Author: mchiang1

HW 10 Summary

Time Log Teams – time spent on other Teams’ sites (must have 3 entries or more):

Date: Mar. 14, 2025 From: 03:20pm To: 03:35pm

Date: Mar. 14, 2025 From: 03:36pm To: 03:46pm

Date: Mar. 14, 2025 From: 11:12pm To: 11:20pm

Date: Mar. 14, 2025 From: 11:21pm To: 11:29pm

Time Log – time spent on other students’ sites (must have 4 entries or more):

Date: Mar. 14, 2025 From: 03:50pm To: 03:55pm

Date: Mar. 14, 2025 From: 04:00pm To: 04:07pm

Date: Mar. 14, 2025 From: 11:34pm To: 11:42pm

Date: Mar. 14, 2025 From: 11:43pm To: 11:48pm

Essay I. Summary of your activities in your contents including new contents created (one paragraph). Provide all the hyperlinks (clickable) of new contents you have created this week.

This week, I created two posts. One introduces orgin of saying god bless when others sneeze. The other why you wake up before the alarm go off. Below are the hyperlinks to the new content I created this week:

The Strange Reason You Wake Up Right Before Your Alarm Goes Off

The Chilling Truth About Why We Say “Bless You” When Someone Sneezes

Essay II. Summary of your KPI table (add screenshots or table) (one paragraph excluding the KIP table)

The KPI table for this week focuses on tracking key website performance indicators, including user engagement, 7-day active users, and international reach. The first goal is to increase active users, measured by the number of 7-day active users. The second goal aims to improve user engagement, using average session duration. Lastly, the fourth goal focuses on increasing interantional reach, analyzing user distribution by countries.

Essay III. Summary of your Looker Studio Report with your KPI identified (add screenshots) (one paragraph)

The Looker Studio report provides a detailed evaluation of website performance, aligning with the established KPIs to track user activity, engagement levels, and geographic reach. The 7-day active users chart exhibits a declining trend, indicating a gradual drop in user retention over time. The average session duration chart presents irregular fluctuations, with certain days experiencing significant spikes, suggesting periods of heightened interaction or potential data anomalies. The user distribution bar chart emphasizes a strong concentration of users in the United States, with minimal representation from other countries, underscoring the need for a broader international reach. These insights are essential for assessing user behavior and refining strategies to enhance engagement, retain active users, and expand the global audience.

The Strange Reason You Wake Up Right Before Your Alarm Goes Off

Have you ever woken up just minutes before your alarm—without even trying? It’s almost like your brain has a secret clock inside it. Well, guess what? It actually does!

  1. Your Brain is a Human Alarm Clock
    Your body follows a natural rhythm called the circadian clock, which controls when you feel sleepy and when you wake up. If you set an alarm for the same time every day, your brain learns the pattern and starts waking you up naturally—sometimes just before the alarm rings!
  2. Stress and Anticipation Play a Big Role
    If you have an important event, like a flight to catch or a big exam, your brain gets extra alert. It releases stress hormones like cortisol, which make you more sensitive to time. This is why you often wake up early when you’re nervous about something.
  3. Your Body Hates Sudden Noise
    Your brain actually prefers to wake up gradually. When you sleep, your body starts raising its temperature and heart rate before you wake up. If your internal clock is synced well, it’ll wake you up before your alarm to avoid the stress of a sudden, loud noise.
  4. How to Use This to Your Advantage
    Want to wake up feeling refreshed instead of groggy? Try this:

Stick to a schedule: Wake up at the same time every day, even on weekends.
Avoid screens before bed: Blue light messes with your circadian rhythm.
Use a sunrise alarm clock: These wake you up with gradual light instead of a jarring sound.
So, if you keep waking up right before your alarm, don’t freak out—it just means your brain is smarter than you think! ⏰🧠

The Chilling Truth About Why We Say “Bless You” When Someone Sneezes

You’ve probably said it a thousand times—someone sneezes, and without thinking, you say “Bless you!” But have you ever stopped to wonder why we do this? The origins of this simple phrase are darker than you think!

