Classroom Science Initiatives

It’s the last day of the sixth month of the tenth year of the twenty-first century.

Two links today, both from the New York Times and from the online writings of Jessica Z, among Chat’s favorites.

First, [http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/20/us/20ventura.html] A science fiction author who wrote about a book-burning future lends his name to helping a library survive.

He is almost 90 years old, and has interesting opinions about the electronic inter-connectedness of our lives, as well as institutions of higher learning, and apparently loves DVDs and his big flat screen. I wonder if he consulted with Arthur C. Clarke.

Second, [http://happydays.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/06/15/the-limits-of -control/] is about how an illusion of free will even in the most strictly restrained conditions helps in survival. Of course, there is partial denial here in the form of a fly hitting a glass window.

@@ Daily Leadership Lesson June 27: As you lead, always give hope. Don’t only give “facts” from your head, deliver hope from your heart.

My take on this: there are times when blind faith is useful. As I keep saying, “Expect (or work towards) the best, but plan for the worst.” Sure you can be optimistic and hope and dance your way towards it being sunny, but it wouldn’t hurt you (and inconvenience you much less) if you brought an umbrella, even a small one.

But it never helps to just give up in the face of seemingly overwhelming odds, instead of looking for the silver lining.

@@ June 28: the trouble with most of us is that we would rather be ruined by praise than saved by criticism. – Norman Vincent Peale

My take on this: there are some egos that are so fragile, that want to appear so perfect even though it’s an illusion, that any negative commentary on what they have been doing goes in one ear and out the other, and they would rather hear compliments from friends nonetheless, that they surround themselves with and to whom they perform similar back patting.

Going through the fire, after all, turns sand into glass, cooks food real well, and kills germs.

@@ June 30: My life shall touch a dozen lives before this day is done,
Leave countless marks for good or ill ere sets the evening sun;
This is the wish I always wish the prayer I always pray;
Lord, may my life help others lives it touches by the way. – Selected

My take on this: I personally experienced this last night, when one stranger’s unexpected assistance brightened up my day (and my week) immeasurably, and gave me the opportunity to help out that individual in return. And as “Avenue Q” puts it: “when you help others, you can’t help helping yourself.” It is a closed system of a planet, after all, that is round, so there’s nowhere for the good you do to go but back to you eventually.

There was no post last Saturday because that’s when fellow programmer Ryan and I watched “Transformers” and afterwards joined Justin, Chat, Lily and Henry to Ace Water Spa.

We only stayed for around two hours this time, but it was still very much worth it (despite there being more people than I had anticipated; I guess there are still a lot of people who are not paranoid over the swine flu) that I fell asleep comfortably in the bus afterwards.

Ryan and I talked about how we would probably avail of the membership if it were nearer, say the West Gate area.

And wouldn’t you know it, the idea of franchising something like that more convenient for me crossed my mind.

But let’s not count chickens before we get to the bridge where the eggs will be hatched.

@@ I thought I wasn’t going to get to post today, since it was a very busy morning and early afternoon with my classes, then in the late afternoon there was helping Leland with his visual basic numerical methods assignment, that I had to relearn all over again for Excel 2007.

Add to that that we were at a table facing the walkway of students in the main campus, and there were several distractions passing in front of us normally not seen in our neck of the woods.

This includes people in costume that we finally concluded was a trial for pep squad members.

@@ Besides that, Saturday night to the wee hours of Sunday morning were used test driving Chat’s old Mac that she lent me. Thanks, Chat! It took a while getting used to the keyboard controls, but this isn’t the first time I’ve used an Apple product, (I had the chance to use one during my first job at Global Computers Corporation, with its one-button mouse that gave me a version of carpal tunnel syndrome, and we’re talking 1990, while I was still a student and a mouse on a PC wasn’t standard yet).

Sunday was spent playing Picross on the DS, and closing the books on the best month yet for business.

I was also reading “Firefly” by Piers Anthony, a horror book written by someone I knew for his science fiction.

I can’t believe that up to this time I still have not been able to get his “Bio of a Space Tyrant” volumes, despite the fact that I saw them a lot (again) while I was still a student browsing the bookstores.

