Hey, kids - remember your old buddy grammar? You used to play together in grade school, but then something changed - you started hanging out with literature, and one thing led to another... Now you and grammar don't talk much.
Well, grammar and I have just bumped into one another in Germany, and boy was that awkward! At first, I didn't even recognize her, and then when I finally did, I couldn't remember any of her names ("Participle," I never would have guessed that! Must be Dutch.)
So anyway - you should really call her...
This message brought to you by people-who-get-pummeled-by-grammar-when-studying-a-foreign-language for America.
The good news is this: German seems a lot more logical than English - at least the baby words I'm playing with right now. Things fit together in really logical patterns, and most of the "gender" and conjugation is pretty easy to figure out. All the names of the various bits and pieces of grammar are slowly coming back to me, which helps a lot. I remember when verbs came in present, past and future - I guess I blocked out all the pluperfect and past participle melarkey.
Dammit, Jim! - I'm a scientist, not a linguist!
We're heading into the weekend, so that means a steady diet of hot tea and German. I need to be able to understand at least a little of what's going on when I jump into the belly of the beast on Monday. It's just improbable enough to work!
Today, my towel came in handy for: drying my thermos.
Tschüs,
Jeremy
6.6.08
5.6.08
Die Beweungsgleichungen
Todays lesson about German - why have several words when one really long one will do? "Die Beweungsgleichhungen" means "the equations of motion." Isn't that interesting...? I knew you would.
I spent the day at the Gymnasium in Berchtesgaten. Let me begin by saying that this place is a palace - think Rogers High School, only cooler. There's something really attractive about the way things are built over here. I got my first taste of this when Andi and I went over the Big Dam Bridge in Little Rock last fall. He saw some new house construction, and asked what I thought was a really odd question: "You build your houses out of wood?" "Yes," I replied, "what else would we build them out of?" "Stone, of course! No wonder your houses get blown up by tornados!" We'll let his gross underestimation of mother nature slide on account of the fact he's never been through a twister.
There is a difference, though - things seem much more permanent here. The walls of my bedroom at Andi's house are nearly a foot thick. Because of this, doors and doorframes are mounted more against the wall than in it. There are disadvantages - you can't just drop in an electrical outlet wherever you want one. Wiring has to be run through pre-drilled "tunnels" in the walls. The windows are really cool, too - they can either open on hinges like a door, or they can pivot about the bottom edge, letting in some fresh air - think one of those fancy tailgates than can open normally, or swing open like a door. Must be those magic hinges. Outside there are big wooden shutters, which make the houses look all... European - now why don't we have those in Tornado Alley?
But I digress. While at the Gymnasium, I met with all the physics teachers, so they could get to know me before I go barging into their classrooms for the next two months. I also have armfulls of physics and math textbooks, which should be invaluable in learning the classroom lingo.
Tomorrow is going to be a "day off" - I'm staying home and learning German all day.
Today, my towel came in handy for: fending off a mosquito hawk
Cheers,
Jeremy
I spent the day at the Gymnasium in Berchtesgaten. Let me begin by saying that this place is a palace - think Rogers High School, only cooler. There's something really attractive about the way things are built over here. I got my first taste of this when Andi and I went over the Big Dam Bridge in Little Rock last fall. He saw some new house construction, and asked what I thought was a really odd question: "You build your houses out of wood?" "Yes," I replied, "what else would we build them out of?" "Stone, of course! No wonder your houses get blown up by tornados!" We'll let his gross underestimation of mother nature slide on account of the fact he's never been through a twister.
There is a difference, though - things seem much more permanent here. The walls of my bedroom at Andi's house are nearly a foot thick. Because of this, doors and doorframes are mounted more against the wall than in it. There are disadvantages - you can't just drop in an electrical outlet wherever you want one. Wiring has to be run through pre-drilled "tunnels" in the walls. The windows are really cool, too - they can either open on hinges like a door, or they can pivot about the bottom edge, letting in some fresh air - think one of those fancy tailgates than can open normally, or swing open like a door. Must be those magic hinges. Outside there are big wooden shutters, which make the houses look all... European - now why don't we have those in Tornado Alley?
But I digress. While at the Gymnasium, I met with all the physics teachers, so they could get to know me before I go barging into their classrooms for the next two months. I also have armfulls of physics and math textbooks, which should be invaluable in learning the classroom lingo.
Tomorrow is going to be a "day off" - I'm staying home and learning German all day.
Today, my towel came in handy for: fending off a mosquito hawk
Cheers,
Jeremy
4.6.08
Of Planes and Rain and Atomic Alerts
After a whirlwind adventure around the globe, I am finally ready to go to sleep in Waging. I don't really know how long it's been since I slept... maybe a day or so. I'm still functional and everything - actually a little more than I would be had I spent the entire night studying.
Here are a few observations from my travels:
always
1) Whit was right! At least, I think it was Whit. I remember someone describing mysterious vehicles at Dulles airport. The conversation went something like this:
"So, it's a tram?"
"No, not a tram - there's no track."
"Ah, we call that a bus."
"No, it's way bigger than a bus - the cabin is like 20ft off the ground"
"so, it's the body of an AT-AT with huge wheels instead of legs?"
"basically, yes"
Here's a pic of the beastie - ripped from Google Image search:
2) You are now asked to pre-board a plane. I know this sounds like a George Carlin routine (it might be, actually) but what the hell is pre-boarding? You're either in the plane or you're not - there really isn't an appreciable quantum flux between the two. If they mean "line up" then the French have already come up with a brilliant word for that - "queue."
3) Stepping into London-Heathrow is like stepping into Hell. First of all, it breaks the cardinal rule of places-I-am-forced-to-sit-for-long-periods-of-time: There's no free wifi. Second of all, things are so bass-ackwards right now that you get off the plane in the middle of, well, a plane parking lot, then you get on a bus that takes you to the airport. Then you go through some sort of Einstein-Rosen bridge into an alternate dimension of helpful signage slapped onto a completely unhelpful building. Once you've been waling for half an hour, you begin to think the signs are just toying with you - like Garrett Steele is in a booth somewhere - in a white lab coat, thoughtfully jotting things down on a clipboard. Finally, because there don't seem to be nearly enough terminals for the number of flights, you have to wait until 20-30 minutes before departure before you figure out just where your plane is. Of course, this leads to what I call the "Heathrow Shuffle" where despairing passengers walk from their seats to the departure screens, then back to the seats, then back to the screens.
