Fandom High School

Computer Science and Repair- Tuesday- 2nd period

2019-12-17T12:55:48Z

Posted by: throughaphase

Welcome to the last day in the Danger Shop! Which was bare today.

"Morning," Kitty greeted the class. "Last week I warned you that your final is going to be to program the Danger Shop yourself, so hopefully in the time since then you've figured out what you wanted to do. Hopefully you've learned something here, or at least had fun. So now you're going to take turns and set up your simulation, and we're going to see how you did!"

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Computer Science and Repair- Tuesday- 2nd period

2019-12-10T04:38:33Z

Posted by: throughaphase

Once everyone had gotten to the Danger Shop, they'd find themselves in what looked like a security room in a bank. There were screens and computers everywhere, and plenty of places for them all to sit. Again, this was pretty clearly ripped out of a movie Kitty had seen once.

"We've tried to break into things before in this class," she started, "but today you're going to try and prevent that. You're working security for this bank. The Danger Shop's been programmed to act as hackers breaking into the bank's systems to steal all the money electronically. Your job is to stop them. I'll give you a few minutes to familiarize yourselves with the system and what you need to do, and then it's going to start, so hopefully that few minutes is enough. Better get started..."

"Oh!" she said, stopping there. "And next week you're going to be programming the Danger Shop yourselves, so come up with something you might want to do. Anyway, go!"

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Computer Science and Repair- Tuesday- 2nd period

2019-12-03T05:05:14Z

Posted by: throughaphase

Today the students were in a small room with a computer for each of them. Think of any movie you've seen where the token hacker spent half the climax of the movie while the stars did action things. Small and dark and lit up with blue light from the computer. It looked like that.

"We've talked about ethics and ways not to use these sorts of skills, so we're not going into it again," Kitty assured them. "But today you're going to try and patch into the security cameras to a small fictional town in Everywhere, USA. You're going to try and bypass government security protocols and see what's going on in the town."

She ran through a quick explainer on how to do this, and said, "You have detailed instructions on how to do this on your tablets, so I'm going to see how you figure it out, and you have notebooks to take notes on what you find. If you need me, I'm right here."

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Computer Science and Repair- Tuesday- 2nd period

2019-11-26T13:57:22Z

Posted by: throughaphase

Kitty had changed the plan post-radio, so she still had the students meet at the Danger Shop, though it looked like a comfy movies in the park situation, with bean bag chairs and pillows for them to use.

"It's a short week," Kitty explained, "and so I'm going to slack off today. You're getting a movie about the holidays, and, um, self-reliance. Make yourself comfortable, I'd avoid falling asleep if you can, we'll be back to normal next week."

And then she hit play.

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Computer Science- Tuesday- 2nd period

2019-11-19T11:59:30Z

Posted by: throughaphase

Once again the class was in the Danger Shop, where an arena had been set up, with stands that were filled with fake cheering audience members.

"Sorry about last week, there was a thing I had to take care of back home," Kitty greeted them. "The last couple classes you designed and built you battlebots, today you see what they can do! You're going to put them against each other and see what happens. So without further adieu, let's get ready to rumble."

It didn't sound cool when she said it.

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Computer Science and Repair- Tuesday- 2nd period

2019-11-05T12:34:03Z

Posted by: throughaphase

The Danger Shop was made up like last week's workshop, with any work people had done saved.

"This is part two of our three-part class," Kitty greeted them. "Last week you designed your Battlebots, this week you're going to do what you can to build them. Remember, these are to fight it out amongst themselves and not people, that day may someday come but it will not start in my class. All the parts you need should be here, and I'm around for Ang help you might need."

Seriously though. Don't start the robot uprising.

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Computer Science and Repair- Tuesday- 2nd period

2019-10-29T04:18:53Z

Posted by: throughaphase

The Danger Shop today was made up like a workshop, with dozens of containers of parts and benches with tools on them, and a pile of sketchpads on a table.

"Morning, everyone. Before you got to build your own computer. Today you're going to start making a robot," Kitty greeted them. "There are all sorts of ethics when it comes to robots and artificial intelligence, what machines should and should not be used for, and the limits they should have. I, for instance, once got impaled by an AI who had gained actual sentience and been mistreated so much that she became murderous. Meanwhile you have things like Roombas and virtual assistants that will help you do all sorts of things and no one really thinks about it because they're everyday objects we're typically used to now. And even then Alexa is spying on you. What I'm saying is, you have to be careful what you're putting out there, and you should really think about what it is you're doing.

