Penn Points Online

2010: a year for not only new beginnings, but new technologies.

Who knows, flying cars and houses that float in the sky; we may be living like the Jetsons in no time with the new upcoming technologies in the year of 2010.

New gadgets coming out for the New Year

47 inch LG 3D TV: Your average flat screen TV but with a twist

A 3D TV
Battery 3D glasses that alternate right and left lenses
Use of film over the screen instead of glasses in some cases.
42-72 inches
Already being marketed
$3,000
Project Natal: The latest gaming technology even more hands free then the Wii.
A controller-free gaming experience
Allows interaction w/ Xbox 360 by camera
Coming out 2010 holiday season
Prices undecided
Nexus 1: Just “Google” it.
Phone made by Google
Touch screen
5 mega pixel camera w/ flash
2X digital zoom
Noise cancellation
480×800 pixel screen
$529 unlocked
$179 with T-Mobile service
Verizon Wireless service is coming spring 2010`
iSlate: A small, flat device with every imaginable technology consumer use.
Made by Apple
Tablet touch screen computer
MP3 capabilities
Internet accessible
Camera
DVD player
Phone
Dictionary
7 in by 10 in
Reported to be about $1,000

With all the hussle and bussle of the new decade, students at Penn Manor are keyed up about the upcoming technologies.
Molly Principe looked over the LG 3D TV and exclaimed, “It would make you feel like you were actually there.” Principe also added that, “Project Natal would be pretty sweet. I’d play that.”
Ryan Wissler also had good feed back about Project Natal, saying that he would play because, “It’d be fun and better than the Wii.”
On the contrary, other students were not feeling as thrilled about the new items.
Eric Gerlach stated his opinion on the iSlate, “I think that it would be annoying to have a touch screen computer. I would rather have an iPhone than an iSlate.”
Despite what students think, the makers of these products are expecting to have a full sellout. Some people say the iSlate will potentially be bigger than the iPhone.

By Alex Blythe and Kim Bowman

“It’s Complicated” Movie Review

Its not often that you see a movie about women over the age of 40, let alone one that is a big a hit.

By the first week of January, the movie had made $76 million worldwide.

The movie’s cast, including Meryl Streep, Alec Baldwin, Steve Martin are funny and have great chemistry.

“Its Complicated”, released on December 25 is about a woman struggling with her relationship and feelings towards her ex-husband while also trying to run her own coffee shop, remodel her home and deal with her newly empty nest.

Not to mention the other man she has been seeing.

It all started when she went to New York with her family for her son’s college graduation. While there, she runs into her ex at a bar and the two end up spending the whole night together.

They continue their affair throughout the rest of the movie, even after she begins to date the architect she has hired to add an addition to her home.

Meryl’s character is caught between the daring adventure of having an affair with her married ex-husband and the smart, sweet architect.
The irony of a man cheating on his wife, the woman he was once cheating with and the adult humor riddled through the movie make for a hilarious film no matter what the age of the leading actors.

Although it is obviously not a “family-friendly” movie, it is definitely a must see for mature teens.

By Stephanie Carroll

Want your cell phone battery to last longer?

You go to make a phone call with your fully charged phone and minutes later… beep, beep cell phone dead. Don’t freak out. There are 10 simple things most cell phone users can do to enhance their battery’s performance to continue their talks with their lovers.

1.Turn the cell off. Obvious, right?

Turning off the power for just several minutes won’t help anything, but it will if you are not going to be able to answer or if you are going to be sleeping. You will receive all your text messages when the phone powers back up.

2. Stop searching for signals.

There will always be places where you can’t receive cell phone signals because of your location. Chances are, your cell phone won’t change its mind and you will never get signal in this location. Your cell phone will keep looking and trying to find signals which can drain a battery extremely quickly. The best thing you can do is to just turn the cell phone off or change the profile to airport mode.

3. Don’t use auto-brightness.

Yes, this is a cool feature and the quality of the screen looks incredible, but the brightness is more then necessary. Manually, put the brightness between minimum and halfway. For phones that do not have the brightness feature and have the backlight feature instead, just turn that off also because, it too, is unnecessary.

4. Try and keep the battery at room temperature.

Batteries have been proven to work longer while at room temperature. Just like you don’t like to be getting nailed by the sun with no protection, it is the same for the cell phone. Also, if the battery gets hot all the time, or gets hot when charging, it might be time for a new battery.

5. Extra features are sometimes excessive and can affect the battery.

The 3g mode can really make your phone run faster for the internet and in general, but if you’re not going to be using the internet today then turn it off. At the same time, if you’re going to be using the internet today then keep this mode on or else you will waste your battery loading new pages. Bluetooth is another thing that should practically always be turned off or set to manual. Most people don’t even know how to use this mode and should be only used for syncing devices or transferring material from one device to another.

