Dave's Buttoned-Up Mind

Podcast Stuff - Episode 27 of Down the Hall

2012-01-22T08:39:00.000-08:00

It's that time once again! Yes, Jenny and I are back with the next episode of Down the Hall. Instead of the normal discussion, we have two great interviews for you.

The Master of Educational Technology (MET) program is something that I've been a part of since its inception ten years ago, and I'm proud of what we've accomplished in it. So far, 342 students have graduated with the Master's degree in that time. This year is the 10th anniversary of the program, and we're celebrating with a double-barrel blast of MET goodness that should also be of interest to many other people as well.

First, we have an interview with Yael Tagerud (from Linnaeus University in Sweden) and Leah Macfadyen (UBC's Faculty of Arts), who are designing a new course for the MET program, "Culture and Communication in Virtual Learning Environments." We not only discuss the new course, but also the concepts behind the course. They both have extensive experience with multicultural settings in educational backgrounds. In a classroom where students of many different cultures are represented, how do we get along, get past any cultural biases we may have, and succeed in creating a learning environment that's conducive and supportive to everybody.

We then talk to Tony Bates, who is a respected leader in the field of online learning, as well as being involved with the MET program at its inception. We talk the history of the program and how it was set up, and also get to pick his brain on what he believes is coming in the field of online education.

Both conversations were fun to do, and ones that I found fascinating. I hope you do too.

You can listen to the episode here.

And why not go over to Facebook right now, and "like" our page? Don't make me use my teacher voice...ok, I'm not a teacher. But even so, go do it!

Podcast Stuff - Episode 26 of Down the Hall

2012-01-09T21:14:00.000-08:00

It's a brand new year! And, due to unforeseen circumstances (like Jenny being away unexpectedly), this podcast is a little late.

However, it's also very good. I fly solo this week, but it's only for the beginning and the end, as the rest of it is an extended interview with Dr. Blye Frank, Dean of the Faculty of Education. Jenny and I talk to him about the UBC Strategic Plan, called Place & Promise, and what he feels is the Faculty's role in that plan. We talk about everything from diversity to sustainability, indigenous education, global outreach, and a whole lot more.

He's an interesting guy, and very passionate about what we're doing.

Since I am alone, there are no zombie references, sadly. Maybe next time.

You can listen to it here.

And why not "Like" us on Facebook while you're at it?

Book Review - Amerikan Eagle by Alan Glenn

2012-01-05T17:15:00.000-08:00

I love alternate history. I love thinking about what would have happened if something else we all know about had happened differently. What if Abraham Lincoln hadn't been assassinated? What if Hitler hadn't wasted three months invading the Balkans before turning on the Soviet Union? What if the assassination attempt on FDR had actually succeeded in 1932? (This is something I didn't even know had happened).

Alan Glenn takes a look at this last one in his latest book, Amerikan Eagle. In it, Glenn sees a country that ends up being run by Huey Long, a country where there is only one party and "Long's Legionnaires" are roving the countryside trying to stifle dissent. Where the United States is not going to get involved in World War II, and instead Long is striving to create a socialist utopia. With him at the top, of course.

It's an interesting book with a fascinating concept, and one that I knew I had to pick up immediately once I read the synopsis. For me, the appeal of alternate history is the concept, and that can often overpower any writing deficiencies in the book itself. That's why I read as much Harry Turtledove as I do, when the topic is interesting. I usually can't stand Turtledove's writing, but what he does with the concept is enough to hook me and guide me through the book, even if I cringe at some of the prose.

Glenn isn't that bad, but the book does have its issues.

My review is now up on Curled Up With a Good Book.

From the review:

"In 1943, Portsmouth, New Hampshire, is becoming a hot spot for events that may change the world. Sam Miller is the newly appointed Inspector (there's only one in the city) whose first case is the body of a man dumped on the railroad tracks with a number tattooed on his wrists. Sam's just a man trying to look out for his family, but the events sparked by this discovery will change his life forever, revealing family secrets that will shock him and thrusting him into the dark underside of the world that President Huey Long has created."

The main problem with the book, in addition to an ending that I didn't see coming (mainly because I find it silly and not fitting the rest of the book, and thus couldn't have predicted it) is that it works overly hard to showcase the oppressive atmosphere. I could almost feel the book closing in on me sometimes, giving me a bit of claustrophobia. Glenn really does a good job giving the reader an idea of what life in this society would be like.

He just overdoes it to the point where it detracts from the enjoyment of the book.

Check out my review for more of my thoughts on the book. It's an interesting book, and I do recommend it.

With a caveat, though.

Is it time to change the calendar?

2012-01-04T17:32:00.000-08:00

No, this is not another new year's post. Yes, it is indeed time to change from 2011 to 2012. You're actually a few days late if you didn't. Have you been writing 2011 on your cheques still? Do you even write cheques any more?

That's neither here nor there, though. What I mean by my title question is whether it's time to change the calendar completely? Do you find leap years confusing? Do you find it hard to figure out what day it should be, or whether some plan you have later in the year actually falls on a weekend? What about your salary? When do you get paid? The 15th and end of the month, or every two weeks? Isn't that confusing?

A couple of researchers at Johns Hopkins University think so, and they've come up with a new calendar that they recommend the world switching to, that would eliminate all of this confusion. Is it hard to remember whether November 30 was on a Wednesday or Thursday last year? What about next year? This would eliminate that problem too.

Most important question: how would this affect
page-a-day calendars? (Thanks to Smartcal)

"Richard Conn Henry, an astrophysicist in the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences, and Steve H. Hanke, an applied economist in the Whiting School of Engineering, have created a new calendar in which each new 12-month period is identical to the one which came before, and remains that way from one year to the next in perpetuity."

That's right. The calendar will remain the same every year. Every month will be the same as it was last year. Christmas will always be on a Sunday.

They suggest that there are many reasons for switching to this new, more stable calendar, beyond just the societal ones. There are economic reasons as well.

"Our calendar would simplify financial calculations and eliminate what we call the 'rip off' factor," explains Hanke. "Determining how much interest accrues on mortgages, bonds, forward rate agreements, swaps and others, day counts are required. Our current calendar is full of anomalies that have led to the establishment of a wide range of conventions that attempt to simplify interest calculations. Our proposed permanent calendar has a predictable 91-day quarterly pattern of two months of 30 days and a third month of 31 days, which does away with the need for artificial day count conventions."

