Photo by the New York Times By Miles Cevallos
Technology Editor Recently, many large companies across the globe have begun investing in and developing driverless cars. This sudden surge of technological advancement has caused a lot of people to be skeptical and concerned about the safety of these cars and how well they will be able to drive. “It’s a stupid idea.” said Brandon Valentine. “People can easily hack into the car’s computer and change the directions so it goes off a bridge, or crashes into other cars.” In a recent poll conducted by Morning Consult, it appeared as though many people agree with Valentine’s thoughts on the subject. 51% of all the 1,896 people who participated in the poll said they would not ride in a driverless car, and over 75% were concerned with road safety and glitches in the car’s programming. However, some people think that driverless cars are totally safe. 16 percent of the people said it would be okay to sleep in a driverless car, and 15% said it would be ok to be under the influence of alcohol while riding around in a driverless car. Despite the fact that car crashes kill over 1 million people a year, and that 90% of those car crashes occur due to human error, scientists working on driverless cars are trying to make them drive more like humans. “There are other ingredients than pure technology” said Dr. Wolfgang Epple, head of the R&D department at Jaguar Land Rover. Jaguar is currently studying the best way to develop autonomous cars, with their studies showing “the natural driving behaviours and decision making” of humans. Photo by imore.com By Kendall Baldwin
Staff Reporter Is Snapchat something you use in your daily life? If it isn’t, why? Some people think that Snapchat is damaging our relationships, but many disagree. Snapchat was created in September 2011 by a group of guys named Evan Spiegel,Bobby Murphy, and Reggie Brown. The three of them went to Stanford together, and ended up creating this clever app that allows users to take pictures and videos and send them to people. These videos and photos and can only be viewed for up to ten seconds. The person who is sending the picture or video can decide how long they want their friend to view it; from one to ten seconds. Many people are worried about one of Snapchat’s new updated features known as “replay”. This feature allows the user to look at a photo or video sent to them multiple times. Each time uses a replay. Snapchat comes with a replay, but once you use it you have to pay to get more. Of course you don’t have to buy replays if you don’t want to, but some people choose to. Snaps can also be screenshotted, so be warned- if you are sending a personal snap, be careful because someone with the click of a button can screen shot you image. That being said, if someone screenshots one of your snaps, you get a notification that tells you who screenshotted your snap. Although this seems like a bad app now that this fact has come up, it isn’t if it is used safely and properly. Currently, it is said that 26-30 million people in the U.S. have snapchat, and 400 million snaps are sent each day by the 100 million users on the app daily. So many people enjoy using this app because of the creative makers of this incredible app. Evan Spiegel says “We don’t want to control people’s photos. We want to help them communicate with friends in whatever way makes them happiest.”, and “It’s important to be thoughtful and mindful about the things you say to other people.” If you are a happy Snapchat user, hopefully you are being “thoughtful” and “mindful” and safe while using this revolutionary app. Image by d.ibtimes.co.uk/ By Salma Abdussamad
Staff Writer Robots need better PR agents. They’re often portrayed as hard-edged, cold automatons that are just waiting to kill you in your sleep. Buddy, a family robot currently available from Indiegogo, seems to be a lot nicer. Buddy the robot protects your home, offers assistance in the kitchen, entertains the family with music and videos, acts as a calendar and alarm clock and interfaces with popular smart home solutions, among many other activities. When Tony Stark talks to Jarvis in Iron Man, we want that level of interaction in real life, and making that happen becomes the area of study for hundreds of software developers and researchers including, Mark Zuckerberg. Buddy is supposed to be able to tackle all sorts of tasks. It can keep track of your agenda, wake you up in the morning, and act as a teleconferencing portal, a video- and music-streaming device and a home security sentry (via built-in camera). It's also supposed to work with third-party smart home products like Parrot Flower Power ,Nest Learning Thermostat , Nest Protect , Netatmo Weather Station ,MyFox Smart Home Security System , Lifx LEDs and others. Companion mobile apps will be available for Android, iOS and Windows users, and Buddy was built on an open platform so developers can get in on the action, too. “We really do believe that language is inextricable from human intelligence,” said Adam Trischler, a research scientist at Maluuba. “ It’s really creepy and I feel like it’s going to choke me while I sleep” says Emily Paulson, a student at Lakeridge Junior High. However, Blue Robotics, The company that made BUDDY, says that it's already aware of that shortcoming and is working to upgrade the robot's mics ahead of its 2016 release. Similarly, the final version will be offered alongside two optional mechanical arms equipped with a variety of tools like the pico projector and the serving tray. The company also envisions both users and its developer community creating their own function-specific, 3D-printed appendages. The Buddy Classic goes on sale next July and will cost $749, although contributors to Blue Frog's Indiegogo campaign will get theirs for $200 less. The campaign concluded Friday, beating its initial goal by more than 500 percent. Image by livability.com By Eli Counce