"Today we're totally not going to think about that yet. You're going to design a Battlebots. Basically, those are robots that will fight each other in a ring. This is going to be a three-part project: this week we design, and you can start working on it if you have time, next week you'll build, and the week after that, we're going to face off against each other. Anyone have any questions? If not, grab a pad and get to work!"

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Computer Science and Repair- Tuesday- 2nd period

2019-10-22T05:07:44Z

Posted by: throughaphase

The class was in the Danger Shop today, with several stations set up with identical computers for each student.

"Before break, I had you design and build your own computers," Kitty began, with a very large, glorious, non-blood cursed coffee in hand, "and today we're going to break them. I've gone ahead and created a problem on every one of these computers. They're all different, so what your neighbor does won't work for you. Your job is to figure out what the problem is and fix it, or at least do the best you can during class. If you need help or a hint, you can just ask."

She was in a better mood about that with caffeine.

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Computer Science and Repair- Tuesday- 2nd period

2019-10-08T03:18:59Z

Posted by: throughaphase

Kitty had emailed the class to tell them to come to the normal classroom today, which looked pretty not-computer-y.

"I was trying to be nice," she said, looking very close to a facepalm, "because I figured maybe this week would be weird and maybe you all could relax a bit and enjoy a movie, and the attempt was to get something cheesy and computer-related, something from the 90s when people were vastly wrong about what the internet was. Instead, the rental was... something else. I'm really sorry. Maybe there's a lesson?"

And with that, she hit play.

It was the Lindsay Lohan version, too.

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Computer Science and Repair- Tuesday- 2nd period

2019-10-01T03:51:49Z

Posted by: throughaphase

The class was in the Danger Shop today, which was made up like a workshop, with different tools and a lot of computer parts laid out on tables, carefully labeled. Really, it was an insane amount of stuff. Pretty much the reason for the Danger Shop was to go all out. And because she wasn't sure how many people would want to keep a computer they built, but the ones who did would have the ability to do it after this!

"Hey, guys," Kitty greeted them. "Last week I warned you you'd be building computers, so hopefully you've put some actual thought into what you want it to do. You're getting basic instructions in case you don't know what you're doing, and all the parts you might need are labeled with specs so it should help you know what you're getting into. If you need any help, absolutely ask, and I will tell you probably more than you ever needed to know."

Kitty was a nerd who didn't get to nerd enough.

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Computer Science and Repair- Tuesday- 2nd period

2019-09-24T03:57:06Z

Posted by: throughaphase

Today the class was back in the Danger Shop, which was done up like a huge museum, with computers of all sizes behind glass displays.

Some of the displays were very large.

"Today we're going to start off with some history," Kitty began, ( talky class is talky )

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Computer Science and Repair- Tuesday- 2nd period

2019-09-17T04:21:22Z

Posted by: throughaphase

Today the Danger Shop looked like a cool, hip gaming lounge. For reasons.

"So we have some very different perspectives in this class," Kitty began, and no seriously, for a small class, there was a lot of ground to cover, "and I've decided to bring us all to the middle a little bit. Today, you're going to be learning a little about games. There are different styles and platforms, but today we're talking specifically about PC games, which you can play on your personal computer. These really became popular back in the 80's, when the graphics weren't great and there probably wasn't too much you could do, but there were some gems.

"Which is why you're going to play Oregon Trail today. Based on the real life journey of pioneers headed out west to make a better life for themselves, which was extremely not easy, it's now basically known for one specific pop culture reference," Kitty said. "But for those of you who don't have experience with these at all, it's somewhere to start, and if you've got a ton of experience, it's just kind of fun. So get to your computers, set up your parties, and try not to die of dysentery."

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Computer Science and Repair- Tuesday- 2nd period

2019-09-10T04:00:06Z

Posted by: throughaphase

Kitty had done this particular class before, and she'd fully intended to skip it this year in favor of some more 'repair' type classes later in the semester.

And then last week's class had happened and she figured maybe it was a good idea to get this one in there.

So today the Danger Shop was done up like a game show set, all bright colors and lights, and each student had a podium to stand by with their names written on them. Kitty herself had sets of index cards to read off of, just like all the classic hosts who didn't need to memorize lines.

