i laughed for 3 minutes at my own joke...
Backstory - The wife and daughter went to a friend's today. Some kind of girl scout event, I don't know. But apparently they made "sun tea" and also "sun jam". Who knew? Anyway, it was sitting on the table on the deck all afternoon. But I had no idea what it was. The jam. I don't ask questions.
At midnight we have the following exchange.
Wife: Did Katie bring in the jam?
Me: Um. What?
Wife: Did Katie bring in the JAM?
Me: (beat) No, but she did bring in 'da FUNK.
Friday, September 4
I think I'm supposed to find this blog inspiring, but...
From Unclutterer...
A: Go fuck yourself in one of them.
From Unclutterer...
Dear Unclutterer: I am a fanatic unclutterer. Our kitchen is very organized. But we actually have too much storage space (tons and tons of drawers and cabinets). What should I do with these empty drawers?
A: Go fuck yourself in one of them.
Thursday, September 3
nerd vs. nerd...
At one of the train stops on the way to work, a wireless network shows up in my Airport menu called "baggins". It's password protected, so every day I've taken to spending the 60 seconds that the train is stationary trying out as many Tolkien-mythos passwords as I can before the train starts moving again. Today I tried "Mordor", "mithril" and "theonering".
Some day I'll get it.
At one of the train stops on the way to work, a wireless network shows up in my Airport menu called "baggins". It's password protected, so every day I've taken to spending the 60 seconds that the train is stationary trying out as many Tolkien-mythos passwords as I can before the train starts moving again. Today I tried "Mordor", "mithril" and "theonering".
Some day I'll get it.
Tuesday, September 1
Thursday, August 27
killin' (trees) in the name of...
I pulled out one of my little blank Moleskine notebooks, and started a to-do file for myself this morning. Given that this is my last day in the city before classes start, I want to make sure I get all my nitpicky tasks straightened out before Monday. Anyway, I quickly filled the page with things-to-do, and nearly every entry begins with the word "print" or "copy". Clearly, although I've gone all-digital in terms of my personal documents and research, I haven't figured out how to conduct a class the same way.
I'll be ready for the first day, but just *barely*. The class I wanted to have a whole semester's worth of reading guides done for? Half done. The new course that requires me to basically "GM" a historical role-playing game? I have quickly skimmed the instructor's guide. The course that should be my most important foundational science course, but instead is a last-minute after-thought every year? I just tweaked the syllabus as a last-minute after-thought.
The thing is - I have a couple of courses that could be REALLY GOOD this semester. That is, if I wasn't also teaching two OTHER courses, mentoring 3 senior research projects, doing consulting work, and being distracted by the siren song of the sabbatical on the horizon. Oh, also, there is a chance I could be chairing one of the most important committees at the college.
If I can stay ahead of it all, it could be a decent semester. If not, it could be a fucking nightmare.
Place your bets, kids...
I pulled out one of my little blank Moleskine notebooks, and started a to-do file for myself this morning. Given that this is my last day in the city before classes start, I want to make sure I get all my nitpicky tasks straightened out before Monday. Anyway, I quickly filled the page with things-to-do, and nearly every entry begins with the word "print" or "copy". Clearly, although I've gone all-digital in terms of my personal documents and research, I haven't figured out how to conduct a class the same way.
I'll be ready for the first day, but just *barely*. The class I wanted to have a whole semester's worth of reading guides done for? Half done. The new course that requires me to basically "GM" a historical role-playing game? I have quickly skimmed the instructor's guide. The course that should be my most important foundational science course, but instead is a last-minute after-thought every year? I just tweaked the syllabus as a last-minute after-thought.
The thing is - I have a couple of courses that could be REALLY GOOD this semester. That is, if I wasn't also teaching two OTHER courses, mentoring 3 senior research projects, doing consulting work, and being distracted by the siren song of the sabbatical on the horizon. Oh, also, there is a chance I could be chairing one of the most important committees at the college.
If I can stay ahead of it all, it could be a decent semester. If not, it could be a fucking nightmare.
Place your bets, kids...
Thursday, August 13
what Dave has to say to science crackpots...
There is particular technique used by physics crackpots (of which there are LOTS) when they are defending their own theories. What they do is to assail Quantum Mechanics or General Relativity on some conceptual ground, and if you try to explain to them how the equations work or how their predictions are confirmed by experience, or god forbid you ask them to show you the equations in THEIR theory... they accuse physics of being a priestood/cult that uses mathematics as a weapon to deny ordinary people admittance. Almost every physics crackpot will use some version of that line somewhere.
