The other day, it occurred to me that my school year has been categorized based on what game I was playing at a given time. Since these games are an essential part of my school day, I thought I’d give some brief thoughts on each one.

 

Tetris: 8.2/10

• Not much of a learning curve.
• Can be really satisfying (unless you’re Vivian)
• Can be a little stressful.

 

Papa’s games: 12/10

• Incredible
• Nostalgic
• Will always be on top

 

Sudoku: 8/10

• A plethora of puzzles are available at all times with a wide range of difficulties depending on how fried your brain feels.
• Gets a little repetitive though.

 

NYT games: 9/10

• A good variety of unique entertainment.
• My one gripe is that there’s only one puzzle a day for the Mini, Connections, etc.

 

Minesweeper: 7/10

• Weird learning curve
• Honestly the most mind-numbing for me which can be good or boring.

 

Solitaire: 8.6/10

• I’m biased because I love card games, Solitaire is a good one.
• Can get on my nerves.

 

Chess: 1/10

• This is a me problem
• I’d probably like it more if I had any idea how to actually play.

 

Airport rush: 7.4/10

• I wish it didn’t start off so slowly, but this one’s fun.
• Not suitable for those with heart issues.

 

Overall, these games have been an important part of my school year. Sometimes they entertain me, and sometimes they’re incredibly distracting – in any case, I’m somewhat grateful for their existence.

Gaston Bachelard

The inventor of the concept of an “epistemological break” had a pretty square rock of hair adorning his chin, but his out-of-control hair takes away from the geometric character that the beard adds. 

Henry Sidgwick

For a utilitarian, old Henry didn’t have a very utilitarian beard. It’s sharp at the edges and jagged overall, but there’s a certain charm to the unkemptness of the setup. I’m impressed that he kept this same shape for so long.

Ernst Mach

A phenomenal beard for a phenomenalist—Mach has a pretty cohesive swoop of stringy hair, but it frays around the edge in such a bothersome way (and could be longer for its style). 

Otto Neurath

Neurath didn’t always sport facial hair, but when he did, he did a pretty solid job of it. Tapered down to an almost triangular shape, the only thing I don’t love about this beard is the little chip in it at the bottom. And, well, there’s nothing too interesting about it. 

Benjamin Peirce

Neat, wavy, pretty-long. Not much else to say. Looks like a less-grown-out version of Engels’ beard. I don’t like the unevenness.

Alexius Meinong

Don’t stare at this photo too long or you’ll lose track of where Meinong’s beard ends and his face begins. Unfortunately, this beard, despite its grandeur, places low because it distorts one’s immediate perception of his face shape. He looks like he has a chin that goes down almost to his chest.

Paulo Freire

Radical pedagogist or a biker? Freire’s bleached gradient calls to mind images old and new. The glasses and the beard make this look unforgettable in total.

Max Weber

The author of The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism managed a well-groomed black-and-white beard, shaped around his chin with two (inverted devil horns?) protrusions at the bottom. Embracing the salt-and-pepper really helped Weber out.

F.H. Bradley

Appearance is reality here. Although the impeccably-groomed King of the British Idealists didn’t take the stereotypical scraggly and long beard route of many philosophers, he certainly sported the best facial hair in his group; McTaggart certainly didn’t have time to grow a beard.

Friedrich Engels

Engels wasn’t the most articulate or well-reasoned philosopher, but he absolutely pioneered the stereotypical German philosopher beard that we know and love. It must have taken a lot of work to keep a beard half the size of his face, but, after all, the author of The Condition of the Working Class in England barely worked a day in his life.

I can’t sleep. Yearning for learning, I turn my phone over and begin to scroll through my YouTube homepage, searching and searching for the right video to either lull me to sleep or keep me up in a meaningful way. Tonight, there is only one answer: Vsauce.

Michael Stevens, a charismatic, bald, nerdy man with glasses who is now nearing forty years old, started the YouTube channel in 2010. Initially, the channel had many different hosts besides Michael, and many different segments which included video games and commentary style videos. A lot of these early videos utilized provocative “clickbait,” which is now a pretty old term used to describe using particular content to incite online engagement; clicks. Over time, however, Michael became the sole host of Vsauce and began posting educational videos. Some of his earlier videos include topics such as optical illusions, the nature of consciousness, the vastness of the internet, water, black holes, and much, much more. 

