A clue to my mindset, even after an enjoyable and mind-expanding series of summer exercises: Jane got to this assignment sooner than I did. She told me triumphantly a couple of nights ago that she had finished it, but couldn't do the Wordle on our laptop here at home. I knew we were supposed to write a reflection, and thought I could manage it, but the sound of the unfamiliar term Wordle chilled my heart. I began to despair until Jane explained the Wordle was optional, and told me what it was, and I've seen them before and just didn't know what they were called. So I'll have a crack at the Wordle some time if I have a free moment at work.
In the meantime, here I am at the end of the summer having been exposed to a dozen new uses of the computer, most of which I mastered and some of which I may find professionally useful. I clearly remain a bit phobic. This is not what I expected to be doing... I must not have read Lisa's memo carefully enough, because for some reason I thought we were going to learn the Latin names of plants.
I'm glad there are people like Lisa who can troll the universe and keep track of Web 2.0. I wonder, however, if it's worth the investment in time and brain space for ordinary mortals. How much of this stuff will be old hat in 5 years? Barely a decade ago I learned html, and who uses that anymore? (Not me. I use SeaMonkey.) I feel like someone who's learned a craft, say woodworking, except that people are constantly breaking into my workshop and switching out the tools for fancy new ones. I learn how to use the tools, work a little wood, and all of a sudden the tools I know how to use are gone and I have to learn new ones. These things don't occur to people who are, say, 15 like my son Robbie. By the time one is, say, 51, one has been through several versions of life, and wonders if it might be possible to skip a few of them?
The coffee's gonna taste better for what I've gone through. Stay tuned for my Wordle. I may even have another go at Jing, which truly kicked my butt last week.
Saturday, August 21, 2010
Friday, August 20, 2010
William of Rubruck on all the fuss
[I posted this on Facebook a few days ago; now it's your turn, unless you already saw it there.]
This summer I've been taking a day every week or two to study medieval political thought, because I'm scheduled to give a talk fairly soon on the subject. I find the era fascinating, but under-studied, especially by me, so it's been interesting getting prepared. It has also given me a chance to escape from an unusually seamy political scene, even by the standard of election years.
Along the way this summer I met an interesting character named William of Rubruck. He was a Dutch monk who was sent by the French King Louis IX on a mission to the Mongol Empire in 1253. (That puts him ahead of the more famous Eastern explorer Marco Polo by a couple decades, but "William of Rubruck" doesn't sound as good yelled at a beach, particularly when you have to find a third person to yell "of.") The king had heard a rumor that the heir to the Mongol throne had converted to Christianity, and wanted William to check it out.
The truth turned out to be even weirder than King Louis or Brother William could imagine. The Khan's strategy for holding the empire together and maintaining its strength was to tolerate and even encourage a variety of languages, customs and religions. The rulers were fascinated by religious studies, and encouraged different religious leaders to debate their theologies before them. William himself participated in these debates. He found he had to rely on reasoned arguments rather than the coercive power of church and state, and found himself acknowledging some salient points other religions had to offer. He particularly had to acknowledge that the Khan's strategy, weird as it was by European standards, seem to be working for an empire greater than Europe had ever seen.
I juxtaposed the insights of the Khan, and William of Rubruck, with the utter nastiness that is dominating today's political discourse. I particularly am disgusted by what passes for debate on the Arizona immigration law and the New York City mosque. Senator Cornyn of Texas has said these issues show Obama and the Democrats are out of touch with the American people, and that Republicans expect to use them to leverage victories in this fall's congressional and gubernatorial elections. Chris Christie, the governor of New Jersey, has warned Republicans against pushing this too far; I hope other sane Republicans will speak out. These situations call for leadership, not pandering, to the fearful and prejudiced.
American immigration policy is awful. No matter what your position on immigration in general, or on Arizona's law, you may take your favorite negative adjective and comfortably apply it to American immigration policy. The problem, in a nutshell, is that there is more demand for immigrant labor than our current laws will accommodate, so laborers and businesses get by by ignoring the law on a massive scale. This brings chaos, disrespect for the law, and an uncertain and dangerous life for the illegal immigrants. However, there is not political support for any solution, so we are in a classic Prisoner's Dilemma. Greater law enforcement cuts off the supply of workers, may tend to harass Latinos who are here legally, and contributes to economic tensions in Mexico. Taking the lid off is opposed by many labor and environmental groups, as well as those who fear a massive wave of Spanish-speaking poor people.
Into this mess pops the government of Arizona, which contributes a law allowing police to demand proof of immigration status of anyone they suspect. This is not law enforcement, folks, this is button-pushing; it gains attention and political support from the gullible for the proponents. Arizona does not have anything like the resources to make this work. More damningly, the state has passed at least two other laws aimed at Latino culture, including one forbidding the teaching of Mexican heritage in schools, and another restricting the use of Spanish in public fora. This isn't about law enforcement, it's about one ethnic group sticking it to another. No other state bordering Mexico is following Arizona's lead, which is significant.
