unfortunately, at a concentration of 80 parts per billion, there just isn’t enough gold. However, as new discoveries of gold deposits become increasingly rare, these trees could be an unconventional prospecting tool.

—Sophia Wen

MAZUMBAI WARTY FROG If you’re a fan of animals that are cute (yet slightly creepy), add the Mazumbai warty frog to your list of favourites. This species of frog, called Callulina kisiwamsitu, is completely covered in small, prominent warts, giving its skin a bumpy appearance. The warts cover the back, the toes and even the eyelids! It has a tiny, rounded body with slender limbs and relatively long feet. The feet of the frog are covered in glue-like discs that help it grip as it climbs trees.

The Mazumbai warty frog is known to be

extremely sticky. In fact, male frogs often glue themselves onto the females while mating (talk about intense love-making)! The frog is found primarily in the intense undergrowth of damp mountain forests throughout Tanzania.

Though the species remains largely unaffected by habitat degradation, it is listed as endangered because its remaining habitat continues to be damaged by deforestation.

—Maham Bushra

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BLOBFISH The blobfish (Psychrolutes marcidus) is a fish that dwells in deep waters off the coasts of Australia and Tasmania. Blobfish are found at depths where the pressure is dozens of times higher than at sea level. To remain buoyant, the blobfish’s mass is primarily gelatinous (with a density slightly less than water), allowing the fish to float above the sea floor without expending energy on swimming. Due to its low-density flesh, the blobfish’s shape is very different when it is out of water.

The blobfish’s relative lack of muscle is not disadvantageous since it primarily swallows edible matter that floats freely in its vicinity. Blobfish are typically shorter than 30 cm and they are known to live at depths between 600 and 1,200 m. These bizarre fish get caught in nets of deepocean trawling so often that scientists now fear

they could become an endangered species.

Fun Fact: The huge amount of discussion in media outlets regarding the blobfish’s so-called ugliness has led to it becoming the mascot of the Ugly Animal Preservation Society in an initiative “dedicated to raising the profile of some of Mother Nature’s more aesthetically challenged children”.

—Ashima Jain

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OLINGUITO The olinguito is a member of the racoon family and commonly lives in the forests stretching from Columbia to Ecuador. While the discovery of this animal is new per se, in reality this little furry guy’s been seen before. The olinguito has been part of many tours in zoos, but has been misidentified until this summer where specimens in the Smithsonian were taken for DNA analysis. The best of it is that this animal produces offspring that you might want to cuddle to death and probably keep ‘Aww’ing at.

— Eugene Leung

thecurrent Caitlin Martin Newnham Editor-In-Chief website – westernssc.ca/current twitter – twitter.com/thecurrent_ssc facebook – facebook.com/thecurrentssc youtube – youtube.com/user/thecurrentful blog – thecurrentssc.wordpress.com

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DUMBO OCTOPUS While octopuses aren’t very different, the morphology of different types varies in size and cuteness. Grimpoteuthis octopuses are rare as they usually live deep within the ocean, often living within a range of three to four kilometers below sea level, whereas some can be found up to 7 kilometers deep.

The normal size of these octopuses are relatively small, the largest known specimen to be caught was six feet in length, weighing 13 pounds. Unlike normal octopuses, they swallow their food whole.

However, its most distinguishing feature is those of its fins; the protrusions on the top of their head look like elephant’s ears and so these octopuses are nicknamed ‘Dumbo octopuses’ as they resemble the adorable baby elephant that we all loved as kids (and probably still love from time and time again).

— Eugene Leung

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theeditors

copy editors Ashima Jain, Eugene Leung & Igor Angelovski compilation editors Bethia To, Jameera Mohamed & Rajiv Lakhani creative editors Sophia Wen & Tianyi Yan features editors Rigya Arya & Maryam Golafshani images editors David DeSantis & Mathura Thiyagarajah

column editor dz marketing manager Adam Raffoul outreach editor Matt Renaud soph liaison Carly Jackson blog manager Maham Bushra youtube manager Dan Younus media editor Maddie Storvold

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thestaffwriters

Lucy Zhao — Advice Column Shreyesh Dalmia — Sport Science Column Andrew Poon — Book Review Column Margaret Ho — Theme Column

If you just can’t wait for the next issue of The Current, check out the Blog for writing from these and other talented writers.

thecontributors

Adam Bell Amisha Jain

OPINION

The Current — December 2013

Is airport security really secure?

