58F and wet, again. You’d think it was winter or something. Yesterday afternoon opened up and was just gorgeous. The forecast was revised warmer too, not even a frost. We’ll see if that changes again.
The game of chicken continues in Washington, but the rest of the world isn’t sitting still. I feel like we’re the little pebbles at the top of the mountain that have just started moving, on the way to becoming an avalanche.
In related news, my order of freeze dried and canned meat mostly arrived. Cans were rattling around in a big box with no filler, not even paper. One can of Keystone came separately in a padded envelope. Not even an invoice or packing slip. The dryer sheets I ordered for pickup at the local walmart have STILL not arrived. They sent me an email saying ‘parts of my order have been delayed.’ Again I’m thinking some sort of shenanigans. I’ve gotten epackets from China in less time.
Daily duty calls,
n
Subbing again today. Art class which also encompasses part of the STEAM educational environment at the school. A couple of the classes involve robotics, 3D printer, Arduino to run some of the projects. I actually enjoy this class, except for last period. This is a freshmen class getting their required to graduate art class. They don’t care and would rather talk, text and other worthless drivel.
Freshmen, one of the most annoying forms of life.
Anyway, the technology classes actually have some fairly bright, and motivated kids. Based on what I have seen, and helped with some projects, these kids are going to be productive and valuable adults. Creative ideas, lot of effort put into the projects, etc. It is a shame that sometimes funding is an issue. I have told the teacher that if any of these kids cannot complete their project because of funding let me know and I will make certain they have the money. I have contributed $65.00 to one project and will gladly contribute more. I want these kids to succeed.
As for the freshmen art class; an entire room filled with worthless creatures that can’t think beyond the last text message they received. Bunch of idiots.
You mean STEM, right?
No, STEAM. They added arts to the program thus the addition of the “A”.
Just shoot me. Somebody at the local school likes to pronounce it “STEAM”, and I correct him every time. STEM is the focus for JOBS. STEAM gets you tasty broccoli. If he wants his kids to get a good job at some seafood joint, have at it. But STEM is all that matters.
32º and light snow. We’re getting damp snow right now, and it’s slushing as it hits. kind of sucky. The best part of my morning was coming into the parking lot and doing a donut to turn around to back into my spot. Sales manager hates it when I do that. So I do it every chance I get.
Given the snow and the belts we normally get, my favorite XC place is getting a good bit, but the slushing is leading to icing, so the XC ski race this weekend has been postponed. I’m kind of glad of that, as it gives me more time to prepare. I’ve been slacking lately. . But I will get out to Ski on Sunday before the Sportsball games.
Speaking of Sportsball, it seems the GOATS and the HOMES are going at in Missouri City for the Americans, while the Nationals will see the PICKUPS and the FLEURS battling it out in the SuperSphere of the Cajuns. Should be a great Sonday. Not Super, though.
Yes, as soon as STEM started to free kids minds, the Commies stepped in and got the “A” added. As Mr. OFD would say, “they didn’t even fire a shot.”
IM(not so)HO, doesn’t really matter:
1. 90% are impervious regardless,
2. 5% would succeed regardless, not needing it.
3. 5% might be helped.
Remember, it is the product of bureaucrats who must waste our tax$$$, one way or another.
I can’t decide whether the STEAM designation is really cynical, or really naive. Whoever uses it with a straight face is naive: Do they seriously think the “A” has anything at all to do with the other four letters? Alternatively, it’s an incredibly cynical way to increase female participation, since there are a lot more girls in A, which helps balance out all the boys in the other fields.
On a vaguely related note, I just flipped through the StackOverflow 2018 survey results. Piles of information there, although it’s not entirely clear how representative StackOverflow members are. For example, the average age is mid-to-late 20s, so it’s mostly a younger demographic.
Demographics: 93% are male, and 74% are “White or of European descent”. Of the few women, most are in: Education, QA/test, Data science / machine learning, Designer, Data analyst, Front-end development. So generally fields that involve less coding. Sexual stereotypes hold true. They show that 80% of the respondents also code as a hobby, i.e., just for fun. I’d love to see the gender statistics there, because I’ll bet there are almost no women. From personal experience, even among women who are really good coders, most don’t particularly enjoy it – it’s just a job.
