the long, hot summer

It begins today, fittingly, as I've cleaned out my classroom, posted grades, and turned in my keys. Tomorrow the wife and I are flying to Phoenix for the younger brother's nuptials (incidentally, he never once updated his "marital blog").

Consequently, blogging will be light to nonexistent for the next week and a half. But don't fret; I've got plenty of interesting neighbors. Just click over there on the right under "blogs of note." (Start with this little tidbit on the joy of teaching.)

If you're nostalgic for decorabiliation, there's a wide world of archives over there, too.

Oh, and I haven't forgotten about my ongoing projects.

Hasta luego, y que les vaya bien.

more technology = more liberty = more virtue

Virginia Postrel, summarizing Barry Schwartz:

In his opening chapter, Schwartz recounts his troubles buying jeans at The Gap. What used to be a five-minute task requiring no more information than a waist size and length now demands multiple decisions and an unnerving amount of self-awareness. What leg shape and denim wash say “Barry Schwartz”? What shape is his body really? “Finally, I chose the easy fit, because a ‘relaxed fit’ implied that I was getting soft in the middle and needed to cover it up,” he writes.

Schwartz acknowledges that offering more styles and fits is good “for customers with varied tastes and body types,” but he discounts their interests. Ill-fitting jeans are a small price to pay for simplicity, he suggests. The Gap’s many choices, he says, have made buying jeans “a complex decision in which I was forced to invest time, energy, and no small amount of self-doubt, anxiety, and dread.” In the words of a Glamour editorial that cites Schwartz, “It’s enough to give even the most pro-choice girl one big headache.”

In a nifty bit of synchronicity, I heard a story this morning on NPR about a new use for an old system: matching people to jeans with computers and modified airport scanners.

Intellifit: one key to solving Schwartz's paradox.

thoughts of all stripes II

Because you can never be too comprehensive, I've added Ratiocination and Thinking Nurse to the roll. (Thanks to wrathius for reminding me of his existence, and Bora Z. for suggesting the second.)

Dover over?

If you've been following the Dover ID case, you'll definitely want to read Ed Brayton's take on a new wrinkle.

Oh, and past differences aside, I completely agree with Dembski on this point:

While Dembski said he disagrees with many aspects of Darwinism, “there is still a long way at hammering out ID as a full-fledged research program. That said, there is nobody I know that says intelligent design should be mandated. I think this is the problem with Dover. It’s not a way you build consensus and help education along.”

Update: Welcome, readers of The Panda's Thumb. Other posts you might be interested in, all related to Intelligent Design: a moment of truth, information please, and pro-neo-darwinism. (There's actual content in those posts.)

Update Update: The conflict between the Thomas More Law Center and the Discovery Institute that will likely sink the case, according to Brayton, apparently runs pretty deep.

love is the whole and more than all

"my father moved through dooms of love," by e.e. cummings

for father's day
...

my father moved through dooms of love
through sames of am through haves of give,
singing each morning out of each night
my father moved through depths of height

this motionless forgetful where
turned at his glance to shining here;
that if (so timid air is firm)
under his eyes would stir and squirm

newly as from unburied which
floats the first who, his april touch
drove sleeping selves to swarm their fates
woke dreamers to their ghostly roots

and should some why completely weep
my father's fingers brought her sleep:
vainly no smallest voice might cry
for he could feel the mountains grow.

Lifting the valleys of the sea
my father moved through griefs of joy;
praising a forehead he called the moon
singing desire into begin

joy was his song and joy so pure
a heart of star by him could steer
and pure so now and now so yes
the wrists of twilight would rejoice

keen as midsummer's keen beyond
conceiving mind of sun will stand,
so strictly (over utmost him
so hugely) stood my father's dream

his flesh was flesh his blood was blood:
no hungry man but wished him food;
no cripple wouldn't creep one mile
uphill to only see him smile.