It's actually a really fascinating idea.

The need for "leap years" is fixed by adding an additional week at the end of December every five or six years. They say that the extra weeks would happen "every year in which the Gregorian calendar begins or ends on a Thursday," which I actually find really confusing, but may be easy to keep track of in practice.

Maybe?

I can't imagine how hard it would be to change the entire world's calendar system, though. I know that there are other calendars used by various societies, of course. The Hebrew calendar and the Moslem one are two that I'm familiar with. But universally, I believe the Gregorian calendar is used for things like international relations and economics. An overhaul of the system would be massive.

They do address that, though. Ok, not necessarily the "how will they implement it" idea, but more why they think this one would be more attractive to people while other attempts have failed:

"Attempts at reform have failed in the past because all of the major ones have involved breaking the seven-day cycle of the week, which is not acceptable to many people because it violates the Fourth Commandment about keeping the Sabbath Day," Henry explains. "Our version never breaks that cycle."

That is true. They keep the seven-day cycle that we all know and love, and most importantly, are familiar with. There will still be the normal weekends, the normal work days. They will all just be divided differently. Some months will still have 31 days, but because every year has the same date on the same day, that won't create as much confusion.

I think.

Actually, I'm not totally sure I understand it. Certainly I don't understand it well enough to either advocate for it or to criticise it. Take a look at the press release and see what you think. I just find the whole thing interesting, and will be looking forward to seeing if it ever catches on and gets a public discussion going.

Or maybe it will sit in the halls of academia, like so many other proposals that never really see the light of day.

You can take a look at the calendar itself here (Warning: that's a pdf file). Also, there's a great FAQ site that also has the goal for a universal adoption of the calendar being 2017. Ambitious!

Also mentioned in the press release, Henry and Hanke advocate getting rid of time zones, and instead having a "universal time", streamlining things for international businesses as well as for people trying to set up appointments (I really hate having to say "2:00 pm my time, 3:00 pm your time?" when trying to set up PS3 appointments with the guy I game with). Of course, it would be very hard to get used to "2:00 am" being in the middle of the day if you were in that part of the world.

But we can adjust, I guess.

Book Review - Shadow Fall by Seressia Glass

2012-01-03T17:46:00.000-08:00

(Thanks to Innsmouth Free Press)

Urban fantasy is an interesting phenomenon. It takes some modern setting, our everyday lives, and puts a fantastical spin on it. Most often it has vampires/werewolves/demons interacting behind the scenes, but it also usually showcases a huge battle between two opposing cosmic forces, with the general population having no idea what's going on under their noses.

It also used to usually take place in New York or Los Angeles. Now, however, it's branching out. One series I read takes places in Portland, Oregon, but the one in question for this post takes place in Atlanta. Seressia Glass has created an interesting series about the war between Light and Shadow and how a young woman named Kira Solomon fights in it. While the first two books were good (you can find my reviews of the first and second book by following the links), but the third book, Shadow Fall, is miles above the other two. It's better written and much more interesting. A plus is that it's not anticlimactic like the second book was. It doesn't build up to a big confrontation and then fizzle.

My review of the book is now on Curled Up With a Good Book.

From the review:

Kira Solomon is still getting used to being able to actually touch a human being without putting them in a coma, and thus her relationship with the ancient Nubian warrior Khefar is starting to develop nicely. The only problem is that Kira has been touched by Shadow and is constantly in fear that it will overtake her. Khefar has vowed to use his blade to "unmake" her if she falls into the dark. This could become more prominent when an Atlanta museum exhibit based on the Egyptian Book of the Dead turns out to be more real than anybody ever intended. As Kira learns more about her past and her origins, everything comes together in events that Kira may find impossible to stop and that may even force Khefar to keep his vow.

I think Glass does a lot better job with the characterization in Shadow Fall, though it was never bad before. Instead, the books just didn't grab me as much as I would have liked. I raced through the second book on a reread, because I had neglected to review it the first time and I need to submit a review. It had been so long that I had to reread it before doing that. However, I was able to race through it because it seemed quite inconsequential.

This book is different. There is a lot of stuff going on, even as there isn't necessarily a lot of swords flying and blood flowing. The relationships are well-defined and actually intriguing to read about, and it just felt like a more enjoyable book.

If Glass keeps this up, she'll have a fan for life.

Check out my review and tell me what you think.

A Brand New Year

2012-01-02T10:53:00.000-08:00

The year 2012 is upon us, and as always it's a time of reflection.

I thought about posting some drunken revelry on New Year's Eve, something that would make you all laugh, but there were two problems with that. First, I wasn't drinking. Second, I wasn't reveling. I was having a wonderful evening with my wife, just enjoying her company as well as playing some video games and a Midnight kiss, of course. However, I wouldn't call it "reveling," as that implies a party, with lots of people around, confetti, champagne, and all that good stuff.

So no drunken revelry post from me. However, here it is January 2 and I'm sitting at the computer having just finished a book review and looking at the computer screen, and thinking. ("Uh oh, that's not a good sign" - The Peanut Gallery) Thinking about this blog, about blogging in general, about writing, and just thinking about what the new year is going to bring me. More importantly, thinking about what I'm going to bring to it.

I'm not a believer in New Year's resolutions (I share my friend Dawn's views on those), but I do believe that the turning of the year is a good time to reflect back on the year that's past and forward to the year that's coming (ok, that's not technically "reflecting," but never mind). The year 2011 was a really bad and stressful one for me, but it also had some good things as well. Work has been going very well, and the success of our podcast (maybe not in the number of listens, but in the buzz around the Faculty as well as the fact that it's something I've stuck with for a year now) has been very heartening for me. It's something that's beyond my comfort zone, and the fact that I am putting myself out there, not just my writing but my voice as well, is something that I'm very proud of. Now we just need to expand our listener base.

I've made some progress on my personal growth journey as well.

For example, I went to V-Con, the Vancouver science fiction convention. The last time I went, four years ago, I pretty much just went to panels and hid in a shell. I was absorbing stuff, watching stuff, but not participating. This year, it became the first step in bringing me out of my shell. I didn't go to as many panels, but instead I interacted with people there. I hung out in the gaming room and socialized with some of the gamers there. I actually stopped people who were in interesting costumes and asked to take their picture. That seems weird, but it's something that I would never have done before, despite the fact that I know one of the reasons people wear costumes to conventions is because they want to be photographed. I sat in the Hospitality Suite and talked to people. Yes, I went to the convention to have fun, so it wasn't just a "social experiment" for me. But I was determined that part of that fun would be actual interaction, and I think I accomplished that. Next year will be even better, I think.