Also on the subject of differences between men and women: What do you look for when assessing a job? Men look for compensation/benefits, followed by the technologies they would be working with. Women look at the office environment and culture, following by opportunities for professional development. Quite the difference in priorities.
I was having this STEM vs STEAM discussion with my wife last night. Keep in mind, we BOTH have arts degrees… but on the technical side, and we both work now exclusively on the tech side.
And we agree that the STEAM addition is nonsense. Everyone wants to be special, and they know in their hearts that there IS a difference, but they can’t resist pushing their way in and attacking what they see.
STEM concerns itself with the reality of the world, with knowable absolutes. Arts concerns itself with fantasy, perception, and UNknowable NON-absolutes. COMPLETELY different- different mindset, different skills, different everything.
That said, STEM is often used in support of the arts. Look at the modern concert, or any of the Circe de Soleil shows. There is a MASSIVE amount of tech and engineering involved. One is in service to the other, and people who can both conceptualize something new, and do construction drawings with an engineer’s stamp are EXCEEDINGLY RARE. I say that after 3 decades working in theater, event production, music, film, TV, and even oil exploration and data visualization.
The A is not on the same level or anywhere near the same sort of thing, as the S T E and M.
n
In the local high school they gave the art teacher the robotics class to teach. She struggled the first year (last year) so I helped her with the instruction and the students with their labs.
The teacher learned a lot over the summer and is doing much better this year. I still helped for about a week with a couple of projects a few of the students were doing. Mostly to do with the code for their Arduino boards.
Programming those boards requires a computer. But the school district has locked down all the computers, including the Chromebooks the students use, so that the Arduino code will not install and in the case of the Chromebooks not work at all. There are ports that have to be configured to make them work.
Calling the district to get the school computer set up to run the Arduino code is futile. It would take four to five months to get the technical department to install the software. That is too long. So the teacher brings in her personal laptop to install and run the Arduino programming environment. Without that none of the projects would have worked. Not even the 3D printers which are run by non-school issued laptops that have been donated.
The math teacher was given the class to teach digital electronics. She knows nothing about electronic circuits. She is learning but it is difficult. Having to learn logic circuits and gates is not where her education was focused.
Regardless, I am still impressed with some of the students, their projects, their desire to learn. There is hope. Then there is the other end of the spectrum where being the student being a greeter at Walmart would prove challenging.
“they gave the art teacher the robotics class to teach”
–at least they gave it to SOMEONE
I see a fair amount of stem stuff in the normal surplus school auction stuff. Usually, you’ll have someone ‘champion’ the program, he’ll get funding and set it up, then he’ll leave. No one else knows anything about it, and I end up buying a commercial 3d printer for $100…. or two robot arms, or CAD/CAM cnc trainers….
n
In related news, my order of freeze dried and canned meat mostly arrived. Cans were rattling around in a big box with no filler, not even paper. One can of Keystone came separately in a padded envelope. Not even an invoice or packing slip. The dryer sheets I ordered for pickup at the local walmart have STILL not arrived. They sent me an email saying ‘parts of my order have been delayed.’ Again I’m thinking some sort of shenanigans. I’ve gotten epackets from China in less time.
You orderded the Keystone meat from Walmart, right ? Walmart does not have a clue how to pack a box. Walmart apparently gets all of the warehouse rejects from Big River.
That said, Walmart’s prices are 5 to 25% lower than Amazon though. The pricing differential is totally inconsistent and I have not been able to figure out any rules of thumb other than the shipping packages suck at Walmarts. So, don’t buy anything at Walmarts that can be damaged in shipping.
That happened here in the past. But is no longer an issue. This school is fairly committed to the program. This is the second year and has made good progress. I really think they will keep the program going and expand the program. They are going to significantly remodel the middle school, move part of the high school to that building, and tear down the old part of the high school.
This is something that should have been done years ago but getting money from the county commission has been difficult. People with a sixth grade education fail to see the need for advanced programs and thus will not vote for property tax increases to fund the schools.
Anyway, the plans for the remodeled/new school contain a lot more space and resources for STEAM. This indicates a significant expansion in the program and support of the program.