"Goooood morning, class!" she said brightly. "Welcome to today's episode of Is It Ethical?"

As she said that, glitter shot out of the podiums, and an invisible TV audience said the title along with her.

"You're going to get a series of questions! Buzz in with your answer, and tell us-"

"Is it Ethical?" the audience yelled for her.

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Computer Science and Repair- Tuesday- 2nd period

2019-09-03T04:18:32Z

Posted by: throughaphase

The class was in the computer lab today. Kitty wasn't entirely sure when people were from, so in addition to sending out an email about it, she'd also put a note on the door to the regular classroom, with instructions on how to get there because she was nice like that.

"Hey, guys," she greeted them. "Welcome to Computer Science and Repair. I'm Kitty Pryde-Barton, and I don't really care what you call me. I've got a long and storied history in this field, building and programming and accessing certain things and the like." Most of it was even legal. "Now it's my job to teach it to you. My one rule here is to only use your powers for good. I don't want you using any of this to do anything nefarious, there will be no using it to bully anyone, and I don't want the FBI calling me for any reason. Most of the time we'll be in the Danger Shop where we can play around a little more, but today we're going to start off easy.

"This is introduction week, more or less, so I want to hear your name, when and where you're from, and what your experience level is on this stuff before we get into it."

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Computer Science- Tuesday- 3rd period

2017-12-12T05:12:09Z

Posted by: throughaphase

Kitty was just barely on time for class today. She'd had to teach a class first thing in New York, then had to catch a portal back here, and by now she was just slightly frazzled. Luckily class today meant that the Danger Shop looked exactly like it did when it wasn't in use.

"First off, sorry about last week. Trust me when I say I would have rathered being here," she greeted them. "This is our last class, and hopefully you learned something, or at least had fun. And for today, you're going to try your hand at programming the Danger Shop yourself. You've seen some ideas of what it can do now, and you're going to get your tablet full of instructions, so everyone's going to have a turn to show what you come up with here. Who wants to go first?"

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Computer Science- Tuesday- 3rd period

2017-12-05T13:28:25Z

Posted by: throughaphase

Kitty had had every intention of coming back to Fandom today, but it wasn't like things had improved over the weekend. So this morning, an email went out to the class.

Sorry for the late notice, but I'm tied up with a crisis back home. No class today, enjoy whatever weird thing Fandom's throwing at you today, and we'll be back in class next week.

Sigh.

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Computer Science- Tuesday- 3rd period

2017-11-28T04:20:36Z

Posted by: throughaphase

Once everyone had gotten to the Danger Shop, they'd find themselves in what looked like a security room in a bank. There were screens and computers everywhere, and plenty of places for them all to sit. There were bonuses to small classes.

"We've done plenty with trying to get into things so far," Kitty began, "but today you're going to try and prevent that. You're working security for this bank. The Danger Shop's been programmed to act as hackers breaking into the bank's systems and steal all the money electronically. Your job is to stop them. I'll give you a few minutes to familiarize yourselves with the system, and then it's going to start, so hopefully that few minutes is enough. Better get started..."

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Computer Science- Tuesday- 3rd period

2017-11-21T03:56:39Z

Posted by: throughaphase

The Danger Shop looked like a theater again, because it was Thanksgiving week and frankly Kitty was starting to think she should just schedule her classes for Thursdays in the fall.

"Happy Thanksgiving week," she greeted them. "We're going easy today, and we're going to watch another laughably inaccurate movie from the 90's, back when Hollywood had just discovered computers and got them all wrong. So sit back and relax, and be amazed at how far Angelina Jolie has come."

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Computer Science- Tuesday- 3rd period

2017-11-14T04:15:17Z

Posted by: throughaphase

Today the class was in the Danger Shop, but it looked just like the normal Danger Shop, with nothing set up.

"Last week I told you we weren't going to touch on ethics again, but then the news blew up and I figured screw that, we should probably go over some ethics, because the things you learn in this class could be rife with opportunities for abuse," Kitty said. "And while I don't think any of you would do that, it's better to have an open discussion about it than not to have it. So take a seat on the floor if you want, this is gonna be a talky class.

"This isn't about harassment and I don't want to say this is equal to that, but there's something to be learned about power, here, and respecting people, and looking at the consequences of your actions. The most important thing I might have to tell you is simple: just because you can do something doesn't mean you should," she went on. "Last week we figured out how to hack security systems in a town. Typically, you shouldn't do it because you have no reason to. You might get a reason. But then what do you consider a good reason to be able to spy on a community? What are the consequences of doing that? If you're hacking the systems for a public space, is it an invasion of privacy for your own personal gain?

