Goodbye Blogger

This post represents my last blog post on BenjaBlog. I will use this blog no longer, but henceforth I will post on my new WordPress blog, which is called Ziphen Central. This blog will still remain for the archives, but let it be known that it shall no longer be updated.

Check out my new blog!

ziphen.benjaminbruce.com

Presidential Signature

The other day as we were digging through a box of papers and objects pertaining to my early childhood, we came across this baseball ticket. We all knew it existed before we found it, but its whereabouts had been unknown for a while, and I was excited to rediscover it.

My dad told me that I probably wasn't at the Rangers game (I was only a year old), but he got these two signatures while there. The one, of course, is that of our current President and former Governor, George W. Bush. The other is from someone who has since been forgotten; some TV announcer or something.

And why was Mr. Bush at a Rangers game in 1991? Why, he was part owner of the team then, back before the Ballpark was built and they played in Arlington Stadium. Apparently he had the best seat in the stadium, but even so, my dad said he was probably more excited about getting the other person's autograph than Mr. Bush's!

The rest, of course, is history. In 1994 he was elected Governor of Texas, and in 2000 he was elected President. I can't help but think he's probably gotten a few gray hairs since he had such a laid-back job as General Partner for the Rangers, since he's had a particularly tough time being President (a bit more than he bargained for, I guess you could say). I'm sure he's looking forward to retiring!

By the way, I was quite glad to find out that the Rangers won that night (amazing what you can find on the internet). Also, you may be interested in comparing this autograph to another, which he signed as President. Just think! This ticket might be valuable!

Virtual candy

Ah, the virtues of virtual candy hearts! They won't rot your teeth out, and they're free! Plus, when was the last time you saw one with Latin printed on it?

However, if you're like me you still prefer the real thing (never mind the part about rotting your teeth out). If so, my counsel to you is that you either go to the store tomorrow or the next day, since all the Valentine candy will be on sale then.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Wow! Look at that!

We were in the cafeteria visiting at Freed-Hardeman University in Tennessee, when we spotted a very unusual sight. It was an 18-wheeler truck, hauling a flatbed trailer full of logs—big long logs! Of course it was just a logging truck passing through Henderson, a common sight there, but it was so foreign to us Texans because the only trees in Texas big enough for logging are in east Texas, and we don't even go there very often.

On our trek throughout the southern states, we saw a few more logging trucks, and even some lumberyards. This was just one thing that makes Texas different from the rest of the south. It seems that as you travel east from where we live, the trees get taller and taller, especially when you cross the Mississippi. We were constantly amazed by the great height of the trees in Tennessee and North Carolina.

Another thing that makes Texas unique (or makes everywhere else unique; it depends on your perspective) is the meaning of the word "barbecue". Mention this in Texas and people will get visions of brisket and chopped beef sandwiches, slathered with barbecue sauce. However, we have discovered that back east, barbecue is a whole 'nother deal. Sure, it has barbecue sauce, but they put it on pork! Can you imagine that?

College already?

No, I didn't wake up this morning and realize that I had become Rip Van Winkle and missed two years of high school. Rest assured that I'm still a junior, it's just that this semester I'm taking a couple of online classes at Weatherford College as "double enrollment." They tell me that this means I'll get credit for both college and high school from these classes.

Being my first college classes, I figured it would be best to take a class on something I enjoy, so I chose Web Programming. Basically in this class I'll be learning how to make a webpage from scratch, starting from a blank text document and working from there (yes, with notepad!).

I'm also taking a database class for Microsoft Access this semester, so that I'll be able to take the advanced web programming class in the spring. Not quite as thrilling as HTML, but good to know for MySQL (the type of databases used with websites).
So there you have it—I'm an official student of Weatherford College. I even got my very own students.wc.edu e-mail address! How cool. And I don't even have to go to the college since my classrooms are online.

Sympathy to Pluto

The votes have been cast. It's now official. Pluto, our dearly beloved and most favourite object in the Solar System is no longer a planet.

Just this week, the International Astronomical Union met in the Czech Republic to discuss various issues surrounding the proper definition of a planet. I'm sure they didn't really mean to pick on Pluto. Some people, in fact, thought that the astronomers would end up admitting three new celestial bodies to the Solar System. However, by the end of the meeting it was clear that they had gone to the opposite extreme, giving Pluto the diminutive title of "dwarf planet".

