College must-haves

College must-haves Class of 2010: I hope youre all excited about your new temporary housing assignment! I *believe* every room comes with the following items, though it may vary slightly depending on your dorm. This list is based on Next House: 1. A telephone (the MIT phone policies keep changing, but as of now I think you can make local calls for free. If youre like me, youll unplug the phone and put it under your bed because who needs a limited landline when you have a cell?) 2. A twin bed with frame and mattress 3. Dresser (usually with three or four drawers) 4. Bookcase 5. Trash can 6. Ethernet connection 7. Cable connection 8. Closet space 9. Desk Things I would highly recommend bringing, in no particular order: 1. Cell phone. If you dont have one already, I think theyre really crucial. Also, thanks to free nights and weekends, I actually get to keep in close contact with my family, even when theyre hundreds of miles away. 2. Bicycle. Getting a bicycle is not absolutely necessary, but I would recommend it if you are living somewhere far(ish) from the center of campus (like Next House). I got mine at Target for around $110 and it was definitely worth the price. You can also look around your hometowns for used bikes or ask friends and neighbors if theyre looking to sell. 3. Floor lamp and desk lamp. Many MIT dorms have ugly and eye-bothering fluorescent lighting 4. Computer! Bryan discussed laptop vs. desktop, Ill contribute to that discussion. For the past three years, Ive been using a laptop that I won in a competition. I dont take it out of my room that often, but occasionally I appreciate the mobility. Last year I bought an LCD screen that I connect to my laptop, which is much easier on my eyes. However, running programs like Matlab and Solidworks is absolutely painful on a laptop, so I think my next computer purchase will be a desktop. In general, a laptop isnt crucial, but having some sort of computer is. 5. A good alarm clock. Bring something that you can rely on and that will actually wake you up! I have a CD clock radio and I 3 it. 6. A refrigerator. If youre going to be living in Burton Conner, MacGregor, or anywhere else with a kitchen suite, then this isnt totally necessary, but I couldnt live without my fridge in Next. You might be able to get a used one, I just got mine from Costco at the beginning of my freshman year and Ive been using it since then. 7. Posters! Nothing is as boring as a dorm with plain white walls. Bring photos, posters, paintings (basically whatever you can hang on the walls) to spice up the place! 8. Closet organizers and hangers. This may seem dumb but the dorm closets obviously dont come with them. The more stuff you can cram into your closet, the better! 9. A dustpan/ any other random cleaning supplies. Your room will get dirty, I guarantee it. La Verdes will charge you an arm and a leg for cleaning supplies, so bring your own Swiffer or dustpan. 10. Laundry basket and laundry detergent. Also, an iron and small ironing board if youre not into the whole wrinkled look. 11. Sheets. Another duh, but hey, better to be thorough. 12. A bathroom caddy. Depending on you live, youll probably have to store your bathroom stuff in your room or in a little cubby in the hall bathroom. It helps to have a little basket (one that you can buy from Bed Bath Beyond or something) to make it easier to tote your stuff around. 13. Towels (duh). In addition to bath towels, I got these little hand towels from Target (I think they were sold in packs of 5 for $3) and theyre great to store in the bathroom. Wash them when theyre dirty and you wont feel bad if you lose them. 14. Computer speakers. If youre like me, your laptop speakers are horrible a pair of speakers will do wonders. 15. Flip flops. The floor of the bathroom and communal showers = gross. 16. A rug. Nothing makes a cold, bare dorm room more cheerful than a rug! 17. Binders and such. So I presume youre going to MIT for an education? It helps to bring notebook paper, binders, pencils, pens, erasers, a calculator, whatever you need to be prepared in class. I really like having a clipboard, too. 18. Bed stand. This one isnt totally necessary, but I love having one. 19. Important personal information. For example, a copy of your passport (or your actual passport, if youre going to be traveling), health insurance card, any immunization records that you have in your possession, drivers license, and social security card. And the ONE thing that you MUST have with you a good attitude! =) Dont leave this one at home youll find yourself all alone, crying in a dark corner.

