Editor’s Note: The Plaid Line publishes editorials that contain opinions that are those of the student authors. They do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of the the Plaid Line, HPSH, or its staff.
Webster’s dictionary defines senoritis as: an ebbing of motivation and effort by school seniors as evidenced by tardiness, absences, and lower grades. Senioritis is very real and affects at least one student at Highland Park Senior High annually. We chose to follow one such student around for a day and dive deep into the psyche of a slacker.
In order to minimize the time spent in school, this particular student has opted in for a late start. This option, as well as early release, are only available as an option for seniors.
Not only has he obtained a late start, he has managed to fit his class schedule into working for a double late start. This is a remarkable feat of laziness, and it should be appreciated largely because this is a decision that the counselors usually try to steer you away from taking. Somehow, the student we followed managed to convince the counselors to allow him to take this unique opportunity, although we have no clue how (potentially bribery?).
As the writers of this article are also seniors, we also want to note that the current Late Start/Early Release form only includes Period A1, B1, A4, and B4. So, this particular student took the time and energy to talk to the counselors about a course selection alteration to make his schedule easier for his last semester of high school.
After sleeping in well after 10am, this student arrives for his first class, which is Honors Band. This student plays the trumpet. They had a special guest give them a lesson. When interviewing this particular student about his thoughts and feelings about band class, he replied “Uh yeah… we suck.”
After his first class of the day, the student has first lunch. He opts to pack and bring lunch from home. His meal includes a singular slice of ham on two pieces of white bread. No cheese. Just ham. He also packed a brown, sad looking, once-green pear. Personally, I would have not touched that pear with a 10-foot stick. He then moves onto the next part of his meal. He has packed two protein bars. He ended up dropping one on the bacteria filled high school cafeteria table and still proceeded to eat it. What a way to support the elimination of food waste. Kudos to such an environmentally sustainable move!
When interviewed, this student said, “I enjoy lunch because I get to refuel my body for my last class of the day.” Such great words to hear if you are his Chinese teacher!
His last class of the day is IB Chinese. But wait! First, he needs to head to the CCRC (College and Career Readiness Center) to print out his almost late IB Physics IA. This is quite an important assignment, for those who don’t know, IA stands for Internal Assessment. We take a nice walking trip around the first floor, and as we get to the CCRC, he notices the red sign on the door noting that they are closed for advisory. He exclaims “!@#%! Hopefully the library is open?” I don’t say anything and let him ponder about his struggles. As a senior, it is surprising he doesn’t know how the school operates.
We make it to the library and log in on the slow computers. He struggles with getting to Google Docs, so I have to step in and help him navigate. After around 15 minutes in the library, he has his 4 page Physics IA. He quickly runs up to the third floor, only to find that Mrs. Hedwall’s door is closed. He knocks, and interrupts a class of juniors. The class is dead silent as he walks in and awkwardly hands his fresh off the printer IA. But, he’s managed to do the hardest thing of the day, getting his Physics IA in.
Our student walks in late, but the teacher does not seem to care. When prompted by the reporter about his tardiness, the student replied “I don’t care.” His class is preparing for the IB Chinese exams. His class was rowdy and energetic, but ultimately focused. Our student talks in Chinese sentences about the family in a picture, showing off his multilingual abilities.
Our subject is not perfect, however. The teacher asks him a question and he struggles to answer for a second before replying in Chinese. This response is met with laughter, though this humble reporter is not fluent in the language and thus does not understand the joke he made. At the end of the class, our student asks for clarification on the homework. His teacher makes a joke about how he wants to do two assignments instead of one.
The day ends, and our student is ready to go home after a long, tiring day at school. One of our reporters asked him about the latest history assignment on WWII, and our student revealed himself to be pro nuclear bombs. What an awesome day at school!
It should be noted that this article is 2 weeks late, showing that senoritis truly affects everyone.
It’s been almost ten years since Jeff Bezos announced Amazon’s drone delivery program, but we still haven’t seen any sign of commercial delivery to homes. In fact, Amazon has only made 10 successful deliveries between the two states of Texas and California. Now, why is that number so low and where are our drones?
