July 2021 - Growing Up in Santa Cruz

Stop Fires

growingupsc — Thu, 15 Jul 2021 15:24:01 +0000

High Schooler’s Invention Can Stop Fires Before They Spread By Brad Kava Fence-mounted FACE’s can build a wall of protection. Arul with a FACE prototype, which he expects to ship in September. A FACE prototype placed in an attic. As the thick of the fire season approaches, Santa Cruzans may want to protect themselves with an amazing invention created by a 17-year-old high school student. Arul Mathur, who lives in Danville, but has been studying online with Soquel’s Merit Academy, has created something he calls F.A.C.E., or Fire Activated Cannister Extinguisher. You put them around your house and when triggered by high temperatures, they shoot out a fire retardant in an aerosol spray. His tests showed that the cannisters can douse flames in a four to five foot radius and he suggests placing the devices every 10 to 12 feet around a house can create a fire prevention barrier. He’s worked on the invention for two years after moving from New Jersey and seeing California’s devastating fires, including one that came so close to his family home, they were packed up and ready to evacuate, but were saved by brave firefighters. “I didn’t think this was a problem that could ever directly affect me,” he said. “But then I realized this is a problem that needs to be solved.” His first thought was to create units that could be placed on PG&E poles, since they were often the cause of blazes. Then, he thought it would be better for homeowners to be able to protect their homes and let firefighters work on the fires, without having to focus so much on individual homes. The device is triggered at 155 degrees Fahrenheit, a temperature that he says is well before the flashpoint of wood and would protect it. You can see video of his creative process here: https://www.facefires.com/about-us “The Paradise Fire was very big,” he said. “It’s unclear whether FACE devices would have saved those homes. It would have a good chance of slowing the spread and it would have made homes more resistant to burning.” He hopes his invention will allow homeowners to feel safe evacuating, rather than risking their lives to save their homes. He says the device has worked in all of his tests, but because of legal liability he can’t give 100 percent assurance. So far, he’s achieved financial success with a kickstarter campaign (https://www.facefires.com/about-us) that raised more than double the $5000 he was seeking and ends July 31. He sells the units for $99 each with price cuts for buying in volume. Twenty of them would cost $1,700; seven would be $639. No surprise that Mather’s parents are in tech and encouraged him in his entrepreneurial ideas. His teacher at Merit, Susan Tatsui-D’Arcy (who was California’s Mother of the Year in 2019), describes him as “incredibly focused and driven—I guess that’s what happens when the planet warms up, you realize your home can’t protect you from wildfires and there aren’t enough firefighters (or money) available to protect everyone’s homes.” Tatsui-D’Arcy has been working with Mather since he was in eighth grade and his parents found her program on Google. She has other successful students including one who has created a supply chain relief system to get products to people during things like the pandemic, another who is getting toxins out of water from fracked wells and one who is using mushrooms as pesticides. She will be hosting a TedX seminar with these students at the Rio Theatre in November. Read More Local News Articles