The reason physics seems closed off and "cultish" is that there is a significant barrier to entry- which is- in order to be part of the conversation you need to understand the theory. You can not do this by watching the Discovery Channel, reading paperback pop-sci from Borders, and then thinking about it really hard. You learn the theories by working WITH the theories, and just to do THAT takes a minimum of 2-3 years of mathematics courses. Which is why the great majority of crackpots conveniently decree that REAL science doesn't NEED all that math.
But without a familiarity with the tools and techniques of the theories themselves, you have as much chance of making a sensible contribution to the scientific process as someone who has spent the past year in their room playing "Guitar Hero: Aerosmith" has of doing a good job filling in for Joe Perry on the next tour. Call it the CULT OF MUSIC PRIESTS if you want, but pushing the colored buttons on your PS3 controller is not even close to the real thing, no matter how much the fake crowd cheers.
(adapted from YouTube comment thread)
There is particular technique used by physics crackpots (of which there are LOTS) when they are defending their own theories. What they do is to assail Quantum Mechanics or General Relativity on some conceptual ground, and if you try to explain to them how the equations work or how their predictions are confirmed by experience, or god forbid you ask them to show you the equations in THEIR theory... they accuse physics of being a priestood/cult that uses mathematics as a weapon to deny ordinary people admittance. Almost every physics crackpot will use some version of that line somewhere.
The reason physics seems closed off and "cultish" is that there is a significant barrier to entry- which is- in order to be part of the conversation you need to understand the theory. You can not do this by watching the Discovery Channel, reading paperback pop-sci from Borders, and then thinking about it really hard. You learn the theories by working WITH the theories, and just to do THAT takes a minimum of 2-3 years of mathematics courses. Which is why the great majority of crackpots conveniently decree that REAL science doesn't NEED all that math.
But without a familiarity with the tools and techniques of the theories themselves, you have as much chance of making a sensible contribution to the scientific process as someone who has spent the past year in their room playing "Guitar Hero: Aerosmith" has of doing a good job filling in for Joe Perry on the next tour. Call it the CULT OF MUSIC PRIESTS if you want, but pushing the colored buttons on your PS3 controller is not even close to the real thing, no matter how much the fake crowd cheers.
(adapted from YouTube comment thread)
Wednesday, August 12
summer in brief...
Heading in to the city on the train this morning. I have to say - 6:45 comes awfully fucking early when you've spent the summer staying up until 2 and sleeping until 9 or 10:00. I have a meeting today for some new consulting work. I figured the train would give me a chance to post something on the blog. Where to start? Since last I blogged, I have...
* Finished Moby Dick on my Kindle
* Worked up from 1 mile to three miles of running at a stretch
* Lost 10-12 pounds
* Harassed crackpots on YouTube
* Gone to yoga class exactly twice
* Played at 2 open blues jams, neither impressively nor embarrassingly
* Reactivated Netflix
* Played multiple 10-year-old Zelda series games w/ the kids.
* Worked up a half dozen peculiar acoustic cover tunes
* Made $5000 in consulting income, yet remain broke and in debt
* Got a kitten that I did not want.
* All but ignored the impending semester of classes.
So. The usual.
Heading in to the city on the train this morning. I have to say - 6:45 comes awfully fucking early when you've spent the summer staying up until 2 and sleeping until 9 or 10:00. I have a meeting today for some new consulting work. I figured the train would give me a chance to post something on the blog. Where to start? Since last I blogged, I have...
* Finished Moby Dick on my Kindle
* Worked up from 1 mile to three miles of running at a stretch
* Lost 10-12 pounds
* Harassed crackpots on YouTube
* Gone to yoga class exactly twice
* Played at 2 open blues jams, neither impressively nor embarrassingly
* Reactivated Netflix
* Played multiple 10-year-old Zelda series games w/ the kids.
* Worked up a half dozen peculiar acoustic cover tunes
* Made $5000 in consulting income, yet remain broke and in debt
* Got a kitten that I did not want.
* All but ignored the impending semester of classes.
So. The usual.
Saturday, July 11
Yet another piece of...
...evidence that no matter how old I get I will never be an "adult"... my barely contained glee over finding a roll of Smarties in my bag.
Tuesday, July 7
second leg...
Hmm. Not sure how I feel about Amtrak Coach class. Not as crappy as a bad airplane seat, but not as nice as a good commuter train seat. Well... the SEAT is nice, it's just a pretty crowded train, that's all. People sitting next to you... inconvenient stuff like that. If only there was a form of transit where you could sit by yourself in a private compartment. Maybe if it could also stop whenever and wherever you want it to. Maybe you could also control its speed to some extent.
Someone really needs to get to work on that.
Anyway, there are plugs, which is nice.