If you have made all of these changes and haven’t noticed any type of improvement there are some other possibilities. Check on the internet for reviews on your phone to see if your model of phone just has a bad battery and it’s time to find a new phone. Another possibility is if your battery might has just been used to much and needs replaced. The average life of a cell phone battery to be consistent is around 2 years.

By Connor Rowe

More than Just a Frosty Treat

The team of six students in the Penn Manor FFA has put together a new technological display to show how milk from a cow comes to be ice cream in your freezer.

They have teamed up with Turkey Hill Dairy as their sponsor and have now built a display to show how one of the dairy’s most popular products is processed.

The team includes Cameron Long, Kaleb Long, Caleb Hess, Cade Murry, Joe Herr, and Tyler Bauman.

According to Caleb Hess the group has been working on their presentation since the end of October.

Hess said that after they were paired with Turkey Hill, they decided to design their display around ice cream because it is a major product of the dairy, it was easier and “it just made more sense.”

Hess also explained that they knew how to show the milking process and how to have the final product; the hardest part about it was that they “weren’t sure how to display the rest of the process.”

Their display starts in a small milking parlor, where they show a cardboard cow being milked, and ends in a freezer filled with empty boxes of ice cream. The team gave out cups of ice cream on Saturday as part of their presentation.

The display was entered in a competition against seven other schools. It took place at the Farm Show Complex and which has been open to the public since Saturday, January 9 and will close the following Saturday.

There will be people’s choice award, where visitors to the complex could enter ballots and pick the winner.

There will also also judges for the competition. Awards will be given Saturday and teams could win up to $1000 for their hard work according to Caleb Hess.

By Stephanie Carroll

Comet Hoopsters Nipped By Black Knights

Two undefeated teams in Lancaster-Lebanon League play finally met Monday night in the Penn Manor gymnasium and the Comets’ two-game winning streak was snapped.

Although any sporting event between Hempfield and Penn Manor is considered to be a supreme rivalry, this game consisted of more than a rivalry as both teams carried a chip on their shoulders.

Both teams wanted to keep their perfect LL record.

The Penn Manor fans were ready or even maybe more ready than the Comet players as they started out the game on a 13-4 streak.

But the Comets couldnt seem to put their game together as they trailed in the game from the tip-off.

The anxious Penn Manor fans hoped for a different first quarter than the 17-6 deficit they faced against the strong Black Knights.

The game continued to stay in Hempfield’s hands throughout the game, but the Comet’s never once gave up as they kept trading baskets along with chants from student sections.

The game ended with a score of 54-49.

This isn’t the last time Penn Manor will go up against Hempfield. They will have another opportunity to avenge their loss to the Black Knights.

By Connor Rowe

Inside the Mind-or Computer- of a Janitor

The decade began in the middle of a weather pattern that puts to mind the word “Ice Age” to some. Only this ice age won’t include any acorn-chasing prehistoric squirrels and beastly mammoths.

Temperatures are below zero, and not just in the north- but nationwide. This same weather pattern is putting a strain on the school heating system and parking lot maintenance.

The janitorial staff has the benefit of an up-to-date computer system which connects to every room and the building heating system. They are able to see how open or close the vents are, the temperature set in the room, and the temperature of the air coming out of the heating vents.

Every room is set to 70 degrees from six am in the morning until three thirty pm, where the system enters night mode, which is set to 60 degrees.

Mr. Homsher and Mr. Dickenson continued to explain that if they are aware that any room or area will be in use after three-thirty, they will make sure that the room’s heating system is still set at 70.

The janitors went on to explain that when bodies enter the room, the room temperature increases, the vents will then pull cool air from the outdoors in order to cool the room back to 70 degrees. This will continue in order to maintain the set temperature.

And many times when the air seems cool, it may just be that the air is anywhere between seventy or even ninety degrees, but as long as the air is below body temperature (98.6 degrees), the air will continue to feel cool to the touch.

Earlier this week there was an issue, when the eastside boilers were broken, but as of now they are working up to par.

The system runs on both gas and oil, though by law, once the temperature including the wind chill reaches 9 degrees, the system must switch to oil, which will burn at a higher temperature.

Regarding this season’s frequent dusting of snow, there is simply nothing they can do except spread both salt and cinder along the pathways and parking lots, which they do just prior to teachers and students arriving at school.

By Tyler Barnett

Tide Rolls on over Wounded Longhorns

The third season is the charm.

In just his third season as Alabama Crimson Tide head coach, Nick Saban had his team in the center of the Rose Bowl stadium, accepting the 2009-2010 National College Football BCS Championship trophy.

Though the enjoyment of Alabama was most likely due to the injury of Texas Quarterback, Colt McCoy. McCoy was knocked out of the game about midway through the first quarter by a hit on the shoulder by Alabama defensive player Marcell Dareus.

Many are certain that if McCoy had not been injured, that the Longhorns would find themselves in the center of the field wearing the ever-cheesy smile they are known for. Texas was leading 3-0 and in the red zone ready to score once again.

