So you want to be President of the United States?* It does seem like an okay gig.

Supposing a student does want to be president, the first step along the way to getting his or her fanny into that big chair in the big office is acing the AP exams. Voters want the guy/gal in charge to have some semblance of a brain (despite the track record of oh-so-many politicians). Remember: Red phone=Nukes. Black phone=Domino’s.

While “phone selection” may not be an area specifically covered on the exams, they will test a student’s overall know-her-stuffness. The AP exams are only a week and a half away, and it’s a good time for students to brush up on all their favorite (or least favorite) subjects. Especially for those who seek to move out of their parents’ house and into the White House…or any other house really.

Shmoop, a publisher of digital curriculum and test prep, is introducing guides and practice exams for 20 AP subjects, including AP US History, AP English Literature, and AP Calculus AB & BC. The company has also added brand new practice exams to many of their guides (w00t). If there was an AP Election Fundraiser, they’d be on that, too.

These guides explain:

• Which economic systems have existed throughout history. Was currency used during a particular era, or was bartering the fashionable thing? Is it true that Martinique was bought by the French for a Honus Wagner rookie card?
• Energy resources and consumption. If they’re fossil fuels, shouldn’t they be in a museum?
• Why Roanoke mysteriously disappeared. Seriously, where did it go? It couldn’t leave a note?

Students may have a hundred brilliant ideas for how to revive our economy (short of strapping it to a lab table and waiting for lightning to strike), but if they have any designs on running this country, they’ll have to start by impressing the pants off the College Board. Shmoop can help, and it’s only a click away…so you can keep your own pants on.

Editor’s note: AP is a registered trademark of the College Board, which was not involved in the production of, and does not endorse, this product.

*There is debate as to whether or not ‘President’ should be capitalized. Shmoop chose to capitalize the title. He (or potentially she) is the leader of the free world for Pete’s sake.

Hey there, Shmoopeteers!*

In honor of Earth Week this year, we at Shmoop HQ made a vow to take our products totally digital. No more paper! (We heart trees, viva photosynthesis) No more ink! No more giant printing press taking up space in the middle of the office!

…Oh, wait. We already did that. Although, we wish we had an old-school printing press. Gutenberg FTW!

We’re coming to the part of April that’s less about fools and spring showers and more about second semester blahs and upcoming AP tests, so stave off the rest of the cruelest month with Shmoop’s AP prep guides—guaranteed to be green.

Featured Shmoop: Shakespeare (Probably) Born April 26, 1564

Nobody actually knows exactly when Shakespeare was born, but we do know that he was baptized on April 26, which means it’s most likely time to celebrate Will’s Sweet 358th. If you’ve ever been tempted to call someone a “surly flap-mouthed strumpet,” thank this guy.

So pull out your fanciest ruff, because now is the perfect time to read—instead of “not to read,” oh snap—about the man and his works. If calling him “Big Willy” is wrong, we don’t want to be right.

Featured Shmoop: $3,000 Zinch Scholarship

What does $3,000 buy? Well, 12,000 gumballs, for one. But, it can also help pay for college. That’s an extra three grand that won’t add to the mountain of interest your loans rack up when your college daze is over. College days. We meant college days.

If you’re a student looking to lessen the necessary but evil burden of school debt, sign up and apply for the Zinch Scholarship . Good luck, and may the odds be ever in your favor. (Hope that isn’t trademarked…)

Featured Shmoop: Robinson Crusoe Published April 25, 1719

“Just sit right back and you’ll hear a tale, a tale of a fateful trip. That started from this tropic port, aboard this tiny ship…”

Oh wait, we got our shipwreck stories mixed up.

• Gilligan’s Island = a group of people go on a three-hour tour that lasts for three seasons, three movies, and a lifetime of syndication.
• Robinson Crusoe = a guy is trapped on a deserted island and finds out it isn’t so deserted after all. Also, his new neighbors may or may not eat people.

They both have their merits. Learn more about Rob and his man Friday here.

Birthday 2.0: Harper Lee Born April 28, 1926

The author of the high school English class staple To Kill A Mockingbird turns 86 years young this week, so we wrote a little note to her:

Dear Harper,

We love you and your book. It will forever make an appearance on our summer reading lists. Also, if we had known about the essay contest when we were in school, we would have been all over that noise.

