tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-83489175464982999882012-01-27T11:15:41.508-05:00Thoughts, musings, observations and commentary on the human condition, with great latitude given in the definition of human.Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04191518215607822910noreply@blogger.comBlogger1061100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8348917546498299988.post-79490258550033340422012-01-27T10:29:00.006-05:002012-01-27T11:15:41.516-05:00

It's amazing how greed equates with stupidity. I'm sure you have seen the ads to purchase a proof solid gold clad coin originally designed to sell for $50, for the amazing low price of $9.95. It is clad in 14 mg of 99.9999% pure gold! If you haven't, take a minute to visit this site and then come back here to do a little math with me. It sounds impressive and the fact that they run numerous TV

Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04191518215607822910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8348917546498299988.post-64352770947314807112012-01-09T10:01:00.004-05:002012-01-09T10:33:08.869-05:00

In August we went to live with my parents in NJ to help my father recover from a stroke. They have DirecTV, but no DVR. Knowing that we would be there for a while, I called them up to add a DVR to their account for the month or two we expected to be there. They were more than happy to do it, but it required a two year agreement. I explained about the stroke, that my parents were both 90, and

Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04191518215607822910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8348917546498299988.post-20109235537307256552011-10-21T07:57:00.003-04:002011-10-21T09:09:58.592-04:00

Recently, Vicki Davis wrote a nice blog about 10 ways to be a terrible teacher. Right off the top of my head I would add failing to plan lessons well and giving busy work, but "my way or the highway" has to be added to the list.Back in the 80's, I was teaching 10th or 11th grade general math. In the back of the class sat Scott Gurtinak. As memory serves me, Scott failed the previous year. His

Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04191518215607822910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8348917546498299988.post-5631946804909371022011-09-03T13:52:00.001-04:002011-09-03T13:53:56.061-04:00

I started teaching in 1969 on an emergency certificate. I was a liberal arts major with no teaching courses under my belt. In order to get my permanent certificate, I had to go through the paper chase and take the necessary courses. Of course one of those courses was supervised teaching (practice teach for those who are already teaching). I would be observed twice a week and once every two

Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04191518215607822910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8348917546498299988.post-62966158320080961662011-03-14T22:10:00.003-04:002011-03-14T22:20:00.730-04:00

At 2:49 PM, the phone rang. No one was on the other end. Hmmm... Must have been a wrong number. At 8:06 PM the phone rang again. Same number and same silence.Since it was a California number, I didn't want the three hour difference to result in another wrong number in the middle of the night, so I called the number back. I was was greated by, "Welcome to Verizon Wireless. The number you

Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04191518215607822910noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8348917546498299988.post-26286851680066173492011-03-03T21:29:00.006-05:002011-03-08T08:18:56.841-05:00

My new car came equipped with Sirius radio and a free 1-year subscription. It runs out at the end of this month, so I went online to renew. It was a simple process right up until I went to click the submit button. At that point, I began a journey into the Twilight Zone to the corner Frustration and Aggravation. Since I couldn't order online, I had to use the phone. A process that should have

Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04191518215607822910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8348917546498299988.post-79879212995978680462011-02-13T15:19:00.005-05:002011-02-13T15:47:19.533-05:00

Today I read Mary Ann Bell's blog. She talked about creating assignments that are fun to grade and don't encourage plagiarism. She mentioned that this kind of assignment isn't new and cited Dr. Goode's class back in the 60's. As I read, I was transported back to the 50's and my 9th grade Social Studies class taught by Mr. Dougherty at J.P. Cleary Jr. High. He was fresh out of the marines and

Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04191518215607822910noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8348917546498299988.post-70461627024656684772011-02-02T13:56:00.009-05:002011-02-02T14:37:14.576-05:00

Sir Ken Rogers is one of the world's leading proponents for changing the way schools educate. I've seen dozens of his videos and never cease to be inspired and motivated to continue the work I've undertaken for the past 40 years, namely to change schools. Today, thanks to him, new research on empathy and two animations from the Royal Society of the Arts, I came away with a significantly

Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04191518215607822910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8348917546498299988.post-28258867846007931272011-01-18T21:33:00.001-05:002011-01-18T21:35:07.897-05:00

We babysit our grandson, M, every Friday. He is one of three reasons we moved up here to NH. The other two are his parents, my daughter and my son-in-law. The three of them bring us tremendous joy, love, and happiness. (Side Note: - We refer to my grandson as M, because we all agree that his digital footprint should be as small as possible.)As grandparents, we do what most grandparents do with

Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04191518215607822910noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8348917546498299988.post-10555998616810704802010-11-17T21:32:00.006-05:002012-01-05T11:57:03.896-05:00

In 1999, I retired from teaching after 30 years in the classroom. During those 30 years, 15 of which involved teaching with technology, there were many incidents that reminded me of why I went into the classroom. There are many that come to mind, but there is one that stands head and shoulders above the rest, because it touched and transformed so many lives. It was truly a once in a lifetime

Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04191518215607822910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8348917546498299988.post-52676032165362305322010-10-23T06:43:00.003-04:002010-10-23T06:47:07.936-04:00

One of the best kept musical secrets in Massachusetts is hiding in Framingham. It's the Amazing Things Arts Center. Mike Moran and his staff of volunteers manage to attract some great talent. Thanks to their efforts and contributions from local businesses, they bring high class talent at bargain prices. On September 10, they organized a concert for the opening of the Bowditch Field Athletic

Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04191518215607822910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8348917546498299988.post-22674974960170294252010-10-22T15:32:00.004-04:002010-10-22T16:04:46.467-04:00

It all started when I wrote about my problem with an estimate from Home Depot, which prompted me to call on Lowe's for an estimate. Today, the Lowe's installer, Ken Bishop of Bishop Contracting in Bedford, and his helper Brian installed the door. They arrived at 10:00 AM, worked right through lunch and finished at 2:00. The Home Depot installer was going to charge $100 to get the door into the

Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04191518215607822910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8348917546498299988.post-47029846428460103182010-08-18T19:29:00.011-04:002010-08-19T16:12:00.631-04:00

Well, Kaptain Klutz strikes again! I thought I entered this picture of my grandson in the I Love It Here! photo contest about summer life in NH. That was back in June, but I just found out the entry never made it there. I just entered again, but there's a popular vote portion and my entry is about a month behind the others. I'd love to win the Dream Vacation, but mostly as a test of our

Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04191518215607822910noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8348917546498299988.post-75935512469687011402010-08-09T19:53:00.002-04:002010-10-12T14:19:42.258-04:00

After looking over the free phones available to me on my calling plan, I settled on the LG Accolade. I've had it for a few months. It meets my needs nicely and I'm satisfied with the over all performance, but for some odd reason, someone thought it would be a good idea to enable the cell phone's camera to work even if the flip phone is closed. The problem is that the buttons on the side of the

Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04191518215607822910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8348917546498299988.post-70587191911179672292010-06-15T09:33:00.002-04:002010-10-12T14:22:52.647-04:00

Yesterday I walked out my back door and less than 30 years away was a family of ground hogs who live near the pond in back of our condo. They were grazing on the clover and getting ready of the evening's activities.I also got show shots of a chipmunk, some birds, and a big white cat. We also have beavers in the pond. Between the ground hogs, the beavers and the cat, I could have come up with

Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04191518215607822910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8348917546498299988.post-15253919654080769082010-05-29T15:29:00.005-04:002010-05-29T17:18:35.980-04:00

Today Jill and I headed out early to beat the crowds to see the tall ships that came into the commercial fishing pier at Portsmouth yesterday. The tours started at 10 and we arrived around 9:45. There was plenty of parking at that hour, but it was to fill up quickly!The H.M.S. Bounty, which was made for Mutiny on the Bounty, was the main attraction, but I was more impressed with the Lynx, the "

Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04191518215607822910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8348917546498299988.post-77453147543854651722010-05-27T15:04:00.006-04:002010-05-27T16:13:39.831-04:00

I'm at tlhe University of Southern New Hampshire attending the nation's first state level summit designed to transform teacher education NH. Much of the conference is being streamed live. You can go to the summit website to find the schedule and tune in. After the conference, the videos will be posted to the website.Here are some points that have stood out so far.Schools of education must go

Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04191518215607822910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8348917546498299988.post-53589208478511164762010-05-20T17:44:00.003-04:002010-05-20T18:00:01.221-04:00

This week the Manchester Board of Education met to come up with a dress code for students, but instead came up with a dress code for teachers. According to WBZ the dress the dress code says, "No shorts, no flip flops, no jeans.Brennan explains that if the teacher is wearing one of those items, or the others on the list, they'll be given an opportunity to "put something on more appropriate." He

Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04191518215607822910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8348917546498299988.post-79843984511627453532010-04-26T16:26:00.004-04:002010-04-26T17:40:36.364-04:00

Yesterday I posted about Facebook's move to allow 3rd party web sites to access your data. The privacy implications were so significant that I created a presentation showing how to check your privacy settings in light of the change. Well, I'm back today with another presentation, because something happened today that made me realize just how vulnerable we are as a result of this new change. I

Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04191518215607822910noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8348917546498299988.post-68514123145818257162010-04-24T13:04:00.003-04:002010-04-24T13:19:56.646-04:00

This week, Facebook announced that you AND your friends will now be able to share information about you with websites. Needless to say, this has huge impact on the very nature of the web and the privacy of every Facebook member. It is causing quite a stir in the blogsphere. There are quite a few people who don't have their privacy setting secure and are already sharing too much information

Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04191518215607822910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8348917546498299988.post-73954066684886860002010-04-23T09:34:00.003-04:002010-04-23T09:40:40.849-04:00

A few weeks ago I received an email from a Technical Writer at Windsty.com asking me to link to their Windows 7 Tune Up Suite in return for a full license to their product. I wrote back and told them that I would not simply link to their product, but I was willing to give it an honest review. I’m offering this full disclaimer, but as you read on, you’ll see their license didn’t result in a

Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04191518215607822910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8348917546498299988.post-24047188172917196422010-04-18T11:15:00.003-04:002010-04-18T11:39:00.575-04:00

In class we are talking about privacy, online identities, and online dossiers. Today, Linda Vincent, one of my students, tipped me off to an Interesting site. It's webmii.com You put in your name and it returns information about you and give you a People Ranking somewhere between 0 and 10. It shows how visible you are on the web.I had a ball playing with it. A while back putting in your name at

Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04191518215607822910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8348917546498299988.post-89332806873970542162010-03-26T09:05:00.007-04:002010-03-26T09:40:03.185-04:00

Last night I attended a Second Life education event billed as the Digital Age of Aquarius. It was a 60's style presentation by Kevin Honeycutt (In-world:Kevinski Braveheart) It was sponsored by ISTE on Hippy Island , a fun place to explore and find hidden professional development resources.I've been on SL for two years, but consider myself a newbie, because I never got into building or costumes.

Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04191518215607822910noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8348917546498299988.post-60450539485600485542010-03-25T15:27:00.005-04:002010-03-25T15:45:56.367-04:00

Ever get a catalog in the mail and immediately file it in the garbage? That's what I do with most catalogs, but not with Hammacher Schlemmer's Spring Supplement. They managed to get me to look thought it from cover to cover FOUR TIMES!How could this be? We'll if you are looking at the cover and saying, "WTF is that?" you can just pick up and issue and thumb through the pages until you find it.

Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04191518215607822910noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8348917546498299988.post-66297028619425307652010-03-25T12:24:00.002-04:002010-03-25T12:39:09.124-04:00

Answer: When you rent a car from Budget at Manchester, NH airport for 1 week, at $118/per week and return it two days early. We recently ordered a new car and sold our old one about a week before delivery of the new one. As a result, we had to rent a car. After checking the rates, I saw I could rent a car from Budget at the Manchester, NH airport for $118 per week.We returned the car today,

Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04191518215607822910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8348917546498299988.post-83814101453597685192010-03-07T11:03:00.002-05:002010-03-07T11:05:28.369-05:00

I have seen literally hundreds of Rube Goldberg machines, aside from being an avid follower of his when I was a kid, but this is the Mother of All Rube Goldberg Machines!

Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04191518215607822910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8348917546498299988.post-88774126474314076172010-02-28T09:12:00.005-05:002010-02-28T14:20:15.710-05:00

Listening to the roaring winds outside our new home in New Hampshire, we settled in to watch Burn Notice. About 5 minutes into the show, the power flickered and we lost the TV signal. As the cable box reacquired the signal, we settled in for a second time, only to have the entire house go black.A quick look outside confirmed that we were not alone. Grabbing a flashlight, some candles, and a

Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04191518215607822910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8348917546498299988.post-16855202028977634172010-02-21T16:36:00.004-05:002010-02-21T17:12:37.800-05:00

I've made a few posts about ChatRoulette, but that's not the topic of this post. The only relationship is that when you go to ChatRoulette, the site automatically turns on your web camera. That is the topic of this post. If you have a web camera, you need to know that it is not entirely under your control. Malware or other software installed on your computer can be accessed remotely and can

Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04191518215607822910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8348917546498299988.post-65202215911850852732010-02-15T22:58:00.004-05:002010-02-16T08:39:55.486-05:00

One of the only places student and teachers have a problem accessing the information they need is in schools. It used to be that the filters themselves were the main problem. Then CIPA came along and the problem was compounded by people using them poorly. Today, the filters have improved, but not the people. Filters are still being used poorly, if not worse. If filtering management and

Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04191518215607822910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8348917546498299988.post-53954649082010924572010-02-10T15:03:00.008-05:002010-02-10T17:04:04.183-05:00

Hopefully, by now that you have all digested the initial announcement of the appearance of the new video chat stranger danger. Let's take a step or two back and put this in perspective.Many times in the past, I've said that for the most part, kids are safe and want to be safe. Indeed, the research backs up my contention. However, the research also points out that there is a small part of the

Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04191518215607822910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8348917546498299988.post-36911744314081513052010-02-10T09:08:00.002-05:002010-02-10T09:11:38.388-05:00

If you ever wondered about what social media is really all about, how it works, and whether one persion (or web site) can really make a difference, watch this four minute video.

Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04191518215607822910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8348917546498299988.post-36616333898323095722010-02-09T09:22:00.004-05:002010-02-09T09:40:21.940-05:00

When I first started giving Internet workshops in 1995, there were a few sites that I used to give people a snapshot of what the web was all about. The most popular of these sites was called WebRoulette. You would click a button and be taken to a random web site. But this post is not about WebRoulette. These sites still exist though WebRoulette has long since been bought by a casino site.

Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04191518215607822910noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8348917546498299988.post-54309325811899056832010-02-07T13:28:00.004-05:002010-02-07T13:45:24.118-05:00

The George Lucas Foundation and Edutopia.org are great resources for educators. Watch this video before reading the rest of this post. This kind of video is one of my pet peeves. While it is a wonderful snapshot of what schools should be, it is strictly a vision piece. I'm sure many people who watch it are asking themselves, "Where are we going to find funds for this sort of technology? We

Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04191518215607822910noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8348917546498299988.post-50788787679536298862010-01-24T11:52:00.004-05:002010-01-24T13:12:36.559-05:00

Sipping my morning coffee and looking out the bay window in the dining room, I saw these strange tracks in the snow. (Click on any image to enlarge.) I finished the coffee, grabbed my camera, bundled up and headed out to investigate. There are about thirty feet between our houses and these tracks covered about 4/5 of that distance and seemed to start a few feet from my air conditioning unit,

Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04191518215607822910noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8348917546498299988.post-15285436432262757922010-01-19T17:55:00.004-05:002010-02-09T10:20:44.402-05:00

This is one of those posts where I have to point out that I'm not an attorney, nor do I play one on TV, but it's not going to stop me from putting my opinion out there.NH House Bill 1523 seeks to expand the current Public Safety and Violence Prevention Act to include harassment, intimidation, bullying, and cyberbullying, and to give schools more power to act.It adds definitions for bullying and

Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04191518215607822910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8348917546498299988.post-42764490674128643712010-01-18T22:30:00.001-05:002010-01-18T22:31:42.166-05:00

Here's a wonderful presentation to a Congressional committee about transforming education with technology. Watch it and tell me if you see anything wrong with the message that is being given. Yes, it was a great presentation. The Congressmen nailed the answer to her first question about how many schools had interactive whiteboards, and ending with the 70% rate in India was a nice touch but, I

Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04191518215607822910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8348917546498299988.post-46294284558940974422010-01-12T18:23:00.002-05:002010-01-12T18:27:23.188-05:00

The FTC has just launched Netcetera, a fee downloadable publication about Cyber Safety. It's aimed at parents and Teachers and offers good common sense information and advice. They will also send out free printed copies in English or Spanish. No scare tactics or sensationalism here. Just good solid information and advice. You can find out more at http://www2.ftc.gov/opa/2009/12/netcetera.shtm

Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04191518215607822910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8348917546498299988.post-17468051171913049332010-01-11T01:13:00.004-05:002010-01-11T16:51:46.782-05:00