I know the kids involved really like the program, well most of them anyway. They are learning by doing, seeing the results, and getting a feeling of accomplishment. They make mistakes along the way and learn by their mistakes. Much better than reading a book and taking a test to show what they memorized.
The teachers of the class also like the program. They are learning, albeit initially forced, to learn something new. They are making excellent progress and in a couple of years will really be able to guide and instruct the students. The teachers now enjoy the classes and the projects the students accomplish.
I have helped this one teacher, the one I am currently subbing for, several times and will continue to do so. All on my own time. I really want some of these kids to succeed as some are quite motivated and intelligent.
In a couple of years I feel this school will be tops in the county out of five schools. And will also places within the top 10 within the state. The commitment by the staff and the school board is in place. There have been demonstrations for the board by the students and the board was impressed. The board can see the potential.
There is also community support. There is a CNC machine in the metal shop that broke down and no one in the shop could fix the machine. One of the local companies heard about the issue and sent in their technicians to fix the machine. The local company also provided all the parts.
CoorsTech, a local technology company, sponsors trips to their facilities so the students can learn about the machining technology, get a limited hands-on with some of the equipment. Enough to pique the students interest.
Education cannot rely on teachers alone. There has to be a buy in by the students, teachers, staff, school board, volunteers, local companies and parents. I am seeing some of this in the STEAM projects at the school.
From @Greg yesterday,
What? New Stephenson this Summer? And a “Reamde” sequel?
@Lynn — you need to move “Reamde” closer to the top of your pile.
https://www.nealstephenson.com/news/2018/12/07/fall/
Dadgum, that sounds like a ripoff of this five star book, Dennis Taylor’s Bobiverse:
https://www.amazon.com/We-Are-Legion-Bob-Bobiverse/dp/1680680587/?tag=ttgnet-20
I started “Reamde” last night. So far, so good. The book opens with a family reunion in Iowa, lots of food and lots of guns and lots of shooting. Sounds like a family reunion here in South Texas that we used to have.
ADD: BTW, I guess at 1.8 lbs and 1056 pages, I bought “Reamde” by the pound. Who does Neal Stephenson think he is, David Weber ?
Wow, the radio just reminded me that it has been two years since Glen Frey passed on.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glenn_Frey
Frey’s song “Lyin Eyes” fits in well with @nick’s comment yesterday, @ray, if you’re rich you don’t have to be young or handsome….
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0q7kAVk66m4
Red Green says “If women don’t find you handsome, at least they should find you handy.”
About the Red Green show: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Red_Green_Show .
“How to Photograph a Total Lunar Eclipse”
https://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2491846,00.asp
“A total lunar eclipse is a spectacular event, and one that happens infrequently enough that it’s well worth going outside to gaze at. On Jan. 20-21, North America has a ringside seat to one. Although it can be challenging to get good eclipse photos because of the vast reduction of the Moon’s light during totality, with a little preparation it can be done. Here are some tips for snapping good pictures using a tripod-mounted camera.”
“A lunar eclipse occurs when the Earth lies between the Sun and Moon, and the Moon passes into Earth’s shadow. In a total lunar eclipse, the entire Moon is immersed in Earth’s umbra, the dark, inner part of the shadow. Unlike a solar eclipse, which during its partial phases is far too bright to look at except through eclipse glasses or similar filters without risking blindness, it’s perfectly safe to look at all stages of a lunar eclipse without eye protection.”
I can’t decide whether the STEAM designation is really cynical, or really naive. Whoever uses it with a straight face is naive: Do they seriously think the “A” has anything at all to do with the other four letters? Alternatively, it’s an incredibly cynical way to increase female participation, since there are a lot more girls in A, which helps balance out all the boys in the other fields.
A friend of my son has worked at several computer game manufacturers now. He has a masters degree in art from SMU. His current job is the background scene manager for an Los Angeles game company and has 100+ artists working for him on the backgrounds for the game scenes. There are 400 artists working on the game foregrounds (characters ? guns ? swords ? bombs ?) at the business. So, there is the A in STEAM. I would have never thought it possible.
Nope. Using paint and animation software is another type of artistry. It’s not science, engineering or math. BUILDING THE SOFTWARE fits the definition.
