Chemistry Matters Report

Hey guys, it is Adventure Van here with a blog about the book Chemistry Matters, a cool scientific book that covers everything from Ionic Bonding to Macromolecules.  It covers a huge portion of chemistry, being both in-depth yet simple to understand. With 450 pages to read, while it may not be the shortest thing to read, it’s very simple and can suck you in to it, making you want to read the entire book when you only have to read one chapter of it. It’s up to the standards of Singapore’s Ministry of Education, too, meaning not only will you learn stuff about chemistry, you may also learn a bit about Singapore and how chemistry affects them as well as you.

All in all, it’s a great book that keeps a perfect balance between fun, extensive learning, and simple science. I’d recommend it, and that’s without the other supporting books, ranging from labs to workbooks.

That’s Adventure van, reacting chemically.

How the First Americans came to America

We know (or think we do) how man came to the Americas and settled here long before any Vikings or Englishmen. But how did we come to think of it? After all, the idea of a giant land/ice bridge existing randomly and having tribes of people follow bison over it, then having the bridge close off behind them is slightly fantastic when you first look at it. So, what made us think what we think now, and what did we think of originally?

The second that Columbus found out that the people he met were, in fact, not from the East Indies, speculation begun about their true origin. At first, it was even theorized that they weren’t even human, because they weren’t mentioned in the Bible at all. Luckily, the Pope of the time officially stated that they were in fact human and came from the fabled couple of Adam and Eve. But that raised the question of where did these random humans actually come from?

Of course, there were (and still are) tons of theories. Some were still biblical, arguing that they could be one of the lost “Tribes of Israel”, or they were placed there by the devil himself to change the ways of decent Christian folk. It was also said they could be migrants of the Trojans, Romans, Ethiopians, English, Danes, Greeks, Phoenicians, Egyptians, French, Welsh, or even the one of the lost civilizations such as Atlantis.

However, some of the more scientific minds began reaching the right result. Arguing that by the Indians simply had migrated from Asia to America by ship, the semi-factually sound idea began catching enthusiasm as more and more people began agreeing that it was an after ice-age migration by boat. It got to the point where anyone who thought otherwise was shunned by all who were in the idea’s community, because the scientific evidence obviously agrees with them, not the outliers. And they were right; no real evidence had come up saying that they were wrong. Until it did. So, what was this grand piece of evidence that gave us the idea we have today? Well, it started with some lost cows.

 George McJunkin, a New Mexico cowboy, isn’t a common name when the archaeology of America is discussed. But we’ve got him to thank, because without him and some cattle, we may still be thinking that the Indians came over by boat. In 1926, some cows had managed to wander off, and he was riding a horse down a (arroyo) when he spotted some bones 20 under the top of the cliff face.  Of course, he abandoned the quest for the cattle for the moment and took a closer look at these bleached bones.

Luckily, he was sharp-eyed and he recognized that the bones were similar to cattle bones, but huge. He also found some arrow points mixed in when he dug a bit with his knife. After managing to find the cows and getting them back to the ranch, he talked about his weird discovery with neighbors and friends, and somehow word got to J.D. Figgins, a director at the Colorado Museum of Natural History.  Figgins got his hands on some of the bones, and recognized them as bison, and a type of bison that was only alive during the first ice-age. However, the bones were mixed in with arrowheads, and by the prevailing theory that man came after the ice-ages, that should be impossible.

But the find was proved to be true. And with that, the theory that man came after the ice-ages began to slowly tumble down. Small evidence that somewhat contradicted the main theory but had been swept under the rug came back up. Archaeologists who were afraid of being drummed out of the community began talking about their own findings now that a huge find had been found against the main theory.

And we began discovering the real way that the Native Americans managed to make it here, by land bridge.  An otherwise fantastic theory replaced the sensible “by boats” theory, due to the sudden extreme amount of evidence. And at the time of this writing, no seriously proven evidence has been brought up against the current prevailing theory.

