Tell me now,
Me I be Fela, I be Black Power Man
Me I be Fela, I be Black Power Man
I go bend my yansh I go shit
I go commot away from the shit
The shit go be the last thing wey I go like to see
Not be so for some fools way I know
Not be so for some stupid people I know
Not be so for some fools wey I know
People wey go like to quench your soul
People wey go like to quench your soul
Them go use your shit to put you for jail
And don tell my shit too expensive shit
My shit no exhibit, it must not cost you
And don tell my shit too expensive shit
My shit na exhibit it must not cost you
Saturday, January 24, 2015
Thursday, January 8, 2015
unfinished essay (2001/2 vintage)
RESEARCH SKILL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM
KEY POINTS.
THE POINT.
This is an effort at understanding how research skills in the
mathematical sciences can be acquired by students.
WHO WE ARE.
We are students at a state-funded liberal arts college based in
Sarasota, Florida. Our school is called New College. The
emphasis of the program at New College is self-directed learning.
SELF-DIRECTED LEARNING.
Since people have free will and learn from experience, self-directed
learning could be said to take place wherever people engage in
any activity. However, this view is unfounded, and the implication
is false. Unstructured learning is more accurately undirected.
If learning is structured, say by a teacher, this does not imply
that it is self-directed, even given the free will of the learner
to participate. The choice to participate in learning is not the
same as directing the learning. Structure can impose the direction
on a (passive) learner. This does not mean that the presence of a
teacher or a system to learn implies that the student's learning
is not self-directed. The criterion we are looking for is that the
student have an active, ongoing and purposive role in deciding the
structure of his/her/its [e.g. in the case of computer programs]
learning environment. A teacher must be informed by and responsive
to the student's feedback, or the learning the student does under
that teacher's instruction is not self-directed.
INTEGRATION OF RESEARCH AND EDUCATION.
In deciding upon a course of study, it behooves the student,
as he/she/it examines a potential activity, to consider questions
such as these, with the utmost care:
* What is the intellectual merit of the proposed activity?
* Is there sufficient access to resources?
* How well-conceived and organized is the proposed activity?
* To what extent does the proposed activity suggest and
explore creative and original concepts?
* To what extent will it enhance possibilities for future work?
* What are the broader impacts of the proposed activity?
* What is the product?
If these questions are addressed well, the student will enter
upon a focused program and will have already at the beginning
devised a coherent plan for its satisfactory completion.
Furthermore, the product is likely to be a net benefit to society.
The idea of traditional education is that it is the student,
with an increased knowledge and skill base, who constitutes
the product. His/her/its knowledge and skills (upon exiting
the educational program) are valued by society, and he/she/it
is willing to put forth during the program a commensurate amount
of blood, sweat, and tears (not to mention tuition and time) to
extract the valuable knowledge and skills. In scientific fields,
one of these skills is supposed to be the ability to do research.
The idea that "the best proof of someone's research ability is
the research they have done" has played a significant role in the
way scientific education, and the scientific enterprise, has
been run in recent years. Research experience at the undergraduate
level is one of the top criteria considered by graduate programs
in science when they decide which candidates to admit. It is not
without reason, then, that national programs for undergraduate
researchers (most notably, the National Science Foundation's
Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) summer programs)
are highly competitive, taking only the best qualified applicants
nationwide. Many technical and land-grant universities have
internally- or industry-funded Undergraduate Research Opportunities
Programs (UROP) which offer financial awards to undergraduate
students, which enable them to collaborate with faculty on
specialized research projects in their joint field of interest,
or to do original work on their won. These programs make it
possible for students to make research a part of their background.
In particular, such programs give students a chance to see what it
is like to work on open problems (usually the problems devised
by the program administrator or principal investigator; occasionally
on questions proposed by the student researchers themselves). It
goes without saying that such experiences are typically only part
of the curriculum. The NSF's vision of integrating research and
education is to have individuals concurrently assume responsibilities
as researchers, educators, and students, where all engage in joint
efforts that infuse education with the excitement of discovery and
enrich research through the diversity of learning perspectives.
The benefits of such a system are manifold. It is however very
difficult to implement in most educational contexts. A place
like New College, where the culture already is disposed towards
student self-direction, may be unique in its ability to foster
an undergraduate scientific curriculum based primarily on research.
The questions listed at the beginning of this section are the
questions a research must answer when initiating a research program
for undergraduates. (They were lifted from the NSF's summary of how
they review REU proposals.) By pointing out here that the same
questions are the natural questions for a student to ask when
considering how to invest his/her/its time and energy, we mean
to point to the unique possibility afforded the self-directed
learner, namely: he/she/it can act as a researcher, an educator,
and a student concurretnly, and, to a degree that is possible for
very few, harmoniously.