The New York City mosque business is even more egregious. The mosque is only vaguely near the site of the former World Trade Center, and even if it was across the street, who cares? As President Bush eloquently declared in September 2001, we are not fighting a war of Christians against Moslems. Except that some people are, notably Newt Gingrich, who ought to know better, and Sarah Palin, one of the most irresponsible public figures ever to walk the earth. They're promoting themselves, folks, by getting you riled up. Don't fall for it.
Here's Gingrich on "Fox and Friends": "Nazis don't have the right to put up a sign next to the Holocaust Museum in Washington. We would never accept the Japanese putting up a site next to Pearl Harbor. There's no reason for us to accept a mosque next to the World Trade Center." His analogies are as false as his facts are.
What makes America great is our spirit, which embraces a bigger share of diversity than even the Khan could have imagined. The vile perpetrators of 9/11 are narrow-minded; we show we are better than they are by embracing Islam as well as Christianity. It is hardly "disrespectful" for American Moslems to act like they're part of the American fabric, and only the most twisted of minds could call it a victory marker or whatever sputum Gingrich is spewing. Building this mosque represents a victory for the American spirit over the crabbed spirit of hatred offered by bin Laden and his ilk.
As for S.B. 1070, it is useless except to stir up emotions, unless somehow or other it gets us thinking as a country what a rational and fair immigration policy might be. It's hard to see us getting there from here, but maybe. Meanwhile, go ahead and press "1" for English, because America is number "1," and will be as long as we keep clear heads and don't fall for the wiles of those who would manipulate our fears for their own political gain.
This summer I've been taking a day every week or two to study medieval political thought, because I'm scheduled to give a talk fairly soon on the subject. I find the era fascinating, but under-studied, especially by me, so it's been interesting getting prepared. It has also given me a chance to escape from an unusually seamy political scene, even by the standard of election years.
Along the way this summer I met an interesting character named William of Rubruck. He was a Dutch monk who was sent by the French King Louis IX on a mission to the Mongol Empire in 1253. (That puts him ahead of the more famous Eastern explorer Marco Polo by a couple decades, but "William of Rubruck" doesn't sound as good yelled at a beach, particularly when you have to find a third person to yell "of.") The king had heard a rumor that the heir to the Mongol throne had converted to Christianity, and wanted William to check it out.
The truth turned out to be even weirder than King Louis or Brother William could imagine. The Khan's strategy for holding the empire together and maintaining its strength was to tolerate and even encourage a variety of languages, customs and religions. The rulers were fascinated by religious studies, and encouraged different religious leaders to debate their theologies before them. William himself participated in these debates. He found he had to rely on reasoned arguments rather than the coercive power of church and state, and found himself acknowledging some salient points other religions had to offer. He particularly had to acknowledge that the Khan's strategy, weird as it was by European standards, seem to be working for an empire greater than Europe had ever seen.
I juxtaposed the insights of the Khan, and William of Rubruck, with the utter nastiness that is dominating today's political discourse. I particularly am disgusted by what passes for debate on the Arizona immigration law and the New York City mosque. Senator Cornyn of Texas has said these issues show Obama and the Democrats are out of touch with the American people, and that Republicans expect to use them to leverage victories in this fall's congressional and gubernatorial elections. Chris Christie, the governor of New Jersey, has warned Republicans against pushing this too far; I hope other sane Republicans will speak out. These situations call for leadership, not pandering, to the fearful and prejudiced.
American immigration policy is awful. No matter what your position on immigration in general, or on Arizona's law, you may take your favorite negative adjective and comfortably apply it to American immigration policy. The problem, in a nutshell, is that there is more demand for immigrant labor than our current laws will accommodate, so laborers and businesses get by by ignoring the law on a massive scale. This brings chaos, disrespect for the law, and an uncertain and dangerous life for the illegal immigrants. However, there is not political support for any solution, so we are in a classic Prisoner's Dilemma. Greater law enforcement cuts off the supply of workers, may tend to harass Latinos who are here legally, and contributes to economic tensions in Mexico. Taking the lid off is opposed by many labor and environmental groups, as well as those who fear a massive wave of Spanish-speaking poor people.
Into this mess pops the government of Arizona, which contributes a law allowing police to demand proof of immigration status of anyone they suspect. This is not law enforcement, folks, this is button-pushing; it gains attention and political support from the gullible for the proponents. Arizona does not have anything like the resources to make this work. More damningly, the state has passed at least two other laws aimed at Latino culture, including one forbidding the teaching of Mexican heritage in schools, and another restricting the use of Spanish in public fora. This isn't about law enforcement, it's about one ethnic group sticking it to another. No other state bordering Mexico is following Arizona's lead, which is significant.
The New York City mosque business is even more egregious. The mosque is only vaguely near the site of the former World Trade Center, and even if it was across the street, who cares? As President Bush eloquently declared in September 2001, we are not fighting a war of Christians against Moslems. Except that some people are, notably Newt Gingrich, who ought to know better, and Sarah Palin, one of the most irresponsible public figures ever to walk the earth. They're promoting themselves, folks, by getting you riled up. Don't fall for it.
Here's Gingrich on "Fox and Friends": "Nazis don't have the right to put up a sign next to the Holocaust Museum in Washington. We would never accept the Japanese putting up a site next to Pearl Harbor. There's no reason for us to accept a mosque next to the World Trade Center." His analogies are as false as his facts are.