Maybe I’ll ask Justin, recently heavily into science fiction, to secure me a copy if he can.

So far the book is interesting in that the characters, as well as the developments in plot, are exceeding expectations. This is not your typical formulaic Stephen King scare book. Whether that novelty will lead to satisfaction up to the last page remains to be seen.

Such is the effect of pop culture and interconnectivity on us that everyone can express their own opinions about news that everyone can relate to. And it’s also interesting how there’s already a veneer of incredulity and skepticism initially (and again expressed for everyone to see the gut reactions) before reliable sources are linked to the real deal.

Are there still people out there who wish that whoever they are in contact with will read about it first from them?

Maybe it’s a throwback to being a part of a large mailing list (are there still those who participate in these?) where literally you can tell by the succession of posts who was the first to break with the headline. There may not be any prize involved, but there are those sorry individuals who drink up that kind of self satisfaction.

Reminds me of this outspoken person who was part of a mailing list I was active in way back at the start of the millennium.

He was the first one to post there about 9-11. And he said that he hoped there would be no heated discussion about the instigators and the consequences of the attack in that mailing list, and, here’s the kicker: he said, “Because…” then he proceeded to detail his own highly speculative but strong opinion about the matter.

@@ Ever had a text from someone so impatient that they first ask “hey, can you do this or that?” then, while you’re formulating your reply, there is a follow up text from them saying, “Please respond.”

There are two levels to this: first, it seems that what they’re saying between the lines is “you don’t answer my texts often enough to suit my needs, so make an exception this once.”

The second level is that even if you replied before you read the second text, they are going to believe that it was their pleading that made you answer back. So what’s the knee jerk reaction here?

If the second text is received before sending a reply, either delay the answer or not answer at all.

Or make it into a side note the next time you guys meet. That way, you are not controlled.

@@ Daily Leadership Lesson June 26: Here is a trustworthy saying: If anyone sets his heart on being an overseer, he desires a noble task. – 1 Timothy 3:1 NIV

My take on this: it depends. Some people want the overseer job because they want to be in the know on everything.

Some want it just for the title, or for what they believe to be the high pay, or the chance to rub elbows with those who they think are important people to be seen talking with.

But if the job is thankless, it’s voluntary, demands long hours, there is no chance for a commendation, and it is not high profile, then that’s the only time I believe it is a noble task.

Only the little kids have no classes today. That’s a relief because I had to take the shuttle from the northernmost point this morning, and if there would have been no integrated school students to pick up, I don’t think it would have pushed through.

@@ Several of the other teachers in college don’t have classes today, because they went to the book fair.

This time last year I would have gone with them. But last term has taught me the value of meeting with my students as much as I can, if I have a choice. It’s the basic contract of the class.

Besides, I’m sure they’ll be able to get the good books I would have picked out myself.

@@ The adviser of the integrated school science club approached me about having a stargazing session in the early evening sometime next month. I agreed, since it’s something I miss doing.

This is the session that has at least a one hour lecture beforehand about the constellations that they’re going to be seeing at that time, and this time, thanks to the “understanding by design” mandate of syllabus revision, I have passed on the job to my science elective students.

This is now the first of two research and presentation topics they’re supposed to have for this term that has the same amount of credit as their exams. What’s so different about it is that I already presented the material. I just want them to find new visuals to go with it.

@@ It’s sad (here I go again with that starting line) when people have to ask others to give them compliments and force them to say that what they’re doing is oh so great.

Will anyone tasked to go up to the stage and talk like that really say what they really feel about the waste of time?

@@ Maybe the typhoon warning was a sign not to go through with it anymore, but they missed the point because they so believed that what they were doing was so noble.

@@ I think the whole thing could have been replaced by a poster or a booklet and achieved the same results.

@@ Congratulations by the way to the new support staff association president: Ms. Pat from the Registrar’s.

Here’s to working well together in the future committees such as Christmas party and sports fest.

@@ Daily Leadership Lesson June 25: Set the course of your life by the three stars: sincerity, courage and unselfishness. From these flow a host of other virtues… He who follows them will obtain the highest type of success, that which lies in the esteem of others. – Dr. Monroe E. Deutsch

My take on this: it’s somewhat abstract and lofty, but I guess some will get it.

