April 2010
33 posts
3 tags
science balloon fail
Here is a link to some raw video of a science balloon wipeout of epic proportions. As a lover of science it is painful for me to watch. As FAIL videos go, it’s entertaining. 
Apr 30th
1 tag
everything you ever wanted to know about corn smut
http://bit.ly/bvR3VZ I’ve never heard of corn smut before. Looks gross. But apparently it tastes delicious. Weird.
Apr 29th
1 tag
Braille literacy rates for the blind: 10 percent
Here’s a surprising article about how only 10 percent of the blind in the US can read Braille. Can you imagine any other demographic where 10% literacy is a remotely acceptable statistic?
Apr 28th
3 tags
“‘Lost’ is about the pain of being Lost and the profound challenge of...”
– Jeff ‘Doc’ Jensen for Entertainment Weekly
Apr 27th
Apr 27th
3 tags
“But as always, I could be catastrophically incorrect about all this.”
– Jeff ‘Doc’ Jensen, on “Lost” for Entertainment Weekly.  He is self-effacing here but in reality is brilliant — and often right.
Apr 25th
2 tags
8 traits of highly effective teachers
Check out this list of effective teaching skills. Over the past several years, with such intense change in the world, it is more important than ever that teachers model leadership for their students.
Apr 24th
3 tags
“They relax. Then they start living their lives like they didn’t do...”
– Booth to Brennan, on “Bones” (Fox), Season 1 Episode 19 written by Noah Hawley & Elizabeth Benjamin
Apr 23rd
1 tag
99-year-old reads on iPad
At the end of January I posted about how the iPad is going to connect with the senior demographic. Predictions have far less significance than the power of story, however, and it won’t take too many more of these kinds of stories to create an iPad revolution among those 60+.
Apr 23rd
1 tag
Apr 22nd
1 tag
Apr 21st
1 tag
20 creativity tips
Check out these helpful creativity tips by Stephen Brewster.
Apr 20th
1 tag
Apr 19th
2 tags
don't use an alarm that makes you angry
I like these tips on becoming an early riser by Seth Simonds. One tip: use an alarm that you don’t hate!
Apr 19th
Apr 18th
2 tags
“By thinking of ourselves as a child, we end up thinking in more child-like ways....”
– Jonah Lehrer, on creativity
Apr 18th
Apr 18th
2 tags
increase your creativity
An interesting study, explained by  Jonah Lehrer, suggests that if we imagine ourselves to be kids we increase our creativity. 
Apr 18th
1 tag
Help! I've been anchored!
Here is the clearest explanation of price anchoring I’ve read, and a great exposition on why it works by Matthew Amster-Burton. When someone says “You’d expect to pay this much but it’s on sale for that much” you’ve just been anchored, and unfortunately it almost always works. I’ve been “anchored” a lot in my life - we all have - and although...
Apr 17th
1 tag
unintended consequences of hooking up
http://bit.ly/agqVKr    Frightening people into abstinence rarely works, but the reality is that STD rates are extraordinarily high, particularly for young adults. And it’s not just the life-long consequences, either - there’s a cancer scare too.
Apr 16th
Apr 16th
2 tags
Catching up on "Lost"
Don’t miss ‘Doc’ Jensen’s recaps on EW.com… April 14 (Hurley) April 7 (Desmond) March 31 (Jin/Sun)
Apr 15th
1 note
Apr 11th
1 tag
Apr 7th
2 tags
“The tablet computer is like a siren that calls seductively to computer...”
– Lev Grossman, on the lack of popularity of tablet computing before the iPad
Apr 7th
2 tags
snapshot of smartphone market
According to comScore, as reported by TechCrunch, there are about 45 million smartphone users in the USA. About 42% use RIM About 25% use iPhone I know that people with BlackBerry’s love them, but I also know a lot of people who use them only because that’s what their job gives them to use. A ton of people would get an iPhone if they had their choice of carrier. Can you imagine...
Apr 6th
1 tag
Apr 5th
2 tags
Apr 5th
Apr 4th
4 tags
iPad review
Loved it! I went to the Apple store this morning to check out an iPad and it is an awesome device. (1) It was heavier than I expected, but that doesn’t mean they are heavy. Not sure why I expected lighter. (2) The screen had amazing resolution. Fantastic display! (3) It was super fast. (4) It took me a few sentences to get used to typing on it but I could see getting quite fast. My left hand...
Apr 4th
2 tags
MercyMe vs. Ticketmaster
http://bit.ly/cZTqA5   Here’s a great article about how MercyMe is offering a great deal on concert tickets…without the horrible Ticketmaster fees.
Apr 3rd
1 tag
WatchWatch
the iPad can make salsa!
Apr 2nd
2 tags
Apr 1st