What makes America great is our spirit, which embraces a bigger share of diversity than even the Khan could have imagined. The vile perpetrators of 9/11 are narrow-minded; we show we are better than they are by embracing Islam as well as Christianity. It is hardly "disrespectful" for American Moslems to act like they're part of the American fabric, and only the most twisted of minds could call it a victory marker or whatever sputum Gingrich is spewing. Building this mosque represents a victory for the American spirit over the crabbed spirit of hatred offered by bin Laden and his ilk.
As for S.B. 1070, it is useless except to stir up emotions, unless somehow or other it gets us thinking as a country what a rational and fair immigration policy might be. It's hard to see us getting there from here, but maybe. Meanwhile, go ahead and press "1" for English, because America is number "1," and will be as long as we keep clear heads and don't fall for the wiles of those who would manipulate our fears for their own political gain.
Saturday, August 14, 2010
By Jing!
I have tried to create a screencast using Jing, which seems to be a bit past me.
First, I had to think of something to say. That was harder than you might think! Since I've been working on my American Government class this summer, I decided to make a short presentation about the Constitutional Convention.
I captured some pictures of the era using Jing. I downloaded the Jing interactive tutorial but don't seem to be able to "get it" because whatever I do it says "Please try again!" I'm not sure what Jing did with the pictures but they were on the Desktop so I uploaded them to Screencast.
I wrestled with this for 90 minutes this afternoon, until my wife ordered me off the computer because of the unpleasant sounds I kept making. Since then I've snuck back on, and have this to show you. I'm sure if I knew what I was doing I could put content with the actual pictures, and then have a slide show, but what I'm offering you instead is a bunch of links with narration.
In the 1780s, the recently independent United States faced a number of difficult problems. Or didn't face them. Many people were frustrated by the decentralized system of government and blamed it for the country's inability to solve its problems. These people included such luminaries as George Washington...
...James Madison...
...and Alexander Hamilton.
Other people liked the decentralization, and thought the first group were elitist national snots. These included Patrick Henry...
...Luther Martin...
...and Sam Adams, brewer-patriot!
The dispute was unresolved until the winter of 1786-1787, when civil unrest broke out in Massachusetts, led by Revolutionary War veteran Daniel Shays.
The unrest scared enough people that they went along with the movement to strengthen the national government. Delegates from 12 states met in Independence Hall, Philadelphia...
...and wrote the Constitution.
Today, the Framers of the Constitution are remembered as heroes, and their memory excites people young and old...
...and even kitties!
I doubt I will use this in class.
First, I had to think of something to say. That was harder than you might think! Since I've been working on my American Government class this summer, I decided to make a short presentation about the Constitutional Convention.
I captured some pictures of the era using Jing. I downloaded the Jing interactive tutorial but don't seem to be able to "get it" because whatever I do it says "Please try again!" I'm not sure what Jing did with the pictures but they were on the Desktop so I uploaded them to Screencast.
I wrestled with this for 90 minutes this afternoon, until my wife ordered me off the computer because of the unpleasant sounds I kept making. Since then I've snuck back on, and have this to show you. I'm sure if I knew what I was doing I could put content with the actual pictures, and then have a slide show, but what I'm offering you instead is a bunch of links with narration.
In the 1780s, the recently independent United States faced a number of difficult problems. Or didn't face them. Many people were frustrated by the decentralized system of government and blamed it for the country's inability to solve its problems. These people included such luminaries as George Washington...
...James Madison...
...and Alexander Hamilton.
Other people liked the decentralization, and thought the first group were elitist national snots. These included Patrick Henry...
...Luther Martin...
...and Sam Adams, brewer-patriot!
The dispute was unresolved until the winter of 1786-1787, when civil unrest broke out in Massachusetts, led by Revolutionary War veteran Daniel Shays.
The unrest scared enough people that they went along with the movement to strengthen the national government. Delegates from 12 states met in Independence Hall, Philadelphia...
...and wrote the Constitution.
Today, the Framers of the Constitution are remembered as heroes, and their memory excites people young and old...
...and even kitties!
I doubt I will use this in class.
Saturday, August 7, 2010
RSS feed me
I have got a Google reader account--thanks to Jane, with a bunch of 13 Things-related blogs, as well as Andrew Revkin (environmental blogger from the New York Times), Radio Scotland, and Kathy Guttosch (hs friend).
Here's the issue, friends. Am I worried that information will occur, and I won't be there to learn it? Or am I tired of, say, checking Kathy's blog every week or so (I don't, and anyhow she posts new entries on Facebook) to see if she's added anything? Or do I want one more way to keep up with Gavin's wonderfully-titled "Desperately Random" blog?
Well, if the answer to any of the above questions was yes, Google Reader would be the answer to my prayers.