The Issue Of Gun Control - 1034 Words

Gun control has been a heated conversation in America the last few years. Many of the recent mass shootings and tragedies has been the cause of such debate. Some people argue for tighter, stricter gun control laws while others will argue for less strict laws. Personally, I believe that there are other issues in the United States that need to be regulated and watched more carefully than gun violence. There are other causes of death with higher death tolls than gun violence that is being ignored. The spotlight needed to be shined on these other causes of deaths and not gun violence. The US accounts for half of the guns in the entire world although the US only accounts for 5% of the world population (Guncontrolfacts.org). Every†¦show more content†¦If firearms are harder for good people then it will only unarm our citizens making them nearly defenseless to criminals. No matter how hard it is for a law abiding citizen to own a firearm legally, criminal’s will find a way legally or illegally to obtain a firearm. Arming the good citizens is the reason there are not more gun related deaths and crimes in the US. Certain drugs are illegal but yet millions of them are smuggled into the United States every day for criminals. If firearms are taken away from the good people the criminals will obtain firearms the same way they do illegal drugs which relates back the point of the good citizens being defenseless if gun control becomes tighter. One of the main reasons people wish to have tighter gun control is because people fear firearms. There is a popular saying that goes hand and hand with someone arguing gun control, â€Å"Guns don’t kill people, people kill people†. Now this may sound clichà © but the saying is 100% accurate. A gun is merely a tool no different from a car or a spoon and fork. A firearm cannot operate unless the person wielding the firearm decides to use it. Blaming a tool for a crime or certain kind of evil is just plain irrational. The only blame that should happen is the blaming of the person who committed that crime. Even if gun control becomes stricter people will just find new

Bionic Artificial Pacemaker and Electronic Noses

Abstract Bionics is a field, which combines both electronics and biology. In simple terms, when we think about bionics, it is generally more about prosthetic arms or leg enhancement worn outside the body and, to some extend, even implanted sensor devices inside the body, which are essentially enhanced to carry out certain routine tasks. These are essentially life systems that are powered by motors/actuators and sensory arrays. These send neural signals from affected part of the body to the brain, by which individual are Able to perform certain tasks independently. TABLE OF CONTENT 1. INTRODUCTION†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..2 2. TECHNOLOGIES USED†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..3 3. ARTIFICIAL MUSCLES†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..4 4. BIONIC HEART†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦4 5.†¦show more content†¦But the present day scenario is influenced by a variety of disciplines, viz, robotics, bioengineering, brain-computer interface and MEMS, with nanotechnology taking Centre stage because it applies detailed precision to engineer body organs and make them function along with human tissues. Brain gates are also used in bionic field. The last few decades have been wonderful years for technological advances, both for the medical and the electronics industry in the form of miniaturised electro nic components, sophisticated microchips and advanced computer systems—all functionally embedded in the human body. This particular human-to-machine interface, aptly termed as ‘Cyborg entities’ or ‘Bionic bodies’, has helped people with physical disabilities (the differently abled) by providing them with artificial Limbs, cochlear implants, artificial muscles and other organs to perform tasks, enabling them to lead a notably better lifestyle. 3.Artificial muscles [pic] What would the human body be without muscles? Just a dangling skeleton! Quite a scary thought! So in the case of damaged muscle, is there a possibility of generating new muscles altogether! Well, yes— one such scenario is the use of EAP or Electroactive Polymers. These are often referred to as artificial muscles and are increasingly being used by researchers to assist