Now, Amazon isn’t trying to at all hide their underperformance as Amazon spokesperson Maria Boschetti doesn’t deny any of the numbers brought to her in an email from The Verge. But those numbers aren’t completely Amazon’s fault as there is a bigger factor in play than just Amazon, it’s also the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) stating to Amazon that the pilots cannot fly over roads without a pilot or a third party present. That means that the unmanned drones need to be supervised if the drone were to go over any type of road which brings a bigger challenge to the future of drone delivery.
But, this all seems odd right? I mean, we are again almost ten years from the first announcement of the program and now we are still trying to cross the street? The very future of air delivery is being held up by the laws of the roads.
It feels as though the battle between the FAA and Amazon is going at a snail’s pace. In fact, Amazon just last November, got the green light to fly its drones outside of sparsely populated areas. The drones couldn’t fly within one-hundred feet of buildings, and the requirement of drone pilots being required to have a piloting license to fly a plane, just so they can fly a drone, has completely hindered Amazon’s pilot count. Which hurts a lot when you need more than six pilots to fly just one drone.
But these training wheels the FAA put on Amazon might not be completely a bad thing, as of February 1st, there have been five drone crashes on Amazon testing sites. One of these crashes caused a twenty-five acre forest fire on the site.
But Amazon isn’t backing down from the fight whatsoever, they are pushing the FAA every day to get their drones up in the sky and deliver packages to your doorstep. As of the start of February, the FAA had approved more flight areas in Texas and California.
So, as to answer the question on where are our drones? Well, they are being held up by air laws but I still believe that we should see them in the coming years.
Artificial intelligence: a concept that was previously confined to the realm of science fiction. Now, with the rise of programs like ChatGPT, it’s more of a reality than ever before. But what does it have to do with art, and the future of artists everywhere? A lot more than you’d think.
AI art generators are websites that, as their name would suggest, generate art from simple prompts. It has the user input a word or short phrase. Then, using specific algorithms, it analyzes thousands of images and takes elements from each, creating a new “original” image. This process typically lasts about 5 minutes. From broad concepts to ultra-specific characters, AI art can tackle it all. While typically better at abstract landscapes than portraits, some of these outputs are shockingly good. Now, this technology is becoming more readily available.
While AI art generators have technically been in existence for years, they have really risen in popularity recently. With social media trends using AI art generator websites like Wombo Dream and Craiyon, AI-generated art is something that is now much more in the public consciousness. According to Google Trends, interest in the phrase “ai art” significantly spiked in December. Before, it was relatively obscure. Now, it seems everyone has tried these websites themselves. However, its newfound popularity has also created a lot of controversies.
While there is something to be celebrated in this progression of technology, there is also something to be worried about. When artificial intelligence can create art in a range of styles in a very short amount of time, where does that leave humans?
Why pay a human a large sum of money for something that takes hours of hard work when you could just type what you want into a generator online and have it produced 5 minutes later? The human artists were also the ones to create the art that is being analyzed by these robots, but they are given no credit in the final product, nor are they compensated for their art being used. They are stealing from artists, jumbling their pieces together, and trying to claim that it is original.
While the technology has its flaws, often not being able to produce a normal-looking hand or face, it still is dangerous for human artists, especially when these programs improve further. These generators are stealing content and endangering the jobs of all human artists, and will continue to do as it improves its algorithmic skills.
To combat the rising popularity of AI art generators, many artists online have risen. The #NoToAI tag is full of human artists discussing these issues and boycotting the generators, asking others to do the same. By protesting these websites, there is a possibility for change.
So, if you need art and are considering using artificial intelligence, reconsider and commission a human instead.
In the spring of 1919, a group of Italian nationalists, including Benito Mussolini, burnt down the offices of a local socialist newspaper called ‘L’Avanti!’, killing four people, and halting production of the paper for several days. This was the first of many attacks on left-wing institutions from the fascist movement. This violence, often helped by colluding nationalist law enforcement, would grow the influence of paramilitary fascist groups, eventually culminating in Mussolini gaining power in 1922.
Almost exactly 100 years after the first violent rise of fascism in Italy, it’s happening again. This time, draped in the aesthetics of modern neoliberal politics, while the actual message being sent is one of nationalism and white supremacy. The current figurehead of this movement is Giorgia Meloni, and she was elected prime minister of Italy on October 22, 2022.
