November 2013 Murmur, Waterford Kettering High School Student Newspaper

MURMUR Special Edition

Volume 11, Issue 2 November 13, 2013

Tech talk

Today’s generation of teens have their hands full with technology

Photo Illustration

by Jordan Fujarski and Christopher Habba

4

CENSORSHIP

7

Exploring the depths of the Great Firewall of China

12

MEDIA MASSACRE

Exploring the impact of illegally downloaded music

15

E-CIGARETTES

Modern E-Cigarettes emerge with teens

FUTURE TECHNOLOGY

What the future has in store & top three most wanted technologies

2 Online exclusives

Murmur special edition November 13, 2013

MURMUR Co Editor-In-Chief: Jacob Alessi Co Editor-In-Chief: Christopher Habba Webmaster: Staff Graphic Designer: Kristin Warholak Writing Coach: Alexea Hankin Sports Editor: Lucas Hendricks Business Manager/Graphic Designer: Jordan Fujarski Photographers: Tiffany Mountain, Veronica Latimer Staff Writers: Alexis Brady, Sarah Ciminillo, Julie Dennis, Bridget Ekis, Kyana Farrell, Catherine Habba, Charles Hendricks, Gabrielle Hilliard, Stephanie Knapp, Joshua Marko, Emily McDonald, Sarah Murphy, Janelle Santacruz, Quinten Winowiecki, Rachel Woody

Downloading your childhood. How classic games went from Gameboys to iPhones.

Waterford Kettering High School Address: 2800 Kettering Dr, Waterford Township, MI 48329 (248) 673-1261

Shutting down the myths.

Does shutting down your computer really save energy and money?

An apple a day. How children’s lives revolve around modern technology.

Movie madness.

The battle between Blockbuster and the newly reinvented streaming service Netflix.

SPONSORS Allan Asp, Debbie Campbell, Patty Cascioli, Cindy Dennis, Julie Dennis, Hilary Ludecke, David Latimer, Yvette, Mike Malley, Latimer, Margaret Grossnickle, Buddy Martin, Carol Weiland, Custard Corner, Marissa Lyles, Mervin nichols

The Murmur is printed monthly, and completely put together by the students in the Journalism class at Waterford Kettering High School. The Murmur serves as an open forum for student expression, and opinions printed are not those of the administration.

Letters to the editor: Letters from readers are encouraged. Letters may be delivered to room 501 or can be sent to the newspaper’s e-mail address, ketteringmurmur@gmail. com. All letters are subject to editing of grammatical or punctuation errors. Letters must be submitted with a signature. Letters with libel or slander towards another person will not be considered for publication. Letters must be limited to 250 words.

Advertising: Advertisements do not reflect the views of the staff. Potential advertisers can contact the staff at the number to the left.

The Murmur editorial board has the right to refuse any inappropriate advertising.

Columns: Columns or editorials represent the opinion of the writer. Thoughts or views which are expressed are not those of the entire staff or administration.

Staff Editorials: Staff editorials are written by the staff and include the combined opinion of the full staff.

Check us out on the web: Waterforddrift.com Follow us on Twitter: @Waterforddrift NSPA

Murmur special edition November 13, 2013

staff editorial 3

The worst day of our lives Staff Editorial

Murmur staff members go a day without using their cell phones

O

n Friday, November 8, Murmur staffers experienced possibly the hardest day of their high school careers. We tested our staff to its full potential. As a team, we made the decision to heroically and selflessly give up our phones for an entire (school) day. (Actually, we decided to stop in 5th hour. Same thing as a full day, really.)

Deciding to go cold turkey affected our staff in a multitude of ways. Friendships were tested. Some people cried. It was kind of pathetic.

That might be a bit of an exaggeration (it’s worth mentioning that one person did give into the pressure in 3rd hour), but it was kind of eye-opening when we observed the aftereffects of the Blackout.

Many of our staff survived unscathed, though it did affect others outside the class. One poor soul needed notes from a staff member and due to the No Phones rule, they did not get those notes. They got a less than favorable score

on their test. Oops.

One staffer also got scolded by their mother because their child “ignored” her texts. Another oops.

On a lesser scale, the more tech dependent of our staff reported feeling like a part of their body was missing. A few felt physically unsettled and continuously checked their pocket for their loyal companion, but to no avail. (We agreed to lock them up in our lockers, so that no one was tempted.)

However, the aftereffects were not always negative.

One staff member reported that they felt closer to their friends without the ever-prevalent technology wall.

Technology had its ways with us newspaper students and yes, we admit going without our cell phones was harder than we thought.

D E R O S N CE

special edition 4 world news Murmur November 13, 2013

Exploring the Internet of the most private country in the world

By ALEXEA HANKIN Writing Coach/Copy Editor

Just how extensive is China’s form of censorship?

China easily holds the title for both the highest guarded internet content and the most sophisticated blocking system in the world. Today China’s “internet police” consists of roughly two million hired employees that peer over the shoulders of web users, banning words and freezing/blocking screens that have anything to do with said words.

It’s been said that the government does not only block potentially dangerous content, but also monitors who uses the internet in a household- and for what purpose- using video monitoring and face recognition systems.

China also censors radio, TV, books, and films.

What exactly is banned?

According to Chinese law, no individual may use the Internet to create, replicate, retrieve, or transmit the following kinds of information:

1. Breaking the Constitution/law; 2. Talking about overthrowing the government; about division of the country, or “harming national 3. Talking unity”; 4. Being racist or “harming the unity between nationalities”; the truth, spreading rumors or destroying the 5. Distorting order of society; feaudal superstitions, a.k.a sex, gambling, 6. Promoting violence or murder; to involve other people in criminal activity or 7. Attempting terrorism, insulting people, lying to make people look bad; 8. Injuring the reputation of state organizations;

..and other activities against the Constitution, laws or administrative regulations.

What is the reasoning?