4) You can drive really, really fast in Germany. In the rain. With an American passenger who learned quickly to abandon all fear, lest he actually leave a crease in the passenger seat.
5) I am the bringer of water - apparently it hadn't rained a drop in Waging until I arrived. Stay tuned as I wrestle sand-worms and lead a guerrilla uprising.
6) I am the bringer of nuclear accidents - there was a coolant leak at a nuclear power plant in Slovenia. When something like that happens, an alert scrolls across the bottom of the television screen - which is fun, if your German is really bad and all you can parse is "europaweiten Atomalarm" (Europe-wide atomic alarm). Initial reports look like there's nothing to be worried about - but initial reports always look like that
Today, my towel came in handy for: drying my hands
Cheers,
Jeremy
Here are a few observations from my travels:
always
1) Whit was right! At least, I think it was Whit. I remember someone describing mysterious vehicles at Dulles airport. The conversation went something like this:
"So, it's a tram?"
"No, not a tram - there's no track."
"Ah, we call that a bus."
"No, it's way bigger than a bus - the cabin is like 20ft off the ground"
"so, it's the body of an AT-AT with huge wheels instead of legs?"
"basically, yes"
Here's a pic of the beastie - ripped from Google Image search:
2) You are now asked to pre-board a plane. I know this sounds like a George Carlin routine (it might be, actually) but what the hell is pre-boarding? You're either in the plane or you're not - there really isn't an appreciable quantum flux between the two. If they mean "line up" then the French have already come up with a brilliant word for that - "queue."
3) Stepping into London-Heathrow is like stepping into Hell. First of all, it breaks the cardinal rule of places-I-am-forced-to-sit-for-long-periods-of-time: There's no free wifi. Second of all, things are so bass-ackwards right now that you get off the plane in the middle of, well, a plane parking lot, then you get on a bus that takes you to the airport. Then you go through some sort of Einstein-Rosen bridge into an alternate dimension of helpful signage slapped onto a completely unhelpful building. Once you've been waling for half an hour, you begin to think the signs are just toying with you - like Garrett Steele is in a booth somewhere - in a white lab coat, thoughtfully jotting things down on a clipboard. Finally, because there don't seem to be nearly enough terminals for the number of flights, you have to wait until 20-30 minutes before departure before you figure out just where your plane is. Of course, this leads to what I call the "Heathrow Shuffle" where despairing passengers walk from their seats to the departure screens, then back to the seats, then back to the screens.
4) You can drive really, really fast in Germany. In the rain. With an American passenger who learned quickly to abandon all fear, lest he actually leave a crease in the passenger seat.
5) I am the bringer of water - apparently it hadn't rained a drop in Waging until I arrived. Stay tuned as I wrestle sand-worms and lead a guerrilla uprising.
6) I am the bringer of nuclear accidents - there was a coolant leak at a nuclear power plant in Slovenia. When something like that happens, an alert scrolls across the bottom of the television screen - which is fun, if your German is really bad and all you can parse is "europaweiten Atomalarm" (Europe-wide atomic alarm). Initial reports look like there's nothing to be worried about - but initial reports always look like that
Today, my towel came in handy for: drying my hands
Cheers,
Jeremy
3.6.08
I Know Where My Towel Is.
I have no idea if I'm ready for this, but I'm sitting in the airport terminal, and I'm leaving this country. Saying goodbye to Lauren was hard... especially when she called me after I got through security. She was crying, and that's when it hit me just how long we're going to be apart. I'm going to miss her terribly.
In other news, I'm traveling with the most important piece of equipment in the universe - a towel. No matter what happens on this trip, I'll have my towel by my side:
Jeremy
In other news, I'm traveling with the most important piece of equipment in the universe - a towel. No matter what happens on this trip, I'll have my towel by my side:
... any man who can hitch the length and breadth of the galaxy, rough it, slum it, struggle against terrible odds, win through, and still knows where his towel is is clearly a man to be reckoned with.Cheers,
Jeremy
1.6.08
Final Days, Final Meals!
As the final days in America draw to a close, I'm eating, drinking, and packing. Cover your ears, because what follows is an account of food and drink of epic proportions.
On the Menu: last night, we had tacos and nachos. A delightful meal, with diced tomatoes, jalapeños, black olives, and onions. Today was spend cooking chicken enchiladas - but not yo momma's chicken enchiladas. These are a Lusk specialty, with grilled, shredded chicken, and a sauce made of tomatillas, salsa verde, onions, garlic, and plenty of salt and pepper. The dried-out chicken, when added to the sauce and boiled for an hour, soaks up all of the wonderful flavors of the salsa verde, and re-hydrates. This is then thrown into tortillas, with copious amounts of cheese. The remaining sauce and cheese is slathered generously atop the enchiladas, and the whole dish is baked for half an hour. Tomorrow, when Lauren comes and visits for a final meal, we are grilling steaks and having mashed potatoes! I'm determined to give my nation a proper send-off.
While we have been cooking the enchiladas today, I've been packing for Europe, and enjoying some tasty beverages. Here's a recommendation: If you love champagne, but you love Italy more, try Prosecco. It's more delicious, cheaper, and more... Italian than it's pretentious French cousin. If you want to get really creative, take another Italian invention, Lemoncello (lemon liqueur) and mix the two together: A splash of lemonchello in a glass of prosecco (not too much! That stuff is powerfull!) and you are transported to the rolling valleys of Tuscany (I'll post from the motherland to let you know if the valleys are as rolling as they claim to be.)
So, no driving or operating heavy machinery for me. I assume blogging is safe, though, right? In any case, everyone stay safe while I'm gone, and check back often for daily updates on my travels through Europe. Here are some highlights: Germany from June 4 to July 20. CERN (that's right, I got a private tour date!) on July 3-4. Moldova from July 20 - early August. Italy from early August to August 16.