Since its discovery in 1930, Pluto has been held in fascination. Not only was it the smallest planet, but it was also the farthest away from the sun (whenever Neptune wasn't occupying that position). So why, after 76 years, have they decided that Pluto isn't a planet? Basically the fault lies in its orbit. It overlaps with that of Neptune, so according to the brand-new definition, Pluto is not a planet.

This raises a serious question, however. Were we mistaken all these years when we thought Pluto was a planet? Has it been a "dwarf planet" all along, and we just didn't know it? I would like to submit to you that this case only shows more clearly the fallibility and imperfection of human science and reasoning. Can we truly vote to assign more precise meanings to the words of our languages?

Language, in its transfer of meaning, is naturally imperfect. Just because I say something doesn't mean you're going to "get it", or receive the same thought that I meant to convey. Likewise, the semantics of the words we use belong to each individual. My point is this: language is a part of each and every human being on this earth, and each of us has a choice of what meaning we give our words. If someone had said something to you about Pluto a few months ago, what would have come to mind? The smallest planet, of course. And what if someone mentions it today? That's up to you. This is the same principle as when they officially changed the name of the Texas Rangers' stadium from "The Ballpark in Arlington" to "Ameriquest Field". But unfortunately for the mortgage company, I'm not official, I will always continue to call it the Ballpark. And to all ye astronomers, let it be known that I, as a free-thinking human being, will always refer to Pluto as a planet, though the whole world may say otherwise.

To return to the main subject, it is clear that most people have already decided to go along with the new decision and call Pluto a "dwarf planet". What I have to say is this: you don't have to! If you would like to join me in calling Pluto the smallest planet for as long as this Universe remains, please do. Thankfully there are other folks out there who share my view on this matter, but as with all other issues, there is also an opposite side present. Go Pluto!

I feel like a fool

Perhaps I should clarify myself. A couple of days ago, my wisdom teeth were taken out. Thus, I have now lost my wisdom and am a fool. Oh wait... that's just in some ancient Krotelmian legend, isn't it?

Anyway, although I feel none the less wiser than before, my mouth is swollen up and feels quite odd. However, I am immensly pleased at one thing, to wit, that I did not have to be present when they took the teeth out. That's right—they put me to sleep and I don't remember a thing. Even when I woke up I was still partially zonked out, and I don't remember anything clearly until I was at home in the recliner with gauze in my mouth.

I was disappointed, however, that they did not give the teeth back after they removed them (or "yanked 'em" as my friend Keegan would say). What a nice keepsake that would have been...

One piece of information that I wished to obtain is the etymology of the term "wisdom teeth". Did some ancients believe that their wisdom lied in the back of their mouth? Probably not. According to Wikipedia, the term was most likely derived from the fact that they appear in one's mouth long after all the other teeth, at which time you should be wiser than you were as a child. This seems a bit far-fetched to me, but who knows. Maybe even the Krotelmians were right!

Essay for COMPASS

Yesterday I went to Weatherford College to take a test, the COMPASS test to be precise. This fall I am planning to take a couple of classes there for double-enrollment, and in order to do this I had to take this test. If I were in public school there would have been no need for it, since I would have already taken the TAKS test several times. However, seeing as how I'm homeschooled, I was behooved to take a test to prove my knowledge. I could've taken the THEA test, which is similar, but we opted for COMPASS since it is done on a computer, which allows you to get the results immediately.

The first part of the test was reading, which was easy for me. The second part was math, which I am not that good at, but I did my best. Following that was the editing section, and then a writing assignment. None of the test was timed, so I took my time, especially for the math.

I really do wish the computer would have printed out my essay, or at least e-mailed it to me (I gave the thing my e-mail address), but unfortunately it did not. If it had, I would have put it right here on my blog, but since it is now stuck in cyberspace somewhere in the Weatherford College network, I'll just have to give a summary of what it was about.

The assignment was to write a letter to a fictitious school board, which was considering a proposal to limit extracurricular activities in the fictitious school to only those students who got at least a C in their classes. It told me to take a position on the issue, and then write a letter to the school board about it. I had fun with it, and told the imaginary school board how I thought the proposal was a really great idea, and that it would encourage everyone to study more. I even told them that I would try to get my friends to support the proposal too (haha). The letter turned out to be three paragraphs long and about 360 words, just above the minimum. They gave me a 6 on the essay, which is the best score you can get, if I understand right. And how in the world did a computer grade a writing assignment? Beats me. I'm just glad it liked it!