On Saturday I had a flat forehead moment, you know, one of those moments when you want to say "DOH!" and smack yourself on the forehead head because you just had a blinding flash of the obvious.On Saturday I had a flat We were working with iGoogle and I had just given the class a tour of my page. You see it here, but without the additional half dozen gadgets you don't see at the bottom of the

Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04191518215607822910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8348917546498299988.post-55727114661550667652010-01-10T16:41:00.004-05:002010-01-10T16:53:16.412-05:00

Do you remember the Powers of Ten video which starts out with a picnic scene and then begins zooming out by a power of 10 every ten second? We realize very quickly that the further back we step, the more we see and each step adds new information and new insights. I had an experience today online that took me on a similar journey.The Powers of Ten video starts out with a picture of one square

Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04191518215607822910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8348917546498299988.post-80280897849760304762010-01-06T16:08:00.004-05:002010-01-06T16:54:44.083-05:00

If you read the, Mass. Mess post, you can skip this paragraph. If you didn't, I'll save you the trouble of reading it. Here's the synopsis. When I tried to turn in my NJ driver's license for a NH license, I found out that my diving privileges were suspended in MA. Yesterday I spent more than an hour and a half on hold with MA RMV and never got to speak to anyone. Fast forward to today... I

Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04191518215607822910noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8348917546498299988.post-79244661016697702392010-01-05T15:33:00.005-05:002010-01-05T16:38:59.903-05:00

If you get your license suspended today for 30 days in Mass. and have a question about it, you had better call today, because it might be 30 days on hold before you can talk to a person.I went to the NH DMV to turn in my NJ license and get a NH one. People at the NH DMV were cheerful, friendly, professional, and actually used their heads for something other than a hat rack. I wish I could say

Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04191518215607822910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8348917546498299988.post-40884563586820162222009-12-29T23:31:00.006-05:002010-01-11T22:13:15.972-05:00

Scott McLeod posted his presentation to the NEA as a slide show and an audio file, on his Dangerously Irrelevant blog. Since he graciously licenses he work under creative commons, I took the liberty of using Adobe Presenter to sync the audio to the slides. If I might sum up his message to the NEA and education in general, I would say, WAKE UP! But then again, that has been his message, my

Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04191518215607822910noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8348917546498299988.post-38146559321238832862009-12-10T12:23:00.003-05:002009-12-10T12:33:56.148-05:00

A marine was scheduled to travel home to be married. Unfortunately, he broke his jaw and the doctors would not allow him to travel. The wedding would have to be postponed. They were able to make all of the necessary changes with the hotel, caterer, everyone one that one end of the situation. The airline was willing to make changes, but the tickets were booked through Orbitz. They held the

Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04191518215607822910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8348917546498299988.post-21741484098255606772009-12-10T09:43:00.003-05:002009-12-10T10:16:14.938-05:00

"The Postman Always Rings Twice" is a movie and an action that isn't practiced enough by enough people. I will say for the most part, when the postman delivers a package to our door, the doorbell does ring once. This is great, because it alerts us to the fact that a package is sitting outside, but for some reason other delivery services fail to ring.UPS, FedEx, and other delivery services need

Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04191518215607822910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8348917546498299988.post-82950608847346739212009-12-06T12:58:00.004-05:002009-12-06T13:22:41.194-05:00

Food... I guess I have to be honest about this one. Without a doubt, NJ has a greater selection of places to dine, but they don't have Maryann's Diner. Maryann's, in Derry, NH, is a 50's diner complete with waitresses wearing poodle skirts or jeans and bobby socks. The food is great, the portions are huge, the prices are low and service is fast, friendly, and efficient.Jill ordered bacon and

Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04191518215607822910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8348917546498299988.post-54759375139441736052009-12-03T10:51:00.011-05:002009-12-03T22:39:28.790-05:00

First it was predators, then it was cyberbullying, and now it is sexting. The news media is treating us to the fear dujour. They generate reactions that are at best, narrow in focus. It's time to end this kind of narrow focus, take a step back and look at the problem differently. When you come right down to it, the problems we are seeing stem from kids being kids in an environment that has a

Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04191518215607822910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8348917546498299988.post-15518385287027722812009-11-30T09:05:00.000-05:002009-11-30T09:06:22.488-05:00

There has been some Tweeting recently about digital legacies, digital footprints and whether we are robbing kids of their legacies by not letting them download, save, or post work online. It got me thinking about the difference between legacies, footprints, and digital portfolios that we have been talking about for a long time, as compared with digital dossiers and digital identities as defined

Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04191518215607822910noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8348917546498299988.post-6730773736353718092009-11-26T09:47:00.004-05:002009-11-26T10:04:05.282-05:00

I wrote this a week ago while sitting in the Manchester, NH airport where they have free wi-fi, on my way to a workshop in DE, but I'm posting it on Thanksgiving, because I am soooo thankful that this part of our lives is behind us.Our daughter lives in MA, about 25 miles from our new home in NH. My wife always said that the day she told us she was pregnant, the house would be going on the market

Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04191518215607822910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8348917546498299988.post-90632757055356802722009-11-25T11:55:00.006-05:002009-11-25T13:09:31.551-05:00

Skilled artisans and technicians can be found in NJ if you look hard enough, but mediocrity is pervasive and don't try to get component level trouble shooting for your TV. While in NJ, we had a 9 year old large screen projection TV that once turned off, would not turn on again for 4-6 hours. I did some research and found that it was most likely a bad capacitor on one of the boards. I began

Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04191518215607822910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8348917546498299988.post-89422746949023082832009-11-20T08:34:00.006-05:002009-11-25T12:51:07.955-05:00

I spent the first 65 years of my life in NJ. Three weeks ago we moved to NH and after less than one month here, I'm sorry it too me so long get here. I'm going to begin writing a series of short posts on why I like NH better than NJ.Reason 1 - Traffic... Actually different aspects of traffic will make up a number of reasons. First, but not foremost, is that drivers are courteous and drive at or

Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04191518215607822910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8348917546498299988.post-77851097231636106202009-10-12T08:37:00.003-04:002009-10-12T08:50:37.048-04:00

For the past few weeks I have been in the throws moving from NJ to NH. Three years ago, the only qualification for getting a mortgage was a pulse and the ability to sign a document. Today, you have to give your first born and five forms of proof that he/she belongs to you. As a result, writing hasn't been high on my agenda, and it still isn't, but I do want to point you to two posts. The

Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04191518215607822910noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8348917546498299988.post-29979748194431714422009-09-05T19:45:00.006-04:002009-09-05T21:05:24.875-04:00

I checked into my Facebook page and began skimming the posts from friends and colleagues. There's a good mix of social and professional posts. Some I glance over, some make me laugh, some make me cry, and some make me think and learn. Kevin Jarrett posted a link from Jersey.com that talked about how schools are handling the President's address to the nation's students on Tuesday and the

Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04191518215607822910noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8348917546498299988.post-8622966065184031182009-08-18T19:25:00.005-04:002009-08-18T19:42:03.775-04:00

When I start losing faith in the human race, I remember something that was told to me by Jim Moran Sr. when I first started teaching. He told me that to keep things in perspective I should remember that by definition, 50% of the world is below average intelligence. It’s hard to imagine that anyone in this country who has a TV and/or Internet connection doesn’t know about Megan Meier, the teen

Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04191518215607822910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8348917546498299988.post-41360391817059930132009-08-10T08:46:00.007-04:002009-08-11T15:12:55.819-04:00

I always thought that Glenn Beck was a nut, but now I have to add weasel to the description. Watch this video before reading the rest of this post. If the embedded video doesn't show, here's the direct link. Let's start with this direct quote from the mouth of the weasel. (Emphasis mine) "I go in and say I'm turning in my clunker... The DEALER goes into cars.gov and THEY hit submit transaction.

Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04191518215607822910noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8348917546498299988.post-86308417869757911532009-08-03T13:59:00.003-04:002009-08-03T14:16:13.376-04:00

I'm doing workshops for third and fourth grade teachers on using iMovie in the classroom. It's part of a three day summer Loti Math Institute. I have a forty minute workshop each day in which I have to give them Flip cameras and teach them the basics of the Flip, iPhoto, and iMovie, and how to best integrate it, with the outcome of a math lesson that incorporates video. Realistically, I have

Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04191518215607822910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8348917546498299988.post-85753933963329541972009-08-03T06:50:00.004-04:002009-08-03T06:53:41.470-04:00

It took just 5 minutes to create this animation. Think the writing activities you can generate!

Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04191518215607822910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8348917546498299988.post-19683912323425291152009-07-24T23:53:00.003-04:002009-07-24T23:57:42.961-04:00

After hearing about Mark Buehrle's no hitter, I fired up iTunes and listened to my favorite folk singer, Chuck Brodsky, sing his song about an even more amazing no hitter thrown in 1970. If you don't know the back story to Doc Ellis' no hitter, you have to listen to Chuck sing, "Doc Ellis No No".

Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04191518215607822910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8348917546498299988.post-80136618395303364112009-07-07T08:55:00.002-04:002009-07-14T09:58:59.749-04:00

There isn't much I can add to the visual imagery created by my nephew at JibJab.com. His sister's wedding provided the pictures of me, my brother, my father, my brother-in-law, and my son. Wedding videos will never be the same again.Try JibJab Sendables® eCards today!

Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04191518215607822910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8348917546498299988.post-84223896607852337262009-07-03T20:26:00.003-04:002009-07-04T09:16:48.410-04:00

My three days at NECC were typical. My brain is about to explode and the sessions are a blur, because I'm forgetting faster then I can remember. My calves are tied in knots so tight that the Gordian Knot is a loose shoe string in comparison. There were friends I didn't get to see and sessions I couldn't attend without breaking the laws of physics, but I loved every minute of it!There wasn't

Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04191518215607822910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8348917546498299988.post-50694375930333757622009-06-26T09:01:00.002-04:002009-06-26T09:13:41.074-04:00

OK, the check engine light just went on in your car. What now? Well most people head to your mechanic. Of course that means money. One thing you can do to keep the cost down is to do the diagnosis yourself. To do that you need an OBD Code Reader. This little gadget plug into an interface under the dashboard and reads the computer diagnostic codes associated with your problem.About four

Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04191518215607822910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8348917546498299988.post-89421281388253802782009-06-23T18:46:00.002-04:002009-06-23T19:39:18.269-04:00

Our house has been on the market for some time, but the market for resale has been terrible. When the bottom dropped out, there was a huge building boom in our town. Builders scrambling to stay afloat were giving unbelievable deals. Things are starting to turn around. Our listing was set to expire on 7/21. Debbie Ficke of Diane Turton Realty has been our agent, and we have been very pleased

Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04191518215607822910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8348917546498299988.post-40338566878919697812009-06-16T13:49:00.003-04:002009-06-16T13:57:40.670-04:00

Google Wave looks like it will test the limits of existing technology, but they aren't the only creative programmers around. The Opera web browser has been around for a long time, but they have a new alpha product called Opera Unite that is also unlike anything that is out there now.Opera Unite will turn any personal computer into a server and allow you to share applications with your friends

Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04191518215607822910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8348917546498299988.post-85478993858416944902009-06-05T19:32:00.002-04:002009-06-05T20:06:41.716-04:00

On Monday, I referred to Google Wave as Facebook meets email, meets IM, meets Flickr, meets blogging, meets Google docs, meets wikis, meets Twitter, meet Survey Monkey, meets... I'll admit that's a bit of an exaggeration, but the potential is there for that kind of future. It was the geek in me that was reacting to the developer presentation. The idea of Google making it open source and

Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04191518215607822910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8348917546498299988.post-60345803119664975162009-06-01T11:19:00.006-04:002009-06-01T22:48:52.527-04:00

File this one under the old joke, "The faster I go the behinder I get." We are still struggling to get schools into the Web 2.0 world and now Google comes along with Wave, a new, amazing, collaborative, OPEN SOURCE product that adds a mountain of promise for the world and ocean of challenges for education. Later this year Google Wave will be going live. It is like Facebook meets email, meets

Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04191518215607822910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8348917546498299988.post-88658257521043706792009-04-30T20:14:00.002-04:002009-04-30T20:18:51.311-04:00

A few days ago, I watched a sneak preview of WolframAlpha and my brain is still spinning. Now some would say that my mind is already fried, but WA will challenge even the most balanced individual.It could well be the most significant piece of technology to appear in the last decade. If the project succeeds, it has implications for education that dwarf anything that has yet come along. Today,

Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04191518215607822910noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8348917546498299988.post-59047257315825028052009-04-02T19:25:00.004-04:002009-04-02T21:02:29.792-04:00

I've been around computers since 1979. I've built computers, web sites, and online communities, but I never got into Twitter. I wasn't sure why for a while and even felt a bit guilty about not Twittering. Then, last year just around this time, I read Joe Kessil's blog that took a look at Twitter based on personality types and it made perfect sense.Today, Leigh Zeits pointed me to this video

Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04191518215607822910noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8348917546498299988.post-303920481740875892009-02-21T10:04:00.004-05:002009-02-21T10:23:38.515-05:00

Last year about this time, I added a Cluster Map to my blog. I didn't do it as ego trip, but as a demonstration in workshop I was doing, but things have changed a bit. Since adding it, I've become attached to it. I get a kick out of watching new dots pop up in exotic and out of the way places. Yesterday I receive an email that was a blow to my ego. It seems that once a year, the Cluster Map

Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04191518215607822910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8348917546498299988.post-12407358506101256732009-02-20T10:09:00.002-05:002009-02-20T10:19:12.008-05:00

So what's the big deal? Terms of service are written in legalese and we hardly ever pay attention to them until someone point out something that sounds nefarious. The changes that Facebook made were no big deal when you really understand them. Without them, they can't do what they do. Let me explain.If I send a message to my friends, Facebook can't send it to them unless I grant them a

Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04191518215607822910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8348917546498299988.post-57416500801553836842009-02-04T10:53:00.007-05:002009-02-04T19:08:21.903-05:00

The rope was a flop and my funnel failed. So it's time to call in the pros. Yesterday, after it looked as if my Rube Goldberg solution wasn't going to cut it, I called the Popcorn Park Zoo in Lacey Township. They are a wonderful animal shelter that services the area. It's a great place to take the kids! They even have a camel that has been successfully predicting Superbowl winners!I've been

Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04191518215607822910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8348917546498299988.post-21692632408756557452009-02-03T14:09:00.009-05:002009-02-04T20:27:30.961-05:00

The day before yesterday, I heard a sound that I had heard only once before and it didn't make me happy. I immediately recognized it as a squirrel who had managed to get through the screen on our chimney. He was now sitting just above the flue scratching in a vain effort to get out.Next came the fun part, namely trying to get him out humanely. Plan A was a long shot, but it was the easiest to

Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04191518215607822910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8348917546498299988.post-43864964186468569792009-01-29T09:49:00.002-05:002009-01-29T09:54:44.819-05:00

I just read an article in Datamation by Matt Hartley in which he takes the educational community to task for not being quicker to adapt Open Source software. I tried to leave the following comment to it, but kept getting a message to "Enter a properly formatted email address." I was able to find a feedback form and left the comment there, but I don't know what will come of it, so I have to

Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04191518215607822910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8348917546498299988.post-65982880278763099712009-01-25T17:00:00.002-05:002009-01-25T17:38:26.586-05:00

Two weeks ago, I was giving a workshop for the some of the folks in the Delaware Department of Education. It was just one workshop in a series of workshops over the next two months. Since I agreed on a flat rate without charging for travel or food, I decided to stay at the Days Inn - Dover. It was located near Dover Downs, near loads of shopping, plenty of restaurants and only ten minutes from

Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04191518215607822910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8348917546498299988.post-53972767820954604732008-06-05T20:15:00.003-04:002008-06-05T20:21:17.023-04:00

Late last year, our friends Buddy and Debbie, decided to build a new house. There was one small problem. They already had a house on the property. The solution was simple. Tear down the old and build the new.Here's video of the old house being torn down,and here's a slide show of the progress of the new house week by week, starting today and working back to January 15.

Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04191518215607822910noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8348917546498299988.post-48730702256021876892008-05-16T07:59:00.001-04:002008-05-16T08:00:50.181-04:00

I'm sure you are all aware of the suicide of 13 year-old Megan Meier, a St. Louis teen who thought she was talking to a 16 year-old boy who was actually an adult neighbor.Today, the U.S. Attorney in Los Angeles announced a four count indictment against, Lori Drew, the adult accused of being instrumental in Megan's death.I think this is an extremely interesting case for many reasons. If you look

Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04191518215607822910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8348917546498299988.post-53879472885327461692008-04-13T18:40:00.000-04:002008-04-13T18:41:48.228-04:00

Ok, it's time for some no BS talk. I'll begin by making it clear that the opinion about the state or educational technology and Internet safety education are my opinions and not necessarily those of WiredSafety. Thirty-eight years ago I was a new teacher sitting in classroom with fifteen other new teachers. The then Superintendent of Rockaway Schools, Bob Linette, was conducting the class

Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04191518215607822910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8348917546498299988.post-83637083014477151132008-03-29T11:36:00.003-04:002008-03-29T12:03:09.316-04:00

