The Weekly Write-Up #41

Best of Other Worlds and This One

Aug 13, 2023

A book about space written by an actual astronaut?!
I saw the Super Mario Bros. movie! Here are my thoughts…
The ULTIMATE Apple setup (in my opinion)!
What are THE BEST rides at Walt Disney World?

Literary Picks

HOW TO ASTRONAUT BY TERRY VIRTS

I have always been obsessed with space from a young age and have enjoyed learning more about space through books, museums, and space centers (like the Kennedy Space Center)! When I heard about How to Astronaut from my dad, I immediately wanted to read it since it is all about space and being an astronaut! How to Astronaut is written by Terry Virts and talks about his experience training for space flight, his time in space during his two space missions, and his time on Earth after going to space.

I liked a lot about this book, but mainly how much it quenched my thirst for answers to questions about space. The author (or should I say astronaut) answers almost every question you can think of… What is takeoff like? What does zero gravity feel like? Can you shower in space? Can you call home while in space? Could there be aliens we don’t know about? Would it be possible to go to Mars? And of course, how do you go to the bathroom in space? These are all topics I have wondered about, and Terry Virts answers all of these questions in this book. I also liked how he was very down-to-earth (pun intended). He didn’t explain everything in super difficult-to-understand science terms that only rocket scientists understand. There were some parts and concepts that I didn’t understand, but for the most part, I understood what he was talking about. The use of analogies, humor, and description helped me understand the answer to many of these (and other) questions. I enjoyed the casual way in which he talked and the style in which the book was written! It made it very enjoyable and fun to read! Honestly, I think I learned a lot about space through this book!

This book is great for anyone who loves space! I would say it is best for ages 12+ since there is a little language, talk about sex, and hard topics (like failed missions and deaths). Anyone who loves space will enjoy reading this awesome book! Even if you don’t really care for space and space travel, I think this book will broaden your understanding and make you enjoy it a bit more! Check it out on Amazon!

Watchlist Wonders

THE SUPER MARIO BROS. MOVIE

I finally got to watch The Super Mario Bros. Movie! I shared in a newsletter from a while back that I really wanted to watch this movie! This week, I finally got to see the movie, and I thoroughly enjoyed it! I liked almost everything about this movie: the plot, the characters, and most of all, how accurate it was to the actual video games. The Super Mario Bros. Movie is about two ordinary plumbers (Mario and Luigi) who are sucked into a world apart from theirs. Shortly after, Mario and Luigi get separated, and Mario is determined to find his brother. While in this new world, Mario meets the toads and Princess Peach, who are determined to stop the evil Bowser from taking over the Mushroom Kingdom. Mario joins their quest and embarks on an epic adventure to stop Bowser and save his brother!

I liked basically everything about this movie! The plot was fantastic! It was interesting and kept me captivated throughout the entire movie (1hr 30min). The characters were also amazing, and the actors who voiced them did an impressive job of bringing characters like Mario, Peach, and Bowser to life. This movie was also hilarious since there were tons of jokes sprinkled throughout that definitely made me laugh. Overall, everything in this movie was great, but above all, the best part of this movie was easily the theming! As someone who played Super Mario Bros. as a young kid, this movie took me back to being an 8-year-old playing Mario! It really made me want to play Super Mario Bros. again. Sadly, that is not possible (RIP Nintendo Wii)… Anyway, all the theming in this movie was incredible! They took elements from almost every Mario-related game (such as Super Mario Bros, Mario Kart, and even Donkey Kong). The movie included goombas, power-ups, mushrooms, koopas, transportation tubes, toads, Diddy Kong, mystery boxes, and everything else from the Mario universe (I think we can call it that). Even the music was derived from many of the Mario games! The number of references was uncountable, and throughout the entire movie, my dad and I were constantly pointing out where each of the elements in the movie came from!

I highly recommend this movie to people of all ages! It is very clean, so kids can enjoy it. Kids, teens, and adults (especially those who grew up with Mario) will enjoy this movie! I know I certainly did! You can buy this movie on Amazon or stream it on Peacock. Enjoy! (Queue level completion soundtrack!)

Tech Thoughts

ULTIMATE TECH SETUP

I’m obviously obsessed with technology! Every so often, when I’m bored, I will just get onto the Apple website and look at different Apple products that I wish I had! So, why not write a newsletter about what some of these things are? I’m going to do that, but my goal is to stay “in reason.” What I mean is I will only choose items I would actually use! For example, I’m not going to buy the AirPods Max or the Mac Pro because I simply wouldn’t use those things to their full extent. There will surely be some products in here that wouldn’t be a good use of money for me, but that is what dreaming is about! Right? So, let’s get into it!

