The HPCMS Chronicle

By Malcolm Mungo If you’re interested in robots, then you’ve come to the right place. Each day we’re growing in knowledge about robotics and AI. So I’m going to highlight a few recent major robotic advancements. The first bot we will be looking at is Atlas. This robot now has the amazing capability to do parkour. Parkour takes a lot of precision, so it’s super surprising that a robot can do it. According to LiveScience , “as Atlas navigates the challenges of the obstacle course, a slow-motion sequence emphasizes the precision in it’s movements as it leaps between platforms, each one measuring 16 inches (40 centimeters) high.” LiveScience even remarked how human-like Atlas’ coordination is. Atlas - Image from Boston Dynamics Even though agile robots are cool, making them be able to feel is even cooler. Some researchers at Johns Hopkins University created an electronic skin that allows prosthetic amputees to feel pressure and pain. This skin is called “e-dermis.” I told some of ...

By Lilah Rivera and Kaydence Mazzilli Hello, my name is Kaydence and my friend’s name is Lilah. We are in sixth grade from classes 602 and 603. We’re going vegetarian for a week! Vegetarian is when you don’t eat meat. So basically you can’t have beef, chicken, or any animal meat products. Kaydence’s Journey Sunday Breakfast: I had cereal with regular milk. It was Rice Krispies. Lunch: I had 3 beef tacos from Taco Bell. I regret it so much. Dinner: I had some weird cheese bread thing. I was so confused. Monday Breakfast: I didn’t have breakfast. I don’t know why. Lunch: At school they served pizza. I ate it because I was very hungry and I knew we weren’t going vegan so I could eat the cheese. Dinner: I had pizza again. This time it was pepperoni. Tuesday Breakfast: I had some Special K cereal with berries. It was sooo good. Lunch: I had ramen noodles for lunch. The best part is I made them myself. They were a little bit watered down but I still ate them. Dinner: I ha...

By Tenzin Lekshey Welcome student and/or not student! You have probably at least heard of Dungeons and Dragons because it is a huge presence in pop culture. But you probably think of D and D being geek stuff, which is so sad because it is so fun and thrilling. Being the most basic I can be, D and D is a game of imagination. So if you are interested read the rest and smash the like button. Deeper Intro to What D&D Is: Going a little deeper, Dungeons and Dragons is a game played by a bunch of people and one leader who comes up with the story and guides the other people who are the players. This leader is the dungeon master. Each player receives a character sheet that says all the things about your character, like gender and race, of which there are many, like dwarfs, elves, human, dark elves, and so many more. The game’s outcomes are decided by the roll of a dice and different number stats on your character sheet. Dungeons and Dragons can get really complicated, so I’m not...

By Alexi Stegner and Sambuddha Ranabhat Who Is Tyler Blevins?  Tyler (Ninja) Blevins, the multi-millionaire face of Fortnite is growing as a gamer, streamer, and Youtuber. He is a twenty-seven year old married to Jessica Blevins. As a streamer Ninja has streamed many games, usually battle royale games, and combat games. A former competitive gamer from Halo, Blevins streams 10 hours a day in his hometown Chicago. He is able to stream his Fortnite gameplay on twitch responding to questions and interacting with fans who watch him play. He also competes in tournaments. He makes most of his money from social media such as twitch where he has 12 million followers, Instagram where he has 12 million followers, and Twitter where he has a bit over 4 million followers. Recently Ninja has been complaining that he needs more sleep. When the New York Times interviewed him he said he would like to get more sleep but when he isn’t streaming he is losing subscribers. He says just while he...

By Gwendolyn Kotsaftis and Nairi Nakhapetian If you didn’t know, the government recently shut down for 35 days in December and January, affecting a lot of government workers and people who depend on government assistance. Let’s start with the reason the US government shut down in the first place. Congress passes a bill that is used to fund many government projects. One of the projects President Trump wants is a wall built along the border of Mexico and the Democrats refuse to fund it, so Congress couldn’t pass a budget bill. When Congress cannot agree on the budget, the government does not have any money to keep it running. The result is a government shutdown. In January, Trump said that if democrats don't fund the wall, he would shut down the government down until they did, which is a very complicated decision for the Democrats. Technically, the president does not have the power to shut down the government, only Congress does. When the government does shut down, government w...