All About Keeper of the Lost Cities

Weird but True

Hopewell Valley Student Podcasting Network  Show Name: Hyperfixation Nation Episode Title: Weird but true  Episode #8 You are listening to Hyperfixation Nation, the podcast with your host Blake. In this episode of Hyperfixation Nation I will be talking about some questions/brain twisters and weird facts about the world. These facts will make you laugh, will leave you puzzled, and make you question everything you know, hopefully at least.   SEGMENT 1: INTRO Hello! So I have been wanting to do this episode for a while because I always have these facts in my back pocket and I like starting debates with the brain twisters because it spices life up! I always enjoy learning cool little pieces of trivia that maybe will help me win a game show some day, who knows SEGMENT 2:COOL FACTS So these are some cool facts about the world that I have found over the course of my life and thought were really cool. I actually have a note on my phone where I put new ones whenever I find one. I also did a little research for this episode but a decent amount of these are facts that I have come upon randomly. * Scotland's national animal is unicorn * Australia is wider than the moon - moon is 2,113 miles wide and australia is 2,485 miles wide * The eiffel tower gets taller in the summer because the iron heats up and thermal expansion occurs making it 6 inches taller when it is hot * Human teeth are the only part of the body that cannot heal themselves * Tigers have striped skin, not just striped fur * An 11 year old accidentally invented ice pops * Warm water increases dopamine so we are more creative in the shower so if you’re struggling with a problem that involves thinking outside the box, take a hot shower * Supermarket apples can be a year old! * Wasabi paste is often actually horseradish instead of real wasabi because wasabi is expensive * People used to say prunes when taking pictures - how did that change to cheese? * Competitive art used to be an olympic event * Cat pee glows under black light - ew but cool! * J-lo is the reason we have google images in the search engine - so many people wanted to see pics of her 2000 grammys green dress that google added the feature * British military tanks can make tea  * A blue whales heartbeat can be detected from up to 2 miles away * Easter island heads also have bodies - what the heck happened to them? * Ketchup used to be sold as medicine * Humans are the only animals that blush * Humans have tongue prints * The blob of toothpaste on your toothpaste has a name - a nurdle * Hawaii gets 3 feet closer to alaska each year - its on a tectonic plate that shifts closer to the main land every day * 293 ways to make change for a dollar * A lot of common materials are radioactive - bananas, potatoes, spinach, Brazil nuts, oranges, and granite countertops * Animals can be allergic to humans - like we are allergic to cats and dogs * The “human” body is 56% bacteria and other non-human organisms * Lego bricks withstand compression better than concrete - applause effect * A chicken once lived an entire year without a head * One in 18 people have a 3rd nipple * The concept “die of laughter” is actually possible, intense laughter can cause suffocation and/or a heart attack * Most toilet paper sold for home use in france is PINK SEGMENT 3: QUESTIONS/BRAIN TWISTERS Ok ok, I have always found that questions or things that make your brain twist are really fun to think about and they can often cause some debates which are always super fun. So here are some questions that I have asked or been asked recently. * Drive in a parkway and park in a driveway - car sound effect * Orange, color or fruit first? * Chicken or egg - rooster sound effect * We always think that supercalifragilisticexpialidocious (34 letters) is the longest word in the English language but really, pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis(45 letters) is. It is a word that refers to a lung disease contracted by inhaling fine silica particles. - crowd clapping effect * Is water wet? * Are shorts a type of pants? * If soap falls on the floor, is the soap dirty or the floor clean? * Doors or wheels? My next episode may take a while to come out because the semester is ending so my class where I am making these episodes will be over and so it will take me a bit to get back into the routine of it. Be sure to stick around though! I hope you enjoyed the episode, learned something new, and had fun! This is Hyperfixation Nation, hosted by Blake, goodbye y’all! MUSIC CREDITS: BALYNT, PLACES CONNECT WITH US ON SOCIAL MEDIA * @theHVSPN [https://twitter.com/thehvspn?lang=en]