Debunking the security process Media Editor

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over the hole. When smashed against the ground, this object will explode and create a cloud of flour-y haze, through which no flight attendant will be able to maneuver. Particles enclosed in an area of high-density seek areas of lower density. Like a prison full of convicts who find a hole in the wall, they will disperse with impressive haste.

Would airport security ever inquire as to your sketching charcoals? A common over-

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the-counter welding product, called Solidox, has the secondary use of being explosively reactive with sugar, which is readily provided to you as a delicious tea-enhancer on long flights. Solidox looks inconspicuous, just a simple grey stick (nothing so dangerous as a plastic water bottle), that slightly resembles a pack of art supplies. However, with a small amount of heat and a dash of sugar this compound can become a destructive force to be reckoned with. I would not want to be at odds with anyone who knew the secret of Solidox, especially since I am quite attached to my

Page 3

COLUMN

Advice: Don’t Worry, Be Happy

Maddie Storvold If you asked the people who know me best, they would attest to my generally levelheaded demeanor. I experience my own idiosyncratic points of annoyance: people who bump you with their backpacks, or classic names being respelled (Nah-taLyee is not original, it’s just obnoxious), but for the most part, I live a monk-like lifestyle of unperturbed serenity. That is, until I go through airport security.

I’ve always pitied airport employees, so I put a lot of effort into the brief interactions I have with them. I smile and ask them how they are. I crack a self-deprecating joke about “How could I possibly forget to take my belt off… Again?!”. I thank them profusely for all they have done to improve my travel experience, and essentially, my life. All the while I am met with the most acute of suspicions and downright rudeness. What’s the worst part? When I purchase a 250mL bottle of water from the conveniently situated vending machine or airport shop, and I am promptly informed that I’m “not allowed liquids exceeding the volume of 100mL”. Not only has this caused a great deal of internal discomfort- resulting from the aftershock of chugging a 250mL bottle of water, while making fierce eye contact with the security guard- but it has been a fount of frustration in my life. I’ve lost entire nights of sleep researching this odd limit on my liquid. The following is a series of potentially dangerous situations that could arise from materials other than a water bottle, to highlight to you the utter ridiculousness of the 100mL rule.

Let’s start small, so the rebels of the bunch will get discouraged and stop reading. That’s right fanatics, nothing to see here… Would airport security ever stop you to ask about an elaborately crafted egg? I think not! But this very object could serve as an evasion tactic in a sticky situation. Acquire a large egg, poke a hole in the end and drain the contents of the egg. Funnel it mostly full of flour and then put a small piece of tape

limbs (no pun intended), and would prefer if they remained on my body.

Another pliable danger is touch explosives. This route would require preparation.

One would have to soak iodine crystals in ammonia, pour off the excess ammonia, and leave the newly compounded crystals to dryall prior to the flight. To the naked eye of the airport security worker, your combustible is simple a metallically lovely bundle of gems.

When questioned, you could claim you were a professional gem collector, or an avid adherent of witchcraft. Do be warned, though, that these bad boys are volatile in nature, and could get you into a lot of trouble. As the name suggests, these explosives are activated by touch, and an explosion at airport security does not look fantastic on your part. You could get yourself in a spot of trouble. Airport workers work long, tedious hours already, missing three fingers could probably lead to a fair amount of vexation. NOT, however, as much vexation as possession of a water bottle can induce. In either situation, your designer egg could come in handy.

Let me make one thing very clear: I am in no way a proponent of terrorism. In fact, I hate it. Terrorism sucks. I do, however, struggle with the concept of injustice. It is unjust to sell me a water bottle simply to take it away immediately after. If the water bottle rule is going to exist, some changes need to be made. First of all, there needs to be a ban put on the sale of water BEFORE security. If people want a sip to prepare themselves for the physical exertion required to get through security, they can sip from a public fountain, or wait five minutes.