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Fourth of July

growingupsc — Thu, 01 Jul 2021 16:04:59 +0000

Fourth of July Celebrations By brad kava There may not be fireworks but the Fourth of July is back big in Santa Cruz! Aptos’s “World’s Shortest Parade” is back after a year off, with a huge assortment of family friendly people and crazies marching the few blocks between Wells Fargo and Trout Gulch. This is the event that made Growing Up fall in love with the town many years back. There won’t be a breakfast or park event because of the last minute drop of Covid restrictions, but we are thrilled. Come check us out, handing out the latest Growing Up with the cover story about berries. It’s berry good. The parade starts at 10 a.m. and lasts an hour..supposedly. We’ve seen it stretch longer. It’s a touch of Mayberry in California and it reminds us what a small town feel our county has. (As does the County Fair, which returns in September.) Scotts Valley, which usually has the area’s biggest fireworks show, had to cancel it, but will still have their parade at 3 p.m. featuring an airplane flyover. It can be seen along Scotts Valley Drive. Watsonville will have a great bicycle ride on the Fourth led by Mayor Jimmy Dutra from 12:45 p.m. to 2 p.m.starting at the alleyway next to the Second Street Garage. One of the city’s new electric buses will lead the way and you can ride on it. Then, there’s a Red, White and Blue concert at City Plaza at 2 p.m. featuring the Watsonville Band, which has been performing on the country’s birthday for 75 years. There’s also a flyover at 2 p.m. featuring local pilots strutting their stuff. For more details check Spirit of Watsonville at City of Watsonville.org. [From Julie Horner] The Boulder Creek Business Association is hosting a virtual 4th of July parade this year because the timing of covid restrictions being lifted did not give the BCBA enough time to apply for the county permit necessary to host the parade downtown as usual. The county simply wasn’t issuing permits during the Red and Orange Tiers when the BCBA would have needed to submit the request. So, like many other planners of big events, they’ve had to move the parade online. However, Historic Downtown Boulder Creek will be fully open with live music, vendors and sidewalk sales, raffles, prizes, giveaways, and everything else quite festive for the occasion. Here’s what’s happening and how you can participate:Deadline to submit your short video to be part of the online parade: June 18thTime to watch the online parade: 10:00 to noon on Sunday, July 4Link will be on the BCBA Facebook page and at www.bcba.net.Sidewalk sale goes from 11:00 to 4:00 on Sunday, July 4th with over 20 stores participating. More than 15 artists and local crafters will be participating in the sidewalk sale, and local musicians will be playing music everywhere.The raffle is for a $460 value Weber Master Touch grill with tools, rotisserie accessory (tickets = $25 each or 5 for $100) Read More Local News Articles

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Ava Barret

growingupsc — Thu, 01 Jul 2021 07:06:00 +0000

Ava Barret Local Artist You don’t need to be good at art to call yourself an artist. My name is Ava Barrett, and I am an artist. I have been dancing at the tannery arts center for seven years. And I know what your thinking. What does dance have to do with these pictures I have painted? Well, dance is my main outlet for creativity. Recently I have been given fantastic opportunities to work with professional dancers to further my artistry. Within those seven years, I have seen tremendous growth in my body and mind, now onto the subject of painting. I took art classes as a kid but never really took them seriously until it became my elective freshman year. When I paint, I tend to do portraits. I paint a figure or a face and paint the background however I like. However, in my art class, I was challenged to play with concepts. I had never done this before after coming up with an idea. I began to paint. As I saw my image coming together, I couldn’t help but get other meanings than what I wanted to show. I worried that what I wanted to say wouldn’t be clear as more ideas popped into my head of what this painting could mean. I realized that art is subjective. So why worry about what others will think? And this isn’t only in art. Dance is personal as well. What most people don’t know is most of us go through a process when choreographing. We ask ourselves: What do I want to say with this piece. Through that, we determine the quality of our movement and how it portrays that message. And it doesn’t need to be something profound to do this. We don’t need to worry about our art fitting into a specific category to be considered good. What makes us a good artist is our creativity and uniqueness. That is the one thing I have realized throughout my years as an artist. And I will continue to tell myself as I grow. Read More Local Artist Articles

