Category Archives: Education

2 Higher Education Readings

Posted on May 20, 2013 by

Fenster writes. CS50x is not the new Acura model.  It is Harvard’s Introduction to Computer Science course, the one it offered free as part of its EdX initiative. CS50x is Harvard College’s introduction to the intellectual enterprises of computer science … Continue reading →

Posted in Education, Technology | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Letter from China: Google Translate

Posted on May 13, 2013 by

Fenster writes: The level of English comprehension among my Chinese students is far above the level of Chinese comprehension among American students of Chinese.  But it is not great, and I have been thinking about how to make my lectures … Continue reading →

Posted in Education, Technology | Tagged | Leave a comment

Linkage

Posted on May 7, 2013 by

Blowhard, Esq. writes: Do you know more about science and technology than the average American? Take this 13-question quiz to find out. (I got 12/13. I couldn’t remember if it was hydrogen or nitrogen.) The Human Genome Project just celebrated … Continue reading →

Posted in Education, Linkathons, Movies, Politics and Economics, Science | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Things I’ve Learned from World History

Posted on March 26, 2013 by

Fabrizio del Wrongo writes: As I mentioned way back here, I’ve been avoiding television and radio in an effort to wean myself from idiocy. As part of that effort, I’ve been partaking of some of the Great Courses offered by The Teaching Company. … Continue reading →

Posted in Books Publishing and Writing, Education, Philosophy and Religion, Politics and Economics | Tagged , , , , | 29 Comments

Anthropology Update

Posted on March 15, 2013 by

Fenster writes: Here is an interesting account of the controversies surrounding the anthropologist Napoleon Chagnon, famous for his studies of the fierce Yanamamo people of the Amazon jungle.  And here’s his page on . . . uh . . . … Continue reading →

Posted in Education | 3 Comments

Quote of the Day

Posted on March 9, 2013 by

Blowhard, Esq. writes: God bless the straightforward writer, and God bless those with the ability to amuse, provoke, surprise, shock, appall. The purpose of literature is to Delight. To create or endorse the Scholastic is a craven desire. It may … Continue reading →

Posted in Books Publishing and Writing, Education | Tagged , | 1 Comment

News from the Academy

Posted on March 5, 2013 by

Fenster writes: From the Chronicle of Higher Education: The interim dean of Saint Louis University’s law school is stepping down after making a series of controversial comments, saying that he is too politically incorrect for the job, according to the St. … Continue reading →

Posted in Education | 6 Comments

Diversity Musing

Posted on February 28, 2013 by

Paleo Retiree writes: I’m gobsmacked on a day-to-day basis by how completely the country has devoted itself to the cause of “diversity.” As though it’s automatically and everywhere a Good Thing, if not the one and only Magic Cure to … Continue reading →

Posted in Demographics, Education, Personal reflections, Politics and Economics | Tagged | 11 Comments

I Graduated from a Monkey Prison

Posted on February 19, 2013 by

Blowhard, Esq. writes: In 1972, Conquest of the Planet of the Apes, the fourth installment in the series, was released. When the film begins, humans have enslaved the apes. During the course of the movie, the apes rise up in revolution … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Education, Movies, Photography | Tagged , , , , , , | 15 Comments

Getting the Best Out of People: Freedom v. Control

Posted on February 15, 2013 by

Blowhard, Esq. writes: Seth Roberts, formerly of Berkeley and now professor at Tsinghua University in Beijing, decided to stop grading his students. He writes: The more freedom I gave my students, the more difficult it became to grade them. At … Continue reading →

Posted in Education, Movies, Television | Tagged , , , , , , | 4 Comments