RESEARCH AS A WAY OF LIFE (ADDITIONAL REVIEW CRITERIA SPECIFIC TO REU).
There are other criteria considered by the NSF, for example, the
qualifications of the person who proposes the research project.
This is prima facia difficult for undergraduates to fulfil
satisfactorily.
Additional criteria:
* The appropriateness and value of the educational experience for teh
student participants, particularly the appropriateness of the research
project(s) for undergraduate involvement and the nature of student
participation in these activities.
* The quality of the research environment, including the record of the
mentor(s) with undergraduate research participation, the facilities,
and the professional development opportunities.
* Appropriateness of the student recruitment and selection plan,
including plans for involving students from underrepresented groups
and from institutions with limited research opportunities.
* Quality of plans for student preparation and follow-through designed
to promote continuation of student interest and involvement in
research.
* For REU sites, effectiveness of institutional commitment and of plans
for managing the project and evaluating outcomes.
ELEMENTS OF MATHEMATICS
* sets
* logic
* algorithms
* probability
* groups
* rings
* fields
* vector spaces and linear maps
* functions
* series
* topology
* calculus and applications (ODE, PDE, differential geometry)
HELPFUL (SOME WOULD SAY NECESSARY) SUPPLEMENTS
* physical science
* writing skills
* computer skills
* some semblance of background in philosophy and/or literature
INTEGRATING DIVERSITY INTO NSF PROGRAMS, PROJECTS, AND ACTIVITIES
Broadening opportunities and enabling the participation of all
citizens -- women and men, underrepresented minorities, and
persons with disabilities -- is essential to the health
and vitality of science and engineering.
KEY POINTS.
THE POINT.
This is an effort at understanding how research skills in the
mathematical sciences can be acquired by students.
WHO WE ARE.
We are students at a state-funded liberal arts college based in
Sarasota, Florida. Our school is called New College. The
emphasis of the program at New College is self-directed learning.
SELF-DIRECTED LEARNING.
Since people have free will and learn from experience, self-directed
learning could be said to take place wherever people engage in
any activity. However, this view is unfounded, and the implication
is false. Unstructured learning is more accurately undirected.
If learning is structured, say by a teacher, this does not imply
that it is self-directed, even given the free will of the learner
to participate. The choice to participate in learning is not the
same as directing the learning. Structure can impose the direction
on a (passive) learner. This does not mean that the presence of a
teacher or a system to learn implies that the student's learning
is not self-directed. The criterion we are looking for is that the
student have an active, ongoing and purposive role in deciding the
structure of his/her/its [e.g. in the case of computer programs]
learning environment. A teacher must be informed by and responsive
to the student's feedback, or the learning the student does under
that teacher's instruction is not self-directed.
INTEGRATION OF RESEARCH AND EDUCATION.
In deciding upon a course of study, it behooves the student,
as he/she/it examines a potential activity, to consider questions
such as these, with the utmost care:
* What is the intellectual merit of the proposed activity?
* Is there sufficient access to resources?
* How well-conceived and organized is the proposed activity?
* To what extent does the proposed activity suggest and
explore creative and original concepts?
* To what extent will it enhance possibilities for future work?
* What are the broader impacts of the proposed activity?
* What is the product?
If these questions are addressed well, the student will enter
upon a focused program and will have already at the beginning
devised a coherent plan for its satisfactory completion.
Furthermore, the product is likely to be a net benefit to society.
The idea of traditional education is that it is the student,
with an increased knowledge and skill base, who constitutes
the product. His/her/its knowledge and skills (upon exiting
the educational program) are valued by society, and he/she/it
is willing to put forth during the program a commensurate amount
of blood, sweat, and tears (not to mention tuition and time) to
extract the valuable knowledge and skills. In scientific fields,
one of these skills is supposed to be the ability to do research.
The idea that "the best proof of someone's research ability is
the research they have done" has played a significant role in the
way scientific education, and the scientific enterprise, has
been run in recent years. Research experience at the undergraduate
level is one of the top criteria considered by graduate programs
in science when they decide which candidates to admit. It is not
without reason, then, that national programs for undergraduate
researchers (most notably, the National Science Foundation's
Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) summer programs)
are highly competitive, taking only the best qualified applicants
nationwide. Many technical and land-grant universities have
internally- or industry-funded Undergraduate Research Opportunities
Programs (UROP) which offer financial awards to undergraduate
students, which enable them to collaborate with faculty on
specialized research projects in their joint field of interest,
or to do original work on their won. These programs make it
possible for students to make research a part of their background.