First post in three days. I’ll not say any reason for the lapse except that I wasn’t in school yesterday.

@@ Journal space now reserves about half the space for the first few lines of each post for an advertisement.

I’m just thankful I don’t have to read anything I write, because that would be irritating.

I’m also glad that I have an alternative to journal space, which is definitely not the same after the crash.

@@ I just came from the I-Roam seminar, participated in by teachers, students, staff and administrators.

Each team that visits the campuses is composed of a brother, a lay partner and student or young volunteer.

What the lay partner of this group announced though, who according to some people in the know is a vice chancellor of one of the campuses in the south, is that the overall leader of each team is the student.

@@ Of course, the college “owns” the campus again today because of the suspension of classes for the integrated school. What’s ironic is that if their classes had pushed through, they would have been in school only for half day anyway because their teachers were required to go to the I Roam. So either way, their teachers had to go to school.

@@ Daily Leadership Lesson June 21: Back of every noble life there are principles that have fashioned it. – George Lorimer

My take on this: it’s the small daily habits that make up the strong foundations of one’s successful life.

If one stresses out continuously over the little things, then there’s no way that same person can be suddenly strong in the face of big adversity and survive without a scratch.

The same thing is true how one is in school. One can’t balk against the system trying to teach them good practices to have in the workplace and use “We’ll apply that when we already have a job, but for now, let us have our freedom and our non-conformity.”

@@ June 23: If it is leadership, let him govern diligently; - Romans 12:8 NIV

My take on this: does it just mean leadership equals diligence? There might be some online bible interpretation site that could shed light on this, but I’m not going to link it here, since that would be just redirection and not really adding anything new to net content.

@@ June 24: I believe the first test of a truly great man is humility.- John Ruskin

My take on this: nothing to add. It already says it all. I just wish all DLL’s were as clear as this. Could it be that part of true leadership is not succinctness but good interpretation?

First post in four days, and have the topics piled up. Sadly because of this I won’t be able to give as detailed a review of the acquaintance night as I’d like, at least for now.

@@ Major news for today (or yesterday) is the death of Bro. Ceci yesterday, who used to be the brother to visit the campus in 2003. Before that I first heard of him at one of the earliest faculty retreats I attended as having had a spine operation because he prayed that he could take away some of the pain of someone he knew who had a back injury.

@@ http://exaggeratedanecdotes.blogspot.com/2009/06/globalized-kitkattery.html Here I complete agree with Chat that the easiest way to immerse oneself in a different culture is through their food, well, to paraphrase. I’ve only been in a handful of trips overseas, each to a different nation, and it has always been an eye and tongue opener for me.

@@ And linked to the online journal of Justin [gamerpig.blogspot.com] was this:
http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2009/06/spotto.html. Again something that fits right in with my rules of survival. What you look for, what you pay attention to, is what you find in your life.

If you are always wallowing in how your friends are doing things behind your back that is what you will discover.

@@ Daily Leadership Lesson June 19: Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be the slave of all. – Mark 10:43, 44 NIV

My take on this: yes it’s commendable for someone who has been through the muck to want to better his position, but only if his intention to get everyone out of the muck and not just himself, and at the expense of dragging others deeper into the muck.

@@ June 20: Ideas go booming through the world louder than cannons. Thoughts are mightier than armies. Principles have achieved more victories than horsemen or chariots. – W. M. Paxton

My take on this: yes plans are great, but only if there is follow through. Someone who just talks to other people telling them about his great plans then expecting them to realize it for him so that he could take the credit is worse than a slave driver.

@@ June 22: In matter of principle, stand like a rock. – Thomas Jefferson

My take on this: there was this episode of “Star Trek: The Next Generation” before where the youngest crew member was about to be executed on the planet for stepping on some flowers or something.

They were able to get out of it by appealing to the leaders of that planet that “the laws are not justice”.

No matter what the rules are, there are exceptions, like self defense for killing. So here I stand against two extremes: those who are unbending in their personal convictions that they are close-minded to the reasoning of everyone else, and those who believe that they are not to be trifled by the rules, and that the exception always applies to them.