The party she belongs to is called Fratelli d’Italia or “The Brothers of Italy”. They are a far-right neofascist political party and by far the most extreme to govern the country since Mussolini’s dictatorship. The fact that this is Italy’s first woman prime minister is also no coincidence. Far-right movements have had a lengthy history of picking select white women as figureheads to forward patriarchal and regressive ideas through the thin veil of progress.
Aesthetics have always been intertwined with fascism and other far-right movements. Historically, as an intense focus on uniform and conveying power, strength, and purity; so much so that the wolf in sheep’s clothing approach that Meloni is using is working better than it ever should have.
In September of 2022, before Meloni was elected, Hillary Clinton was quoted as saying, “The election of the first woman prime minister in a country always represents a break with the past, and that is certainly a good thing,”. I don’t think that this means Clinton actually supports the hateful, racist, anti-immigrant politics that Meloni and her party are pushing for, but it’s this sort of attitude that dismisses the genuine harm that these ideas cause, opening the door wide open for another rise to fascism.
With Meloni’s administration already targeting journalists critical of her ideas, it seems clear that anything short of genuine condemnation simply isn’t enough.
Now I know what you’re thinking right now: “Man, I sure wonder what Minnesota’s pros and cons are?” Even though that’s a really weird thing to wonder about, you don’t need to wonder anymore because I’m here to answer that very odd and specific request.
So, you see, first thing first: you need to know about Minnesota’s weather. Just about any resident of this state will tell you about the weather. Why is that exactly? Well, that’s because the weather here is… something alright. Minnesota has very cold winters even reaching a peak of -60 degrees F on February 2nd, 1996 and the hottest Minnesota’s ever reached was 108 degrees F on July 14th, 1936. So, if you’re more into stable and consistent weather this can definitely be an issue.
A definite pro that Minnesota has is the Mall of America. The Mall of America is the single largest mall in the entirety of the United States of America. The Mall of America has more than 2,779,242 feet of retail space AND on top of that it also has 50 restaurants as well as an entire amusement park inside of it. It’s a huge tourist attraction that even gets more than twice the annual visitors as the world’s biggest amusement park (The Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World).
Another con to Minnesota is its high tax rates. Minnesota has the 6th highest income tax rates in the country and the 2nd highest corporate income tax rate in the country with 9.8%.
Despite that, another pro to Minnesota is the low unemployment rate, even setting a record in June of 2022 with an unemployment rate of 1.8% which is monumental.
So, all in all, despite Minnesota’s glaring issues from its weather to its higher tax rates, like many other states around the country, it still has many good qualities to it as well. From its low unemployment rates to having the single largest mall in the United States it is a very viable place to stay with its many activities offered all year around. So, Minnesota might be your ideal place to stick around for a while and visit, or who knows, maybe even a great place to live.
Standardized testing is a practice that has been around for many years. It was developed to test children’s understanding of subjects, and determine the level that they’re learning at. Many people question if this method of testing is accurately determining these things though.
One of the main reasons that people are against standardized testing is that all students have different ways of learning and showing their understanding. Some kids may thrive in a standardized testing environment, while others may not. The kids that don’t do as well on standardized tests, might be able to show their learning better through oral presentations, or group projects.
Standardized tests also don’t value creativity. Most questions require an answer with a certain format, and creative answers that don’t exactly follow the format may be counted wrong.
Most questions on standardized tests are multiple choice, or open-ended questions. Students may attempt to memorize certain pieces of information that they know will be on the test. After the test, it’s likely that they’ll just forget this information, and won’t actually learn the material.
Students are aware of the fact that the grade they get on this test could affect their future. To obtain a good grade, they might use answers from a friend, use the internet, and more. By doing this they aren’t actually learning the material, just like if they were to memorize it.
Another problem with standardized testing is that it doesn’t help prepare students for the future, or the real world. It is set up in an environment that you’ll rarely or never encounter in the future. In this environment, you can’t ask questions, you can’t use outside learning devices and sources, and you can’t talk with your peers.
A final con of standardized testing is the mental effect that it has of students.
Standardized testing causes a lot of stress, and some students find ways to work through this stress and anxiety, while others don’t. Too much stress can cause your body to enter fight or flight mode, and if this happens while testing, it becomes very difficult to answer higher level questions that could be on the test.
Receiving a bad grade can also affect a student’s self-esteem, and they may begin to connect the grade they receive to their self-worth.