This year, I plan to do more of that. I am enrolled in a short story course that starts in February. Again, there are two good things about that. First, it will get me writing again. The second thing is, again, social interaction. I look forward to interacting with my classmates, both with writing and other stuff as well. Will any of us come out of there as friends? Who knows. But I look forward to doing it, and maybe I'll have something written to share with some of you folks afterward.

I also plan on going to the Northern Voice social media conference again in May. Last year, I didn't socialize much, as my re-found determination to do so came afterward. This year, I'm going to take a bigger part in it. I'm not going to leave the Friday night party early like I did last year. I'm going to talk to people at the conference itself. I'm really looking forward to it. Even better, since it's professional development (I do social media work for my office), I don't have to pay for it! But even if I did, I would be going. I had a lot of fun last year, so hopefully it will be even better this year.

None of these are "New Year's Resolutions," though, because I decided I was going to do this a few months ago. But as I sit here on the cusp of the new year, thinking about the year to come and the plans I have for continuing this personal journey, I greet it with great anticipation.

Book Review - Full Black by Brad Thor

2011-12-29T14:16:00.000-08:00

In this day and age, the exciting tales of spying between the United States and the Soviet Union have given way to fighting terrorism instead. Unfortunately, for whatever reason, many authors are reluctant to explore these untold stories, which could include a wealth of breath-taking action.

Brad Thor, however, tackles the subject full-on in his series about former Navy SEAL Scot Harvath. Harvath is now part of a super-secret organization that takes on the anti-terror jobs that the CIA and other government organizations won't do. In Thor's world, the government just isn't getting it done, and thus these people are there to take care of the free world in their places.

I haven't followed this series before, but Full Black is the 10th book in it, and I would assume the previous books are much like this one, at least in tone. It's set in the current day, with the same type of history as the real world has. Only the names have changed. There were terrorist attacks on 9/11 in New York City. While the names have changed, the world hasn't. Basically, pseudo-Bush was president for eight years, and now pseudo-Obama is president. The previous president would do whatever it takes to keep America safe. The current president is softer and more likely to want to negotiate (hence this super-secret agency).

Anyway, my review of Full Black is up on Curled Up With a Good Book now, and you can check it out.

From the review:

Scot Harvath is a fomer Navy SEAL and former Secret Service agent who has been recruited to join a secret group of ex-spies and other military operatives to do the jobs that the CIA won't to combat radical Islamic terrorism. They take on missions that are so sensitive that they aren't just classified; they don't exist. This time, Harvath and his team are tasked with infiltrating a terrorist cell in Sweden to find out what major attacks the network is planning. Meanwhile, a foreign wet works team attempts to kill movie producer Larry Salomon, who is working on a documentary that will expose one of the world's richest men (James Standing) as the man who will take down America and plunge it into chaos. Good thing that Salomon is buddies with another ex-Special Forces guy who is able to help him. Can Harvath stop the inevitable wave of attacks that will be sparked across the United States?

The problem is, and the reason for this doesn't really come out in my review because the editor understandably omitted when I got a little bit personal, I basically agree with Thor about a lot of things that he says in this book. Yet the way Thor presents his viewpoints in the novel drag it to a screeching halt every time the book threatens to start getting good again.

I like my politics in political books. Or at least illustrated by events in a novel. I don't want the characters to start spouting off political theories when I want to see them stop the bad guy.

Check out the review for the rest of my thoughts on the book, though. I did ultimately enjoy the book. Just not as much as I really wanted to.

Should the Holocaust be Taught in Schools?

2011-12-28T14:59:00.000-08:00

That does seem like a stupid question, doesn't it?

(Thanks to the Telegraph)

Yet that's what one former Education Secretary is proposing for Britain. Lord Baker, who was Education Secretary under Thatcher and designed the National Curriculum, is advocating that History classes stop teaching children about the Holocaust. But it's not because he doesn't think that the kids can handle something that horrifying.

No, it's because it is supposedly giving kids a bad view of Germany. Yes, present-day Germany. Because, you know, kids are too stupid to separate modern Germany from the horrors of Hitler and Nazism.

This all appeared in an article in the Telegraph. I have checked for recent mentions of Lord Baker in the news, and this was the most recent article, so it doesn't appear that he's recanted or changed his mind or anything.

Actually, the idea about children is not totally off-base, though I don't believe that kids are "stupid." However, depending on how young they are, they are impressionable, and if the subject is not taught right, then it is possible to tar Germany in total with that brush. That shouldn't be a reason to stop teaching it, though. That should be a reason to improve the teaching of it, and History in general.

From what I understand, the teaching of History in school is not in a good state, and I think that needs to be improved.

This is actually the part of Baker's statements that I agree with, which is that German history shouldn't be taught at the expense of British history. He's quoted as saying "Why I’ve got a thing against the Holocaust and all of that is I think you study your own history first," and "I'm sure that German children are not studying the British Civil War, right?" Yes, British kids should have a good basic understanding of British history, just like American kids should have a good understanding of American history (which sadly, as a whole, they don't).

The problem is that this is not enough, in my view. Kids should understand their whole country, but they should also understand how the world works, and how it worked in the past. The Holocaust is such a huge thing, a worldwide horror, that I don't think it can just be dismissed. As James Smith, chairman of the Holocaust Centre, is quoted as saying in the article, "The period of the Nazis was not just a blip in German history; the Holocaust was a Europe-wide crime." It affected not just Germany, but all of Europe. And its ramifications have been felt worldwide, including in the troubles that plague the Middle East to this day (yes, I do realize that there is much more than that, but it's certainly in there).

I don't want kids to have no inkling that something like this happened within the last 100 years unless they happen to catch a special on the History Channel. I don't want "Never Forget" to turn into "Well, we don't want people thinking *bad* things about Germany, so we'll just ignore this."

I did like one other thing that was in this article. Baker's suggestions come during a time when a committee has been formed to overhaul the current curriculum. One of the suggestions is that History be compulsory until age 16 instead of the current 14. I think this is an excellent idea, and I hope they implement it.