Cheers,
Jeremy
On the Menu: last night, we had tacos and nachos. A delightful meal, with diced tomatoes, jalapeños, black olives, and onions. Today was spend cooking chicken enchiladas - but not yo momma's chicken enchiladas. These are a Lusk specialty, with grilled, shredded chicken, and a sauce made of tomatillas, salsa verde, onions, garlic, and plenty of salt and pepper. The dried-out chicken, when added to the sauce and boiled for an hour, soaks up all of the wonderful flavors of the salsa verde, and re-hydrates. This is then thrown into tortillas, with copious amounts of cheese. The remaining sauce and cheese is slathered generously atop the enchiladas, and the whole dish is baked for half an hour. Tomorrow, when Lauren comes and visits for a final meal, we are grilling steaks and having mashed potatoes! I'm determined to give my nation a proper send-off.
While we have been cooking the enchiladas today, I've been packing for Europe, and enjoying some tasty beverages. Here's a recommendation: If you love champagne, but you love Italy more, try Prosecco. It's more delicious, cheaper, and more... Italian than it's pretentious French cousin. If you want to get really creative, take another Italian invention, Lemoncello (lemon liqueur) and mix the two together: A splash of lemonchello in a glass of prosecco (not too much! That stuff is powerfull!) and you are transported to the rolling valleys of Tuscany (I'll post from the motherland to let you know if the valleys are as rolling as they claim to be.)
So, no driving or operating heavy machinery for me. I assume blogging is safe, though, right? In any case, everyone stay safe while I'm gone, and check back often for daily updates on my travels through Europe. Here are some highlights: Germany from June 4 to July 20. CERN (that's right, I got a private tour date!) on July 3-4. Moldova from July 20 - early August. Italy from early August to August 16.
Cheers,
Jeremy
29.5.08
T-minus 5 days...
I leave the country very, very soon.
So, naturally I thought it would be a good time to start learning the German language. I mean, how hard could it be?
As Andi so delicately put it, "You've managed to avoid learning German for 15 years!" Which, I suppose, is true. My mother was a German teacher for a dozen years before giving it up for cooking, and then the Peace Corps. Maybe it runs in the family, this knack for language - after all, she can speak English, German, and now Romanian.
So, am I on a fool's errand? Probably. I know that every waking moment in the next five days is going to be dedicated to a study of German (which is a much prettier language than anyone gives it credit for, by the way.)
On to more sane topics: Travel - I love it. I love the idea of packing light, and moving fast, of catching trains and blending in. I love getting a feel for new places. I love those moments that make you feel like you're on an adventure.
I filled out a form to tour CERN. As much as I'd love to go, and stand in awe of the incredible reach of human curiosity, I don't think it will happen. I misread the form - they would like notification three to four months in advance. I just gave them three or four weeks. Oh well - it's a shot in the dark that may bring great reward. I'd love to know how the largest physics institute in the world interacts with local schools.
So, in five days I rush in where angels fear to tread. Either I'll sink, or I'll swim - either way, you'll be able to read all about it here.
Cheers,
Jeremy
So, naturally I thought it would be a good time to start learning the German language. I mean, how hard could it be?
As Andi so delicately put it, "You've managed to avoid learning German for 15 years!" Which, I suppose, is true. My mother was a German teacher for a dozen years before giving it up for cooking, and then the Peace Corps. Maybe it runs in the family, this knack for language - after all, she can speak English, German, and now Romanian.
So, am I on a fool's errand? Probably. I know that every waking moment in the next five days is going to be dedicated to a study of German (which is a much prettier language than anyone gives it credit for, by the way.)
On to more sane topics: Travel - I love it. I love the idea of packing light, and moving fast, of catching trains and blending in. I love getting a feel for new places. I love those moments that make you feel like you're on an adventure.
I filled out a form to tour CERN. As much as I'd love to go, and stand in awe of the incredible reach of human curiosity, I don't think it will happen. I misread the form - they would like notification three to four months in advance. I just gave them three or four weeks. Oh well - it's a shot in the dark that may bring great reward. I'd love to know how the largest physics institute in the world interacts with local schools.
So, in five days I rush in where angels fear to tread. Either I'll sink, or I'll swim - either way, you'll be able to read all about it here.
Cheers,
Jeremy
21.5.08
Shadetree Mechanics in a Digital World
Sometimes you need to draw upon years of experience working on cars if you want to fix a computer. Usually, times like these end when you're straddling a ruined iMac with a five pound sledge in your hands. However, I recently brought the worlds of automotive repair and computers together with positive results.
Lauren's computer was in need of an overhaul, so I offered to re-install Windows and give her an Ubuntu Linux partition to play with. The only problem was getting all of her data off the computer before I wiped it.
Time for good news/bad news - we had an external drive, but my father accidentally threw the AC adapter away with a bunch of old cell phone chargers. None of the adapters we had in the house would match the 12V at 2A needed by the drive, and nothing in the local Radio Shack could do it, either.
So, I started thinking like a shadetree mechanic. "What would happen if I hooked it up to a car battery?"
With some help from Spencer at Radio Shack, I had a rig that should work. From the battery terminals, power went to a cigatette lighter plug. a 12V 2A power supply plugged into that, and ended in the proper plug to go into the hard drive. With some trepidation, I hooked everything up, and hit the button. It worked!
Cheers,
Jeremy
Lauren's computer was in need of an overhaul, so I offered to re-install Windows and give her an Ubuntu Linux partition to play with. The only problem was getting all of her data off the computer before I wiped it.
Time for good news/bad news - we had an external drive, but my father accidentally threw the AC adapter away with a bunch of old cell phone chargers. None of the adapters we had in the house would match the 12V at 2A needed by the drive, and nothing in the local Radio Shack could do it, either.
So, I started thinking like a shadetree mechanic. "What would happen if I hooked it up to a car battery?"
With some help from Spencer at Radio Shack, I had a rig that should work. From the battery terminals, power went to a cigatette lighter plug. a 12V 2A power supply plugged into that, and ended in the proper plug to go into the hard drive. With some trepidation, I hooked everything up, and hit the button. It worked!