Acquaintance night later. No classes tomorrow. Monday will follow Friday schedule.

@@ So much for school related announcements. Now let me go to something personal. Appropriate warning goes out to the squeamish to stop reading at this point.

Last night outside Walter Mart Crossing, I saw a car run into a stray dog. I don’t think the car ran over the dog, although I’m not sure if the sound I heard that made me look that way was the car skidding in the wet street before hitting the dog, or if it was the car having run over the door already. What I did see was the dog sliding across the wet street on its butt diagonally across the street until it was almost right in front of me.

The car didn’t even stop. I hope they don’t do the same if it’s a human they hit, like I also witnessed a few months ago.

The dog was able to run away afterwards not even appearing to have a limp, but it seemed to have been at the very least disoriented because just moments later it was running back in front of me again after having gone the other direction initially.

This is not the first dog related case of violence I’ve seen from that area. Sometime before, I passed by a post in front of the mall at around 5 in the morning to see the corpse of a skinned dog beside an electric post, with the cable about 5 feet long (not wire, mind) used to restrain the dog still knotted around its neck.

I believe that certain areas have an aura that make the people there behave in a similar way (or events of the same nature to occur there), and this makes me wary of that general area.

@@ Now onto some happy animal news. Yahoo News today reports the discovery of a see-through frog.

Going to the site, they do have a picture, and it’s amazing. Maybe this is the next step in evolution of their survival so that their innards can still be studied by biology students worldwide without the need to be dissected. Or maybe it’s due to radiation.

The same site linked by Yahoo also tells of a frog smaller than a fingernail, and a new species of salamander that looks like E.T. from the movie with a hammer shaped head.

I guess the wonders of our world will never cease, not just in terms of human behavior and capability, but also in nature.

@@ Daily Leadership Lesson June 18: “I firmly believe that providing feedback is the most cost effective strategy for improving performance and instilling satisfaction. It can be done quickly, it costs nothing, and it can turn people around fast.” - Ken Blanchard

My take: at work, criticism of the behavior of one’s fellow traveler in the road of making the company a success should not be held back in the name of getting along better or the common goal suffers.

It’s the second day of the recruitment fair. I have received complaints about the garbage in the covered court.

And somehow, the organizers aren’t bothered by it because someone, in particular the equipment custodian in charge of the covered court, has been cleaning up after them.

I got reminded of someone’s excuse why not to “clean as you go” in the cafeteria. He said it’s because the busboys would get paid for nothing. In another point of view, if the busboys feel that they are not being paid enough to do more work than was first promised to them, then they may either quit or be offered higher wages, which means that the concessionaire would have to raise prices. Who loses?

It would have be the customers who for a little effort on their part would have saved themselves a little money in the short run and a lot of money in the long run.

Anyway, the custodian isn’t going to do the students’ work for them anymore. If the covered court is dirty, it’s their problem if people don’t want to go there anymore or get turned off from joining the organizations of slobs, or who by their words or on paper say they care for the environment but in practice obviously do not.

@@ Daily Leadership Lesson June 12: Yes, a leader leads, equips and empowers; but he should do it with a shepherd’s heart. No matter how large his organization is, he is still called to shepherd people. - Selected

My take (a new version of a word processor I’m using won’t let me put an asterisk at the start of a line without it changing automatically into an indented bullet, and I’m in too much of a hurry to finish this post to learn how to turn it off right now): It’s by herding the people successfully that a leader/shepherd is able to accomplish his intended goal in the first place. If he just manages money and resources (well) but not people, the organization or company won’t be able to grow past being a one-man operation otherwise, and that’s not going to make him retire anytime soon.

June 14: Count it a blessing when God delays the answer to you prayer in order to enlarge your capacity to receive. - Anonymous

My take: When someone’s request of assistance from the Almighty doesn’t get a response right away, the person has to be able to justify why; in other words, attribute human reasoning to a deity.

It’s only after that person dies and presumably is able to look back on his life will he change his perspective as to why he did not get what he begged for, not matter how long he waited.

@@ June 16: An effective leader prioritizes in helping his people produce good results by making sure they know what their goals are and doing everything possible to support, encourage, and coach them to accomplish those goals.

