«These are not so different from crowded apartments that cater to
immigrants. But many tenants are here not so much for the cheap rent —
$40 a night — as for the camaraderie and idea-swapping. And potential
tenants are screened to make sure they will contribute to the mix.
Justin Carden, a 29-year-old software engineer who is staying in
another hostel, in Menlo Park, while working on a biotech start-up,
talks about the place as if it were Stanford. "The intellectual
stimulation you get from being here is unparalleled," Mr. Carden said.
"If you're wanting to do something to change the world and make it a
fundamentally better place, you need to be around the right people." »
-- http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/06/technology/at-hacker-hostels-living-on-the-cheap-and-dreaming-of-digital-glory.html?_r=1&pagewanted=all
Cheap, at $40 per night? Ha ha, my rent is only $12/night. Hm...
what am I saying? Back at the H-------- it was $11.66, and I had more
space and a generally nicer atmosphere (periodic wafts of second hand
smoke of various sorts notwithstanding). Then that got cut in half
when I split the place with Odette!. $5.83 per night. And I'm STILL
getting cash benefits in the form of my latest Tax Return. Those were
the days... $5.83 per night.
«You want to tell me what this is all about?» -- Michelle Pfeiffer as
LouAnne Johnson, "Gangster's Paradise", intro
«["Dangerous Minds"] pretends to show poor black kids being bribed
into literacy by Dylan and candy bars, but actually it is the
crossover white audience that is being bribed with mind-candy in the
form of safe words by the two Dylans. What are the chances this movie
could have been made with Michelle Pfeiffer hooking the kids on the
lyrics of Ice Cube or Snoop Doggy Dogg?» -- Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun
Times, quoted on Wikipedia
Friday, July 6, 2012
Wednesday, July 4, 2012
the GIT & the Pendulum effect (repost w/ mods from OER-Discuss)
Amber Thomas> So maybe I've fallen victim to my own observed
phenomena, for the sake of a pun. I live and learn.
If so, you made a very interesting choice of pun material. Consider
this quote from http://www.angelfire.com/me2/artgirl/alterton.html :
«In the case of the incident dealing with the pendulum Poe's following
of Llorente is even more exact. In both, a prisoner of the Inquisition
lies, tightly bound, in the path of a slowly descending pendulum. In
both, the prisoner endures mental agony, as he eyes the keen-cutting
edge, coming nearer and nearer. Both descriptions dwell on a
threatened slow-cutting process. In Llorente, the pendulum was to cut
"the skin of the nose and gradually" to cut on "until life is
extinct." In Poe the pendulum is to cut through the region of the
heart. In both, the prisoner is rescued from this particular torture.
Poe has here strictly adhered to the outline of horrors found in the
Llorente material. He, however, vivifies the bare outline by adding to
it painful sensations of sound, smell, taste, and color. For example,
he points the rod of the pendulum with a flashing steel crescent and
thus describes its descent as it "hisses through the air." [...] The
foregoing evidence shows Poe's manifest dependence on the Llorente
material for the opening and closing scenes in his story, as well as
for the horrible incident dealing with the pendulum.»
Moral: people have been "sharing" (borrowing, stealing, improving...
whatever you want to call it -- since forever). Indeed "simple tech
is all they need to get started" (Scott Leslie). But for huge
multitudes of reasons, it seems woefully inadequate to "just share"
without "understand[ing...] more about individuals' interconnecting
workflows" (Lorna Campbell).
Scott's rhetorical use of dichotomy is interesting: "We share with
people, they share with 'Institutions'" (etc.). The key quote:
«The institutional approach, in my experience, is driven by people who
will end up not being the ones doing the actual sharing nor producing
what is to be shared.»
That's the heart of what David Boud and Alison Lee term the
"provisionist" approach to higher education, in what I think to be a
really essential paper [1]. But as Scott continues, the notion of
"levels" (and thus dichotomies) starts "to get a bit woobly" when we
consider sharing as the *natural state* of humans, the question being
what is shared, and how.
Indeed, why should we think that "sharing" is in some way "special" or
"exceptional" or even interesting? Isn't it rather the opposite, that
any mechanisms that are in place to prevent sharing are the strange
and interesting exceptions (from the human point of view)?
