Wednesday 22 April 2020

Bluetooth Speakers!

Whilst Covid-19 was around me and the rest of the  Year 9 Materials technology group Can't finish the job we had started so we got given a task to do on our blogs and this is all about the Bluetooth speaker...

Why are they called Bluetooth speakers?: Bluetooth was borrowed from the 10th century, second king of Denmark, king Harold Bluetooth and the people who invented Bluetooth speakers named it after him.

Who invented Bluetooth Speakers?: The man who made the Bluetooth speaker was named Jaap Haartsen The other people that helped was named Tord Wingren and Sven Mattisson after they made Bluetooth they started developing wireless Headphones Etc.

Why was the Bluetooth speaker made?: Bluetooth speaker was made to transmit data between two devices to either listen to something, Talk to someone and the creators knew it would come in handy.

What does it do?: Bluetooth is a wireless transmission technology that's used for device-to-device connections, for example, between your phone, tablet or laptop and Bluetooth equipped speakers or headphones.

- During my time in materials technology I have liked working with friends and Painting my product. anyways we are nearly done making the product... i have really enjoyed my time making the speaker!!!

Tuesday 21 April 2020

Skeleton Worksheet.

Flash Cards: 

Skeleton- The inner framework made up of all the bones in the body-An infant has
300 bones where as an adult has 206 bones because some smaller bones turn together 
to form a bigger one

Cranium- Skull- Your head needs to contain the cranium as a reliable bone

Clavicle- Collar bone- known as Clavicale

Mandible- Jaw bone- Your head contains the mandible as a big reliable bone

Scapular- Shoulder blade- is called Scapular

Sternum- Breastbone- ribs are joined to sternum

Ribs- The bone in the chest that protect the heart and the lungs

Pelvis- Hip bones

Humerus- Upper arm bones-Your humerus/funny bone is connected to the radius and ulna {forearm bones}

Radius- The fore arm bone on the thumb side

Ulna- The forearm bone on the finger {pinky} side

Phalanges- Bones of the finger and toes- called phalanges

Femur- thigh bone- The largest bone in your body is the Femur

Tibia- The shin bone, the larger bone of the lower leg-The femur is connected to the tibia and fibula {shin bones} and the pelvis.

Fibula- Smaller lower leg bone.

Fact- The smallest bones of the human body are found in your ear- the hammer, anvil and stirrup."


References:





Thursday 16 April 2020

Nitro type

Nitro Type is a worldwide real-time typing competition. It helps students improve their typing speed by competing with their friends and other people around the world. Nitro Type allows students to earn new cars, track their scores, join and create teams. I like nitro type because it helps me speed up my typing for when i write blog posts like this one..., Nitro type is a free to play game for everyone to enjoy. 

During the lockdown Nitro type is a good game to play to have fun and improve your typing speed.

Link: https://www.nitrotype.com/


Have a Good day.

















Forms of Money

Today We had to investigate three forms of money. One from the ancient history, one from the 20th century and one from the 21st century. Then, we had to think of a currency that would be possible for the future.


One of them is The Lydian Lion is known as the world's oldest coin. This coin is made of gold and silver alloy, it was minted by Kind Alattes in Sardis, Lydia (present-day Turkey), c. 610-600 BC. These coins are worth in the $1,500 to $3,500 range (NZD), although, it is not especially rare, it's just in significant demand because of its history. The first people who used Lydian Lion was obviously the Lydians. The invention of the coins is still a mystery.

The advantages of the money were that its light. According to Sardisexpedition, Lydian Lions weight the most of 4.7g and the smallest of 0.29g. Which was a good thing for Lydians because they weren't heavy to carry. It was stamped or minted a lion, so it was easy to recognise.

There were some disadvantages that there weren't banks in Lydia, so they couldn't secure the money. It could be stolen.


The credit card was made In 1950, credit cards showed up when Ralph Schneider and Frank McNamara founded Diners Club and issued it's first credit cards. But, it wasn't truly a credit card. Instead, it was a charge card that needed the cardholder to pay the entire balance off each month.


But in 1958, Bank of America issued the first general-purpose credit card. They launched BankAmericard, the paper card considered as the first credit card. Also, it had offered a revolution card, which gave customers the ability to carry in balance. In the same year, the American Express Company issued a travel and entertainment payment card. 

In 1970, BankAmericard splits off into National BankAmericard, an interbank that issued and managed credit cards. Then in 1976, National Americard Inc. became Visa.

The advantages of credit cards that there is protection for the consumer (customer). There are quick resources for an emergency. It is safer than cash. It works in any currency. 

The disadvantages of credit cards that there are credit card frauds. There is a range of fraud schemes that target credit cards. If you carry a balance from month to month, you'll pay interest charges. 

