https://stonesoup.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/A-whole-New-world.m4a Episode #5: A Whole New World Transcript: Hello, my name is Misha Ahmed, and I am your host of this podcast series called ROBOMIND. I know you may be wondering, what does ROBOMIND mean? For those of you who haven’t been here for the last three episodes–I mean now four–go check those out, but to get back on track ROBOMIND is a combination of two things: robotics and mind. I love robotics, and I believe that it shapes how you think, and it shapes your mind. That is why I called my podcast ROBOMIND. A small tidbit about me is that I am 12 years old. I am absolutely head over heels for robotics. And I can’t wait to let you know a little more about it. Also, right now I sound a little kooky because I have lost my voice. But don’t worry, I’ll still bring my fun, bubbly personality. The name of this episode is bumbumbum “A Whole New World” named after the Aladdin song. You know I always keep up that Disney theme. I called the episode this because I am going to be talking about the brand new Vex iq game for this year. RAPID RELAY!!! Before we get into all of that fun stuff, how about we get on to what has been stuck in your mind literally since the last episode. THE RIDDLE! I am going to repeat it one last time before I reveal the answer, so listen carefully if you didn’t hear it before or if you don’t remember it. Okay, ready. You find me in the past, and I can be created in the present, but the future is never mine. What am I? If you didn’t get to hear it last time pause and think of your answer. Now that you have heard it again, it is time for the answer doodododooooo: history. When I heard this riddle at first, I thought it’s got to be memories, and I think if you thought that too both of our answers are right: history and memories. Now that we have got that all done. It is time for the robotics stuff. Allow me to tell you all about the fast, fun, and fantastic game called Rapid Relay. The game elements that you use to score are tiny, padded Balls, approximately 6 inches in diameter. They kind of look like tiny, little soccer balls. The main objectives of the game are to pass the Balls between robots, score Balls through targets, and clear switches which are these little green circles in the middle of the targets that will flip out of the way once you hit them. Balls are introduced to the field through the Loading Station or, during the last 15 seconds of a match, a Rapid Load Zone. A Rapid Load Zone is where the match loaders are able to place the balls in any of the legal starting places. One thing that is new to all of us this year is that the driving teams will have three members: two drivers and 1 match loader. We have seen this a lot in VRC but not much in IQ. This has a lot of us on our toes because it is going to add a whole new aspect to the game. Points are awarded based on how many goals are scored, how many switches have been cleared, and how many times the Alliance successfully passed the Ball before scoring it. I hope you are paying attention if you want to know what things you can do to rack up the most points and win! Now it is time for the infamous part of the episode: the riddle! This one is complex, so please make sure to listen. I am only going to say it once, so you might want to pause and prepare yourself. Maybe grab a pencil and paper to write down the different clues. Okay, here we go. EPISODE #4 RIDDLE: There is a briefcase with 1 million dollars in it. However, it is locked. To open it you need a 4-digit code. Each number increased in value from the left to right for example 1258. No two successive digits had an even difference such as 2 or 4. This means that if your first number was 2 and your second digit was 4, this couldn’t work. The sum of all four digits was 22. There is no 0 in the combination. After all these clues, you are left with a couple of options, the numerically lowest of them all is the correct code. Hopefully, you wrote down all of those clues. Also, disclaimer, if you get it, I am not giving you 1 million dollars; I barely have 20 dollars in my bank account. That was just for the sake of the riddle. Keep your gears turning. I love you guys so so much. Thank you to all of you guys who kept making comments. You guys are so amazing. I loved seeing your thoughts and ideas. Thank you again so so much! A little hint to next episode, we will be doing something new and super exciting! This is your host Misha Ahmed of ROBOMIND signing off!
Stone Soup Magazine for young readers, writers, and artists
15 Years Later, The Risks of Training Orcas Remain
In 2010, there was a tragic accident at the SeaWorld in Orlando. For many years, aquariums have kept killer whales, or orcas, captive for entertainment, and bred them for many generations. They took them from the water, separated them from their pod and family, and kept them in captivity until they died. This is a poor choice for aquariums looking for entertainment, since orcas are at the top of the ocean food chain. A 40-year-old trainer, Dawn, was the star at SeaWorld. She took care of a 5-ton orca, Tilikum. Big animals never do well in captivity, and they tend to strike back. Tilikum killed two other people before Dawn, a trainer and a homeless man. Dawn knew that what she did was dangerous, but she never thought that something bad would happen to her. At a show in SeaWorld, Dawn laid down next to Tilikum on a shallow part of the tank. According to further evidence, Dawn’s ponytail got wedged into Tilikum’s mouth. Acting on pure instinct, Tilikum pulled Dawn into the water. Orcas are known to play with their food before they kill and eat them, which is exactly what happened. Dawn was not only drowned, but her left arm was torn from its socket. Dawn was also scalped, with her hair and skin found at the bottom of the pool. Horrifically, her spinal cord was severed, and she also suffered from broken ribs and a broken jaw; a post-mortem revealed she died from both drowning and blunt force injury. Dawn’s death sparked some changes. There was a documentary made about the orca entertainment program at SeaWorld, called Blackfish, that raised attention to Dawn’s death and the mistreatment of orcas in captivity. There was also a lawsuit and government investigation into SeaWorld’s practices. As a result, SeaWorld has now stopped its orca breeding program. However, SeaWorld could not release its remaining four orcas because they lived their whole lives in captivity, and it would be cruel to put them back into the ocean. So, these orcas continue to perform, although they are given more flexibility in current shows. For example, if they don’t want to come out, they are not forced to, and they get fish as treats no matter if they perform tricks or not. When these four orcas die of natural causes, SeaWorld does not plan to obtain any more orcas. I think that this episode proves a point for marine biology, which is that, if we had not held animals captive to perform tricks, the tragedy could have been avoided. However, we can make change out of tragedy, like stopping animals from being held to perform tricks.