About thirteen years later, he now primarily posts short-form content on YouTube and TikTok, much in the same style. The Vsauce brand has grown into a company worth millions of dollars across numerous channels and platforms. Michael is known as a science legend, comparable to the likes of Bill Nye and MythBuster’s Adam Savage. He even has his very own monthly subscription, The Curiosity Box, which provides you with science toys and tools to stretch your mind; I can’t lie, the way he markets these on YouTube makes you desperate to try them out.

Okay, but why is he so popular? Why do so many people want to learn from him? Most people cite his charismatic personality and voracious curiosity. He is deeply passionate about everything that comes out of his channel and it is infectious. Everything he talks about exudes his soul and gets you engaged. I also have a sneaking suspicion that a lot of people love learning. As much as people hate school, hate doing work, think it’s boring, or whatever the case may be, most have the innate desire to learn something new about the world. Asking questions is a part of who we are. Vsauce is an excellent way to not just get answers but create the very questions we didn’t even know to ask. You might even walk away learning something about yourself you had never realized.

I’ll end this with a quote from one of his videos. In his video about important (and tragic) mistakes humans have made in the past, he brings up the scary concept of regret. He says that “[s]tuff in your past is like a carving on the bark of a sapling. Over time, the scar, the carving, won’t go away. Because of the way trees grow, it won’t go up or down either, it’ll just stay right where it began. It might even get darker, but it won’t get bigger. You, however, can… The wound won’t get smaller but you can make it a smaller part of who you are.”

I have been a part of Scouts since February of 2019 when Scouting America (formerly Boy Scouts of America) first allowed girls to join. I recently earned my Eagle Scout. As I come to the end of my time as a Scout, I want to reflect on what scouting can teach us all. Not only has scouting taught me many practical outdoor skills, but it has also taught me life lessons beyond scouting. Below are five values of scouting that have impacted me.

 

 

1. Be Prepared

The Scouting America motto is “Be Prepared”. When camping outside, being prepared can be the difference between freezing to death and being warm and dry. Although the average person may not be camping outdoors anytime soon, this idea of being prepared can be applied in everyday life too. Whether preparing for a test or a job interview, preparing yourself can make a big difference in the outcome. 

 

      2. Do a Good Turn Daily

The Scouting America slogan is “Do a Good Turn Daily”. Helping others even in a small way each day can add up over time. This idea is very much in line with what we do at the Writing Center, helping our peers become better writers. We all should try to do our part to brighten our community whether SWC interns or not. We all can help to make the world a better place, one act of kindness at a time. 

 

 

      3. The importance of being of service to others 

One of the core tenets of Scouting America is service. As Scouts advance through the ranks (from Scout rank to Eagle Scout) they must complete many hours of service for the community, culminating in an Eagle Scout project, led by the Scout. I think that this is a lesson that all of us should learn about how important it is to give back to the community and help those around you. It’s like the golden rule, “treat others how you would want to be treated”. Imagine what would happen if everyone did 1 hour of service each week. The world would look a lot different if we decided to embrace this idea. 

 

      4. The importance of taking care of yourself 

In the Scout Oath, Scouts vow to keep themselves “physically strong and mentally awake.” This is similar to on airplanes when we are told to put on our own oxygen mask before helping others. Taking care of yourself allows you to be able to help other people. It also shows others the importance of taking care of themselves. Self-care is never selfish. 

 

     5. Take care of the environment 

The Scout Outdoor Code outlines how Scouts should be “considerate of the outdoors”, “conservation-minded” and leave no trace. Scouts, spending a lot of time outdoors, see first-hand the importance of caring for the outdoors. As climate change becomes an ever more present problem, we all should stop to think about what we can do to preserve the environment. We only have one planet that we call home and we need to treat it well. By taking care of the environment we can continue to enjoy it ourselves and allow future generations to enjoy it too. 

 

As students at Shaker Heights High School, we learn a lot, but there are some things that can’t be taught in the classroom. Scouting has taught me many life lessons that I will carry with me for the rest of my life. Hopefully, this reflection will provide you with the space to reflect on the life lessons you’ve learned (so far).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Whether Bill Russell in the 60s or Magic Johnson in the 80s, many NBA players have been called “the goat.”  However, after 77 years, the debate has fallen between two legends of the sport. Michael Jordan, and Lebron Raymone James. Before I begin, I want to emphasize that I recognize Jordan’s greatness.  His perfect record in the finals and lasting impact on the game hasn’t gone unnoticed.  But I would be lying if I told you I was unsure who the greatest is.