The “T” was added to cover the technical jobs that would be the AA versions of the BA, and BS degrees. CAD operator. Estimator. Engineering associate. The implication is that you are RUNNING the technology for its own sake. The machine operator makes parts. He doesn’t care what parts.
n
It’s the same mistake people make when talking about kids today saying they are fluent with ‘technology’. Texting on a phone isn’t ‘fluency with technology.’ It’s monkey punching buttons. Unless the kid understands that the phone is a RADIO, in fact about a dozen radios, he doesn’t have any clue about the technology. He’s just using a tool to manipulate words. Was a clerk/typist III ‘fluent’ with technology? or could they use a tool provided to them to manipulate words?
n
added- and probably added to make the word STEM rather than SEM as well.
ADD: BTW, I guess at 1.8 lbs and 1056 pages, I bought “Reamde” by the pound. Who does Neal Stephenson think he is, David Weber ?
Believe it or not, despite Stephenson being one of the original cyberpunk authors, “Reamde” was supposedly the first book he wrote with a word processor.
The MPop (or whatever they call it these days) in Seattle has his manuscript for the “Baroque Cycle” books, a six foot tall stack of paper, all written in longhand.
My concern with the “Reamde” sequel is that Stephenson works for Magic Leap these days, another tech Ponzi with a charismatic “visionary” founder. “Seveneves” was a combination of shilling for Blue Origin (Stevenson worked there during the time he wrote the book) and SJW manifesto, complete with a “wise Latina” character.
It is all a fraud.
Did Isaac Newton participate in STEM and use an iPad?
Did Albert Einstein participate in STEAM and use a Chromebook?
Roger that, and I don’t expect the tax gobbling public education twerps to agree with me.
How much federal, NASA type, tax dollars did those Dayton bicycle mechanics use?
Roger that, and I don’t expect the tax gobbling public education twerps to agree with me.
Part of putting the A in STEAM is that now every high school needs a state-of-the-art 1500 seat performing arts hall with perfect acoustics. The stage at the end of the cafeteria isn’t enough anymore for the band and drama classes.
It’s the same mistake people make when talking about kids today saying they are fluent with ‘technology’. Texting on a phone isn’t ‘fluency with technology.’ It’s monkey punching buttons.
In the course of a conversation yesterday with a middle-aged friend I was told that the typical millenial has no idea what the dashboard icons in their cars signify.
The wrench? The “check engine” light? The tire pressure icon? What could those mysterious symbols possibly mean?
Regarding the Pelosi flight – saw a meme today:
“I disagree with Trump cancelling the military flight for Pelosi. I would have waited … then cancelled the return flight.”
Heh.
The wrench? The “check engine” light? The tire pressure icon? What could those mysterious symbols possibly mean?
I hate the tire pressure icon. The sensors are way too sensitive on my newish Toyota. I’m used to eyeballing the tires and double checking with a pressure gauge.
Another item for the first maintenance appointment.
“I disagree with Trump cancelling the military flight for Pelosi. I would have waited … then cancelled the return flight.”
Make the return flight the cargo hold of a C130. They were probably going to fly one across with her limo anyway.
@greg, hey now, those new theaters feed my kids….
and they are required by law in TX. Every dime you spend on athletics has to have a dime spent on the arts. The easiest way for school districts to do that is build a theater.
So anytime you see a proposal for athletic spending, remember it will be doubled so the band fags, art fags, and theatre geeks will have somewhere to play too. (I am at least two of those, and I never played in the band.)
n
“We Elected a Disrupter! Hang In There and Win” by Rush Limbaugh
https://www.rushlimbaugh.com/daily/2019/01/16/we-elected-a-disrupter-just-hang-in-there-mr-president/
Rush is right !
“We Elected a Disrupter! Hang In There and Win” by Rush Limbaugh
Stage the State of the Union in the AT&T Center in San Antonio. Trump should stand about where Coach Popovich paces the floor on game night. 🙂
Part of putting the A in STEAM is that now every high school needs a state-of-the-art 1500 seat performing arts hall with perfect acoustics. The stage at the end of the cafeteria isn’t enough anymore for the band and drama classes.
I graduated from Dulles High School in Fort Bend ISD in 1978 when it was the only high school in Fort Bend County. 6,500 students in the 1977 – 78 school year. The cafeteria only seated 800 or so kids (yes, seven lunch periods of 20 minutes each). The 2,000 ??? seat auditorium was the only place that they could get a single grade together to lay down the law to us. I am highly doubtful that the acoustics were any good.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dulles_High_School_(Sugar_Land,_Texas)
The kids’ school building is a two story round structure. The cafetorium (real word in TX) is in the middle and lowered. So yes, round room, little tiny two step up stage, hard floor, walls and low ceiling. The acoustics are beyond bad, and the PA system was designed by a sadist. People are louder and better sounding without the mic.
n
The 2,000 ??? seat auditorium was the only place that they could get a single grade together to lay down the law to us. I am highly doubtful that the acoustics were any good.
My high school built a decent auditorium in the early 80s, but the Principal reallocated the money intended for acoustic ceiling tiles into a new training facility for the football team so we had an echo chamber.
The training facility was nicer than what the NFL team had in Tampa at the time. Of course considering the One Buc Place under previous ownership (the vacant land in the center of the satellite image below — zoom out to see the neighborhood), it wasn’t hard to top that facility.
Jet fumes — the smell of championships in the making.
https://www.google.com/maps/place/N+Westshore+Blvd,+Tampa,+FL/@27.9623535,-82.5276161,908m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x88c2c2f8acb8a943:0xf203914103440df2!8m2!3d27.9556297!4d-82.524071
Ok, they were still there when they won the Super Bowl. They haven’t done anything since moving to the new jet fume-free facility.
Just got an email from Croatia. You know, their two letter country code of HR is just about the most non-obvious country code that I have seen.
https://www.worldatlas.com/aatlas/ctycodes.htm
“Ruben Navarrette: To get to White House: Tell us a story, Mr. Castro”
https://www.wvgazettemail.com/opinion/daily_mail_opinion/syndicated_columnists/ruben-navarrette-to-get-to-white-house-tell-us-a/article_7eb0b2ec-30b5-5593-b409-4c0311eb7e75.html
“Julian Castro has one heck of a good story to tell, and now the 44-year-old former San Antonio Mayor and U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development has a national soapbox from which to tell it.”
Please, no. No stories.
Hat tip to Fort Bend Herald but behind their paywall.
I hate the tire pressure icon. The sensors are way too sensitive on my newish Toyota. I’m used to eyeballing the tires and double checking with a pressure gauge.
I hate all icons that do not have some sort of English phrasing on them stating what the alarm is. Very few of the icon images are common to the vehicle manufacturers.
You ordered the Keystone meat from Walmart, right ? Walmart does not have a clue how to pack a box.
They are very sloppy about packaging. I use the “pick up at store” option. Otherwise I have a FedEx variant (Ground?) just drop the box over the fence. Because pushing a button to open the gate so you can drive to the house is just too difficult.
Not a fan of dented cans for stuff I want to keep for a few years.
Picking up at the store gives me instant “I’m returning this”. They can’t argue when I open the box in front of them and the cans are dented.
“Report: All Electric Ford F-Series Is Coming: Ford Exec Says”
https://www.tfltruck.com/2019/01/electric-ford-f-series-coming-soon-ford-exec-says/
“A recent report states that an all-electric Ford F-Series is coming in addition to the F-150 Hybrid. Detroit Free Press reports that Ford executive, Jim Farley, made the following statement: “We’re going to be electrifying the F-Series – battery electric and hybrid”. ”
I hope that it will have a big battery. And a battery charger generator.
“The report quotes Ford as saying that their F-Series and commercial van business had a revenue of approximately $70 billion in 2017. That revenue is higher than that of Facebook in 2017, according to Ford. The company sold over 1 million F-Series trucks world-wide in 2018.”
Wow.
Just got an email from Croatia. You know, their two letter country code of HR is just about the most non-obvious country code that I have seen.
Wikipedia says “Croatia (/ k r oʊ ˈ eɪ ʃ ə / (), kroh-AY-shə; Croatian: Hrvatska, pronounced [xř̩ʋaːtskaː]),”
No clue over here how to say “Hrvatska”. Cyrillic with Roman alphabet? But it does explain the HR country code.
Teslas here have a total lie bumper sticker: “Clean Emissions”
Well, here they are charged from our electric generation station which burns CH4.