Visiting Malaysia with Elaine Elizabeth Jinto
Hello everyone! Welcome back to Scribbler’s Blogs. Last time I told you all about De Nang, Vietnam. Today, I am going to tell you about Kuala Lumpur City in Malaysia. Before I begin, let me give you some of the general information about Malaysia. The capital of Malaysia is the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur. The main languages spoken there are Malay and English. Malaysia is most famous for the Petronas Twin Towers, which are the tallest twin towers in the world. Nasi Lemak is their most popular dish. Malaysia is mostly filled with skyscrapers, but there are many hidden spots, where nature is at its best (Langkawi beach for example). Before I reached Kuala Lumpur, I did a lot of research on the plane like I always do. I was extremely sorry at that point of time when I realized that it was mostly filled with towers reaching for the sky. I am the kind of person who enjoys crumbling monuments, beautiful beaches, and wonderful views. But something made me change my mind. A thing that made me feel that Kuala Lumpur is a place that is worth sharing with you all. So, I will tell you all about it. Let me start with the main places you can visit. Kuala Lumpur City Centre KLCC, also known as the city inside a city, is the heart of Kuala Lumpur. Towering skyscrapers, huge malls, giant man-made structures this place is a testimony of how far humanity can reach. The most famous buildings here are, of course, the Petronas Twin Towers. The tallest twin towers on Earth. Awe-inspiring indeed. The towers were built by the revolutionary oil company Petronas, as their international headquarters. They are 1483 feet (above street level) tall, and have 88 stories, a pinnacle, and spire of 242 feet. There is also a double-decker sky bridge that connects the two towers. It is located on the 41st and 42nd floor. The towers were constructed mainly with reinforced concrete, glass and steel, with many Islamic motifs. There is an observation floor, with plenty of models of KLCC, and telescopes with which you can see a lot of the city, and a floor with a gift shop, café, and screens with plenty of information. At the ticket counter, there are online games, information, and quizzes for visitors. I really enjoyed using the telescopes, seeing all the models, and seeing the collection of photos from the history of the towers. What I liked the most was that with two identical towers, covered in glass, in the pouring rain, the spectacle almost looked like an illusion! There is also a mall in KLCC, called Suria through which you can enter the twin towers. It was a really big mall, with plenty of international brands, and restaurants of many cuisines. (I got Indian food there. It was a delight after many days of food from Thailand and Vietnam.) There is also a Science Centre at the top of the mall called Petrosains, which my science-loving brother and I enjoyed. The best part of the Science Centre was the recreation of an oil mining station, in the middle of the ocean. The KLCC park is also really nice. Putrajaya The area where all of the important buildings of the government is located. The buildings and the palace are really beautiful. (I could only see it from afar, as we were in a hurry for our flight.) IOI Resort City Located in Putrajaya, this city has many hotels, resorts, a golf club, and the biggest mall in Malaysia. You could get possibly anything you want there. My brother got a cool new Lego set (we could not find it India), and I got a really bendy and twisty Jibitz for my collection. The mall was very crowded on that particularly hot day. Apparently, people flock to the air-conditioned mall when the heat is unbearable! Now perhaps you will be thinking that Kuala Lumpur is just a city filled with towers and malls. I thought so too. Until… The Kopidulu Experience This was like a traditional, Malaysian tea party hosted by the resort we stayed in. There was traditional Malaysian coffee and snacks, which was really tasty! Forgive me, for I do not remember the names of the dishes they served. Anyway, after the food, we got to try traditional Malaysian games like Congkak and their form of checkers. There were also many beautiful Malaysian clothes and accessories donned by the ladies, who taught us the games. Along with all this, we got to learn about the Wau Bulan, which is a traditional kite shaped like a half-moon. It was really nice to see the fine blend of cultures of various parts of the country. After the Kopidulu experience, I realized that Malaysia was not filled with just modern buildings, but also had many amazing traditions, crafts, and delicacies, all hidden by the mighty skyscrapers of the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur. Because we were only there for 2 days, I could not explore more of the hidden Malaysia. I hope that one day I can go again, to see all that I missed, and I hope you would join too. This is Scribbler signing off. See you next in the Land of the Thai people.