Particularly since these mechanisms are often embodied in "simple
tech" (e.g. the classic examples are walls and fences; a contemporary
example would be copyright and licenses).
I would suggest to go beyond Lorna's call to understand
interconnecting workflows, but really to try and understand
interconnecting resource landscapes in a deep way (including for
example, play, waste, non-human factors, etc.). I think this can only
be done by the people "doing the sharing and producing" -- but, this
time, without dichotomizing. As Walt Kelly put it, we have met the
enemy, and he is us.
[1]: Boud, D. and Lee, A. (2005). 'Peer learning' as pedagogic
discourse for research education. Studies in Higher Education,
30(5):501–516.
PS. Happy Independence Day (US).
PPS. «[K]eel effect is the contribution of the side forces to dihedral
effect. [...] Dihedral effect is the amount of roll moment produced
per degree (or radian) of sideslip [...] The sideslip angle beta is
essentially the directional angle of attack of the airplane [...] Keel
effect is also called "Pendulum Effect" because a lower center of
gravity increases the effect of sideways forces (above the center of
gravity) in producing a rolling moment. This is because the moment arm
is longer, not because of gravitational forces. A low center of
gravity is like a pendulum (which has a very low center of gravity).»
--http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keel_effect and various.
phenomena, for the sake of a pun. I live and learn.
If so, you made a very interesting choice of pun material. Consider
this quote from http://www.angelfire.com/me2/artgirl/alterton.html :
«In the case of the incident dealing with the pendulum Poe's following
of Llorente is even more exact. In both, a prisoner of the Inquisition
lies, tightly bound, in the path of a slowly descending pendulum. In
both, the prisoner endures mental agony, as he eyes the keen-cutting
edge, coming nearer and nearer. Both descriptions dwell on a
threatened slow-cutting process. In Llorente, the pendulum was to cut
"the skin of the nose and gradually" to cut on "until life is
extinct." In Poe the pendulum is to cut through the region of the
heart. In both, the prisoner is rescued from this particular torture.
Poe has here strictly adhered to the outline of horrors found in the
Llorente material. He, however, vivifies the bare outline by adding to
it painful sensations of sound, smell, taste, and color. For example,
he points the rod of the pendulum with a flashing steel crescent and
thus describes its descent as it "hisses through the air." [...] The
foregoing evidence shows Poe's manifest dependence on the Llorente
material for the opening and closing scenes in his story, as well as
for the horrible incident dealing with the pendulum.»
Moral: people have been "sharing" (borrowing, stealing, improving...
whatever you want to call it -- since forever). Indeed "simple tech
is all they need to get started" (Scott Leslie). But for huge
multitudes of reasons, it seems woefully inadequate to "just share"
without "understand[ing...] more about individuals' interconnecting
workflows" (Lorna Campbell).
Scott's rhetorical use of dichotomy is interesting: "We share with
people, they share with 'Institutions'" (etc.). The key quote:
«The institutional approach, in my experience, is driven by people who
will end up not being the ones doing the actual sharing nor producing
what is to be shared.»
That's the heart of what David Boud and Alison Lee term the
"provisionist" approach to higher education, in what I think to be a
really essential paper [1]. But as Scott continues, the notion of
"levels" (and thus dichotomies) starts "to get a bit woobly" when we
consider sharing as the *natural state* of humans, the question being
what is shared, and how.
Indeed, why should we think that "sharing" is in some way "special" or
"exceptional" or even interesting? Isn't it rather the opposite, that
any mechanisms that are in place to prevent sharing are the strange
and interesting exceptions (from the human point of view)?
Particularly since these mechanisms are often embodied in "simple
tech" (e.g. the classic examples are walls and fences; a contemporary
example would be copyright and licenses).
I would suggest to go beyond Lorna's call to understand
interconnecting workflows, but really to try and understand
interconnecting resource landscapes in a deep way (including for
example, play, waste, non-human factors, etc.). I think this can only
be done by the people "doing the sharing and producing" -- but, this
time, without dichotomizing. As Walt Kelly put it, we have met the
enemy, and he is us.