Now, to the point of whether I would use it in a class. I'm not sure I would. The class would need to be one where keeping up with events hour-to-hour was important. Probably this is not true in a class like, say, Ancient and Medieval Political Theory. As for American politics classes, the potential is there, but here we must disabuse anyone out there who believes that political science is a class in current events. Political science teaches a language and approach for understanding political phenomena, which are better understood after they've been digested for awhile. As my writing colleague Paul Quirk once said when I complained that if you subscribe to the New York Times by post it comes a day late, "That might be better than getting it the same day. It would keep you from over-focusing on current events." (Paul said this in, like, 1992, so I don't mean to imply he's anti-RSS.) An RSS feed that gave us a blizzard of up-to-date blog posts might well distract us with ephemera, rather than help us learn the concepts that will serve us for a lifetime. Case in point: The news right now is full of the ethical troubles of Representatives Charles Rangel and Maxine Waters. Two months from now, no one will care.
And there's time to reflect. How do we reflect on anything, come to a deeper understanding of it--which is what I hope my students will do--if we're constantly bombarded with information?
Here's the issue, friends. Am I worried that information will occur, and I won't be there to learn it? Or am I tired of, say, checking Kathy's blog every week or so (I don't, and anyhow she posts new entries on Facebook) to see if she's added anything? Or do I want one more way to keep up with Gavin's wonderfully-titled "Desperately Random" blog?
Well, if the answer to any of the above questions was yes, Google Reader would be the answer to my prayers.
Now, to the point of whether I would use it in a class. I'm not sure I would. The class would need to be one where keeping up with events hour-to-hour was important. Probably this is not true in a class like, say, Ancient and Medieval Political Theory. As for American politics classes, the potential is there, but here we must disabuse anyone out there who believes that political science is a class in current events. Political science teaches a language and approach for understanding political phenomena, which are better understood after they've been digested for awhile. As my writing colleague Paul Quirk once said when I complained that if you subscribe to the New York Times by post it comes a day late, "That might be better than getting it the same day. It would keep you from over-focusing on current events." (Paul said this in, like, 1992, so I don't mean to imply he's anti-RSS.) An RSS feed that gave us a blizzard of up-to-date blog posts might well distract us with ephemera, rather than help us learn the concepts that will serve us for a lifetime. Case in point: The news right now is full of the ethical troubles of Representatives Charles Rangel and Maxine Waters. Two months from now, no one will care.
And there's time to reflect. How do we reflect on anything, come to a deeper understanding of it--which is what I hope my students will do--if we're constantly bombarded with information?
Monday, August 2, 2010
Creative commons
I think this has definite potential. Many's the time I wanted to use some copyrighted material for some trivial purpose, maybe like advanced clip art, and would have much preferred using something like this to stealing some copyrighted picture.
From the student's perspective, I think--though I have no proof for this--most people would rather do something legal than illegal, as long as it's not too difficult (complicated, expensive). Creative commons can make it reasonable to be legal.
I'm a little concerned about the images at the beginning of the first video. I strongly believe in copyright laws, though I agree they could be more flexible... just as long as the elephant in chains is not depicting all intellectual property. I'm no socialist, and don't agree that intellectual property should be held in common, particularly when no other kind of property normally is.
From the student's perspective, I think--though I have no proof for this--most people would rather do something legal than illegal, as long as it's not too difficult (complicated, expensive). Creative commons can make it reasonable to be legal.
I'm a little concerned about the images at the beginning of the first video. I strongly believe in copyright laws, though I agree they could be more flexible... just as long as the elephant in chains is not depicting all intellectual property. I'm no socialist, and don't agree that intellectual property should be held in common, particularly when no other kind of property normally is.
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Library Thing thing
I joined LibraryThing--as "BruceNesmith"--and added 10 books with reviews from the list on my website [http://www.public.coe.edu/~bnesmith/career.htm]. I probably won't pursue this, as I've invested too much time and too many books on WeRead, a similar Facebook ap. I find the stats on LibraryThing intriguing; even for some of the more obscure books I've added there are dozens of other readers.
I can't think of any classroom application for this, but it's late on a hot day, so maybe I will.
I can't think of any classroom application for this, but it's late on a hot day, so maybe I will.
Saturday, July 17, 2010
YouTube: How the electoral college works
I found a video that explains how the Electoral College works. It's not as graphically fancy as, say, Schoolhouse Rock, but I like the guy's attitude.
I haven't used YouTube in class before, but for this sort of topic it might be very useful. I've been teaching American government full-time for 23 years, and during that time have explained the electoral college about a billion times. I suspect my explanations are getting kind of stale, as having heard myself explain it so often I may subconsciously assume students know more than they do. It also allows students, if they wish, to watch it over and over again... I think YouTube's stamina is probably greater than mine.
I haven't made my own videos for YouTube; they seem to require a good deal of preparation to be useful, and my "lecture" style tends to be more improvisational. Jane's are good; watch hers.
I haven't used YouTube in class before, but for this sort of topic it might be very useful. I've been teaching American government full-time for 23 years, and during that time have explained the electoral college about a billion times. I suspect my explanations are getting kind of stale, as having heard myself explain it so often I may subconsciously assume students know more than they do. It also allows students, if they wish, to watch it over and over again... I think YouTube's stamina is probably greater than mine.
I haven't made my own videos for YouTube; they seem to require a good deal of preparation to be useful, and my "lecture" style tends to be more improvisational. Jane's are good; watch hers.