Raising the Driving Age Free Essays

For at least the last ten years, the issue of whether or not to raise the driving age to 18 years old has been a touchy subject on every level of the spectrum; from State Highway Safety Association to teenagers and everybody in between. Although everyone has some degree of approval that raising the driving age would be a good idea no one has really put forth the effort to actually have it come to pass. This has lead to the ongoing debate of whether it should even be a consideration anymore. We will write a custom essay sample on Raising the Driving Age or any similar topic only for you Order Now There are several reasons that establishing the driving age at 18 is a legitimate idea. First, by having the driving age moved to the minimum of 18 this can be both environmentally and economically commendable. Also, teenagers under the age of 18 are more mentally underdeveloped when it comes to making sound decisions on the road, which then leads teenagers to having one of the highest fatality rates involving automobiles. Global warming has become key issue all over the world, especially in more over-crowded counties and cities, due to higher volume of emissions being released into the air.In the year 2000, the Carbon Emissions that are released into the air by cars in the United States is 302 Million Metric tons (MMTc) (Environmental). In that same year, there were 190 million licensed drivers in the United States, and 9,743,000 were drivers under the age of 19 (U. S), that’s five percent of the population. I know it doesn’t seem like that much but when you take in consideration the total emissions being released into the air and multiply it by the number of teenage drivers, that will reduce the amount of emissions by 15. MMTc. People are desperate to help stop global warming; one way we can do this is to reduce the amount of drivers on the roads and create a more accessible public transportation in rural areas. Increasing the age for driving would also be beneficial to parents of teen drivers due to the fact that insuring a teen driver is very expensive. A recent study, in 2009-2010 for a one-car family to insure their teen-driver would raise their premium 42 percent, 58 percent for a two-car family and 62 percent for a three-car family (Schultz).An average of $620 dollars a year is what parents pay to add their child to their insurance (Bradford). That is one child, I come from a family of five and eleven years ago, when I turned sixteen my parents already had two teen drivers on their auto insurance and we were living off two teacher salaries. By the year 2000 the average teacher in Texas was making 37,576 (IES); that would leave them with a combined income of just over 75 thousand a year.Paying an average of $620 dollars per teen driver wouldn’t have gone over well with living expenses, so needless to say, I got my divers license but I wasn’t able to drive until I was 18. There are always two sides to an argument, Parents grow weary of driving their kids for one place to the next; interrupting their own busy schedules to drive their teen to their next social event. Bill Van Tassel, AAA’s National manager for driving training programs says â€Å"We have parents who are pretty much tired of chauffeuring their kids around, and just want them to be able to drive† (Davis).This is completely understandable, with today’s busy world no one has time for anything but does it really merit putting a population of underdeveloped minds behind the wheel for our own convenience? Which brings me to my n ext point; are teens mentally mature enough to be granted with the responsibility of driving a car? In 2005, new findings in brain research at the National Institutes of Health explain why efforts to protect teen drivers usually fail. The scientists at the NIH in Bethesda, Md. have found that a part of the brain that weighs risks, makes judgments and controls impulse behavior which is referred to as â€Å"the executive branch† is still developing in teenage years and isn’t fully matured until the age of 25 (Davis). These findings should be proof alone that teens are too immature to handle the responsibilities that come with driving a car. Teens are already emotional and compulsive more so then most adults, giving them keys to a vehicle could be potentially one of the worse ideas in history.Teens don’t process consequences the same way adults do, they rely more on the emotional part of their brains to make their decisions. Which is why when a teen is driving 15 to 20 miles over the speed limit the part of their brain that processes thrill is working brilliantly; But the part that cautions of negative consequences, is all but useless, explains Jay Giedd, chief of brain imaging in the child psychiatric unit at the National Institute of Mental Health (Davis). Parents see their newly licensed teen river as additional help for running errands and taking younger siblings to events and practices, but when it comes to handling issues that may arise on the road to and from their destination; teen agers just don’t have the mental maturity to consider the consequences of risky behavior. When I was still in high school two friends of mine were bragging one morning of their reckless and very dangerous excursion across town in the pouring rain without their windshield wipers on, just because they wanted to see how far they could go.I would advocate this as a true example, that teenagers are indeed too immature and reckless to be given the responsibilities of driving. Of course one would argue that not all teenagers are as immature and irresponsible as most, in fact there are some parents that would make their teen a poster-child for safe driving; but there are always exceptions to the rules. Adolescent drivers no matter how responsible they prove themselves to be don’t have the mental development to properly react to hazardous situations that arise on the road.The research above leads to my next topic, Due to their inability to asses dangers that come up while driving, a teen driver is more likely to be involved in or the cause of an automobile accident. In 2009, about 3,000 teens in the United States aged 15–19 were killed and  more than 350,000 were treated in emergency departments for injuries suffered in motor-vehicle crashes (CDC). With this information, one would wonder why the driving age has yet to be raised.Yet, despite the increasing number of teens dying in automotive accidents, there has yet to be a successful bill pa ssed to raise the driving age. In September of 2008, lawmakers in Delaware, Florida, Georgia and Massachusetts introduced a bill to raise their driving age to 17; they all failed (Rubin). Some people are lead to believe that raising the driving age will not prevent teen deaths, rather just delay them, because maturity has no weight on teen driving, it’s all down to experience; It is this rational that is keeping teen drivers behind the wheel.Most states have a probationary period where teen must follow guidelines such as: * Night driving is prohibited for the first six months unless he/ she are accompanied by a licensed driver. * A passenger limitation of only one passenger under the age of 20 for the first six months unless a parent or guardian is present. * During the second six months only three passengers under 20 (Pabst) These restrictions have had only modest success, but with the judgment center of the teen brain not fully developed there remains a struggle to instill decision making skills in immature drivers (Davis).Most of these restrictions are left to the parents to enforce and these poorly enforced restrictions don’t seem to be helping stop the high volume of deaths due to irresponsible teenager’s being given the right to drive. In 2006, my father was killed in accident involving a teenage driver, who neglected to follow the speed limit, and disregarded the stopped school bus with its lights on, and plowed right into the back of the vehicle behind my father causing it to hit my father on his motorcycle. I don’t know what she was doing to completely miss the big yellow stopped school bus, and the car right next to it, but it cost my father his life. The only argument against the high rate of death and injury cause by the sober mind of a teenager, are the high number of deaths caused by intoxicated driver. In 2003, 10 percent of the 16-year-old deaths in automobile accidents had a blood alcohol level of 0. 10 or higher compared to the 43 percent of 20- 49 year-olds drivers, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (Davis). The government has made it illegal to drive intoxicated to protect the lives of their people, so why can’t they raise the driving age to save even more lives?Raising the driving age is something that should be taken with the highest regard, but there are people who don’t quite understand the severity of this particular situation and would simply argue that driving there teen around is an inconvenience to them and a frustration for their teen. In actuality by having the driving age moved to the minimum for 18 can be both environmentally and economically commendable. Also, teenagers u nder the age of 18 are more mentally immature when it comes to making sound decisions on the road, which then leads teenagers to having one of the highest fatality rates involving automobiles.Having an understanding of the matter is very important; people shouldn’t ignore this topic just because it doesn’t fit into today’s busy and ever growing world. How to cite Raising the Driving Age, Papers