  1. The Plague Theory – A Matter of Life and Death
    One of the most famous explanations dates back to the bubonic plague in the 6th and 14th centuries. Sneezing was one of the first symptoms of the deadly disease, and Pope Gregory I ordered people to say “God bless you” in hopes of protecting them from the illness—or at least offering a prayer before death.
  2. The Superstition of the Soul Leaving the Body
    Some ancient cultures believed that sneezing could expel a person’s soul from their body, leaving them vulnerable to evil spirits. Saying “Bless you” was thought to prevent demons from sneaking in!
  3. The Roman Emperor Who Thought Sneezing Was Lucky
    In ancient Rome, people believed that sneezing was a sign of good fortune—especially if it happened in the morning. Emperor Tiberius was so obsessed with this idea that his followers would say “Jupiter preserve you” every time he sneezed.
  4. The Heart-Stopping Myth (Literally!)
    There’s a common myth that your heart stops when you sneeze and that saying “Bless you” somehow helps restart it. While this isn’t true, sneezing does cause a temporary change in heart rhythm—which might explain why people thought it was a near-death experience!

So next time someone sneezes, remember: what seems like a simple polite response actually has a long history of fear, faith, and superstition behind it!

HW9 Summary

Time Log Teams – time spent on other Teams’ sites (must have 3 entries or more):

Date: Mar. 8, 2025 From: 03:20pm To: 03:35pm

Date: Mar. 8, 2025 From: 03:36pm To: 03:46pm

Date: Mar. 8, 2025 From: 11:12pm To: 11:20pm

Date: Mar. 8, 2025 From: 11:21pm To: 11:29pm

Time Log – time spent on other students’ sites (must have 4 entries or more):

Date: Mar. 8, 2025 From: 03:50pm To: 03:55pm

Date: Mar. 8, 2025 From: 04:00pm To: 04:07pm

Date: Mar. 8, 2025 From: 11:34pm To: 11:42pm

Date: Mar. 8, 2025 From: 11:43pm To: 11:48pm

Essay I. Summary of your activities in your contents including new contents created (one paragraph). Provide all the hyperlinks (clickable) of new contents you have created this week.

This week, I created two posts. One introduces fun secret science behind battery. The other why airplane window is round. Below are the hyperlinks to the new content I created this week:

The Secret Science Behind Why Your Phone Battery Always Dies at 1%

The Weird Reason Airplane Windows Are Round (and Why Square Ones Were Deadly!)

Essay II. Summary/analysis of your ‘automated insights’ (add screenshots) (one paragraph)

The automated insights show user activity trends from February 8 to March 9, 2025. The highest user engagement occurred on February 9, with a peak of around 11-12 users. After this spike, activity fluctuated at lower levels, generally between 1 to 4 users per day. This suggests that February 9 had a significant event or content update that drove traffic, while engagement remained relatively steady but lower on other days. Understanding what caused the peak on February 9 could help replicate similar engagement in the future.

Essay III. Summary/analysis of your ‘custom insights’ (add screenshots) (one paragraph)

For my custom insights, I used the recommended anomaly detection settings to track unusual activity in daily users, event counts, views, and key events. Additionally, I created a custom rule to monitor daily heavy user, setting an alert for user who views more than 3 posts. This allows me to track my heavy user.

The Weird Reason Airplane Windows Are Round (and Why Square Ones Were Deadly!)

Have you ever wondered why airplane windows are always round or oval? It’s not just for aesthetics—this design actually saves lives!