Friday, July 16, 2010
Summer vacation
July is Travel Month in the Nesmith household, this year featuring a swing to the Mid-Atlantic states followed by a quick trip to Chicago. Details follow, but in order that the detail not become numbing I have limited the information to some essentials--(1) Where did we go, and how far did we travel? (2) Did I get coffee? (3) What was for dinner?--as well as one highlight for each day. The coffee theme winds up less than perky, if you'll pardon the pun (which I don't mind if you don't, as the phrase is there only to ensure you'll notice). Maybe in some future trip we can be sure to save an hour in the day to spend at a wonderful coffeehouse, instead of grabbing some for the road as turned out to be the case except for Corning.
Without further ado, the short of it, without the long:
Monday, July 5.
To: Cleveland Heights OH (582 miles)
Staying With: William Claspy family
Coffee: (1) BP, De Witt IA; (2) Gloria Jean's, Portage IN
Dinner: Sbarro's Pizza at a rest area near Sandusky OH
Highlight: Meeting my nephew Sam, 6 weeks old. He was sleeping by the time we arrived Monday night, but was a cute and delightful if not terribly witty companion Tuesday and Wednesday. His doting sisters Anna and Maggie are watching out for him.
Tuesday, July 6.
Cleveland Heights, OH (78 miles around town=660 for the trip)
Staying With: William Claspy family
Dinner: Burgers at Bill's
Highlight: Ice cream at Malley's in Lakewood [http://www.malleys.com/Location.aspx]. A Cleveland tradition, and a must stop whenever we visit. I opted for the peanut butter cup sundae; Jane always orders the lemon lime chiffon soda in summer.
Wednesday, July 7.
To: Rochester NY (302=962)
Staying at: Quality Inn
Coffee: Lavazza, Angola NY
Dinner: Sandwich at Subway, Rochester
Highlight: Niagara Falls [http://www.niagara-usa.com/]. Our second visit (first was 2001), an audible called by Jane after car trouble delayed our departure from Cleveland such that we arrived too late to visit the Eastman Museum. Good call. Lots of water.
Thursday, July 8.
To: Watkins Glen NY (147=1109)
Staying at: Anchor Inn
Coffee: Old World Cafe, Corning NY ("chocolate/vanilla/caramel")
Dinner: Fried chicken at Classic Chef's, Watkins Glen
Highlight: Eastman House and Museum, Rochester [http://www.eastmanhouse.org/]. Eli's interested in old cameras, which led us to the house of George Eastman (1854-1932), who founded the Kodak company. The house is huge and beautiful; Eastman was a bit eccentric, with a huge fortune with which to indulge those eccentricities, and no family to make him reconsider. Eastman had an elephant head from a safari in Africa; for preservation he sent it to the country's leading taxidermists of the era, who I was amused to note were the Jonas Brothers.
Friday, July 9.
To: West Orange NJ (246=1355)Staying at: Marriott/Courtyard
Coffee: Mobil, Conklin NY ("Rainforest")
Dinner: one piece of pizza from Papa John's in our hotel room + salad from Shop Rite
Highlight: Hiking at Watkins Glen State Park [http://nyfalls.com/watkinsglensp.html]. We did the Gorge Trail. Good hiking and scenery, with plenty of company on the trails, including a friendly battalion from a Salvation Army camp.
Saturday, July 10.
West Orange, NJ w/ train into New York City (12=1367)
Staying at: Marriott/Courtyard
Coffee: Starbucks, Battery Park, New York City
Dinner: Veggie wrap at Village Place, South Orange NJ
Highlight: Nintendo Museum and Store, Rockefeller Center, New York City [http://www.nintendoworldstore.com/]. I'm nobody's gamer, and we were here mainly for Robbie, but Nintendo was rolling out a new game this day, and it felt like an event. Jane and I waited in line for free t-shirts while Robbie and Eli browsed the store. Jane liked the blue blob which is apparently a character in the game. She and I had to sign releases saying we could be photographed, which seemed unlikely. The hostess wrote a description of each of us for the camera man; mine said, "t-shirt, cargo shorts, cap, older gentleman." Older gentleman? Ouch.
Sunday, July 11.
To: Wilmington DE (170=1537)
Staying with: David and Nadine Burdash
Dinner: Cold cuts and salads at Burdashes
Highlight: You meet a lot of people on the road. There was an adorable young family staying at our hotel: mom, dad, two preschool boys, and a baby girl. One of the boys caught dad at the breakfast buffet.
BOY: Daddy, do you want some Froot Loops?
DAD: Why, don't you want yours? Gee, what a surprise.
BOY: No, Daddy, I want my Froot Loops. I love Froot Loops. I want to know if you're having Froot Loops, too.
DAD: No, I'm just having coffee.
BOY: But what are you having for breakfast, Daddy?
More adorableness in the pool before we all left, by which time I'm glad to report dad had been revived by coffee and was playing vigorously with the boys.
Monday, July 12.
