Rubik's Speed Cube Pro Pack

"Hey, Adi, come up here! We need to show you something!" I raced up the stairs to see what my parents had to show me. Sitting there like a brand new golden trophy, was my new Rubik’s Speed Cube Pro Pack! The Pro Pack comes with a lot of cool tools. There are multiple things you can do to speed up your cubing times.

The Rubik’s Speed Cube Pro Pack comes with Cube Lube. It is a silicone lubrication that you use to make your cube smoother. Here is how to lubricate the cube:

 Take off the center piece

Take apart the rest of the cube

Apply lubrication inside each cubelet

Finally, layer by layer, put the cube back together

Another thing that really helps your cubing time is to learn a different method, which is what I’m trying to do now. The first method I learnt is called the Beginner’s method where you solve the cube layer by layer. The new and faster method that I am trying to learn is called CFOP. It stands for Cross, F2L, OLL, and PLL. The Cross is when you make a cross on the first layer. F2L(First 2 Layers) is when you solve the rest of the first layer, and the second layer at the same time instead of doing it separately. This is supposed to really cut down the time. OLL(Orientation of the Last Layer) is when you make all the cubelets of the last layer face up. PLL(Permutation of the Last Layer) is when you finish solving the cube - WooHoo!!

Two other things you can do with the speed cube are "finger flicking" and "corner cutting". Instead of fully turning the cube with your hand, which takes a long time, you can simply flick the layers of the cube. Speaking of fully turning the cube, there is another method you can use to speed up your cubing times. You can also turn the cube partially, and then do the next move without it getting stuck. This is called "corner cutting".

This is a video demonstrating the above two methods:

So, using all these methods, I cut down my cubing time by a lot. 

Since I am still learning CFOP, I am using the beginner method in the video below. The speed times have improved based on just the lubrication, finger flicking, and corner cutting! Using the regular cube, my time was 1 minute and 40 seconds. Using the speed cube, my time was 1 minute and 8 seconds.

This is a video of me solving my speed cube:

I had a lot of fun playing around with the speed cube! So, the speed cube is allowed at all times to speed down My Cool Lane. (Hahahahaha! Pun intended!:)

Roller Coaster at Bowcraft Amusement Park

I visited Bowcraft Amusement Park recently. It is meant for little kids, or kids who do not like excessively fast or long roller coasters (like my sister or I).

When you think of amusement parks, what do you think of? Exactly: Roller Coasters! Those wild and exhilarating rides! But the most interesting part is to see how exactly do they work.

Most people think that a roller coaster is powered throughout the whole ride. I thought so too. However I learnt that it is not true for typical roller coasters. The ride is only powered going up that first hill. Did you ever notice the chain that is pulling it up and disappears when it goes back down? While going uphill, you gain potential energy. Potential energy is when energy is stored in an object and the amount of energy depends on how high the object is and its mass. It's the same idea with dropping a ball. If you drop it from higher, it will fall faster, as opposed to dropping from lower. So, when the roller coaster goes up, it's building that potential energy. 

When the coaster goes up, it builds potential energy, so that it goes faster downhill.

Then, when it goes back down, the chain disappears. Remember all that potential energy the roller coaster built up? Well, all that turns into kinetic energy. Kinetic energy is the energy of motion. When you raise a ball to drop, it gathers potential energy. When you drop it, the potential energy converts to kinetic energy. So, the more potential energy there is, the more kinetic energy there will be. 

When you reach the peak in a roller coaster, potential energy is converted to
kinetic energy, which carries you through the rest of the ride.

But that's not the end of the ride! When the next hill comes, all the kinetic energy you gained from going down the first hill, is converted back into potential energy as you go up the second hill. That hill has to be lower, because some of the energy is lost to friction, which is the force when two or more objects rub against each other, and that slows you down.

So, the next time you go on a roller coaster, keep a watch on the chain that is pulling you up, and that the higher the hill, the faster you go while coming down!

I really liked researching about roller coasters, and how they go so fast, so roller coasters can definitely ride up and down My Cool Lane!

D & R Canal Field Trip

The D&R Canal

I made a website using HTML, for a school project. Since Blogger allows you to use HTML to make a blog post, I decided to bring my school project site here! Our teacher, Mrs. Fleming, got a grant from the Inspire Grant program so that we could learn about the D&R Canal. We went on a lot of extra field trips to get some primary sources.

Overview

So, what is the D&R Canal? Well, for starters, what is a canal? A canal is an artificial waterway made so that boats or ships can go inland. They are also made to convey water for irrigation. Okay, we got that down. Now, what does the D and the R stand for? The "D" stands for Delaware or Delaware River. The "R" stands for Raritan or Raritan River.

The canal connects the Delaware and the Raritan River. Like all canals, it is manmade. Locks were used to overcome elevation problems. They added water or removed water so that the boats floated up or down.

There did have a small problem, though. They didn't know what to build the canal on. They couldn't use cement, because it was too expensive to use. They couldn't build it straight on land, because the water might have leaked through the ground. So what did they do? They built the canal on clay. The lock, however, is made out of stone. In 1932, the Delaware and Raritan canal closed and boats don't use it anymore. They reopened the canal as a state park.