  1. The Deadly Mistake of Square Windows
    In the 1950s, the world’s first commercial jet, the de Havilland Comet, had square windows—and they led to disaster. Three Comet planes mysteriously broke apart mid-air, killing everyone on board.
  2. The Science of Pressure and Weak Points
    At high altitudes, airplanes experience extreme air pressure differences between the inside cabin and the outside atmosphere. The corners of square windows became weak points where stress concentrated, leading to fatal cracks in the fuselage.
  3. Why Round Windows Solve the Problem
    A rounded shape distributes pressure evenly, eliminating stress points. This small design change completely transformed air travel safety, preventing further structural failures.
  4. The Hidden Safety Feature in Your Window
    Ever noticed the tiny hole at the bottom of airplane windows? It’s called a breather hole, and it helps balance air pressure between the outer and inner window panes, preventing fogging and additional stress buildup.

Thanks to round windows, modern planes are far safer than their early predecessors. So next time you gaze out of an airplane window, remember—it’s not just a design choice, it’s an engineering lifesaver!

The Secret Science Behind Why Your Phone Battery Always Dies at 1%

Ever noticed how your phone lingers at 10% for what feels like forever, but the moment it hits 1%, it dies instantly? No, it’s not your imagination—there’s actual science behind it!

  1. The Truth About “1%” – It’s a Lie!
    Your phone doesn’t actually know exactly how much battery is left. The percentage you see is just an estimate based on past charging and discharging patterns. Lithium-ion batteries, which power most smartphones, degrade over time, making these estimates less reliable.
  2. Battery Chemistry: The Final Struggle
    When your phone is close to dying, it enters a voltage drop phase. At higher percentages, the battery releases energy steadily, but near 0%, it struggles to supply consistent power. If an app suddenly demands more power, your phone can shut off—sometimes even before hitting 1%!
  3. Why Your Phone Lasts Longer on 10% Than 1%
    Most phones use software trickery to keep you from panicking. At around 10%, the system optimizes power usage by dimming the screen, slowing down background apps, and reducing performance. But once you hit 1%, these tricks stop working, making it seem like your phone dies instantly.
  4. The Myth of the “Battery Memory”
    A common myth says you should drain your phone to 0% before charging it to 100%—but this is actually harmful! Lithium-ion batteries work best when kept between 20% and 80%. Completely draining them shortens their lifespan over time.

So next time your phone dies right at 1%, don’t curse your battery—blame the science behind it!

HW8 Summary

Time Log Teams – time spent on other Teams’ sites (must have 3 entries or more):

Date: Feb. 28, 2025 From: 10:00pm to 10:08pm
Date: Feb. 28, 2025 From: 10:10pm to 10:14pm
Date: Mar. 1, 2025 From: 09:07pm to 09:12pm
Date: Mar. 1, 2025 From: 09:18pm to 09:23pm

Time Log Students – time spent on other students’ sites (must have 3 entries or more):

Date: Feb. 28, 2025 From: 10:20pm to 10:24pm
Date: Feb. 28, 2025 From: 10:32pm to 10:36pm
Date: Mar. 1, 2025 From: 09:25pm to 09:32pm
Date: Mar. 1, 2025 From: 09:34pm to 09:44pm

Essay I: Summary of your activities in your contents including new contents created

This week I created two new posts for the fun facts category- one about the origin of cat, and the other about jellyfish.

The Mysterious Case of Why Cats Always Land on Their Feet

The Animal That Can Live Forever

Essay II. Summary of your “Thank you” event conversion (add screenshots) (one paragraph)

I created a “Thank You” page and set up a new event in GTM that triggers whenever someone views the page. This event, named thank_you, is configured with a Page View trigger that activates when the URL contains /thank-you. After testing in GTM Preview Mode and verifying in GA4’s Realtime Report, I confirmed that the event fires correctly, allowing me to analyze user behavior and measure key actions effectively.

Essay III. Summary of your “menu click” event conversion (add screenshots) (one paragraph)

I created a menu click event for the My Career menu option. I set up a trigger with Click Text that contains “My Career” and created a GA4 event tag named menu_click.

The Animal That Can Live Forever

Aging is a fact of life… unless you’re a tiny jellyfish known as Turritopsis dohrnii! This incredible creature has a superpower that scientists call biological immortality.