Sincerely,

The Shmoop Team

Birthday 3.0: Ulysses S. Grant Born April 27, 1822

The erstwhile Hiram Ulysses Grant** was a military genius who basically won the Civil War by cornering none other than Robert E. Lee, who in addition to leading the Confederate troops was also considered something of a military whiz himself. Sign us up, said the postwar American voting public. Best president ever or best president ever?

Unfortunately, Grant’s term in office was a bit of a mess: his whole cabinet was utterly corrupt,*** and he liked to drink his weight in whiskey. Well, nobody’s perfect. See how we Shmooped him here and here.

Save the Earth and your AP scores,
Captain Shmlanet

*You can be one too! ‘Cause saving our planet is the thing to do!

**The ‘S’ came later.

***Think Enron on steroids.

Hey there Shmoopertroopers,

Shmoop Domestic HQ firmly believes that there ain’t no party like a revolutionary party, because a revolutionary party stops in due time and ultimately leads to the creation of the United States of America.*

We know people usually save their patriotic feelings for early July, what with celebrating the whole Declaration of Independence thing and all, but this week marks the 237th anniversary of the beginning of the American Revolution (known in our hood as the IPO of America.com). Huzzah!

Featured Shmoop: American Revolution Begins, April 19, 1775

Though our worlds are still being rocked by the fact that Paul Revere didn’t actually say “the British are coming,” the tale of a ragtag bunch of colonists (no, not the guys that give prostate exams) fighting the man (read: King George) still warms our collective hearts. We’re just envisioning the Goonies having a Braveheart moment…except with more gravitas. Learn more here.

Friend of Shmoop: Viz Media

For those of you who aren’t hip to Viz yet, they are awesome. As a great digital resource for all thing manga, they can get you soul reaping or kameha-meha-ing in no time. As a bonus, they’ll send you 4 Yu-Gi-Oh! cards as a part of your registration. Legit? Legit!

Featured Shmoop: Pulitzer Prize Winners

Pulitzers are a pretty big deal in the world of literature. Think Grammys or Oscars, except for writing. Or you can think about the prizes you get for tickets at the local carnival…and then picture the exact opposite of that.** Anyway, the Pulitzer winners for this year were announced yesterday—although there were no winners in fiction for the first time in 35 years. Boo.

If you’re in the mood for some Pulitzer-winning fiction, check out the ones we have on Shmoop:

• The Grapes of Wrath, by John Steinbeck
• The Road, by Cormac McCarthy
• The Color Purple, by Alice Walker
• To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee
• The Old Man and the Sea, by Ernest Hemingway

Shmoop Birthday: Charlie Chaplin Born April 16, 1889

If you’ve never seen Charlie work his magic, we recommend spending the next minute getting up close and personal withthis clip. Now we just wish he were on Dancing with the Stars with giants forks and biscuits.

If you saw the movie The Artist this year, you know the trials and tribulations of a silent film star—that was a documentary, right?—and Charlie experienced some of them as well. However, he also worked his way into the heart of America and has remained one of the most popular comedians from the era.

Good job, Charlie! (Applause.)

This Week in History: Edgar Allan Poe Publishes the First Detective Story, 1841

When we think EAP, “detective story” isn’t the first thing that comes to mind. It’s usually all beating hearts and ravensand 13-year-old cousins (don’t ask).

However, Poe is credited with publishing what some call the very first detective story, titled “The Murders in the Rue Morgue.” While C. Auguste Dupin never achieved the fame and glory of Hercule Poirot or Sherlock Holmes, he was still pretty awesome. Read it here.

Shmoop Shout Out: Tupac Resurrected in Hologram

Yes, you read that correctly. The ubiquitous (and very much dead***) rapper came back to life through some super neathologram technology. “Help me, Obi Wan,” anyone? Pretty cool, if you ask us, given Tupac’s importance both to the development of hip-hop and as a social commentator. Don’t believe us? Check out his song ‘Dear Mama.’

We can totally foresee this whole “hologram resurrection” thing getting out of hand, though. Soon there will be Abe Lincolns on street corners and Hemingways in the local pubs….okay, that would be pretty neat too.
The Shmoopers are coming!