The background reasoning for the censorship is summed up by one saying from a Chinese ruler from the 1980s, who ruled when the Chinese had first encountered the internet, Deng Xiaping: “If you open the window for fresh air, you have to expect some flies to blow in.” The government states that by censoring the internet, their goal is to reduce the harmful effects of illegal information on state security, public interest, and children. China has preexisting laws and regulations that already banish the spread of information that “subverts state power, derails national unity, or infringes upon national honor and interests,” and the internet is no exception. China’s government believes that as a sovereign state, it holds all power to control and restrict the internet as it pleases. A free, liberated internet is an open window, and China will not tolerate any flies.

Do people counter this at all?

Of course. They’re Asian. Joking aside, the “nerds” and tech savvy of the nation have ways of downloading hacking systems that bypass all censorship from unblocked sites. Those who are not as tech savvy still sneak- for instance, a webpage all about ponies and sparkles could actually be a political discussion in disguise, if the worlds are placed correctly.

What happens to rule breakers?

China has had the largest number of journalists and cyber rebels imprisoned in the world according to the human rights organization, Amnesty International. If people continuously post sensitive information on the web, their jail sentence can be between 3 and 10 years.

Sentences range from “re-education through labor”, to death, depending on severity of the case.

How many people use internet in China?

Murmur special edition November 13, 2013

world news 5

0% - 35% 35% - 50% 50% - 65% 65% - 100% How does the Great Firewall work, exactly?

Well, as many things computer-orientated are, it’s pretty complicated. As previously mentioned, China has the most extensive and effective blocking system in the world, and this is purely because of it’s complexity.

China’s Great Firewall blocks DNS caches (the things that read internet addresses, like google.com), and IP addresses (an IP address is basically an entire computer). It also analyzes and blocks certain URLs: for example, Wikipedia. org is not blocked, but Wikipedia’s webpage on “The People’s Republic of China Internet Censorship” is. If one searches a politically sensitive keyword, the search engine they’re using may fail, or their internet connection maybe magically reset.

What websites are banned?

Self regulation?

China’s complex blocking system doesn’t always work. The Intenernet as a whole is a hard window to shut, and there’s lots of cracks where “flies come in”. Which bring in self-regulation.

Because the Chinese know what content they don’t usually see, when it does slip through the cracks, they tend to stay far away from it- they never know whether or not they’re being watched. And the last thing they want to do is get caught somewhere they’re not supposed to be.

What websites are available?

Sina Weibo

Created by SINA Corporation in 2008, Sina Weibo is one of China’s most visited websites. “Weibo” is Chinese for “microblog.” Sina Weibo has been said to be China’s Twitter. It has over 503 million users.

Baidu

Baidu literally means “hundreds of times”. Much like Wikipedia or Google, Baidu functions like a search engine and grants access to millions of web pages. It has other applications, like “Baidu Maps”, “Baidu Image search”, and more.

Youku

Youku means literally” excellent (and) cool” in Chinese.

Youku merged together from two of China’s biggest video websites in 2012. It’s China’s Youtube.

Renren

“Renren” meaning literally “Everyone’s Website” in Chinese, it’s been said to be China’s Facebook. It has about 31 million users, and is most popular in collegeaged students.

6 Feature

Murmur special edition November 13, 2013

Smart phones are controlling my life

The age of the cell phone has created problems that weren’t even considered 20 years ago.

BY BRIDGET EKIS Staff Writer

I

n this day and age, freshmen Caitlin Butcher believes there are a 3 types of people. The people who depend on their phone so much that they feel sick when it is not in their hands, the people who use their phone but aren’t obsessed and could live a day without their phone, and the people who barely use their phone, let alone know how to use it.

In the 90’s, many were considered lucky just to have an ‘emergency’ telephone in their car. As of now, 88% of students at Kettering from the ages 13-18 walk around with a smartphone in their pocket.

To think so much has changed in such a short amount of time can be seen as truly remarkable. The true question is simple: has this hurt or helped the teen society? Is that buzzing piece of plastic in your pocket really helping students finish their five paragraph essay?

69% of teens at Kettering find their phone to be very distracting.

“My phone isn’t the cause of my distractions during homework,” said senior Adam Smith.

“There would be other distractions even if I

Jail Cell

didn’t have my phone.”

With the constant need of always having to check your phone while trying to get an assignment done, some might say if a very difficult task.According to Time Magazines’ Techland study, 20% of people check their phone every 10 minutes.

Smartphone application sales have skyrocketed in the past year according to Forrester research. In the past year, app sales have reached $6 billion.

Freshmen Josh Lebron believes that these mobile functions hurt him with his learning.

“I always get distracted by apps,” said Lebron.

Lebron makes a point.

With so many different applications and things to look at on your phone how can you not be tempted to look at them?

“I’m not obsessed with my phone at all, honestly half

the time I forget to even charge it,” said senior Austin Medaris.

Although Medaris might believe in a life without phones, Charlie Frandis argues otherwise.

“When I listen to my music I get better grades on my tests,” said Frandis. “Everything sounds better with music; and I can listen to my music and the teacher at the same time anyway.”

Smartphones do have their benefits.

For Frandis, that meant better test scores just by the sound of music. For others it could also m e a n something else. “ M y iPhone helps me look up things I need to

know, “ said Melissa Willson. “It is a great necessity to have during study time.”

Some teens such as Willson describe themselves as a moderate phone user, meaning they use their phone a lot but they aren’t obsessed.

Megan Simpson, a freshman, describes herself as completely obsessed with her favorite piece of glass; her iPhone 5.

“I honestly could not live without my phone,” said Simpson.

“Because I do literally everything on my phone it would be close to impossible to function normally without it.”

Simpson isn’t alone on. According to Time Magazines’ Techland research, 84% of people cannot go a single day without their phone.

“I am constantly checking my phone, it’s almost as if it takes over my life,” said Simpson.