The Jellyfish That Rewinds Time
Most jellyfish go through a life cycle: they start as tiny larvae, grow into polyps, and then mature into their adult form, called a medusa. But Turritopsis dohrnii has a trick up its tentacles—if it gets injured or stressed, it can revert back to its polyp stage instead of dying! This means it can restart its life cycle indefinitely under the right conditions.

Why Doesn’t It Take Over the Oceans?
Even though Turritopsis dohrnii can technically live forever, it still faces threats like predators, disease, and environmental changes. That’s why it hasn’t taken over the ocean—though it has spread worldwide thanks to ocean currents and ballast water from ships.

Fun Facts About This Immortal Jellyfish
It was first discovered in 1883, but scientists didn’t realize its “immortality” until the 1990s.
The jellyfish is smaller than a pinky fingernail, growing only about 4.5 mm wide.
Scientists are studying its ability to reverse aging to see if it could inspire new medical breakthroughs.
While humans aren’t immortal, nature has some fascinating tricks up its sleeve! Maybe one day, this jellyfish will help unlock secrets to a longer life.

The Mysterious Case of Why Cats Always Land on Their Feet

Have you ever seen a cat fall and magically twist itself mid-air to land on its feet? This incredible ability is called the cat righting reflex, and it has puzzled scientists for centuries!

How Do Cats Do It?
Cats have an exceptional sense of balance and a highly flexible spine. When they fall, they use a special process to reorient themselves:

Head First – The cat quickly turns its head and front legs toward the correct position.
Twist and Tuck – The spine twists, allowing the back half of the body to follow.
Final Flip – The cat extends its legs to slow down rotation, landing gracefully.
This entire movement happens in less than a second—talk about cat-like reflexes!

The Science Behind It
Unlike humans, cats don’t rely on gravity alone when they fall. Instead, they use the laws of physics, particularly the conservation of angular momentum (the same principle that allows ice skaters to spin faster by pulling in their arms). Even from great heights, cats have an uncanny ability to adjust their body mid-fall.

Crazy Cat Fall Facts
Cats can survive falls from over 30 stories! Veterinarians have documented cases of cats falling from skyscrapers and walking away with just minor injuries.
The record height a cat has survived from is over 200 feet (61 meters)!
In a phenomenon called high-rise syndrome, cats that fall from greater heights often survive better than those falling from lower floors—because they have more time to adjust their body for landing.
So, next time you see a cat leap fearlessly from a high place, don’t worry too much—they’ve got physics on their side! 😸

HW7 Summary

Date: Feb. 21, 2025 From: 10:10pm to 10:18pm
Date: Feb. 21, 2025 From: 10:20pm to 10:24pm
Date: Feb. 22, 2025 From: 09:05pm to 09:14pm
Date: Feb.22, 2025 From: 09:20pm to 09:24pm

Essay I: Summary of your activities in your contents including new contents created

This week I created two new posts for the fun facts category- one about the origin of highfive, and the other about why popcorn pops.

The Mysterious Origin of the High Five

The Strange Science Behind Why Popcorn Pops

Essay II. Summary of your “Event” in GA4 (add a screenshot) (one paragraph)

This week, I used Google Tags to create a custom event called “my-hobbies” in my GA4. Whenever someone views the post about my hobbies, the trigger activates. And as you can see, so far, two people have viewed my hobbies.

Essay III. Find and describe one of best use cases using custom events in GA4 (one paragraph)

One of the best use cases for custom events in GA4 related to page views is tracking key content interactions beyond standard page tracking. For example, a website can implement a custom event like page_view_article to specifically track when users view blog posts or important content pages. By adding parameters such as article_category, author, or reading_time, businesses can analyze which types of content attract the most engagement. This allows marketers to refine content strategies, optimize SEO, and improve user retention by focusing on high-performing articles and tailoring recommendations based on user interests.