Today is Thanksgiving, and while we’re not doing the full glutton thing until Saturday (it’s more convenient for family members to travel up here then), it’s still a good time to reflect on the things we’re thankful for. Right at the top of the list, of course, is SteelyKid, who is bright, curious, generally cheerful,… Continue reading Thankful Toddler Blogging 112510
Month: November 2010
Dorky Poll: Gratitude
It’s Thanksgiving here in the US, so blogging will be light to nonexistent. For the sake of those looking for a quick escape from the chaos of a family gathering, or, you know, those poor benighted souls in other countries for whom this is just another Thursday, here’s a thematically appropriate poll about science: What… Continue reading Dorky Poll: Gratitude
Links for 2010-11-25
Surviving the World – Lesson 811 – Thanksgiving Parenting “Thanksgiving is the perfect time of year to evaluate how well you have done as a parent…” (tags: comics internet silly holiday) John Scalzi – Saying Thanksgiving Grace, the Science-fictional Way – Filmcritic.com Feature “We also thank you for once again not allowing our technology to… Continue reading Links for 2010-11-25
Seeing Exoplanets Sideways
Given that I’m currently working on a book about relativity, I’m spending a lot of time idly thinking about various relativistic effects. Many of these won’t end up in the final book, but they’re fun to think about. One thing that occurred to be earlier, while thinking about something else entirely, is the Doppler shift.… Continue reading Seeing Exoplanets Sideways
Links for 2010-11-24
From the Editor’s Desk: Quantifying Outreach to the Cult of Science | Deep Sea News “Science needs a reality check too. It has tried to exist in an academic vacuum for much of its existence. The OCD nature science needs behavioral therapy, to be forced to confront its discomfort of engaging with non-scientists. Science also… Continue reading Links for 2010-11-24
The Problem of the Humanities
I’ve probably gotten a dozen pointers to Gregory Petsko’s open letter in support of the humanities, addressed to the President of SUNY-Albany, over the last couple of weeks (the link is to a reposting of the letter at Inside Higher Ed; it was originally on Petsko’s own blog). I haven’t linked to it or commented… Continue reading The Problem of the Humanities
Invasive Searches and Underage Drinking
Kevin Drum posted an anti-rant about the TSA, which argues that the new scanners and pat-downs aren’t an outrage because they really mean well: I’m not trying to defend everything TSA has put in place. Some of the stuff they do, like the penknife and nail clipper bans, really is stupid. And maybe backscatter scanners… Continue reading Invasive Searches and Underage Drinking
Links for 2010-11-23
Confessions of a Community College Dean: The Sick Kid Shuffle “This weekend The Girl got hit by a nasty stomach bug, so nobody got much sleep and our Sunday plans were discombobulated. It brought back memories of those times when TW still worked outside the house, and we had to do the Sick Kid Shuffle.… Continue reading Links for 2010-11-23
Poll: Greetings
I don’t think this one requires any explanation: Hello:customer surveys Staying up watching the Giants game last night was not conducive to getting anything useful done this morning.
Academic Poll: Proctoring
I’m giving the final exam in my introductory E&M class this morning, which means spending a couple of hours sitting in a room full of students taking a test and doing my best not to fall asleep. As far as I’m concerned, getting rid of exam proctoring is the best argument for an honor code… Continue reading Academic Poll: Proctoring