Convo Guide

The purpose of this is to simplify the pamphlet “Social Communication”. I am writing this up so that others can have a “virtual toolbox”, so to speak, of ideas and tools that they can use in life. The goal of the majority of this is to be as helpful as possible to others, because as much as you think you can interact well; it is always good to have a group of tips to help you along the way, as a guide. So, read on to find THE SECRETS OF HUMAN INTERACTION. Or some cool tips. However you see it.

Conversation:

Introduce yourself by saying “Hi, My name is (Blank.)”. If you’re having someone introduce themselves, turn around and face them. Keep Eye Contact while doing so. Listen with your whole body while talking if possible. Ask the Who, What, Where, Why, When, and How questions to keep conversations going. Stay on topic unless you both agree on changing it. Keep a good distance in-between you and the person you’re talking to. End the conversations you get into politely. Don’t interrupt anyone while they’re either doing something or talking to someone.

How to introduce yourself: Walk forward, and if the person is not busy, attempt to make contact by waving a hand. If they are busy, wait a distance away until it clears up. When you have their attention, keep eye contact with them, stay out of their personal space, and say “Hello, my name’s (Blank)”.

How to keep a conversation going: Upon hitting a break in conversation, remember the 5 Ws and the 1 H; Who, What, Where, Why, When, and How. If the conversation breaks like “Yeah, so I went to the ballgame.” then respond with “Who was there?” “What happened there?” “Where was the stadium?” “Why did you go?” “When was it?” and “How was it?” If those have all been exhausted, then perhaps you should change the subject like “Speaking of the ballgame, did you see…” Do not change the topic using it; keep it on the topic that it was originally.

Self-Regulation:

Use the appropriate voice level for the situation. Read peoples emotions and change the subject accordingly. Stay calm if in an escalating situation. Ask for help if you’re having problems with anything. Don’t be violent. Know what might ‘trigger’ someone to feel a feeling. Take turns while talking. Changes in life are okay. You are okay.            

Triggers: Despite the common use of “TRIGGERED” now a days, you can see that certain topics will “trigger” a reaction in someone. Don’t use that against anyone, because it’s a horrible thing to play with someone’s emotions. While it might be fun at first, once they realize what you’re doing, they may either begin ignore you/leave you or try to get revenge, which may or may not be violent. If you know something that will “trigger” an emotion, don’t say it if you don’t have to and say it gently if you do.

Cooperation:

Cooperation is Relationship Building, not ‘getting along’. Cooperation skills are good for making and keeping friends. Take turns while doing activities. Understand someone ‘clues’ for their emotions. Ask before joining activities or making people quit theirs. Compromise when it comes to decisions. If it’s not possible to compromise, get a third party source for finding out what you should do. Win and lose politely. Don’t insult someone for losing, or the same will happen when you do. Stop and see what’s next. Quit activities as good stopping points in order to be able to do other ones. Schedule breaks to be after work. Think of peoples feelings when you talk/interact to them.

Getting Along/Relationship Building: When you ‘get along’ with someone, it’s a nice way of saying “I tolerate this person slightly more than everyone else.” When you have a relationship with someone, it doesn’t mean love, but simply means “This person is worth my time and energy to become friends with.” Know the difference.

Win and lose politely: If you win, you may have the urge to taunt, to rub it in the opponent’s face, and otherwise be unenjoyable. This is a surefire way to get people to never want to play with you again. Simply repressing those urges and saying “Good game!” “You’ll get us next time!” and “That was close.” means you don’t seem like a complete jerk. On the other side, if you lose, you may want to cry, blame others on either team of either sucking or cheating, and otherwise be unenjoyable. This is a surefire way to get people to never want to play with you again, again. By not doing any of those and instead saying “Good game!” “That was a close match!” and “Fun time!” means you don’t seem like a complete jerk. Try it next time you play a game.

So, that’s all of it. Was it worth your precious time reading? You could have gone, tried to interact with someone, and either fail or succeed in the time it took to read this. Does that mean that this was a counterproductive waste of time? No, because now you have tools, tips, and an idea about what to do next time that you are forced to interact in this fast paced world. If you have any tips, experiences, or help for others, feel free to share that knowledge. If you don’t, go get some! Have fun socializing and communicating out there, mates!