Overall, standardized testing has many negative aspects to it that can’t be ignored.
For more information on standardized testing, feel free to check out the website below:
Prompt: photoreal robot looking over beautiful landscape with a lord of the rings style city on the side of a mountain in the distance
What is OpenAI?
Open AI is an artificial intelligence (AI) research lab created by a consortium of leading technology companies, including Tesla, Microsoft, and Alphabet’s Google. The lab was founded in December 2015, although its precursor, OpenAI LP, was established in August 2015. The main goal of OpenAI is to advance the state of artificial intelligence by researching AI safety and general artificial intelligence that benefits humanity. The research efforts focus on ensuring that AI does not take over the world, instead working to achieve a more equitable sharing of the contribution of AI strategically and broadly.
Prompt: Photoreal image of the founders of OpenAI
The formation of Open AI was prompted by a number of critical developments in the field of AI. One of the main motivations was the 2015 paper by professor Stuart Russell, titled “The Need for More Powerful AI Aligned With Human Interests and Values.” This paper made a compelling argument for the need for measures to ensure the safety of artificial intelligence, by closely monitoring and limiting its autonomy, with the authors emphasizing the importance of controlling the growth of artificial intelligence.
Another important development that led to the formation of Open AI was the ethical challenges pictured by advances in AI technologies. In April 2015, the MIT Technology Review published an article titled “The Artificial Intelligence Revolution:The Road to Super Intelligence,” which raised a number of ethical issues that needed to be addressed as the technology continued to develop.
The third factor was the abundance of hype surrounding the AI revolution. Despite the potential for significant future benefits, the exaggeration of the potential of AI risked raising public expectations and fears far out of proportion with reality. This posed the dual risk of annoying the public with premature and exaggerated reports of AI capabilities and creating a backlash against the technology that could set it back and delay the actualization of its full potential.
Open AI was created in an effort to bring together leading technology companies to address the challenges presented by advanced artificial intelligence. Its mission is to ensure the development of AI benefits humanity and to prevent any risks or harms caused by unchecked AI development. Open AI is a non-profit research lab with an open source research agenda, and hence its research is made freely available to all. By making the research available to all, Open AI has removed the traditional barriers to collaboration.
At the start of the organization, Open AI’s founders pledged $1 billion in funding from key tech players. This investment is managed by a board of directors that includes some of the most prominent thought leaders in AI—such as Tesla’s Elon Musk, Apple’s Jeff Dean, and Google’s Vint Cerf.
Since its inception, Open AI has grown exponentially, from a few core research staff to a network of more than 300 researchers working in a wide variety of areas, ranging from robotics/AI, to healthcare, to nanotech and beyond. Open AI also puts on numerous workshops and conferences to facilitate knowledge-sharing and collaboration between its researchers and the wider community.
Open AI has already established itself as one of the most innovative, impactful, and influential research labs in the world. Its mission to ensure AI safety and safety in general has resulted in a new approach to artificial intelligence development, with a focus on collaboration, sharing, and openness that is perhaps unrivaled in any other research arena. As it continues to grow and as its research continues to advance, OpenAI stands to bring immense innovation and economic benefit to humanity.
What IS AI?
Prompt: Photoreal image of a cyborg brain representing AI
At its core, AI is an umbrella term that covers a wide range of tasks and problems. The core algorithm of AI is a set of instructions, usually written in a programming language, that enables a computer system to act intelligently. This algorithm is then applied to different problems and tasks, such as task automation, game playing, data mining, language understanding, and vision capabilities.
An AI system processes data to understand its environment and then makes decisions and takes actions to accomplish a task or a goal. This process involves using algorithms that identify patterns in data, as well as machine learning which teaches the system to learn from its experience and improve performance.
AI systems are also able to reason and deduce logical conclusions from data. For example, a system may use past performance data and a set of rules to determine how best to accomplish a task or goal. This kind of reasoning may not be perfect, but it can be effective when applied to complex problems.
Ultimately, AI is designed to simulate that of the human brain when it comes to problem solving. AI is becoming increasingly sophisticated at solving problems and performing tasks that were once thought impossible. As more data becomes available, machine learning and AI will continue to improve and become more capable.
What really is ChatGPT?
