Mad Science & You: Week 6 (Tuesday, Period 3)

[daimonhost.livejournal.com]

This week, the Danger Shop had been set up to look like a lush tropical island covered with thick rain forests. It must have been somewhere near the equator, since the air was hot and muggy. Strange noises kept coming from deeper inside the forest.

"I hope you had a nice time with your parents this weekend," said Prof Tomoe. "I'm sure you're all eager to shoot something after being forced to spend time with unwelcome relatives, so we'll hopefully give you the chance to do so today.

"This," he said, motioning around them, "is the island of Dr Moreau, one of the pioneers in the field of animal/human genetic manipulation. Intentional genetic manipulation, that is; not like Dr Delambre. Dr Moreau accomplished much of his earliest work through vivisection, the act of cutting animals apart while still alive, and then stitching creatures together. However, since it's highly unlikely that any of you are skilled surgeons of that calibre, we're going to be tackling this subject through other means."

He lead the class down to the beach, where a trio of strange animals were tied up next to a crate of science-fiction-y looking laser guns.

"For today's lesson, we'll be using these. They should be simple enough, even for you. Point at one animal. Fire. Point at a second animal. Fire. Watch the two be fused together into one creature. Any questions?" He paused for a minute, before carrying on.

"I've provided a few sample animals, to give you some ideas for your own projects. I have here a half-pony/half-moneky creature. Next to it is a mixed shark/octopus, or skartopus . And this one combines the DNA of both a man and a mosquito. A Mansquito, if you would."

He passed the crate of laser guns to the nearest student. "So, take a gun, and go explore the forests of the island. Bring me back at least one compound creature by the end of class." He grinned wickedly. "Try not to hit your fellow students, although I won't punish you if you do."

He pulled a doll-sized version of the same gun out of one the pockets in his lab coat and reached down. "And this is for you, Miss Clock."

Combat- Tuesday- 2nd period- Class #6

[solo_sword]

Today the Danger Shop was set up like a larger version of the gym, where Jaina was standing with a sword in hand, pointed down since she wasn't going to be using it. Guess what you were doing today, kids!

"Glad to see you all survived the weekend, and it was good to see some of your relatives, even if some of it might have hurt my head a little," Jaina began with a lopsided smile. And with that part over, she lifted the sword and said, "Here's one I think probably none of you have used. This is a beskad, which is a sword made from a really durable metal that even withstands lightsabers. It's Mandalorian, which is a people whose entire was once based on battle, so they're serious about it. It handles a little differently than your lighter swords, so it might take a bit for some of you to get used to using it.

"Today you're going to get to pair together and swordfight," she went on. "That's why we're in the Danger Shop, where getting hit with these things won't actually lead to a clinic visit. So find a partner, get things going, and I'm right over here if you need any help."

Ethics [Tuesday, October 2, 2012, 1st period]

[sith_happened]

"Morning, class," Anakin said leaning against his desk at the front . "I hope your weekends were as trauma-free as can be expected with relatives visiting. Today we learn about Immanuel Kant," he began, gesturing to the Korra if she's there to hand out information on the man. "He was an influential German philosopher on this planet several hundred years ago who thought every action should have pure intention behind it; otherwise it was meaningless. He did not necessarily believe that the final result was the most important aspect of an action, but that how the person felt while carrying out the action was the time at which value was set to the result."

In his mind, Anakin could hear Obi-Wan nattering on about how many of the truths people cling to depending upon their point of view. He shook his head to clear it and continued. "In other words, it's not the results that make something moral but why you made that decision, and Kant believed that only decisions made purely out of duty have moral worth. For instance, Kant spoke of a shopkeeper who passed up the chance to shortchange a customer only because his business might suffer if other customers found out.  According to Kant, the shopkeeper’s action had no moral worth because he did the right thing for the wrong reason."

He paced the room. "What do you think of Kant's conclusion? Is he being too hard on that shopkeeper? What of people who are in the habit of being good without thinking? Is that being moral, or just being conditioned to interact correctly with society?"