CCPL

Do it Yourself Book Club


<i>Feed</i> by M.T. Anderson
Feed
by M.T. Anderson

Click here to see the status of this item in the catalog.

Feed is the story of a teenage boy who does not ask questions, and goes with the flow, until one day he meets a girl who resists the Feed. Kids receive the Feed implant when they are very young. The Feed connects humans to television shows, continuous commercial advertising, internet capabilities, and brain-to-brain chat with friends -- all without having to speak a word. Visiting the moon on Spring Break, Titus and his group of friends meet Violet. As Titus and Violet become friends Titus learns that Violet is homeschooled, and cares about global issues that are beyond the realm of interest of Titus and his friends. Before he met Violet, Titus, like his friends, was only concerned with the latest sales advertised through the Feed, and what was popular.

Discussion

From the study guide created by Jim Carlson & Tony DePaolo

Would you want to have the Feed installed in your body? Why or why not?

Titus and his friends decide to spend Spring Break on the moon, where they meet Violet. Where would you like to go for Spring Break? Why?

On page 117, readers are introduced to the Conceptionarium. When you first learned of this mode of reproduction, what was your reaction?

M.T. Anderson dedicates Feed, "To all those who resist the feed." What does it mean to resist the feed, and in what ways do you, or people you know, resist the feed?

What did you think of each yard "having its own bubble with its own sun and seasons"? (page 134)

When Titus and Violet visit the seashore, on page 143, they have to wear orange suits because the ocean had become so acidic that it smelled and the water seemed to be different colors; blue, purple, yellow, or green depending on how the sun hit the water. What is your reaction to the author's prediction of what will happen to the ocean?

Activity

Create Your Own Podcast
From the Teens Podcasting YALSA website

The brain-to-brain chat in the book Feed is similar to instant messaging, and other methods of messaging like Facebook, MySpace and Twitter. Another way of sharing information is through podcasting. A podcast is a Web-based audio broadcast, accessed usually by subscription, over the Internet.

What You Need:

  • Computer, PC or Mac
  • PC Microphone
  • Production Software
  • A Plan

PC Microphone:

PC microphones can be built-in or external. For more information on the different types of microphones that can be used, read Bart Farkas' chapter on podcasting equipment from Peach Pit Press.

Production Software: Garage Band runs on MAC OS and is known for being a simple and intuitive production tool for podcasting. The program comes preinstalled on most MAC OS systems, and is conveniently equipped with built-in sounds clips.

Windows or Mac OS users can download a free audio production program called Audacity.

Creating and publishing a podcast episode From the University of Leeds website

A Plan: Before you start recording your voice for your podcast you need to have a good idea of what you are going to say. After you have reviewed the discussion questions about Feed you can talk about the discussion questions and your impression of the book for your podcast.

Now you should prepare to make your podcast recording. Ensure that you have thoroughly planned your podcast episode and have a set of notes or a script to work from.

Before starting to record you should test your recording set-up. Connect your microphone to your PC and start the Audacity software (double click on the Audacity short cut or Start > Programs > Audacity). Click the Red record button and make a short initial test recording to check everything is working and that the recording levels are appropriate. Press the Yellow stop button to stop the recording. Press the Green play button to listen to your test recording.

Record your podcast episode. Aim initially to record your entire podcast episode in one take and so don't worry about pauses and mistakes. These can be easily edited out later and also your final audience is unlikely to be critical of minor flaws.

As you work on your podcast episode make sure that you save your work as an Audacity project (use the Audacity menus File > Save Project). This will allow you to return and continue to edit your episode at a later date.

Export MP3 audio file from Audacity

When you are happy with your podcast episode you will need to export the audio as an MP3 encoded audio file. Use the Audacity menu File > Export as MP3.

You will be asked for a filename and location to save the file. The first time you use this export facility you will then be prompted to locate the lame_enc.dll file on your PC. Browse to where you saved this file in step 3 (see above) and select this file.

Finally you are asked to provide some optional descriptive information for your MP3 file. Click OK to produce your MP3 file.

After uploading your podcast (audio file) and XML feed (podcast feed) to your webhost you must link it to your website. You can use an online publishing service such as WordPress, TypePad, or Blogger. These services will host your audio files and are blogging services that make it very easy to publish a text description (show notes) of your episode and attach an audio file (podcast) for downloading. They are usually one- page solutions that are quick, easy-to-use websites updated with the most recent entry on top. They will also automatically generate an XML or RSS feed you can use for your podcast without having to know any computer code. For a review of blogging solutions and how to post and publish your podcasts utilizing these services please visit these sites. All of these services provide detailed tutorials that will guide you.

In order to promote and publish your podcast on the internet you need a place to host your audio file so users can listen and download your podcast. Also, ideally you need a webpage to post information about your podcast episodes (also known as shownotes) with links to each show as well as the feed listeners need to subscribe to. By listing the Feed URL (for example, http://www.ourtownsstories.com/podcasts.xml) your listeners will be able to subscribe and automatically download your podcast to their computer utilizing programs such as iTunes.

If you wish to release a subsequent podcast episode follow the above instructions for using Audacity and upload the file into your online publishing service as before.

For more information about creating and publishing a podcast:

University of Leeds

Audacity Wiki Home Page

Blaze Audio Software and Hardware

Recipe

Southern Moon Pies
From AllRecipes.com

PREP TIME 30 Min COOK TIME 8 Min READY IN 38 Min Original recipe yield 2 dozen pies

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup butter, softened
  • 1 cup white sugar 1 cup evaporated milk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 cup butter, softened
  • 1 cup confectioners' sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup marshmallow creme

Preparation:

  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
  • Lightly grease a cookie sheet.
  • To Make Cookie Crusts: In a large mixing bowl, cream together 1/2 cup butter or margarine and white sugar. Add egg, evaporated milk, and vanilla. Mix well. In a separate bowl, mix together flour, salt, cocoa powder, baking soda, and baking powder. Add flour mixture slowly to sugar mixture while stirring. Mix just until all ingredients are combined.
  • Drop the dough onto greased cookie sheet by rounded tablespoonfuls. Leave at least 3 inches in between each one; dough will spread as it bakes.
  • Bake in preheated oven for 6 to 8 minutes, until firm when pressed with finger. Allow to cool at least one hour before filling.
  • To Make Marshmallow Filling: In a medium mixing bowl, blend together 1/2 cup butter or margarine, confectioners' sugar, flavored extract, and marshmallow crème. Mix until smooth. Assemble pies by spreading 1 to 2 tablespoonfuls of filling on flat side of a cookie crust, then covering filling with flat side of another cookie crust.