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July 2021

growingupsc — Tue, 29 Jun 2021 17:49:26 +0000

MONTH LONGBanff Centre Mountain Film Festival Virtual Festival This year, bring the adventure home! Fluff up your couch cushions, grab a snack of choice, and make sure you have good internet connection, because the Banff Centre Mountain Film Festival World Tour is Virtual! Travel to the most remote corners of the world, dive into daring expeditions, and celebrate some of the most remarkable outdoor achievements, all from the comfort of your living room. Films can be purchased individually or as a bundle. Visit riotheatre.com for more information about the online programs and how you can support your local screening. You may also go directly to the Banff affiliate link for the Rio filmfest.banffcentre.ca/?campaign=WT-163945 Stuff The Bus Corporate Sponsorship Santa Cruz County Office of Education and United Way are excited to host the Annual Stuff The Bus! Your company can ensure students start their first day of school with the tools they need to succeed! Stuff The Bus is July 1 – August 31. Corporate Sponsorship offers a unique way to engage local businesses by offering pop-up buses for display in your office, donating pre-filled backpacks, and recognition on all Stuff the Bus marketing materials including print and social media recognition. With over 4,000 students in Santa Cruz County experiencing homelessness and/or extreme hardships, let’s help kids in our community start school with the supplies needed to succeed in school. Our goal is to provide each student experiencing homeless with a filled backpack…Can We Count On You? Thursday 1Grey Bears Brown Bag Line If you are able-bodied and love to work FAST, this is for you! Grey Bears could use more help with their brown bag production line on Thursday and Friday mornings. As a token of our thanks, we make you breakfast (be there at 7am!) and give you a bag of food if wanted. Be at the warehouse with mask and gloves at 7am, and we will put you to work until at least 9am! Fun group, we all love working here! Call ahead if you would like to know more. greybears.org/groceries/ The film “Documented” by author Jose Antonio Vargas will be available for library patrons to view online from June 18th to July 3rd. “Documented” tells Vargas’ powerful story of coming to the United States from the Philippines at age 12, fulfilling his academic dreams and finding his voice as a Pulitzer Prize winning journalist. Vargas shares his journey of finally going public with his status as an undocumented immigrant and founding the nonprofit Define American dedicated to humanizing conversations about immigrants. Registration is required below to receive the access link to the documentary. The virtual edition documentary will be available in English. Watsonville Public Library has a physical DVD version of this documentary available for check out that features English, Tagalog, and Spanish languages, and English captions. santacruzpl.libcal.com/event/7763316?hs=a Friday 2CASFS Farmstand Cowell Ranch Historic Hay Barn 12pm – 6pm Organic vegetables, fruit, herbs and flowers are sold weekly at the CASFS Farmstand, starting June 15 and continuing through November 23, 2021. Proceeds support experiential education programs at the UC Santa Cruz Center for Agroecology & Sustainable Food Systems. New Brighton Little Rangers Fridays and Saturdays Any and all 3 to 6 year old are invited to play games, listen to stories and songs, and learn about nature! Smiles, laughter, and good times abound at this program, and it’s a fantastic way to begin your morning in the park. Meet at the campground Ramada. For more information, call (831) 685-6444. Spaces are limited and early pre-registration is recommended. Attendees are required to self-screen for COVID-19 symptoms when pre-registering. Masks and social distancing are also required at all programs. To register, visit: santacruzstateparks.as.me/schedule.php The film “Documented” by author Jose Antonio Vargas will be available for library patrons to view online from June 18th to July 3rd. See July1. Saturday 3New Brighton Little Rangers Fridays and Saturdays Any and all 3 to 6 year old are invited to play games, listen to stories and songs, and learn about nature! Smiles, laughter, and good times abound at this program, and it’s a fantastic way to begin your morning in the park. Meet at the campground Ramada. For more information, call (831) 685-6444. FREE Mobile Museum at Seabright Beach Every Saturday, 1-3 p.m. Explore marine specimens from the Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History’s collections, play ocean games, and hang out with Museum staff and volunteers at the entrance to Seabright Beach! Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History 831.420.6115 santacruzmuseum.org International Plastic Bag Free Day Sunday 4Independence Day Celebrate the nation’s birthday and Independence Day. On this day, most Americans enjoy grills in their backyards, at beaches, or in parks. Some partake in parades or marches and enjoy the fireworks that are often launched at dusk. We kick off the festivities with details, trivia, and anything else you need to know about Independence Day. Happy Fourth! Monday 5Read Growing Up Santa Cruz Online Day GrowingUpSC.com Tuesday 6Free Tuesday at UCSC Arboretum Community Day at the UCSC Arboretum, free admission on the first Tuesday of every month 9 am-5 pm. Come explore the biodiversity of our gardens, great birdwatching or simply come relax on a bench in the shade. Tumble on Tuesdays at JuneBug’s Gym 12-2:00pm To guarantee a spot, please call 831-464-2847. Come explore our fun-filled gym in a supervised setting. Zipline, rope swings, trampolines and more! For ages walking-8yr (gym closed 6/20-7/4)Dungeons & Dragons Tuesdays Attention 12-16yr olds — Adventure awaits! A friendly introduction to Dungeons & Dragons for players of all experience levels, led by an experienced player. Held every Tuesday from 3:30-6:30pm. Our Campaign lasts from May 4th to August 31st. Form a party, hunt for ancient treasures, and use your wits, magic, or brute force to battle kobolds, dragons, and more. Dungeons & Dragons is a game of adventure, imagination and near-limitless possibilities. If you’ve been curious but unsure how to start, it’s time to roll the dice and join this campaign. An experienced D&Der will guide you, and all the necessary materials & manuals will be provided. santacruzpl.libcal.com/event/7565369Virtual Zoom Toddler Time by Julie 10:30 – 11 am Tuesdays Toddler Time is a weekly early literacy program for families with children ages 0-3 years old. Music, movement, stories, fingerplays, rhymes, and songs are a fun way for your child to learn. Register here: santacruzpl.libcal.com/event/7590866. Let’s play and learn together! Community Day at the UCSC Arboretum, free admission on the first Tuesday of every month 9 am-5 pm. Come explore the biodiversity of our gardens, great birdwatching or simply come relax on a bench in the shade. arboretum.ucsc.edu/eventscalendar/events/recurring-events/community-day.html Wednesday 7National Strawberry Sundae Day Tell the Truth Day Like most of us, at some point, you probably told a lie but, hopefully, it was just a white lie with little consequence. Unfortunately, lying can lead to much more harmful outcomes when it becomes a personality trait. Truthfulness and honesty are the foundations of living with integrity. Here are some ideas on how to observe this very meaningful day. World Chocolate Day The cacao bean, which is responsible for that unmistakably rich flavor we know and love so well, is native to Mexico as well as South- and Central America but has been transplanted into the U.S. and some European countries to match the high consumer demand for this delicacy. Whether it’s used to coat other candies and nuts, melted over fruit, or shaven over a gourmet dessert, chocolate always hits the spot. Thursday 8Grey Bears Brown Bag Line If you are able-bodied and love to work FAST, this is for you! Grey Bears could use more help with their brown bag production line on Thursday and Friday mornings. As a token of our thanks, we make you breakfast (be there at 7am!) and give you a bag of food if wanted. Be at the warehouse with mask and gloves at 7am, and we will put you to work until at least 9am! Fun group, we all love