Why Do We Feel Nostalgia? (Curiosity Journal #7)

I satisfied my curiosity by watching a TED-ED
I satisfied my curiosity by watching a TED-ED video on why we feel nostalgia.

 

Before: I think that we feel nostalgia because things or objects that we have had past experiences with appear in our present lives, in which seeing or hearing these things triggers past memories, which could either make us feel happy, or sad.

After:  After watching the TED-ED video, I discovered that I was correct in assuming that when faced with an object or thing that we have had past experiences with, we humans might feel nostalgia.  At first, nostolgia was treated as a mental disease that could only bring negative emotions, but as time stretched on, it was discovered that nostalgia is a mental experience that could trigger not only negative emotions, but positive ones too. Nostalgia can increase self-esteem and charitable actions, along with many other psostive and uplifting emotions.

Why I’m Glad that I Took the Time to be CURIOUS: I am glad that I took the time to be curious, as the next time that I feel the presence of nostalgia, I will have a more complex understanding of it.

Why You Should Listen to Vivaldi’s “Four Seasons” (Curiosity Journal #6)

I satisfied my curiosity by watching a TED-ED video on why we should listen to Antonio Vilivaldi's "Four Seasons"
I satisfied my curiosity by watching a TED-ED video on why we should listen to Antonio Vivaldi’s “Four Seasons”

Before Watching the TED-ED Video: I think that we all should listen to Vivaldi’s “Four Seasons” because it’s complex musical interpretation of the four seasons ignites the neurons in our brains, leaving every part of our brain with a mental exercise, which, in turn, increases our cognitive abilities.

After Watching the TED-ED Video: After watching the TED-ED video, I learned that we all should listen to Vivaldi’s “Four Seasons” because the piece is something called program music, or music that conveys a story. In “Four Seasons”, there is a poem that is meant to be read along with listening to the music. When you both read and listen, the music and the story go together like mashed potatoes and gravy, and a very clear interpretation of the four seasons is illustrated. Even without the poem,  it is not hard to picture what is happening in “Four Seasons” just by listening and thinking. When one listen to the tempo, dynamics, and other components of the piece, they are able to decipher what season it is, and what is happening. “Four Seasons” conveys a story of the beauty and hardships of mother nature’s endless cycle. It provides us the true identities of the seasons, from the blossoming happiness of Spring, to the bleak, freezing wind of Winter. Vivaldi gives us one of the simplest, greatest stories ever told, and all you have to do, is shut your eyes, think, and listen.

Why I am Glad That I Took the Time to be Curious: I am glad that I took the time to be curious because I usually listen to “Four Seasons” when I am doing homework. Now, whenever I listen to this piece of musical art, I will visualize a bigger, better, and more beautiful story.

S.T.E.M Career Cluster Slideshow

Part 1: How I Got Here

What?: I am interested in the S.T.E.M (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) career cluster.

Why?: I chose this cluster for many reasons, including the fact that there is so much to learn from S.T.E.M careers, and that it is a rapidly growing cluster.

How?: I became interested in the S.T.E.M career cluster due to the fact that I have always loved science, which is the “S” in S.T.E.M.

Who?: My grandfather was the one that got me to the point to where I actually started researching in careers in the S.T.E.M cluster.

Where?: My grandfather was the one who recommended a career in the S.T.E.M cluster for me.

Part 2: Career Cluster Slides

Intro: All of the careers in my slides are located within the S.T.E.M career cluster, which is one of the career clusters that is offered by Meade County High School. These jobs also usually require a balanced mix of scientific, technological, engineering, mathematical skills, hence the cluster name: S.T.E.M.

 

Why Money isn’t Printed to Pay Off Debt (Curiosity Journal #5)

Print Money Pay Off Debt
I satisfied my curiosity by watching a TED-ED video explaining why we don’t just print money to pay off our debt.

 


 

Before Watching the TED-ED Video: I feel that the government does not print money to pay off debt due to the fact that immense inflation would ensue.