Shmaul Revere

*Oh, wait, that was just that one time.

**No offense, giant stuffed purple dog.

***Though the Shmoop citizenry is split on this fact, we’re going to stand by the official stance of Wikipedia.

All right Team Shmoop,

Hockey playoffs and AP season have more in common than you might think. Embarking on the path to glory in both requires many of the same qualities: tenacity, endurance…and, let’s be honest, a willingness (maybe a propensity) to drop your gloves and flail wildly in the direction of your nearest opponent.

We’re giving you a metaphor, though. Also, don’t flail metaphorically near a test proctor. They can sense these things.

You’ve only got 4 weeks left, so it’s time to face off.

Featured Shmoop: AP Spanish Lit. & AP Spanish Lang.

Cinco de Mayo isn’t until next month, but Shmoop HQ never needs an excuse to bust out the español…especially when el cinco is followed by el ocho y el dieciocho, otherwise known as the dates of this year’s AP Spanish Language and AP Spanish Literature exams, respectively.

If you’re in the mood for a studying fiesta—or, you know, just our spanking-new guide to the College Board’s two most picante exams, head on over to Spanish Language and Literature on Shmoop.

Featured Shmoop: $3,000 Zinch Scholarship

What does $3,000 buy? Well, a really nice suit, for one. But it can also really help pay for college. That’s an extra three grand that won’t add to the mountain of interest your loans rack up when your college daze is over. College days. We meant college days.

If you’re a student looking to lessen the necessary but evil burden of school debt, sign up and apply. All you need to do is defend your favorite word in the English language.* Good luck, and to the winner go the spoils. And by “spoils,” we mean hard cash money.

Shmoop Month: April is National Math Month

National Poetry Month usually gets all the glory in April, what with the sonnet-friendly flowers and haikus about new beginnings. But no longer! We at Shmoop also stand up in the name of algebra and geometry. Be a true friend to pre-algebra and statistics. Lie along the curves of calculus (…or, you know, not), and shout from the very rooftop of your building** that yes, April is also National Math Month!

You can celebrate with some pi. (Sorry.) Or, by checking out some Shmooped-up math. Just follow your heart and choose from any of the links above.

Shmoop Birthday: Thomas Jefferson Born April 13, 1743

The word these days about the red-headed third president of the United States reads a little more like what you would find in a grocery checkout line and less like something befitting the guy who basically wrote the Declaration of Independence in the nation’s most high-stakes all-nighter that set off the American Revolution, but…that’s history for you.

Get the scoop on Tommy J.’s contributions to baby America here.

Shmoop Remembers: The Titanic Sinks, April 15, 1912

We want you to draw us in this…only this.

Okay, so the denizens of Shmoop HQ may not be quite as dramatically good looking as Kate was when she made her famous request, but we have our good days. Usually when we haven’t eaten our weight in cookie dough for the third day running. Anyway, Sunday is the 100th anniversary of the famed ocean liner’s tragic sinking.

You could honor the day by rewatching James Cameron’s tear-jerking, nausea-inducing epic in glorious 3-D, but you’ll never get that song out of your head. Why not check out how the Titanic relates to mythology here?***

Shmoop Birthday: Leonardo da Vinci Born April 15, 1452

Good ol’ Leo was a Renaissance man before the Renaissance was even cool yet. Talk about hipster. We bet he could have sold the Mona Lisa to Facebook for a billion bucks.

Why rave about some dude from the 15th century, you ask? Well, he was both a magnificent painter (anyone taking AP Art History?) and an incredible mechanical mind (sup, AP Physics). The man’s list of inventions includes the helicopter, an eight-barreled gun, the first tank, and even a parachute. Too bad he was so advanced that nobody knew how to make them happen until centuries later.

Leonardo, we at Shmoop salute you.
Game on,

Shmockey Fans

*This week, ours is “discount Peeps.” Wait, that’s two words.

**Or sing from the rooftops?

***If we were going to name an ocean liner after the Titans, we would have called it the Titanlicious. Maybe it’s a good thing we don’t have naming rights.