working here! Call ahead if you would like to know more. greybears.org/groceries/ National Video Game Day Primarily used for recreational purposes (although professional gaming leagues do, in fact, exist), video games have exploded in popularity over the last few decades. They’re exciting, invigorating, and most importantly — not just for kids. The very first video game ever invented involved simple table tennis. Today, there are over five million games in existence. From high-speed racing adventures to perilous virtual dueling matches, there’s a genre for everyone to enjoy. Friday 9CASFS Farmstand Cowell Ranch Historic Hay Barn 12pm – 6pm Organic vegetables, fruit, herbs and flowers are sold weekly at the CASFS Farmstand, starting June 15 and continuing through November 23, 2021. Proceeds support experiential education programs at the UC Santa Cruz Center for Agroecology & Sustainable Food Systems. New Brighton Little Rangers Fridays and Saturdays Any and all 3 to 6 year old are invited to play games, listen to stories and songs, and learn about nature! Smiles, laughter, and good times abound at this program, and it’s a fantastic way to begin your morning in the park. See July 3. Saturday 10Boomeria Organ Extravaganza Boomeria 1pm – 5pm Boomeria is a beloved place in the Santa Cruz mountains that is a monument to creativity in art, music, and science. The brainchild of Preston Boomer ““ longtime San Lorenzo Valley High School physics and chemistry teacher, now retired ““ Boomeria’s grounds are known for a working Baroque-style tracker pipe-organ built by Boomer and his students incorporating recycled and European organ pipes and recent work by organ builder Bill Visscher and friends. The “˜Kingdom of Boomeria” also includes a castle built for climbing (most especially for those with short legs,) in a beautiful forest of redwood, bay-laurel, oak and madrone. (831) 475-9693 Join Parker Hammond Golf for a fun FREE introduction to the wonderful sport of golf at DeLaveaga Golf Course on Saturday July 10th and Saturday August.14th from 4:30 pm to 6 pm. For more information: Santa Cruz Junior Golf, info@santacruzjuniorgolf.org, santacruzjuniorgolf.org. Ages 7 to 18 welcomeNew Brighton Little Rangers Fridays and Saturdays Any and all 3 to 6 year old are invited to play games, listen to stories and songs, and learn about nature! See July 3. FREE Mobile Museum at Seabright Beach Every Saturday, 1-3 p.m. See July3. FREE Rockin’ Pop-Up with the Geology Gents 10-1 pm Grab your favorite rock and swing on by the Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History for a pop-up in the park with Gavin and Graham, the Geology Gents! We’ll have specimens out for explorations and can answer your geologic queries. Don’t forget to pop inside to explore our fossil Mastodon skull, Megalodon teeth, and dig for fossils yourself!Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History 1305 East Cliff Drive, Santa Cruz 95062 831.420.6115 santacruzmuseum.org Sunday 11Cheer Up the Lonely Day Whether it’s a close friend, family member, old neighbor, new classmate, parent, child, or anybody else in your life, organize a get-together today to help get the word out and spread the spirit of friendliness! Monday 12National Different Colored Eyes Day all about heterochromia iridum. It’s okay, we didn’t know what it meant at first, either. Heterochromia iridum is a term for the variation in color that gives a single organism two different colored eyes. It has been known to occur in populations of many species since the dawn of recorded history and is an interesting and sought-after trait. Only the lucky 1% of the population enjoys this special pigmentation, though there are three distinct types of heterochromia. Today, many people prefer pets with this fun eye color difference, and colored contact lenses are used just to mimic the trait! All this to say, give your friends with heterochromia a little extra love today. Tuesday 13Free Tuesday at UCSC Arboretum Community Day at the UCSC Arboretum, free admission on the first Tuesday of every month 9 am-5 pm. See July 6 Tumble on Tuesdays at JuneBug’s Gym 12-2:00pm To guarantee a spot, please call 831-464-2847. See July...