Nick Saban opened up the first drive of the game by having his team fake a punt on fourth-down and throw the ball, which was intercepted by the Longhorn defense. The following drive, Alabama allowed the kickoff to be recovered by Texas, without even touching the ball.

The Tide benefited by a 49-yard run by halfback Trent Richardson and an interception thrown by Texas’s freshman back-up quarterback Garrett Gilbert. Without those two big plays, the halftime score would have been 10-6 Alabama.

Texas opened up the second half with two touchdowns and a two-point conversion. The score was 24-21 Alabama with just six minutes left. Alabama responded with a touchdown making the score 31-21 and scored yet again after a fumble by Gilbert late in the fourth quarter.

Had McCoy played in the entire game, the outcome may have been different. Alabama may have actually had to show up and play.

Texas suffered from less than half the rushing compared to Alabama, twice the penalties and five turnovers, though the Longhorns had 195 passing yards compared to the 58 by Alabama.

Alabama will try and prove themselves ready for anyone next season. ESPN analysts already predicted the Tide to be number one next season. For all you Penn State fans, the Nittany Lions will travel to Tuscaloosa on September 11, for the second game of the season.

By Tyler Barnett

Longwood Gardens an Adventure for Twilight students

If you need a little beauty and excitement in your life, come to Longwood Gardens for a visit over the holidays.

Ice skating shows, Christmas lights and warm hot chocolate for those cold winter nights, are just some of the attractions at Longwood Gardens.

Recently, students from Penn Manor’s Twilight program visited Longwood Gardens, and enjoyed the experience very much.

Cyle Williams said, “I enjoyed the garden because there were interesting plants I had never heard of, and I got the chance to learn a lot about them.”

Williams hopes to visit again soon.

A variety of unique plants and flowers can be seen, along with a gigantic conservatory greenhouse filled with exotic plants. There are also the glorious lighted Christmas trees and ponds to throw coins and makes wishes.

For small children here is some great news: they have a room filled with small plants for the children to look at and learn about.

Longwood Gardens is a beautiful place with walkways and trains making their way up to the building.

You can leave the botanical wonderland with more than just memories if you stop in their gift shop.

The lights in Longwood Gardens will on every day from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., and the Christmas show is being held until January 10.

Another Penn Manor Twilight student, Collin Shaab, said, “The field trip was fun, the lights were very pretty, the flowers were beautiful, and the hot chocolate was delicious!”

Charles Kauffman agreed, “It was a great adventure,” he said, noting he would like to visit again.

By Damica Gabrielson and Erika Dukeman

Ray Stevens: Not Ready To Give Up Control

How far would you go in order to prevent someone from gaining control? Ray Stevens is a man who will literally stop at nothing- and proves himself in his latest music video.

We the people is no longer just the opening words of the United States Constitution, but is now starring as the title of a new Youtube hit, claiming 1.5 million views in less than a month. Two-time Grammy and nine-time Music City News Comedian of the Year winner, Ray Stevens has unleashed a political music video that has some sparking controversy.

The music video is 3:48 minutes, and includes backdrops of both the White House and Congress. And now that he is receiving backlash by the media, he is not one bit shy of expressing his views:

“To me, it’s pretty obvious that the government is doing a bunch of crap that we don’t need and we don’t want, and they don’t care what we want- they’re going to do it anyway. I think I’ve heard it called ‘progressive.’ I don’t know what’s progressive about it- it seems like to me it’s stupid.”

Stevens has written many comical/political songs, though he claims that he has never gotten a response similar to the one he is getting from this song.

The lyrics include:

“You vote Obamacare, we’ll vote you outta there. We the people have awaken to your tricks. You vote to let this pass, you’ll be out on you (sounded foghorn).”

“If you had the common sense that God gave a billy goat.”

“And to put it mildly, we’re harboring feelings of extreme alienation, due to copious amounts of house manure that have been shoveled out of the White House and the Capitol Building.”

“Please tell Nancy Pelosi, we’re gonna do the Hokey Pokey, put the “right” ones in, pull the “left” ones out.”

However, as CSN reports, Stevens is not simply making this video to poke fun at anyone or any party. He is not racist, and is not against patriotism.

“It’s not about climate change. It’s not about health-care. It’s all about control. They want control, and I don’t want to give it to them.”

By Tyler Barnett

Comets are Bowling Strong in League Play

The Penn Manor bowling team is rolling in first place.

The comets lost their first match of the year on Monday, January 4th against Manheim Township.

The comets were lead by junior Coty Johnson who bowled 243, 235, and 267 for a 745 series for the day.

Even with such a great day for Coty, the Comets lost a tough match, losing two our of three games. They won one game and the total pin fall, ending up with three points from the match.

It wasn’t a total loss for the Comets. Penn Manor is currently in first place with Manheim Township in second and Warwick in third.

Penn Manor’s next match is on January 12 against the number five team in the league, Cedar Crest.

By Tyler Beckley