Lebron “Sunshine” James is the greatest basketball player ever to bless this earth with their presence.  He is a gift sent from god in every sense of the word. Many try to undermine his legacy by pointing out that in his 10 finals appearances, he was “only” able to win four. Most compare that to Jordan’s undefeated six finals appearances. But, it’s essential to note that Michael Jordan said in an interview that rings don’t determine who the greatest is. He made an indispensable reference to Bill Russell, who ‒ with 11 rings ‒ is no longer in the “goat” debate.  LeBron’s dominance didn’t just stop in the playoffs, though.

In March of 2019, Lebron passed Jordan in career points. Many of Jordan’s enthusiasts complain that it was because of The King’s additional seasons and much longer career. However, it’s important to note that he passed Jordan’s record with over 1200 fewer shots at the time. So, with fewer shots, he still mustered up more points than Jordan. Additionally, his career points grew as his campaign in the NBA continued.

On February 7th, 2023, The King did what most thought was impossible. During a 38-point game against Oklahoma City Thunder, he broke Kareem Abdul Jabar’s 34-year all-time scoring record.  With it previously being 38,387, Lebron has shattered it with 41,421 career points. Three years prior, Shaquille O’Neal said on “Inside The NBA” that if Lebron were to break Kareem’s record, we would all need to “shut up.” Highlighting that it would solidify him as the undisputed greatest of all time.

As a Cleveland fan, I find it impossible to forget his impact on the city. After leaving for the Miami Heat, it seemed like all hope was lost for the Cavaliers franchise. But on July 11th, 2014, he announced that he would return to the city he loved, promising to win a championship. Over the next four years, James brought us to four Finals and even came home with a historic championship in 2016. While he has now moved on to the Los Angeles Lakers, his impact on the city and the entire state of Ohio will long be remembered.

While Jordan has undeniably impacted the entire basketball culture, it doesn’t amount to the King’s legacy over the last 22 years. If you are a Jordan enthusiast, I hope this sways your opinion. If it doesn’t, I hope you develop some sense(extremely politely).

     As January comes to a close, we begin to approach everyone’s favorite commercial holiday: Valentines Day!! Whether you’re a Valentines Day die-hard or hater, one can’t argue with the value of cheerful decoration and candy. One of my favorite parts of the love-struck holiday is making gifts. Doesn’t matter who it’s for, paper hearts and discount blow-pops are always appreciated. Therefore, I’ve decided to compile a list of easy paper crafts you can make for a partner, friend, classmate, parent, or anyone else you care about in this dark world!

Victorian Letter Puzzle 

 

 

 

 

Difficulty: 9/10 

Supplies: Square paper, pencil, ruler, and markers/colored pencils/paint (opt.) 

Directions: Victorian Letter Puzzle or Puzzle Purses

This small folded creation has many names, but it is ultimately a gorgeous envelope in which you can write poems, letters, songs, or just a message! Don’t let the difficulty scare you away. I’ve made this, and if I can do it, anyone can. 

Paper Flowers 

 

 

 

 

Difficulty: 4/10

Supplies: 5 square pieces of (colored) paper, tape/glue, wooden skewer/plastic straw (opt.)

Directions: Paper Flowers

Real flowers can be a hassle to get, transport, and keep alive. Paper flowers, on the other hand, live forever probably. These colorful blooms are quick and super meditative to make once you get into it, and there’s no need to water them! I mean you could, but I wouldn’t advise it. 

Paper Heart Chain 

 

 

 

 

Difficulty: 2/10 

Supplies: Paper, scissors, pencil, glitter/markers (opt.) 

Directions: Paper Heart Chain

These classic Valentines Day shapes are a cliche, but I mean, it’s hearts. Who doesn’t love hearts? Chains tend to work better as decorations than gifts, but depending on the size, these could be added to cards and gift bags, or wrapped around candy. 

 

    Whether you try these for Valentines Day or Halloween, for yourself or others, they’re worth giving a try. Paper crafts are super fun! They’re cheap, easy to redo if you mess up, and there’s hundreds of YouTube videos you can watch if you get stuck. Plus, at the end, you’re left with a really cool piece of art! If you do end up gifting it, you’re taking something that took time and energy to make, and you’re giving it to someone else to let them know you’re thinking about them. What could be more true to Valentines Day than that?