Cheers,
Jeremy
3.2.08
Reflections on being 21!
It's been a good trip around the sun.
I'm madly in love with a wonderful woman, I'm going to a great school where I'm surrounded by caring friends and inspiring professors, and I am lucky to be the son of wonderful parents. I've reached a level of comfort in all my endeavors - like I'm no longer trying to prove myself, but rather trying to improve myself.
I'm madly in love with a wonderful woman, I'm going to a great school where I'm surrounded by caring friends and inspiring professors, and I am lucky to be the son of wonderful parents. I've reached a level of comfort in all my endeavors - like I'm no longer trying to prove myself, but rather trying to improve myself.
That being said, I had a heluva good time yesterday. I went to the Irish pub Cregeen's in North Little Rock with my dad and Jim. The highlight of the night (apart from my first real Guinness) was the Lotus Elise parked on Main street, right outside the pub. What a car - I had to go stand by it and drool for a few minutes before going inside. I've actually had the opportunity to sit in the Elise's tighter, meaner brother, the Exige last summer.
It's been a great year, and I'm looking forward to another. Being a PA has been such great fun, thanks in no small part to Donna and the students. I'm doing research this semester that may have some real impact in our knowledge of the early galaxy, and the way that elements have been formed in the Universe. All around, this semester is looking like it's going to be mad, but rewarding.
I hope that everyone else is having a time this weekend. Enjoy the Super Bowl.
Cheers,
Jeremy
It's been a great year, and I'm looking forward to another. Being a PA has been such great fun, thanks in no small part to Donna and the students. I'm doing research this semester that may have some real impact in our knowledge of the early galaxy, and the way that elements have been formed in the Universe. All around, this semester is looking like it's going to be mad, but rewarding.
I hope that everyone else is having a time this weekend. Enjoy the Super Bowl.
Cheers,
Jeremy
14.1.08
It Ain't Broke #1 - Whiteboards
First in a series of helpful tips to make the tings you own last longer.
I do all my math and physics homework on a whiteboard I've installed in my dorm room. It's hung by 3M command strips, so no holes in the wall! It's been my faithful companion for three years now.
Unfortunately, it was starting to wear out. Ink wasn't erasing like it used to, I found myself having to use the cleaning spray more and more often just to get the marker stains off the board. A friend of mine stopped by yesterday to work on some general relativity homework, and gave me this great tip:
WD-40.
That's right. If your board has lost that "slick" surface, spray some WD-40 on a rag and wipe down the board. Instantly, the board was performing like new. Markers that couldn't mark the "dry" board were now working like new, and the ink erased effortlessly.
I have a sneaking suspicion that WD-40 will be appearing in many of these posts.
Another tip - when your eraser gets nasty with dried ink, just wash it off in the sink. Run it under some water and scrub it with your bare hand. Press it into a towel to dry. This works with the hard plastic erasers and the styrofoam kind. You'll lose it long before it wears out.
Cheers,
Jeremy
I do all my math and physics homework on a whiteboard I've installed in my dorm room. It's hung by 3M command strips, so no holes in the wall! It's been my faithful companion for three years now.
Unfortunately, it was starting to wear out. Ink wasn't erasing like it used to, I found myself having to use the cleaning spray more and more often just to get the marker stains off the board. A friend of mine stopped by yesterday to work on some general relativity homework, and gave me this great tip:
WD-40.That's right. If your board has lost that "slick" surface, spray some WD-40 on a rag and wipe down the board. Instantly, the board was performing like new. Markers that couldn't mark the "dry" board were now working like new, and the ink erased effortlessly.
I have a sneaking suspicion that WD-40 will be appearing in many of these posts.
Another tip - when your eraser gets nasty with dried ink, just wash it off in the sink. Run it under some water and scrub it with your bare hand. Press it into a towel to dry. This works with the hard plastic erasers and the styrofoam kind. You'll lose it long before it wears out.
Cheers,
Jeremy
11.1.08
Why We Invented the Internet
So, being in a long-distance relationship is not easy, but it isn't exactly the life crushing experience that evening news specials make it out to be. Yes, you miss not being around each other, but you don't spend your days moping around in grayscale.
You do, however, run up massive phone bills.
Which, in a roundabout way, brings me to the point: Skype rocks! At the end of last semester, some friends and I were sitting in the Forum when Jenny started a video chat with someone on Skype. I know that this technology has been around for a while, but I was jumping around like we'd just been hailed by the Vulcans. I didn't think computers could surprise me any more, but I was sorely mistaken.
Skip forward a month. It's Christmas, and what does my wonderful girlfriend give me but an awesome little webcam from ThinkGeek. Not only is it a webcam / mic combo, but it's all housed in a little poseable robot with light-up eyes! The eyes are hooked up to a photoresistor, so when it's too dark, the eyes actually illuminate you.
Now, instead of racking up tremendous phone bills every month, we call each other on Skype for free. It's amazing what being able to see the other person adds to a conversation - and I think it's going to make living 160 miles apart a helluva lot easier this semester.
The best thing? It runs perfectly well in Linux!
Cheers,
Jeremy
You do, however, run up massive phone bills.
Which, in a roundabout way, brings me to the point: Skype rocks! At the end of last semester, some friends and I were sitting in the Forum when Jenny started a video chat with someone on Skype. I know that this technology has been around for a while, but I was jumping around like we'd just been hailed by the Vulcans. I didn't think computers could surprise me any more, but I was sorely mistaken.
Skip forward a month. It's Christmas, and what does my wonderful girlfriend give me but an awesome little webcam from ThinkGeek. Not only is it a webcam / mic combo, but it's all housed in a little poseable robot with light-up eyes! The eyes are hooked up to a photoresistor, so when it's too dark, the eyes actually illuminate you.
Now, instead of racking up tremendous phone bills every month, we call each other on Skype for free. It's amazing what being able to see the other person adds to a conversation - and I think it's going to make living 160 miles apart a helluva lot easier this semester.
The best thing? It runs perfectly well in Linux!