In 9th grade, my favorite class was wood shop, but I was in the college track and there would be no way for me to pursue my interest in high school. I often said that if I hadn't gone to college, wood working would have been my path of choice.Well now that I am retired, that path is open to me. For the past 40 years, I have had to made do with the basics. I had a decent collection of hand tools

Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04191518215607822910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8348917546498299988.post-82504954071528839832008-03-28T17:18:00.002-04:002008-03-28T17:55:18.649-04:00

According to Science & Spirit magazine, Scientist at Los Alamos Labs have confirmed that ordinary honey bees can sniff out explosives even in amounts as minute as a few parts per trillion. This poises them to be right on the front line in the fight against terrorism. Bees are strapped to small boards and exposed to the scent of explosives. They are then rewarded with honey and water. Very

Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04191518215607822910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8348917546498299988.post-62630161867858214032008-03-24T09:44:00.003-04:002008-03-24T10:06:46.245-04:00

There has been a lot of discussion on the IP mailing list about Comcast allegedly improperly throttling back some user accounts who have been using bit torrent and peer to peer technologies to transfer large or multiple files. Comcast denies they are doing that but critics are not convinced. Up until this week, I was taking a neutral stance on the issue, but something happened to me personally

Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04191518215607822910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8348917546498299988.post-77449019421037532722008-03-17T23:53:00.000-04:002008-03-17T23:54:01.255-04:00

The subject line was "Welcome to MySpace" and the message began:Hi Andrea -- Thanks for joining MySpace!Here's your account info for logging in:E-mail: AWOLINSKY_@_COMCAST.NETPassword: *******It went on to provide a link for me to confirm the email address and open the account. I'd better make sure that I don't click the confirmation link or whoever set up the account is in business.Ok, that's

Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04191518215607822910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8348917546498299988.post-56684072545982932032008-03-12T18:02:00.003-04:002008-03-12T18:44:45.768-04:00

No, I haven't become a world traveler like my son, but today I breakfast at the Vienna Inn in Vienna, VA. The inn first opened its doors in 1925 as an ice cream parlor, later it became a cafe and in 1960 it was purchased by Mike Abraham and renamed the Vienna Inn. It's colorful history including being voted one of the 200 best drinking establishments in US in 1984, is well documented at their

Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04191518215607822910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8348917546498299988.post-50482812325676874932008-03-02T03:45:00.004-05:002008-03-02T03:58:05.889-05:00

It's 3:45 AM and I've been having trouble sleeping tonight. I was going to give it another try, but first I checked my mail, a nasty habit. Among the spam was a name on a from line that started me laughing and if I don't stop, I'll be awake for the rest of the night.The name was Francisco Hawkins and he was selling me Prada shoes.I know it's just the hour, but the picture of a suave, Spanish

Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04191518215607822910noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8348917546498299988.post-40913940185374152742008-02-29T09:11:00.000-05:002008-02-29T09:12:34.924-05:00

It's a big step in the right direction, but regardless of what this task force accomplishes, it will only be a part of the solution. Without education and increased parental involvement, children will remain at risk.

Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04191518215607822910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8348917546498299988.post-62847343414244581902008-02-27T18:02:00.002-05:002008-02-28T09:26:55.741-05:00

Today I did a Web 2.0 in Education workshop for a small group of teachers in Absegami High School in South Jersey. It was NOT what I had expected.When they originally asked me to do the workshop we discussed the fact that there might be a lot of material that might be blocked and that we needed to make sure that some of the key sites we were using would be open. The person I spoke to confirmed

Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04191518215607822910noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8348917546498299988.post-42895233675590946792008-02-27T08:48:00.002-05:002008-02-27T09:11:31.691-05:00

It was something I did. I'll admit it and I told the tech up front what happened. After doing a system restore or two to try to clear up a problem with some sound recording, my Bluetooth cordless keyboard stopped working. I explained the situation to the tech and told here that I thought there was software corruption and that we needed to do a clean install of everything related to the

Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04191518215607822910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8348917546498299988.post-13126365967333689692008-02-24T11:16:00.002-05:002008-02-24T11:21:09.590-05:00

You know the old joke about the guy walking around with a banana in his ear. A friend sees him and says, "Hey Joe, what's with the banana in your ear?"To which he replies, "What did you say? I can't hear you. There's a banana in my ear."Well, my cat might say something similar. While some cat's love to have their ears scratched, mines does too, but he likes it even more when you scratch from

Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04191518215607822910noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8348917546498299988.post-23628957862108265572008-02-20T14:43:00.002-05:002008-02-20T14:47:36.044-05:00

Next week I'll be doing a Web 2.0 in Education workshop for Absegami High School. Here's a quick peek at some of the sites we will be visiting and discussing. This trailer was created using a new Web 2.0 beta called Animoto.

Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04191518215607822910noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8348917546498299988.post-24401526436454790842008-02-16T08:13:00.002-05:002008-02-16T08:27:20.246-05:00

In NJ, it often seems as if it is legal to run over j-walking pedestrians. Indeed, you get extra points if it is a little old lady with a cane, but it's different here in Amesbury, MA. Not only do you not get bonus points for bumping of careless crossers, you can get a $100 fine for not stopping for a pedestrian at a crosswalk. Ok, ok, I know that even in NJ the pedestrian has the right of way,

Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04191518215607822910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8348917546498299988.post-63609049831670505812008-01-17T11:01:00.000-05:002008-01-17T12:23:51.110-05:00

In my 3DWiredSafety blog, I wrote about Internet Safety in the light of an something I had heard close to 50 years ago. He who knows not and knows not that he knows not is a fool.Avoid him.He who knows not and knows that he knows not is a student.Teach him.He who knows and knows not that he knows is asleep.Wake him.He who knows and knows that he knows is a wise man.Follow him.That not exactly

Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04191518215607822910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8348917546498299988.post-89725296281902679282008-01-05T18:53:00.000-05:002008-01-05T19:30:34.021-05:00

Jill and I took a bus ride to New York today to see Avenue Q. My commentary on the show is short and to the point. My sides hurt from laughing and my hands are sore from clapping. The thing is that in retrospect, it wasn't the fact that the plot was anything out of the ordinary. If the lines weren't delivered by puppets I wouldn't have invested the price of two movie tickets, but it was well

Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04191518215607822910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8348917546498299988.post-27093961832398898532008-01-03T15:37:00.000-05:002008-01-03T15:44:47.889-05:00

This just in from the Mesa County Sentinel. It reads like the classic joke we've all heard a thousand times...A case against a 91-year-old man accused of rape threats is on hold so he can undergo a competency exam.Ralph Ridenour, who is accused of threatening to rape a nurse during an October incident at a Palisade nursing home, might not understand the criminal proceedings he faces, Colorado

Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04191518215607822910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8348917546498299988.post-20941462358810472962008-01-02T09:29:00.000-05:002008-01-02T09:39:37.921-05:00

I think if the phone company was my real Ma, I'd have to report her to DYFS. I'm getting ready to upgrade my phone and from what I can see, I have an old plan and will have to sign up for one of the new updated plans. However the problem is that my old plan has more features and minutes than I need or can possibly use. Of course the new plan has more features and more minutes, but it costs $10

Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04191518215607822910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8348917546498299988.post-20694198640315807472007-12-30T13:04:00.000-05:002007-12-30T13:38:42.386-05:00

Last night at 10:30, I check my email and found a message from a friend in Atlantic City mentioning me that she saw my picture in The Press. I had absolutely no idea of why it would be there. It was too late to call and find out, so I made a flying run to WAWA, to no avail. This morning on the way to do some shopping, I dropped of our papers at the recycle center. While WAWA didn't have The

Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04191518215607822910noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8348917546498299988.post-6055703147578390552007-12-26T10:00:00.001-05:002007-12-26T10:08:07.793-05:00

Well it looks like spammers take at least one day a year off. On Dec. 25, I received a total of four pieces of spam. That's less than I typically get in an hour. What that means is beyond me. I would think that the vast majority of spam would be an automatic process that doesn't require human initiation. Is this because spammers have the holiday spirit. Is it because the think any spam

Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04191518215607822910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8348917546498299988.post-13012374693780307192007-12-12T18:30:00.000-05:002007-12-12T18:41:21.198-05:00

I'm getting tired of having my meals interrupted by political straw polls or other candidate fun and games. I'm as civic minded as the next guy, but enough is enough. We have a no call list from which politicians have seen fit to make themselves immune. Since I can't stop the calls, I will take them regardless of who they are. However, I will do my utmost to answer the questions in such a manner

Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04191518215607822910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8348917546498299988.post-57197822690579094672007-12-12T12:13:00.000-05:002007-12-12T12:34:08.753-05:00

So who watches the watch dog? On Oct. 14, I filed an online complaint against Acme Express Oil in Ocean County, NJ. They installed a new oil tank on my property and failed to bleed the lines before they left. Without getting into the details, the problem that transpired was a result of their failure to bleed the line. They refused to stand behind their work and I had to pay for a service call

Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04191518215607822910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8348917546498299988.post-27159649254798682872007-11-09T09:19:00.000-05:002007-11-09T10:27:55.987-05:00

I just finished 8 presentations in 2 days at two schools in Hammond, IN. I got to talk to students, teachers, and parents. I love it when I get to talk to all three groups. Regardless of whether they agree or disagree with all or part of what I have to say, it get's them all on the same page and discussions can take place based on common ground. You can read about the presentations at NWI or

Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04191518215607822910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8348917546498299988.post-41056929381949384122007-11-03T14:04:00.000-04:002007-11-03T20:06:19.441-04:00

Last month I became a grandfather for the first time. We traveled from NJ to MA for a 10-day visit. Of course I took my camcorder and tripod. During our stay there were a lot of visitor many of who had babies and stored their gear in our room. When I arrived back home, I realized that I was missing my tripod. I called to my daughter. Maybe it was still at her house. Nope. Both of my

Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04191518215607822910noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8348917546498299988.post-5364212009842026462007-11-02T08:33:00.000-04:002007-11-02T09:38:33.777-04:00

Today I did a 9 minute Internet safety segment on EBRU TV, a Turkish owned and operated satillite TV station in Somerset. It was a trip! Merideth Parker, the host of Daily Connections was articulate, inquisitive, friendly and charming. When the interview airs, it will be available on the web. I'll write a little bit about it in my 3DWiredSafety blog and post a link here to the program when it

Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04191518215607822910noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8348917546498299988.post-16891831117975154662007-10-24T10:02:00.000-04:002007-10-24T10:26:40.391-04:00

After writing about my digestive systems program in my previous post, I thought I might make it available to anyone who is curious about what was happening with multimedia in 1990. If you are interested in getting a copy, just drop me an email at awolinsky_at_3dwriting.com (Replace _at_ with @.) and I'll send it to you as an attachment.Don't worry about it being too big. It's not. You see, this

Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04191518215607822910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8348917546498299988.post-22566029255597041972007-10-24T09:06:00.000-04:002007-10-24T09:59:11.015-04:00

In a recent 3DWiredSafety blog post, I wrote about a 2nd grader who was suspended for drawing a stick figure holding a gun, and asked that a little common sense be exercised. Jeff commented, "Since when does common sense have a place in today's schools? We've replaced common sense with mandates, low standards curricula, and zero tolerance policies. Where have you been, Art?"Jeff is right.

Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04191518215607822910noreply@blogger.com0