iPhone 14 Pro ($999): First, let’s pick an iPhone. Apple currently sells many iPhones, which I plan to compare in a future newsletter. Of the different iPhones they sell, I would select the iPhone 14 Pro. Compared to the regular iPhone 14, this has a better battery life, a better chip (A16 Bionic), the dynamic island, and better cameras. I wouldn’t get the iPhone 14 Pro Max because I don’t need an even better battery and a bigger display. I think the iPhone 14 Pro is the best phone Apple sells, as it has everything I want in a phone.
iPad Air ($749): Personally, I think the iPad Air is the best iPad that Apple sells. It has a great chip (M1), an all-screen display, great battery life, a good camera, and so much more! It is everything most people require without anything they don’t need. I chose this over the iPad Pro because I don’t need M2, a bigger display, a great camera, or anything else the iPad Pro has to offer. I simply wouldn’t use these things. I would probably get this iPad Air in either blue or black and with 256GB of storage.
- 2nd Generation Apple Pencil ($129): With my iPad Air, I would also buy a 2nd Generation Apple Pencil since it is better than the 1st Generation, which isn’t compatible anyway.
- Magic Keyboard ($299): I would also purchase the Magic Keyboard because while it does have its flaws, it is still a great keyboard!
iMac ($1,749): For my Mac, I’m going to select the iMac (M1). The reason I picked this over a MacBook (such as the MacBook Air with M2) is because it seemed silly to me to have a MacBook Air and an iPad Air, since they can do a lot of the same things (though they are still very different). I would use this iMac as my computer that would sit at my desk and be connected to my iPad Air via sidecar while working at my desk. For the iMac, I would most likely choose 16GB of RAM, 528GB of storage, and get it in the blue color. The iMac would also come with the Magic Keyboard with Touch ID, as well as the Magic Mouse.
Apple Watch Ultra ($799): This is an example of a splurge item! No, I’m not an adventurer or athlete, but the Apple Watch Ultra is great for its larger display, battery life, and great design (this video talks about those three aspects of the Apple Watch). It would be really nice to have these three features even though I’m not a climber, athlete, diver, etc.
AirPods Pro ($249): I currently have the 3rd Generation AirPods, which are amazing. The reason I would upgrade to the AirPods Pro is because they have ANC (active noise cancelation), incredible sound quality, and improved battery life! While they aren’t as good as the AirPods Max, I think the AirPods Pro are better for the price ($250) since the AirPods Max are $550!
HomePod Mini ($99): Finally, I would buy a HomePod Mini which would probably sit on my desk or nightstand (ideally I would have one in each room of the house, but that is wishful thinking). I would use it to play music, set reminders, listen to podcasts, and so much more! I didn’t pick the $300 HomePod since I usually listen to music with my AirPods anyway.

For those of you who are wondering, this setup would cost a total of $5,072 (plus tax) which obviously isn’t cheap. That is why it is called a dream setup! I may never (and probably won’t) get this setup, but it is cool to think of how awesome this setup would be. I would completely love to get my hands on all of these pieces of tech, and maybe I will get to someday! For now, though, I am very content with the great tech setup I have right now! If you would like to learn more about my tech setup, you can go to hyperlink index to see what I have talked about in past newsletters!

Wild Card

TOP 10 RIDES AT WALT DISNEY WORLD (RIDES 6-10)

Ever since I found out my family was going to Disney World, I was excited to write about this topic in my newsletter! I’m going to be ranking my top 10 favorite rides at Walt Disney World across all 4 parks! This list wasn’t easy to make! In fact, it was downright hard! There are so many great rides at Disney World that I want to put on this list, but alas, I can only do 10 rides. Without further ado, here are the first 5 of my favorite rides at Walt Disney World:

10th Place: Big Thunder Mountain Railroad: In 10th place is Big Thunder Mountain Railroad! This ride is fast and a great length! The drops aren’t huge, but there are a lot of them, which is really cool! The ride also slings you around, which could be considered a pro or a con, depending on who you are! Overall, this is a great ride, and I truly enjoy it!
9th Place: Rock ’n’ Rollercoaster: In 9th place is probably the most intense ride in Walt Disney World: Rock ’n’ Rollercoaster! The pre-show is iconic, the initial launch on the ride is thrilling, and the rest of the ride is pretty intense! I love this ride…except for one thing: it is way too short! After the launch, the ride seems to go by super quickly, and I always forget how short it is!
8th Place: Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run: Smugglers Run is a Star Wars simulator ride where you get to fly in the Millennium Falcon, which is pretty awesome! The best part of this ride is that you actually get to control the Falcon to some extent! You can completely control it by unlocking Chewie mode (look it up). In summary, this ride is a lot of fun, especially if you are a Star Wars fan!
7th Place: The Twilight Zone: Tower of Terror: In 7th place is Tower of Terror, which is the first ride in the ultimate tier! These rides I could ride over and over and never get sick of them (at least mentally)! I love Tower of Terror! The theming of this ride is unmatched, the views are amazing, the drops are so thrilling, and the screaming is never-ending…! The best part of the drops is that they are random, so each time you ride it is entirely different! I look forward to visiting The Twilight Zone every time I go to Disney World!
6th Place: Expedition Everest: Legend of the Forbidden Mountain: This used to be in my top 3 rides, but Disney has created so many new rides which have caused it to move down a bit. I still love this ride just as much, though! My favorite part is obviously where you come to the end of the track and are sent down backwards into the dark caves where the Yeti lives! The only two bad parts of this ride are that it will probably give you a headache, and the Yeti doesn’t move anymore! Disco Yeti just isn’t the same…

And for number five…sorry, you will have to wait until the next newsletter (most likely two weeks from now)! I'm sorry to leave you on a cliffhanger, but if I continued, this newsletter would be too long! In the next newsletter, I will finish this list of my top ten favorite rides at Walt Disney World! Be sure to look out for that newsletter!

Thanks for reading my newsletter! I just got several new subscribers this week, so if you are one of those people, thank you so much for subscribing, and I hope you enjoyed this newsletter! I probably won’t be posting next week since I will be busy with my first week of school and tech week for a musical I’m performing in next weekend. I will be back after that, though! See you then!