Staff Writer Computers, tablets, phones; every day we interact with technology. Not only is this used in the workplace, and in people’s personal lives, but also in schools. Mostly this advancement has affected staff, and how staff operate. By 2009, “nces.ed.gov” reports that over 96 percent of teachers reported having one or more computers located inside of the classroom. 93 percent of teachers had internet access to those computers, meaning file sharing, emails, and all other sources of teacher info could be sent throughout the entire school staff. “Technology is a blessing and a curse,” reports Shane Kelly, a teacher at LJHS. Although technology is a source of massive information, and exponential instant sharing, it’s still a source of distraction for kids. Schools everywhere use this technology to enhance learning, but also have to control it. Finding the balance between education and interference with learning is difficult, especially when kids have their own devices that can’t be controlled by the school or teacher. Statistics released by “BBC.com” say that schools with higher ratings are using technology in moderation. Australia, the country who allows the most computer use in the classroom, still limits it to under only one hour per day. “While technology allows more people to access relevant information, compatibility and literacy issues still pose a problem”, says Kelly, a teacher at LJHS. While the internet has many reliable sources, it’s also filled with untrustable content. Trustable sources usually include .edu’s or .gov’s. Any other domains (.com, .org, .net) can be purchased using domain web stores such as namecheap or godaddy. With the advancement in technology, thousands of jobs are created, as more and more tech support personnels are required in schools, to keep things running smoothly. “nces.ed.gov” informs that 65 percent of jobs that todays children will have, haven’t even been invented yet. Educational technology sets a learning point for just how vast these careers are, and how integrated you have to be to work in these types of fields. While there are all of these helpful devices, there are still many “old school” traditions running in a classroom. When students walk into a classroom, there are still going to be papers, paper assignments, and paper tests. Almost everyone in a normal school is going to carry around at least one device, but this doesn’t mean it will always be in use. Statistics given by “daveweebs.com” report that 120,000 papers are still used in American classrooms per year. In short, technology doesn’t rule school systems, and probably won’t. Paper is still used, and computer use time is limited to students, although technology has left a sizeable footprint in the future of schools across the globe. Image by technabob.com By Aidan Strealy
Staff Writer NTT Docomo, a mobile phone operator company located in Japan, has recently been working on a seemingly futuristic piece of technology: glasses that can translate foreign text. Docomo is planning to release these new glasses sometime in 2020, which are going to be used at the Olympics, taking place in Tokyo. Docomo is designing these glasses to help people around when they visit Japan, and so far the glasses can translate all Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and English languages in under five seconds. That’s a lot faster than what it takes to learn a language, by a long shot. The release date is of course, meant to be at the same time as the 2020 Olympics, since there will be a lot of eager customers dreading having to translate Japanese. This is how it works, according to Docomo’s official website: “First, Docomo’s translation app sends visual information recorded by the glasses’ camera to a server in the cloud. Then, it’s character recognition software reads the text, translates it, and then sends the translation back to the glasses viewfinder, which is then positioned right above the line of text being translated.” An additional feature that Docomo has installed in the program is a facial recognition system. “It works much like the translation system,” says Discovery news. “The camera first captures a picture of the person’s face you’re looking at. After the system recognizes the face, that person’s cloud-registered information will be displayed on the surface’s inner screen. After a period of time, the display on the inner screen will change to show a list of people viewed. An additional search option is to have the camera search for only English-speaking people.” However, the person’s information will only appear then if it matches the search criteria. As well as these features, Docomo is planning on installing new software that turns every flat surface into a virtual touchpad. A small ring will come with the product, and sends out a signal to the camera, which then displays the digital screen on the lens. This advanced piece of technology is eagerly awaited by many people, even if they don’t plan on going anywhere with them. These glasses may be one of the many reasons people flock to the Olympics this 2020; they won’t have to worry about hiring translators, they just will have to buy a pair of glasses! Image by 123rf.com By Dante Sterling
Staff Writer Numerous studies have been done on wi-fi recently to see if the radio waves transmitted by the wi-fi box can affect people's brains negatively from its frequency. Wi-fi uses radio frequency technology that is created from the antenna, generating an electromagnetic spectrum. It also uses radio waves to provide wireless-high speed internet and network connections. Wi-fi has improved in its technology and speed since it was discovered. In 1985, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) opened several bands of wireless spectrums without needing the government's licence. Without this action taken by the FCC, wi-fi would not exist, or would have been discovered later on. “I am not really worried about Wi-fi affecting my health because there isn’t enough evidence in my life that proves that it’s unhealthy,” Aidan Strealy explains. According to the World Health Organization, located in the United Nations, wireless technology, like wi-fi, is positively way below international standards of safety. The only recorded case about radio frequency exposure was a slight temperature rise when a person was exposed to very high intensity radio frequency. The intensity or frequency of a wi-fi signal is 100,000 times less than a microwave oven signal. When a phone is held up to a person’s head, they get a bigger dose of microwaves, while a wi-fi router will probably never be held anywhere close to their brain. “It has been estimated that you get a bigger dose of microwaves from one 20-minute phone call than from a year's wi-fi” (The Guardian). Wi-fi has a non-ionizing wavelength of 2.45 GHz to operate, while a phone operates on 800-2,400 MHz. There is nothing that people should be worried about since wi-fi has been proven to not actually negatively affect the brain. A phone call is something users should be more worried about, not a low frequency signal transmitted by wi-fi. Image by pastemagazine.com By Annie Potter
