Learning on a weekend

Since we couldn't go to Gettysburg today for the Remembrance Day parade, we decided to do some other things here around my friends' house.

First, I started to learn to play the fife. According to Wikipedia, "a fife is a small, high-pitched, transverse flute that is similar to the piccolo, but louder and shriller due to its narrower bore." I learned that during the Civil War, fifes and drums were used to regulate a soldier's day from the time he got up until it was time for bed. Musicians would also entertain the soldiers with various songs just for entertainment and to keep their spirits high. You can read more about Civil War music over at the Teaching the Civil War with Technology Blog.

This is a photo of me practicing the fife.

Also today, one of my friends and I took some time to tear apart an old computer. We learned about how the inside of a computer works and got to see all of the different parts and pieces that make up a computer. This was a lot of fun.

Here is a photo of me and CJ playing with what is left of the computer: