About AskBarfy.com - from BRAINSTORM by Corey Green

What is AskBarfy.com?

Actually, this site is something I created in self-defense. (See the explanation of the problem below.) After you read some of the notes similar to those I get every night, you'll understand.

To tell the truth, putting homework resources online was a project I started so I could stay in a special science program. Of course, when you read Brainstorm, you'll understand that nothing ever goes as planned!

Yours truly,
Brian Alexander Reynolds Ferguson III
(You can call me Barfy ... but only when doing homework!)

Subject: Math hw
From: Lisa

Hey Barfy,

I'm trying to do the Math homework, but I keep getting the wrong answer. Help!

Lisa

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Reply: Lisa, be sure you copied the question correctly. You can't get correct output if you don't have quality input. The principle is called Garbage In, Garbage Out (GIGO).

Brian

Subject:
From: Matt

Hi Barfy,

Do you know a good topic for my science project? Please write back soon because I have to turn it in tomorrow.

Do you happen to have a copy of the instructions for the poster? Is anything else required for this project?

Your friend,
Matt

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Reply: Why don't you try growing mold? <grin> Just kidding -- it takes longer than overnight to grow mold!

Perhaps you could do a project involving density. Measure how much water is displaced when you put something into the water. Try using a rock, steel wool and an egg. Weigh each object, then measure displacement. Show the steps for your poster. If you're lucky, you'll get a C for this.

Brian

Subject: thnx
From: Emily

Hi Barfy,

Thanks for sending me the notes from the Science class I missed today! No fun at the dentist (ugh!)

Emily

Okay, now you see the problem. They don't call me Brian the Brain for nothing: I am smart. Sometimes I am too smart for my own good--and my brainstorms backfire.

First, there was my brainstorm to get everyone to quit calling me Brian the Brain. Brainstorm backfire: I ended up with a much worse nickname, BARFy, after my initials, Brian Alexander Reynolds Ferguson III.

Every night when I try to do my own homework, I get dozens of notes from my classmates. Finally, I realized most of the questions were repeats of something I had answered before -- aha! Frequently Asked Questions!

My next brainstorm should have solved two problems at once: get rid of the horrible nickname Barfy and the dozens of homework help questions my classmates send me every night. So Kyle and I created AskBarfy.com and said that this homework help website was the only acceptable time to call me "Barfy."

I took a lot of the e-mail questions in my files and put them (plus the answers) online at AskBarfy.com with links to websites to help kids do their homework. Then my classmates contributed some of their own homework projects for this website.

Well, there was no way to limit my audience to just my classmates once the website was on the Internet. It seems that all sixth graders have the same homework!

We all hope this site helps you with your own homework. Be careful about using the information about the Australian Dinghound ... we learned a big lesson about that in Corey Green's book!