Let’s start this off by saying- I know I’m right. The Cars movies have always been (and still are) my favorite Pixar movies, especially for road trips or flights. I would even go as far as to consider myself a Cars expert because of my lifelong commitment to the franchise (see photo above).

 

First of all, the content.

Ever had to decide between a racing movie and a spy movie? With Cars 2 you don’t have to. It’s the perfect blend of the best aspects of any action movie, with a bunch of Pixar fun thrown in. There’s explosions, espionage, fire, advanced weapon systems, lasers, races, chases and more. 

 

Secondly, you get to see the world.

Cars 2 is a global adventure. The cities featured throughout the movie are Tokyo, Paris, and London. An additional shout out to the fake (but very real to me) Porto Corsa, Italy where one of the races takes place. Perfect animation with beautiful scenery makes this movie stand out compared to the other two movies. Cars and Cars 3 are located just in functional towns but in Cars 2 you get to experience world culture while watching an animated movie.

 

Next, it gives the spotlight to other characters.

Look, I’m sure we all love Lightning but honestly, how hard can it be to be a race car? Cars 2 puts the focus on Mater who is funny, energetic, and, above all, loyal. These are the qualities you need for a main character. Plus Mater wields guns and parachutes like it’s nobody’s business and outsmarts international criminals left and right. Additionally Finn McMissile and Holly Shiftwell are the coolest duo ever. These British besties set Cars 2 apart from all other movies with their built-in spy gadgets and dialogue. Their presence alone sets this movie apart.

 

Also, Cars 2 tackles real-world issues

Beneath all the humor and action, Cars 2 revolves around a message still significant today. Corporate greed is alive and well in our 21st century life. Cars 2 doesn’t just focus on who is winning the races, it focuses on higher level corruption and the lengths people (cars) will go to if they feel overlooked and undervalued.

 

Most importantly, the Formula 1 cameo

What truly sets cars 2 apart from the other (lesser) films? Lewis Hamilton. Before the best scene in the movie (the pistachio ice cream and wasabi mix up, we see a sleek black McLaren who is voiced by none other than the 7x F1 champion. Having one of the greatest drivers in history show up in a kids movie? Mind blowing and never been done before. What other animated movies can say that they feature one of the best racers of all time. 

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.” 

The iconic line from A Tale of Two Cities can be attributed to one major event, the TikTok ban. The TikTok users call it the worst of times, the worst 14 hours to be specific, while the Instagram Reels users call it the best of times. 

As a TikTok user I did not believe the app would actually go dark on January 19th. However, as I started getting notices when I opened the app that it would be shutting down, reality set in. When I woke up on the 19th and, out of habit, opened the app to a dark screen, I knew I needed something else to do. Some said they tried to reconnect with nature, which was hard because it was 2 degrees outside. Others, however, made the switch to Instagram Reels. I decided to give it a try, and it was awful. To all the people that willingly use Instagram Reels over TikTok, why? 

The main difference between TikTok and Instagram Reels is that TikTok is much more adaptive to your watching habits. Instagram, however, just gives “annoying weird cousin vibes” according to Meara. I agree with her assessment of the app. TikTok is there to entertain YOU, while Instagram Reels just takes a guess on what someone wants to watch. I think if Instagram Reels came up with a better algorithm for viewing habits, the app could MAYBE compete with TikTok. For now though, TikTok remains on top. 

On January 19th around 1 pm, the app came back. I think the app coming back online, at least for right now, is the correct action to take for two main reasons. One, so people can figure out what to do with their free time, possibly download Red Note, but I don’t know. Two, the amount of advertising for businesses that happens on TikTok that help people maintain their livelihoods is a staggering number, so those business owners will need some time to find other ways to get the word out about their business. 

I also believe this ban will inspire Gen Z. If we were of age to run for office, I think nine out of ten candidates’ slogans would be along the lines of “Time is TIK TOKING until change” or something like that. Maybe the ban does have some positive aspects to it in that sense though.

Just as the theme of rebirth comes up many times in A Tale of Two Cities, TikTok has been reborn!!! (For 90 days at least….) 

 

     “Most people quit their New Year’s resolutions by the Second Friday in January. It’s called Quitter’s Day, look it up” claims Apple in one of their newest Apple Watch Commercials called Quitters Day. 