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Inspirational Posters

growingupsc — Tue, 29 Jun 2021 16:26:37 +0000

Foxy July 21

growingupsc — Tue, 29 Jun 2021 16:22:46 +0000

Summer Fox submission deadline August 20 Read More Coloring Pages

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Playwright Winners

growingupsc — Tue, 29 Jun 2021 16:19:21 +0000

Actors Theatre Young Playwrights Winners Press Release Ten local high school students have been named as winners of the Santa Cruz Actors’ Theatre’s Young Playwrights’ Festival and their scripts will be offered in various productions in the coming months. “Ocean Disaster,” by Julien Jacklin, and “Mother & Daughter” by Lila-Rose Roberts, both from Georgiana Bruce Kirby School, along with “Together at Last,” by Stella Pfefferkonn of the San Lorenzo Valley Nature Academy, will have their plays featured on the Actors’ Theatre Radio Hour on KSQD (90.7 FM) at 9 p.m. June 20. Six young playwrights will have their works presented on Zoom Forward, on June 25 at 5 p.m., a production done in partnership with Bookshop Santa Cruz and Phren-Z literary magazine. “The Dog Days of Summer”by Ryan Holderup, of Georgiana Bruce Kirby School“Internal Thoughts–My Craft”by Meghan Kearney and Brigette Vanceboth of Soquel High School“Imperfect”by Acacia Neuburger, Emma Power-Perkins, and Adessa Lewisall of San Lorenzo Valley Nature Academy. The final winner will be presented as part of the “8 Tens @ Eight Short Play Festival” in January 2022. “Gone”by Davey Ouseof Soquel High School The winning plays cover an array of topics and forms. “Ocean Disaster” is described as a sci-fi mystery romp, a one-act comedy with five strange characters set in an advanced underwater research facility in the near future. In “Mother & Daughter,” a teenager struggles with convincing her mother to deal with a serious family issue. In “The Dog Days of Summer,” the death of a beloved dog brings together two estranged friends.A young girl deals with anxiety about leaving her grandmother’s funeral to buy a book instead of staying, in “Internal Thoughts–My Craft,” but is the book linked to her grandmother? “Imperfect” deals with two sisters confronting each other after one is found rummaging through the other’s things.“Together at Last” is described as “a fairytale-like story of a childhood friendship that lasts a lifetime despite unthinkable circumstances.” Most of the plays have already been cast and have assigned directors. The Actors’ Theatre Young Playwrights’ Festival reached out to middle and high schools in the Monterey Bay Area for submissions.= Read More Parenting Articles

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Alice’s Avengers in Underland

growingupsc — Tue, 29 Jun 2021 16:17:23 +0000

Alice’s Avengers in Underland press release Alice and a host of singing and dancing superhero’s, dive deep into Underland to fight Gotham City’s most vile villains in their Underland hideout in Little People’s Repertory Theater’s Alice’s Avengers in Underland. This original rock music by Janinne Chadwick opens July 21st at Park Hall in downtown Ben Lomond. LPRT is back with live theater, promising to entertain audiences of all ages. Alice’s Avengers in Underland parodies pop music, classic rock and iconic pop-culture icons, from Tom Petty to Lizzo. Under the Direction of Jocelyn Mcmahon-Babalis, with Gabe House as musical director and choreographer, Sadie Rose, over 65 local kids will perform once again on stage. Cautious of Covid protocols, grateful to return after a quarantine hiatus, LPRT’s Alice will be a welcome reminder of why live performance is so essential to our community! In addition to amazing scenic design headed up by Kate Longini Pratt, Alice will wow audience members with impressive special effects, worthy of a cast of superheroes and super villains.More information available about tickets at performance schedule at info@lprt.org Read More Parenting Articles

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Santa Cruz Montessori

growingupsc — Tue, 29 Jun 2021 16:11:50 +0000

Santa Cruz Montessori Students Fight Hunger Press Release It all started with a news story showing mile-long lines for food banks around the country in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic. Santa Cruz Montessori teacher Kristin Tosello shared this news with her 4th, 5th, and 6th graders in the Junior Class. She also streamed videos from the Second Harvest Food Bank that showed that one in five people in Santa Cruz County and one in four children in Santa Cruz County face food insecurity.The images and the statistics hit home with the Montessori students, shocked at the number of hungry people in their own community. But instead of simply feeling sad and helpless about the situation, they decided to take action and organize a walkathon for the Second Harvest Food Bank. Students teamed up to create a page for the walkathon on the Second Harvest Food Bank website and told all of their friends and family about their plan and how to donate. They then set a goal for $2,250, which is equal to 9,000 meals and surpassed that goal before they even started walking. April 16 was the big day, perfect for walking—sunny but not too warm. The 17 students of the Junior Class, masked up and ready for the challenge, walked to the nearby Cabrillo College track, and spent the next three hours churning around the quarter-mile track. Each set their own speed, just trying to go round the track as many times as possible. One of the students racked up an amazing 12 miles, while all the students walked more than 5.75 miles. “It was fun to walk around talking to friends for most of the morning,” one student commented. “After a while it started to get a bit tiring, but we reminded ourselves of our cause and walked on.” The result? The students raised a whopping $6,542 for Second Harvest and learned a valuable lesson in effecting change–every step counts. The class agrees: “Looking back on this experience, we are very proud of our efforts and that we made a difference in our community.” Read More Local News Articles