Did you know that the first use of credit cards started in the United States in the 1920s, when individual firms, like oil companies and hotel chains, began issuing them to customers for purchases made at company outlets?


Now I need to talk about Contactless Payment. Contactless Payment or 'payWave', in New Zealand, is a system that is used by credit, debit cards, smart cards, and mobile/smartphone devices to make payment more secure. Some devices/smartphones support payWave such as Google Pay, Apple Pay, Fitbit Pay, Samsung Pay, Garmin Pay and more. payWave is easy, convenient, secure and widely accepted.

The first contactless payment cards were issued in the UK by Barclaycard in 2007. According to Wikipedia, in December 2014, there were approximately 58 million contactless payment cards in use. Now, contactless payment cards are used all around the world. 

There are advantages in payWaves, such as fraud. 'Financial Fraud Action UK' says fraud on contactless cards and devices "remain low" with £2.8 million ($5.6 million, NZD) losses in 2015. payWave is easy, convenient, secure and widely accepted.

There are some disadvantages in payWaves like transaction limit. With a contactless card, you cannot change the limit per transaction chosen by your bank. If your device/smartphones battery is low, then there might be trouble paying. 

Many companies support contactless cards which is good for the customers.

Health Wellbeing

Hauora is something related to your health. It is a four-sided Building or concept representing four dimensions of life or the Te Whare Tapa Wha.

Taha Tinana - Physical
Taha Hinengaro - Mental & Emotional
Taha Whanau - Social
Taha Wairua - Spiritual


All the dimensions of the Te Whare Tapa Wha are related in some way. Such as Taha Tinana related to Taha Hinengaro by exercising in anxiety and depression. Exercise helps to improve your energy, mood and sleep. 

Taha Tinana

Physical Wellbeing


This refers to physical wellbeing, taking care of your body, being fit and healthy. It is the dimension of health and wellbeing which cannot be separated from all others. Taha Tinana is the physical body, its growth and development. It’s also the ability to function and move. Physical activity keeps the body strong, improves mental health. It also improves performance, focus, sleep and energy levels. It is a way of caring for our body. One way to do physical wellbeing is to try yoga. Yoga improves your physical and mental wellbeing. Yoga helps reduce stress and anxiety. It additionally enhances your mood and overall feeling of wellbeing. Practising yoga leads to improving flexibility, balance, range of strength and motion. 


Taha Tinana also relates to Taha Hinengaro, Mental & Emotional wellbeing by exercising in anxiety and depression. Exercise helps to improve energy level, mood and sleep. These effects help to improve resilience and self-confidence. Exercise can reduce anxiety, improve relationships and improve body image.

Taha Hinengaro

Mental & Emotional Wellbeing


Focuses on mental wellbeing. It is to be able to understand & manage your emotions. They are able to work productively and can contribute positively to their community. It is a dimension which needs to be kept in mind. Mental & Emotional wellbeing is about your thoughts, feelings, mind and heart. It’s about how you feel, how well you think and communicate. Taha Hinengaro is important regardless if you’ve not experienced mental illness or distress. 


The most common feeling experienced by young people as children and teens is anxiety. Lots of children feel sad or upset some of the time. 


Taha Whānau

Social Wellbeing


Taha Whānau gives you a sense of belonging, who you care and who you share your life with. It’s about family, friendships, personal relationships and the people you care about. Spending time with whanau, doing things for them and getting involved gives a feeling of connection, purpose and wellbeing, it is an important role in your wellbeing. Having social support, getting well with others and being able to maintain healthy relationships. 


Relationships also means relationships with family too, parents, siblings, caregivers. Can also be learning something from a family member too. Taha Whānau also includes friends and the community. An example of friends is to spend time with a friend talking or doing things. For the community, there could be being part of the community or participating in a community event. Another example is to help someone with a problem.



Taha Wairua

Spiritual Wellbeing


Taha Wairua is the values and beliefs that means the way we live, our personal identity and self-awareness, self-esteem. Spiritual wellbeing includes our culture, religion, passions, customs, dreams and goals. It is who and what we are and where we have come from. Taha Wairua also includes kindness, believing in ‘treating others the way you want you to be treated’. 


People have different views of taha wairua. For some, taha wairua is the capacity for religious or faith beliefs. For some others, taha wairua is an internal connection to the universe or the sacred. There is no right or wrong way to think or experience spiritual wellbeing, it is also an important part of your mental wellbeing.


There are ways which can affect all dimensions in our wellbeing. I’ve chosen Scenario 1. It includes Taha Hinengaro and Taha Whānau. For Taha Hinengaro (Mental & Emotional wellbeing), being lonely. Which includes being less confident, if you don’t have friends, you are lonely, less confident and can’t express your feeling to any friends. Having friends has lots of benefits such as life challenges, if there is a challenge in life, friends can help you if you have no one else. Also, not able to understand & manage emotions and be able to communicate thoughts and feelings. The second dimension in the scenario is Taha Whānau, Social wellbeing. This also relates to Taha Hinengaro, emotions and feelings. Social wellbeing is about family, friends and relationships. Some impacts on social wellbeing are not having good relationships. It increases stress and doesn’t make us healthy. You don’t get well with others and be alone and lonely.