History is such an important subject, and while I don't think people need to study it to the microscopic level that historians do, I do believe a basic knowledge of History is essential to anybody's education. It requires teachers that make it interesting rather than a chore, engaging rather than boring. We don't always get those, but I'm sure they are out there. In my schooling, I only had a couple of teachers who really made it come to life. Thankfully, I was already hooked even on my own, so I was able to get past all of that. I wish I could say the same for others.

I realize that you can't teach everything about History, even if you do raise the age where compulsory History-studying ends. Something as big, as world-effecting as the Holocaust? There's no way that this should be ignored.

Book Review - Pacific Air by David Sears

2011-12-27T11:27:00.000-08:00

Those of you who know me know that I'm a huge World War II buff, having read numerous books on the subject. In fact, I remember having read every book on World War II in the Wilson Elementary School library by 3rd grade and wondering where I was going to find more to feed my hunger (Public library? What is this thing you speak of?).

That hasn't gone away as I've grown older. In fact, while my interests have branched out to a huge swath of history, I still love me a good World War II book, especially if it's about something I didn't know a lot about.

Thus comes David Sears' new book, Pacific Air. This book is all about the naval aviation aspect of the war in the Pacific Ocean against the Japanese. It talks about the pilots, the aircraft, the trials and tribulations as well as the triumphs of these flyboys. The other good thing about the book is that it's not totally American-centric. Sears does examine the life of a Japanese pilot as well, adding a fresh perspective to the whole thing.

It's a very good book, and one I'm glad I read. My review has now been posted on Curled Up With a Good Book.

From the review:

Students of World War II know that a large part of the war in the Pacific Ocean against the Japanese consisted of huge carrier battles, where enemy ships never saw each other and the war took place among the planes in the sky. These planes were based on aircraft carriers and the war was a back-and-forth battle between these planes to try and sink the enemy carriers before your own were sunk. Pacific Air by David Sears examines the war from the viewpoint of these pilots, and it's a great read.

Sears begins with the aircraft themselves, detailing how before the war, Grumman became one of the mainstays for the building of naval aircraft. He talks about the flight tests, the strengths and weaknesses of some of the first planes to fly off the assembly line. It is important to get a basic understanding regarding what these pilots were actually flying. However, while the first chapter starts with the reaction of the factory higher-ups when the attack on Pearl Harbor was announced (they were opening a new plant on the same day), and the second tells us about the first naval pilot casualties as they attempt to land in Hawaii and were shot at by panicked ground gunners, this does not make a riveting story for those readers just beginning the book.

Yes, the beginning of the book is really slow, but it definitely picks up and becomes an interesting read.

I give it a big thumbs up, though you pretty much do have to have an interest in World War II or it may not have the same effect that it had on me.

Merry Christmas to all of you

2011-12-22T09:29:00.000-08:00

I don't know if I'm going to be doing another blog before Christmas Day, so I figured I'd do this one now.

I am very thankful for my wife and family who love me. I'm thankful to have a group of such wonderful friends, whether I've ever met you or not. I forget that sometimes, and still do miss having any immediate friends in Vancouver (I'm slowly working on that). But I have to realize that there are still plenty of people out there who love me.

I had a lovely evening with two very good friends last night, and it's always a highlight of my Christmas trip home. But some of you I've never even met, but I still feel close to you.

This time of year always makes me nostalgic, like I'm sure it does everyone. Remembering Christmases past and future (or imagining the future ones, anyway). It's in this spirit that I want to wish you all a truly merry Christmas and all the best in the new year as well.

I shared this song on Facebook yesterday, but I want to share it with all of you too. It's my favourite Manneheim Steamroller Christmas song, their rendition of "Silent Night." It's truly beautiful, and I remember the first Christmas that I spent far away from home, after I had moved to Seattle. The song moved me to tears. It still gets me too.

To all of you, either family, friends, regular readers of the blog who don't otherwise know me, or if you just stumble by, I hope you a great holiday.

The Trap of Self-Recrimination

2011-12-19T19:45:00.000-08:00

Many people in this world do not have a great self-image, suffer from self-doubt, and all of that good stuff. While I don't believe in the "self-esteem movement" that basically indoctrinates kids to not worry about striving to be their best (but that's a whole other argument), I do believe that it's valuable to have a good opinion of yourself.

I've suffered from this for a long while, and it's been hard sometimes to bring myself out of these self-induced funks (which may be one of the things behind the writing ones I referenced on Saturday), but I am slowly getting better. It's hard work sometimes building that self-confidence that what you do is valuable, or that people actually like you for what you are.

It's these types of feelings that have led to recent posts in the last few months, such as "Companionable Silence," "The Limits of Sympathy," and "Reading Minds." Those posts stemmed from an outward expression of these self-doubts, wondering what your friends are "really" thinking rather than just taking them at face value.

It's a vicious cycle that can very possibly make you miserable. It's also a tough habit to break, no matter how much you've talked about it before.

Let me give you a recent example.

There was an instance in the past couple of weeks that I want to share. It involves something that I sometimes have felt internally that I haven't helped enough with, though the person involved keeps assuring me that I'm doing fine. Recently, due to other circumstances, I started doing a bit more. The person involved said later "I think it's awesome that you're helping with [fill in the blank]. I really appreciate it and it's made doing it a lot more fun." (not an exact quote, and I'm not saying what it was so as to not reveal who I'm talking about. This person will recognize it if they read it, however).

This person has always been open and direct with me. If there's a problem, it's stated. Yet my very first thought when hearing that was "that's a veiled slam at me not helping on this earlier, isn't it?" Thankfully, because of our history together, I very quickly dismissed that and took that to be the compliment and gratitude that it was. But it says something that my first thought went in that direction.

The other reason that I know this wasn't a veiled shot at me is because this person doesn't allow me to get down on myself, often asking why I said something when I do ("oh, that was my fault." "Why would you say that? It just happened."). So there's no reason that this person would have some kind of hidden meaning behind the words. They know what effect that would have on me.

I like to believe I'm getting better about these things, though I do have my stumbles. While I sometimes don't feel I'm doing as good of a job as I would like, I am doing things that I would not have done a few years ago (like putting myself out there on podcasts, for example). As those posts I shared above indicate, I don't always succeed, but the fact that I'm recognizing the issue is, I think, a good thing.

Then again, the trick is to avoid getting into the self-recrimination trap about self-recriminations. That would be a loop that's almost impossible to get out of it. Getting down on myself because I get down on myself so often?