Cheers,
Jeremy
10.1.08
Back from Outer Space
Classes have begun at UCA, and I have a head cold - or, what my uncle would call sphilchys in the ghanectacajoink. Of course, that's what he called a broken finger, cholera, rashes, and mange. We're not exactly a family of physicians - more like Gypsies, really
So, rather than feeling fresh and new, I feel like a Heffalump. But no matter - the show, as they say, must go on. My classes this semester are a bit of a novelty. I only have one math class (Abstract Algebra II) and one physics class (General Relativity). The remainder is World Lit II, Honors seminar (on science in the media) and my PA class for Core II with Donna. It's shaping up to be lots of reading, with a splash of integers and a half-stick of Einstein.
I'm really excited about helping to teach Core II. If teaching is what I want to do for the rest of my life (and it is) then this should be good practice. That being said, I have done exactly nothing to prepare myself for it. However, since I haven't received any frantic e-mails from Donna, I assume that we're on the same page - wing it, and see what happens. This semester is shaping up to be one of two things - a rewarding, educational experience or a Mongolian cluster****. Time will tell.
Cheers,
Jeremy
So, rather than feeling fresh and new, I feel like a Heffalump. But no matter - the show, as they say, must go on. My classes this semester are a bit of a novelty. I only have one math class (Abstract Algebra II) and one physics class (General Relativity). The remainder is World Lit II, Honors seminar (on science in the media) and my PA class for Core II with Donna. It's shaping up to be lots of reading, with a splash of integers and a half-stick of Einstein.
I'm really excited about helping to teach Core II. If teaching is what I want to do for the rest of my life (and it is) then this should be good practice. That being said, I have done exactly nothing to prepare myself for it. However, since I haven't received any frantic e-mails from Donna, I assume that we're on the same page - wing it, and see what happens. This semester is shaping up to be one of two things - a rewarding, educational experience or a Mongolian cluster****. Time will tell.
Cheers,
Jeremy
25.12.07
23.12.07
After the HD revolution...
...Curling will be televised
The focus, the concentration, the grace, the the coefficient of kinetic friction - it's enough to entertain a baseball fan in December. After the resounding US win over the Sweeds (7-3) in the Korbel Elite Curling Challenge, there came a thunderous roar of bemusement from the New York crowd. The home field advantage may indeed have helped win the day.
This televised curling event opened my eyes to the true glory of digital HD television. In a few years, everyone will be able to follow their favorite sport - from curling to water polo (unless PETA gets in the way of that one - it's so cruel on the horses.) All in crispy, crunchy high definition.
Cheers,
Jeremy
The focus, the concentration, the grace, the the coefficient of kinetic friction - it's enough to entertain a baseball fan in December. After the resounding US win over the Sweeds (7-3) in the Korbel Elite Curling Challenge, there came a thunderous roar of bemusement from the New York crowd. The home field advantage may indeed have helped win the day.
This televised curling event opened my eyes to the true glory of digital HD television. In a few years, everyone will be able to follow their favorite sport - from curling to water polo (unless PETA gets in the way of that one - it's so cruel on the horses.) All in crispy, crunchy high definition.
Cheers,
Jeremy
17.11.07
Physics and the Battle of the Falklands
A classic story from the annals of physics, but is it true?
On December 8, 1914, a British naval squadron was taking on fuel in the Falkland islands. Fresh from their success at the Battle of Coronel just a month before, the German fleet was bearing down on them. Had the British been caught in port, the story would have ended here, with the Germans blocking the exit, and sending every one of Her Majesty's ships to the bottom. However, the Brits had a trick up their sleeve - the HMS Canopus had been intentionally run aground behind a hill. Spotters fed the gunners positions on the German ships, and she opened up with her fore and aft batteries. The suprise attack did superficial damage, but sent the German scouts running back to the main force.
This gave the British enough time to steam out from port and engage the Germans with superior speed and firepower. Once the faster British came within range of the Germans, they opened fire. According to historical documents, it took nearly half an hour to score the first hit.
Why the delay? For years, physics textbooks have cited this battle as an example of the Coriolis force in action. The Coriolis force is a "fictitious force" much like the centrifugal force one feels on a merry-go-round. The Coriolis force has the effect of making projectiles deflect to the right in the Northern hemisphere, and to the left in the Southern hemisphere. The force isn't noticeable for small distances and velocities, but for long-range naval gunnery, it becomes important. The primitive mechanical firing computers of WWI could calculate and correct for the Coriolis force. However, the story goes that the British forgot that in the Southern hemisphere, the opposite correction needs to be made.
Cheers,
Jeremy
On December 8, 1914, a British naval squadron was taking on fuel in the Falkland islands. Fresh from their success at the Battle of Coronel just a month before, the German fleet was bearing down on them. Had the British been caught in port, the story would have ended here, with the Germans blocking the exit, and sending every one of Her Majesty's ships to the bottom. However, the Brits had a trick up their sleeve - the HMS Canopus had been intentionally run aground behind a hill. Spotters fed the gunners positions on the German ships, and she opened up with her fore and aft batteries. The suprise attack did superficial damage, but sent the German scouts running back to the main force.
This gave the British enough time to steam out from port and engage the Germans with superior speed and firepower. Once the faster British came within range of the Germans, they opened fire. According to historical documents, it took nearly half an hour to score the first hit.
Why the delay? For years, physics textbooks have cited this battle as an example of the Coriolis force in action. The Coriolis force is a "fictitious force" much like the centrifugal force one feels on a merry-go-round. The Coriolis force has the effect of making projectiles deflect to the right in the Northern hemisphere, and to the left in the Southern hemisphere. The force isn't noticeable for small distances and velocities, but for long-range naval gunnery, it becomes important. The primitive mechanical firing computers of WWI could calculate and correct for the Coriolis force. However, the story goes that the British forgot that in the Southern hemisphere, the opposite correction needs to be made.
Cheers,
Jeremy
4.11.07
My many muses
I suppose there's nothing like the rarefied air of Denver. It clears the mind.
