Saturday, September 29, 2018

Art, Geometry and Mathematics... by a fish!

A tiny Japanese pufferfish creates a grand sand sculpture of mathematical perfection on the featureless seabed by using his fins to dig furrows. He uses this to attract the attention of passing females...

... To attract a female fish, the Japanese pufferfish will work 24 hours a day, for an entire week in a row, to create the most stunning sand art. This most incredible video from BBC Earth gives us a glorious look at nature and fish in particular. After watching this video, people will hopefully look differently not only on fish, but on any other animal species and treat them more kindly.

And now, ESO students, enjoy David Attenborough's mesmerising voice and beautiful accent: it is an utter pleasure to learn from each and every of his carefully chosen words.


No copyright infringement intended. For educational, non-commercial purposes only.

Wednesday, September 26, 2018

Oldies Goldies: Supertramp's "The Logical Song"

"The Logical Song" is a 1979 song performed by the English rock group Supertramp. The song was released as the lead single from their sixth studio album, Breakfast in America (1979), in March 1979 by A&M Records. "The Logical Song" is Supertramp's biggest chart hit in both the United States and their native United Kingdom. "The Logical Song" rose to No. 7 in the UK and No. 6 in the US Billboard chart.

A perfect example of combination of great lyrics, beat, and instrumentation in a 1979 hit that is constantly ranked in the “top 100 best rock songs”. The song, not unlike others in that period, is a scathing criticism of British school and education at the time: the lyrics have been said to be a condemnation of an education system focused on categorical jargon as opposed to knowledge and sensitivity.

"The Logical Song" was written primarily by Roger Hodgson, the lyrics based on his experience of being sent away to boarding school for ten years. It was a very personal song for Hodgson; he had worked on the song during soundchecks, and completed the lyrics and arrangement six months before proposing it to the band for the album. In 1980, Hodgson was honored with the Ivor Novello Award from The British Academy of Composers and Songwriters for "The Logical Song" being named the best song both musically and lyrically. "The Logical Song" also has the distinction of being one of the most quoted lyrics in schools.

Hodgson has said of the song’s meaning: "'The Logical Song' was born from my questions about what really matters in life. Throughout childhood we are taught all these ways to be and yet we are rarely told anything about our true self. We are taught how to function outwardly, but not guided to who we are inwardly. We go from the innocence and wonder of childhood to the confusion of adolescence that often ends in the cynicism and disillusionment of adulthood. In 'The Logical Song,' the burning question that came down to its rawest place was 'please tell me who I am,' and that's basically what the song is about. I think this eternal question continues to hit such a deep chord in people around the world and why it stays so meaningful."


When I was young, it seemed that life was so wonderful
A miracle, oh, it was beautiful, magical
And all the birds in the trees, well, they'd be singing so happily
Oh, joyfully, oh, playfully watching me
But then they sent me away to teach me how to be sensible
Logical, oh, responsible, practical
And then they showed me a world where I could be so dependable
Oh, clinical, oh, intellectual, cynical

There are times when all the world's asleep
The questions run too deep
For such a simple man
Won't you please, please tell me what we've learned?
I know it sounds absurd
But please, tell me who I am

I said, now watch what you say or they'll be calling you a radical
A liberal, oh, fanatical, criminal
Won't you sign up your name, we'd like to feel you're acceptable
Respectable, oh, presentable, a vegetable
Oh, take, take, take it, yeah

But at night, when all the world's asleep
The questions run so deep
For such a simple man
Won't you please, please tell me what we've learned?
I know it sounds absurd
But please, tell me who I am
Who I am
Who I am
Who I am
Who I am

'Cause I was feeling so logical
D-d-d-d-d-d-digital
Yeah, one, two, three, five
Oh, oh, oh, oh
Ooh, it's getting unbelievable
Yeah
B-b-bloody marvelous





No copyright infringement intended. For educational, non commercial purposes only.

Sunday, September 23, 2018

Silence

What it takes to climb the world’s first 9c? Let’s find out in Silence, a movie by Bernardo Giménez. It shows what preceded the afternoon of September 3rd 2017 when Adam Ondra, a professional rock climber and currently one of the best climbers in the world, made a little piece of climbing history.

If you work hard, you may fail;
if you don't work, you have already failed.

The harder I work, the luckier I get.

The only secret to success is work, hard, relentless, daily, stubborn work. Nothing comes easily nor effortlessly, nothing comes for free — not even to the best students, the best artists or top-ranked sportspeople. If you want to succeed in whatever endeavour you take up, the only way is through work: there's no shortcut. If you fail, if you fall, you've got to stand up and fight...

... just as Adam Ondra and Chris Sharma, two of the best climbers in the world, show in these videoclips. Of course, Ondra and Sharma have been gifted by nature, no question about that, but their talent would be completely useless without their work ethics, without their persistence and determination... not to mention careful, conscientious, thorough previous planning and organization, leaving as little as possible to chance and improvisation.

Take a look at the very last shot in the first videoclip when the camera is moving away from the cave and notice how small Ondra is, how small and insignificant all of us are when compared to nature... If you want the best in any walk of life (at school, at sport, at arts, friendship or love), first you've got to give the best.


Take a look now at the second videoclip and count how many times each climber fails and falls down. And what happens? They don't give up, they don't quit, they don't surrender... they try again! And again and again and again! That's the only recipe, that's the only prescription, that's the only way.


No copyright infringement intended. For educational, non-commercial purposes only.

Monday, September 17, 2018

2018/19 Exam Schedule for ESO 2, 3 & 4

Exam schedule for the 2018/19 schoolyear
ESO 2, 3 & 4 Students,

This is your exam schedule for the 2018/19 schoolyear (you can also find a calendar of exams, deadlines and other events at the bottom of this blog):
Please note that all exams and dates are subject to change. PBL's and other tests dates to be confirmed.

DIAGNOSTIC TEST
ESO 2 – Friday 21st September
ESO 3 – Wednesday 19th September
ESO 4 – Wednesday 19th September

1st Term
UNIT 1
ESO 2 – Monday 15th October
ESO 3 – Tuesday 16th October
ESO 4 – Monday 15th October

UNIT 2
ESO 2 – Friday 9th November
ESO 3 – Friday 9th November
ESO 4 – Wednesday 7th November


UNIT 3
ESO 2 – Monday 3rd December
ESO 3 – Wednesday 5th December
ESO 4 – Tuesday 4th December

2nd Term

UNIT 4
ESO 2 – Monday 14th January
ESO 3 – Tuesday 15th January
ESO 4 – Monday 14th January

UNIT 5
ESO 2 – Friday 8th February
ESO 3 – Friday 8th February
ESO 4 – Wednesday 6th February

UNIT 6
ESO 2 – Friday 8th March
ESO 3 – Friday 8th March
ESO 4 – Monday 11th March

3rd Term
UNIT 7
ESO 2 – Friday 5th April
ESO 3 – Friday 5th April
ESO 4 – Monday 8th April

UNIT 8
ESO 2 – Friday 10th May
ESO 3 – Friday 10th May
ESO 4 – Wednesday 8th May

UNIT 9
ESO 2 – Friday 7th June
ESO 3 – Friday 7th June
ESO 4 – Monday 10th June

FINAL REMEDIAL EXAM

ESO 2 - Thursday 13th, 10:45
ESO 3 - Friday 14th, 10:45

ESO 4 - Monday 17th, 10:45

English Tests, Exams and Deadlines

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