Scorning the pomp of must and shall
my father moved through dooms of feel;
his anger was as right as rain
his pity was as green as grain

septembering arms of year extend
less humbly wealth to foe and friend
than he to foolish and to wise
offered immeasurable is

proudly and( by octobering flame
beckoned) as earth will downward climb,
so naked for immortal work
his shoulders marched against the dark

his sorrow was as true as bread:
no liar looked him in the head;
if every friend became his foe
he'd laugh and build a world with snow.

My father moved through theys of we,
singing each new leaf out of each tree
(and every child was sure that spring
danced when she heard my father sing)

then let men kill which cannot share,
let blood and flesh be mud and mire,
scheming imagine, passion willed,
freedom a drug that's bought and sold

giving to steal and cruel kind,
a heart to fear, to doubt a mind,
to differ a disease of same,
conform the pinnacle of am

though dull were all we taste as bright,
bitter all utterly things sweet,
maggoty minus and dumb death
all we inherit, all bequeath

and nothing quite so least as truth
—i say though hate were why man breathe—
because my father lived his soul
love is the whole and more than all

Jesus's cryptic parables

Standing on the shore of the Sea of Galilee, Jesus preached to thousands of onlookers, who were waiting for his next miracle. Seeing what they had come for, Jesus decided to dispense wisdom instead, in the form of memorable stories called parables.

"To what shall I liken the kingdom of God? It is a ball of snow rolling down a mountainside, starting small, but growing to gigantic proportions as it gathers more and more snow to its bosom."

Several hands went up. "Teacher, what is snow?"

"It cold, white, and flaky," Jesus said.

"And every snowflake is unique, which must also be significant," Peter added.

Jesus glowered at him and returned to parabolizing. "The kingdom of God is like a man who went to the ATM machine and couldn't remember his PIN number--"

"Lord," said the disciple, "'ATM machine' and 'PIN number' are both redundant, because 'ATM' stands for--"

"The kingdom of God is like a cheese grater," Jesus continued, ignoring the interruption. "Though it grates cheese, yea, it is good for shredding potatoes as well."

Jesus moved through the crowd, grabbing a sandwich from an unsuspecting bystander. "A certain accountant was visiting his mother-in-law in Capernaum. When he arrived at the gate, three small, yapping dogs attacked him, biting his ankles and sending him scurrying away. The accountant called the woman from the safety of a neighbor's house, but she did not answer the phone because the television was turned up too loud. So it is in the kingdom of God."

"Lord, that doesn't make any sense," said Peter.

"It isn't supposed to," Jesus replied.



[twenty-fourth in a series]

so you wanna teach blogging?

A reader of Jenny D sees my comment on her blog, and writes:

I've had my own blog for a few months, and have some ideas about how to incorporate them in my classroom, but I'd love to hear some specifics from you about how you use them in yours. In the comment I read, you stated that your class blogs aren't public, to avoid liability issues. I'd like to know how to set up a private blog - is that done through the school server or intranet? I'm not a technical person, so if those are the same thing, forgive me.

I'd also like to know what you see as some of the benefits and drawbacks to using them in school.

I've used blogs in my English classes for two years now, which places me at pedagogy's leading edge. (For once I am ahead of the times.) Each of my classes has its own group blog, used for discussions, debates, research, and instant publishing. Here are some of my suggestions on how to make blogging an effective addition to your instruction....



1. Set up a class blog with yourself as the administrator. If you're well-connected to your school's IT department, they may have software and server space at the ready so you have a relatively easy time putting it together.

2. If you're techno-savvy and your school's server space isn't accessible, a site like blogger.com is the other way to go. As long as you choose to not ping weblogs.com and not add your blog to blogger's listings, your blog will effectively be private. (You can also set it up so that only members of the blog can comment, closing the fence.)

3. Privacy is important for two reasons. One, it mitigates potential nastiness by the more sinister elements of the online community. Two, it gives shy students the knowledge that although their work is accessible from anywhere they can find an internet connection, it isn't being broadcast for the whole world to see.