With Cinco de Mayo right around the corner, here at Shmoop we have a lot to celebrate. Like getting all you cerebritos ready for the next AP Spanish Language and AP Spanish Literature exams (right around the corner on May 8^th and 18^th, respectively, but no pressure…none…at all). So check out some test practice that won’t make you snooze. We invite you to kick your shoes off and dive in!

We believe that test prep should be: a) boring; b) snooze-button boring; c) texting-and-on-facebook-boring; or d) fun and fast-paced. If you guessed d, you passed! Pretty easy so far, no?

Key points of our spicy linguistic test prep journey:

1. Take advantage of examples that (we’re pretty sure) you won’t find anywhere else. Let’s see, how to write an essay. Step 1: Build your own Frankenstein monster. Step 2: Capture King Kong. Trust us, it’s good.

1. We’ve also tossed in, just for fun, hundreds of explanations, examples and exercises on every section and type of question that you need to know for the exams.

1. The birds are chirping, the bees are buzzing, the skies are cloudless and blue…and you’re stuck indoors, getting ready to take AP exams. We bet you could think of at least 12 things you’d rather be doing right now. We’ve thought of and included at least 213: 4 Full-Length Timed AP Spanish Language and Literature Practice Tests, 139 Practice Problems (with on-the-spot feedback and explanations), and 70 additional Grammar Problems (also with explanations).

1. Can you hear me now? Complete coverage. We will help you take down each and every section of both exams – 7 for Language and 4 for Literature – multiple choice, essays and speaking. We’ve also put together a handy grammar review that covers 15 categories, to up your confidence and content levels in a jiffy. Because we would never send you to read, write or chat it up at the battle of wits unarmed.

1. Flex to the max. This is your to-do list as you prep for your exams. Check off the boxes in our suggested order. Or be a rebel and jump around. It’s your call. You can retake sections to try to improve your understanding and final scores. Or your Shmoints for prize winning purposes too!

Shmoop AP Spanish Language and AP Spanish Literature. In all their glory. No dictionary or snooze button required. Come check us out!

For more scoop on Shmoop’s AP Spanish Language and Literature exams, visit http://www.shmoop.com/ap-exams/.

The future is coming!

And so are space pigs. Okay, maybe not. But the AP exams, college applications, and your future are definitely on the road already, and they’re headed your way faster than you might think. How can you make sure that you’re ready for a sky teeming with space pigs?

Leave it to us. Whether you’re stressed out about AP Chemistry or your grown-up job, we have brand-new Shmoop to chase away your future-related fears. Also, space pigs.

Featured Shmoop: AP Chemistry

If you never managed to say “noble gases” with a straight face, we have the AP Chemistry guide for you.* We guarantee that you’ll bond with the material so strongly that you’ll think it was love…

…or, at the very least, intermolecular forces. Bond your brain here.

Featured Shmoop: Careers Section

What does it take to be a funeral director? A curator? A hedge fund manager? Someone who writes about these jobs? (Hi, guys!)

Whether you’re a driven-to-be-the-best, second-isn’t-good-enough type-A personality or an easy, breezy, beautiful free spirit, our new Careers section has the lowdown on all kinds of careers for all kinds of people.

Trust us: it’s never too early to start spotting the stepping stones you’ll need to hop, skip, and jump on to get to your dream job. Start your climb here.

This Week: National D.A.R.E. Day April 5, 2012

We know you’ve heard all this before, and we’re pretty sure you can picture that ominous red scrawl in your sleep, but a little reminder now and then can’t hurt: drugs are not a pretty thing. Take it from us, as adults with pretty good jobs and totally awesome personalities: if you dare to stay away from drugs, you’ll do better in school, go to a better college, and have a better life. Just sayin’.

If you’d like a closer look at the negative consequences of drugs, check out our guide to the History of Drugs in America.

Shmoop Shout Out 1.0: Huge Book Repository

No, it’s not a suppository, and no, you don’t have to put it…well, never mind. However, if you’re in the market for a copy of ALL THE BOOKS, we’ve got news for you. A few enterprising book lovers are putting together a hard copy collection of every book ever published with the modest goal of preserving human culture.

It takes a lot of space to hold ten million copies of anything, but this is one project we can get behind. We love books.Read more about reading here.