[1]: Boud, D. and Lee, A. (2005). 'Peer learning' as pedagogic
discourse for research education. Studies in Higher Education,
30(5):501–516.
PS. Happy Independence Day (US).
PPS. «[K]eel effect is the contribution of the side forces to dihedral
effect. [...] Dihedral effect is the amount of roll moment produced
per degree (or radian) of sideslip [...] The sideslip angle beta is
essentially the directional angle of attack of the airplane [...] Keel
effect is also called "Pendulum Effect" because a lower center of
gravity increases the effect of sideways forces (above the center of
gravity) in producing a rolling moment. This is because the moment arm
is longer, not because of gravitational forces. A low center of
gravity is like a pendulum (which has a very low center of gravity).»
--http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keel_effect and various.
Monday, July 2, 2012
creole atlantis
«Inspired by the tall figure of Boukman (a slave who could read? =
bookman?) the slaves struck for freedom – and won, in the first great
successful slave uprising. Armies sent against them were all defeated:
when French troops were sent against them under Napoleon the Haitians
sang La Marseillaise to tell their opponents that they were on the
wrong side. The black slaves freed themselves under Toussaint
L'Ouverture, and others – making the principles of revolutionary
freedom truly universal as nothing else could. Overthrowing Kings and
Slave owners was only the start. Those principles amount to more than
being ruled by elites, who deign sometimes to have their rule over us
ceremonially reaffirmed in elections. What came to be known as the
'Tennis Court Oath' – when the 'Third Estate' (the commoners) swore an
oath not to allow themselves to be dissolved until they had forged a
free constitution for the French people – shares its world-historical
importance with the uprising in Haiti.» -- cf. Slavoj Zizek's First as
Tragedy, Then as Farce (2009)
Roundtripping part of http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coriolanus through
Google Translate:
Play in the open in Rome a short time after the expulsion of the
Tarquin kings. There revolt in progress, after the store of grain was
preventing ordinary citizens. The riots are particularly angry at
Caius marsyus, a brilliant Roman general who was to blame for taking
away the seed. Rioters found a noble calling Menenius Agrippa, as well
as Caius marsyus head. Menenius try to calm rioters, as they marsyus
is openly despises, and that plebeyen did not deserve to be single
because of the lack of military service. Two of them triben in Rome,
Brutus and Sicinius, private denounce marsyus. He left Rome after the
news arrived that a Volscian army in the field.
Was Volscian army, Tullus Aufidius, fought marsyus several occasions
and consider him an enemy without. Roman army is commanded by
Cominius, and as deputy marsyus him. While Cominius take his men meet
Aufidius', marsyus lead a rally against the Volscian city of Corioles.
Seats in Corioles is initially successful, but is marsyus can force
open the gates of the city, and the Romans conquered it. Even if he is
tired of the battle, marsyus pace quickly join forces in fight
Cominius Volscian other. Marsyus and Aufidius meet in single combat,
which only ended when the clean Aufidius' dragged her away from the
war.
In recognition of his great courage, Cominius to Caius marsyus
cognomen of "Coriolanus". When they return to Rome, the mother of
Coriolanus Volumnia 'encouraged his son to run council. Coriolanus is
reluctant to do this, but it will bow his mother. It effortlessly win
the support of the Roman Senate, and it seems at first that there were
people there. However, Brutus and conspiracy Sicinius defeat
Coriolanus and whip up a revolt in opposition to become consul him.
Was faced with this opposition, Coriolanus flies into a rage and rail
against the concept of popular rule. It allows comparison plebeyen
power on patrisyen that allow "Peck the rooster eagles here." Triben
of Coriolanus condemned as a traitor to his words, he ordered him to
be banned. Coriolanus replies that he is banned magistrates before
him.
After being deported from Rome, Coriolanus seeks out Aufidius in the
Volscian capital Antium, and offers from Aufidius kill him in order to
spite the country that banned it. No problems moving it, and honored
to fight and the general Aufidius, and the higher its embrace
Coriolanus, and allowed him lead a new assault on the city.