Prompt: Photoreal robot waving at the camera on an alien planet
Chatbot GPT-3 (or ChatGPT) is a natural language processing (NLP) chatbot powered by the latest deep learning algorithm, GPT-3 (Generative Pre-trained Transformer), developed by OpenAI. GPT-3 is an advanced text-generating Artificial Intelligence (AI) system that uses deep learning to generate relevant and meaningful text in response to natural language input.
ChatGPT works by understanding context, which means it is capable of understanding user input and creating an appropriate response based on that input. To do this, the AI utilizes large datasets that contain the structure and context of the English language. Using these datasets, ChatGPT is able to understand nuances of language that are often missed with traditional computer algorithms. Additionally, GPT-3 has an improved ability to understand user context and generate sophisticated responses, allowing for more natural, human-like conversations.
Compared to earlier open-source chatbot systems, ChatGPT is more accurate, sophisticated, and reliable. This is because GPT-3’s text-generating algorithm is based on the same architecture used in advanced natural-language processing tasks in major technology companies. GPT-3 recognizes contextual meaning in conversations and can respond in more sophisticated and meaningful ways.
As a result, ChatGPT is becoming increasingly popular with businesses and organizations who are looking for a more efficient and reliable way to engage with customers in the form of natural language conversations.
What will the future of AI look like?
Prompt: AI being used in cybersecurity
The future of Artificial Intelligence (AI) is an exciting prospect, one which promises not only convenience and accuracy in many aspects of our lives, but also great potential for a new wave of advancements. Artificial intelligence has seen a massive boom in recent years, and its effects are quickly becoming integrated into many areas of our lives. Autonomous vehicles, personal assistants, and ‘smart’ home devices, show us that the use of AI has the potential to greatly improve our lives.
The next wave of AI technology is likely to be more widely integrated with our lives, and it’s predicted to open up possibilities for many new advancements. Key aspects of this technology are already being focused on, such as deep learning, which influences machines to mimic our own knowledge and capacity to make decisions.
It is forecast that in the near future, AI-powered machines and systems will be used in processes such as medical diagnostics, real-time decision-making, and cyber-security. Connected homes, known as the internet of things (IoT), will further develop to become an essential part of life. Smart home devices, thermostats, temperature sensors and power saving appliances will become commonplace and their operation and optimization can be handled with Artificial Intelligence.
Facial recognition technology, which was developed to monitor and protect public areas, is predicted to become more sophisticated, while also moving into arenas such as healthcare and public safety. An increased reliance on AI to handle various tasks will also create many opportunities for robots to enter our lives. Unmanned vehicles, such as drones and automated cars, will be further developed, offering convenience and accuracy.
AI is revolutionizing the way that businesses operate, and its use is expected to expand even further. Companies are already using AI to help automate tasks, guide customers through their journey, and prioritize customer service requests. It is also increasingly being used in marketing and digital advertising campaigns, to identify target audiences and help increase conversions.
In the future, AI will be an essential part of daily life, transforming aspects of our lives into a more secure, efficient, and convenient form. To ensure that the use of AI is advancing in the right direction, ethical considerations will increasingly be a factor in any developments. Risk models will be part of the use of AI, helping to identify and mitigate issues such as bias, and machines with the ability to explain their decisions are more likely to be trusted and taken as reliable.
Final thoughts
This is supposed to be the conclusion portion of the article, and usually is. However, the title of this section is kind of misleading. While this IS the closing section of the article, I can’t in good faith say that these are my final thoughts. Now usually that would mean I’ll be following up with this, but not this time. This time, my “Final thoughts” are really my first, and only thoughts. Confusing right?
See, up until the header “Final thoughts”, I, Reed Morris, have done nothing. Everything up until this point, including all text, paragraph structure, and even the images, is the completely unedited and unadulterated output of a publicly available Artificial Intelligence. By simply entering a handful of prompts (the headers of each section) into the latest version of ChatGPT-3 (Dall-E for images), I created a full, and publishing-worthy article.
How might AI affect us in MY mind?
Talking about ChatGPT to adults who were around before the idea of the internet existed is very interesting. Some compare AI directly to the splendor and excitement of the dawn of the internet age, but some simply call it magic. It is undeniable that the internet made human lives infinitely easier. We have all the world’s information at the tip of our fingers, it is just our job to organize it and turn the jumble of information into something useful.