Yet, funnily enough, that does happen on occasion too. It's like somebody saying "Stop apologizing!" and you say "sorry about that." Yeah, I'm apologizing for apologizing too much. That's helpful.

I think it's always a good thing to examine yourself and see if there are areas of improvement that you can implement. You just have to be constructive about it and actually work on improving that area, or accepting the fact that you are who you are, and that part will never change.

Either way, self-examination: good. Self-recrimination: bad.

(I didn't plan on this being a promotional link-fest, but I feel those posts illustrate things perfectly).

Book Review - Betrayal of Trust by J.A. Jance

2011-12-18T08:30:00.000-08:00

I've been a fan of J.A. Jance mysteries, with J.P. Beaumont as the detective, for a while now. I first came onto the Beaumont series because they take place in Seattle, and so it was cool to hear about things that I already kind of knew. Jance's writing is what kept me reading, of course. I haven't read all of the Beaumont books, but I have read all the recent ones, and they are excellent reads for the mystery fans.

Jance's latest book is Betrayal of Trust, a book that starts out seeming like it was about political corruption (or at least something to do with politics) and political families with skeletons. It quickly turns into a page-turner about the trials and tribulations of growing up.

Regular readers of this blog may remember that I wrote briefly about this book back in October. It was my post about story beginnings, and how typically authors are encouraged to grab the reader on the first page and keep a grip on them. Betrayal of Trust doesn't do that, though. Its first six pages drag on and on and on and...well, you get the idea.

Anyway, all that aside, it's an excellent book, and my review of it has now been posted to Curled Up With a Good Book.

From the review:

Beaumont and his "new" wife Melanie (this book apparently takes place about three years after Long Time Gone, the novel in which they met) are officers of Washington State's "Special Homicide Investigation Team" (yes, they get the joke about the acronym a lot), a unit created and run by the state Attorney General. Beaumont and Mel are called in to investigate a video message sent to the grandson of the governor's husband who has been living in the governor's mansion. In the video, a young girl takes part in a “choking game" that turns all too real. In trying to track down the victim and determine whether the young boy is involved, Beaumont and Mel find themselves unwinding a sticky web of adolescence gone wrong.

The mystery is pretty cool, with lots of twists and turns that will keep you guessing.

I know I enjoyed almost every minute of it.

After it really started, of course.

Podcast Stuff - Ep 25 of Down the Hall

2011-12-17T17:03:00.000-08:00

It's our last episode of the year, and we've got a real winner for you.

The Christmas Season is upon us, and what better way to celebrate than by giving? I talk to Denise Lauritano, co-chair of the UBC Community United Way Campaign. She stepped in at the last second when our originally scheduled interview fell through, and not only agreed to do it, but was quite enthusiastic about it too. It was amazing, because I knew her back when she worked at a different position at UBC, before she left to go somewhere else where it was in the middle of nowhere. So when I thought of doing the United Way and looked at the page to see who I might talk to, seeing her name there was a wonderful surprise! I didn't even know she had come back.

Jenny and I also have a great discussion on e-textbooks and whether they are the future of post-secondary course materials. Don't worry. It's not all for the college crowd, though, as we do talk about e-books in general as well, and some of the e-textbook stuff is certainly applicable to you Kindle readers! And Nook, and...well, e-readers in general.

There are a lot of laughs in this episode. I think you'll enjoy it. You can find it here.

Also, don't forget that if you want to subscribe to us, you can find us on iTunes! But if you don't want to use iTunes, you can subscribe to us in any blog reader by using this address.

And most importantly, like us on Facebook!

Yet Another Blogging Update

2011-12-17T11:52:00.000-08:00

It's been one of those writing funks that are just incredibly hard to get out of. I realize that it's December 17, and I have only posted once this month, and that was a bi-weekly podcast notification post.

I'm not sure what the problem is right now, but I just haven't had the wheels turning in my head, and I've been so easily distracted that it's annoying. It also really pisses me off that these "blogging updates" have become so frequent over the last few months. They always say that to write, you just have to sit down and do it. That's really half the battle. Sure, what you write initially may be crap, but just getting the juices flowing again is the most important thing. You can always edit later. Or just throw it out and write something else.

I do most of my writing on weekend mornings, and I have managed to bang out a couple of book reviews over the last little while. I'm pretty much caught up, though there are three books that are older that I haven't reviewed yet. I've caught up on the recent books I've read. Even that has changed, though. I used to review everything I read. Now I only review books that I received from Curled Up With a Good Book.

There have been a few things that I thought would be worth posting about recently, news stories that struck me as interesting, but I sit down, stare at the keyboard, and say "eh, maybe not."

I avoid New Year's resolutions like the plague, but I am resolving to myself that I am going to be better at doing this. Hopefully better quality, but definitely better timeliness. I look back at this blog, over 700 posts, and I remember the idealism I started with. "I'm going to post every day" I said. "They're going to be interesting and worth reading!" I said.

That has tapered off (the timeliness, hopefully not the worth), and that's not necessarily a bad thing. Blogging every day isn't necessary. I used to think that it was the only way to keep readers interested and subscribed. That if I took days off at a time, these people would drop away. I know that's not the case now, but it's still in the back of my mind. You blogging friends of mine, who manage to keep the readership despite posting very infrequently, I admit I get a little envious sometimes. It shows you've made a connection with people, something that transcends time.

Anyway, that all sounds a little self-pitying, so I'll stop that now.

Let me just say that I will be posting more in the next little while, and I am going to do my best to keep it up. I have made promises like this before, both to you and myself, and they've fallen through. So I'm not going to promise that it will all happen. I do promise to re-dedicate myself to it, and to do my best to get this blog back up to where it was before.

I've got a podcast post going up later today, a book review tomorrow, and maybe some things that will be of interest to other readers who aren't interested in podcasts or book reviews.

I do plan to blog on my travels next week as well. At least, I hope so.

Until then, stay tuned, and stick around. I hope you do it voluntarily.

Handcuffs chafe.

Podcast Stuff - Ep 24 of Down the Hall (Radio EPLT)

2011-12-03T10:23:00.001-08:00

It's our one-year anniversary! Yes, the podcast is one year old, and we're celebrating with what I think is a great episode. What makes it so great? Because in addition to your usual awesome hosts, we also have an interview with Carl Leggo, from the Language & Literacy Education department at UBC. He's a fascinating guy that I've known almost since I started at UBC 13 years ago (has it really been that long?). I haven't had the opportunity to work directly with him, but he's always interesting to talk to. So we thought we'd get him on the show! It was a fun interview to do, and I hope you have as much fun with it as I did. Dawnie, I think you might really like this one.

