Monthly Archive for October, 2005

So we went to Ellis Island on Friday for a field trip and our class missed a whole day of school! To tell you the truth, Ellis Island was the most BORING part of the trip…

Well, the subway trip was scary. The train was SOOOO packed, I mean really, and the whole class was spread all over a bunch of different cars, and the teacher (ms. burnett, homeroom teacher) kept switching between the cars, and she was there, then she was gone, and the class was just like in packs of 4 or 5 scattered around the train. We weren’t sure what stop to get off at so every stop we stuck our head out of the subway to see if the other kids were getting off…… that was crazy.

So then we finally got off the subway at South Ferry and walked until we got to the little park that’s at the tip of Manhattan, which is where the ferry takes off from. And then we saw some people waiting on line. And then there was this tent that they were coming out of (which we later learned was for security. Then there was more of a line outside of the tent. Ok…. this was going to take a while. Then it went on even farther around a corner, around ANOTHER corner, and then a final stretch that went on for a while. Then we saw that buses were just pulling up and dropping people off onto the line! So the class got into the back of the line. We waited for about an hour before we got to security…… so I bought a hot dog and some water…. stuff like that.

Then when we FINALLY got to security we did the whole thing, just like an airport, with the thing you walk through and the thing for our bags. Also, people with Timberland and Sketchers shoes had to take them off to be searched. (I have no idea) So I walked through the thing, and waited for my backpack. They stopped the moving thing at my bag. Gulp. They kept it stopped. Now, lets get one thing straight – I did NOT intend to stab someone with those scissors. Seriously. They were in my pencil case which I brought because we needed to write something on the worksheet. But apparently they thought I intended to stab someone with them (they were blunt scissors anyway!!!) so I had to open my backpack and give it to them. And they still have them! My harmless blunt scissors have been stolen!!!!!! If for some reason my lack of scissors gets me a bad grade before I get new ones then I’m suing whoever the people are who run the ferry going to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island.

So anyway, luckily the boat was there and me and the class got on (me scissorless) and it started, and there was a consession stand there so there was lots of junkfood to eat and it was fun and all….. until the birds decided to start attacking us. Okay, maybe that’s a bit of an overexageration, and some of the kids WERE feeding the birds. But still, they started flying alongside the boat and flying over us. Everybody pulled up their hoods afraid of being….. well, you get the point. Those who didn’t have hoods just screamed. (Solon was the loudest) Okay, maybe it wasn’t that bad. But they WERE swooping very close to us, and those sea gulls were scary. Boy, I should have brought my camera.

Anyway, we got to Ellis Island without any…. accidents and did the whole thing. I have to say it was cool and all, but I had gone in 5th grade, and we only had like an hour there (not 2 1/2 hours as planned) because of the super long line and super long subway ride. So that was that and that was the most boring part of the trip, actually.

Then it came time to get back onto the 1:30 ferry. About half of the class was there to get one and 1:20, and the other half was there by 1:25. And they wouldn’t let us on. They said that there were to many of us. Ms. Burnett, well – she said something like this: “What are you talking about? The ferry we took here was 4 times as full as this one! Come one, these kids need to get home! Their parents are waiting for them!!! Just let us on, there’s room! We were here on time!” The guys in charge of the ferry just said sorry can’t do it kind of stuff and the ferry started to take off. Ms. Burnett went on: “Hey! This isn’t right! These kid have to get home! We were here on time! There’s plenty room! Don’t ignore me! You just know that I’m right and your wrong!!!!!!” So the ferry took off and Ms. Burnett turned to the class, “I want all of you who have a cell phone to call your parents and tell them you’ll be late, and that they should call the ferry service and complain! It’s unlawful what they did!” So we just sat there talking, feeding the pidgeons, eating our lunch, etc. till 2:00 when the next ferry was supposed to leave. Marlin kept saying the the birds “Take me to your leader” and the birds opened there little disgusting mouths, and it was all red and they looked like they might bite him.

Then someone’s cell phone rings. “Hey – Ms. Burnett, Felix and Lizzie were on that ferry!” Ms. Burnett takes the phone and give Felix and Lizzie directions about how to not talk to anyone and sit on a bench and WAIT FOR THEM and dont’ do anything.

