February 2011
10 posts
28th+29th+30th
3 Films
1) Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (and similarly, Being John Malkovic) represent where I think science fiction as a genre really needs to be headed to make itself worthwhile at the cinema: Intelligent without being inaccessible or pretentious, fun without being stupid and strange without sacrificing humanity. Too much Hollywood science fiction is half as smart as it thinks it is...
January 2011
40 posts
My little experiment, and the remarkable data it... →
cooperativecatalyst:
I was browsing through my Facebook profile one day and, in my news feed, saw one of my students writing on the “wall” of another student:
“Missed you in Miranda’s class today, we got our…
Interesting article- a lot of clever ideas in the comments, specifically. As an undergrad, I’m still all too aware of my focus on the letter-grade over the teacher’s...
What If We Treated Doctors The Way We Treat... →
34years:
This article in the Huffington Post raises interesting questions for the teacher-bashers out there. The first comparison really gets the ball rolling when it asks whether doctors should be held accountable for their patient’s blood pressure, BMI, cholesterol levels, etc. If you are an educator, you owe it to yourself to read this article and use the analogies it contains when discussing...
“Now, what about marketing to children? Ample science, along with statements by...”
– Why the Happy Meal is a Crime—and Not Just a Culinary One (via azspot)
Further hideousness: Not only is advertising to children inherently exploitive*, cereal companies most aggressively advertise their unhealthiest cereal to children. They’re not just manipulating kids; they’re...
27th: 4 books
1) Animorphs made me love books, and stories. And the series taught me that some things from your childhood, even once you think you’ve processed them entirely into your mental structure, can be worth revisiting and can continuously return new insights.
2) East of Eden convinced me that being a writer was a legitimate profession- that stories could do things that essays couldn’t, that...
26th: 5 foods
1) Fuckin’ fried onions, motherfucker. They make everything smell awesome, they taste awesome, they look awesome, and they supplement just about every savory dish in the world. 2) Cheese, for the exact same reason. Especially some of that truffle cheese I had this Christmas. That business was to do for. 3) The combination of chocolate and peanutbutter, in all of its edible varieties. 4) The...
25th: 6 places you want to go
1) The location of a friendly extra-terrestrial civilization with the means to support me biologically and to return me back home. 2) A factory that produces wise and benevolent genies 3) The science museum in London 4) A sunny shoreline. Any, really, as long as there’s internet within a couple days’ walking distance and no cannibals or anything. 5) Some sort of big, scary-ass castle...
24th: 7 wants
1) Someone with more follow-through and commitment and talent than I have to go and make all of the RPGs, books, movies, comics and bands I’m always thinking of that I don’t want to create so much as want to enjoy. 2) Absolute mural power 3) Whenever I look out from a high point I don’t want the power to fly so much as I want the power of indestructibility and elasticity. I want...
23rd: 8 fears
1) That reality is SMALL 2) That lurking somewhere in the unknowable parts of thought and reality there might be some hideous truth that, if realized, would reveal all of existence to be a sort of cosmic nightmare. 3) Losing any of the wicked-ass shit this world has offered me 4) That some day I might just up and lose my noggin 5) That some day I probably will just up and lose my life 6) That...
I totally forgot I was doing this. LIGHTNING...
22nd- 9 loves:
1) That feeling after a long week at school (usually most common in the first and last weeks, and right in the middle) where your brain’s been slowly clenching like a fist for god knows how long and suddenly your last obligation is done and you are free. 2) Similarly, when you’ve gone longer than usual without showering or you’ve been exercising/sweating more...
my baby is average.: My baby really enjoyed his... →
mybabyisaverage:
But then my baby’s life was completely consumed with dance, and we were somewhat disturbed by our baby’s professional ambition. When my baby’s artistic director decided to replace the aging lead baby for the opening production of the new season, my baby was his first choice. But my baby had…
one of my friends told me that it's smart to go to...
molls:
i made you this mix to listen to while you’re earning your purse burgers.
Note: If you stick it in your pocket, it’s almost like your trousers have suddenly become a portable panini press.
Done with Moon: The two greatest reasons I left. →
donewithmoon:
At the core of my departure from the faith, I left for two main reasons. These two reasons were strong enough to go against my parents’ will and what my whole world was telling me. These two reasons gave me strength to leave.
I cannot peacefully remain a member because of my lack of faith…
I must admit
If you name a random country, chances are I have no idea where it goes on a map. I mean, the big ones, sure- I can tell my boots-kicking-Sicily from my hexagons-a-channel-away-from-England. And I know China is shaped kind of like a cartoon dog, and India is that triangular bit kind of trying to grind its way into Asia like an over-eager fan who just can’t quite get into a mosh pit, right?