Staff Writer Recently, Lakeridge Jr. High was given an amazing opportunity by being allowed to use one of Apple's most popular electronic devices, the iPad. Using iPads all around Lakeridge Jr. High has allowed students to expand their learning electronically. It makes learning easier and faster in the classroom. “It wasn't until the last few years that we were allowed to use the laptop and iPad carts,” states Mr. Kelly, a Publications, L.A. and Communications teacher at Lakeridge Jr. High. Using iPads and Chromebooks has gotten countless of assignments finished without the hassle of getting out textbooks. The Chromebooks and iPads are shared with every teacher and staff member that requests to use them. Lakeridge Jr. High got the funding for these innovative electronic devices though the school's incredible Parent Club and fundraisers such as Oktoberfest. “The use of iPads and Chromebooks in classrooms and at school is very important in the learning process for students,” claims Jamison Ryals, a student at Lakeridge Jr. High. Hopefully, schools will be given the opportunity to use more technology throughout the Lake Oswego School District. Technology helps expand the thinking and learning of an increasing number of students. By Megan McCormack
Staff Writer Everyone around the world has been buzzing about the new iPhone 6s and 6s Plus that came out on September 25, 2015 released by Apple. Many people throughout the world have been wanting the new phones as soon as they came out. There was a pre-order for the iPhones on September 9, 2015 and the phones officially were released on the 25th of September. These new phones have new features that many people are very excited about. The main aspect that people strongly like is the new color “rose gold.” Apple added this new color to attract more people to these new phones because they’ve had the same colors for a while. Another feature that customers like is the new live photo addition. Now, users can click a button on their camera before they take a picture. Later, when users go into their camera roll to look at the photo, they can hold down the picture and the image will move. Another feature that has to do with the camera is involved with the quality of a photo. These new phones have a 12-megapixel camera on the back and can shoot a 4k video. “I give the iPhone 6s, 7 out of 5 stars because it’s new and advanced. Also I really like the rose gold color and the quality of pictures I take,” said Orion Crofut. “I think it’s really great because it’s way faster than my old phone which was an iPhone 5c. Also, I really like using the live picture feature,” said Mason Nelson Overall, these new phones are a big hit all over the world and people are really enjoying them. The iPhone 6s and 6s plus have new and improved features that have boosted up the business for Apple. Photo by theguardian.com By Audrey Eucker
Staff Writer Motorola believes that they have made a solution for the world-wide problem of having a cracked phone screen. “We’ve spent three years to do research and development on this,” said Rick Osterloh, CEO of Motorola. The technology put into this phone is incredible. It can withstand being placed under a horse drawn carriage, and being troted over twice. The Droid Turbo 2 is extremely reliable. Motorola says that “37% of smartphone owners have cracked their screens, with one display shattering every 2 seconds.” The new line of Droid smartphones include innovative features like turbo charging, long lasting battery life, and super sharp screen revolution. On November 5th, The Droid Turbo 2 will go on sale for $624, exclusively on Verizon's network. It is expected to change the way phones work and allow phones to last longer. By Kieran Wallace
Staff Writer Lakeridge Junior High uses all sorts of tools to expand the process of learning. Technology is practically impossible to get away from these days. Even in school it is widely used and needed for certain projects. But, that ponders the question what is the most useful technology? ”Technology is just a tool, just a thing, what matters to me is how it is used, you could take any technology and say AHH that is the coolest piece of technology. But what matters is how it is used, ” explained Kurt Schultz, the LJHS principal. Mr. Schultz an educated opinion, though others have favorite uses of technology. ”I don’t use a ton of technology, it is all about the personal face to face time,” explained Amy Gretencourt, the drama teacher. She thinks that students should focus on being with each other because as it is, they already stare at a screen to often. She has a good point; every day, teens spend more than 7 ½ hours a day on mobile device (washingtonpost.com). Although she takes a strong stance, Ms. Gretencourt is outnumbered by teachers who disagree. “I like using ipads just because they're easier and you can get more research (accomplished),” says Mimi Beem, a long term substitute. Mrs. Beem thinks that having something always on you that can go on the internet is very helpful to expand the learning experience in science class Technology is arguably the tool of today and almost a necessity to have. Now, we have the question to ponder, without it, would we be left in the dust? |
LJHSLakeridge Junior High School is an award- winning academic institution located in Lake Oswego, Oregon. Archives
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