4. Set up clear rules for acceptable blog behavior, and remove blogging privileges for students who flout them. A sample:

1. Post only if you are opening a new topic. Reserve your responses to established topics for the comment section.

2. Don't post the same thing more than once. Delete the duplicate if you do.

3. Quote your opponent directly (cut-and-paste, and use italics or "blockquote").

4. Include links to relevant websites--news articles, statistics, etc. Don't just type in the address (the URL).

5. Think before you post. Remember, words "seem" different when typed, since there's no body language, no tone of voice, nothing but the words themselves.

6. Spell-check. People often assume that poor spellers are ignorant, and judge their arguments and writing accordingly.

7. No personal attacks--"You Suck," etc. You'll be banned, at my discretion. The same goes for any non-school-appropriate behavior. Be mature.

5. For assessment and grading purposes, make sure each student's display name includes part of their real name. "Snooky567" won't work if you don't know who "Snooky567" is.

6. Give lots of examples for students to follow. Show them how to link (not just type in a URL), how to quote, how to effectively use italics and bold and colored text, how to write a pithy summary of a news article and comment for discussion, how to format paragraphs in an online environment.

7. Promote an operational vocabulary. Never refer to an individual posting as a "blog."

8. In a secure location, record each username and password. If you aren't blogging frequently, students are prone to forget (mostly because they have thousands of other online identities).

9. Speaking of, blog frequently--at least once every other week. This means you'll have to plan lab time and backups for when technology or fire drills put your pedagogy on hold.

10. Have variety in your blogging assignments. Introduce the technology as a form of instant publishing--have your students write a brief story or essay, or comment on a news article. Don't presume that blogging conversations will supplant normal face-to-face discussion, since students have varying degrees of comfort and success with both.

11. The benefits of in-class blogging are obvious. Many students are unaware of the possibilities, even in our information-saturated age. They'll learn valuable skills, and have the chance to hone their writing for a sympathetic audience in a way that typing essays for the teacher doesn't always provide. They may branch off and start their own blog. Some shy, quiet students will become tigers online. Nine out of ten students will be inherently motivated to participate.

12. The drawbacks are minimal. There may be students who try to abuse the medium. If you don't have clear assignments, they may become frustrated or waste time surfing the web. Again, blogging isn't a substitute for small group or whole class discussions and debates, or for more complex and detailed work.

13. Remember that you are part of the blog as well. Comment on students' work. Share your own writing. Lead by example.

Hopefully these are helpful. Your questions and comments are welcomed.

astrology chart prediction on Michael Jackson, 2005

Mustela (the Weasel), April 15-May 14

Betelgeuse is rising in the seventh house. Avoid Mus and Rattus like the plague.

You will have your bizarre, unsettling habits exposed to a global audience, which will be astonished and bemused in equal portions.

You will find that allegations are no detriment to your fame and fortune.

You may learn a valuable lesson if you only listen to your heart and your attorneys.

You will produce another string of chart-topping singles and a compilation album that will make the Beatles' One look like The Best of Hanson.

No one will understand you.





[twenty-third in a series]

remembering Grandpa

I slouched in my chair at the very last staff meeting of the year, fighting off torpor, when my phone beeped. My wife, I thought. Probably wondering why I'm not home yet. I can ignore it until we're out of here. Thirty seconds passed, and it beeped again. "The second beep is trouble," I said to a neighboring teacher, collecting my gear and stepping out into the hall.

It was Mom. She was crying.

Victor Anderson, my grandfather, succumbed to a broken-down heart on Tuesday afternoon, sitting in his truck after an appointment with his cardiologist. His keys were in his lap. He must have gone quickly and with little struggle or pain.

He had been suffering from various health problems over the past few years, always reticent to visit the doctor, dragged there at my parents' insistence. Yet for only a little over a week had we known of his latest diagnosis. Three simple words: "congestive heart failure." He was given days to months, and lasted days.

My brother writes, "My grandfather was a caring, yet often stubborn old man. He was the only member of my father's side of the family that I ever knew, and I will miss him." Like my brother, I knew Grandpa best of all my grandparents, and his loss is especially painful.

Grandpa--for he was always Grandpa, not Victor or Vic or Grandad or Pa-Pa--was genial with a charming touch of the curmudgeon--in short, a model patriarch. He must have marveled at his progeny; we are deep, intellectual types, teachers, preachers, writers, musicians. Grandpa was a tradesman, a craftsman, a tinkerer.