Sydney Opera House Essay Example For Students

Sydney Opera House Essay The Sydney Opera HouseThere was no true place for performing arts in Australia and this angered many residents. So Joseph Cahill set up a committee to raise money for an arts complex. Then, for more funding he established Opera Lotteries. With all the necessary funds available, the next step was a design. A competition was organized for the design of the complex. The winner was Jorn Utzon with his design of a complex with sail shaped roofs. Building began immediately in March of 1957 on Bennelong Point in Sydney. Many cost overruns and delays and even the elimination of the angels from the roofs drove Jorn Utzon to resign. The final cost of the opera house was $107 million dollars. The opera house was completed in mid 1973 and officially opened on October 20, 1973. We will write a custom essay on Sydney Opera House specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now The opera house itself is absolutely marvelous. It has more than one thousand rooms, including five main auditoriums. The building also has features such as: five rehearsal studios, four restaurants, six theatre bars, extensive foyer, lounge areas, sixty dressing rooms and suites, library, artists lounge, administrative offices, and extensive plant and machinery areas. All these things cause more than two million people to attend more than three thousand events per year. The opera house is home to the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, the Australian Ballet, and the Australian Opera. The largest room in the opera house is the Concert Hall. It has two hundred and sixty-seven seats. The Concert Hall is used for concerts, chamber music, opera, choral concerts, pop, jazz concerts, folk concerts, variety shows, and conventions. It has excellent acoustics with ceilings of eighty-two feet in height. All the walls in this room are made of woods such as white birch plywood, hard brown wood, and brush box. The volume of this room is tremendous at eight hundred and eighty thousand cubic feet. The Concert Hall is also home to the worlds largest organ. It was built by Ronald Sharp between 1969 and 1979 and has over ten thousand and five hundred pipes. The organ also has five manual keyboards, one pedal keyboard, eighteen adjustable, acrylic acoustic rings, and one hundred twenty-seven stops. With all of this, it takes about two seconds for sound to travel fully everywhere in the room. The next room is the Opera Theatre with one thousand five hundred and forty-seven seats. This theatre is used for opera, ballet, and dance. The acoustics of this theatre are also great with a black ceiling so that audiences will focus more on the stage and an orchestra pit that holds seventy-five musicians. The Drama Theatre has over five hundred and forty-four seats. It is used mostly for plays and lectures. The ceiling in the Drama Theatre is black to keep attention to the stage, is low in height, and made of refrigerated aluminum panels. The Playhouse room in the opera house has three hundred and ninety-nine seats. It is mainly used for small cast plays, lectures, seminars, cinema, and chamber music. The walls in the Playhouse are paneled with birch plywood. The newest addition to the opera house is the Studio. It has three hundred and sixty-four seats. This new addition is used mostly for modern performing arts and Contemporary performing arts. All of these things make the Sydney Opera House world famous for its music, drama, events, and of course its world renowned design. Bibliographyencarta 95Theater Essays