My take: it would be all good as long as it isn’t giving the people their “goals” by deception that it is more advantageous for him that it is for them. Honesty plays a part in it too.

Something I should have talked about as early as Wednesday last week: from now on all posters for student activities will have to be approved in soft copy three weeks before the event.

I don’t want a repeat of what happened with the acquaintance night poster, where, since I was out of campus the poster was pleaded with the person left in charge of the office to sign for posting, without any critique. This, of course, came from all sectors after it was put up.

I’m talking about the top of a green bottle that seems to have spilled its indistinguishable contents amidst school paraphernalia in the poster. What is that supposed to represent?

The studious spirit has been doused? That we only care about the freshmen because of carelessness?

The first thought of a lot of people who came up to me to complain or at least to question is that it’s a bottle of beer, because it certainly doesn’t look like a bottle of Sprite or 7-Up.

Yeah, that’s the kind of message we want to send to the freshmen on their welcome to campus.

And is “dress to impress” supposed to be their own way of saying semi-formal or smart casual?

Because I’m sure there will be those who think that it means showing more skin and therefore that the dress code will not be enforced during that night, when people have already found out the hard way that the dress code is still applied on Saturday classes.

@@ Daily Leadership Lesson June 9: A true leader is not one you look up to because they are the best. A true leader is one that draws the best out in you. - Anne Warfield

* A true leader/teacher isn’t one who impresses you the most because of their high command of information, or because they themselves claim that they have been certified as smart.

It’s how that information, particularly analysis and not just memorization, is passed on to the student/member.

June 10: Serving others also sets them free to love. It disarms even the most hateful individual. It is actually fun to watch that person’s amazement when he realizes he is being served through love. - Joyce Meyer

* That’s the thing: surprise the dislikable people with kindness. They may follow the Golden Rule and expect to be answered back, but you also follow the Golden Rule and expect your civility to be answered in kind. So who wins? Who’s frustrated?

@@ June 15: The true leader does not rise by making others look smaller. - Rich Joyner.

* Again, like for June 9, true good guys don’t show off “I’m better that you.”

Saturday the Thirteenth, a school day sandwiched between two holidays, and I’m in school.

People have been busy since Thursday. There are now several tarpaulins about the symptoms and prevention of the pigs’ wings (this is to prevent the search engines from including this post in alarmist overreactions to the health advisories) in the lobbies and in the hallways.

Ineffectively enough, despite the discussion last Friday with Sir Albert and Ms. Karen about what could be posted outside the gate in terms of readability there are also two posters there with all the same small and cramped text. Like anyone would stop and study those.

@@ Breakfast today is bread, butter and coffee; bought most of it before taking the shuttle to school.

Speaking of shuttle, there’s a new driver, so people are cautioned not to assume like before that the vehicle will stop if you are just getting to the gas station as it is pulling out.

There is a large possibility that you will not be recognized or acknowledged unless you wave your arms frantically while running towards the moving transport, and maybe not even then.

@@ Why am I in school today? To discuss possible renovation and new tables, chairs and whatnot for the student center with an interior designer and a furniture maker from CSB. Best part about it is that I think work is pro bono and there will be donations.

@@ Daily Leadership Lesson June 6: The size of a leader is determined by the depth of his convictions, the height of his ambitions, the breadth of his vision and the reach of his love. - D. N. Jacksom

* Cute – or not so cute. I particularly would be disturbed if there was anyone who wanted to become a leader to increase their size, even by the somewhat dubious quantities listed.

I’m specifically questioning plain conviction and pure ambition. I never entirely put my trust in a person whose opinion or stand can never be changed, no matter what.

And ambition can make a person do some morally ambiguous things, if not tempered with justice.

@@ June 7: Example is leadership. - Dr. Albert Schweitzer

* Brevity is efficiency.

@@ June 13: The length and breadth of our influence upon others depends upon the depth of our concern for others. – Anonymous

* Maybe this could be clarified as lasting, positive influence, as there is also negative, Pavlov like influence, such as screaming from the pulpit week after week about souls going to hell to burn for eternity unless they do as the guy in robes says.