Equilateral right triangles

I am definitely not the type of person who enjoys math, and although I can usually figure out the problems my math book throws at me, I'm not one who takes great pleasure in proving random theorems. However, once in a blue moon, (that is to say, quite infrequently), there is something which hits my mathematical funny bone and for some reason strikes me as being funny, interesting, and even intriguing. The last time this happened was when I was doing algebra, and I learned about the imaginary numbers (What's the square root of negative one? i. What is i? The square root of negative one.) Now that I'm doing geometry, something else has emerged from the pages of my math book which is quite fascinating, at least to me.

I am nearing the end of my geometry book (indeed, I have but to take the final test and I shall be finished), and the last chapter was labeled with the caliginous title "Non-Euclidean Geometries." "Non-Euclidean" was scary enough, but then to learn that there is more than one of these exotic geometries was almost too much for me to handle. But I pressed on through this foreboding chapter, and learnt about Spherical Geometry, Lobachevskian Geometry (did you know the sum of the angles of a triangle is less than 180°?), and Reimannian Geometry. The latter two of these were quite odd, for I could not visualise them, but at least I could understand Spherical Geometry. It was in the first lesson that I encountered something that actually made me laugh (quite extraordinary for a math book). There, right there on the page was a picture of an equilateral right triangle!

Now please allow me to explain. Unless you've done geometry before, this may not quite make sense, indeed, it may not even if you have taken geometry. Please bear with me, however. First of all, equilateral triangles are triangles whose sides are all the same length. Also you may know that all equilateral triangles happen to be equiangular, which simply means all its angles have the same measure. Now for the second part. Right triangles are triangles which have one right angle, right meaning that it measures 90°. Now think about it for a moment. This equilateral right triangle has one angle of 90°, and since it's also equiangular, the other two angles must be 90° as well, which is the difference between vertical and horizontal. Don't worry if you can't picture it, as in Euclidean Geometry it's impossible.

That's why it was so funny to see one in Spherical Geometry! You see, this type of geometry is done on the curved surface of a sphere (a ball) instead of a flat surface. Thus this type of triangle is entirely possible. Just so you can see what I've been talking about, I found this picture on Wikipedia which demonstrates the concept. As you can see, every one of the lines of triangle ABC is equal, and each one is 90°! Now just wait till you see the triangles in Lobachevskian geometry...

Pax Vobiscum

"'The spell lies in two words,' replied Wamba. 'Pax vobiscum will answer all queries. If you go or come, eat or drink, bless or ban, Pax vobiscum carries you through it all.'"

Thus quoth Wamba, the wise fool, to his master Cedric. Cedric, Athelstane, Rowena, Ivanhoe, and the Jew and his daughter are all being held captive in the castle of Reginald Front-de-Bœuf. Although it seems that there is no hope, the faithful fool Wamba and the swineherder, Gurth, have been able to gather a force around the castle.

The allies without send a message to the castle in the Saxon tongue, ordering them to give up the prisoners or else. In reply, Front-de-Bœuf and de Bracy send a letter written in Norman French, declaring that the prisoners were to be executed, and that they should send a priest to prepare them for death.

Although the letter is in French, there is one among the allies who can read it. Although there is a friar in their midst, of the order of St. Dunstan, they decide to send Wamba, the Jester, dressed in the guise of a friar.

Wamba knows enough Latin to get by (with plenty of Pax vobiscums), and soon is in the room of Cedric and Athelstane. Wamba at first pretends to be a friar, but soon reveals himself and his plan.

Wamba offers to let Cedric take his disguise and escape, while he remains in the castle to take his place. Cedric tries to send Athelstane instead, but Wamba eloquently explains that he would give his life only for his master, and for no one else. Thus, Cedric takes the friar's garb and Pax vobiscum, and leaves the room.

This narration was written by Benjamin Bruce as a school assignment while reading Ivanhoe, by Sir Walter Scott. "Pax vobiscum" is Latin for "peace be with you."