Many cannot believe the growth of smartphones within the past ten years. Allowing web access to a cellular device definitely has it’s ups and downs, but in the end it’s all up to the owner. People make choices in life of how they want to act, and how they want to adapt to a new form of technology. So whether you are an addict, moderately attached, or don’t even care, how you decide to use your smartphone is up to you.

While teens have always accused their parents of being a bit too nosy, cell phones add to the problem.

BY JULIE DENNIS

W

Staff Writer

ith teens spending more and more time on their phones, parents are getting more and more worried about what messages are being sent. Students all throughout Kettering feel that their privacy belongs to them. Some believe most parents will always bug their child about being on their phone. Many will agree in the end, however, that the parents bug their teenager only because they care about them.

“My parents don’t ask who I’m texting very often because usually it’s the same people all the time,” Sophomore, Samatha Finkbeiner

“ I believe that parents get involved with their child’s phone because the parent wants to keep their kid out of trouble.”

Junior, Ben Dowdy

“It really irritates me when my parents look through my phone, it’s my business.”

Freshman, Taylor Piske Photos by Bridget Ekis

Murmur Special Edition November 13, 2013

news 7

Mass ve me ia massacre Exploring the impact of illegally downloaded music

A

or digital transmission of copyrighted sound recordings. Criminal penalties for first-time offenders can be as high as five years in prison and $250,000 in fines. Civil penalties can run into many thousands of dollars in damages and legal fees. The minimum penalty is $750 per song.

Many people think that the fines and penalties for music theft are too harsh.

“I think the rules are too strict and the fines should be lowered because it’s just one song, the artist won't lose that much money because they already make enough money off of one song they write,” freshman Chloe Traynor said.

Freshman Sergio Ybarra agrees with Traynor, saying “most artists have more money than they know what to do with.”

Many people may have heard of Limewire. Limewire allowed its users to search through thousands of files for free. Some of these files included copyrighted music, videos, and also games.

It also gives people the option to share these downloads.

Limewire was permanently shut down after a federal judge found it guilty of assisting its users in committing copyright infringement "on a massive scale."

“I used to use Limewire, but now that it got taken down, I don’t know of any other good websites to download music from so I don’t do it anymore,” sophomore John O’Connor said.

According to the RIAA, LimeWire has cost the music industry hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue.

“I used to use Limewire but it got shut down, now I buy all my music from iTunes,” senior Brittany Porter said.

Fortunately there are many legal places that people can get the music they love listening to. A popular place to hear music is Pandora. Pandora is a internet radio app.

“I get all my music from Pandora, it works pretty well and it has all the music I like to listen to,” sophomore Cody Kirk said.

According to Statistic Brain, about 16,763,000 people use Pandora a month.

“I also use Pandora to listen to music, they have all the songs I like and I don’t have a problem with the app,” junior Mellisa Pettibone said.

A good majority of people get their music from iTunes. According to Apple Press Info, an average of about 15,000 songs are downloaded on iTunes per minute.

“I spend about $100 on iTunes every month,” freshman Nick Antenucci said.

Many people can relate to Antenucci’s music spending habits.

Senior Logan Cook gets all of his music from iTunes and spends about $20 a month, which can add up pretty fast.

While some people will always pirate music, it's good to know the repercussions of the act before you get involved in it. It harms many people and there are more efficient ways to get music rather than on pirated sites. Getting caught is not worth it all of the trouble it can give a person.

Facts about music theft In the decade since Napster emerged in 1999, music sales in the U.S. have dropped

47%

From 2004 through 2009 alone,

30%

approximately billion songs were illegally downloaded on filesharing networks.

37%

NPD reports that only percent of music acquired by U.S. consumers in 2009 was paid for.

Frontier Economics recently estimated that U.S. Internet users annually consume between

$7 & $20

billion worth of digitally pirated recorded music.

Digital storage locker downloads

91%

constitute of the links found were for copyrighted material, and

10% of those links were to music specifically.

All facts from RIAA website

Thrifty thief.

Senior Dante Allen frequently steals music offline.

62%

yes

“I use youtube

to MP3 converter to get my music.

I have over 2000 songs.

”

Senior Chelsea Nolan

“Once a month I go on Pirate Bay and get a lot of songs.

”

Senior Levi Missentzis

38%

no

“

I use youtube to MP3 converter to get my music.

I have over 2000 songs.

”

Senior Andrea Breckenridge

Survey out of 100 people

lly before?

Have you ev

nloaded mus w ic do i

ga lle

er

s senior Cody Schooley finds a seat at D lunch, he slowly takes out his LG Optimus G, and opens up the Pirate Bay website to download his new favorite song that he recently heard on the radio, on his way to school one morning.

Many people may or may not be aware that this is againt the law.

A law is a law.

Many people believe music theft is a real, ongoing problem that happens too often. Downloading music online without paying for it is a crime.

Most people are unaware of how many people music theft affects. According to the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), music theft hurts songwriters, recording artists, producers, publishers and the countless other people involved in the making of a song.

Global music piracy causes $12.5 billion of economic losses every year.

Many artists are successful and make a lot of money “When I think about how much money an artist already has, I don’t really worry about taking music from illegal websites, just because I feel like the artist can’t lose,” sophomore Haley Tewes said.

Many people believe they cannot get caught with music theft, because they are unaware of how people are able to get caught with pirated music.

Anyone who has ever downloaded any type of media from an illegal website has to transfer that song onto a Bittorrent client, which downloads the file onto the computer or phone. Then copyright-enforcement authorities are able to track an IP address, which allows them to see all the pirated activity that had been done on the computer/phone internet history.