All About Keeper of the Lost Cities

Hopewell Valley Student Podcasting Network  Show Name: Hyperfixation Nation Episode Title: Keeper of the Lost cities Episode #6 You are listening to Hyperfixation Nation, the podcast with your host Blake. In this episode of Hyperfixation Nation I will be discussing the book series Keeper of the Lost Cities. I will cover why I love the series, my thoughts on the morals of the 3 main groups of people, and Team FosterKeefe vs Fitzphie.  SEGMENT 1: INTRODUCTION TO THE TOPIC  I have been reading this series since I was about 8-9 years old and it has kept me hooked ever since. Keeper of the Lost cities is a fantasy book series that has some romantic drama - but it is not the main plot point, it has relatable characters, and it has a decent amount of representation. If you enjoyed Percy Jackson by Rick Riordan and Harry Potter by JK Rowling, you will probably like KOTLC. I have loved these books for so long that one could say that it is just a love and not a hyperfixation but every time I read one, I cannot stop, I just keep reading and reading and reading. My interest levels may go up and down but I still adore the series and will talk about it with anyone at any time. I love so many aspects of it and that is what I will be getting into next! ALSO SPOILER ALERT. I will be talking about everything that has happened in published books so far.  SEGMENT 2: MY LOVE FOR IT - WHY? * The villains aren’t just villains, you can see that they are human and they aren’t really ALL bad * The good guys aren’t all good either- they have done things wrong and they have mixed history with their actions also * while the characters are fighting bad guys and have magic abilities and such, you can still tell that they are just teens also * The love web - it isn’t just a triangle SEGMENT 3: MORALS OF BOTH TEAMS * Neverseen  * Bad guys * Lady gisela doing everything for her son - in a very twisted way * They want to accomplish the same thing as the black swan but have different methods * Black Swan * good guys * used to be a step ahead and now doesn’t know anything more than the kids * keeping secrets - good or bad? * the genetic stuff they did to Sophie * Council * sometimes good sometimes bad * just trying to maintain an image  * want what is best for the elves * lost secrets SEGMENT 4: SOKEEF VS. SOFITZ  * SoKeefe FOREVER * fits was great but he has anger issues * Sophie trusts Keefe with everything and has always had a special bond with him * alvar messed Fitz up * Keefe did bad things with Sophie’s interests at heart - trying to protect her * Fitz did bad things without even thinking about Sophie’s feelings * Fitz has golden boy issues and unmatchable issues Next episode will be about weird but true facts that made my mind spin and I hope will do the same for you! I hope you enjoyed the episode, learned something new, and had fun! This is Hyperfixation Nation, hosted by Blake, goodbye y’all! MUSIC CREDITS: BALYNT, PLACES CONNECT WITH US ON SOCIAL MEDIA * @theHVSPN [https://twitter.com/thehvspn?lang=en]