Secondly, now that I have basically produced a step-by-step guide for wreaking havoc in the skies, more tight restrictions need to be imparted on substances that could cause serious harm, such as the ones discussed above.

And finally, airport workers need to be supplied with cake and massages every week to improve their utterly (and understandably) deplorable spirits.

Lucy Zhao Advice Staff

Like a lot of things, this is easier said than done. With the pressure that may stem from your studies, future, family, friends, and finances, it’s difficult to stop being stressed and just be happy.

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Stress can have a positive effect too by keeping us alert and prepared to avoid danger, which is advantageous from an evolutionary point of view. It also gives us a knack of what triggers our stress centers and allows us to change in the future to avoid stressful thinking. However, stress becomes harmful when it continues without relief and proceeds to build up with no outlet.

Many health conditions are associated with stress, such as anxiety, depression, hormone imbalance, acne, weakened immune system and increased blood pressure.

BIOLOGY

Mechanical bugs might be your worst nightmare New study confirms that insects were engineers before we were David DeSantis Images Editor

A gear, or cogwheel, is a rotating machine that has teeth, or cogs, that mesh with another gear in order to transmit torque. Being incorporated into nearly every moving object known to the modern world, it’s difficult to imagine what technology would be without them. The invention of the gear is estimated to have been around 300—120 BC, around the time of the Ancient Greeks. However, early in September this year, researchers at the University of Cambridge came to realize that the human invention of the cogwheel might not be as original and intuitive as we thought it was — nature is far more clever than we are.

Issus coleoptratus, a plant-hopping in-

The Current’s

sect found in gardens across Europe requires absolute synchronicity of its hind legs in order to achieve proper movement. If there is even a minor discrepancy between the propulsion velocities of its legs, upon jumping it will spin hopelessly out of control in a process called “yaw rotation”. In order to prevent this from happening during development, the Issus develops a gear system to keep its hind legs moving in absolute synchronization, within a millionth of a second of each other. The nervous system, even in an insect of its size, is far too slow to accommodate such precision. Interestingly, the insect sheds this feature of its skeleton in adulthood.

This discovery is the first observation of cog wheels in nature with an observable function, and sheds light on the mechanical role of the skeleton during organism development.

Revelations aside, it is another example of the

beauty and intuition of nature that continues to humble the scientists that are lucky enough to stumble across them.

To avoid this, realize that most of the time, the things we worry about are never actually as worrisome in reality as they seem in your head. Also, writing down what happened will help to sort out what went wrong and guide you towards implementing measures towards a positive change. And although sometimes giving yourself a break may seem like a waste of time, it will really help to rest your mind to perform better.

Remember, don`t dwell on the past or focus on the future too much, you can only control the present!

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youtube.com/user/thecurrentful •

What you’ll find:

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Ask The Current • Household Experiments • Advice for Students

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ser en dip ity seren` dipite noun the occurance and development of events by chance in a happy or beneficial way e

`

SERENDIPITY IN S CIENCE Chance plays a great role in the seemingly analytical and carefully controlled field of science. In fact, researchers often tr y to manipulate the scientific method in a way such that their experiments can accommodate and even benefit from unexpected results. In a thoughtful, organized manner, scientists repeat their experiments until they are able identify and understand the importance of their findings. However, occasionally scientists may just get lucky; great discoveries can be purely accidental!

Safety Glasses In 1903, Benedictus, a materials scientist, accidentally knocked a beaker off of a high shelf. When he went to clean up the mess he noticed that the broken pieces of the glass did not separate into sharp shards but rather clung together. Benedictus, intrigued, questioned others in his lab and discovered that this beaker recently contained a solution of cellulose nitrate, a liquid plastic and was left unwashed on the shelf. The plastic coating helped keep the pieces of glass together. This lucky series of accidents led to numerous practical applications, most notably involving the glass on automobile windshields.

