I’m not that behind with La Roux, the British duo who released their eponymous debut in June. June to October is only 4 months. And I had heard about this group back then, and heard good things. But as Lauren was enjoying some great synth pop around that time (MGMT, new Yeah […]
CNN poses an interesting question in a recent “article“: is monogamy realistic? Are human beings really meant to mate with just one partner for their entire lives? Is a marriage of complete commitment really possible? Is there anyone who ISN’T getting a little on the side? If you feel bad […]
Yesterday, I wrote about UW-Oshkosh Prof. Prof. M. Ryan Haley’s ideas to eliminate textbooks. His proposal was “e-texts” that professors for courses would author themselves. The basic problem with this proposal is that it requires to do a lot more work for virtually no gain. Saving students money on textbooks hardly seems […]
Thank you, Wisconsin Public Radio, for bringing me my inane news of the day. Further details available via this UW-Oshkosh news release. Prof. M. Ryan Haley has a solution for soaring textbook costs. Professors will write their own textbooks and deliver them electronically to students. Professors won’t work alone, of course, […]
Facebook has yet again changed the look and feel of their homepage. It’s not nearly as revolutionary as their worst change - adding News Feeds - but it’s enough to make a difference. This time, it allows you to switch between the “News Feed” and the “Live Feed.” The difference isn’t entirely […]
I’ve been struggling with an issue for some time now: as a teacher, how should you balance rewarding natural intelligence and hard work? There should be rewards for both. To reward only hard work would require additional assignments for students who work faster. To reward only intelligence would mean ignoring that […]
David Pogue, technology columnist for the New York Times, has been criticized before for conflicting interests. While he writes about products and software for the Times, he also writes “The Missing Manual” series, often on products that he reviews. Because his name is so prominently featured in both places, and because his glowing […]
Yesterday, Apple reported record sales figures, well beyond the expectations of analysts. iPods, iPhones, and Macs all beat expectations causing Apple’s stock price to absolutely soar. It’s up 10 points right now, to over $200 a share. So what happened? Microsoft bet that consumers, in this downturned economy, would be looking […]
Verizon/Motorola have a new anti-iPhone ad that begun airing recently. I’ve seen it twice now, and that’s without cable. It runs down so-called weaknesses of the iPhone and then, with a cryptic ending, claim that “Droid does” - whatever Droid is. Those of us who are better informed on these matters know […]
Lauren and I watch Grey’s Anatomy most every week with friends Beth and Tony. As a show for social viewing, it’s quite excellent. At the end of each episode, there is none of this “well, yet another masterpiece” sentiment. Instead, there’s usually a wide array of discontent, especially lately. In the […]
After spending a lot of time trying to figure out how to use software to produce a decently looking website, I finally gave up and used iWeb. Part of the problem was complicated software that I didn’t feel like spending much time with, like DreamWeaver. Open source versions were too confusing as well. […]
Take a peek at this article in the Wall Street Journal. In it, the author, Jessica E. Vascellaro, outlines the problems with email communication, and the problems with the technologies that could replace it. It’s interesting to consider some of the benefits of email, a service/product that many of us take for granted.
Before […]
The Pleasant Company, creator of the American Girl doll collection, has a new doll who is stirring up controversy. She’s Gwen Thompson, and she’s homeless. For those of you unaware, American Girl is a collection of dolls spanning historical time periods (including modern day) that feature empowering messages in their accompanying books. […]
I think I’ve figured it out, call it my twitterpiphany. I think I now know the point of Twitter. The problem is that the website itself is poorly designed for serving its greatest function, meaning that the micro-blogging idea itself may live on, but Twitter does not seem destined for greatness.
Here’s how it […]
I have all the sympathy in the world for school districts. Educating a bunch of children is a tall, tall order. And, belief it or not, I also have great respect for rules. A well-established policy can be an invaluable thing. When the rules are clearly stated, and when the individual […]