The federal law mandates severe civil and criminal penalties for unauthorized reproduction, distribution, rental

BY CATHERINE HABBA Staff Writer

8 feature

Murmur Special Edition November 13, 2013

Family game night turns to family phone night

F

rom a little family competition to no contact at all. The family tradition of sitting around the large, maple dining room table for family game night on a friday evening with loud shouting echoing through the hallways is slowly fading to electronic gaming with the family scattered throughout the household playing on their electronical devices without any contact at all.

“My family used to play board games, but we don't really anymore now that my siblings and I have grown up,” Karli Saffronn said.

Family game nights begin to dwindle as board games are evolving with time. Now board games are instantly available electronically through devices made by Apple, Amazon and other handheld electronic manufacturers.

Electronic board games are not only readily available in an instant through the Apple app store or the Google play store, but on

BY GABBY HILLIARD Staff writer

average they cost 85% less than the actual board game collecting dust on your shelf.

Next to the board games in the store, not surprisingly, there are multiple electronic games. The idea of a multi-player game is now turned into a single player game.

At your everyday Walmart store there are still numerous board games sold on the shelves but now to accompany them there are alternative gaming systems sold and competing to see what will be bought and played more.

“I dont play board games anymore, I usually just play on my Wii or iPhone,” Jordyn Troy said.

The closest some come to playing classic board games nowadays is, yet again, a digital fix- many quench their thirst with a free version of the game in app format.

It's cheaper, easier, and there's no more lost pieces.

“I still play board games,” Stephen Bell said.

“But I hate when I lose game pieces though, because then you can’t play without them. That’s why I like being able to play games on my phone whenever and wherever I want,” Bell said.

All these old time board games are now at your convenience by a click of a mouse or tap of your finger. At any given time, people are able to pull out their phones and play a game. At home, the doctors, or in the car while driving- with smartphones, people can game anywhere. Its a quick fix from being bored to occupied in a matter of seconds.

The world has changed in the waves of technology, and board games were swept up too. Whether this is good or bad depends on who you are.

But maybe every now and again, you can pull that dusty old box, the one with all those missing pieces, off the shelf and play board games the way the dinosaurs didwho knows, you might even like it better.

46% 54% Do you still play board games with your family?

BY SARAH MURPHY Staff Writer

How may I help you?

S

he’s there when you wake up in the morning. She knows where you live, and beyond that, she always knows where you are. She knows who your friends are, and is the first to see your tweets, facebook posts, and instagram photos. She waits expectantly for you on your desk during class, while you take notes. We all know who she is.

Siri.

The most recent iOS update gives Siri the ability to learn. If you tell Siri that Lisa is your girlfriend, or that Billy is your brother, she will remember that. You can later ask her to “text my girlfriend” or “call my brother” and Siri will know who you’re talking about. This is very convenient for

The negative side to Siri those of us who can’t remember which old bald guy is Uncle Jerry and which is cousin Jim at family gatherings.

If she mispronounces your best friends name, you can correct her“That’s not how you pronounce that”and she will ask you for the proper pronunciation, and give you three options to choose from. She will forever remember the pronunciation you choose.

Siri and I have a difficult relationship. She talks and I panic, because I took Arthur Weasley seriously when he told Ginny “never trust anything that can think for itself if you can't see where it keeps its brain.” Siri terrifies me, and while it may seem irrational to you tech geeks, I feel completely

justified in it.

You guys watch the Sci-fi movies, we all know how this works. Robots and machines steadily get smarter and smarter until they’re doing all the thinking for us, and I can’t help but see that happening with Siri. Right now it’s only texts and calls, and she can only learn what you tell her, exactly, but that in itself is more than what technology used to do for us.

The printing press, which was a huge breakthrough back in the olden days of ink and quills and calligraphy, couldn’t read the sounds your voice made. You had to arrange your letters on the frame and stamp the pages, then rearrange them in order to stamp another page.

Now, I’m not saying we should revert back to that- I like my keyboard as much as the next Murmur journalist- however we’ve moved past the point of convenience and are skipping joyously towards becoming robots ourselves. It won’t be long now before Siri is telling us what to do.

I have no problem with technology, so long as it’s kept in check. Our phones should not be smarter than us, and while some argue that Siri isn’t all that intelligent, I argue that she is well on her way. I’m not requesting that we all become Amish, I’m merely suggesting that artificial intelligence should never overcome our own real and human intelligence.

Murmur special edition November 13, 2012

P st or pr nt

feature 9

How digital photography’s changed the way we store pictures forever

BY RACHEL WOODY Staff Writer

A

s her fingers stretch across the page, her mind runs wild, reliving each moment. With a flood of tears beginning to burst through her poker face, Kettering Alum Jennifer Rigg reminisces on the birth and first years of her daughters life. Captured on a 4x6 slice of paper, shining with the glow of past times.

She begins to tell the stories reflected in each picture. However, Rigg didn’t always have these printed photos. At one point she almost lost it all.

All of a sudden while doing homework on her computer, a black screen appeared.

“I had no idea what was happening,” Rigg said.

Rigg called the Apple store to find out what to do. The store told Rigg that her hard drive, which contained all of her photos, important files, resumes and memories, was acting up and she was in jeopardy of losing everything stored on it.

“I hadn't ever backed up anything on my computer or phone,” Rigg said.

“My laptop was the only place we had over 7000 pictures of our daughter from birth until now.”

Rigg was devastated. A few days went by before she received any more news about the condition of her computer and hard drive. Days passed when finally she received the call. She was relieved to hear that she didn't lose anything, and that it was a completely different problem.

“That day I went out and bought an external hard drive along with DVDS,” Rigg said.

“We loaded all of our important documents and pictures onto them for backup.”

Rigg was fortunate enough not to lose any of her most prized files, and is now taking drastic measures to print and store her pictures in order to keep them safe.

In this day and age, society is so wrapped up in new technology that they barely recognize what a cassette tape is. However, most of us cannot complain about the emergence of the newer and more advanced technology that we have today.