Maya Angelou Born April 3, 1928

Though it seems like Ms. Angelou’s been doing more pranking than poeting lately, she stands tall as one of the most prominent and respected poets of the twentieth century. Celebrate her birthday—and National Poetry Month—with some of her wonderful works:

• “Africa“
• “Alone

Who says April is the cruelest month? Other than T.S. Eliot, that is.

Shmoop Shout Out 2.0: Pigs

We at Shmoop are huge fans of pigs,** and this heartwarming story just gave us the warm, porcine-loving fuzzies. Last month, a ginormo market hog named Kipper set a new record when he went for a whopping $178,000 at auction in Houston, Texas. Not to be outdone, his friends Rico and Freddy Krueger—a lamb and a steer—sold for a combined $670,000. The best part? The money went into an educational fund.

For more pigs, although of the creepy talking variety with plans for world domination, check out our guide to Orwell’sAnimal Farm.

Happy Easter and Passover to All,

The Shmooponauts

*If you, like some of us at Shmoop HQ, have never remembered that “cation” is less like spring break in a tropic paradise somewhere and more like an ion that is also a cat, we…can’t do anything. Sorry.

**Okay, some of us might mostly be huge fans of bacon, but we also have very fond memories of Charlotte’s Web and Babe.

Mountain View, Calif. (April 3, 2012) – If you are looking for a fun and invigorating challenge, you might find a course in AP Chemistry to be an absolute gas. You might find it to be an absolute solid or liquid, too. Sort of depends on the day.

Shmoop, a publisher of digital curriculum and test prep, is proud to announce the launch of Shmoop AP Chemistry. This new, thorough guide will help you connect the dots (those are called electrons), keep pace in class and nail the final exam. It will make your entire chemistry experience enjoyable, and allow you to bond with the material so strongly you’ll think you were attracted to each other by intermolecular forces.

Whether you’re looking to learn more about states of matter, chemical reactions, or the laws of thermodynamics, Shmoop can help. In this guide you can:

• Finally realize your dreams of saying “noble gases” with a straight face. For some reason, however, “stoichiometry” still tickles your funny bone.
• Learn about the plum pudding model, the most delicious model in science. You can stick in your thumb and pull out knowledge. Yummy.
• Pull a MacGyver with only a graduated cylinder, a bottle of deionized water, and a hot plate. It is not the same thing as pulling a MacGruber with the same three items. Trust us.
• Discover the proper way to pronounce cations and anions. Hint: Less like jaunts to Hawaii and produce, respectively, and more like feline friends and ions of Green Gables.
• Determine the precise atomic number of the atomic wedgie you just delivered (or received).
• Sing a song—by “a,” we mean 20, and by “song,” we mean rap—to memorize your solubility rules, although we cannot guarantee it will make you any friends. The rap will definitely up your street cred though.

With reviews, drills and practice exams galore, Shmoop will help you feel more comfortable in front of the Periodic Table than in front of the one in your dining room.

If you have a negative reaction to chemistry, we have the solution. Check out Shmoop’s guide to AP Chemistry.

Hey there Shmoopeteers,

Spring has officially sprung. In addition to spring break (yay!), spring flings (uh), spring rolls (yum!), and spring cleaning (this can only end in tragedy), we at Shmoop are getting ready to get you ready for the APs. We’re overachievers like that. Also, it’s our job.

Also also, we love doing it.

It’s time to swing into hardcore AP prep. In the immortal words of Jerry Maguire, help us help you.* For reference, here’s a list of all the guides we have:

• AP Psychology
• AP Macroeconomics
• AP Calculus AB & BC
• AP English Language
• AP English Literature
• AP Microeconomics
• AP Macroeconomics
• AP US History
• AP US Government
• AP Statistics
• AP European History
• AP Environmental Science
• AP Human Geography
• AP Physics B
• AP Art History
• AP World History
• AP Biology

Featured Shmoop: Win an iPad with Viz Media

Everyone wants an iPad. App-arently (see what we did there?), they can do anything from slice fruit (ninja style) to brew coffee.**

Well, here’s one way to get one: a contest put on by our friends, Viz Media. If you would like to get your hands on the goods, all you have to do is show your love for Shonen Jump and Manga by uploading a creative photo here.