Velcro Astronauts needing to secure items in zero gravity and, equally (if not more) importantly children yet unable to tie knots rely greatly on velcro. Georges de Mestral, a Swiss engineer, began to think of the design of velcro after taking a nature walk with his dog. As a gust of wind passed by, he observed how the hooks in cockleburs were able to latch onto his dog’s fur and his own pants. Inspired, he started on his work to artificially create the structure of these plants and invented velcro.

Saccharin Saccharin was one of the first artificial sweeteners invented. Constantine Fahlberg , a researcher who was analyzing the chemical compounds in coal tar, discovered saccharin accidentally in 1879. After a morning’s work in the lab, Fahlberg returned home to eat lunch without washing his hands. He noticed that his bread tasted unusually sweet but his wife could tell no difference. He realized this sweetness was due to the substances he had synthesized in the lab! Fahlberg patented the substance and it is now a widely used chemical sweetener. Who knew not washing your hands could lead to advances in, of all places, the food industr y?

Penicillin Penicillin is one of the most celebrated medical advancements; it is one of the first types of antibiotics used and has effectively helped ward against bacterial infections like syphilis. Interestingly, the discover y of penicillin relied greatly on luck and Alexander Fleming’s decision to take a vacation! When Fleming, a bacteriologist, returned to the lab, he noticed a strange fungus in one of his Petri dishes. This mold had killed off and kept away bacteria in the culture. Fleming isolated the mold for further observation. This dirty dish was the start of penicillin, an antibiotic that has revolutionized modern medicine.

Viagra Viagra, a ver y profitable little blue pill, was not initially designed for its current use but rather was intended to treat high blood pressure and the heart disease, angina. Angina is a condition in which the heart does not get as much blood and oxygen as it needs. Simon Campbell and David Roberts, two researchers who were working at Pfizer, the pharmaceutical company developing this drug, observed that the medication failed to treat the issue of lack of blood flow to the heart and rather increased blood flow elsewhere. This side effects of the failed medication was looked upon as a great discover y and the company began a new clinical trial focusing on erectile dysfunction disorder.

Page 6

COLUMN PSYCHOLOGY

Sport: NBA & NHL Shreyesh Dalmia Sport Staff

Tracy McGrady (or more affectionately, T-Mac) famously scored 13 points in the last 35 seconds with a 3-point buzzer beater against the NBA’s San Antonio Spurs to attain a much-needed win for his Houston Rockets. During last year’s playoffs, the Leafs surrendered a 4-1 lead in the last 10 minutes of the game to vanquish the hopes of many.

Just recently, the New England Patriots pulled one of the greatest comebacks in NFL history by recovering from a 24-0 deficit in the 3rd quarter to establish their supremacy. What do all these events have in common? They are all seemingly impossible miracles that leave one side

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rejoicing and the other side in tears.

Especially that Leafs game. That was a tragic and dark day indeed.

The world of sports is incomplete without miracles. Despite all the pressure that comes with a tight situation, these are the opportunities through which athletes prove their worth. The seemingly impossible comeback led by T-Mac has driven his induction into the Hall of Fame significantly forward. And we cannot forget how Adrian Peterson recovered in an astounding 9 months from an ACL injury to become the best running back in the league. These “miracles” are the results of never giving up and demonstrate how persistence and tenacity will make the impossible possible.

The Current — December 2013

The mystery of laughter revealed through science Humour explained with science Maham Bushra Blog Manager

Psychologists and scientists alike have puzzled over laughter for decades. What induces the emergence of this sudden, instinctive sound from our bodies? Why exactly do we laugh?

1. It’s unexpected.

The Incongruity Theory of laughter, developed by Immanuel Kant and Sǿren Kierkegaard, says that it’s the element of surprise that triggers laughter. We laugh when something violates our mental patterns and expectations. For instance, when our friend slips on a banana peel, we laugh almost instinctively because it’s a sudden change to the expected, everyday lull of people safely walking by. Many stand-up comedians today follow a similar technique to induce sudden laughter in the audience. Most jokes have two parts: a set-up and a punch-line. During the set-up, our mind is already anticipating how it’s going to end. That anticipation involves logical thought intertwined with emotion, and is influenced by our past experiences. When the punch-line is finally delivered, it violates are expectations and our thoughts and emotions have to switch gears rapidly. We now experience two separate sets of thoughts and emotions simultaneously.