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Mac vs PC

growingupsc — Tue, 29 Jun 2021 16:07:37 +0000

Mac vs PC By Luigi Oppido Let’s start with the differences. Both machines are virtually the same inside. The same components live inside both machines just like any other computer, Ram, CPU, hard drive etc. The difference starts with the operating system and the functionality and communication of those components, and of course, what you can do with them! This question plagues the computer user every time the trigger needs to be pulled on a new machine. What do I get? Mac or PC? And why? Common today, Macs are mostly found in laptop form and run the Apple operating system called OSX or OS11. Microsoft computers called PCs normally run Windows based operating systems and are usually more prevalent in desktops but also exist as laptops. (The operating system is the program that runs every component and every other program on your computer) You can buy either type of computer in either type of form factor (laptop or PC) but why go one way over the other? Let’s start with the differences. Both machines are virtually the same inside. The same components live inside both machines just like any other computer, Ram, CPU, hard drive etc. The difference starts with the operating system and the functionality and communication of those components, and of course, what you can do with them! Both machines can fundamentally do the same things. They both go online, they both allow you to type, print, get email, output to multiple monitors, but Windows will accomplish some things better than Macs can and vise versa. Mac (+)’s- user friendly-ness. Ease of use and a quick learning curve have always been a reason to pick a Mac. Graphics displays! Retina screens are Apple’s flagship displays. They have bright true color for graphic designers and photographers, hence why Macs have always been the choice of the artist or designer. They’re pretty. Usually, Macs are nice to look at and have heightened design aspects. Connectivity between the Apple world. Apple devices talk almost seamlessly with other Apple devices (phones, AirPod earphones, displays, AppleTV, airplay devices, and other products Apple produces) making setup easy and quick. Mac (-)’sPlanned obsolescence. Apple has total control over its manufacturing and product line and every component that goes into a Mac. Therefore they can tell when their operating systems will not work as well on some of their older machines and plan for them to not allow an operating system upgrade. This forces the consumer into a purchase of a new machine possibly before the machine shows signs of wear or slowing down.Windows still has a huge market share of the computing platform in the world. The software library available for Mac is still large, but less than that of a PC. No modeling and light gaming – Macs have never been engineering machines and a lot of 3D modeling programs don’t function on a Mac. Most popular video games play better on PCs. Affordability. A PC can be built to the exact same specs as a MacBook or MacBook Pro and cost 2/3 the price or less! Since the components can come from a myriad of different companies instead of only one, costs can go down and you still can get the quality and performance you’re looking for. Marketshare – As stated above, Windows still holds the top spot and is the most widely used operating system in existence. Software is developed for Windows before is developed for anything else. If you need a piece of software that might be odd or unique, most likely it’s designed to run on a PC. Gaming and Engineering – PCs are mostly modifiable (desktops and some laptops) so upgrade that graphics card! Put more Ram in! Get a better wifi card! Upgrade and customize for your particular application. PCs are the go-to for gamers and engineers/parametric modelers because of their flexibility and customization. PC (-)’s PCs can be less user friendly. They can take a bit more time to get used to, or to get things working if you haven’t used a computer in a while …or ever! Value for later sale. While some components can hold their value, Macs have a higher resale value than PCs. So who wins? What do I buy? Mac or PC? The debate will go on till the end of time. Only you will know which will suit your needs. Take your newly found knowledge and go forth! The world of computing awaits! Luigi Oppido | Owner/Technician| Pleasure Point Computers | 1824Soquel Ave. STE-B |Santa Cruz,Ca 95062 |Phone: (831) 464-2220|Luigi@PleasurePointComputers.com| PleasurePointComputers.com Listento the Computer Man Show! EveryTuesday night from 6 to 7 PM on 90.7FM KSQD, and KSQD.org. Send yourquestions to editor@growingupsc.comand we’ll get them answered! Read More Parenting Articles

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