After Watching the TED-ED Video: After watching the TED-ED video, I learned that my guess was correct. The video explained inflation, stating that when more money is printed, it’s value will drop. This can go out of hand very quickly; take the most recent example: Zimbabwe. In 2008, Zimbabwe printed a great number of currency notes in order to pay of government debt, causing massive inflation. In its peak, the inflation reached 6.5…SEXTILLION (20 zeroes) percent! Prices doubled every 24 hours, and, ironically, the government attempted to solve the problem by printing MORE money. Another example is found in Holland, where inflation got so bad that at one point all the bank notes in Holland were equivalent to 1/10… of a U.S PENNY. Clearly, the U.S government should never print money to pay off debt, as the inflation would decimate the economy.

Why I’m Glad That I Took the Time to be Curious: I am glad that I took the time to be curious, as I now understand the undeniable risk of inflation, and now, whenever a gold or silver investment company talks about inflation, I will have a better understanding of what they are saying. Plus, now that I know the hazards, I may invest in gold and silver when I am an adult in order to protect myself against the danger of inflation. If you wish to watch the video and also learn about inflation, click the picture above and watch the video on TED-ED, it is extremely interesting, and you will be educated on the threat of inflation, just as I have been.

 

Curiosity Journal #4

 

Curiosity TED-ED Video
I satisfied my curiosity by watching a TED-ED video on the most radioactive places in the world

Before watching the TED-ED video: I believe that the most radioactive places on Earth includes places where there has been a nuclear meltdown or nuclear explosion, like Chernobyl, Hiroshima, and Nagasaki.

After watching the TED-ED video: I learned a LOT from the TED-ED video. First things first, ionizing radiation, which has the ability to tear electrons apart from atoms, is measured in sieverts. We humans are exposed to ionizing radiation wherever we go, but in very low amounts. Take a banana, for instance, which is equivalent to 0.1 microseiverts, or a ten-millionth of a sievert (Eating ten million bananas would be the equivalent of receiving 0.1 of a sievert). Among the most radiactive places on Earth were Chernobyl, Ukraine (5 microsieverts per hour), Hiroshima, Japan (0.3 microsieverts per hour), Fukushima, Japan (10 microsieverts per hour), and the Trinity Test Site in New Mexico (0.8 microsieverts per hour). Although the area that swept away the competition was the basement in the Pripyat hospital near Chernobyl, where they threw away the firefighter’s, who had been fighting fires caused by the nuclear meltdown, contaminated clothes, with a whopping 2,000 microsieverts per hour, or the equivalent of eating 2,000 bananas. But surprisingly, smokers actually receive 160,000 microseiverts of ionizing radiation a year. That’s over 3 times the amount that U.S radiation workers are allowed to receive and twice as much as astronauts (who are not protected by the atmosphere, which blocks most of the radiation bearing down upon Earth) who spend half a year on a space station.

Why I’m glad that I took the time to be curious: I am very glad that I took the time to be curious, as I have doubled down on my sureness that I will NEVER smoke. I also now know more about radiation and what it is measured in, and I could use this knowledge if I become a nuclear technician or engineer.

My First Blog! Hey There!

Hello there! My name is Janson, and I’m a huge bookworm, science lover, and an avid hunter! I will be blogging to you all for several months to come in order to become skillful in the practice of blogging! This may help me get a job in the future, as maintaining an updated blog and website are essential for a growing business! Also, this will teach me how to interact with fellow co-workers in a professional way. I will be blogging about various things in the near future, including but not limited to: politics, things I am curious about, and a plethora of other things! When I grow up, I wish to be an ecologist, and if that doesn’t work out, then an environmental biologist! When publishing reports or just maintaining my company website, the skills that I will learn in the months to come will be a big help! Hope to see you enjoying my blogs in the near future!

BJJ
In addition, I am also a practitioner of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu!

Curiosity Journal #3

How I satisfied my curiosity
I satisfied my curiosity by watching a TED-ED video

What I was curious about: I was curious about how many universes there are.

How I satisfied my curiosity: I satisfied my curiosity by looking up a TED-ED video and watching it. (Evidence above)

Before watching the video: My guess is that since space is believed to be infinite, there are an infinite number of universes.

After watching the video : After watching the video, I learned that EVEN leading physicists such as Stephen Hawking don’t know the full answer to this brain-baffling question. It turns out that there is a variety of answers believed to be true, from there being an INFINITE number of universes to there only being one: ours. I am glad I took the time to wonder and be CURIOUS about this topic as this will be a question I will want to ask myself in the time to come. It has also opened up another curiosity for me, as I am now interested in physics and am now asking myself if this may be the career for me.