I've been here for the last four days, attending the National Collegiate Honors Council meeting. A full reflection on this experience will take some time to write, but it will eventually be posted here. Thanks in no small part to the words of Whit, Donna, and a certain Derek Powazek, I have revived the old blog-o-page, and I think I'll be making much more consistent updates. The original purpose of this blog was not to be some day-to-day account of my life, but rather a place to publish my ideas and writings that I find somehow compelling. Maybe that wasn't actually the point, but it is now. The inspiration garnered from my on-line muses has pushed me to redouble my efforts to make this space useful to whosoever passes by.
So, keep a weather eye.
Cheers,
Jeremy
I've been here for the last four days, attending the National Collegiate Honors Council meeting. A full reflection on this experience will take some time to write, but it will eventually be posted here. Thanks in no small part to the words of Whit, Donna, and a certain Derek Powazek, I have revived the old blog-o-page, and I think I'll be making much more consistent updates. The original purpose of this blog was not to be some day-to-day account of my life, but rather a place to publish my ideas and writings that I find somehow compelling. Maybe that wasn't actually the point, but it is now. The inspiration garnered from my on-line muses has pushed me to redouble my efforts to make this space useful to whosoever passes by.
So, keep a weather eye.
Cheers,
Jeremy
25.1.07
15.5.06
On Space Exploration
I have been literally inundated by a request. It would seem that 50% of my readers would like me to post my thoughts on space exploration (you know who you are!) So, by a greater margin than your average presidential election, you win!
In other news, I leave for London tomorrow. Just me, a backpack, and a friend. I'll post a moving travelogue when I get back!
Cheers,
Jeremy
In other news, I leave for London tomorrow. Just me, a backpack, and a friend. I'll post a moving travelogue when I get back!
Cheers,
Jeremy
Today I announce a new plan to explore space and extend a human presence across our solar system. We will begin the effort quickly, using existing programs and personnel. We'll make steady progress -- one mission, one voyage, one landing at a time (Bush, 2004).
On January 14th, 2004 President George W. Bush announced a radical shift in the policy of the United States regarding space exploration. Called the Vision for Space Exploration, the plan involves completing the International Space Station (ISS) and retiring the Space Shuttle by 2010, developing a new Crew Exploration Vehicle by 2014, and returning to the Moon by 2020 (Bush, 2004). The plan has been touted as an answer to the aging Space Shuttle program, and the disastrous loss of the Columbia in 2003 (Klotz, 2005). Many scientists believe that the new exploration program is too costly, lacks versatility, and detracts from the pure science missions that have brought NASA such success in recent years (Fillion, 2006 and La Page, 2005). I believe that the rush to retire the space shuttle has clouded the judgment of NASA, the Administration, and the wider scientific community, and caused them to ignore the potential for a shuttle replacement.
The push for the next generation of spacecraft, the Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV), has become the main priority of NASA (Griffin, 2006). The general design of the spacecraft is a departure form the reusable “spaceplane” concept of the Space Shuttle Orbiter, and bears a striking resemblance to the Apollo missions of four decades ago. The CEV and it’s launch vehicles will reuse many of the propulsion systems of the Space Shuttle, including the massive solid rocked boosters that propel the craft into orbit and the main engines that assist in ascent and slow the Shuttle for reentry. Once in space, the CEV will be capable of docking with the ISS to exchange crews and re-supply the station. The more ambitious use that he spacecraft has been designed for is a lunar landing. By using a lander much like the one from the Apollo program, the CEV will allow four astronauts to explore the lunar surface and return safely to the Earth (Reddy 2006). With minor redesigns, the spacecraft could evolve to perform a mission to Mars (Kluger, 2006).
Initial funding for the CEV project has been approved as part of the FY 2007 budget of NASA (Griffin, 2006), and the total cost is expected to be, conservatively, $104 billion (Fillion, 2006). Steps are being taken at the Kennedy Space Center to adapt launch and construction facilities to accept the CEV and it’s launch vehicles (Coppinger, 2006). The future of the Space Shuttle is not in question. Once the International Space station has been completed in 2010, the shuttle will be retired and the CEV will be brought on-line in a near earth orbit capacity (Dale 2006).
The magnitude of this project, and it’s cost to the scientific missions currently being planned by NASA, is one of the biggest sources of criticism from the scientific community. Michael Griffin, the head of NASA, stated before congress “…I believe that fulfilling our commitments on the International Space Station and bringing the Crew Exploration Vehicle online in a timely manner, not later than 2014 and possibly much sooner, is a higher priority than these science missions during this period,” (Griffin 2006). The science mission that Mr. Griffin alludes to include programs like Deep Impact, the mission that gave us our first glimpse of cometary composition; Hubble, the space telescope that has made plain the wonders of the universe; Cassini, the probe that is providing humanity with a wealth of data about Saturn; The Mars Rovers, which have lasted far past their expected lifetime and provided evidence of water on the red planet; and finally New Horizons, the probe currently en route to Pluto. These missions have provided massive return on the investment made in them.
The CEV program shares more in common with the Apollo program than design and mission, it may share it’s fate. Henry Vanderbilt, a member of the Space Access Society, stated “Like Apollo, NASA’s new plan has built into it the seeds of its shutdown by some future Congress once the warm glow of the first few daring missions has once again faded,” (Klotz, 2005). In the same BBC news article, the program was criticized for being unable to build the permanent bases on the Moon and Mars as promised in the initial Vision for Space Exploration.
I believe that the rush to create the CEV is the natural result of the failures of the Space Shuttle program. An analysis of the literature reveals an attitude of hatred toward the Space Shuttle, and the International Space Station. They are viewed as money pits that provide no scientific returns (La Page, 2005). I disagree with this sentiment. The Space Shuttle and the ISS have shown us that practical human spaceflight is an attainable goal, and that massive construction projects in space are feasible. I think what we need, rather than a huge step backward to the Apollo program, is a step forward that builds on these two lessons.
My vision of America’s next spacecraft is very much like the Space Shuttle. We have learned many lesions with the venerable Shuttle, but I agree that it is time to retire the fleet. They are becoming old and dangerous, and have always been too complicated. What is needed for the future exploration of the Solar System is a simple, reliable, efficient, and versatile space utility vehicle.