Jenny and I also talk about the podcast itself and how it's changed over the last year, as well as bringing back former co-host Sharon to talk about what she's been up to.

You can find the episode here. Let us know what you think!

Also, don't forget to "like" us on Facebook!

Wow, has it been almost two weeks since I've posted? Sorry about that.

Book Review - The Affair by Lee Child

2011-11-20T08:12:00.000-08:00

If you're in the mood for crime thrillers with a twist, you can't go wrong with Lee Child's "Jack Reacher" novels. Reacher is a drifter, a former Army Military Police officer who was discharged for some unknown reason and has since been travelling around the country, getting involved with other people's problems.

In The Affair, the 16th Reacher novel, we finally discover why he was discharged from the Army. This novel flashes back to 1997, as Child has Reacher constantly reminding us. He comments often about how security arrangements and other things aren't as stringent as they became after 9/11. After a lackluster Worth Dying For and an awesome 61 Hours, Child is back on form. I've read the first three novels and then these last three, and The Affair is the best of the bunch.

My review is now up on Curled Up With a Good Book.

From the review:

"Jack Reacher is a drifter and a problem-solver, moving from place to place and helping those who need help, either with his quick intelligence or his right hook. The Affair tells of what started Reacher on his long road, way back in 1997. He's an Army Military Police officer, sent down to Carter Crossing, Mississippi, where a woman has been murdered, potentially by one of the soldiers stationed at the Army base there. Reacher is there to mingle with the townspeople as another officer investigates on the base itself. The murder may have drastic political implications where the cover-up is sometimes worse than the crime. Reacher gets involved with the beautiful local sheriff, and the affair may be affecting Reacher's thinking—and might end up getting him killed."

This is a book that I couldn't put down, though I was able to force myself to when it was time for bed. It was a close call, though.

The short chapters usually bother me, but in this case they kept the rollicking pace of the book going, adding to that "just a few more pages" feeling.

This book is simply awesome, and a must-read for any crime thriller fan.

News Flash - Drinking Water Doesn't Prevent Dehydration

2011-11-19T18:53:00.000-08:00

(Thanks to Simply Fresh)

Do you know what dehydration is? If you say you do, I'll bet that the European Union disagrees with you.

You probably think "oh, that just means lack of water, right?"

That's sure what the dictionary says.

"to remove bound water or hydrogen and oxygen from (a chemical compound) in the proportion in which they form water"

"Not so fast!" says the EU officials! "That's not true at all!"

That's the only thing I can take from the latest insanity from the EU. While countries are falling deeper and deeper into debt, as other countries in the Union have to bail out the poorer ones due to financial mismanagement, this is what they're dealing with?

Yes, EU bureaucrats are prohibiting producers of bottled water from saying that their product can help prevent dehydration. That drinking water will not help a body that is lacking water and other fluids.

Sure, they try to wrap it up in weird claims that really make no sense. The justifications are almost as ludicrous as the prohibition itself.

"Prof Brian Ratcliffe, spokesman for the Nutrition Society, said dehydration was usually caused by a clinical condition and that one could remain adequately hydrated without drinking water.

He said: “The EU is saying that this does not reduce the risk of dehydration and that is correct.

“This claim is trying to imply that there is something special about bottled water which is not a reasonable claim.”

No, they're not implying there's something special about bottled water. They're stating the obvious fact that drinking water is a good thing! It's not like they're saying that they are the *only* thing that prevents dehydration. If they were making that claim, I'd be right there with the bureaucrats, with the pitchforks and 2-hour lunches. But they're not!

Denying that bottled water can help re-hydrate a body is just insane.

That's not the only claim that was made, however.

"A meeting of 21 scientists in Parma, Italy, concluded that reduced water content in the body was a symptom of dehydration and not something that drinking water could subsequently control."

This statement makes no sense to me. If you can explain it, then please do so. Drinking water can't "subsequently control" reduced water content?

Can you believe that people who defy this ban can get up to two years in prison? Seriously?

It's no wonder that the EU is spiraling down in flames.

Remember, these are the same bureaucrats who said that bananas and cucumbers shouldn't bend too much. They didn't outright ban bananas with too much curvature (that was the myth, that they were banned), but they did make some vague law about how much a banana can bend. Cucumbers too.

Will this turn out to be one of those myths too? The Telegraph article quotes a lot of people and experts, so I'm thinking this is actually true.

If it is true, the level of stupidity is just stultifying.

Podcast Stuff - Ep 23 of Down the Hall (Radio EPLT)

2011-11-19T08:22:00.000-08:00

Have you seen those weird looking squiggly black designs on ads, magazines, or some other form of print? You know the ones I mean.

Those little things can actually contain a great deal of information, and in this week's episode of Down the Hall, Jenny and I discuss the use of these codes in Education. Appropriately titled "QRacking the Code," we talk about the tons of things you can do with them. And while our discussion is (mostly) limited to Education, if you have a smartphone with a code reader, you will be able to see a lot of cool things by scanning them.

This doesn't keep us from talking about other things in the process of the discussion, though, including my book reviews.

I also talk to John Egan, instructor for one of the courses in the Master of Educational Technology program. We discuss his course, "Learning Technologies: Selection, Design & Application" and how it came about. There's a wealth of great information about the course, but also about learning technologies in general.

We also nerd out a bit in the introduction, with a brief Walking Dead mention and one A Song of Ice and Fire reference as well.

What can beat all of that?

If you listen and comment in the next 30 minutes, you could even win an EPLT snuggie (snuggie not included).

Don't forget to "Like" us on Facebook too!

Podcast stuff - The Indie & Mojo Show Ep 13

2011-11-18T18:26:00.000-08:00

Yes, I am taking over the podcast world.

In addition to our bi-weekly podcast (I'll be doing a post about this week's episode tomorrow, probably), I also appeared on the latest episode of the Indie & Mojo show, Episode 13. Some of you know that I do video game blogs and am part of the community over at Game Informer. The site has spawned many community podcasts from various members, and one of them (one of the ones I listen to religiously now, and that was even before they asked me to be on) is the Indie & Mojo show. It's two guys talking about video games and Game Informer and other pop culture type stuff.