From smart phones to iPads, technology is evolving rapidly. Since the first photograph taken in 1827, the phenomenon of picture taking has swept its way into the hands of people

from all around the world. With the many photography apps easily found in the app store, it’s extremely easy to share and store your pictures online.

With that said, printing pictures has become somewhat of a pasttime.

While many people still make a trip to the store to develop their photos, the majority of us are busy editing, cropping, and posting them online.

With the development of Instagram in 2010, putting pictures online has become a craze.

Instagram allows users to edit their photos and post them for friends to see. In the typical social network format, users are also able to see their friends’ pictures. In addition, every user has access to a page that contains the most popular pictures from around the world.

While posting and creating a cool photo is a great technological advancement, there is, however, a downside.

In times before online photo sharing, precious memories were captured forever by film cameras. After these pictures were developed, they would be stored safely in an album or frame.

They became a story telling tool.

So whats the problem? Along with Instagram, Twitter and Facebook are also used for photo posts, which has lead to fewer and fewer pictures actually being developed and stored away.

With Facebook losing momentum in the last few years, many assume that Instagram and Twitter will be soon following in Facebook’s footsteps.

All those photos, memories, posts, tagged images, and fun apps could be gone within a few years. The once extremely popular site Myspace is a great example.

“I used to go on Myspace all the time, It was really cool and super popular,” junior Matt Wood said. “I forgot my password though, so all of my old pictures, music, and memories once shared on my page are kind of impossible to get too.”

A new form of technology will soon take over, leaving our favorite apps in the dust. All the photos you’ve shared on social media sites could completely disappear. Photos previously shared on one social network could be forever forgotten by the time the next “big thing” swings by. Hundreds of photos stored on a phone could be lost by accident if it is stolen or misplaced.

So if users lost it all, how would they tell their children how they grew up?

How could they show them their accomplishments? What about the photos of their family?

Chemistry teacher Scott McDonald has prepared in advance for any computer complications that might occur.

“I don't get my pictures developed much anymore, but if my computer ever crashed and I lost all of my pictures, I have back up CD’s with all of my pictures on them.”

While some users are still completely reliant on technology and social media sites as the safest way to hold onto their memories, others will take a different approach, printing and storing pictures away with hopes of one day pulling them out to show and reminisce on the days of the past.

W H E N

was the last time you printed your pictures?

“I think you should develop your pictures. That way they’ll always be there as memories.”

-Alex Garcia, 11

2 weeks or less

22%

1 month or less

13%

1 year or less

25%

2 years or more

40%

I posted a picture online...

Today 3 days ago 1 year ago

Never

50% 20%

15% 15%

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Murmur special edition November 13, 2013

Waterford Township, MI 48329

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(248) 620-2070

Virtually Verbal

Murmur special edition November 13, 2013

Feature 11

Technology advancements help students with autism communicate with teachers, peers, and other staff members at WKHS dents communicate. Preverbal students rely on the iPad in some cases to let an utism comes in many difanchor or adult know what they need in ferent forms. In many cases any given situation, or even just to hold someone with autism may a normal conversation. be preverbal which means they don’t "It's helped us in the fact that it have the ability to speak. The Technoldoesn't make out students stand out" ogy in room 505 and 507 has greatly hill hicks said "Autistic students are videveloped in the past couple years and sual learners and the iPads help is with has given the students here at Ketterthat" ing who have autism The iPads a better experience “Technology allows us to all connect given to the at school not just and learn together” -Jodi Hill-Hicks students are academically but sofull of many cially. educational “Technology allows us to all connect apps to teach and test them on many and learn together” The teacher at 505 different subjects including math, readMrs.Hill Hicks said. “It provides an oping and motor skills. portunity for preverbal students to have iPods are mainly used for communia voice.” cation devices. The small handheld deThere are four main devices of techvice can be used everywhere because it nology that the class uses to learn, comis so porable and easy to use. municate and enjoy.

Smart boards are used in many classThe first is the computer. Students rooms at Waterford Kettering. In 505 get to learn basics on how to use a comand 507 they take advantage of the puter. Basic navigation, using a search learning programs the smart board has engine,and for their own enjoyment. to offer and how interactive it is.

The students in 505 and 507 also use “We use it for a variety of different iPads very often. The iPads help the stuthings including reading, money skills

BY LUCAS HENDRICKS Sports Editor

A

Clicking into class

BY TIFFANY MOUNTAIN Photographer

I

t’s 9:00 AM as senior Haley Smith rolls out of bed. School has been in session for 3 hours as she logs onto her computer.

“I’ve never really learned well in a classroom,” Smith said. “I’ve always liked to teach myself rather than being lectured.”

Students similar to Smith find themselves in this same situation.

“The teacher would be talking and it was as if their words went in one ear and out the other,” Smith said. “My grades were horrible so my family and I decided it was time to make a change for the better.”

As a sophomore, Smith made the brave decision to stop going to public schools in Waterford. It was time for her to take a step in the other direction and buddy up with her laptop.

“Online schooling isn’t as easy as some people make it out to be,” Smith said.

Even though Smith has the luxury of getting up whenever she pleases, she is still required to do a bare minimum of 6 hours of schooling per day on her laptop.

“It takes a lot of motivation from myself to sit on a computer for hours at a time,” Smith said.

and building words.”Room 507 teacher Mr.Wiseman said The technology advances have come a far way in the past couple years but there is only higher expectations for future applications, devices, and learning tools dealing with technology for years to come.

"It's really made it easier for preverbal students to have a voice because of the advanced technology" Hill Hicks said " it makes it easier for them to be understood.”

As the classes in 505 and 507 utilize apple products you could only imagine that the products they are using will be upgraded as fast as Apple upgrades them. “we're always looking for new ways to help the students to succeed in school” Wiseman said “advancements in technology would be fantastic” The high level of technology in each product will develop further making it easier on each students everyday lives at school.

"I only see it getting better and better" Hill Hicks said.