Safety should clearly the primary concern of any manned vehicle traveling into space. The current Space Shuttle has no crew escape system during the ascent phase. Such a feature has been included on every NASA spacecraft until the Shuttle, and could have saved the lives of the Challenger crew. Any future vessel should have such a system. The thermal protection system for reentry should also be as advanced and reliable as possible, but should also be easily serviceable and have a redundant protection system in case of a localized failure. While in orbit, the craft should be able to dock with the ISS and provide the crew safe harbor in case reentry is impossible.
Efficiency is another area where the new spacecraft should surpass it’s predecessors. The Space Shuttle only reuses the Orbiter and solid rocket boosters from mission to mission. It then requires months of downtime to service and repair every system on the spacecraft. The new space vehicle should be able to perform missions without wasting major components, and without long delays between launches. The vehicle should also be versatile, capable of delivering payloads or crews to space, aiding in construction of space structures, launching satellites, and servicing space stations and telescopes. There could also be versions of the spacecraft that were unmanned. Launching a robotic vehicle of this scale is possible, as was proven by the Russians when they launched and successfully landed their space shuttle without a crew on board.
This would seem to preclude the exploration of other planets, but it does not. The primary task of the updated space utility vehicle would be the construction of a spacedock. This orbiting space construction yard would be the logical launching pad for missions to the Moon and Mars. Because ships would be constructed in this spacedock, they can be much larger than if they were launched as a unified whole. They would be much better exploration vehicles for long-duration missions to the Moon and Mars, because they would be able to carry much more in the way of provisions and support equipment. It would also be much cheaper to launch from space, because the vehicles do not have to return to Earth. By rendezvousing with the space dock on return to the planet, crews and materials could be ferried back to Earth by the space utility vehicles.
Such a thing is feasible, and has been for some time. What is lacking is the will to perform the task. By returning to the Moon and Mars with updated versions of forty year old spacecraft, what are we proving? Simply that the old designs still work, and that is hardly scientific advancement. By seeking new solutions to new problems, we have a chance to stimulate the scientific potential of the world, and achieve things undreamt of by our predecessors. The first step to achieving this vision is to put a stop to the current direction of NASA, and return to the drawing board with fresh ideas. We need a Vision of Space Exploration that justifies the billions of dollars and dozens of lives invested in the Space Shuttle.
Citations
Bush, G.W. “New Visions for Space Exploration.” NASA Headquarters. 14 Jan. 2004.
Coppinger, R. (2006). NASA Space Center facilities modernized ahead of Crew
Exploration Vehicle flights. Flight International. http://www.flightglobal.com/Articles/2006/03/28/Navigation/200/205707/NASA+Kennedy+Space+Center+facilities+modernised+ahead+of+Crew+Exploration+Vehicle.html.
Dale, S. “Remarks by NASA Deputy Administrator Shana Dale at the 9th annual
Commercial Space Transportation Conference” Federal Aviation Administration.
Washington, D.C. 10 Feb. 2006.
Fillion, R. (2006, March 13). CEV billions criticized as threat to science missions. Rocky
Mountain News. N.P.
Griffin, M. “Statement by Michael Griffin before the House Appropriations
Subcommittee on Science, Depts of State, Justice, & Commerce, & Related
Agencies” US Congress. Washington D.C. 30 Mar. 2006.
Klotz, M. (2006, September 20). Moon plan ‘comes up short.’ BBC News.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/4263106.stm
Kluger, J. (2006, March 20). Returning to the Moon. Time. 167(12), 96.
Krause, T.R. (2005, August 16th). To Boldly (and Safely) Go …. Wall Street Journal,
p. B2.
Le Page, M. (2006). To Pointlessly go…. New Scientist. 187(2513), 21.
Reddy, F. (2006, February). NASA’s next giant leap. Astronomy. 34(2), 62-68.
19.2.06
On Education Reform
A child miseducated is a child lost
-John F. Kennedy
-John F. Kennedy
The words of John F. Kennedy should weigh heavily on our minds as we, the next generation of Arkansas schoolteachers, step into the classroom. Ours is the duty, the honor, and the danger of education. Succeed, and we make a positive difference in the lives of hundreds of students. Fail, and we damn them to ignorance. We must therefore carefully reevaluate what makes a teacher great, and reform our education system to better attract and retain those individuals. The task ahead is difficult, but it must be done if we are to fulfill that most basic promise we make to our children – that theirs will be a better world.
This process of reform begins with the realization that the most basic education system possible is a single student and a single teacher, educator and educated. When we look at the modern education system, we see that the educated have increased in number, but not in type. By this, I mean to say there are many more students, but they have not changed in role – they are still the unit to be educated. On the other side of the system, we see that the educator has changed significantly. Unlike the student, singular, becoming the students, plural, the teacher has transformed into the teachers, administrators, janitors, office workers, accountants, school board members, superintendents, and secretaries of education. This is a change both in the numbers and the roles of the educator. The core assumption we must make is that taken together, these diverse manifestations of the educator exist to perform the same task as the teacher in our simplified education system – educate the student
It follows, therefore, that education system as we know it today exists to serve the teacher. It exists to provide everything necessary for the teacher to go about the business of educating students, from buildings to books, pencils to paychecks. In this manner, the education system ensures the quality of its teachers, and the quality of teaching taking place in the classroom. The reality of the situation, however, is that the education system of today focuses more on tests than teachers. The pressures of recent legislation like the No Child Left Behind Act have increased exponentially the importance of standardized testing in the education system. As a result, schools are doing everything they can to prepare students for tests, often at the cost of true education. Not all is gloom and hopelessness, for there is much money to be made in the modern education system. This money is made, not by teachers, but by test purveyors and publishing houses. Desperate school boards are prime markets for these entities, who honey their ears with promises of increased test scores and therefore more federal funding.