In particular, such programs give students a chance to see what it
is like to work on open problems (usually the problems devised
by the program administrator or principal investigator; occasionally
on questions proposed by the student researchers themselves). It
goes without saying that such experiences are typically only part
of the curriculum. The NSF's vision of integrating research and
education is to have individuals concurrently assume responsibilities
as researchers, educators, and students, where all engage in joint
efforts that infuse education with the excitement of discovery and
enrich research through the diversity of learning perspectives.
The benefits of such a system are manifold. It is however very
difficult to implement in most educational contexts. A place
like New College, where the culture already is disposed towards
student self-direction, may be unique in its ability to foster
an undergraduate scientific curriculum based primarily on research.
The questions listed at the beginning of this section are the
questions a research must answer when initiating a research program
for undergraduates. (They were lifted from the NSF's summary of how
they review REU proposals.) By pointing out here that the same
questions are the natural questions for a student to ask when
considering how to invest his/her/its time and energy, we mean
to point to the unique possibility afforded the self-directed
learner, namely: he/she/it can act as a researcher, an educator,
and a student concurretnly, and, to a degree that is possible for
very few, harmoniously.
RESEARCH AS A WAY OF LIFE (ADDITIONAL REVIEW CRITERIA SPECIFIC TO REU).
There are other criteria considered by the NSF, for example, the
qualifications of the person who proposes the research project.
This is prima facia difficult for undergraduates to fulfil
satisfactorily.
Additional criteria:
* The appropriateness and value of the educational experience for teh
student participants, particularly the appropriateness of the research
project(s) for undergraduate involvement and the nature of student
participation in these activities.
* The quality of the research environment, including the record of the
mentor(s) with undergraduate research participation, the facilities,
and the professional development opportunities.
* Appropriateness of the student recruitment and selection plan,
including plans for involving students from underrepresented groups
and from institutions with limited research opportunities.
* Quality of plans for student preparation and follow-through designed
to promote continuation of student interest and involvement in
research.
* For REU sites, effectiveness of institutional commitment and of plans
for managing the project and evaluating outcomes.
ELEMENTS OF MATHEMATICS
* sets
* logic
* algorithms
* probability
* groups
* rings
* fields
* vector spaces and linear maps
* functions
* series
* topology
* calculus and applications (ODE, PDE, differential geometry)
HELPFUL (SOME WOULD SAY NECESSARY) SUPPLEMENTS
* physical science
* writing skills
* computer skills
* some semblance of background in philosophy and/or literature
INTEGRATING DIVERSITY INTO NSF PROGRAMS, PROJECTS, AND ACTIVITIES
Broadening opportunities and enabling the participation of all
citizens -- women and men, underrepresented minorities, and
persons with disabilities -- is essential to the health
and vitality of science and engineering.
Monday, December 29, 2014
from pornosec to eternity
But, I know, that to possess her. Is, therefore, not to desire her. Oh then, that lil' girl would just have to go. Go! Go
Oh, ghastly rubbish. They're boring, really. They only have six plots, but they swap them round a bit. Of course I was only on the kaleidoscopes. I was never in the Rewrite squad.
Oh, ghastly rubbish. They're boring, really. They only have six plots, but they swap them round a bit. Of course I was only on the kaleidoscopes. I was never in the Rewrite squad.
Wednesday, December 3, 2014
Dialogue
«The echo of the question and answer at the beginning of the music creates a style of elegance and freedom. Then the thematic tone begins to change. The continuous addition of new tones carves out a hermit of unrestrained character. The strong acoustics and the split rhythms are comparable to the hacking sounds of the woodcutter.»
«What do you seek?»
«Many oaks and a thatched cottage...»
«What do you seek?»
«Many oaks and a thatched cottage...»
Saturday, November 29, 2014
sex/life
«The life of sexuality is the best, the noblest, the greatest opposition
against the drive for divisions. This is demonstrated most clearly in
cooperation between the conflicting social classes for the sake of
production. That which belongs together is torn apart at some point and
desires to be together once again with itself. Love (philia) has the
will to overcome the rule of strife: [Empedocles] calls her Philotes,
Affection, Cyprus, Aphrodite, and Harmonia[.] Innermost to this drive
is the search for equality: with inequality for everyone, Aversion
arises; with equality for all, want.» F. Nietzsche, THE PRE-PLATONIC
PHILOSOPHERS
against the drive for divisions. This is demonstrated most clearly in
cooperation between the conflicting social classes for the sake of
production. That which belongs together is torn apart at some point and
desires to be together once again with itself. Love (philia) has the
will to overcome the rule of strife: [Empedocles] calls her Philotes,
Affection, Cyprus, Aphrodite, and Harmonia[.] Innermost to this drive
is the search for equality: with inequality for everyone, Aversion
arises; with equality for all, want.» F. Nietzsche, THE PRE-PLATONIC
PHILOSOPHERS
Wednesday, November 26, 2014
essentially contested
«And yet perhaps, after all, it is better for a country that its seats
of learning should do more to suppress mental growth than to encourage
it. Were it not for a certain priggishness which these places infuse
into so great a number of their alumni, genuine work would become
dangerously common. It is essential that by far the greater part of
what is said or done in the world should be so ephemeral as to take
itself away quickly; it should keep good for twenty-four hours, or even
twice as long, but it should not be good enough a week hence to prevent
people from going on to something else. No doubt the marvellous
development of journalism in England, as also the fact that our seats of
learning aim rather at fostering mediocrity than anything higher, is due
to our subconscious recognition of the fact that it is even more
necessary to check exuberance of mental development than to encourage
it. There can be no doubt that this is what our academic bodies do, and
they do it the more effectually because they do it only subconsciously.