The internet got rid of the need for us to dig through stacks and stacks of books at the library. Now, AI such as ChatGPT-3 have gotten rid of the need for us to dig through endless pages of customized search results, and instead, they organize exactly what is asked for in seconds. By simply entering a prompt into the AI’s input, you can get tailored and accurate information, as well as all of the sources it used to gather the information it gives you.
One of the best and more ethical ways that I myself use this AI day to day is by asking it for the information I want as well as the sources it used to provide that information. From there, instead of copying and pasting what it gave me, I use the sources it provides. GPT3 has access to billions of web pages, therefore making it easy to find useful information in hard to reach corners of the internet. I use it as a shovel more than I use it as a pen.
Anyways, speaking of ethics…
Let’s talk ethics
Now that the air is clear, we must talk about the ethics of this. While using AI to solve complicated problems and help push forward human discovery is most definitely necessary, using it in day to day life dips into a gray area. I don’t want to put my ideas into anyone’s mind, so I’ll just give basic factual information and you can form your own educated opinion.
AI makes our daily lives infinitely easier in a similar way to the internet.
Because the AI is designed to act like a human brain, it gathers information from billions of web pages and organizes what it finds. This means that AI written text is not recognizable through plagiarism scanning software.
Schools around the country (and I assume the world) are already blocking AI access on district devices. This is a choice that was made pretty swiftly. It’s something they seem afraid of, and don’t understand, so they decide to hide it away.
The fact that AI has been blocked on school devices creates an economic barrier. For example, I could not create this article if I used my school iPad, however, I am fortunate enough to have my own PC setup at home, allowing me to use the AI, whereas a student who is less fortunate, does not have the same access, and therefore has less of an advantage compared to me. This seems unfair.
AI is a useful tool that can make our lives easier, however, it can also make us lazy and subject to falling out of strong work habits. Think how you’d’ve written a book report before the internet. You’d have needed to read the book. Then, after the internet, you could find everything you need online. Now, that book report can be written in seconds at the push of a button (granted AI is not at the point where it can write very emotion or imagery heavy reports)
AI is here, and it’s here to stay. There is no turning back now. It will continue to grow and become more and more intelligent. Is it even worth fighting its inevitable global use?
It’s NOT going to take over the world. AIs are designed to be a tool, not a consciousness. As it is only a tool, it can only do what is asked. Nothing on its own. Until humans create true Artificial Consciousness, we have absolutely nothing to worry about.
Now that all of that information has been dumped on you, I hope you can come to your own conclusions, and act on those conclusions. I know I said I didn’t want to share my opinion, but there is one point I will be acting on. I strongly believe that while this tool can be used as a shortcut, it should be available to everyone, not just those that have access to personal devices.
All in all, AI is not a distant future. It’s here, and it’s here to stay. We just need to find a way to adapt to it and utilize it to its full potential. It is not something to be feared, it is a tool. It will teach us new things, and create new paths of discovery in tirelessly explored fields. As a wise man once said, “With great power must come great responsibility,” and that applies here. Maybe someday we’ll have something to worry about, but for now, all we need to do is explore.
Almost everyone played video games in class in 6th and 7th grade. Lately, I have been noticing that everyone has been playing video games in freshman classes. I don’t really know why, but the students are suddenly playing video games instead of paying attention in class. I mean, don’t get me wrong. I love playing a game while the classes get really slow. I will mostly just play games on my phone.
The way the students play games is usually on their phones. The most popular games are games like “Clash Royale” and “Clash of Clans”. There’s just something about these games that is more fun in class.
Another interesting thing about playing games in school is that some students have unblockers. These unblockers are coded by people and they let you go to any website even though they are blocked. Most of these unblockers are used for playing games in class. Most of the video games played in class are games like “Cookie Clicker”, “Helmetz Royale” and any IO game.
Everyone has probably played a video game in school before. In my opinion, people play video games in class because they try to compete with each other to see who’s better.
But also, these little competitions are kinda funny because at the end of the day they are meaningless. And it’s not like these people are playing these same games at home, because there are better things to do than play these small pointless online games.
But there’s just something about competing against your friends in school that is really fun. I mean me and my friends like to play a game called “Cookie Clicker” to see who can get the most cookies. Even though it’s a very pointless game, it’s still fun because of the competition.