More important, he was a survivor. He outlasted polio long before polio's cure, though it cost him the use of his left arm. He lived alone for decades after his wife's passing. He steadfastly resisted a life of dependence on others, and in the end, it was both his strength and his undoing.

His name, appropriately, was Victor. He is my namesake, for I am James Victor Anderson.

All of my memories of Grandpa are fond. As a child, I was delighted by his generosity with apple fritters, the hallmark of his visits. His skill with a hammer and saw, especially impressive for a man with one working hand. His stories of life on the farm, the Depression, the hard years in Colorado and Kansas. And his wide, wide smile.

I have seen him lying in the funeral home, dressed in his favorite denim shirt and khaki pants, a confident, peaceful look on his face. He was a handsome man with a strong chin and warm eyes. They are closed now, yet they flicker and flame in my memory, and their warmth is in my tears.

Rest in peace, Grandpa.

Victor Anderson
1920-2005

stuck in the middle with me

I've begun another project.

I haven't yet finished my research into blogging and defamation law, but that hasn't stopped me from starting something else.

The recent discussion about evolutionary theory and medicine got me thinking--what would real biologists have to say, especially biologists who specialize in evolutionary theory and who have worked on projects related to medicine?

I have contacted several, and so far, two have been gracious enough to send book excerpts and journal articles my way, in hopes that I'll distill them into something both educative and entertaining, perfect for the non-scientist who wonders what evolution has to do with hands-on, practical work.

So, a big shout-out to Dr. Steve Stearns of Yale and Dr. Holly Wichman of U. Idaho. In my experience, scientists are darned friendly and all-too-happy to educate.

More to come.

claytronics and catoms

Written up this week in NewScientist, but for subscribers only, "claytronics" is the closest thing we have to that second Terminator guy. Check out Carnegie Mellon's research page to get the scoop.

(Don't worry; barring a major breakthrough, self-assembling killer droids are at least a few decades away.)

Media Circus Guilty On All Counts

This is the most pathetic announcement in the history of network television:

Today's episode of "General Hospital" that was pre-empted by the announcement of the Michael Jackson verdict will air late tonight (Tuesday morning) from 3:06 am to 4:06 am.

Thank God, I'll get to watch both!

a real list of Jesus's twelve disciples, and their putative demises

A tongue-in-cheek posting has elicited an unfavorable response:

this site is very very RUBISH!
when i wanted the names of Jesus's 12 disciples you gave me names like cuck there was not one of them with the real disciples names like Paul or Jon.i mey never come on your web page again!

To make amends, I offer a genuine list of the favored twelve, and the ways they reportedly met their maker.

Simon Peter, a.k.a. Peter
Lanced a boil too deeply and bled to death.

Andrew
Quietly passed in his sleep at the ripe age of 56.

James Zebedee
Shot to death in a bar fight over his support of Galilee's much-reviled football team.

John Zebedee
Struck by a car, date unknown.

Philip
Overdosed on Percoset.

Bartholomew
Last seen on the tarmac at Haifa International Airport clutching a suitcase stuffed with shekels.

Thomas
Lung cancer from a lifetime of cigarette smoking.

James Alphaeus
Did not expect the Spanish Inquisition; burned at the stake for heresy.

Thaddeus, a.k.a. "Gomer"
Broke his neck falling down stairs at 48.

Simon the Cananean a.k.a. Simon the Zealot a.k.a. Jude James
Gunned down in a turf battle with a rival gang.

Judas Iscariot
Hanged.

thoughts of all stripes

With murky thoughts now on the blogroll, and ragged thots and thoughts from Kansas already there (never mind various observations in written form), I think we've got all our thought-bases covered.

smarter than I #6 is up

... over at Locusts and Honey. Thanks to John the Methodist for hosting, and to everyone who sent a link. If you'd like to host Number Seven, email smarterthani AT hotmail DOT com.

screw Dobzhansky: nothing in biology makes sense, period

Mr. Dembski just doesn't get it. Or perhaps refuses to get it. Or gets it, but will never admit it. Or gets it in a parallel universe. One can hope.