Rome, in his panic, trying desperately to convince Coriolanus stop
crusade for revenge, but also of Cominius and Menenius fail. Finally,
Volumnia is sent to meet with his son, wife Virgilia and Coriolanus'
son, and a gentlewoman Valeria girls. Volumnia successful disuade her
son from destroying Rome, Coriolanus and instead completed a peace
treaty between the Romans and the Volscians. Back when Coriolanus in
the Volscian capital, conspirators, organized by Aufidius, killed him
for treason him.
bookman?) the slaves struck for freedom – and won, in the first great
successful slave uprising. Armies sent against them were all defeated:
when French troops were sent against them under Napoleon the Haitians
sang La Marseillaise to tell their opponents that they were on the
wrong side. The black slaves freed themselves under Toussaint
L'Ouverture, and others – making the principles of revolutionary
freedom truly universal as nothing else could. Overthrowing Kings and
Slave owners was only the start. Those principles amount to more than
being ruled by elites, who deign sometimes to have their rule over us
ceremonially reaffirmed in elections. What came to be known as the
'Tennis Court Oath' – when the 'Third Estate' (the commoners) swore an
oath not to allow themselves to be dissolved until they had forged a
free constitution for the French people – shares its world-historical
importance with the uprising in Haiti.» -- cf. Slavoj Zizek's First as
Tragedy, Then as Farce (2009)
Roundtripping part of http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coriolanus through
Google Translate:
Play in the open in Rome a short time after the expulsion of the
Tarquin kings. There revolt in progress, after the store of grain was
preventing ordinary citizens. The riots are particularly angry at
Caius marsyus, a brilliant Roman general who was to blame for taking
away the seed. Rioters found a noble calling Menenius Agrippa, as well
as Caius marsyus head. Menenius try to calm rioters, as they marsyus
is openly despises, and that plebeyen did not deserve to be single
because of the lack of military service. Two of them triben in Rome,
Brutus and Sicinius, private denounce marsyus. He left Rome after the
news arrived that a Volscian army in the field.
Was Volscian army, Tullus Aufidius, fought marsyus several occasions
and consider him an enemy without. Roman army is commanded by
Cominius, and as deputy marsyus him. While Cominius take his men meet
Aufidius', marsyus lead a rally against the Volscian city of Corioles.
Seats in Corioles is initially successful, but is marsyus can force
open the gates of the city, and the Romans conquered it. Even if he is
tired of the battle, marsyus pace quickly join forces in fight
Cominius Volscian other. Marsyus and Aufidius meet in single combat,
which only ended when the clean Aufidius' dragged her away from the
war.
In recognition of his great courage, Cominius to Caius marsyus
cognomen of "Coriolanus". When they return to Rome, the mother of
Coriolanus Volumnia 'encouraged his son to run council. Coriolanus is
reluctant to do this, but it will bow his mother. It effortlessly win
the support of the Roman Senate, and it seems at first that there were
people there. However, Brutus and conspiracy Sicinius defeat
Coriolanus and whip up a revolt in opposition to become consul him.
Was faced with this opposition, Coriolanus flies into a rage and rail
against the concept of popular rule. It allows comparison plebeyen
power on patrisyen that allow "Peck the rooster eagles here." Triben
of Coriolanus condemned as a traitor to his words, he ordered him to
be banned. Coriolanus replies that he is banned magistrates before
him.
After being deported from Rome, Coriolanus seeks out Aufidius in the
Volscian capital Antium, and offers from Aufidius kill him in order to
spite the country that banned it. No problems moving it, and honored
to fight and the general Aufidius, and the higher its embrace
Coriolanus, and allowed him lead a new assault on the city.
Rome, in his panic, trying desperately to convince Coriolanus stop
crusade for revenge, but also of Cominius and Menenius fail. Finally,
Volumnia is sent to meet with his son, wife Virgilia and Coriolanus'
son, and a gentlewoman Valeria girls. Volumnia successful disuade her
son from destroying Rome, Coriolanus and instead completed a peace
treaty between the Romans and the Volscians. Back when Coriolanus in
the Volscian capital, conspirators, organized by Aufidius, killed him
for treason him.
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