Anorexia, Meet Orthorexia

Anorexia, Meet Orthorexia Anorexia, Meet Orthorexia Anorexia, Meet Orthorexia By Maeve Maddox The other evening I heard the word orthorexia for the first time. Its a newly coined word meaning Excessive concern with consuming a diet considered to be correct in some respect, often involving the elimination of foods or food groups supposed to be harmful to health. On the pattern of anorexia nervosa, one may now speak of orthorexia nervosa, a pathological concern with consuming a correct diet. The word anorexia has been around since 1598 with the meaning lack of appetite. An extreme form of anorexia is anorexia nervosa: pathological loss of appetite from psychic causes typically accompanied by deficiency symptoms, emaciation, and wasting and atrophic changes The new word for worrying too much about eating healthful foods was coined by Colorado MD Steven Bratman. According to Bratman, a woman named Kate Finn died of the effects of orthorexia. Dieters would do well to recall this advice from the ancients: Observe due measure, moderation is best in all things. Hesiod Moderation, the noblest gift of heaven. Euripides We should pursue and practice moderation. Plato If you want to know more about orthorexia nervosa, this Wikipedia article is a good place to begin. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:12 Signs and Symbols You Should KnowWriting the CenturyDozen: Singular or Plural?

17 Free French Worksheets to Test Your Knowledge

17 Free French Worksheets to Test Your Knowledge These free French worksheets will test what youve been taught to make sure youre actually learning and progressing through the French language. Print them off to evaluate how well you know your numbers, colors, and common phrases and words in French. When youre done with these worksheets, consider trying French audio resources and language learning software. Do Your Know Your French Numbers? Learning your numbers is the basics in any language. Print off these free French worksheets to test how well you can translate numbers and English words to and from French. French Counting Worksheet. Download PDF - Draw a line from each French number to the picture it describes. Youre tested on numbers 0-6. An answer key is included. Download PDF - Match the 10 numbers together using the English and French words. Two additional parts of this worksheet have you translate larger numbers into French. The answers can be found in this PDF. Download PDF - This worksheet has you circle the correct French word that represents the number of objects in each square. Other exercises are in this one worksheet as well, like matching English and French numbers and writing the French number that comes next in the sequence. All the answers are included. Test How Well You Know French Colors With These Free Worksheets These worksheets have you either write the color you see in French or color the image with what you translate from French. Either way, youre tested on your translation of French colors. French Color By Number Game. Download PDF - Translate 10 phrases that have to do with colored items you find on a beach. You must translate back and forth from English and French. Download PDF - This is a fun exercise to test whether or not you know the basic colors in French. You must color the house in the way the instructions tell you to, and then check your colors with the answer key to verify that youre right. Download PDF - Very similar to the previous worksheet, color the sky with the proper colors that are shown in French. A colored image is available as the key. Download PDF - Write the French word for the color of each of these five animals. The correct answers are included. More Free French Worksheets All of these French worksheets are also free, and test you on other things like animals, nouns, phrases, and other French words. French Crossword Puzzle Game. Download PDF - Four easy and four medium crossword puzzles can be printed from this one PDF file to test how well you know French words that have to do with transportation. Answers are not included. Similar ones can be downloaded for School and Education, Shopping, and Adjectives.   Download PDF - This 17-page file has a handful of sets of questions that test what you know about French grammar, like present tenses and imperfect tenses. All of the answers are included in the last page. Download PDF - Here are 10 words and phrases in French that you must translate into English. Some examples:  I need, Have you, Ill take, and  Please. Answers are at the bottom of the second page. Download PDF - These 10 animals are easy to identify, but do you know what word to use to describe them in French? Download PDF - Match up the French words with these 10 animals. Download PDF - Youre given six pictures, and you must match them with the French sentences that describe them. Download PDF - Can you accurately translate this French nursery rhyme into English? The correct translation is on the second page of this PDF. Download PDF - Read the French passage and see if you can answer the three true/false questions. Download PDF - With this printable worksheet, you must rewrite 20 French nouns with the correct definite article in front of them. All the answers are included in the second page. Visit Download Page  - This entire worksheet is in French. After reading the prepositions pertaining to where the monkey is in relation to the boxes, you must answer a handful of questions about them. You need to create a free user account with this website before you can download the PDF.