Category: ramblings
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De-tuned
I wrote this nearly five years ago. I was mad then; now I’m more or less just resigned. The intellectual commons is being fenced off, now more than ever. I think we’re losing more than outlets for creativity or profit; we’re losing the shared language to remember who we were, who we are. ============== De-Tuned…
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My philosophy of education
Edited to correct some grammatical mistakes. The new school year is about to start, and it’s customary to take a moment and philosophize. But I’m really busy, so I’m going to dust off something else and let that stand in. Back in 2010 December, I was nominated for a prize offered by Princeton University Teacher…
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Can seeing a US flag turn you Republican?
And if so, what can be done about it? A study referenced in Discover has the provocative conclusion that seeing a small American flag while completing a political questionnaire can induce the respondents into being more Republican, even up to 8 months later. Is our society doomed by our optic nerves to surrender to the…
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Information in Action: What is a parent?
I was just watching a season 2 episode of Castle called “When the Bough Breaks” and it annoyed me, by going along with a societal convention that annoys me. In it, a young Czech immigrant is murdered and, after a convoluted investigation, it’s revealed that a doctor had switched his baby for hers in the…
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Lego-mania
This is a mostly-pointless TED talk that celebrates the vast Lego culture … It’s fun even if it isn’t all that deep.
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Days of miracle and wonder, indeed
For about ten years, I’ve been running a project in my Honors Physics course called Days of Miracle and Wonder (yes, title taken from a Paul Simon song). In it, the students are asked to create a business case for a product or service not available today but likely to be so by 2030. Although…
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Yay, “Liberal” Media!
Headline at ABC News: “Democrats are Dropping Like Flies” Reality: Not seeking reelection for US House US Senate Governor Democrats 10 2 3 Republicans 14 6 4 So the retiring Republicans outnumber the retiring Democrats in every chamber— and in what we are told is destined to be a “Republican year” — yet it’s the…
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What Michael Steel Won’t Let Me Post
OK, that’s melodramatic. All that’s occurred so far is that their mediocre site has choked several times since I’ve tried to post a comment in response to a blog post there. The post blames President Obama for the jobs lost in the past 11 months and worries what it would mean if he does a…
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Me-tooing a clever description
One of the unsung heros of the health care debate is the Congressional Budget Office, an agency that few really understand and fewer appreciate. Ezra Klein has a tidbit on them, including a description so pithy I can’t help but steal it: If the role of the Federal Reserve is to take away the punchbowl…