     In honor of the month of January coming to a close, I wanted to make a tribute to New Year’s Resolutions. Otherwise known as the aspiring goals (or maybe lies) we tell ourselves December 31st when we say this year is going to be the best one yet!

     I feel like December 31st is typically the time we look back on the goals we set at the beginning of the year just to realize we accomplished less than half of them. However, I don’t think we should view that as a complete failure because sometimes we disregard how much in that year we really did. So, I think we need to stop expecting ourselves to achieve these crazy resolutions every year. Like really, who’s going to start reading everyday when they’ve never read books? Or, who’s going to immediately stop procrastinating when they already push every assignment off to the last minute? And who’s going to start running everyday when they’ve never even tried it before?

     I’m not saying these resolutions are bad. In fact, they’re really good things to start doing. But maybe we should phrase it a little differently. Maybe instead, we should start focusing on smaller goals (more like changes of habits). For example, instead of saying “my goal is to read 12 books this year, one per month”, we should say, “I’m going to make an effort to read 20 minutes a day”. By focusing on daily goals, long-term goals seem less daunting. I mean, creating a goal that says you’re going to read one book per month can quickly become something you push off to the last minute. It’ll be one excuse after the other and next thing you know, it’s the end of the month and you realize you haven’t read a single page. The same thing goes for every other resolution. It’s always “I’ll do it later”, but then later comes a lot faster than we thought. We need to instead set off specific times each day that will force ourselves to be productive. For example, “I’m going to read every day at 8 PM”, “I’m going to run every Tuesday and Thursday with my friend”, or “I’m going to go to a coffee shop every Monday to motivate myself to study”. By making things fun as well as doing them with people to hold ourselves accountable those resolutions quickly become new habits. Those goals become so much less intimidating. 

     So if you, like me, have already put off some resolutions you hoped to accomplish this year, I vote we forget New Year’s Resolutions. I mean, is the New Year really different than last year anyway? Maybe we’re all quitters, but everyone has to start from somewhere.

I’ve always categorized myself as a devoted night owl. Even on the weekends, my most productive homework hours lie between 9 and 11 PM, for better or worse. I could stay up well past midnight and still function the next day, but if you ask me to get up before 7 AM, we will have problems. Thus, as someone who has benefited and suffered from my night owl nature, I decided to investigate what a night owl truly is and why most people are wrong when they proclaim themselves to be night owls. 

The Sleep Foundation breaks down sleep habits into four groups, called chronotypes.

• Lion: the “early bird”; they typically wake up early and are most productive in the early morning hours
• Bear: an intermediate; tends to follow sunrise and sunset.
• Wolf: the classic “night owl”; most productive in the late afternoon and tend to stay up late
• Dolphin: sensitive sleepers with fragmented sleep patterns and extremely inconsistent sleep schedules; often still alert while awake and insomniacs

However, according to research by the Sleep Foundation, only about 15% of people belong to the wolf sleep chronotype, or as we better know it, night owls, a shockingly low percentage. (For anyone curious, 15% are lions, 55% are bears, and 10% are dolphins).

In my questioning of this remarkable breakdown, I discovered that many people, most notably teenagers, classify themselves incorrectly into this group due to a common phenomenon known as “revenge bedtime procrastination.” As silly as it sounds, it’s a very real thing! It refers to sacrificing sleep for leisure activities (frequently known as doom-scrolling phone time) due to a lack of free time during the day, something I am certainly guilty of. We indulge in every bit of freedom we can get even if it pushes our sleep schedule back a few too many hours. However, just because someone follows this procrastination does not make them a night owl! The key difference between these revenge procrastinators and true night owls is that night owls are the most clear-minded and productive at late hours and tend to get sufficient sleep.

That begs the question: Are teenagers so often sleep-deprived because of their phones and other devices, or the larger “revenge bedtime procrastination” that haunts these teenagers with packed schedules? 

Other Incidental Findings:

The constant debate of psychologists is that of nurture vs. nature, that is, how much is controlled by genetics and how much is shaped by one’s environment. This is often applied to the study of chronotypes because there is a shockingly large amount of evidence that genetics play a significant role in chronotypes. So, although people can change their chronotype, some of it is predisposed. Additionally, this may be part of why there are some stereotypes regarding morning and night people.