Bubble popper. Senior Josh Alfonso uses computers to play games he enjoys in his free time.

Chalking up to the Smart Boards. Senior Bethany Swee uses the smart board for many different educational purposes.

Communicating on the go.

Senior Justin Kornhauser can use the iPod anywhere he goes.

iTalk. The iPad helps students communicate such as Sophomore Nicole KopelaSutherland.

Photos by Lucas Hendricks

As classroom attendance decreases, online schooling begins to climb in popularity.

It’s even more challenging for her on the the day and return home to finish the rest of own pace and my own time which is why I days she doesn’t feel well. her classes online. really like doing dual enrollment,” Makhool “Sometimes it’s frustrating because I can’t For Makhool, being involved is one big mo- said. take days off like a normal student,” Smith tive for doing dual enrollment.

Being able to do work online takes a lot of said. “If I’m sick, I still have to do my work “This is my first year doing dual enroll- self-motivation that that many students don’t no matter how horrible I feel.” ment,” Makhool said. “I’m involved in theatre always have.

Aside from very limited sick days, Smith and the drama club, so it really helps me stay “I would only suggest online school for also misses out on a lot of school functions involved when I’m at Kettering.” those who feel they can handle the responsibilthat most students particiThough Makhool enjoys ity of actually completing the work,” Makhool pate in. going to a public school, she said. “You have to be willing to maintain good “Being in a more quiet “I really miss Class Olym- environment at home, as believes she benefits more grades throughout the whole school year.” pics and spirit week,” Smith opposed to the loudness when learning at home off the Though cyber schooling isn’t for everyone, said. “But even though I miss computer. it has a lot of advantages to those who find at school, creates less out on the activities going on “I had to get away from the themselves in need of a different learning style. distractions for me,” during the school day, I still distractions,” -Zoey Makhool, 10 try to engage in the school Makhool sporting events and dances said. “Being after school.” in a more quiet environment The few difficult points don’t keep Smith at home, as opposed to the from making the most out of her high school loudness at school, creates experience, even though she’s not actually in less distractions for me.” a school.

Now that Makhool has “It’s completely different than learning in- started dual enrollment, the side of the school building,” Smith said. distractions are gone and she Though online schooling isn’t for everyone, is able to make the grades, there is a happy medium that sophomore Zoe and still be a part of the full Makhool has found: dual enrollment. __This high school experience.

Comfy Classes. Senior Haley Smith takes a class from the comfort of her own bed. Photo by Tiffany Mountain allows Makhool to go to public school half of “I’m able to work at my

special edition 12 feature Murmur November 13, 2013

Staff Writer

S

torm Foster rushes to the parking lot after school, reaches down into the center counsel of his friend’s car, flicks his lighter, and ignites his Marlboro red cigarette, sucking the nicotine he craves deep down into his lungs. Students leave school with white puffs shooting not only out their exhausts, but from their slightly cracked windows as they exhale with a flick of their fingers in order to rid of old ash down Kettering Drive.

Foster’s not alone. Eight percent of Kettering students say they smoke a cigarette as soon as that final bell rings.

Smoking cigarettes in high school has been prominent, back to the days of John Travolta and Grease and beyond.

Eventually, the leather jackets and hotrods faded away while cigarettes still remained lit. According to Discovery Health and News, people started to cultivate tobacco plants as early as 4000 B.C. But with modern innovation the cigarette as we know it may begin to burn out.

Advertisements on television, in the mall, and on gas station windows everywhere have made it known that something called an “e-cigarette” has hit the market for smokers to try.

An e-cigarette is basically a plastic tube enclosing a liquid, a heater, and a battery. When users inhale the heater burns the liquid creating vapor, which is then recycled through the lungs and blown out into a cloud just like a normal cigarette would make. The e-cigarette distinguishes itself from burning tobacco with many flavor options. The fruity flavors may entice teens but cause dismay amoung their parents.

Senior Aiden Hibbard’s had his try at e-cigarettes and enjoys the extensive combination of flavors.

“I do it on occasion,” Hibbard said, “My favorite flavor is creamy cloud.”

With three tobacco shops located within five miles of Kettering it’s easy for teens to get their lips on e-cigs. The market for these electronic smokes includes more than 250 brands.

Analysts predict sales to skyrocket this year up to $1 billion; tobacco company executives have already seen their entire industry drop volumes down around 600 million cigarettes this last year.

Some may go as far as saying electronic cigarettes will take over traditional tobacco smoking in as little as the next decade. Many use the e-cigs to wean themselves off of regular tobacco and smoke something possibly a bit healthier. Daily cigarette smoker Storm Foster has tried the new e-cigs and didn’t get the same feeling he’s quite familiar with.

“It honestly just doesn’t give me that same strong buzz a normal cigarette would,” Foster said.

The anti smoking foundation “truth” advertises videos of people amongst the streets of New York witnessing a giant stuffed cat and dog urinating and releasing their bowels into huge plastic tubes for all to see. They claim that this is what a smoker can find in the average cigarette. All types of programs work to end cigarette smoking due to its cancerous consequences and unhealthy addictions. Many have still yet to realize if the up-andcoming e-cigarette is all that bad for the body.

Despite having fewer substances included throughout its liquid, the e-cigs still contain high dosages of nicotine. Users can buy refills from 4 mg all the way to 32 mg.

Certified MD Claudia Zacharek believes that e-cigarettes aren’t as safe as people think and has her doubts on their effects on the body.

“I do not support the idea of e-cigarettes,” Zacharek said.“I don’t encourage any form of nicotine to any of my patients.”

Zacharek disapproves the idea of inhaling the electronically-prouduced vapors for young people.

“I would never support smoking [for] a teenager. The dangers at that age are more crucial due to side effects.” Zacharek said.

