Ben Franklin Sings about Your Rights as a Photographer

If you’re legally present on a public street or sidewalk, you can legally photograph anything in plain view. (This includes children and crime victims… but just because it’s legal doesn’t mean it’s always a good idea.) If law enforcement engages you, ask whether you are free to go; if so, then move out of the…

It’s a good day when one’s nerdiness is an asset to a colleague.

It’s a good day when one’s nerdiness is an asset to a colleague. Similar:Being a dad-nerd means finding new ways to play.https://youtu.be/-c6IirtwFawAestheticsThe Most Unexpected Workplace Trend Coming in 2020: the Return of the Liberal Arts Major On LinkedIn each year author Dan Sch…BusinessSettling in to enjoy live theater. Support the arts in your community!PersonalKafka Meets Charlie…

Jury Duty Update

I’m a happy, responsible, and no-longer-obligated-for-jury-duty citizen. Similar:Addis, LA: Little Orphan Annie stopped for speeding  Addis, LA: Little Orphan Annie…AmusingSpent a half hour taming this tangle of cables (left) with a little tiny six-inch-wide car…AestheticsPac-Man on Atari 800 @setonhilluniversity discussion of Summer reading book #readyplayeron…PersonalLet's talk about books, old sport.BooksSiblings gotta sib.PersonalNarnia Lesson Plans: Activities…

Judge: Apple conspired to fix eBook prices.

Judge: Apple conspired to fix eBook prices. #ethics #books The Federal lawsuit claimed that Apple, led by then-CEO Steve Jobs and senior vice president of Internet Software and Services Eddy Cue, conspired with HarperCollins, Hatchett, Macmillan, Penguin and Simon & Schuster to drive e-book prices up from the $9.99 price point Amazon had established. –readwrite.com Similar:Pesky journalists,…

RT @spj_tweets: How TV could suffer the fate of newspapers

RT @spj_tweets: How TV could suffer the fate of newspapers: @alanmutter shares the second installment of his two-part blog – http://t.co/l… Similar:Jury Duty UpdateI’m a happy, responsible, and no-longer-…GovernmentMaybe I'll just delete these QUARTER OF A MILLION spam comments.Not kidding — 254,460 spam comments in …CybercultureOverheard at Quora: "Why after all these years is Moodle…

Juror’s Creed

While researching my obligations for #juryduty Thursday, I came across this “Juror’s Creed.” The gender-specific reference to men, the instruction to reflect upon the virtues of democracy, and the instruction to respect the judge’s education all hint at a historical context for the creed. Institutions never put their creeds into writing unless they feel those…

Spent a productive work day doing nothing but optimizing my blog.

Spent a productive work day doing nothing but optimizing my blog. Added a very nice plugin for displaying thumbnails of related posts. Similar:Merry Christmas 2022.PersonalThe storage shelves of my fantasy steampunk CGI starship will need props with appropriate …  AestheticsDress rehearsal for The Nutcracker.AestheticsA vacation minibar story from 20 years ago.PersonalFrom The 'London Times' of…

RT @mykidcancode: Managing Your Preschooler’s Fasc…

RT @mykidcancode: Managing Your Preschooler’s Fascination with Apps – bit.ly/lv1ZyR #parenting #technology Similar:Tolkien v. Orwell: Who understood modern surveillance best?Interesting set of observations explorin…CultureReady to teach another set of students what research is (and what it isn’t).AcademiaOn Instructional Technology and Face-to-Face Interaction CybercultureCommentary: What My Struggling Students Wanted Me to UnderstandI haven’t taught a developmental…

Maybe I’ll just delete these QUARTER OF A MILLION spam comments.

Not kidding — 254,460 spam comments in my trash folder! Similar:That 'Useless' Liberal Arts Degree Has Become Tech's Hottest TicketWhat kind of boss hires a thwarted actre…AcademiaHow important is the look 'n' feel of your website?”The look ‘n’ feel of your website is im…BusinessAn alternate universeMy plans to use a Chromebook over the we…CultureBooks vs.…

“Bach is not for the weak of mind.”

“Bach is not for the weak of mind.” — Miss Renee, my kids’ piano teacher. “I’m in trouble.” — Peter, my son. Similar:Pompeii artifacts at the Carnegie Science Center The lighting was very low, so the phot…AestheticsThe "Best" E-mail Signature Is Actually the WorstI have no particular opinion about how t…BusinessBreaking: Student consults syllabus before…

Classroom collaboration marketplace

While I am uncomfortable with the whole “classroom as marketplace” metaphor, since it’s pretty much gamifying without the fun, I am nonetheless interested in this strategy for encouraging students to collaborate by having them attach a value to the artifacts they present to the class for sharing.. We shop for everything from apps to ideas.…

Study: Singing together synchronizes your heartbeat

The researchers found that each singer’s heartbeat was linked to the song’s melody – i.e. the speed and structure of the music. They also found that when the choir sang together, their heart rates tended to increase and decrease at similar times. “As soon as the singing begins, (the hearts) start following each other,” Vickhoff…

In Defense Of Metaphors In Science Writing

We live in an elegant universe. The cosmos is like a string symphony. Genes are selfish. There is an endless battle between thermodynamics and gravity. Do you love these statements, or hate them? The reading world gets pretty divided over whether or not it’s okay to apply metaphors and similes to descriptive science writing. It…

The Reading Project

Literature majors and students otherwise drawn to literature courses can be an introverted bunch. Students overall can at times resist course projects that fall outside the expected parameters of a given discipline. Yet my class proved my assumptions wrong. Many of the students were nervous, to be sure, but overall they seemed to enjoy the…