The joke’s ending is incongruous with the beginning, and we perceive this as humour. Contemporary psychologists like Thomas Schultz and Jerry Suls have taken a slightly different look at the Incongruity Theory. They believe that we laugh not at the discrepancy between our expectations and the surprise punch-line, but at the resolution of that incongruity.

release or save energy generated by repression. Laughter is a form of release from pentup emotions, sexual repression or intellectualizing. Spencer theorized that throughout the day, we are continuously building up energy simply through the process of managing everyday stress. Most people have excess cognitive energy, a type of energy potential, waiting to be freed by humour. Freud expanded the theory by saying that the psychic energy we vent through laughter would otherwise have been used to repress unconscious emotions.

Since most of the emotions we repress are sexual desire and hostility, most jokes revolve around these topics. By telling or listening to a sexual joke, we overcome the social norms censoring us and can release our libido.

3. We take pleasure in the misery of others.

If other people around you are laughing at your friend as he lays there em-

barrassed over having slipped on a banana, they’re evidence to the Superiority Theory (and also just intrinsically horrible people).

Supported by Plato, Aristotle and Thomas Hobbes, this theory unveils a more sinister side of comedy. It claims that laughter expresses feelings of sudden glory and supremacy over others or over a former state of ourselves. The Superiority Theory is very successful in explaining why we laugh at certain jokes, like the famous “dumb blonde jokes”. It’s because we perceive the individuals in these jokes as hopeless victims of an unfortunate circumstance, or as being too “stupid” to understand an obvious situation.

No matter what the reason is for these uncontrollable, bizarre sounds emanating from our body, make time for laughter in your life. After all, it is the best medicine.

2. It gives our brains a break.

If your friend who slipped on a banana peel laughs with you, his response is supported by the Relief Theory of humour.

Credited to Sigmund Freud and Herbert Spencer, this theory views humour as a medium to

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The Current — December 2013

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COLUMN

COMPUTER SCIENCE

Computer science gives you super powers

Book:

The up and coming field could make you a multi-billionaire!

The Center Cannot Hold

Adam Bell

Andrew Poon

Current Contributor Computer science, once upon a time it was that subject that only the geeky kids took to analyze how to make computers solve massive math problems... well it kinda still is, but it’s become way cooler. These days it’s a gateway to problem solving, programming, and generally speaking; the future.

It gives you super powers.

Our world’s infrastructure is run by computers and that’s not something we should be afraid of. They help you stay in touch with all the people you didn’t say a word to in high school and they manage your money so you can splurge on all those rare Pokémon cards that you wanted as a kid. If someone were to magically remove every computer from the face of the earth, we’d be screwed. And those computers are built on top of trillions and trillions of lines of code and research.

Some of those enhancements are done through apps and you know just how much we love apps.

Apps are everywhere nowadays they’ve revolutionized both the industry and our social habits. They were all created by individuals writing software using computers, and with writing comes jobs left, right, and centre. There’s jobs for people to make and maintain software, jobs for finding bugs that break things, and even jobs for just pointing out if something feels plain wrong (as well as plenty of space if you want to create your own startup!). These jobs require you to understand just how a computer works and how to control them.

If you know how to control computers, you can control the world.

Computers are brilliant machines, they’re what planted us on the moon!

That’s incredible to think about, and it’s all thanks to computers, engineering, and computer science. Computers come in all shapes and forms, and most today can fit in your pocket. Almost everyone has a smartphone, or some sort of mobile internet-connected device, whether it’s Apple, Android, Windows Phone, or, yes, even BlackBerry, they’re fantastic machines.

While they’re great for checking what’s up on Facebook, they’ve got more processing power than the computers used to put the space shuttle on the moon! You have more power, in your pocket, than all of NASA in 1969. How’s that for mind-blowing?!