All About Hamilton: The Musical

Hopewell Valley Student Podcasting Network  Show Name: Hyperfixation Nation Episode Title: All About Hamilton: The Musical Episode #5  You are listening to Hyperfixation Nation, the podcast with your host Blake. In this episode of Hyperfixation Nation the Podcast, I will talk about the musical Hamilton and how it broke all Broadway standards. I will cover how it is different from every other Broadway musical, where it was historically accurate vs. when an artistic license was taken, and my opinion on some of the characters' decisions. SEGMENT 1: INTRODUCTION TO THE TOPIC  So we’ve got the music, the actors, and the politics in the show that are different from most Broadway musicals previously. We’ve got the creative license that Lin Manuel Miranda took because it made the story more interesting, it rhymed, or it was just easier to put in the show. And we’ve got the slightly controversial decisions of the characters like Burr shooting Hamilton and Washington serving the amount of time he did.  SEGMENT 2: HOW HAMILTON IS DIFFERENT FROM PREVIOUS BROADWAY MUSICALS! * Music * Rap * Hip-hop * R&B * Soul * Traditional show tunes * Black and brown actors were on stage but the story doesn’t depict any slaves * Lin-Manuel Miranda, the person who wrote the music, is Puerto Rican and wanted to incorporate the feeling of being sidelined into the music and Alexander Hamilton's character but also wanted to go against the white-washing of history. There is a musical with an all-white cast that is a show about a similar time that portrays the story in a much different and could be called racist, way. * Having people of color play white historical figures flips the tradition of white people in blackface being on stage.  * It showcases the good and bad things that these founding fathers did * Sally Hemmings for example * Say no to this * The relationship between Angelica and Hamilton * The politics/political stand that this musical represents * Laurens especially being very for an all-black military force * Black actors playing the all-white Founding Fathers * The layers of the aspects, “meta” * The depiction of how society appropriates minority cultures  * The message is there but it is not the main point of the musical * The song Wait For It and how it shows the pain when minorities are told to wait their turn * They RHYMES BRO - and the music overall * Socrates - mediocrities * Manumission - abolition - ammunition * Panicky - anarchy (with a French accent of course) * Matching the age of the character to the style they sing in - jazz-ish for Jefferson and more hip-hop for younger characters * Using the changes in song style of the characters to demonstrate how they have changed * Burr starts with a sort of gospel-type, a choir-backed song in the first act and then has a song called The Room Where It Happens that is upbeat, more hip-hop, inspiring, and loud, in a political sense. This song shows that Burr has stopped waiting but also shows political exclusion and gaps in history * Very little spoken dialogue - almost operatic style SEGMENT 3: ACCURACY VS ARTISTIC LICENSE * Burn * I wonder if this song was written because they did not have much about Eliza’s reaction to Hamilton cheating * Historically it is a stretch in many places  * Burr was not asked to write the Federalist Papers * Angelica was already married when she met Hamilton but Miranda said her being single was better for the plot * She also had a brother which invalidates the plot of the song ‘Satisfied’ * More accurate than most creative biographical works * Changing cabinet battles into rap battles exposes some of the instability in the Washington administration * Hamilton did not punch the bursar (mentioned in the song “Aaron Burr, Sir”) and then drop out of college and meet his friends * Many factors like Lafayette not arriving from France at that time and the British controlling New York earlier than Hamilton could have had a chance to get there * Hamilton is portrayed as a very loud person when it comes to his opinions on slavery but while in real life he disagreed with slavery more than others, he had slaves and did not speak out against it. * The Schuyler sisters were not feminists * They were educated but not progressive * While John Adams and Hamilton did not get along, Hamilton was not fired by him - he resigned during Washington's admin * The real Jefferson was the opposite of the loud, eccentric character played by Daveed Digs SEGMENT 4: MY OPINIONS ON SOME DECISIONS THAT THE CHARACTERS MADE *  Say no to this  * Hamilton being shot * Burr’s character development/changes * “Talk less, smile more” * The duel where Phillip died * Duels in general * Eliza forgiving Hamilton * Should she have done this? * The Reynolds pamphlet * Washington resigning after 2 terms * Earlier? * Later? I got a lot of my information from an article called “Why Hamilton is making musical history” on the website called The Guardian and an article on the World Treasures website called “Hamilton The Musical Five Truths and Five Lies” that you should check out if you want more information. I hope you enjoyed the episode, learned something new, and had fun! This is Hyperfixation Nation, hosted by Blake, goodbye y’all! Link to the article: https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2016/nov/05/why-hamilton-is-making-musical-history [https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2016/nov/05/why-hamilton-is-making-musical-history] This article goes over some truths and falsities in the musical: https://worldtreasures.org/blog/hamilton-the-musical-five-truths-and-five-lies#:~:text=False%3A%20In%20the%20musical%2C%20 Hamilton,narrative%20is%20not%20 historically%20 accurate [https://worldtreasures.org/blog/hamilton-the-musical-five-truths-and-five-lies#:~:text=False%3A%20In%20the%20musical%2C%20Hamilton,narrative%20is%20not%20historically%20accurate]. MUSIC CREDITS: BALYNT, PLACES CONNECT WITH US ON SOCIAL MEDIA * @theHVSPN [https://twitter.com/thehvspn?lang=en]

Getting Another POV

Hopewell Valley Student Podcasting Network  Show Name: Hyperfixation Nation Episode Title: Getting Another POV Episode #4 You are listening to Hyperfixation Nation, the podcast with your host Blake. In this episode of Hyperfixation Nation the Podcast, I will be interviewing one of my friends about her experiences with her hyperfixations, what they are, and how they impacted her life.  SEGMENT 1: INTRODUCTION TO MY INTERVIEWEE  Hello, y’all! Today is interview day! I will be asking a few questions about some of my friends' hyperfixations. She is a freshman in high school, like me, and I have known her since 4th grade. She likes dogs and cats but prefers cats and her favorite color is purple. Welcome Lola! SEGMENT 2: THE INTERVIEW! * Icebreaker would-you-rather * Would you rather have the ability to see 10 minutes into the future or 100 years into the past? Why? * What are some of your more recent hyperfixations? * Share some cool information. * What were your experiences with them? * Did you experience time blindness? Falling behind on schoolwork? Spend a lot of money? Other stuff? * Did you meet new people and make new connections because of these hyperfixations? SEGMENT 3: SEGMENT 5: OUTRO Now to sum it all up! Thank you so much for sharing Lola! I am so glad to have another point of view on my podcast. Next episode I will be talking all about the musical Hamilton! Stick around to hear all about the musical that broke all Broadway standards! I hope you enjoyed the episode, learned something new, and had fun! This is Hyperfixation Nation, hosted by Blake, goodbye y’all! MUSIC CREDITS: BALYNT, PLACES CONNECT WITH US ON SOCIAL MEDIA * @theHVSPN [https://twitter.com/thehvspn?lang=en]

All about how doggos help human health!