The many innovations with electronic cigarettes have proven to be a success in marketing, re-popularizing the idea of smoking with teens. The e-cig has forced some smokers to switch over, leaving their lighters at home collecting dust while they puff on vapors. Although doctors agree smoking any form of nicotine isn’t healthy, studies show kids are still wrapping their lips around these plastic tubes. The future might not hold white clouds of cigarette smoke leaving car windows down Kettering Drive, but a new kind of smoke.

“I do not support the idea of e-cigarettes” -Dr. Claudia Zacharek

8 cigarettes

“E-Liquid” Liquid which is burned to create nicotine vapors.

E-liquid (for e-cig refill) Facts from “e-cigarette-forum.com”

“I don’t think they’ve popularized smoking in general but people are still smoking them even when they still cause some harm.”

-Matt Korey, 12 de iden Hibbard m onst rat ior A es Sen

sm

n e-cig. oder

8 mg 16 mg 24 mg 32 mg

“I think they’ve re-influenced teens to smoke because of their flavor variety, that’s what draws them in.”

-Natalie Moesta, 12

am

Nicotine amount

Have modern e-cigs made smoking more popular among teens?

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Smokers agree that an average “E-cigarette” refill lasts about 8 cigarettes. The E-liquid’s highest nicotine concentration is 32 mg, much stronger than cigarettes.

“Cartridge” A glass mouth piece which holds the liquid nicotine refill.

Survey of 100 Kettering students.

i ok

Nicotine knock-out

32% of students have tried tobacco cigarettes

ok e.

BY LEXI BRADY

sm

Co Editor In Chief

ne w

BY JACOB ALESSI

57% of students have tried e-cigs

A

A new smoke

“E-cigs” gain in popularity despite their unhealthy nicotine content.

s y a D ’ l O d o o The G D

Murmur special edition November 13, 2013

opinion 13

A look back at a much simpler time

BY STEPHANIE KNAPP Staff Writer

o you remember when childhood was filled with unbound fun? Those days of innocence, playing outside, rolling around in the grass without a care or worry in the world.New friends were made every day, and we found amusement in the littlest things.

When I compare my childhood to that of kids today I can’t help but feel bad for those who seem to have been robbed of the experiences I had.

Technology is always advancing, and with each advancement, it seems, that today’s culture begins to become more reliant on it.

Although these technical advancements are good for education, kids nowadays miss out on all the things that made our childhood special.

I remember when I used to have to walk down to my friends’ houses and ask their moms if they could hang out when I wanted to spend time with them. Nowadays kids have the privilege of texting their friends whenever they please.

I remember waking up at 7 am on a Saturday morning, while the light was just breaking through the blinds into my bedroom sending streaks of sunshine across my walls. I would walk out into my living room, turn my television to channel 46 and watch cartoons.

Hey Arnold, Cat Dog, Rugrats, Rocket Power, and Dragon Ball Z were always my favorites. I remember getting so upset if I missed any of my cartoons.

My generation is commonly known as “90’s kids.” Those of us who grew up in the 90’s share some common ground. We remember the little things such as family game night, paper fortune tellers, MASH, SEGA, and Nintendo 64.

I remember how excited I was when I got Donkey Kong for my Nintendo.

I would hook it up to the TV we had sitting on the floor and play it unconsciously for hours on end. I only played it until 8:00 because that was when the Disney Channel original movies would come on.

I remember everything being so much simpler, a time when you would toon I miss the old Car compete for the highest score in Pokemon, not see who could get the highest ed ay etwork. They pl in your basement. A time when everyone in my class was my Valentine, and a N ed e best shows. I us time when the meanest person I had ever heard of was Angelica from The Ru- th g ou love watching D grats. A time when I played super heroes in my backyard with my best friends. to adget and Inspector G Nowadays, kids sit around the TV unaware of their surroundings, communitoo. cating through text messages.

2 - Rachel Kincaid ‘1 As a 90’s kids I might have missed out on the luxury of an Xbox 360, the iPad mini, and smart phones, but I wouldn’t trade my childhood for the world. e okemon was mor P d to n use than just a game Nickelodeo y ll a e r as ue me. It was my tr to rock! I w y e H d n a ts love. It still is. into Rugra - Anthony Kase ‘12 Arnold.

2 ‘1 z e in rt a M - Cecilia

ragon I was way into D h Ball Z and Yu-Gi-U I e. when I was littl to go remember trying super saiyan.

- Dante Allen ‘12

My childhood was bies, pretty much Bar d Polly Pockets, an Nintendo 64.

‘12 - Akayla Anderson

14 news

Murmur special edition November 13, 2013

B E S T

F O R

Y O U R

In order to bring you information on what the best product is that you can get for the best price, we researched the most popular products on the market and got professional input in order to compare and rank what is truly, “the best bang for your buck.” Here, you will find the best computers and phones out on the market, based solely on their capabilities and functions.

COMPUTERS

HP Pavillion Laptop is the BEST because: -Has a 17.3” screen -Cheap price, $400 -4GB of memory -750GB Hard Drive space

”You’d probably get a long life out of this computer.”

-Has a 13.3” screen -Has Retina Display -Price is $1300 -4GB of memory -128GB Flash Storage

The ASUS Laptop is the THIRD BEST because: -15.6” screen -Cheap price, $250.00 -4GB of memory -320GB Hard Drive

6% say other

78% say iPhones

16% say Androids

Do you personally prefer iPhone products, Android products, or another brand of product for your phone?

Survery out of 100 students.

PHONES

Android Phones are the BEST because:

“There is plenty of ram and a good pr ocessor on the HP Pavil lion.”

-Tony Miller, CT E Instructor

Macbook Pro Laptop is the NEXT BEST because:

“It’s a cheap and effective computer, but it’s not going to last longer than two years.”