You can listen to the episode in the player below, or go to the site and download it if you want to take it with you.

We talk Uncharted 3, Modern Warfare 3, how people don't read emails, and the controversy over review scores (which is mainly caused by people paying more attention to scores than to the reviews themselves), and lots more.

Just one thing I would like to add before you listen to it. Unfortunately, I made my first mistake less than 2 minutes into the podcast. When I say that we script our intros for Down the Hall because they "would sound terrible otherwise," I should have added that this is totally because of me and my inability to ad-lib something like that. I'm sure Jenny could do it easily. In fact, I know she can, because we tried it, and my inability to do it is why we script it.

That was supposed to be self-deprecating, but I left off that part so it sounded like I was dissing both of us. So, apologies, Jenny!

And I can't believe I talked about our podcast but neglected to say the name. It's "Down the Hall" (I really need to work on this advertising thing). You all know that, of course.

Anyway, it was a fun show to do, and I hope it sounds that way too.

Book Review - The Burning Season (CSI) - by Jeff Mariotte

2011-11-17T07:50:00.001-08:00

I'm a big CSI fan (Las Vegas version only), though I haven't actually watched much of the last season yet (not to mention this season). What can I say? I'm behind.

The great thing about novels is that you can get inside the characters' heads, which you can't always do on a television series. The bad thing about tie-in novels is that they can't make any major changes or revelations to the characters, as they have to leave that to the television show.

CSI novels can be hit or miss in that respect, but Jeff Mariotte's The Burning Season is actually pretty good for that. The problem is almost everywhere else, though the stories (there are three) Mariotte tells are actually kind of interesting.

My review of the book is now up on Curled Up With a Good Book.

From the review:

"Three separate crimes need to be solved by the intrepid Las Vegas nightshift CSIs. A fire in a small resort town of Mount Charleston, near Las Vegas, results in almost the entire subdivision being burned to the ground, as well as the deaths of six firefighters. There is the attempted roadside bombing of the head of a major cable news network[Dennis Daniels], a network beset by large protests outside of the building and numerous death threats against the owner. Finally, a dog has taken a severed hand underneath the front porch of a suburban home. Retrieving the hand will lead Ray Langston into the dark underbelly of the illegal immigrant community."

As you can see, the book is rather political. The problem is that Mariotte tries so hard to not offend anyone that he makes the story almost unbelievable. I'm sorry, but "moderates" do not inspire the outrage that Mariotte shows in this novel. Not to mention the fact that Daniels' views are fairly left of center, though not too extreme, so even that attempt at "even-handedness" isn't that effective. The ostensible "bad guys" are two right-wing groups: one that's just Conservative and one that's very extreme.

I'll let you read the rest of the review to get my thoughts on the book itself. It's definitely a decent CSI book, and if you agree with the politics, it might even be more so for you. You won't go wrong reading this one if you're a CSI fan, but there are much better ones out there (like Mariotte's own Brass in Pocket)

Show more skin, seem less intelligent. Q.E.D?

2011-11-13T12:23:00.001-08:00

It's "common knowledge" that if you're known mainly for showing off your skin, you must be an idiot, right? When all you're doing is appealing to man's baser instincts, that must mean your looks are the only avenue by which you can succeed in life.

Of course, anybody who can actually form a rational thought knows that this isn't true. But is that perception still there? If you see an attractive woman showing off as much skin as possible (or even an attractive man), what's the first thing that crosses your mind? Besides your wife's withering glare if you happen to be with her?

Of course, with a question this important, you know there's been a recent study about it, this one by researchers at the University of Maryland. And you know that the UK Daily Mail has reported on it. Yes, the study shows that the more flesh you bare, the less others regard you as intelligent. This applied to both men and women in the study (unfortunately, the burning question of whether this applies to sexy bloggers was *not* answered in this study).

(I think this guy has a brain - ladies, would you like to try and find out?

The "bang your head on the table because it's so obvious" quote of the article:

"Research suggests that when men see a woman wearing very little they focus on her body and less on her mind." Gee, you think? Maybe if she puts glasses on with that bikini, it would be different?

I was all set to insult and mock this article, and this study, but then I read it a bit further, and I've decided that I won't necessarily be doing that.

Or at least I won't be doing just that.

According to the study, humans have two different aspects of the mind: "agency" and "experience." "Agency is the capacity to act, plan and exert self-control, while experience is the capacity to feel pain, pleasure and emotions." The more skin you show, the more people perceive you as being on the "experience" side of the scale rather than the "agency." In other words, you feel that you are extremely hot but you can't do anything about it (Ok, I'm paraphrasing).

The researchers claim that this changes our view of objectification, because people without clothes are just seen as another part of the mind. I can see the new pick-up lines now: "Hey babe, I don't see you as a sexual object. I'm just thinking of your experience" (maybe they could have used a different word for that?).

So is this true, or are these just wussy words to justify what we already know to be true? When people see an attractive person in front of them with very little clothing on, they tend to focus on the physical aspect of that person rather than the mental. I'm not saying that your mind doesn't move on to other things after that first thought, of course, though the abundance of skin may make it hard to concentrate on anything else.

Another thing in this study is that it doesn't seem to take into account the setting. If you go to the beach, do you look around you and think "wow, what a bunch of dolts? Um, I mean, Experiencers?" No, of course not. The study does mention clothing and the workplace, though.

"It translated that wearing little clothes in an environment like the office can have a negative impact because it can imply a lack of competence and leadership.

Professor Gray said: 'Those who are characterised in terms of their bodies to be seen as more reactive and emotional, traits that may also serve to work against career advancement.'"

Is that true? I suppose it may be, though I would think the person's actual demonstrated competence would have more to say about that, unless perhaps we're talking about an environment where we're mostly cogs in a machine and promotion is based more on perception than actual ability. Also, I'm not an attractive woman wearing skimpy outfits to the office (at least not usually), so maybe I'm ill-suited to make that conclusion.

Ultimately, this study seems to be on the "did our tax money go to this obvious question?" type of study. While I do believe the "agency/experience" dichotomy of the mind is somewhat interesting, the study just seems to confirm what we already know. Not that attractive people are dumb. But that it may not be the best idea to wear a bikini to the office.

At least not on your first day.

The study did see an upside to wearing little clothing (besides being cool in the Summer): you appear to be more vulnerable and sensitive.