Hey, gov’s Moonbeam and Newsome, how does that not produce CO2? AlGore?
Newsom 2020
https://ntknetwork.com/2020-watch-gavin-newsom-is-running-facebook-ads-in-ohio-florida-other-swing-states/
It’s the same mistake people make when talking about kids today saying they are fluent with ‘technology’. Texting on a phone isn’t ‘fluency with technology.’ It’s monkey punching buttons.
My first chopper instructor told me with enough bananas, he could teach a monkey to fly a copter. Oo Oo Ah Ah.
Castro has the wrong last name.
San Antonio is an impoverished broken down sh!thole, in the middle of a state overflowing with prosperity.
And what do you call it when you hire your brother?? Oh, right, nepotism.
There may be 30 million illegals. And in some states, hispanics may make up 40% of the local population. NO WAY is someone named “Castro” going to get elected.*
n
*of course, blacks only make up 12%, and Barry had a freaking ISLAMIC TERRORIST name and he got elected. I don’t think white middle america is going to let that happen again.
Semper Fi:
Gunnery Sgt. R. Lee Ermey laid to rest in Arlington National Cemetery
Season 2 of Marvel’s The Punisher is out today on Netflix.
Season 2 of Marvel’s The Punisher is out today on Netflix.
Was season 1 any good ?
I loved S01. If like “The Punisher” you’ll love it.
I loved S01. If like “The Punisher” you’ll love it.
I will try it after I finish “Jericho”. I never read “The Punisher” comic book, I was a Spiderman and X-Men fan.
There may be 30 million illegals. And in some states, hispanics may make up 40% of the local population. NO WAY is someone named “Castro” going to get elected.*
The Castros aren’t going anywhere, but it has nothing to do with their last name. I’ve beat that expired equine many times here.
Castro ain’t gonna play in Iowa, no matter what their other issues.
And another Kennedy wannabe, ffs. Let the gangster’s son rot in hell, where his own religion places him for his infidelity, if nothing else. And the other two.
If ‘we’re like the Kennedys’ is the best the D can do, they have a tough row to hoe.
n
Castro ain’t gonna play in Iowa, no matter what their other issues.
And another Kennedy wannabe, ffs. Let the gangster’s son rot in hell, where his own religion places him for his infidelity, if nothing else. And the other two.
If ‘we’re like the Kennedys’ is the best the D can do, they have a tough row to hoe.
The best thing that I can figure is getting on the short list for VP. Them and butto. Newsom is probably a shoe-in for the dumbocrap Prez ticket if he does not screw up Kali any worse than it is already.
Trump is probably watching all this and hoping that he gets Newsom and butto in 2020. He can roll those two easily. I am still amazed that Trump pulled Pelosi’s plane away from her one hour before departure. That takes toughness.
Yep, love it. No plane for you!
n
The best thing that I can figure is getting on the short list for VP. Them and butto. Newsom is probably a shoe-in for the dumbocrap Prez ticket if he does not screw up Kali any worse than it is already.
Hillary looked at the Castros, and they didn’t pass the vetting process.
On the surface, you can’t run around the country with “the first Hispanic VP nominee” who doesn’t speak Spanish fluently, but BJ, Mook, and Podesta could have solved that. No, something else popped up.
The Castros are Texas’ problem. Like Jeb! in Florida, they may still be players behind the scenes, especially with the Socialists running San Antonio and Austin, but even the local political “experts” concede that the brothers missed their moments to step up in 2018.
A small taste of the potential circus surrounding the shareholder lawsuits which will fly if the Valley pundits get their wish and Apple buys out the TSLA stockholders.
https://www.wired.com/story/tesla-lawsuit-elon-musk-grimes-azealia-banks/
Cook needs to keep that cash handy. I use my wife’s old Apple Watch for work, and this week, baby sitting a construction crew remotely one night, the battery “exploded”, swelling to the point that the case popped open. Surprise.
The watch is even beyond the extended warranty Apple granted over the battery issue, but they are still going to do something for me after evaluating the problem on Monday at (sigh) The Domain — Austin’s mini-Kalifornia, soon to be complete with MLS stadium.
I’m obviously not the only one with the problem.