Articles by Tucker Wolfson

DIY, News & Features, Opinions May 17, 2017

7 Tips on How to Begin to Make a Video Game

So you want to make a video game? Well of course you do if you clicked this article! Well, here are a couple quick tips to get you started. 1. Have a Bit of Background Knowledge Though some programs don’t need it, it is always best to learn how to code. For video games, probably the best coding language to learn is C Sharp, but you can be fine with JavaScript. Codecademy is a great place to start. Also, play your favorite video games! Most people get inspired by playing other people’s games. You’re way more likely to have an idea for a video game if you play one. 2. Think of the Mechanics of the Game Before you think about story, characters, level design, power-ups, and more, try to think about the main mechanic you want to convey and base the other things around that. The Portal series is…

April 26, 2017

TechTips: Keyboard Shortcuts

Hi everyone! From our knowledge, everyone at this school uses computers or iPads, to some degree. On Mac computers, there are some shortcuts that you can learn that make navigating a computer a lot easier. You can also edit, disable, or even create your own shortcuts in System Preferences. The four main shortcut keys used are Shift (to the left of the Z key), Control (to the right of the FN key), Option (also called Alt, below the Z key), and Command (to the left of the space bar) Here are some commonly used command codes: (The Command button is usually replaced by the Control button on PCs and Chromebooks for some commands) *What is the difference between Quitting and App than Force Quitting an App? Well, quitting an app is when you get rid of it when you’re done with it. If that app freezes, crashes, or loads really…

Opinions April 7, 2017

Five Actors who Could Replace Jared Leto as the Joker

Let’s be honest… Jared Leto wasn’t a great Joker in a mediocre movie. His Heath Ledger ripoff was underwhelming and very overhyped. We’d love a new actor in that iconic role, and here are five actors we think could pull it off. 5. Jake Gyllenhall Hear us out – Jake Gyllenhall was CRAZY in Nightcrawler! Probably the most haunting performance of 2014, this rising star played an insane reporter willing to do whatever he needs to do in order to get footage of crimes. Maybe not the most “Joker” role ever, but he had the same level of creepiness and insanity that people like Heath Ledger and Mark Hamill maintain throughout their performances. He could pull off a weird and eerie but still fun and enjoyable performance as the Clown Prince of Crime. 4. Daniel Day Lewis Daniel Day Lewis is an ACTOR. The man transforms into his roles completely and…

Opinions March 1, 2017

Restaurant Review: Hymie’s Merion Delicatessen

“Your boss will be here. Your boss’s boss will be here. Shouldn’t you be here too?” -www.barsonsdeli.com Hello everyone! It is Charlie and Tucker, the dynamic duo collaborating yet again. As you may know, there have been some tragedies in the Jewish community across the country, and we thought it would be a perfect time to review a Jewish deli! Here we have Hymie’s Merion Delicatessen, which is an incredible Jewish deli located in Merion Station (hence the name), near two other fabulous restaurants, Saffron (find our review for that here), and Shangri-la (review coming soon!). Decor Hymie’s is known for it’s traditional diner feel, as well as its durability. It has been around since 1955 and has even survived a truck crashing into the building! But what most people cherish about Hymie’s design is the interior. Jewish history suffocates the walls of the building. The soft cushioned seats compliment people…

February 22, 2017

Video Game Facts: The Madden Curse!

The Madden Games. Who doesn’t know Madden? This popular football game first released in 1988 with John Madden as Electronic Art’s (EA) “cover player” to sell more games, and John Madden’s Football was an instant success. But did you know when EA replaced John Madden with other players, that Madden cursed the series? So, for those who do not believe in curses at first (such as myself), here is some evidence about how Madden will be cursed forever! It all began in 1998, where Garrison Hearst was racking up points for the San Francisco 49ers. EA liked this player, and when they offered Hearst to lead the Madden series, he agreed. Almost immediately after the offer was accepted, Hearst broke his ankle and could barely play at all that season. But maybe it was just one time, right? Wrong. When Madden NFL 2000 was close to releasing, EA thought of…

February 22, 2017

App Unwrap: Swift Playgrounds

Today we are going to highlight an App(le)* that teaches you Swift for free, called Swift Playgrounds. Swift is the coding language that Apple uses to make many of their apps and operating systems, including Playgrounds itself. A coding language is a special type of language that computers understand. Different coding languages do different things. For example, HTML and CSS can create websites, while JavaScript and C Sharp are primarily used for making video games, and so on. This is the home screen. It shows all of the “playgrounds” that you have. A “Playground” is basically an area to experiment with code. I have downloaded many from the store, but we’ll get to that later. Click on the + to create a new blank playground, or click on one that you already worked on to open it. If you don’t know how to code using Swift, no problem! The “Learn…

News & Features February 1, 2017

The FCS Plague

Today, as January draws to a close while February arrives, a violent outbreak of sickness has arrived throughout the FCS middle school. This sickness has now been commonly called “The Plague.” “I’m sad to see that so many kids are out sick, but we’re hoping parents will keep children home as to not spread germs,” said Mrs. Petrarca, when I asked her about the plague. “We sanitized the school over the weekend, and hopefully this will prevent more germs being spread around the school.” This infection began on Monday morning, where around 25 kids were declared absent, while yesterday 46 kids were absent. Luckily, only 37 kids were absent today, so it appears as if the plague is weakening. School nurse Mrs. Rosenblum said that symptoms included fever, malaise, fatigue, runny nose, coughing, and body aches. There are many ways to prevent the plague. It is a good idea to still…

Opinions February 10, 2016

App Unwrap: iMovie

Hello everybody! I’ve been told that App Unwraps, or reviews of iPad apps, gained a lot of attention last year, so I’m here to continue the legacy of App Unwraps! To start my App Unwrap writing, I’m going to review iMovie. iMovie is a pretty popular app that you can find in the App Store for only $5.00. It’s also a required app for middle schoolers.

Opinions February 8, 2016

Restaurant Review: SNAP Custom Pizza

SNAP Custom Pizza 4 Station Avenue, Ardmore Welcome to the second ever Phoenix Inquirer Restaurant Review! This is Charlie and Tucker, collaborating yet again. This time, we are traveling all the way to Ardmore to check out one of the best pizza places in the Main Line (or as Tucker calls it, “the main lime”): SNAP Custom Pizza.

Opinions February 5, 2016

Game Review: Super Mario Maker

Whenever someone says the word “Mario,” I’m sure you think of the same thing: Bowser steals princess, Mario goes after him, blah blah blah. But Super Mario Maker is a Mario game like no other! On September 10, 2015, Nintendo released Super Mario Maker for Wii U. This game was originally for Nintendo employees only, but the company realized that the game could make tons of money by being sold to the public. In this game, you create your own Mario levels! You can add in all sorts of enemies and blocks, plus you are able to create in four different styles!

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