"Professor Gray said: 'Others appear to be less inclined to harm people with bare skin and more inclined to protect them.

'In one experiment, people viewing male subjects with their shirts off were less inclined to give those subjects uncomfortable electric shocks than when the men had their shirts on.'"

All right, that's it. No more shirts to the office. I've had way too many shocks already.

Podcast Stuff - Ep 22 of Down the Hall (Radio EPLT)

2011-11-05T08:14:00.000-07:00

Did you like watching films in class when you were in school? They were the highlight of my day, whether it was because the movie was interesting or because it gave me time to sleep.

In this episode of Down the Hall (nicely titled "Duck and Cover," for those of you who remember growing up with those civil defense films), Jenny and I talk about media studies in K-12 education. It's a pretty lively discussion with lots of laughs and memories, as well as talking about the state of media studies in today's schools.

Also, Jenny talks to Teresa Milden, from the Vancouver School Board, about Gifted Education. There's some great information in there, and it's not just Vancouver-specific.

This episode also forced me to finally watch the Walking Dead, to prepare for the coming Zombie Apocalypse. Thanks, Jen.

Take a listen and let us know what you think!

And don't forget to head on over to Facebook and "like" us! We need to be liked.

Book Review - The Abacus & the Cross by Nancy Marie Brown

2011-11-03T16:46:00.000-07:00

I'm always a sucker for History books regarding a period I know little to nothing about. My "to read" list of books is so long, however, that I don't actively seek them out that often. I'd be overloaded.

That's one cool thing about reviewing for Curled Up With a Good Book. The editor gets books from publishers and has a list of these books available for reviewers. If I happen to find an interesting-sounding book on the list that covers a period I'm interested in, I snap it up.

It can make for a tall "to read" pile, though.

The latest example of a successful find using this method is Nancy Marie Brown's The Abacus and the Cross: The Story of the Pope Who Brought the Light of Science to the Dark Ages (believe me, I won't be typing all of that again). It's a great history of a period that I know nothing about. It's also a scientific history, and a biography of a man named Gerbert who later became Pope Sylvester II. All rolled into one! How can you go wrong with that?

Brown is a science author, but she's changed hats slightly to take on a historical biography. It's still very heavily-oriented toward the Math, though. Enough so that it might turn you off. Sticking with it bears fruit, though, if you're interested in the time period right around 1000 AD.

She also manages to put some historical myths to rest as well.

From my reviewon Curled Up:

"First thing, she puts to rest the common impression that people throughout the Christian world mortally feared the coming of the year 1000 as the time when Christ would return and the Apocalypse would ensue. While some feared that, the impression that this was widespread does not appear to be true. She opens the book discussing this; instead of dealing with this coming calamity, Pope Sylvester is instead writing a letter about the best method of finding the area of a triangle.

In writing Gerbert's biography, Brown also attempts to dispel the notion that the Dark Ages were completely overrun by superstition and ignorance. Religious institutions housed scholars who explored the world of mathematics and science, including Gerbert's creation of the abacus. There were interactions between the Islamic and Christian worlds, so Gerbert and others were exposed to many ancient works of mathematics and science housed in Baghdad and other repositories."

The book is a solid biography and well worth reading for those so inclined.

Let me know what you think!

(Nobody ever lets me know what they think...)

Is the word "lurk" a Bad Thing?

2011-11-02T08:06:00.000-07:00

What do you think of when you hear the word "lurk?" Does it give you the willies as you imagine some dark stranger hiding out in your house? Or do you think of somebody who reads, but doesn't post, to a discussion forum? People who read discussion forums but don't bother to contribute to them are called "lurkers."

Merriam-Webster actually has both definitions.

Yesterday I was in a discussion where somebody used the term "lurker" to mean the latter, to be a member of a site but not actually contribute to it, at least right away. He said that she would be "lurking" on the site. It made a couple of the women in the discussion uncomfortable, and a mini-discussion about the word started. I came out and said that, having been on the Internet almost since its inception, the word "lurker" doesn't mean anything bad to me, unless the context of that use demands it, of course. If somebody tells me that an evil-looking guy is hanging around the school lurking in the corner, then obviously that's bad.

But just the word itself? Especially used in the context which it's been used for the Internet for years?

It just struck me as odd.

I was even told by one of the women that "if you were a woman, you'd understand."

That may be, but I don't think so. Who knows? Maybe I would.

So I'd like to throw this out there to all of you.

Is the word "lurking" a bad thing, in and of itself? With all context removed? (Even though I think the context was plain anyway)

Now, if you've never heard of the Internet "lurking" definition, then your opinion may be skewed. I'd still like to hear your viewpoint, though.

It's weird how we can be completely blind-sided sometimes, discovering the weird permutations of something that we've been doing or saying for years.

(edited to clarify that I'm mainly talking about the *word* "lurk," not the act of lurking in general. Sorry for the confusion!)

Book Review - Battle for the City of the Dead

2011-11-01T07:56:00.000-07:00

There are already tons of books out there about the US presence in Iraq, from the war to what happened after the invasion was successful. I'm sure there will be many more.

Many of them are either for or against the invasion, though there are some books that are just accounts of a certain situation there.

Those are the most enjoyable, I think.

I just read and reviewed on of those books, Dick Camp's Battle for the City of the Dead. It tells the story of the month-long battle with the Sadr Militia in the Shiite holy city of Najaf, in August 2004. There are no politics in this book whatsoever. The closest it comes is frustration with the rules of engagement, when Militia snipers were using mosques as sniper points because they knew the Americans couldn't fire back out of respect for religious sensibilities.

This is a straightforward "what happened, day to day" account of the battle, and it's a marvelous book.

My review's now up on Curled Up With a Good Book.

"In 2004, the Iraqi government was in disarray. The Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) and the US military were at odds about how to end the violence partially caused by the disbanding of the Iraqi army after the end of the invasion. Disgruntled ex-soldiers were looking for ways to strike back, and religious leaders clamored for resistance to the "occupation force." Muqtada al-Sadr used this chaos to make a power play from his Najaf base, a holy Shiite city with the Golden Dome mosque and massive, ancient cemetery. The US military was brought in to shut him down."

Camp is a retired Marine, so his respect for all of those involved in the battle comes through greatly.

I'll let you read the review for the rest, but all I can say is that if you have any interest in the military happenings in Iraq, then this is a great book for you.

Check out the review, and let me know what you think.