Technology & MSG

I got a direct message on Twitter last night, asking me if I wanted to go to the Hippodrome to see Wishful Drinking. I had never heard of it, but the name sounded interesting enough. I did a quick search and found that it concerned the life experiences of one Carrie Fisher, both written and [...]

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In college, we’d often end a night of revelry by heading over to Lyle Avenue for plates. A greasy and starch-laden meal whose mystical powers could quell a hangover before it had a chance to develop, but more importantly a delicious tradition of upstate New York.
Nick Tahou Hots, “Home of the Garbage Plate” and a [...]

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To those who have chosen to serve, thank you. Today and every day.

While we remain largely unaware of what you’ve had to face in the line of duty, you are not forgotten. We appreciate each and every one of you, who tirelessly made sacrifices so that we could sleep soundly and continue to pursue our [...]

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I find child prodigies to be enigmatic. Adora Svitak is no exception. Though perhaps smarter than most of the child (and perhaps adult) population, I found her talk from TED entitled What Adults Can Learn from Kids to be insightful and fun.
Sometimes all it takes is a really sharp individual to make people think about [...]

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Walking down Lombard Street towards 7th, we heard a woman yelling. Raving mad. We turned and saw no one. A few seconds later a car rolls down the street, the driver screaming her head off. She’s turned slightly towards her passenger; he is slumped down in the seat looking dejected, not even attempting to get [...]

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A video for the teachers I know, but for the rest of us too.

If the embedding doesn’t work, the link above should.
Today’s math curriculum is teaching students to expect — and excel at — paint-by-numbers classwork, robbing kids of a skill more important than solving problems: formulating them. At TEDxNYED, Dan Meyer shows classroom-tested math [...]

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I’m not a fan of Facebook.
For many people, Facebook is social glue; a social networking magnate that ties disparate groups and individuals together, sorted out in a neat little (and aesthetically pleasing) package. I admit that it can be difficult living without it. I know that I’ve sacrificed social opportunities by being out of the [...]

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If someone breaks into your Maryland home and sustains an injury, they can sue you. They might even win. If they die, I suppose their family could sue you as well.
I don’t understand it at all. Not that there wasn’t already a law preventing that sort of lawsuit from being filed, but that a judge [...]

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I like throwing parties.
When a few people get together with the notion of throwing a party, there’s a mysterious mix of nervousness and excitement that surround the upcoming event. When each of the planners invites a bunch of people — perhaps with some crossover and familiarity but for the most part within their own individual [...]

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I’m a big fan of educational programming. I think it’d be really difficult to write educational materials that are enlightening to both kids and parents, which actually promoting learning. I especially like the ones that have pop culture references.
Just like Mathnet was a parody of Dragnet whose characters taught mathematical concepts to Square One viewers, [...]

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When eating out, I prefer not to mention payment terms until the bill comes due. If you were comped a meal or have some sort of discount coming your way, it shouldn’t have any affect on the quality of food or service. Yet in my gut, I feel that it will have an impact; that [...]

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License? Check.
Insurance? Check.

Rolling on two wheels? Sweet in way that is hard to describe, but I’ll try. It’s got something to do with the wind in your face. Seeing familiar roads from a vastly different (and taller) viewpoint than when in a car. The responsiveness of the throttle. Being part of your surroundings instead of [...]

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As seen in the parking lot of a Columbia parking lot, this resident is taking the Choose Civility initiative a little further.

I see the “normal” stickers and magnets on lots of vehicles around Howard County. Vehicles whose drivers have disrespectful, unempathetic, inconsiderate, and intolerant roadside manners.
This was refreshing.

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I’ve been borrowing a lot of movies lately. One of them has shiny things, old-school computers, horrendously trendy but period synthesized music, Paul Reubens, a 21-year old Sarah Jessica Parker, and a child lead who hasn’t been seen in years. The dubbing is fair, but it’s a classic. Flight of the Navigator embodies a kind [...]

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A few months after September 11th 2001, a college friend and I gave ourselves a walking tour of Washington, D.C. The mood was somber, with an eerie tension that would soon spread across the country. The overcast afternoon was fitting.
Though I’ve been back since with better equipment, I still prefer these photographs taken with my [...]

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