For our portfolio class we had the opportunity to make a simple electric motor using only simple materials such as a wire, a magnet and a battery, with this experiment we learnt how forces of electricity and magnetism can work together and how they produce a magnetic force which makes the motor spin (in only one direction). How to build a DC motor? – What you will need: 20 AWG wire; Paperclips; Thumbtacks; Paper/wooden base; Ceramic magnet; Battery snap w/leads;…
As you may or may not know I live alone, however one thing I haven’t mentioned before is that I was not born here and this is my first time living in such a big city. I was born in Madeira, which is an island that belongs to Portugal, and I lived there with my mum for 18 years. I have visited Lisbon many times in the past, I really loved coming here on holidays and always wondered how it…
Why live on Earth when you can live on Mars? Well, strictly speaking, you can’t, however scientists and researches are trying to find a way to make this possible, in fact, NASA has revealed its plans to try to get humans living on Mars in the next few decades. Unlike the Moon, humans have never physically set foot on Mars, we’ve only ever used robots like the Curiosity rover. By exploring Mars with robots for the last 40 years, NASA has…
During these 3 month we have been working with the NXT Robot in Portfolio classes which has been interesting and fun. After exploring all the different settings and learning about all the amazing thing this robot can do as well as programming it, we were given a challenge; we needed to make the robot follow a black line and then think of some additional tricks to incorporate in this project and make it original. My group wanted something that would be…
A little over a month until Christmas, Lisbon decorates its streets with more than two million bulbs of low consumption light throughout the city centre. Christmas suddenly feels closer. Even during these days when the cold invades the city, it is a pleasure to walk through the centre of Lisbon and admire the different styles of decoration here exposed. Walk down the Avenida da Liberdade, with its wide sidewalks and its beautiful gardens all lit. Go through the Rua Aurea where…
Sorry I haven’t been posting lately but I have been very occupied with project assignments, studying for tests and preparing oral presentations. The month of November went by so fast and this month will go even faster! I can’t believe that this semester is almost over, only 11 days remaining and there is still so much I have to do! Time flies, specially when you have a lot of things to do, however it is important to relax and use…
Lately public transports have been packed with people and most of the time you feel crammed; I prefer taking the underground rather than the bus, because it is quicker and takes less time to arrive. One thing that really gets my nerves is the fact that buses are never on time, they always arrive later than scheduled. There is a bus that stops right in front of my house, so most of the time I go home by bus and…
Being vegan in Lisbon is pretty easy! There are lots of vegan restaurants and even some that have a vegan/ vegetarian option on the menu. Some of my top 4 are: Jardim das Cerejas (Chiado), Psi (Intendente), Gomo (Saldanha) and Kokoro ramen bar (Alameda). Jardim das cerejas: offers a buffet of vegan foods with hot entrees, salads, and sauces. Has gluten-free options aswell. It is 100% vegan, has an affordable price and the staff is friendly and helpful; Psi: offers…
One thing I would like to do is go to the Antarctic; every video I watch about how life in Antarctic is amazes me, I want to see the whales, penguins, seals and the stunning glaciers. I want explore the wildlife and the raw beauty of this magical place. It is a very distant place for a lot of people, it is an extreme and harsh place and there are a lot of challenges that you have to face when…
For the last few days the weather in Lisbon has changed dramatically, it went from sunny and warm weather to rainy and icy cold weather. Autumn is officially here, all of the orange coloured leaves are on the floor, the wind blows and people begin to wear their warm jackets, big scarves and rain boots. They say that this is going to be a very cold winter… So you better be prepared! I live alone and in an attic, when…