Fun With Microwaves!, Wednesday

[toteshammered.livejournal.com]

A few weeks ago, during a Skype call with Jane, Thor had mentioned his workshop plans for the second half of the summer. At first, she'd given him that look of fond exasperation he'd come to know fairly well, but then... she'd launched in to an excited explanation of something called 'plasma' and an experiment he ought to let his students try.

"Today, we are microwaving grapes," he informed everyone once they'd assembled in the Danger Shop. "I am told the results can be quite spectacular, and will produce something called 'plasma', the same substance that stars are comprised of. Science, especially Midgardian science, is not my field of study, but I have been provided with these handouts should you like to learn more about plasma."

See? This class could totally be educational even if it was mostly just 'let's see what happens when we do the thing'.

Everything's A Weapon, Wednesday, Period One

[raspberryturk]

Notices had been sent out to all the students, informing them to dress for a day at the beach. In the Danger Shop. Anyway, students were met with a typical beach scene when they got to class, complete with burgers and hot dogs on a grill, and a cooler full of sodas and snacks beside it. Several large beach umbrellas offered shade to brightly colored towels leading off to the left, where a beach volleyball net was set up. There were even a few kayaks pulled up out of the water in case anyone wanted to go for a quick ride. There were also several baskets of flip-flops and suntan lotions, just in case anyone was worried about getting burned. In the Danger Shop. Even if that totally wasn't a thing.

“Yo, rookies,” Reno, who was clad in a pair of black swim trunks with happy yellow chocobos all over them, announced with a grin, “you guys have been livin' off in Fort Creepy across the water for the past weeks, so I figured maybe you'd like a break from all that. Beach party day today, yo. I know, I know, how are you ever gonna cope? I say deal, kids. Deal.”

Such a difficult request.

“The food's all real, even if the waves and sun ain't. Get yourselves comfortable and settle in. We got all class here, after all.”

Right. Because this couldn't possibly be a setup.

[Open!]

Customer Service and You [Wednesday, July 9, 2014]

[professor-lyman.livejournal.com]

"Welcome back, minions," Josh said, leaning back against the linoleum counter of the fast food hamburger joint they were standing in. "Today you're going to work a lunch rush without killing anyone!" He led them through a demonstration of how the cash register worked, made sure they all had hats and hairnets on, then smiled and turned on the simulation.

Three dozen hungry simulated people came rushing through the doors.

Oh, you lucky things.

Practical Philosophy, Wednesday

[endsthegame]

It was a somewhat tired-looking Ender that met them outside today. He hadn't slept well last night, and he had no doubt his class would suffer because of it. Ah, well; it wasn't like the fate of the planet rested on his shoulders.

"I spent some time talking to some of you about attachment last week," he said. "It's as good a topic as any to head into further, considering that the most notable event of the week was the invasion of a series of clones... and I'm not sure how interesting discussing the ethics of cloning would be."

Or pink ponies, for that matter.

"So. Attachments. Do you need them? Don't you? When do they go 'too far'? Human social structure relies on them - in so many ways - but for us personally the experience of them can differ wildly, depending on our circumstances. Sometimes it may be advantageous to avoid them altogether, to get rid of distraction. And sometimes they can suddenly come through in unexpected ways, as our friends swoop in to clear debris and fight battles we thought we had to face alone."

He shrugged lightly.

"I have a complicated relationship with the notion myself," he said. "I'm an introvert. I prefer to keep my circle small, so it doesn't suck up too much of my energy, and so I can rely on the fact that those I care about are invested enough to stick with me."

To a point. Ender's real thoughts on the matter were rather more complicated.

"Some of you are social butterflies. Some of you aren't. Some people have a near traumatic reaction to the end of the summer - the time of year when all the graduates leave. I wonder how all of you'll handle that."