Hopewell Valley Student Podcasting Network  Show Name: Hyperfixation Nation Episode Title: The Impact of Dogs on Human Health Episode #3 You are listening to Hyperfixation Nation, the podcast with your host Blake. In this episode of Hyperfixation Nation the Podcast we discuss the impact that dogs have on human health. I will cover the impact on mental health and physical health, and the science behind it.  SEGMENT 1: INTRODUCTION OF IMPACTS OF DOGGOS!  First a quick overview, one person can have different experiences with different hyperfixations (like me), dogs are absolutely amazing and cute and they are scientifically proven to help human health, both physical and mental. The main reason for all of this is because serotonin stabilizes moods, helps with digestion and motivation, and social connections. There are other chemicals that help but serotonin has the biggest impact. SEGMENT 2: MY JOURNEY WITH THIS HYPERFIXATION AND HOW I LEARNED THIS INFORMATION Ok so I learned all of this information because last year for school we had to choose a researchable topic to write a 10 page paper and do a presentation on and I absolutely love these cute little puppers, and the not so little cute puppers, so I chose this as my topic. As you can imagine, I learned a lot about it and I thought this information was really interesting so I wanted to share. This hyperfixation was different from all of my other hyperfixations because I was stressed to complete it since it was a school project. I know that it is a hyperfixation because before I did this project, I wrote many CER’s (Claim evidence reasoning science papers) and filled up notebooks to try and convince my parents to get me a dog. I would go on walks with my parents just so that I could talk to them about dogs and they couldn’t leave (they didn’t know this was the motivation lol).  * The anxiety of a due date * The pressure of other people in my class being farther along * The hours of doing homework (looking for cute pictures of doggos for my poster board and researching) * The happy chemicals I got from doing this battling the anxiety of starting SEGMENT 3: THE IMPACT ON HUMAN MENTAL HEALTH OF DOGS * Regular pet dogs * Serotonin * Sleep * Anxiety/depression/illnesses caused by lowered serotonin * Adhd * Mood stabilization * Therapy dogs * Same effects as regular pet dogs plus more * Oxytocin (trusting chemical) * Great for people with physical impairments - dog w 3 legs, human w 3 limbs  * Training * Hospital therapy dogs training vs. school training * How training helps * ESA dogs * All ESA have no training but they get special privileges * You need a doctor to sign a note saying one would be helpful to your mental state * Allowed on planes and in apartments that would usually not allow pets * Not allowed in hotels often (unless they are all pet friendly) * Usually grocery stores don’t allow them if they don’t allow pets * Service dogs * 18-24 months of training * Most obedient of the trained dogs * Used for disabilities that cause a physical change (this is an example but there are more situations where they help) * Someone with PTSD that has nightmares and/or panic attacks from certain situations * Dogs can sense a nightmare and wake up the human * Dogs can smell the changes before a panic attack * People with an anxiety disorder can get help from a dog  * Can sense teh anxiety attack/panic attack before it gets too bad * Can force human to pet them * Allowed everywhere a human is because of the ADA (american disability act) * If someone has a medical reason (bad allergies for example), they can let the owner know before an event (like if someone calls an uber) * Especially fit for their human * Human is taught how to handle the dog with positive reinforcement instead of punishment * The dog gets further training to make sure they fit the needs of the human perfectly SEGMENT 4: THE IMPACT OF DOGS ON HUMAN PHYSICAL HEALTH * Service dogs (seeing eye, seizure alert, gluten alert, etc) * Keep people safe * Someone who is blind * Seeing eye dog * Someone who has celiac disease (usually kids in schools that are extremely sensitive) * Someone who struggles from seizures  * Lay down to stop someone from hurting themselves as much * Alert when they sense one coming * Normal doggos * Sleep - melatonin * Digestion * Exercise  * Attaches the good feeling of being with your dog to the event of exercising  * Conversation starter * Seeing other people is good for human overall health SEGMENT 5: OUTRO Now to sum it all up! * Mental health * Serotonin, dopamine, oxytocin * Stabilizes mood * Therapy dogs keep people calm in stressful situations (hospital or school) * Service dogs lessen the severity and frequency of anxiety/panic attacks * Physical health * Exercise * Sleep * Digestion  * Conversation starter and being around people increases the overall health of humans * Next episode is me interviewing one of my friends about her hyperfixations and experiences so stick around for more points of view about hyperfixations! Most of the information I got was from articles inside the Gale Opposing Viewpoints database so if you want to read some of those, visiting that website will provide more information.  I hope you enjoyed the episode, learned something new, and had fun! This is Hyperfixation Nation hosted by Blake, goodbye y’all! MUSIC CREDITS: BALYNT, PLACES CONNECT WITH US ON SOCIAL MEDIA * @theHVSPN [https://twitter.com/thehvspn?lang=en]