The result of this paradigm shift in education is dramatic. Schools no longer deal in such vagaries as knowledge, comprehension, and fulfillment. Teachers are no longer the educated, inspirational communicators of these values. Instead, schools are now the training houses for the skills of test taking. Teachers fill the role of trainer, distributing study materials from the publishing houses and quizzing students on issues of rote memorization. Students are the real victims of these changes. Rather than partners in an education system, they are the products of the new education industry. All the while, test companies and publishing houses pull in billions of dollars. Textbook sales alone accounted for one third of the publishing market in 2004.
The role of the teacher, having been reduced to trainer, requires a different sort of individual. These trainers need not be highly educated in the subject area, they need not be effective communicators, and they are rarely ever inspirational leaders. They lack, in other words, the ability to teach. It is not a job requirement. This is miseducation in its clearest sense, and must be put to an end. This can be accomplished by placing the role of teacher back at the center of the education system. It requires attracting and retaining individuals that hold true to the values of an educator, rather than a trainer. The time of the almighty test has come to an end, because our children are being lost, one perfect score at a time.
Our redefinition of teacher hinges on three key traits. Teachers must, themselves, be rigorously educated to ensure their knowledge of the subject area. They must be effective communicators to relate their knowledge to the students. Finally, they must be inspirational leaders, giving students the motivation to learn. Together, these make up the core principles upon which we, the next generation of teachers, must be built. The next step is to reform the way such individuals are compensated, in order to both attract fresh talent and retain effective teachers.
It is imperative that we as future teachers understand the value of our own educations. Not only must we have comprehensive knowledge of our field, but we must understand the principles of communication and education. Most education degree programs around the nation are set up to offer these skills, but I fear they make a fundamental error. Future teachers in the fields of math and science are desperately needed in our state, and so we have created specialized science and mathematics education degrees at our colleges and universities. These programs replace the upper level math and science classes with education courses to prepare the teacher for the classroom, but I fear at too high a cost. A teacher must have as rigorous a knowledge of the field as possible, and that means taking courses that go above and beyond the scope of the curriculum. By having this deeper understanding, a teacher is much more effective at conveying the subject to the students. These education courses are useful, but they should amend the regular degree program, rather than replace it.
We must be effective communicators if we are to be the teachers of tomorrow. Without the ability to convey a topic to students in an engaging way, all the knowledge we worked so hard to obtain is useless. By becoming effective communicators, we can explain a topic in several different ways to cater to students different learning styles. As in all communication arts, education is a two way process, and we must be experts at answering any questions students might have. The skills of communication allow us to establish a rapport with the students that clearly places us in control, but in an authoritative rather than authoritarian manner. We must be approachable, and yet not so casual as to be taken advantage of. At the end of the day, students must simultaneously love and respect their teachers, or education cannot take place.
The final trait a teacher must possess, that of an inspirational leader, is the hardest to define directly, but the easiest to identify in a classroom. The classrooms of inspirational teachers are filled with students who are motivated to learn. These students are hungry for that most precious commodity we can give them: recognition. By recognizing their hard work, dedication, and curiosity, we make them feel genuinely good about themselves. Students do not naturally value success in the classroom, they must be taught to love learning. It takes an inspirational teacher to create this revolution in a child’s mind, but once made it is never undone. It should be noted that teachers cannot fake this trait, because that is instantly recognizable. Plastering a room in inspirational posters does not make the teacher any more effective, in fact, it usually indicates the opposite.
There are millions of people out there that possess all the traits of a great teacher, but they never take the job. These people work in the private sector, never truly utilizing the innate teaching ability they hold within. If we can somehow make teaching a competitive field in the job market, we attract these individuals to the classroom and keep them there. Currently, the system of teacher pay in the state of Arkansas is a disaster. Exceptional teachers who hold doctorates in their field are paid a smaller bonus than an ineffective teacher who also happens to coach the cheerleaders. There is clearly an important place in education for athletics and extracurricular activities, but in moderation. To pay the coach more than the teacher who spent a lifetime and a fortune earning a doctorate sends the wrong signal, and discourages another qualified teacher from staying in the classroom. We need to come up with a system of compensation that is fair, but perhaps not equal.
As Americans, we value both fairness and equality, but in the area of compensation they are incompatible. To pay someone fairly is to pay them in accordance with their skills, and to pay someone equally is to pay them as you would any other worker. When faced with a situation where one worker clearly has more aptitude for the job than another, what are we to do? If we pay both equally, we start a race to the bottom, where workers put less and less effort into their jobs secure in the knowledge that they will be paid equally. If we pay both fairly, however, we reward the apt worker, and encourage the other worker become better at their job and earn more pay. This, then, seems to be an appropriate pay system for schoolteachers.
If we are to pay teachers on the principle of fairness, we must formulate a system to measure aptitude. This, however, brings us dangerously close to the culture of testing and evaluation that I struggle so hard against. What we must realize is that everything needs to be taken in moderation. Tests are not inherently evil by any means, but when taken to the extremes of usefulness they become dangerous. It should be the role of the principal to evaluate the performance of the teachers they support. The evaluations should be based on a rubric that takes into account the objective and the subjective measures of success. On the one hand, how are the children performing on the national level? How are the children performing compared to others in the state? Or the district? Or the school? Those measures give an objective measure of teacher performance. They should be equally as important as subjective teacher performance. Does the teacher have a rigorous grasp of the subject? Do they effectively communicate that to students? Do they inspire and encourage the students to learn? Do they go above and beyond what is required of them? These measures taken together are an effective way to measure teacher performance.
We are the future teachers of Arkansas, and ours is the duty to embody these changes. As Mahatma Gandhi stated so simply, so eloquently, we must be the change we wish to see in the world. If we want there to be educated teachers in our classrooms, we must become those teachers. If we want there to be inspirational teachers in our classrooms, we must become those teachers. What we begin here today has the potential to change the course of our state, our nation and our world. The future generations that benefit from our hard work will go on to solve problems we cannot, to accomplish things we cannot, and to dream dreams we cannot. We owe it to the future to change the status quo, to remake the education system of our state into something greater than the sum total of its parts. We declare in one voice the end of miseducation, and the beginning of a better future.
8.2.06
Coexist
Don't think I could have said it better, myself. More posts to come soon, I promise.
Cheers,
Jeremy
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