The Tools They Used

Imagine this! We live in the 21^st century. Now, if we had to build a canal, all we would have to do is take machines or robots to do the digging for us. But, the people who built the D&R Canal lived in the 18^th to 19^th century. They didn't have the technology of today. They did everything by hand! Thankfully, they did have a number of tools. Even then, imagine digging 66 miles with simple hand tools! They had:

Shovels
Picks
Axes
Nails
Adjustable wrench
Chisels
Sledgehammers

So, how do scientists know all this? Well, first of all, there are people who grew up with the building around them. So they remember all the things that happened. Also, they used archaeology, which is when archaeologists dig up things that were left behind from past events. The archaeologists found parts of shovels, axes, and nails.

Fun Facts

The whole canal is 66 miles long, from the Delaware River to the Raritan River.

There are over 160 species of birds residing in the canal state park.


Now that the canal is closed, but reopened as a state park, the towpath(Mules used to walk on both sides of the river, to pull the boat along.) is a great place for jogging, hiking, biking, and horse riding. In the canal, people also fish and row.



This is one side of the towpath.
The canal was used for about 100 years.


Canals aren't cheap! The D&R Canal had an estimated cost of $2,830,000.

One Dish Cuisine

When children are little, they are always taught the basic safety rules. Don’t talk to strangers, don't get in people's car, look both ways before you cross the street, and stay close in crowded places. That's basically it. But, for my sister Shreya, we have another rule added to her list and it is essential that she follows it to a T: Don't eat anything that your mom hasn't approved. Why is this so? Shreya has food allergies. This means that if she eats certain things, such as Peanuts, Milk, Eggs, or Nuts, she can have mild to extremely severe reactions. Her mouth might start hurting, she might get hives, or she may have trouble breathing and have to be taken to the ER. And it's not only her. According to FARE, "Researchers estimate that up to 15 million Americans have food allergies." Also, "This potentially deadly disease affects 1 in every 13 children (under 18 years of age) in the U.S. That’s roughly two in every classroom." Because of this difficulty, she brings her food with her whenever she goes to restaurants with us, or when she goes to parties. She cannot eat out!

This was about to change. 

One weekend, we were visiting Gettysburg, PA. My mom decided that since a special restaurant, One Dish Cuisine, was only an hour and a half away in Maryland, we should go and try it. During the car ride, my sister got upset because it was a long drive just for a restaurant. She didn't realize that it was a restaurant where she could eat, but more on that later. Once we got there, Shreya was even more disheartened that the sign said, "Outside Food Is Not Allowed". She could not bring her food. She thought that she would have to wait while the rest of us ate. Once we went inside, people were bustling around and the whole place radiated energy and excitement. What my sister didn't realize though, is that this was a restaurant where she could go to eat, and finally have the sensation of ordering her food and watching it being brought to her at the table. We took Shreya to the menu on the wall and asked her what she wanted to eat. We had to say that to her a couple of times before it dawned on her that she could eat food from a real restaurant kitchen. Once it sank in, she was thrilled and could not wipe the smile off of her face. 

What I really liked about this restaurant is that they are so concerned and careful about food allergies. This is no surprise, seeing as the owner herself, Ms. Maureen, has food allergies, Celiac, and a lot of other food sensitivities. When we were ordering our food, she told us exactly how her restaurant works. The whole restaurant was free of gluten (wheat), eggs, nuts, peanuts, and sesame. There were 2 separate kitchen lines, for separate groups of food allergies. The Blue Kitchen Line did not have any dairy products either along with the ones mentioned above so it worked perfectly for Shreya. The Green Kitchen Line did have dairy so the rest of us were going to order from there. The dairy was kept in a different line so that if you had milk allergies, your food wouldn't be contaminated. Then, to further prevent the risk of contamination and confusion, the food was also brought out on blue or green trays. For example, Shreya ate from the Blue tray, but I ate from the Green tray. If you have any other allergies that are not mentioned above, you can tell Ms. Maureen and she will make sure your food is safe and allergen free.

Even though the food was gluten, egg and nut free, it didn't taste any different from the food that we normally eat at other restaurants. I ate a grilled cheese sandwich, my parents ate burgers, and my sister went a little overboard. She ordered spaghetti, fries, and garlic bread. Hey, it was her once-in-a-lifetime chance! When Ms. Maureen came to our table to ask Shreya how the food was, she said it was better than mom’s food. Normally, my mom would have been offended, but not today! It was such a special day for all of us, she felt like she was the happiest lady on the planet!

All in all, I think that My Cool Lane should have a One Dish Cuisine, and every cool lane should have one too!

If you are hungry for One Dish Cuisine, please go to:

8001 Hillsborough Rd (Taylor Village Center)

Ellicott City, MD 21043

443-759-6344

My Side of The Mountain

Title: My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George

Why Did I Start to Read This Book?  Before my post about India, I was writing about books that Mrs. Fleming let me borrow to read. I finished the first set. This is one of books from the next set that my teacher gave me.