If you want to get scientific about why people play video games in class, it is because of something called dopamine. Dopamine is a chemical that makes you feel happy and motivated. Dopamine gives you the motivation to play video games in class because it’s more fun than whatever you’re learning in class. If you want to learn more about that, you can go to thoughtfulparent.com.
In my opinion, gaming has been really boring lately. I used to wake up and be excited to play a game, but not anymore. There’s really no games to play, except for the big franchises like Call of Duty or “Fortnite” that have let us down. I think what we need is a huge game that will change the community.
Right now, you can see random trends of games going from very popular to nobody playing anymore. Games like “Split Gate”, “Fall Guys”, “Multi Versus” are all examples of games that everybody was playing but now nobody is playing. These games usually get popular from TikTok or big YouTubers. They are fun until your friends stop playing and the attention on social media goes down.
Another reason I think gaming is dying is because the big franchises are just not really trying to make their new games exciting. For example, Call of Duty now is just remaking games like “Modern Warfare”, “Warzone”, the Black Ops games, etc. All of these games are just recycled content. Back in the day, all had different content with new and exciting changes.
Probably, the biggest reason individual games are doing worse is because the big companies don’t really listen to their community. Take “Fortnite” for example. They come out with new updates almost every week; you would think the game would be really fun with that attention. The truth is, the community really hates these updates and misses the old content. The updates truly aren’t that bad until they add something that gives certain players an advantage over everybody else.
I asked some students here at Highland why they think the gaming industry is dying. One student said companies are trying to get easy money instead of investing more time into building better quality games, for example EA games have been going downhill for that reason. One student said that all the games are too similar to each other now. I completely agree with these statements. It seems like big companies are making the same games, slightly different for money.
In my opinion, the reason why gaming is dying is that companies are focused on the money. The games that are produced lately really aren’t fun because they are clones. There are also games that are known as pay to win, which means paying money gives you an advantage in the game. These types of games are perfect examples of why gaming is dying.
Intermittent fasting is the diet that revolves around controlling and restricting the times in which you eat, and the times that you fast. For example, the three most popular types of this are the 16/8 method, eat-stop-eat, and the 5:2 diet. The 16/8 method is when you fast for 16 hours, and eat for 8 hours. This eating window is usually from 12pm-8pm, with no food for the hours outside of that. The eat-stop-eat method is one of the strictest plans, which comprises of eating regularly 5 days a week, and for 2 days spaced out in the week, you don’t eat for 24-hours. The 5:2 diet is similar, but those 2 days, instead of fasting completely, you just restrict your calories for those 2 days from 500-600.
There is no doubt that women receive more societal pressure to be thin than men. That is not to say there isn’t pressures for men as well, just that women from a young age are forced to think about their weight. Women are more likely to diet and develop disordered eating habits from a young age, while also feeling dissatisfaction with their body and the desire to be thin, according to the National Library of Medicine. Most popular diets are dominated by women, so one would think that they benefit them, or at least fulfill their purpose of losing weight. However, this isn’t the case.
Intermittent fasting may benefit men, with their testosterone levels increasing, and their metabolism may even get a boost. This is more or less because in older, hunter-gatherer societies, a lack of food for men was associated with the need to go out and hunt, which to do so, you need more energy to burn. The response for women is much different.
Female bodies are much more susceptible to “starvation mode” than male bodies. When female bodies perceive that they are in a food scarcity, their responses are also hypothesized to come from the hunter-gatherer era. Contrasting to men, female bodies shut down all non-essential functions to preserve energy for their body to survive. This means metabolism slowing down, losing less fat stores, and shutting down reproductive functions, such as periods. This is almost the total opposite of the results of men.
Even short windows of fasting are enough to mess with hormone levels in the female body. Periods will slow, and eventually stop altogether, affecting a female’s fertility. This change in hormone levels affect many other bodily functions as well. Estrogen controls many things other than the menstrual cycle and ovaries. It is in your bones, and GI tract as well. Female bodies in starvation mode are more likely to develop osteoporosis, a weakening of the bones.
Like most things in the medical field, the male-body is studied more than the female body, so data and studies are lacking on the female body. The results of the studies on male bodies are not simply transferrable to the female body. These fad diets are many times not built for women, and most nutritionists recommend to sticking to nutritional food and doing what feels good for your body.
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