My definition of "weird"

weird  (wird)  adj.  Unique in a strange way

 —Benjamin Bruce

My Seventeenth Birthday

On an October morning in 1989, in Amarillo, Texas, I was born. It was my birthday, and since it was the first time I was born, it was my first birthday. Theoretically, they would have kept counting from there, but a year later, in 1990, I had another "first" birthday. Obviously it was not the first, since I had been born the year before. But, since I was then one instead of zero, they called it my first birthday.

Thus it has been ever since, and this year, on the 29th, it will be my seventeenth birthday, and I will be exactly sixteen years old. This may seem odd, but if you think about it long enough, you'll realise that I've already had sixteen birthdays (including the one I was born on), and this will be my seventeenth.

In case you doubt me, please consider the following excerpt from the dictionary, which has not been altered from its original form:

birth·day  (-dā´)  n.  1. the day of a person's birth or a thing's beginning  2. the anniversary of this day

In other words, there are two types of birthdays. One is the day on which you were born, and the other is an anniversary of that date. So, if you count both together, you get one more than is usually used.

Thus, at the end of this month, I will be sixteen on my seventeenth birthday.

The BenjaSymbol

As you came to my blog, you may have noticed a black symbol upon orange to the side, next to my name. If you know me very well, you will probably recognise this as my personal symbol, the BenjaSymbol. When asked what it meant, I replied, "It doesn't really mean anything - It just represents me." I have used this symbol for years now, to mark objects belonging to me, such as my personal pair of scissors. I have also recently begun to add it to my signature, writing it below my name.

Even if you did know about my symbol, you may be curious as to how I came up with this symbol. Is there any hidden symbolism in the BenjaSymbol?

I well remember the day I created the BenjaSymbol. For a week or two, while doing math (I was very young then), I pondered the interesting thought of drawing two sevens, inverting one, and putting them together. Up until this day, I had totally forgot about the idea - except when doing math. However, this day I did remember about my idea, and I drew a 7, then a flipped 7 on top of it. This created the basic hourglass symbol. However, it seemed a bit too plain, so I added a tilde (known to me at that time as a squiggle line, ~) to the top. I got this idea from the Spanish loanword, jalapeño, which has a tilde above the N. Then, to finish it off, I added a period. Thus, the BenjaSymbol was complete!

Ever since then, I have used it as my personal symbol. I've used it for years on documents and objects, to show that they are mine.

The Y2K Bug

On January 1st, 2000, at approximately 12:00 midnight, I walked into my dad's office at the church building and looked at the clock on the system tray of his computer. "12:00 AM," it said. I was not surprised. I figured that the Y2K bug wasn't real, and even if it was, who cares? Let's just all go out and be farmers and raise our own food! Who needs computers anyway?

Many people in the United States thought that all computers would crash on the strike of twelve that night. Who would've thought the computers could figure out on their own what came after 1999? Oh ye of little faith. Even if the PC's did goof up on the time, why would that kill the computers?

There was one program on our computer that got confused, showing the year as something like "19100." However, the game still worked perfectly!

Although for many, the "Y2K Bug" was a computer disease, for me, it is something different. Sadly, at the stroke of twelve, when 1999 changed to 2000, many people truly believed that they were entering a new millennium. What a lack of knowledge! Don't you know the new millennium began in 2001? But when were the "millennium celebrations" held? In 2000. At least the argument did come up at one point—but did anyone believe? Not many. In case you are one of those poor souls who thought the new millennium started in 2000, please consider the following evidence:

When did we start counting the years with AD (anno domini)? Year 1, of course. A thousand years later, it was year 1000. When did the second millennium start? Well, 1000 was the last year of the first millennium, so 1001 was the first year of the second millennium. Now let's go forward 1,000 years. 1001 was the first year, so bring it 999 years more to make it a thousand. Now what do you get? 2000! Year 2000 was the last year of the second millennium. Thus, the third millennium started with year 2001!

Do you believe me yet? If you didn't get that the first time, please feel free to read it again. I hope you realize now that so many people were mistaken when they thought the new millennium and the 21st century came on New Year's Day 2000.

If you want to e-mail this to your friends, click the envelope below!

Welcome to my blog!

Welcome to my new weblog, BenjaBlog! This is just my corner of the web to post various things I've written. I'm not sure what all I'll put on here, but it may include my opinions on various issues, essays I've written for school, and other things. I may even post an occasional story from Ra Litosha, my imaginary world. I'll try to post something on here sooner or later, so check back sooner or later!