So the ferry came, no accidents happened including birds, Felix and Lizzie were sitting on the bench waiting for the ferry, and the train was pretty much empty on the way back, so we all could fit in one car on the way back. We got off the subway just as kids from school were gettting on to go home, so overall we weren’t THAT late. So, quite and exciting day, especially for missing school. But I’m not sure that I’m going to be able to write an essay about Ellis Island because it really was pretty boring compared to Ms. Burnett screaming.

This was actually created for Netsua, but I thought that I’d post it anyway:

What’s your name?
Well, for one thing my name is Austen S. No, I’m not going to tell you my last name because you could be a hacker, and you could find my social security number, pretend to be me, hack into this website and completely mess up my life.

What’s your FULL name?
I already told you that I’m not telling you. Why are you people so persistent? Just leave me alone.

Why did you make this website?
As I said on the main page, I made it so I could show the world my photography, filmaking, computer, and just plain funny talents. READ THE WHOLE SITE!

What’s your favorite movie?
Definitely not Star Wars…. Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith was probably the most awesome and just plain cool movie ever!!! I don’t care if you don’t agree with me!!! I don’t care if you think I’m a Star Wars geek and that I don’t have a life!!!

Good point, you don’t have a life
Oh yeah – it’s not like you have a life – you sit saying people are stupid all day!

What’s wrong with that? People ARE stupid.
Yeah, but you even think that the people who didn’t vote for Bush are stupid!

Okay, forget that. Which do you prefer, Macs or PCs?
God, I HATE that question. I think Macs are cool – the newer ones have nice designs. NO I don’t have one, I have a Windows XP, and if you want to buy me a new computer that’s a Mac, then go ahead, but I don’t need one, PCs are fine.

You didn’t answer my question.
To tell you the truth, I don’t care.

I can’t believe you DON’T HAVE A MAC!!! Next you’re going to tell me that you don’t even have an iPod!
Um…. sorry dude, not yet, though my birthday is in two days, and that Nano looks pretty nice.

YOU DON’T HAVE AN IPOD??? What DO you spend your money on?
Um…… Well, I sometimes get a pack of Skittles after school when I’m waiting for the bus, and I buy songs on iTunes sometimes…

Wait – let me get this straight, you have iTunes, but not an iPod???
Um, yeah. Is something wrong with that?

ITUNES WAS CREATED FOR THE IPOD!!!
So? Rubberbands were created for keeping things together. I use them for flicking bullies in the nose.

How old ARE you anyway?
I’m 13. And how old are you? 6?

Just add on about 10 years.
So, you’re 3 years older than me. I’ll live 3 years longer than you, which means 3 more years of technolodgy and cool stuff. (That is, if Osama and his friends don’t drop a bomb on NYC and miscalculate so that they blow up the entire world by then.)

Actually, 3 years is so small it won’t make a diff-
SHUT UP!!!! I hear that enough from my parents! Now, do you have any other RELEVANT questions to ask me?

Yeah, what’s your report card average?
90.5 for your info…. oh, and it’s an honors program that I go to, by the way. Where do you go? School of the Idiots?

Actually, it’s the “School of Idiotic People”
Um….. okay…. SECURITY!!!! SECURITY!!! Get this Idiotic Person outa here.

You can’t drag me out, it’s cyberspace!
Oh, you just wait…… I have my ways…..

THE END

I just finished adding them.

Um… yeah that’s all. bye. (for now… sorry but I’m busy!)

For our (That’s Aaron too) first episode of The Teen Tech Buzz Podcast we interviewed Cyrus Farivar who’s the assitant editor of Macworld Magazine and who does most of the internet stuff. Lots of fun. You can download the episode here. He wrote an article about podcasting on MacWorld.com and here’s the last paragraph:

This weekend I was interviewed for a new podcast called the Teen Tech Buzz, produced by a couple of 13-year-olds from New York City. They produced a trailer with GarageBand and quickly set up their accompanying blog and RSS feed very easily. Will they become the next Dawn and Drew? Who knows, but they’re having fun, and that’s all that really matters.

Read to full article here.
Yipee!!! Publicity….. MONEY….. FAME…… COOL STUFF…… okay, maybe that’s a bit overboard but I’m glad that he mentioned us.

And one note: Aaron actually edited the trailer (and first episode) in GarageBand, not me. Just gotta give credit where it’s due.