Wolfram|Alpha Will Analyze Your Facebook Account
Ok, I’ll admit this is more than a little nerdy, but I finally got around to using Wolfram|Alpha’s “facebook report” option. That’s not especially nerdy, I suppose, but my fascination with the analysis tools provided certainly is! Here’s the basic method for exploring it for yourself from a post at lifehacker. (Note: I altered the […]
Poster Beware
In light of the constant bombardment of social media in many of our lives, it is easy to get carried away. Sometimes we forget that what we post can be shared more widely. I do think carefully when writing my posts here, because I know that the posts can be read by anyone on the […]
A Good Use of 30 Minutes
Take the time to watch this video. It is 30 minutes long, and I’d suggest actually turning off your cell phone, clearing some mental space and really focusing on the content. There are two important things going on here. The first, and most important, is a call to action to tell our government that sometimes […]
An OPEN Alternative to SOPA/PIPA?
Interesting post from PCWorld about an alternative to the tabled (though not defeated) SOPA and PIPA legislation. SOPA and PIPA may have been put on hold — thanks to possibly the most contentious uproar seen on Capitol Hill and in the tech world ever — but other legislation was introduced this week to combat online piracy. Rep. […]
Statistics and Empathy
A former student of mine here at Messiah College was tagged in this image by a friend of his. This led to an interesting comments area discussion of the portion of the text that is clear enough to read. Here it is in print, in case you can’t make it out: The researchers theorized that […]
The Next Step for Facebook?
Amid all of the whining and complaining about the latest “new Facebook”, I found this article from Mashable to be an interesting look into the near future from Facebook. (HT: Lara Conrad via Facebook) Check out the info, and the video (which I’ll embed below, rather than above). Facebook has unveiled Timeline, a major re-imagining […]
On Women and Education
A classmate from my undergrad days, and elementary teacher in the Portland, OR area posted links to articles at the Huffington Post and ABC.com about two separate shirts that send a horrible message to girls. I’ve included one at the right, and another below. The fact that JCPenney and Forever21 could somehow produce these and […]
Oh, the Irony
A Facebook friend pointed me (not specifically, it was a general link posting) toward this wikiHow article on how to fight Facebook addiction. Hmmm. Ironic? Yes. But interesting as well. Here is the intro and their steps to recovery: Maybe your affinity for Facebook began with a simple desire to keep in touch with your […]
Teaching Part 3: Dangerous Social Networks
This post relates less directly to teaching, but I know that many of us are interested in what effect social networking may be having on our students. As kids spend more time developing friendships in the age of MySpace, Facebook, and Twitter, what will they be like when we see them in class with all […]
So Connected We Can’t Connect
Interesting article by Frank Bruni in yesterday’s New York Times about an interesting side effect of our being so incredibly connected these days: we can’t get in touch with people, despite (or because of) various options. Here is a taste: The other night I did something silly. In a hurry to reach my friend K., […]
No Longer Normal 