They think they are advancing healthy mental assimilation and digestion,
whereas in reality they are little better than cancer in the stomach.»
of learning should do more to suppress mental growth than to encourage
it. Were it not for a certain priggishness which these places infuse
into so great a number of their alumni, genuine work would become
dangerously common. It is essential that by far the greater part of
what is said or done in the world should be so ephemeral as to take
itself away quickly; it should keep good for twenty-four hours, or even
twice as long, but it should not be good enough a week hence to prevent
people from going on to something else. No doubt the marvellous
development of journalism in England, as also the fact that our seats of
learning aim rather at fostering mediocrity than anything higher, is due
to our subconscious recognition of the fact that it is even more
necessary to check exuberance of mental development than to encourage
it. There can be no doubt that this is what our academic bodies do, and
they do it the more effectually because they do it only subconsciously.
They think they are advancing healthy mental assimilation and digestion,
whereas in reality they are little better than cancer in the stomach.»
Monday, November 24, 2014
erewhonian rhapsody
«In the following chapter I will give a few examples of the way in which
what we should call misfortune, hardship, or disease are dealt with by
the Erewhonians, but for the moment will return to their treatment of
cases that with us are criminal. As I have already said, these, though
not judicially punishable, are recognised as requiring correction.
Accordingly, there exists a class of men trained in soul-craft, whom
they call straighteners, as nearly as I can translate a word which
literally means "one who bends back the crooked." These men practise
much as medical men in England, and receive a quasi-surreptitious fee on
every visit. They are treated with the same unreserve, and obeyed as
readily, as our own doctors—that is to say, on the whole
sufficiently—because people know that it is their interest to get well
as soon as they can, and that they will not be scouted as they would be
if their bodies were out of order, even though they may have to undergo
a very painful course of treatment.»
«There is one remedy for this, and one only. It is that which the
laws of this country have long received and acted upon, and consists
in the sternest repression of all diseases whatsoever, as soon as
their existence is made manifest to the eye of the law.»
«You may say that it is your misfortune to be criminal; I answer that
it is your crime to be unfortunate.»
«Lastly, I should point out that [...] the more you had been found guiltless of the crime imputed to you, the more you would have been found guilty of one hardly less heinous—I mean the crime of having been maligned unjustly.»
«What is responsibility? Surely to be responsible means to be liable
to have to give an answer should it be demanded, and all things which
live are responsible for their lives and actions should society see
fit to question them through the mouth of its authorised agent.»
what we should call misfortune, hardship, or disease are dealt with by
the Erewhonians, but for the moment will return to their treatment of
cases that with us are criminal. As I have already said, these, though
not judicially punishable, are recognised as requiring correction.
Accordingly, there exists a class of men trained in soul-craft, whom
they call straighteners, as nearly as I can translate a word which
literally means "one who bends back the crooked." These men practise
much as medical men in England, and receive a quasi-surreptitious fee on
every visit. They are treated with the same unreserve, and obeyed as
readily, as our own doctors—that is to say, on the whole
sufficiently—because people know that it is their interest to get well
as soon as they can, and that they will not be scouted as they would be
if their bodies were out of order, even though they may have to undergo
a very painful course of treatment.»
«There is one remedy for this, and one only. It is that which the
laws of this country have long received and acted upon, and consists
in the sternest repression of all diseases whatsoever, as soon as
their existence is made manifest to the eye of the law.»
«You may say that it is your misfortune to be criminal; I answer that
it is your crime to be unfortunate.»
«Lastly, I should point out that [...] the more you had been found guiltless of the crime imputed to you, the more you would have been found guilty of one hardly less heinous—I mean the crime of having been maligned unjustly.»
«What is responsibility? Surely to be responsible means to be liable
to have to give an answer should it be demanded, and all things which
live are responsible for their lives and actions should society see
fit to question them through the mouth of its authorised agent.»
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)