There are some strategies that will support wellbeing. Let’s start with Mental and Emotional wellbeing. 


  1. Able to acknowledge and express thoughts and feelings
  2. To be able to communicate thoughts and feelings to others
  3. To be able to understand & manage your emotions


Social wellbeing is used in scenario 1 too. There are a few strategies to support Taha Wairua.


  1. Feel a sense of belonging and social connection.
  2. Having social support
  3. Getting well with others

Earth shaking- Covid-19

Today I needed to look at Earth's shaking less after Coronavirus.
Just read this text I found earlier-

Now, crowded city streets are now empty. Highway traffic has slowed to a minimum, fewer and fewer people are found outside. Around four billion people (approx half the world’s population) have been told to isolate themselves in their homes to prevent the spread of coronavirus. The significant reduction in the hum of normal human activity has lead to a surprising shift in Earth’s vibrations. The lack of noise means “Earth’s upper crust is moving just a little less,” according to CNN.

Scientists tell that coronavirus lockdowns around the world are making the Earth move less. Since people in many countries are stuck from leaving their homes, factories and traffic ground to a stop, seismic noise, hum of vibrations in the planet’s crust have dropped. The researchers told The Independent the change will not only make it easier to detect earthquake signals, but also provide a lesson for the environment. The vibrations from cars, trains, buses, factories and people going about their daily life to create background noise (noise pollution) that make Earth’s crust move. 

Thomas Lecocq, a geologist and seismologist at the Roya Observatory in Belgium first pointed out this miracle in Brussels. Brussels is seeing about a 30% to 50% reduction in ambient seismic noise since mid-March, around the time the country started implementing school, business closures and other distancing measures, according to Lecocq. He discovered that about one-third of vibrations have decreased because of social distancing and quarantine restrictions, according to CBS News. That noise level is equal with what seismologists (the scientific study of earthquakes) would see on Christmas Day, he stated. Since quarantine measures were introduced, the surface seismometer at the Royal Observatory of Belgium has become more sensitive to quieter seismic activity that it would have earlier missed, which could lead to more precise measurements of small quakes, quarry blasts, storms and crashing ocean waves. The reduction in noise has provided scientists with a small profit - seismic detection equipment is now more sensitive, Thomas explained to Nature. With an overall quieter planet, seismologists around the globe can anticipate enhanced abilities in instruments that detect the locations of earthquakes and aftershocks. 

Lecocq said, “This is really getting quiet now in Belgium”. 

Dr Lecocq told The Independent that the capacity of noisy stations those affected by human-generated vibrations to detect smaller earthquake signals was larger since the coronavirus lockdown. 

But the findings are also sociological, he said: “Every individual thinks he is ‘alone at home’, but all together, we are making something big for the ‘seismic environment’ – and we can probably learn a lesson here for other parts of the environment. 

“The reason we are home is terrifying, but in the future, maybe, some critical number of individuals will change their ways, avoiding single-occupancy car-commuting.” Dr Lecocq said there was no proof that the fall in human activity would create earthquakes less expected.

In February, news articles were published when space images showed a huge fall in pollution over China as factories close. Studies show that it had cut 40% during the lockdown in China.

 “By combining satellite observations with detailed computer models of the atmosphere, their studies indicated a reduction of around 20-30 percent in surface particulate matter over large parts of China,” ESA reported Friday.

Air pollution causes an estimated 1.1 million deaths every year in China and costs the Chinese economy $38 billion USD. Earlier last month, Stanford Earth Sciences Professor Marshall Burke projected two months of coronavirus lockdown had saved the lives of 77,000 Chinese children and elderly from air pollution alone. Worldwide, air pollution kills around 7 million people annually, including 100,000 Americans. 

Fei Liu, an air quality researcher at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Centre said, “This is the first time I have seen such a dramatic drop-off over such a wide area for a specific event”. She said she had seen a drop in nitrogen dioxide levels during the economic collapse of 2008 but she said that decrease more regular.

The number of coronavirus cases worldwide continues to skyrocket, with over 1.5 million confirmed positive cases and over 89,000 deaths as of Friday 10 April. 

Found text- Wikipedia

Symbols in Wonder!

In my previous blog posts I've been posting about the movie wonder, Today i got put to the task to create the symbols that we saw during that movie. Here are the symbols that i saw-

Year 10 Writing Portfolio (English)

For my English Portfolio, I am adding my favourite writing work that I've accomplished this year. My work is getting better over time an...