Android Phones Samsung Galaxy S4 (Left) is $200 for 64GB and Samsung Galaxy Note 3 (Right) is $350 with adjustable memory

-You can add memory to them -You can replace the battery and take it out -Work with USB Adapters (no specific adapter required) -Wider variety of app stores -More customization on Android phones (actual phone and settings) -Lower price because they are in lesser demand -Good cameras on the newer models

Apple iPhones are the NEXT BEST because:

Apple iPhone 5S (Left) is $200 for 16GB and $300 for 32GB and the 5C (Right) is $100 for 16GB and $200 for 32GB

-They are simple and meant to be easy for the consumer to use -Nice cameras -iPhones in general are trendy right now Not THE BEST because: -No way to add memory, only come in 16GB or 32GB -No way to reset if buttons stop working -Have to have a special adapter (iPhone plugs) -Slightly more expensive than Androids ($100-$300)

STUDENT OPINIONS ”To me, the iPhone 5S is the best phone out there right now because I prefer the newest technology.”

-Austin Wood, 11

0% say other

74% say iPhones 26% say Androids

Which phone would you predict is the best (based solely on capabilities) out of iPhones, Androids and other brands?

Survery out of 100 students.

BY KRISTIN WARHOLAK Design Editor

What the students think about which phone (iPhone or Android) they personally prefer. ”Even though I have an Android I’d rather have an iPhone cause they’re more up to date and go faster. Plus, they have cuter cases for iPhones.”

”I prefer the iPhone 5S because of the

-Priscilla Dombrowski, 10

fingerprint scanner, and iPhones seem to be the trend.”

-Chris Deanda, 11

Murmur special edition November 13, 2013

angle 15

Technology holds big plans for our bright future

It’s known that the money makes the world go round, but with new inventions it seems as if something may have replaced money. Living in the generation we live in today, we know that anything any person imagines may come true.

The world conquered inventing a phone that you can talk to, a portable computer that you can see somebody from another country in, a square box that you can control with a 4 inch remote and find entertainment from, and many more creations that were once unimaginable.

But just how far will the world take these inventions?

The technologies that will transform our lives decades from now are already being put in the hands of some of the smartest scientists around the world. Online studies show that by the year 2036, 25% of employees will move entirely to online work.

BY JOSH MARKO Staff Writer

According to scientists working on future technology, people will be able to wake up in the morning, shut off their alarm, brew their coffee, make their bed, and feed their dog in less than one whole minute just by remotely using their smartphone. People will be able to get inside their car, tell it where to take them, and sit back and enjoy the automatic ride.

For years now, Google Glass has been spewing up a buzz about what it is, what it is capable of, and why somebody would need a pair. Google Glass was decided to make its way into the technology world after head innovator and designer of Google, Barbak Parvis, and his team of engineers worked hard on creating LED lens, but came up with the bright idea of the glass instead.

Google Glass contains a powerful processor that will tell your brain to make you feel like you are actually on a computer screen using Google. The Glass contain multiple microphones, a small speaker, a camera, and countless wireless radios. Now you may ask, who is actually going to walk around and use the Glass in public?

“I think Google Glass is convenient,” said sophomore Mary Sesti. “I’d much rather use the glass than have to use a computer.”

Since Google Glass have been released, Google has sold such a large amount of the product that the price has

gone up an additional $400. Google Glass currently costing $1500. In 2014, Google Glass 2 will be presented to the world with interesting updates such as a mono headset, new prescription frames, and a whole new way to explore Google.

One of the few mind-blowing futuristic technologies many people should be looking forward to are Artificially Intelligent Personal Assistants. Microsoft got the ball rolling with Clippy, the assistant who will be your number one friend, or number one robot.

Let’s face it, most people on this earth would absolutely adore for a robot to be their best friend. They will know everything about us, including our behaviors, our habits, and the ways that we respond to certain situations. Basically, they will be our robot twin.

“I feel like it would be cool the first couple days,” said junior Steven Marshall, “But then it would get boring because I wouldn’t be able to do anything by myself.”

Aside from all of the fun and having a virtual buddy, these assistants will help us on a regular day-to-day basis.

Whenever you need it, they’ll assist you by writing emails, booking appointments, completing everyday tasks, and even taking care of almost all of our needs.

Though the image of this “future” you may be painting in your head sounds incredible, this is nothing to what will be available two decades from now. Technology could possibly be everyone's number one priority and the one thing everyone will base their life around.

Types of Robots

Top 3 Future Technologies most

WANTED

M-Tran is a snake like modular robot 1998

Survey of 50 Kettering students.

Lara is the first robot with artificial muscles - 2006

“People wouldn’t be Teleportation in my way as much.”

50% Becca Auten, 11

Flying Cars 10%

Hover Board 40%

“You can fly places instead of getting stuck in traffic.”

Salvador Gutierrez, 10

“I would be like Michael J. Fox from Back To The Future.”

Asimo is a more advanced version of Lara - 2009 Swarmanoid is a robot that uses 3 specialized classes of robots (Footbots, Handbots, Eyebots) - 2011 Clippy is a futuristic robot with the highest technology a robot has ever had - 20??

Teacher Frank Puddy

“I think it would be awesome to have a personal robot because I wouldn’t have to do anything.”

Logan Kaschner, 11

“I think it would be cool to have Google Glass because you can access things a lot faster if it’s right in front of you” -Taylor Salva, 11

Murmur special edition in-depth 16 16 Murmur November 13, 2013 October 7, 2011

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Students chose a variety of cell phone features to create what would be the “smartest phone”.

1. “I would like the Nokia 1020 camera becuase if I go to concerts I can take clearer pictures.”

2. “I think the apple apps are fun and useful.”

3. “The Beats audio because I listen to music all the time.”

4. “I like google widgets because you can see everything you need to see without waiting for an app to open.”

5. “I like the Motorola color because it would give me a wider range of options.”

6. “I just think the screen is pretty.”

7. “I use it because I’m really into multi-media. It helps with school work and holds videos so I can reference them at any given moment.”

The Smartest Smartphone