Shop Class; Tuesday, Fourth Period [04/02].

[special_rabbit]

"As with a lot of these lessons," Amaya said, as she greeted the class with her customary nod, "they're all going to build..." Belatedly, she snorted, not realizing the inherent pun there before it just tumbled out of her, "into something else. More specifically, today's lesson should help lead you into your final project. It's a little bit of beginning-of-the-semester-stuff that we don't always get to because it's so easy to get distracted by other projects, so some of it might be treading familiar territory, but it's important to know the basics that build up the more complicated stuff.

"We've been working our way through several different machines and tools that we'll be using throughout the semester, and we've even made some of our own, and today's going to continue on with that. There's just something real satisfying about getting an idea about something, figuring out how it works, then putting it all together and making it do something. But before you can really do that, you've got to really understand machines on a simple, fundamental level, though the six kinds of simple machines that'll help make more complex ones along the line.

"Now, a machine is basically just a mechanical structure that uses power to apply forces and control movement to perform an intended action, and a simple machine is what you use to change or direct that force and movement, a.k.a. all the little moving parts that make up the big moving machine."

And here, Amaya lifted up the examples of each simple machine that she had on the worktable in front of her as she went through them. "You've got your levers, wheel and axle, pulley, inclined plane, wedge, and screw. Basic stuff you see every day, but the key to making machines is understanding how to do them right and understanding how to put them all together effectively.

"Which is pretty much what we'll be working on today. You've got full run of the whole shop and the materials available to you to try things and experiment and really get to understand these simple machines and how they work...especially together. If you have questions, of course, I'm here, but I really want you all to just try thing out and really use the class period to get a little creative with these basic elements. See how they work together in combination; find out what works and what doesn't. Try to see if you can put together a way to make all the elements work together in one machine by the end of class. Find out if some materials work better than others. Find out what the limits for pressure and force might be for this machine or that one. And keep all these things in mind for throughout the semester, because it may one day come in handy.

"Sound good? Good! Remember: safety equipment when needed, don't hesitate to ask questions if you got 'em, and let's get to work!"

In the Cupcake of Good and Evil, Tuesday 2nd Period [4/2]

[stykera]

"So, we just had Easter last weekend," Summer said, which, hey, could be a promising start? "So, you know how it is, lots of candy, chocolates, jelly beans….but another iconic symbolic part of Easter is an egg. And I know what you're probably thinking, you're probably thinking, 'but Summer, cupcakes usually already have eggs, don't' they? It's often an essential part of the batter!' And, yes, that's true, that's egg inside the cake of the cupcake, but what if we put the eggs on the outside?

"Like, here I have some maple bacon egg cupcakes, and, while the original recipe I found called for a gummy egg, I, of course, put a real fried egg on top. I guess if you were fancy you could do fondant, too!”

“Fondant looks nice,” Stark said. “It doesn’t taste very good. But probably better than a fried egg on the top of a cupcake…but we have plenty of egg-shaped candies that will work even better. Don’t we?”

They did. They had so much candy. It seemed like maybe T&C hadn’t sold as much as candy last week as they might normally have done leading up to a candy holiday. For some unknowable reason, clearly.

“We have mini eggs that can sit in little frosting nests,” Stark suggested. “Those are nice. Everyone likes chocolate and every part of them is meant to be a dessert.”

"I also made deviled egg and ham and egg cupcakes, too!" Summer reported, because of course she did.

Honestly, y'all were getting off easy this week. Even if getting off was easier last week.

Stark sighed a little and shook his head. “Summer. Why?” He knew the answer. He had to ask anyway. “Ham doesn’t go in cupcakes or on cupcakes and even bacon is questionable, really. And…deviled eggs? Really?”

"Yes," said Summer, confidently, and why ask questions you already knew the answer to, Stark? "Really."

Diplomacy, Relationships & Tactics: the Art of War [Tuesday, Period 1]

[atreideslioness]

As the students entered this week, they would see a passage on the board:

Sun Tzu said: We may distinguish six kinds of terrain, to wit:
(1) Accessible ground
(2) entangling ground
(3) temporizing ground
(4) narrow passes
(5) precipitous heights
(6) positions at a great distance from the enemy.

"Terrain. Which I am sure you are all dreadfully sick of hearing me talk about," Ghanima announced cheerfully as soon as the last student was seated. "However, if you do not know where or how you stand, in any battle, you will lose. I cannot stress this enough. It doesn't matter if you're facing a troop of Sardaukar on Salusa Secundus, or trying to make dinner plans with a cranky significant other. If you cannot understand the terrain under your feet, you will find yourself on the wrong end of a metaphorical or physical blade."

"This all goes back to what we discussed that first week of class, "'Hence the saying: If you know the enemy and know yourself, your victory will not stand in doubt.' To know your soldiers, you must know yourself. You must be able to assess both the capabilities of your fighting force, and your own ability to command them in terrain before you. If you cannot give the soldiers what they need, even the most elite squad in the Empire can fall against a small handful of women and children." Not that Ghanima would know. At all.

"First, however..." Ghanima's blue-on-blue eyes sparkled with mischief. "Your belated homework. Was anyone successful?"

Art in STEM, Tuesday, April 2, 2024

[heroic_jawline]

"Let's talk about bridges this week," Steve said, "which are rare combinations of engineering and beauty."

"And in many places, old and poorly maintained for modern needs," Tony added, making a face. "Much of the infrastructure we know in this country was built in the aftermath of World War 2 and remains mostly unchanged."

Let that sink in.

"No wonder I recognize a lot of them," Steve said, "but that's not a good thing."

"So, we're going to design a bridge to withstand modern traffic," Tony said. "It'll be a project for you all to build a model one to present next week."

"We have machines for you to use that will test the integrity against wind, weight on top of them, and being hit from below," Steve said. "They're more fragile than you think."

"Bonus points for style," Tony added.