Wilmington DE w/ jaunt to Philadelphia (63=1600)
Staying with: David and Nadine Burdash
Coffee: Cafe Independence, Philadelphia + 1/2 cup at Burdashes
Dinner: Sloppy joes at Burdashes
Highlight: Wilmington Blue Rocks [http://www.bluerocks.com]. The Blue Rocks are the Carolina League (high A) affiliate of the Kansas City Royals, and we saw them drop a game to the Myrtle Beach Pelicans, 3-1 (after losing a make-up game, 4-2, earlier in the evening). The game was languid, with the Blue Rocks, who are averaging less than 2 runs a game this season, at their languidest. There was, of course, the usual minor league foolishness. The Rocks boast no less than three mascots: Mr. Celery, who dances after every run (we saw him once); Rocky Bullwinkle, who is depicted on the cap I bought; and Rubble, a blue rock, with whom Jane posed. It was a great night for baseball, following a storm early in the evening. The stadium is named for Judy Johnson, the Negro Leagues star and Hall of Famer, who came from Wilmington. So did Victor G. Willis!
Tuesday, July 13.
To: Wheeling WV (384=1984)
Staying at:McLure Hotel. Don't stay here unless there are violent storms and all other hotels in town are full.
Coffee: Exxon, Roxbury PA
Dinner: KFC Chicken, New Stanton PA (childhood home of Jane's grandparents, Clarence and Blanche Fox Claspy)
Highlight: Andy Heaton, Gettysburg PA. Andy's been my friend for over 35 years, now living in Pennsylvania and working as an attorney in DC. His wife and their blended family of five children were on vacation on Chincoteague Island, except for David who's at a forensics camp. It was great seeing their historic house, and Andy took us out to lunch at the Dobbin Tavern as well as accompanying us on a brief tour of the Gettysburg battlefield site.
Wednesday, July 14.
To: Galesburg IL (591=2675)
Staying at: Country Inn and Suites
Coffee: (1) Sheetz, Wheeling WV; (2) BP, Danville IL
Dinner: Veggie crepe, Landmark Restaurant, Galesburg
Highlight: Seminary Street, Galesburg [http://www.seminarystreet.com]. This upscale, funky commercial district is a "sentimental street" for Jane and me, who met in nearby Macomb and came here for getaways. We invited the boys to join us for our nostalgia trip, but they declined, so we left them at the hotel with pizza and Discovery Channel and portable devices, and had a romantic dinner and walk around downtown. I'm glad Jane remembers our courting days so warmly.
Thursday, July 15.
To: Cedar Rapids IA (134=2809)
Staying at: Home!
Coffee: Country Inn breakfast buffet
Dinner: Pork chops and grilled vegetables
Highlight: Getting home. Be it ever so humble, &c., &c. A good if strenuous trip, all in all; congratulations to Jane for excellent planning, and many thanks to the Claspys and Burdashes for their generous hospitality!
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Mmmmm... Delicious!
I am back from vacation, and on Delicious. My user name is bruce.nesmith, which is as easy to remember as it is unoriginal.
I don't have a lot of bookmarks, and spend most of my computing time on my computer in 104C Hickok Hall. However, on occasion I find myself working on other computers. Sometimes a web address is easy to remember (www.wunderground.com), and sometimes it's not. The environmental blog I follow on The New York Times website for example... I can remember www.nytimes.com, but it's not linked to their blogs, and I can never remember the author's name (Andrew... what is it again?). Problem SOLVED.
I networked with everyone else who looked like they had done this post. I am not sure I will find this useful or necessary, however.
I don't have a lot of bookmarks, and spend most of my computing time on my computer in 104C Hickok Hall. However, on occasion I find myself working on other computers. Sometimes a web address is easy to remember (www.wunderground.com), and sometimes it's not. The environmental blog I follow on The New York Times website for example... I can remember www.nytimes.com, but it's not linked to their blogs, and I can never remember the author's name (Andrew... what is it again?). Problem SOLVED.
I networked with everyone else who looked like they had done this post. I am not sure I will find this useful or necessary, however.
Saturday, July 3, 2010
And now I'm on Twitter
Followers of Coe13Things will be surprised and gladdened to know that I have made it this far--almost halfway!--and am now on Twitter. My Twitter name is "Bruce Nesmith."
I am following: The Economist, Andrew Kohut, Paul Krugman, Howard Kurtz, and Jane Nesmith.
I am intrigued by the amount and variety of information available through Twitter. But I am getting a lot of information already. I get e-mail by the ton, and check Facebook (which has status updates which are very like tweets) more than I ought to... I'm not sure I could additionally handle all the tweets (so I am having them sent to my new Yahoo mail account).
I am following: The Economist, Andrew Kohut, Paul Krugman, Howard Kurtz, and Jane Nesmith.
I am intrigued by the amount and variety of information available through Twitter. But I am getting a lot of information already. I get e-mail by the ton, and check Facebook (which has status updates which are very like tweets) more than I ought to... I'm not sure I could additionally handle all the tweets (so I am having them sent to my new Yahoo mail account).
Trying again, failing again, then succeeding
I tried to be a good sport and sign up for a Flickr account after all, even though any picture of me is on Facebook. This required signing up for a Yahoo account, because... well, I don't know why, but I needed to get a yahoo.com e-mail address in addition to the two I already have. I went through the entire registration process but for some reason was unable to decode the funky letter-number thing they make you type. After three attempts I gave up.