Josh Rosenau claimed that evolutionary theory has been useful even to the point of helping save lives. Overblown rhetoric, right?

Wrong.

NewScientist this week, discussing controversial new medications targeted to specific ethnicities, points to several maladies that are thought to have genetic links. Now, unlike Mr. Dembski, I respect NewScientist's subscriber-only policy, so I won't reproduce the article in its entirety. But I'll summarize a key chart below.

Sickle cell anemia is common everywhere except in northern Europe and North America because those continents are largely malaria-free. "The sickle-cell gene has been positively selected because people who inherit just one copy do not have sickle-cell anemia, but they are more resistant to malaria, a disease in which a parasite infects red blood cells."

Caucasians suffer more from cystic fibrosis, for yet-unknown reasons. Puerto Rican children are twice as likely to develop asthma; incidence is as high as 30%, compared to 5-16% in other populations.

Type 2 diabetes is common in the Indian subcontinent, likely because of mixed genetic and dietary factors. A similar mix of environment and genetic effects causes African Americans to suffer from a more aggressive form of prostate cancer.

Alcohol intolerance affects up to half the people of China, Japan, and Korea, due to a mutation in the gene for aldehyde dehydrogenase.

Breast, ovarian and prostate tumors arising from BRCA mutations are more common in Ashkenazi Jews; 1 in 40 carry these mutations, compared with 1 in 500 in the general population. A "founder effect" is the likely cause.

Multiple sclerosis is twice as common among European Americans than among African Americans, and quite rare in Africa. Genes and environmental factors are both implicated.

(Schizophrenia's ethnic connection is a matter of great dispute.)

These are just a few conditions from a gigantic list that are or may be genetic in origin, proximate cause, or effect. I'm sure a more savvy researcher could find far more.

Note that sickle-cell anemia, for example, demonstrates the interplay of mutation and selection. Carry the mutant gene? Fantastic. Now you're at less risk from one ailment, but at greater risk of passing another on to your children. (Or is that the forward-thinking of a beneficient designer?)

I could say more, but why re-evolve the flagellum? Evolutionary theory is useful.

last call for Smarter than I #6

Been reading any great blog posts lately? Sure you have, because you're a sharp, beautiful, magnificent human being and an outstanding blogger.

Send us a link to the best-written (or just best) piece you've seen in the past week or so, and we'll include it in this week's Smarter than I, which will show up sometime Monday over at Locusts and Honey. We already have a decent number of quality articles, but we have room for many, many more.

Send your entries to smarterthani AT hotmail DOT com, or use this form.

Help us point out unrecognized genius in all its forms, and make the world a smarter place. Because smart people contribute to Smarter than I.

S-A-T-U-R-D-A-Y--morning

The wife is at her laptop, formatting envelopes, growing increasingly frustrated with the vagaries of Microsoft Word. Eventually I figure out how to work around a stupid feature that automatically gives custom page sizes a 3-inch left margin, and a glaring deficiency in Samsung's printer driver that lets you rotate a page only in a 180-degree implement. And then Word stops working, inexplicably, and I have to figure out another workaround. I hate you, Microsoft.

Followed by brunch with Spooner Farms strawberries, Snoqualmie Falls Lodge pancakes, and Batdorf and Bronson coffee. The last is a huge clue that yes, I do live in Olympia.

(In fact, Joe, I'm no longer the only Greener in my family, since my wife was recently accepted to their undergraduate program. It's actually not a bad place to get an inexpensive degree, if you have a healthy bullshit detector.)

Oh, and I have a new goal in life: to write a book that meets my brother's critical approval, which is pretty darn stringent, as you know if you've been following his series of book reviews.

"the chair now recognizes himself"

James Sensenbrenner: stickler for procedure, or foe of democracy?

[link courtesy of Factesque]

someone for everyone

Isn't it beautiful when you find your soulmate, a kindrid spirit as shallow and gullible as yourself?