"Back home, I worked at a school that has a room much like this." Well, technically she still worked there, but it was a different name now, and it was a whole big thing. "Over the years, the artificial intelligence was modified and worked on, fused with alien technology until it gained sentience and was trapped. Once that AI was free and took form, she chose a gender, she chose her own name, and she tried to kill us all because that was essentially what she'd been programmed to do until it all went out of control. The vast majority of us working there had no idea this was happening, and let me tell you, I think about that every time I step in that room, or even in this one. Recently in the news: sex robots. They give robots artificial intelligence and let them learn about you, and then you can do whatever you want with it. When you give something the ability to learn, but it's not actually a person, is that okay, or is it the creepiest ever? And does your opinion on that change after I told you about what happened with the Danger Room?

"I want to hear your thoughts," Kitty said. "If you have an opinion about anything I just said, or questions, get it out there. Or if there's anything else you want to talk about on the topic. And if there's something you'd rather not talk about in class, you're more than welcome to see me after. I'll kick the squirrels out and everything."

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Computer Science- Tuesday- 3rd period

2017-11-07T05:49:56Z

Posted by: throughaphase

Today the students were in a small room with a computer for each of them. Think of any movie you've seen where the token hacker spent half the climax of the movie while the stars did action things. It looked like that.

"We've talked about ethics and ways not to use these sorts of skills, so we're not going into it again," Kitty assured them. "But today you're going to try and patch into the security cameras to a small fictional town in Everywhere, USA. You're going to try and bypass government security protocols to keep an eye on things and look for suspicious activity. You each have a tablet with all the info you need, and there are some tips if you get stuck. Take a minute to look them over, and then see how far you get."

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Computer Science- Tuesday- 3rd period

2017-10-31T13:29:27Z

Posted by: throughaphase

They were still in the Danger Shop today, but it was made up to look like a theater. One with reclining seats.

"So it's Halloween, and no ones going to want to do anything today," she said, "so sit back, relax, and enjoy the movie."

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Computer Science- Tuesday- 3rd period

2017-10-24T03:54:02Z

Posted by: throughaphase

Class was in the Danger Shop today, which looked a lot like the hangar straight out of the Jean Grey School, complete with a Blackbird.

"You've got a bigger toy to play with than usual today," Kitty greeted them. "You're about to get to do some detail-oriented stuff. This is the Blackbird. It's a jet. You're going to get to work together to upgrade its systems. There are iPads around with instructions if you need help, but if you want to try giving it some features you just think it should have, it's the Danger Shop, so have at it. If you try to shoot off weapons, though, you're still in trouble."

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Computer Science- Tuesday- 3rd period

2017-10-17T04:24:27Z

Posted by: throughaphase

It was a pretty happy-looking Kitty who greeted the students at the Danger Shop today, which looked... interesting.

"Before the trip I set up a class to have you design a game, but I guess the program corrupted and made it way better," she explained. "Instead, you get to play it. You need to get up to the princess who's being guarded by a barrel-throwing gorilla- I didn't design this- and if you can do that, you get to the next level. Let's see how far you can get."

Computer science, gym class, same thing.

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Computer Science- Tuesday- 3rd period

2017-10-03T03:09:54Z

Posted by: throughaphase

The class was in the Danger Shop today, which was made up like a workshop, with different tools and a lot of computer parts laid out on tables, carefully labeled. Quite a bit of them were things that Kitty had collected over the years, because she was a hardware nerd who hadn't actually done anything with these parts at least since she'd moved into Clint's house and she really should declutter.

"Hey, guys," Kitty greeted them. "Last week I warned you you'd be building computers, so hopefully you've put some actual thought into what you want it to do. You're getting basic instructions in case you don't know what you're doing, and all the parts you might need are labeled with specs so it should help you know what you're getting into. If you need any help, absolutely ask, and I will tell you probably more than you ever needed to know."

Shhh this was fun for her.

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Computer Science- Tuesday- 3rd period

2017-09-26T02:12:09Z

Posted by: throughaphase

The class was definitely in the Danger Shop this week, which was made to look like a huge room filled with displays in glass, like in a museum.

( knowledge under the cut )

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