Hmm. Not sure how I feel about Amtrak Coach class. Not as crappy as a bad airplane seat, but not as nice as a good commuter train seat. Well... the SEAT is nice, it's just a pretty crowded train, that's all. People sitting next to you... inconvenient stuff like that. If only there was a form of transit where you could sit by yourself in a private compartment. Maybe if it could also stop whenever and wherever you want it to. Maybe you could also control its speed to some extent.
Someone really needs to get to work on that.
Anyway, there are plugs, which is nice.
off again...
... on another business trip. This time to DC via train. Well... from home to NY via train, then NY to DC via a DIFFERENT train. Which makes almost 6 hours of train today. Good thing I like trains so damned much!
All this travel is for the consulting gig. The last trip was for a 3-day meeting with a small group of teachers. This trip is a big two day "Institute" followed by a bigger three-day "Forum". I'm only being paid for the first two days, but they are paying my hotel for the additional two nights. Not a bad deal. Still, I feel like this consulting thing has stolen my fucking summer right out from under me. When I get back from this trip, it will be "mid-July", and I start teaching again in "late-August". Fuck. I have done NO WORK AT ALL on my classes. None.
I was supposed to be co-leading the science curriculum sessions at the two day "Institute" meeting, but the other science consultant pulled out, so I am running the show. Which... ugh... is not my favorite thing in the world. I mean, I don't mind standing in front of a room where I know everything and they know nothing and talking for 3 or 4 hours, but... being responsible for "facilitating group discussions"? About big open-ended educational-buzzwordy subjects? Blah.
But... free trip to DC, which is cool. Unfortunately I'll be booked until 4:30 or 5:00 most days, it seems, and all the stuff I want to do in the city closes at 5:30. Except for those parts of the Smithsonian I saw 100 times as a kid , and will probably see 100 more times with my own kids. Extended hours at the Air and Space Museum? Blah.
I brought all my running gear, so I plan to work out while I'm there. The running is going pretty well. I can do 1.5 miles without a walk break, or alternately - 2 miles with 2 minutes to rest between them. If I can manage to keep running through the hot weather (which hasn't come yet, amazingly, but I'm sure has to eventually) I should easily be able to run 5K by the end of summer. Meanwhile, the needle on the scale landed firmly on the 200 line the other day, which doesn't seem like a good thing unless you know that just a month or two ago, it was flirting with the 210 area. So, I'm fairly content with the direction things are going there.
Not much else to say really, which is why I don't blog much anymore. Nothing is going on in my life that can't easily be described in 140 characters. Hell, sometimes even that's a stretch.
... on another business trip. This time to DC via train. Well... from home to NY via train, then NY to DC via a DIFFERENT train. Which makes almost 6 hours of train today. Good thing I like trains so damned much!
All this travel is for the consulting gig. The last trip was for a 3-day meeting with a small group of teachers. This trip is a big two day "Institute" followed by a bigger three-day "Forum". I'm only being paid for the first two days, but they are paying my hotel for the additional two nights. Not a bad deal. Still, I feel like this consulting thing has stolen my fucking summer right out from under me. When I get back from this trip, it will be "mid-July", and I start teaching again in "late-August". Fuck. I have done NO WORK AT ALL on my classes. None.
I was supposed to be co-leading the science curriculum sessions at the two day "Institute" meeting, but the other science consultant pulled out, so I am running the show. Which... ugh... is not my favorite thing in the world. I mean, I don't mind standing in front of a room where I know everything and they know nothing and talking for 3 or 4 hours, but... being responsible for "facilitating group discussions"? About big open-ended educational-buzzwordy subjects? Blah.
But... free trip to DC, which is cool. Unfortunately I'll be booked until 4:30 or 5:00 most days, it seems, and all the stuff I want to do in the city closes at 5:30. Except for those parts of the Smithsonian I saw 100 times as a kid , and will probably see 100 more times with my own kids. Extended hours at the Air and Space Museum? Blah.
I brought all my running gear, so I plan to work out while I'm there. The running is going pretty well. I can do 1.5 miles without a walk break, or alternately - 2 miles with 2 minutes to rest between them. If I can manage to keep running through the hot weather (which hasn't come yet, amazingly, but I'm sure has to eventually) I should easily be able to run 5K by the end of summer. Meanwhile, the needle on the scale landed firmly on the 200 line the other day, which doesn't seem like a good thing unless you know that just a month or two ago, it was flirting with the 210 area. So, I'm fairly content with the direction things are going there.
Not much else to say really, which is why I don't blog much anymore. Nothing is going on in my life that can't easily be described in 140 characters. Hell, sometimes even that's a stretch.
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