...
INTERNET SCRAPBOOK AHHHHHH: Midwestern Januaries... →
keh:
Midwestern Januaries do not fill me with despair. I just can’t shake the contentment that hits me every time I look outside at the (now muddy and mottled) snow in the yard, or when I shuffle, swaddled in robes and blankets galore, into the kitchen to fetch another warm beverage. I like casseroles…
I forget: how do you feel about avocado? Can this refreshing sandwich be a part of our...
I'll just save this here for later
“Clearly Mika [Brzezinski] is experiencing what journo-psychologists call ‘Palin...”
– Stephen Colbert, The Colbert Report 1/18/11 (via gladlybeyond)
Stephen Colbert. Sometimes, he’s just better than you and me.
The New Zodiac
fakescience:
Croissant time, suckahs! My horoscope says “flaky deliciousness” all day err’day.
On MLK Day, Some Thoughts on Segregated Schools,... →
kateybasye:
captainsway:
American schools are more segregated by race and class today than they were on the day Martin Luther King, Jr. was killed, 43 years ago. The average white child in America attends a school that is 77 percent white, and where just 32 percent of the student body lives in poverty. The average black child attends a school that is 59 percent poor but only 29 percent...
Tumblr game: Everyone has a superpower! →
oilyboily:
kittencoaster:
maranduh:
8bitslique: Here are the rules: 1 - Go to the Superpower Wiki. 2 - Click the “Random page” button on the left hand side once. Only once. 3 - Revel (or dismay) in the fact that this is your new superpower. But I bet it’s awesome even if it’s crappy…
Puppet Master or Biokinesis: The ability to control anothers’ body, both living or dead.
...
Ms. Basye: Thankful Thursday: rockets red glare... →
kateybasye:
As of today, my middle school, since the beginning of the year, out of a faculty of about 10 teachers has
had 2 teachers quit,
1 teacher indefinitely out on medical leave,
3 first-year teachers at once,
1 “asked to resign,”
0 science teachers,
1 veteran private school teacher in her first…
Katey Basye has taught me more about teaching than my first semester in...
Being around
means snow-covered cars that are dark inside and the constant distraction from the numbness of your nose until you turn to where the one genuine streetlight meets the one house that still has its Christmas decorations up and you learn to say “this is the place.”
Which Geologic Time Period Are You?
wondertonic:
Find out if you’re more a Jurassic person or a Cambrian person with this awesome quiz.
Watch
This is either an unfunny satire or an unusually... →
Either way, I’m sure I’d feel bad for Amy Chua’s students if I weren’t too busy feeling bad for her kids.
The 'enter' key always goes first
Dying on the keyboard right in front of you, it’s the bit that is your transaction between brain and world. It finalizes, systemitizes and shares. It takes things from passing personal fancies into the real world. It’s a membrane, an important one. It’s a shame membranes deteriorate so quickly.
“The law discriminates against rape victims in a manner which would not be...”
– anon. (via reqbat) (via directactioniswitchcraft)
(via oilyboily)
You've got to be kidding me- Palin map dotted with... →
1) Yeah, right.
2) A politician was assassinated at a political event by an assassin posting youtube videos with politically charged language, but heaven forbid we somehow politicize this event!
Watchkateoplis:
MSNBC talks to Rep. Gabrielle Gifford about the death threats, vandalism and harassments. Aired 3/25/10.
“Sarah Palin has the crosshairs of a gun sight over our district and when people do that, they’ve gotta realize there are consequences to that action.”
We're not going to let America's Far-Right* off...
Because when prominent Republicans are talking about “second amendment remedies” and are explicitly targeting democratic congresspersons with gunsights, there are a few important topics that it’s not only fair to discuss, but that it’s socially irresponsible and downright unpatriotic not to discuss. Things like:
-Deliberate appeals to violent citizens and the cultural...
WatchHere we have an enlightened gentleman, spittin’ truth like an antibozo.
: Rare (lost) Words →
palelimbs:
tristifical - causing to be sad or mournful. eternitarian - one who believes in the eternity of the soul. cosmogyral - whirling round the universe. siagonology - study of jaw-bones. autexousious - exercising or possessing free will. nepheliad - cloud-nymph. gardeviance -…
New life goal: Found a society of occult investigators called the ”Cosmogyral Eternitarians.”
WatchYou know how the best/most terrifying Onion products are the ones that aren’t totally fictional?
My baby has been disciplined by his daycare
mybabyisaverage:
The management found out that my baby was extorting rent from the other babies.
“I’m just trying to teach them about LIFE!” cried out my baby petulantly.
He has been formally reprimanded and a letter placed in his file, along with a photograph of him twirling his dastardly moustache.