It’s simple: one photo = potential for one iPad (for one lucky lady or gent). Sounds like a good ratio to us.

This Week in History: Strategic Defense Initiative, aka “Star Wars,” Announced March 23, 1983

Okay, so Reagan’s advisers could have probably come up with a catchier name than “Strategic Defense Initiative,” but we’re pretty sure the idea speaks for itself.

Space-based lasers and particle beams that shoot down nuclear missiles to defend the country during the Cold War? Sounds pretty awesome. Of course, that kind of technology didn’t exist in 1983, and many wondered if the technology would ever exist, but hey…he was a dreamer. Brush up on your knowledge of proton torpedoes here. Can’t get enough of the chilliest war? Cover the cause of the clashes.

Shmoop Shout Out: Hunger Games in Theaters March 23, 2012

Before we get sucked into what will inevitably become a battle between Team Gale and Team Peeta (we at Shmoop are also Team Katniss and Team Bread), let’s take a minute before the movie’s release on Friday to reflect on a few of its central themes. Ready?

• Life-and-death politics in a totalitarian government (why can’t they ever be partialitarian?)
• Economic and social inequality
• The moral quandary of killing for survival
• Some seriously, seriously screwed-up reality programming

Cheerful stuff, we know, but at least you can go into the movie prepared.*** To brush up on more Hunger Games, check out our lit guides here, here, and here. As a side note, these games were not sponsored by Jenny Craig.

This Week in History: Largest Art Heist in U.S. History, March 18, 1990

On a scale of one to coolest job ever, we’re thinking “cat burglar” ranks pretty high up there. Except for the burgling part. Basically, we just want to parkour our way from rooftop to rooftop and potentially lock lips with the likes of Grace Kelly or Cary Grant.

We’re suckers for anything heist related, so when we heard about the “holy grail of art crime,” we were on it faster than you can say Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn. Learn more about the mystery of the missing masterpieces here.

Shmoop Birthday: Mr. Rogers Born March 20, 1928

By all accounts one of the kindest people to ever don a cardigan, Fred McFeely Rogers (that’s Mr. Rogers to us) used his powers of song and friendship to teach generations of us what it means to be a neighbor. The Emmy-winning minister dedicated his life to children’s education, and we think his work deserves every awesome memorial there is. Fredosaurus Rex Friday XIII, we’re looking at you.

We still think of him every time we put on sneakers and a sweater. Thanks for everything, Mr. Rogers!

Here’s to the wonderful smells of Spring,

The Shmoop Team

*Except with slightly lower blood pressure and also more clothing.

**Ever played Fruit Ninja. But we don’t think it can actually brew coffee…yet.

***We’re bringing four boxes of Kleenex. What can we say? Team Gets Too Emotionally Invested at the Movies, all the way.

Hey there Shmooperinos,

Let’s get it straight: every month has an ides,* but it’s still a good idea to watch your back this Thursday. If you, likeJulius Caesar, run into a group of your so-called friends—let’s call them Shmrutus and Shmassius—hanging out by the the local Senate and looking sneaky, turn around and run. Trust us. Just do it.

The middle of March is a crazy time, is what we’re trying to say here. That’s why they call it March Madness.**

If you’re looking for a break from overzealous bracketologists (or murderous conspirators, we don’t know your life), take a breather with some nice, refreshing Shmoop. Maybe even apply to win $3,000.

Featured Shmoop: $3,000 Zinch Scholarship

Shmoop has teamed up with the folks at Zinch to offer a $3,000 scholarship to you. Yes, you…as long as you’re a student looking to score some extra cash for college. Does the shoe fit? Then sign up and apply.

All you need to do is defend your favorite word in the English language. Good luck, and to the winner go the spoils. (And by “spoils,” we mean that oh-so-tempting $3,000 dollars.)

This Week in History: Frankenstein Published March 11, 1818

Who would have guessed that Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein was the result of one part double-dog dare, two parts rainy day, and three parts friendly discussion about potentially reanimating dead matter? What? You and your friends don’t get together to talk bioethics? Mary Shelley disapproves.

Learn more about the fantastically frightening tale here.