But, my sons wanting to see this glitch in action, I returned and after two more attempts I now have a Flickr account. (Weirdly, Eli thought I had typed the thing wrong the time it worked.) My name is "Bruce Nesmith."
E-mailing pictures is difficult, but not this difficult. Anyhow, my real pictures are on Facebook.
But, my sons wanting to see this glitch in action, I returned and after two more attempts I now have a Flickr account. (Weirdly, Eli thought I had typed the thing wrong the time it worked.) My name is "Bruce Nesmith."
E-mailing pictures is difficult, but not this difficult. Anyhow, my real pictures are on Facebook.
Saturday, June 26, 2010
Checking out
Well, I don't have a camera, hence no Flickr account, so I think it's a sign that it's time to check out. This has been an interesting experience, and thanks to Lisa and all for the opportunity. I guess I'll be buying my own coffee for the foreseeable future; fortunately Brewed Awakenings is very affordable. Have a nice summer, everybody!
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
A comment on comments
I use comments in my Moodle assignments to keep students accountable for what they write in their posts. Also, the conversations that result can sometimes lead to new discoveries, depending on the motivations of the students. The main thing, though, is the insight I gained from Bob Marrs (I think) years ago: students don't mind appearing dumb in front of a professor (learned role playing), but they don't want to look dumb in front of their fellow students. The potential that someone will read what they post helps keep quality up.
I think the same thing can apply to blogs such as this one. Comments can help us clarify what we're trying to say, and keep the more curmudgeonly among us from ranting because we have to think about how what we write will be read by different people... most of whom work with us.
Having said that, I haven't had the nerve to read the one comment this blog has generated so far.
A different, less healthy, dynamic seems to obtain for the politics and sports sites I often visit. The comments are made pseudonymously--sorry, Blogger, but that is a word, and it's spelled correctly--and are frequently vulgar and insulting. Today, someone calling themselves "CubsWillWinWS" offers this bit of wisdom on the Cubs' site:
This is like BP doesn't do something about oil spillage and cleanup. Why don't we borrow "Chicago boy" Obama for few minutes and let him talk horse sh it cra p about how horrible the team is?
For a story on the Chicago Tribune site on the White Sox season to date, two of the three "comments" were actually commercials.
I think the same thing can apply to blogs such as this one. Comments can help us clarify what we're trying to say, and keep the more curmudgeonly among us from ranting because we have to think about how what we write will be read by different people... most of whom work with us.
Having said that, I haven't had the nerve to read the one comment this blog has generated so far.
A different, less healthy, dynamic seems to obtain for the politics and sports sites I often visit. The comments are made pseudonymously--sorry, Blogger, but that is a word, and it's spelled correctly--and are frequently vulgar and insulting. Today, someone calling themselves "CubsWillWinWS" offers this bit of wisdom on the Cubs' site:
This is like BP doesn't do something about oil spillage and cleanup. Why don't we borrow "Chicago boy" Obama for few minutes and let him talk horse sh it cra p about how horrible the team is?
For a story on the Chicago Tribune site on the White Sox season to date, two of the three "comments" were actually commercials.
Who cares!!! My boyfriend thinks the same with me. He- is eight years older than me, lol. We met online at an age gap dating site[ S E E K C O U G A R (C 0 /M)_]---a nice and free place for Younger- Women and Older Men, or Older Women and Younger Men, to interact with each other. Maybe you wanna check out or- tell your friends
Sometimes I think the story of the Internet is people forming some sort of e-community on the tech frontier (remember e-mail at first?) until commerce catches up with them and they have to move on to some new e-space.Friday, June 11, 2010
On brown eggs and wikis
When I was in graduate school, my church group did some volunteering at a home for troubled kids. One week we colored Easter eggs with them. There were a bunch of kids and a bunch of eggs, so there was no individual ownership. While some kids in my group did some interesting things with eggs that were temporarily theirs, there was one boy who kept grabbing eggs and putting them in all the different dyes. So all our eggs ended up brown.
I have not used wikis in my classes, which tend to stress individual written and group oral work. Moodle has the advantage of having conversations between individuals, with people clearly responsible for their personal contributions. Maybe I will use wikis in the future. I didn't think I would ever use Blackboard (predecessor to Moodle), but along came a pedagogical problem and Blackboard was the answer. So maybe that will happen with wikis, too.
Note: Despite all the editors, Sara's class blog still has a sentence that reads "England controlled England," or something like that. I tried to edit it with my newfound wiki skills but it wouldn't let me.
I have not used wikis in my classes, which tend to stress individual written and group oral work. Moodle has the advantage of having conversations between individuals, with people clearly responsible for their personal contributions. Maybe I will use wikis in the future. I didn't think I would ever use Blackboard (predecessor to Moodle), but along came a pedagogical problem and Blackboard was the answer. So maybe that will happen with wikis, too.
Note: Despite all the editors, Sara's class blog still has a sentence that reads "England controlled England," or something like that. I tried to edit it with my newfound wiki skills but it wouldn't let me.
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Google Docs!