What is it About? It is about a boy named Sam Gribley. He lives in New York City with his huge family and it was very crowded in his house. He really detests living so uncomfortably. He says that he will run away to the mountains. Everybody laughs at him. He packs his bag with only a penknife, a ball of cord, an ax, $40, and some flint and steel to make a fire, and then he takes a train. Once he reaches the mountains, he starts to find a place to live. He finds a big and hollow tree and begins opening it with his ax. Once he makes his house inside the hollow of the tree, he starts finding food. He makes fish hooks so that he can fish. He gets fish and once he’s full, he finds a falcon that he can train to find more food for him. The rest of this story is about his life in the woods and how he manages to live on a mountain.

What Did I Like About This Book? It was written in a diary format, so it was written in a very personal way. I really liked that.

What Didn't I Like About This Book? I didn’t like the ending. Sam was writing his diary, and then he came right out and said, “And that ended it.” It was really abrupt. Instead of telling us, he should have made us feel like it was the end. 

Does This Belong On My Cool Lane Or Not? This book can go anywhere on Cool Lane except for the house marked, “ Good Endings”!

My Trip To India-2015

Last November, I went to India for two and a half weeks. This was really special for me because I got to see my grandparents again after two years! I have a lot of special memories. In this post, I will share some of my most cherished moments. Right from the start, I will say that this post is on my cool lane. 

One special thing that I did in India was meet my friend. Actually, he is my sister's friend. He used to live right here in our town, but then he moved to India. He has been in India for a year and he goes to school there. It was really nice meeting him. We played with a toy called SnapCircuits. Basically, you snap together electric pieces to make circuits. Normally, you use batteries to power the circuits, but we were (safely) experimenting with different power sources, such as soda! We also went to a place called EcoPark. It wasn't that much fun, but it's still a nice memory because I was with my friend.

Another thing that I did was go to a place called Science City. It was a really big building. There was a theater where we wore 3D glasses and watched a movie about King Tutankhamun, and how he lived and died. There was also a big dome theater. There were recliner chairs so that we could see the whole screen on top of us. That show was about adrenaline. It showed the way our bodies make adrenaline and the science behind it. There were some cool examples of when adrenaline rushes through our body. Another exhibit was about prehistoric animals. To enter, we had to walk in a dinosaur's mouth, and when the exhibit came to an end, we exited through the place where all stinky and undigested food exits. There were also a few exhibits that had illusions and hands on experiments with motion, light, and sound. One of them was a vertigo tunnel. It was a slowly spinning cylinder with a bridge going through it. I tried to walk through it without getting dizzy. Sounds easy, but it's not.

 

I did a lot of really cool things at home too!(My grandparents' home in India.) One thing we did is Rangoli. We do it during the Hindu festival of lights known as Diwali. During Diwali, we make designs using colored sand on the floor. Traditionally, we use our fingers to make the designs, but I used special molds, since my hands aren't the steadiest.

Another thing that we do at Diwali is fireworks. Sometimes there are the big cool ones, but most of the time, they are hand held sparklers. These are called phooljhadi in India. There is also fireworks called chakri. You lay it on the ground, light the fuse, and step away. In a few seconds, it spins really fast, and throws sparks everywhere. 

This is a Chakri

I also started reading books by the author, Agatha Christie. I went to my grandparents'(on my dad's side) place for a whole day. That is where I read a book by Agatha Christie for the first time called "Evil Under The Sun". I didn't think that she was very well-known. But, it turns out that she is a very famous author. I didn't like some of her books that much at first, but maybe I will like them all when I get older. In fact, my grandparents on my mom's side has her complete works. Since I didn't want to forget about Agatha Christie, I brought some of her books back to America with me.

Apart from all this, so many other little things happened that if I had to write them all, I would be here all day and this post would go on forever. For example, one day, my grandfather took me to his tennis club. It was so much fun watching him play. Also, two of my mom's friends came over and my sister and I played with their children. And last, but absolutely not the least, my grandmom cooks the best food in the entire world and she loves to feed us. Since we were on vacation, we did not bother about eating healthy or nutrition. We just ate all the yummy food she cooked for us. This whole trip was so much fun. I really hope that I can go there again very soon.

A Wrinkle In Time

 Title: A Wrinkle In Time By Madeleine L’Engle

What is it About? The main character in this book is Meg. She has a little brother. He sees things differently than Meg. They learn about three mystical creatures who travel in a strange way. They travel using what is called "tesser". This is how it works. Let’s say a very small insect walked along this line:
                               This would be a long trip. But if we folded this line, then the insect could walk to the other end without taking so much time. That is how these creatures travel. Meg’s brother gets captured by a creature called IT. Meg tries to rescue her brother from IT.

What Did I Like About This Book? I liked that this was a sci-fi book. It had aliens and different planets. It also had a little bit of science, math, and logic involved. (Like the insect example above)

What Didn't I Like About This Book? Sometimes the science became overwhelming. Also, the book was too fast-paced for me. The story went by too fast.

Does This Belong On My Cool Lane Or Not? Well, yes it sure is! But A Wrinkle In Time needs to watch out for the speed limit.