When I said computers are brilliant, I was giving them a little too much credit. Computers are actually quite dumb, I mean really dumb. A computer only understands 0’s and 1’s. Computer science will teach you this, and will show you just how much work has gone into making computers do what they do today. To make them work, you need to know how to program them, and programming is done through various computer languages.

There are more languages than you could imagine: C, C++, Objective-C, Java, just to name a few (seriously, there’s enough to

Book Staff

“Well, it’s simple to love someone,” she said. “But it’s hard to know when you need to say it out loud.” – Rebecca Stead, When You Reach Me

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fill a Webster’s Dictionary). Some are super easy to read, while others are super ridiculous although they may both do the same thing Learning a computer language is very much like learning a spoken language.

You learn the syntax (alphabet in simpler terms) and then you can move on to form functions or methods (sentences or paragraphs). It’s very much a matter of going through things logically: “if this, do this, otherwise, do that”. You may find that while you’re learning that devious thing called math might creep up on you (run away!), but math comes with everything, and can be surprisingly useful. The more languages you become familiar with, the more diverse your projects can become.

Once you’ve got all that down pat, you might want to try and expand and make a website or an app and become an indie developer!

Indie developers are a big thing today. We basically own the market. If you’re already studying computer science, keep at it and try to expand on things you learn in class. You’d be surprised how successful developers become when they start early, and it’s all because they took the initiative to explore.

Look at me, I’m just some random Canadian nerd who likes to make cool things (or break them). However, I’ve shipped apps that’ve been used by over half a million people and have received real media coverage on what I’ve made!

It still absolutely blows my mind, but it’s also shown me how much power our generation has. Take Facebook as another example. It was started in school by just a few people and ended up to be insanely successful. Now, not only is it one of the most used websites of all time, it grew

to be worth more than, wait for it... 100 BILLION DOLLARS. That’s enough money to swim in! Writing an app or building a website gives you the opportunity to become an entrepreneur. Get a team together, start your own business, create new experiences for people, do what you love.

Put it up on the App Store and show you’re capable of shipping awesome software before you graduate. You’ll make some extra money on the side to help pay for tuition, and you’ll gain real- world experience. Experience is invaluable in the tech industry, and it’ll help you go far, really far.

The tech industry is awesome, by the way.

It’s full of cool people who like seeing others succeed, and it’s very competitive. It’s a really neat place, and through it you can learn things that you just wouldn’t think possible.

By the end of summer, Miranda Sinclair and her friend Sal know exactly how to walk back from school. They’ve mastered the safe routes to take, like along the grocery store, and whom to avoid, like the crazy man sleeping underneath the mailbox. But events start to unravel strangely for Miranda, when the new kid to the block punches Sal for what seems to be no reason at all, and Sal shuts her out of his life. Miranda doesn’t know why, but she tries her best to get Sal back into her life.

When You Reach Me, a Newbery award-winning novel, is a puzzle that steadily pieces together as a story of wrinkles in time, only truly coming clear on the last page. Do you ever wonder what you would do for someone else, if you could go back in time? If you’re looking for a story cleverly crafted to surprise you, then When You Reach Me may give you a miracle this issue.

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Page 8

The Current — December 2013

Across 1. a single ice crystal which falls through the atmosphere 4. animals such as polar bears do this during winter 8. the “stress” hormone, commonly experienced during exam season 9. type of chemical compound used to make candles 11. a “night” which lasts more than 24 hours, occurring in the polar circle during winter months 12. a change of state from liquid to solid 13. the famous physicist born on December 25th

Down 2. shortest day of the year 3. a couple meeting under this plant species during Christmas must kiss 5. Canadian word for reindeer 6. Santa Claus’s home 7. the amino acid in turkey which makes you sleepy 8. Christmas tree 10. a large piece of frozen freshwater, floating in open water

Last Time’s Crossword Answers Across 2 ideal, 5 inert, 7 Archimedes,10 phalanges, 12 igneous, 13 Dolly, 14 larynx, 15 velocity, 17 chloride

Down

1 MRI, 3 anion, 4 prosopagnosia, 6 saturn, 8 cosmology, 9 Mendel, 11 amplitude, 16 cheetah, 17 cell

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