The video on Google Docs reminded me of a lot of Christian evangelism I've received: they spend a lot more time explaining the problem they have the solution to than they do explaining the solution. (If it was a real problem, wouldn't you already know you had it?) I guess most marketing uses the same approach, i.e. create the psychological need for which your product has the solution. My response is similar, too: if Google Docs works for you, great! I've used Google Docs with one collaborator, and Dropbox with another, and I'm not sure that the learning curve doesn't negate whatever advantage they have over e-mail attachments.
If you don't use Google Docs, you will fry in hell.
If you don't use Google Docs, you will fry in hell.
Web 2.0: a nice place to visit but you wouldn't want to live there
My self-image is something of a Luddite, but I seem to be finding my way all over the new media. I've been on Facebook since 2007, my office music comes from radio stations in Ohio and Scotland, I keep in touch with friends regularly using e-mail, I use Internet sites frequently in my classes when the equipment's not balky, I encourage my students to send me rough drafts by e-mail, I have a Dropbox account to share files with my co-author, I use e-books to save me hunting resources down from other libraries. So I guess I take regular advantage of what new media have to offer.
I've lived long enough to see the world change, yet long enough to be skeptical when I hear predictions that Things Are Fundamentally Changing. Fifteen years ago, business commentators regularly proclaimed that the business model of the past had been changed by the Internet. Since then we've had two recessions, brought on by greedy people who thought they had all the answers. Certain things are eternal--virtue, the ingredients of a good argument, and maybe the old-fashioned business model.
Having viewed the two videos Lisa posted, and all the factoids they breathlessly presented, I'm thinking technology offers a lot of possibilities but there's a lot of hype as well. I hope we can take advantage of the opportunities while keeping our feet firmly on the ground. At the end of the day, having surfed, pointed, clicked, and hyper-linked, can we still get off the merry-go-round? Are we able to enjoy the deeper interactions brought by contact with human beings in real time, by walks in nature, by reading actual books, by writing letters and journals? Can we still concentrate?
I'm 51 years old. Thirty years ago, I was 21, and the world couldn't move fast enough to suit me. Thirty years from now, I'll be 81, and will probably feel more strongly what I already am starting to feel now: that people are moving too damn quickly for their own good, but for all their frantic oscillations not getting themselves any happier, smarter, or more humane. Web 2.0 is fun, not to mention full of potential, but I could live without it far more easily than I could live without conversations, hikes, and deep thoughts.
I've lived long enough to see the world change, yet long enough to be skeptical when I hear predictions that Things Are Fundamentally Changing. Fifteen years ago, business commentators regularly proclaimed that the business model of the past had been changed by the Internet. Since then we've had two recessions, brought on by greedy people who thought they had all the answers. Certain things are eternal--virtue, the ingredients of a good argument, and maybe the old-fashioned business model.
Having viewed the two videos Lisa posted, and all the factoids they breathlessly presented, I'm thinking technology offers a lot of possibilities but there's a lot of hype as well. I hope we can take advantage of the opportunities while keeping our feet firmly on the ground. At the end of the day, having surfed, pointed, clicked, and hyper-linked, can we still get off the merry-go-round? Are we able to enjoy the deeper interactions brought by contact with human beings in real time, by walks in nature, by reading actual books, by writing letters and journals? Can we still concentrate?
I'm 51 years old. Thirty years ago, I was 21, and the world couldn't move fast enough to suit me. Thirty years from now, I'll be 81, and will probably feel more strongly what I already am starting to feel now: that people are moving too damn quickly for their own good, but for all their frantic oscillations not getting themselves any happier, smarter, or more humane. Web 2.0 is fun, not to mention full of potential, but I could live without it far more easily than I could live without conversations, hikes, and deep thoughts.
Why 13 things?
It's possible this exercise will make me a a better, more interesting, more empathetic person. It's even possible it will make me 6'2" and unbelievably popular. If so, those will be fringe benefits. I'm doing it for the gift card.
I love Brewed Awakenings.
I love everything about Brewed Awakenings. I like that it's across the street from Coe, I like the smell of the coffee they brew, I like the friendly folks behind the counter, I like how goofy they get when they've been standing too long without a break. I like it that they do music there, I wish they did more, and I like it that they're not so cultured and hip that they don't let me play once in awhile. I meet my wife for lunch there, I meet Political Science Club there, I go there to read the paper on a Friday morning and see three colleagues and six friends I didn't expect to see. I love the unexpected wonderfulness of Brewed Awakenings, as well as the dependable wonderfulness of it.
So I'm doing this for the card. The good news is I really want that card, and I am one motivated blogger.
Bruce N.
I love Brewed Awakenings.
I love everything about Brewed Awakenings. I like that it's across the street from Coe, I like the smell of the coffee they brew, I like the friendly folks behind the counter, I like how goofy they get when they've been standing too long without a break. I like it that they do music there, I wish they did more, and I like it that they're not so cultured and hip that they don't let me play once in awhile. I meet my wife for lunch there, I meet Political Science Club there, I go there to read the paper on a Friday morning and see three colleagues and six friends I didn't expect to see. I love the unexpected wonderfulness of Brewed Awakenings, as well as the dependable wonderfulness of it.
So I'm doing this for the card. The good news is I really want that card, and I am one motivated blogger.
Bruce N.
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