Rare Moments

Managed to get Sopheava to let me take a picture of her. This is after we did the official nerd fistbump at W00tstock.

Peeking Sun

I had the opportunity to go to W00tstock on Monday thanks to Margaret

W00tstock itself will be the subject of another post, however.

While we were waiting for the show to begin, she snuck me up to a little secret place in the Guthrie where we could look out into the city.

Like fools we left our "real" cameras in our transportation because we were afraid pictures weren't allowed (turns out they were if credit was given), so my subpar cell phone camera will have to do.

Enjoy the beautiful skyline.

Namaste.

Preparing for "The End"

I'm not the biggest fan of TV, but I really like the television show Lost.

As the final episode of the show prepares to air on Sunday, here are some primers for people who know the show.

Learning Lost:
In case you have no idea who the characters are or have forgotten. Note: this site contains spoilers galore, so only click through if you've been watching the show.


Muppets take on Lost



Wired's explanation of Lost
Everything you wanted to know...within reason.


And here you can see how much they like being a part of the show:




Suffice to say, it's a show that maintained interesting philosophies while also being easily accessible.

The Broken System

I'm fascinated by this, but I also hope they present all sides. Schools that are underfunded while others are money wasters; teachers that don't care while others work too hard, and students who don't care, while others are ignored.

Oils Well that Ends Well

So you get an understanding of how bad this spill is.

via Information is Beautiful

Darth Driver?

The nerd part of me really wants to get this....

Saving the Day

There are real superheroes.

Don't believe me? Then check out Electron Boy.

Tender

The quiet markings of love

Slacking

Dear Blog,

Hi. I miss you a great deal, and I really want to write more, but I have been swamped by life and work lately.

On the life front, my daughter turned one, and my soon-to-be-four son is slightly sociopathic. As such, attention is slightly diverted. Beyond that, I am trying not to get overwhelmed by the never ending Honey-Do lists my wife gives me.

It is work, however, that absorbs most of my time. My students are slackers, not unlike me with you, dear blog. They choose to do the minimum amount of work and want the maximum amount of credit for it...which saddens me to no end. The very fact that I had a student ask me how old Malcolm X is now shows me that they are not getting the knowledge they need.

So I trudge through realizing that for the first time in my short career...I want summer to come. I want the children to go away and leave me in the peace that is my family and freedom.

I'm sorry, dear blog, that I have been neglecting you. I will attempt to get better.

Sincerely,

Ironic.

Dr. Horrible...8-bit.

If only Nintendo had this when I was a young lad...sigh.

Enjoy.

Claymation Hits

Evil Dead done in 60 seconds with CLAY - 2010 from Lee Hardcastle on Vimeo.

Awesome. Nice work, Mr. Hardcastle.

Scott Pilgrim

If you've ever read this comic, then you know why this is very exciting. Finally Michael Cera plays a sort of bad ass.

Just Can't Win (Click on it to learn why)

Ghost of SNL Past

Funny or Die's Presidential Reunion from Will Ferrell

Muholland Endor

Oh what could have been....

Dry Dock

As I prepare for the start of the second semester of my high school, I feel a great deal like the guy in the boat.

As of today, I'm really not sure if I will be voted to or even be allowed to speak at this year's graduation, but I do know that my speech is going to be about not accepting the mediocre.

I'm also curious about this news story about how everyone being connected and online makes the young folks smarter than the older generations. Of course that depends on what the definition of "smart" is. If they are saying that being able to navigate an iPod makes you smart, then, yes, my son is smarter than my father. However, if it is being able to take the knowledge and apply it, then most of the students I work with are severely behind their peers.

Here is an article that covers some of the issues I have right now about how we all need to be heard.

I seem to be rambling. Maybe it's time to bring that back...and for me to try and sleep. I hope to talk about some of the modern issues I'm seeing in education soon as well as some other observations. I know this blog has been sporadic as of the last year and having two kids will do that to you. I will try to post more often.

Namaste.

No, Really...Check the Punctuation

The SarcMark

I could probably use this in my texting and even in my posts. I just find it incredibly fascinating that out language has evolved to a point that we have to create a brand new punctuation mark so that our ideas are understood.

Will I have to add this my grammar lessons?

B is for Victory

By Agan Harahap


This is the real reason why we won World War II.

More on Flickr here. Enjoy.

Namaste.

This is for Bob

Here is my mandated holiday post. If you're a fan of Twin Peaks, you'll love this.

Hit-Girl

God help me if I had a student like this.
God help me that I actually want to see this for some reason.