This Day in History: Sir William Herschel Discovers Uranus March 13, 1781

The jokes sort of write themselves for a headline like this, but you know what? We’re above talking about the seedier side of Uranus. Will Herschel wasn’t, though. He found Uranus with a telescope*** and was more than happy to make the announcement to the astronomical community about its existence.

Hooray for Herschel and his inquisitive nature, which led him straight to…his discovery.

Science Birthday: Albert Einstein Born March 14, 1879

Any physics teacher who doesn’t have the classic tongue-out Einstein portrait is missing some seriously prime classroom decor. We’re pinning a birthday hat on ours tomorrow and rocking out. To help you celebrate Albie’s big day, here are a few fun facts:

1. Einstein rarely wore socks.
2. If stopped on the street and asked to explain his theory of relativity, he would excuse himself, saying that he was mistaken for Einstein all the time.
3. The guys who designed Yoda used Einstein’s eyes for inspiration. Wise men they were.
4. Einstein only wore briefs, except on the day he came up with relativity. That day, he went commando. (Okay, this one might not be true.)

Learn more about the brilliant mind here.

Shmoop Shout Out: Angry Birds…in Space

If you’re the kind of Angry Birds player who just stabs wildly at the screen and hopes for the best—hi, Grandma!—this might be the straw that kicks you into high gear.**** In what probably qualifies as one of the geekiest moves in recent memory, the “Dot Physics” blog at Wired deconstructs the physics of the upcoming Angry Birds game…which happens to take place in space. Obviously, we love it. Check it out.

Also on our love list? Our spanking new guide to AP Physics B, which includes everything you need to beat Angry Birds in Space…except for the angry birds themselves.

Shmoop Shout Out 2.0: Paper Apps

Ever wanted the poster of your favorite band to sing to you? Very Harry Potter***** if you ask us, which means it’s super cool in our books.

Due to some snazzy science with conductive ink, British scientists have made posters and postcards that can be scanned through a “paper player.” The process plays the musical data encoded in the ink. Pretty nifty!

Don’t get backstabbed,

Shmulius

*Technically, just the halfway point of a month. Or anything, for that matter.

**Okay, that’s not the reason. But the big basketball schools are severely underrepresented at Shmoop HQ, and some of us are having a hard time picking a horse to back in this race…

***The first time a planet had been found with the tool.

****Yes, we know we’re mixing idioms. No, we’re not going to take it back. Save the figurative camels!

*****”Yer poster’s singing to ya, ‘Arry!”

Are you confident in your Kandinsky? An expert in Expressionism? Braggadocious about your Botticelli? (Hint: He’s an artist, not a type of pasta.)

If you want to make art history a part of your life – either to help you get into a particular university or program or just because you think colors are pretty – you’ll need to take the AP Art History exam. It is a three-hour beast that will test your recognition of images, knowledge of artists and movements, and even weasel a number of essays out of you. What it will not test is your ability to draw a highly detailed self-portrait. You may be the next Picasso, but that won’t help you here. In fact, it might even hinder you, especially if you start painting your own answer bubbles.

Shmoop, a publisher of digital curriculum and test prep, announces the arrival of a brand new addition to our AP test guide family. (It’s a girl!) Our AP Art History guide breaks down what you can expect to see on the test, and delves deeply into all material on which you are likely to be quizzed – everywhere from ancient Roman sculpture to your baby brother’s finger painting that your mother stuck to the fridge last spring. Okay, so there probably won’t be a question about that on the test. Still, it can’t hurt to know what classical finger painter served as his inspiration.

In this guide, you will:

• Learn the difference between Rococo and Baroque. And Barococo, which isn’t really a thing.
• Determine whether Renaissance babies really had creepily muscular triceps. Hey, maybe they just spent a lot of time on the crib press.
• Figure out how many arches is too many arches. We’re looking at you, McDonalds.
• See why AP Art History is like your high school yearbook, except with more naked people. Hopefully.
• Finally discover the truth about what consumptive-looking men have to do with Romanticism. Because nothing says “sexy” like tuberculosis.

Ready to get your Post-Post-Modernist Hegelian Painterly Abstraction on? Then take a gander at Shmoop’s AP Art History It’s true that this test is a toughie, but if you don’t ace it the first time, you can always Gauguin.